After eating their fill, Aiden and Yukino each took a long, hot shower in the suite's spacious bathroom.
A faint, fresh fragrance drifted by.
Leaning lightly against the doorframe, cheeks a touch pink, Yukino told Aiden "good night," then slipped into the small inner room.
"The night's long. I'm not sleepy at all…"
Aiden was a night owl by habit. His mind stayed awake even if a thin layer of fatigue clung to his nerves.
…
Elsewhere.
The girls sharing a room with Utaha had already fallen asleep.
Listening to the soft snoring from the next bed, Utaha tossed and turned. She hadn't forgotten her agreement with Aiden.
"That jerk…"
She bit her lower lip, sighed, and decided to quietly slip out to keep the promise she'd made.
Knock, knock, knock…
Before long, a soft rapping sounded at Aiden's door.
He opened it.
Long, straight black hair. A tall, elegant figure. A white dress under a light knit cardigan, black stockings lending a mature air—Utaha stood at the threshold.
"You're the third," Aiden said out of nowhere.
"The third…? Wait—besides me, others came too?" Utaha blinked, then her sharp mind caught up in an instant.
So three girls had already come by before her.
"Showing off that you're popular, are we?" she sniffed, biting her lip as she looked aside. Still, thinking of his performance today, it wasn't strange that others sought him out. Yet he'd turned them away tonight—because he'd promised her first.
"Good. You wore the set I picked."
Aiden's gaze lingered openly on her graceful lines, a teasing curve at his lips.
The cardigan framed a clear collarbone and smooth, fair skin at her neck. The hint of her figure beneath the dress was impossible to ignore.
"W-what are you staring at?!"
Flustered by his hungry eyes, Utaha tugged lightly at her neckline, a flush blooming across her cheeks.
"At you, Utaha-senpai. You came like we agreed, and I'm pleased." Aiden stepped aside and let her in.
"…"
"What exactly do you want?" Utaha's voice was steady, but a faint tremor threaded through it.
The usual cool poise in her beautiful face had softened, replaced by a bashful tension. Aiden's gaze felt searingly direct, as if it might read straight through her.
"Simple," Aiden said, drawing closer with a small smile. "I want what we agreed on."
At that, Utaha's expression shifted subtly. In leaning near to listen, she'd let him get very close—close enough for him to hear her breath go a shade uneven. A warm color spread over her cheeks, and the delicate sweetness of her perfume floated in the air.
Without noticing it, the atmosphere between them had turned intimate.
"I know you want to take advantage," Utaha said, lifting a fist lightly to her chest as if setting a guard. "My limit is one kiss. That's all."
Since Aiden had met Utaha, she'd always worn the mask of a proud, supremely confident queen. Seeing her reveal this gentle, bashful side caught him off guard—and made it hard to look away.
He took a step. She, like a dancer in counterpoint, took one back.
Another step from him. Another retreat from her.
The little tug-of-war ended with Utaha's back brushing the corner wall. Suddenly they were close enough that Aiden could feel the heat of her body through the air between them.
"…Planning a crime here, Aiden-kun?" she whispered.
"Wrong, senpai. I'm planning to keep a promise."
He lifted his hands—slowly, deliberately—and stopped just short of her waist.
"May I?"
Utaha's lashes trembled. After a heartbeat, she gave the smallest nod.
Their lips met—lightly, briefly. A promise sealed and nothing more.
Aiden pulled back first. "That's it. Lines respected."
Utaha's eyes flickered. She exhaled a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, then straightened her cardigan. "Good. Boundaries first."
"Then let's talk work," Aiden said, gesturing to the low table. "Rotations, supplies, and signals."
They sat. He spread a hotel notepad and clicked a pen.
"Watch order," he began. "Two-hour shifts, always in pairs. No one moves alone."
"Supplies audit at dawn," Utaha added, pen already moving. "Food, water, gas, medicine—everything logged. I'll draft the sheet. Yukino can help fill it."
"Doors and windows braced with furniture. Knock codes: two for 'it's me,' three for 'open cautiously,' four for 'do not open.'"
"Morning and evening check-ins," Utaha said. "If a room fails to report, three-person team, no exceptions."
Their voices stayed low, crisp, and calm. Plans formed; contingencies branched. The heavy night grew orderly.
When the list was done, Utaha capped the pen and stood. "About what you said at the door…"
"It wasn't bragging," Aiden scratched his cheek.
"I know." She offered a small, wry smile. "Just… blunt honesty. Keep it that way, Aiden-kun. It helps."
He rose as well. "And you?"
"I'll keep people steady and the plans tidy," she said. "But we move forward with rules—and respect."
Aiden held out his hand. "Deal."
Her hand was cool and sure in his. She turned toward the door, then paused. "Get some rest. You'll need it."
The door clicked shut.
Aiden glanced toward the inner room where Yukino slept, then back to the neat list on the table. The night was still long—but now it had structure. A promise honored, and a plan to carry them to morning.
(End of Chapter)
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