-11- One Foot Forward
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The first week of school went by quickly, and just as Saiyuri had said, I had quickly grown accustomed to how everything went at my new high school. I spent almost all of my class time with Chiya-chan, and aside from lunch on Wednesday which I chose to spend with her, all the other days were spent with Mai and her self-proclaimed harem. I wanted to at least have one day where I could spend with Chiya-chan at lunch since her friendship was important to me. I mentioned it to Mai and she understood.

“Friends are important. It’s not like you have to eat with us all the time, but I enjoy your company when you do.”

As for the whole thing with being Mai’s Soeur Cadette, it hasn’t been anything super special so far. We talk about yuri stuff and cute girls during lunch, and she had invited me to hang out with her and the girls after school and the weekends on the days she didn’t have her part time job. She had just started working at the Lawson’s a month before the semester started.

Clubs will be starting on Monday, and I’ve already got an idea in mind for which one I want to join. There’s a cooking club that I think would interest me. I’ve always been handy in a kitchen, and increasing the amount of things I can cook would probably be a good thing, especially for Saiyuri.

Chiya-chan hasn’t shown much interest in joining a club at all… her excuse was mainly that she had a killer PC setup with a fancy drawing tablet that she was already accustomed to, and the computers in the drawing club weren’t exactly to her liking. I personally wondered if she really had gone so far as to check, but I wasn’t going to call her out on it.

Instead, I opened up to her about my love for romance novels, and mentioned that I wish I could draw well enough to bring some of the lovely scenes to life. I directed her to JadeBunny’s novel, DekaChi and was waiting to hear back from her if she liked it or not. I didn’t exactly tell her it was a yuri novel, and I was nervous if she’d react poorly to it…

Our school operates on a five day a week classroom cycle, so we have both Saturday and Sunday off. I was worried if that would be the case, since back when mom went to school she also had to go on Saturdays, though the day was shorter than the regular weekdays.

I had called mom at about ten in the morning on Saturday while Saiyuri slept in, since it seemed to be the best time to do so. I let her know what was going on in my life. That I made friends with Chiya-chan and Mai-senpai, and how wonderful a host Saiyuri has been so far.

“Don’t spoil her too much! She gets really complacent when you do… Also, don’t let her drink too much. She’s okay up until her third beer, after that she’s a useless lush. Let’s see… she hates natto, and she’s bad with green peppers. I’m pretty sure that hasn’t changed…”

Mom was listing off a number of interesting things about Saiyuri that I didn’t know. I had no idea she was that irresponsible of an adult.

“Also, Yumi-chan says you haven’t e-mailed her yet since you sent her the photo of you in your outfit, so make sure you don’t forget her, okay?”

Ah… That’s right. I was so caught up with my new friends and all the chatting on Line, I had forgotten to update Yumi-chan on how things are going over here.

“Alright, I’ll send her an e-mail later today.”

“Hanabi… I love you.”

“I love you too mom.”

“There’s someone else who wants to say hello…”

After a loud yell from the other end of the phone, there was quiet for a moment, and then a much deeper voice came on the phone.

“Hello pumpkin.”

“Hi dad.”

“Is everything going well for you in the big city?”

“Yeah, everything is great. I made new friends and even wear makeup now.”

“M-makeup, huh? Well, uh… just um… be careful. Don’t get too involved with strangers, and um… Papa loves you, so don’t forget that, okay?”

“I won’t forget, dad. I love you too! So, with me out of the house, should I be expecting a younger sibling soon?”

There was a coughing fit that happened on the other end, and mom’s familiar voice returned.

“Hanabi… I don’t know what you said, but don’t upset your father. He’s really feeling down now that you’re living so far away. We’ll make arrangements for you to come home for a week in the summer, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Alright dear.”

“Mom… before you go, can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Do you know the name Joanna?”

There was a long pause on the other side of the phone.

“I do, but… It’s not really my business to be talking about that.”

“Is it a person? When Sacchan was asleep, she called out that name…”

“If it really bothers you, you can talk to her about it. But…”

“But?”

Mom’s voice wavered for a bit.

“It’s probably best if you don’t.”

“Okay… one more question?”

“Go ahead.”

“If you hadn’t gotten pregnant with me, would you have stayed in the big city and become a model?”

“A model, huh? That woman is just saying whatever she wants…” mom huffed on the other end, “No. I wouldn’t have gone into modelling. If anything I probably would have become a cosmetician, and found a nice job in a fancy salon or something. But it’s not like I’m particularly reminiscent of that. I’m happy here in Tono.”

