Naoe Riki tapped his finger on his desk as the math teacher droned on. He occasionally jotted down a figure or two while he looked around the classroom. As far as he could tell, no one was paying much attention. He looked to see if Kurugaya had bothered to show up, but her desk was empty. Nishizono was at the desk beside her's, apparently reading a book.
Riki was about go back to his notes when he took a closer look at her. Unless he was mistaken, Nishizono had a smaller book in front of the larger one she was holding. It looked like a manga. The panels featured two characters but Riki couldn't make them out. He leaned forward, squinted and saw that they were both boys.
But just when he was about to see what they were doing, the lunch bell rang loudly, making him jump. Riki looked back at Nishizono, but the blue haired girl had already put it away in her bag. Making a mental note to ask about it later, he put his classwork in his desk. Riki was about to walk out the door when he heard a tapping behind him.
Riki turned around and nearly had a heart-attack. Kyousuke was hanging outside the window, holding onto a piece of rope and smiling.
"Kyousuke! I thought the teachers said not to do that." Riki said as he hurried to open the window.
"They did. But what they don't know won't hurt them." Kyousuke said smoothly as he climbed into the classroom.
Riki made a dissatisfied sound and turned around to walk out the door. Kyousuke was always doing outrageous things like that, yet he never seemed to get in trouble. The teachers would only ever give him warnings and he was way too popular for anyone to tell on him. Kyousuke was too popular in fact, especially with girls.
Riki could hear Kyousuke moving to catch up with him, so he slowed down a little. Even so, Riki wasn't prepared for Kyousuke to put his arm around his neck, drawing him a little closer.
"Sorry Riki. I'll come down the stairs next time." Kyousuke said, grinning at him.
Riki mumbled something that sounded like 'okay' and tried not to blush. It was slightly harder to ignore the cold stares from the girls in the hallway. A lot of them liked Kyousuke and didn't appreciate Riki being so close to their crush.
One girl who was behind them wasn't glaring though. She was laughing softly when she saw both of them together.
Kurugaya walked slowly through the grounds outside the school. Everywhere around her were people laying on the grass or sitting on benches, eating their lunch and talking. But there was only one person she wanted to talk to, and she found him at the vending machines.
Riki seemed to be agonizing over which drink to get. Shaking her head slightly at his indecisiveness, she reached over his shoulder and pushed one of the buttons for him.
"K-Kurugaya-san?" Riki yelped in surprise.
"A man should be more decisive than that, Riki-kun. And also more aware. What if I was planning to mug you?" Kurugaya said, giving him a small smile.
"Don't joke about that Kurugaya-san. Most of the guys are afraid of you already." Riki said, getting the drink out of the slot at the bottom.
"Oh? And are you afraid of me, too?" Kurugaya said, dropping the pleasant tone from her voice and stepping closer.
She could only look at Riki's alarmed face for a few seconds before laughing. He really was too fun to tease. Kurugaya wasn't the only one who felt that way, but luckily for him she scared away anyone who might have bullied him, male or female.
"How did you know this was what I was going to get?" Riki asked, looking at the can of lemonade.
"Know your enemy and know yourself, and you have nothing to fear from a thousand battles, young man. Not that you're my enemy." she added gently.
Despite being the same age, Kurugaya felt like an older sister to Riki. Part of it was her own detachment from everyone around her and part of it was Riki's vulnerability. She thought he could stand to be a little more independent from his friends, but that's why she liked him. They had left the vending machines and were heading to the deserted corner on the grounds where they normally hung out.
"That's advice you should take to heart, Riki-kun. Especially the part about knowing yourself." Kurugaya said lightly.
"What do you mean?" Riki asked slowly.
"I mean about you and Kyousuke. You looked like you were enjoying being with him." she said, wondering how he would respond.
Riki definitely didn't disappoint. He went red as a beet and nearly dropped his drink. Really, it was worth saying that just to see him like this.
"W-we're just friends" Riki mumbled, as if anyone would believe him with that kind of a reaction.
"Hmmmmmm." Kurugaya hummed pointedly, fixing Riki with a stare that few people could handle.
After fidgeting and looking away for a bit, Riki couldn't avoid Kurugaya's eyes any longer. He seemed to want to say something, but nothing was coming out. She softened her expression and smiled at him.
"Tell Onee-san about it. No one else is here." Kurugaya said, dropping her voice confidentially.
