Bang bang bang!
A heavy, urgent knocking echoed through the room. At the same time, the doorknob outside could be heard rattling violently.
If Haru hadn't had the foresight to lock the door in advance, whoever was on the other side would've burst in without hesitation. That level of aggression clearly didn't belong to some sleepy little stray cat.
That left only one likely candidate outside the door: his good buddy, Shiina Taki.
"Kazami?! Haru! Open the door, now!"
The sudden, panicked shouting sent a chill through Takamatsu Tomori, who was still in Haru's arms. Her face went pale as she nearly leapt off of him in fright, her gaze darting about in sheer panic.
Even someone as sweet and innocent as the little penguin knew full well, what she was doing now definitely wasn't okay, and if strict, no-nonsense Taki saw this...
She'd absolutely get scolded.
"Haru! Wh-what do I do?!"
Tomori clung to Haru's shirt collar in a panic, her disheveled pajamas making her both embarrassed and terrified.
Haru himself wasn't looking much better. As the "mastermind" behind all of this, even he was freezing up.
He definitely hadn't expected all three of his girlfriends to sneak into his room one after another tonight and now, on top of that, someone who should've been fast asleep, Taki-san, was pounding on his door.
At any rate, it was time to reuse the strategy that had worked twice already.
"Good thing I locked the door… She can't come in for now. Tomori, just find a place to hide!"
"Mm…!"
Haru gently patted her head, helping calm the frantic penguin. But her amber eyes still shimmered with anxious tears.
She slipped on her slippers and began scanning the room. The moment her gaze landed on the wardrobe, her eyes widened slightly. Then, as if steeling herself, she marched straight toward it without hesitation.
Haru's eyes sharpened. He'd seen this coming.
"Wait, there's already someone..."
Click!
Before he could finish, Tomori had already opened the wardrobe and found herself face to face with two very familiar expressions, Nagasaki Soyo and Chihaya Anon, both frozen in place.
The three girls stared at one another for a full two seconds, the heavy silence stretching between them.
Fortunately, even in her panic, Tomori knew this wasn't the time to freeze up. Her face burning bright red, she slammed the door shut and turned to sprint toward the window.
"That leads to the po— Wait, we're on the 43rd floor!"
Haru smacked himself on the forehead in frustration. Without missing a beat, he grabbed the flustered little penguin and shoved her under the bed.
By now, the room was completely maxed out in terms of hiding spots. Once he confirmed that Tomori was safely stashed away, Haru, dripping with sweat, finally opened the door.
Thud!
As the door swung open, Shiina Taki stood there, clearly panicked.
Without saying a word, she stepped in and began scanning the room. But no matter how many times she looked around, she found no one except Haru himself. Tilting her head in confusion, she seemed thoroughly puzzled.
"Well? What are you up to?"
Haru nearly groaned. That was the third time tonight he'd heard that question.
"Kazami-kun! This is bad!"
"I got up to use the bathroom just now and realized everyone was gone! Tomori, Soyo, even that pink one, they all mysteriously disappeared from their beds! So I thought maybe… maybe they were all in your room! That's why I rushed up here!"
As she blurted out the last part, Taki's face suddenly went crimson. Haru's mouth twitched slightly; he had a pretty good idea what she was thinking.
"…Why would you assume they're all here with me?"
"Because they all…"
Taki clamped her mouth shut, cutting herself off. Her stunningly beautiful face was now dyed a bright, rosy red.
Because they're all your girlfriends!
Shiina Taki, usually the most proper of them all, naturally understood the weight of being someone's girlfriend. Even if things had gone as far as reaching the "adult stage," it wouldn't be impossible.
If it had just been one girl missing, she wouldn't have thought much of it. But three of them had vanished at once.
There's no way Kazami Haru could be holed up in here with all three of them...
"They're not the type to wander off. Anyway, Taki, don't panic so much. Try to calm down a little."
Maybe it was because she'd been so anxious, but Taki's breathing had grown slightly unsteady.
Her skin, still soft and glowing from the bath, was tinged with a faint pink hue. Her long, silky black hair cascaded over her shoulders, and up close, he could faintly catch the scent of roses clinging to her.
"...That may be true."
Haru's words helped soothe her a bit. Slowly, Taki began to relax. Dressed in loose pajamas, she inadvertently revealed her long, pale legs, smooth as white jade, gleaming in the dim light of the room.
Noticing Haru's gaze drifting her way, Taki flushed and spoke in a slightly flustered tone, tinged with playful scolding.
"Kazami-kun, what are you looking at?"
"Your legs."
