Akamatsuverse Contract Labor
- Thread starter GreydonCreed
- Start date
The semi-final flashback scene for Ch 32. This scene will go at the beginning of the chapter. Enjoy! :lol:
start flashback
Tsujimoto/Kobayakawa Residence
Koto City, Tokyo, Japan
Early January
(eight months to story start)
Seeing that there was only an short elderly lady standing in the hallway, Miyuki unlatched the lock and with the combo gun behind her leg opened the door. ôCan I help you, MaÆam?ö
ôYou can if you are Miyuki Kobayakawa and Natsumi Tsujimoto.ö As the two women stared at her, the older woman smiled. ôMy name is Hina Urashima, KeitaroÆs grandmother, and I think it would be a good idea to talk. I have a proposition for you I think you both will like.ö
After blinking for a few moments, MiyukiÆs senses returned to her. ôPlease come in, Urashima-san,ö she said politely as she gave a medium bow. ôPlease have a seat. Would you like something to drink?ö
The older woman stepped into the apartment and casually slipped her shoes off, kicking them to the side so they fell beside the other shoes lined up beside the door. As Miyuki close the door behind her (and slipped her combo gun back into her purse) Hina took a quick look around the apartment. Her dark eyes did not miss much, as they went over the crowded bookshelves, the dining room table bare of anything except for a bottle of sake and a cup, and the brown haired young lady standing on the other side of the living room, looking like she was barely restraining herself from fidgeting.
ôIf you donÆt mind, I would like some hot sake. I need to chase the chill from these old bones.ö Hina stated as she walked over to the table and sat down opposite the bottle and cup.
ôOf course. It will only take a couple of minutes.ö Natsumi had left a bottle of sake in a pot of water earlier, so it only took a little while for Miyuki to heat it and serve to their guest. Once that was done, she walked around the table and sat down next to her partner. ôHow can we help you Urashima-san?ö
ôWell, first off, you can call me Granny Hina. I have enough people in my life calling me æUrashima-sanÆ.ö Hina raised the ceramic cup full of hot sake and took a deep drink. ôAh, thatÆs good.ö
ôIf you insist, Granny Hina.ö Miyuki probably would have continued using æUrashima-sanÆ, but an instinct inside of her told her to go along with it. ôYou said that you have a proposition for us?
ôYes, but first, I have a couple of questions for you.ö Hina smiled at the two girls, but it was not a nice smile; it was more along the lines of æI know something you donÆtÆ. ôWhat is your relationship with my grandson Keitaro? You have barely known him for a month, correct?ö
ôYes, we met when a friend of ours, Noriyasu Seta, asked if we would train Keitaro-kun in firearms usage and tactics for his new contract labor job. Natsumi-san and myself are police officers, and Natsumi-san has trained with the Special Unit.ö The Special Attack Team name had been retired by the police department as being too aggressive. ôAfter spending time with him, we became good friends.ö
ôVery good friends, if you are inviting him to stay overnight with you.ö Hina looked from Miyuki, who was starting to blush, to Natsumi, who had kept quiet and was starting to become pale.
ôYesà very good friends, I guess you could say.ö Miyuki did not know where their visitor was going with this, since she did not look upset about it.
ôGood enough that the female residents were complaining about it. The males probably were recording certain nights.ö Now both girls were turning pale, at both the images that came to mind and the fact that their guest was bring this up.
ôIf I can ask, why are you here, Urashima-san? It doesnÆt sound like youÆre upset with us being with Taro-kun.ö Natsumi finally spoke up. ôAnd how is it that you know about us and him?ö
Granny Hina smiled thinly. ôWell, I wanted to meet the women my dear grandson lost his virginity to.ö By now the two girls were almost ashen; while Keitaro had told them he had not dated in school, they did not think that he was a virgin, and given how skilled he was in his time with them, they had some justification for thinking that. ôAnd as to how I know, the apartment manager forwarded the complaints to me and I did some poking around.ö
ôWhy would the manager forward the complaints to you?ö Miyuki had the feeling she would not like the answer, and she was right.
ôOh, IÆm the owner of the building.ö HinaÆs smile grew to show teeth, before she took another deep drink from her sake cup. She refilled the cup, pointedly not noticing that Miyuki was swaying where she was sitting, and the two girls were now holding hands out in the open rather than just under the table as before.
Looking back up, Hina gave a slight frown. ôOh, buck up, IÆm not here to cause you two problems. IÆm like my granddaughter Kanako; when I want to mess with someone, they never see me coming.ö Hina sipped at the sake, watching as Natsumi and Miyuki pulled themselves together. ôNow, what are your intentions with my grandson?ö
The two police women looked at each other, silently communicating through slight blinks, eyebrow twitches, shrugs, and nods. After a long moment, they came to an agreement and they turned to face the patiently waiting elder.
ôWe both care very deeply for Keitaro-kun, and we would not mind having a moreà committed relationship with him,ö Miyuki explained. ôHowever, since he left for a year long trip, we all agreed to not get too deeply involved, and to get back in touch with each other once he returned, to see if we want to continue our relationship. That is all we can do at this point, in any case.ö
ôDonÆt you think you are both a little selfish, two older women involved with a younger man? One with little worldly experience?ö Hina was swirling the sake in her cup but she was focused on the darker haired woman across from her.
ôI think of it more along the lines of both Natsumi-chan and I being lucky enough to meet such a wonderful man like Keitaro-kun. That is the reason we were both with him, since the chances of finding another man like him are very small.ö Miyuki was looking directly at Hina, not flinching at her gaze.
ôWhich also explains why the two of you were involved with each other before you met him.ö Hina remarked lightly, seeing blushes on their faces again. ôBut the question now is what you intend to do now that he left.ö The elder watched as the two girls frowned in puzzlement. ôFor one thing, I do know that neither of you are on birth control and you arenÆt using condoms.ö
The two girls almost immediately went pale. ôHow do you know that?ö Natsumi managed to choke out.
ôYou would be surprised what you can learn from someoneÆs trash, especially when there are people going through it for recyclables.ö Hina drank from her cup again before looking at them levelly. ôSo, were you trying to get pregnant or were you just overwhelmed by how manly my grandson is?ö
The two girls looked at each other for a moment. ôItÆs more the second than the first.ö Miyuki was barely able to speak steadily. ôWe would not be adverse to the first happening in the future.ö
Hina nodded knowingly. ôAnd I would not be opposed to that in theory, especially since Keitaro-kun is the only male of his generation left in our family. That is why I came to make you both a proposition. I take it neither of you are pregnant right now?ö Natsumi and Miyuki were barely able to keep from recoiling in shock at the question, but they both shook their heads in a negative answer. ôPity. That would have made what I am offering much easier.ö
ôWhich is?ö Miyuki asked apprehensively.
ôWhy, producing the next generation of Urashima. I donÆt know if Keitaro-kun told you, but he has had problems finding a girlfriend, due to his studies. I would really much prefer for him to find a nice young girl and get married, but due to certain obligations and promises he has made, that is not likely to happen anytime soon, especially since he is on this contract labor job. So I wanted to give you both the chance to accomplish both of our goals; I want for our family to expand, and you are looking for someone to give you the children you are both desiring.ö
Hina looked from one girl to the other, and while Natsumi looked apprehensive, Miyuki looked intrigued. ôI did a deep background check on both of you when I found out you were involved with Keitaro-kun, and both of you came back as acceptable candidates for marriage. While I cannot promise you that Keitaro will wed either of you, due to his promise girl,ö here Hina paused for a moment, and both girls nodded, indicating that they knew the major reason for KeitaroÆs commitment to entering the University of Tokyo, ôI can assure you that if either of you bear my grandsonÆs children, either as his wives or his unmarried concubines, I will arrange for the Urashima name to be given to them, and for full support to be paid for their upbringing. All I ask is that my family have partial custody, so that the children can be brought up in the traditions of our family.ö
ôHow partial would the custody be?ö Miyuki asked suspiciously. This was sounding a little too good to be true.
ôIf you chose to live separate from our family, something along the lines of the children being with our family on weekends and perhaps a month or two during the summer. If you chose to live with the family or are married to Keitaro-kun, you would essentially be in charge of their day to day upbringing.ö Hina watched as the girls looked at each other again before looking back at her. They stayed silent, but the elder Urashima could see the question on their faces they did not want to ask. ôAs to their support, if you were to live separate from the family, the support would come out to about one and a half times what you are making as police officers. This would be along with your living quarters being paid for.ö
ôI hate to say this, but what is the catch, Urashima-san?ö Natsumi could have put it a little better, but both Miyuki and herself were thinking essentially the same thing.
ôWell, besides have to cut back on the drinking in your case Natsumi-san , and probably having to give up your jobs as patrol officers and take something a little more family friendly if you still want to work, I guess the worse part of this deal is having to deal with me.ö Hina smiled thinly again. ôContrary to popular belief, I donÆt mess with peopleÆs lives for the fun of it. There generally is a reason why I do what I do. And it is very much possible to change my mind if you can present your reasons. Granted, it doesnÆt happen very often.ö
ôDoes Keitaro-kun know about this offer you are making?ö Natsumi suddenly asked out of left field.
ôNo, he doesnÆt. He has enough to deal with in his new job, and this really would not take effect until he returned anyway.ö Hina drank from her cup, draining it. ôGods willing, once he returns we can present this to him.ö
Pushing herself back from the table, Hina rose to her feet, the two girls automatically doing the same. ôWell, IÆve said all IÆve had to say for now.ö Reaching into her purse, Hina pulled out a business card and scribbled a phone number on the back. ôFor now, IÆll leave you to think about this. If you have any questions, you can call me at this number. I can see myself out. ö Moving toward the door, the elder Urashima turned toward the two young women and gave a medium bow, which they automatically returned. ôI hope things work out well in the future, for all of us.ö Giving a short head bow, Hina slipped through the door and closed it behind her.
The two girls stared at the door for a long moment before they both sat back down at the table, although it was more along the lines of a near collapse. Miyuki picked up the now cold cup of sake in front of her partner and quickly downed it, with Natsumi grabbing the sake bottle and drinking directly from it. The two sat in silence for a long moment.
ôWould you do it?ö Natsumi asked, glancing at the bottle to see how much was left inside before looking back at her lover.
ôYes. Yes I would. I know I havenÆt told you, but I do want a child, so very much. And Keitaro-kun would be the perfect father.ö Miyuki watched as Natsumi refilled her cup before drinking from the bottle again.
ôSo were you trying to get pregnant?ö the brown haired girl asked.
Miyuki shook her head. ôNot deliberately, no. But that is what made it feel so good when Keitaro-kun would finish inside of me, the idea that he could be putting a child in me.ö A tear started to stream down her cheek. ôGods, I want him back as soon as possible.ö
ôI know, Yuki-chan. I know.ö The two girls sat with their heads against each other, mourning their absent lover, and praying for him to safely return to them as soon as he could.
end flashback
start flashback
Tsujimoto/Kobayakawa Residence
Koto City, Tokyo, Japan
Early January
(eight months to story start)
Seeing that there was only an short elderly lady standing in the hallway, Miyuki unlatched the lock and with the combo gun behind her leg opened the door. ôCan I help you, MaÆam?ö
ôYou can if you are Miyuki Kobayakawa and Natsumi Tsujimoto.ö As the two women stared at her, the older woman smiled. ôMy name is Hina Urashima, KeitaroÆs grandmother, and I think it would be a good idea to talk. I have a proposition for you I think you both will like.ö
After blinking for a few moments, MiyukiÆs senses returned to her. ôPlease come in, Urashima-san,ö she said politely as she gave a medium bow. ôPlease have a seat. Would you like something to drink?ö
The older woman stepped into the apartment and casually slipped her shoes off, kicking them to the side so they fell beside the other shoes lined up beside the door. As Miyuki close the door behind her (and slipped her combo gun back into her purse) Hina took a quick look around the apartment. Her dark eyes did not miss much, as they went over the crowded bookshelves, the dining room table bare of anything except for a bottle of sake and a cup, and the brown haired young lady standing on the other side of the living room, looking like she was barely restraining herself from fidgeting.
ôIf you donÆt mind, I would like some hot sake. I need to chase the chill from these old bones.ö Hina stated as she walked over to the table and sat down opposite the bottle and cup.
ôOf course. It will only take a couple of minutes.ö Natsumi had left a bottle of sake in a pot of water earlier, so it only took a little while for Miyuki to heat it and serve to their guest. Once that was done, she walked around the table and sat down next to her partner. ôHow can we help you Urashima-san?ö
ôWell, first off, you can call me Granny Hina. I have enough people in my life calling me æUrashima-sanÆ.ö Hina raised the ceramic cup full of hot sake and took a deep drink. ôAh, thatÆs good.ö
ôIf you insist, Granny Hina.ö Miyuki probably would have continued using æUrashima-sanÆ, but an instinct inside of her told her to go along with it. ôYou said that you have a proposition for us?
ôYes, but first, I have a couple of questions for you.ö Hina smiled at the two girls, but it was not a nice smile; it was more along the lines of æI know something you donÆtÆ. ôWhat is your relationship with my grandson Keitaro? You have barely known him for a month, correct?ö
ôYes, we met when a friend of ours, Noriyasu Seta, asked if we would train Keitaro-kun in firearms usage and tactics for his new contract labor job. Natsumi-san and myself are police officers, and Natsumi-san has trained with the Special Unit.ö The Special Attack Team name had been retired by the police department as being too aggressive. ôAfter spending time with him, we became good friends.ö
ôVery good friends, if you are inviting him to stay overnight with you.ö Hina looked from Miyuki, who was starting to blush, to Natsumi, who had kept quiet and was starting to become pale.
ôYesà very good friends, I guess you could say.ö Miyuki did not know where their visitor was going with this, since she did not look upset about it.
ôGood enough that the female residents were complaining about it. The males probably were recording certain nights.ö Now both girls were turning pale, at both the images that came to mind and the fact that their guest was bring this up.
ôIf I can ask, why are you here, Urashima-san? It doesnÆt sound like youÆre upset with us being with Taro-kun.ö Natsumi finally spoke up. ôAnd how is it that you know about us and him?ö
Granny Hina smiled thinly. ôWell, I wanted to meet the women my dear grandson lost his virginity to.ö By now the two girls were almost ashen; while Keitaro had told them he had not dated in school, they did not think that he was a virgin, and given how skilled he was in his time with them, they had some justification for thinking that. ôAnd as to how I know, the apartment manager forwarded the complaints to me and I did some poking around.ö
ôWhy would the manager forward the complaints to you?ö Miyuki had the feeling she would not like the answer, and she was right.
ôOh, IÆm the owner of the building.ö HinaÆs smile grew to show teeth, before she took another deep drink from her sake cup. She refilled the cup, pointedly not noticing that Miyuki was swaying where she was sitting, and the two girls were now holding hands out in the open rather than just under the table as before.
Looking back up, Hina gave a slight frown. ôOh, buck up, IÆm not here to cause you two problems. IÆm like my granddaughter Kanako; when I want to mess with someone, they never see me coming.ö Hina sipped at the sake, watching as Natsumi and Miyuki pulled themselves together. ôNow, what are your intentions with my grandson?ö
The two police women looked at each other, silently communicating through slight blinks, eyebrow twitches, shrugs, and nods. After a long moment, they came to an agreement and they turned to face the patiently waiting elder.
ôWe both care very deeply for Keitaro-kun, and we would not mind having a moreà committed relationship with him,ö Miyuki explained. ôHowever, since he left for a year long trip, we all agreed to not get too deeply involved, and to get back in touch with each other once he returned, to see if we want to continue our relationship. That is all we can do at this point, in any case.ö
ôDonÆt you think you are both a little selfish, two older women involved with a younger man? One with little worldly experience?ö Hina was swirling the sake in her cup but she was focused on the darker haired woman across from her.
ôI think of it more along the lines of both Natsumi-chan and I being lucky enough to meet such a wonderful man like Keitaro-kun. That is the reason we were both with him, since the chances of finding another man like him are very small.ö Miyuki was looking directly at Hina, not flinching at her gaze.
ôWhich also explains why the two of you were involved with each other before you met him.ö Hina remarked lightly, seeing blushes on their faces again. ôBut the question now is what you intend to do now that he left.ö The elder watched as the two girls frowned in puzzlement. ôFor one thing, I do know that neither of you are on birth control and you arenÆt using condoms.ö
The two girls almost immediately went pale. ôHow do you know that?ö Natsumi managed to choke out.
ôYou would be surprised what you can learn from someoneÆs trash, especially when there are people going through it for recyclables.ö Hina drank from her cup again before looking at them levelly. ôSo, were you trying to get pregnant or were you just overwhelmed by how manly my grandson is?ö
The two girls looked at each other for a moment. ôItÆs more the second than the first.ö Miyuki was barely able to speak steadily. ôWe would not be adverse to the first happening in the future.ö
Hina nodded knowingly. ôAnd I would not be opposed to that in theory, especially since Keitaro-kun is the only male of his generation left in our family. That is why I came to make you both a proposition. I take it neither of you are pregnant right now?ö Natsumi and Miyuki were barely able to keep from recoiling in shock at the question, but they both shook their heads in a negative answer. ôPity. That would have made what I am offering much easier.ö
ôWhich is?ö Miyuki asked apprehensively.
ôWhy, producing the next generation of Urashima. I donÆt know if Keitaro-kun told you, but he has had problems finding a girlfriend, due to his studies. I would really much prefer for him to find a nice young girl and get married, but due to certain obligations and promises he has made, that is not likely to happen anytime soon, especially since he is on this contract labor job. So I wanted to give you both the chance to accomplish both of our goals; I want for our family to expand, and you are looking for someone to give you the children you are both desiring.ö
Hina looked from one girl to the other, and while Natsumi looked apprehensive, Miyuki looked intrigued. ôI did a deep background check on both of you when I found out you were involved with Keitaro-kun, and both of you came back as acceptable candidates for marriage. While I cannot promise you that Keitaro will wed either of you, due to his promise girl,ö here Hina paused for a moment, and both girls nodded, indicating that they knew the major reason for KeitaroÆs commitment to entering the University of Tokyo, ôI can assure you that if either of you bear my grandsonÆs children, either as his wives or his unmarried concubines, I will arrange for the Urashima name to be given to them, and for full support to be paid for their upbringing. All I ask is that my family have partial custody, so that the children can be brought up in the traditions of our family.ö
ôHow partial would the custody be?ö Miyuki asked suspiciously. This was sounding a little too good to be true.
ôIf you chose to live separate from our family, something along the lines of the children being with our family on weekends and perhaps a month or two during the summer. If you chose to live with the family or are married to Keitaro-kun, you would essentially be in charge of their day to day upbringing.ö Hina watched as the girls looked at each other again before looking back at her. They stayed silent, but the elder Urashima could see the question on their faces they did not want to ask. ôAs to their support, if you were to live separate from the family, the support would come out to about one and a half times what you are making as police officers. This would be along with your living quarters being paid for.ö
ôI hate to say this, but what is the catch, Urashima-san?ö Natsumi could have put it a little better, but both Miyuki and herself were thinking essentially the same thing.
ôWell, besides have to cut back on the drinking in your case Natsumi-san , and probably having to give up your jobs as patrol officers and take something a little more family friendly if you still want to work, I guess the worse part of this deal is having to deal with me.ö Hina smiled thinly again. ôContrary to popular belief, I donÆt mess with peopleÆs lives for the fun of it. There generally is a reason why I do what I do. And it is very much possible to change my mind if you can present your reasons. Granted, it doesnÆt happen very often.ö
ôDoes Keitaro-kun know about this offer you are making?ö Natsumi suddenly asked out of left field.
ôNo, he doesnÆt. He has enough to deal with in his new job, and this really would not take effect until he returned anyway.ö Hina drank from her cup, draining it. ôGods willing, once he returns we can present this to him.ö
Pushing herself back from the table, Hina rose to her feet, the two girls automatically doing the same. ôWell, IÆve said all IÆve had to say for now.ö Reaching into her purse, Hina pulled out a business card and scribbled a phone number on the back. ôFor now, IÆll leave you to think about this. If you have any questions, you can call me at this number. I can see myself out. ö Moving toward the door, the elder Urashima turned toward the two young women and gave a medium bow, which they automatically returned. ôI hope things work out well in the future, for all of us.ö Giving a short head bow, Hina slipped through the door and closed it behind her.
The two girls stared at the door for a long moment before they both sat back down at the table, although it was more along the lines of a near collapse. Miyuki picked up the now cold cup of sake in front of her partner and quickly downed it, with Natsumi grabbing the sake bottle and drinking directly from it. The two sat in silence for a long moment.
ôWould you do it?ö Natsumi asked, glancing at the bottle to see how much was left inside before looking back at her lover.
ôYes. Yes I would. I know I havenÆt told you, but I do want a child, so very much. And Keitaro-kun would be the perfect father.ö Miyuki watched as Natsumi refilled her cup before drinking from the bottle again.
ôSo were you trying to get pregnant?ö the brown haired girl asked.
Miyuki shook her head. ôNot deliberately, no. But that is what made it feel so good when Keitaro-kun would finish inside of me, the idea that he could be putting a child in me.ö A tear started to stream down her cheek. ôGods, I want him back as soon as possible.ö
ôI know, Yuki-chan. I know.ö The two girls sat with their heads against each other, mourning their absent lover, and praying for him to safely return to them as soon as he could.
end flashback
Well good for you! It sounds like that Arranged Marriage is working out well for you in your case.
As for Granny Hina, Yeah she's a manipulative chessmaster, who don't physically do anything but manipulate other people into doing the heavy work for them or predict what other people are going to do. Just like Rock of Black Lagoon, thouhh Granny Hina is of course better at this seeing as she's rich and obviously more experience when it comes to manipulation.
As for Granny Hina, Yeah she's a manipulative chessmaster, who don't physically do anything but manipulate other people into doing the heavy work for them or predict what other people are going to do. Just like Rock of Black Lagoon, thouhh Granny Hina is of course better at this seeing as she's rich and obviously more experience when it comes to manipulation.
Yes, there will be some screaming due to a time-worn cliche used in this chapter. All I have to say about that is... 
The semi-final first part of Ch 33. Enjoy! :lol:
Hinata-sou Dormitory
Mid December
early morning
(three months after story start)
It was not difficult to know what is the right thing to do. What was difficult was doing what you know is the right thing.
When Keitaro Urashima had first heard that saying, he thought it sounded like wisdom usually found printed on a slip of paper in a fortune cookie. Then again, he had never before really had to make a hard choice to make like this. Rescuing Kanako had not been a choice; it had happened before his eyes. Rescuing Sarah had taken some planning and deliberation, but it was something that he could no more turn his back on than chasing after his sister and her abductors had been.
Leaning up against the frame of an upper story window, Keitaro looked out at the grey and black sky, watching as storm clouds rolled in from the Pacific, thinking about his situation. Being stuck with the responsibilities of managing the Hinata-sou and becoming the new clan heir was something he had not initially wanted to do. He had been more than a little angry about the way that Granny Hina had dumped everything on him, and then conveniently took off for parts unknown before he had a chance to protest. But after thinking about it for a few weeks, Keitaro had begun to understand why Hina had done what she did, even if he did not approve of it. He had heard stories (from his father, not from Hina) about what his grandmother had gone through both during and after the Pacific War, when most of Tokyo had been made into a scorched ruin. With her mother too mentally traumatized from the American air raids, her grandfather crippled by age and injuries and her remaining brother younger than her, Hina had become the de facto head of the family at age 10. By innate shrewdness and intelligence, Hina Urashima had not only held what was left of her family together, twenty years later it was thriving again, their affluence and holdings such that when the township surrounding their main home was rebuilt, it was renamed Hinata City. But it was not just financial acumen that made the current clan head the person she was today; both Hina and her brother Hiro had earned their red belts in the desperate years after the war, Hina at age 12.
By abruptly giving him both the Hinata-sou and the clan heir position, this was probably HinaÆs way of giving Keitaro on-the-job training, in the fine Japanese tradition of ænot telling the person who is learning anything, let them figure it out themselvesÆ. Keitaro did not like it when it happened in anime; he certainly did not like it when it was happening to him. But also in the tradition of the Urashima family, Keitaro was able to take over the operations of the Hinata-sou with the help of his aunt and his sister. It was not the chores and the Sou maintenance that had given him problems, it had been the tenants.
Beating up bikers and pirates notwithstanding, Keitaro had something of a problem standing up to aggressive people. Part of this was due to the bred in the bone politeness that most Japanese people had, but also it had to do with his lack of socializing when he was younger; most of his free time was used for studying for school, practicing the family martial arts, and spending time with his family. Dealing with irrational and unbalanced people was something he did not frequently do, not until he got back from Thailand. Not until he had to deal with the tenants of the Hinata-sou.
With all the training the young Urashima had in his life, he did not have a real problem with defending himself, but he still hesitated when his opponent was female, or at least he hesitated in inflicting possibly crippling or fatal attacks. It was not like he enjoyed smashing someoneÆs knee or doing a shoulder throw headfirst into the ground, but for some reason he had to deliberately make himself attack a female, even if she was an imminent threat to himself. It was not something to be ashamed of, but it was a real problem when an attacker was a seriously cute, hot and crazy girl out for his blood.
Keitaro had only really had to go toe to toe with one of the tenants, with all of the serious incidents involving Motoko Aoyama, the now former swordswoman. Naru Narusegawa had come close a couple of times, but since the last incident involving him accidentally peeking on her in her room, she had learned to calm down and not completely lose her temper, unless someone deliberately assaulted her, then all bets were off. Mentally, he had the most problems with Kitsune Konno, with her various shenanigans to get out of chores and with her overdue rent payments and extensions, and Kaolla Su, with her penchant to do Tim Taylor More Power! improvements on various home appliances. Shinobu Maehara was no problem at all, except for her earlier penchant to be a doormat to the other tenants, but she was growing out of that nicely.
But after all was said and done, things had improved at the Hinata-sou; Keitaro had learned how to conduct himself around members of the opposite sex while in a position of authority, with the added bonus of cutting back his incidents of clumsiness and accidental groping. But just when he had thought he was getting a handle on things at the Sou, Granny Hina decided to throw a spanner in the works with her little offer to Natsumi and Miyuki.
Keitaro could see why Granny was interested in his being æfruitful and multiplyingÆ; being the only young male Urashima left in the family, this went beyond the normal call for ægrandbabies!Æ that was seen in the elder generation. And it was not like she was trying to keep him from meeting his Promise Girl at Todai, however it would be more than a little awkward to introduce his girlfriends and children to the girl he had promised to live happily ever after with.
