Chapter 142: Lip Print

The living room was quiet, with the television's volume set low. The soft, bright light bathed the three of them.

Even though Utaha appeared completely relaxed and unguarded, her charming, seductive demeanor in that moment, Haru remained undistracted.

Earlier, Yukino had asked him to show her a professional, formal lesson.

Well, then he would give her exactly that.

Originally, this was supposed to be a two-person session, but now, with Utaha completely dazed, let alone participating in the lesson, she could barely manage a normal conversation.

After finishing the leg massage, he moved on to the next target—her waist, which would help relieve fatigue even more effectively.

Compared to Utaha's smooth, fair feet, her waist was an even more captivating area. Her leg lines were graceful, and her delicate feet were so slender they could be held with one hand—anyone who looked would marvel at how well her legs were taken care of, rivaling Yukino's.

But it was her waist and abdomen that had a completely different kind of appeal.

A girl with a small, slender waist always attracted more attention.

And what made it even more enticing was that Utaha didn't just have a tiny waist.

Her waist-to-hip ratio was perfect.

This showed just how strict she'd been with her body management over the years.

The waist of a girl always carries a hint of allure, adding to her charm. As Haru spoke softly, "Next is the waist massage, senpai," his words were gentle.

Utaha's dazed eyes fluttered slightly, and she bit her lip, her expression embarrassed yet unwilling to stop.

At this point, it seemed she didn't want to quit halfway.

The reason for her hesitation—whether it was because she truly wanted to complete the lesson or because she couldn't bear the pleasure of the massage—was unclear.

"Senpai, can you handle it?" Yukino's voice chimed in lightly.

It seemed like a casual question, but both Haru and Utaha knew she was clearly enjoying the situation.

Though Yukino could tell that Utaha was already dazed, she also knew that his massage technique was very professional and precise.

That was why she hadn't stopped him until now.

"I... I can handle it, of course," Utaha replied, her words broken, her breathing quickening.

It was almost laughable. She had just said that, and yet she was still panting.

Haru didn't want to look any longer, sighing, "How about we end it here for today?"

"No way." x2

Both beautiful girls rejected him at the same time.

He wanted to complain but didn't know how to voice it.

After thinking for a few seconds, he realized that Yukino probably wanted to seize this once-in-a-lifetime chance to gather as much embarrassing material about Utaha as she could.

As for the other one's intentions, only she knew for sure.

In reality, Utaha felt too embarrassed to tell Haru that she was truly enjoying the massage.

The lesson was no longer important—she'd just have to act like nothing happened when Yukino confronted her later. Let her enjoy this moment of smugness for now.

At this moment, a faint pink hue spread across Utaha's face and neck.

As Haru continued with his professional massage, her face grew even hotter, her eyes more glazed, and she seemed to slip into a state that she couldn't even describe in words.

Ten more minutes passed before he finally stopped, saying, "Alright, today's lesson is pretty much done."

Utaha kept her eyes closed, her face flushed and radiant, oozing with seductive charm.

All that filled her mind was one thought: "The Tidecaller" is amazing!

Meanwhile, Yukino, satisfied, put her phone away and said, "Thanks for your hard work."

It was unclear if she was thanking Haru for the professional lesson or Utaha for providing such embarrassing material.

"Yukino, don't you want to try?"

Utaha wasn't in the mood to argue with Yukino anymore.

When she asked this, there was a strong invitation in her tone.

"No thanks," Yukino rejected immediately.

She knew exactly how skilled his was at massaging. If she lay down, she'd probably be knocked out within minutes.

She wasn't willing to take that risk and end up being the one giving Utaha blackmail material.

"Really?"

Utaha sat up, feeling completely relaxed and comfortable. "Well, you're passing up a chance to enjoy this."

Yukino suddenly spoke, "Senpai, your collar."

"Hm?"

Utaha froze, lowering her head, only to realize that her bathrobe had slipped open.

And she wasn't wearing any undergarments underneath!

Her face turned crimson, and she immediately realized that it must have been the result of the comfortable massage earlier, as she had shifted positions several times.

