Hidden Candy: Extra Bites

Chapter 15.2: Lovers' Spell

Author's Note: If you haven't noticed yet, I love just writing about Konata and Kuroi simply doing anything together. So this new installment is mostly another piece of my shameless indulgence into their everyday lives but it ended up being quite surprising and worthwhile. The next chapter after this will be important as it covers Kagami's feelings towards Konata that she revealed in chapter five, something I wanted to do and regret not doing. Anyway, this takes place before the Kanagawa trip and the couple are working overtime to prepare for it. Konata seems to be visiting Kuroi's house every so often to help out with food and what not, not today though.

"This is quite rare," Konata said as she clicked her mouse, opening her character's item inventory before aggroing a monster. Today she felt more active than ever, believing her body was celebrating the much needed break from work even if all she did was stay glued to her seat and play her favorite mmorpg, keeping a drink not too far away on the floor. It was typical for her to keep a message box open in the corner of the screen so Kuroi could send her texts but today they were communicating via cellphone, Konata using an ear piece as her phone recharged. "You're initiating the date." Konata continued. Click, a few thousand experience points were gained instantly, the monsters dead. No item drops though and she was looking for something specific. "Shoot."

"Bad luck with the game huh?" Kuroi amusingly asked. "Anyway, I want to start asking you to go out a lot more. You seem to always strike first and I don't want you to think I don't wanna be with you unless you ask. My wording's a bit weird but do you know what I mean?"

Konata leaned in towards the monitor and realized her hit points were plummeting. She had been poisoned so she quickly pressed the RUN icon and hid off in a corner of the cavern, using an antidote and drinking up several of her potions. "Yeah, I know what you mean. You just want to make sure I know you're raring to go out as much as I am. I don't mind either way, indoors or out as long as it's with you. Uh oh...I accidentally used the wrong potion. Now I'm Haste!" The otaku decided to go ahead and take advantage of the mistake, charging deeper and deeper into the cave until she found the nest of monsters spawning over and over. "I understand if you want to stay inside a lot though, you are getting older."

"H-how dare you!" Kuroi fussed out, loud enough for anyone without an ear piece to hear, sending her voice rumbling through those young ears of her girlfriend. Konata tightened herself in the slight pain-keep her mischievous smile on-and took off the device, keeping it a few inches from her ear with one hand as the other focused on the now overwhelming numbers in the game. Playing around with the older woman's weakness was proving to be fatal. "I'm only 27 and still kicking as much as any young person. I haven't even had a back problem yet!"

"Sorry, sorry!"Konata pleaded, assuming it was safe with that apology and putting the ear piece back on. "I was just teasing you know. I know how young you are, especially with that rack of yours."

"Now that's more like it! Maybe I'll get you something really nice when we go out. So how about it?"

"I was already up for it so count me in. What time can you pick me up or do you want to meet somewhere?" Konata asked. The enemies' numbers shrunk as the Haste effects died down, leaving just a couple left to defend the treasure which would have to make up for the immense lack of drops. "Wait...what's that?" Her eyes lit up as they focused in on the game. She noticed an item on the ground, sparkling every so often. Sending her character towards it as the attacks came flying, she picked it up and looked into her inventory. "Alright! Finally, the Dashing Ring is mine! After two hours of grinding and hunting I finally got it!"

"Are you serious?! The Dashing Ring? I've been wanting that forever; you're really hard working when it comes to this kind of stuff. What's the rarity for that, like 2 percent?" Kuroi asked, feeling happy just from hearing the small girl cheer on about it across the line.

The teacher had woken up that Saturday to a room void of more than just another person but lacking in excitement. She didn't really feel like doing much else especially since her on and off again relationship with Touhou was currently in off mode and television was never interesting except during baseball matches or with a Konata in her arms usually showing off a new anime. After some light exercises and a big breakfast she could only think about Konata and decided to act upon that, realizing that today, while lacking in singing birds but filled to the brim with relaxed sunlight and that lovely noonish silence that told you most of the world was taking it easy, was perfect for a date. Adding to perfection was the opportunity to build on the relationship and let free samples of her sweet feelings for Konata out for business by asking her on a date.

"Yeah, 2 percent," replied Konata. "Now all I've got to do is escape from this dungeon and I can put it in the bank. You can borrow it if you want sometime."

