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Having closed her studio for the winter break, Hyori spent the first Saturday of her break looking for a new place in Tokyo. Following her chat with the commission Vice President, she assumed it was time to leave the Red Velvet and wanted to move her studio close to a bigger place where she would put the furniture she left in Kamakura. She intended to modify her studio schedule to keep a single class on Saturday mornings for adults and Sunday mornings for elderly people. Working with children had been wonderful but she anticipated their parents' reaction if rumours circled about her former nightly activities. The agency that assisted her with her first purchase proposed a three-bedroom apartment in the same neighbourhood. Feeling lucky, she took the offer without hesitation and hired professionals to move her furniture.
She had been energetic and a bit restless during the first days of the winter break. She took the apartment visit as an opportunity to take her mind off of her restlessness. The place was a rectangle partitioned into two areas with the same surface. In the night area, a master bedroom with a private bathroom and an office room occupied one side while two modest bedrooms and a shared shower occupied the other. In the day area, a closed kitchen with an open dining room occupied one side while a living room occupied the other. The windows were tall and the ceiling was at least four metres high. The place had been her treat and she hadn't stopped at the price to get it, with the prospect of selling her previous studio.
Her furniture had been just enough to furnish her bedroom, the living room where she had arranged her studio and the dining room. She installed curtains to part the night area's hall from the living room and her blue donkey tail was proudly hanging in one corner. After her shopping spree, suspended lights were hung from the high ceiling and heavy curtains adorned the windows. Solid mahogany cabinets occupied the corners and walls' lengths. The wood's dark colours nicely stood out in the light shades of the walls and carpet. Tall mirrors were spreading across one wall of the living room and could be hidden by curtains installed on the same wall. That way, the place would be more homely when she didn't hold classes. She used one bedroom as a storage room and furnished the third room for guests.
She had asked to spend Christmas with Megumi in her new place and the Vice President accepted. It's not like she would or even could run away with the girl. He has only requested to visit the place as a safety measure. During his visit, he advised her to install a security system even if she was on the eleventh floor. He suggested one that would give her access to live footage of her place and added they were quite handy even when there wasn't an emergency. Before leaving the apartment, he had asked if she was considering hosting in her spare bedroom and Hyori promptly declined.
"You did quite well with our heroes." He had commented on her refusal.
"The only way I would help anyone is through Yoga classes." Replied Hyori to his statement.
The man had considered her words before leaving the complex.
On the twenty-fourth of December, Hyori and Megumi decorated the living room and cooked together for the first time. They intended to cook some seasoned dishes and bake madeleine cakes. The girls enjoyed their creations and spent the night watching a few movies in the spare bedroom where Hyori had put the television Megumi had asked her to purchase. The large screen was more comfortable than the tablet and the sound system gave a better experience of the action movie they watched first.
Megumi had insisted on staying awake until midnight to unpack the gifts that were sitting under the symbolic tree in the living room, namely a green garland fixed in a corner. When the time to open the gifts came, Megumi rushed into the living room with Hyori on her tail and the older watched the younger unpack a console that operated with sticks. The vendor had assured her the console was a family favourite. It operated with whole-body movements that made the console easy to use for anyone on top of preventing children from spending all their playing time seated. Hyori had purchased a dance game and a sports tournament game hoping Megumi wouldn't spend too much time lounging in bed. The Vice President hadn't been precise in how the young girl's studies would be handled. She supposed Megumi would be enrolled in another middle school but the man hadn't confirmed or given a school name. Unsure of what laid ahead, Hyori decided to gift something to help her little sister move around and planned to keep her subscription to the online school support.
The day following Christmas celebrations, Bliss invited Hyori and Megumi to spend the afternoon in the Gotemba shopping centre. The older had been uncertain but the younger had wanted to go to the place again. Hyori was uneasy at the idea but still complied. She hadn't warned her roommates when she left the pension on the joint training day and never returned from school. It would be the occasion to meet again in a better place. She had a huge voucher to redeem and the festive occasion was ideal. Megumi wore a long red knitted dress with insulated underwear and Hyori opted for a beige cropped pullover with high-waisted corduroy pants. The older decided not to wear her wig and styled her hair in a messy bun with bangs. Once they were ready, they hired a taxi. Two last-minute train tickets during the holiday season would be almost as expensive as commuting by car.
They had purchased new clothes with Hyori's voucher and the change they had collected from handing away their unfit clothes. She counted herself lucky her feet hadn't grown over the last years. By far, the priciest items she ever bought were the couture shoes she had accumulated over the three years she spent in the pension. She was glad her regulars had gifted her jewellery or her card might have burned from the expense. After shopping, they boarded some attractions and Hyori thought about visiting Disneyland for Megumi's birthday in February. Once they had enough fun, they stopped by the restaurant with a view of Mount Fuji. The Salon Ginza Sabou Komeshokudo was a two-storey local food restaurant with wooden tables. They chose a table on the upper floor to have a view of the coveted Mont Fuji during their dinner.
