White Album 3 Alternative (Another Possibility)

by ElectronicBee8771

Twenty years after Haruki and Setsuna married, their son is a rising star of the theater world. With killer skills, confidence to match, and a devoted girlfriend, Kitahara Yujiro's happy future is all but guaranteed. But the red string of fate has other plans, and will tangle him in a web of forbidden romance and deception unlike anything he ever anticipated.

3. Part 3

Chapter 11: Another Day, Another Way

"Sorry for the deception," Saeko said. "If nothing else, this proves that I can pull off a credible Angel Shunard. Izumi really knows her stuff when it comes to cross-dressing and performing a gender. In my case, I'll be playing a character who identifies as a man when out of drag, and as a woman when in drag."

I looked over Saeko's torso, which appeared completely different than what I remembered of her body shape. "Are you wearing a body suit?"

"It's a custom binder that smooths out my curves and fills out my waist. Thankfully, it's quite comfortable, though it's a pain to take off without help. I'm glad my breasts aren't very large—that would have been a problem."

"Did you get it at the sex shop, with Izumi?"

"That was one of the things, yes. My packing is still in my underwear, she said. "Izumi said I should give it a boy's name. So I named it 'Aaron,' after Tamora's lover in the play."

I regarded the tiger-striped silicone replica of a disembodied penis and testicles, and thanked my lucky stars she hadn't named it after me. "Come hither, Aaron; I'll deceive them both: Lend me thy hand, and I will give thee mine," I said, quoting lines from Titus Andronicus.

Saeko laughed. "Don't worry, I won't give birth to his baby."

"It would be a medical miracle," I said, wryly. Despite the tension between us, our simple banter made me smile.

"Hey," she said. "Can you help me take my binder off? I want to take a shower."

"Sure," I said.

"There are a few buckles in back that you need to undo," she said, and shuffled out of her jacket while turning away from me. After she shed her blouse, I undid the buckles on the binder as she'd asked. She let it fall away from her, and I realized that she was completely naked. "Thank you," she said. Then, she turned around again, making no effort to hide her breasts from me.

"I'll head out, I guess," I muttered.

Saeko reclined against the headboard and opened her legs. With her fingers, she spread her glistening pussy lips apart. "Would you like to fuck me?"

My hard-on returned with a vengeance. Without even having touched myself, Cowper's fluid pooled at the end of my urethra. My body reacted on pure muscle memory ingrained by my years with her. I mashed a hand over my sex before I could betray myself, and shook my head.

She sighed. "I know you've been having sex with Izumi. Before you ask me how I know, she simply told me. And I know you've had sex with Touma Kazusa. Our bedrooms share a thin, poorly-insulated wall. It also doesn't take a leap of logic to assume that you're messing around with Megumi, too."

I clenched my jaw. "Do you have a problem with it?"

"No," she said. "After all, I dumped you. I can't complain about anything you do with any other woman. But it doesn't mean I can't try to win you again. I'll start over from the beginning, and I'm fine with that. I won't use the past to give me an advantage."

"You should move on," I said. "Let bygones be bygones. There's a ton of eligible men in America. You deserve someone who understands and appreciates your genius. I've realized, from taking your class, that I'll never comprehend what's second nature to you."

"I'm not looking for a research partner, or an investor. I have plenty of those," she said. "I want a lover, and I'm attracted to you. So I want you to give me the same chance you'd give the others."

"I understand that you feel guilty about—"

"I'm not doing this out of guilt. No matter what I've done to you, nothing would make me owe you sex. This is my decision, and I'd like you to respect that."

I looked down and balled my fists. "I won't deny that I want you," I said. "You were my first. You permanently engraved yourself onto my body. You were, and still are, my ideal woman. But I'm afraid. Afraid I might lose everything again…"

"Dude," Megumi growled. "Will you stop being so emotionally crippled?"

I blinked. "Huh?"

"You're spouting the lamest bullshit known to man," Megumi said, rolling her eyes. "Just hearing you whine makes me feel like I've been covered in puke, not cum. Sacchan, let's go out and ditch this loser! Yuji, if you won't complete your end of the deal, I'll just take her for myself!"

"What the fuck, Meg?" I growled. "She's not some kind of war trophy."

"You're the one who refuses to treat her like a human being. Even though you clearly love her, deep down."

"And you're an incomprehensible twit," I said. "Seriously, I don't get you! I don't get any of this! Why did you barge into my life and demand I get back together with my ex?"

"I already told you. Because I was horny!"

"Looks like you got what you wanted," I said, gesturing at our naked trio on the bed. "I even stopped banging your mother. Can you just be normal now?"

"Nope!" Megumi said, and pounced onto me, bowling me over. "The truth is, you two have made me really, really happy. Though Sacchan is much nicer to be around. I'm never giving this up. I'm never giving either of you up. I want more, and I want it forever. I want you two, forever." She hungrily kissed me.

I wrested myself out of her grasp and gave her my response in the way that I did best as a theater student rehearsing like crazy for a musical: I sang.

Who do you think you are?

Barging in on me and my guitar

Little girl, hey

The door is that way

You better go you know

The fire's out anyway

Take your powder – take your candle

Your sweet whisper

I just can't handle

Take your hair in the moonlight

Your brown eyes – goodbye, goodnight!

I expected Megumi to point and laugh at my sudden, cringe-inducing outburst. Instead, she replied in kind, with Mimi's words.

The heart may freeze, or it can burn

The pain will ease if I can learn

There is no future

There is no past

I live this moment

As my last

She caressed my cheek as she looked me in the eye.

There's only us

There's only this

Forget regret

Or life is yours to miss

No other road

No other way

No day but today

Her lyrics were clear and powerful. I hadn't expected her singing to be so beautiful. How much had she practiced her parts on such short notice? I blinked, but continued my response as I pushed her hand away.

Excuse me if I'm off track

But if you're so wise

Then tell me: why do you need

Shipping crack?

Take your needle

Take your fancy prayer

And don't forget

Get the moonlight out of your hair

Long ago you might've lit up my heart

But the fire's dead – ain't never ever

Gonna start

She shook her head and took Saeko by the hand, but continued to regard me.

There's only yes

Only tonight

We must let go

To know what's right

No other course

No other way

No day but today

I can't control

"Control your temper," I retorted.

My destiny

"She doesn't see!"

I trust my soul

"Who says that there's a soul?"

My only goal is just to be

"Just let me be," I spat.

Saeko and Megumi gave their response in harmony as they surrounded me. Saeko wrapped her arms around my shoulders from behind, as Megumi grasped my waist from the front.

There's only now

There's only here

Give in to love

Or live in fear

No other path

No other way

No day but today

"Take your brown eyes, your pretty smile, your silhouette," I growled as they pressed themselves against me.

No day but today

"Another time, another place, another rhyme, a warm embrace!" My eyes stung. My body shook.

No day but today

"Another dance, another way, another chance, another day," I protested, and forced myself out of their embrace.

No day but today

Megumi tried to kiss me, only for me to turn away from her. I hurriedly pulled my pants on, ran to the front door, and left them in Chiaki's apartment.

#

Kazusa's steel fingers pressed the keys on the Baldwin BP211 Grand, to issue forth one of the most recognizable riffs in the world: a simple progression of C, G, F, F, F.

Gojyuni man go sen rokkyaku no sugita toki

San zen hyaku go jyu san man roku sen byo

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six-hundred minutes

Dou kazoeru ichi nen mo?

"Seasons of Love" was the start of Act 2 of 'Rent,' although the most recent film adaptation had moved it to the very start. Nick had opted to keep it in its original place, while its echoes and callbacks were an omnipresent part of the score.

All of us: Myself, Chiaki, Akina, Saeko, and Megumi, in addition to members of the band who'd been given bit parts, stood on stage in a line before our audience, a small group of Kaiousha America executives who'd come to check on our progress.

Youake, shiruda, shinya no kohii kaapu

Warai naita sugite

In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes

Dou kazoete ikite yuku

Sore wa love

Kitto love

How about love

Kisetsu wa

Seasons of love

Seasons of love

I grinned, as Akina let them have it with her nuclear reactor of a voice.

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes

Gojyuni man go sen rokkyaku no tabi no ato wo

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six-hundred minutes

Dou kazoereba wakaru no sono omosa ga

And now, it was my turn.

Deai no kazu ga hitori no yami ka

Moyashite kakouka shiisama ka

All of us joined each other again.

Semete ima wa kizutsuita tomo to

Saa, koe ga kareru made shika kokoro

Sore wa love

Kitto love

Kimi ga love

Kisetsu wa

Seasons of love

Seasons of love

Measure your life, measure your life in love

Akina's sustained C6 rang out so purely that it would have been difficult to distinguish from a recording, if not for her expert vibrato. As the lights went down on us at the end of the song, we heard an unexpected sound issue from the audience of Japanese executives: they were cheering.

Despite this unexpected turn of events, however, the show needed to go on. We sang, danced, mimed sex, and cradled each other through the rest of Act 2: "Take Me or Leave Me," "Contact," "Goodbye Love," and finally, "Finale B," where we all lined up on stage again after Mimi's miraculous recovery. Our body doubles, stand-ins, and understudies also joined us, swelling our numbers for the final song.

Saeko, whose Angel had died shortly after "Contact," glided back onto stage to take her place at the conspicuous gap left for her between Akina and Chiaki, and we finished to the stirring chorus of Kazusa's piano buoyed by the guitars, bass, strings, brass, and drums of the band. The stage faded to black.

I inhaled, trying to modulate my breath. The audience was silent. Though it was more typical for an audience of Japanese executives, I started to panic. Had we flubbed something? I hadn't heard anything obviously off-key, but it was also easy to distort one's own sense of pitch when singing.

After what seemed like an eternity, we heard something else unexpected: men and women sniffling.

The overheads blared back to life, temporarily flooding my vision. I looked over at Saeko, who replied with an equally nervous glance. We all knew these people could call off our performance at any time. To my relief, the execs started to clap. The Harry J. Elam Theater was an intimate space, and we could see our audience members almost as clearly as they could see us. For most of the show, they'd been shrouded in darkness, until now. Their faces were moist, and they were clearly struggling to handle their snot (Japanese people didn't blow their noses in public). Slowly, my heart rate returned to normal. Crying was always a good sign.

"Don't forget to bow," Nick commanded us.

We all did, to the continued applause of our small audience. Without a word, they stood, bowed to us, and filed out. To my surprise consternation, I didn't see Kazaoka Mari among them.

After the last executive had left, Nick ripped off his microphone and collapsed into a nearby folding chair. Chiaki rubbed his shoulders, and I swore I saw her trying to reassure him. Their tension suddenly relieved, everyone else started to chatter and mill about in excitement.

"Did those corpo tools even pay for tickets?" Megumi asked, haughtily.

"They'd just cancel the show if we were that rude to them," I said, still jittery. "Besides, this was our first real run-through. I wouldn't have paid for it, myself."

Kazusa flicked the back of my head. "Don't insult everyone's hard work," she said. "We did a fine job, and we don't work for free. In fact, you should send a bill to Kaiousha."

"I don't know if we should go that far, Auntie," I said, rubbing where she'd flicked me. "Point taken, though."

"Sacchan was clearly the star here," Megumi said, as she wrapped an arm around Saeko's waist. "But you weren't too terrible, Yuji."

"Thanks, I think? Your Mimi has really come a long way from when you started. Good job!"

She sniffed. "What are you talking about? I was born for this role."

"Right," I said, rolling my eyes. "You were so born for it that you had to ad-lib most of 'Happy New Year B.' Don't think I didn't notice!"

"It sounded better than the original!"

"It did not!"

"Stop arguing, you two, and do your homework," Saeko said, flicking us both on the foreheads. "I had to grant everyone an extension because of 'Full Moon on the Quad'—whatever that is—and I'm not granting any more going forward."

Megumi flushed pink. "I'm really grateful, Professor," she murmured. "But this week's assignment is just too hard! I have no idea how to approach it! I'd almost think you were trying to punish us for something, if I didn't know any better…"

Saeko fixed her a look of exasperation. "I'll offer some extra office hours. Yujiro, you're welcome to join. Remember, midterms are coming up, too."

Shit, I thought. Saeko was right. Like the merciless Russian winter, exam season approached for her class, as well as a few others that I took. "Thanks, but I'll be fine on my own," I said.

Kazusa flicked my ear. "Don't be lazy. In fact, starting tomorrow, you will study for your tests at my house. I will make sure you're not wasting time. I'll check on you every two minutes."

"What are you, a tiger mom?" I whined.

She crossed her arms. "For your sake, I will be the most tiger mother of all," she said.

"Sucks to be you," Megumi cackled. "Try not to die, okay? I'll bring you a coffee sometimes, if I feel like it."

"Megumi, that means you, too," Kazusa said.

Megumi stuck her tongue out. "I don't hafta if I don't wanna!"

Chiaki licked Megumi's ear from behind her and spoke the dreaded incantation that assured her compliance: "Double secret probation."

#

I left the theater intending to head straight back to my dorm room for some well-deserved peace and quiet. By a miraculous confluence of good luck, Megumi had band activities, Saeko needed to prepare a lecture, Kazusa wanted to get in some practice, Nick and Akina were busy, and Chiaki, blessedly, was occupied with whatever Chiaki did whenever she wasn't toying with me. Putting on the full production of Nick's version of 'Rent' had been a draining task, even as exhilarating as it was to be on stage. I could have slept through anything, even Aslatiel and Lucatiel enjoying a marathon viewing of "Nukitashi" 1 through 7 a little too much.

Shikanoko nokonoko koshi tantan

Shikanoko nokonoko koshi tantan

"The fuck?" I sputtered out loud, before realizing that the viral anime lyrics were blaring from my phone. Chiaki had probably changed my ringtone as a prank when I hadn't been looking. I sighed and fished the phone out of my pocket. My eyebrows shot upward, however, when I saw who the caller was.

"Moshi moshi?" I answered.

"Kitahara Yujiro-kun?" Mari asked.

"Yes, this is he," I said. "Is this Kazaoka-shacho?"

"Mm, yes. Good, this is a correct number," she said. "Kitahara, are you free right now?"

I hesitated, since I really wanted to nap. But I knew better than to turn down anything from our troupe's benefactor. "Yes, I am. What's going on?"

"I'm on campus right now. Will you meet with me?"

"Of course, Shacho. Where are you?"

"I'm waiting in your dorm room."

My jaw dropped a bit. "How do you know where my dorm room is?"

"I talked with your roommate, and he allowed me in. I'll be waiting for you. Don't take too long, or I'll fall asleep on your bed."

"Of course! Bye for now!" I said, and pressed the "End Call" button. The day just became stranger and stranger. First, Kazusa had just stripped my freedom away until midterms, and now, there was a CEO chilling on my bed with my weaboo roommate. I needed to hurry, before something even weirder happened.

I jogged all the way to Junipero, and a few minutes later threw open the door to my room. The only reason I wasn't a complete sodden mess was because of my workout routine, but I was still out of breath by the time I arrived.

"Hey, Yuji-kun," Mari said, as she flashed me an airy wave from where she sat on the side of my bed.

My jaw dropped. I'd expected to see her in a CEO-type outfit, which to me was a well-tailored, drab-colored, somewhat intimidating suit. Instead, Mari wore an airy white top that exposed her shoulders, a bouncy plaid miniskirt, striped thigh-highs, and red pumps with little bows on them. She looked no different from any other young woman about to go on a date. Aslatiel glowered at me from where he sat at his desk.

"Kazaoka-shacho…" I panted.