"Thanks. That's really nice of you."

"Well, I know you'll be careful with it. So what's the plan for the date? Pick me up or meet up somewhere?" She sat back in her seat and placed a bare foot against the rim of the desk, now easily wiping out the remainder of the monsters and exiting the cavern.

"Oh, I'll pick you up. We'll just walk to the train station and take a train to the city."

"I wonder if there's anything going on in Aki-"

"No Akiba. Not today little one. It's a nice, calm Saturday today. I'm in no mood to hang out at Nerd Central. Unless you're planning to buy something, I guess we could stop on over if that's the case."

"Nothing on my list really, got enough games to keep me busy for a while. I'll be ready by twelve so come over sometime after that. I'll go ask my dad if the coast is clear for me to go." Once she heard an OK she paused the game and walked into the living room where Sojiro was playing a racing game with Yutaka. Konata rested her arms on the back of the couch and watched, noticing the immense amount of attention the two were putting into their driving, it must have been close making her wonder if her fuzz faced father would really go all out against a sickly loli. Watching the go carts shooting out turtle shells and curving around corners for another minute, she realized he needed to go all out, her cousin was close to creating quite a large distance between her first place rank and his second.

"Come on, come on, come on," Sojiro muttered as he moved the Wii controller just like a regular steering wheel. Yutaka would smoothly swing into whatever direction she wanted and hardly ever touched the wall, a true racer and a sign that somewhere that gamer blood of theirs was flowing strongly in her. Konata wondered how well she would fare against the pink haired girl. "Darn it!" her father cried out. "I lost!"

"Yay, I did it!" cheered out Yutaka. "First place!"

"Good job Yu-chan, you really stuck it to dad." Konata proudly said. "He must be losing his touch and letting the new generation take over. Or maybe he's a sick masochist who enjoys letting lolis dominate him."

"How cold and untrue." he weakly said in opposition. "Yu-chan's turning out to be quite the gamer, maybe she should move on to something more brutal and complicated like fighting games or first person."

"Oh yeah, some horror would be nice." Konata added. "Silent Hill or Resident Evil. Maybe she prefers visual novels like Higurashi or Saya no Uta."

"N-no! I'm happy with these games!" Yutaka quickly said as she patted the pile of brightly colored CD cases, not wanting to dive too deeply into whatever mysterious world of nerdiness her two relatives had placed themselves in. Not knowing what they were talking about half the time didn't stop her natural instincts from warning her to not stray too far from her clean mind. "Is it alright if I play Super Mario World?"

"Go ahead." Sojiro said before turning to Konata. "Is everything alright? There looks like there's something you want to say Konata."

"Yeah, I just wanted to ask if it's alright if Nanako and I go out on a date today."

"I don't have any problem with that. You know you don't have to ask me about stuff like that, just tell me where you're going and with who and it's fine."

"I know, I just can't help it."

"How is everything going with her? She must be a bit stressed out from working so hard. You come plenty tired yourself," he asked curiously. It had been a while since he got himself updated about their relationship, today was more than perfect. Konata often spoke about the teacher at lunch or dinner but nowhere else. What worried him was how little she ever complained about Kuroi, such a thing he believed typical for a couple that close.

"Everything's great. I have to bring down my mischief by a whole ten levels because of how irritable she gets from working though." There we go, something bad, something imperfect, something that showed they weren't just swimming in love waiting to drown. "But she lets me do other stuff a lot more in exchange."

"Oh really? Like what?" The height in his voice leapt up like a child learning about Santa for the first time. Konata bit her tongue, finding herself in a trap of a situation. How does a daughter gently tell her father that the older woman she is dating is letting her play around with her bodily goods, kiss and snuggle and sleep with her in bed? The answer was simple. The daughter simply doesn't.

"Well…um, nothing much. I get to go on her computer and play her games like crazy but she only has a Playstation 2." Konata explained. The words tasted a tad bit unrealistic, she had to add some truthful spice. "Maybe some kissin'."

