References – Love Hina manga/anime
Disclaimer (again): I do not own Love Hina. It belongs to its respective owners.
Chapter 7: Up the Hole, and Then Down
Before tasting it, Mitsune blew on the small spoonful of hot curry sauce. He rolled the last bit of it around his mouth and tongue, savoring the flavor.
"Not bad," he decided, looking up at Naru.
"Thanks."
"Kaoru, write this down." Eagerly, Kaoru raised the notepad and pen he had resting on his lap, onto the dinner table. "Overall, the curry is fine, although nothing special. It has none of the rich texture and slightly sweet twist of Shinobu's curry, for instance."
"This is the first time I've cooked something-"
"However," Mitsune cut her off, "however, Naru's curry stays within its bounds. Compared to Kaoru's curry, Naru's tries to cater to everyone at the table, instead of violently assaulting everyone's taste but their own." Next, he tried the rice. "Also, the rice is dry." Naru gave him a look before resuming her dinner. "Do you have all that?" he asked Kaoru. In response, he nodded. Mitsune looked around the table at his fellow residents, seeing most of them ignore him. "Kaoru, could you comment on Naru's curry for us?" Saluting Mitsune, he grabbed his spoon, got a spoonful of curry and rice, and put it into his mouth, all in one smooth motion. Kaoru closed his eyes tightly and chewed the food vigorously, holding his fists up in anticipation.
"It's…tongue-burning!"
"Ok, let's drink a lot of water now," Mitsune advised Kaoru, taking his glass of water and pouring it into Kaoru's wide open mouth.
"Are you ok?" Makoto asked, sitting next to Kaoru. "We keep telling you to blow on hot foods before eating them."
"Mmmhmm."
"Moving on…" Mitsune continued, "Makoto, what is your opinion on tonight's curry?" As expected, Makoto kept his head down and ignored him, eating his meal.
""No…comment,"" Kaoru said out loud, while writing out the words on his notepad.
"Naru, any comments?" Sitting opposite of Makoto, Naru stared Mitsune down with an annoyed look.
""I…want…to…punch…you…in…the…face,"" Kaoru determined, scribbling his own phrase down verbatim.
"What?" Mitsune asked, looking at Kaoru in disbelief. "No. I told you to stop judging what people say from the way that they look at me."
"I'd say that he's pretty accurate in his reading," Naru retorted.
"Actually…" Mitsune ignored her, "I'm getting something here…" He leaned slightly over the table, peering deeply into her eyes as she continued to stare at him. "She's saying…"I am attracted to you."" Mitsune leaned back into his chair, content with his assessment.
"Oooooo," Kaoru cooed, scratching out Naru's original "comments." "Now that you say that, I can really see it."
"Can't you?" Mitsune asked. "Damn." He shook his head, with a surprised smile on his face. "This was unexpected."
"Mitsune?" Kaoru asked, trying to get his attention.
"Hmmm? Oh. Right, right. The comments." Now, he looked to Shinobu, who sat to Naru's left. "Our cooking expert. Always an honor: Shinobu Maehara, ladies and gentlemen." He applauded, along with Kaoru. Shinobu confidently gave him a condescending look, which was rare, given his shy manner. However, to his surprise, Naru applauded as well, making him blush.
"Thanks," he said awkwardly to Naru.
"Well, it's the least I could do; you make such great food," she gushed. "It's the best food I've ever tasted. Seriously. Heck, it's better than my mom's." Shinobu chuckled.
"Heh, ok. Thank you, Naru."
"Now Naru's saying "I am attracted to you" to Shinobu," Kaoru said, continuing to write down his observations.
"Uh, no. I was just trying to say that I really appreciate his cooking. That's all." Mitsune and Kaoru both glanced at her skeptically, and then looked at each other.
"Right," Mitsune remarked. Naru rolled her eyes. "Anyway, Shinobu, what do you think about Naru's curry?"
"Ummm, it was really good. Yeah, I liked it."
"Liar," she scoffed playfully.
"No, I'm not lying," he said. "It was really good."
"Well, thanks," Naru said, "I really appreciate that."
"You're welcome," Shinobu managed to blurt out, playing with his curry. As he looked up, he noticed Mitsune and Kaoru giving him looks of approval, as well as amusement. Shinobu then looked around the table, and noticed that everyone else did the same. He even caught Makoto looking at him. "Excuse me," he mumbled, quickly getting up from his seat and leaving the dining room. For a few moments, an awkward silence settled over everyone.
""It was really good,"" Kaoru said, and wrote, out loud.
"All right," Mitsune began, "and now, finally, we have Keitaro." He glanced at Mitsune as he ate another mouthful of his meal. "Care to comment?"
