Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Speed limits were only suggestions.

At least that's how Kirisu Mafuyu considered them when she drove to work. Forty kilometers per hour might be reasonable when the roads were full, but they were hardly busy in the morning. It should be perfectly permissible for her to go fifty, sixty, or even higher.

She would never admit it, since the only justifiable reason for speeding should be getting to school in a timely manner but turns at these speeds were much more interesting.

She zoomed through the streets and weaved from lane to lane. Her tires made their familiar squeals on the asphalt until she slowed down at the school parking lot. She took one of the spots reserved for teachers.

Mafuyu didn't teach any homeroom classes, so she headed straight to the teacher's room. Many of her colleagues were already there, and she gave them proper, polite greetings. There was a relaxed atmosphere at the moment as there were still twenty minutes until classes began.

She set her purse down at her seat and went over her lesson plans for the day. She was teaching European History to the second years, they were on the Renaissance now. For them, she had two periods in the morning and one in the afternoon. The first years had World History, ancient Egypt for the next few weeks. One period in the morning and another in the afternoon.

She was reviewing a lesson on how the Catholic Church commissioned artists when another teacher approached her. Goto-sensei. He was in his forties but already going bald. He taught physics and did so well according to what she'd heard.

"Morning Kirisu-san." He said with a pleasant smile.

"Goto-sensei," she said. While there weren't any students nearby, she still thought it proper to refer to him by the respectful honorific. Especially when he was her senior by far. "How can I help you?"

"You see, I'm having a bit of trouble with one of my students, a second year. He was really passionate about science and did well in those classes, especially in physics, but recently his grades have been dropping."

Mafuyu nodded. "I see. Are you asking me for advice? I would think you're more qualified to handle him than I am."

He grinned. "I'm flattered, but in this case you'd be wrong. I've tried talking to him already, but nothing I've said gets through. It's a shame. He's no Ogata Rizu, but I could definitely see him making worthwhile scientific contributions when he's older. Of course, that would only be possible if he starts paying attention in school again."

Mafuyu's eyes narrowed. Worrisome. Declining grades were always cause for concern, but even more so when it was a case of a student neglecting their talents.

"I talked to the headmaster about it, and he recommended I ask you for help on this. Would you be willing to talk to this student and set him straight?"

Mafuyu nodded. "Of course. Where can I find him?"

"In room 3B afterschool today. I'll be with you."

"Very well, and what's his name?"

"Kita Jurou."

\\\\\

Mafuyu had already been waiting in the classroom when Goto-sensei brought Kita-kun in.

The boy glanced at her but didn't say a word in greeting. He was tall, half a head taller than Goto-sensei, which put his height at around 185 cm. His hair was uncombed, and there was stubble on his cheeks which he hadn't bothered to shave. His uniform was clean at least, but it was wrinkled and the buttons on his shirt were misaligned. His expression was mostly blank, boredom the only emotion she could read.

Mafuyu disapproved. He wasn't one of her students, but if he had been, she would have spotted the behavior long ago and given him a few choice words.

"Sensei," he spoke to Goto-sensei. His voice was deep but carried an immature drawl. "How come there's another teacher here already?"

"This is Kirisu-sensei. She's here to help me convince you to take school seriously again."

"Really? Then hello Kirisu-sensei." He bowed, but only with the slightest dip of his head. "Sorry for wasting your time."

"Wasting my time? There is no need to apologize. If the time is used to help a student, I consider it well spent."

He shrugged. "Okay."

Mafuyu frowned. "Very well. Let me ask you some questions first. I've been told that you did well at school, particularly in science. What changed over the past few months?"

Kita didn't meet her eyes. Not out of apprehension or shyness, but as if he couldn't even be bothered to look at her. His lazy gaze was directed at the wall behind her. "I found something more important to do than study and do homework."

She crossed her arms. "And what is that?"

"I don't have to tell you." Was his dismissive answer.

"Watch your tone, Kita," Goto-sensei warned. "You may not have her for any of your classes but she's still a teacher."

"Okay, I will. Sorry Kirisu-sensei."

"I accept your apology." Mafuyu would, regardless of how lackluster it was. "Now, you're right when you say you don't have to tell me what you find preferable to schoolwork but listen well. It's essential for you to enjoy your youth, but not at the expense of your education. It is irresponsible and will end up painfully when you're an adult. Besides, you're well-suited for science. Isn't that right, Goto-sensei?"

The older teacher nodded. "That's right! Come on, Ki-kun. What happened to the young man who would ask me after class about anything he was confused about? No matter if it was for school or a piece of science news that you read online? You have the drive and talent for science. Is something wrong? I've told you, you can talk to me."

"Nothing's wrong." Kita snorted, his apathetic expression replaced by a wry look. "And also, I don't have any 'talent'. I only did well in science because I liked it."

Kirisu spoke "Then this new activity preoccupying you. It's more enjoyable than learning science?"

"It's more important."

She saw how he dodged the question but considered her words carefully before pressing further. "More important than getting good grades? More important than preparing yourself to become a contributing member of society?"

"Yeah, more important than that too." His tone was serious.

Mafuyu gave him a doubtful look. "Would your family share that opinion?"

Kita's mouth shut. His lips pressed hard together in a thin red line, and he glared at her.

Goto-sensei sighed. "I wanted to keep your parents out of this since I know you have some sort of complicated relationship with them, but I doubt they'd be happy to hear about this. Should I go to them?"

Kita frowned. "Maybe you're right about that. Fine then. Sensei, can we make a deal?"

"What sort of deal?"

"If you get my parents to tell me to do well in school, I'll get my grades back up."

Goto-sensei's eyes widened. Mafuyu understood his surprise, it was an easy condition to meet.

"Is that all?" Goto-sensei asked.

"Yeah."

"And if I get them to do this, you really promise to do well in school again?"

Kita smiled, genuine amusement in his eyes. "Yeah."

"Very well then, I'll get on that immediately."

"Good luck. I guess you're done with me then, goodbye." Kita walked over to the door and stopped. "Thank you, Goto-sensei. I mean that, but from now on, I think it would be better for you to focus on students who actually need your help. Oh, and thanks to you too, Kirisu-sensei. I guess."

Once Kita left, Goto-sensei thanked her. "I don't think I could have done it without you, Kirisu-san."

"Not at all. I'm glad it worked out, but I didn't do much at all." Mafuyu grabbed her purse. "I hope you succeed with your student, Goto-sensei. See you tomorrow."

"Goodbye."

Mafuyu left the school. In contrast to her drive that morning, she reined in her top speed on her return home. There were significant numbers of students on the streets. Even if she did find some enjoyment from faster maneuvers, she would never endanger them.

She arrived at her apartment building and entered her door.

Her home was filthy. Disorganized stacks of books and garbage bags filled the rooms and hallways. There were a few boxes with products she'd ordered, although she couldn't remember what they were for. In addition, even though there were numerous bulging garbage bags, empty cans and convenience store meals were littered through both her kitchen and bedroom.

Mafuyu hadmade efforts to clean. It was just that, for some inexplicable reason, they were never successful.

It was disheartening when she allowed herself to mull over it, but today, it didn't bother her at all. She may have only played a small role, but she'd helped set a student on the right path. She had the right to be proud 

Chapter Text

Classes had ended and Jurou left the room without pause. He had a book of science fiction short stories in his hand and read it as he walked. He was absorbed in it, so absorbed that he nearly walked straight into Goto-sensei in the halls.

"Whoa. Sorry." Jurou stepped back. "Hello, sensei. Is something wrong?"

Goto-sensei's frown deepened. "Yes, something is. I tried contacting your parents yesterday, but I found out that our aunt is your legal guardian, not them."

Jurou chuckled. "Yeah, you caught me."

"You do realize that I could just call her instead?"

Panic flooded Jurou's mind. He hadn't thought through his joke, he'd just spouted it out the moment it had come to mind. Aunt Hikari couldn't find out about his grades. Not yet at least.

Jurou maintained an unbothered look and shrugged. "Okay, but our deal was for my parents. I'm not going to do better in school just because you tell on me to my aunt."

"I know, that's why I haven't told her for now. However Kita, I'm losing my patience." Goto-sensei's eyebrows furrowed. "How can I contact your parents? I didn't find any information listed for them."

"That's because they're dead."

Goto-sensei's expression softened. "Oh. My condolences then."

It was a phrase Jurou had heard a thousand times before, only slightly different each time. He did appreciate it from Goto-sensei, but he still waved it off. "It's fine. It happened a long time ago."

The teacher narrowed his eyes. Then, he sighed. "I'm still upset with you for that little trick, you know."

"Sorry." Jurou grinned.

"Jurou, I'm serious. What happened? You did well in your other subjects but excelled at and loved science. If that book is any indication, you still do." Goto-sensei pointed at it.

Jurou's smile dropped. "It's science fiction, sensei. It's not really that different from fantasy except instead of magic there's hyperdrive and vague alien technology."

"Yes, you've said so before, but I also remember you liking this author because many of his stories were hard science fiction. The science was accurate in them."

Jurou glanced down at the book of classical science fiction stories. The author's name was in big letters on the cover. Isaac Asimov.

He never would have expected his teacher to remember what he'd said about Asimov.

"Is there any way I can convince you to work towards your passion again?" The teacher asked. "No more deals, I've learned my lesson there, but what can I do?"

Jurou shook his head. "Nothing, sensei. But I meant what I said yesterday. I am grateful for you trying so hard to help me." Jurou wondered if he sounded sarcastic. It was a tone he took too often, but he had to be sincere now. Goto-sensei had taught him a lot. "It would be better if your effort went to other students. I'm sorry, but I've decided to put science and my grades aside. I have something more important."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

Goto-sensei stayed silent for a few seconds. "Okay then. I'll leave you alone for a while, but don't think that means I'm giving up. Whatever you're going through, I hope you're okay."

"Thank you." Jurou gave him a respectful bow and left.

\\\\\

"That deal with Ki-kun was a complete failure, Kirisu-san," Goto-sensei said, sitting across from her.

"What went wrong?" Mafuyu asked.

He informed her on how he'd confronted Kita yesterday. The student had only made the deal because his parents couldn't be reached. They were dead, and his aunt was his legal guardian.

She frowned. "He used his parents' death as a joke?"

"He's always had a strange sense of humor. I agree, it's a bit disturbing that he'd do something like that."

"He certainly is a worrisome student. Why not contact his aunt instead? Regardless of the deal, she may be able to convince him to improve his grades."

Goto-sensei shook his head. "No, I don't think that'll work. He didn't seem concerned at all with her opinion, and if I tell her, I think he might do worse in school just to spite me."

"Hm, this is a delicate situation."

"Yes. So Kirisu-san, would you mind talking to him again after the weekend? Alone?"

Mafuyu tilted her head to the side. "Alone? Why?"

"I'm running out of options to deal with him. I think you'd have a better chance at convincing him because, well, you have a sort of reputation as a frightening ice queen among the students."

"Excuse me?"

She was more surprised than offended, but Goto-sensei was quick to apologize. "I don't think so at all, personally. It's just what some students say. The headmaster and I know you truly do care for them."

"Thank you, I suppose." Mafuyu said in a distracted tone, considering her supposed reputation. Ice Queen? Perhaps she did have a strong glare for unruly students and kept mostly to herself, but she didn't realize rumors like that existed.

"So will you speak to him? Try to get him to see the error of his ways?"

"Of course. Should I act more strictly this time in order to make sure he listens?"

"Sure, if you think it's necessary. By the way, I'm sorry for bothering you so much with this."

"Not at all," Mafuyu said. "This is valuable experience for me in case I encounter more students like him."

Chapter Text

It had been a long train ride to Mikuni, but the moment Jurou left the station, he knew it had been worth it. It was a bright, clear morning. The air smelled fresh and clean. There wasn't supposed to be any rain according to the weather forecast. It would be a good day.

The first thing that Jurou did was walk. He'd decided to leave his smartphone at home, but he'd printed out maps and had highlighted the routes that he wanted to take today. Of course, he didn't want to just stick to them, so he'd also planned plenty of time to roam.

He walked towards one of the parks in town. He wanted to see some greenery first, and the closest park was only a ten-minute walk from the station.

On the way, Jurou smiled and greeted the few people who passed by him on the streets. Normally he never would have, but today was special.

There'd been a few young kids who'd ran by, who he'd only silently waved to. He doubted that they'd noticed. For any adults or elders, he bowed his head and gave a quick, polite hello.

At the park were more people, mostly young kids playing and being supervised by their parents. Jurou's smile widened when he saw them, even though he kept mostly to himself. He found young kids adorable, and liked dogs for the same reason. There were a good number of pets here too.

Jurou had always wanted a dog, but his parents had never gotten one for him. Aunt Hikari hadn't allowed it either.

There was a large dog over by the playground. Big with white fur, and Jurou guessed it was a samoyed. He wasn't very familiar with dog breeds though, so he could have been wrong. The dog had a few children surrounding it and its tongue hung out of its open mouth as it sat quietly and allowed them to pet its fur. It had a happy look on its face.

One child by it was crying though. Very young, two or three, and he pointed at the dog and wailed. His mother was crouched down, trying to reassure him.

Jurou laughed. He couldn't help it when watching a young kid cry. It wasn't funny if they seriously hurt themselves or were in actual danger of course, but a toddler being frightened by something completely harmless was just hilarious. The dog looked like the friendliest animal ever and hadn't done a thing to upset the kid.

He moved on. There were paths between the trees where he could walk in relative silence. Good for thinking, and now was the best time for it. He wondered what it would have been like if he'd gotten a dog. Whether it would have lived up to his expectations of a loving, loyal companion who might or might not annoy him with constant barking, scratching, or other dog behavior.

Jurou didn't tolerate most people. He really didn't know whether his idea of a dog was just a fantasy or if he'd find the reality an annoyance.

Would it be the same with kids, or a girlfriend? He found kids cute, but they lost a lot of their appeal when he actually considered the reality of looking after them. Changing diapers, sleepless nights, comforting them when they cried for one of seemingly millions of reasons. He understood the concept of the fulfillment they could give parents, but he had no idea whether one would be worth it for him.

The same with a girlfriend, or even further in a hypothetical future, a wife. Did he really want a partner? Or was he just a shallow asshole who wanted a beautiful woman who'd shower him with love?

Jurou chuckled. He couldn't even give himself fulfilling fantasies in his own head. What the fuck was that all about?

He took out a pair of earphones and connected it to his phone. Music would distract him, and he had plenty of his favorite soundtracks from some movies and anime. The music usually reminded him of powerful scenes, although they were no longer as emotional after repeating them so often.

After Jurou fully explored the park, he left it and headed towards the beach. On the way, he got hungry and stopped at a ramen shop for lunch. His attention drifted when he passed by a bookstore, but he forced himself to ignore it. He still had his book of short stories, there wasn't any time to get invested in any more fiction.

He reached the shore, and for some time he only stared as the waves lapped at the sand and fell back into the ocean. The sound and sight were hypnotizing, and it was much better when he went to regions with few people.

Jurou alternated between walking along the shore and resting at a spot to read his book and listen to the water. An entire afternoon went by, and he went back into town to spend the rest of his money on a big, delicious dinner for himself.

Then, he returned to the beach to watch the Sun set over the ocean. The Moon trailed after it, a white crescent in the sky that was only up for two hours after the Sun. The public beaches had already closed, so he watched from small secluded stretches of sand away from town.

Jurou laid on his back and watched the stars. He had an interest in astronomy, but he didn't recall many of their names. It was just bookkeeping after all, what was more important were concepts like finding a star's position on the celestial sphere by degrees of declination and hours, minutes, and seconds of right ascension. He remembered that the colors of the stars denoted their spectral types and the various methods used to find distances to them.

When he was young, he'd thought that science was a collection of interesting facts. That was part of it, but there was so much more. Those facts and ideas could only be separated from outdated concepts like four fundamental elements or geocentrism because of repeated, rigorous observation and experimentation.

Science wasn't a perfect path to truth though, at least in Jurou's opinion. All science did was make models of the universe. Many were good models which worked well and had stood up to experiments trying to disprove it, but even Newton's gravity had stood for centuries until Einstein's relativity had corrected it. Science was only making guesses, although sometimes very good guesses, based on limited data. Its conclusions were hardly ever set in stone.

That hadn't disillusioned Jurou though. Far from it. He still loved science and considered it the best option humanity had for learning about the universe. He just understood that it had limitations.

Modern science had done great though, considering it had only existed for a few centuries out of the millennia of civilization. For thousands of years, people had gazed up at the stars and the planets that Jurou saw now, but only recently had they developed telescopes and tested predictions of gravity instead of making excuses for concepts of heavenly spheres and epicycles.

He'd had to wait for four hours after sunset, but tonight, Jurou could see three planets high in the sky. Red Mars, and yellow-ish white Jupiter, and Saturn. Mars and Jupiter were brighter than any star out tonight while Saturn was still up there. They moved through the sky at a different rate from the stars. A movement that even prehistoric people had probably noticed.

It was great that the sky was clear tonight. Jurou wouldn't have another chance to see them. He was going to walk to the Tojinbo, a series of cliffs facing the sea, and jump off.