Maintaining his honor was not the trial some people would expect it to be. It was not like he was Ranma Saotome, the aquatransexual manga character fighting off multiple marriage engagements set up by his criminally inclined father. Keitaro was free to make his own decisions, and not have to wade through omai after omai set up by his parents and his granny, introducing him to various suitable girls with the intention of seeing if they meshed well for marriage. The problem was that he had already found someone that clicked with him, two someones in fact. But the mental image of Natsumi and Miyuki along with the specter of his Promise Girl behind them was not something that comforted him.
Cocking his head, Keitaro could hear the faint sounds of music coming down the hall. As he was standing at the hallway window next to ShinobuÆs room, he could hear the sound of her stereo through both the door and the wall.
And you donÆt seem to understand
A shame you seemed an honest man
And all the fears you hold so dear
Will turn to whisper in your ear
And you know what they say might hurt you
And you know that it means so much
And you donÆt even feel a thing
I am falling, I am fading
I have lost it all
As he focused his attention on the music, he realized that he recognized the song as the theme from an anime, although this was a different version û a slower, guitar based acoustic melody with the lyrics sung in English. Keitaro walked up to ShinobuÆs door and rested his fingertips against the door as though he was going to knock, but instead he just listened to the song as it continued to play.
And you donÆt seem the lying kind
A shame then I can read your mind
And all the things that I read there
Candle lit smile that we both share
and you know I donÆt mean to hurt you
But you know that it means so much
And you donÆt even feel a thing
I am falling, I am fading, I am drowning
Help me to breathe
I am hurting, I have lost it all
I am losing
Help me to breathe
As the chorus began to repeat, Keitaro turned away from the door. Walking downstairs to his room, he pulled out his hoodie and an umbrella out of the closet. Pausing for a moment to write a short note and pin it to his room door, he walked out of the Sou.
The note on his door fluttered in the slight breeze that entered the house when the door opened. The paper stayed attached, the neat hiragana script spelling out the message.
Gone to meet with some friends. Will probably be late, donÆt wait up for me.
- Keitaro
-----
Note - song title Duvet, original artist B¶a, theme for the anime Serial Experiment Lain. Version used in this chapter is on YouTube titled Duvet û B¶a (acoustic cover), by murasakimochi
.[/i])
The semi-final first part of Ch 33. Enjoy! :lol:
Hinata-sou Dormitory
Mid December
early morning
(three months after story start)
It was not difficult to know what is the right thing to do. What was difficult was doing what you know is the right thing.
When Keitaro Urashima had first heard that saying, he thought it sounded like wisdom usually found printed on a slip of paper in a fortune cookie. Then again, he had never before really had to make a hard choice to make like this. Rescuing Kanako had not been a choice; it had happened before his eyes. Rescuing Sarah had taken some planning and deliberation, but it was something that he could no more turn his back on than chasing after his sister and her abductors had been.
Leaning up against the frame of an upper story window, Keitaro looked out at the grey and black sky, watching as storm clouds rolled in from the Pacific, thinking about his situation. Being stuck with the responsibilities of managing the Hinata-sou and becoming the new clan heir was something he had not initially wanted to do. He had been more than a little angry about the way that Granny Hina had dumped everything on him, and then conveniently took off for parts unknown before he had a chance to protest. But after thinking about it for a few weeks, Keitaro had begun to understand why Hina had done what she did, even if he did not approve of it. He had heard stories (from his father, not from Hina) about what his grandmother had gone through both during and after the Pacific War, when most of Tokyo had been made into a scorched ruin. With her mother too mentally traumatized from the American air raids, her grandfather crippled by age and injuries and her remaining brother younger than her, Hina had become the de facto head of the family at age 10. By innate shrewdness and intelligence, Hina Urashima had not only held what was left of her family together, twenty years later it was thriving again, their affluence and holdings such that when the township surrounding their main home was rebuilt, it was renamed Hinata City. But it was not just financial acumen that made the current clan head the person she was today; both Hina and her brother Hiro had earned their red belts in the desperate years after the war, Hina at age 12.
By abruptly giving him both the Hinata-sou and the clan heir position, this was probably HinaÆs way of giving Keitaro on-the-job training, in the fine Japanese tradition of ænot telling the person who is learning anything, let them figure it out themselvesÆ. Keitaro did not like it when it happened in anime; he certainly did not like it when it was happening to him. But also in the tradition of the Urashima family, Keitaro was able to take over the operations of the Hinata-sou with the help of his aunt and his sister. It was not the chores and the Sou maintenance that had given him problems, it had been the tenants.
Beating up bikers and pirates notwithstanding, Keitaro had something of a problem standing up to aggressive people. Part of this was due to the bred in the bone politeness that most Japanese people had, but also it had to do with his lack of socializing when he was younger; most of his free time was used for studying for school, practicing the family martial arts, and spending time with his family. Dealing with irrational and unbalanced people was something he did not frequently do, not until he got back from Thailand. Not until he had to deal with the tenants of the Hinata-sou.
With all the training the young Urashima had in his life, he did not have a real problem with defending himself, but he still hesitated when his opponent was female, or at least he hesitated in inflicting possibly crippling or fatal attacks. It was not like he enjoyed smashing someoneÆs knee or doing a shoulder throw headfirst into the ground, but for some reason he had to deliberately make himself attack a female, even if she was an imminent threat to himself. It was not something to be ashamed of, but it was a real problem when an attacker was a seriously cute, hot and crazy girl out for his blood.
Keitaro had only really had to go toe to toe with one of the tenants, with all of the serious incidents involving Motoko Aoyama, the now former swordswoman. Naru Narusegawa had come close a couple of times, but since the last incident involving him accidentally peeking on her in her room, she had learned to calm down and not completely lose her temper, unless someone deliberately assaulted her, then all bets were off. Mentally, he had the most problems with Kitsune Konno, with her various shenanigans to get out of chores and with her overdue rent payments and extensions, and Kaolla Su, with her penchant to do Tim Taylor More Power! improvements on various home appliances. Shinobu Maehara was no problem at all, except for her earlier penchant to be a doormat to the other tenants, but she was growing out of that nicely.
But after all was said and done, things had improved at the Hinata-sou; Keitaro had learned how to conduct himself around members of the opposite sex while in a position of authority, with the added bonus of cutting back his incidents of clumsiness and accidental groping. But just when he had thought he was getting a handle on things at the Sou, Granny Hina decided to throw a spanner in the works with her little offer to Natsumi and Miyuki.
Keitaro could see why Granny was interested in his being æfruitful and multiplyingÆ; being the only young male Urashima left in the family, this went beyond the normal call for ægrandbabies!Æ that was seen in the elder generation. And it was not like she was trying to keep him from meeting his Promise Girl at Todai, however it would be more than a little awkward to introduce his girlfriends and children to the girl he had promised to live happily ever after with.
Maintaining his honor was not the trial some people would expect it to be. It was not like he was Ranma Saotome, the aquatransexual manga character fighting off multiple marriage engagements set up by his criminally inclined father. Keitaro was free to make his own decisions, and not have to wade through omai after omai set up by his parents and his granny, introducing him to various suitable girls with the intention of seeing if they meshed well for marriage. The problem was that he had already found someone that clicked with him, two someones in fact. But the mental image of Natsumi and Miyuki along with the specter of his Promise Girl behind them was not something that comforted him.
Cocking his head, Keitaro could hear the faint sounds of music coming down the hall. As he was standing at the hallway window next to ShinobuÆs room, he could hear the sound of her stereo through both the door and the wall.
And you donÆt seem to understand
A shame you seemed an honest man
And all the fears you hold so dear
Will turn to whisper in your ear
And you know what they say might hurt you
And you know that it means so much
And you donÆt even feel a thing
I am falling, I am fading
I have lost it all
As he focused his attention on the music, he realized that he recognized the song as the theme from an anime, although this was a different version û a slower, guitar based acoustic melody with the lyrics sung in English. Keitaro walked up to ShinobuÆs door and rested his fingertips against the door as though he was going to knock, but instead he just listened to the song as it continued to play.
And you donÆt seem the lying kind
A shame then I can read your mind
And all the things that I read there
Candle lit smile that we both share
and you know I donÆt mean to hurt you
But you know that it means so much
And you donÆt even feel a thing
I am falling, I am fading, I am drowning
Help me to breathe
I am hurting, I have lost it all
I am losing
Help me to breathe
As the chorus began to repeat, Keitaro turned away from the door. Walking downstairs to his room, he pulled out his hoodie and an umbrella out of the closet. Pausing for a moment to write a short note and pin it to his room door, he walked out of the Sou.
The note on his door fluttered in the slight breeze that entered the house when the door opened. The paper stayed attached, the neat hiragana script spelling out the message.
Gone to meet with some friends. Will probably be late, donÆt wait up for me.
- Keitaro
-----
Note - song title Duvet, original artist B¶a, theme for the anime Serial Experiment Lain. Version used in this chapter is on YouTube titled Duvet û B¶a (acoustic cover), by murasakimochi
Interesting use of a song to get some of Kei's current mentality and doubts across...
I was always very partial to that particular version of Duvet.
I won't deny that music (or just lyrics) can help inspire scenes, even full chapters; although I will remind you to be careful you don't get called on for making it into a "song-fic", not all readers are understanding of the goal or even reasons to put songs in, even when the song (and/or lyrics) are great/meaningful.
Kei's motivations vs obligations have been a strong theme throughout the story, it's something you haven't shied away from pointing out/re-tread often times.
While he's gotten a sturdier spine toward the Hina Girls, he's still seems to bend over backwards for Granny's shenanigans... at times it feels like a bit of a cop out, but I can't quite figure out what the endgame is; so I can't for sure who to root for or what to expect.
It's not necessarily a bad thing, considering how you stated his respect of his elders, his following of family/clan ideals and how his deeds and relationships have helped him mature and made him a different Keitaro from the usual happy-go-lucky ronin.
I was always very partial to that particular version of Duvet.
I won't deny that music (or just lyrics) can help inspire scenes, even full chapters; although I will remind you to be careful you don't get called on for making it into a "song-fic", not all readers are understanding of the goal or even reasons to put songs in, even when the song (and/or lyrics) are great/meaningful.
Kei's motivations vs obligations have been a strong theme throughout the story, it's something you haven't shied away from pointing out/re-tread often times.
While he's gotten a sturdier spine toward the Hina Girls, he's still seems to bend over backwards for Granny's shenanigans... at times it feels like a bit of a cop out, but I can't quite figure out what the endgame is; so I can't for sure who to root for or what to expect.
It's not necessarily a bad thing, considering how you stated his respect of his elders, his following of family/clan ideals and how his deeds and relationships have helped him mature and made him a different Keitaro from the usual happy-go-lucky ronin.
The semi-final second part of Ch 33. Enjoy! :lol:
-----
Tsujimoto/Kobayakawa Residence
Koto City, Tokyo, Japan
Mid December
late morning
Natsumi had no great love for bad weather like the rain now pouring down outside their apartment building. In their line of work, it meant standing around in cold wet weather in rain gear that was barely worthy of the name, writing incident reports on vehicular accidents that were almost the fault of some idiot that thought that going 30 km above the speed limit was acceptable in conditions that turned the roads and highways into giant Slip & Slides. Some poor unfortunate would be on the receiving end of the crash, and unless they were truly lucky, they would be injured in the accident. The only thing worse than a bad weather accident was a drunk driving vehicle accident with injuries; NatsumiÆs superiors did not ask awkward questions about the bruised and bloodied suspects that were taken into custody, presumably injured by the crash and not from accidentally slamming their head into a door frame, or tripping and falling while walking down steps while handcuffed.
Even having days off during bad weather was not a good thing, as she could not go out and participate in the various sports she was involved in. The only activities that were left for her to do was to engage in Special Unit training involving sadistic trainers brought in from the JSDF Airborne Division, which usually involved running through mud, crawling through mud, or doing the first two and then climb up ropes with full gear while covered in the aforementioned mud. Natsumi could do it due to her chi enhanced strength, but then every other member of the unit would get punished for not being able to do it too, and she got tired of the evil eyes she would get as a result. But even now a day of slogging through mud was starting to look good compared to spending the day with her roommate.
Even as different as their personalities were, there was always something unexplainable that kept the boisterous athletic tomboy and the demure gearhead and techie together. And when all else failed, there was always their ætogether timeÆ, where both their familiarity with each other and the judicious use of various items helped pass the time more quickly. On this day though, that was not to be.
Miyuki was sitting, if you could call it that, in a bean bag chair, slouched down so low it was almost as though she were laying down. A set of headphones were on her head, and a cord lead to the stereo beside her. Her eyes were closed, and she looked as though she was asleep. She was not though as her foot, propped up in her opposing leg, was swaying along with the tempo of the music she was listening to. Given the slow movement of her foot, it appeared as though she was now listening to classical western music as compared to the sugary J-pop or maudlin American love ballads from before.
Natsumi was of two minds about her partnerÆs choice of music. On one hand classical was much preferable to the other stuff she had been listening to, much of which had been about love and the various bad endings that resulted from it. On the other hand, some of Yuki-chanÆs classical music was so depressing it would probably violate the Geneva Convention if they had played it to prisoners.
MiyukiÆs depression was understandable, as Natsumi was undergoing certain aspects of it as well. They both badly missed Keitaro, ranging from the way he would smile at them, to the way he felt when he hugged them, to the way he made love to them. And it was love; or at the very least it was not just sex when the three of them were together. But as bad as this was, there was an additional carrot being dangled over her partnerÆs head; the possibility of a child. Natsumi could see herself as a mother somewhere down the line, but she was in no hurry to have it happen. On the other hand you could see what Miyuki wanted every time she would see a mother and child walking together on the sidewalk or playing together in a park.
Natsumi almost wanted to hate Keitaro for what he was doing to her friend, even as inadvertent as it was. But she could see where he was as well; being given carte blanche to have children with two women was enough to set anyone back. Keitaro already had plans for his life, such as entering Todai, as well as responsibilities and duties he could not step away from. And given how dedicated Keitaro could be, she understand why he would want to be involved in his childrenÆs lives. So while she could not begrudge their paramourÆs request to a week to think things over, she was not sure that she and her partner would survive it with their hearts intact.
Sitting at the table in their apartment, Natsumi took a sip from her cup of sake before grimacing. The hot beverage had cooled off, and the bottle in front of her was now empty. Pushing herself to her feet, she started to walk toward the kitchen counter and another bottle of sake when she heard someone knock on the front door. Stopping in mid-step in surprise, she glanced at the door and then at her oblivious partner; they were not expecting any visitors today. In fact, this reminded her of the last time they had an unannounced visitor, and all the turmoil that resulted from it.
Stepping over to where Miyuki was, she tapped her moving foot with her own and got her attention. Pulling off her headphones the dark haired girl looked up at her partner expectantly. Jerking her head to the side, Natsumi motioned toward the front door and raised an eyebrow, silently asking if she was expecting any visitors. Miyuki shook her head and rolled up to her feet from the bean bag chair as her partner walked up the door and peered through the peephole. The brown haired girl froze for a long moment before abruptly opening the door, almost ripping it out of the frame.
The young male standing before them was almost unrecognizable, as he was clearly rain-soaked in spite of his hooded sweatshirt. His black hair was plastered to his head, and the guy was squinting at them as though he was missing his glasses. Looking from one to the other, he asked, ôNatsumi-chan? Miyuki-chan? Is that you?ö and was barely able to stay on his feet as the girl at the door yanked him into the apartment and slammed the door shut behind him. The girl pulled him into her arms in a tight hug before flinching and pulling back, the cold wet sweater he had on soaking through her thin t-shirt instantly. ôKeitaro-kun! Why are you all wet!ö
ôBecause itÆs raining outside and the wind ripped my umbrella apart?ö KeitaroÆs laconic response gave Natsumi enough of a pause to enable Miyuki to take hold of his shoulder and turn him toward her. Looking at her, he could see that she wanted to hug him as well, but she was reluctant to and not just because of his wet clothes. ôHi there, Miyuki-chan. Sorry I came without letting you know first.ö
ôYou werenÆt the loudest guy, but we always knew when you were about to come.ö Both Miyuki and Keitaro slowly turned and looked at Natsumi incredulously for her off-color remark. ôWhat?ö she asked, trying to look innocent, or not guilty, and failing miserably.
Shaking her head, Miyuki turned back to look at their visitor. ôWhere are your glasses, Keitaro-kun?ö she asked, trying to ignore memories her partnerÆs wisecrack brought to mind.
Blinking at her, Keitaro reached into his sweatshirt pocket and pulled out his glasses, showing that they were as wet as well. ôGlasses you canÆt keep dry are worse than useless. I can actually see better with them off until I clean them.ö The young man motioned with his spectacles. ôDo you have something like a handkerchief or an old piece of t-shirt so I can clean and dry them?ö
ôWhy not a piece of tissue paper or a Kleenex?ö Miyuki asked as Natsumi wandered off, apparently looking for the requested item.
ôTissue paper is made out of wood pulp, it scratches plastic lens. ItÆs better to use a piece of soft cloth.ö The two fell quiet, with Miyuki not sure what else to say, and Keitaro apparently wanting to be able to see clearly before saying else.
ôHere you go, Taro-kun.ö Natsumi walked back to Keitaro and handed him a wadded up piece of cloth. Hold one edge of it, he let it unfold and saw that it was an old t-shirt, one that was faded and wash-worn with the Romanji words æFace Up HereÆ and an arrow pointing upwards. KeitaroÆs eyes flicked toward the brown haired girl, who merely smiled and shrugged. ôItÆs an old running shirt. I donÆt wear it anymore, too small.ö
Keitaro nodded as he started to use the shirt to clean his glasses. He had seen Natsumi come back from some of her runs. The Special Unit officer made it a habit of getting up before dawn three times a week (or have her partner wake her up, to be more accurate) and go for a 10 km run; 2 km at a jog, 6 km at a three quarter speed pace, one and a half km at a full sprint, and a half km to cool down, all the while wearing a t-shirt, tactical pants, and SWAT boots. He could see why she would wear the t-shirt; even wearing an athletic bra, Natsumi had an eye-catching bust, and seeing her run in a thin shirt immediately drew everyoneÆs attention. And it had to be a t-shirt, as her metabolism ran high enough that it affected her body temperature and a sweatshirt would actually cause her to start to overheat.
Finishing drying and polishing his glasses, Keitaro slipped them back on. Looking from one girl to the other, he could see that they were both looking slightly concerned and nervous, although Natsumi was concealing it better. ôSorry I came over without calling, but this is something I didnÆt want to do over the phone.ö He saw that they both tensed at that statement. ôI know I didnÆt react well when you told me what Granny offered, but I later realized that I made a mistake that day. I made some assumptions that werenÆt fair, at least before I asked you about them. ThatÆs what I want to do now.ö
Turning toward Natsumi, he smiled slightly, trying to put her at ease. ôFirst off, IÆm guessing that since you brought up the offer, you are not opposed to it?ö
Shaking her head slightly, Natsumi responded. ôNo, weÆre not. Like IÆve said before, we have a hard time finding good guys to be romantic with. This is one way to do it, since me and Miyuki-chan want to stay together if possible.ö
Looking back at the darker haired girl, Keitaro asked his next question. ôSince you agree with the offer, that implies that you want to have children. *When* do you want to have these children. Right now? A couple years from now?ö
Miyuki started to blush. ôI would like to have a child right now, but I can see that it would not be very convenient. You are trying to enter Todai, and IÆm still a patrol officer. It would take a year or so to make arrangements so our situations would be more ideal.ö
Glancing over at Natsumi, she half smiled as she responded. ôI want a kid, but IÆm not in that big a hurry. I want to see how far I can get with the Special Unit, and that will take a couple years at least.ö
ôWhat kind of arrangements would you need to make, Miyuki-chan?ö Keitaro asked.
ôI keep being offered a position with the Forensics Unit. It would be an increase in pay, but it is also partially be an administrative position. It would be easier to be a working mother with consistent hours there.ö
ôYou want to be a working mother?ö Unspoken but implicit in that query was the question of whether Miyuki would want to keep working after having a child.
ôIÆveà done a lot of work to get where I am. I donÆt want to leave it unless I need to. Chances are I will anyway, but I donÆt want to be like those girls that join the department to find a husband.ö Miyuki and Natsumi worked with an extreme example of a husband hunter, Chie Sagamiono, a rich girl that actually had a Porsche 911 outfitted for official use in police colors and lights and sirens.
Keitaro smiled softly. ôTrust me, IÆm not in any rush here. I just want to keep my promises and obligations if I can.ö Miyuki looked like she wanted to hug him, but he held up a hand. ôOne last thing. Do you have any legal documentation for GrannyÆs offer?ö
Miyuki stepped away from Keitaro and toward a desk alongside the wall. Pulling a folder out of a drawer, she handed it to Keitaro who opened it and started reading the sheets inside. Finally he looked at the header of the document and the included business card, recognizing it as the legal firm that handled much of his familyÆs legal affairs. That and the phone number scribbled on the back in GrannyÆs unmistakable handwriting were the final proof that this was all legit on both sides. Closing the folder, he handed it back to Miyuki, who laid it down on the nearby dining table, never taking her eyes from his face. Natsumi, sensing that something big was going to happen, moved so she was standing next to her partner.
ôMiyuki-sanà Natsumi-sanà I need to apologize to you both.ö Shocking the two girls, Keitaro bowed deeply. ôI came to conclusions that were in error, and by acting on them, I hurt your feelings. Please forgive me for my thoughtlessness.ö
ôWhat conclusion would that be?ö Natsumi asked, just before MiyukiÆs elbow slammed into her side. She had immediately figured out what Keitaro meant and did not want to bring it up again, but her partner beat her to the punch.
Keitaro paused for a moment, hesitant to say the words aloud, before he finally started to speak. ôI was thinking that you were not as interested in me as you were in what I could do for you. Since you and Miyuki-chan are together, I presumed that you wanted to have me father a child for you but that you would not otherwise want me to be a part of the childÆs life. That is not something I could do; if I am to be a father, it will be as the real deal, not just as a sperm donor. But then I thought about it and I realized that I made assumptions without being sure. After all, weÆve only really know each other for a couple months time total. So I came here to talk to you about it.ö He would have said more, but he was seized by the front of his sweater and jerked forward. What surprised him was who did it; not brash Natsumi, but the more reserved Miyuki.
Wrapping her arms around him, she did not pull away from his wet clothing. The look on her face was not one he had seen before, that of anger. ôYouà youà stupid man! How many times do we have to tell you! WEà WANTà TOà BEà WITHà YOU! Yes, I want to have your child, but it would not be the same if you were not with us! What will it take to convince you!ö Tears started to trace down her cheeks.
ôI am just a ronin, I am not that specialàö Keitaro was interrupted again.
ôSHUT UP! You are Keitaro Urashima, heir to the noble Urashima clan, hatamoto to the Tokugawa shogunate! You are the descendant of Taro Urashima, the unarmed scholar who save the life of Ieyasu Tokugawa himself! You saved two different girls from fates worse than death, one from a city is that almost Hell on earth! You are NOT JUST A RONIN!ö Miyuki almost screamed at him before burying her face in his neck and starting to cry. ôWe love you, *I* love you! I know you have trouble believing this, but it is the truth.ö
ôIÆve done horrible things, Miyuki-chan, things that may damn me in the next lifeàö Keitaro said before he was interrupted one more time.
ôThen let the gods judge you, because we wonÆt! You are a part of our lives, and IÆll be damned if I let you go again!ö Miyuki looked up at him, tears now streaming from her eyes. ôPlease donÆt leave us again, please donÆt goàö
Slowly, Keitaro wrapped his arms around her, pulling her fully against him. He closed his eyes for a long moment before making his decision and opening them again. ôAre you sure? Are you absolutely sure?ö He looked over at Natsumi, only to see that her eyes were tearing up as well as she nodded her agreement.
ôYes! Oh gods yes!ö Miyuki may have wanted to say more, but KeitaroÆs lips on hers cut her off. Moaning, she tried to pull herself closer, but she was pressed up as much as she could against Keitaro. She did feel a female body press up against her from behind, however.
ôAs much as I donÆt want to be the voice of reason here, Taro-kun is wearing cold wet clothes.ö Natsumi had an amused tone in her voice. ôHe needs to take them off and take a hot bath.ö
Miyuki moaned again as her partner tried to pull her away. ôIÆll warm him up,ö she said, her voice sultry.
Chuckling softly, Natsumi finally got the other girl away from their boyfriend. ôWe donÆt want him to get sick just as we got him back, now do we? Let the poor man take a shower at least.ö
Opening her eyes, Miyuki giggled at the shell-shocked look on KeitaroÆs face that was a result of her passionate attack on him. ôWell, I think we can wait ten minutes for him to shower. Keitaro-kun?ö The young man blinked repeatedly before focusing on her. ôHurry with your bath, or Natsumi-chan and I are coming in after you.ö
Keitaro blinked a couple more times before he started to move toward the bathroom. The shower stall in the girlÆs apartment was literally the size of a phone booth; while it was possible for two people to squeeze in there, three people was too much.
ôKei-kun? Please hurry, weÆre starting to get cold too.ö Glancing toward the girls, Keitaro almost stumbled as he saw that they had stripped off their t-shirts and shorts, leaving them in bras and panties and embracing each other. Regaining his footing, the young man hurried into the bathroom, the happy laughter of the two women following behind him.
-----
Tsujimoto/Kobayakawa Residence
Koto City, Tokyo, Japan
Mid December
late morning
Natsumi had no great love for bad weather like the rain now pouring down outside their apartment building. In their line of work, it meant standing around in cold wet weather in rain gear that was barely worthy of the name, writing incident reports on vehicular accidents that were almost the fault of some idiot that thought that going 30 km above the speed limit was acceptable in conditions that turned the roads and highways into giant Slip & Slides. Some poor unfortunate would be on the receiving end of the crash, and unless they were truly lucky, they would be injured in the accident. The only thing worse than a bad weather accident was a drunk driving vehicle accident with injuries; NatsumiÆs superiors did not ask awkward questions about the bruised and bloodied suspects that were taken into custody, presumably injured by the crash and not from accidentally slamming their head into a door frame, or tripping and falling while walking down steps while handcuffed.