Chewing over the curry and rice, Keitaro looked over at Naru, and saw that she was looking at him as well.
"Sure," he replied, reaching for his glass of water. "I thought, for a first try, that it wasn't…half-bad." Naru raised an eyebrow while he sipped from his glass. "Not bad at all."
"Thanks," Naru said. Keitaro nodded, getting up from his seat.
"No problem," Keitaro returned.
"Where are you going?" Mitsune asked. Keitaro looked at him blankly.
"I'm finished." He pointed to his empty bowl. "Makoto left just now, while we were talking." Sure enough, they looked over at Makoto's seat and found that he was gone.
"That bastard," Mitsune muttered, "he didn't even excuse himself from the table."
"Oh well," Keitaro exclaimed. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to my room."
"I excuse you," Mitsune granted, as if he was a king. As he walked away from the table, Keitaro rolled his eyes and groaned.
"See you later, Naru."
"See ya." With Keitaro gone, Naru turned to Mitsune and Kaoru with a perplexed, yet amused look on her face. "Mitsune, what exactly are you doing? What is this, some cooking competition?"
"Sort of," he replied. "Obviously, it's really nice that Shinobu can cook these amazing meals for us every day. But, along the way, we started thinking that it wasn't really fair to him; we thought that everyone of us should do the cooking, at least one day out of the week. So, I came up with a sort of…cooking evaluation."
"Ah."
"I decided to evaluate each resident on their cooking skills. After all the evaluations were made, we would decide to give the best chef, besides Shinobu, the most chances to get picked to cook for that one day out of the week."
"Like a drawing? Names out of a hat?"
"Yeah. For example, if Keitaro was the second-best chef here, he'd have a…four-out-of-ten chance of cooking breakfast and dinner in place for Shinobu. Sometimes, even lunch."
"And if I was the third-best," Kaoru added, "I'd have a three-out-of-ten chance of cooking for everyone." All of a sudden, Mitsune started coughing and hacking, his tongue hanging out.
"You ok?" Naru asked. Mitsune nodded.
"Yeah. I just…had a bad reaction there, for some reason. Gag reflex." He waved her off. "I'm fine."
"Next," Kaoru continued, "Makoto might get a two-out of-ten chance, and then Mitsune would only get a one-in-ten chance of cooking."
"How do you decide? Do you actually draw names out of a hat?"
"Yup," Kaoru answered.
"So, that's why you guys are doing all of this." Naru leaned closer, gazing at Kaoru's notepad. "How do I look so far? Am I the worst chef?"
"You're fine. You're in the middle of the pack."
Sighing, Kaoru lurched forward and dropped her things. "I'm the worst chef, not you."
"Oh." Looking at Mitsune, Naru had this confirmed as he nodded solemnly. "Sorry about that." She shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe cooking isn't for you."
"Maybe…" After a moment or two, Kaoru finally looked up at Naru. Seeing her encouraging smile, he managed to flash one of his own.
"Well, I've got some studying to do, so if you guys will excuse me-"
"Seriously?" Mitsune asked in amazement. "We just took that prep exam at that school last week." She shrugged.
"What are you worried about? Besides, it's what you have to do if you want to get into the college of your choice," she said. "See you guys later."
"Uh-huh." Mitsune gazed at her backside before looking down at his meal. "My curry's cold."
-Naru's room…-
Naru splayed out her notebook, one of her prep books, and a pencil before her on her low table. As she did during dinner, she wore a t-shirt and shorts. Naru also went with her feet bare, as she usually did all around the inn.
All right, number one…She read over the problem, and knew the answer instantly. However, in the middle of writing her answer in her notebook, she pressed down a little too hard on her mechanical pencil, snapping off the lead. Naru frowned and clicked on the end, when the sound of that clicking reminded her of last week's prep exam, particularly Keitaro's troubles.
"Heh," Naru chuckled softly, looking blankly at her pencil as she thought of him. That really was some bad luck that he had that day…Suddenly, she pursed her lips, knowing what she was about to think about next…
-Flashback-
"Naru…" he whispered, his face slowly and slowly getting closer to hers. To her surprise, she found herself doing the same as well.
"Yeah…?" she asked, feeling flushed.
"Did you know, that when a couple gets into Tokyo U, they love each other forever?"
Blinking, Naru stopped herself, remembering her promise. She could see Keitaro close his eyes and pucker his lips a little, before leaning in for the kiss. Forgetting about her promise, she smiled and let him kiss her. After pressing his lips against hers for a moment, Keitaro let his tongue through, slipping it through her mouth until it touched hers. Her eyelids closed a little tighter, as their kiss sparked her blood, sending a strange energy through her body. He continued to probe deeply into her mouth as she rested motionless on the floor, paralyzed by this wonderful feeling.
