She Comes And Goes As She Pleases (Part 44)
by BrDPirateMan
The second day of our vacation began with a strange proposal courtesy of my pink-haired friend. Eri took out two small spades from her fanny pack (there's that bottomless magic at work again) and waved them in front of me.
"Pop quiz, Neku! Guess what we're gonna do with these?"
"Uh…" Perplexed, the only thing that I could skim off the top of my head was, "We're building a sandcastle?"
"Nope, we're digging your very own grave."
It's only eight in the morning and already I had a psycho on my hands. Her wide impish grin would have been harmless on most other days, but this time it didn't help her case one bit.
"C-Could you explain that again in simple Japanese?"
"I'm saying that I want to try burying you up to your neck in sand. It'll be fun. And you're going to help me!"
Ah, I knew what this was. Sometimes people do that at the beach as a joke or a fun activity. I've certainly seen and heard about it, but never tried it myself. I couldn't see how getting buried was any fun, though.
Cheerily she handed me one of the spades and directed me to a bare spot right next to our picnic area, which she touted as the perfect place to seal my doom. I was as calm as you would expect. That is to say, not at all.
"Don't you fret," she said in a purposely sadistic grin. "It wouldn't hurt one bit. I just need to make sure the screaming stops, then everything else will be smooth flowing."
"Then I'm outta here. Police!"
"I'm kidding, kidding!" She grabbed my wrist so I wouldn't run away, all the while laughing a great deal. "I'm not gonna do anything funny, I promise."
"Burying me sounds fishy enough…"
Some cajoling on her part later, I caved in and helped her to dig. With two people it wasn't a difficult task, but with her morbid sense of humour not letting up one bit, the whole affair felt creepy.
"The grave is nearly ready, heh heh heh… If you're tired, you can take a rest. In pea– "
"Eri… That's not funny."
"Sorry," she giggled. "You know how I like to tease you."
"I know… But next time, try something a little less… death-oriented?"
Some adjustments were in order before the hole could be deemed complete. I had to lie down in it a few times to make sure I could fit. Then, when she was satisfied with the results, I was told to go lie down… for the last time.
"Now for the fun part," she said, flashing an evil grin.
"Be gentle with me," I said, although I had my suspicions that my pleas would go unheeded.
"Just sit back and relax; I'll do the rest."
"Wh-What if I get an itch and I need to scratch it?"
"Oh, you know I can't do anything about that. Hee hee."
"Very reassuring."
Eri shoveled sand into the pit, starting from my legs up. It's a weird feeling to be buried, and the whole time, I was ticklish where the sand brushed against me. The sand was packed in tight all the way up to my neck, and my head was the only thing that stuck out. I couldn't budge an inch. Escape was impossible.
Oh well, at least my face was within the shadow of the parasol. But that's cold comfort in the face of such an ordeal. Remind me again why people do this for fun? Seriously.
"All done!" she proudly proclaimed, wiping sweat from her brow. "My masterpiece is complete! It lives!"
"I feel like a bagworm."
"Yeah, you're doing the bagworm community proud, Neku. Keep up the good work."
"Can I get out soon? I think I need to go to the washroom."
"Excuse me?" she said, pretending to sound exasperated. "I just built you, I'll have you know! Hold it in while I take in the sights."
Her phone was already in her hands and she was snapping photos of me. Photos I'm sure would be the source of many an embarrassing moment further down the line. Immobilized in my sandy prison, I was helpless. Heck, she could walk away right this moment and I'd be a sitting duck.
"Hey Neku, you doing okay in there?"
"Never better," I replied, a touch sarcastic. "I'm breathing, at least."
"That's good news alright. Now let me put in the finishing touches."
"The finishing… uh, Eri? What are you planning?"
I watched in confusion as she put away her phone and started digging up more sand into a pile next to me. A horrible thought crossed my mind: was she going to entomb my head too?! That got me quite alarmed and I was about to protest, when I saw her transferring the sand onto my body… around the groin area… piling it up into a chimney-like structure… Wait, that looked like a –
Now I was even more alarmed.
"Hey!" I yelped. "Wh-What are you doing?!"
"Oh, this? Hee hee… Well, don't mind me."
"I have every reason to mind! You promised not to do anything funny!"
"I sure did. But this isn't funny, this is awesome!"
Damn loopholes! It's just like her to abuse them for her benefit!
I couldn't stop her. Nothing could wipe off the mischievous grin on her face anymore. She was stifling her giggles to little effect as she worked on the phallic tower. Occasionally she'd step back to see how her handiwork was shaping up and she'd never fail to laugh, not even once. I could feel the amused stares of the other beach-goers on us. Now I changed my mind: I didn't mind if she buried my face too.
Some time elapsed – I don't know how much – but eventually the pinnacle of my humiliation was complete. A great tower of sand at least a foot and a half tall, jutting out from where my legs are connected. Eri looked proud of herself. Proud and doubled over with so much laughter, she found it hard to keep her phone still to take pictures.
"Oh my god," she gasped, "I'm gonna die! Ha ha ha!"
"Yeah, I'm close to dying myself." Please just kill me now…
"I hereby call this 'Heaven's Pillar'. Ha ha ha! How about that?!"
"C-Could you get me out of here now?"
"Wait, wait! One more photo for my collection!"
"Why do you need so many – oh god no."
The untimely arrival of the three WildKat stooges cut my words short. Mr H was out for what looked like a morning walk with Kariya and Uzuki… Now don't ask me why these three were taking a walk together, they just were. And they saw us. They saw the tower on my groin. I mean, how could they miss? Bewildered by the sight, they came over to inspect it in closer detail, much to my horror. The look of confusion on Uzuki's face would have been a best seller if I wasn't being victimized here.
Eri called out to them. "Perfect timing, y'all! What do you think?"
Uzuki, the straight man of the three, was at a total loss for words. "I… I have no idea what I'm looking at."
"Ooh, compliments! Thank you, Uzuki!"
Mr H and Kariya were more open about it.
"It's very avant-garde," commented Mr H. "Sure gives off that artistic feel."
"I know, right?" Eri folded her arms, exaggerating her pride. "Picasso ain't got nothing on this."
Now it was Kariya's turn to give his two cents. "So is this the Leaning Tower of Pisa or something?"
"Nah, more like the Leaning Tower of Pen– "
"Okay, that's all, folks!" I said, my face burning up from all the unwanted attention. "I'm afraid there's nothing else to see, so run along now. Show's over. Goodbye."
"Neku, our guests just got here!" Eri tried to sound like she was chiding me, but her laughter ruined the act. "Don't go chasing them away!"
Uzuki was obviously uncomfortable with the obscene sight before her. Glad to know at least one person was on my side. "Believe me, we'll be on our way soon. We're actually heading out to buy more supplies for our café, so… you guys have fun."
"Wait, wait!" Kariya urgently jabbed a hand in the air like he was calling for the teacher in a classroom. "Eri, can I make a request before we leave?"
"Kariya! Cut it out."
But Eri didn't mind. "Sure! What'll it be?"
My protests went unnoticed. If only I could just break out of this damn thing!
"Think you can straddle it?" chuckled Kariya. "It'll be funny! If we snap a photo we wouldn't even need to doctor it – ow ow ow! Uzuki, I was just joking! You don't need to tear half my ear off – ow!"
"We don't need your vulgarities so early in the morning," said Uzuki, cold as ice. "Now march. We have things to do."
"Ow, ow! Yes ma'am, I got it!"
Thank goodness for the voice of reason. Not one to tolerate any of his nonsense when it got overboard, she dragged him away, followed by Mr H who was chortling in amusement at the entire fiasco.