"You didn't need to run for my sake," she said, with an impish smile. "Do you want to change clothes?"

"For what?" I asked, bewildered.

She pouted. "Our date, Yuji-kun. I need to freshen up, too. Khan-kun, where's the women's room?"

Aslatiel hurriedly stood and bowed. "Um, it's on the second floor, left after the stairs…"

"I'll be right back," Mari said, and stepped past me to leave.

I watched the door close, in disbelief. Aslatiel stormed over to me, a maelstrom of emotions surging across his visage. I half-expected him to deck me, but instead, he went into a full-on dogeza.

"I beg of you, Yuji-sama. Make me your disciple."

"Huh?"

"I admit that I was wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong! I thought you didn't have a gram of game in your body. But after seeing all these amazingly kawaii girls flock to you, I know now that it is I who has no game. Teach me your secrets, I beseech you." He ground his forehead into the disgusting carpet on my side.

"Wait," I said. "You're mistaken. I don't want any of this attention. And that woman's not my girlfriend. She's the CEO of the company that's sponsoring my musical. She probably wants to pick apart its flaws and make changes or something."

"So you're saying that she's a wealthy girlboss Christmas Cake who happens to look like she's twenty at most, and also who wants your seed?"

"I don't think she wants my seed—"

Aslatiel knocked his head against the carpet. "Yuji-sama, even if you're unwilling to teach me directly, could I at least drink your bathwater?"

"Fuck no! That's disgusting! Why'd you ever want that?"

"Learning through osmosis. It's the only chance I have."

"Dude, trust me, you don't want my life," I said, and brushed past him. Hurriedly, I stripped off my sweaty T-shirt and sweats, and pulled on whatever passable clothing I had that at least looked clean. Like any college-age man, I was a complete dipshit about doing laundry. I completed my change of clothing just in time for Mari to step back in.

"Yoohoo!" she said, poking her head in. "Ready to go?"

"I'm ready," I said.

"Okay, let's go. And Khan-kun, thank you for all your help today."

Aslatiel practically melted in his seat, and I stepped out into the hallway with her.

"Kazaoka-shacho, this was a little unexpected, so I haven't prepared anything in particular," I said.

"First of all, we're on a date, so call me 'Mari' instead," she commanded, and drew close to my side. I bent my arm to offer her a handhold, which she took.

"Okay, Mari-shacho."

"Just Mari. No '-shacho' or '-sama' or even '-san.' Don't use '-chan' though, because I am more than twenty years your senior."

I swallowed. "Mari, then."

"Good. In turn, I'll call you Yuji."

"That's fine," I said.

"I didn't arrange anything specific, either," Mari said, as we started to walk toward the exit. "I can't really go to my usual places looking like this, and especially not accompanied by my boyfriend."

"I apologize. I wasn't aware I was your boyfriend."

"Just play the role for today," she said. "I know you're sleeping with Chiaki, besides."

"She's not my girlfriend."

"I never assumed that. Your girlfriend is the actress playing Angel, is she not?"

I shook my head. "No."

"Oh? That's a surprise. Well, then the only other logical choice is the actress playing Mimi. Does Touma Kazusa-san support or oppose your relationship?"

"Mari, I'm not in that kind of relationship with anyone."

She squeezed my arm and smiled. "So you're saying I have a chance?"

I bit the inside of my cheek. "If there's no set agenda for our time together, what would you like to do?"

"Why don't you show me what your daily life is like, on campus?"

"I'd be happy to. Unfortunately, most classes have ended for the day, so we can't go into the actual lecture halls."

"That's fine. I'm not here to attend class or do homework. I just want the fun parts," Mari said.

Together, we made our way to the Quad, where my required humanities classes met. Along the way, I pointed out the tidbits of Spanish and Islamic-inspired architecture that dotted campus near the Meyer Green and the Law School. Tressider Square and the student union were next, followed by a quick stop at the Bing Wing of the Green Library. We stopped in front of Gates Hall, and had drinks at the little I where I'd been accosted for the first time by Megumi for my notes. And because it was nearby, and I'd always wanted to see it myself, we dropped by the Rodin sculpture garden, whose main attraction was an original casting of his bronze masterwork, "The Gates of Hell."

"This is wonderful," Mari said, as she peered closely at Rodin's intricately-rendered devils that festooned the structure. "But I wonder where Chainsaw Man and Power are?"

"I don't think Rodin knew about those guys in 1890," I said, as I regarded the work from a nearby stone bench.

Mari chuckled, as she returned to the bench and sat next to me. "People think that artists of the past were staid and conservative and couldn't possibly be as wacky as we are now."

"I can see why. After all, I don't think Monet or Degas would be able to appreciate manga. It just seems too out there."

"But people then were just as perverted and weird as people now," Mari said. "I bet Degas, in particular, would be a huge fan of idol shows, given his fascination with dancers."

"You're probably right about that. So, speaking of shows, what did your people think about our performance today?"

"I was there, too," Mari said.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't notice. I'd even tried to look for you in the audience when I could."

"That's sweet of you," Mari said. "I wasn't sitting with the others. I was much further in the back. I didn't want them biased by my reactions, you see."

"As an artist, I depend on reviews to live," I said. "So I'd like to know everyone's thoughts."

"The others had the same reaction that I had," Mari said. "Beautiful, emotional, a tour de force. And far too controversial to show government officials. They want substantial changes to the dialogue and song lyrics, or for me to consider canceling entirely. Of course, we'd reimburse your company for your time and efforts, so you wouldn't lose any money."

"I see," I said. "And as for what you told me at the restaurant? Do you still hold that viewpoint, after seeing us live?"

"Yuji, your show—and not just you, either—made me cry so much that I completely ruined my makeup. I had to run to the bathroom in a hurry before you took your bows, because I looked so hideous."

"It sounds like you enjoyed yourself, even amid tears."

"Yes, I did." She looked down, at her hands that rested on her knees. "When I die, I only hope someone weeps for me like Collins did for Angel."

I inhaled, deeply, thinking of Saeko. "As do I. If you don't mind me asking: do you have anyone like that in your life, Mari?"

She brushed strands of her hair behind her ear. "I'm a CEO, and a woman to boot. We don't have that privilege."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"When I was much younger, I was your father's direct supervisor, at Kaiou Graph," she said. "Back then, he practically worked himself to death there. At the time, he was estranged from the woman who'd later be your mother. We became close, he and I. I'm not ashamed to admit that I desired him, but I also failed to make it clear to him. I always wonder what would have happened if I'd just been more direct about my feelings. What could have been, you know?"

I sighed. "Sounds like my father excelled back then at causing problems. Just as he does, now."

"But now that I've seen what a fine, talented, and extremely handsome son resulted from my loss, I'm not sure what to think."

I gently placed one of my hands on hers. "I'm simply glad that you're enjoying our show, and that my feelings reached you."

Mari lifted her head, drew in closer to my face, and pressed her lips to mine. With my other hand, I caressed her cheek. Her perfume was light and floral, with a hint of musk, and it made my heart pound in my chest while we kissed in full view of two hundred bronze devils. She broke it off, her cheeks flushed and her fingers shaky.

"Yuji," she almost whispered. "I'm staying at the Nobu, in Palo Alto. Would you like to continue playing my boyfriend?"

I drew in and kissed her, in response. "May I call you 'Mari' for a while longer?"

#

No sooner had our door closed, than we started devouring each other with kisses. Mari pressed herself against me with a hunger that rivaled even Chiaki's lustiest moments, and practically ripped my top off before we'd shuffled halfway to her bed. We plopped down on the goose down-topped mattress, while I squeezed and fondled her breasts through her airy top. She wasn't wearing a bra, it seemed, and I felt her nipples poke back against my fingers equally as insistently. She shuffled down and struggled with the zipper of my fly, got frustrated, and then ended up yanking my slacks and underwear down entirely. My cock practically disappeared in her mouth, and she started to suck for dear life.

While she fellated me, I reached under her skirt and between her legs. She wore a pair of lacy, white silk panties, which I pushed aside with my fingers. When I put them inside her, I had to remind myself that I hadn't, in fact, plunged my digits right into a pot of boiling water. She tensed and moaned as I stirred her clitoris and rubbed her G-spot, and finally, couldn't continue pleasuring me due to how much I'd distracted her.

"No fair," she moaned, while I continued to finger her mercilessly. I traced kisses alternating left and right from her knees to her thighs, before ending up at my goal right between her legs. I breathed deeply, savoring the sweet smell of her pubic hair, and kissed her clitoris for a while. Then, my tongue pushed into her pussy, and my newly-freed, slippery fingers played with her ass. I slipped a finger in, and she moaned while clamping down on my tongue. "Yuji, you're embarrassing me," she protested. "I should be making you lose control, not the other way around!"

I stopped tonguing her for a moment. "Mari, it's okay to be embarrassed around your boyfriend. I enjoy seeing you have fun." Then, I returned to working on her pussy.

Shortly after that, she shouted, arched her back, and came. I lapped up the thick, creamy nectar that oozed out of her.

"Can I put my cock in your pussy, Mari?" I asked.

"Why are you even asking? Of course you should!" she groaned.

"I like to hear you request it," I said, chuckling. My cock was fully erect, and slid into her tensing pussy without any resistance. Her walls were powerful, but so slippery at this point that the lack of friction overcame everything else. She locked her legs around my waist while I thrust into her, while I held her wrists against the bed above her head. Hungrily, I sucked and licked on her nipples, her throat, and her lips. She tensed, grimaced, and came again with a whimper. Meanwhile, I was nowhere near ready to climax.

"Sorry," she said, sheepishly. "I'm having all the fun here."

"Not at all. I like seeing you enjoy yourself. Is there anything special you want me to do? I have a lot of reserve left."

"Could you…" she blushed deep red. "Could you put it in my ass?"

"I'd love to. Do you want to stay like this, or be in another position?"

"On all fours," she muttered.

I got off her, and gently helped her get on all fours. To check her readiness, I gently probed at her ass with a pair of fingers. She was already so lubricated and had relaxed her pelvic floor so much that they went in without any issue. I withdrew my fingers and put the head of my cock against her winking orifice. Slowly, I pushed in. She breathed heavily, but gave no signal to stop. Eventually, I was buried to my hilt. "I'll start moving now."

"Onegai…" she said.

I slowly thrust in and out of her, savoring the tightness and warmth. Saeko and I had engaged in anal sex in the past, but she'd told me that it simply hadn't done anything special for her, so we'd only engaged in it sporadically, mainly when roleplaying or doing something else more interesting to her.

Mari, on the other hand, seemed to genuinely enjoy this, even more because she could finger her pussy while I pounded her ass. She pressed her face into a goose down pillow and started to moan more loudly than she'd done before. Under the new stimulation, I approached my limit quickly.

"Mari, where do you want me to come?"

"Inside!" she rasped, and reached behind to grab my ass, as if trying to restrain me from pulling out. Her desperation was the thing that pushed me over the edge. I felt the familiar rush of pleasure and pressure, and shouted as I emptied a large load deep within her. Unlike in hentai, my semen didn't immediately overflow around where I'd penetrated her, since the rectum held a large volume of material in general. As she felt my hot come splash against her most delicate structures, Mari shuddered and blubbered while she climaxed yet again.

"Haruki!" she cried out. "Haruki! Daisuki!"

With that, she lost her ability to support herself, and collapsed prone on the bed. I rested on top of her, panting into the pillow at the junction of her neck and shoulder.

We remained like that for an unknown amount of time, before I gently pulled out and lay at her side. She reached up, caressed my cheeks, and kissed me again. "Thank you, Yuji. I'm sorry about…calling someone else's name out. That was uncouth of me."

I chuckled. "It's fine. After all, it's because I'm his son that your interest was even piqued in the first place, right?"

"The crazy thing is that you don't even really look much like him," she said. "You really have your mother's features. Not that I'm complaining. Setsuna is dazzlingly beautiful. She could easily have been an idol, herself."

"People in Japan tell me that. Americans seem to think I look like Jungkook or something."

"They think all cute Asian men your age look like BTS members," Mari said, with a wry smile.

"Do you need to use the bathroom?" I asked. "I don't mind at all."

She licked her lips. "I'm trying to hold it in as long as possible. I'm kind of a pervert, as you can see."

"I've never had that experience, so I wouldn't know," I said, with a shrug.

"Despite my griping, I like being a woman. Especially if I have a wonderful boyfriend with me." She looked away for a second. "Don't worry, I know this is all pretend. How would I ever explain myself to your mother and father? And I don't even want to think about what it would do to my position in the business world. Honestly, I'll be single until I retire or die, whichever comes first."

I could do nothing but draw her into a tight embrace.

"You're gentle. That's a liability in my world, but so is being human."

"Is that why you enjoyed the play so much? I think the characters all have that trait."

"Perhaps you've figured it out. It's why I won't request any changes and I certainly won't cancel it. The world should see your true nature."

"I'd like that," I said. "Although I'd like to find an agent and land some major roles, too."

Mari chuckled. She extricated herself from my embrace and got out of the bed. She shed the rest of the outfit we'd wrinkled from sex, and stood completely naked. "You'll get there. You know, I'll be staying at this hotel for a while. We're working closely with Google on some big projects. I think it would be best if I were closer to the action, instead of holed up in San Francisco. So, while I'm here, please…stop by and play the role of my boyfriend from time to time, okay?"

"Okay," I said.

She grabbed a room keycard out of its sleeve on the entertainment stand, and put it in the back pocket of my pants on the floor. "There. Now, would you like to take a shower with me?"

"As you wish, Mari."

Chapter 12: Meg and Yuji's Bogus Journey

The next morning, I kissed Mari goodbye and left the hotel. I needed to attend morning classes, and she needed to resume being a titan of industry. In truth, I hadn't gotten much sleep—we'd made love as frequently as physiologically possible for most of the night, as if she was trying to make up for two decades of pining for a particular Kitahara family member who wasn't me—and I was so worn out that I slept though my classics lecture. The worst part was that today was also the appointed day upon which I was to report to Kazusa's condo for mandatory midterm study.

"Yuji, you're late," Kazusa said, as she let me in.

"Sorry, Auntie Kazusa," I said. "I stopped to get a coffee after lecture. I kinda fell asleep during the whole thing…"

"Ai ya," Kazusa said, rubbing her forehead. "First you slack off on studying, and now you also fall asleep in class? How are you going to get a hundred on all your tests?"

I raised on eyebrow. "A hundred? I only need a seventy to pass my classes."

"Seventy?" Kazusa flicked me. "Never say that to me again. A hundred. Not one point less. In fact, you should be going for bonus points on top of that."

"O-okay. I'll do my best. Is Megumi here?"

"She is. I watched her study while she ate breakfast."

"Why would she eat breakfast and study at the same time?"

"Izumi told me all about the 'double secret probation.' It means if she doesn't do what I say, I can tell Izumi, and then her band loses their charter."

Leave it to Chiaki to make Megumi come to heel. "I guess I'll, uh, go ahead and start."

"You two will study in the dining room. No doors, so I can check on you easier," Kazusa said, and led me to the appointed place.

Megumi looked up at me with an equal mixture of sulk and resentment. "You're late, Kitahara Yujiro."

"Sorry," I said, as I set my bookbag down. "I had to get a coffee. I fell asleep in classic lit."

"How are you gonna get a hundred on all your tests?"

"By studying until I die, apparently," I said, as I sat down across from her.