Finally, he raised his head, and Naru breathed out his kiss. Her cheeks were now very red, with her eyes half-closed. Blushing as well, Keitaro smiled and slipped his left hand under her white dress shirt, the slight perspiration sticking it right against her stomach. Her open lips curved up slightly as she waited for his hand. It slid slowly up her stomach, over her ribs. His fingertips reached the bottom curve of her right breast, and pushed into it, right under her bra. Naru said nothing, only looking at her chest, imagining as if she could see his hand sliding right over the high slope of her breast. His fingers now held it, his middle finger grazing over her nipple. Finally, with his whole hand over her breast, Keitaro gave Naru a soft squeeze.
"Yes," she breathed out softly, looking into Keitaro's face. Next, he reached his right hand under her shirt, and-
"Ow," she said suddenly, feeling something poke into her stomach…
-Reality-
Finding herself back in her room, Naru snapped out of her fantasy and looked down at her chest, seeing that she was fondling her own body. Her left hand grasped her right breast, and her right hand would've grasped her left breast, had she not forgotten to drop the pencil in her right hand. She blushed, lowering her hand from under her t-shirt.
That's not what happened, pervert, she chastised herself. He only kissed me on the cheek, because I didn't want to kiss him. I turned away from him…
It's just like the boy of your promise, a small voice said in her mind. She raised her eyes in realization, as this finally dawned on her. Chuckling, Naru leaned back onto the floor and stared at the ceiling.
Hey, maybe he's the same boy…she joked to herself. Naru sighed. I should've kissed Keitaro; it would've been so nice. She stopped staring off into the ceiling and looked at her pencil. Come on, Naru – stop thinking about that stuff. Get back to studying. Sitting back up, Naru resumed her work.
"Seriously?" Mitsune asked in amazement. Unable to help herself, Naru drifted off into her thoughts again, remembering what Mitsune just said to her a short time ago at dinner.
"You're going to study in your room?"
"Yeah," she replied, shrugging. "Studying is the only thing that I know how to do."
"Well…you could always do something else." Naru gave Mitsune a confused look.
"Like what?" He crossed his arms, thinking deeply for a few moments. Then, as he widened his eyes, he had it.
"We could kiss!" Hearing this, Naru blushed madly.
"What?" she scoffed.
"I don't just give cooking evaluations," Mitsune said, "I also give oral ones."
"So, you want to give me an oral evaluation?" she asked meekly.
"Sure." Walking up to her, he reached for her face and tilted her chin upwards, so that he could kiss her with his tongue. Soon, her tongue probed around Mitsune's mouth as well, nervously darting inside. After a few more seconds, they stopped. Naru looked up at him in a dazed manner, her cheeks flushed.
"How was that?" she whispered.
"Not bad," Mitsune answered. Taking a step back, he looked down and unzipped his pants. "Now for the next part-"
What? No! Naru thought angrily to herself, shaking her head fiercely. Stop thinking about that kind of stuff! Once again, she rested on her back and gazed at the ceiling. Regaining her composure by taking a couple of deep breaths, Naru found herself paying attention to the hole in the ceiling.
I can't study right now, she realized, but I should still take my mind off…things. By doing other things. Like…looking around the inn, or my room. Naru strained her eyes, peering into the darkness of the hole. Why has no one fixed this hole yet? Tapping her pencil against the floor, she got up and cleared her books from the low table. Maybe I should look into this…she thought.
Looking around her room, she tried to find something tall to stand on so that she could look inside the hole. She decided on a wooden stool, and set it on top of the low table, directly below the hole. Naru stepped onto the table gingerly and climbed on top of the stool. As she got closer to the hole, she noticed some warmth emanating from it.
I thought my room was warmer than the others in Hinata…stupid hole. Standing on her tiptoes, Naru raised her arms and reached into the hole to boost herself up…when she started having second thoughts. Wait, maybe I should get back to studying… As she started to think about that, her thoughts wandered again to sexual fantasy and she shook her head. Mitsune's right; I need a break…
With that, Naru counted to three before jumping up and managing to climb into the hole. She grunted slightly, using all of her upper-body strength to get in. Brushing away a bead of sweat, she started to regret her decision. It's actually pretty far up from the floor…she thought nervously to herself. I don't think I can get back down without hurting myself. Crap! Why did I climb up? Starting to panic, Naru continued to sweat as it was warmer inside the crawlspace than below the hole in her room. She looked around, noting the dark and dusty space she was in. There's a lot of space here…After some consideration, Naru decided to crawl around on her stomach for another way out, since the crawlspace was very low. The space around her was as wide as her ceiling and there was dust all around, as well as spider webs and flat wooden beams.