“So, no modelling?”

“It’s… not something I would have enjoyed doing professionally, that’s all.”

“Alright. Thanks for letting me know. I’ll call you again soon.”

“I’ll look forward to it. Don’t forget to e-mail Yumi-chan.”

“I won’t. Bye~”

My phone call wasn’t too long. It was getting on in time, and I figured it might be bad for her sleep pattern if I let her sleep in any longer, so I knocked on her door, but there was no answer, so I opened her door.

“Pardon my intrusion… Sacchan?”

Saiyuri was buried face-down in a pillow. She was half under the covers and her top half was exposed as she was wearing a loose tank top instead of her pajamas. I stood next to her and gave her shoulder a light shake.

“Nnn…”

I shook her again, calling out her name quietly.

“Mmmh… five… more… minutes…”

She rolled over, and I was greeted with an unexpected sight. She was sleeping in only a tank top above her waist and nothing underneath it. The tank top was white but also a bit translucent. Combined with the openness of it, and her laying face up now, I could see pretty much her entire front.

“…”

I just stood there looking at her… boobs.

I don’t know why, but… I couldn’t take my eyes off of them. I even reached up and touched my own, noting how much bigger they were than mine. Those were the pillows I slept against when we crashed together on the couch that night…

Before I realized it I was extending my hand towards them.

W-wait! What am I even doing!?

I rushed out of the room instead of waking her up, and went right back into my bedroom, closed the door and jumped back into my bed, throwing the covers over me entirely.

“They were so pretty…”

In comparison, mine were much smaller, but I still had plenty of growing to do. Outside of mom and Yumi-chan… that was the first real pair of grown-up boobs I had ever seen. I felt strange. Why did I want to touch them so badly?

I heard a ping on my phone and saw a message from JadeBunny.

 〈JadeBunny〉 Good morning, how’s your assignment coming along? Got any experience yet?

〈JadeBunny〉 Just kidding!

〈JadeBunny〉 I wanted to let you know the next chapter of DekaChi is out, so don’t forget to read, like, and comment!  

〈JadeBunny〉 Talk to you later!

…was that why I wanted to touch them? For experience’s sake?

I suppose that makes a lot more sense, considering nothing else really made sense at all for why I wanted to… I was under the pressure of a deadline.

I ended up leaving her on read, and gathered myself. I couldn’t get the sight out of my mind even though I latched on to the idea it was for the sake of my homework to write something in the romance genre, of which I hadn’t yet written a single word.

JadeBunny had give me her advice, but in the end I was feeling the pressure to just copy something from another novel… But I also didn’t want to. I wanted to write it properly. It drove me crazy for a short while, and I found myself back at the open door to her room.

She was still face up and to quote the xianxia novels which were popular, I was given eyes yet I could not see Mt. Tai. But if that was the case, then what mountain range was I looking at right now!?

I shook her shoulder again, and she grumbled once more.

“Sacchan! Wake up, it’s almost eleven!”

“Mm… five more…”

“Sacchan!” I called out much louder.

“…huh…?”

“Sacchan, wake up. It’s almost eleven!”

“…eleven?”

“Yeah, are you going to sleep the whole day away?”

Eventually she gained awareness and sat up.

“Oh, Hanabi… what’s up?”

“You were sleeping in pretty late. I thought I should wake you up.”

“Hm? What time is it?”

I showed her my phone, it was 10:46 AM

“…haah… let me sleep for another hour….”

She fell back onto her bed with a pomf!

“Eh? Sacchan?”

“It’s the weekend, Hanabi…”

I wondered exactly how many of Saiyuri’s bad habits she hadn’t told me about yet. I would definitely consider this one of them.

“Want something to eat?”

That seemed to motivate her.

“Will you make me a cup of coffee first?”

“Sure. Come out after you get dressed.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean why?”

Saiyuri stared at me and a smirk spread wide on her face.

“What’s the problem? It’s just us, and we’re both girls… It’s not like we have to hide our bodies from each other.”

“Eh?”

Saiyuri sat back up and stretched, there was a certain elasticity I was surprised to see she still had command of. I turned my head to avert my gaze.

“Are you one of those super shy types?”

“No… it’s just…”

She leaned towards where my head was turned.

“It’s just what?”

“I’m not used to seeing that much… of anyone!”

“Eh, didn’t you take baths with Kaede or with your friend Yumi-chan?”

“…that was a long time ago when I was a kid!”

“Hoh, are you a grown up now?”

