Chapter 180 - 180: Utaha: So… shall we continue?

Words : 1441 Updated : Oct 12th, 2025

Haru was completely stunned. Megumi had just taken his teacup… and sipped from the very spot his lips had touched. The visual impact of the scene was overwhelming. But after the initial shock wore off, Haru found himself filled with new questions. Why would she do something like that? Given Megumi's usual reserved and composed personality, it was out of character for her to pull something so… forward. She wasn't the type to play "low-level tricks" to express affection. It had to mean something more. Was something bothering her that much? He glanced back at the bedroom—Yukino and Utaha were still deep in concentration, working on the storyboard. They didn't seem to notice anything happening outside. He composed himself, masked his surprise, and walked over with the half-eaten cookie still in hand. As he got closer, he noticed the blush on Megumi's face deepening. When he sat down beside her, he saw her long lashes tremble slightly. "So… was that some kind of prank?" Haru asked, trying to lighten the mood. "Truth or dare? Or is this something you and Senpai cooked up to tease me?" Megumi shook her head, still flushed. "No, it wasn't." Haru raised the cookie in his hand and grinned. "So it's not a prank, huh? Then it was all you? Want to take a bite of this too?" He was joking—just trying to smooth over the awkwardness. But to his utter disbelief, Megumi suddenly leaned forward and, opened her mouth and took a bite out of the cookie he was holding. He was stunned speechless. Megumi turned away shyly, avoiding his gaze. She focused inward, trying to feel something… anything. But again, nothing changed. Was my theory wrong? She couldn't help but doubt herself. Even so, one thing was certain:Even if Haru wasn't exactly a "superhuman"… he wasn't far off. Yukino and Utaha were too close to Haru—so intimate, so honest and unguarded—that they missed all these subtle clues. But Megumi saw it. She had always watched from the sidelines. And sometimes, the ones standing on the outside could see things the insiders never could. Everything he had done—the feats of strength, the lightning-fast reflexes, the brutal karate victories—had long since caught her attention. And today… her curiosity and the thrill of holding a secret had finally overcome her hesitation. "Um… Did something happen today?" Haru asked softly. He glanced down at his fingers—still damp with her bite—and felt the unanswered question in his heart growing stronger. "…Sorry. That was rude of me," Megumi whispered as she returned the teacup. "I'll wash it later. You can use a different one for now." "It's not about the cup," Haru said bluntly. "What matters is why you did it." Megumi bit her lip, then looked away. "I… can't tell you. Not yet." At least not while the others were still around. She wasn't sure how to bring up the idea that the boy she liked might be superhuman—especially when she was fairly certain Yukino and Utaha hadn't even considered that possibility. So it was better to keep it to herself. For now. No need to stir things up without proof. Haru sighed, wiping his fingers with a napkin. "Now even you are being all mysterious. You used to be my most trustworthy, saint Kato-san." "'Saint Kato'?" "Yeah. Just a nickname I gave you. Don't worry about it." "…Okay." Megumi didn't mind. She curled deeper into the warm kotatsu, only her pink cheeks and face peeking out—an unusually adorable sight. "What I did was wrong. Please don't tell anyone," she said softly, her tone part apology, part… expectation. Haru smirked. "So now I have dirt on you, huh?" Megumi looked him in the eye. "Yes. You could even use it to blackmail me, if you want." "…I wasn't going to go that far." "Oh? I thought you might say something like, 'Kato, you wouldn't want anyone else to know what you did… would you?'" "…Where did you even learn that line?" "The guys in class love joking like that." Now that felt like something straight out of a hentai. Haru almost burst out laughing. Later that night, he lay on the couch, staring at the ceiling, sleep eluding him. His mind kept replaying Megumi's earlier actions over and over. After tossing and turning for a while, he finally sat up. At that moment, he heard a faint noise from the guest room. He turned just in time to see Utaha coming out, dressed in thick pajamas. Haru thought she might be trying something again, but she only yawned and said, "Oh, you're still awake? It's already 1:30." "You're awake too." "I went to bed around ten. Just getting up for the bathroom." She walked past him with no extra fanfare—surprisingly tame tonight. Haru figured she was just sleepy and didn't think much of it. He sat back down by the kotatsu, lost in thought. A few minutes later, Utaha returned. But instead of heading back to her room, she sat down right next to him. The faint scent of her perfume filled the living room. "Why aren't you going back to bed?" Haru asked, taking in her beautiful side profile. Utaha curled up beside him, clearly cold. Her soft body pressed gently against his."…I never knew writing screenplays could be this exhausting." Haru chuckled. "So you're losing sleep over it?" "Not really. I just keep thinking about how to get everything right. Especially with Yukino being such a perfectionist… it puts pressure on me too." "You don't have to be perfect. Just do your best." "I know," Utaha sighed. "But hearing it from her made me want to push harder." Haru admired her illuminated side profile. "You know… you're cuter than usual when you're like this." Utaha blinked, surprised. Then she smirked. "You think 'cute' suits me?" She brushed back her bangs flirtatiously, a hint of seduction in her smile. Haru nodded. "That's why I said 'when you're like this.'" She laughed, playful now. "From what I hear at school, people usually say I'm pretty… or sexy. Never cute." Haru got the feeling she was hinting at something. And sure enough, her next words confirmed it: "Too bad we're not alone tonight. Otherwise, I'd show you my bunny girl outfit." Haru laughed. "Please don't. If you show up in a bunny suit, Yukino might come at you with a broom." Utaha giggled. "She knows how to do that?" "Oh yeah. She's chased me with a broom before. Haruno-nee had to save me." "No wonder she's so fearless now—facing down robbers and everything. Beating you up must've been her training arc." "…You make me sound like an NPC." "Well, you kind of are." Utaha turned toward him again, this time fully facing him. "You really don't want to see me in a bunny suit?" "Nope. You already look amazing in this." "In this plain old pajama set?" she raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "I mean it. For example… I can already tell you're not wearing a bra—" "Okay, that's enough." Utaha rolled her eyes and gave him a mock glare. So that's what he found attractive, huh? Still, it was part of her charm. She couldn't help imagining what it would look like if Yukino wore the same pajamas—probably no curves at all. The contrast would be… striking. Haru saw her retreat into her thoughts and took the opportunity to ask: "So… what made you tease me under the table earlier?" Utaha's cheeks flushed slightly, but her smile was radiant. "I just wanted to see how Megumi would react." Haru blinked. She continued, "Even though she was on her phone, I could tell—she was paying close attention to me." She gave him a playful, slightly reproachful look and said, "Too bad you didn't follow the script. You messed up my plan and nearly got me caught by Yukinoshita." "Sorry, sorry. I thought that was just one of your usual little pranks," Haru said, still not understanding what she'd been aiming for. To his surprise, Utaha looked at him with wide, glimmering eyes and asked softly, "So… shall we continue?" "Huh?" Before he could process what was happening, she blushed, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then lifted the blanket and slipped back underneath it. No way. She's really going there? You still dare to play like this?!

Chapter 180 - 180: Utaha: So… shall we continue?

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