@KirikomoriHime: lol don't worry, i'll work back up to it

@astro18: lol I leave TanaKame to your imaginations... but don't worry, they're still there, i have things prepared

@oddball: oh, that's for the next chapter

@kano-chan: lol lots of hypothesis there... everything will be answered soon~

@Kikk4r: lol YES YOU'RE RIGHT

nice avie

@Bamtai: lol YES free from persecution (?)

@kawaii beam: yes, she can't do anything right... even getting drunk lol

@Shiawase_Honoo: tears of joy, i hope?

@Sora-chan: lol glad you liked it~

@eruchan: lol recently, i've forgotten how to phrase the english language correctly... baked is correct. i just came up with steamed.

@all6th: well, i could be evil but i could be nice too... this TakaGaki after all

@nighell: the end isn't near! wait... which end are we talking about?

Thank you sooo much for all the comments, thanks (16!), and "AWW"s

I would've updated sooner but... there was a natural disaster where I live

I'm safe, my family's safe, my friends are safe, but we had no power for almost a week... thus no internet

But everything's back to normal now, and I'm updating!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 79 Reina was getting impatient.
At first, Eri had been the only visibly impatient one in the room, as she was pacing around everywhere mumbling to herself about how she should be outside at that very moment searching for her missing friend. Yet the irregular pattern that the turtle was trotting in managed to increase Reina’s own frustration and the kitten found herself subconsciously bouncing up and down nervously while she was sitting on the bed. Apparently, impatience was contagious now.
“This doesn’t feel right, Reina,” Eri said, repeating the same thing she’d been saying over and over again. “I-I should be looking for Risa-chan right now. She could be out there in the rain all alone… What if something happened to her?”
“I’m sure she’s safe, Eri, calm down,” Reina sighed. “Your teacher is looking for her, right? It’s only a matter of time. We wouldn’t really be helping by going into a storm and getting sick later on.”
“But… I can’t help it,” Eri moaned, bobbing up and down. “Why hasn’t Sensei called? She should’ve called by now! Really…”
“Eri, come here,” Reina said finally, motioning for the turtle. “Sit right here, next to me.”
“I can’t, Reina, I can’t stay still and do nothing,” Eri responded.
“Just do what I say, Eri, you’re making me dizzy,” Reina said firmly, patting the spot next to her on the bed. “Come here.”
After hesitating for a while, the turtle obediently skittered over to her girlfriend and plopped down. Reina put her arms around the nervous girl and pulled her close until Eri’s head snuggled comfortably on her shoulder. Eri seemed to calm down a bit in her lover’s hold as she took her time to slow her breathing.
“Everything’s going to be fine,” Reina murmured, rocking her girlfriend like a child. “I’m sure Gaki-san will be found soon enough…” Suddenly, the kitten’s cell phone vibrated once shortly and stopped. Reina grinned. “Speak of the angel.”
Eri quickly sat up and snatched the ex-yankii’s phone from her hands. She flipped it open to discover a message from her teacher.
I found her.
~Ai
“That’s it?!” Eri shrilled, jumping up in rage. “That’s all she’s going to say? ‘I found her’?! She could at least tell me why she went missing or what happened or… or… something!”
“Eri, calm down!” Reina commanded. “Here, sit.”
“But—”
“SIT GIRL.”
Overtaken by the charisma in Reina’s voice, Eri immediately dropped back down on the bed, staring at her girlfriend with wide eyes. Reina sighed and put her arm around the turtle again, placating both of them in the process.
“Now,” Reina started, “since Takahashi-san sent you a text letting you know that Gaki-san was found, that means Takahashi-san must be with her right now, correct?”
“… Yes…”
“And if there was a problem with Gaki-san, like she was injured or something, don’t you think Takahashi-san would’ve let us know in a more urgent manner?”
“… I suppose…”
“So the conclusion can only be that both of them are well, safe, and together. Right?”
“… I guess you’re right.” Eri let out a deep sigh of relief as Reina gently patted her back, smiling. “I’m just nervous I guess… Maybe I shouldn’t be saying this, but Risa-chan and Sensei have been having some… issues lately.”
