Kurumu groaned as she sat up. Whomever designed these buildings should have used tatami flooring. The primary purpose of the dorm rooms and these suites was to have a place to sleep. Not everyone owned a bed and the fold up futons that were provided could only do so much to diminish the rigidity of the floor. While she understood how much work would be involved for the staff to air out floors and floors of tatami tiles over the school breaks, her poor body suffered for it.
Kurumu rubbed her eyes, wondering what time it was. Around three she had decided the floor was safer than sharing a bed with Nerume. That girl flailed too much in her sleep.
Kurumu had zeroed out her account and spent all of her cash last night after leaving Asuka's birthday party. Not wanting to get something cheap, Kurumu had spent a little extra to get a watch with a leather band. That had run her about three thousand but she had no regrets. It would be a nice gift.
The rest of her money had been thrown at arming her kitchen. For four thousand she had picked up a cookware set that included two skillets, two saucepans and a big pot for boiling noodles. Another two thousand had picked her up a set of bowls with matching soup spoons.
Realizing that she was nowhere close to having enough money in her account to get all the things on the list Satsuki had made, Kurumu had added her pocket cash to the efforts so that she could include a small set of plates that matched the bowls. She had declined borrowing any money from Nerume, well aware that her friends were both somewhat broke themselves.
Kurumu would have to ask her mother for more money this week. She lacked so much stuff. She needed a set of flatware, cups and cooking utensils. She required a chef's knife and a cutting board. Cooking measures would also be good. She really needed a wastebasket. She had not bothered owning one of those in the dorms since she could throw her trash away in the communal bin in the restrooms.
Then there were optional things that would be convenient to have, like a rice cooker. Those little babies ran about five thousand even for the cheap ones. A toaster would be nice. Mixing bowls and spatulas. A blender. Cookies sheets and cake pans. Those glass casserole pans. So many little things. She could easily burn through another twenty thousand, not that she would ever ask for that much. Maybe another ten thousand on the premise that she had to buy a few things for the suite.
Grabbing the thin sheet she had draped over her body, Kurumu slowly picked herself up from the floor. She had spent the night in Suite 319 after bumping into these nekomusume girls during her long farewell with her friends. Hiyoshi Itsuko was from class 2-1, whom Kurumu had interviewed for her track article. The junior girl had recognized her and had struck up a conversation which had resulted in this impromptu sleepover.
The suite occupied by the cousins was packed with furnishings. The two cousins had pushed their beds together to conserve space. They had two writing desks and four shelves. They had an entertainment center with a television hooked up to a DVD player and a gaming system. They had large, floor cushions thrown in front of it to serve as a makeshift couch, one red and one blue.
Kurumu sighed, realizing she should have thrown herself on those cushions instead of sleeping on the floor. She was lucky nobody had gotten up and stepped on her. Yawning, she dropped the sheet on top of the sprawled Nerume. The short girl had slept topless and in those ugly, black panties. For a girl that would turn into a horse that was pitch black, her skin was surprisingly pale.
She glanced over to the other bed that was nestled against the wall. Satsuki was curled up with the other two girls. Hiyoshi had heard about Satsuki's relationship to Ms. Nekonome and had confessed that she was also a nekomusume. Both Hiyoshi and her cousin, Hidarimeki Tsuri, were from the Yonezawa district of Yamagata. Apparently Dakiashi, whom was also from Yonezawa and was a senior on Yokai's softball team, happened to be the daughter of Ms. Nekonome's childhood friend. So in a roundabout way, these girls knew about Satsuki and had jumped at the chance to meet her.
Kurumu smiled at the trio of girls curled about each other. Both of the cousins had dirty white, short hair, though Hidarimeki's had a natural curl to them. Both girls were slightly taller than Satsuki, with Hiyoshi being the tallest. The girls had let Satsuki borrow some pajamas which had cutouts in the back so that they all could sleep comfortably with their tails out. Kurumu knew if she crawled up into the bed to be closer, she would hear the three of them purring away.
Leaving the girls be, Kurumu wandered over to the entry foyer. The double suites were very similar to the singles. The kitchen was arranged the same way with the stove pressed up against the half wall which formed the foyer. The foyer was wider and there was more counter space and cabinets since the doubles were two or three meters wider than the singles.
Kurumu picked up her plastic bag of clothes for the day. Her new lavender mesh tote of shower things also rested inside. She walked across the room, intent on the door on the far wall that was closest to the corner. This door and the middle door were far enough apart for the girls to have set up that gaming center without blocking a path.
This double had two closets. One closet was by the refrigerator which was the same as the singles. The other was in place of the tiny bathrooms the singles had. The last door was for the bathroom. Padding softly across the room, Kurumu slipped into the bathroom.
Kurumu flipped on the light as she closed the door behind her. Across from the door was the sink. Next to the sink was a built up, tiled depression for the bath. A flexible showerhead was built into the wall at the far end of the bath with the controls next to it. On her right was the toilet. A green bathing stool was pushed up against the wall in the small space between the toilet and the bath.
She placed her plastic bag of things on the toilet seat. Sitting down on the tiled lip, she moved the green, plastic cover over the drain before turning the dial for the hot water. She glanced about, shaking her head. This bathroom was only big if you compared it to hers. This room was longer, making her question how tiny that middle closet was.
Leaving the showerhead in its mount so that it would fill the bath without her assistance, Kurumu tugged the blue, corduroy tank up over her head. Clutching the garment in her fist, she stretched her arms up to flex her sore shoulder muscles.
Kurumu stood up and tugged these cotton gray shorts off. She had not bothered wearing panties. Setting both garments on top of the porcelain tank, she fetched her lavender tote from the plastic bag and set it on the lip. Stepping into the tub, she settled down in the hot water. Filling this tub was going to take some time.
Seizing the showerhead, she tugged it off the mount and directed the steaming flow of water across her locks. With her short locks moistened, she fetched her peach scented shampoo from her tote while putting the showerhead back. Squirting a bit in her palm, she quickly worked the stuff into a lather.
While shampoo probably did not have a set time, Kurumu rarely washed it out right away. Retrieving her cherry red loofa, she squirted some matching bodywash into it and started lathering up her arms and breasts. The water level had yet to reach her waist despite being seated. She wondered if she should simply crawl back out and sit on the stool. Then again, this was a small space and she did not want to make a wet mess of the bathroom. The floor drains built along the side of the tub encouraged her to simply hang over the lip if she wanted to avoid mixing the soap with the bathwater.
Realizing there was no way she could do her lower half without leaving the warmth of the water, Kurumu sighed. Reluctantly she tugged the green stool away from the wall. Getting up on her knees, she crawled over the lip to sit on the plastic stool. She quickly lathered up her legs and hips. Spreading her thighs, she added more attention to her pubic area than she would in a shower, mostly out of concern that she would not be able to rinse the soap out.
It was hard to believe she had shaved herself bare three weeks ago. The hairs were still short, but this was a nice, soft length. She wished she had the money for some grooming tools. Maybe she should ask Tokori if her café was interested in another part timer. She knew the school probably had some rule about not having a job, but she was broke and not wanting to pester her mother for every little thing, especially considering how her mother earned that money.
Grabbing the showerhead, she carefully kept the stream of water aimed downward. There was a slight slant towards the drains that lined the tub lip, which helped a little. She bowed her head into the flow, rinsing the shampoo out of her locks with her free hand. When it felt like the water was running free of soap, she directed the stream to other parts of her body.