"Do all your problems and read all your books," Kazusa said. "No idle chatting. I'll check on you. Every two minutes." At that, she ducked out. Soon after, I heard the television in the living room emit faint sounds of Japanese late night trash TV reruns. Contrary to my expectations, Kazusa didn't even practice the piano. Based on the clatter she made, she was, to my surprise and horror, cleaning.

Write if you wanna talk, Megumi scribbled down on a sheet of paper, and passed to me surreptitiously. She'll check our phones to see if we're texting.

I wrote her back: Two questions. 1) Why are you being so weirdly good?

Because my thralls are being held hostage by the evil dean and his miniboss, Sennouchi Akira.

2) Who the hell kidnapped Auntie Kazusa and replaced her with a stereotypical Asian mom?

At this, Megumi giggled.

Kazusa peered in and waggled her finger at Megumi, who promptly clamped a hand over her mouth and buried her face in her textbook. Kazusa also glared at me, and then stepped away to resume cleaning. Sound bites from "The Yanagihara Tomo Show" continued to pipe in from the living room.

At this point, there was nothing either of us could do but simply study as Kazusa bade us. If needed, I could hunker down and power through texts, but Megumi was clearly suffering.

I wish we could be at Sacchan's, instead, she wrote.

Why? So she can also make us study? Don't forget who instigated this whole thing.

I wanna have sex with her again.

Look, being horny just makes our current situation worse. Try to fall into a meditative state, instead.

You're the horny one. I bet you fell asleep in class because you were fucking that CEO all night.

I looked up at her, frowning.

She sneered at me and passed me another scribble. I dropped by after the band meeting. Your roomie told me all about what happened. He was crying into his hot sister's titties and everything!

I considered making Aslatiel drink my bath water, but decided against it. He'd ask for more, and Lucatiel would probably kill me for real.

You're not the one who has to indulge Kazaoka's whims or face our show being canceled.

Poor little Yunyun. I bet you absolutely hated it when she sucked your dick. How many holes did you stick it in? I bet you're getting a raging boner thinking about her right now.

Just because I enjoyed the sex doesn't mean I enjoy being pimped out by our drama professor.

I'm playing the world's smallest fucking violin for you right now.

Why don't you ask Auntie Kazusa if you can play the piano for a bit? It'll help you relax.

I already asked. She said: "No, your fingers are already agile enough. Now you need to study hard so you can become a neurosurgeon."

We should take her for a head scan. I'm kinda worried she's sustained brain damage.

"Yuji already got accepted to law school. If you become a doctor, and he's a lawyer, then you two can finally get married."

I groaned.

"No slacking off!" Kazusa said, wagging her finger at us as she randomly walked by one of the entrances.

After a few more interminable hours of being Asian Mom-ed to death, Megumi and I were dismissed. Kazusa knew better than to try her hand at cooking, so gave us a strict, hour-long dinner break so we could go where we wanted.

As soon as we were free of the condo, Megumi immediately clutched my arm with her steel-fingered strength. It was enough to make me wince, for real.

"Do not leave me alone with her," Megumi snarled, as she dragged me in the direction of Tressider Square.

"Ow!" I said, and tried to free myself from her grasp. "What gives?"

"You're the only reason she isn't constantly up my ass like she was this morning. I had to study while choking down cold noodles for breakfast. They didn't even have syrup! It's inhumane! …Also, is it me or did her accent get about ten times heavier?"

I let out a grunt of realization. "You're totally right. I thought something was off. Her English is usually pretty clear. But I felt like I was listening to a showing of 'The Joy Luck Club.'"

"This had better be a fucking phase."

"Didn't you say she was a total tyrant of a piano teacher? How is this any different than your previous experiences?"

"She was only like that with piano stuff! She didn't give a rat's ass how I did in school. But now she's convinced herself that I'm going to be the chair of neurosurgery at Massachusetts General Hospital! Fuck that place! Harvard sucks!"

"Maybe she's trying to cram eighteen years of attentive parenting into a week. She told me how guilty she felt about how she raised you."

"Well, you got me trapped in my own personal hell, so you're gonna boil and stew right next to me. You're sleeping over tonight, and every night we have to do this crap."

"I can't sleep in Auntie Kazusa's bed, and her couch gives me back pain."

"Then sleep in my bed. You've done it before."

"No way. You snore like a freight train rolling through the poor part of town."

"Fuck you! Pay for my burger!"

A little while later, while we glumly chowed down on our greasy patties at the Treehouse, our phones lit up with the same text. It was from Saeko: "I can't do hours at the office tomorrow. Come to my place instead. 1PM to whenever we finish. Don't tell anyone else about this, obviously."

A bit of Megumi's soda went down the wrong hole and she started to choke and gag. I swatted her on the back, to which she swatted me on the head. "I'm fine, you imbecile," she said, coughing and hacking.

"You looked like you were about to die."

"If I meet Death, I'm going to grab his nuts and twist," Megumi said. She excitedly shoved her phone in my face. "Yuji, this is huge!"

"I got the same text, you know."

"You philistine, you're not showing proper appreciation for it!"

"Saeko in study mode is different from Saeko in normal mode. She's not going to let you slack off. We'll probably end up in a coding jam or something."

"I know what I wanna jam in her," Megumi said.

"It's not going to be as fun as you think it'll be."

"Help me pick out what to wear for tomorrow."

I threw up my hands. "You're obsessed."

"I know! I love her! It's the one thing you and I have in common!"

"Finish your food," I said. "We have less than fifteen minutes before we have to study again."

"Chill out. Wanna get boba tea after this? Mom's not gonna report me to the dean just for coming home late. We'll be fine."

"No, we won't. She'll call up my mother and they'll both yell at us in broken Japanenglish for hours on end."

"Nani the fuck?"

#

Eventually, Kazusa allowed us to stop for the night, if only so we could go to bed early and get up for more studying the next day. But despite her new preoccupation with being a kyouiku mama, she didn't bat an eye when Megumi told her that I'd be sleeping over, and in her room, no less.

"Seriously, which one am I gonna wear for Sacchan?" Megumi asked, holding one of her outfits in front of her, before swapping it out for another one.

"Just flip a coin. They're both fine." I sat on her bed, trying to flip through the manga version of Kasumi Utako's international smash hit, "Koisuru Metronome." However, Megumi wanted do anything but let me read peacefully.

"Don't act like some shitty virgin! You dated her for years. You know what she likes."

"I'm not a woman! And guys just wear whatever happens to be clean and matches, kind of. Sometimes we don't even do that much."

"Men suck, and you're useless."

"Christ. Fine, go with the black one. The dress with the lace-up front. It goes well with your hair and accentuates your figure."

She held the dress I'd chosen in front of her and nodded in approval. "Okay, good. I was thinking that one, too."

"Then why didn't you just choose it in the first place?"

"Because I need someone else to blame if I fuck it up!And now, we move on to accessories. What do you think about a white hairband to go with it? Or should I do a more traditional comb? Also, don't forget about the hairpins."

I set down my copy of "Koisuru Metronome" and tried to asphyxiate myself with one of her pillows.

Eventually, Megumi's urge to plan the perfect outfit was overwhelmed by her urge to sleep, and she piled into bed with me. She wore little more than a white T-shirt and panties, the sight of which provoked a typical and obvious response from me. I wore nothing but boxer briefs, which was the only way to avoid sweating to death at night in California.

"Sorry to disappoint," Megumi snarked. "Did you expect frilly lingerie? Well, too bad! I like being comfy."

"I'm not disappointed," I said. "Quite the opposite."

She frowned. "You have a boner, don't you?"

"I do."

She lifted the covers, stared at the underwear tent I'd made, and poked at it. "Boys are gross," she said, and rolled over.

I reached for the nearby lamp and turned the lights off. Then, I closed my eyes and gradually let sleep take me.

Or so I intended, before she rolled over again and poked me.

"I can't sleep," she said.

"Weren't you tired?"

"I am tired, but I can't sleep."

"Just lie on your back, close your eyes, and breathe slowly," I said.

"My problem is that I'm too horny."

I turned my head and smiled indulgently at her. "I'm glad you realized that. Work on yourself and you too can be a productive member of society one day."

"Will you shut up and help me?"

"If you're too wound up to sleep, just fap a bit. If you want me to step out for a few minutes, I will."

"I'm not a complete dick. I'll let you stay."

At this point, the inherent strangeness of this hentai anime-like situation was simply background noise when it came to my interactions with her. I yawned and squeezed my eyes shut while she slid her panties off and kicked them aside under the duvet. As she fingered herself and rocked her hips, the mattress shook, annoyingly. I tried to think of new ways to approach the impossible CS problem set that Saeko had assigned us. Then, Megumi pressed a hand to my chest and kissed me.

"I'm trying to sleep, here," I said, after pushing her away.

"And I'm trying to come," Megumi said. "Lend me your body for a minute!"

"Just get it over with," I said, rolling my eyes.

She resumed kissing me while thrusting her fingers into herself. Her lips dropped away from mine and settled on the side of my neck. She licked, sucked, and bit me while piping gasps and muffled moans into my ear. Despite my annoyance at her for masturbating so obnoxiously, I couldn't help but grow an erection again. Finally, she grasped my wrist and shoved my hand up her shirt onto her breasts.

I growled in exasperation. "If I eat you out, will you go the fuck to sleep?"

"Maybe," she said. She clambered up next to my head, then threw her leg over, straddling my face. Then, she lowered her wet slit to my mouth. My tongue alternated between lapping at her clitoris and pushing against the entrance to her vagina. Occasionally, I flicked her anus with the tip of my tongue, making her spasm in response.

She slipped her thumbs under the waistband of my boxer briefs and pushed them off, to my knees. Then, she took the head of my cock in her mouth and ran her lips and tongue up and down my shaft.

"Megumi, you don't have to—"I said, breathing heavily.

"I don't have to. I want to," Megumi said, releasing me for a bit. "Don't forget, I think you're hot, even though you're an asshole."

Despite her clumsy technique, her enthusiasm was pleasurable. After some more of her attention, I spasmed, and expelled some of my pre-ejaculate into her mouth. As I did this, she finally came with my tongue pressed into her. Warm, salty fluid leaked from her opening into my mouth. I swallowed her girl come and wasn't ashamed to admit that I wanted more. Now, all I had to do was enjoy myself until she took me over the edge.

And then she abruptly stopped. She swung her leg back over, freeing my face up, and cuddled tightly up to me.

"Hey, I haven't finished," I complained. My erection throbbed and my balls ached.

"I know," she murmured, and planted a kiss on my cheek.

"Okay, I guess I'll take care of myself," I said, and reached for my cock.

"Yamete!" she said, and swatted my hand.

"But you got to come. Why can't I?"

"Because we're meeting Sacchan tomorrow, duh!"

"What does Sacchan have to do with this?"

"Everything. I want you on edge, if you know what I mean," she said, smugly.

"You're on this bullshit again."

"I wouldn't have had to do this if you hadn't run away like a little shit when we were offering ourselves to you."

"Just for that, I'm gonna exert extra self-control tomorrow."

"Control deez," she snorted.

"Deez?"

"Deez nuts!" she said, and laughed so hard the bed shook. From next door, Kazusa knocked on the wall to signal her displeasure.

#

For breakfast, we had cold soba. I enjoyed it, but Megumi was practically in tears while she shoved the slippery buckwheat noodles into her mouth. Even more so when Kazusa offered me maple syrup as the dipping sauce—which I declined—and didn't offer any to her. At the very least, we weren't made to read our textbooks while eating.

After breakfast, Kazusa immediately put us to work studying, which we endured until lunch, which was Morioka reimen, which Megumi tolerated somewhat more because at least the cold noodles were served in beef broth. At this point, I had become extremely jealous of her metabolism. Enjoying American college dining required me to work out at the gym almost every day, but Megumi, who didn't work out and didn't even play the piano that frequently, could eat five burgers and two milkshakes and still come up a few grams short on the scale the next day. Good, I thought. Enjoy the cold noodle life like the rest of us plebians.

"Kazusa-san," Megumi said, after she downed her remaining broth. "We're going to our CS prof's now. Probably gonna be there all night, so don't wait up for us."

"You shouldn't impose on Iizuka-sensei so much," Kazusa sniffed. "She has her own affairs to take care of. I'll have to come by with a gift, later."

"No! It's totally fine," Megumi and I said in unison, before glancing in momentary surprise at each other. Our reasons for not wanting Kazusa dropping randomly by were completely different, of course, but at least we'd managed to put up a unified front.

"Are you sure? She's a Japanese woman, too. She totally wants some manju."

"Auntie Kazusa, just drop by tomorrow, then," I said. "Saeko—I mean, Professor Iizuka is one of those types who doesn't want any distractions when she's puzzling things out."

"And like, don't you want to play piano for twelve hours straight while we're gone?" Megumi asked. "I know it's hard on you, having to watch bad kids like us. Why don't you have some fun as a reward for being such a wonderful mother?"

Kazusa looked at Megumi skeptically, but shrugged. "Fine, I'll stay out of it. I deserve a reward for being a 'milf.' But remember, no goofing off. And I'm going to check your work when you get back."

"We'll show you the best code you've ever seen," Megumi said, brightly. "It'll be sexy as fuck!"

"Sexy? Why are you being sexy when you should be studying?"

I quickly interjected. "She's just referencing Shakespeare. 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' Act one, scene two." I summoned my best impression of Bottom the Mechanical. "We will meet, and there we may rehearse most obscenely and courageously. Take pains; be perfect. Adieu."

With that, Megumi and I quickly left Kazusa's place to go next door.

"Nice save, Yuji," Megumi said. "I'm impressed that you can pull Shakespeare out of your ass like that!"

"The Bard lives on in all thespians," I said, "particularly when confronted with abject stupidity."

Megumi elbowed me in the ribs, frantically checked her hair and clothes, and then knocked on Saeko's door.

"Hey, you two!" Saeko said as she opened the door. She wore an airy, flower-patterned skirt without stockings, topped with a sheer, open-backed, halter-top sweater. A 'virgin killer,' to be exact. Definitely not something she could wear in front of a class of sweaty, horny CS majors, for sure. Then again, Megumi and I weren't CS majors. "Come in. There's drinks in the fridge, if you want. Water, soda, and beer."

"Beer?" Megumi asked, perking up like a dog smelling steak. "I love you, Sacchan!"

Saeko smiled and pressed a finger to Megumi's lips. "These are office hours, so you should call me 'sensei' instead."

"I love you, Sensei!" Megumi said, as she rushed in to raid Saeko's fridge. Which left both of us standing facing each other.

"Thanks for having us over," I said. "I really needed to get out of Auntie Kazusa's house."

"No problem," she said, and beckoned for me to step in. "Are things tense between you and her?"

"They are, but for a completely different reason than you'd think."

"We'll work in here," Saeko said, gesturing at her living room. "Take a seat."

I realized now that this was the first time I'd ever been in her condo. In terms of the layout, it was the exact same as Chiaki's and Kazusa's, so I knew instinctively how to get around. But the interior wasn't what I'd been expecting. Back in Japan, Saeko had been a shameless otaku through and through. Her messy room in the Iizuka household had been stocked floor-to-ceiling with manga, games, and figurines, many of them extremely pornographic. But her condo was aggressively normal in comparison. Warm-toned, sensible furniture, forgettable art, and minimal-maintenance houseplants dominated the scene. The only concession to her interests was a classy art book featuring various Gundams.

"It's…" I said, looking around, "…different."

"I have to be ready for someone like the dean to drop by for a visit with her children at any time," Saeko said. "It wouldn't be great if they saw my 'Destiny Star Girlfriend' naked Yuuri wall scroll."

