Art Attack
By Lord Raa
Disclaim-me-do: A rakish angle. I like it.
Chapter 3
Keitaro opened the door to the Inn and saw that Motoko was standing there with a concerned look on her face.
"Is something up, Motoko-chan?"
"Is everything alright? Kitsune seems rather… distracted by something."
Keitaro paused as he tried to word his response. He didn't want to lie to Motoko, but he didn't want to tell her Kitsune's secrets. "It's something that Haruka and I are helping her out with. Hopefully, we'll have everything sorted in a couple of days, so please bear with us, ok?"
"Of course, but if Kitsune's in trouble, all she needs to do is ask for my help, and I'll be there," the kendoist replied.
"I'll let her know," the ronin smiled politely. He let out a yawn. "Sorry, Motoko-chan, but I'm really tired. I'm going to turn in now, see you in the morning."
"Good night, Keitaro."
Keitaro walked to his room, his gaze focusing on the floorboards. His footsteps and breathing had been the only noise he made on his way to his room.
As he approached his room, he looked up to see that Kitsune was peeking out from behind the door to her room.
"Keitaro… I…"
Keitaro let out a sigh as he glanced up at the ash-blonde's face, his own expression a blend of fatigue and disappointment. "What is it, Kitsune?"
"…" Kitsune's eyes opened when she realised that Keitaro knew. "I… I'm sorry, Keitaro."
"We'll deal with it in the morning, Kitsune, when I've got a clear head."
"I… I didn't want to…" the ash-blonde trailed off as she reached out for her landlord.
"I said we'll deal with it in the morning, Kitsune," Keitaro snapped, causing Kitsune to recoil in surprise. "Look, I'm too tired to deal with anything that doesn't involve me sleeping, ok?"
"Sorry, Keitaro, I'll leave you to get some rest."
In her room, Kitsune clenched her fists in frustration. She was angry at herself for letting things get so far out of hand.
Angry at herself for needing her best friend's help in such a harebrained scheme.
And she was angry at herself for lying to Keitaro like that. Playing him like a fool was still easy pickings, but when he'd offered to take care of her for the rest of her life, it became clear just how far he was willing to go for her.
"If I'd been a bit more honest, it still could have worked… Shit! I fucked up royally!" she cursed.
The ash-blonde rubbed her face as she tried to figure out how to get out the hole she'd dug for herself.
She'd already discounted going home to her parents. Haruka had made it clear that she wasn't willing to put her up long term.
The other residents couldn't afford to pay her rent, and even if they could, why should they? She lacked the domestic skills to help Shinobu with the chores; she had no fighting skills to help Motoko with her training; and Naru was smart enough to get into Toudai on her own.
That left Su with her crazy experiments.
"And Keitaro," she whispered. "But why would Keitaro agree to help me now?"
Sure, if they'd been dating for a while and he'd gotten her pregnant, then he'd take responsibility. But that wasn't going to happen, now that he knew what she was willing to lie about.
She needed help. And there was only one person she could think of.
Haruka glared at her ringing mobile phone. She had decided to let it go to voicemail and continued her evening's drinking.
After another two minutes, the phone started ringing again, causing the smoker to let out a curse.
Reaching over and grabbing the infernal device, she was about to remove the battery until she saw who was calling her.
"What is it, Kitsune?"
"¬I… I need some help, Haruka-san.¬"
"And just how badly have you screwed up now, Kitsune?"
"¬Keitaro knows… how do I get him to let me stay?¬"
"You seemed willing to put your tits to good use earlier, Kitsune, so let your sweater puppies run free!" Haruka smirked.
"¬You're drunk!¬"
"And why wouldn't I be? I mean, I only conspired with my best friend against someone very dear to me. Helped you break his heart. No, can't think of a reason why I might need a drink tonight, Kitsune," the smoker mocked. She reached for her cigarettes and lit one up. "Ok, so how badly have you screwed up, Kitsune?"
"¬I tried to talk to Keitaro when he came back, but he told me to leave him alone,¬" Kitsune answered.
"Since you decided that you like living at the Inn, you could wait until morning. Hope that Keitaro's calmed down enough to help you with your problem," Haruka said before taking a long drag on her cigarette.