She had been a very good girl the past week. In fact, she had not masturbated since that morning she had woken up with Ms. Kagome's egg inside her. Honestly that did not feel like it counted, since she had climaxed without warning. She had only been curious why she was sore.
Kurumu sighed as she placed the showerhead back in its place. She grabbed up her conditioner, squirting a small dollop in her palm before working this thin substance into her locks. She crawled back into the tub, noting that it would likely be full before the two or three minutes she was supposed to keep this stuff in her hair before rinsing it out.
Kurumu felt like she knew as much about Moka as the poor girl knew about herself. It was only because Kurumu had mentioned Akasha Bloodriver being Moka's birth mother that the other Moka had finally decided to come clean to their Moka about whom was her real mother. The other Moka's reasoning had simply been to protect their Moka from sadness. Akasha Bloodriver was dead. Gyokuro was their legal guardian and the birth mother of Kokoa and Kahlua.
Having been inside Moka's head once, Kurumu had seen what she figured was the memory of Akasha's death. Something about blood synchronizing and that Moka would be protected by the seal. Yukari, whom had been along for this intrusion, suspected that this creature was some sort of vampire hunter that was tracking Moka via her blood. It was her theory that a potential reason why Mrs. Shuzen felt the seal was no longer needed was because this hunter was dead. Moka admitted that Mother injected her with blood at least once a year, so it was also possible that her blood had desynchronized.
Another little odd fact that had surfaced over the week was that Kokoa had been dyeing her hair even before the sealing. It had nothing to do with making sealed Moka feel more like part of the family, since Kokoa never had silver hair. She took more after her father, Issa, whom had jet black hair. Kokoa had lightened her hair to be more like Akasha, though the natural dark in her hair resulted in reddish orange locks instead of the luxurious, dark pink of Akasha's. According to the other Moka, Kokoa was regarded as the weakest daughter. Because of this, the girl had wanted to find acceptance with Akasha.
And that was all the silver Moka had been willing to share about her family. This had all started because Kurumu had randomly asked why the young Moka in the memory had silver hair when Akasha had hair more similar to their Moka. Naturally their Moka had no idea, since she was dreaming these memories from a child's perspective that did not involve looking in mirrors or paying much attention to her hair.
Kurumu sighed. She never did get an answer for that. Yukari was thinking that it was possible that Moka's parents knew about this hunter and had been taking precautions to prevent this creature from finding Moka. The blood injections from Mrs. Shuzen could have been started before the sealing, which done frequently enough would alter her hair color. In theory. Moka had no clue and the other Moka reminded Kurumu that any more intrusions would be handled more roughly than simply kicking her out.
Kurumu turned off the water since it was up to her tits. She turned over in the tub, resting her elbows on the lip as she twisted her torso to keep as much of her body in the hot water as possible. This tub was nowhere near as big as the one in Tokori's home. It was probably half the width while Tokori's had been like a perfect square.
Maybe this was good enough. Having all the answers would not change how she felt. She wanted Moka to be happy and to support her status as Tsukune's girlfriend. She had no idea how she would get that while Moka harbored feelings for Tsukune.
Still it felt like Yukari was right about this need to learn more about the other Moka. In Yukari's opinion, if this other Moka accepted that the seal was no longer needed and allowed it to be removed, there was a strong chance that their Moka would disappear forever. It was important to Yukari to find out how much of their Moka was within the silver Moka, so if something did happen, she would still be friends.
Kurumu sighed, not wanting to think about these things. Even if their Moka was nothing but a fragment personality created to protect the original while sealed away, she felt like a different person than the silver Moka. While Yukari might be fine with embracing the silver Moka as the true identity, it simply did not feel right. Their Moka had a crush on Tsukune. The other did not. While Yukari was right about it making more sense for Kurumu to accept the silver Moka as the true one, Kurumu was more concerned with how Tsukune might feel about this. She could not imagine him throwing away the memory of their Moka simply because she was not a whole person.
Besides… how could she ever get Moka's blessing if she vanished on them?
Hoping enough time had passed, she grabbed the showerhead and turned it back on. Spraying against the tiles, she ducked her head into the stream and rubbed out the slick mixture till it felt normal. With her task finished, she turned the water off and turned over in the tub to relax. Putting the showerhead back in its mount, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply of the steam permeating the small room.
She had nearly dozed off when the sound of the door caught her attention. The shorter cousin with the curls padded into the room, closing the door behind her. She had a black, knit sleep pant with a matching top that was buttoned up in the front. The girl knelt down beside the bath, her pajamas getting wet as she leaned up on the tub's lip.
"Morning Ms. Kurono."
"Morning Ms. Hidarimeki."
"I knew I heard water running. You don't mind if I use the toilet?"
"It's your bathroom."
The girl smiled, crawling over to the toilet. She moved Kurumu's bag of clothes up on top of the tank as she lifted the seat. Tugging the knit pant down and curling her tail out of the way, the older girl sat down and promptly relieved herself with a sigh.
"I'd offer to join you but Itsuko might get jealous."
Kurumu smiled, scooting back to the corner of the tub. There was room for a second person if one did not mind a little touching.
"What time is it?"
"I didn't check. Heard water running. Bladder demanded relief."
"Yea… I didn't have to go this morning."
She breathed in deeply, still not feeling the urge. She wondered if she was dehydrated.
"What club did you say you were in?"
"I'm on the softball team."
Kurumu nodded. She thought about bringing up the younger Hineri, but realized she had nothing to talk about. It was unlikely this girl knew anything about the squabble between Hiboshi and Hineri.
"Hey, you wouldn't mind doing our club for the paper?"
"Uh… I actually have committed to doing the Archery and Cheerleader Programs for our next paper."
Hidarimeki flushed the toilet and crawled off the seat, leaving the lid up. She leaned over the tub edge.
"Both our season and the boys' kicks off in July. It might be a good idea to do our clubs for your next paper. I don't know if you can get word around before our first game on the second, but we have a bye the following week. I'm sure you could squeeze both our programs in before the sixteenth."
Kurumu grinned, thinking that would be doable since they were talking about something a whole month away. Ginei had given her an okay to pick her articles without his approval.
"How many girls are in your club?"
"I think it's nineteen… … … yea. Eight seniors, six juniors and five freshmen."
"That sounds like you will have a rough time next year."
Hidarimeki sighed dramatically.
"No kidding. We don't have any height in our underclassmen. All of our tall girls are seniors."
"Is your team good compared to the other prefectures?"
The girl shrugged, absently unfastening the buttons of her nightshirt.
"I suppose. If that harpy community in Okayama keep throwing pitchers at our program, we might be fine with a bunch of gnomes in the infield."
"Gnomes?"
"Short girls. You know, earth spirits. Coach Kanatoko is one. She can't seem to get another of her kind to join her program because most gnome girls aren't taller than me. There's a few exceptions, namely those that have some mixed blood but not enough to threaten their status as a gnome."
Kurumu shrugged, not having an opinion on gnomes. She knew Coach Kanatoko was the shortest of the gym teachers but had not ever wondered about the woman's true form. She was more intrigued with the harpy comment.
"Okayama. I know Uchiyama and his sister are from Okayama."
