If Miyahito really planned to give her a "huge surprise," what would be the trigger?
Splash—!
Pondering hard, Utaha slowly lifted her right leg from the water. Her gaze fell on the droplets sliding down the skin of her plump thigh, as she murmured softly to herself.
"What exactly counts as a surprise?"
Drip—!
As a single water droplet fell into the steamy surface, a vague sense of déjà vu suddenly flashed before Utaha's eyes.
Right! Isn't this exactly what I had originally planned for today?
She had been plotting this all last night. Right up until the moment Miyahito saw her at the Shinobu building earlier, Utaha had only just mentally prepared how to greet him.
She had even planned out exactly how to keep from laughing when she saw the expression on his face upon learning that his girlfriend was his favorite light novel author.
Although later, the unexpected reality that "Miyahito had already known his girlfriend was Kasumi Utako" completely threw off her original plan.
But, putting the two things together.....
["Starting tomorrow, Utaha, you'll need to come to the office to discuss some anime details with Kosaka Akane and Miyani-sensei...."]
Machida Sonoko's voice suddenly echoing in her mind made Utaha freeze unconsciously.
No wonder.... No wonder... So that's it!
"I knew it! Every time Miyani or Miyahito was mentioned, I always felt like Machida was hinting at something!"
"So she already guessed... No, this woman definitely knew the whole time that 'Miyahito is Miyani'! Damn it!"
The moment the words left her lips, Utaha quickly covered her mouth with her hand.
Oh no, oh no, I accidentally swore out loud... Carefully glancing at the closed bathroom door, Utaha sighed in relief upon confirming Miyahito luckily hadn't heard, and gently patted her chest to calm her nerves.
But thinking about it seriously...
She was still so mad! The whole world was keeping it a secret from just her!
So mad! So mad! (grinding teeth)!
Sitting in the tub, Utaha unhappily raised her hand and splashed the still-warm water in annoyance. She looked just like a little girl throwing a tantrum because she couldn't get her favorite toy.
"Right! Since Miyahito's plan matches what I planned last night." Realizing the key point, Utaha's eyes lit up, her tone brightening. "Then if I find the evidence tonight, leaving him no choice but to admit he's Miyani..."
"And then give him a good, um, ahem... comfort! Yes, exactly! I'll comfort him since his plan fell through!"
"That'll be so much fun!"
Somehow, the smile on Utaha's lips took on a subtly mischievous turn as she lowered her head. A few distorted, almost broken giggles accidentally echoed in the perfectly sized bathroom.
"Heh.. hehe.. Miyahito... hehe...."
At the same time.
"Brrr....." Carefully monitoring the chicken soup, Miyahito suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. With a vaguely panicked expression, he awkwardly reached back to rub his neck.
"That's so weird."
The chill vanished the next second. Looking back into the kitchen with a confused expression, Miyahito tilted his head, frowning slightly as he muttered to himself.
"Did I set the AC too low?"
....
After dinner and a long, relaxing bath.
"Um, Utaha....." Miyahito's cheeks were slightly flushed, his gaze shifting away guiltily. He spoke to his girlfriend in a tone that was hard to describe. "Sitting like this... No, um...."
"Aren't you hot?"
"Hmm?" Resting her long legs sideways on the fluffy carpet, Utaha sat firmly between her cross-legged boyfriend's thighs. She turned her head slightly, smiling softly. "Not really."
"If anything, the temperature is just right. If I didn't sit like this, I'd actually feel cold."
If you're cold, then don't just wear my shirt and shorts!
Raising his hand, he gently pinched his nose to stop a warm flow, leaning back as hard as he could to create some distance from his girlfriend.
... Ahh, hold it in! My rationality.
Right now, Miyahito finally understood what it felt like to have a girlfriend with a stunning figure and captivating charm in every move. It was absolute torture for a man's rationality.
What made it worse was that despite him struggling so hard to hold back, Utaha showed zero awareness of how incredibly good—and frankly, excessively good—her body was.
Leaning her upper body back slightly, she pressed her back—where the softness of her skin could faintly be felt through the thin shirt—firmly against her boyfriend's chest. A post-bath flush coloring her cheeks, Utaha asked softly.
"Hey, Miyahito."
"Mhm....." Because he was pinching his nose, Miyahito's voice sounded unusually muffled. Utaha didn't mind at all, instead speaking with a playful tone.
"I used your shampoo, you know~ Does it smell just like you?"
As she spoke, Utaha's hands gently toyed with her still slightly damp long hair behind her.
"...."
N-no! Seriously, young lady. Do you have any idea how hard I'm trying to hold back?
Letting out a long, helpless sigh, Miyahito finally asked. "What's really on your mind, Utaha?"
"Mhm, no~thi~ng~ at~ all~!"
You think I believe that? But even so, Miyahito had no good way to argue back. He could only helplessly raise his right hand. Carefully avoiding any inappropriate areas, he draped his arm from right to left, around Utaha's collarbones, and gently embraced her shoulders.
Resting his chin lightly on her porcelain-soft shoulder, Miyahito calmly picked up the TV remote and said.
"Okay, okay, whatever you say is right, Utaha."
"So, my dear Ms. Utaha, what movie would you like to watch tonight? Or should we finish watching The 100th Love with You from last night?"
Utaha, gently held in her boyfriend's embrace, adjusted her posture to get more comfortable. A playful glint appeared in her wine-red eyes as she spoke.
"Mhm, let me think."
"Ah, right! How about we watch Mechanical Crown tonight? It seems pretty popular lately."
Noticing her boyfriend's body stiffen unnaturally behind her, Utaha blinked without turning around, adding casually.
"Plus, I heard all the music for the anime was composed and sung by Miyani."
"I'm actually a huge fan of Miyani, you know."
"Hey, dear Mr. Miyahito, I assume you don't mind your girlfriend being a fangirl, right?"