Bad idea, bad idea! She shuddered, with the dust balls and spider webs sticking to her skin, which was starting to get moist with sweat. After crawling around the far reaches for a few more seconds, she returned to the hole, trying to wipe herself off. Naru was now sweating a little more after her exploration. I…I can't help it! It's too damn hot! On the crawlspace floor, she struggled to take off her t-shirt, using it to clean herself of sweat and grime. Her dirty t-shirt fell through the hole, followed by her shorts. That's a little better, she happily thought, wiping her brow.
…Now I'm in my bra and panties, stuck in a dirty crawlspace above my room. Realizing this, Naru smacked her palm against her forehead. You moron! On her bare stomach, she looked down dejectedly through the hole. Suddenly, she realized that she felt something above her. Rolling slowly onto her back, she put her hands up to the top of the crawl space. That's it, she realized, feeling the source of the warmth. This is where the heat's coming from. Looking over this part, Naru also discovered a large and round ring of wood, similar to the shape of the hole below. This looks like the hole above my room…is this another hole? She observed that this second hole was not directly above the first hole, but that they would mostly overlap if both were seen from a bird's-eye-view. I could sit in the crawl space upright through this hole, while dangling my legs through the hole in my ceiling.
She placed both hands above her head, against the board that was rested on top of the round ring, and was about to push upwards, until the board moved by itself. Quietly, Naru slid a short distance away from the second hole. A burst of warm air flew into the crawl space. Who…who could it be? she wondered.
-Meanwhile…-
Sighing, Keitaro reached under his furnace table and removed the board, which covered the hole in the floor of his room.
"I guess I should study," he grumbled, moving the board next to the table. Before sitting down, Keitaro glanced furtively to the door. Making sure that it was closed, he decided to take off his pants and socks, leaving him barefoot in his t-shirt and boxers.
There we go…he thought happily as he sat down at his usual place, facing his room doors. He slid his legs under the blanket of his furnace table, dangling his legs through the hole. That was a pretty good idea…sanding down the broken edges of the hole, so that I could let my legs hang out in the air. Putting my furnace table right above the hole, sanding the edges, hanging out without my pants under the table…pure genius. Keitaro gazed glumly at his notebook and workbook on his table. At least I'm smart about comfort, and holes in the floor…
I'm sure that Naru would think that this is smart, he thought to himself, his mind wandering to Naru.
"What's that sound?" Keitaro asked himself, hearing something under his furnace table.
"So, this is where the hole goes."
"Naru?" Panicking, he started to push away from the hole and lift his legs. "I'm so sorry; I'm in my boxers-"
"I noticed," she said. Keitaro froze, feeling her tug on his feet and put him back in his place. Then, he felt her hands touching the front of his boxers, undoing the button.
"N-Naru," Keitaro stammered, unable to stop himself from getting aroused.
"That's perverted," Keitaro commented to himself, snapping out of his fantasy. "Sure would be something, though…"
-The crawlspace above Naru's room…-
In shock, Naru had backed away from Keitaro's erection, which was partially obscured by the fabric of his boxers and the slight darkness under the furnace table. Like Keitaro, she let her legs dangle through the hole in her ceiling, while sitting in an upright manner with her torso sticking through the hole in Keitaro's floor. She looked away at first, but her curiosity got the better of her after a few seconds.
A penis… She sat with her eyes fixated on the strange sight. An erect penis… Naru couldn't help but notice how it was throbbing slightly, pulsing up and down. It's actually a little hard to look away from it, she confessed frankly. Looking over her grimy and sweat-soaked body, Naru frowned as she readjusted her bra with a couple of tugs.
I'm going to have a hard time explaining this one…
-Meanwhile…in Naru's room…-
"Naru," Mitsune called out behind her doors, knocking on them. "You better not be studying…" Hearing nothing, he slid open the doors and picked up the tray of cold drinks he rested at his feet. "…Because it's time to par-" Mitsune paused, noticing that she wasn't in her room. "…ty."
What the heck? His gaze wandered from the wooden stool on top of the low table, to the dirty t-shirt and shorts on the floor. He set aside the tray, walked up to the table, and gazed up at the ceiling to look at the hole. Already having been a resident at the Hinata Inn for a while, Mitsune was aware of the hole in the ceiling. Still, it didn't answer the questions he currently had. Where is she? he asked himself, unable to see much through the hole.
He quickly checked out her room, and decided that she wasn't there. So, if she's not here, Mitsune thought to himself, looking back up at the hole…
"Keitaro!" Naru called out from under Keitaro's furnace table.
"Naru!" Reaching for her hands, Keitaro pulled her up from the hole.
