It's been a couple of weeks or so since the last chapter, now I'm back with another!
@MaYukiIsLife Honestly SKE is my weakest group out of the four XP I'll try my best to add more of those pairs!
@teru-fi I've listed all of the pairings that I have planned on the first post. And I forgot to separate Sayaka from HKT
@ChibiRine I have FuuMiru and SayaMilky planned for later chapters
@_sheep_ It's hard to think of crack pairs because you can basically pair anyone with anyone
@luvsidney I'm not sure if I have Saeyaka as a pair, maybe I do
Chapter 1 (Part 2)
*****"Oh, Maeda. What are you doing here this early? You're not scheduled to work until tomorrow anyway." Takahashi was surprised to see her only employee working this early in the morning. The sun hadn't fully rose from the horizon. The other girl just smiled at her short boss.
"I doubt my parents are going to need me at this hour. Also, since I'm working more hours I'm expecting extra on my paycheck." She winked.
"Keep comin' in early and you might as well be my favorite worker."
Maeda laughed. "I'm your only employee!"
The two girls immediately started working around their somewhat small produce establishment. Atsuko set up the carts and shelves at the front of the store while Minami took inventory at the back. A couple of hours after the sun fully shone in the sky, they were open for business. The first person to stop by was the old mage who lived in the mountains forming the walls between Akihabara and Sakae.
"Morning, obasan!" Atsuko came out from behind a shelf of apples to greet the magic user.
"What? Obasan? I'll have you know I'm only 31!" The mage said with a playful tone. "Speaking about 31, I don't suppose you have that amount of dragon fruit, do you?"
The employee pointed toward the shelf containing the wanted fruit while offering to fetch it for the woman. At the same time Minami came out from the back to report the inventory.
"We've run low on watermelons. I might need to drop by the farms to pick some up." Minami said as she looked down onto a piece of paper.
"You can count on me to watch the place. I'm just helping a customer right now." Atsuko said from inside the produce shack where the counter is.
"A customer? This early?" The midget boss peered inside to see who it is. "Meetan, What a surprise!"
The customer turned around with a smile on her face. The two of them went for a hug.
"It's been a long while Takamina. Since when did you have such a beautiful employee working for you in this shabby place?"
Atsuko awkwardly stood behind the counter trying to add up the prices for 31 dragon fruits. She wasn't listening to anything the other two in the room were talking about.
"I've been wondering when you would finally visit after moving to such an isolated place like a mountain peak. How do you even get down from there? And just so you know she came up to me asking for a job." Minami had a ton of question for her old friend.
"After dropping that stupid hostess career I had the brilliant idea of learning the art of witchery. I just came buy because I need ingredients for this... thing I'm trying to conjure. Also you and that girl would be so cute together!"
"W-what? Ha! Like I would!" Minami yelled loud enough to seem aggressive, but tried to be quiet enough so that Maeda wouldn't hear (which she wasn't in the first place). Ohori had a face that shows she wasn't buying it.
With Minami stuttering and try really hard to come up with many different excuses to why she totally doesn't see Atsuko in that way, said person didn't have the patience to count up all the fruits and ended up not charging the mage for it.
"Here are your dragon fruits obasan." The mage came up to retrieve them, her eye slightly twitched when she mentioned a certain word. "Please come again!"
When Ohori left, Atsuko looked at her boss. Her whole face was red and she was panting hard.
"Are you still going to pick up those watermelons?"
"I'll do it some other day. I'm going to head home." With that the midget hung up her apron. "Watch the store for me. You can close up early if you want." A confused Maeda stayed behind as more customers came in the hot afternoon.
---
"One potato, two potatoes, three potatoes... More potatoes." Takahashi laid down on her shaggy alpaca fleece rug counting whatever she had around the house, and ended up counting potatoes.
"Urgh... My heart's beating too fast. I could've accidentally exposed my feelings for her. Maybe I did. This is to frustrating!" She scrambled around trying to get rid of her thoughts. In the process she flung a potato near an open window. Minami reluctantly stood up to retrieve the lonely potato. She bent down with her back instead of her knees. On the way up she was greeted by a figure with a dimple on each cheek leaning through the window.