Even having days off during bad weather was not a good thing, as she could not go out and participate in the various sports she was involved in. The only activities that were left for her to do was to engage in Special Unit training involving sadistic trainers brought in from the JSDF Airborne Division, which usually involved running through mud, crawling through mud, or doing the first two and then climb up ropes with full gear while covered in the aforementioned mud. Natsumi could do it due to her chi enhanced strength, but then every other member of the unit would get punished for not being able to do it too, and she got tired of the evil eyes she would get as a result. But even now a day of slogging through mud was starting to look good compared to spending the day with her roommate.
Even as different as their personalities were, there was always something unexplainable that kept the boisterous athletic tomboy and the demure gearhead and techie together. And when all else failed, there was always their ætogether timeÆ, where both their familiarity with each other and the judicious use of various items helped pass the time more quickly. On this day though, that was not to be.
Miyuki was sitting, if you could call it that, in a bean bag chair, slouched down so low it was almost as though she were laying down. A set of headphones were on her head, and a cord lead to the stereo beside her. Her eyes were closed, and she looked as though she was asleep. She was not though as her foot, propped up in her opposing leg, was swaying along with the tempo of the music she was listening to. Given the slow movement of her foot, it appeared as though she was now listening to classical western music as compared to the sugary J-pop or maudlin American love ballads from before.
Natsumi was of two minds about her partnerÆs choice of music. On one hand classical was much preferable to the other stuff she had been listening to, much of which had been about love and the various bad endings that resulted from it. On the other hand, some of Yuki-chanÆs classical music was so depressing it would probably violate the Geneva Convention if they had played it to prisoners.
MiyukiÆs depression was understandable, as Natsumi was undergoing certain aspects of it as well. They both badly missed Keitaro, ranging from the way he would smile at them, to the way he felt when he hugged them, to the way he made love to them. And it was love; or at the very least it was not just sex when the three of them were together. But as bad as this was, there was an additional carrot being dangled over her partnerÆs head; the possibility of a child. Natsumi could see herself as a mother somewhere down the line, but she was in no hurry to have it happen. On the other hand you could see what Miyuki wanted every time she would see a mother and child walking together on the sidewalk or playing together in a park.
Natsumi almost wanted to hate Keitaro for what he was doing to her friend, even as inadvertent as it was. But she could see where he was as well; being given carte blanche to have children with two women was enough to set anyone back. Keitaro already had plans for his life, such as entering Todai, as well as responsibilities and duties he could not step away from. And given how dedicated Keitaro could be, she understand why he would want to be involved in his childrenÆs lives. So while she could not begrudge their paramourÆs request to a week to think things over, she was not sure that she and her partner would survive it with their hearts intact.
Sitting at the table in their apartment, Natsumi took a sip from her cup of sake before grimacing. The hot beverage had cooled off, and the bottle in front of her was now empty. Pushing herself to her feet, she started to walk toward the kitchen counter and another bottle of sake when she heard someone knock on the front door. Stopping in mid-step in surprise, she glanced at the door and then at her oblivious partner; they were not expecting any visitors today. In fact, this reminded her of the last time they had an unannounced visitor, and all the turmoil that resulted from it.
Stepping over to where Miyuki was, she tapped her moving foot with her own and got her attention. Pulling off her headphones the dark haired girl looked up at her partner expectantly. Jerking her head to the side, Natsumi motioned toward the front door and raised an eyebrow, silently asking if she was expecting any visitors. Miyuki shook her head and rolled up to her feet from the bean bag chair as her partner walked up the door and peered through the peephole. The brown haired girl froze for a long moment before abruptly opening the door, almost ripping it out of the frame.
The young male standing before them was almost unrecognizable, as he was clearly rain-soaked in spite of his hooded sweatshirt. His black hair was plastered to his head, and the guy was squinting at them as though he was missing his glasses. Looking from one to the other, he asked, ôNatsumi-chan? Miyuki-chan? Is that you?ö and was barely able to stay on his feet as the girl at the door yanked him into the apartment and slammed the door shut behind him. The girl pulled him into her arms in a tight hug before flinching and pulling back, the cold wet sweater he had on soaking through her thin t-shirt instantly. ôKeitaro-kun! Why are you all wet!ö
ôBecause itÆs raining outside and the wind ripped my umbrella apart?ö KeitaroÆs laconic response gave Natsumi enough of a pause to enable Miyuki to take hold of his shoulder and turn him toward her. Looking at her, he could see that she wanted to hug him as well, but she was reluctant to and not just because of his wet clothes. ôHi there, Miyuki-chan. Sorry I came without letting you know first.ö
ôYou werenÆt the loudest guy, but we always knew when you were about to come.ö Both Miyuki and Keitaro slowly turned and looked at Natsumi incredulously for her off-color remark. ôWhat?ö she asked, trying to look innocent, or not guilty, and failing miserably.
Shaking her head, Miyuki turned back to look at their visitor. ôWhere are your glasses, Keitaro-kun?ö she asked, trying to ignore memories her partnerÆs wisecrack brought to mind.
Blinking at her, Keitaro reached into his sweatshirt pocket and pulled out his glasses, showing that they were as wet as well. ôGlasses you canÆt keep dry are worse than useless. I can actually see better with them off until I clean them.ö The young man motioned with his spectacles. ôDo you have something like a handkerchief or an old piece of t-shirt so I can clean and dry them?ö
ôWhy not a piece of tissue paper or a Kleenex?ö Miyuki asked as Natsumi wandered off, apparently looking for the requested item.
ôTissue paper is made out of wood pulp, it scratches plastic lens. ItÆs better to use a piece of soft cloth.ö The two fell quiet, with Miyuki not sure what else to say, and Keitaro apparently wanting to be able to see clearly before saying else.
ôHere you go, Taro-kun.ö Natsumi walked back to Keitaro and handed him a wadded up piece of cloth. Hold one edge of it, he let it unfold and saw that it was an old t-shirt, one that was faded and wash-worn with the Romanji words æFace Up HereÆ and an arrow pointing upwards. KeitaroÆs eyes flicked toward the brown haired girl, who merely smiled and shrugged. ôItÆs an old running shirt. I donÆt wear it anymore, too small.ö
Keitaro nodded as he started to use the shirt to clean his glasses. He had seen Natsumi come back from some of her runs. The Special Unit officer made it a habit of getting up before dawn three times a week (or have her partner wake her up, to be more accurate) and go for a 10 km run; 2 km at a jog, 6 km at a three quarter speed pace, one and a half km at a full sprint, and a half km to cool down, all the while wearing a t-shirt, tactical pants, and SWAT boots. He could see why she would wear the t-shirt; even wearing an athletic bra, Natsumi had an eye-catching bust, and seeing her run in a thin shirt immediately drew everyoneÆs attention. And it had to be a t-shirt, as her metabolism ran high enough that it affected her body temperature and a sweatshirt would actually cause her to start to overheat.
Finishing drying and polishing his glasses, Keitaro slipped them back on. Looking from one girl to the other, he could see that they were both looking slightly concerned and nervous, although Natsumi was concealing it better. ôSorry I came over without calling, but this is something I didnÆt want to do over the phone.ö He saw that they both tensed at that statement. ôI know I didnÆt react well when you told me what Granny offered, but I later realized that I made a mistake that day. I made some assumptions that werenÆt fair, at least before I asked you about them. ThatÆs what I want to do now.ö
Turning toward Natsumi, he smiled slightly, trying to put her at ease. ôFirst off, IÆm guessing that since you brought up the offer, you are not opposed to it?ö
Shaking her head slightly, Natsumi responded. ôNo, weÆre not. Like IÆve said before, we have a hard time finding good guys to be romantic with. This is one way to do it, since me and Miyuki-chan want to stay together if possible.ö
Looking back at the darker haired girl, Keitaro asked his next question. ôSince you agree with the offer, that implies that you want to have children. *When* do you want to have these children. Right now? A couple years from now?ö
Miyuki started to blush. ôI would like to have a child right now, but I can see that it would not be very convenient. You are trying to enter Todai, and IÆm still a patrol officer. It would take a year or so to make arrangements so our situations would be more ideal.ö
Glancing over at Natsumi, she half smiled as she responded. ôI want a kid, but IÆm not in that big a hurry. I want to see how far I can get with the Special Unit, and that will take a couple years at least.ö
ôWhat kind of arrangements would you need to make, Miyuki-chan?ö Keitaro asked.
ôI keep being offered a position with the Forensics Unit. It would be an increase in pay, but it is also partially be an administrative position. It would be easier to be a working mother with consistent hours there.ö
ôYou want to be a working mother?ö Unspoken but implicit in that query was the question of whether Miyuki would want to keep working after having a child.
ôIÆveà done a lot of work to get where I am. I donÆt want to leave it unless I need to. Chances are I will anyway, but I donÆt want to be like those girls that join the department to find a husband.ö Miyuki and Natsumi worked with an extreme example of a husband hunter, Chie Sagamiono, a rich girl that actually had a Porsche 911 outfitted for official use in police colors and lights and sirens.
Keitaro smiled softly. ôTrust me, IÆm not in any rush here. I just want to keep my promises and obligations if I can.ö Miyuki looked like she wanted to hug him, but he held up a hand. ôOne last thing. Do you have any legal documentation for GrannyÆs offer?ö
Miyuki stepped away from Keitaro and toward a desk alongside the wall. Pulling a folder out of a drawer, she handed it to Keitaro who opened it and started reading the sheets inside. Finally he looked at the header of the document and the included business card, recognizing it as the legal firm that handled much of his familyÆs legal affairs. That and the phone number scribbled on the back in GrannyÆs unmistakable handwriting were the final proof that this was all legit on both sides. Closing the folder, he handed it back to Miyuki, who laid it down on the nearby dining table, never taking her eyes from his face. Natsumi, sensing that something big was going to happen, moved so she was standing next to her partner.
ôMiyuki-sanà Natsumi-sanà I need to apologize to you both.ö Shocking the two girls, Keitaro bowed deeply. ôI came to conclusions that were in error, and by acting on them, I hurt your feelings. Please forgive me for my thoughtlessness.ö
ôWhat conclusion would that be?ö Natsumi asked, just before MiyukiÆs elbow slammed into her side. She had immediately figured out what Keitaro meant and did not want to bring it up again, but her partner beat her to the punch.
Keitaro paused for a moment, hesitant to say the words aloud, before he finally started to speak. ôI was thinking that you were not as interested in me as you were in what I could do for you. Since you and Miyuki-chan are together, I presumed that you wanted to have me father a child for you but that you would not otherwise want me to be a part of the childÆs life. That is not something I could do; if I am to be a father, it will be as the real deal, not just as a sperm donor. But then I thought about it and I realized that I made assumptions without being sure. After all, weÆve only really know each other for a couple months time total. So I came here to talk to you about it.ö He would have said more, but he was seized by the front of his sweater and jerked forward. What surprised him was who did it; not brash Natsumi, but the more reserved Miyuki.
Wrapping her arms around him, she did not pull away from his wet clothing. The look on her face was not one he had seen before, that of anger. ôYouà youà stupid man! How many times do we have to tell you! WEà WANTà TOà BEà WITHà YOU! Yes, I want to have your child, but it would not be the same if you were not with us! What will it take to convince you!ö Tears started to trace down her cheeks.
ôI am just a ronin, I am not that specialàö Keitaro was interrupted again.
ôSHUT UP! You are Keitaro Urashima, heir to the noble Urashima clan, hatamoto to the Tokugawa shogunate! You are the descendant of Taro Urashima, the unarmed scholar who save the life of Ieyasu Tokugawa himself! You saved two different girls from fates worse than death, one from a city is that almost Hell on earth! You are NOT JUST A RONIN!ö Miyuki almost screamed at him before burying her face in his neck and starting to cry. ôWe love you, *I* love you! I know you have trouble believing this, but it is the truth.ö
ôIÆve done horrible things, Miyuki-chan, things that may damn me in the next lifeàö Keitaro said before he was interrupted one more time.
ôThen let the gods judge you, because we wonÆt! You are a part of our lives, and IÆll be damned if I let you go again!ö Miyuki looked up at him, tears now streaming from her eyes. ôPlease donÆt leave us again, please donÆt goàö
Slowly, Keitaro wrapped his arms around her, pulling her fully against him. He closed his eyes for a long moment before making his decision and opening them again. ôAre you sure? Are you absolutely sure?ö He looked over at Natsumi, only to see that her eyes were tearing up as well as she nodded her agreement.
ôYes! Oh gods yes!ö Miyuki may have wanted to say more, but KeitaroÆs lips on hers cut her off. Moaning, she tried to pull herself closer, but she was pressed up as much as she could against Keitaro. She did feel a female body press up against her from behind, however.
ôAs much as I donÆt want to be the voice of reason here, Taro-kun is wearing cold wet clothes.ö Natsumi had an amused tone in her voice. ôHe needs to take them off and take a hot bath.ö
Miyuki moaned again as her partner tried to pull her away. ôIÆll warm him up,ö she said, her voice sultry.
Chuckling softly, Natsumi finally got the other girl away from their boyfriend. ôWe donÆt want him to get sick just as we got him back, now do we? Let the poor man take a shower at least.ö
Opening her eyes, Miyuki giggled at the shell-shocked look on KeitaroÆs face that was a result of her passionate attack on him. ôWell, I think we can wait ten minutes for him to shower. Keitaro-kun?ö The young man blinked repeatedly before focusing on her. ôHurry with your bath, or Natsumi-chan and I are coming in after you.ö
Keitaro blinked a couple more times before he started to move toward the bathroom. The shower stall in the girlÆs apartment was literally the size of a phone booth; while it was possible for two people to squeeze in there, three people was too much.
ôKei-kun? Please hurry, weÆre starting to get cold too.ö Glancing toward the girls, Keitaro almost stumbled as he saw that they had stripped off their t-shirts and shorts, leaving them in bras and panties and embracing each other. Regaining his footing, the young man hurried into the bathroom, the happy laughter of the two women following behind him.
The Ranma references made me facepalm so hard I got a nosebleed. Seriously, that wasn't needed.
I would also argue that you should cut out the lyrics of the song itself. The reason songfics suck is because no one likes reading the lyrics, ever. This has never been entertaining or a good idea, and it never will be. If you want to mention the song by name, or even describe what it was about and how Keitaro thought it was strangely fitting for his circumstances, that's perfectly fine. But please don't leave the lyrics there. It's terrible and unnecessary and the hallmark of fics far, far worse than this one.
I would also argue that you should cut out the lyrics of the song itself. The reason songfics suck is because no one likes reading the lyrics, ever. This has never been entertaining or a good idea, and it never will be. If you want to mention the song by name, or even describe what it was about and how Keitaro thought it was strangely fitting for his circumstances, that's perfectly fine. But please don't leave the lyrics there. It's terrible and unnecessary and the hallmark of fics far, far worse than this one.
As you all may know if you read the partial update posted for Ch 34 last week, I went to Anime Expo 2012 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. While I was there (and thinking of my fans B) ) I decided to commission a drawing of a scene from Contract Labor. I paid my money and got it the next day. I think it turned out rather well. ^_^
(<a href='http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt328/GreydonCreed/Contract%20Labor/Motoko-1.jpg[/img]
Hopefully, I will complete the update this week and work on a lemon as well.
(<a href='http://i624.photobucket.com/albums/tt328/GreydonCreed/Contract%20Labor/Motoko-1.jpg[/img]
Hopefully, I will complete the update this week and work on a lemon as well.
Just waitin for the Roanapur flashback B)
Honestly I could actually see Balalaika respectfully impressed with Keitaro for what he pulled off against literally ALL odds. She'd get his mindset even if she didn't like how much chaos he was causing in her city. Chang would see the situation I think and back off if only to pick up the pieces for himself.
Keitaro and Revy would not get along, no two ways about it. Like a magnesium flare and thermite sitting on top of a car's hood- kiss the car goodby.
Hah, I can only imagine when when this takes place. Keitaro might have a harder or easier time depending on when Roberta showed up. If before Keiatro he's literally gonna have people knowing how to handle the kinda trouble he can bring, on the other hand it gives people like Chang and Balalaika a chance to recognize it might be better in their own self-interests to just let him do his thing. After all if someone is willing to take your competition out for you, why get in their way?
I can kinda already see how its gonna happen considering what tiny details you've mentioned but I'm more than happy to wait and see.
Honestly I could actually see Balalaika respectfully impressed with Keitaro for what he pulled off against literally ALL odds. She'd get his mindset even if she didn't like how much chaos he was causing in her city. Chang would see the situation I think and back off if only to pick up the pieces for himself.
Keitaro and Revy would not get along, no two ways about it. Like a magnesium flare and thermite sitting on top of a car's hood- kiss the car goodby.
Hah, I can only imagine when when this takes place. Keitaro might have a harder or easier time depending on when Roberta showed up. If before Keiatro he's literally gonna have people knowing how to handle the kinda trouble he can bring, on the other hand it gives people like Chang and Balalaika a chance to recognize it might be better in their own self-interests to just let him do his thing. After all if someone is willing to take your competition out for you, why get in their way?
I can kinda already see how its gonna happen considering what tiny details you've mentioned but I'm more than happy to wait and see.
You and most people, bub.
One of the things that is not really talked about in Black Lagoon is human trafficking; in RL it is big business in the Asian underworld, but it is not referred to in the anime. Drug and weapons trades, yes. People smuggling and forced sex workers, not so much. In fact, there is only one reference in the series, and it involved the Vampire Twins in Europe. So I am going to take that referral and run with it. BTW, while Balalaika and Hotel Moscow would not necessarily be involved in the sex slave trade, it is more likely that Chang's parent group would be, even if his specific group isn't.
Revy's problem with Keitaro is going to be that because he is a young Japanese male and rather non-threatening in appearance, she is going to assume that he is like Rock and act accordingly. And we all know what happens when people assume? ^_^
If you mean that if he arrives before Roberta does people won't know what will hit them, sure. If you mean after Roberta's little vengeance tear, people are still going to underestimate him. After all, it's one unassuming guy in a town where they are used to posturing and flash. Even people who should know better aren't going to wary of him. In fact, there is only going to be two people in town that will pick up on him... Sister Yolanda is one of them, because she is older and experienced enough to accurate gauge a person's threat potential.
Balalaika and Chang won't be happy with what happens while is it occurring, but they are experienced in the art of making lemonade out of life's lemons.
Well darn, I don't know if I should be happy that I've let enough details slip or not. B)
I'm looking forward to writing the Roanapur sections myself. ^_^
Thanks for the FB.
One of the things that is not really talked about in Black Lagoon is human trafficking; in RL it is big business in the Asian underworld, but it is not referred to in the anime. Drug and weapons trades, yes. People smuggling and forced sex workers, not so much. In fact, there is only one reference in the series, and it involved the Vampire Twins in Europe. So I am going to take that referral and run with it. BTW, while Balalaika and Hotel Moscow would not necessarily be involved in the sex slave trade, it is more likely that Chang's parent group would be, even if his specific group isn't.
Revy's problem with Keitaro is going to be that because he is a young Japanese male and rather non-threatening in appearance, she is going to assume that he is like Rock and act accordingly. And we all know what happens when people assume? ^_^
If you mean that if he arrives before Roberta does people won't know what will hit them, sure. If you mean after Roberta's little vengeance tear, people are still going to underestimate him. After all, it's one unassuming guy in a town where they are used to posturing and flash. Even people who should know better aren't going to wary of him. In fact, there is only going to be two people in town that will pick up on him... Sister Yolanda is one of them, because she is older and experienced enough to accurate gauge a person's threat potential.
Balalaika and Chang won't be happy with what happens while is it occurring, but they are experienced in the art of making lemonade out of life's lemons.
Well darn, I don't know if I should be happy that I've let enough details slip or not. B)
I'm looking forward to writing the Roanapur sections myself. ^_^
Thanks for the FB.
As you may know, I posted a partial version of Ch 34 at FFN the other week. Here is essentially the semi-final complete chapter. Enjoy! :lol:
Ch 34
V 1.0
Hinata-sou Dormitory
Mid December
late afternoon
(three months after story start)
ôWhen are we going to eat, Shinobu-chan?ö Surprisingly enough Kaolla Su was not the resident asking the question, but it was the second most immature of the residents. Even though Mitsune Konno, known as Kitsune by those close to her, was actually the oldest of the tenants living at the Hinata-sou, you could not really tell by the tone of her voice, which at this point had a whining quality that made her sound more like the young island princess in their midst.
ôIn just a few more minutes, Kitsune-sempai. Keitaro-sama is bringing a couple of friends to eat with us tonight, and he said they may be delayed by traffic. If they are not here in ten minutes, he said to start eating without them.ö Shinobu Maehara, second youngest of the tenants yet the most mature and responsible of the lot, had just brought a tray with a pot of steaming tea and cups into the living room, presumably to tide them over for a few more minutes. As soon as she set the tray down on the coffee table, the blunette reached into the pocket on the front of her neat dark green apron and produced a couple of bright yellow bananas and casually tossed the ripened fruit over the coffee table toward the antsy blonde girl sitting on the couch fidgeting. Just as the fruit passed the apogee of its arc, it was snatched in mid-air by the now fully attentive young teen. Tossing one banana up in the air, Su quickly peeled the other fruit and popped it into the air just in time to catch and peel the first one. Holding the two fruits in her hand, Su then semi-calmly broke one banana in half, tossed it into her mouth and started to chew.
Kanako Urashima, on a love seat perpendicular to the sofa where Su, Konno and Naru Narusegawa were sitting, watched as the youngest girl happily ate her snack. While normally she would not have been happy with Shinobu throwing food around or SuÆs antics, she knew that they were a great improvement on the younger girlÆs behavior. After just arriving to live at the Sou, she had watched the oblivious girl shove entire bananas into her mouth while in an eating frenzy, sometimes not even pausing to peel them. While not a prude, Kanako had winced at the inappropriate image it produced. Gradually the Urashima was able to convince the island princess to slow down her eating and to do so in a manner that was more proper and dignified. The one habit she had not been able to break had been her eagerness to receive her precious fruit when presented to her; Su had an unfortunate tendency to instinctive try to grab them from the person passing them to herà with her teeth. After a near miss involving ShinobuÆs fingers, the domestic tenant would toss the bananas at the tropical girl, who would juggle them in the air as she peeled them. Once the fruit was ready to eat Kanako was able to convince Su that her consumption of her favorite food would last longer if she broke the fruit into chunks to eat rather than cramming everything down at once. After timing her once, Kanako was able to show that eating the fruit piecemeal would quadruple the time she would be enjoying it rather than consuming it in a frenzy and then leaving her with a hunger for more.
Turning her eyes toward the next resident, Kanako gave a slight sigh. Even though Mitsune Konno was the oldest of the tenants, she lived up to her nicknameÆs namesake, the trickster fox. While she was not trying to pull scams or come on to Keitaro anymore, that did not preclude her mischievous activities toward the other residents. Naru was used to her friendÆs antics, so she would shake her head and continue what she was doing before, Su would giggle and join in with the older girl, and Shinobu would just give a longsuffering sigh. However, KitsuneÆs activities had reduced themselves from physical pranks and mischief to mostly good-natured teasing. It was even less than that for the two youngest girls as the oldest girl had learned the hard way you did not want to annoy the person that washed your clothes (Shinobu was still being paid to do the other tenantÆs laundry) or was liable to show her appreciation of a joke played on her with either a flying jump kick or a glomp hug that felt like it should belong to a gorilla. The only people Kitsune did not mess with at all was Haruka, whoÆs stoic demeanor was such that Kitsune did not want to provoke a response, and Kanako herself. The trickster girl did not even tried anything with the youngest Urashima, as the glares from the dark haired girl when she had first arrived at the Sou completely cowed her. On the positive side, while Kitsune had never been described as an enthusiastic worker or a punctual bill payer, she was now a diligent worker at the Tea House and had been paying her rent on time at the Sou, even if she came running up at the end of the day to KanakoÆs or KeitaroÆs room to do so.
Looking at the last tenant on the couch, Kanako did not really know what to think of Naru Narusegawa. The brown haired girl was certainly dedicated to her studies, to the point that she stood out among other Todai aspirants, but her behavior otherwise was certainly not of the norm. A lot was explainable due to the two assaults she had suffered, but it appeared that Naru had pulled into her shell as a way of dealing with the world. Kanako would not have been surprised to have seen a person who had gone through what she had become hikikomori, suffering from acute social withdrawal to the point of not leaving her room or house, almost like the agoraphobic Westerners that were who were afraid to be out in the open and locked themselves in their home. In this case Kitsune was actually good for her friend, as she kept Naru from withdrawing even more than she did. But even now Naru was wearing her coke-bottle glasses and reading a test prep book while her ash blonde friend sat beside her sipping at a clear beverage that Kanako was sure was not tea.
Kanako looked up as Shinobu returned to the living room from the kitchen. Instead of sitting down next to her on the love seat or on one of the single seats around the living room, the blunette instead stayed standing between the two sofas.
ôShinobu-chan, why donÆt you sit down? We donÆt know how much longer it will be before Manager-san gets here.ö Kitsune was looking up at the younger girl.
ôItÆs OK, Kitsune-sempai. I donÆt want to get right back up again.ö Shinobu shook her head slightly.
ôRight back up? What are you talking about?ö Haruka Urashima, who had been silently sipping her tea on one of the single upholstered chairs, finally spoke up.
ôWell, IÆve noticed that if I am waiting for something or someone, if I stay standing and then sit down, what I was waiting for will happen shortly afterwards.ö Shinobu moved over to the side of the love seat and sat down beside Kanako. ôItÆs actually one of the ways I can make something happen faster.ö
ôYouÆve got to be kidding, Shinobu-chan, thereÆs no way that would actuallyàö KitsuneÆs voice trailed off as she heard a car motor approaching the back of the house. ôàwork?ö Shinobu just smiled at the older girl as she stood up and started to walk toward the back door. The other residents, who had been following the exchange, merely stood and followed the young domestic out to the driveway to greet their guest.
Parked in front of them was a older blue Toyota convertible with the top down. There were two young women, a short brown haired girl and a long black haired girl in the front seat, and their erstwhile manager was now carefully climbing out of the back. Once he was out of the car, he stood beside the two young ladies and walked toward the residents of the Sou, who had instinctively formed into a line facing them.
The trio came to a halt two paces in front of the tenants and stayed silent for a moment before Keitaro spoke up. ôGood morning, everyone. Sorry we were late, there was a traffic delay.ö The male Urashima scanned the line of people and while he could see curiosity on the faces of the tenants, there was only HarukaÆs calm demeanor on hers and a poker face that would put most card sharks to shame on KanakoÆs. Seta-sensei, Sara and Nyamo were not present, as today they were at the Ministry of Justice arranging for the latterÆs resident visa.
