Hey guys hollow flash here. Firstly, I'd like to apologize for how long this chapter took to get out. I won't give you any excuses, writers block and laziness make for a deadly combination. Hopefully the next chapter won't take any where near as long as this one to come out.
*A week later*
Ichika let out a yawn as he awoke, before reaching up and scratching the side of his face. Smacking his lips together, and cringing at the taste of his morning breath, Ichika attempted to get up in order to take care of his morning routine. Key word was attempted.
As he tried to sit up, he was suprised when an unfamiliar weight on his chest prevented him from doing so. Confused, he nearly jumped out of the bed when he noticed a mop of obsidian hair resting on his chest. Wondering who could be in bed with him, Ichika nervously brushed some of the strands of hair out of the mystery persons face. Upon revealing the persons identity, Ichika let out a sigh of relief as the stranger was revealed to be a sleeping Chifuyu. As the memories came back to him, he couldnt help but to smile at the decidedly adorable sight of his normally cold sister drooling on his chest, and Ichika attempted to shuffle out from underneath her. However, he realized he wasnt going anywhere when her nose crinkled cutely in discomfort before she buried her face further into his chest while letting out a funny sounding noise that sounded suspiciously like a drawn out "noooooooo". Sighing in exasperation(though the effect was ruined by the amused smile that was plastered on his face), Ichika decided that there were worse things he could be trapped under.
Since he wasnt going any where anytime soon, Ichika made him self comfortable before wrapping an arm around his snoozing sister and pulling her closer. When his shifting caused Chifuyu to move her head, revealing her face to his gaze once again, Ichika took the opportunity to study her.
He had always thought that his sister was an attractive woman, but right now he was realizing that he hadnt even been close. From her messy obsidian hair that resembled his own, to her sharp facial features, and her outrageous curves that even he had eyed from time to time, Ichika couldnt help but to think that she had to be one of the most beautiful women on the planet.
"She...she's gorgeous." He thought. Eyes widening at the realization, Ichika let a soft smile overtake his features when she let out a soft moan before snuggling deeper into his side. Happy that he was able to see this side of her, Ichika slowly reached up in order to softly stroke her hair. Feeling warm and content, Ichika's smile grew wider when she reacted to him by letting out a contented sigh.
As he watched her sleep, Ichika wondered, not for the first time, just what had instigated such a drastic change in his sister. Whereas before she had been cold and stand offish, now she was cheerful and affectionate. He'd be lying to himself if he said he didnt enjoy the change, but he couldnt help but wonder why. He knew it had something to do with what he said to her in the hospital, as that was when she had first started changing. While she had been clearly affected by his declaration, he didnt believe that the event was solely responsible for her transformation. He had noticed that she had gradually become less harsh as time went on, and had even seemed to enjoy whatever time they would spend together, but she still hadnt been as open with him as she was now. No, that was actually a recent change. He supposed that her change in attitude had to do with his efforts to cheer her up when she had reverted back to her original personality and ended the closeness they had just started to share.
He may be dense, but even he noticed that she wasnt at all happy with pulling away from him. Be it the lingering stares that she gave him when she thought he wasnt looking, or the various times he got the impression that she had been crying, he could tell that she had been miserable. Just as unhappy with her distancing herself, he had taken every opportunity to try and cheer her up. At first she had resisted, and would tell him to mind his own business or to leave her alone and bother someone else. One time, he had even gotten her so worked up that she had lashed out and told him that he was nothing but an annoyance. It had hurt him, but he didnt hold it against her because she had been just as suprised by her outburst as he was. She had realized what she said was wrong and had apologized for it, but if anything, she had distanced her self even more. He had took it as a challenge and had redoubled his efforts to end the depression that had settled over her. For a time his efforts yielded nothing, but eventually, his unwavering determination had begun to put cracks in the walls she had secluded herself behind. She would still scold him and tell him not to say things that would embarass her, but he noticed the discreet glances and hidden smiles she would send his way when she thought he wouldnt see. He guessed at some point she had given in to his efforts as she stopped hiding from him and began to travel the path that led their relationship to where it was now.
He had noticed the change when instead of scolding him, she had begun laughing at his stupid jokes, thanking him for his compliments, and spending more time with him in general. To his suprise, she had even begun to open up to him, and would share with him her insecurities and worries. To him it was like a dream come true, as he had always wished that he could be closer to her, and it seemed like that wish was finally being granted. As time went on, it wasnt uncommon to find the two of them cracking jokes at the others expense, or teasing each other over various things like real siblings should. He had been happy that she had finally let him in, and had finally become the sister he had always hoped for.
