A beautiful day begins in the morning. And a beautiful morning should be greeted by the sound of birds and the fragrance of flowers.
The bright sunlight streamed through the window into the room, falling onto the bed. Breathing in the fresh air, Hayashi slowly woke up.
"Man, that was such a good sleep..."
Maybe it was because Rize hadn't drained him last night, or maybe it was just the rare luxury of sleeping straight through till daylight. Either way, Hayashi felt completely refreshed, relaxed, and energized.
He couldn't help but wonder where exactly Touka had bought this bed. Not only was it soft and comfortable, but it also had this strong sense of being wrapped and embraced. The warm, cushioned sensation was so immersive it felt as though someone was hugging him.
If he hadn't been sleeping alone, he might have actually believed it.
Just as he was about to get up and wash his face, Hayashi suddenly realized something felt heavy on his body — extremely heavy. Turning his head, his eyes landed on the delicate, cold, and beautiful face of Kirishima Touka.
Touka? Why was she here?More importantly — why was she in his bed?
The sight left Hayashi stunned, his mind grinding to a halt.And his movement stirred Touka awake.
"What's going on?"
Touka groggily opened her eyes, her cool voice edged with irritation. She always had a bit of morning temper, and being woken up like this only made it worse.
Her brows furrowed, her pretty face showing clear displeasure.
"Don't move around. I'm not done sleeping yet..."
But halfway through her words, she froze. Her gaze locked on Hayashi's handsome face, and confusion flickered in her eyes.
She rubbed them hard, almost thinking this was a dream. But when she realized it wasn't, she instantly jolted awake.
"Touka, wait, don't get the wrong idea. Let me explain about last night—"
Hayashi hurried to defend himself, but before he could finish, Touka kicked him straight out of bed.
"You... why are you here?"
Touka clutched the blanket tightly around herself, her eyes trembling with unease. Why was Hayashi in her bed? Why had they been sleeping together?
Could it be... he had done something to her? Had she been taken advantage of?
Her heart raced, her thoughts chaotic. She had never prepared herself for something like this.
"Hold on. This bed — you gave it to me last night. You said you'd sleep on the couch, remember?"
Sensing how wrong the situation looked, Hayashi quickly explained.
"The... couch? Bed?"
Touka blinked, her memory slowly resurfacing. Then she remembered — it was after she went to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Half-asleep, she had instinctively crawled back into bed.
Which meant... she had been the one who got into bed with Hayashi. She had been the one who made them sleep together.
Her cold, beautiful face instantly flushed red.
"Y-you... go out first. I need to change."
Seeing her reaction, Hayashi realized she had pieced it together. He stood, walked out, and gently closed the door behind him.
"I... I actually slept in the same bed with Hayashi..."
Touka pressed a hand to her forehead, her face burning. Thankfully, nothing had actually happened between them last night. Otherwise, she really would've wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out.
Still, she could always just blame it on sleepwalking.
As her heart calmed, memories of that warmth and softness from last night crept back in. The strange sense of safety it had given her was undeniable.
Clutching her pillow to her chest, Touka whispered to herself:
"Thinking back... Hayashi really was so warm to hold..."
In the living room, Hayashi sat on the couch, staring up at the ceiling.
At first, he had really thought he had messed up, but thankfully, he figured it out quickly. Most likely Touka had sleepwalked, or gone to the bathroom and returned out of habit.
And because he'd been sleeping too deeply, he hadn't noticed at all.
Thanks to his long experience of nightly battles with Rize, Hayashi could confirm nothing had happened.The two of them had only slept while holding each other. That was it.
The thought made him sigh in relief... though he couldn't help but feel a faint sense of regret.
Creak—
The bedroom door opened, and Touka walked out.
"What happened earlier was my fault. I overreacted. Last night... I must have been sleepwalking. Without realizing, I went back to the bed."
Her head lowered, her voice carried a hint of apology.
"It's fine. I understand."
Hayashi nodded. He really did. After all, it wasn't like Touka was so starved for affection that she had deliberately crawled into his bed for a hug, right?
Even so, the atmosphere became awkwardly heavy.
Before long, they both used work as an excuse to gather their things and leave together. Since their paths were the same for a while, they walked side by side in silence.
Touka didn't say a single word along the way, her quietness making the air strangely uncomfortable.
Finally, they reached a fork in the road.
"I'll head that way."
Hayashi pointed down one street.
"Mm. I'll take the other."
Touka nodded, pointing in the opposite direction.
"Well then, see you this afternoon, Touka."
Hayashi turned to leave, but felt a sudden tug at his shirt. Looking back, he saw her slender fingers pinching the corner of his clothes.
"Thank you... for tutoring me yesterday..."
Her head lowered, her delicate face flushed with shyness.
"Could you... come to my place again to tutor me in the future?"
Hayashi froze. So direct? She might as well have written her feelings across her forehead.
"It would be my honor."
When he smiled and agreed, her eyes lit up with relief and happiness.
"Really?"
The excitement in her gaze was impossible to hide. Even her smile turned soft and gentle.
"Then... see you this afternoon, Hayashi."