ôLadies, these are some of the residents and tenants of the Hinata Sou. From that end is Naru Narusegawa, Kitsune Konno, Kaolla Su, Shinobu Maehara, my aunt Haruka Urashima, and my sister Kanako Urashima.ö As Keitaro introduced each resident, they either smiled and nodded slightly or gave a slight bow for the more traditionally minded.
Turning back to the pair beside him, Keitaro resumed speaking. ôThese young ladies are Natsumi Tsujimoto and Miyuki Kobayakawa, my good friends.ö Here Keitaro took a deep breath before speaking the words that froze the tenants in place. ôThey are both also my girlfriends.ö
*****
Looking from one end of the line to the other, Keitaro could see that almost everyone was reacting to his revelation as he had expected. Haruka had not changed expression, KanakoÆs face looked as though it was carved from granite, Su was looking partially confused, and Shinobu was blushing heavily. KitsuneÆs eyes were wide open for once instead of being half-closed in her normal fox look, and Naru was slowly turning red, and was already past her æbash the pervertÆ look and rapidly closing on ækill all degenerate swine NOW!Æ. Thankfully, he had talked to his æLovely LadiesÆÖ about what could happen following their little revelation and they had planned accordingly.
ôNaru-san, I know what you are thinking, and you are mistaken.ö MiyukiÆs soft and calm voice nonetheless seized the hot-headed brunetteÆs attention. ôThe truth of the matter is that Natsumi-chan and I were the ones to ask Keitaro-kun to become our boyfriend at the same time. And we had a very hard time convincing him to do so. We had not seen him for almost a full year before we met again a week ago, and we had both missed him so very much. And rather than having him date only one of us and the other being left out, we decided to both date him at the same time.ö The trio had decided beforehand that they were not going to mention GrannyÆs little offer, as that would just stir things up even more.
NaruÆs facial expression was starting to cool down, so Kitsune decided to speak up. ôWhy do you both want to date him? He canÆt be that great a guy, can he? No offense, Manager-san.ö Keitaro nodded in acknowledgement to her apology and therefore everyone missed KanakoÆs rather visible twitch.
ôHe is that great a guy.ö Here it was Natsumi that spoke. ôHeÆs smart, good looking, kind, hard-workingàö The short haired brunette spaced out for a long moment before mentally shaking it off and continuing. ôI donÆt know how it is for you young people, but there is a shortage of available decent guys to date. When you find one, you grab on and donÆt let go.ö
ôYoung people? How old are you?ö Naru spoke next, her face still flushed, which explained her rude question.
ôMiyuki-chan is 29 years old and IÆm 28,ö Natsumi replied. ôOld enough to know a good thing when we see it. Or in this case, see him.ö Wrapping an arm around KeitaroÆs shoulder, she leaned forward and gave him a light kiss on the lips before turning back toward the younger girl and smiling.
ôSo do you guys just share Manager-san? Or do you *share* him?ö KitsuneÆs suggestive question was asked just to tease the trio, she did not expect the response she got.
ôOh yes. Some of the best times of our relationship have been when the three of us are together.ö Miyuki gave a smile that was so innocent, blissful and yet *naughty*, that there was no way for it to be misunderstood. Which explained why the next question came up.
ôDoes Manager-san taste good?ö Here everyone slowly turned and looked at Su, who was smiling innocently while rocking back and forth on her heels. ôYou both are going to be his wives, yes?ö
ôWhy are you saying that, Su-chan?ö It was everything Keitaro could do to not have winced at the young blonde islander girlÆs question.
ôIn my country nobles take up to three wives. To make sure that his family continues the lord and the girls who want to marry him do snu-snu until the girl gets pregnant, then they get married.ö Here Su frowned. ôThere were bad lords that would not marry girls until babies were born, and then sometimes they didnÆt marry if they were girl babies. My Momma and Poppa got really angry at one lord who kept doing that, since all the babies were girl babies, so they took his title and money away, split it up among the girls and babies. Since then everyone gets married as soon as girl is pregnant.ö
ôAnd why do you think we are going to be Keitaro-kunÆs wives?ö MiyukiÆs question was carefully non-committal
ôManager-san is a lord, is he not? Part of a noble family here in Japan?ö Su looked from the two girlfriends and Keitaro to the two female Urashima standing off to the side.
ôKeitaro-kun is the heir to his family clan, that is true, but heÆs not quite a lord yet. Right now Granny Hina is the head and lord of the Urashima clan.ö Haruka replied. ôBesides, having more than one wife is illegal in Japan.ö
ôPff.ö Su made a hand gesture that looked remarkably Italian. ôYou canÆt make love illegal. If man loves more than one woman, and they love him back, that is from heart. Words on paper no change that.ö Then Su did something they were not used to - she smirked. ôIf more than one wife illegal, why does Japan have saishoudoukin?ö
Everyone paused at that. Saishoudoukin was the custom of having both a wife and a mistress living in the same house at the same time. While it had taken place mostly in feudal era Japan, there was still some talk of some current time well-to-do men continuing the custom, although it was probably more to produce children when the wife could not and not just for gratification. But then the fact that Su knew about saishoudoukin was what was so surprising, although it should not have been. People kept underestimating Su due to her weak spoken Japanese, and they would forget that that this was the girl that had built a giant hovering turtle mech in her room.
ôSu, how do you know about saishoudoukin?ö Kitsune asked, glancing at Keitaro and his girlfriends while trying to covertly wipe the trickle of crimson leaking from her nose.
ôRead about it in comic book I found at school.ö Su explained. ôMagic girls all chasing after one boy, one of girls ask magical book what to do, book says saishoudoukin. Book shows girl and boy and girlfriend in bed together for snu-snu. Book not good after that, no show snu-snu. Had to go on Internet and find other comic books showing snu-snu.ö Su looked disgusted for a moment, then brightened. ôBut then discovered American website, stores many snu-snu books on-line. Have almost five terabytes downloaded,ö the high school girl announced happily. ôDonÆt read books with tentacles, too icky.ö
By this time, both Natsumi and Miyuki were wide-eyed, Shinobu was almost glowing red in embarrassment, Kitsune had blood trickling from both nostrils, and Naru had a rather visible tic in one eye. Haruka had raised an eyebrow, Kanako had an even more severe look on her face, and Keitaro was trying not to cringe.
ôSu-chanà you readà porn?ö Naru was obviously trying not to lose her temper and doing a bad job of it.
ôRead snu-snu. Porn is bad, when show people being hurt. Snu-snu is normal part of life. People who donÆt snu-snu angry, mean. Act like you and Motoko-chan, sometimes,ö the young blonde girl explained, oblivious to the implied insult, which brought Naru to a halt. ôSo I help pay to make more snu-snu books, make people happy.ö
ôWait a second, you help make snu-snu books? How?ö This time the question came from Haruka.
ôContact writers of comic books, good artists who want to do books but no have official jobs.ö Su replied. ôHelp them with money to produce books, arrange for books to be sold in Akihabara and online. Sometimes writers who already do comic books want to do snu-snu books, but bosses donÆt allow. I help them write under different names. Also give money to websites to pay for server space and bandwidth and to translate books to different languages.ö
ôHow can you afford to do all this?ö Haruka asked in wonder. ôAnd how long have you been doing this?ö
ôUse lunch money. Shinobu-chan make tasty food, so I bring from here and no need to buy food at school.ö Su grinned as she threw her arm around the shoulder of a still blushing Shinobu. Of the group present, only the Urashima knew that what Su received as ælunch moneyÆ, and what she considered pocket money, most people would consider a *very* decent monthly paycheck. ôStarted doing this when I first arrive here from Mol-mol, canÆt work in lab on Mecha-Tama all the time. Have Internet group that help, we called Team Vanilla. Wanted to call it Team Banana, but others no agree, call it ærisque.Æö Su looked sad at that.
ôWait, you were twelve years old when you first came to Japan!ö Naru almost shouted her question.
ôI know about snu-snu since I was ten years old, when I start womanly time every month. Momma and Big Sister explain.ö Su looked up at the fuming long haired brunette. ôWhen have womanly feelings, you need to know why and what to do and not do. Great honor in Mol-mol to reach womanhood early, show that gods trust and bless you. Also sign that you are part of royal family.ö Su turned to Shinobu, who looked to be in shock that her younger friend had started puberty so early. ôShinobu-chan, IÆm really hungry, when do we eat?ö There was a pleading note in the Molmolese girlÆs voice.
ôNow, actually, since everyone is here.ö Shinobu shook off her feelings and looked toward Keitaro, who nodded his approval. ôLetÆs all go inside, the food is ready to serve.ö With that everyone turned and started walking into the house, first the younger girls, then the older tenants. The two guests followed them up, with the Urashima bring up the rear.
Ch 34
V 1.0
Hinata-sou Dormitory
Mid December
late afternoon
(three months after story start)
ôWhen are we going to eat, Shinobu-chan?ö Surprisingly enough Kaolla Su was not the resident asking the question, but it was the second most immature of the residents. Even though Mitsune Konno, known as Kitsune by those close to her, was actually the oldest of the tenants living at the Hinata-sou, you could not really tell by the tone of her voice, which at this point had a whining quality that made her sound more like the young island princess in their midst.
ôIn just a few more minutes, Kitsune-sempai. Keitaro-sama is bringing a couple of friends to eat with us tonight, and he said they may be delayed by traffic. If they are not here in ten minutes, he said to start eating without them.ö Shinobu Maehara, second youngest of the tenants yet the most mature and responsible of the lot, had just brought a tray with a pot of steaming tea and cups into the living room, presumably to tide them over for a few more minutes. As soon as she set the tray down on the coffee table, the blunette reached into the pocket on the front of her neat dark green apron and produced a couple of bright yellow bananas and casually tossed the ripened fruit over the coffee table toward the antsy blonde girl sitting on the couch fidgeting. Just as the fruit passed the apogee of its arc, it was snatched in mid-air by the now fully attentive young teen. Tossing one banana up in the air, Su quickly peeled the other fruit and popped it into the air just in time to catch and peel the first one. Holding the two fruits in her hand, Su then semi-calmly broke one banana in half, tossed it into her mouth and started to chew.
Kanako Urashima, on a love seat perpendicular to the sofa where Su, Konno and Naru Narusegawa were sitting, watched as the youngest girl happily ate her snack. While normally she would not have been happy with Shinobu throwing food around or SuÆs antics, she knew that they were a great improvement on the younger girlÆs behavior. After just arriving to live at the Sou, she had watched the oblivious girl shove entire bananas into her mouth while in an eating frenzy, sometimes not even pausing to peel them. While not a prude, Kanako had winced at the inappropriate image it produced. Gradually the Urashima was able to convince the island princess to slow down her eating and to do so in a manner that was more proper and dignified. The one habit she had not been able to break had been her eagerness to receive her precious fruit when presented to her; Su had an unfortunate tendency to instinctive try to grab them from the person passing them to herà with her teeth. After a near miss involving ShinobuÆs fingers, the domestic tenant would toss the bananas at the tropical girl, who would juggle them in the air as she peeled them. Once the fruit was ready to eat Kanako was able to convince Su that her consumption of her favorite food would last longer if she broke the fruit into chunks to eat rather than cramming everything down at once. After timing her once, Kanako was able to show that eating the fruit piecemeal would quadruple the time she would be enjoying it rather than consuming it in a frenzy and then leaving her with a hunger for more.
Turning her eyes toward the next resident, Kanako gave a slight sigh. Even though Mitsune Konno was the oldest of the tenants, she lived up to her nicknameÆs namesake, the trickster fox. While she was not trying to pull scams or come on to Keitaro anymore, that did not preclude her mischievous activities toward the other residents. Naru was used to her friendÆs antics, so she would shake her head and continue what she was doing before, Su would giggle and join in with the older girl, and Shinobu would just give a longsuffering sigh. However, KitsuneÆs activities had reduced themselves from physical pranks and mischief to mostly good-natured teasing. It was even less than that for the two youngest girls as the oldest girl had learned the hard way you did not want to annoy the person that washed your clothes (Shinobu was still being paid to do the other tenantÆs laundry) or was liable to show her appreciation of a joke played on her with either a flying jump kick or a glomp hug that felt like it should belong to a gorilla. The only people Kitsune did not mess with at all was Haruka, whoÆs stoic demeanor was such that Kitsune did not want to provoke a response, and Kanako herself. The trickster girl did not even tried anything with the youngest Urashima, as the glares from the dark haired girl when she had first arrived at the Sou completely cowed her. On the positive side, while Kitsune had never been described as an enthusiastic worker or a punctual bill payer, she was now a diligent worker at the Tea House and had been paying her rent on time at the Sou, even if she came running up at the end of the day to KanakoÆs or KeitaroÆs room to do so.
Looking at the last tenant on the couch, Kanako did not really know what to think of Naru Narusegawa. The brown haired girl was certainly dedicated to her studies, to the point that she stood out among other Todai aspirants, but her behavior otherwise was certainly not of the norm. A lot was explainable due to the two assaults she had suffered, but it appeared that Naru had pulled into her shell as a way of dealing with the world. Kanako would not have been surprised to have seen a person who had gone through what she had become hikikomori, suffering from acute social withdrawal to the point of not leaving her room or house, almost like the agoraphobic Westerners that were who were afraid to be out in the open and locked themselves in their home. In this case Kitsune was actually good for her friend, as she kept Naru from withdrawing even more than she did. But even now Naru was wearing her coke-bottle glasses and reading a test prep book while her ash blonde friend sat beside her sipping at a clear beverage that Kanako was sure was not tea.
Kanako looked up as Shinobu returned to the living room from the kitchen. Instead of sitting down next to her on the love seat or on one of the single seats around the living room, the blunette instead stayed standing between the two sofas.
ôShinobu-chan, why donÆt you sit down? We donÆt know how much longer it will be before Manager-san gets here.ö Kitsune was looking up at the younger girl.
ôItÆs OK, Kitsune-sempai. I donÆt want to get right back up again.ö Shinobu shook her head slightly.
ôRight back up? What are you talking about?ö Haruka Urashima, who had been silently sipping her tea on one of the single upholstered chairs, finally spoke up.
ôWell, IÆve noticed that if I am waiting for something or someone, if I stay standing and then sit down, what I was waiting for will happen shortly afterwards.ö Shinobu moved over to the side of the love seat and sat down beside Kanako. ôItÆs actually one of the ways I can make something happen faster.ö
ôYouÆve got to be kidding, Shinobu-chan, thereÆs no way that would actuallyàö KitsuneÆs voice trailed off as she heard a car motor approaching the back of the house. ôàwork?ö Shinobu just smiled at the older girl as she stood up and started to walk toward the back door. The other residents, who had been following the exchange, merely stood and followed the young domestic out to the driveway to greet their guest.
Parked in front of them was a older blue Toyota convertible with the top down. There were two young women, a short brown haired girl and a long black haired girl in the front seat, and their erstwhile manager was now carefully climbing out of the back. Once he was out of the car, he stood beside the two young ladies and walked toward the residents of the Sou, who had instinctively formed into a line facing them.
The trio came to a halt two paces in front of the tenants and stayed silent for a moment before Keitaro spoke up. ôGood morning, everyone. Sorry we were late, there was a traffic delay.ö The male Urashima scanned the line of people and while he could see curiosity on the faces of the tenants, there was only HarukaÆs calm demeanor on hers and a poker face that would put most card sharks to shame on KanakoÆs. Seta-sensei, Sara and Nyamo were not present, as today they were at the Ministry of Justice arranging for the latterÆs resident visa.
ôLadies, these are some of the residents and tenants of the Hinata Sou. From that end is Naru Narusegawa, Kitsune Konno, Kaolla Su, Shinobu Maehara, my aunt Haruka Urashima, and my sister Kanako Urashima.ö As Keitaro introduced each resident, they either smiled and nodded slightly or gave a slight bow for the more traditionally minded.
Turning back to the pair beside him, Keitaro resumed speaking. ôThese young ladies are Natsumi Tsujimoto and Miyuki Kobayakawa, my good friends.ö Here Keitaro took a deep breath before speaking the words that froze the tenants in place. ôThey are both also my girlfriends.ö
*****
Looking from one end of the line to the other, Keitaro could see that almost everyone was reacting to his revelation as he had expected. Haruka had not changed expression, KanakoÆs face looked as though it was carved from granite, Su was looking partially confused, and Shinobu was blushing heavily. KitsuneÆs eyes were wide open for once instead of being half-closed in her normal fox look, and Naru was slowly turning red, and was already past her æbash the pervertÆ look and rapidly closing on ækill all degenerate swine NOW!Æ. Thankfully, he had talked to his æLovely LadiesÆÖ about what could happen following their little revelation and they had planned accordingly.
ôNaru-san, I know what you are thinking, and you are mistaken.ö MiyukiÆs soft and calm voice nonetheless seized the hot-headed brunetteÆs attention. ôThe truth of the matter is that Natsumi-chan and I were the ones to ask Keitaro-kun to become our boyfriend at the same time. And we had a very hard time convincing him to do so. We had not seen him for almost a full year before we met again a week ago, and we had both missed him so very much. And rather than having him date only one of us and the other being left out, we decided to both date him at the same time.ö The trio had decided beforehand that they were not going to mention GrannyÆs little offer, as that would just stir things up even more.
NaruÆs facial expression was starting to cool down, so Kitsune decided to speak up. ôWhy do you both want to date him? He canÆt be that great a guy, can he? No offense, Manager-san.ö Keitaro nodded in acknowledgement to her apology and therefore everyone missed KanakoÆs rather visible twitch.
ôHe is that great a guy.ö Here it was Natsumi that spoke. ôHeÆs smart, good looking, kind, hard-workingàö The short haired brunette spaced out for a long moment before mentally shaking it off and continuing. ôI donÆt know how it is for you young people, but there is a shortage of available decent guys to date. When you find one, you grab on and donÆt let go.ö
ôYoung people? How old are you?ö Naru spoke next, her face still flushed, which explained her rude question.
ôMiyuki-chan is 29 years old and IÆm 28,ö Natsumi replied. ôOld enough to know a good thing when we see it. Or in this case, see him.ö Wrapping an arm around KeitaroÆs shoulder, she leaned forward and gave him a light kiss on the lips before turning back toward the younger girl and smiling.
ôSo do you guys just share Manager-san? Or do you *share* him?ö KitsuneÆs suggestive question was asked just to tease the trio, she did not expect the response she got.
ôOh yes. Some of the best times of our relationship have been when the three of us are together.ö Miyuki gave a smile that was so innocent, blissful and yet *naughty*, that there was no way for it to be misunderstood. Which explained why the next question came up.
ôDoes Manager-san taste good?ö Here everyone slowly turned and looked at Su, who was smiling innocently while rocking back and forth on her heels. ôYou both are going to be his wives, yes?ö
ôWhy are you saying that, Su-chan?ö It was everything Keitaro could do to not have winced at the young blonde islander girlÆs question.
ôIn my country nobles take up to three wives. To make sure that his family continues the lord and the girls who want to marry him do snu-snu until the girl gets pregnant, then they get married.ö Here Su frowned. ôThere were bad lords that would not marry girls until babies were born, and then sometimes they didnÆt marry if they were girl babies. My Momma and Poppa got really angry at one lord who kept doing that, since all the babies were girl babies, so they took his title and money away, split it up among the girls and babies. Since then everyone gets married as soon as girl is pregnant.ö
ôAnd why do you think we are going to be Keitaro-kunÆs wives?ö MiyukiÆs question was carefully non-committal
ôManager-san is a lord, is he not? Part of a noble family here in Japan?ö Su looked from the two girlfriends and Keitaro to the two female Urashima standing off to the side.
ôKeitaro-kun is the heir to his family clan, that is true, but heÆs not quite a lord yet. Right now Granny Hina is the head and lord of the Urashima clan.ö Haruka replied. ôBesides, having more than one wife is illegal in Japan.ö
ôPff.ö Su made a hand gesture that looked remarkably Italian. ôYou canÆt make love illegal. If man loves more than one woman, and they love him back, that is from heart. Words on paper no change that.ö Then Su did something they were not used to - she smirked. ôIf more than one wife illegal, why does Japan have saishoudoukin?ö
Everyone paused at that. Saishoudoukin was the custom of having both a wife and a mistress living in the same house at the same time. While it had taken place mostly in feudal era Japan, there was still some talk of some current time well-to-do men continuing the custom, although it was probably more to produce children when the wife could not and not just for gratification. But then the fact that Su knew about saishoudoukin was what was so surprising, although it should not have been. People kept underestimating Su due to her weak spoken Japanese, and they would forget that that this was the girl that had built a giant hovering turtle mech in her room.
ôSu, how do you know about saishoudoukin?ö Kitsune asked, glancing at Keitaro and his girlfriends while trying to covertly wipe the trickle of crimson leaking from her nose.
ôRead about it in comic book I found at school.ö Su explained. ôMagic girls all chasing after one boy, one of girls ask magical book what to do, book says saishoudoukin. Book shows girl and boy and girlfriend in bed together for snu-snu. Book not good after that, no show snu-snu. Had to go on Internet and find other comic books showing snu-snu.ö Su looked disgusted for a moment, then brightened. ôBut then discovered American website, stores many snu-snu books on-line. Have almost five terabytes downloaded,ö the high school girl announced happily. ôDonÆt read books with tentacles, too icky.ö
By this time, both Natsumi and Miyuki were wide-eyed, Shinobu was almost glowing red in embarrassment, Kitsune had blood trickling from both nostrils, and Naru had a rather visible tic in one eye. Haruka had raised an eyebrow, Kanako had an even more severe look on her face, and Keitaro was trying not to cringe.
ôSu-chanà you readà porn?ö Naru was obviously trying not to lose her temper and doing a bad job of it.
ôRead snu-snu. Porn is bad, when show people being hurt. Snu-snu is normal part of life. People who donÆt snu-snu angry, mean. Act like you and Motoko-chan, sometimes,ö the young blonde girl explained, oblivious to the implied insult, which brought Naru to a halt. ôSo I help pay to make more snu-snu books, make people happy.ö
ôWait a second, you help make snu-snu books? How?ö This time the question came from Haruka.
ôContact writers of comic books, good artists who want to do books but no have official jobs.ö Su replied. ôHelp them with money to produce books, arrange for books to be sold in Akihabara and online. Sometimes writers who already do comic books want to do snu-snu books, but bosses donÆt allow. I help them write under different names. Also give money to websites to pay for server space and bandwidth and to translate books to different languages.ö
ôHow can you afford to do all this?ö Haruka asked in wonder. ôAnd how long have you been doing this?ö
ôUse lunch money. Shinobu-chan make tasty food, so I bring from here and no need to buy food at school.ö Su grinned as she threw her arm around the shoulder of a still blushing Shinobu. Of the group present, only the Urashima knew that what Su received as ælunch moneyÆ, and what she considered pocket money, most people would consider a *very* decent monthly paycheck. ôStarted doing this when I first arrive here from Mol-mol, canÆt work in lab on Mecha-Tama all the time. Have Internet group that help, we called Team Vanilla. Wanted to call it Team Banana, but others no agree, call it ærisque.Æö Su looked sad at that.
ôWait, you were twelve years old when you first came to Japan!ö Naru almost shouted her question.
ôI know about snu-snu since I was ten years old, when I start womanly time every month. Momma and Big Sister explain.ö Su looked up at the fuming long haired brunette. ôWhen have womanly feelings, you need to know why and what to do and not do. Great honor in Mol-mol to reach womanhood early, show that gods trust and bless you. Also sign that you are part of royal family.ö Su turned to Shinobu, who looked to be in shock that her younger friend had started puberty so early. ôShinobu-chan, IÆm really hungry, when do we eat?ö There was a pleading note in the Molmolese girlÆs voice.
ôNow, actually, since everyone is here.ö Shinobu shook off her feelings and looked toward Keitaro, who nodded his approval. ôLetÆs all go inside, the food is ready to serve.ö With that everyone turned and started walking into the house, first the younger girls, then the older tenants. The two guests followed them up, with the Urashima bring up the rear.
Here is the semi-final version of Chapter 35. Enjoy! :lol:
Note - I am having trouble coming up with a name for the place that Motoko works for. I am therefore asking for suggestions. If I use your idea I will give you credit in the story.
Note 2 - Motoko's place of employment and boss come from the manga Love Comedy Selection, Chapter 15-16. Her boss's background I made up on my own.
Ch 35 - MotokoÆs Interlude
Akihabara District
Tokyo, Japan
December 24
Early Evening
Many foreigners were surprised to find out that while the Japanese did celebrate the Christmas holidays, they did so in a different manner than it was in the West. For one thing, considering that most of the Japanese population was either of a non-Christian faith or agnostic or atheist in their personal beliefs, they generally left the religious aspects of the holidays out. This not only applied to Christmas, but to ValentineÆs Day, which along with its counterpart White Day were celebrated in Japan by giving chocolate to friends, co-workers, and romantic interests, much to the delight of the confectionary and candy industries.
Americans who traveled in Japan during the Christmas season were usually surprised to see what was associated with the holiday season. Turkey dinners were not that common in Japan; however, going to Kentucky Fried Chicken to celebrate the holidays was. Eggnog was not common, but white sponge cake decorated with cream and strawberries was (thus bringing about the infamous joke regarding Christmas Cake and single women û neither was in great demand after the 25th). Nativity scenes were generally not seen outside of Christian churches, but Santa Claus was ubiquitous in his presenceà or her presence as it were.
Motoko was walking along with the flow of pedestrians as crowds of window-shoppers made their way through the electronic mecca that was Akihabara. If it played music, showed video, or could be hooked up to the internet, it could be found in Akihabara. Over the pedestriansÆ heads, giant multicolored signs flashed brand logos and advertisements to almost every product known to man, coming only second to the signs in the Ginza, which could beat the Las Vegas Strip hands down. In the smaller stores were racks, shelves and tables of anime, manga, models and toys, both for children and adults.
Walking at a pace that was slower than the crowd around her, Motoko watched as people swirled around her as they walked past, as though she was a boulder in a stream. Such a comparison would have previously pleased the young woman, but not now.
Making sure her bag was securely grasped and hooked to her shoulder, Motoko looked down in some distaste at the clothing she was wearingà or costume to be more accurate. Not wanting to be dependent on her sisterÆs financial support, she worked whatever odd jobs she could schedule around school and her primary job. Since it was the Christmas season, she was able to get a weekend job as a bell ringer and doorperson to a bakery that was specializing in Christmas cakes. The job required that Motoko be dressed in a female version of a Santa suit, one that was a bit more risquÚ than one would expect Saint Nicholas to be dressed in.