"Yea, Coach Kanatoko has an assistant from Okayama. I don't think she's a teacher here. Maybe. I should ask. But yea… that's why we keep getting girls from Okayama."
Kurumu smiled, realizing this girl probably would not have any information about students from Okayama that were not part of the softball team. Then again, it was not like she was that interested in learning about Uchiyama. She honestly had not spoken with the film club guy since the choir shoot and he had spent most of that time flirting with the girls from class twelve. She mildly wondered if that was because he had figured out they were harpies.
"I'm getting in with you."
"What about Itsuko?"
"If she comes in, I will hop out and have her scrub my back."
Kurumu grinned as the girl freed herself of the nightshirt. The nekomusume was wearing nothing beneath her pajamas. The girl tugged her knit pant off and tossed it in the far corner next to the discarded nightshirt. Nude, the small breasted girl slipped in the tub next to Kurumu.
"So how is that dog, Morioka?"
"Hmm?"
"Morioka. I was part of his homeroom last year."
Kurumu perked up.
"Really? He doesn't talk much about his former classmates."
The girl sank low in the tub so that only her chin was above the water. The additional displacement of water caused some to spill over the lip.
"I suppose he wouldn't have reason to. It's not like I sit by Gokuya and reminisce about last year."
"Gokuya?"
"Another boy from our homeroom last year. He's with me in class ten. Since Morioka is part of class twelve, I imagine the two of them are sort of getting along in gym. Maybe. Morioka was not one to play nice with others."
"I understand he was quite the troublemaker."
"He picked a lot of fights. Put him at odds with a lot of the guys in class. It seemed like every day someone was chasing after that dog for one reason or another."
"I'm sure that changed when he joined the newspaper club."
"He stopped fighting. That didn't stop him from causing trouble. Did you know he tried to get the results of our second term health exams?"
"I heard about that from Sangi."
"Oh? Itsuko mentioned you guys were working with the film club."
Kurumu smiled.
"I feel like I've picked up quite a bit of information on Ginei these past couple weeks without really trying to. Found out that Okimune from the choir was his lab partner along with Miyamoto, whom I understand is the captain of the karate club."
Hidarimeki chuckled.
"So that's what happened to him. I guess running the club makes it difficult for him to be causing everyone else trouble."
"I also heard Miyamoto is with some Ryomi girl in his class."
Hidarimeki sighed, shaking her head.
"I'm still annoyed that Morioka had Miyamoto swap seats with that girl. I was sitting next to her, behind Okimune. I know Ryomi's a sweetheart but it was so hard to stay awake with her next to me."
"I heard about that too. Is she like a monster that puts people to sleep?"
"Sort of. Do you want to visit her?"
Kurumu frowned as the girl gestured at the door.
"Ryomi lives in 321 with her little sister."
"Maybe another time. I need to be at a chapel around nine to meet up with my friends. I have no idea when I will back home."
"We can stop by for a quick introduction. They're both part of the greetings club, so they wouldn't mind the visit. It's like practice for those shy girls."
"I suppose if we have time."
"I should probably get up and wake the others."
Kurumu sighed.
"I didn't bring a towel."
"We have towels with our bath things in the cabinet beneath the sink."
The girl pointed at the small sink at the foot of the tub. Kurumu nodded, taking in a deep breath. They sat in warm, comfortable silence a solid minute.
"So are there any other names I might know from your notorious class that was voted the most troublesome for last year?"
Hidarimeki grinned.
"Maybe. Shitama from the soccer team was there. Little Miyake from track sat in front of Morioka after the whole switch happened."
"Wait. Yuniko was from your class?"
"Mhm. Are you friends with her?"
"Not really. I actually didn't even do her interview, but her name has come up a few times."
"I thought you wrote the track article."
"I did, but I had help from Tora for some of the interviews. So technically I have not met Yuniko."
"You realize Yuniko is her first name, right?"
"It sticks in my head better than Miyake."
Hidarimeki giggled. She took in a deep breath and groaned.
"I don't know if any other names would be familiar to you. Since you're doing the cheerleader squad, you'll bump into Tsubuyama Kosuru, whom sat on my other side. She's another nekomusume but from the Tsunan community from which Itsuko used to live before she moved during her junior high years."
Kurumu frowned.
"I thought you two were from the same town."
"We're cousins, not sisters. I've always lived in Yonezawa, but Itsuko moved during the summer of her first year in junior high due to a job offer her father got in the city."
"So her father is a human?"
"Mine is too. It's very normal for our kind. Even the guys can occasionally find a human girl that is interested in a serious relationship."
Kurumu lifted her hands from the water. On her fingers she started counting through the names of Morioka's class: Sangi, Oyanagi, Miyamoto, Okimune, Koike, Ryomi, Hidarimeki, Gokuya, Shitama, Yuniko and Tsubuyama. There was also that girl that was his current and former class rep. She could not recall the name. There was another track girl as well, but again, not a girl she had interviewed. Was Kitajima part of the class? She could not remember. Probably. There was also that Hajihachi girl whom had asked him out. Damn. She probably knew more than half of his former classmates by now.
"Is your skin getting all wrinkly from being in the water too long?"
Kurumu smiled, supposing it might have looked like that was what she was doing.
"Yea. I'm going to fetch your cousin so you can have a proper bath."
As Kurumu stood up, the older girl stretched her arms up over her head while stretching her legs out to take up the vacated space.
"Yea… thanks. I don't think I want to move just yet."
Kurumu chuckled as she stepped out of the bath. It was tempting to stay.
Kurumu politely clapped as Tora awkwardly finished this Himawari song by Amuro Namie. It was fun watching Tora 'sing'. The girl was such a fish out of water doing things like this. It was like watching her DDR performance in the arcade. It was more important to Tora that she said the words correctly than trying to match the tune.
This was Kurumu's second time at the Siren's Lullaby. This former three story apartment building had been converted into a karaoke establishment. Each room was about the same size as the dorm rooms in Baratoge. It was amazing that anyone would have ever considered renting an apartment in this place, since these rooms did not have any plumbing. She recalled that monstrel girl whom helped around Tokori's home lived in an apartment without a stove. It was probably similar to this place.
Though there were windows visible from the exterior, the rooms had been walled in for soundproofing reasons. There probably was a closet buried behind these new, cream walls. The screen that played the lyrics for the songs was built into the wall. With the remote she could run through a menu of unfamiliar songs and pick whichever title caught her fancy. While neither of the girls with her were that musically inclined, both had a better grasp of what was trending in the human world.
The manager would not allow more than four to a room for safety reasons, forcing them to rent out two rooms. Honda was taking a sick day, which was highly suspicious to Kurumu as the girl had seemed perfectly fine at Asuka's birthday party. Dangai had mentioned bowing out yesterday due to something going on with her gymnastics club. They all had agreed splitting into two groups of three was best.
Moka was scrolling through the list of songs as Tora slumped down next to Kurumu in the deep cushions of the sofa. The sphinx was wearing that golden halter top Tobuyoku had convinced her to buy last weekend. Tora had bought an identical black one, admitting that she liked the satin feel against her bare skin since she the base of her large wings forced her to forego wearing any style of bra. The garment dipped dangerously low in the back, the fabric coming together right about the small of her tanned back. The glossy fabric hung over the hem of her form fitting black capris.
