Wrong Room, New Trouble

“Okay, I’ve got a lot of questions. Like, did anyone else have that dream? Am I going crazy? And oh, how could I forget? Who’s the chick at the door giving me a death stare?”

The girl at the doorstep steps forward, her arms crossed and her stare unbreaking.

“Netsuka Momorin,” she says, her voice calm but firm.

Before she continues, she glances at Viera.

“You’re sure it was an honest accident?”

Viera nods, her expression unreadable.

Sumato turns to Kazumi, confused.
“What’s going on?”

Kazumi scratches the back of his head awkwardly.

“Yeah… slight problem. We kind of… took a wrong turn last night. Turns out this is the girls’ dorm. And this room? It’s Viera and Netsuka’s.”

Sumato’s eyes widen. He looks back at Viera and Netsuka, who are now discussing whether to treat this as a harmless mistake or report it to the higher-ups.

Without hesitation, Sumato starts walking toward them. Kazumi grabs his arm, but only weakly.

“Sumato, maybe don’t—”

Too late.

Sumato walks up to Netsuka, drops to one knee, and gently takes her right hand. His voice softens with genuine remorse:

“Please believe us. It was an honest accident. I wouldn’t risk peeping or anything like that, with my dream on the line.”
He looks up into her eyes, trying to recall something... a flicker of memory, warm and distant.

Netsuka, caught off guard, speaks in a flustered, squeaky tone:

“W-We weren’t going to report you. We were just figuring out how to sneak you out; this dorm’s already full.”

Sumato doesn't say anything, still staring into her eyes.

Netsuka blushes slightly and smirks.

“My eyes caught your attention that much?”

Sumato, still lost in thought, replies:

“Yeah… kinda. You remind me of someone. Someone sweet I used to talk to as a kid.”

“And who might that be?” Netsuka asks, tilting her head.

Sumato stands up, stretching lazily.

“Who knows?” he says with a shrug.

Netsuka shakes her head with a grin and turns to everyone.

“Alright. Time to bust you guys out of here before someone catches on.”

Everyone nods, and the group quietly slips out into the hallway, hearts pounding as they wonder just how bad it’ll get if they’re caught.