If Daichi was feeling the pressure before, it was easily doubled after hearing such a question. What was he supposed to say in such a situation?
Yet he could only resign himself to his fate.
"At the moment, I just want to get to know Miho since we only met a few days ago. But I'll be completely honest… I intend to pursue her earnestly."
Daichi felt that if he didn't speak the truth now, then he would not be able to hold his head up high in the future. He couldn't be cowed by anyone, even if that someone was Miho's father.
A deep resounding laugh escaped the man's mouth as he titled his head back. It echoed across the empty field, creating an odd and suspenseful atmosphere.
The laughter subsided after a few moments, bringing back the tense silence.
"Good, very good. I like an honest man." The Dean said, taking another look at his daughter's pursuer.
"With that kind of attitude, you shouldn't have a problem winning my daughter over."
Miho's father walked forward and patted him on the shoulder a few times fondly on his way past.
"How about you put in a good word for me with Miho and I'll pretend like this rendezvous never happened?"
His tone was soft and full of amusement, shocking Daichi a little.
"Y-Yes sir." He responded quickly.
What had felt like the end of the world was suddenly turned on its head. He hadn't expected to make it out of the situation in such a way, yet he was immensely thankful.
With that, the Dean made his way back to the campus, letting out a few chuckles as he walked away.
It was only after a few minutes that Daichi felt his heart go back to its normal pace. Yet at that time he felt a wave of fatigue hit his body, only now remembering that it was past midnight.
"I need head back quickly."
As he made his way back to the dorms, Daichi thought back to his conversation with Miho and couldn't help but feel his lips turning up into a smile.
Although he had been interrupted at the crucial time, just remembering her cute expression was enough for him right now.
Daichi leisurely walked back to his dorm room and slowly opened the door, only to hear Ken's soft snoring enter his ears. Even as he walked past, he saw that his brother was still in the exact same position.
"Damn, this guy looks like he's having a good sleep…"
He resisted the urge to flick Ken's nose out of annoyance before jumping into bed himself. There was only 5 or so hours until he was supposed to be up for their morning run.
'Maybe Ken will let me sleep in.'
It didn't take long for him to fall asleep and dream of what could have happened if they weren't interrupted.
***
The next morning, Ken awoke from his sleep, feeling strength fill his body. Despite a few taut muscles, he didn't feel much side effect from the tough training that he'd done yesterday.
'Thank goodness for Mika's sleep protocol.' He thought with a grin.
He swung his legs off the bed and sat up, his eyes focused on Daichi who was splayed out on top of his bed.
"Hmm, that's odd." Ken remarked.
Usually it was Daichi that was up before him every morning, at least ever since he'd moved in with their family.
"Oi Daichi, we're going for a run."
Yet he received no response in return.
If it wasn't for the rhythmic movement of Daichi's chest and the small smile on his lips, Ken might think the guy had kicked the bucket.
With a hint of annoyance, Ken grabbed his pillow and launched it at his brother, directly hitting him in the face.
Seeing no reaction, Ken let out a long sigh and got out of bed. Yet as soon as he got close enough, he was assaulted by a swift pillow strike to the temple, flinging him onto the ground swiftly.
Daichi then got up from his bed with bags under his eyes, the anger evident in his features.
"What the hell man? Can't I just sleep in for once?"
Ken could tell that the guy was probably running on almost no sleep, but he didn't care.
"Stop whining, we're going for a run… And you're gonna tell me what happened last night." Ken said matter-of-factly.
By the way Daichi's facial features changed after he mentioned the words last night, Ken was 100% sure that something had happened while he was asleep.
"Damn it." Daichi said, accepting his fate.
Ken was far too smart for him to pull the wool over his eyes.
Knock Knock
It was then that they heard a knock on the door followed by a creak.
Hiroki's face popped through the gap in the next moment, although it changed when he saw Ken on the ground with Daichi standing over the top of him.
"I-I was going to ask if you're going for a run… But I can come back later if you want?"
A moment later, two pillows flew at the door with force, followed by some curses.
Around 20 minutes later, the three of them were running around the campus. Ken wanted to keep it light since the other two might not have recovered as much as him. After all, they didn't have something like the fatigue management skill.
However, Hiroki looked as calm and confident as ever, sweat barely covering his face.
"Alright, what happened last night?" Ken said, his tone serious.
Hiroki's ears twitched in response, feeling his drama meter go off. He faced forward in order to not draw any attention to himself, yet he couldn't help but lean in a little closer, waiting for an answer.
Daichi continued to run, however there was a guilty expression on his face.
"I met with Miho last night…"
Ken frowned a little in response, yet he wasn't ready for the next part of the explanation.
"We were caught by her father, the Dean of the University."
"W-WHAT!?"