He'd saved money from his part-time job and left it to his aunt. It wouldn't be enough to pay her back for the years she'd taken care of him, but he'd done his best. There was also a note, saying that he appreciated her and was running away. It would probably comfort her more than the truth of his suicide.

It was also why he'd chosen to jump off a cliff rather than another suicide method. Getting a bunch of sleeping pills or poisoning himself might have been nice, but there was a chance of his body being discovered. Same with hanging, even if it was somewhere secluded like the middle of the woods. Not to mention the fear of it not working correctly and ending up hanging there, aware of himself slowly dying.

Being out here under the stars wasn't a bad choice as his final sight.

Jurou walked alongside the road to the cliffs. He didn't want to jump off where tourists were during the day, even if the water would probably wash his body away.

The chirping of insects filled the night, and just under that was the distant sound of water pounding against rock. It wouldn't be too long of a walk until he found the right place, he'd found somewhere suitable from pictures of the area that hikers had posted online.

A high-pitched screech pierced Jurou's ears and he tilted his head towards it. Lights shone from around the bend in the road. A car? Out here this late?

He barely had time to wonder about it when the car zoomed out from behind the rock and swung around the turn. The maniac was way out his lane. Jurou leaped away and landed in the grass nearby. It must have missed by centimeters.

Panting, his heart pounding, Jurou lied on the ground completely stunned. The car had come to a stop too, and somebody had come out.

He turned around to face them. "What the fuck, you asshole?!"

"I-I'm so sorry!" The woman's face was in shadow. "Are you hurt? Do you need to go to a hospital?"

Jurou got up. He dusted himself and scowled. "No, I'm fine."

Her voice brimmed over with relief. "Oh thank goodness. Still, I must make amends. You seem rather young, do you need help getting somewhere?" She walked closer. "I can help if you-

She stopped, but he answered anyway. "No, I'm fine."

"Kita-kun?"

Jurou's eyes widened and he gave the woman a proper look. "Kirisu-sensei?"

The long pink hair, the familiar face, the slender body that the majority of the idiotic male students drooled over. It was her. The history teacher who Goto-sensei had gotten to speak to him. She was wearing more casual clothing than her suit, but it was her.

The surprise on her face had faded, replaced by a stern look. "Young man, what are you doing here at this time of night?"

"Getting myself run over, I guess. Not my preferred way to die." It really wasn't. There was a chance he might survive with painful injuries.

She reddened. "Y-yes, well, as I've said before, I'm very sorry."

"I accept your apology, sensei." He walked off.

"Excuse me." The strict tone made him pause. "You didn't answer my question. What are you doing out here so late?"

He faced her. "Nothing. I'm just going for a walk."

"A walk? This far from the nearest town?"

"Yeah."

"I very much doubt that. Where is your aunt?"

"My aunt?" Jurou narrowed his eyes. "Why would you ask about her instead of my parents?"

"Goto-sensei informed me of his problem with your deal." Kirisu-sensei checked her phone. "More importantly, it's far too late for a train or bus. I'll drive you home. Do you live near the school?"

"Yeah, but the reason I'm out here is because I'm on a trip with my aunt." Jurou said, the lie quickly coming to mind. "You can drop me off where we're staying in Mikuni."

Kirisu-sensei probably wasn't going to leave him alone. It would be annoying, but he could just walk out again after she drove him to town.

"Hmm, then I think it's my responsibility as a teacher to speak to her. After all, your grades are dropping and you're sneaking out late at night."

Crap.

\\\\\

Out of the corner of her eye, Mafuyu saw Kita gripping the door handle, his skin white. He was muttering something too. Strange, he'd been like that ever since she'd started driving.

"Now, will you tell me why you lied to me about you staying in Mikuni with your aunt?" she asked.

"B-because I wanted you to just leave me there."

She nodded. "And I suppose you'll remain tight-lipped on why you were out so late at night?"

"You got that right."

There was a curve ahead. Mafuyu accelerated.

"Oh my God! Holy crap!" His arms fumbled as he tried to hold on to something.

"Watch your language, young man."

He didn't seem to be paying attention. He moaned. "The tires lifted up. Oh God, the tires were off the road."

"You may be right. No matter, it happens from time to time."

"This is how you usually drive?" he asked, incredulous. "This isn't some punishment or something?"

"Of course it's not a punishment," Mafuyu said. What sort of teacher would do such a thing? "I'm merely bringing you home quickly and efficiently."

"Great." His voice was full of unwarranted dread.

For much of the ride, Kita kept silent. He relaxed somewhat, but his odd fear remained present. When they got to a long straight stretch of highway, he spoke up again.

"Why are you swerving from side to side?" he asked in a pained voice.

"It keeps the drive interesting."

Kita leaned his head back. He made a sound of annoyance when he brushed the top of the car even though he'd lowered the seat as much as possible. He must be one of the tallest people in the school.

"Just my luck. I don't just get a teacher finding me, I get a maniac driver too."

"I don't appreciate those comments." She spoke with a harsh tone.

He went silent for a moment then answered "Sorry."

"Thank you."

He sighed. "By the way, sensei, why were you out so late?"

"I was visiting someone who's only staying in Japan for a short while. On the way back home, I might have had some . . . difficulties with the navigation."

He laughed. "No way, you got lost?"

"No, I was not lost!" she insisted. "It was only a minor error that anyone could have made. It's the fault of the GPS manufacturers."

"Okay okay! Watch the road!"

Mafuyu looked back to the front and swung the wheel with practiced ease. The force pushing her to the side was not to be underestimated.

Kita remained quiet up until they entered the town. He didn't say a word but breathed out in relief when she kept to a slower speed. Fortunately, they both lived in the same town as the school, so it wasn't much of an inconvenience to bring him home.

They arrived at his apartment, only around two kilometers from her own. Kita burst out of the car and knelt down, patting the ground.

Mafuyu turned off the engine and stepped out. "Enough with this foolishness, bring me to your door."

He stood up, panic on his face. "I will, but sensei, please don't tell my aunt about my grades. She's probably mad enough about me coming back so late."

Interesting. It seemed that Goto-sensei had misjudged Kita's indifference to his aunt. "She should be. I don't see any reason to keep the issue of your grades from her."

"Please!" He clutched his hands together. "I'll do anything. I'll bring my grades up. If I don't, you can still tell her then."

Mafuyu looked up and considered his desperate plea. Her goal was to help him improve his grades. He sounded genuine about doing so on his own. It would be pointless to incite animosity by punishing that behavior.

She gave him a condition. "If Goto-sensei finds that you're still slacking with your assignments after three weeks, I'll inform your aunt no matter what."

"Yep, got it. Thank you."

"Of course, I'll still have to tell her about tonight."

His joy dissipated. "Yeah, I had no chance of hiding that anyway. Follow me, sensei."

Kita guided her up to the third floor and knocked on his door. A black-haired woman around Mafuyu's age opened it. She looked exhausted and drained, but when she recognized him her emotions quickly transformed to outrage.

"Jurou! You stupid little-what the hell were you thinking! Come in here!" She grabbed him by the cuff of his shirt and dragged him in. Her eyes turned to Mafuyu, and she asked. "Sorry, who are you?"

"I'm Kirisu Mafuyu, a teacher at Kita-kun's school. I found him out late tonight and brought him back here."

All suspicion on her face vanished and she responded with relief. "Oh, thank you. I'm Fujimura Hikari, Jurou's aunt. I'm so sorry that he had to bother you." She fired a glare at Kita that withered him in a moment.

Mafuyu found it slightly amusing but kept her composure. "It wasn't a bother at all. I was already driving when I spotted him and I live nearby. More importantly, my colleagues have noted some troublesome behavior from him. Would it be alright if I come in and discuss it with you?"

Fujimura nodded. "Yes, of course."

Mafuyu and Kita took off their shoes and sat at the dining room table with his aunt. It was late, so Mafuyu would keep this meeting short.

"First, Jurou, I can't believe you. What the hell is this?!" Fujimura slammed down an envelope on the table. After a glower for Kita, she explained. "Sensei, he wrote a letter saying that he was running away and not to try and look for him. He even left a whole bunch of money from his part-time job. As if money would make up for the years I spent looking after him."

"I didn't mean it like that," he said, ashamed. "I didn't want to leave behind nothing. It was the best I could do."

Fujimura didn't accept his explanation at all. "You think that makes it okay? If you were going to run away, how were you going to take care of yourself with hardly any money? Actually, why would you want to run away at all? Is there something wrong with living here?" She glanced at Mafuyu. "We're going to talk about this later, Jurou. Your teacher should say what she needs to first."

Mafuyu nodded. "Fujimura-san, he may try to hide it from you, but I found him in Mikuni, a town in Fukui Prefecture. It was fortunate I happened to be in the area."

Fujimura was taken aback and looked to Jurou. "That far? What were you doing there?"

He shrank in his seat. "I'll tell you later. By the way, thanks for ratting me out, sensei."

His sarcasm was unappreciated. Mafuyu narrowed her eyes. "Miss, there's another thing that's troubling about Kita-kun. His science teacher has informed me that he's been having some difficulties with his grades."

Kita was shocked. However, he attempted to wipe all surprise from his face when his aunt spoke.

"He has? That's strange, Jurou's always done well at school, especially science."

"So I'm told. There's no need to be worried though, it's not a big issue." Mafuyu had broken her promise to keep it a secret, but she could minimize the seriousness of it as a compromise. "I was wondering if it was because of problems at home. Is that true?"

Fujimura shook her head. "No no. At least, I don't think so. Am I wrong, Jurou?"

"It's my own fault. I was slacking because I was planning to run away." Kita eyed Mafuyu with distaste. He softened when addressing his aunt. "Aunt Hikari, I'm sorry. I promise I won't try something like this again and I'll get my grades back up too. You won't have to worry."

Fujimura waited, likely judging his sincerity. She leaned back and sighed. "Okay, you've always been well-behaved ever since I took you in, so I trust you. Don't think this is the end of it though. You're in for an earful later."

"Got it," Kita said. Then he stood up. "Well then, I guess it's time for sensei to leave. You've said everything you've needed to, no point in sticking around any longer."

"Jurou, are you normally this rude to people?" Fujimura said, surprised by his behavior. "She's your teacher, show more respect."

"It's alright. Even if I disagree with how he said it, I agree. I should leave." Mafuyu got up from her seat.

"Okay, let me show you out." Fujimura led her to the door and shook her hand. "Thank you for finding him, Kirisu-san. Take care."

Jurou was behind her. "Goodbye." He used the polite form, but his tone was clearly unappreciative of her involvement.

That was fine. Mafuyu didn't mind what students thought of her as long as they were okay.

Chapter Text

Mafuyu took a tracksuit off one of the racks in the store. She read the tag and felt the fabric. In her experience, some fabrics were clearly superior. It would be summer soon, and rayon was the most comfortable in the heat.

This one was made from lycra. Mafuyu dropped the tag, disappointed. She moved to the next rack and almost bumped into someone.

"Sorry." Fujimura apologized, then brightened as she recognized her. "Oh, Kirisu-sensei! How nice to see you."

Mafuyu nodded. "Likewise. Have you been well?"

"Great. Jurou's gone back to his normal self again, so I don't have to worry about him. He's actually here." Fujimura looked around, confused for a moment until she waved behind a shelf. "Jurou, what are you hiding there for? Come greet your teacher."

He came into view holding a few bags and bowed his head. "Hello, sensei."

"It's nice to see you, Kita-kun." Mafuyu meant it even though it seemed that he didn't feel the same for her. It had been two weeks since the night she'd driven him home and Goto-sensei had said Kita's work had returned to previous standards.

"So are you buying anything specific?" Fujimura asked her. "I came here for some shoes, but I couldn't say no to browsing after seeing some of the tops in this store."

"Yeah, and I still don't appreciate you lying about this being a short trip," Jurou said.

"Oh shush, let your aunt have some fun. You know I don't get to spend that much time with my cute little nephew." She reached over and squeezed his cheek.

He groaned but accepted the treatment.

"So, sensei? Want to tell me what you're here for?" Fujimura asked.

"I wanted to buy some tracksuits."

"Tracksuits? Do you exercise a lot?"

"Not much. I just find them comfortable."

"I agree completely." Fujimura sighed. "I always feel fat when I wear them though, and it's depressing when I find out that my old ones don't fit me anymore."

"Years of snacking will do that," Kita said.

"Enough, Jurou! No more comments out of you, especially brutally honest ones."

He nodded and covered his mouth mockingly.

"This is what I have to deal with," Fujimura said. She eyed Mafuyu. "Tracksuits, huh? Yeah, even clothes like that would probably look good on you."

Perhaps. Their convenience was their main appeal, and fortunately, Mafuyu had never experienced Fujimura's problem of outgrowing them. Even her high school ones still fit her.

"By the way, I saw this dress earlier that would look perfect on you," Fujimura said. "It's not often I get to go shopping with a girlfriend. Do you want to try out some clothes with me? If it's not too much trouble."

"Well . . ." Mafuyu hesitated. Fujimura seemed pleasant, and no real objection to the idea came to mind. However, agreeing to it felt strange.

"I don't know, Aunt Hikari. I don't think sensei wants to be bothered."

"Then she can say so for herself. Don't interrupt just cause you feel awkward around her."

"Hey, I'm not awkward around her. She's just a teacher. She teaches at my school but isn't even one of mine."

"Fujimura, I'd like to go with you," Mafuyu decided. "Also, Kita-kun has made an interesting point. We're not at school and I don't teach any of his classes, I'm fine with you calling me -san."

"Really? Then I will. Let's go." Fujimura took a step and spoke to Kita. "Come on, bag carrier."

Kita followed them, silent and seemingly indifferent to Mafuyu's presence even though it was certainly a bother to him. None of his casual demeanor he'd shown earlier remained.

Fujimura found the dress. A black one with a nice floral pattern, but it wasn't to Mafuyu's taste.

When she informed Fujimura, she put it aside without offense. "No biggie, there's no point in shopping unless you get something you like."

After a few minutes of searching, Mafuyu found a long red dress with fabric flowed down her legs. Much more reasonable, it wasn't as form-fitting or as generous with cleavage as the ones Fujimura tended to favor.

"I'd like to try this one," Mafuyu said.

"Interesting choice, sensei. I think these would look good on you too." Fujimura held up a couple more.

They went to the changing rooms, and Mafuyu came out with the new dress on. Fujimura clapped.

"Wow, that looks great on you! You're so lucky, I wish I could have a slim, sexy body like you."

"N-nonsense." Mafuyu had attempted to accept the compliment gracefully but failed. "You don't need to say such a thing. Besides, your condition seems just as good as mine." It was true. Fujimura didn't have the same well-muscled figure, but she was a healthy-looking pretty woman. Any concerns about her appearance were unfounded.

"Oh Kirisu-san, stop." Her eyes traveled to one of the racks. "Oh wow! I just found something I'd like to try. Will you tell me what you think?"

"Of course. I will warn you though, I'm not the best judge of fashion."

"It's fine, I just want another woman's opinion. Jurou's worse than useless for it since he'll say anything to leave." Fujimura looked to her nephew, sitting on a nearby bench reading a book.

Mafuyu gave a short laugh. "Unsurprising for a teenage boy."

"You must have to deal with a lot of them. Are they a handful?"

"Not usually. Your nephew actually gave me the most trouble I've had in a while."

"Really? Don't worry, I'll make sure he doesn't bother you again."

Mafuyu smiled. "Thank you."

Mafuyu bought two dresses. The red one and a revealing, but still wonderful, evening gown that Fujimura had suggested for her. Fujimura bought herself a blue blouse that they'd agreed was a bargain.

After checking out, Fujimura grabbed both bags and gave them to Kita. "Don't worry. I'll make sure he carries everything."

"Yep, I'm the designated bag-slave."

"That's right, and I think he deserves something for all his hard work." Fujimura patted him on the shoulder. "There's a boba tea place, want some?"

His eyes lit up. "Yes."

"Kirisu-san?"

Mafuyu agreed to go with them. Once they got their drinks, Kita dropped off their bags and went off to a bookstore. Which left her to chat some more with Fujimura.

It turned out to be a refreshing and enjoyable experience.

Mafuyu learned that Fujimura was a nurse who worked night shifts which made finding time for friends or men difficult. Even when she wasn't working, she spent much of the day sleeping. In addition, it was a harrowing job with difficulties much more daunting than Mafuyu's experience as a teacher.

Nonetheless, Fujimura was eager to hear about any interesting incidents Mafuyu had had with students. Especially with Furuhashi Fumino and Ogata Rizu. Tutoring them had been an unfortunate affair and Fujimura offered much appreciated sympathy.

Mafuyu was also glad to hear that Fujimura struggled with housework.

"Seriously, I'm such a slob. If it weren't for Jurou, I'd come home to a dump every morning."

"I understand completely. When it comes to cleaning, I have an inexplicable struggle."

"No way, you too? I would have thought you were neat and organized."

"At work, yes, but at home it's a much different story. I suppose it's because I grew up mostly being looked after. I was hardly even assigned cleaning duties since I was often taught by tutors instead of at a school."

"Your family's rich?"

"Yes, although my relationship with them is a bit strained currently."