He answered without a moment's hesitation.
Taki's eyes widened. This uptight, easily flustered girl pulled down on the hem of her oversized top in an attempt to hide them. The deep red blush that reached all the way to her ears betrayed her inner chaos.
"You're the worst!!"
Wanna say it again?
"...Anyway, come sit down and take a breath."
Haru gave the bed a light pat, motioning for her to sit. He obviously couldn't mess around too much, not with three girls eavesdropping from hiding.
Taki hesitated briefly, then sat on the edge of his bed with her face still bright red, though she left a careful amount of space between them.
"If it were just Soyo and that pink-haired idiot missing, I could see that. But where did Tomori go? She even left her phone in the living room. Shouldn't we at least go out and look for them?"
Well, she's right beneath your feet.
Haru's gaze flicked momentarily toward the underside of the bed. Tomori must be dying of panic right now.
But Taki mistook the glance for something else, thinking he was still staring at her legs. A strange flutter of emotion rippled through her chest. Her heartbeat began to quicken for reasons she couldn't quite place.
She had tried so hard to avoid being alone with him, yet here they were again.
Her thoughts spinning out of control, Taki quickly shook her head. Trying to distract herself, she gave Haru a cool, questioning look.
"By the way, Kazami-kun… why did it take you so long to open the door? I must've been knocking for at least a full minute."
"I wasn't wearing any clothes."
Haru responded immediately, without a hint of shame.
Taki's eyes flew open, her gaze instinctively dropping to his chest in disbelief.
No wonder he had locked the door before going to bed, he actually had such an indecent habit? If she'd let her impulses win and barged in…
She would've seen everything!
Realizing this, her face heated up again. She had just managed to steady herself, but now her thoughts were a complete mess again. Especially when her eyes caught the subtle bob of his Adam's apple, it sent a wave of nervous heat coursing through her. She gripped the bedsheet tightly in her fists.
Meanwhile, Haru seemed utterly unbothered, casually speaking up as if making small talk.
"You know, we've known each other for quite a while now, haven't we?"
"...It hasn't been that long, really."
Taki glanced toward the door. It was only now that she noticed she had left it ajar.
Still clutching her arms across her chest with that cold, defensive expression, she heard Haru's slightly teasing voice again.
"We're bandmates, at the very least and even now, you're still calling me 'Kazami.'"
"I mean, I confessed to you seriously before, didn't I? But afterward, you kept your distance like we were strangers. Was that your way of rejecting me?"
"Huh?!"
Already barely holding herself together, Taki's violet eyes flew wide open. Her lips tightened, and a strange emptiness spread inside her chest. Her long black lashes trembled as her thoughts swirled.
She'd kept it bottled up all this time, but now it came spilling out. Her icy, elegant expression lifted slightly as she raised her gaze to meet his.
Her voice, as cold as a mountain stream, finally spoke her grievance.
"...You're the one who keeps calling me 'Shiina,' aren't you? Even when you talk to Maki (Taki's Sister)… you always use her first name!"
Haru took a deep breath, his eyes slightly wide in realization.
Huh. She had a point.
But her accusation wasn't entirely fair either. With a grin curling at the edge of his lips, Haru shot back gently.
"I'm pretty sure I've called you 'Taki' before, haven't I? But you? You've never once used my first name."
"Huh?! That's—"
Taki was ready to snap back, but the words caught in her throat. Her frosty face faltered slightly.
At that moment, she remembered.
He really had called her by name once.
Only that once.
And that was—
During his confession.
"..."
Taki fell silent.
For all her stunning beauty, she had no idea how to use it.
Just thinking back to that moment made a shiver run down her spine. Her cheeks flushed a soft pink, and she went quiet. Her inky black hair slipped gently over her shoulder, accentuating her graceful charm.
With her blushing, wordless expression, she looked more breathtaking than ever.
Who are you, and what have you done with my friend?
"So I've already called you 'Taki.' Now the question is, what do you want to do?"
"Mm…"
A soft whimper escaped her lips like a kitten. Under Haru's gentle gaze, she tried to put on a fierce look—but failed miserably.
Finally, like a cornered kitten giving up, she huffed coldly.
"Fine. Then I'll call you by name too, okay?"
"Be my guest."
Kazami Haru took a deep breath and adopted a look of earnest attentiveness.
Seeing his sudden, serious expression made Shiina Taki visibly uncomfortable. She hesitated for a long while, struggling to speak, but under his expectant gaze, she finally parted her lips.
"…Haru."
The black-haired girl beside him whispered so softly it was barely audible. Yet in the stillness of the room, even that faint murmur sounded unusually clear.
