Part 1

"Let’s see…"

Akiza opened the newspaper on the jobs section. She needed to find work. Pronto. Browsing through the paper, she could see job openings at the…

Butchery?

"Pass. I’ll probably get the chop within a week."

…or accidentally lop her hand off. Whichever came first.

Banker?

"Oh, a position as a bank manager. That sounds promising."

.

..

…

"Job requirements include: Some sort of degree."

That rules that out.

Baker?

"Probably not enough dough in it." She put the paper down and lied down on her arms, sulking. "I need to find something that’ll allow me to fend for myself."

"You’re up early." Yukie sauntered into the room, her smile bright and shining.

"I’m looking for work."

 "Any luck?"

 "Does the bad kind count?" Her mother gave her a short, but tight hug before making her way over to the fridge.

"Give it time. Something will happen. I know it will."

"Can we call it a taxi? It's taking very long to get here."

"…"

 "What’s wrong?"

 "Nothing’s wrong, I just… Never mind."

"No, go ahead,” Akiza insisted. Whatever it was, it didn’t seem like Yukie wanted to share it.

"I was gonna say, maybe you should ask your brother."

"Why would say something like that?"

"You’ve seen the hours he spends on the computer. Maybe ask if you can help him."

"I am not asking Izayoi for a job!"

"Why? Because you’re too proud?"

"Because he’d never let me live it down!"

"Listen to me Akiza.” Her mother’s tone changed dramatically, adopting a stricter characteristic. “Being a grown-up sometimes means swallowing very large, uncomfortable-to-digest pills. That’s just how the world works. I know you two have problems. I’m not blind. But if you’re really serious about finding work, then you take advantage of every opportunity out there. Because if you’re letting something like a little pride get in the way of asking for help…well then I’m afraid you’re not gonna get very far in life."

"…"

Yukie made her way over to the newspaper Akiza had opened on the table. The daughter tried in vain to hide the jobs she’d encircled.

"Discounting the banking position, what are you going to do about the other two?"

"Well I…" Akiza didn’t even know how to respond.

"Are you going to apply?"

"The thing is, I don’t think I’d be very good in a butchery."

"And the bakery? You’re halfway decent in a kitchen, sweetie."

"I doubt the pay is that much."

Instead of replying, her mother simply passed the paper back before leaving without saying a word. She didn’t have to. Akiza could finish the conversation by herself. It would go something like:

 "Like I said, you’re not serious about finding work."

"Of course I am!” Akiza would bite back. “Why do you think I’m up this early?"

"Nothing is stopping you from applying at the bakery, saving up money while you look for something better…except yourself,” her mother would either snap or hiss back, becoming more irritable. "You’d be better off asking your brother."

And then her mother would leave the room.

Akiza gave the newspaper one more look over before closing it and pushing it off to the side.

***

"Have you gone crazy? We can’t do that!” Akiza pulled Akeno to the side and quickly scanned around to make sure nobody had heard the ridiculous suggestion. She still couldn’t believe her friend would even make such a disgusting proposal in the first place.

“Calm down, nobody cares what we say.”

“You don’t know that.” For all they knew, the Obscenity Institute was honing in on their location at the very moment. Glancing around, it didn’t look like any of the other customers in the store had heard Akeno’s submission about visiting a sex shop.

“It's just sex Aki. Nothing to be ashamed about.”

“No, it’s not and you know it.” Akiza paused to recall the last time she actually saw a legal adult store that wasn’t being raided. “Sex should always be for procreation, never for recreation. Happiness through efficiency. Efficiency through procreation. Decadence is prohibited. Decadence leads to independence. Independence leads to disorder. Disorder leads to displeasure. Displeasure leads to despondency.”

“Yes, yes I know. I have the t-shirt too.”

Akiza froze up, catching a shot of pink in her friend's eye...briefly. For a moment she could have sworn that a glowing heart occupied her best friend's pupil. She blinked several times, but the curious sight was replaced instead by Akeno looking puzzled.

"What's the matter?"

"Your eye...I'm sure there was..."

Akeno responded by taking out a compact mirror from her handbag and examining her reflection curiously.

"What about my eyes?"

"..."

"Akiza?"

The young woman decided to apologize for the interruption and then proceeded to compose herself before speaking. “Regardless, Kanata isn’t like that.”

“All men are like that,” Akeno replied, gesturing for her to go back into the dressing room and try on something else.

“Well he’s a perfect gentleman.”

“If you say so.”

Akiza left the dressing room after a few minutes, in another dress. This one red and more expensive looking.

"Even if we put our money together we couldn’t afford it.”

“You’re right.”