Hyori had ordered backed mackerels with miso soy sauce and bowls of fermented brown rice. Megumi had ordered matcha crepes for dessert and the table collectively ordered prawns, Daikon fish bites and salmon eggs as appetisers. After their meal, Hyori hailed a taxi to bring Megumi and herself back to Tokyo. The sun was already setting at seven in December's afternoon and the air was chilly. She dreaded a snowfall as the route might become dangerous in the night. The group of four was walking towards the centre's main opening when a tall and corpulent redheaded man entered with multiple shopping bags. His icy blue eyes locked with Hyori's amethyst ones and his walk slowed. The man wasn't sure he had recognised her but was still unsettled by her sight. The three others looked in the same direction before Megumi asked.
"Do you know Endeavour?"
Hyori's heart fluttered at being recognised by the man who only saw her with her wig and revealing dresses.
"Hello. Do I know you?" Asked the man who had stopped at the group's level.
"I… I don't think so." Said Hyori.
"I thought I did. Sorry for disturbing you. You just look like someone I haven't seen in a while." Said the man who hesitated between leaving and asking for more. "Are you often hanging here?" He tried after a short pause.
"I'm with my sister and-" Started Hyori when Muse interrupted her.
"We are leaving but maybe Haze wants to stay behind."
The man's eyes flashed at Muse's words while the latter ignored the annoyed look Hyori was sending her.
"Did you leave the Red Velvet?" Enquired the man, bringing Hyori's attention back to him.
"I did." Replied the girl before turning around.
"Wait." The redhead halted her by taking hold of her forearm. "Please, turn around."
Hyori obliged and faced the man her better judgement told her to run from. The warm hand on her forearm reminded her of the heated hours spent in his company. She couldn't ignore the urges she felt after weeks of abstinence. Her core was itching despite her will to get over the things she did in the pension. She had tried to distract herself by arranging her apartment, preparing for the Christmas party and then with the escapade to Gotemba. Yet, the needs she had repressed since moving to Tokyo were blooming with force.
"Just for a few hours." She told him before turning to face Megumi.
The little one held her hand and took her into her headspace for a talk. Megumi agreed to head to Tokyo on her own and wait for her. The moment lasted for a few seconds and Hyori texted the Vice President to let him know she would return later. Once the younger one left, the redheaded man, or Enji as he asked to be called, took her to a room he had booked in the Hotel Clad adjacent to the Konohana no Yu hot springs inside Gotemba. The four-person suite with a private onsen was originally meant for a family moment but they had other plans. The salon was furnished with low wooden tables and floor chairs sitting on rows of beige tatami. He left the bags on the low table and she felt thrilled when they fell into a burning embrace on their way to the small double beds juxtaposed behind the salon.
Her core was painfully swollen and every movement sent electric bliss through her system. Unlike in the hotel in Kamakura, he hadn't hushed her satisfied chants as they melted together. Rather, his satisfaction had peaked when Hyori called out his name. They had both rejoiced at being able to indulge in ways they hadn't for weeks. Hyori had never thought she could feel so good as sparklings danced behind her closed eyelids. Unlike all the other times in the hotel, it was her turn to experience the rollercoaster as the pressure exploded from her core and her legs vibrated on her companion's shoulders. She supposed her sensitivity had been heightened after nearly a month of neglect.
After heavenly minutes, they showered and relaxed in the private onsen until half past eight in the evening. Enji gifted her the shopping bags he had brought to return the items. He skimmed over the details but confessed he wronged his family and they were still too upset to receive the gifts despite the steps they had made in the right direction. It was too early to act like a regular family and Hyori could exchange what he had purchased with the receipts inside the bags. She hadn't told him how strange it was for him to seek satisfaction from her while trying to 'make amends for having ruined [his] family' but welcomed the gifts. They still had time before the centre would close at ten in the evening and she insisted on taking him along for exchanging the pieces.
She assumed the gifts had been mainly for his wife unless his children already had such an elegant style. The coats immediately caught her eye with the display of a combination of rich heritage and exquisite craftsmanship. From scarves to gloves and hats, the pieces screamed an eye for detail and high levels of quality. Hyori was delighted to exchange them against bigger ones that would fit her much taller frame. The etiquettes featured a horse carriage and were well situated in places they couldn't be seen. Hyori was glad the brand name wasn't visible since she didn't want to look like a walking commercial. Not wanting merely to receive refused gifts, she charmed him into offering her a pink gold bracelet with a turnbuckle clasp.
At a quarter past nine in the evening, her hooker offered to drive her to Tokyo. She accepted the offer and they silently drove in his old-school Berline car. He carried the bags inside and she offered a drink to thank him. She knew he wanted more and that more revealed to be her phone number.
"It's better not to meet again if you want to fix your relationship with your family." Had reasoned Hyori.
She didn't intend to make herself available at a call notice. She had already given the man her address and would let him get desperate enough to drive to her place with the hope of finding her. She sensed disappointment on his side and hadn't been surprised when their farewell hug turned into a loving embrace. Things naturally happened and his hands travelled on her skin while uncovering her figure. Her hands found support on his shoulders while she rode their heats. His arms circled her waist to bring her as close as possible. They turned around until they fell into a comfortable cuddle. They had lounged together before he headed back home in the wee hours of the morning.