"Sorry to hear that." Fujimura drank the last of her tea and placed the empty cup aside. She checked her phone. "Damn. I have to go. Today's been fun, want to come again some other time? I know a really great salon here that does amazing stuff with my hair. I love your braids, but I bet they could teach you some things too."

"Is that so? I think I'd like that."

"Great."

The two of them exchanged email addresses and parted ways. Mafuyu took her bags and walked off with a smile.

It had never been easy for Mafuyu to make friends. Her youth had been solely focused on figure-skating, and she'd never developed the skills to make or maintain amicable relationships. She had decent ones with her colleagues, but not at all close. How fortunate that someone as forward as Fujimura had made it easy for her.

Along the way, she saw Kita just outside the bookstore and called him over.

"Kita-kun, I believe your aunt is leaving. You should probably go to her."

"Yeah, she just sent me a message." He waved his phone. "Thanks, sensei."

"You're welcome. However, before you go, I want to make sure of something. You are still keeping up with your schoolwork?"

"I am. Even though you broke your promise to keep my dropping grades from my aunt."

Mafuyu narrowed her eyes. "I did, but she doesn't know the full extent of the issue. Has it caused problems for you?"

He looked away. After a pause, he admitted "No."

"Then I consider telling her to have been worthwhile. Goodbye, Kita-kun." She walked past him.

"Bye, sensei."

Chapter Text

One week ago, Kita Hiromi and Kita Hideyoshi died in a car crash. Today was the last day of funeral proceedings. Tomorrow, all the family members would leave and return to their homes.

Not that Hideyohi's family had even shown up. Hikari and her parents had done their best to track them down of course, but they'd turned up nothing. Only the Fujimura family had arrived to mourn.

Tonight, all the adults gathered in a meeting room offered by the inn. They needed to discuss a vital topic.

"Where is he?" Miwa, one of Hiromi's cousin's asked.

Hiromi's mother answered. "Jurou's in bed. He won't hear us."

Kita Jurou. The poor kid was only twelve years old and he'd lost his parents.

Hiromi's father spoke. "Let's get started. We've been watching over him for the past few weeks, but Nozomi and I are old." He tapped his walking stick for emphasis. "We'll take him in if we have to, but it'll be hard and probably not best either for us or him. Does anyone want to volunteer instead?"

Silence. Hikari hated herself for not saying anything. Jurou was her sister's son, but she had no idea how to raise a child. Her job wasn't suited for it either.

Why didn't somebodyelse would speak up? Her parents' siblings were old as well, so she didn't want to impose on them, but several cousins here had children of their own and wouldn't be too inconvenienced with another.

Mother looked around at them harshly. "Really? We understand that it's a burden, but he's family. We need to look out for each other."

Takashi, Miwa's husband, wore a conflicted expression. "Ordinarily, we wouldn't mind too much, but you all saw what happened earlier. Jurou doesn't get along with Yuichi."

"Be reasonable, Takashi," Father said. "Boys get a little rough sometimes, it happens. I'm sure they can learn to get along."

Miwa frowned. "No, uncle. It wasn't just playing rough. Yuichi only wanted to help Jurou feel better after his parents died, and what did he get in return for his kindness? His cousin punching and kicking him."

Hikari looked down, unwilling to meet her parents' eyes. Many other family members did the same, and she could hardly blame them. That incident between Jurou and Yuichi wasn't unique. She'd only heard stories, but Jurou sounded like a handful even for experienced parents.

Father scowled. His disappointment palpable. "Is that really how much family means to you all? Fine, we'll take care of him, and we're not going to complain."

"I'll help as much as I can," Hikari said. "I'll babysit, send any spare money, anything."

"Thank you, dear," Mother said. "But we know about your job. You should look out for yourself first."

Ryoto raised a hand. "We want to help too. I'm sure we can take him off your hands during some weekends or holidays."

Miwa wasn't immune to guilt, even though she clearly didn't like Jurou. "We'll be happy to ease the burden on you two as well."

More of Hikari's cousins made their offers. Some of them lived close so it would be convenient, and for the ones who lived farther away, they offered to look after him during summer breaks from school.

Hikari couldn't help feeling sorry for the boy. Here they were, his family, all suggesting temporary arrangements to look after him instead of trying to give him a proper home.

The decision was made, and everyone returned to their rooms. Hours later, when Hikari felt a craving for some late-night snacks, she left her room to go to the nearby convenience store.

She was surprised to find someone else in the hallway, and even more surprised when she saw it was Jurou. Instead of pajamas, he was dressed in jeans and a hoodie instead of pajamas. He carried a backpack as he walked away.

"Hey," she waved him over.

He stopped and turned around. He didn't make a move to approach, so she walked up towards him.

"You know who I am, right?" she asked.

He nodded. "Aunt Hikari."

"That's right. Wow, you've gotten tall." She held a hand up to her forehead and moved it forward, it was level with the top of his head. "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere."

Hikari scrutinized him. Jurou wasn't meeting her eyes. Seeing his blank, uncaring look, it was hard to reconcile the image of him with the violent boy who'd supposedly attacked his second cousin without warning.

It was food for thought, but his bag and clothing were far more important right now.

Hikari smiled. "Nowhere, huh? That's good, you can come with me to the convenience store."

He scowled. "I don't want to."

"Oh, come on, it's been so long since I've talked to my cute little nephew." She reached over to squeeze his cheek.

He pushed her arm away with an angry look. "Don't touch me. I'm not a little kid."

Wow. That attitude would have gotten him a scolding from some of her cousins.

Hikari pouted. "Come on, don't be like that. Tell you what? I'll buy you some snacks too."

He waited, thinking over the offer. "Okay."

She smiled again. "Alright, let's go."

The two of them headed to the nearby Family Mart. She knew she shouldn't, but she couldn't resist the thought of some late-night cup ramen. Jurou was satisfied with some chocolate and a bag of shrimp flavored chips.

"Thank you," he said once they returned to the inn, showing that he apparently did have some manners.

"You're welcome," she said. He started to leave, but she placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. "Hold on, there's still some things I'd like to talk to you about."

He frowned. "I don't want to talk."

"Okay, then I guess I'll go talk to your grandparents about you leaving in the middle of the night with a backpack."

He tensed and faced her, embarrassed at being caught. "O-okay, I'll go. Just please don't tell them."

"I won't. Let's talk in my room," Hikari said. He surrendered easily and followed behind her.

They entered. After she told him to sit down, her mind drew a blank. What was she supposed to do? Tell him off for trying to run away? That sounded right, but Hikari wasn't suited for it at all. She had no experience with kids.

She crossed her arms. "Why were you trying to leave?"

Jurou stared at the ground. "Because I heard everyone earlier. I don't want to be a burden to grandma and grandpa."

Hikari's hand covered her mouth. Nobody should have to hear their family arguing about them like that. Her tone softened. "And you thought running away would solve the problem? You're twelve years old, how were you going to take care of yourself?"

His shoulders hunched as if he was trying to hide from her gaze. "I-I have a little money."

Hikari sighed. "You need a lot more than money to survive."

"I could have figured something out."

"Hm, for some reason, I don't believe you." Hikari sat beside him. "Don't worry. I'll admit, it won't be easy for your grandparents to raise you, but they can do it."

He looked aside but the anger on his face was still visible. "Only because I'm family and nobody else likes me."

"That's not true."

"Yes it is, and I don't care. They're stupid anyway."

"Is this because of what happened between you and Yuichi?"

"No, his stupid mom didn't like me before I beat him up. He deserves it anyway for being stupid just like her."

"Watch it, Jurou." Hikari warned him. "I understand if you're upset after what happened to your parents, but you can't hit people. From what I heard, he was just trying to help."

"He didn't help!" Jurou yelled, facing her. "He's just like the rest of you but even stupider because he's a kid!"

God, Hikari was trying to be nice, but what was wrong with him? She'd met Yuichi a few times, he was a nice enough boy. How could two kids the same age be so different?

"What happened?" she asked. "Did he say something that hurt you?"

"No." Jurou said, insistent and obviously lying.

"Are you sure? What did he say?"

"I'm not telling you." Jurou glared at her. "You'd just get mad at me like all the other stupid adults."

Hikari didn't think she should let it go, but the look on his face guaranteed that she wouldn't be able to pry it out of him. She tried for another tactic.

"So all the adults are stupid?" She used what seemed to be his favorite word. She pointed at herself. "Even me? What about grandma and grandpa?"

He went red. "N-no. You're kinda okay, and grandma and grandpa are really nice." He looked to his backpack next to the bed. "Aunt Hikari? Can I please just go? It'll make everyone happier."

"What makes you think that?" she asked. "Even if I do let you go, do you know what's going to happen? We'll just call the police, and grandma and grandpa will be worried to death until they bring you back. Do you want that?"

"No! No!" He shook his head. "But what am I supposed to do to not be a burden? Mom and dad didn't tell me!" Tears fell, and he quickly turned away and wiped at his eyes. He sniffled and sobbed.

"Of course they wouldn't." Hikari pulled his head in and held him, confusion and concern at the forefront of her mind. Jurou was way too young to worry about being a burden. Had overhearing their talk really affected him that much?

"There there," she said. "It's okay, you can cry." It was strangely comforting, seeing him like this. She hadn't seen him shed a single tear or even look sad the past few days. He'd always shown an empty expression.

"I'm not crying." He sniffed. "My eyes just hurt."

"Of course." She patted his head. "My mistake."

She held him for a while longer. Once he was okay again, she convinced him to stay and eat with her. After that, it wasn't too hard to get him to open up. He was all too happy to talk about some cartoon about aliens who posed as normal human children.

It was the only time she'd seen him smile, an expression much more fitting for a young boy. Jurou probably could have gone on about it forever. She'd never realized how much kids could talk, but once her limit was reached she had him go back to the room he shared with his grandparents. Which had only been possible because she'd promised him she'd hear more about it later.

Actually, not just later, but any time he wanted. Not by phone, but in person.

The next morning, she found her grandparents just before breakfast. Jurou was still sleeping.

"Mom, Dad?"

"What is it, Hikari?" Her mother asked.

She took a deep breath, then made her proposal. "I know I'm not the best choice and I don't have any experience, but I want to take Jurou in."

\\\\\

"I'm home!" Aunt Hikari's voice could be heard even after it was muffled by Jurou's bedroom door and his headphones.

Jurou put his pencil down and went to the front door. "Welcome back," he said. Kirisu-sensei was with her and he also greeted her politely. "Hello."

She nodded in response. "Hello."

His aunt made a show of breathing out in relief. "Whew, good you're here. I was calling for a while there, and I wondered if you'd ran away again."

"I actually might if you keep using that joke." Jurou said. It had been over a month since then and his aunt still made light of it from time to time.

Aunt Hikari pouted. "Do you want me to cry? Do you know how worried I was last time?"

'Don't fall for it. Don't give in.' Jurou reminded himself. He knew what Aunt Hikari wanted from him and he wasn't going to give it to her.

The baleful look from Kirisu-sensei kind of made it hard.

"No, I'm sorry," he said.

"Ha! Gotcha! You might try to act tough, but you're just a big softie. Remember this if you ever have to teach him, Kirisu-san."

Kirisu smiled. "I certainly will."

"Okay, I'm going back to my room. Good luck with whatever you're doing." He returned to his room and closed the door. He heard their voices for a bit before he put his headphones back on.

He'd gotten through four physics problems when Kirisu-sensei entered half an hour later. He didn't notice her until she walked right next to him with a plate of fruit.

"Your aunt asked me to give this to you." She placed it down. "It's good to see you're studying."

"Yep, I don't really have a choice as long as you and Goto-sensei hold the threat of my angry aunt over my head. Thanks for the sliced pear."

"You're welcome." Instead of leaving, she reached over and held up one of his textbooks. "Do you plan on studying history as well?"

"Yeah."

"Would you like my assistance?"

Oh, that's right. She was a history teacher. He answered her without thinking. "Nope."

She was silent for a moment. "If you dislike me, that's no excuse to refuse my help."

"I don't dislike you."

"Is that so?" she sounded slightly surprised by the information. "Strange, I don't see any other way to interpret your behavior."

"Huh?" Jurou cocked his head to the side. "Have I been rude to you, sensei?"

"Do you really think the way you addressed me at first was proper?"

He winced and scratched the back of his head. "Okay, in the beginning I didn't really like you, but I don't mind now. You're my aunt's friend."

"Hm, well thank you for clearing up that misunderstanding. Why not accept my help then?"

"Because I'm more comfortable studying alone. I actually do fine in a lot of subjects without studying. I'll just read through the chapters and maybe go through a few old assignments. That's usually enough for me."

"Understood. I apologize for interrupting. Keep up th-

Aunt Hikari appeared in the doorway. "Hey Kirisu-san, what's taking so long?"

"Good timing. I was just speaking to your nephew but I'm done now."

"Hold on, were you helping him study?"

"No, he seems to be doing well enough on his own."

For some reason, Aunt Hikari gave Jurou a suspicious look. "Hey, were you mean to Kirisu-san? You can't do that just because you don't like her."

He threw his hands up in the air. "Why do the both of you think I don't like her? She's fine. She's your friend. Now I'm trying to study, can I be left alone?"

"Why don't you ask her for help? She's a teacher, and weren't you having trouble with schoolwork a while ago?"

Alright, now he was starting to get annoyed. "That was just because I was more preoccupied with . . . you know what. Anyway, this is physics and she's a history teacher. It's not her subject."

"That's true," Kirisu-sensei said. "Although I am qualified to teach core subjects at a high school level. Even so, I do think he would work better alone."

"Thank you," he said.

Aunt Hikari sighed. "This is the problem, Jurou. You can't just push people away, especially if they're trying to help. Kirisu-san, would you really be okay with helping him?"

"Of course."

"Well then, Jurou?"

"Fine." It would be easier to just go along with Aunt Hikari instead of continuing to argue. "I'm fine with physics though, this is just practice. I'll do history with her."

"Great! If he misbehaves, just tell me, Kirisu-san." With that, Aunt Hikari made her exit.

He pulled over a seat for Kirisu-sensei. The first thing she did was ask him a few questions to determine his level of knowledge. A quick and efficient method that she used with practiced ease.

"Hm, quite good," she said. "You're familiar with many of the famous figures of the Renaissance and their accomplishments."

"Well it's history. It's not that hard to remember."

"Excuse me, is that what you think history is?" she asked, her tone displeased.

"Um . . ."

"There's memorization with information such as dates, but that's hardly all. History is about studying past societies and how they developed. Often the changes they went through are due to clear and understandable reasons, which is what you should focus on."

"R-right. I didn't mean to imply that it's just memorization."

"Good. Now, let's work on what you need to improve. You didn't say much about Donatello and his sculptures, I believe that's in chapter twelve of this textbook." She opened it up and had him read it.

Kirisu-sensei turned out to be a good teacher. She put the information in clear terms and taught him how to recognize essential information. She seemed to realize that he had prior interest in people like Da Vinci or Tycho Brahe and connected them to new topics she introduced.

"Very good, Kita-kun," she said after looking over the concept map she had him make. "Remember, it's important that you not just memorize, but connect this new information past knowledge. Brunelleschi's dome, for example, isn't just a work of architecture, it involves scientific principles which interest you. It should also remind you of the Church's practice of commissioning artists and architects."

Jurou nodded. "Yep, I understand completely."

"I see." Her voice held approval. "It's always fortunate when I can convince a student to put in a bit of effort instead of trying rote memorization."

He shook his head, ashamed with himself. "I know what you mean, and I should have realized that on my own. It's like when people complain about having to remember formulas for math and science when they really don't. Like integration by parts, I happened to find a great source online that shows that you can easily remember it from the multiplication rule for derivatives. Or even the quotient rule! I never use that messy equation. I've even heard people complain about memorizing rotational motion equations in physics when half of the ones we learn are clear from the definition and a lot of them are pretty much the same as the old linear motion equations."

Kirisu-sensei blinked a few times. "That's an impressive passion for math and science."

Jurou faced away. "U-um, yeah. Sorry for the rant."

She smiled. "No need to apologize. Your passion is admirable."

He smiled back. "Thanks, sensei. This was actually a nice session, I'm glad you offered and that my aunt changed my mind."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you found it helpful so feel free to ask me again if you'd like."

"Would that really be okay? I mean, if you're tutoring me I feel like I should arrange some kind of payment."

Kirisu-sensei shook her head. "No, it's fine as long as it's not too often. I enjoy it whenever I get to teach a dedicated student."

"I'm not really that dedicated, sensei. I just happened to be interested in some of this stuff before. I didn't look into other important topics."

"Nonsense. You've done well, so don't diminish your efforts." Kirisu-sensei glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. "I have to leave soon. I'll talk to your aunt for a short while before leaving."

After she left, he climbed on his bed and read some manga. He was really into romantic comedy recently, and this one about an average guy having a delinquent girlfriend was hilarious.

Kirisu-sensei and Aunt Hikari talked for about ten minutes longer. He couldn't make out their words through the door but it was still harder than usual to focus on his manga.

When he overheard what sounded like Kirisu-sensei leaving, he went out and gave her a proper farewell.

Chapter Text

This public library was a convenient meeting place for Mafuyu's tutoring sessions with Kita. They had a semi-regular schedule of a session every two or three weeks.

