Who Is the Partner?
Her mind went completely blank in the face of this sudden situation. What would Seres think if she saw Karen here in Netoru's room? What excuse could she possibly make if she got caught? Should she just say she had some business with Netoru? No, she couldn't say that. Hadn't she made a clear promise to Seres in the changing room? That she'd get her medicine from the infirmary and rest up in her room, so no need to worry. But if she said that just moments ago and now stood here smack in the middle of Netoru's room, it would inevitably seem suspicious. Coming to a guy's room in an overheat state was weird enough to begin with. And right after washing up clean in the bath, no less. This looked bad no matter how you sliced it. Any excuse would come off shady. Seres, sharp as she was, wouldn't just let it slide. She had that gentle demeanor, but her instincts were spot on. And truthfully, Karen had no ground to stand on—she wasn't exactly innocent.
Recalling what she'd just been doing with Netoru made her cheeks burn, and she hurriedly wiped her lips with the back of her hand. What do I do? How do I handle this…? Was it because her overheat hadn't fully subsided? Her thoughts weren't coming together properly. And thinking about what they'd been up to in this very room made everything feel terrifying, no matter what she did.
That was when it happened.
"Karen. Calm down."
As she hung her head in worry, Karen suddenly felt a hand pressing on her hair. It was Netoru.
"You haven't done anything wrong to Seres, so why are you so scared?"
"B-but!"
Caught off guard by the sudden touch on her head, Karen looked up at Netoru without a chance to respond. And this guy—he was quietly chuckling, like the situation amused him. Karen found it utterly baffling. Was he really that carefree?
As she stared at him with that thought in mind, Netoru spoke up.
"What should we do? Want me to just talk to Seres and send her on her way?"
"…You can do that?"
"Probably?"
"Th-then… please do."
Karen nodded frantically at his words. Netoru's smile deepened, as if he found her reaction entertaining, but now wasn't the time to care about that. The last thing Karen wanted was for Seres to catch her in this situation.
—…Netoru? You're not inside?
"…"
Seres's voice came again. Karen clamped her mouth shut tight, terrified her own voice might carry.
—That's weird… Didn't you say you'd be waiting in your room?
"…"
Karen had no idea why Seres had come to Netoru's room, but she shot him a sidelong glare, her lips still sealed. Hurry up and send her away, her eyes pleaded silently.
"Got it, so don't worry."
Netoru shrugged casually. Seeing his laid-back attitude eased Karen's nerves a bit. He was shameless, sure, but whenever he said not to worry, things usually worked out. Yeah, maybe she was overthinking it. They'd just slip out of this somehow. Seres had no clue what was going on inside, after all.
"Oh, just in case, hide somewhere."
"…Okay."
Karen nodded and scanned Netoru's room. Hiding spots were limited. So, obviously…
2.
"…Hm."
In the end, the spot Karen chose was the closet. Netoru had half-expected her to duck into the bathroom, so it was a bit surprising. Well… didn't matter much where. They'd had their fun already. Watching her fidget had been entertaining enough. The more he saw, the more he realized how much she flailed when caught off guard. She probably hadn't anticipated Seres showing up at all.
Honestly, Netoru hadn't orchestrated this either. He had no idea Seres would drop by.
"…How should I send Seres packing."
Anyway, the situation was awkward for Netoru too—not as bad as for Karen, but still. Letting Seres see Karen in here would be a hassle. So, with a few excuses in mind, he opened the door.
"…What. So you were inside."
Seres stood there with half-lidded eyes, looking prim and a touch peeved. He'd been ignoring her knocks, so it was no wonder she was annoyed. She crossed her arms, gave him a once-over, and spoke.
"Why didn't you answer?"
"Eh. Was in the bathroom."
"…Bathroom."
Seres's eyes twitched faintly. She didn't seem fully convinced. But instead of pressing, she let out a quiet sigh and stepped forward.
Was she planning to come right in? Netoru blocked her path, extending an arm across the doorway. Seres tilted her head at the obstruction, puzzled.
"…What's this all of a sudden?"
"You trying to come into my room?"
"Yes. We need to talk. Just the two of us."
What could she want to discuss? She'd set this up right after the swapping debrief, so it felt serious. …But not now. With Karen inside, Netoru had no intention of letting her in. She was still a girl who hadn't even hit adulthood yet. If Seres found out he'd had one in his room, who knew what kind of look she'd give him. Especially considering how close she was to Karen. No, keeping Seres out was something Netoru would block even without Karen asking.
"Seres. How about we talk somewhere else? Does it have to be my room?"