“Well, if Takahashi-san cared enough to run into a storm to look for Gaki-san, this issue must not be so terrible, right?” Reina reassured.
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right,” Eri agreed. “I just hope everything becomes resolved between those two…”
** ** **
Out of all the awkward situations she had been in so far during her 17 years of life, Risa was sure this topped them all. After all, she was standing in the home of her girlfriend, who she was currently supposed to be in a fight with, dripping wet from head to toe. It was almost embarrassing how Risa had made it seem as though she had run away from home yet she was caught so easily. Not like she was really running away. It had just seemed like it. And now, it seemed like her attempt had failed. That was awkward.
What was even more awkward was the silence. After Ai had hugged Risa like that, she had said absolutely nothing the whole entire way back home. She had held on to her hand tightly, as though she was afraid of losing her again, but she didn’t say anything else. She seemed to be deep in thought, as though she was calculating something. And all the while, Risa had just let herself be led away to her teacher’s apartment. When they were in the elevator, she had briefly seen her teacher text someone whom she discovered was Eri by peeking at the screen. Seeing her friend’s name had made her feel a pang of guilt for worrying her, yet she somehow didn’t feel the desire to directly contact her. If she was with Ai, she was safe. That was the logic.
As she took off her wet shoes, Risa heard her teacher close the door behind her and lock it. The bean felt as though she should step into the home and move out of the way, yet she couldn’t get herself to step beyond the shoe rack area. Seeming to read her mind, Ai stepped around the younger girl and entered her home first.
“Wait here,” she instructed.
Risa obeyed silently and stood completely still in place, trying not to accidently flick water droplets over any of her girlfriend’s shoes. Ai was back in a flash with a towel which she wiped the floor with to erase the wet footsteps she had created. She then laid it out in front of the bean for her to step on.
“Just take off your socks and wipe your feet for now,” Ai directed. “You can dry off completely in the bathroom.”
Still feeling a little awkward, Risa nodded silently and did as she was told. She pulled off the wet socks that had clung onto her skin like glue and stomped her feet on the towel. She then picked it up and shuffled towards the bathroom. It came as a surprise when Ai followed in with her and shut the door. She opened a cabinet and took out a clean towel to use.
“Here,” she said. She slung the towel over Risa’s head and started to dry her hair, ruffling it mercilessly.
“S-sensei!” Risa protested, grabbing Ai’s wrist. “I can do it myself. You should dry yourself too.”
“Alright,” Ai nodded. She took out another fresh towel and started to work on her own hair, squeezing whatever moisture was left in her long brown locks. Risa continued to wipe down her arms and legs, trying to get as dry as possible. When both girls dropped the used towels on the floor, Ai spoke up again. “Take off your uniform.”
Risa unconsciously slapped her hand against her chest, covering the first button. “EH?!”
“I said, take of your clothes,” Ai repeated, matter-of-factly.
“W-w-why?” Risa stammered, turning red.
“You have to wear that uniform to school tomorrow,” Ai explained. “I’m going to throw it in the dryer.”
“Um… I’ll be fine. Please don’t worry about me.”
There’s no way I’m stripping in front of Sensei! “Don’t be ridiculous, Gaki-san,” Ai said, rolling her eyes. “You have to dry your uniform. Either you take it off right now or I take it off for you. Your choice.”
“… Okay, okay…” Risa mumbled, embarrassed.
