Chapter 6 - Risa
One stormy evening at Risa's house.
In the dark kitchen, the only source of light is the open fridge.
Risa Momioka stands in front of the fridge, staring at a dinner plate on the second shelf; baked chicken breasts with green veggies and white rice covered in Saran Wrap.
There's a handwritten sticky note attached to the plate: "Enjoy, sweetie. We'll be back late tonight."
Risa stares at the note with sorrowful eyes, and then closes the fridge door.
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The following, sunny day at school.
Rito walks down the hall with Lala clinging to his right arm and Run clinging to his left. All of the boys passing by shoot jealous glares at Rito, making him uneasy and embarrassed.
"Come on, guys," he says. "Do we have to do this at school?"
"I can't help myself, Rito," replies Run. "I'm just so happy to know you love me, and that we're gonna be married someday."
"Me too, Rito," says Lala. "And Run, I'm so glad you're gonna be together with us forever."
"Hmph," says Run. "Don't get too excited, Lala. You may become his first wife, but I'm gonna be his best wife."
"Shh," says Rito. "I told you guys to keep all that stuff a secret."
"Oops, sorry," says Lala.
"But Rito, how much longer do we have to keep it a secret?" pouts Run.
"Yeah, Rito," agrees Lala.
Rito takes a moment, remembering that scary dream he had, and all the girls who were in it.
"Well, th-there's just a few more people I need to talk to," he says. "Once I do, we won't have to keep it a secret anymore. Just a little bit longer, I promise."
"Okay," says Lala. "Just don't keep us waiting too long."
"For once, I agree with Lala," says Run.
Man, this harem stuff ain't easy, thinks Rito.
Just then, Haruna appears from the adjacent hallway. Rito quickly stops himself from bumping into her.
"Oh, Haruna! G-good morning," he says, worried she might get upset to see two girls at his side.
"Good morning, Rito, Lala, Run," says Haruna, smiling.
Rito sighs in relief.
"Good morning, Haruna!" cheers Lala.
Run gets right up in Haruna's face. "Listen, you, I may have agreed to share Rito, but I still won't lose to anyone."
"Uh, okay," replies Haruna, confused.
"Also, ahem," says Run, blushing. "Th-thanks for the cake you and Lala baked for me. It was delicious."
"You're very welcome, Run," says Haruna, smiling.
Lala hugs Run from behind. "Anytime."
Rito smiles, happy to see his three lovers getting along.
Suddenly, Risa pounces Haruna from behind, and starts feeling her up, much to her dismay.
"Well, well, well," teases Risa. "You're quite the womanizer, aren't you, Yuki?"
"R-Risa, what're you-ah!" squeals Haruna.
Risa squeezes Haruna's breasts in a seductive manner. "Just putting on a good show for Yuki."
Rito's face turns bright red, and blood leaks from his nose.
Haruna breaks free of Risa's grasp. "Please, that's enough!"
"Relax, it's only a bit of fun," says Risa. "Besides, that wasn't even half as extreme as what Yuki did to me at his house that one-"
Rito screams and covers her mouth with his hand. "Nothing! Nothing! We didn't do anything!"
Lala, Haruna and Run tilt their heads in confusion.
Down the hall, Yui notices the commotion and stomps over to the group. "Hey!"
Risa removes Rito's hand from her mouth. "And that's my cue."
Then she playfully licks his hand, which makes him freak out and back away.
"Later, darling," teases Risa, skipping away.
"Darling?" asks Lala, Haruna and Run all at once.
"Well, uh," stutters Rito.
"Yuki!" yells Yui.
"Dah!" gasps Rito.
Seeing the whole thing, Yui marches right up to him, and jams her finger into his chest. "What was that? What did she mean by 'darling'? How shameless can you get?"
"I-it's not like that, Kotegawa, I swear," pleads Rito.
"Hmmm," says Yui. "Huh?"
She realizes how close she is to Rito. With that, Mikado's words echo through her mind.
We'd like you all to pay close attention to Yuki. See if you can identify any changes in his lifestyle.
Yui blushes and steps back. "Just…be more careful."
"R-right," says Rito.
"Are you okay, Yui?" asks Lala.
"Yes, your face is really red," says Haruna.