Mafuyu would have been fine with more frequent meetings, but he seemed to have no desire for more of them. Understandable. He didn't actually need to come to her for academic assistance at all. He got good grades on his own. The sole reason he even came to the sessions with her was because he enjoyed them.

Kita was beside her with a workbook on literature. He read the question aloud. "In lines 27-30, why does Hirano end the chase?" He circled the answer. "The book says the answer is D. Why? It makes no sense. It should be B, he spent like the past two paragraphs reminiscing about his memories with Endo."

"Yes, he did, but there are hints that a conversation with his subordinate played a larger role in his decision." Mafuyu pointed at a spot in the passage. "Here's the first. Read it aloud for me."

He did, and she explained how this section and a few other pivotal sentences supported answer D. Eventually and begrudgingly, Kita accepted the book's solution for the question rather than his own interpretation.

He sat back in his chair and frowned. Admittedly, it was an amusing sight when he ultimately gave in to the 'correct' answer to these types of questions.

The corners of her mouth had lifted by the slightest amount. "Well then, do you want to review the other one? You did well, only two wrong out of fifteen questions."

"Yeah, sure." He leaned forward and returned his focus on the text. "There were actually a couple I got right but I wasn't certain on. Can we look over them too?"

She agreed. Kita didn't raise as much of an objection to the book's reasoning for them. For the one he got wrong, he even said that he didn't know what he'd been thinking when answering that question. After that, she waited while he read a few more passages and then cleared any confusion he had with them.

They'd worked on literature for an hour and a half, so she allowed him a break.

"Whew, done with that for the day." He said with relief. Then he stood up and stretched his legs.

"Strange. Considering how much you read, I thought you liked this subject," Mafuyu said. She hardly ever saw him without a book at school, but his grades in Japanese and literature were his lowest ones. Not bad, still above average, but significantly below the stellar work he did in math and science.

It reminded her a bit of her experience teaching Ogata. Although the memory of that failure still left a bitter taste in her mouth. Kita was nothing like that student, he properly pursued the subjects he was suited for.

"I like reading," he said. "But I don't like how we do it in class. Even when we read something interesting, the assignments and analysis take all the fun out of it."

"I see. Then do you do so well in other subjects because you find them fun?"

He thought for a moment. "Yeah, I guess. Classes aren't fun like watching a good show or reading a good book but learning something cool is a lot more satisfying."

Mafuyu nodded. In the months she'd known him, he'd demonstrated curiosity in many subjects. He was most well-versed in physics and math but his knowledge of chemistry and biology were also impressive for a high school student. His interest in history was weaker but he asked many questions on his own about certain ancient civilizations. In other areas, it was often possible to connect a topic to something he was already interested in.

She would have been willing to give these sessions to any student who needed them. In this case however, it was a joy to teach someone so enthusiastic.

When the break ended, they worked on preparing him for an upcoming English test. Kita scored well on the practice test and there was hardly anything that he needed to review. However, the Greek and Latin roots for some of the words caught his interest and they went to the computers and found a website that described their etymology. It gave him a head-start on some words that would come up later in his class.

After they went through some of the roots, Kita made an observation. "Huh, so some words in English have some pattern in their spelling instead of being thrown out of a train wreck of letters."

Mafuyu smiled. From what she'd heard, even native English speakers had trouble with spellings and pronunciations of some words. "That certainly seems so."

Kita stood up and put on his backpack. "Anyway, thanks for the help, sensei."

"Wait, before you leave, I have a question."

"What is it?"

"Why are you avoiding Goto-sensei?" she asked. Her colleague hadn't asked her to speak to Kita on his behalf, but she felt that she should. Especially when Goto-sensei could provide much better guidance for Kita's passion in science.

Kita looked at her curiously. "He said that I was avoiding him?"

"No, but he has noticed that you've hardly spoken to him after the disagreement about your grades. Before, you used to visit him periodically with questions and now you've stopped. I'd like to know why. Do you resent him for urging you to improve your grades?"

"No! That's not it." He looked away. "It's just-I was so rude when he was trying to help. I thought he wouldn't want me around."

"That's not true at all. He's not upset with you. Even if he were, I'm sure he'd be willing to make amends."

"Really?"

"Of course. There's a reason why Goto-sensei is well liked by both students and colleagues."

"Oh. Then I guess I should, but . . ." His face showed doubt.

"What's the issue?"

"It just seems kind of awkward," he admitted shamefully. "I dunno, maybe it would be better to just leave things be."

Mafuyu raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious? You've had a friendly relationship with Goto-sensei ever since you came to this school and you're not willing to fix it after a disagreement?"

"Maybe?"

Mafuyu intensified her gaze.

He held up his hands. "Okay okay. You're right. He's been a great help. I'll talk to him." He sighed, clearly not looking forward to the conversation.

"Good." Mafuyu rose from her seat and carried her purse. "I hope you do well on your exam." She left the library.

\\\\\

After school, Kita headed to the teacher's room. Maybe Goto-sensei would be there, maybe not. If he wasn't, then oh well. If Kirisu-sensei asked him about it again, he could claim that he hadn't been able to find the teacher.

There was no chance of that happening, so every second of delay was appreciated.

Before he reached the room, he spotted Kirisu-sensei among the crowd of students. She was down the hall and heading the opposite direction from him. Normally, he would have been happy to see her, but he was a bit more conflicted now with after she'd called him out for avoiding Goto-sensei.

Ultimately, Kita decided that she was a welcome sight. It was a shallow reason, one he'd barely given any attention before, but she was beautiful. Physically, it was obvious. Her pencil skirt and jacket covered most of her but hints of her figure were still visible. In fact, in some way the glimpses were more exciting than bare skin would have been. Her wide eyes, dainty nose, and small mouth made a very pretty face. She even had long hair, which Kita found more attractive for most women.

Those weren't the only things he found beautiful about her though. Her rare smiles were great. He hadn't seen it once at school, but Aunt Hikari could get her lips to curl upwards. Kita had gotten a few opportunities during his tutoring sessions. Whenever his jokes managed to make her smile or even giggle occasionally, it was a great victory.

It made him feel like less of a dick if he focused on instead of her tits.

Kirisu-sensei caught sight of him and her eyes zeroed in. She headed to him.

"Hi, sensei," he raised a hand.

"Hello."

"Thanks for the help you gave me. I'm pretty confident about the test I just took."

She nodded. "That's good to hear. Have you spoken with Goto-sensei yet?"

So she was going to get straight to the point. There went his hopes.

"Not yet." At her disapproving look, he added. "But I'm on my way now."

"I hope so. If you're lying to me, I may get your aunt involved."

He winced. "Don't worry, I'm not. See you later, sensei."

"Goodbye." She left.

Kita looked briefly into the teacher's room, but Goto-sensei wasn't there. He moved on to the science classes, assuming the teacher would be there.

He'd been right. Goto-sensei was organizing some papers inside. He looked up when Kita entered.

"Oh, Ki-kun." He seemed a bit surprised. "What brings you here?"

"Actually, I was looking for you, sensei."

Goto-sensei answered carefully. "Really, what for?"

"Well . . . I was reading about gyroscopic precession last night and found it really confusing. Could you help me?"

His caution evaporated and was replaced by the familiar, eager-to-teach smile. "Of course! Gyroscopic precession is always a weird effect when you first see it. Hold on, I'm pretty sure I have a gyroscope in here somewhere."

Goto-sensei went to one of the cabinets and rummaged through it. After a minute, he got frustrated and started moving aside boxes and supplies with a bit more force. Eventually, he made a sound of triumph and returned with a gyroscope in his hand. An object with two interlocking rings, the outer one was a frame and the innermost one was connected to a disk.

He coiled a string around the pole connected to the disk. "Now, I'm going to spin it up and show you what happens." He did so and with a whirr the disk spun up. The outer ring had a thin rod at the end of it at the axis of rotation which he placed on his finger.

It didn't fall over. Even though it was tipped over at an angle, all it did was spin around with the original axis tracing a cone.

Kita had seen it in videos before but it was even cooler in person. Goto-sensei went even further. He made a loop with the string and placed the tip of the gyroscope inside it. Again, it spun around pointing horizontally instead of falling down.

Goto-sensei let it wind down and put it aside. "Alright, that's cool and all, but to understand it we need a little math. It's stuff you've seen before, torque and angular momentum are defined as cross products."

"Yeah, I read a bit about that but I still don't get how that ends up defying gravity."

"It's not defying gravity, gravity is exerting a force which results in a torque. It's just not directed the way you'd expect. Here, let's draw what's happening." Goto-sensei went to the board and quickly sketched the setup of the gyroscope on the string. "When I spin the disk like this, in what direction is the angular momentum pointing?"

Kita widened his right hand for the familiar right hand rule. The position vector pointed there and the velocity vector pointed there . . . "Away from the string."

"Right." Goto-sensei added an arrow at the axis. "But because of gravity, there's a torque." He added a downward arrow. "Which way does that point?"

Kita paused for a few seconds again and answered. "It'll be perpendicular to the line from the spring to the tip of the gyroscope."

"That's right!" Goto-sensei excitedly drew it. "It points like this, which is why it goes spins the string without falling down. Gravity is pulling it, but instead of going down, it results in this motion because it already has angular momentum."

Goto-sensei demonstrated it again with the gyroscope. For the next few minutes, Kita asked a few questions. Like whether spinning it clockwise or counterclockwise changed the effect of the torque.

However, Kita had felt that he'd had a good understanding of this before he'd come in. Goto-sensei had still been helpful with the topic though. He'd cleared up a few misconceptions he'd still had and explained it a lot better than the sources he'd found.

Kita thanked him, but before he left, he began a halted, awkward apology for his behavior.

Goto-sensei raised a palm to stop him. "There's no need. I'm just glad that you've overcome whatever was bothering you."

Kita swallowed. "I appreciate that, sensei. I really do. So it's okay if I come over to ask about science stuff I'm confused about?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Goto-sensei smiled. "Come by anytime."

"I will." Kita left, glad that he hadn't driven away his favorite teacher.

Back then, he hadn't been suffering. No, it was more like he'd been numb. He'd believed that there was no point in him living, no value to his life. That alone wasn't necessarily a reason to kill himself, but what had tipped the balance was the fact that he could relieve his aunt of the task of looking after him. She'd already done so for years and given up so much for him. If he was gone, she wouldn't have to any longer.

Now though, while the thought of suicide wasn't as repulsive as it probably should be, he knew it would be a while before he ever came to such a final decision again.

Chapter Text

During the school year, Jurou tended avoid binging anime. When he really got into one, it ate up all his time and his schoolwork suffered until he finished every episode. If he wasn't careful, it sometimes led to a cycle of finishing and starting new anime. It was different on weekends though. He allowed himself to watch some short series. He could finish twenty-five episodes in three days and two nights easily.

Since it was summer vacation, he'd gotten a lot laxer. Especially now when school was about to start again. He had to fit in as much anime as he could.

Jurou was at his desk finishing up a shonen series with over a hundred episodes. The sheer length had given him second thoughts on watching it even during summer break, but every episode was great. Few were filler and all of them managed to be entertaining.

His bedroom door was closed, but he still heard his aunt enter. There were two voices though and he realized that the second belonged to Kirisu-sensei. He hadn't seen her as often as he used to for the past two months. He didn't need tutoring when there was no school after all. The only times he'd glimpsed her were when she was with his aunt.

They were talking. Jurou couldn't catch their words from here, but he couldn't go out and have sensei see him like this. He hadn't shaved in a few days and had grown ugly, patchy stubble. His clothes were clean but way too casual for her to see him in.

Jurou paused the episode and went to the door. He pressed his ear against it.

"I just can't decide!" Aunt Hikari said. "What do you think Kirisu? I like this one but is it too slutty?"

"I wouldn't say that, but it is very revealing."

"Yeah but it just toes the line, don't you think? It still covers my legs up to here. The riskiness is supposed to be tempting."

"There's no need for that. You're pretty enough without having to show off skin. Besides, do you really want to attract the type of man who'd focus on that?"

"Kirisu, I'm almost to the point that I'd accept any halfway-decent guy." Hikari paused. "You have a point though. I guess I'll save this for some other time. Hold on, I'll get changed."

There was silence for about a minute. Then, Aunt Hikari spoke. "You sure you don't want to head back to your place and change into something else? Those are your work clothes."

"I'm fine with this."

"Alright, if you say so. By the way, what are your expectations for tonight? You could probably get a one-night stand with any guy if you wanted to. Or maybe you'll try for a longer relationship?"

Jurou's eyes widened and he unconsciously pushed his head harder on the door.

"Neither," Kirisu-sensei answered. "I'm not one to go for one-night stands and I'm not pursuing a romantic relationship right now."

Jurou breathed out in relief. He hadn't even known that she was single. She'd never mentioned a boyfriend, but he'd always assumed that she had one. After all, there were lots of great things about her. She was smart, beautiful, caring, and a great teacher. Any guy would be lucky to be with her, and she would have had her pick of them. Hearing that she wasn't even interested in one right now was amazing news.

Jurou closed his eyes. What the hell was he thinking? So what if she didn't have a boyfriend or wasn't even looking for one? What was he hoping for?

Aunt Hikari sighed. "I wish I could be as carefree as you. I'm in my late twenties and finding a good guy seems impossible."

"Don't worry, I'll help you any way I can."

"Awww, I'm so lucky to have you." A few seconds of silence. Jurou guessed that his aunt had hugged Kirisu-sensei. "I just need to take care of something, and I'll be right back."

Jurou heard her approach his room and he jumped back to the desk. He hit play on his laptop.

Aunt Hikari opened the door and he paused the episode again, pretending he'd been watching it the whole time. "Hey Jurou, I'm going out with Kirisu tonight. I know it's still summer break but don't stay up too late."

He nodded. "Okay."

She left, and he went back to his anime. With a relaxed expression, he leaned back in his chair.

\\\\\

Aunt Hikari came back later that night with a lot more noise than usual, and this was a woman who didn't hesitate to announce her arrival with a yell.

It was past midnight when she opened the door singing. It was pure volume, no tone or melody.

"So I saaaay, guys are the worst! Guys are the worst! Who needs 'em! Who needs 'em! Not meeee!"

Jurou got up from his bed, laying his book open with its pages down. He found Aunt Hikari in the hall, but she wasn't alone. Kirisu-sensei was there too. Both were swaying as they walked, concentrating on maintaining their balance.

"Aunt Hikari, why's Kirisu-sensei here?"

"Hmmm? Oh, Jurou!" Hikari's words were sloppy. "Can you accompany Kirisu home? She's even drunker than I am."

"N-no I'm not." Kirisu-sensei hiccupped. Jurou couldn't help finding it incredibly cute. Her drunk face was so relaxed compared to usual that he felt like it was wrong for him to even look at her. "I can walk home by myself."

Hikari laughed. "Look at her! She barely drank at all and she's already like this." She collapsed on the couch and breathed out; her eyes closed. "So yeah, walk her home and wake me up when you come back."

"I can get home by myself. No need to-to bother Kita-kun." Kirisu-sensei used the wall for support as she walked to the door.

"Uh uh, no you can't. Here sensei, I'll help." He let her lean on him and together they walked out. He asked her for her address. It took a few tries, but she was able to sound it out. He typed it into his phone and followed the directions to walk there.

On the way, he couldn't stop himself from taking glances at her. She was completely out of it. Her bleary eyes kept blinking and she stumbled along slowly even with his help.

Her cheeks were red. With her lips slightly parted and strands of hair over her face, she looked so vulnerable. She was definitely drunk, but he didn't smell any alcohol from her. Just a sweet scent that threw his thoughts into disarray if he breathed in too deeply.

He could touch her. She was so unaware of her surroundings and so uncoordinated that she'd be unable to fight back if he tried something. She probably wouldn't even remember it after.

He was a fucking piece of shit.

Jurou bit his lip and turned away. What the hell had he been so happy about earlier when he'd heard that she was satisfied being single? If she wanted, she deserved someone who'd take care of her properly. Who'd bring her home without thinking of using her when she wasn't aware of what was happening. Not some pathetic asshole like him.

"Sensei, would it be alright if I try something?" he asked. "It'll get you home faster."

She nodded slowly.

He lifted her and gave her a piggyback ride. She made a sound of surprise. This was his only option. The longer they slowly walked along, the harder it was for him to avoid his urges.

It wasn't like he was going to rape her. He wasn't an animal, although it would have been a lie if he'd said he hadn't thought about it. And even more to his shame, it excited him.

Still, he was able to control himself. Where his willpower had started to erode was for arguments against only touching her. She wouldn't remember it, so what was the harm? It was so easy to think that way and he'd come way too close to making those thoughts a reality.

Kirisu-sensei was light. Jurou's hands stayed away from her upper thighs but it was hard to avoid thoughts about her soft body pressing against his back.

Jurou marched on, determined to bring her home safely. If someone like him who cared about her thought this way, there were definitely men out there who wouldn't hesitate to do worse.

"Mm, good boy." Her sleepy voice was pleasant, and she patted him on the head. "I'm so proud to have you as a student."

His steady pace was thrown into chaos. "What?"

"So keen and passionate. You're a good student, Kita-kun." Kirisu-sensei's delicate fingers ran through his hair.