“I’m getting there.”

“Grown ups don’t mind this sort of thing, you know?”

“Eh? What do you mean? How can they not mind!?”

“Hanabi.”

“…”

Saiyuri reached out and took my hand. She pulled it towards her and suddenly my hand was feeling something soft and mochi-like… if that mochi also just so happened to be the size of an inflated balloon.

“It’s just a boob, and we’re just two women. It’s perfectly normal. Don’t sweat the small stuff, kiddo.”

Why were they so soft!? Mine aren’t that soft! Even though there is a shirt in the way, my hand feels like it’s sinking in… I want to pull it away, but I also don’t. I don’t know what I want to do. I want to squeeze, but I definitely shouldn’t. This is already too much!  

Right as I’m about to pull my hand away, she let go of it.

“See, nothing happened. The world didn’t end, nobody won the lottery, it’s fine.”

Who didn’t win the lottery!? I just had my hand on your boob! 

I felt my body heating up, and I did my best to avoid looking at her.

“A-anyway. Just…” I sighed. “I’ll go make the coffee.”

Leaving the room, I stormed into the kitchen and pushed the button on the single-serve coffeemaker. The mug was already underneath and it was ready to brew at a single touch. While it did, I rummaged around inside the refrigerator and planned out something more suitable to lunch than breakfast.

When the coffee had finished brewing, I called out to Saiyuri that it was ready. I was distracting myself by adding pasta into a pan of boiling water. I figured something like a no-effort spaghetti napolitan would be a nice light lunch. The sauce was slow simmering already, since it came out of a can. Sometimes I like an easy meal too!

All of a sudden, a pair of arms wrapped around me, and an exquisite fluffiness pressed against my back.

“Oh, pasta for lunch?” I received a kiss on my cheek. “As expected from my beautiful bride.”

She let go of me and walked over to fetch her morning cup of coffee. She hadn’t changed her clothes, so she was wearing the same open and airy tank top and a pair of blue panties. I got a good look at her legs and butt again because of that, and instantly remembered when I gave her a massage shortly after I settled in.

“Ah, hot…” she said after taking a scalding sip, then began blowing on her coffee rapidly.

Trying to take my mind off of her, I instead redirected my thoughts towards my homework.

“Sacchan, have you ever written a story?”

“A story? Sure. Composition was mandatory in college, why?”

“…I have to write something for my Art-Literature class, and I’m not sure what I should do. I got some advice from a friend who writes, but well…”

“Arts-Literature… so you have Wakaba-sensei?”

“Yeah.”

“Ah, the hazing ritual. Write a story, four thousand words in the genre of your choosing?”

“Eh?”

How did she know?

“Yeah, she does it to everyone on day one. Let’s see… knowing you, it’s the romance genre… so what advice do you need from me that your friend hasn’t given you?”

“Um… she said there were two things important to a writer when writing in a subject you like… Passion to convey your vision to the reader, and… experience on the subject.”

“Passion and Experience? That sounds about right. So, what’s the problem?”

“I have the passion, but…”

Saiyuri took a sip of her coffee as I stirred the noodles.  

“You lack experience?” She finished my sentence. “Didn’t you kiss a boy or two back in Tono?”

“No. The b-boys there… um… were no good.”

“Oh? Then what about your friend, Yumi-chan?”

“Eh? No… Yumi-chan… wouldn’t do something like that with… me. She’s… umm…”

“So, my cute little Hanapi has gone this long without having her first kiss? Though, I’m pretty sure I’ve given you one or two already since you’ve been here… even just a moment ago.”

“Sacchan… I meant… the kind of kiss… adults have…”

God, I felt so embarrassed saying that! Kill me, please!

“Hmm… but adults have all kinds of kisses. What kind specifically were you looking to have?”

“What kind? Isn’t there only one kind?”

“I wonder~”

“Mou! Don’t tease me, Sacchan!”

Saiyuri laughed away smugly. The noodles were ready, so I strained them then started rinsing them with some cool water from the sink faucet.

“Hm… well, do you have anyone you want to kiss?”

A few faces came to mind, at first it was Mai-senpai, and then Chiya-chan. Somehow that girl from the first day of school who I bumped into and then saw later on also popped into my mind, and then… Sacchan.

“I don’t know… I just got here, and don’t really know anyone well enough to have that kind of relationship where I could ask.”

“Don’t you?”

“Huh? Who could I ask?”

“Hmm… what about your Soeur Ainée?”

“Mai?”