“Hey, I have just the thing to spice up your outing,” Akeno closed the distance between them, before reaching into her handbag and taking out what looked like a ball gag. The size made Akiza question if it would fit in her mouth before she snapped back to reality and quickly put her hand over the illegal item.

"Have you lost your mind?”

“Maybe.”

“This is your big idea: Stuffing me like a pig?"

"What's wrong? Kanata is already stuffing your butt. The mouth shouldn't be big a deal?"

"Akeno!" Akiza hurriedly placed the ball gag in the handbag and closed it. She looked around again. Thankfully they were still the only customers in the store. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs at how her best friend could be so foolish as to bring something like that with them into public.

What has gotten into her?

“You are going to get us arrested,” Akiza whispered. She quickly decided to go back inside and try on a cheaper outfit.

Faster this time.

“The Institute doesn’t care about this part of town. There are too many fat cats breaking the law someplace else.”

Akiza did her best to ignore Akeno’s ridiculous excuse. “Even if that were true, which it isn’t, and even if I was willing to accept that, which I am not, there’s no way Kanata would ever agree to do something like that with me, not that I would ever want to anyway.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“It’s true.”

“Wait, so you and Kanata haven’t, you know…”

“No!”

Of course they hadn’t. Those kinds of perverted acts would get both of them locked up for twenty-five years easily.

“But you’ve kissed though, right?”

“Yes, Kanata has kissed me. In fact, after I spoil him with a wonderful dinner tonight, he will kiss me again. On the lips!” Akiza opened the curtain again and stepped out in a lacy number that she thought was entirely too inappropriate.

"How's this?" Looking down, her milky breasts were straining the cups of her bra.

"Turn around."

"Hmmmm~" She couldn’t help but notice Akeno wearing such a perverted expression.

"Do you think it looks good?"

"I think it makes you very yummy,” her best friend answered quickly.

"Maybe we should keep looking. This one…”

Hold on, is that drool running down Akeno’s lips?

"Hurry! Pose for me!"

Akiza struck a pose. She waited and then turned around to show off her exposed backside. “You don’t think this one is too indecent, do you?” The store’s reputation wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t stellar either. There was a good reason not many people came here. The articles of clothing tended to lean towards the provocative side.

“Needs more cleavage,” Akeno said again mildly annoyed. “You can barely see your boobs.”

“My chest Akeno, you can barely see my chest, not my boo…the B-word. It's more ladylike when you say it like that..." Akiza hissed, going back inside the dresser. She decided staying put while that thing in Akeno's handbag waited to be discovered was just too big a risk. “Let's just get out of here already." She put on her normal clothes and marched out. She also decided, internally, that this would be the last time she brought Akeno with her on this kind of trip.

***

"So, what's next on the list?"

"I wanna pick up something for us to snack for dessert."

"Aren’t you supposed to be dessert?” Akiza shot her friend a maddened look.

“Sorry. Slip of the tongue. I’ll tag along.”

Do I need to be worried about you, Akeno?

"No need. I can take care of that myself."

"I don't mind."

"Thank you."

"So, I've held off on saying anything until now..."

Here it comes.

"And I would be extremely grateful if you continued down that path..." Akiza really didn’t want to discuss 'that' right now.

“Have you given any thought about moving in with me?"

"Akeno, I can't. I can already hear my mom's heart shattering into a million pieces."

"Every girl needs to leave the nest at some point."

"When they are ready,” Akiza said. But there was more to the decision than just that. “I don't have a job, stable income, I'd basically be taking advantage of—"

"If any of that bothered me, I wouldn't have offered."

"What about the money? How is it gonna look if I move out and then come crawling back every time I need something? I can't do that. I don't wanna imagine what this will do to my mom's nerves if she has to worry whether the reason I'm not asking her for help is because I can take care of myself or because I’m feeling guilty."

"Then why not meet her halfway?"

"Whaddaya mean?"

 "If you don't want your mother to worry all the time, then don't move in completely."

Akiza paused to consider Akeno’s meaning. "Like, rotate between living with you and staying at home?"

"It's a perfect fix. You don't have to put up with Izayoi all the time and you can spin this as a precursor to eventually being self-sufficient to your mom so she can still keep an eye on you. Win-Win-Win!"

"That's not such a bad idea actually."

"What are you saying? My ideas are always good!"

The more Akiza thought about it, the more sense the plan made. "Okay. I'll talk to mom. And we'll see about implementing this timeshare scheme of yours. But…"

"What's wrong?"

"Akeno, are you sure you don't mind?"

"For the last time, I don't! You can stay as long as you want."

"And I don't have to eat you out?"

"Not unless you really want to."