"¬What if he doesn't calm down?¬"
"Why wouldn't he calm down?"
"¬I don't know, maybe he hasn't had much sleep?¬" Kitsune suggested. "¬Maybe we've upset him so much he can't sleep? He seemed pretty grouchy to me just now.¬"
"Then help him relax, Kitsune. It's not like you weren't willing to do it with Keitaro," Haruka replied. "Unless that was a lie, too…"
The ash-blonde swallowed nervously at the change in her friend's tone. "¬No, I still am, but… is it really a good idea to sneak into Keitaro's bed? He made it clear that he wanted to get some sleep.¬"
"Then let him get his rest, Kitsune. If you're that worried about him being in a bad mood, then take care of his morning glory for him."
"¬…¬"
"I'm hanging up now, Kitsune. I've given you some advice, it's up to you what you do with it. Just make sure you don't hurt Keitaro," Haruka said as she ended the call.
In her room, Kitsune wondered what she should do. She could sneak into Keitaro's bed.
"No," she said, rejecting that idea. If she was willing to make up a false sexual harassment story about people trying to get her to sleep with them, then just slipping into someone's bed was just going to make her look like the biggest hypocrite in town.
No, she'd have to let Keitaro get his sleep.
Of course, that did leave her with what to do in the morning.
Should she visit him first thing and apologise for lying to him?
If so, what should she say? Could she word it so it wasn't a pack of lies, but painted her in the best possible light?
Would Keitaro accept her apology?
What if Keitaro told her to leave? He would be well within his rights to tell her to get out and never come back.
What if Keitaro did accept her apology and, by some miracle, agreed to continue with the plan?
The others would never believe that she and Keitaro suddenly fell in love. They'd be suspicious, and quite rightly so. That meant that they'd need to have been dating for some time before they could announce an engagement.
How long was suitable? Six weeks? Six months?
Would Keitaro make her get a job to pay the rent arrears and any rent until they got engaged?
What if during their "dating" she fell pregnant? Would that speed things up?
That brought up another issue – when would it be "proper" for her to sleep with Keitaro? She wasn't some cheap floozy, but she still needed to make amends with Keitaro.
Would Keitaro force the sex issue? How far would he expect her to go? What if Keitaro wanted to do horribly perverted things with her? Was she willing to let Keitaro tie her up and spank her?
Was she willing to spank Keitaro if that's what he was into?
What if Keitaro wanted to do it outdoors? A kiss and hug in public was one thing, but having sex outdoors?
Kitsune's head was spinning with all the questions and doubts. "Why did you have to be such a nice guy, Keitaro? I wouldn't feel bad about this if you were a jerk…"
Sighing, the ash-blonde pulled out her emergency stash of alcohol and took a long drink of sake. She looked at how much she'd drank and it made her grimace, but the sake also made her drowsy. Closing the bottle, she changed out of her clothes and into bed.
The morning came, and Kitsune's self-medication hadn't helped her sleep. Her mind had gone over the possibilities of how the conversation with Keitaro could go.
They had been boiled down to either Keitaro accepting her apology or rejecting it.
However, both of those options had potential to fork off into unforeseen directions.
If Keitaro accepted her apology, would he still agree to her original plan?
If Keitaro rejected her apology, would he kick her out of the Inn?
The thought of having to move out still scared her. And while moving out of her parents' place had been a big enough adjustment out of her comfort zone, Haruka had been there to help her deal with the change; just like she had with the other tenants.
Except for Suu; he seemed to be an exception to most rules.
Yawning loudly and stretching, the ash-blonde glanced at the clock, barely believing that people could want to be awake at this time.
"You better appreciate…" Kitsune trailed off as she realised that she wasn't up at this time for Keitaro's benefit, but for her own. She shook her head before climbing out of her bed and opening her closet. "What's the best thing to wear when apologising?" she asked rhetorically.
Her eyes roamed the hangers, searching for something suitable. And while there were several outfits that hugged her figure, they were more suited for a night out than first thing in the morning – if any of the other tenants saw her, there'd be too many questions.
So that discounted the slinky dresses. And the red silk China dress that was a little tight around the chest whenever she wore a bra. Her beachwear, while alluring, was also something that would raise questions.
