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Buttoning Up

Senpai stood behind his easel and studied the objects on the table—a book, a ruler, and a compass. The drawing on the page looked fairly realistic for a still life. But it lacked something.

He pulled out his phone, navigated to his photo gallery, and tapped on the photograph he'd taken of the last painting he'd made. Belly-down, in all her glorious nudity, lay Nagatoro with that cheerful grin lighting up her face.

He glanced at the objects on the table, then at his phone. Drawing inanimate objects didn't cut it anymore. He set down his pencil, walked toward the bookshelf, and retrieved an old dusty tome titled "Paintings of the Masters." As he leafed through its pages, he marveled at the prevalence of naked women in so many works. Throughout the ages, the female form proved an amazing subject, a work of art in itself, and he felt blessed to have a model willing to pose for him without clothes. Still he wondered, why?

From day one, Nagatoro toyed with him by flaunting her femininity, often taking things to an extreme. He would never have guessed she'd take things this far.

Now they shared a secret. "You know what I look like without my clothes on, so it's no big deal if I'm naked now and then when we hang out." It was like a friend let him in on a stash of hentai manga filled with lewd drawings. Except this friend was a girl and the living source of the lewdness.

He glanced at his phone. His paintings weren't lewd; they were artistic. They captured the beauty of a girl with a vigor and flair he never knew he possessed.

Was he sexually attracted to his model? Hell, yes.

He doubted any of these masters painted with a clear pristine mind. But they were professionals. Like doctors. How many naked women does a gynecologist see in a week? Yet, he maintains his professionalism. No doubt some doctors slip once in a while. That's the nature of humanity. Senpai resolved to remain "professional."

He had no choice. Nagatoro made it clear she expected him to keep his "cat" in its "bag." She'd let hers out for reasons he still didn't fully fathom, and he was exceedingly grateful for that. Frankly, nothing had ever given him as big a rush as painting these nudes.

She seemed to enjoy it too. Sure, she teased him afterward and sometimes hung out with him without her clothes on. It reminded him of the story of a boy who had a birthmark that he'd only let certain people see. Once these trusted few saw it, the mark stopped being an issue and the boy felt comfortable around them.

Nagatoro's birthmark encompassed her entire body and perfectly matched the color of her skin—if you don't count the tan lines.

Ironically, he never painted the tan lines because he didn't see them. In the zone, his brush possessed a mind of its own. The brush didn't simply transfer an image from eyeball to canvas, pixel by pixel. It saw so much more and that "more" expressed itself through shape and color.

Was he in love with this girl?

He shook his head clear and refused to consider it. She obviously loved his work. So much so that she wouldn't let him keep any of the nudes he painted of her. He barely managed to get her permission to keep pictures of his efforts, although she seemed to be softening on that.

While modeling, she went out of her way to make his environment more comfortable, going so far as to let him tie her up so she'd be less threatening. He chuckled. He may have improperly taken advantage of her kindness, but she did give him a free tickle-pass.

He rubbed his chin. It was worth it, but he wouldn't do it again. He enjoyed having a mouthful of teeth. It made eating much easier.

He snapped his head toward the sound of squeaky rolling wheels. She's here. A head peeked in the opening door.

"Hey, Paisen, what's shaking?" said Gamo-chan.

He blanked his phone and nonchalantly stuffed it in his pocket. When he glanced up, his jaw dropped. Gamo-chan and Yoshi sauntered in with their blouses partially unbuttoned, revealing the centers of their bras. In addition, on a less shocking note, their shoelaces were untied. The girls walked behind him to check out his work.

"Nice book," said Gamo-chan.

"Nice," echoed Yoshi.

"Thanks." His face flushing, he pushed his glasses up his nose.

Gamo-chan took a seat on the sofa. Yoshi sat beside her.

"You've got a lot of guts," Gamo-chan said. "I'm amazed at how you keep surprising me." She bent forward to tie her shoes, revealing her ample cleavage.

"Massive guts." Yoshi bent forward and copied her friend.

"Wh-why do you say that?"

Gamo-chan closed the buttons of her blouse with a sexy wiggle and a sly smile. "I think you know."

"Um…" He turned away. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Fully buttoned and proper, Gamo-chan rose. "I'm keeping my eye on you, Paisen." She winked and walked out of the room.

"Two eyes." Yoshi pointed at her eyes and followed her friend into the hallway.

What the hell was that about?

Senpai took a few deep breaths, shook his head clear, and picked up his pencil.

Ten minutes later, Nagatoro walked through the door dressed in her school uniform. In addition, socks and sneakers graced her feet and a watch and bracelet ornamented her wrists.

"Hey, Senpai." She stopped, stared, and read his thoughts. "What's on your mind?"

"Something really strange just happened." He described the event to Nagatoro.

She squinted. "That's really sus."

"Do you have any idea what they were doing?"

"They were probably just yanking your chain. Did you get a good look at their boobs?"

"Not nearly as good a look as I'm used to getting."

Nagatoro's eyes bulged. "What a creepy thing to say." She smacked Senpai on the back. "Pervert. Pervert. Pervert."

He took his beating with a smile.

She calmed and plopped down on the couch. "I think she's just trying to get a rise out of you because I've been avoiding her because…" She spun her bracelet. "You know." A wicked smile creased her face. "If those two come here to show off again, you should ask them if they'll model nude for you."

"You wouldn't mind that?"

Nagatoro groaned. "Get a clue, pervert Senpai. You're a million years away from the day those two would let you paint them naked."

But you let me paint you that way, Senpai wanted to reply—but didn't.

"I've got a bunch of swim club stuff coming up once I help out again, but I can model for you after school on Tuesday. Are you good with that?"

He tried hard to suppress a grin, but Nagatoro read his mind anyway.

"Pervert."

Author's Notes: I can't believe I'm seven chapters into this story which I wrote as a one-shot. I wonder what'll happen next... — SK