Chapter 147 - 147 - They Aren’t Even Pretending Anymore!

The bathroom was filled with warm steam.Haru grabbed a small stool, sat down with his back to Yukino. Honestly, he hadn't expected it — what started as a casual joke, "Maybe you should enrich my love life," somehow ended up with Yukino seriously considering it. Helping her boyfriend wash his back… of course Yukino was shy about it. Even if they had already crossed that final line long ago, standing naked together in the misty bathroom — all it would take was for Haru to turn around and he'd see everything — it was impossible for her not to feel embarrassed. But right now, she looked completely focused. One hand gently gripping Haru's arm, the other wearing a bath mitt, she carefully began scrubbing his toned muscles. Determined not to let her mind wander to "other" thoughts, Yukino threw herself into the task, her soft, warm breaths brushing against Haru's back, ears, and the nape of his neck. In this kind of atmosphere, it would've been strange if neither of them got distracted. Her cheeks flushed pink, Yukino bit her lip, doing her best to steady herself. Her delicate, fair hand glided from his arm to his back, then up to his neck. Her touch was gentle, almost tender, and Haru could clearly feel the warmth of her palm. He couldn't help but drift a little. Just the feeling of someone washing your back was already blissful enough. But the fact that it was Yukino — beautiful to the point of perfection — sitting behind him? It was almost too much to bear. "Is the pressure okay?" Her voice trembled slightly. She was clearly so embarrassed, she could barely keep it together. "It's perfect. Honestly, how did I never realize you had such a talent for this?" Haru teased lightly, trying to ease her shyness. "This isn't exactly complicated," Yukino answered. In truth, she had never washed anyone's back before — not even her sister's. But now, she was surprisingly invested. After a little while, she let out a long breath and said softly,"All done." Or so she thought. Because the next thing Haru blurted out was:"Now it's time for the front, right?" Yukino parted her lips, clearly wanting to scold him. But in the end, she just blushed and said nothing. When Haru turned around, Yukino instinctively grabbed a towel to cover herself. They had agreed he could wash the front too — and she didn't object. But when their eyes met, her hands froze. The steam overhead thickened, gathering into droplets on the ceiling and walls, slowly sliding down like liquid pearls. Like their sanity, slipping away bit by bit. Haru didn't bother hiding the heat in his gaze. And Yukino — even though she tried to maintain her composure — the shimmering softness in her eyes betrayed her. "I'm not doing this," she huffed, cheeks burning. "You're staring way too much." "Come on, if it makes you uncomfortable, I'll close my eyes," Haru joked with a grin. "Like that would help. Knowing you, you'd just peek anyway." "Hey, that's slander. If I'm looking, I do it openly. I don't peek." "...You sound so proud of that," she said, shooting him a withering glare. And in the next instant— A startled gasp escaped Yukino's lips. Haru had scooped her up into his arms. With a splash, they both settled into the bath, water cascading everywhere. Yukino leaned against Haru's chest, her flawless cheeks tinged a deep pink, caught somewhere between shyness and mock anger.Her normally clear, water-like eyes now shimmered with a misty, sultry glow, made even dreamier by the thick steam. "Now it's my turn to wash your back," Haru said with a low chuckle. Yukino gave him a look that was half a glare, half a resigned sigh."I knew you were going to say that," she whispered. Then she reached out with her slender white arms, looping them around his neck, her voice barely audible: "Don't fool around too much… we're still in the bath…" That night. Haru was lying in bed, holding the soft, fragrant Yukino in his arms, whispering the kind of sweet nothings that only belonged to the two of them. Suddenly, his phone on the nightstand started vibrating like crazy. Since it was late, Haru had already set it to silent mode. "Who's calling at this hour?" Yukino asked curiously. Haru shook his head, reaching for the phone to show her. Then both of them froze. On the screen, the caller ID flashed clearly:Senpai. Haru scratched his cheek awkwardly."That's weird. Why would she call at eleven o'clock?" Yukino smiled faintly, her tone suspiciously sweet."Maybe she can't sleep and wants you to sing her a lullaby." Haru could practically taste the jealousy in the air.He coughed lightly. "I've never learned any lullabies... but I'm pretty good at funeral songs. Wanna hear one?" Yukino gently tapped his arm. "Just answer it." Haru was a little surprised — he thought for sure Yukino would make him hang up. After all, nothing good could come from Utaha calling this late at night. He swiped to answer, and sure enough, a sweet voice came through the speaker: "Why did you take so long to pick up? Were you already asleep?" "No, not yet. I was just about to. Senpai, you're still awake too?" Haru said, shooting a glance at Yukino. She wasn't even pretending anymore — her beautiful eyes locked seriously onto his. Normally, she would have kept a calm face, waited for Haru to finish the call, and asked about it later. But not tonight. She was curled up against him, her guard completely down, her heart vulnerable. And at a moment like this, another girl calling? Of course she cared. "I can't sleep," Senpai said sweetly. Under Yukino's serious gaze, Utaha finally spoke. Haru's heart skipped a beat, leaving only one clear thought in his mind: Crap. She's definitely here to stir up trouble! A cold smile tugged at Yukino's lips. She gave him a look, silently urging him to continue. Haru had no choice but to brace himself and ask, "Why can't you sleep? Don't tell me it's that old problem again—pushing yourself too hard, messing up your schedule, and ending up with insomnia?" "No way," Utaha chuckled lightly. "I'm not foolish enough to make the same mistake twice. I just… after chatting with Yukino at the film set tonight, I realized she's way ahead of me in certain