When Chihaya Tetsuya emerged from the bathroom, Hoshino Ai and Misumi Uika had already found their respective spots on the bed. Just as they had agreed, Ai was sleeping in the middle.
Tetsuya, whose mind had just calmed down after his shower, immediately felt his heart, which had just settled, tense up again at the sight before him.
"...What's wrong, Tetsu?"
Seeing him standing frozen at the bathroom door, Ai impatiently patted the empty space beside her.
"Hurry up and come over!"
"..."
Hearing her urging, Tetsuya felt the psychological pressure seem to grow even greater than before.
Although he had slept in the same bed with Anon before, he hadn't known about her feelings for him at the time.
If he were to face the same situation now, he definitely wouldn't agree as readily as he had that day...
...
Then again, considering Anon's emotional state seemed quite unstable that day, he probably would have agreed in the end anyway.
Wait a second, speaking of which... why did he agree to Ai's "sleep together" proposal so matter-of-factly?
Ai currently had no urgent troubles that needed solving, nor did she have anything she absolutely had to discuss with him. Plus, all three of them had work to do tomorrow...
Eh? Could it be... he actually could have refused just now?!
Tetsuya suddenly felt a clap of thunder explode in his mind for no reason.
That's right, why hadn't he thought of it? He could have completely refused her! He didn't even need to think of a reason; he could have just turned her down flat!
At this thought, Tetsuya couldn't help but cover his eyes and look up at the ceiling.
"Uika..."
"Hm?"
Uika, who was looking down at her phone, raised her head.
"What is it?"
"In your eyes... am I the type of person who is really bad at refusing people?"
"Yes. But that's not entirely accurate. You should be described as the type who is bad at refusing requests from people close to you."
Uika nodded without hesitation.
"But it's gratifying that you've realized this on your own."
"...A person has to grow, after all."
Tetsuya lowered his hands and walked to the side of the bed as if accepting his fate.
"Ai, let's be clear. We all have a lot of work to do tomorrow, so no fooling around later... understand?"
"Mhm, okay!"
Ai agreed readily with a nod.
"Just being able to smell your scent is enough for me to fall asleep peacefully!"
"You say that... but all you can probably smell right now is body wash and shampoo."
Tetsuya said as he lifted the covers.
However, after he lay down, Ai took a few light sniffs in his direction, and a satisfied smile immediately appeared on her face.
"Mhm, I can still smell it after all."
"...Smell what?"
"A scent that makes me want to eat you all up."
"..."
Tetsuya first turned to look at Ai with a puzzled expression. When he found her staring at him intently, he felt his hair stand on end and quickly turned his head back.
"I don't get what's with your nose. Anyway, hurry up and sleep. Uika, could you please turn off the lights?"
"Okay..."
Uika first dimmed her phone's brightness to the lowest setting, then reached up and pressed the switch on the headboard.
The next second, the entire room was plunged into darkness.
It was only when the lights went out completely that Tetsuya finally realized this difficult night had only just begun.
With his vision blocked, his sense of smell and temperature suddenly became incredibly sensitive. Even though there was a distance of nearly ten centimeters between him and Ai, he could still feel the familiar yet unfamiliar scent wafting from her direction...
It was very similar to seven years ago, but more complex and fragrant.
And following that was the warmth transmitted through the covers and the bed.
Once a person's perception makes a breakthrough from zero to one, that perception then uncontrollably amplifies.
He had never cared about these things when he shared a bed with Anon before, yet now, just being aware of Ai's presence made his heart instinctively beat faster...
This restless anxiety was very similar to what he had felt when Anon confessed to him.
If he reached out his hands, he could pull her into his embrace.
If he gave in to the impulse, he could turn this anxiety into pleasure.
He had always been the passive recipient. As long as he used "responding to the other person" as an excuse, he could logically shift all the responsibility onto them—
...
Just then, many things surfaced in his mind.
Ai's sparkling figure on stage, that stage full of hope, countless design sketches that had yet to be transformed from inspiration into reality...
The heady agitation gradually subsided.
The wicked thoughts that had once floated in his mind also dissipated.
(...How could I possibly do that?)
Having repeatedly encountered this kind of stimulation, Tetsuya was finally getting used to how to stay calm in such situations.
Whether it was Anon or Ai, neither of them were the naive little girls they once were, but they would still act irrationally when driven by desire.
And he was the same. Even though he knew he couldn't easily reciprocate their feelings, his restless instincts were constantly tempting him to act irresponsibly.
This wouldn't do.
Since Ai no longer needed to use that kind of behavior to maintain her sense of security, and since Anon had decided to maintain their current brother-sister relationship for the time being, then he also had to be prepared to hold that bottom line.
His vision gradually adjusted to the darkness, and now he could make out the face before him.
He was surprised to find that Ai had really closed her eyes obediently. Her body, rising and falling rhythmically with her breath, and her eyes, trembling slightly beneath her lashes, all proved that she was peacefully falling asleep just as she had promised.
This girl, who had been acting so impulsively before, was no longer blind.
Although her offensive was still active and fierce, at least for tonight, she was simply seeking from him the sense of security she had been missing for seven years.
The restlessness in his heart was gradually brought under control by reason.
Tetsuya was slowly mastering how to coexist peacefully with this impulse.
On the other side, Uika was also carefully observing Ai by the faint light of her phone screen.
"..."
Seeing that Tetsuya was awake like her, Uika first typed something into her phone and then showed the screen to him—
[Should I carry her back? Though it might wake her up.]
"..."
Tetsuya gently shook his head at her suggestion. He then took her phone and typed a line of text as well.
[It's okay. Let Ai sleep like this today.]
Perhaps he would continue to face their unsettling advances and intimacy in the future, but at least next time, he wouldn't be as flustered as he had been in the past.
[Sorry for the trouble, Uika. Good night.]
[It's okay. Good night.]
After typing this last reply, Uika took her phone back.
And as she did, she also saw the expression on his face.
A calm, peaceful expression, no different from his usual one.
(Tetsuya-san is truly a reliable adult.)
Uika couldn't help but think to herself.
(This way, Sakiko should have a chance, right?)
Or maybe not just Sakiko. After this, everyone else might...
...
Never mind that. These two seemed to be able to fall asleep peacefully, so what was she supposed to do now?
Would counting sheep and stars still work?
With her back to the two clear-headed "experienced people," Uika began her night of insomnia alone.