(Shizuru/Natsuki) Second part out of two before dropped.
Read The One Most Precious pt 2
Disclaimer: Based on the anime Mai HiME, set a short while after the end of the series. I might possibly have changed some small things from what they are in the anime, such as maybe ages.
If you can accept, oh I don't know, flying squid/dragons and metal wolves, then I'm sure you can just nod and accept my flimsy excuse for having Shizuru and Haruka employed at the school. ;P
The One Most Precious pt 2 of 2
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by Carola “Ryûchan” Eriksson
The first day of school at the restored Fuuka academy quickly ended, and everyone agreed to make time for a karaoke night sometime during the weekend to celebrate that the gang was back together. With that Natsuki said her goodbyes and made her way back home… or rather, the Fujino mansion where she had been living for several months at the very least.
When she somewhat hesitantly stopped by the principal’s office to let Shizuru know that she was going ahead, Natsuki was told by the kindly older woman that was the school’s librarian that the faculty of the school was going to hold a conference that would take a few hours most likely, but she promised to bring a message to the new principal on Natsuki’s behalf.
By the time Natsuki had made her way by bus and walking, the elderly housekeeper, Maria, was all but waiting at the door for her mistress and Natsuki to come home. Sheepishly Natsuki apologised for being late for the dinner that Maria had ready and waiting for her and Shizuru, and she explained that Shizuru would be late returning from work.
Maria waved away the apology, stating that she was the hired help and did not need to be apologised to by Natsuki-ojousama. Natsuki held her tongue for once, having tried to reason with Maria before that while Shizuru was the mistress of the house and the ojousama, Natsuki herself was just a guest… those conversations always ended with Natsuki blushing at the rather pointed way Maria would look at her, and Maria would continue to call Natsuki ojousama regardless.
“Still, I am sorry. We should have called to let you know.” Natsuki said and peeked into the dining room and the small feast prepared for her and Shizuru. “If you don’t mind, could you put dinner away to be re-heated later? I’ll just be in the study until Shizuru comes home.”
“Will you not have dinner now yourself, Natsuki-ojousama?” Maria’s question was polite even as she snapped her fingers once to bring the attention of the maids to her. She frowned slightly in the direction of the youngest, the blond girl Erstin, whom upon seeing Natsuki blushed to her roots and faltered in her steps a little. Natsuki waved at the girl with a brief indulgent smile, having been informed earlier that young Erstin had a persistent crush on Natsuki ever since the girl had first seen her arrive on her motorcycle. Usually Natsuki found it mildly amusing how Maria disapproved if ever Erstin got any of Natsuki’s attention, but she didn’t have it in her to tease the girl about it. Erstin would outgrow any particular fondness for Natsuki soon enough, Natsuki figured.
“No, I’ll wait for Shizuru.”
To Natsuki’s amazement that statement apparently won Maria’s approval. Although the housekeeper would never say anything disapproving of either of her ojousamas actions, Maria still had an ability to clearly project her approval or disapproval with something small, like the movement of an eyebrow. Maria had been in the service of the Fujino family since long before Shizuru was born, and once the only child of the Fujino house had been orphaned at a young age, Maria had taken Shizuru under her wing even though she never forgot her place. When Natsuki came into the picture Maria had extended her usual if discreet mothering tendencies to her as well, somewhat, and one of the things the old woman was adamant about was that both Shizuru and Natsuki would eat properly.
“I can stay to handle the meal preparations, Natsuki-ojousama.” The old woman offered, as it was already past the time that Maria and the other servants were supposed to get off work for the day. Shizuru had let built a rather nice house some distance down the road where Maria and a few of the other servants lived, overruling Maria’s protests that the old servant quarters in the mansion were good enough for her, so in the case of an emergency there was always someone only the press of a button away. It was not complete privacy, having Maria and the others arrive after breakfast and stay until roughly the end of the school day, but it was as close as Shizuru and Natsuki could come in the mansion. And the old housekeeper and all those trained by her knew how to be discrete.
“I think that after all the work you and Shizuru have put into making me able to at least push the button on the microwave by myself, I should be alright.” Natsuki grinned a bit insolently at the older woman, earning the tiniest amused smile in return. “In fact Shizuru has graduated me to the level of heating water for tea, I’m sure I can handle things on my own for a few hours.”
