She Comes And Goes As She Pleases (Part 25)
by BrDPirateMan

"Eri, I love you. Will you go out with me?"

"Oh, Neku," she gushed, clasping my hands in hers, "of course I will!"

"Really? !" I was so overjoyed that I was tempted to do a dance right on the spot. Finally after twenty long years being single I was out of the vicious cycle. Goodbye lonely nights, hello lovey-dovey days! Just think how many more things we could do together now in addition to the skinship we already share… I lost count pretty quickly.

It was apparent that she had something else to say so I heard her out.

"You're awfully nice, Neku, and you care about my welfare a lot. I think you're one of the cooler guys out there so I definitely wouldn't mind going out with you. No, rather, I'd be nuts to pass up this opportunity to snag myself a great boyfriend!"

"Eri, that's…" I wasn't the best with words, so I couldn't put my feelings across thoroughly enough. The following words would have to suffice, "That's awesome to hear."

She threw her arms around my neck, the distance between us closing down to a mere inch. Ooh… We'd just reciprocated our feelings for each other, and now we were already going to kiss? Good things were happening to me one after another at a rapid-fire pace!

"Hey sexy," she breathed, "there's something I'd like you to know."

"Oh?" I played along, thinking that she was setting us up for some harmless mischief. "Do I get three chances at guessing?"

I didn't. She just said, "Truth is… I'm a grasshopper."

"Huh?"

And then, like a scene from a horror movie, her beautiful face warped and changed in twisted ways. The skin turned a sickly yellow, her eyes turned black and grew to at least five times larger, and her mandible split into two segmented pieces. She'd turned into a freaking insect, right in front of me!

While I was petrified from the disgust and disbelief, she croaked out words in a disturbing high-pitched voice that could cut glass:

"Oh, Neku, I love you so much. Now allow me to show you my feelings by gobbling you up. Bon appétit!"

I screamed.

"AAAAAAHHH! ! !"

Just before her jaws could crush my head into tomato paste, I woke up in the nick of time to find myself in the safety of my bedroom. My shirt was soaked with sweat!

"Oh my god," I panted, "what a nightmare… Maybe biting into that grasshopper yesterday wasn't a bright idea…"

As the trauma mellowed out, I began to focus on the more important part of that dream. No, not the part about her terrifying transmogrification, but rather the fact that it was just a dream and that Eri had yet to answer to my confession.

So close yet so far… Where should I go from here? She knew how I felt about her, but she turned me down… I still wanted to pursue her, that much I knew. There's no way I could just give up right now, not after I had been crazy about her for so long. But I just didn't know what to do. Like her, I didn't want to make any fatal mistakes.

I'm an independent guy, but no one's an island. It's time to seek out help. And I knew just where to go.

XOXOXOXOXO

The three lovable stooges at WildKat stared at me with such wide eyes I thought they'd pop out of their skulls. I almost began to wonder if they had actually heard me or whether they were still waiting for me to speak.

"Holy snap!" said Kariya at last. "You really confessed to Eri? Like, seriously actually really?"

"Uh, yeah," I mumbled. "I did, really."

"Great going!" He broke into a genuinely happy laugh and slapped me on the back. "You finally got the ball rolling, huh? Good stuff! You've got to be sure to share all the details with us!"

Mr H held up two packets of coffee for me to see. "This calls for a small celebration. Just for this once, this cuppa's on the house. Take your pick, Phones: Sumatra Mandheling or Peru Decaf?"

"Thanks for the generosity, but I'll just have OJ, please."

"Really? Ha ha ha!" That I didn't share his enthusiasm for coffee didn't faze him in the slightest. "One day, son, I'll make you a convert. Then you'll enjoy the full-bodied taste that is java."

Despite her obvious surprise at the latest news, Uzuki still maintained her sarcastic edge. "Anyway, it looks like you finally grew some guts for once, Neku. And here I thought you'd come home with your tail between your legs."

"Whoa, Uzuki," chuckled Kariya, "lay off the harshness a bit, will you, girl? Phones here finally got the whole thing going. At least give him a break. It's a resounding success!"

Knowing that I had only told them half the story, I gulped, "Um, about that…"

A few minutes later, my tale was done, and the earlier joviality was replaced with an overhanging sense of uneasiness. No one knew quite what to say to me, though I could tell they were trying their best to put me at ease. Ever been involved in one of those conversations where someone admits they'd piled on a few pounds? You don't know whether to agree with them or say that it's no big deal. So it's kind of like that.

Kariya, clearing his throat one too many times, began, "Oh, er… So from what we know, you confessed to Eri, but she didn't accept you. But it's not a flat-out rejection, so you don't know where you are."

"On top of that," added Uzuki, "she even kissed you. Seriously, she's such a strange girl!"

"Tell me about it," I said. "I don't even know what I'm supposed to think. That's the main reason I'm here talking about it with you guys."

Mr H gave me my orange juice and I continued after taking a sip. "What should I do now? If she said she needs to think about it carefully, maybe I should give her some space. I don't want to freak her out by being too clingy. But I'm worried that if I stay out of her way for too long, she might drift away."