"I'm glad you two are getting along so well but don't think your father's some common fool. I know myself quite well which means I know a good deal about you. Kissing is an understatement if I have anything to say about it," he said, giving her a playful wink. Konata winked back and chuckled, reverting her eyes back to the television to see what Yutaka bravely took on next with Mario on Yoshi's back. To Konata's quick discovery, Sojiro's gaze did not leave her and an eerie, unstable aura was oozing out from them. She tried not to look into that gorgon stare but it continued pressing against her will, drawing her in. Caving in was quick and she turned back to check what curse was splattered on his face. It was the look of a scolded puppy. "Konata, my daughter…is it possible…you two have already made love?"

"D-d-dad!!"

"What's happening?" Yutaka asked in a panic, forgetting to pause the game before turning toward the scene behind her.

"N-nothing Yu-chan." Konata said. "Dad's just being weird again."

"Oh…okay." The petite girl returned to the game only to find Yoshi running about frantically and Mario the size of fruit. "Oh no! Those turtles got me when I wasn't looking."

"Koopas." Konata had to correct that grave error, even before addressing this now intense situation. Sojiro watched for every possible stutter, twitch and line in his daughter's face as she returned to his chaotic world. "Just to make it clear, we haven't done that yet Dad." He cut his eyes and leaned closer towards her. "Seriously. Nanako actually prefers if we wait a while longer and I've managed to resist the urge."

He sighed in relief, resting his weight against the back cushions of the couch. His daughter was still pure, at least in theory, but the inevitable was called the inevitable for a reason. Konata was a teenager in the tango of hormones and has spent most of her double digit life tasting samples of the carnal world. Should he ask her to tell him when it happens, he wondered. No, it wouldn't be proper. There were signs he could pick up on, he would have to rely on those. Konata shelved her chin onto her palm, letting her elbow slide along the top of the couch. "But we're going to have sex sometime or another. Could be real soon."

"Konata! Well…" he cleared his throat. "I can no longer be optimistic. The best I could do is give you the proper advice from my experience with your mother."

"Keep that in the reserves dad."

"This is vital information. Your teacher is a mature woman, she might try her best not to but could end up scaring you with her various tastes and routine."

"You're really jumping on the old abuse button today," Konata remarked. "I think I know enough to survive."

"It's not just survival, it's a celebration, and you have to be ready for everything!"

"You're being awkward. I'm going into my room now and don't follow me!" She ran off quickly, knowing he would follow with that disturbing blend of lolicon and fatherly resolve. It was time to utilize the door lock and blast him away with some music pumping via headphones, silencing the knocking on her door.

"Konata, we have to discuss sex! We've already had the talk but that's just the basics. Now its time for the advanced lessons!"

Yutaka rocked herself to and fro, eyes wide with uncertainty as the awkward words of sex and love making flew behind her. All she could do was keeping getting the golden coins and hum the Mario Brothers Theme song, to separate her mind from the physical world of sight and sound. "Just need to get the coins…just need to get the coins."

Noon came slowly to the Izumi family as the tension from the earlier bombardment of suggestive conversation faded like a bad odor in a room. Konata wisely decided it was best to hide out in her room until Kuroi came to pick her up, spending time with her games and even attempting to do homework simply for the sake of something to do. "Maybe this is a parental trick to imprison me in my room and make me do my assignments," she muttered to herself as she laid belly first on the bed, pencil in mouth and paper filled with calculus problems. Her attention span quickly ran thin against the quadratic equations, derivatives and excessive use of the letter e. "I'm going to get him back for all that sex talk." If only there was a class for mischief.

Checking the time, she tucked away the mathematics under her bed for the day and walked over to her closet. "Time to get ready for the date."

The front door trembled with knocking only a few breaths after, lighting up the mental fire alarm inside the otaku's head in the midst of her slipping into a pink shirt. "That's Nanako. Somebody get that, I'm changing right now!"

Yutaka took the initiative and stepped out of the kitchen, drying her hands with a cloth from the tea she just prepared. Sojiro busily jotted some story ideas on his notepad as his lunch of baked fish and rice with beans cooled off, choosing not to look into the eyes of the woman fated to snatch away his daughter's innocence. At first he was glad Konata was dating girls, it felt better that way. She wasn't in the hands of some dirty boy! But now it had all backfired as reality attacked him from behind.