Maria snorted slightly before covering. “In that case I shall have a fresh pot of tea prepared before I leave, Natsuki-ojousama. We do not wish for an accident to burn down the building while Shizuru-ojousama is away, do we?”
Natsuki chuckled and let the old woman have her way. She had some important things to concentrate on in the study, after all, and she didn’t mind the standing joke about her own inability to cook, either. Natsuki had managed for many years on her own, but it was true that she would only trust herself as far as instant or microwave food was concerned. In the life Natsuki had led it had just been more important to know how to clean a gun, repair a motorcycle or how to pick a lock, than it was to cook. And there had been no-one in her life that could have taught her, anyway.
Her thoughts briefly touched on another time, on a divine bowl of instant ramen in a small dorm-room kitchen, made salt by the sorrow and longing of the young woman who lived there. It had not been too bad, for a last meal… even if the person Mai had cooked for wasn’t really Natsuki.
Natsuki shook her dark head to dispel her thoughts from the track they had taken.
As Natsuki made her way towards the study where the computers were located she found herself walking past the butsudan. She stopped for a moment to look at it from the hallway. Sometimes it was hard to remember that the Fujino mansion was not her home. That Natsuki really was just a guest in Shizuru’s world.
Shizuru, as the dutiful and elegant woman she was, always spent a moment in the morning with the house butsudan, and sometime during those first difficult weeks after the horror they lived through Natsuki had picked up the habit of joining her, sending a thought to her own lost loved ones. Natsuki still had no idea how Shizuru had managed the task as Natsuki herself had no other physical representations of her mother, other than a few worn pictures from an old newspaper that had perished in the destruction of her home, but one morning as she had glanced up at the butsudan there it was. A single black-framed picture of Kuga Saeko placed next to those of Shizuru’s own parents. And beside the photo a small origami dog made from pale blue paper, representing Natsuki’s lost Duran.
Tears were not an easy thing for Natsuki, nor were expressing emotions other than anger, but that morning she had rushed into the taller woman’s arms and wept like the little girl she once was should have done when her world collapsed. As Natsuki had thanked Shizuru effusively she had looked up into warm red eyes and known that whatever else might happen and whatever else might become of her emotions, Kuga Natsuki loved Fujino Shizuru more than anything else in this world.
And Shizuru was so thoughtful, so tender, so loving. When Natsuki had noticed that while there was a representation for her beloved Duran on the shelf there was nothing reminiscent of Shizuru’s own Kiyohime, Shizuru’s eyes had clouded with shame and uncertainty, and the tall blonde had admitted that she had been unsure if Natsuki would want to see a daily reminder of Shizuru’s dreaded Child. Natsuki had set Shizuru’s concerns at ease the only way she knew how; with a hug and, the following day, by providing origami paper in muted purple for Shizuru to work with. Now the two paper Childs stood together on the shelf, just like they had died together. It felt like the right thing to do.
Natsuki burned a stick of incense before proceeding to the study and her self-appointed task. She was still there hours later, sorting the information she had gathered and her thoughts regarding it, when the muted sounds of a car outside revealed that Shizuru had returned.
Smiling a little to herself Natsuki rushed out of the study, managing to reach the entrance hall just as Shizuru opened the door. Her smile widened as Shizuru met her with an answering smile.
“Here, let me take your jacket.” Natsuki handed Shizuru her house slippers and proceeded to help the taller woman out of her stylish suit jacket. Not really thinking about it Natsuki picked up Shizuru’s briefcase to put away as she backed a step and said, still smiling “I’ll heat up our dinner, it’ll just be a moment.”
“How did things go at your new job?” As she began to turn away to go put Shizuru’s briefcase in the study, something in Shizuru’s expression made her freeze. Shizuru was looking at her with such a funny expression, blushing slightly even. Why?
Dark green eyes widened as it hit her.
She had just met the older woman by the door, practically with slippers in hand, helped her take off her jacket and more or less informed her that she had dinner ready. All that was missing was a kimono and kneeling at the steps as Shizuru came in and Natsuki would have played the role of the traditional Japanese housewife greeting her husband just perfectly.
The blush was instant and so fierce it should have lit up the room.
“On second thought, you can heat up dinner, I’ll be right back.” Natsuki wheezed as she spun around, intending to make her escape to the study where she could make her heartbeat slow down without looking even more foolish in front of Shizuru.