As these Tengu girls lived across the hall from Tora, they had been pestering Tora throughout the week to do her stretches and wear the weights. Tobuyoku was making it her personal goal to have Tora flying before the end of the month. So far it looked like the extra effort had not paid off. Tora had struggled a meager three more minutes with the weights than she had managed the first time around.
Moka had felt like wearing her scarlet corset dress with the black lace stitched in the hems. Moka had not worn this strapless dress since they had first met Inui, though it probably had more to do with Yukari's reaction to this attire. That little pervert had marveled at the convenience of access this dress provided to Moka's breasts, shamelessly demonstrating Moka's sensitivity to nipple caresses.
Kurumu was a little jealous, not owning anything of that caliber. The dress billowed out at the hips, but was longer in the back than the front. Moka had worn tall, black leather boots which were laced all the way up her calves. Scarlet hose stretched up from the boots into the folds of the dress so that the skin of her legs would not be accidentally bared at any point.
Moka selected the Fly High song by Hamasaki Ayumi. The vampire stumbled over the opening lyrics, but recovered when the words slowed to a more reasonable pace. Flush over her error, Moka smiled as she carefully navigated the rest of the song.
They would meet Ginei for lunch at the Sand Witch. Kurumu was aware that the small family diner was one of their many sponsors and that the name was an English pun. He wanted to discuss more details of their upcoming field trip. Kana would also be meeting them there, since it was her family they would be staying with.
Kurumu smiled, thinking how busy her morning had been. She had roused the other girls after getting dressed in her green tank top with the open back. Deciding to have her tail and wings out, she had worn her loose white shorts with the back cut out which required her tail to be loosed in order to keep the silly garment on her rump. It had been about ten after eight when they had left the cousins' suite.
Hidarimeki admitted the only reason they had been allowed to move to the suites was her persistence, which she encouraged Nerume and Satsuki to employ for next year. Being out of prefecture and in different clubs and different homerooms, Hidarimeki had argued with the faculty a solid three weeks. Her only close friends were Dakiashi, whom lived alone in suite 114, and Hiyoshi. The two cousins had been separated to live near their respective teammates, so it was a huge inconvenience. Having put up with this one year, Hidarimeki refused to do it a second year. Hiyoshi found the whole thing amusing, since Hidarimeki had been sleeping in her room every night regardless of the arrangements.
They had visited the Hitsuji sisters in 321. The younger sister was shorter than Nerume while Ryomi was about Nerume's height. Both had golden white hair which looked braided on the sides exactly like what Princess Leia had. Ryomi had promised it was a natural look and that it could not be undone.
That precious little Chiyu was now one of the few students Kurumu had met from class ten. She recalled one of the soccer freshmen Nerume had talked with was from class ten and she was fairly sure Kinusawa was also from that class. Maybe. It was ten or twelve. And that was probably all the kids she knew from class ten. Well… technically Nagare had been from class ten, but he no longer counted.
Hidarimeki had not been kidding about their powers. With everyone bathed after a good night of rest, they had all been bright eyed and cheery at the start of the visit. Within fifteen minutes, everyone was yawning and wanting to lie back down. Hidarimeki had politely parted ways with the quiet Hitsuji sisters, taking Kurumu and her friends on a quick tour of the commissary.
To Kurumu's surprise, the commissary had a back room full of washers and driers. She had been doing laundry with Tsukune so much that it had not crossed her mind where the laundry room was for the students living in the suites. There was no exterior door, but the commissary was staffed all night long under the assumption that seniors were mature enough to manage their sleep schedules responsibly.
As they were about to leave so that they could have breakfast at the Kurai dining hall, Kurumu had bumped into two of the track seniors. Terrible with names, Hiyoshi had reintroduced the tall golden haired girl as Shiruba Yumie while the shadowy haired girl was Horie Fumiyo. Kurumu recalled Horie was the one Asuka had mentioned was getting death threats, but had decided not to bring that up.
Pressed for time, Kurumu reluctantly parted ways before sating her curiosity over Yukari's neighbors. Apparently the other eight track seniors lived in the adjacent building, but since Horie and Shiruba were from Uonuma, they lived in 313. All of the Uonuma girls living in the suites were in their building.
"It's your turn."
Moka smiled, handing the microphone down to her. Kurumu sighed, having spaced out without any desire to select a song.
"Do I have to?"
"Aw, come on. We still have about a half hour before meeting Ginei."
Kurumu smiled, wondering how Tsukune was faring with the two Tengu girls in the adjacent room. She was mildly curious if either had decent singing voices. Hanetsume's accent could be endearing if they picked the right song. Tobuyoku had a common voice so it was hard to guess how that might turn out. It probably could not be much worse than what Tora considered was adequate for singing.
"Pick a song for me, Tora."
The sphinx nodded as Kurumu got up from her comfortable seat. She grabbed the microphone and gestured for Moka to move aside. The vampire smiled, holding her dress as she spilled into the matching armchair. On a whim, Kurumu stepped up on the low black table which was centered in the midst of the furniture. They had not bothered ordering snacks or drinks, knowing lunch was around the corner.
Tora had navigated through the menu to a song by Kumi Koda named Cutie Honey. It started playing, which had a kind of catchy tune. Kurumu bobbed on her ankles to the beat until the words started running across the screen. It was a fast song but she quickly recognized this as something she had heard Dakuhime sing in the shower one time. Grinning, she was at least able to do the chorus.
Despite how difficult it was to try and sing a song that she knew only a few lyrics to, Kurumu was disappointed when it ended. She wanted to do it again, but figured Tora had picked a short song on purpose. Smiling she hopped down from the table and held the microphone out for Tora.
"I don't know what I want to sing."
"Want me to pick for you?"
"You don't know any of these songs."
Kurumu shrugged as the sphinx took the microphone. Kurumu slumped into the sofa as the girl continued to scroll through the menu. She noted a familiar name in the list.
"What about that one?"
"Which one?"
"That Hime person. I'm pretty sure Nerume has her CD."
"I don't know that one."
Kurumu smiled.
"Just play it. I listened to some of Nerume's CD so I will recognize the song if I'm right."
"How does that help me sing it?"
"It's not like I knew how that last song you picked for me went."
"You did some of it surprisingly well."
"I heard one of the choir girls sing part of it."
Tora sighed. She pressed play on the La, La, La song. Kurumu quickly recognized it, grinning as she leaned forward on her knees.
"Just read the lyrics, Tora. You'll do fine."
Mostly because Hime did not sing. This would be more a matter of how agreeable the lyrics were to Tora. As Tora scrambled to say the words that ran across the screen, Kurumu was tempted to join in. This whole experience would be much more enjoyable if she actually knew these songs. This was not much different than the first time she had come here with Yukari and Tsukune. Tsukune had to pick every song since neither of them had any musical knowledge. While Kurumu knew a few more songs and artists now, she still had not listened to any songs enough times to know the lyrics.
The Hime song was over fairly quick. Tora frowned, handing the microphone over to Moka.
"Was that fine?"
"I think so."
"How reassuring."
Tora sighed, flopping in the seat next to Kurumu. Moka cycled through the song selection.
"Why do I feel like none of us know these songs?"
"I know a lot of these songs. I don't feel comfortable singing."
"Yea, a lot of these are played on the radio. But I've never tried singing along to them before."
"Well… what about your date with Inui?"