"Their comedy shtick never gets old," chuckled Eri. "We gotta make sure we don't lose out to them!"
"We're not trying to compete with them. More importantly, are we done here? Please say we are. I want out. Badly."
"Oh, be a party pooper, why don't you," she sighed. "I'm just trying to have fun."
"Look, I'm sorry for being a killjoy. But you try sitting here for half an hour with a full bladder and see if you like it."
"Alright, fair enough. I've got enough photos to last a lifetime anyway. Okay, you can get up now."
"Get up how?"
I cast a wry glance first at her and then at the sandy sarcophagus that had been keeping me in place. She suddenly realized that she was talking to someone who was very, very immobile.
"Oh, I totally forgot. Whoops! Here, let me break you outta there. Timber!"
Eri brought the side of her open hand crashing through the groin tower in a karate chop. I winced when I saw it crumble away, leaving behind a stump.
Good thing it wasn't my real one…
XOXOXOXOXO
Exhausted from a full hour of swimming, I stayed floating in place in the water with the help of an inflated tube. Eri made it a point not to leave my side as I was the less experienced swimmer between the two of us. She settled for swimming around me in circles like a shark. I half-expected her to ambush me at some point.
Just when I thought she wouldn't ever tire out, she swam my way and took a pit-stop on my tube. Both of her arms were splayed out on either side of me, clutching the tube securely. To any outside observer, it looked like she was hugging me. Her lack of any sense of personal space was an acquired taste for me, as well as for her friends, I bet. After a while, I learnt not to mind it. And as her boyfriend, I welcomed it.
"Good work," I said.
Eri was puffing, water droplets slinking down her face. "Thanks. Whew! I think that's all for now."
"Let's grab some grub and hit town. We ought to get some souvenirs for our friends."
"I'm sure there's a gift shop around here. Even if we can't find anything, I could always print copies of 'Heaven's Pillar' – "
I fixed her with a firm glare. "You are not distributing that to anyone. No. Way."
"I guess not," she sighed. "It's not outrageous enough. Now I actually need to doctor it – "
I upgraded my glare to the evil eye. "Eri…"
"I'm kidding! Take a joke!" She laughed hard, recalling the majesty of her obscene creation. "I wouldn't show it to anyone. That's the kind of stuff that meant to be kept secret, right?"
"Never mind about that, let's get out there and go shopping."
"You got it!"
Thirty minutes later we were wandering the streets, squinting awkwardly at a map which we hoped would direct us to the nearest souvenir shop as well as a few other specific points of interest. We put our heads together, quite literally, to read it.
"Uh… so apparently, it's over here, just down this road." I twirled the map into the 'correct' orientation. "Right?"
"No," said Eri, her pointer finger resting on an intersection. "It's further out. Once you get over here, you follow this road, then – "
"Hang on! That leads to a different area of the city! I'm telling you, we need to look at the map this way. It's too confusing reading it upside-down."
"Um… I still don't get it, Neku… Shouldn't the souvenir shop be somewhere close by?"
I scratched my head. "I… uh… We'd better start from the beginning again… get our bearings straight."
"We did that five times already!"
"Dammit, this map doesn't say anything useful!" Frustrated, I let out a ragged sigh. Then I saw a minor part that actually made sense and eagerly pointed it out like a dog. "Oh hang on, I think I got it. If we go straight from where we are, we'll reach this road."
"Y-You told me that five times too…"
"It looks like a few simple turns after that, so we should be fine. Once we get to that road we'll consult the map again."
"I don't know… Shouldn't we – "
"We'll be fine. I got this."
On hindsight, I shouldn't have been so hasty as to interrupt her. Who knows, she might have a good idea. But we had been poring over the stupid map for ten whole minutes with little headway and I was getting weary. We may have the whole day to ourselves, but this was the last day of our vacation getaway. I wanted every second of our time to be used to the fullest. I didn't want to waste anymore of it than I could help it.
Convinced that I was right, I marched towards our destination, followed by a very reluctant Eri. The first leg of our journey was relatively uneventful. Go down this road, turn right at the next intersection, then walk four blocks down and turn left –
When we made that left turn, we found to our shock that the entire street had been blocked off. Some construction work was in progress, or maybe road maintenance. Either way, no one could pass through. But this was the shortest way to the souvenir shop.
"Now this is unexpected," mumbled Eri. "So what now?"
"The only way to get there," I said, fishing out the map again, "is through this other road. It's a little longer, but I think it'll be fine as long as we don't make any detours."
"'I think'…?"
"W-We'll be okay, Eri! I told you… I got this. See? Just turn in here and then this and that!"
"Why don't we just ask someone for directions? It'll be a lot quicker than wandering around aimlessly."
Deep down inside, I knew this was what we should have done all along. But I had convinced myself that I was doing the right thing. I felt that I could understand the map, even when I actually didn't. Now, instead of being the dependable boyfriend I should be, I looked ten times less intelligent. At least I had the sense to swallow my pride instead of continuing with my fruitless plan.
"Y-Yeah, okay. Let's do that."
I had a good chance to show off, even if it was to settle a relatively minor issue… and I blew it. Go me. We all have our idiot days; I guess this was mine.
Asking for directions shouldn't be too hard. Some kind soul should be able to point us in the right direction.
However, there was one thing I didn't count on.
Eri was about to get the attention of some random pedestrian when she was interrupted by a couple of young fellows.
"Hey there, hot stuff," said the guy with the sleeveless top, "are you lost?"
"Um… I…"
She couldn't even say anything for herself when the second guy cut in. "We could show you around! How about it?"
"Sorry," said Eri curtly, flashing them a forced smile and dragging me away. "I'm busy."
I glanced back over my shoulder and saw them walking away in defeat. But no sooner did we walk five steps were we waylaid by another pair of dudes looking for a good time. They were even more gaudily dressed than the previous two guys. Looking at their Hawaiian T-shirts put a lot of strain on my eyes.
"Hey there!" said one of them, I didn't care who. "You look stressed out. What's eating ya? Can we help? We know a good place – "
She gave the exact same reply but with less patience. "Sorry, I'm busy."
These ones were more persistent. "Aw, c'mon, don't be like that. We'll treat ya!"
A third guy showed up, blocking our way, thinking he could outdo these two idiots. "If you're lost, I'll be your tour guide, little kitten. Just tell me to lead the way. I'm very good at leading."
Behind him I could see four or five more coming in to join the party. Where exactly did these guys come from?! They're pouring out of the woodwork!
Apparently guys were aggressive around these parts. They're like freaking bloodhounds. They catch a whiff of their prey with the help of some magical female detector, and then they're onto them in a flash. What made their behaviour even more egregious was that they were thick-skinned enough to hit on Eri even when she was clinging onto me. Hello, her boyfriend was right here! Was I that transparent?!
One of the mooks suggested, "Hey, ditch the guy and let's go have some fun!"
Oh, someone finally acknowledged my existence. That's nice.
There were now no less than eight of them, formed around us in a semi-circle. I wouldn't hold it against Eri for being a dude magnet, and I'd never wish her to be less pretty so we didn't need to deal with pushy skirt-chasers, but this was quite the situation we had on our hands.
Their leering eyes were fixated on her. Her clothes were skimpy to a fault too, so they were really drinking in the eye candy. She's generally fine with flaunting herself in public, but these guys made her uncomfortable, and her grip on my arm tightened out of desperation. I could trust her to hold her own against them, but I didn't want to just stand there. I had to do something.
"Hang out with me!" said one guy, almost begging her. "I wouldn't let you down, I promise."
"No, me!" said another, grinning too widely. "We can go skating down at the park! It'll be fun!"
A third fellow tried this, "Hold up! The owner of the family restaurant just round here is my friend. I can snag us a sweet discount!"