Natsuki only made it a few steps before long and deceptively strong arms closed around her and a warm body moulded itself to her back as if made just for that purpose. Shizuru’s breath was hot in Natsuki’s ear and Natsuki felt herself shiver as Shizuru whispered to her. “Thank you Natsuki. You make me feel so special.”
On its own accord Natsuki’s free hand found its way up one of the arms encircling her, and she managed to turn just enough in the tight embrace to look up at Shizuru. They were so close, Shizuru was so warm and Natsuki felt so safe, and, oh, those eyes, Natsuki could lose herself in those eyes.
“You are special… Shizuru…” It was barely a whisper and then they were drawn towards one another, Natsuki’s heart beating so hard in her chest she almost could not hear anything above the roar in her ears, then…
The image rose as always unbidden, pale skin in the moonlight, soft moaning in the silence and her name, spoken in a trembling, hushed whisper.
NO! No, damn it all! Not now!
But it was already over, the moment broken as the image stirred the emotional vipers’ nest it always did inside Natsuki. Natsuki bit back a sigh and, for the briefest of moments, leaned her head against Shizuru’s shoulder.
Then she gently disentangled herself, giving Shizuru a small apologetic smile as she did so. “Go ahead and heat up dinner, I’ll just be a moment.” This time Natsuki wasn’t stopped as she went to the study to put away the briefcase. She didn’t look back but knew anyway that the other woman remained standing there, looking after her with shadowed eyes that Natsuki was afraid to read.
Natsuki was true to her word and returned immediately to the kitchen and Shizuru’s side, where she started setting the small kitchen table for them as Shizuru heated the food, neither of them particularly inclined to use the large dining room when it was just the two of them. Over dinner they engaged in easy, quiet conversation about Shizuru’s first day at work, and Natsuki finally heard the story from Shizuru herself of how she came to be the principal of the school she had graduated from just a few months previously.
Eventually dinner was finished and the dishes stacked away, and Natsuki told Shizuru what she had learned from the others during the day.
“I did not realise that Yuuki-san and Alyssa-chan’s situations were so dire.” Shizuru said in a quiet voice, her eyes distant and serious.
“Neither did I, although I should have… Nao told me about her past, about her mother… I should have realised.” Natsuki was genuinely upset with herself for the oversight, although the way she displayed her emotions was somewhat restrained as usual. “In a way I was fortunate, when mother died at least was I wealthy, money has never been an issue. And while I can’t count it as a blessing that the First District took me in to continue mother’s experiments and to train me, at least they gave me the skills to survive.” A self-depreciating smile. “Not to mention a direction, a purpose for my life in my hatred of them.”
Shizuru watched Natsuki with a troubled expression in dark red eyes. “You really see yourself and Yuuki-san as that similar?”
“Of course.” Natsuki seemed surprised at the question, but smiled before continuing. “If not for people like you… no, if not for _you_, I would have been her. Nao never had anyone that reached out to her, anyone who cared.” Natsuki reached out to take Shizuru’s hand, holding it in both of hers. She placed the hand over her heart, earning a gasp from Shizuru.
“She never had… this.” Lightly tracing patterns on Shizuru’s hand with her fingers.
They stood like that, merely looking at one another for a long moment, until finally Natsuki placed a single soft kiss on the knuckles of the hand she held, before moving away.
“So what do you think of my plan?”
Shizuru followed Natsuki into the living room and onto the lavish couch where they usually watched TV or relaxed in front of a fire in the fireplace, Natsuki curling up turned towards Shizuru as they sat. “I agree, it is a good idea. Allow me to see what I can do about living arrangements for both families though… I am sure that I can come up with something acceptable.”
“I’m sure you will.” Natsuki smiled and, after a brief moment of hesitation, motioned for Shizuru to turn around. When Shizuru acquiesced Natsuki began a slow and thorough massage of the taller woman’s neck and shoulders. “If you can find them affordable living-space that will settle things for Nao and her mother.”
Shizuru sighed happily, leaning into the firm touch.
“Alyssa-chan and Miyu is another matter though. Even if they accept my proposal it will only solve part of the problem… and probably the smallest part of the problem at that.”