"It feels like ages have passed since I've seen you at dinner."
"I know, sweetheart," he consoled her, embracing her as she rested her head on his chest. "Oh, I love you so much."
"I love you, too." As they locked lips, Naru chuckled to herself.
"What so funny?"
"It's just that…" she began, "Mitsune has no idea that we fell in love, thanks to the hole that connects our rooms." Keitaro laughed as well.
"That is funny. Because of this hole, we came to know each other better. Love one another. And that moron Mitsune doesn't have a clue."
"He is a moron," she muttered. "Hey, do you want to have sex again?" Keitaro rolled his eyes.
"Duh," he replied, prompting them to remove their clothing...
"Note to self," Mitsune remarked after staring off into space, "stop jumping to conclusions. …Especially sexual ones." With that, he ran out of Naru's room, trying to get to Keitaro's as fast as he could.
-Keitaro's room…-
Keitaro hit the books, not letting his fantasy "get the better of him." Naru, meanwhile, sat in front of him under the furnace table, just a little below floor level. Thanks to the constant heat of the furnace table, it kept getting warmer and warmer for her. Even in her underwear, the heat was getting unbearable. She was starting to sweat profusely, and was now becoming a little delirious.
It's so hot…I need some water, or some cool air. Anything. Naru started to reach under the blanket covering of the furnace table, but stopped herself. If Keitaro saw me like this, it'd be so embarrassing…
Keitaro continued to write in his notebook, when he heard some footsteps outside in the hallway, getting a little louder. They came to a halt outside his doors, and were followed by the sound of someone out of breath. All of a sudden, his doors slid open with force.
"Ah-HA!" Mitsune bellowed as he glared at Keitaro.
"Oh," Keitaro said unenthusiastically, seeing who it was. He returned to his work. "What's up, man?" Closing the doors behind him, Mitsune frowned.
"Just my suspicions," he replied coolly, slowly wandering around his room.
"…Okay," Keitaro added uncertainly. Finding himself next to the closet, Mitsune randomly decided to fling the closet doors open as well. "What are you doing?"
"Harbor any scantily-clad young women recently?"
Mitsune…Naru thought, overhearing their conversation. Does he know that I'm here?
"What are you talking about?" Keitaro asked him, having no idea what Mitsune meant. As Mitsune looked around the room, he realized that the only other place that Naru could be in Keitaro's room was under the furnace table. With this in mind, he walked up to the side of the table opposite of Keitaro's and went to his knees.
"Do you mind…if I sit at your furnace table?" Mitsune asked, a little loudly.
No! Naru screamed in her mind, starting to back away towards Keitaro. He sighed at Mitsune's request, not wanting anymore of his annoying games.
"Yeah, kind of," he replied honestly. "I'm trying to study here, and I really don't want you here if you're going to be annoying." Mitsune paused for a few moments, looking at Keitaro carefully.
"You have no idea what I'm talking about," Mitsune realized, "do you?" Keitaro threw his arms up in frustration.
"No. Why did you come up here, anyway? What do you want?"
"I just wanted to talk," Mitsune replied, turning around as he rose to his feet. He scampered back to the doors.
"Then, where are you going?" Confused, Keitaro believed that he hurt his feelings. "Wait, come back. I'm sorry if-"
"No, no," Mitsune interrupted quickly, sliding open the doors. "Don't worry about that. I'll be right back." He gave a quick glance at the furnace table before leaving. "I just need to bring back a cold bottle of water!"
"…Ok," Keitaro mumbled, still puzzled.
-In the kitchen…-
"So, I told Haruka, "Smoking makes you smell bad. See, those guys won't enter your shop because of the smell. Hey, I know where you can shove your cigarettes!"" Kaoru exclaimed to Shinobu. They stood in front of the sink, washing and drying the dishes.
"You don't have to get on her bad side like that," he chastised Kaoru, scrubbing another white bowl.
"But I was going to say that she could shove them into my air-freshening ashtrays, my latest invention!"
"Oh," Shinobu said. "Actually, that's not a bad idea, Kaoru."
"Tell that to Haruka," he snapped, rubbing his behind. "She kicked me out of her tea shop."
"Why don't you explain yourself to her?"
"No, she must be punished for her butt-kicking," Kaoru decided. "I demand that she show me her breasts." Shinobu turned to him in shock.
"Kaoru!"
"What?" he asked Shinobu innocently. "Mitsune told me that breasts were tasty, and that Haruka had some. …What are they, anyway?"
"Speak of the devil," Shinobu remarked as he spied Mitsune rushing into the kitchen.
"Whoa," Mitsune blurted out, raising his hands in front of him in self-preservation. "You do not want to do that. Trust me."