Hesitantly, she turned her back to her teacher and slowly untied the ribbon around her collar with a simple pull of a strand. Taking a deep breath, she proceeded to pop her buttons open, one by one. She continued down all the way until she slipped the white linen shirt off her shoulders. She could feel her lover’s eyes on her bare back, and as much as she tried to ignore it, it wasn’t an easy task. Dropping the shirt to the floor, Risa moved onto her skirt. Slowly, she pulled down the side zipper and let it fall down to the floor as well. Breathing out shakily, she hugged herself in an effort to keep away from the chilly air that surrounded her body. Suddenly, Risa gasped as her teacher unclasped her bra from the back. She caught the undergarment before it could slip through her arms and covered her chest, feeling her cheeks getting hotter from embarrassment.
“Throw this in the laundry basket too,” Ai whispered into her lover’s ear. “It’s soaked… it’ll make you colder.”
“… Um… O-okay…”
Risa could barely hear her teacher’s voice even though she was speaking right into her ear, for the thumping of her own heartbeat was loud enough to bury all other sounds. And that beating only got louder when Risa felt the warmth of her teacher’s embrace touching her. Her body stiffened in shock at first, but soon relaxed as Ai leaned her chin on the younger girl’s shoulder. There was no reason to be afraid of Takahashi-sensei and there never will be, so there was no reason for Risa to act so distant as well. She knew that.
“Thank god, you’re safe,” Ai murmured, letting out a sigh of relief. Her arms around the bean tightened as if to confirm that she was still there. “If something had happened to you… I don’t know what I would’ve done. Thank god, I found you…”
Risa blushed, feeling guilty yet happy at the same time. She felt terrible about worrying her loved one like that, yet she was happy that her disappearance had such a huge impact on her. Ai had fought through the heavy rain despite her own risk for getting sick to find her. Despite the terrible things Risa had said to her before, Ai had still held onto her. She hadn’t given up. Although it seemed neither of them knew the solution to their problem as of yet, at least both of them mutually felt that they could never give up on their relationship.
“I’m sorry,” Risa apologized quietly. “It was… very irresponsible of me to just disappear like that.”
“Damn right, you were,” Ai chuckled, hugging her girlfriend even tighter. “You’ve caused a lot of trouble for everyone, you big brat.”
“Yeah, I’ll admit, I was the immature one this time around,” Risa laughed softly. She felt the awkwardness dissipate as both she and her lover laughed together. She felt grateful towards Ai for letting the atmosphere return to the relaxed and comfortable air that they always had between them. She felt home in Ai’s arms.
“But it was my fault, too,” the older woman sighed. “And I intend to handle the problem from now on instead of avoiding it.”
“… How are you going to do that?” Risa turned her head a little to hear the answer.
Ai smiled to herself, leaving the curious bean hanging on to her own question. She kissed Risa’s cheek and patted her head. “Maybe we should just take a nice hot shower right now,” she suggested, avoiding the question. “So we can make sure neither of us catches a cold.”
“Sh-shower?” Risa stuttered in shock. “B-both of us?” She felt her entire body heat up; the places where Ai’s arm was touching started to burn.
“Yeah, you can use this bathroom. I’ll use the one in the master bedroom.”
Risa laughed nervously when the realization hit her. “… Right! The other bathroom… of course…”
I feel so stupid for thinking she wanted to take a shower together… Wait, this is a good thing, right? I should be relieved she didn’t mean it that way! What am I thinking?! “Could it be… that you wanted us to take a shower… together?” Ai grinned mischievously. “Maa~ you’re so dirty-minded, Gaki-san!”
“Don’t say such things!” Risa yelled, flustered. “Go take your own shower! Go on, out!”
The bean managed to quickly push her teacher out of the bathroom and shut the door. She could still hear Ai’s laughter as it slowly disappeared into the next room. Letting out a sigh of relief, Risa slipped down to the floor as her legs weakened. She could still feel the heat in her body, turning her face red.
That Sensei… Risa thought,