“I will talk to Haruka-san about getting Miyu-san and Alyssa-chan joint accommodations at the dorms under other names, but that will only work for a short while. The SEARRS foundation knows that they are here and if they are intent on locating them it won’t be hard.” Shizuru considered. “For Miyu Greer the simplest solution would be to have someone appointed her guardian for the years left until she officially turns eighteen. Director Fumi-san, Midori-san or possibly Yohko-san might agree to that if we explain the situation.”
“That only leaves Alyssa-chan.” Natsuki sighed. “I would like to think that whatever remains of SEARRS would be smart enough, not to mention otherwise busy, not to try anything regarding Alyssa and cause Miyu to take action against them. But I don’t trust those putrid organisations as far as even little Alyssa-chan could throw them.”
“For Alyssa-chan the best would be if we could arrange for someone to officially adopt her, but it would be difficult. Even if the paperwork is easy enough to have arranged, finding someone that could sign up for it, even if it was only on paper, would be complicated. Because of who and what she is, and because of Miyu-san, it would have to be one of us involved in the HiME festival, and that leaves only myself, Haruka-san, Fumi-san, Midori-san and perhaps Yohko-san as even remotely possible due to age. Haruka-san, Fumi-san and myself might still be considered too young without a blood claim if anyone should bring things to official attention, which then leaves Midori-san and Yohko-san.”
“And all would be moot point if SEARRS can actually produce someone with a blood tie to Alyssa-chan, right?” Natsuki stopped her massage for a moment and leaned against Shizuru’s back. “That was what I figured.”
“Natsuki?” Shizuru asked hesitantly, one hand going up to entwine her fingers with Natsuki’s where it rested on Shizuru’s shoulder. “Alyssa-chan’s situation seems to be bothering you particularly much… is there anything I…”
To Shizuru’s shock and unspoken delight she felt the brief press of a kiss on her back where Natsuki rested her head. Slender but strong arms changed their grip until they wrapped firmly around Shizuru and Natsuki shifted in her seat until they were both leaning back somewhat with Shizuru sitting in between Natsuki’s legs using the younger woman as a backrest.
Shizuru tried not to blush.
“Shizuru… that day… the reason I couldn’t summon Duran…” Shizuru knew instantly by the pained tone of Natsuki’s voice alone what day she spoke of, even had not Natsuki specified it by mentioning her lost Child, and stiffened in fearful reaction. “I was approached that day by a representative for SEARRS. A man that called himself John Smith. He claimed he wanted to trade information with me, Miyu’s location for information on my mother’s death.”
Shizuru squeezed Natsuki’s arms in silent support as the other woman paused for a deep breath, secretly still fearful that the topic would turn to the other sequence of events that began that day and hurting so much on Natsuki’s behalf that there was little more she could do than offer support whatever way Natsuki would allow.
“In retrospect he was setting me up so that I would be easy prey, starting that whole carefully staged process with which the playing field was cleared of everyone but Mai and Mikoto.” A pained whisper made Shizuru close her eyes. “We were all manipulated, Shizuru. The Dark Lord knew us too well… knew that if I was broken you would do anything to protect me… manipulated Nao and Yukino to come after us when you were hurting and I was too weak to stop things from happening.”
“We were the dancing princesses, and in the end we all danced exactly the way he wanted us to… except for Mai and Mikoto.”
“That day John Smith told me that my mother had sold her HiME research, the research she’d gotten from tests performed on _me_, to the SEARRS foundation in secret, along with her one test subject… her daughter.”
Shizuru gasped in horror, knowing at last the despair that had taken over Natsuki so badly back then that the formidable young HiME had been completely powerless.
“The First District found out and was chasing us… and they lay in ambush at the cliff, making mother lose control over the car and run over the edge.” Natsuki’s voice was thick with old pain. “I know that Smith was lying. And I also know, as I knew then, that he was telling the truth.”
“I found the numbers to mother’s secret bank account, the one where SEARRS had paid her a fortune in blood money for the secrets of the HiME. I know she gave them her research, and that the First District killed her for it.” Natsuki hid her face in Shizuru’s hair for a moment. “I also know that whatever the original deal might have been, mother wasn’t planning on handing me over to anyone. That was why we were running that night.”
They sat in silence for a long moment, Natsuki taking comfort in Shizuru’s closeness and Shizuru letting these few final pieces to the puzzle that was her beloved fall into place.
“SEARRS created an artificial HiME in Alyssa-chan. Does that mean…?” Shizuru asked hesitantly after a while.