This pack of rabid dogs has long outlived their welcome and Eri was getting annoyed. No longer interested in playing nice, she growled, "I already have a boyfriend. Go away, we're busy."
Eight pairs of eyes turned towards me, filled with contempt. In spite of the opposition, I stood my ground.
"Seriously?" snorted someone. "You two don't match."
Eri's brow furrowed deeper and her fingers dug into my arm. She didn't like it when people made fun of her friends. She hated it most when said disparaging comments were directed at me. She was about to retaliate in my defense but I quickly placed my hand on her arm, causing her to pause. I wasn't trying to show off. I was simply doing what was right. And I couldn't let her do all the hard work.
The simplest approach is usually the most effective one. That was what I strived for as I stared these guys down.
"Hey," I said bluntly, "you heard her. She's got me, she's not available. Go hit on someone else."
I ushered Eri in the opposite direction. But I had a feeling in my gut that this wasn't the end of it. True enough, it wasn't. Luckily, however, I was savvy enough to predict that.
Unwilling to give up on what they felt was their biggest catch, they followed us en masse. The nearest one tried to catch up, unhappy with being turned down. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him approach. And I was ready for him.
"Oi," he snarled, "we're not done talking yet!"
He attempted to grab Eri's arm, but I whacked his hand away. Surprised for a moment, he could only nurse his hand and stare blankly at me.
"Go hit on someone else," I repeated, trying to sound unfazed. "Keep bothering us and I'll call the cops."
His teeth could create sparks with how forcefully he was gritting them. Behind him, the other Casanova wannabes were bristling in frustration. Why couldn't they get the hint and just leave us alone already? Were they so desperate they'd hit on anyone in a skirt whether she's been taken or not? They'd crossed a line somewhere…
"You piece of trash!" he seethed, lunging at me. "I'm gonna – "
In a split-second Eri swung her leg and brought her boot crashing into his groin. There was an audible thud as it connected with the hapless fool's family jewels, and his eyes popped wide open like a cartoon character.
He was in such pain, his vocal cords seized up and he couldn't even scream. He crumpled on the spot, bug-eyed and dribbling saliva all over the pavement. The other guys watched in horror at his whimpering form.
Well, I guess that's that. Sure, it's frightening, but at least that should dissuade these morons from –
"Get her!"
And the remaining seven or so guys closed in on us. Oh, you gotta be kidding me. They wanted revenge now?! How about they give up and walk away like a normal… oh, right. They're not normal. They're idiots. These were the guys who had somehow transcended into a higher plane of stupidity. I almost forgot about that.
"Eri!" I snapped, yanking her by the wrist. "We gotta bounce!"
We tore through the streets, hotly pursued by a mob of angry goons. They may have crud for brains but they were still capable of doing terrible, terrible things to us if they caught up. Luckily I had an idea.
"Turn right!" I barked at Eri. "Up ahead!"
We ducked into a side road, but they still managed to follow.
"Where are we going?" she panted. "You got a plan?"
"Yeah… I think I know where we should go… I'm just following what I saw on the map. Okay, turn left!"
"G-Got it!"
"You cowards!" someone yelled from behind us. "Wait till we get our hands on – ack!"
All of them suddenly screeched to a halt and promptly sped off the way they came.
I heard another of them as he ran away. "Dammit, pull back! This ain't worth it!"
Both of us watched them run off in a dust cloud as we tried to catch our breaths, leaning against…
…the police box I'd been hoping to reach.
Just as planned. I knew they'd at least have the sense not to act weird in front of a couple of policemen, at least.
I tried to catch my breath, wiping sweat from my forehead. "That went well."
"Heh, smart," praised Eri with a smile. "Good work, Neku."
The policemen inside came out to see what the commotion was about and instead found us chuckling in relief from an escape well done.
"What's the matter, you two?"
We took some time explaining to the police officers about what happened and they told us to exercise caution around these parts. As a tourist hub, there was no shortage of newcomers, many of whom were girls. The abundance of females made this place a haven for perverts and people who have nothing better to do with their testosterone levels. The officers were kind enough to give us directions on how to get to the shop we had been searching high and low for. After we thanked them, we were finally on our way proper.
"They're nice people, aren't they?" said Eri. "Those cops, I mean. Now we know where the gift shop is!"
"Yeah, it's all good." Rubbing the back of my neck, I sheepishly said, "Hey, listen… I'm sorry. For, you know, what happened."
She blinked at me. "For what?"
"I thought I had the map sussed out but I didn't, and because of me we ended up in the wrong place, and you were even hit on by those jerks. I should've been smart about it, and asked someone for directions."
She merely waved it off. "Everything turned out alright in the end. Why worry?"
"I had a feeling you'd be fine, but things could've ended badly for us back there. They outnumbered us… If we hadn't run when we did, they could've ripped us to shreds. Of course I'm glad all's well that ends well, but it's just a thought, you know? A scary possibility."
"I know. I understand why you're concerned. Still, that's all over and done now. Let's focus on happier things!"
Her carefree attitude made me wish I could brush off mishaps like she did. "Heh… okay, if you say so. Still, there is one thing…"
"Hmm?"
"D-Do you have to cling so close to me? I can hardly walk straight."
Eri was practically glued onto my body as she held onto my arm. She was pressing against me so much I had to compensate and push against her with equal force or else we'd both careen off the sidewalk.
"Eheh… I won't get hit on so easily if I do this, right?"
"Maybe… but I still can't walk."
Couldn't say I wasn't happy, though…
XOXOXOXOXO
"That's that, then."
As soon as we got back to our hotel room, I set the bag of souvenirs down on the floor, glad to be relieved of its weight pulling on my arm. We had spent a lot of time at the gift shop carefully choosing what to get for our friends, and the end result was this bag and a sense of accomplishment.
"I hope this works," I said. "It's not easy choosing a present for Beat. He's the type to think that trinkets are for 'the girlies'."
Eri flopped gracelessly onto her back on the bed. "Heh heh… There's nothing girly about knickknacks. Besides, I think Shisa lions suit him to a tee."
"You had a lot of fun in there, I could tell."
She chuckled. "Shopping is always fun! The rush of snagging a good find is to die for! …I sure could use a break now, though."
"Can I join you, then?"
"Of coursalicious, be my guest!" She patted the sheets, enticing me to lie down next to her. I obliged without a hint of reluctance, crashing into bed.
We lay on the bed motionless, letting the feeling creep back into our tired limbs. The balcony doors were thrown wide open to let in the sea breeze and the never-ending roar of the ocean. It was quite a day. I'd been buried in sand with a giant tower on my crotch, gotten lost in town, seen my girlfriend get accosted by punks, was forced to flee from said punks… That much excitement could last me for weeks… and it wasn't even lunchtime.
Whew… Now, just let me rest for a wh–
Eri sprang upright all of a sudden. "Okay! I'm all recharged! Let's get back to playing, Neku!"
"Th-The heck? That was quick…" She barely warmed the mattress!
"Hmmm, actually, let's grab a bite at the Bistro. Then we have more fun."
You sure know how to party hard, Eri," I said with a tired smile. "You're right up there with all the renewable sources of energy."
"I'm solar powered and nothing can stop me! Better learn to keep up!"
"Heh… I'm trying."
Lunchtime for us was usually observed at half past twelve, but being on vacation has a way of tipping your daily schedule and scattering it all over the place. After filling up on fried rice one hour early we kicked back to enjoy the outdoor scenery with a glass of coconut water for each of us.
I relished the coldness of the water as it slid down my gullet. It was so delicious that even when I took it in sips at a time, I was quickly done with my glass. Eri saw this as a grand chance to crack another lewd joke.