There was a pause of two or three seconds as they gathered their thoughts. Mr H chuckled as he took off his glasses and cleaned them on the hem of his vest. It was just like him to be amused at the trials and tribulations that come with being young. I guess when a person grows old, he starts to reminisce about everything and say stuff like how the days of his youth smell like fresh lemon or something. …Oh, don't tell him I said that.

"Who says you need to stay out of her way?" he said. "Just go on with your life as you normally would."

"Just like that?" I cast a doubtful gaze at him. "But wouldn't it feel weird when we see together and stuff?"

"Eri will definitely look at you in a different light. But it doesn't mean she'll think you're strange, or give you a wide berth. You're still her best friend, after all. Just carry on with business as usual; she'll be alright with you."

"Oh, that's true," said Uzuki. "She'll appreciate that you spoke up. And since she already likes you, she'll have a whole new level of respect for you."

I was surprised to hear that. "I actually thought she'd shrugged the whole matter off… because she said she'd think about it, but there's no telling how long it would take, so my gut was telling me it might never happen."

"Eri may be an airhead but she's not going to break any promises. Put a little more faith into her, will you? It's the least you can do for her. You're making it sound like she can't be trusted and I hardly think that's true."

"N-No, of course I didn't mean it that way…"

Kariya placed his hand on my shoulder reassuringly. "Phones, she'll give you her answer for sure. You just need to wait a little bit. But just because she's playing hard-to-get doesn't mean you can lay off the pressure. In fact, it's the best time to pursue her all the more so!"

"Hard-to-get, huh…"

Was Eri really trying to see if I'd soldier on or give up on the spot? Was she testing me to see how far I'd go to solidify her as my girlfriend? It would make sense. I read somewhere that girls are encouraged to purposely make it tough for potential suitors to weed out the good from the bad. I just didn't think I'd be subject to this kind of challenge. Love was more complicated than I already thought it was.

But I wouldn't give up. The words of Kariya and company invigorated my spirits. I had to chase after Eri with all I've got!

As though he could read my thoughts, he added, "Just don't be too persistent, Phones… The last thing any girl wants is for a guy to act like a total stalker. Don't keep confessing. Moderation is key. I'll leave that to you to figure out."

Mr H waxed lyrical about the good old days. "Ah… There was a time when I too was in love. This takes me back… There I was, an awkward youth trying out so-called foolproof strategies I got from a magazine, hoping the girls I liked would notice me more…"

Not one for tact, Kariya finished up for him, "Didn't work, huh?"

Our poor proprietor friend muttered cryptically, "E-Every failure makes us stronger…"

"But if you're still single," butted in Uzuki, "how many failures does that make?"

"I don't need you ganging up on me too, sister," grumbled Mr H. "That was then and this is now… And right now, romance can wait. There's nothing more I'm in love with than a good cup of beans." This he said proudly, like it was a coat of arms worth showing off to everyone. We just sighed wryly.

"Anyway," said Kariya, "I think you'll do fine, Phones. You've won half the battle… All you need to do is win the other half."

"She already knows your feelings," added Uzuki. "She wouldn't just ignore them, so keep at it."

I muttered, "If you say so, everyone. Thanks for everything."

They're all pretty smart at this… not because they're older, either. It's almost like they'd been through a lot. Almost like they've… wait, could it be? Those two especially… Might they…?

My curiosity demanded to be satisfied. "Uzuki, Kariya, please don't mind my asking, but…"

"Yeah?"

"Are you two… dating?"

Uzuki looked like she was going to burst out loud in outrage, but managed to stop herself in time to adopt a less hectic approach to answering my question. She appeared to shrug it off with a laugh, but the obvious couldn't be denied: she was quite rattled. To her, the very idea that she and her slacker friend could even be romantic was ridiculous.

After a very artificial-sounding "Ohohoho!" she began denouncing my suggestion strongly. "Neku, of all the things to say… Really! Me and Kariya… dating? Ha! That's rich! Even if there are no more men left on the face of the earth except him, I certainly wouldn't be in a relationship with this slob of a guy!"

Ouch… Mr H and I winced at her scathing sarcasm. She could be capable of some of the most biting remarks, but this one was even more painful than usual. I felt bad for Kariya.

How did he react to all this, by the way?

He just laughed. He was so hearty about it too, and didn't appear one bit fazed, prompting her to splutter incredulously, "Wh-What's so funny? !"

"Denial can be so cute," he replied, still buried in sniggers, "all the more so when it's you who's doing the denying. It's funny how you spout all this crud and yet you've probably got it bad for me."

Instead of overreacting like usual, she behaved relatively calmly. No panic, no blowing her top, no trapping him in a headlock… I never thought I'd see the day when Uzuki would react to one of Kariya's wisecracks in such a dignified manner. Maybe there's hope for this world after all.

Or so I thought for five seconds.

The smile she forced did nothing to hide the bulging veins on her temple as she spoke to him. She even placed a hand on his shoulder, like they were good pals.