Looking down at her as she slept, his smile turned into a frown as he thought about how recently, she had changed once again. That wasnt to say he didnt enjoy the closeness he shared with her now, but even after she had opened up to him, she had never hugged him or told him that she loved him(in fact, he was fairly certain that the morning a week ago had been the first time she had ever said that to him.) No, something else had changed that had caused her to make the leap to the current level of intimacy that they shared now. He still remembered the way she had refused to let go of him, and had pleaded with him to hold her. The old Chifuyu would never have done something like that, and he aimed to find out why she would now.
Ichika was pulled from his musings however, when the topic of his thoughts began to stir. Letting out a tired yawn, Chifuyu sat up and begun to rub her eyes like a toddler. Finding the action adorable, Ichika let an amused smile cross his face as he watched her. Eventually, she soon lay her head back on his chest. Looking up at him with tired eyes, she favored him with a smile before greeting him.
"Good morning." She said from her spot on his chest. Lifting his arm and placing his hand against her cheek, Ichika's smile grew wider when she closed her eyes and nuzzled into it. Returning her greeting, he asked,
"Sleep well?"
"Fantastic." She replied immediately. Giving him a teasing smile, she said, "You make a great pillow, you wouldnt mind if I took you home with me right?"
Although her words caused him to blush, he decided that he wouldnt be outdone, so he said with a wink, "If I get to wake up to Chifuyu-nee again then no, I really wouldnt."
His words causing her to blush prettily and look away with a pleased smile, she punched him lightly on the shoulder before saying, "Idiot, dont say such embarassing things."
Despite her words, she couldnt deny that his admission made her happy. So, reminding herself of the decision she had come to the week before, she decided that now was as good a time as any to see what Ichika thought. Her smile fading, she opened her mouth to speak, but soon came to the realization that putting words to such a request was more daunting than she had expected. She kept attempting to make her request, opening her mouth to speak before quickly closing it, the combination of nervousness and embarassment causing her to falter. Eventually Ichika noticed her predicament, so placing a hand on her shoulder in concern, he asked, "Whats wrong Chifuyu-nee?"
Looking down at him, and noticing the concern and care his eyes held for her, she closed her eyes before taking a deep breath. Opening them, she made sure that they maintained eye contact before asking in a soft tone, "Do you mean it?"
Confused, Ichika raised his eyebrow in curiosity before asking, "What do you mean?"
Reigning in her nerves, she replied, "Did you mean what you said, about coming home with me?"
Wondering where she was going with this, Ichika replied, "Well yeah, but Chifuyu-nee, why are you asking me that?"
Taking another deep breath, she said meekly, "Well, Ive been thinking lately, that...that...um..." trailing off as she couldnt muster up the courage to finish her sentence, she instead settled for looking down at his chest, unable to look him in the eyes.
Seeing her falter causing him to realize that what she had to say was important, Ichika placed both of his hands on her shoulders before saying, "Please tell me Chifuyu-nee. Didnt I say you could tell me anything?"
His words filling her with some much needed encouragement, she let out a sigh before reinitiating eye contact. She was silent for a few moments, but when Ichika squeezed her shoulders and gave her an encouraging smile, she decided that it was now or never. Sitting up so that she was basically straddling him, she smiled down at him before saying, "I was thinking, that if you didnt mind, maybe...maybe you could move in with me?"
Her request the last thing he expected to hear, Ichika recoiled slightly before looking up at her in shock. He was about to instantly deny her request and ask her why she would ask him something like that, but he couldnt help but notice how she would send him hopeful glances before turning away, and how her body would shake periodically in nervous anticipation. Any words on why such a thing couldnt happen dying on his tongue, Ichika still held thoughts about denying her proposal, but thoughts about how great officially having her in his life was turning out to be, had him realizing that he wanted what she was offering. Coming to a decision, he smiled before taking her hands in his.
His happy smile turned into an amused one when she looked at him in suprise and her face turned a dark shade of red. Making sure her attention was on him, he said cheerfully with a smile, "I would love to Chifuyu-nee."
However, it was his turn to blush when she gasped and her face broke out into a bright smile. Squeezing his hands tighter, her voice conveyed how happy she really was when she asked him, "R-really?"
Ichika closed his eyes and nodded, the smile never leaving his face. However, his eyes opened widely in shock when Chifuyu, unable to contain herself, launched forward and captured him in a tight hug. Giving him a peck on the cheek, something that made both of them blush, she nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck before saying, "Thank you."