Moka sighed.
"That was awkward. I'm glad he did most of the singing."
"I wonder what happened to that guy."
"You mean after you mauled him."
"It's not my fault that he insisted on ramming his head into my fist repeatedly."
Moka smiled, glancing back at them.
"I know he didn't rejoin Ms. Hitori's drama club. She had no intention of giving him another chance after he resigned from her drama club."
"Doesn't he have to be in a club?"
"Probably. I guess I could ask Ginei if he knows what happened to him."
"Speaking of Ginei, I met a couple more of his former classmates."
Tora perked up.
"You have?"
"Mhm. That Sonoda girl from archery was in his art elective last year. And two of the girls that live in the suites downstairs from me are former classmates. Hidarimeki from the softball team and Hitsuji from the greetings club."
"Hitsuji? That's a familiar name."
Kurumu shrugged.
"Not to me. All I know is if you ever want to take a nap, just hang around them and you'll have no trouble sleeping."
"That's right. Ms. Ishikure from class ten mentioned a tiny girl that causes the kids around her to nap through class. They put her in the corner so she would be less trouble for the class."
Kurumu grinned.
"That sounds right. Ginei was in the same class as her older sister, Ryomi. I guess this Ryomi is still in the same class as that Miyamoto fellow he used to cause a lot of trouble with."
"Mr. Koike has only good things to say about Mr. Miyamoto and Mr. Kitajima. He hopes Mr. Kitajima will consider rejoining the PSC now that Kuyo is gone."
"Kitajima was part of the PSC?"
"He left in disgust after Kuyo's actions against the newspaper club. He went back to the Kendo club."
Kurumu smiled, aware that the PSC was struggling for members and would take anybody, provided they met the academic standards and resigned any student government positions they might be holding.
"So… was Kitajima part of their class?"
"He was. Mr. Koike has been quite forward about his former relations with Ginei this past week. Apparently the film club president, Ms. Sangi, was also in their class."
"You didn't know?"
"You knew? When did you find out?"
"When I did the soccer article Sangi mentioned they were former classmates. She also said a lot of other things about him."
"Like what?"
"Well… did Koike mention a Ms. Hajihachi?"
"No. Why?"
"That's one of the two girls that confessed to him last year. I think Sangi said she was from their class."
"I'll have to ask Mr. Koike about that."
"Aren't you supposed to address him as Lord Koike?"
Tora waved her hand dismissively.
"I've talked with Lady Hineri about that and the titles are reserved for the seniors. I don't know if he was misinformed or deliberately trying to get an ego boost."
Kurumu smirked, aware that the Sabaku guy had also flashed his fancy title.
"So you're taking an interest in Ginei's love life?"
Tora glanced aside, shaking her head.
"He is the president of our club. And you heard him. He agrees to date any girl willing to ask him."
"Yea… but who would want a guy that ran about the school naked or tried to swipe the growth charts of the girls from the school?"
"He did what?"
"Sangi has a lot of tales about our troublesome senior. Like how he ran through a room of girls changing so he could escape an angry Kitajima."
Tora covered her mouth, her jade eyes wavering.
"Maybe I need to talk with Ms. Sangi and Mr. Koike about this."
"It's hard to pick a song with you two talking."
Kurumu shrugged as she regarded Moka.
"That's okay. I'd rather talk than have all of us force ourselves to sing."
"Why? Is there something on your mind, Kurumu?"
"A few things."
"Like what?"
"You two will look after Shirayuki for me tomorrow, right? Don't make her think it's her fault, okay?"
Moka smiled softly.
"Of course we will. Tsukune and I already talked about how we would address it if she asks about your absence."
"Oh? What's the story?"
"That you were caught fooling around with him on campus so the faculty felt it would be best to move you to a different class."
Kurumu giggled.
"And you agreed to that?"
Moka blushed, brushing the hair about her ear.
"Well… it's kind of true with the whole situation with Ms. Kagome."
"I understand she was influenced by your opiate, but trying to impregnate you is beyond crazy."
"I guess if you're both cool with that sort of rumor floating around, I'm fine with it."
She was more than fine with it. That would turn all those naysayers about her girlfriend status around.
"That can't be the only thing on your mind."
Kurumu sighed at Tora's certainty. As much as she wanted to talk about the dilemma of Moka's true form and the possibility of this Moka disappearing, she felt like it would be as insensitive as talking about inevitable death to a cancer patient. Still, that rumor fell in line with something else nagging her.
"Would you guys be okay if that rumor was more than a rumor?"
"Meaning?"
"Um… well…"
Kurumu could feel the hotness in her cheeks as she agonized over the best way to word this.
"I mean if I actually did have sex with Tsukune. You guys wouldn't stop being my friends, right?"
Tora sighed as Moka flinched.
"You know I've already said my opinion on that."
Kurumu smiled, aware that Tora had admitted she would be fine if Kurumu had a child with Tsukune.
"Thanks, Tora."
"I'm not condoning it. You two are barely a couple. Like, sure, more a couple than Tsukune is with Moka, but only because you are more open about it. I want him to start dating you properly before you start throwing this whole sex thing in the mix."
"Dating would be nice."
Moka took a deep breath, fiddling with the microphone at her waist.
"I guess if I knew it was what Tsukune wanted, I would be okay with it. Tora's right. I can't tell if Tsukune wants to be with you, or if he just wants to avoid hurting you."
"You know I could say the same thing about how he treats you."
"I know."
"Although half of you doesn't want anything to do with him."
Moka sighed heavily.
"That's not entirely true. Ever since you said about how things would never work with Tsukune because of her, she's been inconsistent."
"Inconsistent? How so?"
Moka smiled at Tora.
"She said she was fine with Tsukune if he made me happy, but then she scolds me when I think about drinking Tsukune's blood and doesn't want him to ever remove the rosary again."
"She's worried about his blood making her weak."
"I'm thinking it would be interesting to meet this girl."
Kurumu flicked her tail up, opening the spade end to reveal her shimmering stigma.
"I could arrange that."
Moka immediately snatched Kurumu's tail below the spade, wagging the microphone at Kurumu.
"You're not allowed to go in my head."
Kurumu smiled, aware of the other Moka's warning.
"I'm not going to do it now. Maybe later when it's just the four of us."
"Four?"
"Of course we would bring Yukari along. She's been wanting to know more about the other Moka."
"Oh. For a second there I thought you meant Tsukune."
"I think the other Moka would be upset if I brought Tsukune along."
Moka squeezed Kurumu's tail.
"She doesn't want to, Kurumu. She's angry that you're even thinking about."
"I'm not going to go into your head, Moka. I'm pulling her into mine. It's different. She doesn't have to worry about me peeking into her past."
"Is that what happened that time she was all upset at you two?"
Kurumu smiled.
"Yea… we stepped into Moka's dream and she's right. She doesn't dream. She's wrapped up in her past memories. I don't know why, but when we visited, Moka was in the middle of the memory in which she was sealed away by her mother."
Moka sighed.
"I don't know what you saw that day. I think she keeps the most painful memories to herself."
Moka smiled wistfully, staring at the wall.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what you want me to say."
"We could do it tonight at Yukari's place. The two of you could get clothes for tomorrow and spend the night. I know Yukari would appreciate that."
"I can't. I have to do laundry tonight."
"You could bring it with. They have a laundry room in the commissary."