"Y-Yo, Uzuki…? My shoulder… kinda hurts… I think you're – ow! OW! ! !"

…Same old Uzuki.

"I've got it bad for you?" she drawled. "Interesting theory… Do tell me more afterwards when I'm done castrating you."

I knew things would get ugly sooner or later so I took this as my cue to exit stage right.

"A-Anyway," I said hastily, "thanks for the advice, guys! I'll be off." They acknowledged me and bid me goodbye before turning to the more important matter at hand.

As I scurried off I heard Mr H imploring with Uzuki, "Sis, look, my café's got a reputation to keep. If you want to kill him that badly, do it elsewhere."

"Hoi!" spluttered Kariya. "Don't encourage her! She's killing my shoulder – ARGHRAH!"

I didn't catch what she said in response to that. Something told me I'd be better off not knowing.

XOXOXOXOXO

Life carried on like usual for Eri and myself. Going shopping, having cooking lessons on Saturdays, dealing with one too many of her impromptu sleepovers at my house… it all happened like clockwork. The rhythm didn't change, and it's good that it stayed that way.

But nothing else changed either. There was no indication that we were growing any closer. Usually, when a girl is confessed to, she would act differently around the boy. Maybe she'd be a bit more careful about what she says or the things she does. Or if she's secretly inclined to beginning a relationship with him, she might drop hints to suggest that she was interested but not ready yet. However, in this case, maybe it was because she was already close with me to begin with, but nothing special was happening. She still clung to me. She still teased me. And she still had that tendency to strip oh-so-spontaneously (on purpose or otherwise). I was happy but clueless.

This went on for some time, until eventually a whole month had passed without any major developments between us. Autumn passed quickly and now the winter season had descended upon Shibuya. The days were getting shorter and colder and once in a while it would even snow. Even the normally scantily-clad Eri was forced to pile on more clothing.

"Ahhh! Nothing like a hot bath to stave off the cold!"

Winter or no, though, she still wears alarmingly little when she's at home.

I tossed her a dress shirt and she caught it. "Wear something already, Eri. You'll catch a cold at this rate."

"But there's central heating in your house… It's quite cozy, really."

"Even then, you should cover yourself up. It's no good to be sick during the winter."

Eri slipped it on, not bothering to button it up as usual, before clambering onto the bed to join me, her willowy legs refusing to let go of my attention. When I finally managed to tear my eyes away, I suddenly noticed that she had been staring at me the whole time she was tousling her hair dry. Underneath the towel her gaze was locked onto me, making me feel self-conscious. Was there something stuck on my forehead? Or maybe I was ogling for too long?

"Eri? Is there anything I can help you with? Uh… cocoa?"

"Don't worry, I'm good." She now hung the towel loosely around her neck. "Thanks though."

She was still staring… Maybe it was nothing, I told myself. I put my book aside, readying myself for bed, but before I could dig in and say good night, she stopped me with a hand to my arm.

"…Neku."

"Y-Yes? Something the matter?"

She nudged closer, her eyes never losing their target. "You know, you're not bad-looking."

Whoosh went the rush of heat to my face. If I looked carefully, I could swear I almost saw steam seeping out from underneath my collar. It's already warm enough as it was with the central heating on…

I suppose I should thank her anyway; she did take the trouble to say it. "Geez, Eri… If you say it like that, then th-thank – "

"Oh, that's right, Neku! Wanna have a pillow fight before we hit the sack?"

Again with her abrupt topic-changing ability? ! "Huh? ! Wh-What's with this sudden change of pace? !"

"What?" And why did she look like she had just forgotten what she just said? ! "Um… have you never had a pillow fight before?"

"I… uh…"

Much of my life I led a solitary existence. I wasn't good at making friends, and whoever tried to make an acquaintance of me was quickly shooed off by my antisocial behaviour. The thing is, I wanted to be left alone. Everyone seemed to wedge their noses into my daily affairs and it was none of their business, so I hated people. All this changed when I met Shiki and the rest of the gang, and now I'm a much better person. I'm still terrible at mixing around but at least I'm not a total outcast anymore.

So because I didn't mingle well, I had never once been invited for a sleepover, or gone on an outing to the beach with pals, or gotten entangled in a pillow fight. I didn't know what all of these were supposed to be like.

"I've never done it before," I admitted at last, much to her astonishment. She had a look of slight sympathy, as though to say it's a shame that I didn't ever get to participate in such a fun activity.

"You sure don't play around much, do you… Oh well, no matter! I'll teach you the secret! First, grab your weapon."

So I did. One pillow for her, one for myself, and… how hectic could this get anyway? It's not going to be anything heavy –

"We! Fight! Now! Yaaaaah! ! !"

Gah! My slow reflexes earned me a wallop to the face. She sniggered and kept the blows coming from all sides. I took every hit and became quite disoriented. I didn't know pillow fights could be this intense! But if there's one thing I'm good at, it's that I'm a fast learner. I was up to speed with the militaristic art of jousting with pillows, and after I made a successful dodge I quickly retaliated with blows of my own.

