Elsewhere, in a bathroom lit with soft, sterile lighting, Natsukawa Kanade stood in front of the sink, splashing cold water onto his face like a desperate salaryman trying to erase the traces of a long night.
Over and over again.
Again.
And again.
He finally looked up at the mirror, water dripping from his chin, and sighed. His face was a little flushed—definitely not from the temperature.
"Yare yare daze…" he muttered under his breath.
Calm had finally returned. At least, more or less.
He'd escaped the room under the pretense of answering a phone call—but in reality, it was the most divine intervention he'd ever experienced in his life. If he hadn't left right then, his future would've been… doomed. Utterly and completely.
Just thinking back made a chill crawl down his spine.
In the past, he'd always been the kind of guy to complain about tension being interrupted at the most critical moment while watching anime or reading manga. That one second where the characters were about to confess—or worse, do something they can't take back—only for the scene to suddenly cut to something mundane.
Those moments? He used to scream at the screen.
"This is where the doujin begins, dammit!"
Yeah, that used to be him.
But now?
Now that he was living through one of those scenes?
That kind of interruption was the single greatest thing to ever happen to him.
Because if something had happened… if that small step had turned into a huge leap… he'd be absolutely done for.
If Senpai had let things continue, and he, in a moment of weakness, had followed through with the impulse?
There would be no turning back.
Senpai—Kasumigaoka Utaha—wasn't just any girl. She was a cunning, prideful, teasing deviant who treated his flustered reactions as personal trophies. And if a "fait accompli" occurred between them?
His future could only head in two horrifying directions.
Scenario One: Senpai enslaves him. No, not literally—but close. With her twisted personality, she'd surely take advantage of the situation. Not by making them boyfriend and girlfriend, no, no. That would be too normal.
Instead, she'd invent all kinds of weird scenarios to mess with him.
Like: "Kouhai-kun, I want you to date another girl." "Huh? Why!?" "Because I want to train you. You'll practice with me first. Physical contact, verbal sweet talk, everything."
He could see it already—him, standing awkwardly like a mannequin, while Senpai play-acted as his girlfriend's coach.
He'd be forced to do embarrassing things in the name of "practice." At first, he'd resist. But slowly, inevitably, he'd give in. He'd even get used to it.
And once he gave in, that was it.
From then on, he would be her plaything—her eternal Kouhai. A butler. A test subject. A puppet!
…Yabai.
Even imagining it was terrifying.
Scenario Two: The colder, sharper one.
After everything, Senpai would look at him with a frosty gaze and simply say:
"…Get out."
And then she'd never speak to him again.
That one stung even harder.
Because in that moment, he wouldn't just lose the girl he liked—he'd lose her respect, her trust, the entire dynamic they'd built. It would all crumble.
And he? He would hate himself forever. Regret it with every fiber of his being. He'd be haunted by the idea that he was the one who ruined everything—because he listened to the selfish whispers of his lower brain.
Even he, Natsukawa Kanade, wouldn't be able to forgive himself for that.
But… there was one more possibility. The scariest one of all.
Scenario Three: Senpai forgives him.
Not because she likes him. Not because she wants a relationship.
She just… lets it slide.
Maybe even smiles faintly and says, "Don't worry about it."
And then walks away, forever.
While he? He's left behind with nothing but the memory of that night.
She doesn't love him. She never did.
And yet… he touched her. She held him. They shared something. For a fleeting moment, they connected.
That kind of heartbreak—the kind that leaves a beautiful scar—was the most unbearable of all.
He'd seen the light.
And then watched it disappear.
"If I had never touched her, I could've pretended I didn't care… But now…"
The thought of watching Senpai smile at someone else, laugh with someone else, be held by someone else… it made his stomach twist.
Just one night of closeness and he already knew—he wouldn't be able to let go.
And that made everything even worse.
With everything he knew about Kasumigaoka Utaha's personality—her pride, her sharp tongue, her stubbornness—there was no realistic happy ending. There was no gentle, warm transition from whatever they were now to a normal, romantic relationship.
After all, what would that even mean?
That he… what, conquered Senpai by sheer horniness?
That this world ran on harem anime logic, where once you "cross the line," a girl just goes "ara ara" and falls in love?
"This isn't an erotic game!"he screamed internally.
In reality, acting like a beast doesn't win you the girl—it gets you arrested.
So yeah.
That's why, even though he'd mentally prepared for every scenario—mind, body, and all his "tools"—he still clung to his last shred of decency and resisted Senpai's provocations in that room.
He even pretended to be angry—just to throw her off.
And just as he was about to lecture her seriously…
Ring-ring!
A phone call came in.
Like an angel descending from the heavens.
Sure, it cost him a little dignity—what with the "umbrella" falling out of his pocket and landing right in front of her—but if that was the price to keep their relationship intact?
He'd gladly pay it.
A few moments of secondhand embarrassment was a small price for preserving their current… complicated, but functional bond.