"If you need a refill," she giggled, "Mummy has plenty of milk right here."
She poked the sides of her breasts with two index fingers, pushing them together slightly and accentuating the cleavage. I liked the view, but…
"No thanks," I deadpanned, brushing the innuendos aside. "I'm lactose-intolerant."
She burst into laughter. "Best line I've heard all day! That's a good one, Neku."
While we were talking and having a good time, I happened to catch a glimpse of a man talking to Mr H. I didn't think much of it, but when the stranger saw us and kept his gaze held, I began to wonder what was up.
"Neku! You're spacing out again!" And Eri nudged me in the shin with her foot, demanding attention. "I'm talking to you… Are you looking at other girls again?"
"What? No! But that guy… He's staring at us."
She looked in the direction I nodded towards and saw the man in question. He was exchanging a few words with Mr H, but otherwise his gaze never faltered.
"What about him?" shrugged Eri. "You know him from somewhere?"
"Can't say I do, but I think he wants to talk to us."
After a moment of hesitation as well as a few parting words for Mr H, that's exactly what he did.
"Excuse me," he said to us. "Could I talk to you for a minute?"
He appeared to be in his mid-thirties and his semi-casual dress sense – slacks and a dress shirt – implied he had an easygoing personality. Maybe he was someone whom Mr H knew from his circle of businessman friends. All in all though, he didn't seem very threatening.
"Uh, sure," I said. "Y-You need something?"
He turned to Eri. "I won't waste your time so I'll get straight to the point: have you ever thought of modeling?"
So this guy was a scout for a modeling agency… It's hard to tell if he was trustworthy or not, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt and listened closely to his words.
"Modeling?" She chose to answer in a roundabout way. "Um… what makes you say that?"
"I think you have what we're looking for. The looks, the figure… My agency would love to work with someone like you. Trust me, I know a star in the making when I see one."
He was kinda… pushy, with a flamboyant way of talking that sounded… fake. Eri probably noticed too, because her only response to that was a limp-sounding, "Ahaha! I… I see…"
"Oh, silly me. I almost forgot. Here's my card."
He whipped out a business card from his breast pocket and handed it to her, with both hands as per proper business etiquette. I got one from him too. "Fujisaki & Co. Management", it read. During the time we took to read the credentials on his card, he had discreetly taken a nearby chair and sat down with us. I watched him closely from the sidelines, ready to pounce on any suspicious behaviour.
"I'm really sorry to intrude on you two," he said with a smile full of teeth, "but when I see a girl with such a huge source of potential, I can't let go. I basically just want to know a few things about you, then I'll be off. First of all, how old are you?"
"Um… I'm twenty."
"Splendid. That is within the acceptable age range for models at our agency. You're already half eligible! Do you work out?"
"I, uh… I swim at least once a week – "
"Great!" He didn't even wait for her to finish, as though he already knew what she was going to say and was just waiting for her to say it. "I wasn't wrong in finding you. It's important for models to stay in shape! Actually, everything about you is in pristine condition. But just for the record – and I know this is a bit of a personal question so please don't hate me for asking…"
"Huh?"
"What is your cup size?"
That was the prompt I needed to step in. "Hey! You can't ask something like that!"
But he was quick to apologize. "Whoa… now, now, sorry now! I didn't mean to anger either of you. However, we at the modeling agency have a strict list of criteria for models to follow, you know? And breast size is one of them. But I can understand why you'd be hesitant to tell a poor little fellow like myself."
I shot a look at Eri, hoping she'd get the message that we should play safe around this guy. Luckily for me, she was a smart girl.
"I'm sorry," she said, smiling to lessen the impact. "I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to tell you."
The scout was not the least perturbed. "Mmm, that's fine! I like someone who can speak their mind. I just wanted to be ultra-super-convinced that you're the right girl for the job. Nothing wrong with making sure, right?"
"Uh-huh… Sorry, I still can't tell you."
"Hey, no need to apologise! I'm an open-minded person, I can understand things!" Yeah? That's hard to believe coming from you, buddy… "One last question from me before you're free to chase me away: are you interested at all in fashion?"
Uh-oh… I saw her eyes light up. It was very subtle, but her guard went down a bit and now she became much chattier. Not so much that it was a marked difference, but it was there and I noticed it. So did the scout, who was quick to latch onto her every word and slowly nudge her towards his desired outcome. I didn't like the direction things were going, but I was powerless to stop the gears this smooth talker had oiled. The girl's fondness for clothes was also her weakness.
"I love it to bits," said Eri. "In fact, I'm taking a course in fashion design at college. You could say it's my passion."
The scout had been smiling the whole time but now he broke into an even bigger one. Any bigger and I'd probably see his tonsils. He must've struck gold chancing upon Eri.
"Modeling and fashion go hand-in-hand," he claimed. "If you're a sucker for fashion then you'll absolutely adore the modeling scene. Since you're still in college, we can hook you up as a part-timer. Plenty of girls at our agency are students just like you, so you see? It's actually a very flexible line of work!"
If only it were that simple. Eri, you can't get drawn in by this guy's words just because he sees eye to eye with your love for fashion. You do have some sense, right?
Eri nodded. "Hmmm, that actually sounds pretty nice."
"Heh, doesn't it?"
"Oh yes," replied Eri. "I'll think about it."
Our surprise guest rose from his chair, ready to leave and about time too. "Yeah, you think about it real good, and if you're interested, give me a call. There's no guarantee the agency will hire you, but there's no harm in trying, right? I hope to hear from you real soon!"
The scout left at long last, and boy was I glad to see him go. Something about the guy just felt off. I had no idea how scouts went about their business, so I didn't know if everything he did earlier was the norm in this line of work. Regardless, when he started asking personal questions, I couldn't say I was comfortable with it.
When he was safely out of earshot, I remarked, "I don't know about that guy… I feel like he's putting on an act, playing the adorable fool to get us to let our guards down."
The smile that she had forced herself to put on instantly melted and her face went back to normal. "Of course. It's so obvious. But, doormat act aside, he did give me another road I could travel on."
"You mean how you can apply to become a model if you so wish?"
"Yeah. You know, he does have a point. Modeling and fashion are closely related, so even a part-time career would be great to add to my resume."
"That's true. So, are you interested?"
She stared into her empty glass and fiddled with the straw. "It's hard to say. I like wearing clothes, and I don't mind having to strip down to my undies for a photoshoot, but modeling is hard work. I have a couple of girlfriends who moonlight as part-time models, and I hear all kinds of stories from them. The pay is good, but it's not all gold and glitter."
"I never for once thought being a model would be easy. I just want you to know that. I'm worried for you, you know."
The kindness in my words reached her and she smiled. "Thanks, Neku. It's still too early to make a decision now, anyway. Let's leave the heavy stuff for later, 'cause we're here to have fun. We can always think when we get back home!"
For all of her silliness, Eri's actually a pretty level-headed person. I knew she wouldn't make important decisions on a whim. It's these hidden depths of hers that help me sleep better at night.
Couldn't hurt to dispense one last piece of advice, though. "Eri, promise me the furthest you'll go is lingerie. I don't want my precious girlfriend to end up topless on the cover of some skin mag."
"Don't worry," she said. "I only reserve my… best bits for my boyfriend."
"R-Right. That's… good. Let's… uh, keep it that way."
One of the many advantages of having an open-minded girlfriend, I suppose…
XOXOXOXOXO
Eager for more fun in the sun, Eri dragged me back to the beach for round two. Her idea of fun this time was more sedate and sedentary, though. We're just kicking back in the comfort of our tiny picnic area, taking in the sights and sucking the sea breeze into our lungs. And, in Eri's case, working on getting a tan.