"H-hello Kuroi-sensei," Yutaka nervously greeted, surprised by the overshadowing size of the blonde, her casual composure and fang only adding to the dormant wildness she emitted to others. She rarely ever went to her sister's class so Kuroi was basically a new person, a new adult in her life that she knew nothing about except that Konata liked her and if Konata liked her, she must have been strange.

"Hey, Yutaka-chan. You can call me Kuroi-chan you know."

"Oh, okay…Kuroi-chan."

"Is Konata ready for our date?"

"Yeah! Right here!" Konata called out as she hopped out of her room, putting the final shoe on her right foot, a large brown bag swinging from the left arm only making it more difficult. Kuroi instantly noticed the Vans shoes the little otaku wore; she thought it suited her well along with that large yellow polka dot star on her shirt. Konata walked up to her girlfriend and gave a salute. "Ready to commence a lovely date with sexy teacher."

"You look great Konata, especially cute today." A gentle pet to the head should add to the compliment. "Makes me want to ravage you."

Sojiro watched with a pout as his daughter turned back and smirked at him. "Who knows Nanako," she said, staring at him the whole time. "Maybe today you'll get lucky." Revenge obtained! Mischief points plus a million! Class upgraded to High Class Fox!

"Konata!!" he cried out as the couple stepped out.

"Hurry Nanako, we've gotta run!" Konata said, hopping down the porch steps and running out of the front yard. Kuroi pulled her hands out of her pants and followed suit, feeling her black jacket flap as excitedly as the small girl in front of her ran. Mr. Izumi swung open the front door only to see an empty yard with no daughter. All hope was surely lost; the speck of purity was now soaking into an ocean of carnality-as described in one of his infamous books.

Once the duo made it at the corner of the street they stopped to catch their breath, Konata relying on her knees and Kuroi to the closest streetlight. "Why…why did we have to run?" asked the teacher.

"My dad…he was being weird earlier so I had to get him back. Talking about sex and trying to give me advanced tips."

Kuroi stood tall and scratched her head. "What the heck goes on at your house?"

"He's freaking out because he realizes you and me are going to have sex at some point. To be fair, he asked me about it so this is what he gets. All is fair with life today." Konata happily stated.

"Heh…yeah. That does sound weird of him," Kuroi said, letting out a brief, unnatural laugh. Konata blinked once, that slow blink like a curtain closing on a stage at the end of a play, almost a form of art that spoke for itself.

"We are going to have sex eventually right?" Konata asked, chuckling immediately after at the notion. Her girlfriend could only nod and reply with a Yeah. Konata pressed herself against the tower of a woman and breathed gently. "Why not today? Any day would be special to me as long as it's with you. Let's go back to your place and cuddle up in your bed."

She was softly pushed away. "Settle down you cute speck," Kuroi replied. "It's hard for me to resist too. I'm just not ready yet."

"Come on, if we keep delaying it we might never do it."

Kuroi placed a finger against the otaku's lips, efficiently closing the gate. "Shh. No need to rush such things, let me enjoy your mind before I get your body. Besides, our lusts combined will ensure we get down to the skin trade later. Now what do you want to do?"

"You're leaving my young body frustrated you know. Just so you know, if any day with you would feel special…that really means I cherish you, you know?" Konata asked.

"Oh, how do you know that for sure? You've never had feelings like this before." Kuroi said with humor, shuffling around the girl's hair before walking to the edge of the sidewalk, checking for upcoming traffic. That amusement in her voice, that amusement, it sounded like mockery to Konata though she knew it wasn't intentional. She caught up with the teacher and crossed the street with her after getting a wave to do so. The silent spring-who knows when the birds and cicada stopped their song-crossed that street with them. Konata felt-after she said what she said-that some entity told everything to hush up just for her, so her statement would be the only thing in the world Kuroi could hear.

"I may not have had feelings like this before but I have had it some lower degree. Before you I used to like Kagami and sometimes it was really hard to control myself around her. The perverted things I wanted to do to her, to other people." This was confessed without giggle, snort or smile. Just that mature, collected smile that was never shown to the emotionally blind. It was a smile you could only feel, humming with experience and a drop of wisdom. "It's the same with you except much worst, my body and heart, my mind, oh and my ahoge…they tremble so much I don't know what to do with myself."

"I know that," Kuroi said, remembering those attracted eyes, that heated small body pressed against her.