And now that his brain had cooled down and his future felt safe again, there was only one thing left to do.
Call back the person who had saved him from eternal damnation.
The voice of reason in his chaotic life.
The unsung heroine.
The literal goddess.
Katou Megumi.
He dialed back with trembling hands.
"Moshi moshi?"
"Yes! Yes, I can hear you! This is Natsukawa Kanade—!" His voice cracked with emotion.
He was so close to crying, it was embarrassing.
It was like a kid running home after being bullied, bursting through the door, screaming "Mommm!!"
"Sorry I didn't answer right away. I… I was dealing with something. But I'm free now! I can talk for as long as you want!"
Honestly, he wanted nothing more than to stay on this call for the rest of the night. Just thinking about going back into that room where Utaha-senpai lay in wait like a seductive final boss made him want to faint. If he could just talk to Katou until Senpai got bored and went to sleep, that would be the best case scenario. He could preserve the tiny fragments of his sanity and, more importantly—his precious innocence!
"Eto… It's sweet that Natsukawa-kun wants to chat," Katou replied, her voice warm but carrying a gentle firmness. "But... don't you have to wake up early tomorrow?"
That familiar, almost motherly calmness of hers—it was impossible to hate. But also... how did she know he had to be up early? He hadn't even mentioned that to Utaha-senpai!
"Ah, Eriri told me. She mentioned there's a study group planned, so I thought I'd ask you about it," Katou explained preemptively, as if reading his mind again.
Even from this side of the phone, Kanade felt his heart clench. How was she so in sync with his thoughts? Her timing, her words… it was like she had cheat codes for life.
As she spoke, he thought he heard something else in the background. A soft, barely audible trickling of water. …Eh?
"Ah, yeah. That's right," he stammered, returning to the previous topic. "Do you… need tutoring too, Katou?"
It was a bit unexpected. In his mind, Katou was the reliable, steady type. The kind of girl who quietly aced her classes and made perfect notes. The idea of her falling behind felt… off.
"Well… I wasn't feeling well the other day and had to skip class," Katou said, a hint of sheepishness creeping into her tone. "After that, I couldn't really catch up. I'm worried about the midterm."
Kanade nodded to himself in the empty corridor, empathy flashing in his eyes. "Ahh, I get it. That's the worst." He let out a chuckle. "Happened to me once too. Took a ten-minute nap in math class, and when I woke up, it looked like someone had summoned a magic circle on the blackboard. The teacher was already wiping it off with a smile."
He could practically hear the smile in Katou's voice as she replied.
"It's math," she admitted in a quiet voice, almost whispering. "That subject really hates me…"
Kanade couldn't help but laugh. "That's totally normal. It's math—we're all just background characters in its cruel plot."
There was a pause after that. A soft rustling sound filtered through the speaker, as though the wind had brushed through leaves. He tilted his head in confusion and was just about to check if the call had dropped when her voice returned, gentle as a breeze.
"Gomen… I was in the bath and got a little distracted. I'll turn on the video—it'll be easier this way."
"...Eh?"
Sou Natsukawa's brain blanked out.
Bath?
Video??
For a moment, he genuinely thought he misheard. He was almost tempted to jab himself in the leg to make sure he hadn't slipped into some alternate isekai reality. But before he could respond, his thumb had already moved—against his better judgment—and tapped the "accept video" option.
…Why did I just do that?!
But in his heart, he had already accepted the answer: because it was Katou's request. She wasn't the kind of person who did things without a reason. Even if he didn't understand it, he wanted to trust her.
The screen flashed to life.
On it appeared Katou Megumi—not in a towel or robe, thankfully—but in a pink and white hoodie, her lower half clad in a simple striped skirt and her trademark black mid-calf socks. It was casual, but cute. She looked like the kind of girl you'd meet in a slice-of-life anime, the sweet kouhai who always greets you with a "Kanade-niisan~" and a packed bento.
But despite the innocent outfit, the posture was… not helping.
She was kneeling on the bed, leaning forward slightly, probably to adjust her phone stand. Her soft hair fell forward, her collar shifted slightly, and for a second, a flash of pale skin peeked from beneath the fabric.
Kanade immediately snapped his face to the side, ears burning red. "N-Natsukawa Kanade, do not look. Do not fall for the flags!!"
"Can you see clearly, Natsukawa-kun?"
"I-I can see clearly!" he replied, eyes still averted as if avoiding a direct gaze from Medusa.
The screen hadn't glitched. He had seen everything.
Worse, if the cooks at the ramen shop across the street had their windows open, even they might've caught a glimpse. No need for long-range reconnaissance or spy satellites—Katou was already dealing direct critical hits through her camera lens!
But as his heart pounded in panic, another thought hit him like a kunai to the chest.
Didn't she say she was in the bath?!
Then why—why was she suddenly in her room, fully dressed, kneeling on her bed like this was some late-night variety show?! Katou-san… lying is bad! You made his heart do unnecessary cardio for no reason!