"Not so fast!" I snapped, readying my next attack with a smile. "Megaton Armageddon – oof!"

"You don't have time to name your battle moves, Neku! What do you think this is, some kind of anime? !"

"But – "

"Wide open!" Oops! Took another hit! "Keep this up and you'll be mincemeat before long!"

I felt the fight rise within me and I took her up on her challenge. "Oh, I may be a rookie at this but I'll show you!"

Whacking each other stupid was strangely enjoyable. At first, I thought it would be better to play it safe and gentle but when I realized she wasn't going to pull any punches, I didn't see the need to either. However, she had experience on her side while I had none, and the fight was hers to win. To add insult to injury, she even managed to disarm me by knocking away my pillow and then sat on top of me.

"A winner is me," she trumpeted. "Ohohoho!"

"Man… you can be such a kid."

"Hey, tapping into your inner child from time to time is a good way to – "

Suddenly her haughty expression froze and she raked her cheeks in horror like she had forgotten something important.

"Oh noooo!"

"Eri? ! What's the matter? !"

"I forgot to set a bet before we started fighting!" she groaned. "Now I don't even get anything for winning!"

What, that's it? That's just so silly. I couldn't suppress a laugh.

"I-It's not funny, Neku! I really wanted to give you a proper punishment! Like making you cook dinner for me in a tutu… or – "

"A tutu? ! Talk about a close shave! Ahaha…!"

"Rrgh, you!" One of her cheeks was puffed out in annoyance. So adorable…

Our cute little argument petered out as she calmed down and resigned herself to the fact that even though she had won, she had also lost. I was expecting her to demand a rematch, but with the way she was panting I could tell she was just as exhausted as I was and wanted nothing better than to call it a night.

"Hey Neku, what would you have asked me to do if you won?"

Oh, good question. I didn't know… I considered some options, but they were either too crazy to be fun, or she was. Think about it for a minute here. There's no point asking Eri to strip if she does that all the time…

One possibility came to mind, but I hesitated to tell her. But whatever… You ask a question, you get an answer.

With a faltering voice, I said, "Erm… I'd ask you to follow up on my confession. You know, from a month back…?"

That was the stupidest thing for me to say. Look at how red Eri was blushing now! This was a delicate thing to talk about and I was too direct. She tried to say something, but nothing except splutters and incomplete sentences came out. Finally she plucked enough words from the air to string together a reply.

"H-Hey now… You… There's a limit to the things you can ask a person to do as a punishment… And that was certainly a bit much…"

I apologized hastily. "M-My bad, Eri. I wasn't thinking. Sorry…"

"No, it's fine. I figured this might come up sooner or later, so… well… Ah heck, we might as well get it over with."

She pulled me up into a sitting position so I could lean against the bedhead but she still remained on my lap, talking with me at close proximity. All the fun and cheekiness from earlier had vanished and now she was meek and quiet, almost like a different person. Almost like a lost puppy. Or a mouse. It was all I could do to resist the urge to pat her on the head. It was also all I could do not to try and make out the shapes in the lace of her still-exposed underwear.

Eri began, "Neku, what you said to me… I think about it every day. When you said you loved me, I was so happy… And even now, after this long, it still gives me a good feeling."

No kidding, girl. It's the same for me… It took a lot of guts for me to say it but it was well worth the effort.

"You're the nicest guy I've ever met," she continued, making my heart pound harder with every word. "And it's because of that and a bunch of other things that I really, really, really like you… so… I want to know if I can love you too."

"Oh, uh… th-thanks?" No, no! Calm down! I shouldn't get nervous or my mind would go blank!

More fidgeting. For a while neither of us could say or do anything. She resorted to biting her fingernail to stall for time, and me? I didn't know where to look, but whenever I tried to look somewhere other than those starry eyes, it had to be there. That bra of hers! Argh, this wasn't going to bode well for my –

"Neku! Watch the nosebleeds!" She jabbed a tissue up my nostrils. "I wouldn't have you soiling my underwear… this is one of my faves!"

"Ugh… I'm… terribly sorry, Eri."

"N-No, I'm sorry… It's my fault this happened." So cover yourself up already…

After she was sure that I would be okay, she continued carefully, "Anyway, I want to know if we're compatible as a couple. Luckily, after much thought, I think I've come up with a good way…"

I swallowed hard, waiting for her to finish, bracing myself… telling myself that whatever she was trying to dish out, I could handle it. Otherwise I wasn't a man!

She fixed me with those eyes again. Try as I might, this time I couldn't look away. It was like she had put me under a spell. She's so pretty… so pretty it was hard to believe my luck. Her voice was now a whisper, a sexy wisp of a sound.

"Neku, kiss me."

Boom! And just like that, my head went up in flames!

Did I hear her right? ! I tried to make sure, but the stuttering in my throat killed all of my attempts to speak like a normal person. In any case, she repeated herself for me.