"Unlike you, I actually detest the idea of walking about in the open with my dirty laundry."
"Maybe another night?"
"We have Midterms, Kurumu. I don't know about you, but I plan to be studying the next few days."
Kurumu grinned.
"I've been planning to study. Several of us girls were talking about pulling an all night study session at Tokori's place on Wednesday. You're more than welcome to join us."
"I want no part of that circus."
"Why not?"
"Anything that involves more than four girls is going to end up more foolery than studying."
Kurumu frowned, unsure how many girls had committed to the idea. Nerume and Satsuki were the only two that were for certain. She had forgot to mention it to Tokori yesterday, so even the setting had yet to be decided. She would have to finalize things tomorrow during home ec with Tokori and Asuka.
"Would you like to study with us, Moka?"
"Forgive me for saying this, but Moka would be better off studying with DeDe and I. Whatever study plans you might have would be more troublesome than beneficial."
"I think I would be more comfortable if it was a smaller group."
Kurumu sighed, deciding not to push the issue.
"What about doing that sleepover after Midterms? Friday night sound okay?"
"Won't you be busy with your article Friday?"
"You're both more than welcome to help me with that and then we can do our sleepover at Yukari's."
Moka frowned.
"Does Yukari need to be involved?"
"I only have one futon, Moka. That might be good enough for one guest, but not two."
"I don't know. She's really not happy about this."
"I would feel more comfortable with Ms. Sendou involved."
Moka sighed.
"As long as she keeps her hands to herself."
"So… you were good with me having sex with Tsukune if he goes on a couple dates with me?"
"Of course not! Sex is for married couples!"
Kurumu sighed. While that might sound normal to someone whom has never had a boyfriend, this idea of holding out for the sake of his parents was starting to feel like genuine disinterest on his part.
"Um… I think it's normal since I've been with him this long."
"How long were you dating your first boyfriend?"
Kurumu waved her hand dismissively.
"That doesn't count, Tora. I was never interested in him. When you're with someone you actually want to be with… it's going to happen."
"But you shouldn't push him into it."
"Start dating first. You'll just end up hurt again if you put yourself out there before he's ready."
"Again? What do you mean by again?"
Kurumu noted the pained look in Moka's turquoise eyes. She smiled wistfully.
"Um… yea. I kind of threw myself at him on that day he was released from the hospital after Kuyo's attack. It backfired horribly."
"Threw yourself? I don't understand-"
"I took my clothes off and begged him to have sex with me."
Moka collapsed into her armchair, sighing heavily. She dropped the microphone and remote in her lap, glancing off at the door.
"I don't know what anybody wants me to do anymore."
"I'm sorry, Moka."
"For what?"
Kurumu frowned at Tora.
"I shouldn't have brought this up. I mean, I have Nerume and Satsuki to talk about Tsukune with. I realize Moka doesn't have anyone like that."
"Would it matter if I did?"
"It helps to have someone rooting for you."
"To be clear, I'm not rooting for either of you. We're first years in high school. While it might be okay to do a little dating, nobody should be seriously thinking about marriage before they've decided what sort of life they plan to lead."
"Well excuse me for not having my life planned out."
"Kurumu."
Moka was regarding the door, a small tear crawling down her cheek.
"I don't think I could have done what you did."
"I'm sorry. If it makes you feel any better, he turned me away."
"It doesn't."
"I'm sorry."
"Because that means you got hurt. Why would I feel better about you getting hurt?"
Kurumu crawled out of the sofa and over to Moka's armchair. She leaned over Moka's legs, hugging the vampire as she rested the side of her head against Moka's breast.
"I'm sorry, Moka. I'm just an idiot. Maybe someone smart like you would be better at being a girlfriend."
Moka sighed, letting her hands find their way into Kurumu's locks to caress them.
"No. It's enough for me to simply be around him and to spend time with him. I'm too scared to want more. I'm not brave enough to take risks like that."
"I don't feel brave. I'm scared all the time."
Tora snorted.
"That's because you're reckless, Kurumu. You realize how dangerous it could be for Tsukune if you make a mistake like you did at the skating rink."
There was a knock on the door.
"Hey, are you guys done in there? We should be meeting Morioka soon."
Smiling at the sound of his voice, Kurumu rolled her head to look up into Moka's eyes.
"Are we done in here?"
Moka brushed away the wetness at the corner of her eyes as she took in another deep breath. Relaxing as she rested her forearms upon Kurumu's shoulders, the vampire smiled.
"I'm not giving up on him."
"I wasn't asking you to."
A hand pressed on her shoulder. Kurumu glanced up at Tora.
"Come on, you two. You can bicker over whom is better at ruining Tsukune's life some other time."
Kurumu smirked.
"Well… I'm broke, so whatever you guys feel like buying me, I'm good with."
"How are you broke? I thought your mother sent you money."
"Kitchen was hungry. It ate my wallet."
"What did you buy?"
Kurumu laughed, getting up from her knees. She supposed that deserved an explanation.
This Luna Sea album was kind of boring. Kurumu turned the case over as the song switched to something different in the middle of the track. She noticed it was still the same 'song' though the music had changed. She shrugged, figuring artists would be artists. Oh wait, this did sound similar. Nevermind, it was the same song. She sighed. Did she still have another minute of this monster track?
Tsukune had given her this Mother album when she had asked if he had any other things she had not listened to. He only had a dozen or so CDs, so she was scraping the bottle of the barrel with this one. Maybe that Porno CD would have been better than this eleven year old thing. It was not the sort of music her mother would listen to. That was old music. Folk song stuff. Maybe she was a country girl.
She was lying on the floor in Yamabato's room, between the kneeling boys and the screen that held their undivided attention. She was on her back with her bare feet pressed against the wall. She had dismissed her tail as it was uncomfortable with it out while on her back. While that threatened the stability of these shorts, she had panties so a slight wardrobe malfunction would not be the end of the world. Tsukune and Kamitsuku were dressed in tees and jeans, holding their game controllers as they steered race cars through some road displayed on the TV.
Oh, this song was okay. Fake? It sounded like some of the stuff she had heard from other artists. It only took seven tracks to get here. Okay, the first track had been good. But that had felt ages ago.
After sending Moka and Tsukune off on an errand, Ginei had spilled his plans about Tsukune's birthday. He had been working out an arrangement with Ms. Amekoshi to use the pool with the promise he would give them an article promoting their club's need for healthy, sexually repressed young men whom were in need of a place to relax. He dismissed Kurumu's concerns, saying there was no issue with what the club did if the girls were upfront about what they wanted. Grinning, he admitted he had donated to their cause twice this week. He was such a hopeless pervert.
Admitting she had made no plans, it looked like this pool party was going to be a thing. He was fine with her inviting whomever she wanted, but stressed it was important that Tsukune did not find out and that Tsukune did not make any other plans for the afternoon. He was going to have the pool from one to six, which should give her plenty of time to do girlfriend things afterwards.
Kurumu had no idea why Ginei cared so much about the secrecy. It made things difficult when it came to asking Tsukune's dorm room friends to show up. She had no idea how chatty these boys were, but it would be nice if they got Tanboshi and Kinusawa to come along. She supposed she could tolerate the garish Takoshine.