The long sleeved coat was red velvet, trimmed in white fake fur, and belted at the waist with a wide black leather belt with a large silver buckle. This female version of the suit however had a plunging neckline, almost past the valley of her breasts, which was concealed by a white lace camisole. The snug skirt was red velvet with white trim as well, but it was cut high on the thigh, high enough that the lace tops of her white stockings could be seen. Thankfully, the black patent leather shoes with silver buckles were relatively comfortable; she would not have been able to withstand standing on heels for four hours while standing on the sidewalk ringing a handbell, crying out the name of the bakery with what was probably the falsest smile imaginable on her face. Of course this was all topped off by a red velvet stocking hat, complete with white pon-pon. The hat kept the fringe of her chin length hair off her forehead, except for the two long tendrils that framed her face All in all, it made for a very sexy appearance, if it were not for the standoffish look on the tall dark haired girlÆs face. In fact, Motoko probably would not have wanted to be caught dead dressed like this, but one of her roommates at her new rooming house who was originally slated to take the job had fallen ill, and Motoko could not afford to turn down the money offered.
Motoko would have changed into regular street clothes after she had been done with her shift at the bakery, but she was almost running late for her regular job and she had her suspicions regarding how secure the restroom in the bakery was against the prying eyes of the other temporary bakery workers, and she did not have time to go to her rooming house to change. So after packing up her sensible knee length navy skirt and tan blouse in her oversized shoulder bag, she said good bye to the overworked oba-san who was the owner of the bakery, who quickly paid her in cash for the four hours of work she did that day. Four thousand yen was not a lot, but it would keep her stocked in dry rice and instant ramen cups for a while.
For a moment Motoko had a feeling of sadness wash over her, remembering ShinobuÆs sumptuous meals at the Sou, but with a mental shake, she drove the memory from her mind. Given everything that had happened to her fairly recently, the only way she could keep herself from being a broken mess was to keep from thinking about certain matters. It was certainly not the healthiest way to deal with it, but it was not as though she had a choice. Mediation did not work, as her temperament was such that it would not hold for long. There was one technique that did work to suppress emotions like fear and anger, but the Divine State, or battle trance as westerners knew it, was almost as difficult for an emotional person to achieve as a meditative calm - more difficult, as you were expected to think and react in battle whilst keeping an iron hand on your emotions. The only person that Motoko believed could probably achieve it was Kanako Urashima, if only because of her constant suppressed emotional state.
Glancing down at her wristwatch, Motoko picked up the pace. She had only five minutes to reach her destination, and with the crowds around her, she was going to need every minute. Walking in Tokyo was not for the weak-willed or the timid. There was a modicum of politeness amongst pedestrians, but only in if their way was not blocked, otherwise you were just an obstacle to overcome.
Truth to tell, Motoko almost preferred having to work instead of staying at her rented room in the boarding house. Her stay at her TsurukoÆs friendÆs house had only been temporary, and the new room that she paid for took over half her monthly allowance. Since meals were not included at her new lodgings, Motoko had to learn the hard way how to cook simple, somewhat nutritious yet bland tasting food to keep within her budget. White boiled rice with some vegetables made up the majority of her meals, mixed with tins of cooked fish and spam to make onigiri rice balls. She would cook three times a week in the boarding house kitchen, keeping an eye on her food while reading her school books, eat some of the food once it was done, and then wrap and package the rest for school lunches. Instant ramen cups were used to supplement her meals, especially when the onigiri balls were cold, and she usually had enough money left over at the end of the week to splurge on a sit down meal at a family restaurant.
One thing that Motoko was not able to give up on was training. She had been training in the martial arts since before she could fully walk, and even being disallowed from her family school could not stop her urge for physical training. Instead of sword drills and kata, she now did mostly the hand to hand training she had learned mostly as part of the disarmed drills she had previously learned, since those techniques were not proprietary to her family school. Given that school started at eight in the morning, Motoko would get up at six and do her endurance training û stretches, one hundred weighed sit-ups with her school bag on her chest, one hundred inclined push-ups with her feet on steps higher than her shoulders, and then running. Granted, she did her runs in running shorts and shoes now instead of padded slippers and hakama like before, so it surprised her how fast she could run now, much to her chagrin.
She had decided to go to the high school track one weekend since she could not run flat out in an urban environment, and to her shock, and the spectators as well, she was blowing everyone away when she was sprinting. One of the other runners had timed her as she did her sustained sprints, and she had come close to a six minute mile, and a thirteen second hundred meter sprint from a standing start without blocks! What was worse was that the school track coach had found out about her running and almost drafted her on the spot for the school team. The only way Motoko had been able to get out of it was to insist that she *had* to work after school and would not be able to train. When the coach started sputter, Motoko simply turned and walked away. After that, she simply did fast jogs in the morning around her neighborhood and reserved her sprints for early on weekends, when no one else was around to ogle her.
That was the other problem Motoko had in her new life; how much attention she received. Since she was now out in public more and was not wearing her training gi and hakama, she had to wear normal clothes. She could not pull a Rei Ayanami and simply wear her school uniform everywhere, so Motoko had to buy regular clothes to wear. She tried to keep it as simple as possible with slacks, blouses and long skirts, but to her dismay she was still attracting attention, both male and female. The lustful looks on male faces she was used to, if not happy about, but to see envy on the faces of female faces was new to her. Her hair was kept short and neat except for the tendrils, she wore no makeup except for lip gloss to keep her lips from chapping, and still people looked at her as though she had just stepped off a magazine cover. Part of it was due to her height, which was at a minimum a full head taller than most girls her age, but she was almost half a head taller than most young males as well. Girls would walk to her and ask what designer clothes she was wearing (she was wearing off the rack brands) and guys would come up and use the most inept and insulting pick up lines on her. When Motoko turned and tried to walk away from them, sometimes they would try and grab her arm or shoulder, which they quickly learned was a really *bad* idea.
Soon after leaving the Hinata Sou, a disgusting male had tried to grope her on a train. After overcoming her momentary shock, with anger welling up in her she reached for a boken that was no longer there. As she froze for a second, the groper though she had locked up in panic and he started to move his hand down her hip toward her skirt hem.
After that eternal moment, where her family orders conflicted with her now blazing temper, Motoko came up with a new course of action. Reaching down with her opposite hand and grasping his wrist, she pulled his arm around and transitioned from a wrist lock to a full arm bar and cranked it to where the pervert was standing on his toes trying to get away from the pain. Looking around and seeing that no one was willing or able to help her, and not wanting the deviant to get away unpunished, Motoko took one step forward and drove the man face first full force into the window of the sliding train door. The glass held as she slammed him three times, but his nose did not, spurting blood as it was crushed and he was knocked out.
Watching the groper slide down the door to the floor, leaving a thick trail of blood and mucus on the glass, Motoko turned and looked again at her fellow passengers. She could see fear and dismay now on the faces of some of the males and respect on the faces of some of the females. Nothing was said to her aloud, so as soon as the train pulled into the station she stepped over the unconscious miscreant and onto the station platform, disappearing into the crowd. There had been a brief mention on the TV news that a man with previous convictions for groping and sexual assault had been found beaten up and unconscious on a train, but no description of any possible suspect was given. Motoko made sure to stay away from that particular train line for a while, but since she had been job hunting that day in an area she was normally not in, it was not a great difficulty. Since then she had been accosted on trains on occasion, but instead of being obvious about it Motoko now left a trail of broken fingers and wrists to convince the perverts that they had picked the wrong person to molest.
The problem with finding a new way to defend herself from being groped was she was not allowed to use it to its full extent at her regular job. The first time she had pulled a pervertÆs arm out in preparation for breaking his wrist after his hand landed on her butt, her boss was instantly behind her peeling her hand off his arm. After tossing the guy out of the shop, her boss pulled her into the back room and quietly told her that some æcustomer contactÆ was expected and Motoko could let it go as far as she was comfortable with and reap the financial rewards that went with it, but that no lasting or permanent injury could be inflicted in retaliation on the customers. After staring at the womanÆs serious face for a long moment, Motoko nodded stiffly and went back to work. She would act coldly but correctly toward customers, pull hands off of her and throwing them back at them, and yet she got some of the biggest tips of the staff.
Walking through the door of the cafÚ, Motoko could see that business was running at a decent pace, but not at insanity levels the way it did some weekends. Looking around, she could see only one other waitress working the tables while her boss was filling orders at the counter as fast as she could.
ôMotoko-chan! Thank goodness youÆre here! Get changed and get to work!ö Kotoko Yamada called out, relief audible in her voice. ôUnless you want to work as Missus Claus tonight?ö
ôI donÆt think so, Kotoko-san,ö Motoko replied as she strode into the back room. A combination store and change room, she was careful to make sure the door was locked before starting to quickly undress. Removing and folding all her clothes and underwear and putting them in her locker, she pulled out her waitress outfit and reluctantly started to put it on.
First on was the black one piece swim suit, resembling a school swim suit but cut so high that Motoko had to trim and shave more than she would have been comfortable with. The scoop neck top plunged low enough that if it had not been for the built-in bra, she would have legitimate concerns about her breasts popping out of her top when she bent forward. Next came a black mid-thigh ruffled skirt with white lace on the hem, the waistband low on her hips. After that was a black ruffled cropped top that went over her chest with white lacy trim that still exposed her cleavage, then a small white lace apron that tied in the back. A white lace tiara hair band went on top of her head, which did little to keep her fringe out of her eyes. White wrist cuffs went on her otherwise bare arms. Finally she slipped into medium heeled shoes that made her look even taller. Glancing at the full-length mirror she made a face at herself; she looked exactly like a cosplay girl. ôAll thatÆs missing are the cat ears and tail,ö Motoko muttered to herself.
ôThatÆs not such a bad idea. Maybe we can do a theme night around it.ö With a start, Motoko spun around to see that Kotoko was in the room with her, leaning back against the door, arms crossed and smirking.
ôHow long have you been standing there?ö There was a lot of background noise from the cafÚ, but Motoko still should have been heard *something*.
ôLong enough to see you make faces at the mirror. You have to get over the fact that you are pretty damn hot, Motoko-chan.ö The young woman stood up straight and let her arms drop to her sides, but the smirk still stayed on her face. ôGet going! Ran has been working along for the last hour and she needs to take her break!ö
Motoko did not reply as she walked past the older girl, even as she gave a swat at her bottom. Her relationship with her boss was unusual in that she would say things that would have sent her storming out if it had been from a male. In fact, that was how Kotoko hired her to begin with; Motoko had angrily left a new waitressing job where her manager turned out to be a letch. The dark haired girl had been stalking down the sidewalk when a hand grabbed her. Spinning around, Motoko had been ready to lay onto another pervert when she saw that it was a spiky brown haired girl not that much older than she was. After rather obviously eying her up and down through rectangular eyeglasses, she abruptly asked if she had any waitressing experience. Motoko told the truth; she had less than a weekÆs experience before leaving her last job. An unholy smile broke across the other girlÆs face before she started to drag her toward a nearby shop despite her objections.
Pulling her into the back room, the other girl pulled out an outfit and passed it to her. Motoko started to protest, saying she was a student and could not work full hours, which rolled off the other girlÆs back like water off a duck. It was not until the girl mentioned that the job paid 1500 yen an hour plus tips that Motoko started to change her mind. She nearly left again however when she saw that the outfit she was expected to wear was a maidÆs uniform.
After much arguing Motoko was finally dressed up in the outfit, standing uncomfortably as she tugged at her lacy collar. This outfit was the more traditional uniform worn by servants, made of black cotton with a button up lace collar, long sleeves with lace cuffs, a knee length skirt, a white lacy apron and a white lace tiara hair band. It was nothing compared to the costume she would later wear, but at that moment Motoko felt rather silly. It was not until Kotoko, as the girl introduced herself as, trained her as a server and waitress and she started to make money working two part-time shifts weeknights and two PT shifts on weekends that she began to loosen up. This did not prepare her for what else happened in the cafÚ.
As silly as Motoko looked in the maid uniform, that was nothing compared to the other employees. Wearing the skin-tight and skin-baring version of the maid outfit, the other waitresses would giggle and lightly slap at customers that did things that Motoko would have twisted them into a pretzel for. Sakura, a pink haired slender girl, was always competing with her blonde friend Ino as to who would get the most tips, come-ons, and phone numbers. Ran, the last waitress, made them look like shy schoolgirls though. The busty redhead would initiate contact with customers, touching their arms, leaning forward and smiling, putting an extra sway in her stride when she knew she was being watched. Ran was the only one that Motoko was sure would date customers, since she made no secret of it. In fact, she would regularly show off the various gifts she received from her dates.
Motoko had previously heard of enjo kosai, compensated dating, but this was the first time she had actually seen it in action. It was not prostitution per se, but younger girls would go out with older men to dinner, karaoke bars, and the like, and be paid for their time with either cash or gifts. Anything else beyond that was between the man and the girl. Most of the customers in KotokoÆs shop were boys of high school age, but there were older males, salarymen, that would spend time there too, flirting with the waitresses. It was mostly these men that Ran would be extra friendly with, although the other waitresses would do so as well.
None of this happened with Motoko at first, since her full maid costume marked her as a trainee waitress at the cafÚ. Boys would ask for her phone number and ask her out on dates, but she would politely but coolly refuse and keep on working. It was not until two weeks of work had passed that Kotoko had produced one of the swimsuit based costumes for her to wear. Motoko was extremely reluctant to wear the revealing clothing, but the manager had convinced her to try it at least one night. Unfortunately that night had been one where a new OVA movie from a popular anime had been released in Akihabara and the cafÚ had been overrun with otaku.
Thankfully, no one tried to grope her that night; Motoko would have reacted badly and even with her speed Kotoko probably would not have been able to stop her. However, the store had been filled with teenaged males, most of whom were sitting there watching the waitresses and drooling. This would have driven a less experienced Motoko over the edge, but having almost two months of experience being leered at and feeling dirty and oily chi auras as a result allowed her to keep her temper under control. Of course that did not help when she had first walked up to a table full of slobbering otaku and given her customary brisk bow and greeting; her breasts had almost popped out of her top. It was only because she had adjusted the swimsuit to be secure around her chest that an accident had not occurred, but she had still felt her breasts shift. Mortified, Motoko was able to take the orders and walked back to the counter area, where the manager had been watching the entire encounter occur. Kotoko did not say anything when her blushing employee handed her the order; all she did was grin and give her a thumbs up.
After that baptism by fire, MotokoÆs job got to be more bearable. Granted now that she was in the revealing outfit more guys hit on her, but Motoko kept refusing, politely but barely so. Oddly enough, her tips remained at about the same level as the other waitresses, even though they would actively flirt back with customers. Motoko actually had some admirers, men and boys that would sit in her area and even when she would refuse their advances, keep coming back for more. When Motoko had wondered aloud about it one night after the cafÚ had closed and they were cleaning up, the other waitresses had had a good laugh at her expense. As a chuckling Kotoko had explained it, they all fit into certain stereotypes û Sakura and Ino were the girls-next-door, Ran was the good-time girl, Kotoko was the motherly type, and Motoko was the tsundere girl of the group. Given how deeply Motoko had blushed at that revelation, the other girls had burst out laughing again.
As time had gone on, Motoko had realized that Kotoko really did fill the niche of mother for their little group. To her surprise, Motoko was the youngest of the girls working at the cafÚ, with Sakura and Ino being recent high school graduates and Ran a couple years older than that. Kotoko was twenty-two years old, and to MotokoÆs shock was not just the cafÚ manager, but the owner as well. Even without any college education, the older girl did all the administrative and logistical duties herself, with just a part-time bookkeeper to help keep track of things. Yet with all this work, the spiky haired girl was still enjoying herself, even if she was working at a minimum twelve hour days six days a week.
*****
Later that evening after the cafÚ closed and the two were alone (the two younger girls left early to spend time with their families, and Ran had a date) out of curiosity Motoko had asked her boss how it came to be that she was a business owner at so young an age, and she almost regretted doing so. Apparently Kotoko had been disowned by her family for refusing to marry a man that they had picked out for her once she had graduated high school. She had some money saved from a waitressing job she had while in school, and that had been enough to help her stay afloat for a short while. However the money did not last for long, and Kotoko had started to ædateÆ customers from her waitressing job for æfinancial considerationsÆ to make ends meet.
By the end of her first year on her own, Kotoko was seeing two different salarymen regularly, plus whatever customer caught her eye. All this meant that she was essentially working another job, only this one required her to be horizontal more often than not. But then her luck had broken in her favor. She had met an older gentleman and businessman who did not immediately try to get into her panties; Toshiro Ishida would come in during the slow times of the cafÚ she worked at, toss a monogrammed money clip full of folded bills toward the manager, and then invite Kotoko to have tea with him. They would spend hours talking about various things; current events, financial affairs, and even the business climate. While Kotoko did not have much education, she did have a head for numbers and impressed the old man with her insight. By the time business would start to pick up again, the manager would drop off the now empty money clip and walk away without a word. Toshiro would then stand up, leave an amount of money that was effectively a full dayÆs pay on the table, and after saying good bye would leave.
Kotoko had been mystified by the silver-haired old man; even after a month had gone by where he would come in twice a week, he would never ask for her phone number or ask if she would come to with him to a love hotel like every other man she had met on the job, including her manager, whom she ædatedÆ every couple weeks or so. After thinking about it for a while, she finally decided that the old man was simply lonely for an emotional connection with another person, something that was almost impossible to buy. Sure, he would pay her manager for her time on the job, and ætipÆ her so she would not lose money during the time she was with him, but this was almost like being a geisha of old.
Kotoko and Toshiro continued their friendly yet odd relationship for six months, until finally in the depths of winter he had stopped coming. Kotoko was concerned at first, thinking that he had taken ill. But after two weeks since the last visit, when Kotoko was starting to think that it was more than illness, her fears were confirmed. A man identifying himself as an attorney for a mid-sized law firm showed up one morning and asked for Kotoko by name. When her manager started to object, the attorney produced a familiar monogrammed money clip and showed it to the manager, who instantly backed off. After calling her over, a confused Kotoko was asked to show up the next day at the law firm he worked for, as there were some legal affairs that needed to be dealt with, although she was not in trouble. The attorney stated that everything should be done with by the time Kotoko had to report to work that following day.
The next day, feeling underdressed in her shabby business type clothing, Kotoko arrived at the law firm five minutes early and was escorted to a conference room. There was the attorney from the day before, as well as an older man that looked to be his superior. After everyone gave their names, they all sat down and the older man started to speak.
Apparently, Toshiro Ishida recently passed away. He had been in the end stages of pancreatic cancer and refused to spend his final days in the sterile environs of a hospital, instead quietly passing on at home. He had been the retired CFO of a major electronics conglomerate, and while he did have family, he had already arranged for them to be taken care. Now he had wanted his waitress friend to be taken care of as well. Kotoko had stiffened at that pronouncement, but the older attorney had hurried to state that he had known Toshiro personally and knew that KotokoÆs relationship with him had been strictly platonic.
As a means of thanks for, in ToshiroÆs own words æbefriending a lonely old man,Æ he was leaving Kotoko a certain amount of money, undisclosed at this time, to be used to set up a small business of her own. Recommendations and referrals for business and property loans and rentals would be available as well. If Kotoko was not interested in opening a business of her own, the money would be cashed out and given to her in one lump sum. In either case once a course had been set, that was it. Kotoko would get either the one lump sum or the business set up, which could not be cashed out, it was solely up to her.
After thinking about it for a few moments, and remembering back to her conversations with Toshiro about setting up businesses, Kotoko made up her mind. Telling the patiently waiting attorneys that she wanted to go ahead with the business set up, both men smiled, the older one widely and the younger one ruefully. Seeing the confusion on her face, the older attorney told her that he had though she would go with the business set up while the younger one had though that due to her lack of business education and experience she would go for the lump sum.
Producing a set of legal documents, the lawyers walked her through them. It was not until they got to the middle of the documents that she saw the money involved; Toshiro had set up a line of credit to be paid for from his estate with a maximum limit of 250 million yen (USD 2.5 million). When a dazed Kotoko asked how much she would have gotten if she had asked for the lump sum, the older attorney told her it would have been a total of 50 million yen cash (USD 500 thousand).
After everything was signed, Kotoko was handed a handwritten letter from Toshiro. In it he apologized for hiding the amounts involved, stating that he wanted someone who had started at the bottom, willing to run a risk and willing to work hard to get ahead in life to get the money. He stated that while his daughters and their children were taken care off (his wife being long dead) he wanted his family legacy of hard work to continue.
Taking some time to collect herself, Kotoko was about to leave when the younger attorney handed her one last envelope, containing a check for five million yen (USD 50 thousand). When she gave him a questioning look, he stated that it was to cover her expenses until she got her new business going. With that Kotoko smiled; now she would be able to give her notice at her job and start working toward her new business.
After a lot of sweat and stress, a few months later Kotoko was able to get her Akihabara cafÚ going. At first it was just a regular cafÚ with waitresses in short frilly pastel dresses, but there had been a glut of those kind of cafes in the district, and she was barely able to stay afloat. It was not until she started concentrating on the otaku demographic that her business increased. Maid cafes were somewhat common as well, but once she came up with her æsuper sexy maid-chan!Æ outfits, traffic skyrocketed. But the one thing Kotoko always kept in mind was what it was like to be a waitress hustling for money. That is why she had a laissez-faire attitude toward her employeesÆ extracurricular activities, so long as it was not a threat toward her employeeÆs safety or caused problems for her business.
*****
Kotoko had finally finished telling her story as she and Motoko were cleaning up. The younger girl was finishing stacking chairs in preparation for the floor to be mopped and the manager had finished tallying up the dayÆs receipts from the register.
ôAnoà do all of the girls go out with customers? Including Ino-chan and Sakura-chan?ö While the two younger girls played around with the customers, Motoko did not know how far they went.
ôNot that often. They usually go out together to make sure nothing bad happens. The customers donÆt complain though. Kinda surprises them when they get the two for one deal, though.ö Kotoko looked up from the register she had just finished counting and smiled at the thought of a manÆs reaction to getting two cute girls at the same time . ôRan-chan is more into the money, so sheÆs willing to do more things, but with older men.ö
ôWhat about you, Kotoko-san? Do you date customers anymore?ö Motoko was shocked to hear herself ask that question, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her.
Kotoko hummed to herself. ôNot really. At least not for æassistanceÆ anymore. ItÆs usually because I have an itch that needs to be scratched. Problem is finding the right kind of person to help me with that.ö
ôRight kind of person?ö Motoko asked doubtfully. With her limited experience with men, she had an inkling as to what her boss was referring to, but barely.
ôYeah, the right kind of person. You can be with different kinds of people, but when you are with the right kind of person, it makes things *so* much better.ö Kotoko brushed past her to go and check on the front door to make sure it was locked, then returned to pick up the till from the register. ôLetÆs go, Motoko-chan, time to turn the lights out.ö With that, Kotoko turned off the overhead lights, leaving on a solitary ceiling light and the string of Christmas lights on in the window.
Following her boss into the storeroom, Motoko watched as the till was stored in a locked steel cabinet , with the dayÆs proceeds to be held by the manager in a small locking canvas bag until she deposited them the next day at the bank. She would take the bag with her to her small apartment on the second floor above the cafÚ and go out first thing in the morning.
ôSo Motoko-chan, you have plans for this evening?ö Tossing the money bag on the table, Kotoko started undoing her maid costume, first pulling off the wrist cuffs and the tiara head band, then taking off the ruffled top and skirt, leaving her in just the swimsuit and the heeled shoes they all wore. The non-soiled items were placed in her locker, while the dirty items went into the laundry bag. The shoes were carefully pulled off and stowed in the locker; kicking polished shoes into a locker was a big no-no.
ôI was going to go to my boarding house and study some more. We are in the midst of a difficult section at school.ö That was a lie; Motoko had already covered the section, but that sounded better that saying you were alone for the holidays. Even her new-found friend at the boarding house was likely to be dead drunk on watermelon sake. As she spoke Motoko started to remove her costume as well; changing in front of another woman did not bother her too much, although she did make sure she was turned away so as to not see too much. Not that it was easy to avoid looking at Kotoko; the older girl was totally unselfconscious about being seen unclothed, with a figure that was close to that of her former housemate Naru Narusegawa.
ôI have an idea, Motoko-chan. Why donÆt you spend the night here with me? ItÆs a little too late for you to be going home alone on the train, and I have a spare futon you can use. Since the cafÚ is going to be closed tomorrow, we can stay up late and watch some videos IÆve been meaning to catch up on.ö Motoko was facing toward her open locker, so she did not see her boss coming up behind her.
ôI donÆt want to be a bother, Kotoko-san.ö In fact, it did not sound like a bad idea, since Motoko would wind up fending off drunken partiers on the train home, only to have to spend the holiday night in a cold room by herself. That was one of the things that she could barely even now admit to herself, how much she missed the company of her former roommates. Even being away from her family did not sting like her missing the tenants of the Hinata-sou.
ôYou wonÆt be a bother, Motoko-chan. In fact, it will let me give you my Chrismas present without everyone around.ö She could hear her boss standing right behind her.
ôBut you already gave us our presents.ö Before the other waitresses left, the manager had handed out red envelopes, each containing an extra full dayÆs pay.
ôNot like this.ö Feeling a light touch on her shoulder, Motoko turned to see Kotoko standing right behind her. Three things immediately struck her; her swimsuit top was down around her waist leaving her bare-chested, her ever-present rectangular glasses were off, and her face was rapidly approaching hers. Anything the younger girl would have said was cut off by the feel of soft lips pressing up against hers.
Girl lipsà
Were so softà
After an eternal moment, as Motoko stood there in shock, she could feel her mouth be parted by the other girlÆs lips and the tip of her tongue start to explore her own. As she did so, she could taste the cherry lip gloss Kotoko was wearing, then she felt the tongue plunge deeper into her, rubbing up and against her own tongue. The sensations produced were so overwhelming that Motoko almost did not feel the older girl press her bare chest against her own swimsuit clad one.
With an explosive breath, Motoko pulled back and away, her back slamming into the locker behind her. Gasping heavily, she stared at Kotoko, who was merely looking back at her with a soft smile on her face.
ôWhatà whyàö Her thoughts were in a jumble, she could not even ask the most basic question. Those racing thoughts did not take her attention away from the fact that she could still taste KotokoÆs lips on hers.
