That night was nothing short of pure torture.
Kanade couldn't even remember the exact moment he finally drifted off into sleep. What he did remember, though, was how agonizing the process leading up to it had been.
Every part of him was on high alert.
The warmth of his senpai's skin pressed against his was enough to make his brain spark like a short-circuited machine. The soft curve of her arm against his body, her breath just barely brushing his neck—it was all too much. And worst of all… was that scent.
That faint, sweet fragrance she wore seemed to bloom stronger at night. The moment it reached his nose, it blew away any shred of sleepiness he had left. Instead, it made his thoughts swirl with chaotic desire, dragging his imagination into dangerous territory.
He could think. He could see. He could hear. He could smell… But he couldn't touch. Couldn't act. The sensation was maddening—like being imprisoned with everything you want just inches away, behind glass.
And while he had somehow, miraculously, managed to hold himself back, that didn't mean he got any proper rest.
Nope. Not even close.
Even after he'd succumbed to exhaustion and passed out, his suffering continued.
He woke up. Repeatedly.
Every time he thought he had found peace, his senpai would stir beside him with unexpected movements. Once, she turned over and smacked him square in the face. Another time, she rolled and stuffed his entire head into her chest—he nearly died in his sleep! From suffocation, not bliss!
It honestly started to feel like she was messing with him on purpose. Did she even sleep at all? Or was she just biding her time, teasing him in increments to keep him on edge?
Eventually, Kanade snapped.
He took matters into his own hands—literally.
He reached over, pressed down on her arm with his own, then slipped his hand around her back, effectively locking her in place. The position made it look like he was embracing her of his own volition… but he swore, that was not his intention!
It was purely for survival.
He hoped that by restricting her movements a little, she'd settle down and let him get at least a few minutes of uninterrupted rest.
Unfortunately… he barely had time to relax before his alarm clock blared like a vengeful oni at dawn.
"…Ugh."
His expression froze in place, dead-eyed and miserable. Why? Why did the world hate him so much?
Meanwhile, the culprit in question—Kasumigaoka Utaha—was still tucked snugly in his arms, completely unfazed by the noise. She just furrowed her brow slightly at the sound of the alarm and nuzzled deeper into his chest like a cat resisting morning.
That only made Kanade even more bitter.
I've been tortured all night, and you're sleeping like a baby?! That's so unfair! His heart filled with righteous fury.
Without thinking, he began shaking her gently.
"Senpai, wake up already… Come on, get up. Morning's here!"
He knew this girl had a legendary reputation for sleeping in—she practically worshipped the "back-to-bed" philosophy. But today, he wasn't about to let her get away with it.
"No more snoozing! Senpai, you'll regret it if you keep pushing your luck…"
After what felt like an eternity of poking and prodding, she finally blinked open her sleepy eyes. Still half in a daze, she rubbed her face and made the sluggish attempt to sit up.
Then—
"Ugh… Kanade, you're pressing on my hair…"
Time froze.
For a split second, Kanade's heart skipped a beat. His face turned bright red.
He remembered something dumb he'd read online once. It was one of those useless "relationship facts" from netizens with too much free time. According to a survey, the first sentence couples often said to each other in the morning wasn't "Ohayou" or "Aishiteru"… but things like, 'You're pressing on my hair.'
And apparently—for some strange reason—that line made guys melt.
Some self-proclaimed love expert even explained why: "This is a wonderful sign in a romantic relationship! First—someone's hair is being pressed on, which means there's contact. Second—it only happens when two people sleep really close together. In other words, their relationship has already reached a stage of true intimacy. After all, couples who are just putting on a show? They don't sleep close enough for that kind of thing to happen."
They always said it so matter-of-factly, like it was some universal truth.
And honestly, Kanade had always brushed it off. He'd seen those posts, sure, but he never gave them much thought. It all sounded a bit overblown—nothing more than romantic fluff, right?
But now…
Now that it was actually happening to him, those words hit completely different. Suddenly, that "silly internet wisdom" was echoing in his head, and his heart wouldn't stop pounding.
Is this what they meant…? he thought, dazed, staring blankly at the sleepy girl in his arms.
He didn't even realize he'd gone silent until Utaha slowly opened her eyes wider, her grogginess fading as she noticed the dumb look on his face. Her lips twitched, clearly trying to hide a laugh.
Geez, she thought. He's totally stunned. What an idiot…
Sure, she was used to being admired. She was beautiful—she knew that. But the way he was looking at her, like she was some kind of divine revelation, made her feel oddly shy.
Just as she was about to tease him a little—
"…Kanade, you're poking me."
That quiet voice cut through the air like lightning.
Kanade blinked. Wait—what?
Before he could even react, she reached down, probably intending to push it away out of reflex. But Kanade panicked, grabbing her wrist like he was facing down a final boss.
"W-Wait! I'll take care of it! I got it!!"
"…?" Utaha tilted her head, her sleepy expression giving way to curiosity—and then realization.
Her eyes widened slightly. Then her cheeks flushed. She froze, lips parting just a little.
"Uu… th-this…"
Kanade wanted to die.
No, no, no! Don't misunderstand! It's not like that!
But he couldn't say it out loud! What was he supposed to do, yell "Senpai, listen! It's just normal morning stuff for guys, okay?! I swear I wasn't thinking weird things about you…"? That'd just make it worse!
He even thought about blaming it on his phone, but tragically, it was clearly sitting on the pillow, far away from the scene of the crime.
What was worse… was her reaction.
She didn't glare. She didn't snark. She didn't roll her eyes or hit him with a sarcastic jab. Instead… she got even more flustered.
"I-I understand…" Utaha mumbled, bowing her head slightly. One hand rested on his chest while the other curled up into a small fist over her heart. Her entire posture was tense, as if she was bracing herself—like she was waiting for something to happen.
And in that moment, as her breathing grew heavier and her chest subtly rose and fell with every nervous inhale, Kanade realized something.
This situation was way more dangerous than he had thought.
"…Ah."
His own breath caught.
Could it be…?
Could this really be the moment they'd hesitated to take last night?
This time, without the awkward tension, without the uncertainty… maybe now—
Maybe this morning… they could finally—
…!