❖ 14 ❖
Something was up with Iori. No matter how much she tried to hide it, she couldn’t slip that past me! I knew her way too well for that!
Now sure, I couldn’t do anything with that knowledge when Adri and Mio made me go full puppy, but the point is that I knew it, and unless those two were gonna pet me every time I saw her, I’d get to the bottom of it soon.
Though y’know, that doesn’t sound too bad either. Ohhh, they’d pet me so much, maybe Haqua’d join in, and then they could do aaaaanything they want to me. There’s nothing more defenseless than a cute puppy!
“Uehehehehehe…” I giggled, sinking into my bedroom’s couch.
“Ohhh, you’re getting all fired up, huh Rina?” Mio, who’d been working on some writing nearby, asked me with a giggle. “Wanna fuck?
“Has it been too long since the last time, dear? Are you beginning to lose your mind, or are you simply pathetic enough that the mere prospect of dinner is all it takes to turn you on these days, hmm?” Haqua teased me, setting the handheld console she’d been playing to the side.
“I-I’m fine!” I insisted, wiping away a bit of drool from the corner of my mouth.
“Of course you’re not, dear. Though I suppose a mutt’s standards of ‘fine’ and a person’s are vastly different, aren’t they? Honestly, we can’t take you anywhere, can we? Poor, pathetic little mutt who’s just helpless without her mistress’s touch and worthless in polite company. We’ll have to discipline you, won’t we?” she smirked, lifting me by the chin and making me gaze into her beautiful, piercing eyes.
I bit my lip and hurriedly squeezed my thighs together. If Haqua kept saying all these wonderful things, there’s no way I’d be able to focus on my investigation! Which was, uhh…what was it again? How’s a girl meant to focus when Haqua’s being like this?!?!
She leaned in and wrapped her lips around my own, kissing me deeply before pulling back.
“But I can tell your mind is elsewhere right now, it just wouldn’t be fun if your whole heart wasn’t in it, dear.”
“N-no! I’m fine, really! I can go for it! I-”
I was interrupted by Mio grabbing me from behind, smushing her huge, soft, fat boobies right up into my back.
Fuck. I wasn’t down bad, I really wasn’t, but you two are way too much!!!!
I let out a canine whimper, knowing that whatever I’d been thinking of was way, way out of my head now, but hardly caring about that at all in the face of my partners’ titties. Guh, I’m useless.
“Ehehe, we know you would, but Haqua’s right. Whatever’s on your mind is clearly more important right now, huh?” she asked, and planted a kiss on my cheek.
“I-it was, I’m sure it was, but-”
“Ah! Did we push too hard? Awww, I’m sorry, Rina! We didn’t know your brain was that easy to overload.”
“Still, I have faith you’ll figure it out in time. Even a mutt won’t lose sight of her target that easily.”
“It’s Iocchi, isn’t it?”
The three of us were surprised to hear Yuuki’s voice at our door, and turned to see her heading towards me with a wink, shutting the bedroom door behind her with a smile.
“You’re thinking about my bestie, huh?”
“Right! You’re right! That was it! Something’s up with her!” I yelled, though Yuuki quickly covered my mouth with her hands.
Ohhh, she’s so nice and cool to the touch. Just thinking about what you could do with that kinda chilliness in bed… Fuck, that’d feel good…
N-no! The gutter’s not taking my mind today!
…Well, not anymore than it already has.
Look, it’s not my fault Yuuki’s such a bombshell. Or that the word ‘inhibitions’ might as well not exist in my mind anymore. I can’t not be at least a little horny. It comes with the succubod.
“Don’t let her hear you, Rinarin. Last thing she needs right now is knowing that everyone’s worried about her.”
I nodded, and she pulled her hand away.
“So something really is up with her, huh? I’ve suspected for a little while. She’s…kinda been keeping her distance from me.”
“Well, I’ll take a liiiiittle bit of the blame for that one. I’ve kinda spent tons of time with the bestie lately, lol.”
“And I think I speak for all of us when I say that we’re glad you have,” Haqua smiled “Iori gets lonely rather easily, I’m sure making such a firm friend so quickly has been wonderful for her.”