I sat down on one of the couches next to her. "What happened to your stuff, anyway?"

"It's still at home. Don't worry, I didn't suddenly change my entire personality and toss everything in the dump." She smiled, wistfully, but a moment later, her face scrunched up. "Oh God, I just thought of something horrible."

I chuckled. "Say it."

"No, I won't. Just forget it, please."

"But I wanna know," I said. "Come on, you'd always tell me what horrible segues you were thinking of."

"I really can't. This one goes too far!"

"I have a thick skin. Besides, I enjoyed it a lot when you used to tell me."

"Will you promise you won't get upset?"

I reached over and squeezed her hand. "I promise."

"You're gonna regret it."

"Try me."

"Okay," she said, blushing. "I was gonna say, 'the only thing I trashed was you!'" With that, she immediately turned away and buried her face in a couch cushion.

Meanwhile, I doubled over with laughter. "That was… That was way too far! But also really funny!"

"I'm sorry!" she moaned into the cushion. "I really shouldn't have said it!"

"But it was hilarious!" I said, continuing to crack up. I wiped away an involuntary tear from one of my eyes.

"Don't be so persistent, next time!" Saeko said.

"Or what? You'll hurt my feelings?"

"I did a pretty good job of that!"

"You sure as hell did," I said, as I tried to banish my laughter. We did need to get to work at some point.

"Seriously, you're impossible," Saeko said, and clutched at my arm.

"And seriously, I missed that," I said, smiling at her. "I haven't laughed so hard in weeks."

She rested her forehead against my shoulder. "That makes me happy, then."

Without thinking, I bent my head down and kissed her hair. She gasped, and I immediately withdrew.

"Sorry," I said. "Old habit."

"No! You misunderstand," she said, waving her hands frantically. "I just didn't expect that. I really liked it."

I averted my gaze, hoping to defuse the sudden tension. "Regardless, we should get to work. Where's Megumi, anyway?"

"I, uh, had to take a dump," Megumi said, peeking at us from behind a corner.

"Don't shit in someone else's house," I said. And don't eavesdrop on our memories of happier times.

"Where am I supposed to go? On their doorstep?"

"No, you hold it in like a polite person."

"That's not politeness, it's just perversion," Megumi said, as she forced herself between us on the couch. "I bet you love the feeling of poop bulging against your man-gland and giving you a chubby."

"Jesus Christ," I said, shaking my head. "Enough out of you. We're gonna study for real."

"Yuji, you can use the bathroom if you want," Saeko said. "For number one and number two!"

"By the way, Sensei, I love your outfit," Megumi said, fawning on Saeko. "I'd really like for you to step on me while wearing it!"

"Thanks, you look great, too! Hey, where can I get that dress you're wearing? I swear I won't get the same color, okay?"

I sighed and opened up my laptop. "Let's just start with the assignment you gave us…"

For the next few hours, Saeko took us through the hitherto impossible problem set she'd given the class for the week. I had to give it to her—she was an excellent teacher. Rather than simply provide us the answers, she forced both of us to reason out a suitable approach based on fundamentals found in the syllabus. But because we were normals, and not geniuses with aspirations of founding our own startups, it took until evening for us to finish with the problem set.

"What do you guys want for dinner?" Saeko asked, as she stretched her legs. "I can whip something up."

"Absolutely not!" Megumi said, with a wave of her hand. "There's no way in hell we'd allow our amazing, loving, angelic sensei to slave away in the kitchen right after she spent hours imparting knowledge to us idiots!"

"Megumi," I said, in surprise. "I genuinely didn't expect you to be so considerate. Are you feeling okay? Have you sustained brain damage?"

"I got only one thing to say to you," she said, and flashed me the bird.

"Do you want me to call for delivery, then?" Saeko asked. "We probably shouldn't all go to a dining hall or the student union together."

"No, I'll cook," Megumi said. "Whatever you have in your fridge, I'll turn into a decent meal."

"You can cook?" I asked, in disbelief.

"Two things for you," Megumi said, and flashed me two middle fingers. "And I can totally cook. Kazusa's a bona-fide natural disaster in any kitchen, so when they were together, my father cooked all the meals. He taught me how to do it, too."

"I have to see it to believe it," I said. "Saeko, do you really want to chance it with her?"

"I kinda do," Saeko said, looking indulgently in Megumi's direction.

"You chill out and rest, then. I'll make sure she doesn't set the place on fire."

As one of Kitahara Setsuna's children, I could cook most, if not all of the usual staple foods usually eaten in a Japanese household, and I could do it using unusual or missing ingredients, too. My mother's cuisine would never win a Michelin star, but I preferred her meals over those I'd had at Benu or Quince, and knew how to make them, too.

After some mild bickering and back-and-forth, Megumi and I settled into a comfortable—even professional—rhythm in Saeko's kitchen. She wanted to take the lead, probably to impress Saeko, so I mostly did the prep work. And, after an hour, we presented our lovely professor with a fairly-respectable everyday meal of rice, pork nikujaga, miso soup, and wakame salad. Of course, since all of us were young people who couldn't drink at bars, we drank beer at home.

"Tasty!" Saeko said, after sampling our dishes. "Megumi, you're much better than I am at this."

"I'm just glad you like it," Megumi said, beaming. She took a piece of pork in her chopsticks and offered it to Saeko. "Say 'ah!'"

To my surprise, Saeko let Megumi feed her. Megumi quivered in delight, while I refrained from commenting that the only reason the pork slices were so uniform was because I'd handled that task.

"When Yuji and I were dating, he cooked most of the meals," Saeko said. "I'm decent enough, but he's descended from a long line of obasan who hooked their husbands by their stomachs. He'd make me bento to share on the roof of our high school."

"Oh!" Megumi leaned in. "Is that how he first got you to notice him?"

"You guessed right! You should have seen it. A few days after the start of high school, he came up to me, handed me the cutest little bento I'd ever seen, and said: 'I…I brought an extra today by mistake. You can have it, if you want. Don't get the wrong idea, though! It's n-not like I made it specifically for you or anything!'"

"In fairness to me," I interjected, "we were both familiar with the same romance anime tropes, so I figured I'd try my luck in a way that wouldn't sting too much if she rejected me."

"The best part," Saeko said, "was that tucked in among those little octopus Vienna sausages was a little note that said: 'will you go out with me?'"

Megumi took a swig of her beer and squealed in delight. "I can't handle it! You'll both give me fucking diabetes at this rate!"

"We were kind of a funny couple," Saeko said. Her hand brushed against mine under the table. Then, I took it in mine and squeezed it.

"Her otaku buddies used to say she was living proof that the childhood friend character can 'win,' so to speak," I said. "But, of course, that's a trope from fiction, and real life sucks by comparison."

"Real life can eat a bag of dicks," Megumi said. "This calls for a drink!"

"Hear hear," I said, and drained my beer. "Actually, Saeko, how'd you get this? Even though you're a Stanford professor, you're still too young to buy alcohol in this country."

"Courtesy of Izumi Chiaki," Saeko said. "I guess there are some advantages to knowing an A-lister, eh?"

"Far outweighed by the side effects," I said.

"So what are you two doing after this?" Saeko asked. "I don't think it'll be productive to start midterm review tonight, while we're sleepy from dinner and kinda tipsy. I can continue tomorrow, though."

"So are office hours over?" Megumi asked.

"Yeah, I'll call it," Saeko said.

"Then, Sacchan, can I ask a favor?" Megumi said, with her hands pressed together. "Can we stay over?"

"That's fine, but won't Touma-sensei be worried about you?"

Megumi grinned. "I told her we'd be coding all day and all night. That's how real-life hackers work!"

Saeko chuckled. "You shouldn't lie to your mother. But that's on you, not on me."

"I'm gonna freshen up," Megumi said, excitedly, before she left.

"Thank you, Saeko," I said. "I'd also rather not go back. Auntie Kazusa's become something of a kyouiku mama for our midterms, and it's driving me up the wall."

Saeko shot me a sly look. "You know, the rumor was that those so-called 'education moms' would do stuff like give their sons handjobs so they wouldn't be distracted by girls."

I blushed, as memories of fucking Kazusa surfaced again. "At this point, she's more liable to swat me with the morning paper than she is to…"

"I haven't heard you two going at it for a bit. I wondered if something happened."

"We broke up," I said. "She didn't want it anymore, and I respected her decision."

"Sorry to hear that," Saeko said. She gave my hand another squeeze, and then interlaced our fingers. I realized, at this point, that we'd been holding hands under the table since we'd told Megumi about my confession in high school.

"It's fine," I said. "Her logic was iron-clad."

"Just like mine was," Saeko said. "Even though I hated it with all my heart."

I looked down at the table, not knowing what words to reply with. It wasn't often that this happened—after all, I was Setsuna's child. I always knew what everyone else thought and felt. A preternatural awareness of matters of the heart was as natural to me as breathing. It informed my acting, as well as my life.

"Sacchan," I finally said. "I want you. But I'm still afraid."

"I know," she said, and drew closer to me. "It's okay."

"Can we take it slow?"

"As slow as you want," she said, and caressed my cheek.

"It might not work out this time, either."

"No one can predict the future."

"I might fall for someone else, in the end."

"So might I."

"Okay. Then, if it's fine with you," I said, and pressed my lips to hers.

Chapter 13: The Problem You Created

"Oy, Sacchan, where's your plunger? I clogged the—" Megumi declared, as she tromped into the dining room. Saeko and I abruptly broke our kiss off and jumped away from each other. "—shitter…"

"Eat some veggies, you poop-demon!" I growled at her, before breaking out into laughter. At the entire situation, and in relief, anxiety, and a whole mess of emotions churning in my chest.

"Don't worry, Megumi, I'll take care of it," Saeko said, looking away while her cheeks turned red.

"No!" Megumi said, wide-eyed and mortified. "I seriously can't let you see that! Just tell me where the plunger is!"

"It's—it's…I can't describe it accurately! I'm sorry! Let me just go in and show you."

Megumi's eyes widened in panic. "Anything but that! Don't worry! I'll just flush myself down instead!"

"As much as you belong in the sewer, you'll just break the toilet," I said, and pushed away from the table. "Look, I'll get a plunger from Izumi's place. You two stay out of the bathroom."

Fortunately, Chiaki wasn't in, so retrieving the vital piece of equipment went off without a hitch. I hurried back, hoping that I wouldn't find Megumi trying to snake the toilet with her hand.

"I'm back," I said as I re-entered Saeko's condo again. "Meg, go fix the problem you created."

My words echoed emptily around the living room. Neither woman was anywhere to be seen. I shrugged and made my way to the bathroom, which to my surprise was also empty. The toilet was still clogged, though it wasn't the shit-tacular disaster that I'd envisioned. I'll just take care of this. Though I'd have wanted Megumi to clean up her own mess, the last thing I wanted to happen was for Saeko to end up having to deal with it.

A few strokes of the plunger later, and the toilet flushed freely. I'd have to remember to take it back to Chiaki's the next morning. Still, where were they? The Pearce Mitchell condos weren't extremely spacious. They only had a living room, dining room (which often doubled as a study), kitchen, bathroom, and two bedrooms for the most part. I left the bathroom and glanced down the hall. Light leaked out from under the door to what I assumed was Saeko's bedroom. Slowly, I pushed it open.

Megumi lay across Saeko's lap on the bed with her dress hiked up, her naked, pink-flushed bottom exposed for all to see, and her panties pulled to her knees. Saeko held the controller to what I recognized as a remote-controlled vibrator in one hand, while she used the other to swat Megumi's ass.

"…I took care of it," I said, my mouth suddenly dry.

"Thank you, Yuji," Saeko said. "Sorry you had to do that. Megumi wanted to be punished a bit, so I decided to indulge her. I'll be done in just a bit." With that, she spanked Megumi's ass again.

Megumi raised her head. She was drooling. "Don't stop! Y-you need to spank me more, Sacchan…"

"Call me 'mommy,'" Saeko said. She grasped Megumi by the hair and pulled her head back more.

"Yes, Mommy!"

"Since you clogged the toilet, did you at least let everything out?" Saeko asked her, and gave another swat.

Megumi squealed again in pleasure. "Yes, Mommy!"

"Are you sure?" Saeko said, shaking her head. "I need to check." She dabbed a finger against Megumi's slit and coated it with the ample lubrication, before pushing it into her ass.

Mesmerized by the sight, I got to my knees and shuffled over for a closer view. My erection throbbed in my slacks and I wanted nothing more than to free it. The ache from the previous night returned with a vengeance.

Megumi tensed and writhed, while Saeko thrust in and out. Low moans leaked from the corners of my mouth while Saeko fiddled with the vibrator controls. Based on where the wire was leading to, it was probably buried in her pussy. "Mommy," she slurred, "I'm gonna come…"

"Oh?" Saeko said, and withdrew her finger and turned down the vibrator to its lowest setting. "I can't let you do that right now."

Megumi whined pathetically, but let Saeko gently lift her off her lap and roll her onto the bed. Then, Saeko shuffled out of her skirt, leaving only her sweater and her panties on.

"I'm going to pay some attention to Yuji now," Saeko said. "If you're a good girl and don't make a fuss, I'll turn the vibrator to a higher setting."

"Please, Mommy!"

Saeko took my hand and lifted me to the bed. I slid into it and lay on my back. "Can I kiss you some more?" Saeko asked as she lay on top of me and drew closer.

"Yes, I said, and lifted my lips to hers. I closed my eyes while our lips glided over each other's. I'd kissed her countless thousands of times. My muscle memory knew exactly what to do, even if I still felt some residual anxiety over it. Her saliva was sweet, with hints of beer and wakame. I drank it feverishly, while my hands caressed her face and then strayed down to her breasts. I rubbed at her nipples through the soft yarn, making her tense.

"Yuji," she said. "I won't pressure you to go all the way. But may I use my mouth on you?"

"Yes, Sacchan, that's fine."

"Thank you," she said. "I really missed your taste."

She undid my fly and removed my pants and underwear, leaving me exposed. I'd already been extremely aroused by the sight of their roleplay earlier, not to mention Megumi denying my orgasm last night, so I was already dripping Cowper's fluid. Saeko gently licked at my tip with her tongue, making me spasm and expel more fluid.

"Did you do something to him last night?" she asked Megumi.

"I didn't let him come," she said, sticking her tongue out at me.

Saeko turned the vibrator setting up, and Megumi clenched her thighs together, breathing heavily. "Well, I just have to work with what I've been given," she said, and then took me in her mouth.

She and I had performed oral on each other countless times. It was a great way to get each other off without making a mess, especially when circumstances didn't permit vaginal sex. She knew exactly where to lick, how hard to suck, and what to squeeze to either make me orgasm quickly, or delay my release so long that the mounting pressure and pleasure made me see white. Seeing that I was already practically about to burst, she opted to stifle it, which I was glad for.

"Mommy, can I touch myself?" Megumi begged, as she clenched the sheets in her hands. "Please?"

"Why don't you sit on his face?" Saeko said.

Without needing to be told twice, Megumi straddled my face again and jammed her slit practically down my throat. I replied by stirring at her clitoris again with my tongue. Meanwhile, Saeko shifted position and straddled me.

"Yuji, I'm just going to rub you through my panties, if that's okay," she said.

I gave her a thumbs-up, since Megumi had robbed me of my ability to speak.

Saeko rocked her hips, and I felt the scintillating sensation of her pussy lips gliding against on my cock, our skin separated by less than a millimeter of wet silk. At some point, her underwear slipped aside, and my cock slid between her naked pussy and the fabric. Megumi leaned forward and pressed her lips against Saeko's.

