"Senpai, are you sure you want to go there?"
Mio stared at the love hotel sitting not far ahead.
She'd assumed Haruno was joking when she'd said there was somewhere else to be. She had not assumed it would be this.
"Of course! I said earlier I was curious, didn't I? I looked it up on my phone—apparently this place has some special themed rooms~"
Mio caught the gleam in Haruno's eyes. Genuine excitement.
Oh. I might actually be in trouble.
Is it too late to just... leave?
Apparently that thought was readable. Haruno grabbed her hand before she could move.
"I haven't forgotten what you said, you know."
"What did I say?"
"'Wherever senpai wants to go is fine with me.'" She pulled out her phone and hit play. Mio's own voice came through the speaker, clear as anything.
So she'd been recording. While Mio wasn't paying attention.
Mio stared at her with an expression of profound, wordless suffering.
Haruno laughed—bright and delighted—and dragged her forward.
Neither of them noticed the bookstore they passed. Or the familiar figure standing just inside it.
Yukinoshita Yukino, who'd just finished buying a book and was about to head home.
The glimpse was brief. But unmistakable.
That's Nee-san.
And beside her—silver hair, impossible to miss—was the transfer student who'd recently joined Yukino's school. Shirai Mio, if she was remembering right.
Since when did those two know each other?
A little confused, Yukino stepped outside, tracking their backs.
The silver hair made Mio easy to follow. Yukino watched them stop—
—in front of the love hotel.
...That's odd. They're probably just stopping for a moment.
She gave her sister the benefit of the doubt.
Then she watched her sister pull the transfer student inside.
Yukinoshita Yukino's pupils registered a catastrophic seven-point earthquake.
Inside, Mio had already accepted her fate.
She let Haruno lead her up to the front desk without protest.
The receptionist caught one look at the two of them, let a flicker of quiet appreciation cross her face, and processed the paperwork without comment. Clearly this scenario was not unprecedented.
Forms done, key in hand, they arrived at the room.
Haruno pushed the door open and started to say something—
—and found Mio already inside, phone out, taking pictures of everything.
"A moment ago my little kouhai looked like she was being escorted to her execution," Haruno said, slowly. "Now?"
"Senpai knows I'm collaborating with Mashiro on a manga, right? I just realized we might need to draw a scene like this at some point. Research opportunity."
Mio lowered the phone slightly, then tilted her head. "Actually—why did senpai want to come here?"
"I said. Curiosity."
Haruno glanced around the room. It was... fine. Not all that different from a regular hotel room, honestly. Maybe she should've asked about those special rooms the website mentioned. She hadn't quite worked up the nerve at the front desk.
Mio clicked her tongue internally. Curiosity. Sure.
The room wasn't large. By the time Haruno had finished surveying it, Mio had already dropped onto the bed.
"Little kouhai—lying there completely defenseless like that, aren't you even a little worried? What if your senpai snapped and devoured you?"
Mio glanced up from her phone and smiled, mild and unbothered. No answer.
One: Haruno wasn't actually going to do anything. Two: even if she did—who would actually be losing here?
The game of trying to rattle Mio had not been going well. After a moment's consideration, Haruno simply lay down beside her.
"I'm tired."
Mio checked the time. 4:30 PM.
"Go ahead and sleep. I'll wake you up."
"I sleep like a rock, just so you know. I'd probably miss it if anything happened. So please—please—don't do anything weird to me while I'm out."
"I would never."
Haruno blinked. Mio had seemed noticeably more... assertive since they'd left the park.
Strange.
Maybe she hadn't slept well last night. Maybe the park had worn her out.
Either way, it didn't take long. Within a few minutes of closing her eyes, Haruno was genuinely, deeply asleep.
Mio watched her for a moment.
She's really not worried about me at all.
...She did look cute, though. Asleep.
Mio suppressed the urge to pinch her cheeks. Instead she raised her phone and quietly took a few pictures.
These are getting edited. Pig snout. Absolutely.
Time passed. Mio was almost nodding off herself when a ringtone cut through the quiet.
Not hers.
Haruno's phone, on the nightstand. Mio glanced at the screen.
Yukino.
...