Mio and I nodded, in full agreement with her.
“Awww, you girls are sweet. Love youuuuu,” Yuuki grinned, flashing us a pair of peace signs.
“Iori’s not sick or anything, though, is she?” Mio asked.
“Nah, she’s not sick.”
“Could you tell us what’s wrong? I…I’d really like to help her,” I said.
“No can do,” Yuuki shook her head. “She’s gotta be the one to share it, but I wanted to give you a bit of a push in the right direction, Rinarin. Not going against anything bestie would want by saying this much, but I just need to be sure you’ll be there for her.”
“Yeah, of course. She’s my friend, if she’s struggling, I’ll do what I can for her. All of us would.”
“Oh, I know. But this is about you specifically, Rinarin. Iocchi’s not avoiding you ‘cuz she doesn’t wanna see you. She just feels like she can’t.”
“She can’t? Man, Iori…” I sighed. “Is this a boss thing again? She feels like she can’t get too close because I work for her? She works really hard to close herself off sometimes…”
“But you’re gonna let her in, right?” Yuuki asked.
“Of course,” I got up off the couch. “I’ll go have a drink with her, and in no time at all, we’ll-”
Surprisingly, considering she came here to spur me on, it was Yuuki who held me back.
“Not tonight, Rinarin,” she shook her head. “I don’t want her closing herself in, but tonight she wants space from everyone. I’m gonna take her some food later, but outside of that, I think she just wants to breathe and get her head on straight. Check on her tomorrow, ‘k?”
“You sure she’d be OK with you telling me all this?”
“Tbh she’d probs be hella pissed~!” Yuuki giggled, bonked her head, and playfully stuck out her tongue. “But I know it’s for the best. Not like I doubt that you’d check up on her. Sounds like your mind was heading that way anyway, but I just think it’s about time for that girl to find her feet, don’t you?”
Yuuki’s words didn’t leave my head all night. When we had dinner a little later, she was, as expected, a total no-show. Yuuki did as she said and snuck off to take her some food, but even she didn’t linger long, showing up to relax with some of the other girls in the living room for the rest of the night.
And the whole time, all I could think about was what Iori might be going through. Had her parents pulled some shit? Did she get a call from them? I hoped it wasn’t anything like that. I wanted her to enjoy the rest of our vacation, and if those assholes were all that was on her mind, there wasn’t a chance that she’d get anything out of our time here.
But then, where did I come into things? Why was Yuuki so insistent that I had to be the one to help her? I’d have tried anyway, there’s no way I could leave a friend alone when they’re in a rough spot, but I dunno, I feel like Mio or Haqua would be just as much help as I could be.
So was the problem actually something to do with me? Had I done something wrong, or…shit, did Iori have feelings for me? Nah, that can’t be it. If that’s all, then why would she hide away like this? I get being shy, but…locking herself in her room would go beyond even a high schooler’s brand of nervousness.
Though, I admit, thinking about it that way made her sound incredibly cute.
Regardless, something was definitely up. And I’d help her through it as soon as morning came.
Not that I’d have an easy time getting there. I fell asleep easily enough, but soon found myself in what looked to be a bathroom stall, looking at a phone with a message from a contact called “Mother”.
Wha…this is a dream, right? But…who’s? Mine…ummm, it must be mine, but I’m…who am I? Me? Hmm…
I felt floatier than usual when I entered this one. In no time at all, I’d lost sight of my own identity. I knew I was in someone else’s body, but that was all I knew, and I couldn’t say how long even that info would stay with me. Even now, I could feel frustration clawing at my mind at the text I’d just received, slowly pushing me into whatever role I’d be playing.
<「You’re late again.」
And beyond that, I felt obligated to respond, worried about what might happen if I didn’t.
「I have volleyball practice. Won’t be home til this evening.」>
<「I thought we agreed that you would quit. It’s clearly distracting from your studies.」
「It’s not, mom. I’d be bored out of my mind if I didn’t do this. It’d be way harder to study if I wasn’t on the team.」>
<「”Mother”, don’t “mom” me. And I don’t see how that’s relevant here. If you need amusement to focus on your academic pursuits, then that deficiency leaves me in serious doubt about your future, young lady.」
This girl’s got a helicopter mom, huh? That’s rough…
Wait, ‘this girl’? That’s…that’s my mom though, I think?