Jurou's face felt hot. "Th-thank you." Was all he could say. Her words flustered him more than his own shameful thoughts.

"You're very welcome. So polite too. Why were you so mean when we first met? That wasn't very nice."

"Sorry."

"Good." She laughed. "You're so good at carrying me too, this ride isn't bumpy at all."

"Um, okay . . ."

"And wow, we're almost at my house. You can follow directions really well."

It wasn't a difficult path. In any other case, Jurou would have wondered whether she was being patronizing. Her tone was genuine though. It seemed like she was complimenting anything. She even praised him for walking straight. Although to be fair, that was actually a difficult feat for her at the moment.

Once they reached her building, Jurou set her down. She was light enough that he felt that he could have lifted her up all the way, but instead he walked her up to her door.

Kirisu-sensei unlocked the door. It was dark but he thought he recognized some shapes inside. Boxes and trash bags?

"Thanks for your help, Kita-kun," she said. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, sensei." Jurou waved and she closed the door. He left with a wide smile. Maybe her compliments had just been results of a drunken haze, but he'd still treasure them.

Chapter Text

Mafuyu was on her way to the store today. Last night, she'd realized that she'd run out of trash bags, forcing her to leave some garbage out in the open. It was also convenient as she could use some more pre-made meals.

It was a comfortable sunny morning. A bit of heat still lingered from summer but it wasn't nearly as oppressive as it had been only weeks ago. Fortunately, a nice breeze kept her cool.

She passed by the park and came to a stop when she spotted someone among the trees. Kita-kun. He hadn't noticed her. In fact, he was staring down as he wandered through the grass.

Mafuyu approached. When he was within earshot, she asked. "Are you looking for something?"

He turned his head up and smiled when he recognized her. "Oh, hi sensei. I am looking for something, although I'm having some trouble."

"What is it?"

"Just an eyepiece for my telescope. I thought I put it in my backpack, but it must have slipped out or something."

"Have you been searching for a while?"

Kita-kun smile became a bit more forced. "Just the past hour. It wasn't cheap, but I've been to all the obvious places already, so I'll probably be here for a while."

"Then I'll help and save you some time."

His eyes widened. "Oh no, that's okay. I don't want to bother you."

"You won't be. This eyepiece is important to you, correct?"

"Yeah, it's part of a set Aunt Hikari bought for me."

Mafuyu nodded. "Then it's not a bother at all. Tell me, where have you already looked?"

Kita-kun pointed out the places where he'd set up his telescope. He'd started out there and gone in a fairly straight line, following his path out of the park. As he'd progressed in his search, he'd spread out more.

He knew for certain it was in the park because he recalled checking to make sure his backpack was properly zipped up before leaving. It was likely that he'd forgotten to pack it because he would have heard the metal object hit concrete or asphalt if it had dropped out on his way home. He must have dropped it on the grass and dirt of the park.

She spent the next half-hour going through the park, sharing information with Kita-kun about the ground each of them had covered. It was the longest amount of time she'd spent with him without studying. She tried to keep his mood up with conversation and learned that Kita-kun had gotten his telescope two years ago with his own money. Light pollution was still an issue around town but last night he'd tried to spot a feature on the Moon known as the Lunar X. When sunlight hit this spot at a certain time it was visible as an X for only a few hours.

Despite her efforts, his desperate demeanor succumbed to discouragement with every passing minute, which was unacceptable for Mafuyu. She'd seen behind Kita-kun's usual impassive expression and found a playful young man who made jokes and traded barbs with his aunt, a diligent student who'd excelled under her care.

Mafuyu would have offered much more than half an hour to assist him, but that proved to be unnecessary. She spotted a glint in the grass covered by some leaves, reached in, and pulled out an eyepiece.

She raised her voice to around the level she used for classroom lectures. "Kita-kun, I've found it." She held the eyepiece up, careful not to get specks of dirt from it on her fingers.

He rushed over, his lips spread wide in a relieved grin. "Oh wow, you did! Thank you so much!" She handed the eyepiece to him.

Then, in a display of emotion she hardly would have expected from him, he hugged her. Not tightly, she could have easily pushed him off, but it was so out of place that she could only stand there frozen in shock.

"You have no idea how much this means to me, sensei." Kita-kun's voice, usually a joking or indifferent tone, was now choked full of emotion. "Not just the eyepiece, but everything you've done."

Mafuyu appreciated the words. Truly, she did, and that may have played a role in why she delayed so long in reacting to his hug.

With a push she ended the embrace, removing herself from his arms. "S-stop! This is inappropriate Kita-kun, we're teacher and . . . and student."

She went silent at the look in his eyes. The shock and pain in them made it seem as if she'd slapped him, like they couldn't have come from anything less.

Those emotions disappeared. His features became wooden and he spoke. "Sorry, sensei. You're right. I didn't know what I was thinking."

It was like Mafuyu's first meeting with him, and the few times Fujimura had spoken about him came to mind. How he was cold and indifferent around most people. The sheer difference between that and the Kita Jurou his aunt was familiar with.

That hug must have meant a lot to him. It had to have been a monumental effort to open himself up to her like that and she'd shoved him away.

Mafuyu couldn't tolerate the hug, of course. What she'd said was true. They were student and teacher, but still, she should have removed herself from his arms more carefully. Without such force.

"Bye," he said, and walked off.

She tried to put the words together in an apology. To make up for being so unknowingly hurtful. Yet she couldn't, and he walked off.

\\\\\\

Jurou put the eyepiece in its case and into his backpack. He'd cleaned and polished it until it might as well have been brand-new.

Then he went over to his bed and lied down. He beat his head into the pillow.

"Fucking stupid," he muttered to himself. "What the hell was that?"

The pillow was too damn soft. He should have used his desk and slammed his forehead against it until he never did something as stupid as hugging Kirisu-sensei again.

Jurou barely even hugged Aunt Hikari anymore. It was insane that he'd done it for someone who wasn't even family.

He knew why he'd wanted to hug Kirisu-sensei. He'd been happy, grateful, relieved that he'd gotten his ten-millimeter eyepiece back. But that hadn't been all. He had a crush on Kirisu-sensei. Even so, none of that was an excuse for him to go brain-dead and actually hug her!

Jurou touched his chest, the spot where she'd pushed him away. And why was he so fucking upset about that? She was right. She was a teacher. He was a student.

That was what she should have done.

Chapter Text

"You've done very well, Kita-kun." Mafuyu said. Unlike the usual poised demeanor she maintained during their study sessions, she gave him a small encouraging smile. "You're already working on physics at the university freshman level."

"Thanks," he said. His tone was even.

Mafuyu's smile dropped. Normally, he would have responded happily at a minor compliment from her, but he'd been like this since she'd come over. Calm, restrained, completely business-like. Not even her first encounter with him had been like this. He'd made wry and sarcastic comments then, he hadn't been wholly closed off like he was now.

However, the drastic change in his behavior wasn't a mystery. This was the first time they'd met since she'd helped him find his eyepiece in the park. When she'd pushed him away after a hug.

Mafuyu had expected something like this and had taken steps to rekindle a friendly relationship between the two of them. She'd suggested that they study in his apartment. When they had their sessions in his room, he tended to be more expressive and outspoken than in the library, giving her a chance to make up with him. She'd also decided to work on his favorite subject: physics. She'd even obtained a workbook which had problems that were supposed to be challenging yet could be solved with clever use of algebra and basic calculus.

Personally, she found solving physics problems dull, but the right kind of problem could get an amusing reaction from him. He was genuinely awed by some of the methods described in the answer key. In other cases, when he saw the answers after struggling for a while, he'd shake his head and say it was so obvious now and he should have realized it on his own.

Unfortunately, all of Mafuyu's efforts had failed to get him to open up for the past two hours.

"I think it's time for break," she said. "Is fifteen minutes agreeable?"

"Yeah, that's fine." He pulled out his phone and didn't spare her a glance.

Nevertheless, she would still attempt conversation. "Your eyepiece seemed rather dirty last time, is it okay now?"

"Yes."

"That's good. Have you seen anything interesting with your telescope since then?"

"Not really."

Mafuyu's hopeful expression sagged. She wasn't completely socially inept, she understood that he didn't want to talk. Yet she felt she should make at least one more attempt.

"You enjoy science fiction, correct? Are you enjoying the book you're reading now?" She actually hadn't even seen whether he'd gotten another book, but with him the assumption was almost guaranteed.

"Mhm, it's good." Even then, he didn't look up from his screen.

She gave up. They weren't going to reconcile today. Very well, she'd accept that and return his indifference with the proper formal behavior a teacher gave to a student.

They worked on English next, one of his weaker subjects. She praised him when he did well and corrected his mistakes, but her words lacked any of the warmth or familiarity she'd developed with him.

Kita-kun didn't even bat an eye at her altered demeanor. He just focused as if this were how they usually studied.

Once they finished, Mafuyu rose to her feet to quickly leave. It seemed that he preferred her absence, and her feelings regarding him were likewise.

"Goodbye, I assume I'll see you in three weeks for our next tutoring session," she said when she reached his bedroom door.

"Wait sensei. Actually, there's something important I need to talk you about."

She paused. That was the most he'd spoken to her today uninterrupted. Mafuyu turned and faced him. "What is it?"

He pressed his lips together. He was hesitant, uncertain. He was actually displaying emotion for once. "This is going to take a while to explain, but please hear me out."

"Very well, I will." Mafuyu remained standing and watched him.

Kita-kun met her eyes, contrary to his behavior for the past few hours. "I don't want you to tutor me anymore."

Her mouth was a thin line. Then, she spoke. "Why? Am I lacking as a tutor?"

"No!" His reply was so sharp that she was taken aback. "No, sensei, you're a great teacher. I'm the problem, not you."

"I don't understand. What do you mean?"

This time, he struggled to look her in the eyes. "I-" Kita-kun's voice wavered. He paused before trying again. "I like you, sensei. A lot. I don't want to say love lightly, but that's how I feel."

"O-oh." Mafuyu didn't know how to respond. She'd heard of cases like this, of course, but she'd never dealt with one herself. "Well, I'm flattered. However, Kita-kun, I'm sure you realize-

"Yeah yeah, I know. You're a teacher, I'm a student. I get it." He snorted. "Besides, even if that weren't true, it's not like you'd feel the same for someone like me anyway."

That self-deprecation, she could easily give several reasons to negate it. Kita-kun wasn't unattractive. He had been rather unkempt when she'd first met him, but he was decent-looking when he took care of himself. In addition, he was a thoughtful and driven young man, and if he wished, it shouldn't be too difficult to connect to a girl his age.

Mafuyu should have mentioned one of those reasons, any of them. She would have been able to do so with any other student who doubted himself but with Kita-kun it was different. She didn't want to encourage any feelings for her of course, but even that explanation seem to ring hollow.

He continued. "So yeah, I'm not expecting anything. I'm just telling you that's why I don't want to be tutored by you anymore."

"I'm sorry, but you still haven't explained to me how that follows."

"Yeah, I know, even I'm confused." He took a deep breath. "Okay, the thing is, I thought I'd be able to hold it in. To keep my feelings secret during our sessions. I've been doing that for a while, actually, and I even thought hiding it for years would be easy. But it's not. I realized that when I hugged you. It wasn't just because I was relieved that we found my eyepiece, it was because you were the one who did. I don't even hug Aunt Hikari that often nowadays but I wanted to hug you and I couldn't hold back.

"Sensei, I love talking with you. Even more than when I talk with Goto-sensei. You're not just kind and helpful, you're you. The amazing woman who wanted to make sure a dumb brat like me didn't ruin his chances for a future, who's a great friend to my aunt, who's usually calm and cool and hardly smiles or laughs but lights up everything when she does. I thought it'd be nice to at least get to be with you during our sessions, but it's not. It just makes it worse, and I can't do it. I don't want to have them anymore, and the only reason I'm even telling you how I feel is so you can help me convince Aunt Hikari not to make a big deal out of it. Will you?"

Mafuyu took in his confession and mulled it over. She'd never had any strong romantic feelings for a man, but she saw what he meant. It must be painful to be attracted to someone that he couldn't be with, and even more so if he spent time with that person at regular intervals.

It should be no question that she would agree to his request. The situation of a student being enamored with his teacher was uncomfortable, and this would solve the issue. His crush would likely fade soon.

Yet she didn't agree to it immediately. Not because she was considering a student-teacher relationship. No, most definitely not. The problem was that this would sever their friendship. Their study sessions were held only every few weeks, but she saw him a good deal between them when she spent time with Fujimura-san. His excited updates on his progress with his books or his self-study of physics were a joy to receive. On certain occasions, he could have impeccable comedic timing with his deadpan voice or sharp wit. Even when his jokes fell short, his embarrassment was amusing.

The only other person currently in her life who made her smile as much as him was his aunt. Even then, he gave her the most reason to laugh.

"I understand, Kita-kun. I suppose this is our last study session together. Don't worry about your aunt, I'll speak to her."

"Thank you," he said with relief. More than a little remorse was there as well. "Sorry I was an ass for the past few hours. I just . . . I really care about you, sensei, and I did that because I'm stupid and nervous about telling you how I felt."

Infatuated and nervous. He'd hidden it so well that she never would have guessed. He'd made himself an effective blank slate, but now he was an awkward emotional teenager.

Mafuyu walked forward and held out her hand. "It was good knowing you, Kita Jurou. I'll miss our conversations."

He shook her hand with a smile. "Thanks, Kirisu-sensei. I'm glad you felt that way."

"Goodbye, and make sure you study on your own. Give all subjects your attention, not just the ones you like."

"Don't worry, I will." Those were the last words she heard before she left.

Chapter Text

"I just can't believe the garbage that I have to deal with," Fujimura said. "Two days ago, this dumb bitch loses a medical history form for a patient and tries to blame that on me. I wasn't even on shift that day. She's the one looking after him, and she thinks she can avoid the blame? I managed to convince my supervisor that it wasn't me, but it wasted so much time."

Mafuyu's heart went out to her friend. Working as a nurse had to be stressful enough to begin with, having coworkers like that sounded intolerable.

Harada-san, one of Fujimura's friends, commented. "Wow, I have to deal with some shit at my job, but that's nothing compared to you. If someone messes up like that, we just lose a bit of efficiency, you actually have to save lives."

Fujimura waved the praise aside. "It's not what you think. It's like that sometimes, sure, but mostly it's helping patients recover. Lots of my coworkers are great, but the bad ones are just awful."

Around the table, the other women shared their experiences with difficult colleagues. Amari-san and Saito-san worked in the same office and had many complaints in common. They both agreed on their worst problem, a womanizing middle-aged superior who went unpunished for his behavior due to his friendship with their boss. Harada-san hated another woman at her office who she suspected got bonuses because she was sleeping with a higher-up.

Mafuyu sipped at her tea, which this café had made excellently. She wasn't one for gossip, but they'd given her a lovely afternoon so far. It was no trouble to listen.

"What about you, Kirisu-san?" Harada-san asked. "Any terrible coworkers at your school?"

"No, I've been fortunate enough to have decent colleagues," Mafuyu said. She disagreed with the lack of effort a few teachers put in, but they still fulfilled their requirements and their personalities weren't distasteful.

"Lucky," Harada-san said. "Stay on guard, though. You never know when someone who seems nice turns around and stabs you in the back."

"Oh come on, don't say that," Fujimura said. "I've met some of the other teachers at her school, they are nice."

Harada-san shrugged, although she didn't seem wholly convinced. "If you say so."

A ping sounded. "Sorry, that's me." Amari-san pulled up her phone and read something on the screen. She sighed and her hand went to her forehead. "Genkuro tried cooking again. He sent me a picture of the kitchen, just look at this."

They all leaned forward, and several of them burst into laughter. There were dirty pots, pans, plates, and utensils in the kitchen sink and strewn all over the counter. There were colorful spots on the walls and floor too, no doubt a result of clumsy handling of whatever he'd made.

Saito-san muffled her laughter and asked. "He'sgoing to clean that up, right?"

Amari-san nodded. "After last time, he knows he has to clean up after himself. The problem is that he can't cook."

"He can't?" Mafuyu asked.

"No. I swear there has to be something wrong with his tongue. Something super salty or dry or sweet tastes completely fine to him, and it's not just me, other people agree that they can't handle his food."

"Yep, I've had the pleasure of trying it." Fujimura said. She shuddered. "Never again."

"Plus, I don't know how, but the kitchen stinks for weeks after one of his cooking sprees." Amari shook her head. "I love the goof, but God this really makes me question that."

"Aww, when you make sacrifices like that, you know it's true love." Harada-san patted her on the arm.

Saito-san looked at them with a yearning expression. "You two are so lucky that you found great guys. Ugh, I haven't had a boyfriend in years and it's starting to feel like I won't again. I'm not getting any younger."

"Don't say that." Fujimura touched her shoulder. "You can still attract plenty of guys."

"Thanks, Hikari. At least we're single together."

"Alright, you didn't have to put it like that."

Saito-san grinned. "Sorry. By the way Kirisu-san, you're single too, right?"

"I am."

"Ha. So for once the single women outnumber the ones in relationships. You can't let the majority swing the other way until we all agree to get guys together, okay?" Saito-san joked.

"Don't worry, I'm not interested in any men right now."