"Mitsune, did you really tell Kaoru that breasts were tasty?"
"Yes," he replied. "Look, I can't believe that I'm saying this, but I cannot talk about breasts right now." Shinobu raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Where's the notepad?"
"The notepad?" Shinobu repeated, puzzled. "Where it always is – next to the telephone in the lobby." In an instant, Mitsune ran out of the kitchen.
"Aw," Kaoru groaned in disappointment, "I really wanted to talk about breasts."
"What were we talking about again?" Shinobu asked, trying to change the subject.
"About breasts." Rolling his eyes, the resident chef was about to say something, when he realized that Kaoru was right.
"Right…Haruka's breasts," Shinobu said, imagining that his hands were grasping Haruka's still-youthful breasts. Blushing, he dropped the dishwashing rag from his hand and used his hands to support himself as he leaned into the countertop, trying to cover his groin. "Damn it," he muttered. Kaoru looked on in confusion, while Mitsune returned from the lobby with the notepad and a pen.
"Mitsune, are breasts really tasty?" He glanced at Kaoru as he stood next to him and started writing on the notepad.
"Of course," Mitsune answered matter-of-factly. "There's turkey breast, for instance. Deli or roasted. The deli meat goes great with mustard, of course." Kaoru nodded. "Then you've got chicken breast. Shinobu knows his way around a chicken breast, doesn't he?"
"He sure does…" Kaoru salivated, remembering the roasted chicken breast they had last night.
"And finally…last but not least, you have the breasts of a human female," Mitsune continued. Having finished writing, he tore off the sheet he wrote on and put it into his pants pocket. "However, you don't eat a human female's breasts."
"Really?"
"Really," he replied, opening the refrigerator and taking out a water bottle. "You don't slice them up, or harm them at all. You just…massage them. Rub them. Maybe nibble and lick them."
"Like ice cream?" Mitsune shook his head as he walked away from them.
"It's even better than ice cream, because they last much longer and don't melt." Kaoru started to drool. "All right. I'm in a hurry, so I'll see you guys later!" Mitsune exclaimed, running up the stairs.
-Keitaro's room…-
Keitaro looked up from the furnace table, noticing footsteps again. Sure enough, Mitsune popped into the doorway with a cold bottle of water and a pen.
"I'm back! Sorry if you waited a bit long." Keitaro shrugged.
"It's all right."
Mitsune walked up to the table to sit in front of Keitaro. Before he knelt down, he took out the folded piece of notepad paper from his pocket and put it on the floor in front of him.
Oh no! Naru thought in fear. She now sat facing the doorway, as Keitaro was. Naru was able to put her arms over the edge of the hole in Keitaro's floor, and rest them there. Facing away from the hole in her ceiling, she was also able to stretch her legs out in front of her, in the crawlspace below Keitaro's floor.
However, instead of Mitsune's feet, Naru saw a piece of paper being slid on the floor in front of her, guided by Mitsune's hands. What…what is this?
"What are you doing?" Keitaro asked. Mitsune knelt at the table with his hands under the blanket.
"I just…really like furnace tables."
"Well, yeah. I know that," Keitaro said, recalling their previous winters at the inn. He made a motion with his hand, telling him to get closer. "Why don't you get more comfortable? Get your legs under there?"
"Naru, I know you're under the furnace table…maybe. I looked in your room earlier and it looked like you went into the hole in the ceiling. If I'm right, Keitaro doesn't know you're under the table, and I'm sure that you'd want to avoid anything embarrassing. Also, you're probably really, really hot under there. If you're really under the furnace table, and want my help getting out of this mess undetected, tap me on the legs when I put them under the furnace table," Naru read the note out in her mind.
"Sure," Mitsune agreed, shifting his legs from under him. Naru drew back her arms, sliding them under the hole. She looked on as Mitsune's feet and legs slowly came into view. Mitsune opened his legs as he moved them under the furnace table, trying to make sure that he wouldn't hit Naru. Feeling the edge of the hole with both feet, he gingerly moved up, letting his legs dangle. Mitsune then decided to close the gap, slowly moving his legs closer together.
Mitsune…Naru thought helplessly, while each leg nudged into her shoulders. She was now secured between his knees, and stuck looking at Mitsune's groin, which was a foot away from her face. With sweat drenching her brow, Naru reached for both of his ankles, and squeezed gently.
So you are under the table, Mitsune thought to himself, smiling.
"So," Keitaro began, interrupting his thoughts. "What'd you want to talk about?" Mitsune gave him a puzzled look.
"Huh?"
"You wanted to talk to me, but you had to get a bottle of water first."