His suprise fading, his smile turned into a genuinely happy one before he wrapped his arms around her smaller frame. Caught up in the moment, he began to rub small circles into her back before saying, "You dont need to thank me Nee-chan, as long as you're happy, then so am I."
Her eyes shot wide open at his admission, before they closed tightly as she struggled to fight back tears. Hugging him tighter, her voice was thick with emotion as she said, "I love you so much Ichika."
Deciding he would never tire of hearing those words come from her, Ichika reached up in order to softly stroke her hair before replying, "I love you too, Nee-chan."
Although his saying so filled her with some measure of happiness, Chifuyu found herself frowning at the declaration. His words were ones that she desperately wanted to hear, but not in the manner he used them in now. No, she longed for the day when she would hear those words and be able to take solace in the fact that he meant it wholeheartedly and completely. For now though, she would just have to take comfort in the fact that it was her that Ichika was holding in his arms. Smile returning at the thought, Chifuyu yawned as she realized that being held by him was proving to be extremely comfortable. That, combined with the heat of his body, and the never ending stroking of her hair, soon had her dozing off.
For Ichika, his smile softened when he heard her breathing even out, signaling that she had fallen asleep. Feeling blessed that she trusted him enough to fall asleep atop of him, he hugged her tighter, but not hard enough to cause her any unwanted discomfort. Looking down at her peacfully sleeping and holding on to him as if her life depended on it, his face took on a determined edge, and he promised to himself, 'I promise that Ill do everything in my power to make you happy Onee-chan. As long as I get to see your smile, any amount of pain would be worth it.'
With that, he decided that since he wasnt going anywhere, he might as well join his sister in the land of dreams. Letting out a tired yawn in approval of the idea, the last thing on his mind before he succumbed to the sandman was his sister's face, set in the smile that he didnt know was reserved solely for him.
*A few hours later*
Ichika awoke with a start as result of the loud banging sound coming from his door. Sitting up with a yawn, he looked around drowsily to find that at some point during their slumber, Chifuyu had rolled off of him and was currently pressed into his side. Shuffling out from under her, he decided he should probably figure out who so urgently needed his presence. Walking up to the door, he opened it and had to hold back a wince when it revealed someone he would rather not speak to. Sighing, he looked up into the angry visage of one Houki Shinonono. They sat there for a time, her angrily glaring at him, and him pointedly staring at her. Eventually, the impromptu stalemate was broken when Ichika, tired of her refusal to speak, said,
"Is there something I can help you with Shinonono-san?"
He felt a little guilty when she winced at how he addressed her, but it was forgotten a moment later when her glare returned and she poked him painfully in the chest with her index finger.
"What the hell are you doing Ichika?", she spat out.
Confused, he gave her a look that conveyed as much before replying, "Um, sleeping?"
Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped in shock at his admission before her glare returned a moment later. Gritting her teeth, she said angrily, "Are you stupid or something? In case you havent noticed, you've missed the first three periods of class!"
Eyes widening slightly in suprise, Ichika looked up at the clock above his door to find she was right. Shrugging, he said uncaringly, "Huh, so I have."
Not expecting such a response, her jaw dropped once again. They lapsed into silence after that, her staring at him incredulously with that slackjawed expression on her face. Eventually, Ichika grew tired of it,so after awkwardly scratching his cheek, he said,
"Soooo, if thats all you came here for, then if you'll excuse me, Id rather be in bed."
His words causing her jaw to snap closed, her glare returned tenfold before she pressed her index finger into his chest again.
"You cant just sleep in all day Ichika! Especially when I went through the trouble of looking for you. What am I supposed to tell the others?" She ranted.
Yawning in boredom, Ichika shrugged uncaringly before replying, "Sounds like a personal problem. Now, if thats all you came here for, I would appreciate it if you would leave."
Offended, she scoffed angrily and gave him a disgusted look before stalking off down the hallway. Shrugging at her attitude, Ichika turned around with the intention of closing the door behind him, but his eyes widened and his body went rigid when a feminine voice moaned out his name from within the confines of his dorm. Turning around slowly, he hoped that he was the only one who heard it, but unfortunately that was not the case. Upon turning around, he cringed when he saw that Houki had frozen in place in the hallway. Closing his eyes in defeat, he sighed before thinking to himself, 'Fantastic'.