“Narita-san could probably teach you a thing or two, if you don’t mind that it’s a girl.”

“Umm… why do you say that?”

“Narita-san’s got a reputation you know. When she was a first year, she had a third year as a Soeur Ainée and I’ve come across those two kissing a few times, so she’d probably be game.”

“I… couldn’t ask…”

Saiyuri just laughed.

“Then, what will you do? I don’t know if it’s the same in your generation, but a first kiss was a bit of a big deal when I was a kid. It was supposed to be an important memory you’d cherish.”

I groaned.  

“I don’t know! I was hoping you had some better advice. Maybe you can just… lead me through it!”

“Me?”

“You’ve kissed people before, right?”

“Of course.”

“H… how do you kiss? What does it feel like?”

“Feel like?”

“L-like when your lips touch, or your ton…tongues… touch.”

“Aren’t you the romance expert?  What do your stories tell you it’s like?”

“I know what they say, but I mean… some of the advice my friend gave me said rather than copy from somewhere else, it was better to put my own originality into it.”

Saiyuri remained silent for a moment as I turned the faucet off and let the noodles settle.

“Hanabi… do you drink coffee?”

“I’ve drunk it before… why?”

I felt her softly take hold of my arm and she spun me around, her other hand slid behind my lower back. Suddenly her beautiful face was barely a few centimeters from my own. I felt paralyzed as she looked into my eyes, and then I felt something soft and wet barely brushing my own lips.

Eh? 

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHH?

All I could see were her eyes that stared into the depths of me, and all I could see in those eyes was a reflection of my own. I couldn’t understand what was happening right now, but I could feel it. I could acutely feel the softness of not only her lips, but my own. The distance between them were less than an atom in width!  

It wasn’t Saiyuri who made the move to connect them, however, it was me.  I leaned forward and destroyed space and time, smashing atoms together into an explosion of sensuality as my lips pressed into hers. Her eyes never stopped looking into mine, and my lips pushed into hers, capturing for only a moment the bottom half of her lip, and letting the top of mine being held prisoner in exchange.

I could taste the bitterness of the coffee on them. While not my favorite drink, somehow there was a sweetness mixed in that there wasn’t before. But there it was.

My first kiss tasted like coffee.

I don’t know how long it lasted, was it merely seconds, or an hour? In the kitchen of the two-bedroom apartment that belonged to my mother’s former roommate… and with a woman twice my age… I had my first kiss, and took one foot forward onto the path of adulthood.

It would forever remain a bittersweet memory in my unprepared heart.

Ogata Saiyuri.  

Sacchan.

I had asked her to lead me through it, but what I had meant was just for her to describe her experience with anyone from her past. Instead, she led me through it, because…

…because…

…Why, exactly?

It ended. Our lips separated and her hand removed itself from my lower back. Our eyes never parted from each other the entire time, and yet… as if it had never happened… never existed, she took a step back and took a sip from her cup of coffee.

I turned around and stared down at the colander full of pasta.

I know my face was a deeper red than the tomato sauce simmering on the stovetop. I couldn’t bear to turn around and face her right now. I didn’t know what to say… I didn’t know what to do.  

What do I do!?

What… happens now?

“Hanabi?”

Her voice called out to me from behind, but I’m not sure if I’m going to cry or not. It was my first kiss. It was something I had always wanted to experience. At first it was something I dreamed about doing with Yumi-chan, but then I thought, maybe one day I’d find someone else to do it with…

It was amazing, you know!?

A girl’s lips, even if she’s way older, are still so soft and fluffy. The kiss itself was intoxicating, like when mom would let me try just a tiny bit of real sake instead of amazake when Hatsumode came around. It felt like fire in my veins!

I felt two arms wrap around me again, and her voice was right next to my ear.

“That was half of an adult kiss. I would be a bad teacher if I didn’t help you with an important lesson, but I would be a worse friend if I didn’t leave you with something remaining of it still to give your important person when you find them. I’ll leave the discovery of what was supposed to come next to you.”

Could you only have half of a first kiss?

She gave me a gentle squeeze.

"I'm sure I don't need to remind you, but just in case... you absolutely can't tell anyone about having kissed me. Even though we're living together, and you did it for research purposes, you are still a minor and furthermore a student at the same school were I teach. It would be quite complicated if there ended up being an investigation into the matter."

With a small nibble on my ear, she let go and then sauntered out of the Kitchen sexily with her cup of coffee saying that she hoped she still had room for the pasta.

I on the other hand, was pleasantly full already.

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