"You sick or something?" asks Run.
"I-it's nothing! Ahem," says Yui. "Just the heat, that's all."
As the girls talk amongst themselves, Rito looks down the hall, only to see Risa is already gone. Then he looks at his hand where she licked him, and the wheels in his head start turning.
"Okay," he says under his breath.
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Later that night in Rito's bedroom.
"You did WHAT?" yells Momo, angry.
"My, my, so scary," jokes Nemesis, hiding behind Rito.
"Calm down, Momo," pleads Rito, standing between the two girls. "You're gonna wake the neighbors."
Momo seizes his collar, and hilariously shakes him back and forth. "Is it true, Rito? Did she really possess you, and make you do sexual things to Risa Momioka?"
"Well, uh," mutters Rito; that's all the answer Momo needs.
"Nemesis!" scolds Momo.
"And it was getting so good, fufu," says Nemesis, laying on the bed. "If not for Mikan's stupid phone call, it would've gotten a whole lot better."
Momo releases Rito, and he adjusts his collar.
"Nemesis..." begs Rito.
"Relax, Rito, I won't possess your body again," says Nemesis. "And as for Momioka, don't forget. She did say in her own words that she wanted to continue what happened at a later time. Is that why you're so interested in her all of a sudden, you dirty dog?"
"Th-that's not it at all," claims Rito, sitting at his desk. "It's just...she was one of the girls in my dream too, and I don't understand why. She's a classmate and a friend, but I've never thought of her romantically. Even so, she was in my dream for a reason, and I wanna find out why."
Momo remembers the time she bathed at Risa's house, and then how Risa seduced her.
"I don't know, Rito," she says with a red face. "I think Momioka might be too extreme for the harem."
"I know she can be a little mischievous, but I don't think she's a bad person," says Rito. "Look, if I don't do this, I'll never know for sure. I gotta try."
Momo looks to Nemesis, who simply shrugs.
...
"Okay," says Momo. "But what exactly are you gonna do?"
"Something I'm gonna regret," responds Rito, blushing.
"Ooh, this is gonna be fun, fufu," teases Nemesis.
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The next day at Risa's house.
The front door swings open as Risa cheerfully leads Rito into the foyer, both carrying plastic bags full of groceries. They remove their shoes and enter the kitchen.
"I gotta say, I'm surprised, Yuki," says Risa. "I never imagined YOU asking to have dinner over at MY place."
"Oh, well, uh," replies Rito, coming up with an excuse. "Y-you were kind enough to cook me dinner when you came over to my place that one time. So I just thought I'd return the favor, hehe."
Risa sets her bag on the counter. "Mmm, is that so? Well then, I'll leave these to you, Chef Yuki."
Rito sets his bag next to hers. "Uh, by the way, Momioka, where're your folks?"
"Oh, they're still working, no surprise," she says. "In fact, I don't think they'll be back until tomorrow."
"Huh?" he asks whilst blushing.
"Guess that means you'll have to take care of me tonight, darling, hmm-hmm," she says. "I'm gonna grab us some sodas from the garage. You cool with diet or regular?"
"Uh, regular, please," he responds.
"Coming up," she says, blowing him a kiss and disappearing down the hall.
...
Rito remains frozen, too flustered to move.
"That girl. Maybe Momo was right," he says to himself, unloading the groceries. "No, I can't back out now. I gotta find out how she feels about me. And to that end, how I feel about her."
He opens the cupboard under the sink, and drops the grocery receipt into the trash bin.
Before he shuts the cupboard, he notices a crumpled sticky note on the floor next to the trash bin. He picks it up to throw it away until curiosity gets the better of him. He closes the cupboard, and uncrumples the note.
It's the one from the dinner that Risa's parents left for her the previous night.
As Rito reads the note, the relationship between Risa and her parents becomes much clearer to him.
"Momioka," he mumbles.
...
Suddenly, cold, wet liquid gets dumped all over Rito's head.
"GAH!" he yelps.
He spins around to find Risa holding two opened cans of soda.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Yuki," she says with the most innocent of smiling faces. "It was an accident."
It's painfully obvious she soaked Rito on purpose. But instead of getting mad at her, he hides her parent's note in his back pocket, and feigns ignorance.