In previous dreams, I felt like I had some control over my actions, but here I couldn’t really say if I did at all. It felt like the body and I were moving in total sync. But…then again, it’s my body, right? So…why wouldn’t it move when I tell it to?
Mom’s just stressing me out, that’s all.
<「I spoke to your club advisor, you know?」
Shit, did you?
<「She says there’s no practice on Wednesdays. Care to explain, young lady?」
「It’s an informal thing. Me and a few club members just want to work on our technique in our own time.」>
No way she’ll believe that, but as long as she doesn’t make a big deal out of it…
<「Don’t lie to me.」
<「You’re with that girl, aren’t you?」
Mm, of course you’d go there.
<「She’s a bad influence on you. A delinquent who’ll go on to do nothing with her life. The sooner you wash your hands of her, the better.」
I started seeing red. Mom can chew me out all she wants, but my friends don’t deserve that. Especially not her.
What would she say I should do at a time like this…?
“Just turn your phone off. Tell ‘em it ran out of battery. You don’t owe them all of your time, so don’t give it to them.”
“Fuck this,” I sighed, shut it off, and stuffed it in my pocket. I couldn’t help but chuckle a little at the way I’d spoken. With how strict my family could be, swearing was completely taboo, but, well…
Call her a bad influence all you want. She’s the only reason I don’t feel completely stifled…
I got up, lifted my bag over my shoulders, and stepped out of the stall. Talking to mom always made me feel uneasy, so I went to the sinks and washed my face, hoping it might get rid of some lingering stress.
“No more worry,” I said, before splashing some cool water on my face. “She’ll chew you out again tonight, but she always does. That’s nothing new,” I nodded to myself, toweling off. “For now, you’ve got time with her. That matters way more than anything your parents will say.”
I smiled softly back at the mirror, then…froze, stunned by my own reflection.
Iori? That’s…her, right? She’s younger, still in high school, but…but I recognize that face. But I've never seen her this age before, so- What am I even surprised by? It's my face.
I shook my head, unsure what, exactly, I’d been surprised by, and headed out to the school entrance, where my best, and really, only friend waited for me.
“Yo, Senpai!”
Her voice sent a shiver down my spine. No matter how much my parents got to me, no matter how low I felt, all it took was hearing her cool, mature voice and I was instantly on cloud nine.
She must have been hiding just out of sight, because the moment I stepped on school property she was on me, happily patting my back.
“You were in there a while, y’know?”
“Sorry, I just-”
Wait.
What…what was going on. I looked up at my best friend’s face and…and it felt like time had stopped. This was far more intense than whatever I’d felt in the bathroom. It was like I was completely captivated by her, shocked that she’d show up here.
And for a second, my consciousness broke off just enough from Iori’s to make sense of what I was seeing.
That’s…that’s me… That was how I looked back in high school.
B-but how…why does Iori know that? I…did I…wha?
I felt dizzy, I couldn’t think straight at all, and-
“Oh? You’ve got that shoujo manga stare right now, Iori. Getting hot and bothered over me? I’m flattered.”
And instantly, her words brought me back down to Earth, snapping my focus back to Rina Saeki, my tall, busty, and stupidly handsome kouhai who loved teasing me.
“As if, dumbass,” I grumbled.
“Miss Kizaki, how rude!” she chuckled. “But it’s nice to hear you with a little more bite! You were so serious and formal when we first met, remember that?”
I shuddered, thinking back to how stiff and awkward I’d been around Rina at first. God, it felt good to be past all that. Even if that meant I tossed out the occasional insult.
Besides, she didn’t seem to mind. In fact, whenever I insulted her, she couldn’t help but smile. I guess she was just glad to see me stepping out of my family’s shadow a little.
“I’m glad the new look seems to be working out, too. Wanted to try something a little wilder for a change,” Rina grinned, gesturing to her hair, which was in a shorter cut that was stylishly unkempt. It was a fair bit longer than any of the boys would wear theirs, but it was undeniably boyish, all the same. Or impish, I guess. I liked it, whatever the case. And it suited her well. Rina had always liked dressing a little wildly, flouting the school’s dress code each and every day. She looked a little bit, as my mom would say, like a delinquent, but I…I liked that, honestly.
