Natsuki is meeting up Mai for dinner today. Shizuru mentioned that she wouldn't be free that night, so she is surprised to receive Shizuru's call.
"Natsuki, can we have dinner?" Shizuru's appointment for the evening is cancelled, and she hopes to see Natsuki tonight.
"I am meeting up Mai for dinner later."
Before Natsuki finishes her sentence, Shizuru ends the call with "Great, I will see you guys later."
Mai shows up earlier for dinner. Both of them start the conversation with the same sentence, "Do you mind Reito/Shizuru joining us?"
Apparently, Reito calls Mai earlier, asking her out for dinner too. Therefore, bestie's meetup becomes a double date.
Natsuki and Mai look at each other, mentally erasing some of the topics they want to talk about. They want to ask how their respective relationship is going so far. And now that Shizuru/Reito is here, they have to save her questions for next round. Shizuru is Reito's best friend, therefore she is automatically "Team Reito". Same goes for Reito being "Team Shizuru". One does not reveal intelligence to the opponent. As Sun Tzu said in The Art of War, "History repeatedly has demonstrated that inferior forces can win when leaders are armed with accurate intelligence."
During the dinner, it is naturally to talk about a topic that involves everyone.
Mai starts the conversation with, "Reito, how long have you known Shizuru?"
"Since high school. She was the student council president. I was the vice president."
Shizuru's phone rings. "Ops, I have to take this call. I'll be right back."
"So you have known each other for a long time." Seeing that Reito knows about Shizuru's past relationships well, they must have known each other for a long time by now.
"Yes, we have. Shizuru was looking so nerdy back then." Shizuru always has a way of getting the others to do more and more work willingly. Reito, being the vice president, was always at the receiving end of the said "more and more work". Now, it is time for payback. "Let me show you a picture of back then."
At the moment when Reito showing off the photo, Shizuru returns. "Ara, ara. Going behind my back, Reito?" Shizuru has THAT smile on her face again.
Reito feels the familiar chill he used to have back from high school. "We are just looking at some photo. Ha-ha."
Of all the pictures, Reito, you have to show THAT picture. Shizuru squints her eyes, thinking of a better way to silence Reito. When your friend knows you for that long, they are bound to have something they could use against you.
"I like how you looked back then." Natuski's voice sounds honest.
"Really?" Even Shizuru has to admit that she looked very nerdy back then.
"Yes, if we were back in high school, I would want to go out with you."
Mai gives Natsuki score of 80 for how well she responds. With another 10 bonus marks. Natsuki's reply diverts Shizuru's attention from Reito, whom she needs to reprimand later about embarrassing a friend with old photo.
"Let's find out this weekend."
Natuski puts on her puzzled puppy look, thinking, "How? A time machine to go back in time so she could date the young Shizuru?"
Shizuru decides to be mysterious, leaving Natsuki waiting eagerly for their weekend date.
When Shizuru shows up, it is beyond what Natsuki has expected. Shizuru has managed to 'disguise' as her younger version. She manages to tweak her hairstyle, her attire and her makeup to look like her younger self. She even has glasses of the same design on.
This is beyond what makeup artist could do. This is truly an art of disguise.
After gawking for a minute, Natsuki finally remembers that she is supposed to be on a date with Shizuru. Never mind that it is the Shizuru now or the younger Shizuru, it is still Shizuru.
"Hi, Shizuru. Erm… Let's start our date, shall we?" Natsuki said awkwardly. She has forgotten the fact that she never actually been on an actual date with someone in high school. Her CPU a.k.a brain now runs on full capacity thinking where she should take the high-school Shizuru for a date.
"OK, Natsuki." Natsuki looks like a flustered high school kid. One would think that after all the adult things they have done, Natsuki would be less shy. But when Natsuki looks like that, Shizuru still feels like they are on their first date. Shizuru constantly feels that their relationship is always in honeymoon stage. Natsuki never bores her, ever.
"How about we go to the dessert store nearby?"
Natsuki immediately regrets proposing dessert store after saying it. Come on, brain, that is so high-school.
"Let's go, Natsuki." The one thought in Shizuru's head right now is thankfully Natsuki is not this shy in bed. If Natsuki is this shy in bed, it would be less fun, wouldn't it?
"Can I hold your hand?" Natsuki is so adorable. Shizuru reigns herself in, trying her hardest not to pounce on Natsuki.
Shizuru holds out her hand, giving her consent in silence. If Shizuru makes a sound now, she would without a doubt revert to her old self and start teasing Natsuki.
"Your hand is cold." Natsuki continues to warm Shizuru's other hand in her palm.
They slowly walk to the dessert store, sit down and order their dessert.
Natsuki's cheeks are still flustered. From the coldness or the shyness, one would wonder.
"Shizuru, you didn't wear contact lens when you were in high school?" Natsuki reprimands herself mentally for asking something so obvious.
"No. I didn't. Sometimes I studied too late at night, so I rather stick with the glasses."
"That is a shame. Because your eyes are so beautiful."
If only Mai is here, she would have clapped her hand and give a full 100 score.
Natsuki is never one to shy away from eye contact. That is one thing Shizuru likes about Natsuki. Natsuki is the old-school type who doesn't look at phone when being with someone and devotes her full attention to whoever she is speaking to. Even though Natsuki sometimes is out of idea what to say, but still she wouldn't turn to browsing the phone to hide the awkwardness.