Haru instantly sensed two gazes on him.

Unhurried, he stood up without looking sideways. "Shouldn't we take a break after playing for a while?"

"Mm." x2

Both beautiful girls responded in unison.

Utaha casually adjusted her collar to prevent any more revealing views.

In truth, if Yukino wasn't here, she wouldn't mind at all.

Haru naturally wouldn't sneak a peek.

If he wanted to see, he could look openly and without hesitation.

Like the popular joke from before: The enemy feels embarrassed, and I'll strip them naked!

Yukino was pleased with his calm demeanor.

At 10:30 PM, the three of them returned to their respective rooms.

Utaha pulled the blanket back and muttered to herself, still recalling earlier: "You should've tried it earlier."

"How can you be sure I haven't already tried?" Yukino sat on the edge of the bed, taking off her shoes.

Utaha paused for a moment: "That's true. You're always at his place, you must have tried it countless times already."

She intentionally emphasized the last part, giving it a different connotation.

Yukino looked at her expressionlessly: "What are you trying to say, senpai?"

"Nothing."

Utaha wouldn't directly confront her. She casually lay back on the bed.

Yukino stared at her acting all nonchalant for a few seconds before suddenly laughing: "I have something good here. Want to see it?"

"What's this good thing?"

Utaha casually asked, propping her face with one hand, her full figure turning into a side-lying position.

It was an incredibly tempting pose.

Yukino slowly took out her phone and pressed play.

Under Utaha's indifferent gaze, the phone first emitted heavy breathing, followed by a woman's scream.

Her face instantly changed: "Isn't that my voice?"

Yukino smiled slightly: "Congratulations, you're right."

Utaha finally realized and snapped: "You actually recorded it? Wait…"

She suddenly remembered something, her face turning red: "You must've planned this from the beginning, right? So, no matter how I tried to get you to join, you never wanted to."

"You're very clever, senpai."

Yukino's smile was almost mocking, though she said it as a compliment.

After that, she lay down on the bed, leaving her phone casually on the nightstand.

Utaha's eyes couldn't help but drift toward the phone.

Just then, Yukino's voice sounded: "You wouldn't do something so despicable as stealing someone's phone, right?"

One sentence completely extinguished any thoughts Utaha had.

Yukino's words were both a reminder and a warning.

It meant that she wouldn't let her succeed.

The room was quiet for a while. Utaha gritted her teeth and said in a low voice: "Tell me, what's your condition?"

"None." Yukino raised her hand and turned off the lights.

"What do you mean, none?"

"None means none. I think this video is worth keeping, so don't expect me to delete it. Just give it up."

"Yukino, you're taking this too far!"

The two girls were arguing fiercely in the bedroom, while Haru was enjoying his time in the guest room.

Since it was his own home, he hadn't locked the door, just turned off the lights, and lay in bed playing on his phone.

Though he didn't have the ability to see through walls, he could guess that Yukino was likely flaunting the "criminal evidence" in front of Utaha.

"Senpai's in trouble this time," he muttered to himself.

He then remembered that Yukino hadn't done something like this before.

It was only because Utaha was her rival, constantly provoking her, that she'd resorted to such tactics.

Looking at it this way, Haru realized he was the true instigator.

He really wanted to go over and take a peek to see what was happening inside.

But it was almost Yukino's bedtime, and it would be awkward to go over now.

So, he let his mind wander and didn't fall asleep until the early hours of the morning.

He still woke up early the next day.

At 5:10 AM, he got up.

There was still some time before school, so he planned to go for a morning run and then make breakfast.

However, as he was washing up, he suddenly noticed something odd in the mirror.

There was a clear lip print on his neck!

He pulled his sleepwear collar aside, and the lip print in the mirror became even clearer.

He stared at the lip print for a moment, frozen in place.

Who did this?

It had to have been the senpai.

Only she would do something like this in the middle of the night.

Yukino wouldn't do it; it didn't match her usual style.

Haru thought it was very likely.