"No. Let's do it here."
But Seres seemed surprisingly firm, like she was dead set on this spot. What was with this girl? What could she possibly want to say that badly?
"…My room's a mess for guests."
"I don't mind. A guy's room being messy isn't exactly shocking."
How considerate. Wait, more importantly—since when had his room become public access? Karen too, and now Seres. Their behavior was intriguing. But he couldn't really complain; she'd announced her visit from the start, and backing out now would just annoy her.
Still, letting her in was impossible. Netoru was about to try another excuse when—
"…Netoru. This is serious. I don't want anyone else hearing, and I can't put it off."
Seres grabbed the arm blocking the door. She looked up carefully, meeting his eyes. Up close, her amethyst gaze— like jewels set in her face—shook faintly.
"…"
Netoru met her eyes steadily and realized it then. He couldn't stop her. He'd thought it was just a serious expression, but no. Looking closer, it wasn't mere gravity—it was tension, like she'd mustered every ounce of courage to come here. Fear lurked unmistakably in her eyes. It reminded him of the dazed look she'd had during today's coupling. Her lips trembled despite her tight-lipped facade, her body rigid. Like prey before a predator. That prim annoyance at the door? Probably an act, a woman's desperate bid to seem strong.
Whatever. …Not good.
If she was this worked up to come here, it wasn't trivial. Brushing her off coldly would be too much, even for him. She was his coupling partner, after all. Netoru asked one last time.
"…Seres. Does it have to be now? Something that important?"
"Yes. Tomorrow would be too late."
"…"
I see. Netoru sighed softly. Seres flinched like she'd done something wrong, her eyes darting nervously. Pitiful, really.
"…Fine. Come in."
"Thank you…."
Thank you? For what? It made her earlier prickliness even funnier. He moved his arm, and Seres stepped inside cautiously, slipping off her shoes. Watching absently, Netoru noted how every motion was refined, elegant—like a proper noble lady. Even just removing shoes looked graceful. …Was that the knightess in her?
Soon, she entered the room proper, surveying it like an explorer in uncharted territory. Then, tilting her head in surprise:
"…Huh. It's cleaner than I thought."
"Yeah, something like that."
"But didn't you just say it was messy?"
"…"
Netoru fell silent. Seres's eyes narrowed slightly, her lips pursing in dissatisfaction, but then—
"Oh?"
She spotted the neatly arranged bookshelf and lit up, approaching it. A book lover? She scanned the titles, a soft smile forming.
"This is unexpected. I didn't think you'd have books like these. You must treasure them to bring them to base…."
Really into books, huh. She murmured titles, then started asking questions—praising this one, mentioning authors, her energy lively. She seemed to enjoy everything from novels to humanities. Who knew they'd overlap there. Netoru humored her while glancing at the closet. Karen's in there. Probably watching this whole thing.
"Hm…."
…This was tricky. Netoru let out a wry chuckle. The situation was ridiculous, even to him. But what could he do? It was what it was. To ease Seres's tension, he kept the book chat going naturally. After about five minutes of banter, he sat on the bed and got to the point.
"Seres. So, what'd you want to talk about in my room?"
"…"
Seres, who'd been at the bookshelf, straightened her expression and turned. Facing Netoru on the bed, she exhaled deeply, clenched her fist lightly, and said:
"…What I want to talk about is coupling. With this swapping, you're my coupling partner now, so… I have something to say."
"Like guidelines for coupling?"
It happened sometimes. Mutual ground rules for coupling. Karen had even told him what she liked.
But Seres shook her head.
"No…. More like a request than guidelines. Today's battle made it clear—I'm not in a position to negotiate with you."
"…A request?"
Nodding, Seres perched on the edge of his bed, inching closer slowly.
"I don't want one-sided coupling like today."
Her voice was plaintive, almost begging—yielding first, no question.
"So, Netoru… can't you?"
Had she just showered? Even this slight closeness brought a fresh, fragrant scent. Her upturned eyes trembled beautifully. Overt seduction, plain as day. Yet Netoru thought, watching her: For temptation, she's way too tense. Not used to this?
"Eek!?"
Amused, he yanked her arm, shoving her onto the bed. It creaked as her purple hair fanned out gracefully over the sheets. Pinned down, Seres gazed up at him silently. Utterly compliant, like a broken lily. Or pretending to be broken.
Netoru narrowed his eyes and asked quietly:
"…Seres. What're you suddenly scheming?"
She sighed softly, a wry smile crossing her face.
"…Haha. Didn't work, huh?"
He'd seen the tension since she arrived. Had she really thought it would?