ôYou know, with æwhoÆ, æwhenÆ, and æwhereÆ, you would have all the elements for a story. The æhowÆ and the æwhatÆ IÆm pretty sure you know by now.ö Kotoko stood still as she talked, but she was still within armÆs reach of Motoko, who was still pressing back against the lockers. ôSo I guess you want to know æwhyÆ?ö Motoko nodded. ôBecause you are a very attractive girl, and I like you, and I want to get closer to you.ö
ôBut why me? YouÆre a womanà IÆm a woman! I thought you were into men!ö Motoko was stammering as she spoke as her world view swirled about her, having taken several hits in short order, that a female would be doing what she would normally consider perverted like a male, that a female that had only recently been talking about having physical liaisons with men was now trying to have one with her - she knew about lesbians of course, but had never really thought about them, and that such a female found her attractive.
ôI *prefer* men, but sometimes I want to be with someone strong and sure, but still soft and beautiful.ö Kotoko put a hand on the locker besideÆs MotokoÆs head, and leaned forward, stopping only when her face was a breath away from her. ôI am very attracted to you, Motoko-chan, and I can feel how lonely you are. Let me closer, let me warm you up, at least for tonight.ö The older girl looked at MotokoÆs wide eyes for a long moment before slowly leaning in again, giving her the chance to move away, an opportunity that the younger girl did not take.
Feeling her soft lips against hers, Motoko gave a soft whimper. Slowly parting her own lips, she could taste Kotoko again, and in short order felt the other girl pressed up against her body full length. As hands ran down her sides to her butt, she gave a gasp as the hands clenched on the firm muscle they found. With a shiver she pressed forward, moving away from the lockers and her own arms moving upwards, her hands winding up on the older girlÆs waist. Breaking the kiss, Motoko whispered two words. ôNow what?ö
ôNow we go upstairs to my apartment; unless you want to stay here in the storeroom.ö The half smile on KotokoÆs face was both lazy and hungry at the same time.
Motoko gave a short jerky nod. ôUpstairs.ö She could feel heat from the girlÆs bare skin pass through her flimsy bathing suit, and suddenly she wanted more û much more. Moving her hand down to KotokoÆs, they stepped away from the lockers and headed for the doorway leading to the stairs up to KotokoÆs apartment upstairs.
end chapter
Note - I am having trouble coming up with a name for the place that Motoko works for. I am therefore asking for suggestions. If I use your idea I will give you credit in the story.
Note 2 - Motoko's place of employment and boss come from the manga Love Comedy Selection, Chapter 15-16. Her boss's background I made up on my own.
Ch 35 - MotokoÆs Interlude
Akihabara District
Tokyo, Japan
December 24
Early Evening
Many foreigners were surprised to find out that while the Japanese did celebrate the Christmas holidays, they did so in a different manner than it was in the West. For one thing, considering that most of the Japanese population was either of a non-Christian faith or agnostic or atheist in their personal beliefs, they generally left the religious aspects of the holidays out. This not only applied to Christmas, but to ValentineÆs Day, which along with its counterpart White Day were celebrated in Japan by giving chocolate to friends, co-workers, and romantic interests, much to the delight of the confectionary and candy industries.
Americans who traveled in Japan during the Christmas season were usually surprised to see what was associated with the holiday season. Turkey dinners were not that common in Japan; however, going to Kentucky Fried Chicken to celebrate the holidays was. Eggnog was not common, but white sponge cake decorated with cream and strawberries was (thus bringing about the infamous joke regarding Christmas Cake and single women û neither was in great demand after the 25th). Nativity scenes were generally not seen outside of Christian churches, but Santa Claus was ubiquitous in his presenceà or her presence as it were.
Motoko was walking along with the flow of pedestrians as crowds of window-shoppers made their way through the electronic mecca that was Akihabara. If it played music, showed video, or could be hooked up to the internet, it could be found in Akihabara. Over the pedestriansÆ heads, giant multicolored signs flashed brand logos and advertisements to almost every product known to man, coming only second to the signs in the Ginza, which could beat the Las Vegas Strip hands down. In the smaller stores were racks, shelves and tables of anime, manga, models and toys, both for children and adults.
Walking at a pace that was slower than the crowd around her, Motoko watched as people swirled around her as they walked past, as though she was a boulder in a stream. Such a comparison would have previously pleased the young woman, but not now.
Making sure her bag was securely grasped and hooked to her shoulder, Motoko looked down in some distaste at the clothing she was wearingà or costume to be more accurate. Not wanting to be dependent on her sisterÆs financial support, she worked whatever odd jobs she could schedule around school and her primary job. Since it was the Christmas season, she was able to get a weekend job as a bell ringer and doorperson to a bakery that was specializing in Christmas cakes. The job required that Motoko be dressed in a female version of a Santa suit, one that was a bit more risquÚ than one would expect Saint Nicholas to be dressed in.
The long sleeved coat was red velvet, trimmed in white fake fur, and belted at the waist with a wide black leather belt with a large silver buckle. This female version of the suit however had a plunging neckline, almost past the valley of her breasts, which was concealed by a white lace camisole. The snug skirt was red velvet with white trim as well, but it was cut high on the thigh, high enough that the lace tops of her white stockings could be seen. Thankfully, the black patent leather shoes with silver buckles were relatively comfortable; she would not have been able to withstand standing on heels for four hours while standing on the sidewalk ringing a handbell, crying out the name of the bakery with what was probably the falsest smile imaginable on her face. Of course this was all topped off by a red velvet stocking hat, complete with white pon-pon. The hat kept the fringe of her chin length hair off her forehead, except for the two long tendrils that framed her face All in all, it made for a very sexy appearance, if it were not for the standoffish look on the tall dark haired girlÆs face. In fact, Motoko probably would not have wanted to be caught dead dressed like this, but one of her roommates at her new rooming house who was originally slated to take the job had fallen ill, and Motoko could not afford to turn down the money offered.
Motoko would have changed into regular street clothes after she had been done with her shift at the bakery, but she was almost running late for her regular job and she had her suspicions regarding how secure the restroom in the bakery was against the prying eyes of the other temporary bakery workers, and she did not have time to go to her rooming house to change. So after packing up her sensible knee length navy skirt and tan blouse in her oversized shoulder bag, she said good bye to the overworked oba-san who was the owner of the bakery, who quickly paid her in cash for the four hours of work she did that day. Four thousand yen was not a lot, but it would keep her stocked in dry rice and instant ramen cups for a while.
For a moment Motoko had a feeling of sadness wash over her, remembering ShinobuÆs sumptuous meals at the Sou, but with a mental shake, she drove the memory from her mind. Given everything that had happened to her fairly recently, the only way she could keep herself from being a broken mess was to keep from thinking about certain matters. It was certainly not the healthiest way to deal with it, but it was not as though she had a choice. Mediation did not work, as her temperament was such that it would not hold for long. There was one technique that did work to suppress emotions like fear and anger, but the Divine State, or battle trance as westerners knew it, was almost as difficult for an emotional person to achieve as a meditative calm - more difficult, as you were expected to think and react in battle whilst keeping an iron hand on your emotions. The only person that Motoko believed could probably achieve it was Kanako Urashima, if only because of her constant suppressed emotional state.
Glancing down at her wristwatch, Motoko picked up the pace. She had only five minutes to reach her destination, and with the crowds around her, she was going to need every minute. Walking in Tokyo was not for the weak-willed or the timid. There was a modicum of politeness amongst pedestrians, but only in if their way was not blocked, otherwise you were just an obstacle to overcome.
Truth to tell, Motoko almost preferred having to work instead of staying at her rented room in the boarding house. Her stay at her TsurukoÆs friendÆs house had only been temporary, and the new room that she paid for took over half her monthly allowance. Since meals were not included at her new lodgings, Motoko had to learn the hard way how to cook simple, somewhat nutritious yet bland tasting food to keep within her budget. White boiled rice with some vegetables made up the majority of her meals, mixed with tins of cooked fish and spam to make onigiri rice balls. She would cook three times a week in the boarding house kitchen, keeping an eye on her food while reading her school books, eat some of the food once it was done, and then wrap and package the rest for school lunches. Instant ramen cups were used to supplement her meals, especially when the onigiri balls were cold, and she usually had enough money left over at the end of the week to splurge on a sit down meal at a family restaurant.
One thing that Motoko was not able to give up on was training. She had been training in the martial arts since before she could fully walk, and even being disallowed from her family school could not stop her urge for physical training. Instead of sword drills and kata, she now did mostly the hand to hand training she had learned mostly as part of the disarmed drills she had previously learned, since those techniques were not proprietary to her family school. Given that school started at eight in the morning, Motoko would get up at six and do her endurance training û stretches, one hundred weighed sit-ups with her school bag on her chest, one hundred inclined push-ups with her feet on steps higher than her shoulders, and then running. Granted, she did her runs in running shorts and shoes now instead of padded slippers and hakama like before, so it surprised her how fast she could run now, much to her chagrin.
She had decided to go to the high school track one weekend since she could not run flat out in an urban environment, and to her shock, and the spectators as well, she was blowing everyone away when she was sprinting. One of the other runners had timed her as she did her sustained sprints, and she had come close to a six minute mile, and a thirteen second hundred meter sprint from a standing start without blocks! What was worse was that the school track coach had found out about her running and almost drafted her on the spot for the school team. The only way Motoko had been able to get out of it was to insist that she *had* to work after school and would not be able to train. When the coach started sputter, Motoko simply turned and walked away. After that, she simply did fast jogs in the morning around her neighborhood and reserved her sprints for early on weekends, when no one else was around to ogle her.
That was the other problem Motoko had in her new life; how much attention she received. Since she was now out in public more and was not wearing her training gi and hakama, she had to wear normal clothes. She could not pull a Rei Ayanami and simply wear her school uniform everywhere, so Motoko had to buy regular clothes to wear. She tried to keep it as simple as possible with slacks, blouses and long skirts, but to her dismay she was still attracting attention, both male and female. The lustful looks on male faces she was used to, if not happy about, but to see envy on the faces of female faces was new to her. Her hair was kept short and neat except for the tendrils, she wore no makeup except for lip gloss to keep her lips from chapping, and still people looked at her as though she had just stepped off a magazine cover. Part of it was due to her height, which was at a minimum a full head taller than most girls her age, but she was almost half a head taller than most young males as well. Girls would walk to her and ask what designer clothes she was wearing (she was wearing off the rack brands) and guys would come up and use the most inept and insulting pick up lines on her. When Motoko turned and tried to walk away from them, sometimes they would try and grab her arm or shoulder, which they quickly learned was a really *bad* idea.
Soon after leaving the Hinata Sou, a disgusting male had tried to grope her on a train. After overcoming her momentary shock, with anger welling up in her she reached for a boken that was no longer there. As she froze for a second, the groper though she had locked up in panic and he started to move his hand down her hip toward her skirt hem.
After that eternal moment, where her family orders conflicted with her now blazing temper, Motoko came up with a new course of action. Reaching down with her opposite hand and grasping his wrist, she pulled his arm around and transitioned from a wrist lock to a full arm bar and cranked it to where the pervert was standing on his toes trying to get away from the pain. Looking around and seeing that no one was willing or able to help her, and not wanting the deviant to get away unpunished, Motoko took one step forward and drove the man face first full force into the window of the sliding train door. The glass held as she slammed him three times, but his nose did not, spurting blood as it was crushed and he was knocked out.
Watching the groper slide down the door to the floor, leaving a thick trail of blood and mucus on the glass, Motoko turned and looked again at her fellow passengers. She could see fear and dismay now on the faces of some of the males and respect on the faces of some of the females. Nothing was said to her aloud, so as soon as the train pulled into the station she stepped over the unconscious miscreant and onto the station platform, disappearing into the crowd. There had been a brief mention on the TV news that a man with previous convictions for groping and sexual assault had been found beaten up and unconscious on a train, but no description of any possible suspect was given. Motoko made sure to stay away from that particular train line for a while, but since she had been job hunting that day in an area she was normally not in, it was not a great difficulty. Since then she had been accosted on trains on occasion, but instead of being obvious about it Motoko now left a trail of broken fingers and wrists to convince the perverts that they had picked the wrong person to molest.
The problem with finding a new way to defend herself from being groped was she was not allowed to use it to its full extent at her regular job. The first time she had pulled a pervertÆs arm out in preparation for breaking his wrist after his hand landed on her butt, her boss was instantly behind her peeling her hand off his arm. After tossing the guy out of the shop, her boss pulled her into the back room and quietly told her that some æcustomer contactÆ was expected and Motoko could let it go as far as she was comfortable with and reap the financial rewards that went with it, but that no lasting or permanent injury could be inflicted in retaliation on the customers. After staring at the womanÆs serious face for a long moment, Motoko nodded stiffly and went back to work. She would act coldly but correctly toward customers, pull hands off of her and throwing them back at them, and yet she got some of the biggest tips of the staff.
Walking through the door of the cafÚ, Motoko could see that business was running at a decent pace, but not at insanity levels the way it did some weekends. Looking around, she could see only one other waitress working the tables while her boss was filling orders at the counter as fast as she could.
ôMotoko-chan! Thank goodness youÆre here! Get changed and get to work!ö Kotoko Yamada called out, relief audible in her voice. ôUnless you want to work as Missus Claus tonight?ö
ôI donÆt think so, Kotoko-san,ö Motoko replied as she strode into the back room. A combination store and change room, she was careful to make sure the door was locked before starting to quickly undress. Removing and folding all her clothes and underwear and putting them in her locker, she pulled out her waitress outfit and reluctantly started to put it on.
First on was the black one piece swim suit, resembling a school swim suit but cut so high that Motoko had to trim and shave more than she would have been comfortable with. The scoop neck top plunged low enough that if it had not been for the built-in bra, she would have legitimate concerns about her breasts popping out of her top when she bent forward. Next came a black mid-thigh ruffled skirt with white lace on the hem, the waistband low on her hips. After that was a black ruffled cropped top that went over her chest with white lacy trim that still exposed her cleavage, then a small white lace apron that tied in the back. A white lace tiara hair band went on top of her head, which did little to keep her fringe out of her eyes. White wrist cuffs went on her otherwise bare arms. Finally she slipped into medium heeled shoes that made her look even taller. Glancing at the full-length mirror she made a face at herself; she looked exactly like a cosplay girl. ôAll thatÆs missing are the cat ears and tail,ö Motoko muttered to herself.
ôThatÆs not such a bad idea. Maybe we can do a theme night around it.ö With a start, Motoko spun around to see that Kotoko was in the room with her, leaning back against the door, arms crossed and smirking.
ôHow long have you been standing there?ö There was a lot of background noise from the cafÚ, but Motoko still should have been heard *something*.
ôLong enough to see you make faces at the mirror. You have to get over the fact that you are pretty damn hot, Motoko-chan.ö The young woman stood up straight and let her arms drop to her sides, but the smirk still stayed on her face. ôGet going! Ran has been working along for the last hour and she needs to take her break!ö
Motoko did not reply as she walked past the older girl, even as she gave a swat at her bottom. Her relationship with her boss was unusual in that she would say things that would have sent her storming out if it had been from a male. In fact, that was how Kotoko hired her to begin with; Motoko had angrily left a new waitressing job where her manager turned out to be a letch. The dark haired girl had been stalking down the sidewalk when a hand grabbed her. Spinning around, Motoko had been ready to lay onto another pervert when she saw that it was a spiky brown haired girl not that much older than she was. After rather obviously eying her up and down through rectangular eyeglasses, she abruptly asked if she had any waitressing experience. Motoko told the truth; she had less than a weekÆs experience before leaving her last job. An unholy smile broke across the other girlÆs face before she started to drag her toward a nearby shop despite her objections.
Pulling her into the back room, the other girl pulled out an outfit and passed it to her. Motoko started to protest, saying she was a student and could not work full hours, which rolled off the other girlÆs back like water off a duck. It was not until the girl mentioned that the job paid 1500 yen an hour plus tips that Motoko started to change her mind. She nearly left again however when she saw that the outfit she was expected to wear was a maidÆs uniform.
After much arguing Motoko was finally dressed up in the outfit, standing uncomfortably as she tugged at her lacy collar. This outfit was the more traditional uniform worn by servants, made of black cotton with a button up lace collar, long sleeves with lace cuffs, a knee length skirt, a white lacy apron and a white lace tiara hair band. It was nothing compared to the costume she would later wear, but at that moment Motoko felt rather silly. It was not until Kotoko, as the girl introduced herself as, trained her as a server and waitress and she started to make money working two part-time shifts weeknights and two PT shifts on weekends that she began to loosen up. This did not prepare her for what else happened in the cafÚ.
As silly as Motoko looked in the maid uniform, that was nothing compared to the other employees. Wearing the skin-tight and skin-baring version of the maid outfit, the other waitresses would giggle and lightly slap at customers that did things that Motoko would have twisted them into a pretzel for. Sakura, a pink haired slender girl, was always competing with her blonde friend Ino as to who would get the most tips, come-ons, and phone numbers. Ran, the last waitress, made them look like shy schoolgirls though. The busty redhead would initiate contact with customers, touching their arms, leaning forward and smiling, putting an extra sway in her stride when she knew she was being watched. Ran was the only one that Motoko was sure would date customers, since she made no secret of it. In fact, she would regularly show off the various gifts she received from her dates.
Motoko had previously heard of enjo kosai, compensated dating, but this was the first time she had actually seen it in action. It was not prostitution per se, but younger girls would go out with older men to dinner, karaoke bars, and the like, and be paid for their time with either cash or gifts. Anything else beyond that was between the man and the girl. Most of the customers in KotokoÆs shop were boys of high school age, but there were older males, salarymen, that would spend time there too, flirting with the waitresses. It was mostly these men that Ran would be extra friendly with, although the other waitresses would do so as well.
None of this happened with Motoko at first, since her full maid costume marked her as a trainee waitress at the cafÚ. Boys would ask for her phone number and ask her out on dates, but she would politely but coolly refuse and keep on working. It was not until two weeks of work had passed that Kotoko had produced one of the swimsuit based costumes for her to wear. Motoko was extremely reluctant to wear the revealing clothing, but the manager had convinced her to try it at least one night. Unfortunately that night had been one where a new OVA movie from a popular anime had been released in Akihabara and the cafÚ had been overrun with otaku.
Thankfully, no one tried to grope her that night; Motoko would have reacted badly and even with her speed Kotoko probably would not have been able to stop her. However, the store had been filled with teenaged males, most of whom were sitting there watching the waitresses and drooling. This would have driven a less experienced Motoko over the edge, but having almost two months of experience being leered at and feeling dirty and oily chi auras as a result allowed her to keep her temper under control. Of course that did not help when she had first walked up to a table full of slobbering otaku and given her customary brisk bow and greeting; her breasts had almost popped out of her top. It was only because she had adjusted the swimsuit to be secure around her chest that an accident had not occurred, but she had still felt her breasts shift. Mortified, Motoko was able to take the orders and walked back to the counter area, where the manager had been watching the entire encounter occur. Kotoko did not say anything when her blushing employee handed her the order; all she did was grin and give her a thumbs up.
After that baptism by fire, MotokoÆs job got to be more bearable. Granted now that she was in the revealing outfit more guys hit on her, but Motoko kept refusing, politely but barely so. Oddly enough, her tips remained at about the same level as the other waitresses, even though they would actively flirt back with customers. Motoko actually had some admirers, men and boys that would sit in her area and even when she would refuse their advances, keep coming back for more. When Motoko had wondered aloud about it one night after the cafÚ had closed and they were cleaning up, the other waitresses had had a good laugh at her expense. As a chuckling Kotoko had explained it, they all fit into certain stereotypes û Sakura and Ino were the girls-next-door, Ran was the good-time girl, Kotoko was the motherly type, and Motoko was the tsundere girl of the group. Given how deeply Motoko had blushed at that revelation, the other girls had burst out laughing again.
As time had gone on, Motoko had realized that Kotoko really did fill the niche of mother for their little group. To her surprise, Motoko was the youngest of the girls working at the cafÚ, with Sakura and Ino being recent high school graduates and Ran a couple years older than that. Kotoko was twenty-two years old, and to MotokoÆs shock was not just the cafÚ manager, but the owner as well. Even without any college education, the older girl did all the administrative and logistical duties herself, with just a part-time bookkeeper to help keep track of things. Yet with all this work, the spiky haired girl was still enjoying herself, even if she was working at a minimum twelve hour days six days a week.
*****
Later that evening after the cafÚ closed and the two were alone (the two younger girls left early to spend time with their families, and Ran had a date) out of curiosity Motoko had asked her boss how it came to be that she was a business owner at so young an age, and she almost regretted doing so. Apparently Kotoko had been disowned by her family for refusing to marry a man that they had picked out for her once she had graduated high school. She had some money saved from a waitressing job she had while in school, and that had been enough to help her stay afloat for a short while. However the money did not last for long, and Kotoko had started to ædateÆ customers from her waitressing job for æfinancial considerationsÆ to make ends meet.
By the end of her first year on her own, Kotoko was seeing two different salarymen regularly, plus whatever customer caught her eye. All this meant that she was essentially working another job, only this one required her to be horizontal more often than not. But then her luck had broken in her favor. She had met an older gentleman and businessman who did not immediately try to get into her panties; Toshiro Ishida would come in during the slow times of the cafÚ she worked at, toss a monogrammed money clip full of folded bills toward the manager, and then invite Kotoko to have tea with him. They would spend hours talking about various things; current events, financial affairs, and even the business climate. While Kotoko did not have much education, she did have a head for numbers and impressed the old man with her insight. By the time business would start to pick up again, the manager would drop off the now empty money clip and walk away without a word. Toshiro would then stand up, leave an amount of money that was effectively a full dayÆs pay on the table, and after saying good bye would leave.
Kotoko had been mystified by the silver-haired old man; even after a month had gone by where he would come in twice a week, he would never ask for her phone number or ask if she would come to with him to a love hotel like every other man she had met on the job, including her manager, whom she ædatedÆ every couple weeks or so. After thinking about it for a while, she finally decided that the old man was simply lonely for an emotional connection with another person, something that was almost impossible to buy. Sure, he would pay her manager for her time on the job, and ætipÆ her so she would not lose money during the time she was with him, but this was almost like being a geisha of old.
Kotoko and Toshiro continued their friendly yet odd relationship for six months, until finally in the depths of winter he had stopped coming. Kotoko was concerned at first, thinking that he had taken ill. But after two weeks since the last visit, when Kotoko was starting to think that it was more than illness, her fears were confirmed. A man identifying himself as an attorney for a mid-sized law firm showed up one morning and asked for Kotoko by name. When her manager started to object, the attorney produced a familiar monogrammed money clip and showed it to the manager, who instantly backed off. After calling her over, a confused Kotoko was asked to show up the next day at the law firm he worked for, as there were some legal affairs that needed to be dealt with, although she was not in trouble. The attorney stated that everything should be done with by the time Kotoko had to report to work that following day.
The next day, feeling underdressed in her shabby business type clothing, Kotoko arrived at the law firm five minutes early and was escorted to a conference room. There was the attorney from the day before, as well as an older man that looked to be his superior. After everyone gave their names, they all sat down and the older man started to speak.
Apparently, Toshiro Ishida recently passed away. He had been in the end stages of pancreatic cancer and refused to spend his final days in the sterile environs of a hospital, instead quietly passing on at home. He had been the retired CFO of a major electronics conglomerate, and while he did have family, he had already arranged for them to be taken care. Now he had wanted his waitress friend to be taken care of as well. Kotoko had stiffened at that pronouncement, but the older attorney had hurried to state that he had known Toshiro personally and knew that KotokoÆs relationship with him had been strictly platonic.
As a means of thanks for, in ToshiroÆs own words æbefriending a lonely old man,Æ he was leaving Kotoko a certain amount of money, undisclosed at this time, to be used to set up a small business of her own. Recommendations and referrals for business and property loans and rentals would be available as well. If Kotoko was not interested in opening a business of her own, the money would be cashed out and given to her in one lump sum. In either case once a course had been set, that was it. Kotoko would get either the one lump sum or the business set up, which could not be cashed out, it was solely up to her.
After thinking about it for a few moments, and remembering back to her conversations with Toshiro about setting up businesses, Kotoko made up her mind. Telling the patiently waiting attorneys that she wanted to go ahead with the business set up, both men smiled, the older one widely and the younger one ruefully. Seeing the confusion on her face, the older attorney told her that he had though she would go with the business set up while the younger one had though that due to her lack of business education and experience she would go for the lump sum.
Producing a set of legal documents, the lawyers walked her through them. It was not until they got to the middle of the documents that she saw the money involved; Toshiro had set up a line of credit to be paid for from his estate with a maximum limit of 250 million yen (USD 2.5 million). When a dazed Kotoko asked how much she would have gotten if she had asked for the lump sum, the older attorney told her it would have been a total of 50 million yen cash (USD 500 thousand).
After everything was signed, Kotoko was handed a handwritten letter from Toshiro. In it he apologized for hiding the amounts involved, stating that he wanted someone who had started at the bottom, willing to run a risk and willing to work hard to get ahead in life to get the money. He stated that while his daughters and their children were taken care off (his wife being long dead) he wanted his family legacy of hard work to continue.
Taking some time to collect herself, Kotoko was about to leave when the younger attorney handed her one last envelope, containing a check for five million yen (USD 50 thousand). When she gave him a questioning look, he stated that it was to cover her expenses until she got her new business going. With that Kotoko smiled; now she would be able to give her notice at her job and start working toward her new business.
After a lot of sweat and stress, a few months later Kotoko was able to get her Akihabara cafÚ going. At first it was just a regular cafÚ with waitresses in short frilly pastel dresses, but there had been a glut of those kind of cafes in the district, and she was barely able to stay afloat. It was not until she started concentrating on the otaku demographic that her business increased. Maid cafes were somewhat common as well, but once she came up with her æsuper sexy maid-chan!Æ outfits, traffic skyrocketed. But the one thing Kotoko always kept in mind was what it was like to be a waitress hustling for money. That is why she had a laissez-faire attitude toward her employeesÆ extracurricular activities, so long as it was not a threat toward her employeeÆs safety or caused problems for her business.
*****
Kotoko had finally finished telling her story as she and Motoko were cleaning up. The younger girl was finishing stacking chairs in preparation for the floor to be mopped and the manager had finished tallying up the dayÆs receipts from the register.
ôAnoà do all of the girls go out with customers? Including Ino-chan and Sakura-chan?ö While the two younger girls played around with the customers, Motoko did not know how far they went.