"Hello~!"
It took Takahashi a while to grasp the situation before screaming and falling backwards onto her wooly carpet, killing some poor potatoes.
"Ha! Did I scare you?" The mysterious person is none other than the cheeky Yuko who lived uphill with sheep and thrived in the kingdom's unruly streets.
"You brat! You nearly gave me a heart attack." Minami threw a potato at the street rat, who happily caught it.
"Thanks for the snack." Yuko munched on the slightly squished food item.
"Why are you here anyway? Why not bother your girlfriend instead of me?" The shorter of the two asked.
"Haruna? Hang out with her? If only it was that simple. You know our situation, I'm a street kid and she's nobility. Never works out except in fairytales. The one time we passed the security to go make out in the woods ended up with my face on the wanted board."
"Sounds harsh."
There was awkward silence as Yuko kept nibbling on her potato.
Takahashi motioned for her to enter. "Why don't you come in here. I don't want the neighbors thinking I'm a weirdo when your rear is sticking out my window. Take a bath while you're at it, too."
"I was waiting for you to say that. You know how hot my butt is?" Yuko rolled inside, almost breaking the glass with her foot on the way. "You start the bath and I'll start stripping."
"As long as you get clean and I'm not getting in with you, it's fine by me."
---
"Yosh! Closing time!" It was almost pitch black outside when Maeda decided it was time to close shop. Street lights kept the streets lit as she locked the front door and the back area. "I wonder what's wrong with Takahashi-san, she's always working even after closing. What got into her?" She was about to cross the dirt road in front of her before being roughly pushed back by a man on a dark horse.
"You bastard! Get back here!" Guards yelled from behind. The employee stayed on the ground until all the horsemen had passed. One of those knights caught her eye, the woman who lead them from the front on a white horse. That thought didn't stay long though.
---
Takahashi sat alone again on her fluffy rug while the other person in the house took a bath. She reflected on her feelings for her fellow worker.
"It's just lust, not love. These feelings can't be anything more than that." She repeated these words over and over again to herself.
"You know, my relationship with Haruna is just lust too."
Minami jumped in surprise. "Oi, when did you get out of the bath? And you're still naked!"
"It's fine, I sleep naked. I'll be crashing here tonight."
"That's fine, but if you're going to be naked, be naked somewhere else!" Minami threw the potatoes that were still there from an hour ago.
"I get it, I get it! I'll be in your room then." With that the perverted girl left.
"...Is her relationship with Haruna the same as mine?"
The next day, Takahashi woke up on her alpaca rug. Yuko had already gone as she left a note behind. The sun blurred her vision, but that also meant the sun is rising. Realizing the time, she quickly got up and sprinted out the door to her little establishment hoping that Maeda is already there.
---
"There's a lot of people today Takahashi-san. You're better with that so I'll be taking inventory."
"Whatever works for you." Takahashi said as she put on her working apron. Both girls worked hard as the day passed by and the temperature slowly raised. One of Takahashi's childhood friends had passed by.
"Morning Mariko-sama. I rarely see you around here and I'm always working up front. I believe the last time I've talked to you was years ago when we were only kids!" While out and about running errands, Mariko stumbled upon a farmer's market she hasn't been to before. Takahashi Minami, the knight's childhood friend that she hasn't seen in ages, worked at the said market. Compared to Mariko her height made her look no older than 13 years old. "Make sure you keep your bride-to-be on a leash. I swear she's taken around two shipments of persimmons we got from Hakata. I would charge you for it but she probably steals your gold too." The midget greeted her with a toothy grin.
"Good to see you too, Takamina. Looks like you've grown a good two centimeters since I've last seen you." Mariko joked.
Atsuko watched the two from around the corner, trying really hard to listen to their conversation.
Wait a second, isn't she the girl I saw last night? The one on the white horse? Atsuko thought. Suddenly the knight began to go in her direction, but unaware that Maeda was there. The employee quickly returned to her position at the back of the store.
When Mariko called out for an employee, she immediately appeared.
"Ah, I'm right here! Sorry for the wait!" From behind a stack of durians, a girl just a little bit shorter than herself appeared. She held her hair in a ponytail wore a simple cotton apron over a white shirt and leather shorts. "I take it your a friend of Takahashi-san? You're much too tall to be related to her."
