"That was incredible, Kou-kun," Nagisa murmured, her voice breathy and flushed with lingering euphoria. A slight tremble still clung to her fingers as she slowly buttoned the last few buttons of her uniform, the fabric brushing against her still-sensitive skin. "For a second there… I really thought my brain was going to melt. I still can't believe you used a springboard for something like that. Totes unexpected~!"
The air inside the cramped storage room was thick with heat and the scent of sweat and sex. Their breath still lingered in the air like smoke after a fire. Clothes rustled faintly as the two tried to straighten themselves up, the sound almost too loud in the silence that followed their intense act.
Kouhei, half-dressed and trying to catch his breath, had trouble keeping his eyes away. He hadn't expected this moment that watching her slip back into her clothes to be so tantalizing. But there was something almost indecently erotic about it. The way her bra peeked just slightly from under her partially buttoned uniform, the dampness on her flushed skin, the subtle glisten of sweat running down the valley of her breasts... it all made his heart pound with a heat that threatened to flare up again.
He tried to avert his gaze. He really did. But it was no use.
Nagisa's sharp eyes caught him. A teasing smirk curled across her lips, a knowing glint flickering in her eyes.
"Kou-kun," she said, her voice sing-song and sultry, "do you want another round?"
Her words struck him like a bolt of lightning, but Kouhei shook his head rapidly, face burning.
"N-No, I'm good," he said quickly, swallowing hard. "It'd be kind of bad if we stayed here for too long and… kept doing that. Someone could hear us, you know?"
"Heheh…" Nagisa giggled, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. Her voice dropped into a whisper, almost conspiratorial. "I guess you're right. Still… my vagina is so filled to the brim that it's starting to spill out."
She said it so casually, like commenting on the weather, her smirk never faltering. Kouhei's heart stuttered, and his face turned even redder, unsure if he should laugh or panic.
Their conversation lingered in that hazy mix of post-sex flirtation and awkward teenage instinct, but then—suddenly—Kouhei's phone rang, its shrill tone cutting through the thick air like a blade.
"Who is it?" Nagisa asked, tilting her head curiously, still half-tucking her blouse.
Kouhei pulled the phone from his pocket and glanced at the screen.
"Ah... It's Yuka-nee-chan..."
It was his aunt. Well, technically she was his aunt, but since she wasn't much older than him, she always insisted he call her "nee-chan." And now she was calling out of the blue? She usually only texted him to check in, and she rarely ever called.
'Why's she calling now…? And at this time…?'
Something about it made his stomach twist.
"I'm going to take this for a bit," Kouhei said, forcing a casual tone.
"Alrighty~!" Nagisa responded with a wink, completely unfazed.
He stepped outside the storage room into the cooler corridor air and answered the call. He barely had time to raise the phone to his ear before a deafening shout pierced through.
"Where are you, Kou!?"
He recoiled, yanking the phone away from his ear, the volume blaring in his skull. He quickly turned it down and brought it back to his face.
"Ah… Yuka-nee-chan, uh… What did you say?"
"I'm at your place right now!" she snapped, clearly fuming. "Your landlady told me you haven't been back for months, Kou! Months! What the hell is going on?! Explain it to me right now!"
He'd been so caught up in everything lately—the chaos of his new life, the whirlwind of emotions, sex, and strange circumstances—that he had forgotten the one important detail. That it was his aunt who was paying the rent on his apartment.
And yeah… there was a reason he hadn't told her anything.
Explaining that he wasn't staying there anymore because he was living with several girls in a different house? That wasn't going to fly. She'd never let that slide.
"Um, right…" Kouhei muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's a bit hard to explain, but can I talk to you face to face about it?"
"If that's what you want, fine," she said sharply. "I'll wait. But you better not keep me waiting too long, Kou. I've been worrying myself sick. I shouldn't have let you live on your own. What am I supposed to tell your parents if something happened to you?"
"You really don't have to worry, Yuka-nee-chan," he said gently. "I'm staying with some really nice people. I promise, I'm not in any danger or anything."