"Um...well...I...I mean...okay. I like him. He's just so cool and calm and brave and kind and smart and I've liked him for a long time but he doesn't like me that way." Riki said sadly, the words coming out in a torrent.
"I see. How do you know he doesn't like you?" Kurugaya asked patiently.
"I don't know really. I just don't think he does. Why would he? He could have any girl in school. They put love letters in his shoebox all the time." Riki added, a touch of bitterness in his voice.
"Maybe you should ask him. There's nothing to be gained from staying silent." Kurugaya said, aware that she was hardly the person to be dispensing dating advice.
"I couldn't. What if he says no and things get weird? It's just too risky. I have to be getting back to class anyway. Please Kurugaya-san, don't tell anyone about this." Riki pleaded.
"Who would I tell?" she responded, smiling.
Kurugaya stayed where she was, watching him leave. Getting Riki to admit to himself that he liked Kyousuke was a big step. Now he just needed another push or two. It would involve spilling his secret to someone, but it was such a juicy tidbit of information to one person in particular that she had to let her in on it.
"Leave everything to Onee-san." Kurugaya said, already forming a plan to get them together.
Gathering intelligence was the first step toward any successful operation. It was that thought that led Kurugaya into the boy's dormitory. Thankfully, everyone was in class or she might have had difficulty getting in. As it was, Kurugaya strode right up to Kyousuke's room. The door was unlocked as well.
Kurugaya entered and closed the door behind her. She was looking for anything that might point to feelings for Riki. A journal, letters, even some dirty magazines might clue her in. Kyousuke's desk had only classwork and writing materials in it. The shelf next to his bed had quite a bit of manga on it, but none of it was adult.
Kurugaya was about to go rooting through the closet when she remembered the classic spot where boys kept what they wanted to remain hidden. She lifted the mattress slightly and grinned at the treasure trove of hentai magazines that were beneath.
Looking through them, Kurugaya could tell that Kyousuke had a thing for girls cosplaying; shrine maidens, maids, magical girls. There were even one or two hentai magazines that were obviously lolicon. Making a mental note to blackmail Kyousuke with those in particular if she ever needed to, Kurugaya was ready to call it quits.
One last glance at a panel stopped her, though. Kurugaya started to grin again as she flipped through the pages. This could definitely work. Laughing to herself, Kurugaya replaced the magazines and looked around for one item that might come in handy before she left. This was going to be much more fun than she originally thought.
Riki was doing his homework alone in his room when he got a text message. Picking up his phone, he could see it was from Kurugaya.
To: Riki-kun
Subject: -
Young man, it is very important that you come to my room. Be here within ten minutes (or else...)
Riki sighed as he read the message. He didn't really think Kurugaya would do anything even if he blew her off, but the thought of her being angry was enough to get him out the door. Ten minutes was a stretch but he could make it if he hurried.
Riki walked out of the boy's dormitory and strode through the grass field between the two dorms. It was night time and the sidewalk path was better lit, but he had to take the shortcut if he wanted to get there in time.
Just as Riki was wondering if Kurugaya was aware that he didn't know where her room was, a hissing sound erupted all around him. It was the sprinklers! In no time his clothes were soaked. Riki ran through them to the entrance of the girl's dorm, panting and dripping wet.
"Oho. Did something happen, Riki-kun?" came the voice of Kurugaya, who was waiting by the door.
"Did you know the sprinklers turn on now?" Riki whined, trying to sound angry and ending up sounding like he was sulking.
"I did. But I thought you did too, Riki-kun. My mistake. Let's get you out of those clothes." Kurugaya said firmly, grabbing Riki's arm and pulling him into the dorm.
Riki let himself be pulled forward by Kurugaya, still tired from running through the field. He didn't even notice the bucket of water placed over one of the double doors she avoided going through.
They finally got to her room. Kurugaya opened the door and beckoned Riki inside. He entered with a touch of trepidation. He wasn't sure what to expect exactly, but her room looked fairly normal. No pink or stuffed animals or anything like that.
"The bathroom's over there. Start the bath and get out of those clothes before you catch a cold." Kurugaya said, speaking to Riki but looking at her phone.
Riki was a little curious about what she was doing, but he didn't want to be dripping all over the carpet. He went into the bathroom and closed the door, then started the bath. Riki thought he could hear Kurugaya talking to someone, though he couldn't make it out over the sound of the water.
Finally the bathtub was full. Riki took off his wet clothes and hung them up on the towel rack. With any luck they wouldn't be as wet when he got out. Climbing into the hot water was so incredibly relaxing.