She wondered if she should try getting Umizake to come. He was sort of Tsukune's friend and very likely Shirayuki's fiancé. She had meant to talk to him about Shirayuki on Friday during that PSC lunch but had sort of lost herself in the conversation with Koike. That PSC junior loved to talk about the greatness of his club and his hopes of how they would flourish stronger under Lady Hineri's guidance. Maybe if she could get Umizake alone, she might find some answers about Shirayuki.
Actually this album had ended pretty strong. She liked True Blue and Mother. It was still probably the worst album she had listened to in Tsukune's collection. She set the CD player aside, placing her hand on his lap. She absently squeezed his thigh, drawing his attention from the screen for a moment.
"I got you."
Tsukune grimaced as he looked back at the screen. He wiggled his controller as Kamitsuku smirked.
"It's over."
Kamitsuku relaxed as he lowered his controller.
"Perfect timing, Kurumu. I almost lost."
Shrugging, Kurumu lifted her hand to make a fist with her thumb up. Tsukune sighed, setting his controller down on the floor next to him.
"I was losing anyways."
"You almost caught me there."
Kurumu wagged her finger at Kamitsuku.
"Has he told you about his birthday next week?"
She lazily avoided his eyes with practiced ease as the kappa boy chuckled.
"He mentioned it."
"Well, check with me before making any crazy plans. I'm pulling girlfriend priority here."
"Is that a thing?"
"It should be."
"I don't think Aku has come up with anything yet, so I'll make sure we talk with you first."
"Good. Oh, and before I forget, you need to pass word along about another club article I'm doing."
"This is for the cheerleader squad, right? The favor you're doing so Ms. Uchikawa watches over Mr. Umatobi's class so he can chaperone the field trip."
"Mhm. She said we can do it at five on Friday night after midterms."
"That late? We only have two tests on Friday. We should be wrapped up by lunch."
Kurumu shrugged.
"She wants the athletic teams to do their thing first so that there won't be any conflicts."
"Any chance you will be running about in that cheerleader outfit?"
Kurumu frowned.
"What is with you guys and cheerleaders?"
"I was just wondering if I should let Mr. Burumoto know about your article."
"Please don't. There's no reason to get his hopes up."
Kamitsuku chuckled.
"Okay, I won't. That won't stop Tomisaki though. I'm sure when he hears about this he will tell everyone about getting to see you again."
Kurumu smiled, aware that the short guy with the russet hair that sat next to Tora was part of the cheerleader squad.
"I don't know why he would brag to the class about that."
"Care for a rematch?"
"It's kind of late. Already after ten. You should be spending some time alone with your girl before sending her home."
"I'm okay."
"Unless she's spending the night."
"I don't have clothes."
"That's not an issue if you get up early enough."
Kurumu shrugged, supposing that was true. She wondered if she should get up. It was not like this floor was comfortable, but more like she lacked the desire to move. She wondered if Tsukune was strong enough to carry her. Probably not. He had struggled to hold that hundred kilo wing brace. While she was less than half that, she had this feeling he would not be able to hold her weight for long.
"Have you bought a gift for his birthday?"
"Maybe."
"You didn't have to do that."
Kurumu sighed dramatically.
"Yea, I suppose I didn't. Nerume did say I could just give you my virginity."
Tsukune gagged as he immediately pulled away from her. She giggled, knowing he was embarrassed with her saying that in front of his friend.
"Tsukune."
Kamitsuku cleared his throat before clapping a heavy hand on Tsukune's shoulder.
"Could you speak with me in the hall for a moment?"
"… … … why?"
"You know why. If you'll excuse us, Kurumu."
Kamitsuku got up stoically with a commanding air about him. Tsukune reluctantly followed suit.
"Wait. What's wrong?"
"It's a matter between men, Kurumu. It's nothing to worry about."
Guiding Tsukune by the shoulder, Kamitsuku steered his friend out of the room, closing the door on the deadbolt behind them. She frowned at the sound of fierce whispering but could not quite make out what was being said. Maybe she should have kept that virginity joke for a time alone with Tsukune. She had only said it for his reaction.
As promised, it had not taken long. The two returned to the room. Kamitsuku had a stern, resolute expression while Tsukune's head was bowed and flush with embarrassment. Rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, Tsukune walked over to hold his hand down to her.
"Come on."
"Huh?"
"We should go to my room."
Kurumu frowned, taking his hand. Honestly that was more hindrance than help, so she let go to pick herself up off the floor. Holding his CD player and album case in one hand, which also had to hold one side of her shorts, she took his hand in her other.
"You have a good night, Kurumu."
"Um… you too, Kamitsuku."
Tsukune nodded at his friend as he made his way out of the room while holding her hand. She grimaced as she was greeted by the foul stench of the hallway caused by Gomitsuro, some stink demon that lived at the far end of the floor. They walked past the two doors for Kinusawa and Tanboshi before stopping at room 419. Tsukune had left his door resting on the deadbolt, so he pushed it in and guided her inside before letting go of her hand to lock up.
Tsukune's room was barren at the moment, since his bedding was tucked away in his closet and so was the mesh bag that served as his dirty laundry container. His school bag, keys and card were stowed away in the small recess near the closet.
"What did he want to talk to you about?"
Tsukune sighed heavily.
"Living vicariously."
"Vicariously? I'm not sure what that means."
"It means he wishes he was living my life."
Kurumu chuckled, imagining Kamitsuku wanted Tsukune to do something sexy with her. It was a pleasant thought.
"No he doesn't. How many times have you been attacked?"
"Don't remind me."
Kurumu smiled as she wandered over to the closet. She tugged it open and pressed the button that sprung the lid of the CD player free. She popped the CD out, putting it back in its case before returning it to his small pile of CDs. She tugged the Porno Graffitti album out and wagged it at him.
"Is this Best Blue album any good?"
"It's a collection of their singles. It's okay."
"Okay."
Kurumu freed the CD from the case and popped it into the player. Leaving the closet open, she wandered back to him as the first track started to play. She bobbed a little with her step as she came up next to him, aware that her shorts had started an awkward descent down her thighs. She leaned slightly forward, resting her head on his shoulder as she grinned.
"Kurumu."
"Hmm?"
"Were you going home tonight?"
"After this album."
"That's like an hour long."
"Plenty of time to do whatever you might want."
He sighed, one of his hands tentatively touching her waist. Smiling, she tapped his chest.
"Sit."
"Sit?"
"Sit."
Swallowing nervously, he backed away so that he could comfortably sit down against the wall. Wiggling out of her shorts, she kicked them aside. She knew these plain briefs were not the sexiest things, but it was not like she had planned the night to end this way. If he really hated them, he could take them off.
"Make some room."
She nudged his legs apart with her feet. Once she felt he had made enough space, she turned about and sat down in front of him. She leaned back against his chest, feeling his warmth about her as his hands naturally came to rest on her waist.
"This isn't very comfortable."
Kurumu shrugged as she listened to the back half of this first track. It was okay. She could see playing this in the background while doing something else. It had a good tune, but was not that engaging.
"Kurumu?"
"Play with my tits or something. I won't mind."
He sighed.
"Kurumu. Do you know why Moka looked upset during lunch? She wouldn't say anything to me even when Ginei sent us off to buy those snacks for him."
"She's upset that you won't play with her tits."
He laughed in frustration.
"Kurumu, I'm trying to be serious."