"I might be bad sometimes but the one of the biggest differences between my feelings for you and the feelings I've had for others is that if I'm out of control, just a single word…well, even just a glance from you that told me to stop…it would always make me stop. Like a spell. And all I would think about is how I might have messed up and how to make you happy, make you smile no matter the expense."

Kuroi's step crossed over the sidewalk and the springtime chirps and hums returned, just the same as that enormous light lit up in her eyes returned, when she saw real potential in this relationship. Now she saw love, a deep undeniable love that made one sick just trying to lie about it and say it was an illusion. In fact, almost like a survival instinct, your mind told you not to even attempt to deny it.

"Probably a bit extreme but I really can't deny it." Konata said, rubbing the back of her head. "Besides my family, I've never cared for someone else so deeply. Gosh." Here came the blushes. "I'm acting so fluffy right now I could probably hug myself."

"You know, that's a big problem you have," Kuroi said, tucking her hands in her pocket. The two had forgotten they were on the other side of the road, that they had already crossed the street and were now standing on the edge of the sidewalk. Kuroi kept her eyes straight forward but they didn't perceive the world ahead of her, her sight was lost in a mist. "No matter where we are, no matter what we're doing you can always pop out with something really moving that just sweetens me up and makes everything so clear. Makes such a calm day like this so special"

Konata looked up at her as she paused to take a breath. "That's the spell you've got over me too Konata. The one that makes me want to break all the rules in my head and take you back to my place right now and pounce you in my bed. Heck," Kuroi turned towards the girl and locked her hungry eyes on her. "I might just do it now."

"Really?! You mean it?!"

"Hmm….not anymore. Mood's gone."

"What?! Oh come on, that's unbelievable, let's go to your place. The moment was just right."

Kuroi started walking off. "Nope, I just realized you got your father in a really weird mood with that prank of yours. Wouldn't want you coming back home all flushed and mysteriously filled with speechless happiness. He looks like the sort of person who can just look at a person and tell if they've had sex."

"That's your excuse? Come on, forget about him. Let's have sex!"

"Shh. Shh." The teacher said, pressing her fingers against the otaku's lips again. "Let me cast my spell on you."

"It doesn't work if you're just messing with me you know."

"This is a new upgraded spell of sexual resistance. Level Two." And Konata suddenly felt fingers dancing along her ribs.

"W-w-what?! Stop that, that tickles!"

"I'll tickle all that lust out of you, you blue piglet."

"Ahahahaha!!! Cut that out! I don't want to be tickled! I want…I want sex!!!"

"How about I buy you some manga when we see a store? Will that settle your libido for today? Or should I keep up this torture?"

"Yes…Yes!! Anything to stop this abuse!" cried out the otaku. Kuroi released her instantly from her grip, like letting a hooked fish back into the sea after stopping to take a photo with it. Konata needed just the same amount of air to catch her breath again, bending over as her freedom returned to her-the sexy mood sapped out through her laughs though she could feel another one burst of lust and romance lingering in her heart. That level two spell of resistance could only hinder her temporarily. "I'm lucky that Shonen Jump comes out early today. It's only one of the many manga you're going to buy me and don't think I won't try and get you into bed again today."

"Don't worry, I know you quite well. I'm prepared for the worst." That foxy otaku wouldn't dare let her opportunity slip away so easily.

The two continued walking afterwards, sparking a little conversation about whatever they could think up. Kuroi, in the back of her head, felt relieved Konata didn't try anything further until later. That spell of hers, the one chanted in that quick silence across the street, had sent her walls crumbling down. "Maybe I should make this Kanagawa trip really special." She thought to herself. "Konata and I…making love after so long."

If there was an element to label Konata's spell with, only poison would be suitable. Slowly seeping in, weakening all resistance, only curable with either time or a quick antidote-a small bottle with a paper around it that said "Konata Izumi…Love of My Life." But who needed an antidote right away? Kuroi wanted to enjoy the poison just a bit longer.


Kuroi: Wow, Shonen Jump sure has changed a lot since I was your age.

Konata: Yep, really hot stuff in it now. If you find a series you're interested in I probably have the series of volumes at home.

Kuroi: You're giving me another addiction to get hooked on you know?

Konata: Indeed I do.

Kuroi: So, any good sports manga in here?

Konata: Well…