After making sure she hadnt imagined it, Houki quickly turned around and just as quickly made her way back to him. Leaning in close, she seethed, "Ichika, what the hell was that?"
Growing tired of her attitude, he suprised her by returning her glare and, speaking in low tone, said, "I dont see how thats any of your business."
Her mouth dropped open in shock at his words, but her anger clouded her judgement, and she yelled his name angrily before summoning the katana of her IS. Getting into her battle stance, she swung it at him as hard and as fast as she could. For any normal man, the attack would have killed them before they could blink, but for Ichika, who knew all of her techniques, it was as if her attack was moving in slow motion. Not even bothering to summon a weapon of his own, he suprised her by using the metal bracelet that represented his IS to deflect her attack. Since they were in the enclosed space of his doorway, his parry caused her katana to imbed itself into the doorframe.
Athough the action suprised her, without missing a beat, she quickly summoned her other katana. She smirked when Ichika's eyes widened, as there was no time for him to block her next attack, but it dissapeared and was replaced with a look of suprise when a hand shot out over Ichika's shoulder and grabbed her wrist.
Both teens stood in shocked silence, until Ichika turned around to reveal a very angry looking Chifuyu. However, he was glad that her glare wasnt directed at him, as her ire was fully centered on Houki. For Houki however, she was about ten seconds away from pissing herself. Feeling so very small under the gaze of the most respected woman in the world, she attempted to give some form of apology, but was interrupted when the woman dubbed as the "Instructor" began to speak.
"Shinonono," she started "care to tell me why you have not only violated academy policy by summoning your IS ,even partially, without authorization, but are also irresponsibly wielding it to attack another student?"
Cringing at the eerily calm tone of voice her teacher was using, Houki tried to stammer out a response. Unfortunately for her, no words would come to her. So, unable to find her voice, she settled for staring at her feet. When it became clear that the girl wasnt going to answer, Chifuyu pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance before saying, "I see. In that case, since you have failed to give me a suitable response, Im afraid that Ill have to suspend your right to wield your IS. In the meantime, you are to join Orimura, Alcott, and Huang in the detention unit until I deem it fit to return it to you."
Houki's head shot up as she prepared to protest, but her words died on her tongue when Chifuyu gave her a harsh glare as if daring her to say otherwise. Sighing in defeat, she looked back down at her feet before saying meekly, "Hai, Sensei."
Nodding in satisfaction, Chifuyu held out her hand expectantly. Sighing once again, Houki unwrapped the gold and silver bells that represented her IS from around her wrist before placing them in Chifuyu's hand.
Taking them, Chifuyu nodded before saying, "Now then, you may return to class."
Expecting the girl to obey and immediately take off, Chifuyu found herself suprised when Houki's eyes widened and she seemed to realize something. For Houki, she just now realized that not only had Chifuyu emerged from Ichika's room, but her state of dress wasnt one suitable for a teacher. In fact, her eyes widened further when she recognized the white tshirt and sweat pants the woman was wearing as belonging to Ichika. Her mouth dropping open, her mind began to supply her with indecent theories on why Chifuyu had apparently been sleeping in Ichika's room, as she also noticed the severe case of bedhead and the drowsy expression that the older woman sported.
Fighting down the blush that threatened to appear on her face as a result of her overactive imagination, Houki plastered on an innocent smile before asking in a tone just as innocent,
"Pardon me Sensei, but I was sent here because it was decided that Ichika would be the most likely to know where you were. Am I correct in assuming that you have been here with him?"
Her suspicions only grew when the normally straightlaced woman actually blushed, and shifted uncomfortably before saying, "Y-yes, you would be correct."
Although the smile never left her face, Houki's voice conveyed her increasing anger when, in a less than polite tone, she said tersely, "Why?"
Chifuyu, caught off guard by the unexpected line of questioning, could only look away as she struggled to come up with a suitable answer. Although she could just tell the girl that it wasnt her business, she knew that doing so would only make her more suspicious of the nature of the relationship she shared with Ichika. She was aware that all five girls had somehow misconstrued her warning about gaining her approval to date Ichika into some impromptu competition to gain his attention the fastest, with her as a competitor. She had intended to set them straight, but let it be when she realized that it only served as motivation to make them work harder to get Ichika to notice them. However, now that she actually was a competitor, 'And currently in the lead.' she thought with some satisfacfion, she would need to handle situations like this delicately. Unfortunately, she was having a difficult time coming up with a decent excuse.
Meanwhile, although on the outside Houki appeared calm, within the confines of her mind, Houki was seething with rage.