Under the combined sensations—the taste of Megumi's pussy, the smell of her juices, the feeling of Saeko's womanhood grinding against my cock, and the knowledge that the two women were passionately making out with other right over me—it didn't take long for my already-overwhelmed groin to react. I moaned and arched my back and emptied my semen onto both of them as well as myself. Whether it was due to Megumi's meddling or some other reason, I felt as if I'd expelled double my usual amount.

They rolled off me, and continued to kiss and fondle each other, as I watched. Saeko slid off her sodden, cum-soaked panties and passed them to me.

"Stifle her," she said, softly. "I don't want Touma-sensei coming over because she heard her daughter yelling." With that, she opened Megumi's legs, turned the vibrator to max, and thrust her fingers in Megumi's ass again.

Megumi, practically melting with delight, let out a low moan as she started her orgasm. I took Saeko's direction, balled up her underwear, and stuffed it in Megumi's mouth while holding it in with my hand. Not a moment too soon, because right after I did so, Megumi squeezed her eyes shut and shrieked as she came.

When I was sure that she was done, I pulled the panties out, and regarded Megumi's sweaty, flushed face. "You okay?" I asked.

"Mm, better than okay," she murmured, and kissed me. "Thank you, both of you…" Within moments, she snored peacefully on the bed.

"Sacchan," I asked, softly. "Did you get to come?"

She cuddled up next to Megumi, across from me. "No, but I really, really enjoyed myself anyway."

"If you want, I can help you," I offered.

"It's fine, I'll take care of myself later. Besides, she looks too cute to disturb right now," Saeko said, dragging her fingertips across Megumi's cheek.

"She just looks selfish. Getting off and falling asleep without any consideration for others…"

"I'm jealous of you two."

"Why?"

"Because you two are so close. Like you've been married for years, despite only knowing each other for weeks. I was initially worried about Izumi Chiaki or Touma Kazusa, but now I know Megumi's my main competition for your heart."

"You really don't have to worry, Sacchan. I'd rather get hit by a truck than marry her."

"I don't believe you," Saeko said. "And it's okay, besides. I like her, too. Enough that I wouldn't mind stealing her away from you."

"Hai-dozo," I said.

She laughed. "Have you two had sex yet?"

"Not in the traditional sense. You're not being left out, don't worry."

"I'm not. Beside, it'll be fun and kinky to avoid penis-in-vagina sex for now. Kinda like when we were first dating. You were great at oral."

"I'll do my best to be ready for you soon," I said.

"You can take your time. After all, we''ll have plenty more chances to progress in the future, right?"

I took her hand and kissed it. "We will."

#

The next day, after breakfasting on our leftovers, Saeko took us through a morning of midterm review before finally cutting us loose.

"Can't we stay longer?" Megumi whined, clutching Saeko like a child unwilling to leave a playdate.

"I'd like that," Saeko said, stroking Megumi's hair. "But I have an event with the grad students this afternoon, and then I'm meeting with Izumi-sensei and Kazaoka-shacho for dinner."

"She has a life outside of entertaining your selfish ass, Megumi" I said. "Still, why are you meeting with Kazaoka Mari, of all people?"

"Without violating my NDA…" Saeko said, pursing her lips in thought, "…let's just say that Kaiousha and Google are trying to improve their predictive targeting algorithms for the Japanese market."

I frowned and crossed my arms. "Great, so I can see even more ads?"

"Consulting gigs pay for the stuff I'm actually interested in developing."

"I can understand that, but then why is Chiaki involved?"

"Because she's super fun to hang around with," Saeko said, laughing. "We're going clubbing after dinner. She knows where all the cool underground places are, and we won't have to wait in line!"

"Sacchan, please take me, too!" Megumi begged.

"Next time, okay? Touma-sensei wouldn't forgive me if I let you party during midterm week," Saeko said, provoking more whining from Megumi.

"Be safe out there," I said.

"Don't worry," Saeko said. "I'm just having a fun girls' night out. I'm not out there to pick up any guys. Or girls, for that matter."

I laughed. "Oh, I wasn't worried about that at all. You're free to pick up whoever you wish."

Saeko pouted. "I know you're being progressive, but I wanted you to be more possessive."

"It seems I have much to learn about relationships," I said, with a wry smile. Before we could continue, someone knocked at Saeko's door.

Saeko expertly extricated herself from Megumi's embrace and answered the door. As I'd predicted, Kazusa arrived bearing gifts of manju from the Shuei-do shop in Los Altos. Saeko gladly accepted the sweet, anko-filled pastries, and Kazusa took her wayward charges back for more studying.

I'm so fucking mad right now,Megumi wrote later on. We again sat at the dining table with our textbooks, under Kazusa's supervision.

Why? You got what you wanted last night, didn't you? I wrote back.

But now I want it every night!

If you give a mouse a cookie…

Oh, shut up! Wouldn't you rather be out dancing at cool clubs with celebrities and CEOs and especially Sacchan?

Sure, but they're functional adults, while we're just scrubs.

I hate being worthless! Make it stop!

Then become a neurosurgeon.

I'm gonna lobotomize you.

I won't pay for that.

Consider it a charity case. Prepare your nose-anus.

The stereotypes are true: doctors are terrible with money!

Shut up, you starving D-lister.

Our exchanges went on like this for hours, while we studied in silence. Eventually, we were released for dinner, after which we came back, studied some more, and then were dismissed to bed. As much as I found it stifling, however, I knew that without Kazusa's strictness, I'd probably have neglected my test preparation entirely.

Megumi crawled into bed beside me and jabbed a knuckle into my side.

"Ow!" I said. "What was that for?"

"Still mad," she said. "I wanna be out clubbing."

"It's really not as fun as you think it is," I said. "Music so loud you can't talk, drinks completely overpriced, long lines for the bathroom, vomit in the sinks, constantly getting groped and ground on. Gets old, fast."

"You've never done it, either! You're the same age as I am! Minors aren't ever into those places. Even I know that."

"My senpai in the theater club took me a few times," I said. "She taught me the most valuable skill for getting into places where I shouldn't be: not drawing attention to myself. You could have learned a lot from her."

Megumi's eyes narrowed. "Why'd your senpai take you clubbing, anyway?"

"Because she liked me."

"High school boys are all gross as hell, though."

"I'm not denying that I was. She just had strange tastes."

"Did you two fuck?"

"No, but she taught me how to perform cunnilingus."

She scowled at me. "Weren't you already dating Sacchan? Did you seriously cheat on her?"

"Oh, you remember the cute bento story? She rejected me."

"What?"

"Yeah, she said 'no' at first." I smiled. "She changed her mind, eventually, but I didn't exactly win on day one."

"Sacchan was wise, indeed," Megumi said. "Never give up the goods just because some douchebag makes you lunch at random."

"Anyway, my senpai taught me those skills because I was a little depressed over getting rejected. She told me it would make me more appealing to Saeko if I knew how to please a woman."

Megumi chuckled. "You're easily bamboozled, aren't you?"

I sighed. "Perhaps I am, otherwise I probably wouldn't be here."

"Well," Megumi said, burying her face in her pillow, "I'm kinda glad you're so stupid."

I rolled over and ran my fingers through her hair. "You know, if I hadn't come here, Sennouchi Akira probably would have left the band alone. You could have been having orgies in a condemned trailer, right now."

"If not her, some other shithead would've taken over the band. So I forgive you."

"For all my whining and moaning about it, I love the theater," I said with a sigh. "There's nothing like the limelight. Nothing in the entire world. But it also demands a lot of blood and misery, and can't be achieved alone. I've always relied on others to help me be the center of attention. So I'm grateful to you for arranging our music and leading the band. And for being willing to risk it all on stage alongside me."

She pressed her face harder into the pillow. "You say you feel that way about the stuff I've done. But what do you feel about me?"

"You're extremely annoying."

"Fucker—"

"But everyone special to me is also extremely annoying."

She jabbed another knuckle into my gut, and I winced. Then, her hand traveled down my abdomen until her fingers caught the waist of my boxer briefs, and then yanked them down. My erection, only semi-formed, rapidly grew. Megumi shuffled down without a word, and took my cock in her mouth. She ran her lips and tongue up and down my shaft, before taking the base and stroking it with one hand, while the other gently squeezed my balls. Just as I was about to crest over the point of no return, however, she broke contact again.

"If you're gonna tease me again, at least let me finish myself off," I groaned.

"I'm not teasing you," Megumi said, surprisingly shyly. She sat up and pulled off her shirt. My manhood twitched at the sight of her bare breasts hanging freely. Then, she laid back, took her panties off, and spread her legs. "Here. I might not be a genius professor, or a powerful CEO, or a famous actress, or the one-and-only Touma Kazusa, but you'd better not turn your nose up at me, all the same."

"Megumi, I want to confirm," I said, as I crawled up to her on the bed. "Do you want me to take your virginity?"

"D-don't be tiresome," she snarled. "I said I wanted it! Just…just don't expect me to spray blood all over the sheets like in your stupid hentai visual novels or something. I've put some pretty big objects up there, you know."

"Like what?"

"A…a Sharpie!"

At this, I had to laugh. "That's not big at all."

"A bowling ball!"

"Bullshit. You're just trying to one-up everyone like you always do."

"The entire collection of One Piece tankobon!"

"That'll kill any living thing on the planet. Okay, I'm putting it in."

I positioned my glans against her opening. It was drenched, hot, and engorged already. Then, I slowly eased it into her. I'd had enough sex to know that a girl on her first time wasn't going to explode like some sort of blood squib when I penetrated her. Even Saeko hadn't had a hymen when we'd done it the first time, and she hadn't been the most athletic girl in the world.

Megumi writhed and moaned as I buried myself up to the hilt in her pussy. Her walls clenched around me. She seemed to be enjoying it, at least. I started thrusting, and her breathing quickened. "N-no stupid comments about how tight it is!" she huffed. "And I'll kill you if you say I'm loose!"

In reply, I kissed her. She gasped, whimpered, and locked her ankles around my waist. I probed her tongue with mine, and ran it over the roof of her mouth and the points of her teeth. I'd been stimulating her breasts with my hands, but she found them with hers and interlaced our fingers together. My cock twitched in response to the lewdness of what we'd just done but I avoided orgasming right there, and continued to make love to her. Eventually, too embarrassed to continue, our fingers dropped away from each other's.

"Would you like something in your ass?" I asked her.

"Yeah, but not your dick," she said. "You know, the contract and all…"

I straightened my back and lifted her legs so her knees bent over my shoulders. While I pounded her in this new position, I caressed her quivering hole and pushed a finger in as deep as it would go. From what I'd observed, this seemed to be her "button."

She threw her head back and moaned, before mashing her hands over her mouth to stifle herself. Her body shook, spasmed, and clenched against both my manhood and my finger. "C-come in me," she squeaked through her fingers.

"Megumi," I rasped, "I'm coming!"

I let out a groan while I emptied myself deep in her. Her eyes widened with the new sensation, and a thin line of drool streaked from the corner of her mouth. Finally, with nothing left to give her, I collapsed against her with my face buried in the pillow next to hers.

For a while, we stayed like this, silent. Her arms wrapped around my back and squeezed. "You weren't terrible," she said.

"Compared to who?" I asked.

"Sacchan, of course. You're okay, though, for when she's not around."

"Thanks, I think."

"Hey, get off. I wanna check something out."

I slowly rolled off her and onto my back. Megumi grabbed at her cell phone, tapped a few buttons, and then aimed the camera squarely between her legs.

"What're you doing?" I asked.

"You know how in porn, there's always a shot of the guy's cum oozing out of the chick's pussy afterward? I wanna see if that happens in real life."

"You shouldn't film that. What if your phone gets stolen?"

"Don't let me lose it, doofus," she said, as she tried to get the perfect angle and focus.

"I'm going to wash my hands," I said, and shifted out of bed. I didn't bother putting my underwear back on, for I didn't want to dirty it, and even if I ran into Kazusa in the hallway, there was nothing she hadn't seen already.

"You do you, hombre," Megumi said, continuing to record herself.

The bathroom was a short distance away. And, just my luck, it was occupied. I considered going to the kitchen sink to wash up, but before I could do so, Kazusa opened the door. She glanced at my obviously post-coital body, my disheveled hair, and my wet hands, and blushed.

"Don't mind me, Yuji," she murmured. "You two can…use the shower if you want."

"Auntie Kazusa…" I said. "I'm sorry if we disturbed you. We'll go to sleep soon."

"You don't want to have more sex?"

"I do, but…"

"It makes me happy to hear you two," Kazusa said. "So have some fun. I'll let you two sleep in for a little bit."

With that, she quickly pushed past me and entered her room again. I averted my eyes, went to the bathroom, and soaped up my hands. It wouldn't be great for my exam performance if I came down with gastroenteritis. As I rinsed off, something on the countertop caught my eye. It was a vibrator—Kazusa's, to be exact, and freshly cleaned. My heart sank. Kazusa had been suffering in silence while I'd been loudly having fun.

I left the bathroom and went back to Megumi's room.

"Dude, look! It's totally real!" she said, and bounded up to me while shoving her phone screen at my face.

"Alright, alright," I said, and got back into bed. "Delete that right now and let's go to sleep."

She pouted. "You don't wanna go for round two?"

"I'm a little tired, to tell you the truth," I said. "We kind of had a full day, and I'm flagging a bit."

"Fine," Megumi said, and cuddled up to me. "But I wanna do it more with you, later."

"I'm here all week," I said, with a chuckle, though my contentment was marred with impurities.

Chapter 14: Fear and Loathing in Los Cabos

All rise for the honorable Kitahara Setsuna!

A few days after our midterms were over, the High Court of Asian Mothers was in session. I, Kitahara Yujiro, stood accused of slacking off instead of studying for my college midterm examinations. My co-defendant, Touma Megumi, faced the same charges. The penalty was, as always, death. In the American judicial system, we were presumed innocent unless proven guilty. In this court's eyes, we were completely guilty and could only beg for leniency.

"Is the video working?" Judge Setsuna asked, poking at buttons on her tablet. She'd joined us by videoconferencing, and while it was the afternoon in America, it was approaching midnight in Japan. "Can you hear me?"

Our prosecutor, Touma Kazusa, greeted her. "Setsuna, you're much better at this tech stuff than I am. We can see and hear you just fine."

"Yoohoo!" Chiaki said, waving cheerfully at Setsuna while she video-bombed the call. For reasons incomprehensible and infuriating to me, Chiaki had appointed herself our defense attorney. In short, Megumi and I were irrevocably fucked.

"Oh! Izumi-sensei!" Setsuna said. "Thank you for being here! I still can't believe a famous celebrity is teaching my son!"

"I couldn't pass up the chance, you know? He's a unique treasure like you are, Setsunyah!"

Setsuna laughed. "I'm just an average salarywoman, so I don't know why you think I'm special. But, if you're helping Yujiro, I'll believe anything you say!"

"Setsuna," Kazusa said, "it's way too late in Japan, so let's make this quick. Yujiro-kun, you go first. How did you do on the midterms?"

"Before I answer, I wish to make a statement," I said, raising my hand.

"Why do you sound so serious, Yuji?" Setsuna said.

I stood to plead for lenience before our judge.

"Ay, but to die, and go we know not where,

To lie in cold obstruction and to rot,

This sensible warm motion to become

A kneaded clod; and the delighted spirit

To bathe in fiery floods, or to reside

In thrilling region of thick-ribbèd ice,

To be imprisoned in the viewless winds

And blown with restless violence round about

The pendent world; or to be worse than worst

Of those that lawless and incertain thought

Imagine howling—'tis too horrible.