"I'm serious, Neku." Her face was hardened with determination. "I want us to kiss so I can find out for myself. And unless we do that…" Now her tone softened with nervousness. "…I wouldn't know what to make of this feeling in my heart. Do I like you? Do I love you? God, I'm so confused, Neku… I've never felt like this for you before. I really don't know what to think. I don't even know if they're, you know, 'feelings'. Those kinds of feelings. I told you… my head's in a mess. That's why we've got to do it."

"Aren't we moving a bit too fast for this?"

"Nope, not really. We're the bestest of friends! Wh-What's the harm in a kiss, right? It's like Christmas under the mistletoe, but… with more meaning… I guess."

The excitement skyrocketed within me. "B-But I've never kissed anyone before…"

"Th-Then… I'll… I'll teach you the secret…"

The goosebumps raised on my skin like flagpoles when she linked her hands behind my neck. Her eyes took on this dewy, dreamy quality and – hey, did the whole room just turn pink? ! There were sparkles blinding me left and right! Was this a delusion?

Oh my god. She's coming closer. Eyes closing, head tilting to one side… I watched those perfectly-formed lips of hers. She really was going to do this, even when I wasn't ready. I would have loved my first kiss to be at some exotic location like the beach or at least in an empty park during a sunset… but matters were quite pressing and I had little place to argue. This would have to do. My first kiss would forever be immortalized as something that took place on a bed at home. Not exactly scenic, but beggars can't be choosers.

Closer… Oh boy, there we go… Overwhelmed and positively quaking, I simply shut my eyes, pried my mouth ajar, and hoped for the best.

"Relax, Neku… This wouldn't take – "

Crack.

"Ngah!"

"Ow!"

Our… Our teeth clashed! ! !

We wound up rubbing our mouths and apologizing a great deal. But it did raise an interesting question: if Eri knows how to kiss, how could she be guilty of a mistake only novices would make?

"Sorry!" she blurted, getting all flustered. "I… I'm not usually like this. I've never kissed someone who's not my boyfriend before. It's like my first kiss all over again."

"Huh? You… panicked?"

"Y-Yeah, kinda. I rushed it… sorry about that. Are all your teeth intact, Neku?"

"I should be the one asking that. And yes, they're fine."

"Oh… uh… good…"

God, how long was this going to take? ! The suspense was killing me! It was killing her too, apparently. What should I do to ease the tension… I shouldn't do anything that'd ruin the atmosphere though. Hmmm… maybe…

"Oh, right!" I stammered. "Perhaps I should switch off the lights? !"

What the heck did I just say? ! As if things weren't awkward enough as they were already!

"No!" she yelped, then quickly softening her tone to a more reasonable level of outrage, she continued, "I mean, no. Wh-What for? This isn't the time for… It's not like we're going to have s– "

Pause. More uncontrollable blushing. And…

"No no no…! Neku, what're you making me say? !"

"Wait, I didn't mean it like – ow! Ow ow ow!"

She handed me a lot of fists to the chest to vent off her embarrassment and it hurt a bit. To call what I did a slip of the tongue would be highly inaccurate but it was my fault all the same so I let her finish. I waited for her to eventually calm down and catch her breath so I could apologise, but not before she mumbled her thoughts on the matter:

"Neku… you're an idiot."

"Sorry… I saw you were getting nervous and I was just trying to help soothe your nerves. I'm not very experienced with stuff like that so it never crossed my mind that it'd be inappropriate."

Eri seemed satisfied with my explanation but heaved a sigh, slightly frustrated that our evening had to have so many interruptions. "I figured, what with you being a romance newbie and all. Ah well, you may not exactly be Romeo but I've seen your progress and you're getting there, so I'll give you credit for trying. Now can we continue where we left off?"

"Y-Yeah… Okay, Eri."

"I wouldn't make the same mistake twice," she half-chuckled.

I knew she wouldn't.

Those eyes of hers were looking right into mine again. So gorgeous… Beautiful brown orbs with a bedroom gaze… When they fluttered closed again I mirrored her actions and waited in pitch blackness for her to come to me. I couldn't see, but I could feel the warmth of her face as she approached. My gut was twisted into knots and I was even getting impatient to start.

It was taking a while… She must be taking her time, thinking, contemplating what to do… The waiting was unbearable. Just when I feared she might be getting second thoughts… just when I imagined she might stop and give some excuse about a lapse in judgment… just when she seemed she was going to give up…

…it happened. I felt her

lips

on

mine…

Wh-What's with this sensation? A great warmth was spreading from my mouth to the rest of my body. My head became so light I thought I might float to the ceiling. No… I had to retain my sanity somehow, but Eri wouldn't let me. When her lips started moving and plucking away, I knew I had crossed that boundary and couldn't turn around anymore.

So I surrendered myself and kissed her back.

What was I doing? I was actually more surprised at myself than at the kiss we were sharing. It might make sense for me to be so stunned I'd do nothing and let her have her way with me, but to think I'd actually join in and make this a combined effort… Since when did I get so emboldened… I was sure she must be surprised too.