'That bitch!', she thought. 'She took advantage of Ichika pulling away from us to make her move. I bet she already slept with him!'
As she continued to rant to herself about the indignaties of Chifuyu supposedly sleeping with Ichika, the third member of their little entourage decided to remind them of his presence. Ichika, noticing the small tells that indicated when Houki was about to explode, and the fact that Chifuyu was still having trouble answering Houki's question, spoke up, saying,
"I believe I can answer that question."
He faltered slightly when both women gave him a deadpan stare, but after clearing his throat, said, "I invited Chifuyu-nee over to eat dinner with me last night, and she stayed later than either of us expected. So I offered for her to stay the night."
Houki, not so easily convinced, gave him a suspicious glare before replying, "Then why did both of you not show up for class?"
Taking advantage of his reputation as not exactly the smartest guy, he put on an sheepish smile and awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. Closing his eyes to complete the effect, he said in a mildly embarassed tone, "Um... I kinda...forgot to set my alarm."
Houki gave him one last suspicious glare, but decided that it was something that Ichika would do, so didnt argue. Still, she found it strange that a person as business oriented as Chifuyu didnt seem too upset that she had apparently missed a quarter of the day. Frowning, she let out a displeased huff and ground out a terse, "Fine." before turning around and making her way down the hall. Once she had finally disappeared around the corner, the two siblings let out a collective sigh of relief before retreating to the dorm room.
Once inside, Chifuyu let her dislike of the girl known when her face twisted into an angry scowl and she said angrily, "Bitch!". Letting out an annoyed huff, she sat down on the bed before crossing her arms over her chest, clearly displeased. Once she had gotten situated, she gave Ichika a pointed glare before saying, "So, care to tell me what the hell that was all about?"
Ichika winced at the obviously angry tone of her voice, but never the less answered, if a bit meekly.
"She said she was looking for me." He said.
Chifuyu rolled her eyes, before she replied, saying, "I know that. I meant why did she attack you?"
Nodding his head in understanding, Ichika replied, "Oh that. Well, I guess you could say I provoked her."
Raising an eyebrow in interest, Chifuyu asked, "Oh? How so?"
"Really I was just being an ass.", he admitted. Continuing, he said, "When she told me that I had missed class, I acted like I didnt care. And then when she heard you say my name in your sleep, I told her that it wasnt any of her business." But as he remembered the way she had lashed out at him, his shoulders tightened and he let out a deep sigh when he said, "I didnt intend for her to attack me, but she did anyway."
Noticing his change in demeanor, Chifuyu's face softened when she heard the obvious hurt in Ichika's voice, so deciding he needed her support, stood before him before placing a hand on his shoulder. Hoping her eyes conveyed her understanding, she gave him a supportive smile when he turned to look at her. Touched by the gesture, he returned her smile with his own, but he wasnt finished, as he said, "But really, Im glad that she did."
Suprised, Chifuyu gave him an inquisitive look before asking, "What do you mean?"
Letting out a meloncholic sigh before answering her, he said, "Because it just proves that I was right to pull away from them. She may not have realized it, but she just proved that any one of them could lash out at any moment. Even Charlotte was prone to attack if I did something that made her angry."
Slumping down in a nearby chair, he let out another sigh before turning to Chifuyu with a sad smile. Taking in her worried expression, his smile turned into a slightly happier one as he was touched by her concern. Letting that thought fill him with warmth, he never the less continued, saying, "It just sucks you know? Even though Im right, I cant deny that we've had some good times together. But despite that, I cant just ignore how they treat me."
His frown returning, he turned to her in order to ask, "What am I supposed to do Chifuyu-nee?"
With the spotlight being put on her, Chifuyu began to put some thought into it. On one hand, she could use this opportunity to influence Ichika into shutting them out of his life for good, clearing the way for her to snag him for herself. Although the idea was tempting, she decided that doing so would be wrong and selfish. Despite the fact that they had clearly crossed a line, they were still his friends. They deserved a second chance to make amends with Ichika. So, even though she was sure she would come to regret it, she sighed before looking to Ichika and saying, "I think you should give them another chance."
To his credit, Ichika didnt recoil in shock or even look very much suprised at all, instead, he merely gave her a cursory glance before asking, "Why?"