“Alyssa-chan was created from the information supplied by my mother, I am sure of that. The information she got from the tests she performed on me.” A small sigh. “If not for me Alyssa-chan would ultimately not have existed either. I feel… some responsibility… or kinship, of a kind, I guess.”
Shizuru turned slightly in Natsuki’s arms, just enough to be able to reach up and caress a pale cheek. “We will find a way to make everything work out.” She closed her eyes against the irony of her own words. “I promise.”
Suddenly Shizuru found herself upended and jostled for a brief moment, before Natsuki’s arms settled Shizuru against herself again… now lying prone in the couch, with Shizuru draped over Natsuki, legs entangled with one another and Shizuru’s head tucked in under Natsuki’s chin. Natsuki’s strong arms were wrapped around Shizuru, her hands playing slightly in Shizuru’s hair.
Shizuru’s heart hammered in her chest, and underneath her ear she could hear Natsuki’s beat a matching rhythm.
“Is… this… alright, Shizuru?”
Unlike her actions or the arms wrapped firmly around Shizuru, Natsuki’s voice was uncertain and fragile. Shizuru fought back the tears that stung her eyes at the sound of it.
Her Natsuki, her brave, bold Natsuki that kept a mask of icy anger and, sometimes, arrogance to shield her from the world. That kept people from coming too close, so close that they would see that underneath the cool exterior was a warm and tender-hearted woman with needs and longings like any other. An easily embarrassed woman with a surprising interest in luxurious lingerie, that liked sweet-tasting things and cute puppies, a woman whose eyes danced with light when she laughed.
A lonely young woman starved for affection but knew no way to ask for it.
How desperately Shizuru wanted to be the one to provide all the love and affection Natsuki required. What she wouldn’t do for the chance to lavish all her boundless love upon this precious creature that was the centre of her universe, until the hurt in those green eyes was chased away. How she dreamed of for just a single moment to see Natsuki smile from her heart, unrestrained.
How she loved her.
“Yes.”
Hands that had stilled for a moment continued to run through dark blonde tresses with renewed reverence, and although Shizuru could not see it in the dark, Natsuki smiled for just a moment.
Something still bothered the younger woman though, and finally she had to ask. “Shizuru? Did you arrange my dorm-room?”
“You have a dorm-room?” Shizuru’s surprise was clear.
“You didn’t have it arranged for me?”
“No… perhaps Haruka-san did, but I was not informed.” Shizuru’s reluctance and uncertainty was obvious even though she tried not to be. “I see. Did you wish to… to…”
“Shizuru.” Natsuki’s voice was so quiet Shizuru had to strain to hear it. “Do you want me to move out?”
“Never!” The gasped but fervent whisper as Shizuru unconsciously clutched at Natsuki’s shirt was all that needed to be said.
Finally some tension left both of the forms entangled on the couch, as the room grew from shadowed to dark. They lay in silence, savouring the bond between them… the bond that had proven stronger than sanity, stronger than pain, stronger even than life and ultimately death. It was a rare moment where no voices in their minds, no memories or unspoken fears could intrude. And slowly, as the moon rose to begin its journey across the sky outside, they drifted into sleep.
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The following day started somewhat awkwardly as Shizuru and Natsuki were awoken by the furiously blushing Erstin, having slept all night in their intimate embrace on the couch and therefore never heard any alarms go off at their usual time. There was a certain salvation to be found in their acute lack of time for morning pleasantries as Natsuki, being the more sluggish one to awaken, had sleepily renewed her grip on her tall bed-mate, burrowed her face into Shizuru’s neck, and told the blonde not to go away. A brief moment later Natsuki had thrown herself off the couch as her mind finally woke up, and both women were too awkward about the situation to do more than blush and mumble all through their hastily prepared breakfast.
While Shizuru’s work day went smoothly and with Shizuru deeply unnerving her co-worker Haruka by having a sunny smile plastered on her lips the entire day through, Natsuki’s day would be one to remember.
The classes and subjects could not keep Natsuki’s attention, so as soon as none of her friends were speaking to her Natsuki’s thoughts began to drift along… on a subject with red eyes and dark blonde hair. Right before lunch Natsuki’s class had Midori teaching them English, and Natsuki’s thoughts had wandered once more.
She did not even notice it herself until a sudden silence registered with her, and it was not the usual silence of the classroom. With a sudden jerk she looked towards the front of the classroom, and Midori staring at her oddly.