Oh god, she's moaning now. She's never been like this before. Never been this… sexy. And that's saying a lot for someone who teases me all the time with her sex appeal. Invigorated by the experience, my arms started moving on their own and – I couldn't even believe I was doing this – they slipped underneath her open shirt, snaking to a more comfortable place: the small of her back. This coaxed her to move closer… until she was pressed right against me, our bodies melting like chocolate. Inside of my head I could almost hear sultry saxophone music to suit the mood.

Talk about kinky… I sure didn't want one thing to lead to another this soon though!

In apparent need for a gulp of fresh air, Eri broke things off. Our lips parted slowly, almost reluctantly… I opened my eyes at last, and before me Eri sat panting and with her face glowing a deep pink.

As we waited for our breaths to catch up with us, we just stared at each other, thoroughly stupefied from the past one or two minutes. I didn't know what was real anymore… We just kissed… It felt too unbelievable to be true, but our lips were throbbing and slightly swollen and that alone was proof positive that it actually happened.

You don't see Eri at a loss for words often but now was one of those times. She just squeaked like a mouse, "W-Wow… Neku, y-you're…"

"Huh?"

Her trembling fingers reached up to her lips. "You're a surprisingly good kisser. Are you sure you're new at this?"

"Th-That was my first time…"

"Seriously? W-Wow…" Now both of her hands were shielding her mouth as she struggled to get her message across. "I mean… wow… You… I… That was better than I expected. So much better…"

"Really?" I was blushing like nuts.

"Uh-huh. I… I had…"

Her voice trailed off. In the afterglow of things, she suddenly became very shy and was reduced to mumbling the rest of the sentence, which – to my delight – was:

"…I had fun."

She actually liked it? ! This was a good sign, right? It had to be. Didn't think it'd go so well for her too. I half-expected her to liken the feeling to giving a hickey to a slimy fish, what with me being totally new at this. It's not always there when you want it but when it does happen, beginner's luck can be an immensely satisfying thing. Either way, this was one more nice memory to chalk up!

Eri saw how unresponsive I had become but that was just me being so glad that I was speechless. She mistook my silence for disagreement or maybe even disgust and tried to prod a reaction out of me to see where she might have messed up.

"Neku," she said uneasily, "I'm sorry I forced this upon you on such short notice… If you didn't like it I can understand… But I just wanted to know… I was just curious about us."

I hurried to put her at ease but I wasn't good with poise. "No, Eri, I didn't mind it one bit! I'm lucky that my first kiss got to be with you. Ahaha… Ah, just listen to me. I'm like a fool in love."

It was good to see that she was feeling better and she even managed to giggle again. "You're funny."

"So, um, Eri… yeah." She kissed me for a purpose… to understand her own feelings better, maybe even confirm them for real. So what was it? I pressed her for details, but tried not to get too pushy to put her off. I had to know this. It made my guts spin just to ask but it's either this or bust! "You've already done this, so maybe you can tell me? About, um… what you think, I mean, of… uh, me as a boyfriend? …Y-Yeah! That's it… What do you think of me as a potential boyfriend…"

Eri gave me one of her many warm smiles that were famously proven to make men's knees go weak, so it's great that I was sitting. The thumping of my heart wouldn't stop as I waited for her to speak. Ooh, what would she say… It had to be something good… I hoped so, anyway…

"Not telling."

Huh? Oh, maybe it'd be better I voice that out, "Huh?"

"It means I can't tell you, genius," she giggled. "You can't know."

Ah well… When you read between the lines more carefully, she may have said that she wanted to understand our connection to each other a bit better, but she never said she'd tell me…

But that didn't mean I liked being kept in the dark about it!

"That's not fair," I protested. "Can't you give me a hint? You're not the only one who's curious here."

She gave it some thought, seeing that I had made an argument even she could not refute for once. We were both in the same boat, so shouldn't we be able to share some secrets?

Finally she relented. "Alright… I'll tell you this… but that's all, okay?"

That'd be plenty! "Okay."

She put me out of my misery at long last…

"Neku, you taste like miso soup."

…not.

Maybe for now it was useless to dig deeper into the mystery that was Eri so I decided to leave this for another day. "Alright, I get it… I wouldn't push you if you don't want to talk about it."

That grin looked like the birth of another smart retort but nothing of the sort happened. Her smile faded gradually and she went back to shy girl mode as our eyes continued to bore into each other. It was affecting me greatly too. Prolonged eye contact was a force to be reckoned with. Really, don't mess with it.

She mumbled, "Sorry. We're best friends, so we shouldn't be keeping things from each other… But everything that happened this evening is still a lot to take in for me, so I need to mull over it some more. Please try to understand."

"There's no rush, I guess… though the sooner we clear this up, the better."

"I haven't forgotten to get back to you on this. I'll be a while, though."

"Okay, I understand. Take your time… It'll be bad if you make a decision because you were forced to."

The smile she gave me was a way of silent thanks. "So glad you're such a thoughtful guy. Oh! Turns out I managed to keep that promise too. Remember?"

"Huh?"