Letting out another sigh, as with each word she spoke she felt like she was digging deeper into her own grave, Chifuyu replied, saying, "They're your friends right?" When Ichika nodded, Chifuyu continued, "Dont get me wrong, Im not excusing their actions or saying you're wrong, but I dont think cutting them out of your life was the best idea. They're teenage girls, they dont know whats the right way to go about a relationship, especially with a boy. So instead of dropping them like a rock, you should explain to them what they did wrong, what they need to do to gain your forgiveness, and how they should work on improving their behavior. This way, you can keep on being friends, but without the added stress of trying to figure out which one is going to lash out at you."
Finishing her sentence with a smile, Chifuyu hoped that she had been helpful, as even though she was enjoying the one on one time she had been granted, she didnt enjoy seeing him upset during it.
For Ichika, he was seriously considering her words. Deciding that she was right, he favored her with a grateful smile before saying, "Yeah, you're right. But how am I supposed to talk to them? Houki most likely doesnt want to see me right now, and the others are bound to be upset."
"Just let them sit for now. They can go a few days without you." Chifuyu replied, a hint of jealousy entering her voice.
Noticing it, Ichika couldnt stop himself from letting out a small chuckle, causing her to flush and look away with a his laughter died down and his amusement faded, he stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder in gratitude before saying, "Thank you for talking to me Chifuyu-nee. It really helped."
His words causing her previous indignation to dissapear, Chifuyu's face softened and she turned to face him. Reaching up, she placed her hand atop the one he had placed on her shoulder and gave him a small smile. Speaking, she said, "What kind of sister would I be if I let my little brother be miserable? You dont need to thank me Ichika, I know you would have done the same."
Ichika felt suprised when her words filled him with a warmth he couldnt describe. Acting on it , he suprised her by wrapping her up in a hug. She stiffened and her eyes widened at the unexpected contact, but she relaxed a moment later when he said, "Im happy that we can talk like this. These past few days spent with you have been great."
Returning the hug in response, she pulled back slighty in order to look him in the eyes as she said, "I think so too."
With the good feelings that they instilled in one another coursing through them, both siblings couldnt help but be affected by their closeness. As they stared into eachother's eyes , Chifuyu felt her face begin to heat up when Ichika's smile disappeared and his gaze became more intense and focused, staring at her as if he was in a trance. Unable to look away, she felt her breath hitch in her throat when he softly whispered her name and slowly began to lean forward. His actions causing her heart to start beating erratically, she decided not to fight the moment and, after closing her eyes, began to lean forward too. As they drew ever closer, Chifuyu couldnt describe how she felt as she realized what she so desperately wanted was finally within reach. Unfortunately, both siblings eyes shot wide open and they immediately jumped away from eachother with bright red faces when a knock was heard from Ichika's door.
The two stared at the door for a time, but when another, more insistent knock was heard, Ichika broke the silence when he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head and said, "Um...I should probably go see who that is."
Chifuyu gave him a weak smile and nodded, but he noticed how the smile didnt reach her eyes. Sighing, he slowly made his way to the door, thinking along the way that he had nearly made a huge mistake.
'I cant believe I almost kissed her!' he thought to himself. As he walked,he began to feel a fresh bout of self-loathing as he thought about how he may have nearly ruined his relationship with his sister forever. Despite his thoughts, a part of him couldnt help but to remember how she had made no effort to pull away. However, it was decided that it was something he would have to dwell on later, as a third knock was heard, louder than the first two. Sighing once again, he put on a fake smile, but those that had spent any extended amount of time with him would easily be able to recognize it as such. Opening the door, his eyes widened slightly when it revealed the glasses-wearing Maya Yamada. She jumped upon seeing him, and she blushed a bright pink when she realized who had opened the door. Opening her mouth to speak, she quickly closed it again when no words managed to escape. Trying again, she only succeeded in repeating her previous attempt. Growing embarassed, she tried again and again, but none of her attempts were successful.
Ichika watched with some amusement at the green-haired woman's shy personality, but grew concerned when her face began to turn the brightest shade of pink he had ever seen. Panicking slightly, he spoke up, saying in a worried tone, "Um, Yamada-sensei. Are you alright?"
His words snapping her out of her stupor, she looked up at him in suprise before she gave him a sheepish smile.
"Sorry about that," she said. "You just suprised me is all."
"No problem," Ichika replied "but, if you dont mind me asking, why are you here?"
Hearing his question, Maya's eyes widened and she suddenly pointed her finger in the air.
"Oh right!" She exclaimed "I was wondering if you would happen to know where Orimura-sensei is, she didnt come...in...today..."