The weariest and most loathèd worldly life

That age, ache, penury, and imprisonment

Can lay on nature is a paradise

To what we fear of death."

I clasped my hand to my chest, bowed my head, and sat down.

"Yujiro, that was very nice and dramatic, but I didn't understand any of what you said," Setsuna said, tilting her head in confusion.

"'Measure for Measure,' by William Shakespeare," Chiaki said. "Act three, scene one. Basically, he's pathetically pleading for his life!" She cracked up. "Yunyun, did you fail all your tests?"

One day, Izumi Chiaki, I will have my revenge! I howled inside.

"Yuji, just show me the grades already," Setsuna said. "It's okay, I can't do anything to you from here." Then, she giggled. "I'll just have Kazusa hang you by your toenails!"

"N-no need for that!" I said, and took out my test results, which had been compiled for me onto a single printout, courtesy of Stanford's online student portal.

My mother peered at it, as did Kazusa from over the top of the screen. I held my breath.

"Well," Setsuna said with a click of her tongue, "you should have taken it more seriously, but at least an 89 overall isn't terrible. Do better on your finals, okay?"

"Auntie Kitahara, I tried so hard to make him focus, but he was terribly mean to me through the entire thing!" Megumi said, feigning martyrdom.

"Usotsuki!" I wheeled on her with grit teeth.

"Yujiro!" Setsuna snapped. "Don't be cruel to Megumi-chan! She did her best for you!"

"Really, Auntie, it's okay," Megumi sniffled. "Yuji's a little rough around the edges, but I think he's a good person at heart. He just needs to do everything I tell him to, in the future."

"And how did you do?" I said. "Don't try and worm your way out of showing your grades, Meg!"

Megumi fixed the smuggest grin possible on me as she pulled out her printout. She flashed it at me and my jaw dropped.

"How the hell did you get a 97 overall average?" I asked, mortified.

"Guess I'm gonna be a rocket surgeon, after all," she said, cackling.

"Megumi-chan," Setsuna said with her eyes alight. "You know, my son is single, and I know he can come off as uncaring, but please give him a chance!"

"Thank you, Auntie Kitahara," Megumi said, with a perfect bow to Setsuna. "I'll continue to work hard to make Yuji a productive member of society! I can fix him."

"Please, call me 'Auntie Setsuna!' I'll be coming over to see your show for the holidays. If you're free at all, I'd love to spend some time with a potential future daughter-in-law…"

"Okay, okay," I growled. "Mom, it's way late in Japan, and now you've seen my grades. You should log off and get some sleep."

"But what if I want to talk with Megumi-chan some more?" Setsuna pouted.

"Megumi has to practice piano for forty hours a day, so she's already behind schedule."

"Oh! Then never mind me! Goodnight Yuji! Izumi-sensei, Kazusa, and Megumi-chan, thank you for taking care of my son!"

With that, Setsuna logged off. My shoulders slumped.

"Is our trial over, yet?" Megumi groaned, and picked a piece of breakfast out of her teeth.

"Yes, and now you can do whatever you want," Kazusa said, flopping onto one of the couches with her head resting on Chiaki's lap.

"Excellent!" Megumi shouted while playing air guitar. "I'm gonna smoke so much weed in med school! 'C' equals 'MD!'"

"I really can't imagine you treating live patients," I said.

"I'll be a surgeon. They'll be asleep and shit."

"I'm going to write a letter to every medical school in America and Japan expressing grave doubts about your character."

"Man, there's a huge doctor shortage. They'll take any old asshole with a pulse, these days. I mean, look at Jordan Peterson."

"He's a psychologist, not a psychiatrist."

"Close the fuck enough. Anyway, stop moping! We're free! No more studying forever!"

"You still have to study in medical school. And we still have to deal with finals. Those are going to rear their nasty little heads around when we perform 'Rent.'"

"I'm gonna pretend you didn't just tell me to go fuck myself," Megumi pouted. "The important thing right now is that the American Turkey-Eating Holiday is coming right up, and that means no school for a week."

I inhaled sharply. After the holiday, there would be less than a month until our premiere. By most accounts, we were ready—the troupe had done several run-throughs since the first, which had been for Mari and her Kaiousha executives. Even Megumi hadn't needed to ad-lib her lines, and the band had proved themselves surprisingly competent and adaptable for all of the backstage work and extra parts. Still, I couldn't escape the feeling that there simply wasn't enough time.

"Yunyun," Chiaki said, as she stroked Kazusa's head. "You wanna run away to Mexico? We can get away from it all. Eat mangoes in bed every day, roast up lobsters that we caught ourselves…" She licked her lips. "Do it on the beach…"

"I can't afford to splurge on a vacation," I said.

"But what if it's an all-expenses-paid trip for the troupe? We'll call it an acting retreat, even though we're really there to goof off!"

I blinked at her. "A retreat?"

Chiaki chuckled with an extra undertone of deviousness. "Kaiousha owns a resort property in Cabo San Lucas—that's at the tip of the land-penis known as Baja California—and I convinced Marimari to fully sponsor an 'intensive theatrical bootcamp' for the Jormungandr Troupe. That means me, Nicky-kun, Akinyah-chan, Sacchan, Megumin, Kazu-nyan, and hell, anyone from the band that wants to go! We're gonna drink Tequila 'til we puke! You in?"

"Well, if it's truly all-expenses paid…" I stroked my chin. I'd never been on vacation to Mexico in my life, much less to an exclusive beach resort. The closest I'd come had been some trips to Okinawa and Enoshima, but those had been with my parents, so I'd never really gotten to cut loose before. On top of it all, Saeko and I had never been together in such a romantic, sensual setting… "Sure, I'll go. But we'd better get some actual acting practice in. I don't like how little time we have until the premiere."

Chiaki doubled over in laughter. "Oh my fucking god, what a wet blanket! Megumin, Kazu-nyan, you guys are gonna go, right?"

To my surprise, both shook her heads.

"I'd love to party with Sammy Hagar, but…" Megumi said, pursing her lips, "…I kinda made a prior commitment that I can't back out of. Timing sucks ass."

"And I'm sorely behind on my practice schedule," Kazusa said. "It was an extreme burden to abstain for nearly an entire week. I have forgotten the face of Chopin. So I must regain my honor as a piano player."

"Aw, you sure?" Chiaki pouted. "The band will be disappointed."

"Well, they're gonna have to suck it up," Megumi said. "Part of what I'm doing is for them, anyway."

"Megumi, I understand why Auntie Kazusa can't go," I said, "but I really don't know what could be more important to you than drinking yourself silly and puking on the beach."

"I just can't tell you!" Megumi said, turning her face away. Her cheeks tinged pink.

"Don't worry, Yuji," Kazusa said. "She didn't get pregnant, if you're worried about that."

I buried my face in my hands. Now, I was looking forward to some time away from the two of them.

#

The next day, we all stepped off the 737 and onto the rocky sands of Baja California Sur, the thirty-first of the thirty two states of Mexico. We'd taken a morning flight from San Jose International, and as a result, most of us had slept like logs during the flight. I'd still been groggy as all hell during the shuttle ride over, and only really opened my eyes for real as our shuttle buses pulled up to the resort.

"Dai kirei!" Akina exclaimed as she exited the bus and beheld the three-story mansion situated right on the beach, facing the brilliant sapphire of the Pacific Ocean. She drew closer to me and whispered in my ear. "Seriously, Yuji, is this really all-expenses paid?"

"That's what Izumi-sensei and Kazaoka-shacho promised," I said, with a shrug. In truth, I shared my sister's worry—this all looked extremely expensive, and thus immediately raised our middle-class Ogiso family hackles.

"If there's a catch, I'll rely on you to sort it out with them, okay?" Akina said, conspiratorially. "Even if you have to use your body!"

I elbowed her, playfully. "What are you? My sister, or my pimp?"

"Porque no los dos?" she asked, in passable Spanish.

"Yoohoo, Jormungandr Troupe!" Chiaki hollered from the entrance as we walked toward the mansion with our luggage. She'd already gotten fully into the beach life, and wore a bikini with a breezy, lily-patterned pareo skirt. The mandatory hibiscus flower adorned her hair for a tropical look. "Bienvenido a Mexico! Rooms are first-come, first-served! Whip your dicks out and stake a claim!"

"Dicks! Dicks! Dicks! Dicks!" chanted the band while they pumped their fists. They rushed into the mansion, cheering and hollering while starting a mad dash for the most desirable rooms with a sea view.

"Chiaki, this isn't a brothel!" Mari chided, emerging from the mansion behind her with a margarita in hand. Like Chiaki, she also wore a bathing suit, although hers was a black one-piece with a neckline that plunged all the way to her crotch, and gave me a wonderful view of her cleavage. When she saw me, however, Mari apparently forgot all about trying to control Chiaki, and rushed up to catch me in an embrace.

"Hey, you!" she said, pressing her sleek form against me. She licked my ear, and her chilly tongue made me shiver—and become semi-hard. "Ready to have some fun?"

"He's here to improve his acting," Saeko said, as she caught me in a headlock and cast Mari some side-eye. "Not just chow down on bearded clams."

I chuckled. "But Sacchan, you like bivalves, too!"

Mari winked at Saeko. "You two should find a room before the band takes the ones with all the best views."

"Oh, right!" I said, patting Saeko on the arm before she choked me out. "We can stay in the same room this time."

Saeko blushed and loosened her death grip. "Yeah, I just realized that, too."

"This isn't a Japanese school trip," Chiaki said, tickling Saeko's sides with her fingers from behind her. "Boys and girls don't have to be separate! But…all the rooms with separate beds have probably been taken by now, as well as all of the king sized mattresses, so you're gonna have to manage with a small twin! Dohoho!"

"Is that okay, Sacchan?" I asked.

"It's fine," Saeko said, playfully sticking her tongue out at me. "I'll just sleep under the covers, and you have to sleep over them."

"You two are so kinky," Mari said, rubbing me more. "Stop by my room if you need a break!"

"Are you staying with anyone, Kazaoka-shacho?" I asked.

"Just Chiaki," Mari said. "The presidential suite gets too lonely if you don't have a roommate…or a boyfriend."

"Yuji," Saeko said. "Shall we find our room?" She wrenched me away from Mari, and took my by the hand.

"Don't forget, dinner's at eighteen-hundred!" Chiaki said, chuckling as she watched us. "Though I won't count on seeing you two! Dohohoho!"

I'd packed light, whereas Saeko had packed heavy, which meant that it fell on me to lug her gigantic rolling suitcase around the mansion as we knocked on doors. True to Chiaki's prediction, the largest rooms on the top two floors had quickly been taken by the band, which left us on the first floor in a virtual broom closet whose view of the breach was largely blocked by a leaning palm tree, and with a bed probably meant for a single individual.

"Damn," I said, regarding at our lodging. "Sorry, I shouldn't have socialized so much. I'll ask Kazaoka-shacho if she'll let you stay in the presidential suite. I'm sure there's a ton of space, and probably a few extra beds there."

Saeko slowly turned, stepped closer to me, and slammed her palm against the wall near my face—she'd done a classic kabedon on me. I flinched, but also found myself aroused.

"Are you trying to kick me out of my own room while we're on vacation?" she asked.

"N-no, but this is way too small for two people…"

"That just means you can't escape me." She raised her eyebrows until I could see three sides of her pupils while her gaze bored into mine. "Or were you thinking about slipping out and banging Kazaoka and Izumi in their sexy swimsuits?"

"I wasn't…"

Her lips brushed my ear. "Shut the fuck up and take your pants off," she whispered. "You need discipline."

Wordlessly, I complied. Saeko squatted down, pulled my underwear down, and freed my throbbing manhood. "Disgusting. You're already dribbling Cowper's fluid," she said. "Was that because Kazaoka rubbed against you a little? You're pathetic. A dirty man-whore who needs to be put in his place."

"I'm sorry," I whimpered, as she took my cock in her mouth. Then, she pressed further in, until my glans entered the back of her throat. "Sacchan," I groaned, under the pressure and pleasure.

She pulled back and took a deep breath, before wiping her mouth and smearing the mucus on her fingers.

"Weak-willed himbos like you don't deserve to get off normally," she said. Then, she pressed a fingertip against my ass and pushed it in. I slid down the wall a bit under the attack, which spread my ass a bit more and allowed her to slip another in. Saeko's deft fingertips found my prostate, and started to rub rhythmically while she took me in her mouth again. I panted under the waves of stimulation, and my cock started to twitch. "Do you seriously think any other woman can make you feel as good? Tell me, you absolute criminal!"

"Sacchan," I grunted. "No one else can make me feel like you do! I'm going to come soon!"

She furiously stroked my shaft with her free hand. "Give it to me now! It belongs only to me!"

My knees buckled and I let out a shout as I squirted on her face, and then into her mouth. Her fingers milked my prostate, making me double over while I emptied myself.

After a few more moments, the haze of white around my vision faded, and I was able to see her clearly again. Saeko opened her mouth to show me the milky white fluid within, and then promptly swallowed it with a smile.

"Did you enjoy the yandere blowjob?" she asked, giggling. She wiped a glob of my semen from her chin and then licked it off her hand.

I smiled. "Every minute of it. You're a tremendously skilled actor."

She got back to her feet and kissed me. "Sadly, I kind of sabotaged myself a bit. Now I'm seriously wet, but you're not gonna be ready to go for a while."

"I have other body parts," I said, and turned us so her back was now against the wall. I got to my knees, slipped my fingers under her skirt, and pulled her panties down to her ankles. A thin strand of mucus stretched from her womanhood to the cloth until it finally broke. I put my fingers in her and thrust. She shivered and tossed her head back. On reflex, she grabbed tufts of my hair in her hands.

"Yuji, we can't just take turns pleasuring each other for the rest of the day! What if we miss dinner?"

"We have plenty of seafood and sausage," I said, before I pressed my tongue to her slit.

#

Predictably, Saeko and I ended up missing dinner. We lay atop the mattress of our twin bed, naked, panting and sweating despite the air conditioning turned to max.

"I hope they have leftovers," I said to Saeko, as she stroked my chest.

"What's the problem?" she asked. "Didn't have enough tuna?"

I chuckled. "We've just been siphoning each other's tanks for hours. We didn't add any more fuel."

"If they don't have anything here, we could always take a cab to the city," Saeko said. "I wouldn't mind having late night street tacos with you."

"How's your Spanish?" I asked.

"Nonexistent," she said. "But that's what AI translation is for."

"I never thought that stuff worked in real life."

"It was pretty bad at first, but translation's come a long way. Most algorithms can account for common slang, and the best ones are constantly updated. It won't be long until we might have AR that displays text on a visual interface like subtitles in real time."

I ran my fingers though her tresses. "I should know this, but is translation related to what you're researching?"

"Not strictly. Translation is just a neat application. Kind of like calculus and topology are applications of pure mathematics. Keeping it simple, what I do is pretty similar to pure math."

"Math for math's sake?"

"Basically."

"I thought you were constructing artificial personalities like HAL 9000, or Cortana, or Skynet."

She laughed. "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that. We're nowhere near what's portrayed in movies. Making a construct that can go mad, or turn against humanity after careful consideration of the risks and benefits…that's something that probably won't be accomplished in our lifetimes. But I want to get closer, you know?"

"Please don't get us all nuked," I said, ruffling her hair. "I can't make a decent living as an actor if we're all running from terminators."

