The next morning, the first thing Kenshin felt was a gentle nudge on his shoulder, pulling him out of his slumber.
His eyes blinked open, and he saw his mother standing beside his bed, her face tinged with embarrassment.
"Ken-chan, it's morning," Kana whispered, her voice quiet but urgent. "Wake up, or else Yuki will be angry if you're late. I wanted to ask Akane-chan but she's too sleepy for that."
Kenshin groaned softly, rubbing his eyes. "All right, mom… just give me a second."
Kana leaned closer, her face now beet red. She lowered her voice even further, barely above a whisper. "And also... try to clean up before you go to sleep next time. It's really awkward to wake you up when the room smells like this. Or at least leave the door open so the smell can escape first."
Kenshin's eyes widened immediately as he sat up, the realization dawning on him. "Crap!S.... sorry, mom."
He scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed, as Kana quickly turned and made her way out of the room, muttering something under her breath which Kenshin quite couldn't make out.
With a deep sigh, Kenshin swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, the lingering scent in the room hitting him now that he was fully awake.
He made a mental note to air it out next time and quickly got dressed, preparing himself for the day ahead.
Kenshin, still a bit flustered, shook his head to clear his thoughts. After dressing, he made his way toward Akane's room.
Her door was slightly ajar, and he could hear her soft, even breathing from within. He gently pushed the door open and stepped inside, careful not to wake her too abruptly.
"Akane," he whispered, kneeling by the bed. "It's morning. You need to wake up, or Yuki-sensei's gonna kill us both."
Akane stirred slightly, groaning as she pulled the blanket tighter around herself. "Five more minutes..." she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep.
Kenshin chuckled softly, leaning closer. "We really don't have five more minutes. You should know how sensei is better than I do, right? And if we're late, it'll be worse."
Akane finally opened one eye, giving him a half-hearted glare before sighing. "Fine, fine," she muttered, sitting up slowly and rubbing her eyes. "You could've just let me sleep a little longer."
"Trust me, I would've, but we can't push it today," Kenshin said, offering her a hand as she reluctantly climbed out of bed.
They both made their way to the kitchen, where Kana was already preparing breakfast. The atmosphere at the table was... tense.
Kenshin and Kana exchanged brief, awkward glances, and neither said much as they ate. Akane, oblivious to the tension, noticed the silence but didn't comment at first.
After a while, she finally looked between Kenshin and Kana. "What's up with you two?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're being awfully quiet."
Kenshin hesitated for a second, feeling the weight of Kana's gaze on him. Clearing his throat, he glanced at Akane and said, "Well, since my dear sister wasn't waking up, Mom decided to wake me up first."
He paused, gauging Akane's reaction before continuing. "And, well… since we did it in my room last night, the smell was still... there."
Akane's eyes widened as the realization hit her. "Oh..."
Kenshin chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Mom probably didn't notice it at first, but after she came in to wake me up... she did. And, uh, you can guess how awkward that was for her, considering the other person was, well... you."
Akane's face flushed a little, and she glanced at Kana, who was pretending to be engrossed in her food. "I see..." she muttered, slightly embarrassed herself now. "Maybe we did get a bit carried away last night."
Kenshin nodded, sharing a knowing look with her. "Yeah. We'll have to be a little more careful next time."
Kana finally spoke up, her tone a little stiff. "Just... make sure to air out the room next time, Ken-chan. And keep the door open afterward."
"Yes, Mom," Kenshin replied quickly, feeling the weight of her words as the awkwardness settled in once again.
Akane, trying to break the tension, added, "Well, at least we won't be tired for training. You two at least definitely need to stay on Sensei's good side."
Kenshin gave a small laugh, grateful for the subject change. "Yeah, that's the last thing we need—her bad mood."
The rest of breakfast passed with mild conversation, but the awkwardness lingered, especially between Kana and Kenshin. It wasn't something that would disappear overnight, but they all knew they'd have to adjust, step by step.
After breakfast, they all left the house, making their way toward Maki's apartment. The sun was just beginning to rise, casting a soft glow over the village as they walked through the cold, quiet streets.
"She better be ready this time," Kenshin muttered, remembering that Maki's short hair had become something of a mini afro the previous day.
"She probably learned her lesson," Akane replied with a smirk. "Especially after we made fun of her afro yesterday."
They reached Maki's apartment and knocked on the door. A few seconds later, the door swung open, revealing Maki fully dressed and wide awake. Her hair was perfectly in place, not a strand out of line.
"I'm not gonna let you guys laugh at my bed hair every day," Maki said with a grin, folding her arms across her chest.
Akane chuckled. "Smart move."
"I thought you liked teasing." Kenshin added, smiling.
Maki gave him a playful punch on the stomach, although it was still a strong punch. "Shut up, stupid brat!"
The three of them started walking toward the training ground, enjoying the peaceful morning air. However, Maki quickly noticed the lingering awkwardness between Kenshin and Kana, who was walking a few paces behind them, lost in thought.
"Oi, Kenshin, Kana-san," Maki called out, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "What happened? Let me guess—Kana-san walked into your room this morning for whatever reason, and she smelled something from the room that she shouldn't have?"
Kenshin's sheepish nod and Kana's flushed cheeks confirmed Maki's guess.
Maki smirked, shaking her head. "It happened with us once, too, and I still remember the scolding his mom gave us." she said, referring to herself and Daichi. "But I suppose it's several times worse for Kana-san, especially since she's still adjusting. Be careful."
Kenshin sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah... we're gonna be more careful."
Kana, still red-faced, gave Maki a small nod. "I just... wasn't expecting it, that's all."
Maki gave her a reassuring smile. "You'll get used to it. It's awkward at first, but it gets better. Besides, these two idiots aren't gonna learn enough restraint for this to never happen again."
"Who are you calling idiot?!" Kenshin and Akane said almost in unison, pouting a bit but realizing that there was some truth to what Maki said.
Their stamina meant that they could go the whole night without realizing it, but after becoming completely drained, it takes time to recover fully.
The group continued on, the tension slowly starting to lift as Maki's casual attitude helped ease the awkwardness. As they reached the training ground, Yuki was already there, waiting for them with her arms crossed.
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