"Th-that's okay," he sighs. "Ah, man, I'm all sticky."
"Yeah, we'll have to do something about that," she says. "Hey, I know! Why don't you take a shower, and I'll wash your clothes for ya?"
"Huuuuhhhhhhhh?" he squeals.
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In the bathroom, Rito showers himself off.
Even though he's alone, he still wears a wrapped towel around his waist.
Man, how did this happen? he thinks. I only planned on talking to her over dinner. Now I'm using her shower? This is bad.
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Meanwhile in the laundry room.
Risa hums while dropping Rito's sticky clothes into the machine. But she doesn't turn it on.
...
Instead, she grins, and takes off her own clothes.
She tosses them into the wash, runs the machine, and makes for the bathroom.
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Back in the shower, Rito washes his hair.
I've gotta finish up in here quick, he thinks. Otherwise...wait. Calm down, Rito. She was nice enough to lend you her shower. Cut her some slack.
"Yuki?" calls Risa.
Rito notices her arousing silhouette behind the frosted glass door. "Y-yes?"
"I've left you some of my dad's clothes," she says. "You can wear them until yours dry off. Sorry if they're a little big."
"Oh, th-thanks, Momioka," he says. "Actually, I should say sorry for borrowing your shower like this."
"No trouble at all," she says. "In fact, I'd say this is the perfect opportunity."
"Eh? Perfect opportunity for what?" he asks.
The door opens.
...
Rito freezes, and then slowly turns around to see Risa in the doorway, smiling and stark naked.
"To finish what we started, darling," she says.
...
"AHHHHHH!" squeals Rito, flustered and shocked.
He spins around, eyes shut and hands clasping the towel over his waist.
"MOMIOKA!?" he squeals. "WH-WH-WHAT'RE YOU DOING?"
Risa lathers liquid soap over her bare breasts. "Hmm-hmm, you're so cute, Yuki. Acting all shy and innocent. Even though you were so dominating the last time."
"Th-that wasn't me," he says. "I mean, it was, but it wasn't! I mean, um..."
Risa grabs him from behind, and pushes her soapy breasts against his bare back, causing him to shrill again.
"Shh, there's nothing to be afraid of," she whispers. "Just leave everything to me."
Then she rubs her body against his, using her breasts to wash his back. He's helpless, and too flustered to move.
"I admit, it seemed strange of you asking to come over all of a sudden," she says in a seductive tone. "That's not like you at all, Yuki. But I found it so...cool."
She traces her hand around his side and across his chest. Then she caresses down his abdomen, heading for the towel, and his crotch.
"Now, where's that dominance you had before?" she asks. "Don't tell me you're losing your nerve now, hmm-hmm."
She puckers her lips, and kisses his ear, making him twitch. Then she kisses his neck, then his cheek, and works her way ever so closer to his lips.
Rito's mind goes blank. He's completely at her mercy, too aroused to do anything.
Dah, he thinks. What is happening? If this keeps up, she'll...
Then a thought occurs to him; the note from her parents. What it said. What it means.
...
Risa lowers her hand to Rito's waist, about to remove his towel. But before she does, he seizes her hand.
"Huh?" she gasps.
In a flash, Rito spins around and tackles her to the wet floor.
...
The room goes silent. The only noise is water dripping from the faucet.
With the towel still around his waist, Rito crouches over Risa's naked body, pinning down her arms.
She blushes while staring up at his serious face. "Y-Yuki?"
"Momioka," he says. "If this is what you want, don't stop me."
Risa remains still and quiet. Rito lowers himself, pressing his bare chest and legs onto hers.
And then, his lips connect with hers.
She releases a little yelp, and then closes her eyes, melting into the kiss. They open their mouths, and their tongues start to dance. He releases her arms, and caresses her breasts and butt. She slides her hands across his back, and coils her legs around his waist. His towel remains on as he kisses her with even greater passion.
Oh, wow, she thinks. Yuki, you're so…oh.
He nibbles on her earlobe, and slowly slides his hand down her abdomen, heading ever so closer to her area.
Come on, Momioka, he thinks. Tell me to stop. I know this isn't what you want, and it's not what you need. So please, tell me to stop.