"You know, when I said we'd kiss and make up? That's from about a month ago… But we did just that, finally! I never forget what I promise. I'm a good girl, see?"

The words of the folks back at WildKat came back to me at that instant, with Uzuki's standing out in particular.

"Eri may be an airhead but she's not going to break any promises," she had said. "Put a little more faith into her, will you?"

Yeah… she's right. Eri doesn't look like it at first glance but she's one of the most trustworthy people I've met. She's the type who'd rather break an arm than break a promise. There's never a time when she doesn't follow through. Hasn't she showed a lot of this good side of hers to everyone over the years? Who was I to doubt her? I could count on her to give me her thoughts soon… So until that day comes, I'll wait for you, Eri…

"Oh, not to change the topic or anything," she continued, "but there is one thing… How much longer do you intend to grope my butt? Just asking."

Huh? ! I was groping her what? ! I thought I was holding onto the small of her back. But it's true: my hands must have unconsciously travelled down to her bottom because that's where they lay… yikes! I hurriedly let go. Goodness, her lovely butt of all things! My hands were tingling and quivering and everything!

She wasn't angry in the slightest. Being the easygoing soul that she was, she'd just laugh it off, and that's exactly what she did now. Few things could faze her. She's like a wall made of lead.

"You don't need to say sorry so many times," she chuckled. "I heard you the first time round."

"Ah… um…"

"It's getting late, Neku. Sooo… lights out?"

I wanted to talk to her more, to scratch a little more off the surface of our relationship, to know her even better than I already do… But unfortunately, time wouldn't allow it. There were classes to be had tomorrow and we needed to sleep. Ah well, another time.

She set up shop for the night in my bed again, nuzzling up to me like a kitten. Eri's so cute when she's sleeping like that… And when I gazed longingly at her face up close, my eyes kept going back to her lips. They were so soft… They've got a nice shape too – neither too thin nor too thick – and if there were any complaints to be had, I couldn't think of any… well, okay, she tasted like miso soup too. But then again, that's hardly a problem. I love miso soup.

Hopefully things will get better from here on out. A girl wouldn't kiss a boy for no reason… I was pretty convinced Eri was as much in love with me as I was for her. But theories were just theories, and I wouldn't know till she said it.

Until then, I hoped to taste her miso soup again sometime soon…

XOXOXOXOXO

When morning came it was not my alarm clock that roused me but the smell of something good.

Where was Eri? She wasn't in bed. She's like Houdini; she could blink away from sight and reappear three blocks away if she so wished. And now she had mysteriously vanished again, but judging from the aroma that was filling my nostrils it was easy to guess where she had disappeared to (besides, she's not the kind of girl to just 'leave in the morning', if you get my drift…).

"Oh! 'Morning, Neku!" Ah… There she was, in the kitchen, busy as a bee at the stove. "You're up so early!"

"Uh, y-you too. What're you doing, Eri?" …Even though it was obvious.

"I'm getting breakfast ready, 'cause I'm feeling extra generous today! Have a seat, please. I wouldn't be long."

That sure was one fantastic smell… What's that, omelletes? Nice. Not a bad way to start the day on top of all the… um, eye candy that I was already being subjected to. She's not in one of those naked apron getups, but it's still erotic enough to be seen in only a dress shirt. God, why do I have to keep describing what she wears? ! Everyone's a bit of a pervert and I'm no exception, but…

"Let's dig in," she said, having brought our portions to the dining table. "And lookie here, it's your absolute favourite: eggs! I was really careful to get the consistency just right and – oh, I kinda used up your stuff again. Sorry about that! But I just wanted to – oh man, you're mad at me, aren't you…"

"Huh? N-No, not in the slightest! In fact I'm happy that you're making breakfast for me…" I struggled in vain to find the most appropriate words. "…I just have things on my mind, is all. Ah, when I say I have things on my mind I don't mean it in a bad way, or that I'm opposed to them. I'm only… what's the word… chewing the cud? O-Oh wait, that's three words… I'm just saying – "

"Neku," she giggled, "first of all, calm down."

"Oh, right. O-Okay…"

"Secondly, are you still thinking about our little kiss from last night, huh?"

She's sharp as a tack… "I'd hardly call that 'little'…"

"I suppose not," she agreed cheekily.

Was that all she had to say? Surely something as important as a kiss would warrant a good swapping of opinions, and all she did was brush it off like dandruff and continue with breakfast? I was hoping she'd talk about it some more so I could gain some extra insight on what turned her on and what made her tick. It disappointed me that our breakfast chat was as ordinary as could be. Why gossip about her girlfriends when there were more important things in life to discuss?

Luckily for me, that wasn't the case for long. In the midst of eating she returned to the topic I was burning to resume and that perked me up good.

"Hey Neku," she said softly, "thanks again for last night. I've been meaning to get to the bottom of this."

"Oh! Me too… Are you still not going to tell me about your feelings, though?"

"The concrete hasn't set yet. I'd rather wait till I'm sure of what I feel. No offence, but the last thing I want is to go out with another mistake. I want to make sure you're right for me before I actually make a boyfriend out of you. And I've come up with another plan…"

"Another plan?"