Riki closed his eyes and thought about what he'd told Kurugaya. The fact that she didn't laugh or judge or act weirded out was a relief. It was the first time he admitted out loud how he felt about Kyousuke. Now that he actually said it, Riki could see how much he needed to tell someone about it.
The part about liking Kyousuke for a long time was an understatement. When Riki's parents died, Riki stopped talking for months. He could remember teachers and relatives trying to get him to come out of his shell to no avail. His aunt had taken him to the park on the day he met Kyousuke. He was just sitting on the swings when he saw an older boy come up to him. Behind him were what looked like three other boys, though he would find out one of them was Kyousuke's little sister. Riki remembered staring up at the older boy as he smiled and invited him to fight for justice with his friends. Telling him his name when Kyousuke asked was the first time he spoke in half a year.
Ever since then Riki had looked up to Kyousuke, seeing him as a role model and a friend. It was in the last few years that it had become a different feeling. Seeing Kyousuke made his heart beat a little faster now, though of course he labored to pretend everything was still the same.
Riki opened his eyes and got out of the tub. Putting those damp clothes on again wouldn't be pleasant after the heat of the bath but he had to do it. Toweling off, he reached for his clothes and froze as he looked at where his clothes were supposed to be. In their place was the girl's uniform instead.
Kurugaya waited with Nishizono sitting on her bed. Any moment now, Riki would discover what happened. It hadn't been easy to switch the clothes with Riki being right there. Kurugaya had to be as stealthy as possible, not making a single sound to let him know what was happening. Part of her felt a little guilty about pushing Riki into this, but if he didn't have the courage to confess his love for Kyousuke, she would have to push him to do it.
A cry of shock came from the bathroom. Kurugaya hurried to the door and tried to mask the smile on her face. She would have to handle this well, with the right amount of pressure and gentleness. The door opened a crack and Riki peered out.
"What is this? Where's my clothes?" he demanded, his slightly effeminate voice cracking.
"They're wet, Riki-kun. They're in the washer. Wear those clothes instead." Kurugaya said evenly.
"But these are girls clothes! I can't wear these!" He whined.
"Well I only have girls clothes. Are you saying you would rather be naked? I don't mind." Kurugaya said wickedly, giving the door a gentle push and allowing Riki, who didn't have much muscle to speak of, a chance to close the door.
"Oho. Well then, be sure to put on all of it. It's an outfit, after all. If you don't do it properly, I will be happy to help you dress." Kurugaya said, trying not to laugh.
Kurugaya went back to Nishizono, who was pretending to read a book. Her flushed face and the fact that her eyes weren't moving across the page were both clear signals that she was preoccupied, however.
"Why did it have to be my uniform?" Nishizono asked simply.
"I could have given him mine, it's true. But I'm several inches taller than him, plus there would be plenty of excess space in the bust." Kurugaya explained.
Nishizono went a little more red, but Kurugaya thought it was more in anger about being reminded of her lack of cleavage. Kurugaya couldn't help but feel a little sorry for girls who weren't blessed like she was, but in her opinion they needed to get over it.
The sound of the door opening behind them drew their attention. Riki creeped in, blushing furiously and looking very cute in that outfit. Both of them were momentarily stunned. Riki had a rather pretty face to begin with, but they didn't realize he had such a slim body. Nishizono was fairly petite for a girl but her uniform seemed to fit Riki perfectly. Oh well, there went both girl's image of Riki as a man.
"N-Nishizono-san? Why...S-Stop staring!" Riki demanded, trying to pull his skirt lower.
Kurugaya and Nishizono stood up and got a closer look at Riki. Besides the main outfit, he was wearing thigh high stockings some of the girls wore. Nishizono didn't wear those normally, but she did have a pair, along with the bra and panties that she assumed he was wearing. All in all, a cute picture. Though it needed a little something.
Kurugaya took two yellow ribbons out of her pocket and gave one to Nishizono. While Riki blushed even harder than before, they tied them on both sides of his hair. When they were done, both of them stepped back and exchanged a look.
"Cute." Nishizono said.
"Cute." Kurugaya agreed.
"Ugh. What did I do to deserve this?" Riki muttered, looking at the floor.
Kurugaya was a little surprised. Riki was never very bold, but he seemed to be even more docile in that outfit. That would be helpful. But as fun as it would be to tease him awhile longer, Kurugaya needed to fulfill the next part of the plan. They were going to find out if Kyousuke really did like traps.