She lifted her head and kissed me. "Yuji, what's with all the questions? I thought we were going to get food."

"We were, but I also realized that I'd never asked you what you were doing here in the first place. I also never really understood, or even tried to understand, what you were pouring your heart and soul into before you left Japan."

"True, but it's not like you even knew what questions to ask. I really didn't mind."

I hugged her. "Well, I mind. I mind that I wasn't really interested in knowing the whole you. I was just a kid, only interested in having fun and sex and my own world on stage. So, I'm sorry about that. I want to start now, since we're rediscovering each other again. There's no way I'll ever be a true intellectual or professional peer, but that doesn't mean I should give up trying."

She nuzzled the side of my face. "Yuji, if you say too much stuff like that, it'll seriously endanger my job."

I blinked. "Huh? Why?"

"Because I'll get the overwhelming urge to marry you. And there's no way I'll be able to hide the fact that I got hitched with an undergrad!"

"Yeah, you're right," I said, sighing. "I guess we'd have to wait until I graduate. All the more reason to finish college up quickly."

"Try to help Megumi get into med school at Stanford," Saeko said. "That way, we can all stay together much easier."

"Very funny," I said, rolling my eyes.

"I'm not joking, though," Saeko said. "I think it's incredibly lucky that she likes you as much as I do."

"Sacchan, she's a two-legged clusterfuck of a disaster. An annoying, immature, surly brat with a pathological dependence on attention and praise for doing nothing but inconveniencing others."

Saeko gave me some serious side-eye. "Hearing you gush over her like that makes me incredibly jealous."

"Sorry," I said, caressing her cheek. "But I was complaining about her for real."

"You dislike her so much that you had sex with her for real."

"How would you even know that?" I looked away. There was no use lying to Saeko. "…I did."

"I had a feeling. And looks like I was right! Ah, this is why I'm always bored by mystery novels…"

"Sacchan, do you want me to cut things off with her?"

Saeko shook her head. "No. I've developed feelings for her, too. She's confirmed something that I've long suspected about myself."

"That you have a thing for irredeemable assholes?"

She swatted me. "You managed insult all three of us in one sentence! Good job!"

"Thanks!"

Saeko laughed. "But in all seriousness, I realized that I'm just as attracted to women as I am to men. And it's something I wish to explore more of."

"What are you proposing, then?"

"How about we all just stay together in a relationship? You know, a throuple, a polycule, that kind of thing."

"That doesn't work," I said. "My parents are a good example. Auntie Kazusa ended up getting left out and suffering for it. I can't do that to either of you."

"But I'm not your mother, and Megumi isn't Touma-sensei. Nor are you your father. No one has to be left out, this time."

"I don't know," I said, clenching my jaw. "It sounds impossible."

"Three legged stools are super common, though."

"And they hold up because they're made of wood or metal. Stuff that's unyielding and never changes. But we're made of meat, Sacchan. Meat is always changing. So our situation is inherently unstable. And the consequences for failure are extreme. I mean, it wasn't just Auntie Kazusa who suffered greatly. Look at my parents. They—" My throat started to spasm.

"Yuji," Saeko said, pulling me up, suddenly. "Focus on me and don't think about anything else. Take a deep breath. Inhale, count to four, then exhale, and count to four."

Following her directions as my supreme imperative, I slowed my breathing. My heartbeat throbbed in my ears, but as she kept talking with me, the pressure receded. She rubbed my back as I rocked to and fro, focusing only on her instructions. After a while, I could hear and see clearly again.

"Yuji? Are you better now?"

I tapped my chest with a fist to calm my heart down. My stomach churned, and I swallowed back bitter acid. "I think so. Ugh. What happened? Did I drink the tap water by accident?"

Saeko squeezed my hands. "Maybe that, or you had a GERD attack. I hear the best treatment is to eat more. It'll neutralize the acid, or something."

"Are you sure that's how it works?"

"Don't ask me. Megumi's our aspiring physician."

"I think I'd rather look up sketchy home remedies on the internet."

"Let's search for something to eat. You need to get moving."

Hand in hand, we made our way to the spacious dining room on the first floor. The kitchen was closed, but there was a microwave and a fridge stocked with beer right outside the entrance. There, we found two takeout boxes with our names written on them, courtesy of Chiaki. Thankfully, the food was enough to settle my sudden stomachache. For the first time in a long time, I felt grateful to my professor.

#

The next morning, Saeko and I groggily made our way to the dining room again and ate fresh tortillas and huevos rancheros for breakfast, all washed down with grapefruit juice and beer for those who wanted it. Once again, I seemed to be the only person in the entire group who eschewed sugar and creamer in his coffee. Even Saeko wasn't immune to the influence, and I died a little inside while she gladly dumped packets of crystallized corruption into her mug.

"Seriously, the coffee isn't even that good," Nick said, laughing as he saw my reaction. "Just liven it up a little like the rest of us."

"If purity is against the law, then I will be an outlaw," I said, forcing the admittedly burnt-tasting stuff down my gullet. "Say, Kaicho, are we planning to do any practice at all here, or are we here entirely so Izumi-sensei can drink and party with people half her age?"

"Ninety percent the latter. Maybe a sliver of the former."

I frowned. "So we're wasting our time goofing off."

"Don't think about it that way," Nick said. "Remember, we're theater nerds and do this stuff because we're obsessed with the limelight. But the band members aren't. And they do all the stuff we can't possibly do on our own. So going on an all-expenses paid trip to party with famous actresses on the beach is a completely necessary reward for them."

"It's like when I take the grad students out for lunches and dinners," Saeko said. "Or get them little gifts for their spouses and kids. It builds loyalty, you know."

"Speaking of the band," Akina said, as she shoveled eggs into a tortilla, "why aren't Meg and Auntie Kazusa here, anyway?"

"Auntie Kazusa felt bad about missing so much practice," I said. "And as for Megumi, I have no earthly clue."

"Yuji, I was talking with Mom recently. She really wants you to get together with that girl. She was totally stressing about what kind of gift to bring for Meg when she comes over."

I rolled my eyes. "I'll have to shut her down, hard."

"You know Mom's a total shipper and a complete pervert. She won't take 'no' for an answer," Akina said, laughing. "Want me to take Meg to get sized for a dress?"

"Dammit, Aki, enough!" I said as I rose from the table. "I'm taking a walk on the beach!"

I briskly strode away, annoyed at my older sister for bringing up a point of contention that I'd gotten a GERD flare over the previous night. There was no possible way for Akina to have known about it, but her words still rankled me. I had no idea how Setsuna would react to the fact that I'd found Saeko again, and was trying to date her again. Either possibility, that she'd wholeheartedly embrace it, or wholeheartedly reject it, caused me anxiety.

I'd spent a while trudging along in the sand, looking down at my feet, when someone tapped me on the shoulder from behind. Startled, I turned around to see Mari. She wore a bikini this time, which I noticed was white and sheer enough that I could see her nipples and the lines of her womanhood clearly beneath the fabric. Atop her head was a cute straw hat decorated with flowers.

"Something, or someone, on your mind, Yuji?" she asked.

"Kazaoka-shacho," I said, with a bow.

Mari fixed a look of disapproval at me. "I told you to call me Mari."

"Sorry, Mari. But I thought that was only for when I played the role of your boyfriend."

"Simply being here means that I've already bought your time, although I'll be kind to Iizuka-sensei and not monopolize it. Are you enjoying your vacation so far?"

I looked away, trying to suppress my body's response to memories of what I'd done with Saeko the first night. "It's wonderful, thank you. And I'm grateful that you agreed to let the band stay here, too. As Morikawa-kaicho just told me, it's important to give them something nice like this, even though they're working under duress."

"Your support staff are just as important as your headliners," Mari said. "Nick-kun is wise beyond his years. I'm gonna scoop him up for the company after he graduates."

"I'm sure he'd appreciate a fair offer."

She laughed. "I'm not going to lowball him. You, on the other hand, are a bit overpriced. I missed your company last night."

"I apologize. I was…occupied."

"Your growing erection tells me the entire story," Mari said, chuckling as she drew closer. "Iizuka-sensei looked properly content this morning. No wonder you two were so tired. But, as your sponsor, it's my turn to borrow you for a bit."

"What did you have in mind, Mari?"

She smiled at me, then pushed the crotch of her bikini aside to reveal her pussy.

"Show me how well you can act, of course."

Chapter 15: Mandatory Swimsuit Episode

"Mari," I said, and drew closer to her. "I owe you for a great many things, so we can have sex, if you wish. But going forward, you should know something."

She pressed herself against me and wrapped her supple arms around my shoulders, while I banded her midriff with mine. "I'm already aware," she said. "You got back together with Iizuka-sensei, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did. So I won't be able to play your boyfriend any more. I apologize."

Mari kissed me on the neck and tightened her embrace. "Iizuka-sensei told me. I've gotten to know her pretty well, even since Chiaki introduced us. She's as beautiful as she is brilliant. As ferocious as she is feminine. All those Silicon Valley billionaire misogynists live in mortal terror of her, and simultaneously worship the ground she walks on. You'll never find a better life-partner."

"Then you understand why you and I can't continue."

She laughed. "Yuji, it's obvious that you love her, but it's also hilarious how little you really know about her tastes."

I frowned, and loosened my hold on her. "What do you mean by that?"

"Haven't you ever wondered why she hasn't demanded that you stop fucking me, or Chiaki, or Touma Kazusa, or Touma Megumi?"

"We just re-started our relationship."

"Right, but you also sound like porn and fanfiction have liquefied your brain. The overwhelming majority of women will not tolerate their man sleeping around with acquaintances and friends, no matter how early the relationship may be. Normal women stay far away from men like you. Your only redeeming quality is that you've made no effort to hide your promiscuity from any of us."

"I feel like I should take offense," I said, with a shrug.

"Saeko, on the other hand, really likes seeing you passed around like a dented hundred-yen coin," Mari said, chuckling. She slipped her hand under the waistband of my trunks and squeezed my cock. "That's why, the more debauched you are, the more she craves you. I bet you never knew that about her back in Japan, eh?"

"No, I didn't." My thighs tensed under the pleasurable pressure of her grip. "But I don't necessarily believe you. I was with her for three years, and you've known her for a much shorter time. Besides, she was annoyed with you, yesterday."

She shifted her grip from my shaft to my balls, which she gently tugged and rolled with her fingers. "And then you two spent hours on end doing nothing but making each other come. Why don't we do an experiment? Let's see how she reacts to some physical evidence, shall we?"

"Saeko knows I'm…indebted to you. She also wants the production to succeed."

"Well, if she gets pissed off, I'll release you from your role as my occasional boyfriend. Otherwise, though, you might be visiting me for a very long time. Unless you can put your father in my bed, dohoho!" She released my testicles from her grip. My smeared pre-ejaculate snaked across her wrist. She licked it, and beckoned for me to follow her.

We walked a short distance to a grassy area shaded by palms. There, she bade me sit on a small, fallen log and pulled my trunks off. My cock stood at full mast. She got to her knees and took me in her mouth. A sigh of pleasure escaped my lips, and she giggled. Then, she released my cock for a moment before shoving it under her bikini top and between her breasts.

"Yuji," she said, as she moved her torso to stroke me. "If it wasn't obvious, this doesn't do much for any woman, physically."

"It feels great to me, though," I said, mesmerized by the sight of my glans poking through the top of the tight, supple valley she'd created.

Mari lifted her head and licked at a spot of drool that had collected on my chin. "And seeing your cute expressions makes it worth doing." She dabbed at the tip of my urethra with a finger. "You must be raring to come."

I nodded, excitedly.

She gently freed my cock from her cleavage, to my disappointment. "Sorry, Yuji. As much as I'd like you to mark me, I need it somewhere else. Eat my ass for a bit, okay?"

"As you command, Mari," I said.

She giggled, got on her hands and knees, and shook her rear at me. I got off the log, knelt behind her, and peeled her bikini bottom down until it showed her anus and barely revealed the bottom of her pussy. Despite her claim that tit-fucking me hadn't done much for her, she was wet enough to have deposited a thick puddle of goo into the crotch of her swimsuit, making it even more translucent than before. Unable to resist the temptation, I lapped up her secretions and slid my tongue over the opening of her pussy on my way to her ass. When my tip brushed her quivering hole, she let out a gasp. My tongue, lubricated with her fluids and my own saliva, pushed past her initial resistance, and spread her stiff walls aside. Then, I put two fingers into her pussy.

"Yuji!" She moaned. "You're too good at this! I'm going to come like an idiot at this rate!"

My entire mouth was occupied, so I answered her by thrusting faster with my fingers while probing her asshole. Soon after, I felt her spasm and contract. Her anus squeezed my tongue hard enough to expel it, and a tiny trickle of warm fluid snaked down the inside of her thigh. Mari's shoulders slumped and her head came to rest on the grass. Her hat slid off and came to rest nearby.

"Are you still hard?" she slurred. "Be rough. Degrade the shit out of me. Use me like an onahole!"

My cock twitched and my heart pounded in my throat. I positioned my glans against her pussy and shoved it in, hard. Then, I grabbed a generous handful of her hair and pulled until she was forced nearly upright. My free hand lifted her top to expose her breasts and pinched and pulled at her nipples while I railed her with abandon. Finally, I bit the back of her shoulder hard enough to leave a mark. She cried out in pleasure, and I felt her climax again. More fluid squirted from between her legs and sprayed the grass before us. The pressure of her walls was enough to force my orgasm, and I gripped her tightly as I pumped thick semen deep into her pussy.

Even though I'd just ejaculated, I was still too stimulated. I pulled out, walked around to face her, and thrust my still-hard manhood into her mouth. Her face flushed even deeper red, and she ravenously cleaned my cock and balls with her tongue, scavenging every drop of our mingled fluids. Then, I held my cock and pissed on her face.

Mari opened her mouth and thirstily drank what I didn't splash on her chin and breasts. Golden urine streaked down her belly and dripped from her thighs and crotch. Her chest heaved as she started to hyperventilate. Then, she mashed one of her hands between her legs before she groaned and doubled over. Another burst of her warmth hit my feet as she came, and she collapsed on her side on the grass, completely spent.

"Mari, are you okay?" I asked, as I knelt beside her and rubbed her back. "I'm sorry. I might have gone overboard."

She turned her head and fixed dreamy eyes at me. "No. It was great. It's exactly what I wanted."

"Can you stand?" I asked. "We should go back to the resort and clean up."

"I need another minute," she said, smiling.

"I didn't know you liked that kind of play," I said.

She chuckled. "They say the more powerful someone is, the more masochist they are. But I also know that I'm fundamentally safe with you, so lets me really get into the right head-space."

"Next time, we should agree on a safe word beforehand."

"How about 'Benu?' It's where we met again for the first time in nearly two decades."

"Sure, that works for me."

She pulled herself up to her knees, and then got to her feet. I bent over, picked up her straw hat, and gently placed it back on her head.

She leaned in and kissed me. "Yuji, you don't have to reply either way, but let me say it: I love you."

"Thank you," I said.

"Let's walk back," Mari said. "Remember, we have an experiment to run."

#

Mari and I played it cool as we navigated through the mansion on the way to her suite. She'd refused my suggestion to take a quick dip in the ocean to wash off the odors from our earlier tryst, but fortunately, there was no one around to smell it. The band members, as well as Akina and Nick, had taken a day trip to the nearby city to indulge in shopping, eating, drinking, and the sketchiest strip clubs south of the border.