"Oh ho, that's admirable confidence," Saito-san said. "I used to feel that way too until a couple years ago. Now I'm about to turn thirty with no hope of a guy in sight."

Mafuyu remained silent. Honestly, Fujimura and Saito-san were too focused on finding men. She didn't plan to stay alone her entire life, but they were still all young women. Why couldn't this companionship between them be enough for now?

"Ease your hearts, we wise women will take pity on you poor single girls and give you our advice." Amari-san said, laying on the sage tone a little thick. "Now, Kirisu-san's workplace seems to have opened up a new possibility for men. Are there any single teachers at your school?"

"Two, actually. One is a widower in his seventies and another divorced his wife and is in his forties. I doubt either are desirable options for you."

Amari-san made a disapproving face. "You're right. I don't think Hikari or Emi are desperate enough for a forty-year-old guy yet."

"Hey!" Fujimura said. "What do you mean 'yet'? I'll get a guy my age before then."

"Right right, sorry, that was a mistake."

"Hmm, let's put the guy hunt on hold for now," Harada-san said. "I've always been curious about something. Kirisu-san, there have to be some students that look like they could grow up into good-looking men. Aren't there?"

"Excuse me?" Mafuyu frowned.

"Come on, Harada, that's kind of messed up," Saito-san said.

"What? I'm not asking her to say they're hot. Some of them have to be as young as fifteen, but the seniors? We're not that much older than them. I'm 24, and it wouldn't even be illegal if I wanted to get into a relationship with the eighteen-year-olds."

"Now you're talking about relationships?" Mafuyu said. "Harada-san, I find this highly inappropriate."

"Maybe it is, and yeah it's messed up in a lot of cases, but there are a few where it turns out pretty well. You can read about them online."

"Huh, looks like your crush on our biology teacher still hasn't faded," Fujimura said.

Harada-san rolled her eyes. "Oh please, I got over him a long time ago. That doesn't mean I've magically forgotten the Internet searches I'd made for real life student-teacher romance. Though I admit that's why I'm curious about what a teacher really thinks of her students."

Mafuyu answered her truthfully. "Yes, there are a few where it seems rather obvious that they'll grow to be attractive. Both girls and boys." Furuhashi Fumino was already established as one of the school's beauties, and it was easy to tell when girls would gather around one of the male students.

She could admit that freely. Besides, physical appearance was hardly relevant to a person's quality. Kita-kun had a wonderful personality, but his future was worrisome with his indifferent, standoffish behavior. He'd alienate most people before they could get close and see his good characteristics.

'What am I thinking?' Mafuyu scowled. Allowing her thoughts to stray to Kita-kun after Harada-san mentioned student-teacher relationships? She didn't even know why he'd come to mind, but she had to eliminate any association of romance with a student.

Thankfully, the conversation had shifted to another topic, easily allowing Mafuyu to distract herself.

\\\\\

Mafuyu knew she shouldn't, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her. It was nighttime, she was in her comfortable tracksuit, and she was searching the Internet with her laptop.

Harada-san had been right. The majority of student-teacher relationships ended badly. The ones in which a teacher approached middle school students or even younger were disgusting, but ignoring them didn't change the trend much.

However, Harada-san had also been right about the few cases that had worked out. Some were even married to this day and had social media accounts with pictures of their continuing relationship. Children weren't rare either.

At first, Mafuyu had denied the reason why she'd searched for them. It was inappropriate, incredibly so, but she'd been curious. Only curious.

Nonsense. As if she would let curiosity motivate her to look into so many examples of actual student-teacher relationships. No, as immoral as it was, she . . .

She wanted one.

Kita Jurou. From her first impression of him, it would have been inconceivable that they become friendly. Yet after spending so much time with him, she'd uncovered an expressive, studious, and caring young man.

He loved science fiction. Ask him about the specifics about recent books he'd read and he could talk nonstop with a twinkle in his eye, a sight so different from his usual empty mask. She normally didn't feel any interest in the bizarre things he read about: telepathic aliens who used multiple bodies the same way humans used multiple fingers, the complicated behaviors of robots who still caused trouble even when constrained by behavioral laws, ships that could outrace light. They were strange, but she enjoyed listening to him speak about them and even the philosophy they opened up for him. His ideas were young and unformed, but his passion was admirable.

It was even more of a treat when he blended science fiction with what could someday be reality. For example, he'd told her about a strange effect of time slowing down when approaching the speed of light, an effect formulated by one of Einstein's theories. A traveler could experience days while the outside world went through years, which had been confirmed by airplanes with incredibly precise clocks and something with particles in large labs.

He was kind as well. It was hard to tell at school, since when she saw him he was usually alone, but it was clear with how he treated his aunt. He did much of the housework that Fujimura was often too tired for. They joked and made jabs at each other, but at any sign of actual insult, such as mentioning Fujimura's single status too strongly, he'd apologize immediately. He truly did seem to be soft, as Fujimura had claimed. Not to mention he was responsible for bringing Mafuyu home safely that night the two of them had accidentally gotten drunk. She was incredibly embarrassed but still grateful for that.

Sadly, Kita also had low self-esteem. She didn't know why, even before she'd been attracted to him she'd thought he was a decent young man. However, his brand of humor included self-deprecating jokes. She'd made sure he knew she disapproved of them which had mostly stopped him from making them, although the occasional one still slipped through.

It irritated her beyond belief when he made such a joke, and while they were different each time, they held the same doubts. They were more than just jokes, but none of her words had convinced him to see himself better.

Mafuyu didn't know when she'd formed an attraction for him, when friendship had turned into more. She'd only known him for half a year, but she held a considerable fondness for him. She didn't know if it was as strong as his feelings for her, but she didn't think so.

A hand went to her chest. He felt strongly for her. She'd been so shocked by his confession that she hadn't realized her joy and relief.

Mafuyu looked to her screen again. Not reading any of the words but staring at the picture of the smiling couple. A teacher who'd married his student after she graduated.

It was insanity. Just because it had worked for them didn't mean it would work for her. It was also immoral. Not in the sense that he was too young, he was more mature than many boys his age, but he was still a student at her school. If they were discovered, it would ruin her.

Yet what about the risks of not trying this with him? She missed conversations with Kita-kun, she missed his presence. It was doubtful she could convince him to reform their friendship, but even then she found friendship alone lacking.

Maybe she should let this die down. Wait until both his and her feelings faded and then try to reaffirm their friendship. It was the reasonable option, the right option.

She hated it. She hated the thought that he might find some other girl in that time, although she should want it as it would show that his feelings for her were actually minor. It could happen even if she decided to wait until after graduation to approach him.

Mafuyu should be rational, but if she were rational in the first place she wouldn't be in this situation.

Something more than reason was needed until she made her decision. Not impulse, but a serious study of her desires and the risks attached. Something which would take much longer.

Chapter Text

Jurou neared Kirisu-sensei's apartment. Usually, today was when they had their study sessions, and that's what Aunt Hikari believed they'd be doing.

Truth was, he didn't know what they'd be doing either. Jurou had asked sensei that they stop their sessions and for her to tell his aunt not to get upset about it. She hadn't though, but only because she'd asked him to hear her out before making the final decision. If he said no, then she'd agree to his request.

Kirisu-sensei's apartment. He'd only been there once before, when he'd brought her drunk self home. He hadn't seen much inside. Why was she inviting him here instead of the library like usual? It was weird, and it didn't give him a clue as to what she wanted.

He climbed the steps and knocked on the door. Kirisu-sensei opened it. He'd wondered whether she'd wear something more casual in her own home, but she was dressed in her usual outfit.

"Welcome, Kita-kun." She said in a formal voice. "Come in."

"Okay." He walked inside, took off his shoes, and looked around. Huh, her apartment was dirtier than he'd thought it'd be. There were cobwebs in the corners and dust all around, this place needed a vacuuming and wipe down.

"Are you looking for something?" she asked.

"Sorry, it's just the last time I was here I thought I saw garbage bags lying around."

"What?!" She stared at him, incredulous. "What would make you think that?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. It's what I thought, although I do think this place could use a clean-up. There's a can and plastic carton next to that shelf." He pointed them out.

Kirisu-sensei rushed over and swiped them up. Her face was red. "I-ignore that. I thought I'd cleaned up better."

Jurou laughed. "You know, Aunt Hikari told me you're disorganized like her. I never believed it until now."

She turned away. "Never mind that. Just sit down in there and wait, I have something important to discuss with you."

Jurou went into the directed bedroom and sat at the low wooden table. The cushion was nice and comfy, and he took a brief look around. There weren't any decorations or personal effects, just a normal room except for a case covered by a cloth.

Kirisu-sensei returned and sat down on his left at the neighboring side of the square table. "Kita-kun, I'm sorry for asking you to come here when you asked for the opposite, but it's necessary. First, I have to ask, did you truly mean what you said before? About your feelings for me?"

Her eyes were so keenly focused on Jurou that he had to turn away.

"Yes, I was," he said. God, it was so embarrassing to say it again.

She relaxed. He hadn't noticed the tension in her body before, but her posture eased and her face softened.

Why? Where was she trying to go with this? He'd thought she'd try to convince him to keep studying with her, not ask him about his crush.

"What I ask may be strange and surprising," she said. "But I want you to consider it carefully. Will you do that for me?"

Jurou nodded. "I will."

"A romantic relationship between a student and teacher is wrong." Slowly, Kirisu-sensei's hands reached for one of his. Her hands were soft and cool compared to his own, her fingers enclosed his. She stared at them before suddenly looking up into his eyes. "However, would you still like to try?"

His mouth hung open. "Wh-what?"

"This is my response to your confession. I return your feelings, I'm attracted to you as well."

Jurou was blown away. He yanked his hand out of her grasp like she'd burned him. This . . . this was insanity. He'd fantasized about stuff like this, but it was actually happening. What?

"Are you serious?" he asked. "This-this isn't a joke or prank or something?"

She frowned, although her eyes were gentle. "Do I seem like the kind of person who'd do that?"

No, no she wasn't. Yet that was more likely than what she was saying.

"But-but you could be fired or something, right?"

"Yes, and I accept that. This means a great deal to me, Kita-kun. If you were to even tell someone about this conversation, you could demolish my career. However, I trust that you won't, regardless of your answer. Which you still haven't given." Her last comment had a desperate edge.

"I . . . I . . ." Jurou struggled to find the words.

Kirisu-sensei's eyes were downcast. "Kita, do you truly have feelings for me? This doesn't seem like the behavior of someone who would."

"Of course I do!" His words gave her a start. He could hardly believe that his hesitation had worried her. "It's just . . . it's all too much. I need to be alone. To think, I'm sorry, I'll be back in a few minutes." He headed straight for her door.

"Wait!"

Jurou didn't even slow down. In fact, the second he left her apartment, he ran down the steps. He kept going through the streets until he had to catch his breath and stop in an alley.

He pressed his back against the wall. Kirisu-sensei liked him back. More than that, she wanted to try for a relationship. What was he supposed to say to that? 'No' was hardly an option, but what if he said yes? He didn't know anything about being a boyfriend.

Actually, would he even be that? Even if he said yes, it still didn't seem right for a teenager like him to be the boyfriend of a mature woman like Kirisu-sensei.

He shook his head. What exactly he'd be wasn't important. What was important was what would happen if they actually started a relationship. Would she still like him after they spent more time together? He had no idea what she could even find attractive about him. What if those reasons faded or she had the wrong impression of him and wouldn't like the real him? The possibility was terrifying.

Damn it! He never thought he'd have to worry about this. When he'd told her how he'd felt it had been to push her away, not to actually lead to something.

Jurou buried his head in his hands. What was he going to say?

\\\\\

When Kita-kun had ran out, Mafuyu had waited instead of pursuing him. She hadn't expected such panic from him. She'd thought he'd either agree happily or decline in order to protect her career. Nothing remotely like the reality.

Mafuyu clasped her hands together tightly. His anxiety had infected her as well. The anticipation in waiting for his answer was agonizing.

He would come back eventually. His backpack was still here.

There was a knock on her door. She stood up and walked over to it. Once she opened the door, Kita-kun looked back at her and she breathed out in relief.

She led him inside and they sat down at her table. His face was calm. "I'm sorry about that. I have my answer now. If you'll really accept me, then yes, I want to try."

A smile spread across Mafuyu's mouth. She reached for his hand. "Thank you. It will be difficult, but I promise I'll try my best to make sure we succeed."

He blushed. She never would have imagined that. Even after piercing through his cold, aloof shell, hardly anything seemed to faze him. Usually, he could handle most things with a laugh.

"Y-yeah, me too." He looked away from their interlocked hands, but also laced his fingers together with hers more tightly. They were warm. After a few seconds, he calmed down and met her eyes. "I have a few questions though. How is this going to work? I mean, we obviously can't date like most people."

She nodded. "Yes, that's true. I've put a good deal of thought into this and we need to agree on a few rules. Firstly, for our dates, we must have them here or travel very far. The latter only rarely. Understood?"

"Yes."

"Good. Also, we can not show any affection in public. That one is serious. If you break this rule then I will punish you severely."

He nodded. "No problem. I can control myself during any public study sessions, and we don't even see each other that much at school anyway."

The reminder slightly damped Mafuyu's elation. "That's true, but it doesn't have to stay that way. If you'd like, you could find legitimate reasons to come see me at school."

"Oh . . . okay, I'd like that. I-I mean, I will."

His embarrassment lifted her mood. It was far more amusing than it should be. "We should also change our tutoring schedule. Meet every week instead of every two or three."

"Yeah, definitely. I'll tell Aunt Hikari that I'll pay for it, otherwise she'd end up paying for us to fool around instead of study. Also, on some Friday nights I like to go stargazing, but I can come here instead and hang out with you."

"That would be nice. Although I wouldn't want to take away from your hobby."

"It's fine. I'd rather be with you anyway."

They talked for hours, trying to come up with more ideas on how their relationship could work. Kita-kun also mentioned that he'd considered going camping to areas with low light pollution for his star-gazing. He hadn't gone out yet, but it would be a good excuse for him to spend more time with her.

Mafuyu told him it would be fine for him to call her Kirisu-san instead of sensei when they were alone. In fact, she preferred it that way, although she didn't state why.

It allowed her to put aside the unethical nature of their relationship.

They spoke for so long that they went over the time for their tutoring session. Mafuyu called Fujimura and got permission to keep Kita-kun longer and give him dinner, which she agreed to.

Mafuyu ordered udon from Ogata's shop. She might have ended her sessions with Ogata-san badly, but their udon was high-quality.

It was also especially nice to share a meal with someone.

The opportunity to speak to Kita-kun again was a relief. His smile and cheer were pleasant. Even more so because if he hadn't said yes, all she would have seen were his apathy and perhaps slight sarcasm. And that was if he interacted with her at all.

Unfortunately, their time together came to an end when they finished eating. His aunt would find it suspicious if he stayed much longer. However, before they did, they exchanged contact information. They couldn't risk someone glancing at their phones and seeing messages from each other, so they agreed to use Line.

Mafuyu had never used it before, so she made a brand-new account with the username 'On the Ice'. Kita-kun grew curious about that, so she explained that she used to ice skate, although she didn't tell him to what degree.

Interestingly, Kita-kun didn't have an account either. She'd expected the opposite from a teenager. He chose the name 'Top Ten' as a reference to his own name.

Finally, he stood out in the hall with his backpack.

"Should I come over tomorrow?" he asked.

Mafuyu appreciated his eagerness but she shook her head. "No, let's take things slow for now."

He was slightly disappointed. Even so, the smile on his face persevered. "Okay, well then, bye."

"Goodbye, Kita-kun."

Before leaving through the door, he approached her again. Slowly, uncertainly, he spread his arms out and around her.

Mafuyu embraced him as well. This close to him, she truly got the sense for how much taller he was. His chest and shoulders were broad, comforting.

A few seconds later, he pulled away with a bright face and left.

She turned back to her closet and confronted the heap of garbage she'd managed through some miracle to conceal from him.

Chapter Text

The Friday following the start of their relationship, Kita-kun came over to Mafuyu's apartment.

"Kirisu-san!" He was so excited to see her that she couldn't help but grin. He set his telescope down and hugged her.

She reciprocated happily. Strange. She wouldn't have thought he was the type to enjoy physical affection so much. He eased into the hug and beamed after receiving it.

Did even Fujimura know this about him? Kita-kun had said he hardly hugged his aunt anymore, so likely not.

Already, Mafuyu was starting to know Kita-kun in a deeply personal way. Such a simple but wonderful pleasure.

"Are you sure your aunt won't find it suspicious that you're out late?" she asked.

"Out with my telescope on a clear Friday night? She'd think it'd be weirder if I said I wasn't going. Trust me, I can stay pretty much as long as I want to."

"Well, I tend to go to sleep around midnight. You could stay until then, but are you sure it's safe to go out that late?"

"Yeah, don't worry, I stay out even later all the time."

"Hm, that's good." Mafuyu looked to the telescope. "Perhaps we should schedule a night out together stargazing."

"Sure."

"For now, come sit down and have some tea. I've also found some couple's activities for the two of us."

He sat down at the table set for them. She'd already prepared a cup of hot tea when she'd gotten the message that he was on his way.

