The next morning, inside the guild hall, the drunk guys from last night had already woken up and sluggishly made their way home, leaving only a few people behind.
Among them were Laki and Kinana, who frequently glanced at Yuuki from time to time, while their cheeks faintly flushed in embarrassment.
Laki was fidgety, rubbing her thighs together as she felt a tingly sensation on her chest. She bit her lower lip and glanced toward Yuuki, who was sitting at a table with Macao and Wakaba nearby.
On the other hand, Kinana was cleaning the counter normally. Unlike Laki, who wore her emotions openly, there were no noticeable changes in Kinana and she remained as her usual self, quietly cleaning the hall and serving beer and food to the guild members.
Laki held a book up to cover half of her face, making sure the other guild members couldn't see how red her cheeks had become as she was still thinking of what happened this morning.
"Hmmm? What's wrong with Laki? She seems distracted." Macao, who had sobered up after recovering from his hangover, noticed that something seemed different about Laki.
Rubbing his chin, Wakaba also glanced at her before replying, "Maybe she still have hungover?"
"Oh yeah, that might be the case." Macao nodded and thought it was like what Wakaba said.
However, Yuuki who was sitting with them laughed in his heart hearing the comment of this two old guys. Sweeping his gaze at Kinana, he smiled at her, only for the girl to blush faintly before returning his smile.
As for Laki, she quickly hid her face behind the book she was holding, too embarrassed to make eye contact with Yuuki. However, Laki became doubtful because Kinana's behavior are rather suspicious.
Seeing this, Yuuki shook his head, realizing that Laki was simply too shy to face him. His thoughts then drifted back to the event that happened this morning which caused Laki and Kinana to be like this.
An hour ago.
"Kyaaaa!!!"
Yuuki was still fast asleep when a girl's scream suddenly jolted him awake.
"W-What happened?"
He quickly looked around, but there didn't seem to be any danger. If anything, he realized that he might be the danger in the current situation.
When he glanced to his side, Yuuki saw Laki hugging her chest tightly as if trying to protect herself. Her face was flushed deep red, and she stared at Yuuki with a panicked expression.
Although Laki stammered, she didn't seem nervous as she looked at Yuuki. Instead, her expression was filled with shyness and a hint of anticipation. Her panic came from the realization that she and Kinana had somehow ended up sleeping in the same bed as Yuuki.
Taking a deep breath, Yuuki know that he would need to give her an explanation as to why the three of them end up sleeping together. "Laki, let me explain. I—"
However, before he could say anything, a groggy voice suddenly came from beside them.
"Mnn~ Can you guys quiet down? It's so early in the morning..." Kinana rubbed her eyes as she slowly opened them and looked at the person who had woken her.
But the next second, her face turned bright red when she realized that Yuuki was lying in the same bed as her and even Laki was there too!
'Does that mean that last night, we... Kyaaaa!!! I'm so embarrassed! Eh? What should I do? How am I supposed to talk to Yuuki-san from now on? We don't even know each other that well... But... but... I don't really mind... if it's him.'
Kinana covered her face with both hands, fidgeting shyly on the bed, which made Laki tilt her head to the side in confusion. Meanwhile, Yuuki let out a dry laugh upon realizing that Kinana had misunderstood the situation as well.
"Wait, Kinana. I know you're confused, but let me explain, okay?" Yuuki said, looking at Kinana who finally calmed down.
"U-Uh, then, please go ahead, Yuuki-san." Kinana nodded, finally settling down. She was still eager to hear what had happened the previous night, how the three of them had ended up sharing the same bed and, perhaps most importantly, whether anything had happened between them.
'Kinana, you're so dirty-minded! How could you even think about something like that with Yuuki-san?!'
Kinana felt so embarrassed by the thoughts running through her mind. However she also thought of another thing and for some reason, she had slept much more comfortably when she was beside Yuuki. The strange voices she usually heard in her head hadn't appeared at all.
"Are you feeling okay, Kinana?" Laki sensed that something was wrong and gently patted her on the shoulder.
"M-Mn, I'm fine, Laki."
"Then, I'll explain how we ended up in our current situation." Seeing that the two girls had finally quite down, Yuuki proceeded to tell them everything from the moment they had gotten drunk to how he had carried them to bed, only to end up being dragged down and trapped between them.
Hearing Yuuki's explanation, both Laki and Kinana felt incredibly embarrassed, wishing they could find a hole to hide their faces that was as red as tomatoes.
"I'm so sorry for doubting you, Yuuki!" Laki lowered her head and apologized, clearly embarrassed by her earlier misunderstanding.
She then thought to herself, 'I'm such a fool. How could I doubt Yuuki? He looks so kind and nice. There's no way he would do something like that without my consent. Wait, why did I say without my consent? Does that mean I will let Yuuki do as he please with me if I give him my consent? Kyaaa!!! So embarrassing!'
Laki's entire face felt like it was burning from her shameful thoughts. Yet, for some reason, she couldn't understand why she didn't feel completely relieved. She should have been glad that nothing had happened, but deep down, there was a strange sense of disappointment that she couldn't explain.
'Could it be that I...?'
As the thought crossed her mind, Laki's face turned even redder. She quickly shook her head, trying to chase the thought away. 'Laki, you're not some loose woman. You can't just fall for someone you've only just met!'
As Laki wrestled with her inner turmoil, Yuuki gently patted her on the shoulder. "You don't need to apologize. It was just a misunderstanding, and I'm partly at fault for not getting out of bed."
"Yuuki..." Laki raised her face and looked at him, touched by how he didn't seem to mind what had happened. His kindness only made her feel shy again.
At that moment, Kinana finally spoke up.
"Is that so?"
She paused for a moment, suddenly finding herself under Yuuki and Laki's gaze.
"I... I actually wouldn't have minded if Yuuki-san had done something like that to me." Kinana said shyly while her face was blushing causing Yuuki and Laki to be dumbfounded.
"K-Kinana, what are you saying?!" Laki exclaimed, grabbing Kinana by the shoulders and shaking her until she became dizzy.
"Laki, you should stop shaking her. She's about to puke." Yuuki called out to Laki making her let go of Kinana.
"O-Oh, sorry, Kinana..." Laki apologized before looking at her with a serious expression. "But... are you really serious about what you just said?" she asked in a whisper, wanting to know what Kinana was truly thinking.
"That... Of course I was only joking. Laki, you really believed me that easily?" Kinana laughed when she saw Laki's dumbfounded expression.
Laki didn't know whether to sigh in relief or get angry, but in the end, she decided to let it go.
"You... I actually thought you were serious about what you said for a moment."
"Actually, maybe I was serious... maybe I wasn't." Kinana smiled mischievously at Laki, clearly enjoying teasing her. As she said this, she briefly glanced at Yuuki, her eyes carrying a subtle, hidden meaning making Yuuki raise an eyebrow. However, before she could say anything else, Laki interrupted her.
"Which is it, really?!"
"Pfft, hahaha! Laki, you're really funny~"
"It's not funny at all!"
Seeing the two of them having fun, Yuuki smiled to himself. From what Kinana said, even he couldn't tell whether she had been joking or not. However that glance she gave him was like giving him a hint, causing the corners of his lips to curl upward even further.
'This naughty little kitten.'