"This scent..."

With a familiar fragrance lingering in the air, Sosuke Kitahara felt even the ordinary towel in his hands become unusually soft.

"Sosuke, are you done showering?"

A soft voice called out, followed by two gentle knocks on the bathroom door. Sosuke replied loudly, quickly wrapping a towel around his waist and cracking the door open slightly.

Haruno Yukinoshita stood at the doorway, now dressed in fresh pajamas. In her hands, she held a folded robe.

"This was the only robe on the yacht that might fit you. It's my father's. You're too tall to wear anything else he owned."

She smiled as she handed the robe over, but the moment her gaze accidentally landed on the towel around Sosuke's waist, her mind went completely blank.

She didn't even react when he closed the door again her thoughts spiraled around a single question:

Was that... my towel?

Did I give him my towel by mistake?

Does that mean Sosuke Kitahara is the kind of man with... a fetish?

For a moment, her imagination ran wild. But even if Sosuke secretly had feelings for her, Haruno wouldn't be surprised.

In fact, she admired him. She'd considered the possibility, if Sosuke genuinely pursued her, what would she say?

Though they'd only known each other for a few days, the image of him throwing himself into danger to save Yukino on the hotel staircase, refusing to let go despite the zombies chasing close behind, had imprinted itself deep in her heart. And then, there was the horrifying scene at the docks...

Back then, she had honestly believed that she and Yukino would never make it out alive.

People tend to turn to fate in moments of desperation. Even someone as strong as Haruno had moments of vulnerability, and at some point, she began to believe Sosuke Kitahara might have been sent by destiny to appear in her and Yukino's lives.

From behind the door came the soft sound of slippers tapping on the floor he was getting dressed. At that moment, Haruno finally snapped out of her trance... only to spot something beside the door.

A stack of unused towels in yellow packaging.

"Wait... wasn't this the towel I told Utaha to give him?"

As realization dawned, Haruno frowned, picking up the untouched towel.

So he hadn't used hers after all.

"Ugh, Utaha... You had one job," she muttered, both embarrassed and annoyed. "Why that one of all things?"

Letting out a long sigh, her gaze returned to the slightly swaying silhouette behind the bathroom door. Sosuke's build was lean but firm just looking at him gave her a strange sense of security.

"What are you thinking, Haruno?" she chided herself, lightly patting her head to shake away the ridiculous thoughts. She watched him quietly for another second, then chuckled to herself.

"Guess it's not so bad... having another little brother."

She stepped over to the dressing mirror in the cabin and flashed herself a bright, sunny smile in the reflection before turning to leave.

…

After changing into the robe, Sosuke returned to his room and dug out a pair of boxers from his backpack.

Funny thing, humans. Even though he had the robe on, not wearing underwear made him feel vulnerable. But once he put them on, it kind of killed that slight edge of... thrill.

Once he was dressed, he headed toward the living area but found it empty. From the kitchen came the muffled sound of chatter.

The yacht's heater was running warmly. Since they wouldn't be staying long, no one was particularly frugal with energy.

The aroma of food drifted out from the kitchen.

Utaha Kasumigaoka was standing at the stove, flipping a spatula. She wore pale yellow pajamas with a crisp white apron tightly tied around her waist, the front of her figure emphasized by its snug fit.

Beside her was Yukino Yukinoshita, similarly dressed but with her long black hair tied in a neat ponytail. She stood slightly hunched over the counter, rhythmically chopping vegetables. The curve of her waist was slender and elegant, and her snow-white calves peeked out from under her pants delicate and long.

With her pure, refined features and figure like that, she was already practically flawless.

Haruno stood at the sink, sleeves rolled up, smiling as she washed vegetables and chatted with the two.

Because of his father's job, Sosuke had never had a clear concept of "home." But he'd always thought that a happy home would be something like this: a thoughtful wife, an adorable child, maybe even a dog or a cat.

He'd once believed he might never get to experience that again.

But now, this scene before him their gestures, their chatter, the warm glow of the lights mirrored the very image of what he imagined a "wife" to be.

It was like a dream he'd forgotten long ago suddenly came walking right up to him, without warning.

So sudden.

So irresistible.

He stood there, dazed.

"Finished staring?"

The familiar voice snapped him out of it. Utaha turned around, plating a stir-fry dish. She noticed Sosuke leaning against the doorframe, lost in thought, the robe just barely reaching his knees and looking comically short.

She smirked and handed him the plate. "Here you go, Young Master."

"Don't call me that." Sosuke chuckled as he took the dish. "Want me to help?"

"No need. The kitchen is sacred ground for us women."

Haruno patted her hands clean and handed Yukino a bowl of thawed vegetables. Yukino wiped sweat from her brow and pouted slightly. "Sis, you're the last person who should say that."

"You were the one who insisted on cooking," Haruno replied with a knowing smile.

Sosuke raised an eyebrow and glanced meaningfully at Utaha. His eyes seemed to say, "Look at her initiative."

Utaha simply lifted her chin, pride gleaming in her eyes.

Ten minutes later, the four sat around the table.

Sosuke's eyes lit up at the sight of the steaming, fragrant dishes. "Wow, this is on a completely different level from my cooking!"

"You cook too?" Yukino asked curiously.

"Just a little." Sosuke nodded. "I make a decent hot pot. All you need to do is boil water and dump stuff in."

After a quick "Let's eat!" from everyone, Utaha beamed at him. "Try it and tell me what you think. I haven't cooked properly in a while. I wonder if I've gotten rusty."

"Alright, I'll give it a shot."

Sosuke looked at the colorful spread and decided to start with the clear soup in front of him.

"Mmm, not a hint of fishiness. Light and flavorful it's really refreshing. Utaha, if I knew you could cook like this, I wouldn't have dared show off before." He gave her a thumbs up, momentarily at a loss for how else to praise her.

To his surprise, Utaha's face darkened. She looked away and muttered, "That wasn't mine."

"…Huh?"

Sosuke froze in place.

Across the table, Yukino gave him a playful wink and swallowed her bite before speaking gently.

"If you like it, I can make it for you again sometime."

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