Chapter 80: A Secret Rendezvous Begins at Kiyomizu-dera (Part 5)
The bathroom door opened.
Saku instinctively turned his head.
Utaha had changed into a light gray yukata. The collar sat loosely around her neck, revealing a small stretch of pale skin beneath her collarbone.
Her damp black hair spilled over her shoulders, droplets sliding from the ends and leaving dark spots on the fabric.
The hot water had left a faint flush across her face, while the lingering steam made her wine-red eyes look unusually deep.
Utaha herself didn't seem to think there was anything remarkable about her appearance.
To Saku, however, the sight was devastating.
Fresh from the bath, with damp hair framing her face, she looked almost impossibly beautiful.
"The water temperature is perfect."
Utaha continued drying her hair with a towel as she walked over.
"Your turn."
Saku barely remembered entering the bathroom.
His mind had gone completely blank, and by the time he came back to his senses, he'd already finished showering.
When he emerged wearing the men's yukata provided by the inn, the main light had been switched off.
Only a floor lamp beside the tokonoma remained.
Its warm orange glow filled the room with an intimate atmosphere.
Utaha was sitting on the bed with a Kyoto sightseeing guide open in front of her.
She clearly wasn't reading it.
The moment she heard Saku's footsteps, she looked up.
Light fell across her face from the side, leaving one half illuminated and the other in soft shadow.
And she didn't look any calmer than Saku felt.
Her body beneath the yukata rose and fell slightly, her breathing somewhat uneven, while one finger unconsciously traced along the bedsheet.
Saku took a deep breath, walked briskly to the bedside, and sat down.
"Are you nervous?"
"...A little."
"Only a little?"
"...Fine. A lot."
She couldn't bring herself to look directly at him.
Just catching the clean scent of body wash from Saku was enough to make her heart pound.
She'd thought she was prepared.
Yet now that the moment had actually arrived, nervousness and uncertainty had crept in anyway.
Utaha quickly pushed those feelings down and changed the subject.
"Your phone kept ringing while you were in the shower."
"So I answered for you."
"...Probably Hiratsuka-sensei."
Saku could already imagine Shizuka-sensei pacing around like an ant on a hot pan after discovering one of her students hadn't returned for the night.
"What did you tell her?"
"That you're staying with a friend tonight."
"That simple?"
"Not exactly."
Utaha smiled faintly.
"I only ended the call."
"But don't worry. I already texted Yukinoshita-san and asked her to help cover for you."
Saku tried to imagine Yukino's reaction.
He couldn't.
But if Yukino agreed to help, Hiratsuka-sensei probably wouldn't be a problem anymore.
The room fell silent again.
Only the alternating sound of their breathing remained.
The silence continued for quite a while before Saku finally turned toward Utaha and took the initiative.
"Mm... wait."
Utaha lifted a hand.
"Talk to me first."
"I thought you were waiting for me."
"Have you actually thought this through?"
At the very moment when she should've been most nervous, Utaha instead became strangely calm.
Her voice was quieter than before, yet completely steady.
"If we cross this line..."
"I'm not letting go afterward."
"That's exactly what I want."
Saku didn't retreat.
If anything, he pressed closer step by step.
"Besides, wasn't everything you did today leading up to this?"
Utaha blinked.
For the first time, something almost resembling guilt flashed through her eyes.
"...You noticed?"
"You weren't exactly trying to hide it!"
Utaha froze.
Then she moved.
Very gently.
Almost as though she were afraid that moving too quickly would disturb something fragile.
Her fingertips first touched the hand Saku had braced against the bed.
Then, little by little, she lifted it.
Her fingers slid between his.
Their hands interlocked.
Utaha's hand was smaller than Saku had expected.
Her palm was slightly cool, but her fingertips were warm.
She stared at their intertwined fingers.
Her voice dropped until it sounded almost like she was reading a monologue from one of her own novels.
"In stories, scenes like this usually happen after the male and female leads have gone through everything together."
"Then, late at night in some quiet room, they finally confirm how they feel."
"The male lead says exactly the right thing."
"The heroine sheds exactly one perfectly timed tear."
"And everything reaches exactly the right conclusion."
She paused.
Then she raised her eyes toward Saku.
There were no tears in those wine-red eyes.
Only a bright, unwavering seriousness.
"But this isn't a novel."
"So nothing is perfectly arranged."
Utaha tightened her fingers around his.
"There's only a girl trying to steal a little happiness for herself."
Saku didn't answer.
He simply leaned down and kissed her.
Her lips were soft.
There was a faint trace of lemon, probably from her toothpaste.
When they finally separated, Utaha's entire face had turned red.
Under the warm orange light, the color spread from her cheeks to the tips of her ears.
Even her neck carried a faint flush.
Her lips parted slightly as she caught her breath, and the yukata's collar had loosened a little during the motion, revealing a small stretch of pale skin beneath her collarbone.
"...You're surprisingly practiced."
Her voice carried a trace of unnatural hoarseness, along with a faint sourness.
Clearly, she'd already realized where Saku had gotten that experience.
"Am I?"
Saku blinked innocently.
"I hadn't noticed."
"Playing dumb."
This time, Utaha was the one who moved closer.
She cupped Saku's face in both hands and kissed him herself.
When they parted again, her forehead remained pressed against his.
Their breaths mingled in the narrow space between them, warm and hurried.
At this distance, Saku could see his own reflection inside her eyes.
"Tonight..."
Utaha's voice was barely audible.
"...You're mine."
The words seemed to use up all of her strength, and her yukata loosened along with them, falling open like a blooming flower.
"Utaha."
"Mm?"
"Bring it on. My little brother is invincible."
"..."
Kasumigaoka Utaha was just about to reply when Saku seized the initiative and pushed her down first.
Amidst evenly matched, tense, and thrilling battles, the two welcomed the deep night.
…