Trailing off as she finally noticed the woman she was looking for in the background, the green-haired woman's eyes widened when they took note of something. Firstly, the mystery over why neither Ichika or Chifuyu had shown up for class was explained in a way that had the mousy woman's mind reeling. Her mind coming up with less than innocent theories on why her favorite pair of siblings had apparently spent the night together, Maya Yamada's face shifted into one of extreme amusement. Taking note of Chifuyu's untidy appearance and state of dress, Maya laughed perversely in her head with a self-satisfied smile on her face, and her tone conveyed just how amusing she found the situation when she said, "I see. My apologies, I didnt know I was intruding on a private moment."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Chifuyu's jaw dropped open at what had just been implied, before she sent the woman a harsh glare in response. Sadly for her, it only served to elevate her colleague's amusement even further. Deciding to take her leave, Maya bowed lowly at the waist before saying, "Pardon my intrusion. I hope you can forgive me."
Once she had finished speaking, she quickly turned heel and ran down the hallway, fast enough that neither brother nor sister had a chance to stop her.
Meanwhile, Ichika, having no idea what had just happened, scratched the side of his head confusedly while staring down the hallway his teacher had just disappeared down into. Voicing his thoughts, he spoke in a tone that conveyed his astonishment and said, "Um... okay?"
Turning to Chifuyu, he gave her an expectant look before saying, "Mind explaining to me what just happened?"
Although she was still majorly peeved at her fellow teacher, Chifuyu decided that there was no point in getting worked up over a woman who was no longer there. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Chifuyu directed her attention to her clueless little brother and said, "Dont mind her, she just has some undiagnosed mental problems."
Ichika let out an amused snort in response, but still curious, asked, "So why did she react like that when she saw you? It was like she was laughing at a joke that only you two are aware of."
Pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance, Chifuyu spoke in a slightly guarded tone while saying, "That woman just has strange ideas about the nature of our relationship."
The statement causing his brow to rise in intrique, Ichika found the little tidbit of information too interesting to ignore. Commenting on it, his voice conveyed his interest when he asked her, "Oh? How strange are we talking here?"
Chifuyu however, wasn't to keen on answering that question, so attempted to change the subject.
"It's nothing. Now, instead of worrying about her, we should worry about what we're gonna do now. We've already missed a quarter of the day, so it doesn't make much sense to go to class now. Any ideas?"
Ichika noted her avoidance of the question, but respected her lack of desire to answer it, as it had the potential to be an uncomfortable topic. So, he dropped it in favor of answering the question she had just presented him with.
"Wanna help me pack? After all, if we're moving in together, I gotta bring my stuff."
Chifuyu's eyes widened at the reminder of what they had agreed upon that morning, before her face broke out into a happy smile. Turning to Ichika, she nodded her head in acceptance to his question with far more exuberance than she had meant to show.
Ichika returned her smile in response, before saying "Great!". He meant to say more, but was interrupted when both of their stomachs let out simoultaneous growls. They both jumped in response to the funny sounding noise, before staring at eachother in bewilderment. Amused by the situation, Chifuyu couldnt stop the small giggles she let out in reaction to the sound, and Ichika found he couldn't help but to laugh too.
After a few moments of laughing, they both managed to calm down enough to speak. Looking up, Ichika favored her with another smile before asking, "Breakfast?"
Quickly nodding her agreement, as she would never pass up Ichika's cooking, Chifuyu decided that she should probably get cleaned up. Walking over to the bathroom door, she turned back to Ichika to say, "I'm gonna use your shower, okay?"
Ichika merely grunted his acceptance in response, because now that the idea of breakfast was in his mind, he was focused on searching through his cupboards for ingredients. Seeing that was all she was going to get out of him, Chifuyu turned around in order to open the door before stepping inside.
Now that she was inside, Chifuyu walked over to the sink in order to use the mirror to see how she looked. She felt a mild sense of embarassment when she saw how messed up her hair was, which was also compounded with the fact that both Houki and Maya had seen it. Regardless, it could be easily fixed, so she set about doing that.
Reaching down, she quickly pulled the tshirt she had borrowed over her head. Once that was done, she pushed down the sweatpants she wore until they had pooled at her feet. Stepping out of them, and left in her black lace bra and panties, Chifuyu once again began to inspect her appearance.
