Chapter 179 - 179: Megumi Kato’s Discovery and the Lip Print

Words : 1606 Updated : Oct 12th, 2025

Haru wasn't quite sure what Utaha was trying to pull with her sudden antics. Maybe it was just a spur-of-the-moment whim. Maybe she was the type who needed to chase excitement all the way through. Or maybe... it was just her twisted sense of humor. Whatever the reason, he had his own way of handling "the burning Utaha." Remaining calm, he kept his eyes on the video playing on his phone while stealthily sliding his left hand under the table—grasping the soft, nylon-covered foot that had been creeping along his leg. In an instant, he caught the slight change in Utaha's expression—though she was pretending to watch the cat, her eyes gave her away. Her fair cheeks started to flush pink. The next moment, he gave that silky foot a gentle press. Tidecaller, activated. Utaha bit her lip. Her alluring eyes began to glisten with a subtle, watery sheen. Haru smirked inwardly—and then, with precise timing, he redirected that wandering foot to the side. Just then, Yukino—who was happily feeding the chubby orange cat—suddenly noticed something odd. She glanced down. A black-stockinged foot had mysteriously landed on her leg. Her expression was full of question marks. "Ah, sorry, I wasn't paying attention," Utaha immediately said with an embarrassed smile, quickly pulling her leg back. Yukino eyed her suspiciously. "I didn't know you had restless leg syndrome, Senpai." "I told you, I wasn't paying attention. The kotatsu is just way too cozy," Utaha said, curling further under the blanket, leaving only her slightly flushed face visible. It was a plausible excuse, and Yukino didn't pursue it. Meanwhile, Megumi had been glued to her phone the entire time, as if none of this concerned her. Utaha shot a subtle, slightly annoyed glance at Haru—a look that clearly asked, "I gave you fanservice, and this is how you repay me?" Haru pretended not to notice. He wasn't stupid enough to take the bait. Last time, when "Burning Utaha" snuck into his bed in the middle of the night while Yukino was sleeping beside him, it nearly gave him a heart attack. And tonight, Yukino was very much awake. To steer the situation back on track, Haru brought up the topic of tomorrow's hot spring trip before Utaha could stir up any more mischief. Megumi joined the conversation, clearly interested. As a girl herself, she was naturally excited about soaking in a hot spring during cold weather. "Just one change of clothes should be enough," Yukino said. "We'll be at Izu Mountain Hot Springs for, at most, three days." Utaha nodded. "I'll just bring a change of underwear. No need to worry about changing scarves or outerwear in this weather." Megumi agreed with that plan too. As the three girls settled on the logistics, Haru suddenly remembered something and cut in: "I know you girls like to dress fashionably, but I strongly oppose the idea of wearing skirts that go above the knees in this weather." Not just Yukino—even Utaha was wearing an over-the-knee skirt today. Sure, he could tell that their tights and stockings were probably thick and heat-insulated, but in this kind of cold, that kind of fashion still made him want to complain. He had seen enough anime and internet discussions warning about this exact thing: "Wearing this in winter will give you chronic leg pain later in life." "You mean in terms of warmth? Don't worry, we've got it covered," Utaha said nonchalantly. Yukino, who knew Haru better, explained patiently, "Haru, you don't understand girls' clothing very well. Even in winter, we can wear skirts and stockings and still stay warm." Megumi chimed in too. "Exactly. I'm wearing thermal tights today. It only looks cold from the outside—it's actually perfectly fine." Haru rested his chin in his hand with a look of mock exasperation. "If you really don't feel cold, then fine, I won't say anything. But if any of you complains about being cold, I'm making you wear pants." Utaha laughed. "Are you going to force us into those ugly, thick down pants?" "As long as it's warm, who cares how it looks?" Haru shot back. "Nope. I prefer looking cute," Utaha said with a wink. On that point, she and Yukino were surprisingly in agreement. They were beautiful girls, and they wanted to look their best. But that didn't mean they were careless. They wanted to be warm and stylish. With the topic settled, Haru dropped his complaints. To be fair, he had considered this before. After training with him for so long, their physical condition had improved a lot. At the very least, they wouldn't be getting cold-induced leg problems anytime soon. Haru was already aware of that—especially