"Okay, Riki-chan, it's getting late. Let's get you back to your room." Kurugaya said, unconsciously changing to a more feminine term.
"Outside? I can't go out in this." Riki cried, not noticing the new term.
"It's okay, Naoe-san. I'll check to see if anyone's outside." Nishizono said lightly, opening the door and nodding her head.
Kurugaya pushed Riki forward out of the room, slipping something into Riki's blouse pocket and making it so he couldn't see her press the 'send' button on the phone she took out of Riki's wet clothes.
Riki was fairly quivering in nervousness as they walked the halls. Nishizono was out ahead, looking back and nodding at certain intervals. Kurugaya was holding his hand and guiding him forward. As resentful as he was toward her, Riki was glad she was next to him now. He knew she wouldn't let anyone else tease him, at least.
How did girls walk in these things anyway? Now that he was wearing it, the skirt seemed way too short. And the shoes! They click-clacked all over the hardwood floor. He wouldn't be surprised if he was waking up half the dorm with the noise they made.
Thankfully the halls were empty. It took forever to get there, but they eventually made it out of the dorm. Now he just had to cross the quad, sneak into his room and this whole thing would be behind him.
"I'm heading back, Naoe-san. Good luck." Nishizono said, somewhat mysteriously.
"Good luck? With getting back?" Riki asked uncertainly as she walked away.
"Most likely. That or your new life as a trap." Kurugaya said, laughing as she answered.
"Not funny." Riki muttered, blushing.
Kurugaya laughed and then snapped her fingers. She took something out of her pocket and stepped up to Riki. He could only freeze and look at her as she lifted his chin and brought something up to his lips.
"Your lips are chapped Riki-chan, let me fix that." Kurugaya said, tracing the tube over his lips.
"T-That's lip gloss!" Riki complained after she finished.
"It serves the same function. Now let's go." Kurugaya said firmly.
Riki felt himself being pulled forward as Kurugaya took his hand again. He could tell she had something planned. But it couldn't be that bad right? Everything so far was just teasing. Kurugaya was his friend, she wouldn't do anything to hurt him like that. Still, the feeling of foreboding increased.
They had reached the corner of the boy's dormitory when Kurugaya suddenly stopped and stepped behind Riki. He felt her hug him from behind and bring her lips right to his ear.
"Good luck, Riki-chan." Kurugaya breathed, before shoving him forward.
Riki stumbled around the corner, barely keeping his balance in his heeled shoes. What he saw in front of him however made him go as white as a ghost. Kyousuke was standing right there.
For about thirty seconds they both stared at each other wordlessly. Color slowly returned to Riki in the form of a blush. He wanted to say something, anything at all, but his mouth wouldn't make a sound. He wanted to run away a thousand miles from anyone he knew, but his legs were like jelly. All he could think of was Kyousuke. Right there. Seeing Riki in girls clothes.
Kyousuke recovered first. To Riki's fright, he stepped closer, and closer. In the past Riki spent an embarrassing amount of time looking at Kyousuke, but he never appreciated how much taller he was until now.
"So...this is what you wanted me to know?" Kyousuke asked, his tone gentle and a small smile forming on his face.
"W-W-W-What?" Riki stammered, barely able to get that single word out.
"You sent me a message, asking me to meet you here because you wanted to confess something." Kyousuke went on, now placing his hand on Riki's head, rubbing it gently.
The pure relief he felt at Kyousuke's action was hard to describe. Riki wasn't sure what he was expecting to happen, but the thought that Kyousuke didn't hate him was the best feeling he'd experienced so far tonight.
"I-I didn't..." Riki began, turning his head to look behind him. Of course, Kurugaya was nowhere to be found.
"It's okay Riki. I think you look very cute. If this is what you want to do now, everyone else and I will support you completely." Kyousuke said, still rubbing Riki's head and showing a gentle smile, the same smile he had on so long ago when Kyousuke offered him his hand.
Both then and now, that smile infused him with courage. Something that Riki would never have been able to do before was positively easy with that smile inspiring him. Riki knew that he had to do it now. There would never be a better chance.
"There's something else I need to confess." Riki said quietly, looking down at the ground at first but willing himself to be able to look Kyousuke in the eye.
"I love you. I've always loved you. I love everything about you. I don't know how you feel about me but I need to say it. I need you to know it...I love you!" Riki finished, looking right at Kyousuke.