His hand almost reaches between her legs.
Come on, he thinks, begging.
He's about to stop himself when-
"Wait," says Risa.
Rito stops moving and looks at her, only to see faint tears in her eyes.
"Oh, no," he says, springing off her and backing against the wall. "Momioka, I'm so sorry! I-I-I didn't mean to-"
Risa throws herself at him, and hugs him tightly, trembling and weeping.
"Uh, Momioka?" he asks, confused.
"Please, Yuki," she whimpers. "Just...let me stay like this for a while."
Rito feels the urge to hug her back, but thinks better of it. Instead, he does as he's told, refusing to move until she finishes hugging him.
"Take as long as you need," he says.
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Half-an-hour later in Risa's bedroom. Out the window, the sun begins to set.
Rito and Risa sit side-by-side on her bed. He wears an oversized tracksuit, and she wears pajamas while holding her knees to her chest.
"I'm really sorry, Momioka," says Rito.
...
"If you want me to leave, I will," he says, about to stand up.
"No, it's okay," she says. "You did nothing wrong. Just surprised me, that's all. After you got so aggressive on the school roof and at your place, I thought I'd be ready for this new daring side of you."
"Uh," he says.
"But turns out, I think I prefer the old, innocent doofus side of you, hmm-hmm," she says.
"Yeah, I prefer that side of me too, hehe," he says.
...
"Besides, I'm the one who should apologize," she says.
"For what?" he asks.
"Well, the thing is I…" she starts, but can't bring herself to say it.
"Is it your folks?" he asks.
"What? How'd you know?" she asks, surprised.
"I saw the note they left you," he responds. "Plus, you said they weren't home tonight. And at school, you always talk about how they're never home in general. I didn't understand it at first. I mean, how could I? I've always had Mikan around. Then Lala came, then Celine, then Momo and Nana. Even though my folks were always busy, I've never felt lonely at home. But you must've been feeling that way all this time, haven't you?"
...
"Hmm. You know, Yuki, you're not as dumb as you make yourself out to be," she teases.
"Wait, what?" he asks.
"I'm just kidding," she says. "But you're right."
Rito perks up, and allows her a moment to continue.
...
"Honestly, the reason I behave the way I do, with all the perverted jokes and such...it's just my way of getting attention," she confesses. "Since my folks're never around to give me any themselves, it was the only thing I could think of."
Her body starts to shake, and tears fill her eyes. Rito watches her, concerned.
"But the truth is, deep down, I just…I just want them to be around more, you know?" she says. "I don't mean to cause you, Haruna, Momo or anyone any trouble. I just…I don't wanna feel lonely anymore."
She wipes her eyes, but the tears won't stop. All the hurt feelings she's been repressing for so long begin flooding out of her at once.
"Momioka," he says.
...
He steels himself and grabs her shoulders.
Risa is taken aback. "Yuki, what're you-"
"Listen to me, Momi…Risa," he says.
She gasps; he just called her by her first name.
"You don't have to feel lonely anymore," he says. "I may be able to help you. Just hear me out."
Risa listens in earnest.
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Two hours later. Night begins to fall over Risa's house.
At the entrance, the front door opens. Risa and Rito, wearing his own clothes, step outside. They both seem to be in good spirits.
"Man, I'm stuffed," says Rito. "Thanks again for having me. And sorry again for all the trouble."
"I take it back. You're the dumbest guy I ever met," teases Risa.
"Ah, come on. I'm doing my best here," he says.
"Again, kidding," she says. "You know, back at school, when that Nemesis girl announced the harem plan, I thought it was just a joke. But you're seriously going through with it, aren't ya?"
"Well, I gave it a lot of thought and..." he says, taking a moment to choose his next words. "Listen, I love Haruna more than anyone else in the world. But I've tiptoed around Lala and the other girls' feelings for too long. If they believe in me enough to make them happy, then I'm gonna do the same. I'll believe I can make them all happy."
"Oh, my," she says whilst blushing. "There's that cool side of you again."
"So...what do you say?" he asks.
...
"Hmmm, okay. I'm in," she says, smiling.
"What?" he asks.
"I'm saying I'll join your harem, Rito, you dummy," she says.