"Sleepwear or underwear?" she asked herself as she alternated her attention between her reflection in the mirror and her underwear draw.
Standing outside Keitaro's room in her best lacy underwear would certainly get his attention but, again, there would be awkward questions if she was seen. And judging by the sounds coming from the garden, Motoko was certainly up and about.
Kitsune was about to give this up as a terrible idea, when she spotted her kimono. It wasn't a formal kimono, more a piece of cosplay gear that showed off far too much thigh and cleavage to be considered decent.
That was part of her sartorial dilemma resolved. Now the question was what to wear underneath it?
"Well, I am trying to convince Keitaro to let me stay rent free…" Kitsune said moments before she took off her sleepwear and slipped her kimono over her naked body.
Keitaro had already put his alarm into snooze mode once that morning. It had taken him a while before he'd gotten to sleep, thanks to his brain focusing on how to deal with the situation Kitsune had brought about.
Eventually, he'd given up thinking about and emptied his head of all thoughts about the curvy girl. That had helped him get some sleep, but also had the effect of making him forget why he was upset with the girl.
There was a knock on the door. The urgency was enough to force Keitaro to get out of bed and see who it was without putting on his glasses.
Upon opening the door, the ronin could just about see that it was Kitsune who had gotten him up.
"K-Kitsune? What is it?"
"Keitaro… I…" the ash-blonde hesitated as she heard footsteps rapidly approaching.
"Kitsune, it's early and I can't see properly, what is so important that it can't wait until I've woken up properly?" Keitaro asked with a sigh.
"It's about yesterday…"
"Yesterday? What happened… oh, right, yesterday," the visually-impaired youth sighed.
"I…" Kitsune looked around and saw that it was Motoko who was quickly approaching. Not wanting to explain to her friend why she was standing in Keitaro's doorway dressed in a very short and rather inexpertly tied kimono, she pushed the young man into his room.
Unfortunately for the short-haired girl, Keitaro lacked grace, poise and the general ability to stay on his feet and he fell backwards, somehow causing Kitsune to fall on top of him.
Just as Motoko walked past the doorway.
"W-what's going on here?" the kendoist asked, aghast at the compromising situation before.
"I fell," Keitaro insisted.
Motoko was a little sceptical, but reasoned that if Keitaro was planning something perverted, he'd have arranged to land on top of Kitsune. Having decided that it was either an accident or Kitsune trying to get out of paying her rent on time, she reached forward and lifted the sake-loving girl off their hapless landlord.
It was then that the kimono finally relented in its struggle to maintain Kitsune's modesty and fell open, revealing her large, creamy white breasts.
The kendoist saw that Keitaro was getting quite the view and panicked, but she slipped and somehow managed to cause Kitsune to splay her legs lewdly.
"K-Kitsune, y-you're…" the scarlet-cheeked Motoko stammered, quickly realising that Keitaro wasn't looking at her or Kitsune and decided that bringing his attention to the indecent exposure was a bad idea. Silently, she dragged her nearly naked friend away.
The fact that Keitaro still being half-asleep meant that he only just realised what had happened and that he'd missed the show Kitsune had put on. Of course, if he'd been wearing his glasses, he'd have seen everything.
That thought made him blush furiously, almost as much at Motoko.
"Now what do I do about Kitsune?" he asked rhetorically.
In her room, Mitsune was being chastised by Motoko for her actions.
"Mitsune-sempai, just why were you going to see Keitaro dressed like that?" the kendoist demanded.
"I… It's nothing to worry about, Motoko-chan," Kitsune insisted weakly. "I know what I'm doing."
"A-are you and Keitaro…"
"No, we are not dating. We're not having guilt-free casual sex, either."
"Then why were you visiting Keitaro dressed like… that?" Motoko demanded. "You're naked under your kimono. You wanted something from him, what was it?"
"Maybe I just wanted him?" Kitsune winked teasingly.
"…" Motoko shook her head. "It's not my place to judge you, Mitsune-sempai."
"But you are anyway, Motoko," the ash-blonde countered. "But before you do, there's something you should know."
Kitsune handed her friend the letter from her publisher.
"Oh… Kitsune, you should have said something!" the kendoist said, throwing her arms around her.