"Well, I wasn't exactly the model student in high school. So I don't think I could date a school council president back then. But I guess it counts if I date an ex-school council president." Natsuki now starts having awkward small talk and playing with her hairs for not knowing what to say anymore.
"Was Natsuki a delinquent who received detention a lot in high school?" Shizuru's imagination runs wild with a bad-ass Natsuki stuck in detention under her watch.
"Not that often." Natsuki becomes fidgety, sugar-coating how often she received detention.
"I supervised the detention class from time to time. I guess we could have still seen each other during detention."
"You wouldn't make me write "I would never 100 times, would you?"
"I still would. But I would let you get away with 50."
"What if I bribe you?"
"With?"
"A kiss."
Slowly Natsuki takes off Shizuru's glasses, "I could spend the entire detention kissing you."
The only thought that occupies Shizuru's mind is how sweet Natsuki's lips are from the strawberry ice cream. And her tongue feels cold against her lips. Shizuru has her hands tugging at Natsuki's collar, knuckles white from trying to behave herself, simply because they are in the public.
A cute Natsuki should be declared illegal. So she could arrest Natsuki and punish Natsuki in so many different ways.
"Can we go home?"
Natsuki is surprised by how soon the date comes to an end. It shows on her face. "Sure, let's go."
"Can we stop by the mall on the way?"
"Sure."
Shizuru makes Natsuki wait in the car, saying that she will be quick and Natsuki needs not look for parking.
Our dear Natsuki does not suspect anything.
When they reach the house, Natsuki receives another surprise. She gets to wear high school uniform again?!
"Kruger-san, I will be expecting you in detention 5 minutes later."
As Natsuki puts on the high school uniform, she is still overwhelmed by how the day turns out this way.
The moment Natsuki enters the bedroom, Shizuru speaks. "Kruger-san, you are late by 2 minutes. I am going to have to give you a penalty."
Natsuki received detention quite a lot back then that she knows how to handle herself. "I shouldn't be getting detention. It is not fair. The boy was trying to prank me, all I did was giving him a little payback he deserves."
"Oh, Kruger-san thinks she could escape detention?"
"No, but I think I could bribe you."
"With?"
As Natsuki walks towards Shizuru, she loosens her tie, opens the first 2 buttons on the shirt and pulls her shirt out from the skirt.
Even with the glasses on, Natsuki can clearly see the familiar glint in Shizuru's eyes. Shizuru's look says that she still wants to keep the game on.
"Kaichou-sama, I have been a bad, bad girl." Natsuki whispers in Shizuru's ears.
"Ara, ara. Kruger-san, you have to get back to your place."
"Why, your lap is my place. Or you prefer me to be somewhere else?" Natsuki didn't realize that Shizuru's eyes are now burning with something else.
Thinking how cute Natsuki looks in uniform, Shizuru said in possessive tone, "Natsuki, you're my girl. Remember that."
No more Kruger-san? So she doesn't have to continue the game anymore? "Of course. Shizuru, does this mean we don't have to continue this role play anymore? The new shirt feels uncomfortable on my skin."
Natsuki reverts to her usual tone of speech and can't help scratching her itchy neck. "Itchy~~"
Shizuru couldn't help chuckling hearing Natsuki's whining. "Let's get out of these clothes and shower."
"As you wish, kaichou-sama."
That night, Natsuki demonstrates how bad a delinquent could be, in bed.
The next day, Shizuru discovered that Natsuki has showed several shots of her nerdy look from the day before to Reito.
Reito couldn't help laughing when talking to Shizuru over the phone. "Shizuru, Natsuki can't help bragging how cute you look."
If this is an anime, Shizuru would have a face looking boiling red and roar "Natsuki~~".
As soon as Shizuru ends the call with Reito, she calls up Natsuki. "Natsuki, stop showing my picture to everyone!"
"Why? You look so cute. Mai and Reito think you look cute too."
"Natsuki! Meanie! Baka!" Shizuru ends the call abruptly. Being someone close to thirty years old, Shizuru feels like a little girl when Natsuki calls her cute. This is so embarrassing.
When Shizuru arrives at the pub in evening, she knows Natsuki has shown Nao her picture.
Every waitress and waiter in the pub is now wearing high-school uniform.
Natsuki wears the uniform from the day before, with shirt half-tugging and tie hanging loosely around her collar.
Nao has somehow made Natsuki to put some eye shadow on. Natsuki looks really tasty with her bad girl look.
"Natsuki, what time do you leave work?"
"Onee-chan, it is not right to seduce someone under-aged." From where Natsuki picks up the dialogue?
"How about you seduce me instead?" Natsuki looks even tastier than the day before.
"If you don't like me keeping your photo, I could delete them." Natsuki doesn't know that Shizuru would feel so unhappy about the photo. As much as she likes to keep the photo, she doesn't want Shizuru to feel upset.
With that, Shizuru is back to being an embarrassed little girl. "Well, it's… it's embarrassing. I didn't know you have it until Reito told me." Shizuru doesn't think that the picture looks cute at all. Though she didn't want to admit it, but she never thinks that her younger self as cute.
"How about I print one of the photos and delete the rest from my phone?"
"I guess that is alright. But you have to come home with me tonight."
"Deal, onee-chan."
(END)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO UPDATE THE STORY REGULARLY. I'LL TRY HARDER.