"I don't get tanned easily," she revealed. "But I'm not going home without the sexy bronzed skin I crave so much! I want something to show off to the girls when I get back… Wish me luck!"
"Best of luck, Eri. Don't get sunburned."
She lay down on her tummy and untied her top, leaving her back exposed to the elements. She actually half-insisted on taking off her bottom too so she could get a nice and even tan, but I expended every effort to stop her, culminating in a fair bit of panic on my part. It's hard to tell sometimes if she's genuinely crazy or faking it.
Neither of us said anything after that, content to spend the next half hour without another word. I alternated between looking at the scenery and flipping through my phone's picture gallery, which I had filled with photos taken throughout these past two days. I lingered the longest around the ones with Eri playing around at the shoreline, kicking the water and splashing it around. Seeing that smile on her face, all fresh and sparkly, made me happy.
Suddenly, someone's voice came to me, from the left.
"Oi, lovebirds."
That was Kariya. He approached us with a volleyball nestled in the crook of his arm. Uzuki was with him too. Both of them had changed into beach wear.
Eri looked up at them limply from her tanning spot. "Hey there… Are you off duty?"
"Yeah, the boss gave us the rest of the day off. I don't know about you but I'm not one to waste a good opportunity!"
Uzuki felt the need to elaborate, seeing the looks of confusion on our faces. "All of us Bistro employees take turns having half the day off. Mr H says we deserve some rest every now and then, so here we are."
"You don't see many bosses like him," quipped Eri. "He's a pretty reasonable guy, huh?"
"That's one thing I like about the old man!" chuckled Kariya. "So, you guys up for a round of volleyball? That is, if you're not too busy. We were thinking that with the four of us together we'll have enough players."
"I'm so in." Without moving from her spot, Eri tied her bikini top back in place and got on her feet. "You'll play too, right, Neku?"
All three looked at me expectantly, awaiting my answer, with Uzuki's idea of "expectant" being more like "I'm not holding my breath but if you want to join us then whatever".
"Okay," I said, standing up, "I'll play too."
"Groovy!" said Kariya. "Let's decide our teams right away."
"I'm fine pairing up with anyone." I wasn't any good at volleyball, so it didn't really matter to me who my partner was.
"Me too," said Eri, doing hamstring pulls. "I'm cool."
Kariya had a cheeky smile to go with his equally cheeky words. "I'm pretty easygoing myself! I'll gladly work with anyone, but hot females are preferable!"
Five minutes later, we'd chalked out the outline of a crude DIY volleyball court in the sand. Uzuki had the ball in hand and was prepping us for the game.
"Standard volleyball rules apply," she said. "Stay on your side of the court, balls that hit out of bounds count against you, all that jazz. Any questions?"
"Yeah," said Kariya. "No offense, but why am I paired up with Phones?"
"Because I wanted to pair up with Eri. And since everyone else was okay working with anyone, that leaves you with Neku."
"Um, I did say I wanted a girl as a partner."
"You mentioned 'preferable'. So guys must be fine for you too."
"Sure, but… couldn't you have chosen me instead – "
"You are the last person any girl in her right mind would team up with."
Ouch… "Aww, cut me some slack, girl! I'm not out to try anything funny while we're playing. I just want some… motivation, you know?"
"Neku's a good friend of ours. His presence alone should give you plenty of motivation."
"But he doesn't have boobs!"
Upon hearing that, Eri burst into laughter. On the other hand, an unimpressed Uzuki rolled her eyes skywards.
"Boobs are all over the damn place if you need them so badly," she grumbled, sweeping her hand across the horizon of the beach. "Take your pick."
"Then can I pick yours – bleugh!"
She had thrown the ball at his tummy in retaliation, knocking the wind out of him. Eri could resist the comedy no longer and laughed even harder. I just shook my head half in amusement.
"You two make a great team," said Eri. "Get a room, why don't you."
With the teams decided, our game of guys versus girls began. We kept score by etching a tally in the sand next to the playing field. I was never good at volleyball back in high school; always scraped through but never excelled in it. And today I made the striking discovery that I still sucked at it. Not that I was surprised at all.
"Out!" whistled Eri, in response to a ball I had whacked just out of the court.
Uzuki passed the ball to us. "Your turn to serve."
"Come at me, boys!"
Eri was bent over with her hands on her knees, getting ready to pounce. From this angle, I had an excellent view of the… um, scenery. However, I was too deeply engrossed in admiring mountains, and it was only when the ball was right in front of my face did I notice. I fumbled my retaliatory strike and it was easily countered by Uzuki, who spiked it into the ground.
"6-2!" chirped Eri, drawing another line in the sand for her team's tally. "That was some cool footwork, Uzuki!"
"We've got to pick up the pace," panted Kariya. "At this rate, it'll be a landslide victory for the girls."
"Sorry, man. I was – "
"No, relax, I understand. These girls… They've got some dirty tricks up their sleeve. We can't let ourselves be defeated because of some skin and jiggle physics!"
Uzuki muttered, "And you were so insistent on having a girl as a teammate earlier…"
My team was besieged by another few more losses. A handful of people had gathered to watch our match, and we were failing so miserably no one was cheering for us. No one was placing bets on us, that's for sure. Each subsequent loss felt like a running gag.
Kariya decided we'd suffered enough. He called for a quick timeout so we could discuss strategies.
"Phones," he said, "I think the time has come for me to use my mega-ultra-super secret weapon!"
"Huh… Wh-What'd that be?"
"Oh yes, tell me too," sniggered Eri. "We're all ears."
He huddled together with me and talked in whispers to avoid his grand plan from being prematurely discovered. All the while, he had an eye kept on the girls to make sure they didn't try to eavesdrop on us. Seeing how their score was way ahead of ours, they probably didn't need to.
"We mustn't underestimate them," he said. "There's a reason they're dressed like that. You know why? It's to take advantage of our natural weakness against the female anatomy! They know it's our kryptonite and they exploit that so shamelessly!"
With a wry frown, I sighed, "I can't believe you'd even suggest that."
"It's true! But you know what? Two can play that game. So let's distract them into making mistakes!"
I snorted. "I think we're the ones being distracted here."
No kidding. Eri had been jumping everywhere, and, well… her goods were bouncing a lot together with her too. It's because I was pondering too much over how her flimsy-looking top could hold it all in that I kept blundering throughout the game. That, and the rest of her very eye-catching physique. Even Uzuki was pretty easy on the eyes herself. She didn't have her volleyball partner's bold dress sense, but that one-piece looked good on her.
"Phones, listen. I've got this covered, but I'll need your help. I'll create an opening, so you go for the kill."
"Wh-What do you intend to do? Don't tell me you're planning to lose the trunks in the middle of the match…"
"'Course not. Look, just trust me on this, 'kay? You'll know when your window is coming up. Stay alert."
"Yes sir."
Our meeting was adjourned and we returned to our respective corners of the court.
"You two done with your little meeting?" said Uzuki, who had been stretching her arms. "Or do you need more time?"
"Don't worry," retorted Kariya. "We're gonna turn the tables on you, just you see!"
She wasn't the least threatened by his show of confidence. "I believe you. By all means, give it your best shot."
The game resumed like normal, but not for very long. I swatted the ball to the girls' side, and Eri rushed to intercept. We had a good rhythm going and our little crowd was tense with excitement.
Then, at the top of his lungs, Kariya completely broke the flow of the game and shouted at our opponents, "Whoa, look! It's The Prince! Behind you!"
Really? This was what he had in mind? That's just ridicu–
Startled, both Eri and Uzuki turned to look behind them. Holy crud, it worked! With neither girl on the defense, I was free to whack the ball into the ground without a hint of resistance. Such underhanded tactics were below me, but Kariya didn't care. He raised his fists to the skies in victory.