"Yeah, but… these things are hard to talk about some times."
Motoko nodded. Pride was a powerful influence on a person's actions. It could make you ignore good advice and lead you into a disaster just as easily as it could motivate you to improve yourself.
"Could you keep this a secret?" Kitsune asked. "It's a big shock and I still don't know what I'm going to do about this just yet."
"I will, Kitsune, and I will help you as best I can, but my allowance won't cover another's rent here."
"It's ok, Motoko-chan, I'll figure something out."
During breakfast, Naru noticed that something seemed off. Keitaro seemed to be walking on eggshells around Kitsune. He wasn't shunning her, just trying to avoid anything that could be misconstrued by Motoko.
And Motoko seemed to be alternating her attention between Keitaro and Kitsune.
It seemed a bit odd, but the brunette was currently too busy with her studies to investigate further.
Suu was being her usual energetic self, and Shinobu's cooking was as excellent as ever.
Keitaro declared that he'd finished his meal and stood up. "I've got something to attend to this morning, so if you need me for anything, it'll have to wait until this afternoon."
"What are you going to be doing?" Naru asked.
"I've got to talk with Haruka about something," the ronin said, hoping that Naru wouldn't press further.
The brunette turned to Kitsune, someone who would often press Keitaro for information. Kitsune surprised her by just shrugging.
Keitaro missed the nonverbal exchange and thanked Shinobu for the meal. "I'll be back as soon as I can."
"I-it's ok, Sempai," the chef blushed.
After Keitaro left the table, Naru turned back to Kitsune. "Is everything alright, Kitsune? Normally you'd have gotten every little detail out of Keitaro."
Motoko realised that Kitsune's situation was about to be revealed and decided to act. "We don't need to know every detail about Keitaro's life, Naru-sempai."
"What if it affects us? Don't we have a right to know?"
"Of course we do, but if there's a problem, Keitaro will tell us," the kendoist replied.
"Yeah," Kitsune nodded before finishing her coffee.
"Something feels suspicious on this…" Naru decided, her eyes narrowing. "Almost as if you're plotting something…"
"It's no good, Motoko-chan," Kitsune sighed. "Naru's seen through our façade. We were going to have to come out of the closet sooner or later."
"C-come out?" the brunette asked, her jaw dropping.
"Yes, you see, Motoko-chan and I are lovers."
Motoko started to splutter. "K-Kitsune! What are you saying?"
"It's no good, Motoko-chan, we can't keep lying to our friends like this. I thought that Naru-chan would understand why I like it when you wear that strap-on…"
Naru blushed as the dots were joined. "K-Kitsune…"
"Why do you think I was always checking your chests for size?" the ash-blonde asked, her face still straight as she laid on the act. "I was waiting for someone to get to the right size. And Motoko reached that size a few weeks ago."
"M-my chest hasn't changed recently!" Motoko insisted. "And I don't have a strap-on, whatever one of those is!"
The brunette quickly realised that her friend was playing a joke on her to prove a point. "Alright, I shouldn't have tried to pry into Keitaro's affairs. But still, don't you think that something feels different?"
"Maybe, but perhaps it's just a change in the weather?" Kitsune suggested.
"Err… Kitsune-sempai…" Shinobu hesitantly spoke up. "What's a-"
"It's not something you need to worry about, Shinobu-chan," the sake-loving girl replied, cutting off the question.
Keitaro knocked on the door to Haruka's place. He hoped that he wasn't bothering her too much, but when he noticed that the curtain for the window that looked directly over the door had moved, he winced.
There was a wait of several minutes, but a sleepy looking Haruka opened the door to let him in.
"Sorry about this, Haruka-san, but I needed to talk to someone about this."
"Fine, you can make me breakfast," the smoker grumbled.
"Of course," Keitaro nodded. "Would you like some coffee?"
"Please," Haruka said around a yawn. She watched Keitaro prepare some breakfast with an unusual focus. "So, what's so important that you have to wake me up this early on my day off?"
"I… it's about Kitsune. She came to visit me this morning."
Haruka reached into the pockets of her dressing gown and frowned for a moment.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, I just… I'm just used to carrying cigarettes around in my pockets. I forgot I don't keep any in my dressing gown. So, Kitsune visited you first thing this morning, did she?" the smoker smirked.