They'd messaged each other everyday since they'd made Line accounts. Even when he hadn't even exchanged a word with her at school the past week, his fondness for her was clear from his regular messages. Twice they'd had hours-long conversations through the app. His messages tended to be the last thing she saw before going to sleep.

"Kirisu-san, I have to ask, do you really wear that suit at home too?"

"Yes," she answered immediately. Mafuyu couldn't reveal her tracksuit to him for the same reason she'd rushed to stuff all the trash in a convenient spot the previous night. She had to show that she was a capable adult, not someone who found laundry or cleaning difficult.

"Huh, sounds uncomfortable."

"I'm accustomed to it, but never mind about that, Kita-kun, I want you to turn your attention to these." Mafuyu reached under the table and revealed the online purchases she'd made several days ago, eager for his reaction. There were multiple board games, puzzles, and craft kits. All designed and recommended for couples who wanted to enjoy themselves indoors. The boxes piled high on the wooden surface.

His eyes widened. "Whoa. That's a lot of stuff."

He wasn't as impressed as she'd hoped. Mafuyu cleared her throat. "Yes, it is. According to what I've researched, these should be perfect for entertaining us."

"Well, I'm glad you did that, but did you really have to buy so much?" He picked up a card game set and looked it over.

"Perhaps it is a bit excessive but look how useful these are!" She held up one of the puzzles. She had to correct his doubts. "One thousand pieces, guaranteed hours of fun. After seeing the same characteristic in so many products, I couldn't help but buy all this."

Kita-kun smiled. "So you're the type of person who goes on shopping sprees?"

Mafuyu crossed her arms and turned away. "Hmph, that's an unfair assessment. My purchases were well-justified."

He chuckled.

"What's so funny?"

"It's just . . . you're really cute when you're upset like that."

"Cute?" Mafuyu asked, making sure she sounded offended. She was several years older than Kita-kun. Him calling her cute should be ridiculous, not something she wanted him to repeat.

He seemed cowed, so he didn't repeat it. "Okay, maybe I shouldn't have said that. You're right, these will probably keep us busy for a while. Can I choose something for us?"

She nodded, pleased that he finally understood the wisdom behind her purchases. After a few minutes looking over and reading the descriptions of the items, he chose a game called Pandemic. They cleared the table and set up the game.

Pandemic had the two of them work together as a team to protect the world from dangerous diseases. They were assigned roles and had to complete objectives while overcoming new challenges dictated by the cards. It was fascinating, and once they got used to it, they had incredible fun playing it.

Over an hour later, they celebrated their victory with a high-five. There was much more to the game though. This victory actually affected future games; their funding would be reduced next time to make it more difficult for them.

"That was great," Kita-kun said.

"It certainly was. What made you pick this game out of the others?"

"I wanted something where we'd cooperate instead of compete against each other. That can come later, when I won't feel bad about crushing you."

"Is that so? You seem rather certain that you'd beat me." Mafuyu had learned quite a bit about board games after tutoring Ogata-san. The girl was a lacking opponent, but that hadn't prevented Mafuyu from gaining considerable skill.

He shrugged. "Hey, maybe I'm wrong and you'll surprise me. Let's save that for next time though."

"Understood."

Kita-kun's eyes strayed to her covered trophy case. she'd covered it up.

"Is it okay if I ask what that is?" He pointed to it.

"Certainly. Let me show you." Mafuyu stood up and pulled off the white cover. "These are all the awards and accolades I received back when I was a figure skater."

His lips parted as his eyes focused on the pictures and trophies. "Wow, when you said you used to ice skate, I never thought it was like this. You must have been amazing."

"Many others said so as well." Looking at it again forced a number of emotions to bubble just under the surface. Mafuyu kept them contained and stayed cool. "Unfortunately, this now merely serves as a reminder of my regrets in life."

His awe for the trophy case dropped. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked about it."

"No, it's fine. I should be apologizing for mentioning it with such a tone. It's not all bad, it holds another purpose as well." She turned to face Kita-kun. "You're very fortunate to possess both talent and passion for science, and I say this both as a teacher and someone who cares very much for you. Please continue on that path, I don't want to see you making the same mistakes I did."

"Hmm, I don't know . . ."

"Kita-kun," she warned.

"Okay okay, I will. I have to correct you though. I don't really think I have any talent for science. I'm better at it than most other people because I like it and spend my free time studying it."

\\\\\

The next day, Jurou went to Kirisu-sensei's apartment again. Since it was a Saturday, they had a legitimate study session before moving on to their date.

"You were incredible!" Jurou couldn't praise her more. Last night, he'd found videos and articles of her ice-skating career when she'd been his age. Young and just as beautiful as she was now. "I assumed you quit because of an injury or something, but according to what I read you just decided to stop. Is it okay if I ask why?"

Her expression when she'd looked at her trophy case had been unreadable, but it definitely hadn't been good. He didn't want to be insensitive, but it should be okay to ask, right?

She stared down at her cup of tea, deep in thought. "I didn't hate figure skating, but I wanted to go another direction in my life."

"Becoming a teacher?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Really? What made you choose that instead?"

"It wasn't a well-thought-out decision. I admired one of my teachers and wanted to be like him, so I put aside all the effort and time I'd put into figure skating and pursued a teaching degree."

"Is that what you meant by regrets?"

Kirisu-sensei nodded. "I gave up my talent and didn't succeed in my goal at teaching. As a teacher, I'm merely adequate. I can't connect or help students the way he could."

"What?!" Jurou grabbed her hand. "That's not true at all. You're an awesome teacher!"

She pulled her hand back and gave him a small smile. "Thank you, but for one, no good teacher should have a relationship like this with one of her students."

Jurou brushed the point aside. "Maybe, but in every other respect, you're great. Even before I started feeling this way you helped me out a lot. Way more than you think."

"If so, then I'm glad, but I can't consider myself a successful teacher in my current situation. I know what most students think of me, the distant ice queen. My reputation alone deters students from even coming to me, and I've even failed to help some who I have spoken to."

Jurou was at a loss for words. What could he say that would make her bitter and disappointed tone go away? How was he supposed to help?

Fucking damn it. She'd agreed to return his feelings, she'd given him so much happiness in just one week, and he couldn't even comfort her? No. He had to fix this.

"That can't be right," he insisted. "Who were the failures?"

"I'm sure you've heard of them. Furuhashi Fumino and Ogata Rizu."

His eyes narrowed. "The two geniuses? What happened with them?"

"I tutored them." Kirisu-sensei explained how in their first year, she'd been assigned to help them in their struggling subjects. They'd insisted on pursuing subjects pretty far from their skillsets. Furuhashi wanted to study astronomy while Ogata was interested in psychology.

"That's unexpected, but what's wrong with wanting to study something else? They don't have to do what they're good at."

"True, but they struggled with their desired subjects. I tried to help them at least get passing grades in science and literature, but that was still a monumental task. My repeated suggestions to save themselves pain and pursue their talents were ignored. Perhaps that was to be expected, but I had to try. It only led to failure."

"Is there a possibility that you didn't? You're not tutoring them now, maybe they changed their minds and you just don't know it."

"No," she said. "Even now they're being tutored by one of the other teachers of the school and haven't realized the difficulties they'll face if they continue with their behavior." Kirisu-sensei sighed.

"Frankly, sensei, it doesn't matter what you say." Jurou said, specifically calling her sensei instead of -san like she'd asked. He had a good idea why she wanted it that way. Calling her sensei stressed how wrong their relationship was, but he had to say it now. "You're a great teacher. You teach well, you have lots of great studying techniques, and you helped me improve and get interested in subjects I ignored."

It was the best he could do. Just a blunt statement on how he thought of her.

Then he added. "I love you."

Kirisu-sensei's eyes widened before she faced away. "I-I'm aware of that. It makes you biased. Even if I were a bad teacher you would likely say such things."

"No I wouldn't. I'd just keep my mouth shut. I've thought of you as a great teacher since our first tutoring session, and back then I didn't even like you that much."

Her lips pressed together. "That's . . . that's enough about my qualities as a teacher. Thank you for your compliments, but I don't want to discuss it anymore."

"Okay, but if you even hint that you don't think you're a great teacher, get ready for an argument."

"Very well."

Chapter Text

Top Ten: Cloudy out tonight. Can't say I'm going stargazing, and I usually don't go out on Friday nights for anything else. 

On the Ice: Your aunt would find it suspicious, is that right?

Top Ten: Yeah, but I really want to meet tonight. Can I come over?

On the Ice: I don't think we should risk it.

Top Ten: It's not that big of a deal. I'll just give her some excuse and be on my way.

On the Ice: Wait. Listen to me.

Jurou groaned as he waited for her next message. Kirisu was just as polite and formal on Line as she was when speaking. Normally, he found it a cute quirk but right now the delay between messages was killing him.

On the Ice: We've done very well at staying secret, but that's only because of our strict adherence to our rules. We can't risk any suspicious behavior.

On the Ice: If we want to meet more often, we need to do change our habits in a slow progression. Your aunt has mentioned worries about you being a shut-in, I believe she'll make note of behavior like this.

Top Ten: Come on, you're being paranoid. It's been a week and we've hardly seen each other.

On the Ice: I know, but we'll spend plenty of time together tomorrow. I'm sorry but be patient.

Top Ten: Fine. I'm going to be busy the next few hours so I might not answer again tonight.

Jurou tossed the phone onto his bed and opened his computer. Truthfully, he didn't have anything to do besides watch anime or read, but he didn't feel like talking to her right now.

Okay, maybe he was being petty. Kirisu had a point, it was best to play safe.

That proper, distant tone in her messages though. He might not have felt this way if he'd discussed it with her in person but it was like she wasn't even all that upset.

Jurou scowled and forced himself to stare at the computer screen.

\\\\\

The next day, Jurou had a tutoring session. It was still cloudy, but that didn't matter. He'd messaged Kirisu and confirmed that they'd spend the afternoon and evening together. Aunt Hikari's late shifts really worked to their advantage too, allowing them to extend their 'study sessions' by hours.

He arrived in front of her door and knocked.

Kirisu called out from the other side. "Yes, who is it?"

"It's me, Jurou," he announced.

"Kita-kun! What are you doing here so early?"

"Um, I'm only early by five minutes," he said. Although if he could have gotten away with it he'd have come a good deal earlier.

A pause, probably to check a clock. "You're right! W-well, I'm sorry, but I'm unprepared at the moment. Can you wait a few minutes? We'll go to the library."

Jurou frowned. "The library? Why there? You promised we'd do it here."

"I know, but there are certain-Eeek!"

The door flew open and nearly hit Jurou in the face. Kirisu came running out, her face an image of terror. It was so surprising that he barely even registered the fact that she was wearing a red tracksuit instead of her usual clothes.

"Kita-kun! Kita-kun!" She clutched his arm and pulled him down with unexpected strength. He stayed upright but she didn't make it easy.

"What is it?" Confusion and concern were at the forefront of his mind.

"Th-that insect! I saw that insect!"

"Insect? A bug? You're freaking out over a bug?"

Kirisu was so scared that she wasn't even offended. "You have to get it!" She pointed inside, shaking with fear.

"Alright, I will. Calm down." With more than a little regret, Jurou pulled his arm free. When he'd realized that it wasn't anything serious, he'd noticed the softness of her chest against his arm.

Jurou walked inside and came to a stop. "Kirisu-sensei, what the hell happened?"

All over her apartment were bulging black garbage bags with even more trash lying around. Bottles, cans, empty food containers. Somehow, a shelf had tipped over and spilled its contents on the floor. Books and papers were piled almost a meter high in some spots.

While he processed the bizarre sight, Kirisu had recovered a bit and said in an embarrassed tone. "Never mind that, the insect is what's important."

"Really? I think finding out who set off a trash bomb in here is more important."

"Kita-kun . . ." It was impressive that she achieved a menacing tone even though she'd clung to him for dear life a few seconds ago. She hadn't even entered her apartment.

"Okay, but you gotta tell me where you saw it. Searching through all this for a bug is impossible."

"My room," she said with a shudder. "It was in my room."

He walked inside her bedroom and was greeted by more of the same. Garbage and disorganized clutter. He grabbed a magazine from a pile and rolled it up. It took a few minutes of poking and probing, but he found a cockroach and smacked it.

Jurou walked out. "Don't worry, it's safe now." Pretending as if he'd just come out of a life-or-death battle.

She entered the apartment with a slow, wary steps. "Are you sure?"

"Well I killed the cockroa-

"Don't say it!"

He gave her a questioning look, really?

Her serious expression stayed steady.

Jurou sighed. "Alright, well I killed one of them. Though I wouldn't be surprised if more were hiding in this mess."

Kirisu tensed. Her eyes went around as if just realizing that the garbage would attract and hide insects.

"You're looking dangerously close to burning this place down," Jurou commented.

Through her terror, she managed a frown. "Don't be ridiculous. I wouldn't do such a thing, but . . . would you help me clean this up?"

"Sure. Can I get an explanation for what happened first?"

Kirisu looked at the ground, her face pink. "I . . . am not very good at cleaning."

Jurou waited for her to continue, but that was it. "'Not very good at cleaning?' This is more than that, it's unbelievable. If someone had shown me a picture of this-

He held his tongue. Her head hung low and had gone lower as he'd spoken.

Shit. His first instinct had been to say something hurtful. He had to work on that, especially around her.

He began again. "It's messy, but nothing we can't clean up. Let's get to work."

They spent the next hour cleaning up her apartment. The goal wasn't to get it pristine, Jurou hardly ever cleaned anything to that extent. He just wanted it to be reasonable, cleaner than he kept his own bedroom but not necessarily by much.

Kirisu, like she'd said, wasn't very good at cleaning. She was clumsy. When he hadn't been looking, she'd tripped over the vacuum and sent papers flying. However, those were only minor setbacks, not things which would have continually stopped her from cleaning. She could carry trash bags and reorganize things fine.

"How did it get this way in the first place?" he asked.

"I don't know." She said it like it was one of the greatest mysteries in the world. "Sometimes I say that I can put it aside for a little while and clean it up then, but every time it turns into an unmanageable nightmare!"

Jurou recalled the ridiculous amount of games she'd bought and the contents of the trash they'd sorted through. He had an idea why.

"It's because you're buying so much stuff and letting all the packaging pile up. Seriously, what's with all the novelty items?"

"They provide useful functions! This, for example, was rated highly as a backscratcher." She held up some long weirdly shaped instrument with spikes at the end of it.

"Yeah, well you need to throw out all the garbage from stuff like that. Not just those, but all the food containers too. I noticed a lot of delivery and convenience store food. How much do you cook?"

"Cooking . . . is not something I excel at."

Jurou tilted his head and narrowed his eyes.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing, I'm just surprised. You usually seem like a woman who could do anything."

She frowned. "Well, I'm not. Are you disappointed?"

"No, it's just unexpected. Like your clothing, I never would have expected you to wear a tracksuit."

Kirisu tensed and looked down at herself regretfully. "I would have preferred you to see me dressed as usual."

"Is that what you usually wear at home?"

"Yes."

"Then it's fine. If you're comfortable in it, then I want you to wear it. Also, there's a really hard to describe appeal to it."

Her current appearance was a good deal different from her usual polished look. Her hair still had its side braids so she must have worked on it this morning but it wasn't completely neat and combed. The stray strands of hair around her shoulder and face made her look slightly disheveled and cute.

Damn, he was lucky. How many people could say they'd gotten to see her this way?

\\\\\

"I'm sorry, but I won't be able to see you tomorrow," Mafuyu said as Kita was packing up to leave. "I have plans with your aunt."

He smiled. "That's fine. I had a lot of fun today."

"Then . . . I'm glad." Was her uncertain reply. Goodness, today had been humiliating. Kita-kun seeing the usual state of her apartment, helping her clean, and even cooking a meal for them. It had been a simple dish, but he'd made enough to last her for days.

She'd known it hadn't been feasible to hide how she really was, but she'd hoped to keep up the charade for a while longer. That insect had ruined everything.

"We'll still talk tomorrow, right?" He waved his phone.

"Of course."

"Then I guess I'll see you around at school." Kita came in for his usual goodbye hug.

She spread her arms. Before him, she'd rarely engaged in such close physical contact even with close family members. Mafuyu valued her space, but she'd come to enjoy embracing him.

However, instead of hugging her, he stopped short by several centimeters. Then, he leaned down, his mouth slightly open.

Mafuyu froze for a moment but recovered and met him partway into the kiss, tilting her head so their noses wouldn't bump. His eyes were open and nervous. She closed her own to make it less awkward.

He was still. Expected from a teenage boy and it was reminiscent of the few kisses she'd had from her dates when she was younger. She held his chin and adjusted the angle of his face to make it more comfortable. He made a surprised sound and tasted of mint.

Had he prepared for this? How adorable.

Mafuyu ended the kiss, moving back with a smile on her face to show he'd done well. "I'll miss you, Kita-kun."

He was bright red. "U-uh, yeah. Me too, I'll miss you too." He walked out the door in a hurry.

Mafuyu chuckled. Goodness, he could always make her laugh.

Chapter Text

On a Friday morning, an electric shaver buzzed as Jurou pressed it against his chin. He hated the way he looked with facial hair, so he had to shave at least every two days to keep it in control. Nowadays it was more like once a day to make sure it was smooth.