"Yeehaw!" he whooped. "How's that, girls? That's how you – huh? Wh-Where'd you go?"
They were nowhere to be seen. Actually, the crowd that had been watching us play was gone too. There was, however, a massive trail of footprints where everyone used to be, and we traced this trail to an even larger crowd smack dab in the middle of the beach. I thought there might have been an incident, like someone who had almost drowned or something.
Turns out there was no reason to worry. It's just another one of Shibuya's unfathomable phenomena.
"The Prince really is here," I said.
"What?"
Kariya couldn't believe it. But when he saw that famous face, he had no choice but to. He stared in total disbelief for a full minute before cracking into a weak laugh.
"I was just trying to trick the girls," he said. "And it worked well…"
"Too well, actually." Being struck by lightning was more likely.
Standing proud in the middle of the predominantly female crowd, Eiji Oji – smug J-Pop superstar extraordinaire – was busy giving out autographs and thousand-megawatt smiles. The crowd shifted a little, creating a narrow gap from which I could see him wearing a barely-there speedo and little else. Eri and Uzuki were amongst the fans snapping up the eye candy like piranhas.
Kariya and I just stood watching the scene. We had been completely ignored and left behind.
"Had no idea Uzuki was a fan," I mumbled.
"Oh, she's one alright. She's just not as crazy as the others. Either that or she wouldn't admit that she is. Either way, these are her true colours. Shocking, isn't it?"
"Remind me again what we're supposed to be doing?"
"Playing a game of beach volleyball. What's the score?"
"I think we're 9-2."
He drew a fresh line in our tally. "Well, we won this round, so it's 9-3 now."
Even from ten yards away with one heck of a ruckus, Eri's squeals of fangirlish delight were unmistakable. After watching the hullaballoo in silence for a while longer, I spoke up.
"Hey, Kariya."
"'Sup, Phones."
"They're going to take some time. Wanna grab a soda?"
"Lychee?"
"If they have it. I'm getting grape."
"Okay, cool. Let's go."
We located the nearest vending machine, bought our drinks, and returned to the court. Kariya borrowed the shade under the parasol to take a breather from the blistering sun, and there we sat, two cool guys sipping soda. Occasionally he would direct my attention to a passing girl who tickled his fancy and he would talk briefly about how attractive she was.
Finally, the girls returned, clutching their cell phones like they were gold nuggets. Eri had a huge dopey grin on her face, while Uzuki had a more subdued look, though it was clear she was just as elated as her fellow pink-haired friend.
"Sorry," chirped Eri, "did you wait long? Who'd have guessed The Prince himself would show up here of all places! Thanks for the heads up, Kariya!"
"Uh… um, no problem…" That wasn't his intention at all… nope, nothing so noble.
She waved her phone in front of our faces victoriously, flashing a selfie she took together with Uzuki and the superstar.
"Look!" she squealed. "It's us! With him! Oh god, isn't he hot?!"
"Um, sure."
I didn't really take a good look at him. Actually, it's more like I didn't want to look at him. His arrogance never rubbed on me the right way. At least Eri was in the picture. She was a sight for sore eyes. Sensing my slight displeasure, she glomped me in a hurry and showered me with affection.
"Don't worry, Neku! I think you're cute too!"
That felt tacked on… Ah well, she still loved me. That's good enough, right?
Uzuki's meeting with her favourite idol must have stupefied her into becoming an amnesiac. "What've you dorks been doing here all this time?"
"I don't know," replied Kariya with a touch of sarcasm to match hers. "Maybe we were waiting for two fangirls to finish up so we could get back to our match."
They suddenly remembered. Eri's eyes were alight and she whacked a fist into her open palm.
"Oh, right! Sorry about that! C'mon, Uzuki, let's show 'em who's boss!"
"Finally. I thought Phones and I were going to have to win by default 'cause you left the game."
Her laugh was haughty and defiant. "Ohohoho! Ooh, you wish! Did you know, though? Getting the blessings of The Prince makes you stronger in everything you do. It's a popular superstition! Now we'll wipe the floor with you!"
"Yeah? Then we'll be the first ones to bust that myth!"
Oh boy… and this was supposed to be a simple game of beach volleyball…
XOXOXOXOXO
The game ended with the score grossly unbalanced. The girls won. We guys stood no chance. In the end, we couldn't debunk the Eiji Oji myth.
Everyone shook hands. Kariya, still graceful even in defeat, had a big smile on his face. "That was a great game. I had a lot of fun."
"Yeah, you were pretty good," said Eri. "Next time, though, try to actually keep your eye on the ball."
"I've got two beautiful women bouncing up and down in front of me and you expect me to concentrate?"
"Oh, you!" Eri punched him affectionately on the arm. "Ever the sweet talker, huh?"
Unlike her usual stern self at all, Uzuki simply coughed and told her Reaper partner, "Control yourself, Kariya."
He just grinned. "Heh heh, yes ma'am. Anyway, we'll be heading back to the lodge now. This is your last day here, right?"
"Yeah," I said, "we're leaving tomorrow."
"Then we wouldn't get in your way any longer. You young'uns make the best of your evening, a'ight?"
"Wh-What's that mean?"
He shot me a knowing look. "Oh, you know what I mean. Ciao!"
And that was all we would see of them until the holidays were over. They'd be holed up here working at the Bistro all through the rest of summer.
Eri and I accomplished everything we wanted to do here, save for one or two things that weren't very important to begin with. Looking back at the duration of our stay here, I'd have to say our vacation was very well spent.
The night sky loomed above us, a blanket of stars. We lingered around the pier, sitting at the edge and making small talk.
"Is that the Bug Dipper?" asked Eri, pointing at a cluster of stars.
"Big Dipper," I corrected for her. "And yes, I think it is."
"What about that one?" Her finger directed me to a bright star.
"Uh… I dunno. They all look the same to me."
She puffed out one cheek, pretending to be annoyed. "Can you be any more unromantic?"
I smiled, feeling a bit cheeky. "Sorry, I flunked my astronomy classes in school."
"C'mon, you ought to – oh! Look look look!"
Eri grabbed my arm with great urgency and pointed frantically at the sky. And what I saw almost stopped my heart.
"A… A shooting star?"
"Quick! Make a wish!"
In silence we sat, wording the wishes in our heads. Shooting stars were rare to come by, so our chance sighting turned into a feverish race to finish as many wishes as we could.
Then, just as quickly as it showed up, the star disappeared. Eri had been gripping my arm the entire time and now she let go. We looked at each other, smiling warmly.
"I got about three or four wishes in!" she said, flashing a V sign. "That was one heck of a rush… What did you wish for, Neku?"
"Let's see… I wished for myself to overcome my social awkwardness…"
"What?!" She reacted with obviously fake horror. "But being a dork is what makes you so cute! Hurry and un-wish it!"
"No," I laughed. "Not gonna."
"Boo. Oh well, whatever. What else did you wish for?"
"I wished for us to always be together."
Her smile widened to match mine. "So you can be romantic after all."
"I'm not completely hopeless."
"I'm glad you aren't. I wished for the same thing too! It'd suck if you'd asked for more comics or video games as your first wish."
"Your opinion of me is far too low, Eri!"
The sounds of our laughter were a sharp contrast to the silence of the beach. Once the mirth petered out, as though driven by some unwritten rule, we shared a brief kiss. It was like a good luck charm to ensure we could never be separated.
When our lips plucked away, she whispered her feelings for me.
"I love you."
"Yeah… I love you too."
Another kiss followed and we went back to watching the night sky and incorrectly identifying the stars.
