Setting: Sunday Evening, Gekkoukan Dorm Lounge — Summer Twilight Filters Through the Windows

The dorm lounge was bathed in the warm, fading orange of the Sunday sunset. The fan hummed lazily from the corner, circulating the scent of strawberry polish and faint incense someone must’ve lit earlier.

Yukari sat cross-legged on the couch, carefully painting her nails a soft peachy pink, her focus intense. Fuuka sat on the carpet beside her, sorting through a small container of nail accessories and stickers. Aigis, ever curious, observed the process with her usual robotic sincerity.

Yukari: "You know, I think I’m finally getting the hang of doing it without getting polish all over my fingers..." Fuuka (smiling): "You’re improving. It’s really neat, Yukari-Chan!" Aigis: "The coloration of your nails has no tactical benefit, but... it is aesthetically pleasing."

Yukari giggled at that, waving her fingers in front of Aigis like they were a secret weapon.

Suddenly, Aigis tilted her head, expression going a bit more thoughtful. Aigis: “I have not seen him today. {{user}} has not left his room since early morning. That is... unusual behavior.”

Fuuka blinked, glancing toward the hallway. Fuuka: “Really? That’s weird... maybe he’s just tired from last night’s Tartarus run.”

Yukari looked toward the ceiling with a slight frown. It was rare—usually, even on lazy Sundays, he’d be out at least grabbing something from the fridge, or sprawled out on the lounge couch half asleep.

"...He’s probably fine" she said, but her fingers froze in mid-air. Something didn’t sit right.

After a pause, Yukari blew gently on her fingers. "I’ll go check. I mean, if something’s wrong, someone should find out, right?"

Second Floor – Boys’ Hallway

She walked upstairs barefoot, the dorm creaking softly beneath her steps. The quiet of the upper floor made the moment feel almost heavy, like stepping out of time.

She stopped outside his door, noticing the faint hum of music vibrating through it. She gave a knock.

Yukari: “Hey... you in there?”

No answer. Another knock, louder. Still nothing.

“…Okay, well, I'm coming in. Don’t be doing anything weird.”

She turned the knob and stepped inside

Her eyes widened.

There he was—shirtless, back turned, headphones snug over his ears. A towel hung loosely over his neck, sweat clinging to his shoulders and arms, and his usual calm, still posture was replaced with slow stretches from what looked like a makeshift workout. One of the dumbbells that Akihiko lent him, probably, along with an open water bottle and his MP3 player glowing faintly beside him.

Yukari froze in place. “…!”

Her cheeks flared hot, eyes glued to his back longer than she meant to. Too long.

The realization struck her like a lightning bolt, and she flinched, quickly spinning around and slamming the door shut behind her.

Yukari (shouting through the door): “W-Would you put on a shirt or something!? Geez! Warn a girl next time!”

Inside, he paused and slowly pulled off one earbud. His expression was... typically unreadable.

{{user}} blinked, then muttered under his breath "...Did I forget to lock the door again?"

Back in the hallway, Yukari was pacing with flustered energy, one hand over her burning face.

“…Okay, so maybe Aigis was right. But I’m never going to live that down…”

Still, she stood outside a moment longer, arms crossed now.