The patter of water gradually stopped. Ichinose Honami seemed to have washed her clothes while she was at it.
Of course, that was only a guess Uesugi Hara had made based on the sounds.
Ichinose Honami stood at the bathroom door, hesitating.
She hadn't expected the shirt to be so short. It barely covered the tops of her thighs.
She tugged hard at the hem, but the fabric strained painfully across her chest.
Her face flushed with embarrassment. I should've picked a stretchy T-shirt.
After hesitating for a long while, she finally worked up the courage to leave the bathroom, not wanting to disturb Uesugi Hara's rest.
Huh? Why was it dark outside?
Had Uesugi gone to sleep?
Or had he thought about her situation and turned off the lights on purpose?
Ichinose Honami turned off the bathroom light and felt her way back to bed.
Apparently worried she'd wake him, she tentatively called out in a small voice, "...Uesugi?"
There was no reply, only the sound of steady breathing.
Ichinose Honami had no choice but to let it go. She silently wished him good night. Good night... thoughtful Uesugi.
Actually, Uesugi Hara wasn't asleep.
He was facing away from Ichinose Honami and said nothing.
It seemed he'd chosen to run away—from Ichinose Honami, who had made him feel so unsettled.
But not answering seemed rather rude, so he silently replied in his head, even though she couldn't hear him:
"Good night... my Miss Tool."
The space between their beds felt like a quiet river, keeping them apart.
Ichinose Honami had mostly sobered up by now, and had figured a few things out.
She'd been so silly—she'd fallen right into Uesugi's trap.
But when she thought about it carefully, he wasn't wrong.
Remembering a few things, she couldn't help smiling