she really never changes… and what did she mean when she said she was going to handle the problem? Sighing, Risa decided to just do what she was told and stripped off what was left of her clothes. She then proceeded to enter the bathtub and draw the curtains. The hot water showering down on her body relaxed all the tense muscles that had knotted throughout the day. She didn’t want to use up too much water so she quickly lathered her body in soap and shampooed her hair at the same time. But when she let the water rain down on her again, the steam in the bathtub only made her loosen up more, increasing her desire to stay under the shower for a little longer. Soon enough, Risa found herself just standing in the hot water with her eyes closed, as she imagined the warm steam massaging her aching muscles. All her surroundings blurred as her senses dulled, which almost prevented her from hearing Ai come in.
“Gaki-san? Are you done yet?”
“Huh? Oh, um, no, not yet, sorry!” Risa unconsciously put her arms around herself, covering her upper body. She could see Ai’s silhouette on the other side of the shower curtain, stepping over the threshold.
“It’s alright,” she chuckled softly. “I’m going to leave a change of clothes for you on the towel hanger, okay?”
“Um, okay!” Risa called out. She watched the silhouette disappear with the click of the door. She let out a deep sigh of relief and quickly rinsed off her body for the final time, deciding that it was better to just get out as soon as possible.
After shutting the water off, Risa dried herself with a large towel and stepped onto the cool tiles. The mirrors had fogged up so she wiped it to reveal a blurry reflection of herself. Her eyes were still a little bit puffed up from the crying but it wasn’t too bad. She was pretty sure she looked even worse before when she was in the soaked uniform. The embarrassment of being seen by her girlfriend in that state hit harder now that she was in her right mind.
Tossing the used towel in the laundry basket with the rest of her uniform, Risa grabbed her underwear and the shirt that was slung over the towel rack. It was an oversized white t-shirt that barely covered her butt. She looked around for a pair of shorts or sweatpants or something but there was nothing else wearable in the bathroom. Had her teacher forgotten to give her pajama bottoms?
Blushing, Risa pulled the t-shirt down as far is it would go to cover up her underwear and left the steamy bathroom. She turned into the kitchen and spotted her teacher, drinking a glass of water by the open refrigerator. Risa suddenly choked on her own breath of air when she realized what Ai was wearing… or rather what she wasn’t. The young teacher was clad in a tight tank-top that accentuated her figure, which even most teenage girls could only dream about having, along with just her underwear. Her long wet hair stretched down her back, left to dry naturally in the warm air. Risa swallowed hard as her eyes automatically dropped down to Ai’s calves and slowly back up to her luscious thighs. And that perfectly shaped butt was just… oh god…
Suddenly, Ai turned to spot her young girlfriend, whose face turned bright red as if she had been caught in the middle of a heinous act. “Oh, you’re out. I didn’t even hear you.”
Ai smiled as she drank up what was left of her water and placed the glass in the sink. She then leaned against the counter and crooked her finger at Risa, beckoning for her to come closer. Hesitantly, the bean fidgeted towards her lover, still pushing the t-shirt down to hide her lack of shorts. When she got close enough, however, Ai constricted her arms around Risa’s waist and pulled her close until there was no space between them.
“Stop squirming around,” she chuckled. “Why are you so uneasy? Relax.”
“W-why are you dressed like that, Sensei?” Risa asked, casting her eyes to the side.
If that’s being dressed at all… “I didn’t want you to be lonely,” the teacher said matter-of-factly. “You’re not wearing pants so I’m not either.”
“Yeah, speaking of pants,” Risa mumbled, “may I borrow some?”
“No, you may not.” Ai grinned as she watched her young lover’s cheeks turn pink.
“W-why not?”
“Because I don’t want you to wear anything else besides that shirt,” Ai smirked. “I kind of like seeing you like this. To be quite honest, I’ve always wanted to see what was under that uniform skirt… I think the school should be sued for making you wear that; it’s a crime to hide your kind of legs, Gaki-san.” She ran her fingertips up and down gently against Risa’s soft thighs, allowing her to shudder.