areas. It's been bugging me ever since." Haru blinked in realization. "So you're here for comfort." "I'm not that fragile anymore. You should say I'm here for a heart-to-heart." "True. That does sound more accurate." A few seconds passed after Haru's words before Utaha suddenly asked, "Is Yukino next to you?" Before Haru could answer, Yukino calmly took the phone from him and pressed it to her ear. "Hello," she said coolly. Utaha fell completely silent. Haru nearly burst out laughing but managed to hold it back. Yukino's slightly jealous expression was… honestly, pretty adorable. "Senpai, if you don't have anything else to say, we'd like to get some rest," Yukino added, her cheeks tinted pink as she spoke a little boldly. Utaha gritted her teeth. "You emphasized 'we'd like to get some rest' on purpose, didn't you? Just to piss me off?" "Exactly," Yukino admitted without a hint of shame. "Yukinoshita!" "Are you really getting this flustered already? Come on, we've had so many conversations by now. Can't you act a little more mature?" Yukino calmly tore apart Utaha's defenses, adding leisurely, "Oh, and by the way, calling someone at 11 PM is pretty inconsiderate. Maybe think about that next time." Without waiting for a reply, she hung up the call. Then she turned to Haru, her expression serious. "Did I do the right thing?" What could Haru even say to that? Ah, yes, absolutely. There really wasn't any other answer. Both he and Yukino could tell very clearly that Utaha didn't actually have anything important to talk about. She just wanted to chat a bit with the boy she liked. Utaha had even been cautious enough to ask if Yukino was around before opening up. Unfortunately for her, tonight, Yukino only wanted to enjoy Haru's embrace and the peaceful warmth that followed. So she acted swiftly and decisively—one clean slash to tear down Utaha's attempt. Meanwhile— Utaha glared at her phone, gnashing her teeth. "Fine. You wanna play it like that? Next time, when Haru and I are doing things, I'll call you. Let's see how you like it!" Since Yukino's assault was so aggressive, Utaha could only shamelessly pull out her own trump cards. … After that little incident, in the following days, the tension between Utaha and Yukino became obvious to everyone. Their blatant hostility didn't escape anyone in the Photography Club. One day, Megumi quietly pulled Haru aside and asked, "Did they have another fight?" "Yeah," Haru sighed, nodding. "This time seems worse than before. Utaha-senpai hasn't even come to talk to me about it. Looks like she wants to handle it on her own," Megumi observed thoughtfully. Haru, hearing that, grew curious. "But from what I've seen, they're just arguing verbally. You think Senpai's planning something big?" Megumi nodded seriously. "Knowing her, it's possible." The two exchanged a glance, a little wary yet curious about what Utaha might be plotting. But with so few clues, there wasn't much they could do for now. Time passed, and by the end of the month, the Tokyo Youth Karate Tournament finally began. Originally, the teacher assigned to supervise the students was someone Haru was familiar with—a man he knew well. But when Shizuka Hiratsuka heard about the competition, she decided to join the event too, insisting there was no rule against having two supervising teachers. Even she wants to join in on the fun, not to mention Yukino and the others. Almost the entire Photography Club took the day off just to watch the competition live. Haru had tried to advise everyone that they didn't need to take a leave so early since the matches from a few days ago were not worth watching—they were just a bunch of amateurs battling it out. "I have to be there for your match." Utaha didn't even try to hide her intention. She said this clearly in front of the entire Photography Club. Aside from Yukino and Megumi, who looked as calm as usual, everyone else looked completely stunned. Megumi discreetly glanced at Yukino, then seemed to come to a realization. Could it be that Yukino openly challenged and defeated Utaha-senpai in some way? If that's the case, knowing how Utaha-senpai operates, whatever she's preparing must be terrifying. Megumi's curiosity was completely piqued, but she couldn't ask directly, which made the usually quiet girl feel a little restless. This tournament was divided into individual and team competitions, with the individual matches further divided into weight classes and an unlimited weight class. After learning the specific rules, Yukino and the others suggested to Haru, "You should avoid the unlimited weight class. It's a safer bet." The rest of the Karate Club felt the same way. They all knew that in these types of fighting competitions, weight was often the most significant factor in determining the outcome. It was like pitting a lightweight boxing champion against a heavyweight—there was no way the former wouldn't get pummeled to the point of being bedridden... Shizuka Hiratsuka, acting as the supervisor, also stepped in and said, "Amamiya, I know you're strong, but your weight's a factor here. Don't think about challenging yourself by entering the unlimited weight class." At that moment, Megumi gently added, "Honestly, it's okay if Amamiya-kun wants to compete. If the physical difference with his opponent is too much, he can always forfeit." She could clearly tell that Haru hadn't said anything after hearing Yukino's advice, which meant he was seriously considering entering the competition. So, she chose to speak in a more gentle and concerned tone. Under everyone's watchful eyes, Haru smiled warmly, signaling that they didn't need to worry. Then, he turned to the Karate Club's president and said, "If we don't win first place this time, then what's the point of even being here, right?" The president, Daisuke, looked completely bewildered. "Hey, hey, I never said we had to take first place. I didn't even dare think that far." "Well, you're too timid. I'm daring enough to think it." "..." The rest of the Karate Club members burst out laughing, and the tense atmosphere immediately lightened. Yukino and Utaha exchanged a glance, both of them understanding. Haru was planning to participate in every event.