"Oh, that's great," he says. "I mean, not great because of THAT, ya know? Just great like that's yay! Welcome, and-huh?"
"Hmm?" she asks.
"Momioka...did you just call me by my first name?" he asks.
"THAT'S what surprises you?" she laughs. "I figured my answer would do the trick."
"No, no, I'm happy," he says. "Just a little taken aback to hear you say it, that's all."
Risa gestures to her upstairs bedroom. "Didn't you just say mine back up there?"
"Oh, that?" he says. "I mean, I was in the moment, and-"
He's cut off as she takes his hand. Then she gazes upon him with sparkling eyes and rosy cheeks.
"Say it again," she says.
Rito is speechless. Maybe it's the cool night air or the dazzling look in her eyes, but all of sudden, he feels himself transfixed by Risa.
...
Risa releases his hand and steps back. "You don't want to? You don't…like-"
Rito yanks her close, wraps her in a warm embrace, and looks her right in the eye with a smile.
"I do like you...Risa," he confesses, making her blush. "And now that I've gotten to see the real you, I know I can grow to like you even more."
She smiles and wraps her arms around his neck. "And I know I'll grow to like you more too, Rito. And I promise I'll keep all this secret, including what happened here tonight, hmm-hmm."
"Thanks, I'd appreciate that," he says. "And I promise I'll do my best to make you happy and never feel lonely again."
"Sounds good," she says. "Kiss on it?"
He gasps and blushes.
Risa inches her face closer.
Rito gulps, summons his resolve, and brings his own face closer until their lips meet.
They hold each other close. Everything else disappears as they lock into each others' warmth.
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Some time later.
Rito walks home alone, breathing a sigh of relief.
His phone buzzes with a text message from Risa: "I love you, darling. Kiss, kiss, heart emoji, kiss."
That girl, he thinks, blushing and grinning.
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Back at Risa's place.
She's in the kitchen, enjoying the rest of the meal Rito cooked. "Yum."
Her phone buzzes on the table, and she checks it. A reply from Rito: "I love you too, Risa."
Risa touches her chest, feeling her heartbeat.
Then she texts back: "Let's finish what we started in the bathroom on our wedding night. Looking forward to it, future hubby. Ring emoji."
I bet he's shaking in his boots right now, the cutie, she thinks.
Suddenly, a pair of headlights shine into the kitchen as a car pulls up to the house.
Risa springs to her feet and stares at the car. "No way."
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Outside, a man and a woman emerge from the car.
Risa comes running outside to greet them. "Mom? Dad?"
"Risa," says her dad.
"Hi, sweetie," says her mom.
"Wh-what're you both doing here?" asks Risa.
"Well, we finished work quicker than expected, and decided to come back early," says her dad.
"And not only that, but we both requested the whole week off," says her mom.
"What?" asks Risa.
"We've just been so busy, your mother and I thought it was time for a break," says her dad.
"And I know we haven't been around much, sweetie, and we're awfully sorry for that," says her mom. "So if there's anything you'd like to do while we're home, please tell us and we'll do it."
"That's right, honey," says her dad. "We're here for you, and we always will be."
...
Risa stares at her parents as tears of joy fill her eyes.
"Mom, Dad," she says, running into their arms.
The parents seem surprised, but they just go with it.
The family of three hugs each other tightly.
"Welcome home," she says, happier than she's ever been.
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Later at Rito's house.
As Rito approaches the front door, he reads another text from Risa, which brings a smile to his face.
Then he sends a reply: "I'm happy for you, Risa. And your folks. Have a fun night."
Still, the future hubby part was a bit much, he thinks.
Just as he enters his house, a black scouting probe flies by, and starts blinking red.
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Up above in Earth's orbit, the Dark Rover idly floats.
On the main deck, Stem watches video playback from the probe; it's footage of Rito entering his house.
Stem pauses on Rito's face.
"There you are."
Author's Note: This is not a lemon series, which is why I wanted the bathroom scene to be as safe, tamed and PG-13 as possible. Now, it's just a wild guess, but the more I learned about Risa, the more I assumed she acted the way she did because her folks were never around. Naturally, I wanted to give her the closure she deserved. Good for her, and for Rito on winning over another girl. Who'll be next?
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