“You’re such a pervert, Sensei!” the bean remarked, her embarrassment rising tenfold.
She imagined me without my uniform?! “Only when it comes to you, my love,” Ai crooned, kissing her girlfriend’s forehead.
“Since when?!” Risa raised an eyebrow in confusion. “You’re the one who always holds back, saying that we should wait a little longer. Where did that philosophy go?”
“Just because I don’t do anything, doesn’t mean I don’t dream about it,” Ai replied. “I’ve told you before that my desires are no different than your own, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, but… you’ve never really expressed that desire like this before,” Risa said. “You just seem… different, Sensei.”
“Different, how?”
“I don’t know… just a bit more daring… open…”
“Honest?”
Risa’s eyes widened as realization slowly washed over her. Ai smiled before she released the bean from her arms and walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. She sat down on the sofa and motioned for Risa to join her, patting the spot beside her. Blinking a couple times, Risa obediently shuffled into the living room and took her place next to her lover. Ai then put her arm around her young girlfriend again and the bean’s head rest on her shoulder. She stroked her short hair a couple times before kissing her head.
“I understand how you feel about our situation right now,” Ai started. “And I also understand that you don’t want to avoid the problem and let it solve itself, because it’s not going to. And I realize I’ll just have to change and be more honest, like you said.”
“Easier said than done,” Risa mumbled.
“True,” Ai chuckled. “But what else can I do? I’ll just have to try everything I can in my power to be more open. I’m going to give it my best, Gaki-san, I promise. The fact is, I love you too much to give up on us. And if you feel the same way, I hope you’ll have faith in me and give our relationship another chance.”
“… There’s no such thing as another chance for our relationship,” Risa said quietly, “because I never gave up in the first place.” She looked up at her lover with a small smile, receiving a huge grin in return. “I guess… all I really did was rant about solving the problem without even bringing up a real solution. And I just made it harder for you… so I’m sorry, Sensei.”
“No, you don’t need to apologize,” Ai sighed, leaning her head on top of Risa’s. “I never see my own faults clearly, so I need a nagging girlfriend like you. You’re perfect for me.”
“… Am I supposed to take that as a compliment?” Risa asked, frowning.
“It’d be nice if you did,” Ai laughed.
“Fine, I’ll let that one go, then,” Risa grinned.
The couple’s pleasant conversation was interrupted by a soft beeping from Ai’s cell phone on the coffee table. It indicated the current time as 9 o’clock. The bean gasped as she quickly sat up.
“Oh, no!” she yelled. “I didn’t realize it was so late, I, I have to get home! Mama’s going to kill me!”
“Gaki-san, relax!” Ai laughed. “I already called your mother while you were in the shower. She knows you’re here.”
“Really?” Risa raised an eyebrow. “What did you tell her?”
“That you’re sleeping over at my place tonight.”
“… I’m sleeping over at your place tonight?” The bean cocked her head to the side in confusion.
“Of course,” Ai shrugged. “Be sensible, Gaki-san, you can’t go home alone in a storm like this. It’s raining like pistols out there.”
“I guess you’re right…” Risa nodded. “What did Mama say? Did she say anything embarrassing to you?” She could never be too sure with a mother like her own.
Ai licked her lips before biting down on it. Her face revealed confusion as well as uncertainty. “Well…”
>>>>>>>>>>
“Hello? Mrs. Niigaki?” Ai addressed politely. “This is Takahashi Ai, your daughter’s homeroom teacher?”
“Ah, Takahashi-sensei!” a frantic voice greeted. “Um, now is actually not such a good time—”
“No, Mrs. Niigaki, I actually called to inform you that I found your daughter.”
“You did?!” It was hard to believe this excited voice belonged to a middle-aged woman. “Where is she? Where’s my Risa?”
“She’s with me at my apartment,” Ai answered. “She’s actually taking a shower right now so she doesn’t catch a cold. She was drenched from the rain and my place was closer than your home… It was a quickest way to avoid the storm, I hope you understand.”