Haru had been ready to tease her, something like, "With a voice that quiet, how do you expect to play the drums?" But one look at Taki's face, flushed and delicate, told him this wasn't the time. Teasing her now would probably push her over the edge.
Not to mention, there were three girls secretly listening in the room.
"Now we can call each other by name."
The way Taki had said his name so softly, shyly, with that unintentional charm, was far too cute. Haru had to take a few deep breaths just to calm his racing heart and keep his hands from acting on their own.
Honestly, he never thought he'd get to say that line.
Bro, why do you smell so good.
Feeling the brotherhood tipping into unfamiliar territory, Haru leaned in close, bringing his face near Taki's ear with a grin.
"So, does this mean… you're saying yes?"
"Wha—you, are you out of your mind?! Of course not! I'm obviously not saying yes!"
Flustered and irritated, Taki nearly jumped to her feet. But her voice lacked its usual iciness. Instead, she ducked her head, cheeks burning, her tone soft like a lamb's.
In that moment, Haru had the distinct impression that if he reached out to hug her, she might only pretend to resist, but wouldn't actually fight back.
Actually, no! It might not even be just an impression.
Bang!
Just as Taki's heart was pounding wildly, a dull thud echoed from the wardrobe. The door creaked open from the inside.
The two girls who had been eavesdropping inside froze. Then, under Taki's stunned gaze, they casually stepped out of the wardrobe as if nothing had happened.
"Ahaha~ It's just that no one really played any games tonight, so… we came to Haru's room for a round of poker, that's all!"
Anon attempted a cheerful explanation while Soyo turned her face away, dead silent. The sight hit Taki like a truckload of bricks.
Still too shocked to say anything, Taki could only gape as Takamatsu Tomori, who had been hiding under the bed this whole time, slowly crawled out.
Her doll-like face was flushed with shame. The timid little penguin stood off to the side like a scolded child who knew she'd done wrong.
Soyo said nothing. With her usual frosty expression, she simply turned and walked out of the room.
Like someone being throttled by fate, Taki sat on the bed in stunned silence, face red as a tomato as she stared blankly at the girls who had appeared from nowhere. Her already overheated brain couldn't process any of it.
Thankfully, Anon decided to step in.
"Ahem… Let's all just go to bed, okay? We've got practice early tomorrow, remember?"
"R-right… you're totally right."
Still red-faced and unsure what to say, Tomori quickly nodded and took the lifeline Anon had offered. Both of them cast a quick glance at Taki before following Soyo downstairs.
Leaving behind only Taki, her shoulders trembling ever so slightly, still sitting dazed on the bed.
"…Taki, maybe you should head back to bed too?"
Haru's voice was soft and tentative. Taki was breathing heavily, as if her head was steaming.
Her black hair spilled over her delicate shoulders like scattered flower petals. Her eyes were still filled with lingering embarrassment, trembling slightly. Realizing that the "culprit" responsible for all this was sitting right next to her, she gave Haru a sharp glare as if to vent her frustration.
"…"
But in the end, she said nothing.
The chilly look she gave him as she left the room all but screamed, You are so dead tomorrow.
…
Back in the living room, the girls quietly returned to their futons, pretending like nothing had happened. But the awkwardness in the air was palpable. Everyone was quietly wondering how they were supposed to face each other in the morning.
The silence was suffocating.
Who would've thought they were all sneaking around?
Taki had supposedly come up to "look for people," but that atmosphere had somehow turned just as romantic.
If Anon and Soyo hadn't accidentally popped the wardrobe open, things might've gone much, much further.
"Let's all get some sleep. We still have training to do tomorrow, after all."
Lying on her side, Soyo's voice cut through the tension with a cool murmur.
The girls each responded half-heartedly, except for Taki, who was now lying flat on her back, completely silent. She had buried her head entirely under the blanket like she was trying to disappear.
The silence deepened again.
"Then… I guess I'll just call you by name too, huh?"
Lying on the outermost side of the futon, Anon suddenly spoke with a determined glint in her eyes, parroting the earlier line in dramatic fashion.
That instantly made Soyo stifle a laugh.
Taki, already mortified beyond words, exploded like a powder keg. She sat bolt upright, her face burning like a freshly bloomed flower.
She looked just like an angry little lion as she shouted, flustered beyond belief.
"Will you please shut up and go to sleep already?!"
"Okay, okay, going to sleep…"
The room fell quiet once more.
Only Tomori, silent and blinking, turned her gaze to the space beside her.
Why is Raana's bed… empty?
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