Although Haru had to admit it—Utaha, in her current state, was incredibly alluring. Every curve of her figure was a temptation most girls simply didn't possess.
And now, she was nestled in his arms, those bewitching red-colored eyes flickering with her unique seductive charm.
But Haru wasn't the kind of guy to lose his head.
He didn't need anyone asking, "Captain Haru, are you still in your right mind?"
Because if he did agree to Utaha's request in a situation like this and things went out of hand... well, he had a feeling Tokyo's season might change a little too fast.
And then—cue the cicadas.
So instead, he looked into her heated gaze with total sincerity and said, "Come train with me."
Utaha blinked, clearly caught off guard.
Haru kept his expression earnest. "I actually made a training plan just for girls back when I helped Yukino—it doesn't even require equipment. All we need is a mat, and I can show you the most effective cardio workouts."
"I already have a workout plan myself..." she muttered.
"Perfect! That means we're in sync—two minds, one goal!"
"Wait, that's not why I came here..."
"Let's start, senpai! I've been waiting for this!"
Meanwhile, in the master bedroom, Yukino and Megumi were deep in discussion about the script Utaha had written, when Yukino suddenly seemed to recall something and quickly stood up, walking toward the door.
"Knew it," she said, face going cold.
The living room was completely empty—only the fat cat lay on the floor, batting lazily at a ball of yarn.
"What's wrong?" Megumi followed her to the door. When she saw the empty living room, her expression froze for a moment.
Senpai... don't tell me you were that hungry...
Still trying to make sense of things, the two girls walked—grim-faced—toward the training room. Yukino flung open the door... and they both stood there, dumbfounded.
Haru was running on the treadmill.
Utaha, on the floor, was propped up on her elbows doing a very earnest cardio routine. In front of her, a tablet played a fitness tutorial video.
Yukino's mouth fell open. For the first time, she found herself questioning her own judgment.
Just a moment ago, she'd been utterly convinced that Utaha was sneaking off for something... less innocent.
But now—this?
She couldn't process it.
Megumi was equally surprised, but she let out a quiet sigh of relief. She had been worried Utaha might be "desperately hungry" and do something crazy in this situation.
Still, this wasn't quite what she expected either. Was Utaha really the kind of person to come train just to maintain her figure?
Doesn't seem like her... Megumi thought to herself.
Yukino regained her composure, though her voice still carried a hint of disbelief. "What... exactly is going on here?"
Haru adjusted his breathing, then spoke between steps. "I invited you all to come work out earlier, remember? In the end, only senpai agreed."
Utaha, still expressionless, continued her toning exercises.
Yeah, yeah—totally my idea. No one forced me... she thought, trying to ignore how ridiculous this looked.
"I see." Yukino gave a slight smile.
That smile on Yukino's face was her way of expressing satisfaction with how obedient Utaha was being.
Megumi glanced between the two who were exercising and asked curiously, "Senpai, how long do these kinds of workouts usually last?"
"Ten minutes," Haru replied, clearly experienced in this field. "This kind of body-shaping workout shouldn't be done for too long in one go. Usually, after 8 to 15 minutes, you switch to another type of exercise."
Megumi looked down at her skirt, a bit hesitant.
Yukino noticed this, but said nothing.
She wasn't about to lend her workout clothes to either of these two.
The last time her sister "borrowed" her underwear, she'd already felt very uncomfortable about it.
These two weren't even family—there was no way she'd let them wear her clothes.
Just then, Haru spoke up. "Megumi, if you want to join in, you can just follow senpai's routine."
Megumi pressed her lips together, clearly not wanting to bring up her worry about exposing herself.
The cardio exercises Utaha was doing weren't hard to understand, but the leg movements were quite wide. It made sense that Utaha wasn't worried about exposure—Haru had already seen everything anyway...
Haru, noticing her silence, looked confused. "Why aren't you saying anything?"