“Oh, of course I do!” Mama Gaki exclaimed. “Thank goodness she’s safe… She’s not hurt anywhere, is she?”
“No, she’s perfectly intact, Mrs. Niigaki,” Ai assured. “Aside from that, I think that it’s best if she spends the night here. It’s impossible for her to go uptown in this weather, I believe.”
“I couldn’t agree more, Sensei,” Mama Gaki agreed. “If it’s not too much trouble, please let my daughter stay for just a night. I’ll treat you to a nice dinner next time!”
“That sounds wonderful, Mrs. Niigaki,” Ai smiled. “You have nothing to worry about. Have a good night—”
“Oh, wait, Sensei!”
“Yes?”
“You haven’t told my daughter that I know of the relationship between you two, have you?”
“No, I haven’t.” Ai wrinkled her eyebrows a little. In truth, even she herself had almost forgotten that her girlfriend’s mother was aware of her true status as Risa’s lover before she was her teacher. It was hard to believe this lady was almost too chill about her only daughter stay overnight with her 6-years-senior girlfriend.
“I just wanted to let you know,” Mama Gaki said slowly, “I… never really gave my daughter… ‘the talk’. Do you get what I mean?”
“I think so…” Where is she going with this?
“It just never came up between us,” Mama Gaki continued. “I was always the childish one and Risa was always the adult in our family so… it didn’t seem right for me to try to teach her, you know?”
“I suppose…”
“But I guess it’s my mistake. Just because Risa is more mature than other girls her age, it doesn’t mean she’s going to pull knowledge out of thin air.”
“That’s true…”
“So, Sensei,” Mama Gaki said in her childlike voice, “if my daughter doesn’t know certain things, please don’t blame it on her.”
“… I don’t think I follow you, Mrs. Niigaki…” Ai mumbled. Is she saying what I think she’s saying?
“She’s still so innocent,” Mama Gaki sighed dramatically. “But I’m sure she’ll learn to grow with you! You seem like such an experienced young woman, Takahashi-sensei!”
“I do?” Ai raised an eyebrow, reminiscing back to the time when Risa also mentioned the same thing. She wasn’t really… that experienced… or whatever… Was it even conventional that a mother of a teenage daughter would actually want her daughter to “grow” in that aspect?
“Of course!” Mama Gaki said brightly. “So please take care of my ignorant daughter for tonight! Oh, and stay safe!”
Ai blushed. “Wait a minute! Mrs. Niigaki—”
“Have a good night now!” the mother giggled. “Toodles!”<<<<<<<<<<
“Your mother is… interesting,” Ai said slowly, forcing a smile.
“She said something stupid, didn’t she?” Risa groaned. “What did she say? Tell me!”
“No, no, it was nothing like that,” Ai denied. “She just showed concerned for your well-being, that’s all.”
This was technically true, since Mama Gaki did worry about her daughter “inexperience”… It was just that any other mother would’ve showed that concern in a different matter… say… the fact that her daughter was spending an entire night in her girlfriend’s apartment with just the two of them, together, alone. A lot of things could happen in one night; apparently, Mama Gaki was all for it.
“She definitely said something weird, I can tell!” Risa growled. “Come on, spill it!”
“Will you relax and just trust me?” Ai grinned, smoothing her expression to completely hide the truth. “She said to make sure not to catch a cold from the rain and to get some sleep. It seemed to me that she was terribly worried about you.”
“Well, can’t blame her for that,” Risa sighed gloomily. “I shouldn’t have just taken off like that… I’ll have to apologize to Mama.”
“Good choice,” Ai smiled. “I’m sure your mother will forgive you. But for now…” Ai embraced her girlfriend tightly as Risa gasped from the lack of oxygen, “you’ll just have to put up with me!”
“You’re such a baby!” Risa huffed, frowning. But she didn’t resist the hug nor complain about it anymore, so Ai decided that her lover didn’t hate the attention too much.
“You just watch me,” the teacher vowed. “I’m going to spoil you so much from now on, and you’re going to like it!”
“I doubt it, Sensei,” Risa muttered. “So do you have a game plan or something for this… honesty policy of yours?”