Keitaro poured two cups of coffee and handed one to his cousin. "Err, yeah. She fell on top of me."
"Thanks," Haruka savoured the warmth of the cup for a moment. "So, did you like having Kitsune on top of you?"
"It wasn't like that! Motoko…" the ronin paused as he realised that he was making it worse. "Motoko helped Kitsune off me. And kind of accidentally opened the kimono Kitsune was wearing. I didn't have my glasses on, so I couldn't see anything."
"Ok. So what's the problem? If Kitsune was going to a guy's room dressed in only a kimono, she expected to be seen naked by that guy."
"Yeah, but…" Keitaro trailed off as the food finished cooking. He plated it up and handed it to Haruka. "Look, Kitsune's a friend, right? I can't let a friend down like that, but I can't afford to let her stay for free."
"Didn't we decide that you should get engaged to her?" Haruka shrugged before digging into her breakfast. "This is good, Keitaro. I might have to draft you in for busy periods."
"Thanks," Keitaro nodded his head before drinking some of his coffee. "But how can I trust Kitsune, Haruka?"
"She didn't want to hurt you, Keitaro."
"I know, but to just come out with a load of lies like that…"
"She was desperate. Desperate people often have to take desperate measures," the smoker replied. She moved her head and let out a yelp of pain.
"Is something wrong?"
"It's my neck; I must have slept funny last night. I don't suppose you'd be willing to help make it better, would you?"
Keitaro nodded and moved to behind where Haruka was sitting. He rubbed his hands together before massaging his cousin's neck. "Let me know if it's too hard."
'If Kitsune heard that…' Haruka thought, a knowing smile forming on her lips. "Ooh… that feels good…"
The ronin smiled, the knowledge that he'd helped someone had improved his mood.
"You know," Haruka said, her eyes closed as she felt the soreness worked away, "if things had been different I might have put the moves on you."
That caused Keitaro to stop immediately. "W-what?"
The smoker clenched her jaw as she realised that she'd let her something slip. "I said, 'can you move down between the shoulder blades?'"
"Oh, sorry, my mind was wandering; I thought you said something else."
Haruka just smiled as she continued to feel conflicted about the situation. How could she tell him how she felt? What would Keitaro do if he found out she had often wondered what would have happened if they'd been closer in age or their ages were reversed?
She'd enjoyed it when he'd touched her breasts. It had only been the side and clearly accidental contact, but it had made her feel wanted again. The fact that it had been Keitaro touching her just made it more exciting.
'If only…'
As inexperienced as he was, Keitaro noticed that something was wrong. "Haruka-san, I… Is something wrong?" he asked as he took his hands off her neck.
"I…" There was a knock on the door, cutting the spinster off. "I'll get that."
Motoko stood nervously at Haruka's door. She wanted to help Kitsune, but had no clue what to do. She needed advice, and of all the people she knew, Haruka had the most life experience.
The door opened and Haruka poked her head around it. "Motoko-chan, what can I do for you?"
"I… I need some advice. I think one of my friends is in trouble."
Haruka sighed. "How much trouble?"
"Quite a lot…" the kendoist answered with a wince.
In this sort of situation, the friend who needed help was more often than not fictitious and it was the one asking for help who needed it. The degree of separation reduced the embarrassment enough for the request to be made.
Haruka sighed again. It was just not going to be her day. "Come on in, but I can't promise to be any help."
"Thank you, Haruka-san," Motoko bowed politely before stepping inside. She noticed that there was a pair of shoes of masculine styling. "I didn't know you had company, Haruka-san. I didn't mean to intrude."
"It's fine, Motoko-chan. Now, what's the problem with 'your friend'?"
"I… don't want to betray her confidence, but I think that she's got some sort of financial hardship."
"Financial hardship?"
"Y-yes…"
"Are you're talking about Kitsune, Motoko-chan?" Haruka asked, her gaze fixing her friend in place.
"I…I can't really say…" the kendoist said, hoping that she was doing the right thing.
"If you're talking about Kitsune losing her job, I know. So does Keitaro."
"Oh…" Motoko relaxed slightly.
