Inside the restroom.
Hikigaya held the pregnancy test in his hand, turning to Kawasaki, who sat on the toilet seat, and said, "We'll know in five minutes. If there are two lines..."
Kawasaki's face was flushed, her expression dazed. Her mind still lingered on the overwhelming moments they had just shared—moments too intense for words.
"Kawasaki… Kawasaki…"
Hikigaya called her name a few times before she finally snapped out of it.
"Hi-Hikigaya, let's… let's stay here for now, okay? Let's not go out until the result's clear. Just five minutes…"
"Ah, well…"
Hikigaya hesitated. The pregnancy test was definitely something awkward to carry around—bringing it back to the classroom would've been even more uncomfortable. He gave a small nod in understanding.
"Alright, I'll stay here with you a bit longer."
"Mhm."
Kawasaki lowered her gaze shyly, occasionally sneaking glances at the hand Hikigaya was holding the test with. After a pause, she spoke hesitantly:
"Um… your hand, it's not… dirty, is it?"
"Huh? Oh—no, not at all. You… you did fine," Hikigaya replied, looking slightly awkward.
"Ugh… that's good."
Silence settled between them.
Just a boy and a girl, alone in a restroom. The air naturally took on a strange tension.
Those five minutes felt agonizingly long for both of them.
Hikigaya, to his credit, remained relatively calm.
Kawasaki, on the other hand, was a different story.
To be honest…
Ever since that night with Hikigaya, her thoughts had often wandered. Even in her dreams, they'd be together in that way, and sometimes… even in front of Yukinoshita—ugh, no!
Calm down! Stay calm!
Hikigaya is Yukinoshita's boyfriend. How could she let herself fall so far?
How could she still face Yukinoshita as a friend?
No, she couldn't initiate anything again!
Even if she wanted to—really, really wanted to—she couldn't act on it…
Kawasaki tried to hold herself back, but her gaze kept drifting to Hikigaya's body—or more specifically, one particular part.
"Huh? Is that…?"
A flicker of surprise crossed her face, and her heart skipped a beat.
Her instincts kicked in, and her legs tensed. A rush of emotions—confusion, delight, panic—swept through her.
"Hi-Hikigaya—"
"What's wrong? There's still two or three minutes."
"Uh… it's not about the test. It's about… you. Are you feeling okay? Your body, I mean… you seem a bit…"
She glanced awkwardly at him, cheeks turning red.
"Huh?"
Hikigaya flinched. Then, seeing the way she was staring at him, he realized what she had noticed. His face turned crimson, and he immediately turned away from her.
"I'm a normal guy, and, well… seeing you like that…"
His voice trailed off, barely audible at the end.
"Oh no… so because you saw me like that, you… I'm terrible, aren't I?" Kawasaki mumbled, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her skirt.
"Don't say that. You're… you're beautiful, Kawasaki."
"Eh? I… beautiful? W-wait, Hikigaya, are you talking about… which part of me exactly?"
Her face was now fully red, practically steaming.
"Cough, I mean you as a person. Don't belittle yourself."
"Oh… I thought you meant… something else…"
She glanced downward and clenched her legs again.
"Er…"
Hikigaya fell silent.
Kawasaki also went quiet, though her heart was pounding wildly. Could it really be… was he complimenting that?
Her thoughts were in total chaos. She peeked down at herself and immediately felt overwhelmed with embarrassment. She shook her head to snap out of it and glanced at Hikigaya once more.
After a few seconds of inner turmoil…
She finally spoke up:
"Hikigaya, d-do you want me to… help you with it?"
"Huh?" Hikigaya froze.
"I mean… since this situation happened because of me, I should take responsibility, right? Hikigaya, your body probably… needs relief. If it's not handled properly, it could cause problems later, right?"
"But…"
"I can't just sit by and watch Yukinoshita's boyfriend suffer like this. Let me help," she said firmly, grabbing Hikigaya's arm.
"Kawasaki…"
Hikigaya, still dazed, glanced down at the test in his hand. Seeing that it hadn't changed, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Not pregnant."
"I see." Kawasaki took a glance too. While she also felt relieved, a strange hint of disappointment crept into her heart.
"I'll help you now. Sit on the toilet," Kawasaki urged, pulling him down onto the seat.
She stood before him, cheeks burning, and murmured, "I just used the toilet myself, so… if you find that gross, I can…"
"Something like that doesn't matter, Kawasaki. We're running out of time anyway—class is about to start—"
"It's okay, it's okay! If we hurry, we've still got over twenty minutes." Seeing that Hikigaya wasn't grossed out, Kawasaki was even more moved—and even more eager.
"Wait—Kawasaki…"
"Hikigaya, it'll be quick, I promise… Let me help you. Just leave it to me…"
Kawasaki swallowed hard, her eyes locked on him with heated intensity.
But just as she was about to take a step forward—
A voice rang out from the neighboring stall:
"Well, well. So this is how it is? Air-kun, Kawasaki… you two sneak off to have fun and didn't even invite me?"
Hikigaya: "!!"
Kawasaki: "!!!"
Both were stunned. The impulsiveness in Kawasaki vanished, and fear swept across her face as she turned toward the source of the voice.
"Kasumigaoka?! When did you get here?"
"Not too long ago," came the smug reply. "Tsk tsk… I really didn't expect this from you, Kawasaki. All that talk about not betraying friends, and here you are—looks like betrayal's become a habit, huh?"
Kawasaki's body trembled. She looked at Hikigaya, clamped her legs together, and quickly tried to explain:
"No, it's not what it looks like! I haven't betrayed anyone—I swear…!"