"Yes, because I think I need more convincing. Can't hurt to be sure, you know? We girls take comfort in security. So that's why for now… we should deepen our friendship even further."

"How do we do that?" That didn't sound any different from what we're already doing, and we do things far beyond the threshold that normal friends are used to. What could possibly be more intense than the shenanigans she – pun kinda intended – exposed me to? But you can trust Eri to raise the bar to heights you never knew imaginable.

She hesitated and looked away, her face slowly glowing like a lamppost. This was going to be something over-the-top… Better put my inner shield up just in case this turned out to be –

"Well, Neku… Why don't we become kissing buddies?"

My omellete nearly went down the wrong pipe and my shield shattered into a million pieces. Holy what? !

"K-Kissing buddies? !" I could correctly guess the implications of that. "You mean we… kiss each other on a more… regular basis?"

"Among many other things." Oh man, she's serious about this. "It'll be like a sneak preview at what the two of us being in a relationship will be like. I don't know if going out with you will be worth it in the long run, so I just want to be sure. And if along the way I do fall in love with you… then, well…" She paused just before she could say too much, and then finished with a safe-sounding, "We'll see. We'll see…"

This was turning out to be a dizzying turn of events at any rate. Eri and I… From acquaintances to best friends and now kissing buddies? Now that's what I call an upgrade. If this kept up we might eventually become lovers… So it was up to me to do my best and keep her invested in her own plans.

I'll be man enough to admit it here: where love was concerned I was still as green as grass. I'd stumble and fall. But I'd get up and learn from my mistakes and be a better man for Eri. This was my silent vow to not only her but also myself: I'd definitely make myself the best guy she could ever ask for, hands down!

"Alright," I said, puffing out my chest. "Count on me!"

"Hee hee, that's the spirit!" I could sense her immense approval. "Even though it's not official yet, it's nice that you're willing to take charge! I like that in a guy."

"I'm just doing what I can and I might make the odd blunder now and again, but… please give me your support."

"You got it! Alright, let's declare it right now: starting from today, we're kissing buddies. Good plan? Great plan!"

"Yeah, let's work hard at it."

Eri crossed her arms, slightly cross. "Hey, be a bit more enthusiastic, will you? Where're those exclamation marks? ! I wanna see more of 'em. More!"

I laughed. "Exclamation marks are invisible in speech, Eri."

"Don't care. We're not leaving till we get some '!' in bulk."

"D-Did you just pronounce an exclamation mark? ! How? !"

XOXOXOXOXO

And so, from that morning onwards, we were kissing buddies. But apart from this daring declaration, nothing different actually happened yet. We still had breakfast together, we still took the bus together, and she still poked fun at me as always. All that stood out was the kiss but that was last night, making today seem like a whole new day. There wasn't anything we did that was a distinct departure from our usual daily routine. Life seemed so normal…

Our bus ride together didn't last long. Her college loomed into view and it was time for her to alight. Too bad… I would have loved an extra minute with her…

"Catch you later, Neku."

She got up and left me with a cheerful goodbye wave that I returned. I watched as she disappeared from view, and all the while I was thinking deeply. Kissing buddies, eh? First I'd heard of it, but then she just coined the term this morning. So we're stepping even further into the realm of "more-than-friends-but-less-than-lovers"… She's depending on me to make this a success, so I had to get creative and –

The sudden reappearance of my pink-haired friend nearly startled me out of my seat. She came back so abruptly. Did she forget to take something?

"Eri? Wh-What's up?"

No answer. Then, much to my surprise – well, much to everyone's surprise, actually – she swooped down, grabbed my head in both hands and planted a whopper of a kiss on my mouth. It took five full seconds. Now, in real life, that isn't a long time, but when the whole world grinds to a halt during moments like these, it feels like forever. My brain was spinning like a figure skater in the Olympics.

When she was done, and I just gawked at her, hoping for an explanation behind her behaviour, she simply reasoned with a naughty wink:

"Gotta make sure you're really awake. Ciao!"

And like a whirlwind she was gone, leaving a bus full of confused passengers in her wake. Everyone looked at me, and even the driver took longer than usual to continue the journey. And as for myself? Of course I was left totally stunned. Who wouldn't be? The embarrassment took over quickly and I wished there was somewhere I could dig a hole and hide my face in.

I knew this was going to be the beginning of a lot of big changes…

...

Author's note:

Oh man, this update took even longer than the last one. So sorry about that! I know I've got a full-time job but it's not really much of an excuse. If possible, I want the next chapter to come out a lot sooner. On the plus side, this chapter should satisfy anyone who's been waiting for some (platonic) action between Neku and Eri. So let's all look forward to even better things for them in the future! Thank you for giving this story a read!

Side note: the final chapter of M-rated love story Blossom has been released. Read how the steamy conclusion between Neku and Shiki plays out.

Anyway, once again, thank you all so much for your support... I'll see you in the next chapter. Bye!

BrDPirateMan