Ai sighed, relaxing her hold on the younger girl and settling her own head on Risa’s shoulder. “Frankly, I don’t know what it means to be more honest,” she admitted. “I’ve always thought I was a pretty open person but evidently, that’s not true so… I’m just going to use words.”
“Words?”
“Un, kotoba,” Ai nodded. “I’m going to tell you everything about myself regarding you: times I think about you, things that make me happy or sad or angry, places I want to take you… lots of things. I’m going to empty my heart and soul out on you.”
“Is this how I’m going to learn the mystery that is Takahashi Ai?” Risa grinned. “There are still a lot of things I don’t know about you.”
“Not for long!” Ai said, lifting her head to wink at her girlfriend. “In fact, you’re going to start to get to know me right now.”
“I’m all ears,” the bean smiled. This game plan definitely didn’t sound so bad; she was so used to her teacher never directly answering her questions that maybe this turn of events could lead to something positive for once.
“Let’s see… what can I talk about first?” Ai wondered to herself, taking Risa’s hand into her own. “During the classes where I see you, it takes me three times as much concentration to stay on task.”
“Only three?” Risa pouted, teasing her lover.
“Sometimes more, when I see you socializing with other students,” Ai smiled. “I get protective over what’s mine.”
“I’ve realized,” Risa chuckled.
“What else…” the teacher murmured. “When I see you without your iinchou-mask on, it makes me happy. I find the blush in your cheek undeniably adorable. I am absolutely jealous of Kamei-san, who will be your princess in the upcoming play. It almost makes me want to steal you away for the show but… I won’t do that, because I know how hard my students have worked on it.”
“I like to stay composed, like you,” Risa smiled. “Even though it’s annoying sometimes, I like it when you make me blush… And I hope you know you’re still the only one for me, despite the play.”
“Of course I know that,” Ai shrugged. “I still get jealous, though.”
“And that makes me kind of happy,” the bean said smugly, “in a cruel yet innocent way.”
“I see no innocence in that, Gaki-san,” Ai laughed. “Hm… one day, I want to take you back to Fukui and show you what I was like in the past. I don’t want to hide anything from you, and I won’t be ashamed of anything in front of you.”
“I’d really like that,” Risa nodded, smiling sincerely.
“Sometime soon, I want to take you out on a regular date,” Ai grinned. “Do something that a normal teenage girl would do with her lover. I want to give you those kinds of memories, since I’ll be taking everything else away from you one day.”
“I don’t think that way…” Risa murmured. “Even if I’m losing a lot of things… I get you in exchange. That’ll be enough.”
“You may be okay with all this,” Ai said softly, “but I’ll sleep better at night knowing I tried my best for you. So follow along, okay?”
Risa nodded in approval, smiling at her lover. Ai cared so much for her to even worry about the memories she will attain. Perhaps it was her guilt that made her care so much for Risa’s life as a youth. Or maybe it was even her own regret that she herself was not able to have the life of a normal teenage girl when she was Risa’s age. Whatever the true reason was, Risa felt grateful knowing that Ai was attentive towards her in this way.
“Sensei,” Risa started suddenly, an idea striking in her head, “you said you’re going to be honest about everything, right?”
“That’s right.”
“So you’re not going to hold back on me anymore, right?” Risa asked. “In feelings, confessions, desires… everything?”
“That’s correct.”
Risa pursed her lips together as she gazed at her lover with determined eyes. Without further warning, she leaned forward and kissed her unsuspecting girlfriend, eliciting a soft gasp from her. But when Risa’s tongue entered her mouth to kiss her more passionately, Ai let out a low moan and kissed her back. Slowly, Risa pushed her girlfriend back until she fell on top of her with their bodies pressing against each other, still making out heatedly. Ai wrapped her arms around Risa’s waist and attempted to take the lead like she always did, but she found it difficult this time around to make her young lover give in. Then, Risa pulled away slightly, just enough to break their kiss, and breathed slowly as if to calm herself.
