Author's Note
I had to go back and retcon some things in previous parts, mostly changing Ryo's job to make the plot developments in these chapters a bit more intelligible. I've also gone back and added section breaks so that the different scenes don't run into each other.
I apologize for the short length of these updates but to be honest I'm running out of ideas on Oreki x Irisu. Hopefully switching things up will renew my interest.
The school year went on, with or without Oreki's cooperation. He found
solace in the room where the Classics Club congregated every
afternoon.
This time it was just Ibara and himself. She was reading shoujo manga
and when he entered she didn't even bother to look up or otherwise
acknowledge his presence. Oreki was just fine with that. He sat down
at the table and opened a book he had been reading.
Some time passed before Oreki realized Ibara was staring at him.
"What is it?" he said.
"What's Satoshi like?"
"Are you stupid?"
"Oreki!"
She leaned over the table with a desperate look on her face.
"Why won't he accept me?" she asked.
He looked away.
"It's...it's complicated."
"So you know something."
"Look, I don't really understand him myself."
"But you've been friends since middle school! You've known him longer
than anyone else."
"It's not a question of how long I've known him."
"Oreki."
For a moment her face lost all her childishness. She looked beaten,
defeated. She asked in despair, "What am I doing wrong?"
Oreki put his book down.
"He's just confused, that's all. Give him some space. He needs to
sort out his feelings."
It was a true, honest answer, but not one that satisfied Ibara.
On her way home from school Ibara remembered that her mother would be
coming home late. She worked as a secretary at a law office and it
wasn't at all strange for her to come home at eight or nine when there
was a big case going on.
Ibara pulled out her wallet. Stuffed inside was a crisp five thousand
yen bill her mother had given her.
"I'll treat myself today," Ibara told herself with a forced smile.
She went to the only fancy restaurant she knew of, an Italian place
near her house. On a weeknight it was practically empty. The dark
lighting, the leather seats, and the cherry wood finishing gave the
restaurant an old world feel. Ibara saw a girl sitting alone at the
bar, nursing a glass of cola. She had short brown hair and was wearing
the Kamiyama school uniform.
It was Koichi.
Ibara sat down next to her. Koichi looked surprised to see her.
"It's strange seeing you here," she said.
After the cultural festival Koichi had grown aloof. No longer did she
provoke Ibara into arguments. Instead she sat quietly in the corner,
reading manga and letting the others run the club. She looked forlorn
now and lost in thought.
"Sempai," Ibara said, "have you ever been in love?"
"Once or twice," she said, smiling.
Ibara realized she didn't know much about Koichi. She wasn't the type
to talk about her personal life. Yet there was something about her
that made her seem world-weary and wiser than anyone else Ibara knew.
"Are you in love with someone?" Koichi asked.
Ibara blushed. She told Koichi about Fukube and his indecisiveness.
"Boys are like that," Koichi said dismissively. "Always confused about
what they're doing or what they want to do. But it's easy to take
control. You just have to be a little more aggressive."
Ibara shook her head.
"I can't do that! I'm a coward."
Koichi smiled mischeviously and grabbed Ibara's hand.
"I can teach you."
They met that evening at Koichi's house. Her room was immaculately
clean. Tall bookshelves lined the walls and every shelf was crammed
with manga. Just from scanning the spines Ibara recognized obscure
out-of-print titles, limited edition works that were sold only at
remote conventions, and plenty of things she didn't even recognize.
There was a drafting table topped with stacks of paper and cups jammed
with pens and pencils and markers. Ibara imagined that this is what a
pro's room might look like, someone who lived and breathed manga.
But Koichi seemed nonchalant.
"I wanted to teach you something," she said. "Think of it as a
training exercise."
"What do you mean?"
"Sit on the bed."
Ibara obeyed. Koichi rummaged around her desk drawer and pulled out a
blindfold. She gave it to Ibara and instructed her to put it on. With
her vision blacked out, Ibara sat and waited.
"I want you to imagine," Koichi said, "that Satoshi is sitting here
right in front of you. You're alone with him. What do you want to
tell him?"
"I don't know..."
"Then repeat after me. 'Satoshi, I love you...'"
"I can't say that!" Ibara stammered.
"Just do it. This is just roleplaying. It's not for real. The real
Satoshi is not going to hear you."
"I...guess it's alright then. Well, here goes. Satoshi..."
"What is it, Mayaka?"
Koichi used a slightly deeper voice. She sat down next to the
blindfolded Ibara and placed her hand on Ibara's lap.
"Satoshi, I..."
Koichi weaved her fingers with Ibara's.
"I lo..."
"What is it, Mayaka?"
"I love you. I know you don't love me back but I can't help it. I
can't help feeling this way about you. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.
But this who I am. I love you."
Koichi stepped behind Ibara and wrapped her arms around Ibara's waist.
She whispered in her ear, "I love you too."
"No," Ibara said, shaking her head with her eyes still closed.
"You're just lying to make me feel good. If you really loved me you
wouldn't have been pushed me away all these years."
"I acted that way because I didn't want to hurt you, Mayaka. I know,
I was an idiot. But things can be different from now on. Right?"
"Fuku-chan..."
Koichi kissed Ibara's neck, and her ear, and her hair. By then all
the strength had left Ibara's body.
It was a fantasy. She knew that in her head. But Koichi's voice
sounded so close to Fukube's. And she knew exactly what to say. It
was such a nice fantasy. Ibara didn't want it to end.
"I love you, Mayaka."
Ibara didn't resist.
She felt a hand pressed against her belly and another hand groping her
breast. She felt additional kisses on her neck, working their way up
to her cheek, and finally her lips. Fukube's lips felt soft and warm
and tasted salty, just as she had always imagined them.
Fukube gently laid her down on the bed and started undressing her.
"You look beautiful," he said, his voice low and husky.
Ibara felt a hand slip down her panties and she gasped when a finger
penetrated her.
"Fuku-chan," she said breathlessly, "I'm still a virgin."
"Don't worry," he said, "I'll be gentle."
And he was gentle. He was the most thoughtful lover in the world. He
was perfectly conscious of Ibara's body. He knew where she was
sensitive and he always brought her to the brink only to guide her
back.
Ibara opened her eyes and looked down and she saw Koichi's head buried
between her legs licking her most sensitive part.
But by then Ibara didn't care anymore. For once that veil of dread
had been lifted from her mind and its place was bliss. Fukube loved
her, and she loved him, and their act of love was a validation of her
happiness.