Yukino cut in at the right moment. "Skirts aren't suitable for workouts—especially fat-burning routines like these. The risk of exposure is too high."
Then she glanced at Utaha. "Senpai's tights, on the other hand, do help with that."
Utaha was breathing heavily and too tired to argue.
And Haru had been sincere when he invited her earlier. He'd even gone the extra mile to pick out the right workout video for her—he'd handled everything so carefully and earnestly.
That's why, even though she hadn't been too enthusiastic about it, she ended up going along with him.
"I see… that was my oversight," Haru said with a nod, stepping off the treadmill and walking to the corner of the room. He faced the wall.
"I promise I won't turn around."
Megumi trusted him on that. She decisively grabbed a new mat and went to ask Utaha for some guidance.
As a girl, she had her own body image to maintain.
No one wanted fat accumulating around their waist or thighs—that was a nightmare.
Yukino watched the now energetic trio working out and fell into brief contemplation.
Should I join in too?
She hesitated for a moment—then quickly dismissed the idea.
She already had a well-structured routine of her own. There was no need to rush into anything.
Just as she was about to leave, Haru's voice called from behind—still facing the wall:
"Yukino, you're the only one left. Are you sure you don't want to join?"
"My body is already in excellent condition. I don't need any extra effort," she replied, stopping at the door.
"I know that," Haru said. "But I still think you should join."
"Oh? And your reason?"
"I want you to," he said simply.
Of course, he couldn't tell her the real reason: I've got a workout buff—you should come benefit from it.
At that moment, Utaha collapsed onto the mat, panting. "It's so hot…"
She casually undid the top button of her shirt.
If she kept working out like that, her chest would definitely start bouncing quite a bit.
Yukino couldn't help but glance over—then turned to look at Haru, who was still facing the wall like a statue.
After a moment's thought, she realized this was the first time Haru had repeatedly invited her to something. Besides, she wasn't too comfortable leaving the other two alone with him anyway.
Right on cue, Haru called out again, "Come on, Miss Yukinoshita. Don't you want to push your physical limits even further?"
Yukino let out a sigh. "You really leave me no choice… I'll go change."
Forty minutes later.
The three girls were now slumped on their mats in various positions.
Each of them was drenched in sweat—faces, necks, and even their clothes had patches of dampness.
Luckily, their school uniforms weren't made of thin material, so there was no danger of showing too much.
They were all resting now, but their eyes were fixed on Haru, who was still working out without pause.
"You don't need a break?" Utaha asked, taking a sip of water. Her already rosy lips now looked even more flushed and full.
"I'm nowhere near my limit," Haru replied, doing cardio while still facing the wall, barely winded.
"This guy really is…" Utaha struggled to find the right word.
"Like a superhuman," Megumi gasped.
Yukino pushed back the damp hair clinging to her forehead and, for once, agreed. "He's practically Superman."
Suddenly, Utaha turned toward Megumi. "Hey, Megumi—why don't you stay the night here with me? We can both call our families. That should be fine, right?"
Megumi blinked. "You want me to stay?"
Utaha wiped the sweat from her face and looked to Haru. "Would it be okay if Megumi stays over?"
"Totally up to you," Haru said casually. "I can just sleep on the sofa."
In the end, Megumi agreed.
Yukino, for her part, didn't say anything.
She was curious.
Logically speaking, if Utaha wanted to cause trouble tonight, adding another person to the mix wouldn't make sense.
Even if it was someone she trusted.
So that means she's planning to behave tonight?
Yukino smiled faintly—relieved.
As for the idea that those two might be planning to "team up" against her... well, Yukino wasn't the least bit concerned.
Utaha teaming up with Megumi?
Let them try. I'll make sure they don't walk away victorious.
Yukino was fully confident.
...But Utaha had no plans to behave.
She just figured that having another person on her side meant more power. If she was going to take on Yukino, she needed all the help she could get.
As for causing mischief—she was honestly too exhausted to even think about it for now.