"So, Eri," I piped up after some time, "what were your other wishes?"
"Promise me you wouldn't laugh?"
I could've teased her by saying, "That depends," but decided to go for a safer reply.
"Yeah, shoot."
She grinned, counting them off on her fingers. "Number one, bigger breasts. Number two, deeper discounts at sales. Number three, more nosebleeds from you."
Flabbergasted by her poor choices, I scrunched up my face in incredulity. "Are you for real? I can kinda understand the first two but… more nosebleeds? Are you trying to get me killed?!"
"But it's funny!" she giggled. "You're like a freaking fire hose! Besides, you've always survived, so it's fine. One or two more per week wouldn't kill you."
"You are a strange girl."
"Hee hee… I get that all the time."
XOXOXOXOXO
Romance was thick in the air, so thick we could get hay fever. Feeling frisky, we retired to our room and drew a bath in the balcony tub. Eri and I sat side by side, talking about the things we'd done during these two days.
"So we're leaving tomorrow," I said. "Time flies when you're having fun."
"I'll miss this place," sighed Eri, but we've already got more than our money's worth in fun coming here. There's no need to stick around any longer than we already have."
"Yeah, any longer and the novelty will wear off. This is the sort of thing that you enjoy once in a blue moon to keep the magic intact."
She sidled up against me, our shoulders brushing. "Neku, thanks for bringing me here. I enjoyed myself thoroughly."
"Me too, Eri. Me too."
"We've got about an hour of free time before we hit the sack. Let's not waste any of it."
"Y-Yeah."
At that moment, Kariya's words from earlier echoed in my skull.
"You young'uns make the best of your evening, a'ight?"
He meant it as a joke, but I couldn't ignore the insinuations. And he might actually have a good point. What better way to cap off a stellar summer vacation getaway than with a… a…
…a night to remember?
It's a huge step to take, but one that's frankly been long overdue. Eri promised me our time would come, so I'd been diligently waiting for her. But how long has it been? Nine months I've waited without any clear sign that she was ready to take the plunge with me.
She's in an awfully good mood tonight… If I could seduce her somehow, maybe our first time wouldn't be just another dream. I was prepared for it, too: there's that box of condoms still hidden amongst my luggage.
But should I do it? I didn't want to force her into anything… I was loathe to ruin our vacation with one wrong move.
Perhaps I should wait after all… She'd give me the green light if she felt like it. Satisfied with my decision, I leaned my back against the edge of the tub and went back to enjoying the serenity of the night with what little time we had left. It's okay to wait.
"Neku?"
"What's the matter?"
Her eyes were directed at me, soft but questioning. "No, um, it's not a big deal, but you've been staring at my chest for a while now…"
"I… I have? Oh, sorry."
I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. Throughout this vacation, that's one of two things I'd been doing in excess. The other was staring at her butt.
"I don't mind, Neku. But you seemed… curious."
"N-No, I wasn't doing anything strange… I was just… admiring the, um, outline of your bust."
The beginnings of a giggle frothed up in her throat. "That's the exact same thing as staring at my chest, silly."
Eri smirked, but didn't pursue the matter further. In spite of the relaxing atmosphere, I noticed her fidgeting now and again. Gradually she began to exhibit further signs of restlessness, feeling especially compelled to twirl a loose strand of hair around her finger, over and over again. Was she actually… nervous? About what, then?
Concerned, I pointed it out to her. "Is something wrong? You cold?"
"Oh, no, it's nothing, really!" She sounded distracted… And she was trying too hard to sound like everything was normal. It couldn't be nothing.
"Hey, you know I wouldn't shoot you down if you want to talk your problems out."
"I know, and I'm thankful for that, but… well, it's just… um, if I tell you, can you promise not to freak out?"
"Uh, sure… Why? Is it that bad?"
"It's not a 'bad' thing… Um, see…"
I waited patiently for her to form the words. But when she did, I failed to keep my promise.
"So, uh… Neku? Will you touch my breasts?"
Usually when she said stuff like this, she'd accompany it with any number of things to make it sound even more salacious. If she didn't have a wide grin to go with a huge wink, then it'd probably be with a licking of her lips that she'd make absolutely sure to drag out to maximize the sex appeal. But this time… there was none of those things. All she had was her reddening cheeks and her lips stretched thin with nervousness. Long story short, she wasn't trying to tease me.
She really meant what she just said. It was quite hard for me to believe.
"C-Come again, Eri?"
She gulped, her cheeks growing redder. "Do you wanna, maybe… touch my breasts? Just for a bit."
Still couldn't click. I needed a pneumatic drill to force this into my thick skull.
"Eri? Are you serious?"
A stiff nod was all she gave me.
Like a wild horse, I recoiled in utter shock, making a splash in the water.
"What?!"
"Neku," she protested, "you promised you wouldn't freak out!"
"I-I'm sorry. But I… um… why?"
Eri kept fidgeting, small movements at a time, but many of them. "We've been dating for about nine months, and we've been friends for even longer. So it's been a pretty long time since we met. And we're really comfortable with each other. Even when we're naked in the bath, it's not weird and giggly anymore. I mean, it never was for me, but… um…"
"Wh-What's your point?"
"I guess what I'm saying is, after knowing each other for so long, isn't it strange that you still don't know what my breasts feel like?"
I yanked myself out of my stupor long enough to process what she just said. And to be honest, I found no way to dispute it. She wasn't wrong. Although I've done things with her like hugging and kissing, I never once tried to grope her. I'll be honest: deep down inside, I wanted to. But rushing things in a relationship went against the ideals I grew up with. I couldn't bring myself to do it. I didn't want to hurt her feelings by forcing her to hurry up for me.
"I want you to know me better," she added. "And vice versa, of course."
Yet here she was, ready to explore all the possible nooks and crannies of our relationship, and it turned out I might have been holding back too much for "her sake". Perhaps I should've just asked her if she was cool with it, instead of making assumptions that were wrong to begin with.
Now the road before me was clear. Without any more doubts in my head, I knew just what to do.
"Then… as you wish, Eri. I'll do just that."
She blinked at me, taken by surprise. "Eh? You mean…"
"I… I also want to know you better… So, if you're okay with me, may I – "
"Touch them?"
"Y-Yeah…"
Every nerve in my body stood to attention. Somewhere deep in the ocean, a periscope was stretched out to full length. I was lucky we were soaking in the bath. It would be awkward for her to see what was happening to me below the waist. Eri shared the same subdued, bubbling excitement I was experiencing. She was just as shaky with anticipation as I was, but she was also very, very eager.
"So… really, Neku?"
"Really."
One more time to be sure. "Really? As in, really really?"
"As really as really gets."
She smiled, but there was none of the maniacal lewdness that was part and parcel of her existence. In its place was a genuine, almost childlike sense of wonder and curiosity, like she was about to embark on an adventure around the world. Well, maybe not like that, but you get the idea.
"Alright," she said, with a firm determined nod, "let's get to it."
Eri repositioned herself to facilitate… matters. There was one issue, though…
"Uh, Eri?" I stuttered uncontrollably. "D-Do you have to straddle me like this?"
Sitting face to face with me, she used my thighs as a seat. She was too close for comfort, with practically the entirety of her bare body right in my face… My legs were surrounded by the softness of her thighs and buttocks… Forget about her breasts; should she get any closer, it's our crotches that'd be touching! The thought of an accident of the intimate kind happening got my brain doing cartwheels in my skull.
"It's the only way," she gulped. "I won't be close enough otherwise. So I'm counting on you to, um, control yourself. T-Tell your, uh… secret weapon to settle down or something."
It's not that easy, Eri!
