[TSSIM] Chapter 369: Night Ambush

Midnight, Minamiya Residence.

A shadowy figure moved stealthily, trying their best to make no sound as they walked. Perhaps a bit hesitant, the figure hovered for a moment before finally reaching Homura's room door.

Glancing around nervously, swallowing hard, the figure placed a hand on the doorknob.

But just as they were about to turn it, their hand was grabbed by another!

"Ugh—!"

Startled, they attempted to cry out but found their mouth muffled! Struggling instinctively, they soon recognized a familiar voice in their ear.

"It's me..."

The voice was soft but recognizable.

"Kasumigaoka Utaha... Why are you still awake?"

The shadowy figure, who was none other than Eriri, asked in a low voice after her mouth was free.

"Oh, come on, Eriri, if you're not asleep, how could I be?" The hand's owner, Utaha, answered casually.

With just those few words, the situation became clear.

Eriri had sneaked out of their room, trying not to wake the others. After hesitating in the corridor, she ended up outside Homura's room.

Meanwhile, Utaha hadn't been asleep as Eriri assumed. As soon as Eriri left their room, Utaha followed her!

"What are you up to?" Eriri whispered, her voice low and teeth clenched.

"Me? Nothing much..." Utaha shrugged her shoulders.

"Homura... this greedy guy admitted liking all of us. Since no one seems to be leaving him, why are you here bothering me?" Eriri kept asking.

"The first one always holds a special place..." Utaha answered calmly.

"..." Eriri paused for a moment, then responded. "...The first one was Rin."

"It was just a confession, doesn't mean much... The other 'first' is the real first!" Utaha smirked. 

"Is that why you came and bothered me?" Eriri fumed, feeling intensely targeted.

"If we go in together, then I won't bother you. Deal?" Utaha smiled knowingly.

Hearing that, Eriri couldn't shake the feeling that Utaha was up to something. Considering Utaha's proposition, she furrowed her brow before agreeing.

"Fine, let's just go in!"

"Then let's go." Utaha nodded.

'Did she think I would be scared?! Did she really think I wouldn't dare?!' Eriri thought angrily.

With a gentle push, the door cracked open, and the two held their breath for a moment, even trying to suppress their breathing.

By the moonlight, they observed the condition of the room inside.

""!!!!!!""

They were all startled, nearly letting out a scream! Because in the spot where Homura was sleeping, shiny eyes were staring at them!

Heartbeats racing, Eriri started to worry if Haru would wake Homura up.

Eriri and Utaha stopped moving and didn't make a sound. But who knew what kind of sleep state Homura was in? What if any slight noise woke him up? This guy's ears were so sensitive after all.

After a while, they noticed Haru didn't show any intention of making noise, not even a movement.

Feeling relieved, they cautiously approached Homura's bedside, staring at him who was deep in sleep, momentarily unsure of what to do next.

Haru curiously watched the two, though not understanding what they were doing. But the atmosphere felt different from usual, making her find it quite intriguing.

Could it be that it's a similar behavior to what Homura did with that girl last time, like licking fur?

Thoughts like that kept flashing through Haru's mind.

Utaha tugged at Eriri's sleeve, Eriri turned around to find Utaha gesturing something to her. Quickly, Eriri understood her meaning.

Utaha's gesture was simple—Go for it!

Indeed, Utaha wouldn't do anything, trusting that Eriri absolutely wouldn't do anything excessive under her watch, and she might even gather courage if Utaha wasn't present!

Eriri swallowed nervously, looking at Homura's face so close yet feeling unable to approach. Even if she wanted to gather her courage and approach, her brain kept sending signals to retreat.

But just retreating like this was unacceptable!

This was a struggle between rationality and emotion!

Eriri shook her head, ceasing to dwell on unnecessary thoughts.

Suddenly, in Haru's puzzled gaze, Eriri gently reached out and rubbed Homura's head.

'Why are you patting his head? Weren't you planning to lick his fur? Don't tell me you don't know how?' Haru thought, puzzled. 'Oh well, It can't be helped! Let this Haru-sama teach you then!'

Eriri was just about to steel herself to see if Utaha dared or not when suddenly she noticed Haru shifting her body. Under the incredulous gazes of the two women, she licked the side of Homura's face.

Homura's body twitched, and in a flash, the two women vanished!

After a moment, Homura sat up, somewhat resigned.

"These two... can't decide if they're bold or timid, huh? They come for a night ambush, bold indeed, but then run off at the slightest noise, thanks to the little one scaring them away... But..." Homura paused for a moment. "Most likely it was Eriri who couldn't resist fleeing, and Utaha was probably dragged along by her... these two hardly give each other a break, it's almost unfair to themselves..."

Muttering like that, Homura chuckled; this little drama was quite amusing, but it was best to keep it to himself.

Moreover, as they used to say—where there's one, there's two.

"Little one, let's go back to sleep." Homura rubbed against Haru's cat fur and settled back down to sleep.

Haru blinked, still pondering.

'Why did they run off? And he said I scared them away? What did I do that was so frightening? I was just trying to teach them how to groom...'

'Hmm, I'll never understand... I guess I'll just go back to sleep...'

Haru shifted into a new position, snuggling against Homura's neck, and resumed sleeping.

===

"Wait up! Why are you running away?" Utaha almost got dragged back into their room by Eriri, but she managed to break free. "If you can't handle it, I can!"

"Hmph, since you're getting in my way, naturally, I'll do the same to you." Eriri shot Utaha a glance.

"..." Utaha was speechless.

"Seeing Homura's movements, I just instinctively fled without much thought, okay! But... Isn't this wrong?" Eriri huffed. "Shouldn't it be him who sneaked up to my room instead?!"

"Ara? You'd do that kind of thing in front of the other three?" Utaha feigned surprise. "Didn't expect you to be an exhibitionist."

"Who is an exhibitionist?! Only a lunatic would do that!" Eriri retorted without holding back. "Darn it, I want my own room..."

"No way, our bond is too strong for me to bear being separated from you." Utaha draped an arm over Eriri's shoulder. 

Eriri rolled her eyes dramatically, then grabbed Utaha's arm and dragged her back to their room.