It wasn’t just Midori though, every single person in the room had turned and was staring at her with a range of shocked – or, in the case of Chie and Aoi, delighted – expressions on their faces. Mai was even blushing.
Midori cleared her throat and brought Natsuki’s attention back to herself. “No Natsuki-chan… the first line on page twelve of your textbook is not pronounced ‘Shizuru’.”
Natsuki’s reaction was immediate. She froze mid-movement and, faster than the naked eye could have followed, turned a red colour so bright it should have been accompanied by a blaring klaxon and running men in uniform.
Instead, the room exploded around her.
Girls were alternately giggling, shrieking or sighing, most of them blushing and with a faraway expression as the exclamation “So romantic!” was heard from Aoi and then was taken up as a chorus by the rest. Chie still managed to be heard as she slapped Natsuki on the shoulder and asked excitedly “So it is THAT good, huh?!”
At that comment several boys in the room, Tate among them, developed a sudden nosebleed problem and any hope Midori had held of returning the class to order was swiftly lost in the chaos.
The sudden relocation of so much blood in Natsuki’s system after the hectic morning she had did not sit well. With a sudden lurch the room tilted and went dark to the sound of a loud thud that momentarily overpowered all other noises around Natsuki. Distantly she heard Mai’s worried exclamation of “Oh my god! I think you broke her, Midori-chan!”
Faintly Natsuki heard the flustered teacher’s unthinking response “Me? I haven’t done anything! Shizuru is the one that broke her - and on a school night, too!”
Then everything went quiet for a while.
When she came to again Natsuki was lying on cool sheets with far too many clothes on, and everything she could see was bathed in white. A moment later, as her eyes focused, the whiteness turned out to be a privacy sheet hung around one of the emergency cots in the school physician’s office. Although she had been hurt a lot during her relentless crusade against the First District, Natsuki had never actually been a patient in those rooms before… but even so she felt fairly certain that it was not supposed to be so noisy.
Outside the white drapes several people were moving about, and the school nurse herself, Yohko, was barking out orders and sounding generally stressed out. When eventually Natsuki heard what was being said she groaned silently and hid underneath the thin blanket that was draped over her.
“Midori!” Yohko sounded exasperated in a way only her old friend seemed able to inspire. “What have you done this time? I’ve got half your class in here with nose-bleeds and dizziness and god knows what else!” In a lower voice “Were you doing something weird again, like teaching them your drinking songs?”
“Hey! It wasn’t my fault!” Midori whined and waved her arms about for emphasis. “No-one told me it wasn’t safe to ask Natsuki a question when she seems distracted! How was I supposed to know that she was mooning over the principal?”
“Kuga Natsuki and principal Fujino?!” In surprise Yohko’s voice became jarringly loud, and by the chorus of groans on the other side of the white drapes, it did not improve matters for the group of boys that had needed a trip to the nurse’s office. “Aw, damnit!” Yohko cursed and dashed over to her groaning patients. “Mai, I’m commandeering you, alright? Help me out here.”
Over the muffled sounds of Mai and Yohko both saying things like “pinch the bridge of your nose like this and lean forward” Midori called out, sounding concerned “Yohko, she’s not waking up… should I get principal Fujino to come here?”
That got Natsuki rushing from her hiding place in the bed to assure her teacher that she was alright, and that there was really no reason whatsoever to disturb Shizuru with her little fainting spell. Eventually Yohko took pity on the flustered girl and allowed her to sneak off to lunch as quietly as she could.
By the time Natsuki had calmed down and gotten her old mask in place so that she could go meet Shizuru for lunch as promised, lunch itself had already started. Sneaking around so that she would avoid contact with gossiping classmates Natsuki had almost made it to the secluded spot where she was supposed to meet Shizuru, when she ran into the older woman.
Shizuru had apparently begun searching for Natsuki when Natsuki was late, and encountered Aoi and Chie on the way. Natsuki’s two classmates were filling Shizuru in on all the details of Natsuki’s slip-up to Natsuki’s abject horror.
Aoi was giving a performance with a dreamy, far-away look and a deep, longing sigh that made Natsuki blush all on its own, then all but moaned “Shiiizuuuruuu…”
The woman in question blushed prettily and fluttered one graceful hand to her mouth. “Ara, ara…”
---unfinished----