“It looks good on you, Rina. You should keep it like that,” I smiled, as the two of us started our walk into the city.
“Mm, I will, thanks!” she nodded, smiling broadly. “Your folks been on your case again, Iori? You sound pretty glum.”
I clicked my tongue, I’d been trying to hide it, but nothing slipped past her.
“Mm, they know I’m hanging out with you. They called you a bad influence today, you know that?”
I expected Rina to get annoyed, but she just laughed it off.
“Bad by their standards, maybe. But you’ve smiled way more since we became friends, Iori. If they wanna take that away, then I’ll fight them on that with everything I’ve got. I can throw a good haymaker, you know?”
OK, never mind. She’s a true-blue delinquent. I stared at her, mouth agape, wondering how serious she was.
“Kidding, kidding!” she laughed, walking me through to the karaoke lounge where we often hung out, quickly paying for a room rental for the both of us. “Still, it doesn’t matter what they say. I won’t stop being your friend just because they don’t like me.”
I smiled and nodded as I walked at her side. She was so much better at standing up to them than I’d ever been.
Still, I felt my phone in my pocket, well aware that it would’ve been lighting up with dozens of messages if I hadn’t turned it off, and couldn’t help but feel a little bit proud. Rina was helping me assert myself a little more, at least.
“Well thanks, Rina. It means a lot to me.”
“No prob! We’ll stick together, OK? Don’t let them get you down. Now here!” she grinned, tossing me a microphone. “I’ve been dying to hear some enka all day!”
"You jerk, quit teasing me!" I laughed. "It's my family's fault! I didn't want to develop an old lady's taste in music!"
"I'm not teasing you! While you're a high schooler, it's mature and charming, and when you're part of the working world, it'll give you an air of sophistication and class. You lucked out, honestly! And so did I, because nobody gets to hear you sing as often as I do!"
I quickly looked down at the song list to hide the shy smile I couldn't wipe off my face, and chose a love song.
I don't know if Rina would pick up on what I was trying to tell her, but I didn't have it in me to be more direct.
And I sang my heart out, my eyes occasionally darting to Rina as she clapped and cheered along to the beat, smiling at me all the while. It was a terrible, terrible accompaniment to the song, and yet, I couldn't see it as anything but perfect.
"Haaaah" I sighed, collapsing back onto the couch, where Rina scooched up next to me and put an arm over my shoulder. "Enka never feels as tiring as it does with you, y'know?"
"That just shows that you poured everything you've got into it! That's cool as hell, Iori…"
I blushed, and Rina upgraded the arm around me to a full on hug.
I can't believe I fell for a doofus like you…
Rina flew in the face of everything I was told to be as a Kizaki, and so a part of me wondered if my attraction to her was entirely born out of rebellion. But in her arms, in her firm, tender grasp, I knew that my feelings ran far deeper than that.
"Hey, Rina?" I asked.
"Hm?"
"You ever thought about what you'll do after high school?"
"Kinda thought I'd wait til you graduate for that. Not having you around means I'll have waaaay more free time to start thinking about it, ahaha," she laughed. "How about…shit, sorry Iori."
She stopped her question partway through, as she remembered that as a Kizaki, I had no choice in the matter.
"They want me to run one of their companies. But with how disappointed they've been with me lately, they'll probably put me in charge of one that's on the decline. A Kizaki-style punishment," I chuckled bitterly.
"The hell kinda punishment's that? With someone as amazing as you in charge, any company's fortunes would turn around in no time!"
"It'll be one beyond saving, knowing them."
"And I'd still trust you to save it. My girl's stronger than she thinks!"
"My girl…"
She didn't mean it that way, but her words still made my heart pound.
"Right, got it!" Rina nodded and looked down at me with a wide grin. "I've figured out what I wanna do!"
"Oh, Rina, don't tell me-"
"Wherever you go, I go!" she nodded. "Soon as I've graduated, I'm applying for whatever company you're running!"