Starting at her hips, she trailed her hands up her body until they were just under her breasts. Giving them a light squeeze, she felt a measure of pride at just how big they actually were, and noted with some satisfaction that the only women she knew who rivaled hers were Maya's, and to a lesser extent, Houki's. Counting it as another advantage over the other girls with similar interests in her brother, Chifuyu reached behind her in order to undo the clasp that kept the article of clothing attached to her. Letting the bra fall away to join the rest of her clothing on the floor, Chifuyu didn't waste anymore time inspecting herself as she quickly pulled off her panties as well.
Now completely naked, she made her way over to the shower before turning it on. After waiting for it to heat up to a desirable temperature, she stepped inside before closing the curtain behind her. Finally within the shower, Chifuyu couldnt stop the satisfied groan she let out in response to the warm water cascading over her form. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back and let the water run through her hair in order to get it ready to clean. Once she was satisfied, she grabbed the bottle of shampoo and squeezed some of its contents into her hand. Having done that, she rubbed it together with her other hand in order to work up up lather, before bringing her hands to her hair. Running her hands through it, she massaged the shampoo into her scalp. As she did so, she began to let her mind wander, as she often did when she took a shower.
Thinking over the events that had happened since she had been so rudely awakened, Chifuyu couldn't keep the frown off of her face when she thought about the little skirmish in the hallway. It always baffled her how all of Ichika's female friends thought it was okay to attack him when he upset them. Though she couldn't help but to feel bad as she had been guilty of it as well, though more often than not he had actually deserved it, and she had never attacked him with a freaking IS. Still, she supposed it probably had to do with Ichika's lack of resistance. He had never been one for fighting, so he probably just figured that it was better to just take the beating so it could be forgotten about instead of escalating it into a drawn-out conflict, just like what was happening now.
She couldn't help but to be proud of him however, as not only had he proved that he could grow a backbone if he wanted to, but he had also proven that he was more capable in combat than he let on. It made her wonder how strong he actually was, as it wasn't the first time he displayed a sudden increase in skill, such as the time he had defeated Laura when she was overcome by the Valkyrie Trace System in a single strike. And that was with the added handicap of not having access to his IS. The memory also served to fill Chifuyu with warmth, as she recalled the he had only done so on her behalf.
Still, she realized she was getting off track, so returning to the original topic, her frown returned as she recalled how Ichika had said that Houki was openly hostile from the get-go. While it was true that Ichika himself hadn't been much better, the fact that Houki had reacted to his pulling away with anger, had Chifuyu wondering if getting them to reconcile would be more difficult than she had previously anticipated.
Deciding it was something that required Ichika's input, Chifuyu shifted her focus on the other event that had happened. The memory causing her to grit her teeth, she decided she was really getting tired of her green-haired colleague's antics. The woman had always had an unnatural fixation on Chifuyu's relationship with her brother , and it seemed now that they were growing closer, her interest was only increasing.
That fact served to worry Chifuyu, because if she were to begin a relationship with Ichika, the risk of Maya finding out would likely be pretty high. Though Chifuyu did wonder if Maya finding out would be a bad thing. The woman didn't seem to be adverse to the idea of Chifuyu being with Ichika, and if anything, seemed to support it. Her reaction to finding the two of them together seemed to support this, as instead of disgust or revulsion, the woman had reacted with amusement, as if she had discovered a theory of hers had been proven correct.
Thinking on it, Chifuyu decided that if somewhere down the line the woman did indeed find out about the potential relationship, then she would question her on what her motives were, and if she proved to be a detriment, well lets just say Chifuyu has ways of ensuring someone's silence.
Nodding her agreement to the plan, Chifuyu decided to let her mind wander to whatever topic seemed interesting. After a while, she wasn't suprised when her libido took the reigns and her mind began to conjure up the perverted scenarios she had become used to.
Despite her desire to indulge in some much needed stress relief, she recognized that she wasn't in the privacy of her own shower. The last thing she needed was for Ichika to wonder what was taking her so long and come to investigate. Though a part of her did find the idea at least a little appealing.
Although tempting, Chifuyu decided that she wanted to do this right. She wanted him to know how much he meant to her, both as a sister, and as a woman. She wanted him to know her feelings, and though the thought hurt, she also wanted him to have the opportunity to reject her. Though now she held no doubts in her mind on how badly she wanted to be with him, she still recognized that a relationship between them could have far reaching consequences should it ever be discovered. She didn't want him to have to go through that, so if he rejected her, then she wouldn't argue.
With that though in mind, Chifuyu's face gained a determined edge as she decided that she would do everything in her power to make sure it didn't come to that. Now that she had taken the first big step in her quest to be with him, she would take full advantage of it to prove to Ichika her love for him.
