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