Her smile was so bright, and so impossibly warm that I felt like I might melt.
I remember this…
"Man, what a load off! I was so worried that graduation would mean we wouldn't get to do this anymore! But we’ll be together for life, won’t we? Take good care of me, OK boss?!"
All of this, it's clear as day to me.
That's why I work there. That's why I never wanted to leave.
"D-don't stick me with some sort of title!" I said, pushing that weird thought out of my mind. "Senpai’s bad enough! Just go with Iori. Don't call me anything else but that, OK Rina?"
Rina nodded and smiled, leaning in close to me. From this distance, I could feel her breath gently tickling my skin, see the minor details in her confident, beautiful eyes that she herself likely hadn’t even noticed. I wanted this so badly, I wanted her so badly.
I love her. I love her so much.
"Got it, Iori…”
She leaned down close, and the two of us kissed, deeply and lovingly. I’d never done anything like this before, but I only hoped that I could make her feel just as incredible as she had done for me.
Soon, our passions gave way, and what started as just a kiss turned into something far more intimate. The worries of our lives outside of this booth didn’t exist. For the wonderful hour we spent together, all we knew was each other.
That was the first time I’d ever had sex, and, as Rina would later tell me…
It was my first time too. It was…it was with you, Iori.
If only it could have lasted forever.
❖❖❖
I bolted out of my bed and shot out into the hallway the moment I woke up. The manor was mostly dark, it was clearly long past midnight, but if I’d woken up so suddenly, then that must mean that she was awake, too.
And if that was the case, if Iori remembered that dream as clearly as I did, then I knew I couldn’t leave her alone.
Because that wasn’t just a dream. That was a memory. A precious, wonderful memory that the two of us should have shared, except I’d gone and forgotten every second of it. Iori’s seen me almost every day, and…and I’d forgotten about her.
Dammit, no pity party now! You’re not getting down on yourself, dumbass! If you don’t say something now, you never will, so don’t you dare let your worries stop you now!
My steps gradually slowed as I neared her room. As much as I tried to will myself forward, I knew that the second I stepped in there, I’d have to deal with feelings that Iori had seemingly been sitting with for more than a decade now.
It was scary as hell, to be honest. But I had to face them. I couldn’t let her sit with this any longer.
Maybe this would all go nowhere. Maybe she’d long gotten over me and dreams like that were just unpleasant memories to her, but she still didn’t deserve to be alone with that.
I reached her door, knowing that the moment I knocked on it, my relationship with Iori wouldn’t be the same again. I stared at it for a time, breathing deeply as I tried to get my feelings in order. If I waited much longer, I’d completely psyche myself out.
Fuck that.
So I threw caution to the wind and knocked on the door, just loud enough that I was sure she could hear it.
“Iori, it’s Rina,” I called.
I heard sheets shuffling for just a minute, then silence.
"I know you're awake, Iori."
Total silence again. I sighed, and tried to speak a little more clearly.
"You don't have to let me in. Shit, I get if I'm the last person you want to see, but I remember now, Iori. I remember high school."
I was sure I heard a muffled gasp.
"I remember everything we shared. I remember going to karaoke with you, and promising we'd stay together, and kissing you. I remember just how much more that kiss turned into. It's…it had all been gone for so long, but I remember every bit of it now, Iori."
She said nothing.
I lingered a moment, but she obviously wasn't going to open up.
"Sorry, Iori. I'll leave you be," I softly spoke, before turning around and-
"The door's unlocked, Rina."
I paused.
I…I had no idea what she was feeling. Her voice didn't give me a single thing. For all I knew, and honestly for all I expected, she could've been furious. Frankly, I deserved it.
"I can stay out here, if you'd prefer. There's nobody else around, so-"
"That's not what I want, Rina. I want you in here, with me."
I did my best to swallow the lump in my throat. I thought I'd been ready for this conversation, but now that it was about to happen, I…I just felt frozen.
But there was no backing out. She deserved better than that. So, I took a deep breath, turned the doorknob, and stepped inside her dimly-lit room, immediately shutting the door behind me.
Come what may, there was no backing away now.
SO, past and present are finally colliding. It is a shame that so much has been lost between these two.