ôNot that often. They usually go out together to make sure nothing bad happens. The customers donÆt complain though. Kinda surprises them when they get the two for one deal, though.ö Kotoko looked up from the register she had just finished counting and smiled at the thought of a manÆs reaction to getting two cute girls at the same time . ôRan-chan is more into the money, so sheÆs willing to do more things, but with older men.ö
ôWhat about you, Kotoko-san? Do you date customers anymore?ö Motoko was shocked to hear herself ask that question, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her.
Kotoko hummed to herself. ôNot really. At least not for æassistanceÆ anymore. ItÆs usually because I have an itch that needs to be scratched. Problem is finding the right kind of person to help me with that.ö
ôRight kind of person?ö Motoko asked doubtfully. With her limited experience with men, she had an inkling as to what her boss was referring to, but barely.
ôYeah, the right kind of person. You can be with different kinds of people, but when you are with the right kind of person, it makes things *so* much better.ö Kotoko brushed past her to go and check on the front door to make sure it was locked, then returned to pick up the till from the register. ôLetÆs go, Motoko-chan, time to turn the lights out.ö With that, Kotoko turned off the overhead lights, leaving on a solitary ceiling light and the string of Christmas lights on in the window.
Following her boss into the storeroom, Motoko watched as the till was stored in a locked steel cabinet , with the dayÆs proceeds to be held by the manager in a small locking canvas bag until she deposited them the next day at the bank. She would take the bag with her to her small apartment on the second floor above the cafÚ and go out first thing in the morning.
ôSo Motoko-chan, you have plans for this evening?ö Tossing the money bag on the table, Kotoko started undoing her maid costume, first pulling off the wrist cuffs and the tiara head band, then taking off the ruffled top and skirt, leaving her in just the swimsuit and the heeled shoes they all wore. The non-soiled items were placed in her locker, while the dirty items went into the laundry bag. The shoes were carefully pulled off and stowed in the locker; kicking polished shoes into a locker was a big no-no.
ôI was going to go to my boarding house and study some more. We are in the midst of a difficult section at school.ö That was a lie; Motoko had already covered the section, but that sounded better that saying you were alone for the holidays. Even her new-found friend at the boarding house was likely to be dead drunk on watermelon sake. As she spoke Motoko started to remove her costume as well; changing in front of another woman did not bother her too much, although she did make sure she was turned away so as to not see too much. Not that it was easy to avoid looking at Kotoko; the older girl was totally unselfconscious about being seen unclothed, with a figure that was close to that of her former housemate Naru Narusegawa.
ôI have an idea, Motoko-chan. Why donÆt you spend the night here with me? ItÆs a little too late for you to be going home alone on the train, and I have a spare futon you can use. Since the cafÚ is going to be closed tomorrow, we can stay up late and watch some videos IÆve been meaning to catch up on.ö Motoko was facing toward her open locker, so she did not see her boss coming up behind her.
ôI donÆt want to be a bother, Kotoko-san.ö In fact, it did not sound like a bad idea, since Motoko would wind up fending off drunken partiers on the train home, only to have to spend the holiday night in a cold room by herself. That was one of the things that she could barely even now admit to herself, how much she missed the company of her former roommates. Even being away from her family did not sting like her missing the tenants of the Hinata-sou.
ôYou wonÆt be a bother, Motoko-chan. In fact, it will let me give you my Chrismas present without everyone around.ö She could hear her boss standing right behind her.
ôBut you already gave us our presents.ö Before the other waitresses left, the manager had handed out red envelopes, each containing an extra full dayÆs pay.
ôNot like this.ö Feeling a light touch on her shoulder, Motoko turned to see Kotoko standing right behind her. Three things immediately struck her; her swimsuit top was down around her waist leaving her bare-chested, her ever-present rectangular glasses were off, and her face was rapidly approaching hers. Anything the younger girl would have said was cut off by the feel of soft lips pressing up against hers.
Girl lipsà
Were so softà
After an eternal moment, as Motoko stood there in shock, she could feel her mouth be parted by the other girlÆs lips and the tip of her tongue start to explore her own. As she did so, she could taste the cherry lip gloss Kotoko was wearing, then she felt the tongue plunge deeper into her, rubbing up and against her own tongue. The sensations produced were so overwhelming that Motoko almost did not feel the older girl press her bare chest against her own swimsuit clad one.
With an explosive breath, Motoko pulled back and away, her back slamming into the locker behind her. Gasping heavily, she stared at Kotoko, who was merely looking back at her with a soft smile on her face.
ôWhatà whyàö Her thoughts were in a jumble, she could not even ask the most basic question. Those racing thoughts did not take her attention away from the fact that she could still taste KotokoÆs lips on hers.
ôYou know, with æwhoÆ, æwhenÆ, and æwhereÆ, you would have all the elements for a story. The æhowÆ and the æwhatÆ IÆm pretty sure you know by now.ö Kotoko stood still as she talked, but she was still within armÆs reach of Motoko, who was still pressing back against the lockers. ôSo I guess you want to know æwhyÆ?ö Motoko nodded. ôBecause you are a very attractive girl, and I like you, and I want to get closer to you.ö
ôBut why me? YouÆre a womanà IÆm a woman! I thought you were into men!ö Motoko was stammering as she spoke as her world view swirled about her, having taken several hits in short order, that a female would be doing what she would normally consider perverted like a male, that a female that had only recently been talking about having physical liaisons with men was now trying to have one with her - she knew about lesbians of course, but had never really thought about them, and that such a female found her attractive.
ôI *prefer* men, but sometimes I want to be with someone strong and sure, but still soft and beautiful.ö Kotoko put a hand on the locker besideÆs MotokoÆs head, and leaned forward, stopping only when her face was a breath away from her. ôI am very attracted to you, Motoko-chan, and I can feel how lonely you are. Let me closer, let me warm you up, at least for tonight.ö The older girl looked at MotokoÆs wide eyes for a long moment before slowly leaning in again, giving her the chance to move away, an opportunity that the younger girl did not take.
Feeling her soft lips against hers, Motoko gave a soft whimper. Slowly parting her own lips, she could taste Kotoko again, and in short order felt the other girl pressed up against her body full length. As hands ran down her sides to her butt, she gave a gasp as the hands clenched on the firm muscle they found. With a shiver she pressed forward, moving away from the lockers and her own arms moving upwards, her hands winding up on the older girlÆs waist. Breaking the kiss, Motoko whispered two words. ôNow what?ö
ôNow we go upstairs to my apartment; unless you want to stay here in the storeroom.ö The half smile on KotokoÆs face was both lazy and hungry at the same time.
Motoko gave a short jerky nod. ôUpstairs.ö She could feel heat from the girlÆs bare skin pass through her flimsy bathing suit, and suddenly she wanted more û much more. Moving her hand down to KotokoÆs, they stepped away from the lockers and headed for the doorway leading to the stairs up to KotokoÆs apartment upstairs.
end chapter
Interesting. Motoko's defeat is almost complete. She's basically turning into the thing she loathed most of all: A pervert.
Heh.
They're referred to as "pom-poms" here in the west. They cover both the little fur balls and the cheering tools. Use whichever you desire, I guess.
Missing a period after face and before all in all.
Colon, not semicolon.
The "if not happy about" used in conjunction with the previous phrase can imply that she might be almost happy for the attention, as in "if not almost happy about," or somewhere between "used to" and "happy about". I would suggest changing the "if not happy about" to "however unpleasant it was".
thought instead of though.
Comfortable with what? Suggest 'comfortable with in her previous life', or 'normally comfortable with.'
Another colon instead of a semicolon.
taken care of.
had thought (two errors of the same type in this sentence)
care of
The person talking is her boss, but Motoko is the subject of the narrative. This is a contradiction. You either need to make the narrative a separate paragraph or change the sentence so that the subject is the same person who's talking. Also, Motoko not sensing someone's approach? Maybe:
Kotoko crept up behind the younger woman, who was facing towards the locker and was so deep in thought she failed to sense the approach.
Again, the person doing the talking is different than the subject of its associated narrative. 'She could hear' in this case would, by the dialogue, refer to the speaker, who is Kotoko, not Motoko, since the speaker is already implied in the dialogue by process of elimination. Maybe:
ôYou wonÆt be a bother, Motoko-chan. In fact, it will let me give you my Chrismas present without everyone around.ö
Motoko could hear her boss standing right behind her. ôBut you already gave us our presents.ö
It was true. Before the other waitresses left, the manager had handed out red envelopes, each containing an extra full dayÆs pay.
Same thing here. It makes the reader think Motoko said that. Just make the dialogue a separate paragraph.
being, not be.
There's one other sentence that had additional words, as if an edit was done incompletely, but I couldn't find it again on the second read-through.
Heh.
They're referred to as "pom-poms" here in the west. They cover both the little fur balls and the cheering tools. Use whichever you desire, I guess.
Missing a period after face and before all in all.
Colon, not semicolon.
The "if not happy about" used in conjunction with the previous phrase can imply that she might be almost happy for the attention, as in "if not almost happy about," or somewhere between "used to" and "happy about". I would suggest changing the "if not happy about" to "however unpleasant it was".
thought instead of though.
Comfortable with what? Suggest 'comfortable with in her previous life', or 'normally comfortable with.'
Another colon instead of a semicolon.
taken care of.
had thought (two errors of the same type in this sentence)
care of
The person talking is her boss, but Motoko is the subject of the narrative. This is a contradiction. You either need to make the narrative a separate paragraph or change the sentence so that the subject is the same person who's talking. Also, Motoko not sensing someone's approach? Maybe:
Kotoko crept up behind the younger woman, who was facing towards the locker and was so deep in thought she failed to sense the approach.
Again, the person doing the talking is different than the subject of its associated narrative. 'She could hear' in this case would, by the dialogue, refer to the speaker, who is Kotoko, not Motoko, since the speaker is already implied in the dialogue by process of elimination. Maybe:
ôYou wonÆt be a bother, Motoko-chan. In fact, it will let me give you my Chrismas present without everyone around.ö
Motoko could hear her boss standing right behind her. ôBut you already gave us our presents.ö
It was true. Before the other waitresses left, the manager had handed out red envelopes, each containing an extra full dayÆs pay.
Same thing here. It makes the reader think Motoko said that. Just make the dialogue a separate paragraph.
being, not be.
There's one other sentence that had additional words, as if an edit was done incompletely, but I couldn't find it again on the second read-through.
The semi-final version of Ch 36. Enjoy! :lol:
Motoko Interlude
Part Two
CafÚ Touch-And-Go!
Private Living Quarters,
Akihabara District
Tokyo, Japan
December 25
early morning
(almost four months after story start)
Coldness was now a constant part of her life now. So why was she feeling so warm?
The futon that Motoko was used to sleeping on was not of the best quality. The cotton cover was already threadbare even though it was only a couple months old, it was lumpy, and if your face was right against it, the smell of camphor was apparent. The pillow that went with it was thin and made of foam, and covered in a cheap cotton slipcase.
However, the futon she was on right now had a satin cover on it with a light floral scent to it, the pillow was both fluffy and solid, and her arm was on top of something that felt smooth, and warm and moving up and down slightly.
Her eyes slightly open, all Motoko could see was short brown hair in front of her. Not fully up to speed upon waking, the former swordswoman calmly wondered why there was hair of that color in front of her face. It looked like the hair was still attached to someoneÆs head, which mean that someone else was in the futon with her.
Someoneà
With short brown hairà
Was laying on the same futon as herà
After Motoko did a quick check with her hands on both her body and the other person, she was able to add one more observation to the above statement.
àAnd they were both naked.
Even as her body tried to initialize itÆs fight-or-flight response, Motoko kept still. Contrary to what some people would think, she had previously woken up with other people in her futon, but in those cases it had always been Kaolla Su in bed with her, latched on like a blonde limpet in an attempt to keep bad dreams away. This was the first time she had awoken with an adult in bed with her.
She could not remember how she wound up in some strange manÆs bed, but as soon as she could safely extricate herself, she would go looking for a bokken and damn what her family would say! But first, she had to get her arm away from the grasp of the other person, who was holding her hand against their stomach.
After a couple of slight tugs MotokoÆs hand stayed where it was, the other personÆs grasp was too strong. She knew she could break free in a heartbeat if she used technique and more strength in the movement, but the other person was apparently asleep and Motoko wanted to keep it that way.
Twisting and pulling did little to help free her trapped arm. It was only when a despairing Motoko started to wonder if it were really practical to do what she had overheard some customers talking about and chewing their arm off like a wolf with a paw caught in a steel trap that the choice was taken away from her.
ôYouÆre not thinking of doing something silly, are you Mo-chan?ö Releasing the hold on her hand, the other person slowly turned to face her, revealing that it was Kotoko Yamada, her boss. Her light brown eyes blinked sleepily as she looked her subordinate in the face, their bodies so close that Motoko could feel bare breasts against her equally naked chest. ôYou know, like running away screaming?ö
ôI must admit, that did cross my mind.ö Staring into the other girlÆs lighter eyes was almost like a form of hypnosis. For some reason, Motoko was not panicking, not getting enraged at being taken advantage of, even if it was by another female and not by some lecherous male. In fact, there was a overwhelming sense of lassitude running through her body, making her very reluctant to move at all. It was very much like the so-called ærunnerÆs highÆ she sometimes got after running long distances in her training. ôWhat did you do to me? IÆve never felt like this, soà relaxed?ö Motoko asked in some wonder and just a little fear. Surely she had not been drugged?
ôI didnÆt do anything you didnÆt enjoy, Mo-chan. You were quite a bit sensitive at the beginning though.ö Kotoko gave a slight smirk as she looked at her bedmate. ôIt was making me wish that I had a bed instead of a futon, that way I could have tied your arms and legs to the bed posts to keep you from thrashing around.ö
To her dismay, memories of the night before began to surface in the younger girlÆs mind. Memories of soft lips exploring her blushing face, her throat, her aching nipples. Memories of gentle hands traveling her body, trailing from the graceful curve of her back down to her slender and defined waist, down past her rounded bottom to her long legs. Memories of long delicate fingers, stroking, caressing, lightly tugging and twisting, discovering and passing boundaries and borders unexplored by any other person. And finally, the memories of the sounds, the moans, the sharp cries, and finally the screaming that to her ultimate horror had come from her own throat.
The incipient train wreak that was about to take place in MotokoÆs mind suddenly disappeared as KotokoÆs lips pressed firmly against hers, the tip of her tongue piercing the seal of her lips. Motoko could only moan and clutch onto the other girl as she plundered her mouth, leaving no corner unexplored.
Breaking away after a minute of concentrated osculation, the ronin girl could only lay there as the older girl smirked at her again. ôWhat sorcery is this?ö Motoko gasped.
ôItÆs called sex, Motoko-chan. Surely youÆve heard of it?ö Kotoko left her face close to MotokoÆs, but otherwise just watched her, her hand softly stroking her loverÆs face.
ôI know of sex for the purposes of reproduction, and for perversion, but nothing like this.ö Motoko had never really considered that sex was supposed to be pleasurable for both partners, just that it was a wifeÆs duty to submit to her husband for the purpose for conceiving children.
Kotoko blink-blinked at her. ôCome on, you canÆt seriously think that sex is just about guys getting off, do you? Why do you think girls are so into guys if they donÆt something out of it?ö
ôBecause they are looking for husbands?ö MotokoÆs response caused the older girlÆs head to fall back on the pillow.
ôGods, Mo-chan, you sound like you got your sex ed from your old spinster aunt! Even learning about sex in the locker rooms at school would teach you more than that!ö
ôActually, it was my Great-aunt Naoko who instructed me on reproductive matters. The health and development classes at junior high school covered the rest.ö
KotokoÆs eyes turned to look at the other girl while her head stayed in place on the pillow. ôYour Great-aunt Naokoà by any chance, was she older, not married, looked and dressed very plainly, never had a life outside of work? Kind of nosey and into everyoneÆs business weither they wanted her to be or not?ö
ôI would say that description was fairly accurate,ö Motoko allowed. She had never mentioned her background in the kendo arts and her family to anyone at her place of employment, so she had not talked about how Aunt Naoko was considered the clan busybody.
ôYou do realize that the closest your aunt has ever come to sex is when the bus she was on hit the speed bump too hard?ö Kotoko could see the incomprehension in MotokoÆs eyes. ôYour aunt just told you that guys want to stick it in and get off, and leave the girls behind and in trouble, right?ö
ôNot quite as crudely as that,ö Motoko muttered. Truth be told, Aunt NaokoÆs little speech to nine year old Motoko had lasted about ten minutes if that, and left her with more questions than answers. The technical information from health class did not help very much either. But seeing how boys treated girls in school and how perverted men took advantage of women on the street did lead to certain perceptions of the male members of the human species.
ôAnd what did your spinster aunt tell you about same-sex relationships?ö Kotoko casually askedà perhaps a bit too casually.
ôJust that they had no place in the purpose of producing children and heirs for families.ö Great-aunt Naoko had actually gone into some detail on how same-sex sexual relations was almost as perverted as non-marriage sex, and in some cases worse as it distracted the people involved from their family duties. Little Motoko did not understand at the time why two men or two women would want to be together like that, as she could barely understand why a man and a woman would be together except for producing children. However, the glint in KotokoÆs eyes gave Motoko a feeling that it would not be a good idea to go into detail about this, especially since Motoko had not really been concerned about such matters until recently. But in light of what happened between the two of them the night before, the ronin girl knew that she could not afford to offend or anger the other female with some ill-thought-out remark.
Most of MotokoÆs anger against males and perversion came to the surface after her sister TsurukoÆs marriage, which resulted in the heirship of the clan to pass to her. Her brother-in-law was some non-entity from a minor samurai family that had given up his own family name upon his marriage, a not-insignificant action in Japanese society. The fact that the man was a salaryman barely competent to hold a bokken correctly, let alone skillfully, was another black mark against him. But the straw that had broken the proverbial camelÆs back as it were was the night that Motoko had inadvertently seen the couple having sex. And it was not as though she had walked into their room and accidently seen them; Motoko had decided to take a late night bath at the onsen at the family compound and thought the hot baths would be deserted at that hour. Apparently she had not been the only one to think that, as she had come upon her sister and brother-in-law already there, and too distracted to notice her.
From what little Motoko had learned in her sex ed instruction, she was only familiar with the standard position, and barely at that. So it was a shock to see her sister on her hands and knees on the floor of the onsen, her husband on his knees thrusting into her from behind. Yet this was nothing compared to the cries she had heard coming from Tsuruko, degrading demands for more, for faster, for harder. Up to that point Motoko had only seen her sister as someone to be admired and feared, but seeing her act as she imagined some common street trollop would had shook her to the core.
Motoko never told anyone what she had seen that night. She knew that if she had thrown what she had seen in her sisterÆs face she would have reacted very badly. But the images did not go away, they would always surface in the back of her mind. So no matter that her respected sister and sword mistress was in front of her, the memories of her on her knees submissively begging for more always superimposed itself on her. This of course almost ruined her relations with her family, as the disgust and the revulsion those memories brought forward was not something she could let go. It was only when Motoko had left Kyoto and moved to the Hinata-sou that her relations with Tsuruko began to improve, especially since they were all over the phone. But in some corner of her mind, Motoko mourned the loss of the image of her beloved aneue, the tall, beautiful and proud sword-mistress and former heir of the Aoyama clan.
ôWell, now you know that that is not entirely accurate, right Mo-chan?ö Kotoko asked, the glint disappearing from her eyes. Leaning forward, she softly kissed her lover, not aggressively like before.
Motoko relaxed under her touch, not trying to pull away. The feelings this simple touch were producing were still surprising to her, as she had had very little positive physical touching in her life ever since she was a toddler. It even made the diminution of her name into something she did not mind, something that she had always been vehemently against. It had taken several rappings with ShishuÆs sheath to break Kitsune Konno from the attempts to use her name that way when she lived at the Hinata-sou, but that had been the last of it, until now.
Now, just hearing the hated name come from KotokoÆs lips made her insides heat up, a heat that was steadily increasing the longer the kiss went on. A heat that brought back more memories of what the two females had done the night before; Motoko laying on her back shivering and moaning as Kotoko had explored her body with fingers, lips and tongue. The high pitched cries and body spasms as her lover brought over the edge over and over again. The lower pitched moans from their last tryst, where the two were laying on their sides against each other, their tongues dueling pleasurably for dominance, her sensitive breasts rubbing against KotokoÆs, their legs intertwined and their most sensitive parts pressed together, setting off an erotic explosion that not only caused Kotoko to finish along with her, it caused Motoko to pass out in a faint.
ôWhat will we do now Koàtoko-san?ö Motoko almost slipped and used a too familiar version of her loverÆs name, but given the smile on her face, she caught it regardless.
ôWell, I was thinking that we could wash up and get some breakfast, then watch those videos we missed last night.ö Nuzzling the other girlÆs nose, she continued softly. ôAnd I donÆt mind if you call me Ko-chan, at least if weÆre by ourselves. If the other girls hear you, you can expect some teasing about it though.ö
ôKo-chanàö Boldly, at least for her, Motoko moved forward and kissed her lover briefly before moving back, a blush still forming on her face. ôThat sounds like a good idea.ö Throwing back the light covers on their bodies, Motoko slowly came to her feet, her nude body the object of the older girlÆs unabashed gaze. The blush still on her face, Motoko turned and after finding the bathroom walked off and entered it. It was only until the sound of the water running in the shower came on that the smile on KotokoÆs face slipped off, a slight frown appearing in its place, a frown tinged with sorrow. Shaking her head, Kotoko rolled to her feet and followed her lover into the washroom.
end Motoko Interlude
Hinata-sou Dormitory
Hintata City, Kanagawa Prefecture
Metro Tokyo, Japan
December 24
mid evening
(almost four months after story start)
Noriyasu Seta was known as a noted archeologist and world traveler, especially in the countries and continents that bordered the Southern Pacific Ocean. Anywhere that there was a possibility of artifacts of the Turtle God civilization (which apparently had a wider reach than even the Polynesians), Seta had been there. Easter Island? Check. Australia? Check. Galapagos Islands with its giant turtles? Double check.
Of course, some of those places were not the most friendly of environs, and that was before its inhabitants were taken into account. Papua New Guinea and its headhunters? Check. East Timor during the late unpleasantness? Check. The Solomon Islands with its tons of unexploded ordinance from the Pacific War and the aptly named Iron Bottom Sound, littered with so many sunken ships and planes it threw magnetic compasses off? Check. Mindanao Island of the Philippines, which had the magic trifecta of Communist rebels, Moro Muslim rebels and various bandits and pirates? Double check again. And ironically, it had been in one of the lesser threatening countries, Thailand, where he had come closest to finally meeting his Maker.
However, not all of his travels had been so life-threatening. Seta had spent a year of post-graduate studies in America, mostly at the University of Southern California, but with plenty of side-trips as well. It was on one of those trips that Seta went to New Orleans during Mardi Gras, and his love of zydeco music was born.
Keitaro Urashima was sitting in the Christmas decorated main living room, a large glass of warm sake in hand, watching in some disbelief as a recently de-casted and grinning Seta was spinning around the room dancing to the zydeco song æOh Yeh YaiÆ (a song which to his ears appeared to include both an accordion and a washboard as a musical instrument), a reluctant Haruka in his arms. Or maybe not so reluctantà a smile was threatening to break Haru-chanÆs visage. A demonically lit and smiling Kaolla Su was working the DJ position behind a stack of amps, woofers, laptop computers and gods knows what else (upon seeing the massive stack of instrumentation, Keitaro had given the pouting teen firm instructions not to turn the volume past 7, with a never exceed limit of 9), all patched into her bleeding edge wireless internet network and the worldwide webà which was why the teen genius had been able to find, download and play Seta-senseiÆs obscure request not 30 seconds after his asking. As soon as the song started to play, Seta had grabbed a startled Haruka and started to dance, which looked like a crazed combination of a waltz, the foxtrot and the swing.
The Urashima could not really fault his bossÆ mood. Not only had the cast finally come off his leg, leaving him only with a cane to use when he needed to, he had finally completed the varied requirements for NyamoÆs residency paperwork. In fact, the dusky doppelganger of their domestic tenant was now sitting next to a smiling and head bobbing Sarah, melon soda in hand and a confused smile on her face, while Shinobu sat on the blondeÆs opposite side, watching the ongoing display with wide eyes and a cup of tea cooling in her hand.
What Seta did not know was why his struggles with the government paperwork had finally come to an end. After hearing his boss bitch and moan about the ongoing death of a thousand paper cuts he was undergoing to make Nyamo a legal resident in Japan, made even worse since she was already here, Keitaro had decided to break out the big guns. After conferring with Haruka and getting her agreement, the two had opened the most Holy of Holies, a virtual Ark of the Covenant, a veritable weapon of mass destruction in paper formà GrannyÆs little black book.
The innocuous Moleskine notebook had sat in a hidden drawer in GrannyÆs desk. While Keitaro had known of its existence, only Haruka and Hina herself knew the trick to opening the compartment. Keitaro knew the emergency way to open the compartment (brute force would cause the desk to catch on fire), but he did not want to mess with blood seals again. He made sure he had Haruka teach both him and Kanako the opening seals, and after hesitating for a moment, she agreed, especially since Kanako was not born of Urashima blood and needed to know.
Flipping through the notebook had been a revelation. Entries were organized by name, university attended and jobs held, especially those in major businesses or the government. The Urashima recognized many of the names from the TV news and newspapers. Also noted were brief entries on what could politely be called æpersonal interestsÆ of the person involved. In most cases there were just notes, but other notes were in coded language that the three Urashima had been taught when they were younger as ætraditionÆ. Now they could see that the coded entries referred to safe deposit box numbers and locations, presumably containing proof of what the æpersonal interestsÆ notes alluded to. Also noted were positive and negative numbers, alluding to favors given and owed. Most of those entries were one or two in either direction, but one high ranking name had a whopping four favors owed from him, an ill omen if there was one.
After getting the names of some of the people in people in the notebook that could be helpful in solving SetaÆs problems, Keitaro started to make calls. At first he wanted Haruka to do it, but she convinced him that as the heir of the clan and its future leader, they needed to know that he could handle himself and not pass this off to æmere femalesÆ. Keitaro had snorted at that, as no one was fool enough to think of Hina Urashima as a æmereÆ anything.
It was rather scary to see how far some people jumped when certain names were mentioned. Keitaro had been treated rather normally for most of his life, but as soon as the name æUrashimaÆ was mentioned, formerly snooty secretaries would connect him with the person he was looking for in ten seconds or less.