from their time together in bed. "By the way, Senpai," Yukino said, turning to Utaha, "I added some extra storyboard notes to the script you were working on. I saved all the files to Haru's computer." She stood up, gesturing for Utaha to follow. But Utaha refused to budge, buried deep in the kotatsu. "Can't we do it later? I'm sealed in by this kotatsu now." Yukino gave her a disapproving look. "You're one of the most admired girls at school, and this is the nonsense you say?" Utaha was unfazed by Yukino's sarcasm. "No matter how admired I am, I'm still a regular person. I have lazy moments too." Yukino had no patience for that attitude and simply grabbed her by the arm. "Come on. You're coming with me." "Hey! Don't drag me!" Utaha protested as she was reluctantly hauled away. Haru turned to Megumi, still playing on her phone. "Do you want to check it out too?" Megumi shook her head. "I'll just wait for them to send me the finished script. According to Senpai's plan, I'm playing the supporting female role." Haru knew that already. Yukino had been hand-picked by Utaha to be the lead, and even the character designs were modeled after her. If nothing unexpected happened, Haru himself would probably be playing some minor background role—maybe a disposable side character who gets killed off quickly, or a villain who tries to silence others only to be outwitted by the protagonist. "Well, I'll go bring them some snacks," Haru said, standing up. He wasn't particularly attached to the kotatsu anyway. He carried in some refreshments and tea. As the voices of the two girls echoed faintly from the bedroom—mostly about the script—Megumi finally put down her phone. And once again… her gaze drifted toward Haru's cup. Now was the perfect moment. Megumi reached out and gently picked up Haru's teacup, gazing into the warm liquid inside with a faraway look in her eyes. Lately, she'd been secretly testing herself—and the results had far exceeded her expectations. Her stamina had grown considerably, and even her reflexes and agility had improved by leaps and bounds. It wasn't just in her head—her body had undeniably changed. Even her parents had expressed surprise, wondering when she'd picked up the habit of going on long-distance runs, and how she managed to keep it up for so long. To verify the change more scientifically, she had dragged her cousin, Keiichi Kato—a medical student—into a jogging session with her. As expected, he couldn't keep up with her at all. In fact, he wasn't even half as fast. All of this started when Amamiya-kun began personally training us, she thought. Her mind drifted to the recent headlines about the mysterious "Hooded Hero." And those scenes of Haru, dominating the karate tournament—crushing every opponent in his path. Was he... actually a superhero? At this point, she was certain: Haru hadn't insisted on the three of them training just for fun. He genuinely wanted them to become stronger. Megumi stared down at the cup in her hands. Among the three girls in this house, she was the only one who hadn't shared any intimate moments with Haru. And perhaps because of that—because she remained a step behind—she could see things more clearly. Yukino and Utaha didn't seem to suspect a thing. This little secret she held onto—one that neither Yukino nor Utaha had noticed—made her normally calm heart flutter with a hint of quiet delight. After a moment, she finally lowered her head, her soft, rosy lips gently pressing against the rim of the cup Haru had drunk from. A blush crept across her cheeks. Though shy, she remained focused. No particular sensation... Maybe... only when he trains me directly do I feel something intense? Megumi was completely lost in her thoughts, unaware that Haru had just stepped out of the bedroom—frozen in place, his eyes wide in disbelief. He stood at the doorway, holding a half-bitten cookie in one hand, staring at her like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Oblivious, Megumi took another slow sip from the cup, her lips parting just slightly as she drank again. Still nothing, aside from being a little embarrassed. She gently set the cup back down, her eyes reflecting a quiet glow of curiosity. Could it be that this 'superhuman' needed to be directly involved to trigger changes in people like us? Just then, she felt a sudden presence behind her and spun around— Only to see Haru staring at her, dumbfounded, still holding that half-eaten cookie. Megumi's face turned crimson in an instant. The lip print on the teacup was starkly visible, betraying everything.

Chapter 179 - 179: Megumi Kato’s Discovery and the Lip Print

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