"I heard you two got stuck in the smallest room with the worst view," Mari said, as we stepped into the mansion and made our way up the stairs to her suite.

"We made the most of it," I said, with a smile and a shrug.

"I wish I could've been there," Mari said. "You know, Chiaki told me she's feeling a little lonely these days. Don't forget that she also needs attention and love."

"She's also my professor, so any physical relationship we have is extremely improper."

"Yuji, she's more than just an amoral gynoid whose only mission is to perfect her craft."

"So you agree that she's a monster."

"Yes, but, like me, she also fell hard for a certain Kitahara…and lately, his son."

"She'll be fine. After all, she always finds a way to get what she wants, and fool me into thinking it was my idea, all along. I can't outsmart her, and I've given up on trying."

"Good," Mari said, and patted my head approvingly. "You've figured out the secret to dealing with women." She unlocked the door to the suite with a key that I'd noticed dangling from a band on her wrist, and let me in.

The presidential suite occupied a large chunk of the top floor of the mansion, and boasted its own pool sunken into a balcony overlooking the beach. Off the common area, doors led to what I assumed were the bedrooms and bathrooms.

"Have a drink," Mari said, passing me a frosty bottle of Corona Especial, the local favorite.

I was thirsty, and accepted it gladly. While I downed it, I noticed Mari take her swimsuit off. She threw the pieces across the top of a nearby couch, and hung her hat on a peg on the wall.

"Just in time," she said, as she made her way to what I assumed was the master bedroom. She winked coyly at me. "There's only so much a girl can do to stop it from all leaking out. There's no sphincter, like we have for the other hole."

"Mari?"

"Come with me, Yuji. I'll show you something you might like."

Wordlessly, I followed her into the master bedroom. As I expected, it boasted a dazzling view of the Pacific through floor-to-ceiling windows, and a massive California king-sized bed, along with an in-room hot tub right out of 'Scarface.' But as neat as the hot tub was, it was nothing compared to what took place on the bed.

Saeko writhed on the bed, wrapped in shibari, with additional rope that restrained her arms and spread her legs. Stuffed in her vagina was a vibrating "rabbit" style dildo, and in her ass was a jeweled butt plug. Taped to her perky breasts were small bullet vibrators, one for each nipple. Chiaki knelt next to her atop the mattress, gleefully manipulating the controls to the devices taped to my girlfriend.

"Wassup guys?" Chiaki said, waving cheerfully as if we'd walked in on her scrapbooking or knitting. Somewhat incongruous with our theme of a tropical beach getaway, she wore a sheer, body-hugging qipao dress with slit sides, the skirt portion of which was so short that I could easily see her pussy lips peeking out underneath. Of course, her hair was done in the mandatory twin-buns style and secured with elaborate combs. She propped Saeko's head up so she could see me clearly. "Whoops! Sacchan, I didn't tell you your cute boyfriend would drop in! How does it feel to have Yunyun see you like this?"

Saeko's face reddened as she met my gaze. Then, she clenched her jaw, shuddered, and came. There was no hiding it from me; I'd seen her orgasm countless times, after all.

I'd entered a state of semi-hardness seeing Mari strip for me, but seeing Saeko—hell, everyone—like this brought me to full strength.

Chiaki laughed at our reactions. "Ah, it was worth it! I have the cutest little colleague! And now that we're all here, I'm going to undo some rope. I want her a bit more limber for the next part."

She deftly undid some of the knots, and Saeko's limbs were free to move around. Even though she still had a dildo and butt plug in her, wore nipple vibrators, and had just been embarrassed enough to provoke an orgasm, Saeko quickly returned to her usual, unflappable state.

"Thank you, Izumi-sensei," Saeko said, as she flexed and extended her joints. "You're an expert with these ropes."

"I learned it for 'Nukitashi 5,'" Chiaki said, matter-of-factly. "The dominatrix who taught me was a complete tyrant, and a stickler for safety. Also, for a 96-year-old, she had more sex drive than any of us!"

"Iizuka-sensei," Mari said, and climbed on the bed. "I have something tasty for you, but you can't swallow it yet, okay?"

"Of course, Kazaoka-shacho." Saeko opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out.

Mari straddled Saeko's face, and spread her pussy lips with her fingers. I watched, mesmerized, as a glob of semen dropped from Mari right into Saeko's mouth. Mari dug in her fleshly canal with a finger, bore down, and squeezed more of my cum out onto my girlfriend's tongue. Saeko closed her lips and swirled her tongue around in her mouth. Then, Mari lifted herself off Saeko's face, lay down beside her, and started making out with her.

"I carried that all the way for you from the beach, dear professor," Mari said, as she lovingly caressed Saeko's face.

"Thank you, Shacho," Saeko said. She put a pair of fingers into Mari and started to thrust. "Yuji… did you, by any chance, pee on her?"

"I did," I said, dry-mouthed.

"Wonderful," she murmured. "I can't get enough of this scent."

"I know right?" Mari giggled. She grasped the dildo and started to thrust it in and out of Saeko's pussy. "Normally, it's disgusting, but we're so turned on that everything's scrambled!"

"Yunyun, come pet me a little," Chiaki said, beckoning to me. "You can't just spend all day on watersports with Marimari. You need to devote some time to your academic adviser, too."

"Y-yes, Izumi-sensei," I said. Knowing what she wanted, I took my trunks off and shuffled onto the bed, naked. My cock bounced joyfully, free of its confinement. "Sacchan…is this all okay with you?" I asked, just to be sure.

Saeko detached her mouth from Mari's and flashed me annoyance tempered by indulgence. "I'm a bit occupied at the moment, darling. Make your adviser happy so you can stay in school."

Chiaki flopped onto her back, spread her legs, and teasingly drew the near-useless front of her qipao skirt up. "Yunyun, my pussy's been a little lonely, so give it to me regular-style."

I complied, and thrust my aching cock into her. She arched her back and let out a contented burble. I found her nipples and teased them with my fingertips through the sheer silk.

"Oh, Yunyun," she gasped. "I know I'm being a bit boring, but really, nothing beats good old missionary position for me!"

"It's because you get to lay back and not do any work," I growled.

"It's the best feeling in the world, seeing an attractive man work up a sweat while I laze around, nyah!"

Chiaki kissed me and raked her nails across my back while I fucked her. Because I'd come in Mari not too long ago, I wasn't anywhere near the point of no return, and wouldn't be for a long time. So I took full advantage of that and jackhammered her all the way to her first orgasm, which she celebrated by leaving fang marks on my shoulder.

"Yuji," she groaned. "I love you!"

"Wait, is this acting practice?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No," she said, kissing me again. Then, she winked. "Maybe."

"Don't scare me like that," I said, and got off her. My cock still ached, although fucking her had sated the itch, if only a little.

"Chiaki, don't act out just because you missed him," Mari said. "That's so childish."

"Boom boom!" Chiaki whined, and pawed at Mari. "You took all his white stuff and left me nothing. Gimme!"

Mari moved off Saeko, drew up to Chiaki, and let a long, milky trail of our mixed fluids drip into her willing mouth. Then, Mari and Chiaki started to make out with each other.

Saeko came up behind me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. "Thanks for being such a good sport about all this," she said, nuzzling my ear.

"It's fine," I said. "I have no right to complain about being in a foursome with women as beautiful as all of you."

"You damned player," she said, laughing. "I have just the thing for you. Get on your hands and knees."

I complied, and sank my elbows into the down mattress. Saeko started stroking my cock with one hand. And then I felt her tongue push into my ass. I tensed from the sudden shock and pleasure, provoking a giggle from her. "You've gotten a lot more relaxed about anal play, I noticed," she said, drawing back. "Is that because of Megumi?"

"I guess," I said. "For someone with no prostate, she's sure fixated on asses. Mine and hers."

"I see where she's coming from, now that I've explored more. It feels pretty good. And I really like playing with yours. Still, if you fart without warning me, I'll kill you."

"I ate a light breakfast," I protested.

She again tongued my forbidden spot, while stroking my shaft and massaging my testicles. After a while, she put a pair of fingers in, and thrust in and out.

I lifted my head, and saw Chiaki and Mari grinding their slits on each other's thighs while they continued to swap my thinning seed back and forth. By now, there probably wasn't any left, if I thought about it logically. But the sight of them having sex, coupled with Saeko's expert grip and skilled anal stimulation, prompted a familiar, growing warmth in my pelvis.

As if reading my mind, however, Chiaki wagged a finger at me. "Time out! Now that you're properly warmed up, we can start the real show!"

The two women reached under the bed and pulled out what looked initially like some sort of S&M gear, however I quickly realized what they were: strap-ons.

"You should get on your hands and knees, too, Sacchan," Mari said. "Then you two can kiss and be lovey-dovey!"

Saeko followed her suggestion and crawled up beside me. Chiaki, meanwhile, moved behind me, and Mari behind Saeko.

"Don't worry, Yunyun," Chiaki said. "I'm using a very small one on you. All you have to do is loosen up and enjoy yourself."

I exhaled and attempted to leak the tension from my body. Chiaki knew what she was doing, and took her time and used copious amounts of lube. And before I knew it, she was buried in me. "Are you ready for me to start moving?" she asked.

"I think so," I said, breathing heavily.

Chiaki started to thrust. Initially, I felt mostly pressure, but within a few minutes, the warmth from before started to suffuse my groin. My erection had shrunk to nothing during the process, but even though I wasn't stiff anymore, I still felt the pleasurable sensation halfway between imminent ejaculation, and needing to piss.

I glanced over at Saeko. Mari removed the dildo and proceeded to fuck her in the pussy with the strapon. Saeko chewed her bottom lip in enjoyment while peering my way with heavy-lidded eyes. I gingerly moved my hand around the mattress until I found hers, and squeezed it. She grinned, and interlaced our fingers. As we committed this brazenly erotic act, even Chiaki and Mari let out titillated gasps.

"Yuji, let's…kiss and hold hands while we come," Saeko said, breathlessly. "I don't care if anyone else is watching!"

"Okay!" I cried.

Every one of Chiaki's thrusts built the pressure in my groin, and, knowing my body, I realized I was also at the edge. With our fingers still interlaced, I turned my head and pressed Saeko's lips against my own. Her orgasm hit her shortly before mine, and her moans leaked out of the corners of our mouths.

My vision went white as I bucked and groaned. Crashing waves of electricity surged through my core, from my stomach to the crown of my head and the tips of my toes. Warmth surged out from the tip of my semi-erect cock and onto the bed. Chiaki slowly pulled out, and I collapsed to my stomach.

Mari turned me over, and giggled. "Iizuka-sensei, he's defenseless now."

Saeko unsteadily got to her feet with their help, then squatted over my face. "Yuji, will you drink my pee?"

I looked up at her. At the lusty glow of her skin, covered in bountiful beads of sweet-smelling sweat and bound alluringly by rope. At her wavy, thick hair suffused with hints of chestnut. At her saintly, heart-shaped face whose features were made yet more brilliant with raw perversion and desire. In that moment, I knew that I could never let her go again. She was my first, my worst, my acme. She could ruin me, and I'd be the happiest man in the world. Of course I'd drink her piss.

I opened my mouth. She smiled, angelic in bliss, then spread her pussy open and let the golden elixir flow.

#

Later, Saeko and I stood under the gentle drizzle of the presidential suite's shower while I washed her back. Finally, it was just the two of us. Chiaki and Mari lounged in their bathrobes on the balcony quaffing expensive Tequila, and planned to spend the rest of the day absolutely hammered.

"Thanks, Yuji," Saeko said, and turned to face me again. She rested her hands on my sides and kissed me lightly on the lips. "If only they had a true hot spring here, then it would be absolutely perfect!"

"Like the one up north that Mom's relatives own?" I asked.

"Yeah, that one! It's been a while since we've been there. Maybe…two years, right? When we went with both our families plus Auntie Tomo?"

"Yeah, it was great. Although we didn't get to spend much time alone together," I said, chuckling. "I mainly just hung out in the baths with your dad and Uncle Takahiro, plus Auntie Tomo's boyfriend at the time—I don't remember his name, honestly. As a man, I'd rather have been on the other side of the bamboo fence."

Saeko stuck her tongue out at me. "Hentai. Trust me, we weren't groping each other's boobs in the women's bath."

"How big are Auntie Tomo's, anyway?"

"G-cups," Saeko said.

"Hallelujah!" I laughed, to which she spanked me lightly on the butt.

"Your mom's are pretty good, too," she said, with a smirk. "Probably D's. More to my liking."

"Oh, I knew that," I said with a shrug. "Mom's body is totally made for sex."

"My mom's got a better ass," Saeko said, unfazed.

"That so? Maybe I should find out for myself."

"You really are an incorrigible motherfucker, aren't you?"

"Why settle for the product, when you can have the factory?"

At this, Saeko lost our game of 'saying increasingly outrageous shit' by laughing again in earnest. "Okay, okay, you win…"

"You started it."

"I know," Saeko said, and kissed me again. "Can I tell you something for real, though?"

"Anything, Sacchan."

"I actually got a little turned on by your mom in the bath. Fortunately for me, women aren't as obvious about it as a guy would be, but it was more evidence that I wasn't completely straight."

"All joking aside, Kitahara Setsuna is a true beauty," I said. "Still, please don't seduce her."

"I don't need the factory," Saeko said, pressing herself to me. "I'm completely happy with the product. Because he's gentle, kind, can joke around with me, and doesn't mind that I'm a complete fucking degenerate."

I tightened my embrace around her. "I'm so glad I found you again."

"Are you truly okay with me? The way I want to be with women, too? Or that I like seeing you fucked by others? Or that I want Megumi to be a part of our lives?"

"I don't know if it'll work," I said. "I honestly have doubts, but there's no way to predict the future. The only thing we can do is to move forward, you and I."

"Yuji," Saeko said, and kissed me again. "I know I'm being stupidly impatient, but do you think you're ready yet? To make love to me again like you used to?"

I replied to her by moving my hands along her sides, up and down the crest of her hips, and over and under the curves of her buttocks. Our lips were locked together and our tongues danced, so we couldn't speak, but there were many more forms of communication. Together, we lowered ourselves to our knees. Saeko turned and braced herself against the tiled shower wall, and lifted one of her knees off the ground. I propped her leg on top of mine, and put my glans partway into her canal. This had been one of her favorite positions, since it put her G-spot right against my thrust.

"I'm going in," I said, and pushed.

Saeko shuddered with a mini-orgasm almost as soon as I penetrated her for real. Then, in pursuit of the complete experience, she started to bounce against me, as if taking my job away in her pursuit of pleasure. Unwilling to be made redundant like this, I matched her so that nearly the entire length of my shaft pushed into her with every thrust. I'd already come twice today in a relatively short time, so my sensitivity and my reserves were near-empty, but the sight of my lover—not just a sex friend—enjoying herself with my cock was enough to make up for any deficit I'd accrued.

"Don't you dare come outside," Saeko commanded me, panting while she fucked me as hard as I fucked her.

"I won't," I forced out, unable to enunciate further. The familiar rush started, growing from my groin to my core, and then spreading outward like a nova. My cock pulsed and I let out a moan.

She knew my body as well as I did hers, and knew that I'd started. Pinching her clitoris with her fingers, she toggled it like she was abusing a light switch, and her walls squeezed every drop of my pathetic offering into her depths.

I pulled out—really, collapsed back onto my butt—and propped myself up with my hands. My legs were jelly. Saeko lowered herself down to the shower floor on her side and peered at me while her hair fell about her face. We gazed at each other in silence for a while in the artificial rainfall, content with the universe.