"You're living with someone?" she barked. "Kou, you can't just move in with random people and not tell anyone! What if they're using you, or trying to extort you for money?!"
"I seriously don't think they'd do anything like that," Kouhei replied, firm but calm.
"Oh really?" she said. "Well, once you explain everything to me, I'm going to talk to them too. I'll see for myself."
Kouhei felt his stomach tighten into a knot. He had no idea how to get out of this. But right now, he needed to come up with something... and fast.
"Nagisa-san... I'm heading back to my apartment for a while," Kouhei said.
Nagisa tilted her head, arching a brow. "I heard a really scary and pissed-off lady shouting on the other end. Was that your sister?"
Kouhei let out a soft sigh, scratching the back of his head. "My aunt," he clarified. "She's at my apartment right now, wondering where I've been all this time. Apparently, the landlady told her I haven't been seen around in a while."
"Oh yeah… that's right. Your aunt's still paying rent for that place even though you've been living at the mansion now, huh?"
"Yeah. I was meaning to tell her that I've moved into the Saionji mansion, but… saying that I've been living under the same roof with a bunch of girls?" He hesitated, his brows furrowing. "That just doesn't sound right. She'd definitely find that suspicious."
Nagisa laughed a little under her breath, crossing her arms. "Well, yeah. It'd be weirder if she didn't get suspicious. I mean, you—who used to be a complete loner—now suddenly surrounded by girls? That would raise some serious questions."
She didn't need to throw the "loner" jab in there, but… he couldn't deny it. She had a point. It was way too out of character for him—and his aunt would definitely sense something was off.
"Which is exactly why I need to go there and talk to her myself," he said firmly. "I'll try to explain everything in a way that doesn't make it sound too weird."
"You want me to come with you?" Nagisa asked, her tone softening. "Or maybe Yuuna could tag along? Might help if someone's there to back you up."
He shook his head. "I think I can manage it. Probably..." he added with a dry smile, the corner of his lips twitching with uncertainty.
Nagisa narrowed her eyes slightly. "Ah, but you can't tell her anything about you-know-what, okay?" Her voice lowered, serious now. "If your aunt finds out about demons, angels, and all that insane stuff, it could be a total disaster."
"I know. I won't say anything," Kouhei replied.
What she meant, of course, was that he couldn't reveal to his aunt that he was the Child of Anti-Prophecy—the one destined to rise against Yesh. If even a fragment of that truth slipped from his lips, things could go horribly wrong. He had to tread carefully.
"Alright then." Nagisa placed both her hands on his shoulders and gave them a few firm pats, like a coach trying to fire up their player before a game. "Go break a leg, and explain it to her without blowing your cover, okay, Kou-kun?"
"I will," he said, nodding once, trying to gather his resolve.
And with that, he turned and made his way towards his apartment.
Lately, Hina had been haunted by dreams. Not just any dreams—but ones that gnawed at her sanity, sticking to her mind like thick tar.
In these visions, something terrible—something catastrophic, rather—happened to Kouhei.
He was lying motionless on the ground, his lifeless body sprawled out, soaked in a thick, crimson pool of blood that spread beneath him like a blooming flower of death.
And she—Hina—was standing nearby, frozen in place, unable to move, unable to look away. She stared down at him, her breath caught in her throat.
She couldn't see her face directly, but when her gaze dropped to the blood, she saw her reflection rippling in the surface.
The expression staring back at her was one she barely recognized.
Wide, horrified eyes. Pale, trembling lips. A face that had never known emotion was twisted into raw shock and silent horror.
The kind of look someone made when they realized too late that something precious had slipped from their grasp.
That dream... that vision... burned itself into her memory.
Hina awoke slowly and quietly. She didn't scream and gasp as she woke. Just the sound of her breath—short and shallow—echoing in the silence of the room.
Her body was drenched in sweat, her clothes clinging to her skin. Her heart thundered in her chest, each beat slamming against her ribs like a desperate warning.
She reached up and clutched at her chest, her fingers trembling.
"What... was that vision...?"