"Are you really that nervous around me that you feel the need to bring up Moka every time we are alone together?"
"I… sorry."
"Kiss me."
"We can't."
Kurumu tilted her head aside, closing her eyes. She tapped the side of her neck with her free hand.
"You can. There's so many places you can."
She felt him take in a deep breath but it did not brush across her skin. Instead his hands drifted up from her waist to cup her tits, giving them a gentle squeeze.
"Do you want this off?"
"… … … … yea."
He let go of her breasts, leaning back. She set aside the CD player so that she could tug the green tank up over her head. The fabric caught on the wires to the earphones, tugging them free from her ears. Sighing, she slung the garment aside as she worked one of the phones back into her ear. She figured it would be better to leave the other one out for now.
She honestly did not know if she liked this CD or not. The second song did not seem that much better than the first. Maybe this was one of those things what would grow on her if she listened to it enough. She sighed as he started to squeeze and caress her breasts. It felt nice coupled with the desire pouring out from his body.
"You know it would be a nice gift for you."
"What would be?"
"Sex. It would feel special."
Tsukune chuckled softly.
"My mother would be so disappointed."
"I will tell her how you valiantly held out for weeks."
"What about Moka?"
Kurumu leaned back against him, setting the CD player aside. She brought her hands up to cup his.
"You don't understand Moka. While she might care about you as much as I do, she doesn't have the same freedom. Her true form doesn't feel the same way about you. Her family would be difficult to get along with, assuming they even accept you. Which she knows they won't."
Tsukune sighed.
"Is that why she was upset today?"
"Maybe. Tsukune… if I thought the two of you would be happy together, I might be fine with it. But I know that's not going to happen because she's trapped. Something would have to change."
"Like me becoming a vampire."
Kurumu sighed.
"That's stupid. Even if you did survive that, it doesn't make her true form or her family disappear. Do you really plan to beat Moka into submission to get her family's approval?"
"… … … no."
"And running away with her still leaves the issue of her true form. How could the two of you ever be happy like that?"
"You make it sound like I should settle for you."
She rubbed his hands which had remained still upon her breasts for some time now.
"I know I can make you happier than Moka could. I don't have any weird family situation. I know my mother would love you. Her only worry might be about us being too young."
He squeezed her breasts.
"Yea… I'm sure that would be the biggest concern my mother would have."
She smiled, hoping he would stop bringing up Moka.
"So… do you want to buy condoms?"
He tensed up.
"I… I've never bought them before."
"I mean, we are young so we probably should be cautious."
"Yea… but, uh… where do you buy condoms?"
"I don't know. A convenience store?"
"Do we have a convenience store? I haven't noticed one in Mononoke."
"You should ask your friends."
"No way."
"Why not?"
"Because that would be embarrassing and there's a good chance that they wouldn't know."
She smiled, figuring the second reason was good enough to not press the suggestion.
"Ginei would know of a place to buy condoms."
"Oh, the razzing he is going to give me."
"He'll be jealous, knowing you'll get to use them."
She paused as the third song started. It was different but not sure if that was good or bad.
"It feels a little strange."
"Is there something wrong with my tits?"
He chuckled.
"No. I meant… you haven't been that close to me all week. Yet here we are, almost like lovers."
Okay, the song was good. She could like this.
"I'm sorry. I've been spending more time with the girls."
"I just don't know how you can skip to this. Shouldn't we try to be as close as you are to the girls?"
"Why do you think I'm closer to the girls? I mean, I might be, but it's not like I want to have sex with any of them."
"I know that."
"Don't you want to have sex with me?"
He sighed heavily.
"More than you realize."
Kurumu smirked.
"Oh, I can feel how much you want me."
"I feel like we should be closer before we start doing things like this."
"Tora and Moka both would feel more comfortable with our relationship if we started dating properly."
"Moka?"
She sighed, realizing her mistake.
"Yea… she was fine if you made it more apparent you wanted me and weren't just humoring me."
"Would she really be okay with that?"
What the fuck was wrong with this song? It was nothing like the first three. Was this islander music? What the hell?
"Kurumu?"
"Sorry, weird song."
He chuckled, giving her tit a squeeze. She smiled as the song continued. It was lively and memorable.
"I like it."
"I can tell."
"Oh?"
"Your nipples are hard."
She sighed. They were, but that was not what she had been talking about. She grabbed his hand, tugging it away from her breast.
"Kurumu?"
"Do you want to try something else?"
"Like what?"
Her heart fluttered as she guided his hand to rest at her navel, patting the back of his hand. She pulled the loose hem of her panties out so that he could easily invade her if he so desired.
"Go ahead."
"It won't hurt?"
"You don't have to put your fingers inside me to make me feel good."
"I don't understand."
She sighed, placing her hand on his and forcing it inside her panties. She entwined her fingers in his as she awkwardly tried to make his fingers explore her folds.
"There's a spot that you can rub that would be better than anything else we might do."
Freeing her hand of his, she felt around for it. She was slightly moist, though she imagined that would change soon. She shivered as she found her little guilty pleasure.
"Okay. Do you feel this?"
She reached over and grabbed one of his fingers. She awkwardly tugged his hand to where it needed to be. She had to feel around with her fingers next to his before she found it again. She pushed his larger fingers against it, hoping he realized what he was feeling.
"I guess."
It felt like he was about right. She moved her hand out of the way to rest on the back of his. She rocked her wrist to encourage him to do the same.
"That will work, Tsukune. Just focus around that spot."
"Okay?"
He was clumsy but it still felt good. He would get it right occasionally which would cause her to shiver and whimper. Taking her audible cues, he realized what he needed to touch and roughly did so.
It felt so different with someone else touching. She could not brace herself. It was too much. Her heart fluttered as she struggled to keep her breath, realizing this was a bad idea. Every soft ragged breath she made stoked the fire of his lust which served to heighten her body's reaction.
She whimpered as she pressed his hand firmly against her in a futile attempt to stop him. She gasped as gouts of her fluids gushed across their hands. Her body twitched and convulsed with pleasure as she struggled to keep quiet. Both her hands came up, curled into fists as she closed her eyes.
"What happened?"
She whimpered as he held her close, his lust soaked hand pressed to her waist.
"Need a minute."
He laughed, encircling her waist as he pulled her back. He pressed his lips against the side of her neck as she whimpered and mewled, her body still tingling. He breathed hotly across her shoulder. She could feel his rapid heartbeat through his shirt against her back.
"I want you so badly right now."
She swallowed, nodding.
"Go ahead."
He chuckled before letting out a soft groan.
"What about going on a date first?"
It was not like she had thought any of this through. She had merely wanted more and things had escalated. She wanted him to act on this intoxicating lust for her.
"You want me now."
"I don't have a condom, Kurumu."
"I don't care."
He leaned back against the wall, firmly holding her to his chest. He sighed heavily.
"Can we at least wait for my birthday?"
She whimpered, clutching his hands tightly. She wiggled her rump against him, aware that he was hard through his denim. She wanted him now.
"Calm down, Kurumu. Calm down."
How could she when she felt like she would drown in the lust spilling from his soul? She could feel the difference. He wanted her more than he usually did. Nobody would be hurt if they gave in to this. She lifted up and leaned forward so that she could rub her softer, wet parts against him.
"Please, quit squirming. I'm about to have an accident here, if you don't stop."
An accident sounded good.