"Neku," she breathed, "ready when you are."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
Two of them… juicy, tender fruits ripe for picking. My head was still spinning as I continued to stare at them, taken in by their pristine beauty. Was this even happening? I wasn't dead yet, was I?
Eri nudged closer to remind me she was waiting. The suspense must be killing her. "Neku… a-aren't you gonna?"
"I… I am! But don't get so close, please! Any closer and… and…"
"And?"
"…m-my train would be running…"
She took a while to crack the meaning of that euphemism, but when she did she squawked, "C-Can't you set it aside or something? It'll just get in the way."
"I-It's not detachable! Gimme a break!"
Our pointless argument was getting us nowhere fast. Trembling in embarrassment and frustration, Eri puffed one cheek out, ready to explode.
"Oh, geez!" she huffed. "Don't keep a lady waiting! Here!"
"Wh-Wha…? Wait – urk!"
She grabbed hold of both of my hands and shoved them onto her breasts. It went by so fast. One second was all it took. The instant my open palms made contact, the whole world turned into a mess of colours like I had bought a ticket to an acid trip. The softness under my fingertips was a luxurious sensation that spread throughout my body, freezing my nerves like a million popsicles. Long story short, her mammaries were nothing short of amazing.
When my fingers sank into her breasts, she let out a gasp that could slice the air in two. Her back arched in reflex, pushing them deeper into my hands. Like me, she was frozen on the spot, mouth agape in surprise. When she saw that my hands weren't going to let go anytime soon, she slowly released her grip on my wrists, letting her arms fall back into the water.
"S-See?" she squeaked, shuddering. "It's… no big deal. W-We should have done this… l-long ago…"
Something incredible was happening. Her eyes were glazed over and the redness on her face intensified. Her body went limp like putty; if it weren't for me holding her up by her chest, she'd have melted into a mound of goo. And she was still trembling, but no longer out of impatience.
No, this was arousal, no bones about it. She was actually aroused. She enjoyed it. She was a complete train wreck and she loved it. Eri had told me once or twice before that her breasts were very sensitive and I can personally attest to that, thanks to the one time she shoved my phone down her tube top and it vibrated (it's a long story). Goodness knew what she must be going through now.
Wasn't she kind of helpless at the moment? Hmmm, let me try something…
I gently squeezed them out of curiosity, which galvanized her limp form into another almighty shudder with a yelp for good measure. It's like she had been dozing off and now I had woken her up. Gotta say, that was some reaction…
Very hastily, she pried my hands away and our bizarre little session of skinship was over.
"S-Sorry," I said, afraid I might have offended her somehow. "Did… Did I hurt you?"
"N-No, quite the opposite, really. It's just… I think that's all for now."
"Oh… okay."
She paused to catch her breath and wipe away the bead of saliva that threatened to spill out of the corner of her mouth. Was she that turned on that she'd be drooling?
Maybe I should apologise? Since, you know, it felt like the right thing to do. But then she leaned in to give me a clumsy kiss, hands pressed on my chest to keep herself balanced.
"That was really good," she sighed. "Can we… Can we do this again real soon?"
My heart stirred as the realization dawned upon me that we had just opened up a whole world of possibilities by crossing this threshold.
We're going to have so much fun.
I smiled. "Yeah, I'm with you."
Happy to hear that, she gave me another kiss before finally getting up. My legs felt cramped from bearing her weight and I needed longer to get out of the bath. But hey, it's just a small price to pay for a wonderful experience.
I'd just been witness to something amazing tonight. I felt like we'd grown, as a couple. Of course, there was still a long road ahead of us, but one thing at a time. There was no need to rush. We didn't get to do the deed, but heck if I wasn't happy. For now, this was enough for me.
Eri, I look forward to sharing more good times with you in the future.
Meanwhile, the doughy softness of her breasts lingered on my still-quivering hands. So this was what it felt like… Words couldn't describe this feeling accurately enough.
I think for the remainder of tonight I won't wash my hands.
The last thing on our itinerary was preparing to leave. We had till noon tomorrow to prepare for our departure, so now we're just going to hit the sack. We could always sort out luggage tomorrow. I set my alarm to give ourselves ample time for packing in the morning.
Eri was still sitting on the edge of the bed, long after I had put on my clothes. She was wrapped up in a towel, so lost in a daze she must have forgotten to get dressed. Well, after what we did, I wasn't too surprised, but I needed her to get some sleep.
I shook her gently by the shoulder. "Hey."
"Mngh?"
"Aren't you gonna put on something? It's time for bed."
"Oh… um…"
There it was again. That distracted, faraway look. She was so out of it I was hard-pressed to believe this was really the girl who could drive people up the wall with her overly boisterous personality. A pang of guilt shot through my gut. Did I do something wrong? But earlier I made sure I was very gentle and tactful. Or maybe she wanted me to be more aggressive, and was disappointed that I played it safe. No, that couldn't be it either. Where did I mess up? Did I even mess up at all?
I sat down next to her, one arm wrapped around her shoulder. She seemed to jump a little when she felt my hand on her skin.
"Eri? Anything wrong? Please, talk to me."
She's blushing again… trembling too – it was a very light rustle of her frame that was hardly noticeable, but it was definitely there. Chewing her lip nervously, she struggled to find the words to convey her thoughts. Shibuya's most energetic girl had been reduced to this pile of wracked nerves. This was serious business, I could see. What in the world was going on?
"Eri," I said, "take your time."
I squeezed her shoulder affectionately, trying to calm her down, but the trembling wouldn't stop. She did speak up, though.
"Neku," she said, barely above a whisper, "I… I actually want to ask something else of you. But I can understand if you don't want to go through with it."
"You never know till you try," I said, trying to sound cheerful. "Go on."
I didn't know if that helped her, but she finally plucked up the courage to look my way, although it was with an aside glance.
Her words stilted and faltering, she said, "I have another request to make. Promise me you…"
"…wouldn't freak out?"
"Yeah. Promise? And try to keep it this time."
That's a tall order coming from someone who was used to coming up with all sorts of weird suggestions. But to humour her, that's what I did.
"Alright. It's a promise."
I watched her chest rise and fall as she took a deep breath and released it. Then, she remembered something and scrambled to say it before she forgot.
"Um, I might have said that it's a request, but you really don't have to do it if you don't want to. I-It's completely optional, so don't bust your head too much over it!"
"Sure, but you haven't even told me what you want yet…"
"Oh, of course. Ahem!"
This was simply not like her at all. She almost reminded me of myself in my younger years – a teenager with laughably poor social skills trying to keep up with his far more eloquent buddies. Hopefully this time I could keep that promise.
"Neku…"
"Eri…?"
She had to lean into my ear to speak. Her voice had grown so soft, a mouse would be louder.
Her words hit me like a train, though.
"Neku, will you… make love to me?"
What?
Did she just say that? Did she… I couldn't… No, hold up. Calm down. Gotta look at this objectively. She didn't even look like she was joking at all. Actually, the whole of tonight, she had largely dropped her prankster ways. For a change, she was actually dead serious.
Did she really mean what she said? Then what did this mean for us both? That we were finally going to do the one thing we'd been waiting to death to do?
Eri glanced at me, awaiting my reply with bated breath.
H-How should I handle this?
I didn't know what to think anymore!
…
…
Author's note: Sorry I took long to release this chapter. I'd been busy with my job as of late, plus this chapter was super-long so editing took a long time. Also, I'd been working on not only this chapter but also Chapter 45. So that's two chapters. If all goes well, Chapter 45 should release not too long afterwards.
As you can probably guess from the cliffhanger, the next chapter will focus on a very important development in Neku and Eri's relationship. Will they do it, or will they not? You'll have to watch this space to find out the answer to that! Until next time, see you later!