"In fact, Keitaro's here now, hoping to get some idea of what to do about her. He also told me about this morning," Haruka explained.
"So, what can we do to help Kitsune? I don't want her to be evicted."
"Well, Kitsune's options for staying at the Inn are: for her to get another job or for her to… well, you saw what she was trying for this morning."
The kendoist blushed as she recalled the compromising situation she'd encountered that morning. "We should help her find a new job."
"So you don't approve of Keitaro and Kitsune getting hitched? Are you jealous of Kitsune?"
"N-no," the raven-haired tsundere insisted.
"Then you're jealous of Keitaro?" Haruka teased.
"What?"
"I'm seeing if you're paying attention, Motoko-chan. So, why don't you want Keitaro and Kitsune to have a serious relationship?"
"I… I don't know," Motoko replied weakly.
Haruka sighed. "Look, Motoko-chan, we both know that Kitsune's quite the joker. She likes to tease, flirt and generally cause mischief for her own amusement."
"I'll say…"
"But that still doesn't mean she doesn't deserve a chance at an adult relationship. Especially if this person will take care of her."
The kendoist looked sceptical. "But…"
"You're worried about her feelings being genuine, aren't you?" the smoker asked.
"Yes… I don't want to see people I care about getting hurt," Motoko said.
"Neither do I, Motoko-chan. But what's going to convince you that they're both serious about this?"
"I… I don't know…"
"Then what do you know, Motoko? I'm not trying to be difficult here; I want to help my friends too. I can't offer Kitsune a job, and unless you can find her one, I think we know where that leaves us, don't you?" Haruka commented.
"I suppose that Mitsune-sempai knows what she's doing…" Motoko admitted. "But…"
"Look, Keitaro's here if you want to talk to him."
"Haruka, who is it?" Keitaro asked as he appeared. "Oh, Motoko-chan, I'll give you some privacy."
"Not so fast, Keitaro; Motoko's got something she wants to say to you."
"I do?" the kendoist asked, suddenly finding her fingers most interesting.
"Yes, you do," Haruka said in a stern tone.
"Oh, right… Keitaro, it's about Mitsune-sempai…"
"I know that she's just lost her job, Motoko-chan," the ronin interrupted. "I'm not about to kick her out into the street."
"I appreciate that, Keitaro, but how long can you wait for her to get another job?" Motoko asked. "She could be out of work for months."
"What do you want me to do?" Keitaro asked. "Do you want me to let her stay for free for six months? Until this time next year? What about the rest of you? If I'm letting Kitsune stay for free, why not the rest of you?"
"Calm down, Keitaro," Haruka said as she reached out and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Sorry, it's just that I can't help but feel that we're going round and round in circles here. None of us really know what to do here." Keitaro sighed. "Look, Kitsune is my friend. I like her, I like all of you and I'd be saddened if any of you left."
"I appreciate that, Keitaro, but…" Motoko took a deep breath. "Mitsune-sempai was willing to have a serious relationship with you in order to stay."
"I know, Motoko-chan, but I can't help but feel that she'd just be going out with me to get free rent and meals," the bespectacled Urashima sighed. He scratched his head. "Damn it, that makes her sound like a horrible, callous person."
"But she was willing to get married to you to stay at the Inn," Haruka countered. "She wouldn't have considered it if she didn't like you. For all her flirting, Kitsune doesn't sleep around with just anyone."
Motoko looked between the two Urashimas. "Wait, have you discussed this with Mitsune-sempai?"
A knock at the door cut off any answer.
"Be right back," the smoker grimaced.
Mitsune was not sure what she expected her friend to do to help her. Haruka had been the one to suggest that she get together with Keitaro, and a plan had been worked out.
Of course, Keitaro had initially gone along with this cunning plan and believed the fabrication, thanks to her performance.
But Keitaro, while a nice guy, wasn't a complete idiot and had questioned certain things, leading him to figure out that it was a lie.
Haruka hadn't been too sympathetic when the truth had come out, but at least she was being discrete.
Haruka…
Haruka was not like any of Kitsune's other friends. Kitsune often joked, went out drinking and generally set the world to rights with her. There was also something else about Haruka that Kitsune liked.