"Oh, right." Scoffing, Mitsune made a motion with his hand, as if he was going to put his palm up to his face. "Duh." He shifted his cold bottle of water under the table's blanket covers, sticking it in front of his groin. Naru widened her eyes, and a look of relief washed over her face.
Water!
"So, what's up?" Keitaro asked. Mitsune looked away in thought as he kept a tight grip on Naru with his legs. She struggled to wriggle free, unable to move. She was so tired that she couldn't even raise her arms.
What are you doing, you idiot? Her head was getting heavy. I'm so thirsty…
"I was just wondering…" Mitsune began, keeping his hands on the water bottle, "how are things between you and Naru?"
"Me and Naru?" Keitaro echoed. "We're all right. Why do you ask?" Mitsune shrugged and twisted open the bottle of water, putting the bottle cap next to him.
"Oh, I don't know. It's just that you guys always seem to be together, and-"
"Well, we're not always together," Keitaro said, trying to downplay their relationship.
"Yeah, right," Mitsune scoffed, tipping the cold bottle of water forward without thinking. "Oh, crap!"
Naru closed her eyes, just as the ice-cold water suddenly splashed all over her face. Moaning slightly, she felt incredible relief, the water running down from her lips and all the way down to her chest. The water went into her hair as well, which also felt nice to Naru.
Idiot…she thought, offering a satisfied smile as she rested her head on his thigh.
"What?" Keitaro asked, confused by his outburst.
"I…forgot to close the refrigerator door," Mitsune said. "Shinobu and Kaoru were in the kitchen, though. So…"
"It should be fine," Keitaro finished for him. Mitsune reached out to touch Naru's head.
Please don't punch me in the groin, he thought to himself. Tentatively, he brushed wet hair away from Naru's forehead, wiping away sweat and water. Under the furnace table, Naru sighed softly, appreciating his touch.
"Exactly," Mitsune concurred. He slid his hand under Naru's cheek, carefully lifting her head up. Still dazed, Naru obeyed, letting him support her head. "Anyway, what are you talking about? You guys are always together." With his other hand, he kept the somewhat-full bottle of water at its tilted angle, and guided it towards Naru's face.
"It's not like we always talk…" Keitaro said. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. "Are you jealous or something?" Mitsune looked at him silently for a moment. He had Naru's chin in the palm of his hand, with his fingers along the nape of her neck. His thumb moved upwards, rubbing against her lips.
M-Mitsune…she thought nervously, blushing.
"Yeah," he replied with a sheepish smile, "something like that."
And there's her mouth. Holding the bottle by its opening, Mitsune slowly guided the water bottle into her mouth and tilted it, letting her drink. Naru latched on, gulping down every drop.
"Wow," Keitaro exclaimed, feeling like a new man. "Nice."
"Easy there."
"All right, all right," Keitaro eased up. He shook his head, smiling with amazement. "You know, I still can't believe it. A girl comes to the Hinata Inn, where we live. And I'm like her friend. We both want to go to Tokyo University, and I think she really likes me." Looking off into the distance, he sighed. "Do you think she likes me?"
"Yeah, I think she does," Mitsune replied. "Do you like her?"
"Of course I do."
He likes me?
"That's great, man," Mitsune remarked. "You guys look like a nice couple, actually." Keitaro leaned away, taken aback.
"Whoa. This coming from a ladies' man." Mitsune shrugged.
"Hey, just my opinion." As they paused for a moment, Mitsune glanced over the open workbooks in front of Keitaro. "Do you really think you're both going to get in to Tokyo U, though?"
"I don't care if it takes me three more years," he answered. "I'm going to get into that university."
"Obviously, I'm not worried about Naru. I mean, number one in the national prep exams? Please. She's going to Tokyo U, no doubt. But you…?" Mitsune made a teetering motion with his hand.
"Whatever," Keitaro said, waving him off. "…Is that all you wanted to talk about? Me and Naru?"
"There's one more thing," Mitsune said. "Why did you…want to go to Tokyo University in the first place?" Keitaro looked at him, puzzled.
"Don't you already know this? I thought I already told you this before?"
"Well, yeah," Mitsune admitted, causing Keitaro to furrow his brow, "you have. I just…want you to say it out loud, so that you remember why you want to go to Tokyo U. …So that you can use it as motivation during your studies." Keitaro gave him a strange look. "And, to be honest, I kind of…forgot your reason for wanting to go to Tokyo U. Sorry." Keitaro rolled his eyes.
"Some friend you are," Keitaro remarked in jest. "It was because of a promise."
A promise…? Naru thought to herself, the boy of her promise flashing before her eyes. She glanced backwards, imagining that she could see his face.
"Oh!" Mitsune exclaimed. "Right! You made a promise with…yeah." Keitaro smiled as he thought of the person he made the promise with. "How is she, by the way?"