“You want me as much as I want you, right?” she whispered.
“Probably even more, but that’s the idea,” Ai smiled.
“So if you’re giving into
that desire as well…” Risa said slowly, “does that mean we can… you know…”
“Sleep together?” Ai guessed.
Risa blushed. “Yeah, that.”
“Gosh, it almost seems like that’s all you think about, Gaki-san,” Ai complained sarcastically. “Is that all you want from me? Good sex? I could probably make it better than just ‘good’, but—”
“That’s not what I meant!” Risa interrupted, her cheeks turning into apple red. “I just meant that… we just… I mean…”
“Yeah, yeah, I know what you mean, I’m just teasing,” Ai laughed, cupping her innocent girlfriend’s face. “I just wanted to see you blush like that. Kawaii~”
“Mou, Sensei!” Risa scolded, huffing.
“To answer your question,” Ai grinned, turning the bean’s attention to the original matter at hand, “I suppose it does mean I won’t wait anymore. I’m not going to lie and convince myself that I can be patient for this. I want you, and that’s that. Every time I kiss you, I imagine us going even further… and I don’t want to torture myself any longer.”
“Sensei…”
“But not tonight,” Ai sighed. “I don’t think tonight is such a good idea.”
Risa blinked a couple times in confusion. “Why not tonight?”
Ai bit down on her lips. “Remember when you asked me some time ago, about my preferences… and fetishes… and stuff?”
“Yes… you said you didn’t have anything particular.”
“Well, I think I just realized ‘wet hair’ might be one of them,” Ai chuckled, touching her girlfriend’s damp fringes. “Plus, you just attacked me which kind of turned me on a bit… so tonight isn’t good.”
“… I’m still not following,” Risa mumbled. Didn’t everything Ai say just give more precedence to tonight?
“If we do it right now,” Ai explained, “… I don’t think I’ll be able to stop until tomorrow morning. You just look so… tempting right now. And that’s not very good since it’ll be your first time and all…”
So that’s it. Sensei was just being protective again, being the mature one. But her clear eyes told Risa that this wasn’t just an excuse; it was the actual truth. She could tell how much Ai wanted her at the moment yet she was holding back, not for the previous bogus reasons she had before, but because she really wanted this to be perfect for the both of them.
Smiling, Risa kissed her girlfriend in the sweetest way possible, moving her lips slowly. Ai didn’t respond but she sighed in contentment, enjoying the sensation yet being afraid to take advantage of it.
“I’ll be okay,” Risa whispered softly. “No matter what you do, I’m going to be fine.”
“Stop trying to seduce me, Gaki-san, it’s painful,” Ai moaned.
I wasn’t trying, but okay… “Sensei.” Risa gazed upon her lover with smoldering eyes. “I don’t want to wait anymore. I want you to have me…”
“… Oh, what the hell.”
Risa felt her head being pulled down as her lips were captured immediately. She let out a soft moan as Ai took the initiative plunge her tongue into her mouth, eagerly tasting familiar ground. A soft pair of hands traveled under her shirt and up her bare back, causing Risa to shiver at the contact. She breathed out shakily as Ai kissed her neck and started to suck on her skin to mark her property. But before Risa could fully get into it, Ai pushed her off of her and grabbed her wrist.
“Get up.”
Without waiting for a response, Ai dragged her girlfriend off the couch and pulled her into her room. She slung her onto the large bed and let her push herself up to the middle, where she could lie down comfortably. Ai then climbed on top of her lover, straddling her waist, and held her wrist down. Risa swallowed hard as Ai stared at her with eyes full of desire.
“I wasn’t kidding before, you know,” she murmured. “I’m really not going to stop.”
“I wasn’t kidding before, either,” Risa smiled. “I can take it.”
Ai smirked. “I’m going to make you regret saying that.”
With that, Risa felt her lips being matched by her lover for another passionate kiss. This was it. She was finally going to do the deed with her lover. Her body trembled a little in fear and uncertainty at what was to come. But Ai’s gentle strokes against her cheeks told her that everything was going to be alright.
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woot woot.