It had taken a little while for the ash-blonde to figure out, but she did eventually realise that she had a bit of a crush on her friend. It wasn't full on lesbianism, as Kitsune knew what she liked in a man, but she certainly wouldn't have objected to a threesome with Haruka if that's the way an evening panned out.
Kitsune knocked on the door to the teahouse and took a deep breath.
Haruka opened the door and waved her in. "The more the merrier."
"What do you?" the sake-loving girl asked as she saw Keitaro and Motoko inside. "Oh. Hi guys, what brings you here?"
"I… I was concerned about you, Mitsune-sempai," Motoko said, looking rather apologetic about discussing a private matter.
"I'm still trying to figure what to do about you," Keitaro shrugged. "We keep going round and round in circles, but I still can't decide what the right thing to do is."
Haruka closed the door and shook her head. "I'll put the kettle on and we can talk about this in a civilised manner."
The quartet walked into the teahouse proper and took up seats around the bar.
"Right," Haruka said as she started to heat up some water. "Kitsune wants to stay at the Inn, but she's just lost her job. Unless someone can find her a new job, she'll have to leave the Inn."
"I don't want her to leave," Motoko said. "You're my friend, Mitsune-sempai, and I don't want to see you hurt."
"No-one wants to see Kitsune hurt," Keitaro sighed. "I… If things had been different, I would have gotten engaged or married to you, Kitsune. But I know you don't have those kinds of feelings for me. I like you a lot, but I can't have a relationship like that."
Kitsune looked down. She felt terrible. She knew she'd screwed up big time and, as Keitaro had pointed out, things had gone different, she'd have her solution.
And it wasn't like Keitaro was a bad choice for a husband. He was working to get into Toudai; he was going to inherit the Inn; he was kind, considerate and genuine. Hell, all this introspection was beginning to make her wonder if she should spend some time with him.
Alone time.
"I'm sorry, Keitaro. I didn't mean to lie to you, but what else could I do?"
"It's alright, Kitsune, I forgive you," the ronin smiled.
The kettle boiled and Haruka poured out some tea for everyone.
"As happy as I am that the people I care about now friends, I have to ask what are we going to do?" asked the smoker. "I don't have the space for a long term roommate."
"Kitsune, I can't afford to pay you any money, but I can sort of offer you a job," Keitaro said calmly. "It'd be helping around the Inn. You'd be helping out with the day to day running. I don't mean repairs and maintenance, but things like the cooking and cleaning."
"I'd be working for room and board?" Kitsune asked, unsure of how she felt about that.
"If he could afford to pay you, he would," Haruka said, giving her friend a glare. "And this would only be until you found another job, right, Keitaro?"
"Yeah, of course it is," the young man nodded.
"It's a fair deal," Motoko opined. "This way everyone is happy and there's nothing that could be… called into question."
Kitsune considered the offer. 'I was hoping to avoid work, but I suppose that helping out around the place won't kill me.'
"Ok, I accept your generous offer," she bowed politely. "You're not…"
A theatrical cough from Haruka cut off the short-haired girl's cheeky question about wearing a maid's uniform.
"I'm glad that we've got that all settled. Now, if you'll excuse me, I want to get dressed," Haruka said as she left for her bedroom.
"Thank you, Keitaro," Kitsune smiled warmly. "I really appreciate this."
"It's alright, Kitsune," Keitaro replied. He turned to Motoko, who was nodding in approval. "Is everything alright with you, Motoko-chan?"
"Yes," the kendoist nodded. "I also wanted to thank you, Keitaro-san."
"For what? I'd have helped any of you out like this."
"For not…" Motoko paused as she realised she was about to say something that could easily be considered insulting. "For your discretion on this matter."
Shinobu wasn't surprised to see Kitsune in the kitchen as she started to prepare lunch. What was a surprise was the fact that Kitsune was wearing an apron.
"Kitsune-sempai, is something the matter?"
"No," the ash-blonde smiled. "It just occurred to me that I don't really know how to cook. I thought that you could teach me how to make something a bit more advanced than instant noodles."
"Oh, of course I can," Shinobu smiled in reply.
"So, what are we making today?" Kitsune asked.
"Grilled mackerel."
To be continued…
Pre-read by Chi Vayne and previewed on various intertubes.
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