The first two calls were fairly simple. After introducing himself as HinaÆs grandson and heir, he asked if there was something that could be done to expedite some paperwork. After asking for specifics, the officials in question would promise to put the paper on the fast track, with their keeping personal attention on them.
The last call was a bit trickier, as the Immigration official had been reluctant to talk to him and seemed disinclined to do anything productive. Looking at his entry, Keitaro had seen that not only did this guy owe Granny two favors, he was one of the ones with the æpersonal interestsÆ notations. After pausing for a moment, Keitaro casually asked how his second career in modeling was going. A long moment later the official, whose modeling involved leather and lace with bondage optional, tightly agreed to expedite the paperwork. Keitaro politely thanked him and said good bye, hearing the phone on the other end not quite get slammed down. As a result, when Keitaro made a note on his entry, he put down æreluctantÆ and æno favor given nor receivedÆ, with Haruka nodding in approval.
The results the next day had been unexpected. Just as the residents had been getting ready for dinner, SetaÆs deathtrap van came to a crashing halt outside. Hobbling out of the smoking vehicle with his cane to support him, Seta had been bouncing around like a five year old on a sugar rush. After spinning both Sarah and Nyamo around and almost getting them sick, the Urashima had gotten the reason for his good mood out of him. He had gone into the Immigration bureau with the expectation of having to submit a stack of paperwork and receiving another stack that appeared almost identical to fill out. But instead of being called in to the caseworkerÆs cubicle, Seta was instead led to the office of the assistant deputy director of the agency, the fourth or fifth man down from the top. Barely recognizing him as a former school mate that he had not been friends with, and was somewhat jealous of his exploits in school, Seta was surprised to have a manila envelope tossed into his chest by the scowling official. Opening it up, Seta found a Japanese Re-entry Permit booklet (a type of stateless person passport) in NyamoÆs name, with a five year permanent resident visa included. Also included was a certified judicial order naming Seta as NyamoÆs guardian. When the academic looked up at the other man in shock, the official merely snarled at him to get out and not ever bother him again. Seta decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth and ran out of the office as fast as his bad leg could carry him.
Now sitting around the heir to the household were his two girlfriends, Natsumi and Miyuki. While the darker haired girl was sipping at a glass of wine, Natsumi was throwing back sake bombs like they were going out of style. In fact, she had actually beat Kitsune in a drinking contest, the dorm rule for public drunkenness waived for the Christmas/celebratory party this night. It had taken only ten rounds for the foxgirl to slide under the table, and his brown haired girlfriend was still going on strong. Kitsune was left propped up on the couch next to a faintly scowling Naru, who had been pried away from her books by the now dozing friend. Nursing her vodka spiked egg nog (SetaÆs contribution to the nightÆs activities) she watched the dancing couple with a hint of longing in her eyes.
Almost matching her expression was Kanako, who was leaning up against the wall behind the younger girls. Keitaro knew that his adopted sister was massively not happy about his romantic situation, but there was little he could do about it. But what the young male did not realize was that his two girl friends were silently communicating behind his back, reaching an agreement and coming to their feet, pulling Keitaro up with them.
ôHuh? What? Is something wrong?ö Keitaro was sputtering as the two girls dragged him to the dance area.
ôWe came here to dance, not just listen to the music, Kei-kun,ö Miyuki said with a semi-pout on her face.
ôWith both of you?ö Keitaro did not have a problem with that, but he was sure that Kanako would.
ôActuallyà no.ö The two watched as Natsumi grabbed Naru from the sofa and pulled her toward the dance area. Stopping by Seta, the brown haired police girl spun him around and pushed him toward the no longer reluctant girl. Seeing Seta nod and smile, Naru gave a shy smile in return and started to dance, matching his movements, but not the grinding that the academic had started to do with his former girlfriend.
Turning back toward her partner, Natsumi joined Haruka in dancing with Miyuki, who then proceeded to start to grind on his aunt. Natsumi caught KeitaroÆs eye and flicked her own at the wall behind him, and he suddenly understood.
Walking over to Kanako, he stopping in front of the now wide eyed girl and offered her his hand, silently asking her to dance. Smiling widely, Kanako took his hand and followed him onto the dance area, turning and starting to move sinuously, matching SetaÆs prior efforts but with some dirty dancing thrown in for flavor.
Giggling loudly, Sarah grabbed NyamoÆs and ShinobuÆs hands and pulled them onto the dance area. The blonde gaijin started to dance, matching what her father was doing, but Nyamo instead started to do some South Pacific islander dance, and after hesitating for a moment, Shinobu started to copy her.
After seeing all this happen, Su set the music player on automatic and vaulted down to the floor, a flash equipped digital camera in her hand. After taking multiple pictures of all the couples and trios dancing, Su tossed the camera next to the still snoring Kitsune and joined in the younger girls dance, forming into a dancing ring, spinning around and laughing.
Keitaro turned from his sister for a moment, hearing Sarah above all the other girls as they danced and spun around , the laught distinctive. It reminded him of when they had first met, back in Thailand. Shaking his head slightly, he turned back to Kanako, trying to get back into the holiday spirit, knowing that there was little he could do about memories, and now was not the time to brood about it. Instead, focused on the smile on KanakoÆs face, trying to make sure that good memories would tamp down the bad, memories that even now were trying to come to the surface.
end chapter 36
Motoko Interlude
Part Two
CafÚ Touch-And-Go!
Private Living Quarters,
Akihabara District
Tokyo, Japan
December 25
early morning
(almost four months after story start)
Coldness was now a constant part of her life now. So why was she feeling so warm?
The futon that Motoko was used to sleeping on was not of the best quality. The cotton cover was already threadbare even though it was only a couple months old, it was lumpy, and if your face was right against it, the smell of camphor was apparent. The pillow that went with it was thin and made of foam, and covered in a cheap cotton slipcase.
However, the futon she was on right now had a satin cover on it with a light floral scent to it, the pillow was both fluffy and solid, and her arm was on top of something that felt smooth, and warm and moving up and down slightly.
Her eyes slightly open, all Motoko could see was short brown hair in front of her. Not fully up to speed upon waking, the former swordswoman calmly wondered why there was hair of that color in front of her face. It looked like the hair was still attached to someoneÆs head, which mean that someone else was in the futon with her.
Someoneà
With short brown hairà
Was laying on the same futon as herà
After Motoko did a quick check with her hands on both her body and the other person, she was able to add one more observation to the above statement.
àAnd they were both naked.
Even as her body tried to initialize itÆs fight-or-flight response, Motoko kept still. Contrary to what some people would think, she had previously woken up with other people in her futon, but in those cases it had always been Kaolla Su in bed with her, latched on like a blonde limpet in an attempt to keep bad dreams away. This was the first time she had awoken with an adult in bed with her.
She could not remember how she wound up in some strange manÆs bed, but as soon as she could safely extricate herself, she would go looking for a bokken and damn what her family would say! But first, she had to get her arm away from the grasp of the other person, who was holding her hand against their stomach.
After a couple of slight tugs MotokoÆs hand stayed where it was, the other personÆs grasp was too strong. She knew she could break free in a heartbeat if she used technique and more strength in the movement, but the other person was apparently asleep and Motoko wanted to keep it that way.
Twisting and pulling did little to help free her trapped arm. It was only when a despairing Motoko started to wonder if it were really practical to do what she had overheard some customers talking about and chewing their arm off like a wolf with a paw caught in a steel trap that the choice was taken away from her.
ôYouÆre not thinking of doing something silly, are you Mo-chan?ö Releasing the hold on her hand, the other person slowly turned to face her, revealing that it was Kotoko Yamada, her boss. Her light brown eyes blinked sleepily as she looked her subordinate in the face, their bodies so close that Motoko could feel bare breasts against her equally naked chest. ôYou know, like running away screaming?ö
ôI must admit, that did cross my mind.ö Staring into the other girlÆs lighter eyes was almost like a form of hypnosis. For some reason, Motoko was not panicking, not getting enraged at being taken advantage of, even if it was by another female and not by some lecherous male. In fact, there was a overwhelming sense of lassitude running through her body, making her very reluctant to move at all. It was very much like the so-called ærunnerÆs highÆ she sometimes got after running long distances in her training. ôWhat did you do to me? IÆve never felt like this, soà relaxed?ö Motoko asked in some wonder and just a little fear. Surely she had not been drugged?
ôI didnÆt do anything you didnÆt enjoy, Mo-chan. You were quite a bit sensitive at the beginning though.ö Kotoko gave a slight smirk as she looked at her bedmate. ôIt was making me wish that I had a bed instead of a futon, that way I could have tied your arms and legs to the bed posts to keep you from thrashing around.ö
To her dismay, memories of the night before began to surface in the younger girlÆs mind. Memories of soft lips exploring her blushing face, her throat, her aching nipples. Memories of gentle hands traveling her body, trailing from the graceful curve of her back down to her slender and defined waist, down past her rounded bottom to her long legs. Memories of long delicate fingers, stroking, caressing, lightly tugging and twisting, discovering and passing boundaries and borders unexplored by any other person. And finally, the memories of the sounds, the moans, the sharp cries, and finally the screaming that to her ultimate horror had come from her own throat.
The incipient train wreak that was about to take place in MotokoÆs mind suddenly disappeared as KotokoÆs lips pressed firmly against hers, the tip of her tongue piercing the seal of her lips. Motoko could only moan and clutch onto the other girl as she plundered her mouth, leaving no corner unexplored.
Breaking away after a minute of concentrated osculation, the ronin girl could only lay there as the older girl smirked at her again. ôWhat sorcery is this?ö Motoko gasped.
ôItÆs called sex, Motoko-chan. Surely youÆve heard of it?ö Kotoko left her face close to MotokoÆs, but otherwise just watched her, her hand softly stroking her loverÆs face.
ôI know of sex for the purposes of reproduction, and for perversion, but nothing like this.ö Motoko had never really considered that sex was supposed to be pleasurable for both partners, just that it was a wifeÆs duty to submit to her husband for the purpose for conceiving children.
Kotoko blink-blinked at her. ôCome on, you canÆt seriously think that sex is just about guys getting off, do you? Why do you think girls are so into guys if they donÆt something out of it?ö
ôBecause they are looking for husbands?ö MotokoÆs response caused the older girlÆs head to fall back on the pillow.
ôGods, Mo-chan, you sound like you got your sex ed from your old spinster aunt! Even learning about sex in the locker rooms at school would teach you more than that!ö
ôActually, it was my Great-aunt Naoko who instructed me on reproductive matters. The health and development classes at junior high school covered the rest.ö
KotokoÆs eyes turned to look at the other girl while her head stayed in place on the pillow. ôYour Great-aunt Naokoà by any chance, was she older, not married, looked and dressed very plainly, never had a life outside of work? Kind of nosey and into everyoneÆs business weither they wanted her to be or not?ö
ôI would say that description was fairly accurate,ö Motoko allowed. She had never mentioned her background in the kendo arts and her family to anyone at her place of employment, so she had not talked about how Aunt Naoko was considered the clan busybody.
ôYou do realize that the closest your aunt has ever come to sex is when the bus she was on hit the speed bump too hard?ö Kotoko could see the incomprehension in MotokoÆs eyes. ôYour aunt just told you that guys want to stick it in and get off, and leave the girls behind and in trouble, right?ö
ôNot quite as crudely as that,ö Motoko muttered. Truth be told, Aunt NaokoÆs little speech to nine year old Motoko had lasted about ten minutes if that, and left her with more questions than answers. The technical information from health class did not help very much either. But seeing how boys treated girls in school and how perverted men took advantage of women on the street did lead to certain perceptions of the male members of the human species.
ôAnd what did your spinster aunt tell you about same-sex relationships?ö Kotoko casually askedà perhaps a bit too casually.
ôJust that they had no place in the purpose of producing children and heirs for families.ö Great-aunt Naoko had actually gone into some detail on how same-sex sexual relations was almost as perverted as non-marriage sex, and in some cases worse as it distracted the people involved from their family duties. Little Motoko did not understand at the time why two men or two women would want to be together like that, as she could barely understand why a man and a woman would be together except for producing children. However, the glint in KotokoÆs eyes gave Motoko a feeling that it would not be a good idea to go into detail about this, especially since Motoko had not really been concerned about such matters until recently. But in light of what happened between the two of them the night before, the ronin girl knew that she could not afford to offend or anger the other female with some ill-thought-out remark.
Most of MotokoÆs anger against males and perversion came to the surface after her sister TsurukoÆs marriage, which resulted in the heirship of the clan to pass to her. Her brother-in-law was some non-entity from a minor samurai family that had given up his own family name upon his marriage, a not-insignificant action in Japanese society. The fact that the man was a salaryman barely competent to hold a bokken correctly, let alone skillfully, was another black mark against him. But the straw that had broken the proverbial camelÆs back as it were was the night that Motoko had inadvertently seen the couple having sex. And it was not as though she had walked into their room and accidently seen them; Motoko had decided to take a late night bath at the onsen at the family compound and thought the hot baths would be deserted at that hour. Apparently she had not been the only one to think that, as she had come upon her sister and brother-in-law already there, and too distracted to notice her.
From what little Motoko had learned in her sex ed instruction, she was only familiar with the standard position, and barely at that. So it was a shock to see her sister on her hands and knees on the floor of the onsen, her husband on his knees thrusting into her from behind. Yet this was nothing compared to the cries she had heard coming from Tsuruko, degrading demands for more, for faster, for harder. Up to that point Motoko had only seen her sister as someone to be admired and feared, but seeing her act as she imagined some common street trollop would had shook her to the core.
Motoko never told anyone what she had seen that night. She knew that if she had thrown what she had seen in her sisterÆs face she would have reacted very badly. But the images did not go away, they would always surface in the back of her mind. So no matter that her respected sister and sword mistress was in front of her, the memories of her on her knees submissively begging for more always superimposed itself on her. This of course almost ruined her relations with her family, as the disgust and the revulsion those memories brought forward was not something she could let go. It was only when Motoko had left Kyoto and moved to the Hinata-sou that her relations with Tsuruko began to improve, especially since they were all over the phone. But in some corner of her mind, Motoko mourned the loss of the image of her beloved aneue, the tall, beautiful and proud sword-mistress and former heir of the Aoyama clan.
ôWell, now you know that that is not entirely accurate, right Mo-chan?ö Kotoko asked, the glint disappearing from her eyes. Leaning forward, she softly kissed her lover, not aggressively like before.
Motoko relaxed under her touch, not trying to pull away. The feelings this simple touch were producing were still surprising to her, as she had had very little positive physical touching in her life ever since she was a toddler. It even made the diminution of her name into something she did not mind, something that she had always been vehemently against. It had taken several rappings with ShishuÆs sheath to break Kitsune Konno from the attempts to use her name that way when she lived at the Hinata-sou, but that had been the last of it, until now.
Now, just hearing the hated name come from KotokoÆs lips made her insides heat up, a heat that was steadily increasing the longer the kiss went on. A heat that brought back more memories of what the two females had done the night before; Motoko laying on her back shivering and moaning as Kotoko had explored her body with fingers, lips and tongue. The high pitched cries and body spasms as her lover brought over the edge over and over again. The lower pitched moans from their last tryst, where the two were laying on their sides against each other, their tongues dueling pleasurably for dominance, her sensitive breasts rubbing against KotokoÆs, their legs intertwined and their most sensitive parts pressed together, setting off an erotic explosion that not only caused Kotoko to finish along with her, it caused Motoko to pass out in a faint.
ôWhat will we do now Koàtoko-san?ö Motoko almost slipped and used a too familiar version of her loverÆs name, but given the smile on her face, she caught it regardless.
ôWell, I was thinking that we could wash up and get some breakfast, then watch those videos we missed last night.ö Nuzzling the other girlÆs nose, she continued softly. ôAnd I donÆt mind if you call me Ko-chan, at least if weÆre by ourselves. If the other girls hear you, you can expect some teasing about it though.ö
ôKo-chanàö Boldly, at least for her, Motoko moved forward and kissed her lover briefly before moving back, a blush still forming on her face. ôThat sounds like a good idea.ö Throwing back the light covers on their bodies, Motoko slowly came to her feet, her nude body the object of the older girlÆs unabashed gaze. The blush still on her face, Motoko turned and after finding the bathroom walked off and entered it. It was only until the sound of the water running in the shower came on that the smile on KotokoÆs face slipped off, a slight frown appearing in its place, a frown tinged with sorrow. Shaking her head, Kotoko rolled to her feet and followed her lover into the washroom.
end Motoko Interlude
Hinata-sou Dormitory
Hintata City, Kanagawa Prefecture
Metro Tokyo, Japan
December 24
mid evening
(almost four months after story start)
Noriyasu Seta was known as a noted archeologist and world traveler, especially in the countries and continents that bordered the Southern Pacific Ocean. Anywhere that there was a possibility of artifacts of the Turtle God civilization (which apparently had a wider reach than even the Polynesians), Seta had been there. Easter Island? Check. Australia? Check. Galapagos Islands with its giant turtles? Double check.
Of course, some of those places were not the most friendly of environs, and that was before its inhabitants were taken into account. Papua New Guinea and its headhunters? Check. East Timor during the late unpleasantness? Check. The Solomon Islands with its tons of unexploded ordinance from the Pacific War and the aptly named Iron Bottom Sound, littered with so many sunken ships and planes it threw magnetic compasses off? Check. Mindanao Island of the Philippines, which had the magic trifecta of Communist rebels, Moro Muslim rebels and various bandits and pirates? Double check again. And ironically, it had been in one of the lesser threatening countries, Thailand, where he had come closest to finally meeting his Maker.
However, not all of his travels had been so life-threatening. Seta had spent a year of post-graduate studies in America, mostly at the University of Southern California, but with plenty of side-trips as well. It was on one of those trips that Seta went to New Orleans during Mardi Gras, and his love of zydeco music was born.
Keitaro Urashima was sitting in the Christmas decorated main living room, a large glass of warm sake in hand, watching in some disbelief as a recently de-casted and grinning Seta was spinning around the room dancing to the zydeco song æOh Yeh YaiÆ (a song which to his ears appeared to include both an accordion and a washboard as a musical instrument), a reluctant Haruka in his arms. Or maybe not so reluctantà a smile was threatening to break Haru-chanÆs visage. A demonically lit and smiling Kaolla Su was working the DJ position behind a stack of amps, woofers, laptop computers and gods knows what else (upon seeing the massive stack of instrumentation, Keitaro had given the pouting teen firm instructions not to turn the volume past 7, with a never exceed limit of 9), all patched into her bleeding edge wireless internet network and the worldwide webà which was why the teen genius had been able to find, download and play Seta-senseiÆs obscure request not 30 seconds after his asking. As soon as the song started to play, Seta had grabbed a startled Haruka and started to dance, which looked like a crazed combination of a waltz, the foxtrot and the swing.
The Urashima could not really fault his bossÆ mood. Not only had the cast finally come off his leg, leaving him only with a cane to use when he needed to, he had finally completed the varied requirements for NyamoÆs residency paperwork. In fact, the dusky doppelganger of their domestic tenant was now sitting next to a smiling and head bobbing Sarah, melon soda in hand and a confused smile on her face, while Shinobu sat on the blondeÆs opposite side, watching the ongoing display with wide eyes and a cup of tea cooling in her hand.
What Seta did not know was why his struggles with the government paperwork had finally come to an end. After hearing his boss bitch and moan about the ongoing death of a thousand paper cuts he was undergoing to make Nyamo a legal resident in Japan, made even worse since she was already here, Keitaro had decided to break out the big guns. After conferring with Haruka and getting her agreement, the two had opened the most Holy of Holies, a virtual Ark of the Covenant, a veritable weapon of mass destruction in paper formà GrannyÆs little black book.
The innocuous Moleskine notebook had sat in a hidden drawer in GrannyÆs desk. While Keitaro had known of its existence, only Haruka and Hina herself knew the trick to opening the compartment. Keitaro knew the emergency way to open the compartment (brute force would cause the desk to catch on fire), but he did not want to mess with blood seals again. He made sure he had Haruka teach both him and Kanako the opening seals, and after hesitating for a moment, she agreed, especially since Kanako was not born of Urashima blood and needed to know.
Flipping through the notebook had been a revelation. Entries were organized by name, university attended and jobs held, especially those in major businesses or the government. The Urashima recognized many of the names from the TV news and newspapers. Also noted were brief entries on what could politely be called æpersonal interestsÆ of the person involved. In most cases there were just notes, but other notes were in coded language that the three Urashima had been taught when they were younger as ætraditionÆ. Now they could see that the coded entries referred to safe deposit box numbers and locations, presumably containing proof of what the æpersonal interestsÆ notes alluded to. Also noted were positive and negative numbers, alluding to favors given and owed. Most of those entries were one or two in either direction, but one high ranking name had a whopping four favors owed from him, an ill omen if there was one.
After getting the names of some of the people in people in the notebook that could be helpful in solving SetaÆs problems, Keitaro started to make calls. At first he wanted Haruka to do it, but she convinced him that as the heir of the clan and its future leader, they needed to know that he could handle himself and not pass this off to æmere femalesÆ. Keitaro had snorted at that, as no one was fool enough to think of Hina Urashima as a æmereÆ anything.
It was rather scary to see how far some people jumped when certain names were mentioned. Keitaro had been treated rather normally for most of his life, but as soon as the name æUrashimaÆ was mentioned, formerly snooty secretaries would connect him with the person he was looking for in ten seconds or less.
The first two calls were fairly simple. After introducing himself as HinaÆs grandson and heir, he asked if there was something that could be done to expedite some paperwork. After asking for specifics, the officials in question would promise to put the paper on the fast track, with their keeping personal attention on them.
The last call was a bit trickier, as the Immigration official had been reluctant to talk to him and seemed disinclined to do anything productive. Looking at his entry, Keitaro had seen that not only did this guy owe Granny two favors, he was one of the ones with the æpersonal interestsÆ notations. After pausing for a moment, Keitaro casually asked how his second career in modeling was going. A long moment later the official, whose modeling involved leather and lace with bondage optional, tightly agreed to expedite the paperwork. Keitaro politely thanked him and said good bye, hearing the phone on the other end not quite get slammed down. As a result, when Keitaro made a note on his entry, he put down æreluctantÆ and æno favor given nor receivedÆ, with Haruka nodding in approval.
The results the next day had been unexpected. Just as the residents had been getting ready for dinner, SetaÆs deathtrap van came to a crashing halt outside. Hobbling out of the smoking vehicle with his cane to support him, Seta had been bouncing around like a five year old on a sugar rush. After spinning both Sarah and Nyamo around and almost getting them sick, the Urashima had gotten the reason for his good mood out of him. He had gone into the Immigration bureau with the expectation of having to submit a stack of paperwork and receiving another stack that appeared almost identical to fill out. But instead of being called in to the caseworkerÆs cubicle, Seta was instead led to the office of the assistant deputy director of the agency, the fourth or fifth man down from the top. Barely recognizing him as a former school mate that he had not been friends with, and was somewhat jealous of his exploits in school, Seta was surprised to have a manila envelope tossed into his chest by the scowling official. Opening it up, Seta found a Japanese Re-entry Permit booklet (a type of stateless person passport) in NyamoÆs name, with a five year permanent resident visa included. Also included was a certified judicial order naming Seta as NyamoÆs guardian. When the academic looked up at the other man in shock, the official merely snarled at him to get out and not ever bother him again. Seta decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth and ran out of the office as fast as his bad leg could carry him.
Now sitting around the heir to the household were his two girlfriends, Natsumi and Miyuki. While the darker haired girl was sipping at a glass of wine, Natsumi was throwing back sake bombs like they were going out of style. In fact, she had actually beat Kitsune in a drinking contest, the dorm rule for public drunkenness waived for the Christmas/celebratory party this night. It had taken only ten rounds for the foxgirl to slide under the table, and his brown haired girlfriend was still going on strong. Kitsune was left propped up on the couch next to a faintly scowling Naru, who had been pried away from her books by the now dozing friend. Nursing her vodka spiked egg nog (SetaÆs contribution to the nightÆs activities) she watched the dancing couple with a hint of longing in her eyes.
Almost matching her expression was Kanako, who was leaning up against the wall behind the younger girls. Keitaro knew that his adopted sister was massively not happy about his romantic situation, but there was little he could do about it. But what the young male did not realize was that his two girl friends were silently communicating behind his back, reaching an agreement and coming to their feet, pulling Keitaro up with them.
ôHuh? What? Is something wrong?ö Keitaro was sputtering as the two girls dragged him to the dance area.
ôWe came here to dance, not just listen to the music, Kei-kun,ö Miyuki said with a semi-pout on her face.
ôWith both of you?ö Keitaro did not have a problem with that, but he was sure that Kanako would.
ôActuallyà no.ö The two watched as Natsumi grabbed Naru from the sofa and pulled her toward the dance area. Stopping by Seta, the brown haired police girl spun him around and pushed him toward the no longer reluctant girl. Seeing Seta nod and smile, Naru gave a shy smile in return and started to dance, matching his movements, but not the grinding that the academic had started to do with his former girlfriend.
Turning back toward her partner, Natsumi joined Haruka in dancing with Miyuki, who then proceeded to start to grind on his aunt. Natsumi caught KeitaroÆs eye and flicked her own at the wall behind him, and he suddenly understood.
Walking over to Kanako, he stopping in front of the now wide eyed girl and offered her his hand, silently asking her to dance. Smiling widely, Kanako took his hand and followed him onto the dance area, turning and starting to move sinuously, matching SetaÆs prior efforts but with some dirty dancing thrown in for flavor.
Giggling loudly, Sarah grabbed NyamoÆs and ShinobuÆs hands and pulled them onto the dance area. The blonde gaijin started to dance, matching what her father was doing, but Nyamo instead started to do some South Pacific islander dance, and after hesitating for a moment, Shinobu started to copy her.
After seeing all this happen, Su set the music player on automatic and vaulted down to the floor, a flash equipped digital camera in her hand. After taking multiple pictures of all the couples and trios dancing, Su tossed the camera next to the still snoring Kitsune and joined in the younger girls dance, forming into a dancing ring, spinning around and laughing.
Keitaro turned from his sister for a moment, hearing Sarah above all the other girls as they danced and spun around , the laught distinctive. It reminded him of when they had first met, back in Thailand. Shaking his head slightly, he turned back to Kanako, trying to get back into the holiday spirit, knowing that there was little he could do about memories, and now was not the time to brood about it. Instead, focused on the smile on KanakoÆs face, trying to make sure that good memories would tamp down the bad, memories that even now were trying to come to the surface.
end chapter 36