Last night, Utaha had been caught in Yukino's trap, with her embarrassing reaction recorded. She'd probably been mocked and ridiculed by Yukino in a close, sarcastic manner. If that left her feeling upset, it wouldn't be surprising if she came to kiss him in the middle of the night, just to satisfy the feeling of victory she'd gained by secretly stealing a kiss.

"At least they haven't woken up," Haru muttered, rubbing off the lipstick mark on his neck.

This was the price of being a heartbreaker, a scumbag. He thought to himself bitterly.

As he returned from his morning run and began preparing breakfast, Yukino came out of her room.

"Good morning," he greeted, carefully watching her reaction.

Though he had ruled her out as a suspect, he still wanted to observe her.

"Morning," Yukino replied indifferently, still half asleep, her drowsiness evident.

"Did you sleep well last night? You two didn't fight, did you?" Haru asked casually.

"What do you think?" Yukino countered, her tone sharp.

He smirked, trying to joke, "I think you must've argued. If it weren't so late, I would've come over to check on you two."

"Even if you came over, you wouldn't have gotten in because I locked the door," Yukino said nonchalantly.

"Oh," Haru replied, his gaze shifting away.

Yukino was in the clear.

She had been so calm the entire time, acting no different than usual. That was enough to rule her out as the one responsible.

So, the truth was clear.

He went ahead with making breakfast.

Meanwhile, Yukino finished her morning routine and returned to the room. Utaha was already awake, sitting on the edge of the bed, her bathrobe slightly disheveled after a night's sleep, exposing her smooth, round shoulders. Her chest was nearly visible, if not for the robe still covering it.

"He's up?" Utaha asked groggily, rubbing her eyes.

"Mm-hmm, he's making breakfast," Yukino said, placing Utaha's freshly cleaned uniform on the bed before walking over to the wardrobe to change.

"Thanks."

Utaha grabbed the clothes and sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Yukino's graceful back. Then, she suddenly asked, "Do you sleep in this room every time you stay at his place?"

Yukino froze for a moment while changing into her undergarments, before resuming as if nothing had happened. "I'm not interested in discussing this with you."

"I don't want to discuss it either, but I have evidence."

"Evidence?" Yukino turned instinctively, but before she could fully face Utaha, she saw her smile slyly and hold something up.

It was a strand of hair.

Yukino's face reddened as she quickly turned her back. "What's that?"

Utaha casually teased, "This hair is yours, right?"

"Say whatever you like," Yukino replied coldly, her face growing warmer by the second.

She knew it was her hair, but it wasn't just any hair... It was something else. She couldn't bring herself to say it out loud.

While Utaha went to the bathroom, Yukino quickly went over to the table, picked up the "hair," and threw it in the trash.

She had destroyed the evidence.

The two girls eventually joined Haru in the living room for breakfast. He observed Utaha closely, but she simply greeted him with a calm "Good morning" and acted completely normally.

Her acting has really improved, Haru thought to himself.

Even after sneaking into his room at dawn, Utaha could still behave so calmly in front of him and Yukino. This was something she would never have been able to do before.

Seeing her act like nothing happened, Haru realized that he wouldn't be the one to expose the truth.

At most, he'd find an opportunity in the future to tease her a bit.

Time passed quickly, and it was now late October.

Because he had matters to attend to at work, Haru took a leave of absence from school on Wednesday.

There wasn't much going on at the company. Since High School Return Of A Gangster had aired and performed well, along with the strong ratings for each drama before it, everyone was motivated and eager to find something to work on.

He couldn't help but sigh at how hardworking the office workers in Japan were. He handed them a script he'd already written.

"Are we making a movie this time?"

In the meeting room, everyone briefly skimmed through the script Haru had handed them, and their expressions were a mix of surprise and confusion.

Even the title of the script left them puzzled.

The story was called "The Grudge".

"Yes, we're filming a movie next. Don't worry about the funding…" Haru began to explain, but before he could finish, his phone rang.

It was a call from Haruno.

Initially planning to hang up, he glanced at the caller ID and, after greeting everyone, stood up to take the call outside.