"I don't know. She could be back home, or anywhere, for that matter." He rested his chin on his hand as he put his elbow on the table. "Anyway, I'm sure she's fine." Mitsune nodded. "Heh, you know," Keitaro added, "that's the same reason why Naru wants to go to Tokyo U."
"Really?" Mitsune asked, genuinely shocked at the coincidence. Scoffing, he leaned back slightly. "Naru really made a promise to someone, just like you?"
"Yeah." With a sad smile, Mitsune caressed Naru's cheek, making her blush.
"Huh. Sounds like you guys were meant to be together," Mitsune remarked, withdrawing his hand from her cheek. He took the piece of notepad paper he wrote on, turned it around, and showed it to Naru under the furnace table. Keitaro chuckled.
"Naru, I'll go down to your room. Wait for me, and I'll help you get down from the hole," Naru read to herself, from the other side of the note.
"Let's not get that far," Keitaro said, making Mitsune smile.
"Well…" Mitsune began, "I guess that's it. That's all I wanted to talk about." He fastened the cap back onto the water bottle, and shoved the paper and pen into his pocket.
"Ok." Mitsune put his hands on top of the table, and got up.
"I'll let you get back to your studies."
-Naru's room…-
A minute later, Mitsune reached Naru's room and closed the door shut behind him after opening it. He hurried to the table to get a good look at the hole.
"Naru!" he whispered. As he peered into the hole, he saw somewhat-grimy fingers wave over the edge of the hole, and then her face. "You okay?" She nodded. "Do you think that you can get down by yourself?"
"No! Don't you think that I would've done that, instead of holing up under Keitaro's furnace table?" Mitsune paused, judging the distance from the hole to the stool on top of her table.
"I just think that you can get down without my help."
"No, I can't! It's too high!"
"It's not that high."
"Yes, it is."
"Look," Mitsune said, "just try to lower your feet onto the stool. Just try to get down yourself. I'll catch you if you fall."
"But…"
"Naru, trust me. Do you think that I'm going to drop a beautiful woman coming down from the ceiling in just her underwear? I do not think so." Naru looked at him uncertainly before sighing.
"Ok," she decided. She turned around in the crawlspace, putting her feet through the hole first. However, as she started to put her lower legs through, Naru started to fall quickly. "Crap!"
"Gotcha!" Mitsune exclaimed. With both arms outstretched, he caught her next to the stool. He hooked his right arm under her knees, and the other under her shoulders. Naru blushed.
"Thanks," she said, looking up at him.
"You're welcome." After a moment of awkward silence, Mitsune lowered his head towards Naru's. "…And beautiful. For a bookworm, that is." Naru widened her eyes as his lips got closer to hers.
The boy of your promise is nice and all, a small voice told her, but a memory…
…doesn't compare to something real right now, Naru realized. Instead of wanting to turn away from Mitsune's kiss, she felt that urge disappear. With her sudden realization, she decided to close her eyes and embrace his kiss. My first kiss…I can't believe it…how will it feel?
Wait…she thought to herself. Frowning, Naru felt that something was wrong. She opened her eyes, realizing that she wasn't being kissed yet. Naru gave a puzzled look, seeing Mitsune's face an inch away from hers, quivering.
"I…can't believe that I'm going to do this," Mitsune said quietly. To her surprise, he tilted his head away from hers, and lowered her feet to the ground, allowing her to stand. Naru gaped at him.
"Why…didn't you…" Naru mumbled, feeling a little rejected and confused.
"Keitaro," Mitsune replied. He pulled at his hair, still not quite believing what he did. "He's…a nice guy, and my friend. He really likes you." As he shook his head, he tentatively walked past her and stopped at the doors. "I can't do this to him."
"It's not like I'm going out with him."
"Still…the dude's never had a girlfriend," Mitsune said. "Look, just forget it. I'm sorry." With that, he walked away and went to his room next door. Naru looked away from the door as she ran a hand through her hair and rubbed her neck. Sighing, she walked over to a seating cushion and lowered herself onto it, hugging her knees.
Mitsune…she thought sadly to herself. Stops himself, all because of Keitaro. Naru buried her head against her knees. And Keitaro! He has a promised girl of his own…
Naru lowered one knee and laid down on her back, putting one hand behind her head and the other on top of her stomach. Could…could I be the girl of her promise? She scoffed at herself for thinking such a thing, and placed a hand over her eyes. Of course not.
But…maybe, just maybe, I am, she argued with herself. Naru sighed again. Who could it be? Mitsune said that he's never had a girlfriend… Groaning, she rolled over to her side. She raised her head by bracing her elbow against the floor, and intertwined her legs. Who is Keitaro's promised girl?