Riki could feel Kyousuke's hand stop moving. That smile was gone, replaced by a look of surprise. Every second that went by without that smile sapped Riki's newfound courage. After about five seconds he couldn't take it anymore. Tears appeared in Riki's eyes and he tore away, wanting to run anywhere but here. He didn't even hear Kyousuke tell him to wait.
Riki wanted to keep running until he couldn't run anymore, but he didn't make it very far. He tried to run like he normally would, but he forgot he was wearing heels. He was only a few steps away when he tumbled to the ground, a shooting pain in one of his ankles and a scrape on his knee, though none of it compared to the pain he was feeling inside.
It was simply too much to handle. Riki started to sob helplessly on the ground, not knowing or caring about anything anymore, just wanting to cry. It was some time before he understood that he was being held protectively. That a hand was stroking his hair and that he was crying into someone's shirt. Riki took a shuddering breath and looked up at Kyousuke, who's eyes were red as well.
"I'm so sorry Riki. I wanted to say it earlier, I just didn't really believe it was happening. I love you too. I've loved you for awhile. I'm such a coward for not saying it earlier. I can't imagine what it took to confess, because I couldn't have done it." Kyousuke said, rambling a little and smiling at him.
Riki could only look in wonder. Kyousuke loved him back? Riki never dared hope that Kyousuke actually felt the same. The best he could imagine was being shot down gently and having things not turn weird. But Kyousuke loved him. He really did. And his face was coming closer.
Riki's eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen. He wasn't prepared for this! Not his first kiss with Kyousuke. He didn't know how to kiss. What if he messed up somehow?
All of those thoughts were driven out of his mind when he felt Kyousuke's soft lips touch his own. The amazing warmth he felt seemed to travel from his lips to his very being. At that moment Riki knew his heart belonged to Kyousuke forever. Kyousuke had given him his first kiss, and no matter what happened afterward, Riki would know who he belonged to. Finally, he felt Kyousuke's lips come off of his, and it was only then that he was able to think again.
"Cherry flavored. You're a great kisser, Riki-chan." Kyousuke said, adopting the more feminine term without thinking about it.
Riki blushed again. How was he ever going to look at Kyousuke again without blushing furiously. Even when he tried to think about other things, the feeling of being kissed kept intruding. Riki could see Kyousuke looking at his legs and unconsciously tried to tug his skirt lower. But Kyousuke wasn't looking there. He'd noticed Riki's swollen ankle.
"Riki-chan, does this hurt?" Kyousuke asked, putting a small amount of pressure on his ankle.
Riki felt a small thrill from Kyousuke's hand on his leg, but it was unfortunately swallowed up by the pain from his ankle. Wincing, he nodded.
"I see. We'll have to treat this then. Leave it to me." Kyousuke said, his normal smoothness entering his voice again.
Riki was about to ask what he was going to do when Kyousuke put his arms underneath his legs and back, lifting the smaller boy up effortlessly. Riki gave a tiny yelp of surprise, never having been carried like this before. He wrapped his arms around Kyousuke's neck and blushed once more. Being carried like some kind of princess made him burn with embarrassment, though a small part of him liked it.
Well, Riki thought, at the very least Kurugaya and Nishizono weren't around to see this. He hoped no one in the boys dorm would see him either, but knew he had no control over that. And that was okay, so long as Kyousuke was protecting him.
Kurugaya cheered silently as she watched Kyousuke carry Riki-chan away. She scouted out this spot earlier today while she was coming up with her plan. It offered a perfect view of the meeting spot while keeping out of sight from where they were. And the small microphone Kurugaya had swiped from Kyousuke's room and slipped into Riki's pocket let them see and hear everything that happened.
Despite her unruffled demeanor, Kurugaya was incredibly happy. Her plan worked almost perfectly. When Riki fell down, Kurugaya felt worse than she'd ever had in her life, horrified at what she thought she'd done to Riki. But it all ended well. Riki-chan and Kyousuke were an item, and what that meant for the Little Busters was a good question. For now, though, she could bask in the happiness she helped create.
"So do you think Kyousuke-kun will carry Riki-chan to Riki's room or his own?" Kurugaya asked idly.
Nishizono had been silent for some time. Kurugaya turned to see her reaction and saw she was sprawled out on the grass. Checking to make sure she was breathing, Kurugaya noticed Nishizono had a slight nose bleed. Maybe the scene was just too much for her. Laughing slightly, Kurugaya picked Nishizono up and carried her back to the girl's dorm.