Mariko took one look at her and couldn't stop staring.
She didn't know it either, but Atsuko was staring right back.
Oblivious to both of them, Takahashi spied on them until a customer called her over for help.
That damn liar. I gotta make my move soon. She thought.
---
Nighttime quickly approached and the last of their customers have already left. Both Minami and Atsuko pushed any leftover produce inside the shabby building of their shop.
"Good work today Maeda." Takahashi wiped the sweat off her brow. "I didn't expect this much people today."
"Me neither. I'm glad we pulled it off." The black-haired girl wiped her face with her green work apron.
"You know what, we've never had a proper meal to welcome you into the business. There's a wonderful diner down the street and I know the guy who runs it. What do you say? My treat!"
"You're treat, huh? If I'm not paying then I'll take you up on your offer."
Takamina mentally fist pumped. "Great! They make marvelous roasted duck and the way they grill their vegetables will make you drool!"
On the way to the diner, they passed Mariko who gave beatings to everyone in a tavern. Only Takahashi noticed that. Soon enough after a talk about squirrels and cats the dimly lit diner came into view. Both of them had katsudon instead of the aforementioned duck. Takahashi even had some shots of sake which brought out her inner feelings for the other girl.
"Saaay, Acchan,"
Hearing her nickname come out from her boss's mouth surprised her.
"I've never... seen you as my employee y'knoooow. I feel like you mean something more to me, yeah."
"Are you feeling well Takahashi-san?"
Luckily we're the only ones around. Atsuko thought.
"Oh, drop the formalities! We've known each other long enough! Call me Minami... Or Takamina if you feel like it!" The drunken brunette swung her arm around the confused Maeda and leaned on her shoulder. "Listen, I have these feelings for ya... I like you, I love you, let's make out, let's have sex, I don't know!"
She turned Atsuko around so that they faced each other.
"I don't know what to call this feeling, but... I know that I want you to go out with me, so... will you?"
---
"I don't know what to call this feeling, but... I know that I want you to go out with me, so... will you?"
I had absolutely no idea how to reply to that. I'll admit she's a nice person, but there's no way I can go out with my boss! ...Or can I?
"I-uh, Takahashi-san. I know this is just the sake talking, but there's no better opportunity than this to say what I wanted to say. So, Takamina, I would be glad to-"
"DUCK!" I was cut off by Takahashi slamming full force onto me as a half-man half-bull creature bashed through the wall of the diner. She took the blow for me and was bleeding profusely. I don't know where but she was.
I couldn't speak or breathe as the beast slowly approached me. I would've been dead if it weren't for a knight coming in and slaying it. I didn't see who it was right away but her horse gave me a clue.
"Mariko?"
She had already cut off the monster's head. We both looked at each other. Tears ran down her face much like me. I'm not sure what happened but it's better if I hadn't asked. I tried to say something about my fallen partner. "Takamina! S-she's bleeding... I-I dunno i-if-"
"Save it, Atsuko. I've come here just for you, so it's best if we leave her."
"NO! No, we can't." I was grabbed roughly by my wrists and pulled onto her steed.
"Trust me when I say it's for the best. You have no idea what's going on out there. Best you can do is pray."
I would've said something but the horse had left the wooden hut. Demons of different types tried to pounce at us but were no match for Mariko's experienced swordsmanship. I saw a hooded figure being dragged away by a three-headed dog. He was struggling and kicking at one of the canine's heads. I tugged on Mariko's arm.
"That guy there is still alive. Maybe he can help us." She didn't say anything about it. She didn't even look back. I decided to just lean on her and try to sleep things off. If that's even possible.
---
My senses are blurred. I can feel my energy rapidly draining away. Where did that beast go? Where's Atsuko? Before me stood a brunette clad in armor, a white horse behind her. Could that be Mariko? No, that lying son of a bitch took off. Probably took Atsuko with her. I still can't tell who it is, but her horse has wings.
Topic: Don't Let Your Guard Down [MMORPG][Crack+Mainstream Pairings] 8/29/15 (Read 6263 times)