His annoying sideburns were growing too. He shaved away at them, but it was always awkward looking in a mirror to groom them. The twists and movements of his hand were reversed in the mirror.

Finally, Jurou took a comb and ran it through his hair.

"Ooh, what's the occasion?" His aunt asked from outside. "You going to impress a girl?"

"What?" Jurou almost dropped his shaver but he managed to act unphased.

"You heard me. Who's the girl you have a crush on?"

"Nobody. What are you talking about?"

"Really? You seem to be putting a lot of effort into your hair and face recently."

"Maybe I just felt like a change."

Aunt Hikari shook her head. "A big change for Mr. 'I don't care' who'd go to school with an unkempt beard if he could properly grow one. Now you keep it baby smooth, and you never combed your hair either until recently."

Jurou scowled. Now that she said it out loud, it was obvious that she'd notice his sudden change, but what other choice did he have? He couldn't let Kirisu-sensei see him with the same indifferent approach to his appearance.

It was painful to remember how he'd looked when he first met her. Even now, looking in the mirror, he had to acknowledge that it was a miracle that she found him desirable.

He shrugged. "Okay. Think whatever you want. I'm going to school." He walked out of the bathroom to the door, quickly putting on his shoes so he could leave.

"Good luck with her!" Aunt Hikari said as he walked away.

Jurou hunched his shoulders. Damn it, he knew he was blushing. If he'd been facing her, she would have found his denial even less believable.

\\\\\

Mafuyu sat down on the couch. She was going to watch a movie. Since it was a Friday night, she had the time, but she hardly ever used it for a movie.

Tonight, however, was an exception. Kita had come over and suggested that they watch a movie. He'd even brought popcorn and snacks for them to enjoy, likely to make it closer to a normal date at a movie theater.

However, Mafuyu found this far more comfortable. Just the two of them relaxing on a couch with a blanket draped over them.

It was unfortunate that Kita had needed to help her clean before the two of them could begin. Mafuyu had tried her best to handle it on her own, but somehow the garbage would build up to unmanageable levels at the slightest drop in vigilance.

Thankfully, he hadn't been upset by the delay. He'd assisted her with a smile and gotten her apartment clear.

Kita kneeled at her TV, inserting the disc. "Kirisu-san, you're not bad with horror movies, are you?"

Mafuyu thought on it. "I wouldn't know. I don't watch many of them. Are you a horror fan?"

"No, but since it's around Halloween, I thought it'd be a good idea. Don't worry if you get scared, I'll be right here."

"Noted."

Kita turned off the light and went under the covers beside her. He reached for her hand and held it.

An hour into the movie, Mafuyu was completely captivated. The story was interesting and well-paced, and the dialogue was intriguing. Although what she was most impressed by were the effects. How had they managed to get such twisted inhuman features on that possessed woman's face?

"Fuck!" Kita jolted back at the jump cut to a close-up of the woman's face. His hand squeezed Mafuyu's.

"Are you scared?" she asked. The possessed woman's friends had succeeded in restraining her and were discussing what to do, so Mafuyu felt it was fine to talk to Kita during the scene.

"No."

"That's not a very convincing lie."

"Okay, come on, that was a cheap jump scare. Anyone would have gotten scared of that. Why weren't you?"

"It's too fascinating for me to be scared. The makers of this movie should be proud by how vivid their effects are. The music also fits it perfectly."

Kita stared at her, just long enough for her to feel self-conscious before he leaned back with a sigh. "Whatever. Let's just watch the movie."

Mafuyu watched him for a few more seconds. Had she upset him somehow? She considered bringing it up again, but the possessed woman's escape captured both of their attention.

Several minutes later, Kita's mood seemed to improve. He even laughed at a few later scenes, although she wasn't sure what was funny about them. His sense of dark humor was difficult to understand at times.

Two hours later, he turned on the lights and stretched his legs. "So? Did you like it?" he asked.

"Very much so. I think we should do this regularly."

"Okay. There are plenty of lists of good horror movies online. I'll bring another one over a week or two from now."

Mafuyu nodded, already excited for the next one.

Kita glanced at her, shook his head, and chuckled. "I can't believe how badly my plan failed."

"Your plan?"

He shrugged. "I wanted to get you scared so you'd cling to me."

Mafuyu blinked and leaned back. "I'm surprised how open you are with your intentions. Even if we've started dating, isn't that rather soon?"

"What, hugging?"

"Oh, that's what you meant."

"Yeah, what else would I mean?"

Mafuyu squirmed in her seat, she was incredibly uncomfortable with the direction this conversation was headed. "Don't make me say it."

"Wow Kirisu-san, you must have a dirty mind if that was what first came to mind."

"You-" She frowned at the grin at his face. Kita truly was far too brazen. She was a good deal older than him. He shouldn't tease her so often.

"Really though, I wasn't trying to get anything more than our usual hugs, even if it was a bit sneaky. Although it looks like I'll be the scared one clutching you out of fear, is that okay?"

"No."

His smile dropped. Perhaps this would teach him that she could tease back.

She continued. "If you're not actually scared, you can't use that as an excuse for intimacy. However, depending on where your hands go, honesty will work fine. Come here." She patted the spot he'd been sitting in.

Kita wore a happy and obedient expression as he sat down.

"Now lean back." Mafuyu pushed him until his back was against the arm of the couch. Then, she turned around and leaned back herself. She rested on his chest and settled his hands on her stomach. "One wrong move and this ends."

"There's no way I'd risk ruining this." Kita nuzzled his face against the top of her head, an unexpectedly comforting sensation. "Thank you."

She closed her eyes. "Mmm. How much time is left before you have to leave?"

"Thirty minutes, I think."

"If you'd like, we can stay like this until then."

"Really?" he asked. It was incredible how much joy his voice held for something so simple.

For the next while, they didn't talk about much in particular. Mafuyu mentioned a few grievances she had as a teacher, unruly students or the insensitive actions of colleagues, and Kita listened with a wonderfully sympathetic ear.

They passed the final few minutes of their time in silence. A surprisingly comfortable one. Normally, Mafuyu would have considered it a loss unless they spent their time actively doing something, even talking. However, merely sitting on a couch together was satisfying and an enjoyable change of pace.

She should have realized that Kita was fine with silence. He was usually such a quiet boy.

Chapter Text

"I'm so glad that you're more open to clothes-shopping now," Fujimura said. "It's just so much fun teaching you how great it can be."

Mafuyu nodded. "I agree. Buying new styles of clothes has an appeal that I never realized before."

The two of them had picked out a few things already, but their trip to the shopping center was far from over. Mafuyu had come here with Fujimura multiple times, but it wasn't until rather recently that she'd had the motivation to improve on her wardrobe.

A motivation that she could not share with Fujimura. That Kita loved seeing Mafuyu in something as simple as a tracksuit, and she had to see his reaction when she actually put effort into choosing her clothes.

A shameful thought. Especially when Fujimura was right beside her, but it was still one Mafuyu entertained with anticipation.

"Hey, what do you think about this?" Fujimura held up a dress with a floral pattern. "Would it look good on me?"

"Certainly. You should try it on."

She smiled and hung the dress across her arm. "Alright, I'll save it for the dressing room. Let's find some more stuff."

After ten minutes, both had gathered multiple outfits that they wanted to judge. Mafuyu had combinations of blouses and pants with a few shorter skirts that showed a decent amount of her legs. Fujimura had been more varied with dresses, trousers, and jackets. Winter was approaching, but their desired clothing wasn't suitable for it.

"Hey, is it okay if I ask you something about Jurou?" Fujimura asked.

Mafuyu went still. Fortunately they were in separate dressing rooms so Fujimura couldn't see. "Yes."

"Thanks, so have you noticed him getting close to any girls at your school? I'm a hundred percent sure he has a girlfriend he's hiding from me."

"No, I see him from time to time but I haven't noticed anything like that." Which was the truth. "Are you sure he has a girlfriend?"

"Kirisu-san, he might seem the same as always during tutoring sessions or at school, but at home it's a way different story. He shaves and checks his hair all the time and he's always messaging someone on his phone laughing and smiling. Actually, his whole gloomy persona has gone through the window. He's so damn happy that it has to be a girlfriend, I'm sure of it."

A smile spread across Mafuyu's face. After all, why should she restrain it when nobody could see her?

It was a relief to hear that she'd had such an effect on Kita. She'd been worried that she couldn't give him the relationship he wanted since they could only meet for a few days each week and had to otherwise hide entirely. It had been difficult to avoid thinking that he might be happier with a girl his own age.

Mafuyu focused on keeping her delight out of her voice. "If you say so, I haven't seen anything."

"Well if you do, will you promise to tell me?"

"I promise."

\\\\\

This was heaven on earth. Jurou's hands were on Kirisu. One on her upper back, the other behind her head and pulling her in with only the slightest amount of pressure. Her hands were on him as well, arms resting on his shoulders and meeting behind him.

They were kissing, and Jurou still couldn't believe his luck. They were kissing, and Jurou still couldn't believe his luck. After he'd made his move a few weeks ago, Kirisu had become open to his approaches for longer periods of kissing. He was always the one who initiated make-out sessions that always lasted at least several minutes, but that was fine. She freely gave out small pecks on his lips.

He'd never brag, but he felt proud of his improvement after his first awkward kiss that she'd fixed by taking control. It was expected that he'd get better though. The intimacy in these kisses went way beyond their tightest hugs. It wasn't just the feeling of her soft lips and hints of her amazing body, but also her scent. It drove him wild. Beneath the sweet shampoo and soap there was a hint of something undeniably her.

Kirisu pulled back, disappointing Jurou but he assumed she was taking another breath. Once she paused, he couldn't be too upset at the sight of her flushed face. The new yellow pajamas were a nice change from her usual tracksuit too.

"It's good that you're trying to use your tongue," she said, her voice breathy. "But try moving it more slowly. It's not exactly pleasant when it darts around so quickly."

Jurou nodded. "Okay." He'd been disheartened by criticisms like this had first, but he'd realized that they were good. He wanted their kisses to be at least as good for her as they were for him. He went in for another kiss and she leaned forward to meet their lips. He angled his head, the memory of bumping noses way too awkward for him to repeat.

Jurou used just his lips at first, moving them the way he'd been taught. They separated to breathe again, it always felt like it was cutting their kisses too short. She caught her breath first, as usual, but it wasn't long before their lips met again. This time, he ran his tongue across her bottom lip.

She moaned. It was higher and lasted longer than it ever had before.

Holy crap, it was like she'd sent him into overdrive. He wanted to let loose, to attack her with abandon, to press her body and lips against him with all his strength.

Jurou's hands went stiff and he broke off the kiss. Kirisu waited, panting just like him and probably equally as red-faced. Her hair slightly messy after his hands had run through it. Kirisu's new pajamas weren't sexy in the traditional sense, they didn't reveal much of her figure or skin, but the sheer variety made it so much more arousing than he would have thought.

He took in her wet lips and realized there was a string of saliva still connecting them to him

That was the final nudge that sent him over the edge. He wanted to fuck her. He was so hard and his pants were tight.

He'd felt this way before, but never this strongly. He'd even masturbated earlier so he could control himself better but that had hardly helped to stamp out his desire. In fact, all it was doing now was making his erection slightly painful.

Jurou had to calm down. No matter how much he wanted it, he wasn't ready for sex with Kirisu yet. He'd only recently gotten confident about kissing, messing up sex would be a thousand times worse.

There was another reason though. He had so many fantasies about her that he couldn't risk doing something and ruining their relationship.

Like rape fantasies. Fucking hell he had rape fantasies about her. Not often, and not usually when he thought of her sexually, but they happened.

It made no sense! He loved her. He didn't want to hurt her. He couldn't stand the thought of her being sad or upset, he'd do whatever he could to fix it. Yet sometimes it excited him when he thought about forcing himself on her with her being unable to do anything about it. Especially if he imagined her shedding tears and letting tiny sobs out as he thrust into her or crying out when he slapped her face or ass.

Not just that, but wild fantasies like being able to control her mind. Wondering what it would be like if he made her a sex slave, someone whose body he could use freely.

They were varied and wild, but they were fantasies. Jurou wasn't concerned about losing control and attempting to make them real. No, what he was more concerned by was if he took it too far in the heat of the moment. If he hit her or rammed her or forced her down.

"I-I think we should take a break now," he said.

Kirisu nodded. "Okay, if you want. You're very passionate, Kita-kun."

"Mmhm."

"That reminds me. We have an important matter to discuss. I was talking with your aunt the other day and she believes you have a girlfriend you're hiding from her."

Jurou scowled. Well, if anything was going to distract him, that would do it. "Yeah, I know. It's been really annoying. Don't worry, she has no idea about us."

"That's true, but we have to solve this. She's already noticed some altered behavior from you. We can't have her prying and finding out about us."

"What can I do?" he said, his voice tinged with irritation. Aunt Hikari teased him about him on a regular basis. "She doesn't believe anything I say."

"Then . . . perhaps you shouldn't use words." Kirisu looked down, thinking. "Do you know any girl you could convince to pretend to be your girlfriend and break up with you?"

He gave her an incredulous look. "Okay, even if that idea didn't sound contrived and I did know someone, I'm not a good enough actor to make it work. If I were, we wouldn't be having this problem."

Kirisu's expression fell. He should have argued against the idea more gently. "Then what are we supposed to do?" she asked.

Jurou thought for a few seconds, then his eyes widened as an idea emerged. "Actually, I think I might know. You're right, words aren't the way to convince her."

"Really? How do you plan to do it?"

"Um, I'd actually rather keep it secret. If it ends up working, I'll tell you. I don't want you getting your hopes up for nothing though if it fails." Truth was it was a bit hard to explain and kind of embarrassing, but he hoped his reasoning sounded semi-believable.

"That's fine, Kita-kun. I trust you. Do what you think is best."

"Thanks."

"Now, have you had a long enough break?"

"Huh? Whoa!"

Kirisu pounced on him and pushed him on his back. She laid across his body, her hair falling down on his chest and she placed a kiss on his lips.

"Your aunt explained how you've changed since we started this relationship. You should know, Kita-kun, that you've made me very happy as well."

His face went red. "I-I-

Kirisu smiled, amused by his embarrassment. "This should be a novel experience for you. Kissing with one of us on top of the other. I hope you enjoy it."

Chapter Text

Jurou was ready. Slices of lemon on his desk. A speaker prepared to play sad music at high volume. The lights were off too, even though it was nighttime. He needed to set the mood.

All those things would work together to make sure Aunt Hikari would stop pestering him about his supposed girlfriend. His denials were weak and ineffectual, so to make sure she never suspected anything going on between him and Kirisu-sensei he had to take these measures.

He checked the time. 7:23 pm. She should be coming home soon.

Jurou took some lemon juice and rubbed his eyes.

"Agghh!" Damn that hurt! He'd expected it, but still.

After a minute he checked himself in the mirror. Good, there were tears coming out of his bloodshot eyes. He threw out the lemon slices, and the next step was to lie down in bed, his head buried in the pillow. The speaker was connected to his phone. With a tap, a song about heartbreak began playing.

Now, it was time to play the waiting game. As he did, Jurou rubbed his face on his pillow to get it wet and checked repeatedly to make sure his eyes stayed red. Thankfully he hadn't rubbed too much lemon juice in his eyes so they started to feel better. They couldn't feel too much better though, otherwise they'd recover too quickly.

Ten minutes later, Aunt Hikari came in the house. Jurou thought he heard her voice, but he couldn't tell what she said over the music.

"Jurou? Jurou?" Her words became discernable as she got closer to his room. She opened the door to find him face-down in his bed. She went over to the speaker and turned the music off. "Jurou, what are you doing?"

"Nothing. Go away." Jurou used the most annoyed and heartbroken voice he could muster.

"Burying your head in your pillow doesn't seem like nothing." She stepped over to his bed. "Come on, get up and tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing! I just want to be alone. Go away!" Jurou glared at her.

"No." Her tone softened and she sat down on the bed next to him. She began stroking the back of his head. "Oh Jurou, tell me what happened."

"I don't want to talk about it."

She stayed silent for a while until she guessed "Is it about a girl?"

"There is no girl."

"Alright, I guess I was wrong these past few weeks then. But if it's not about a girl, what is it about?"

He sniffled to play it up. "You . . . you weren't wrong. There was a girl, but there isn't anymore. I screwed up."

"No Jurou, don't think like that. Want to tell your aunt what happened?"

"No."

"Okay, that's fine then," she said in a soothing voice. "Can you sit up for me?"

He pushed himself up and then she pulled his head to lean against her shoulder. She cradled him with her hands and began rocking back and forth. "Wow, you've gotten big over the years. Remember when I used to do this for you when you were a kid?"

"Mmhm."

"There, there, your aunt understands heartbreak well. I know it hurts now, but you're a good, smart young man. You'll find the right girl for you eventually."

Sincere, heartfelt tears welled up behind Jurou's eyes. There was a stab of guilt for lying to his aunt like this, but it was necessary to protect his and Kirisu-sensei's relationship along with her career.

"No I won't. Nobody will like me," Jurou said. Not long ago he'd actually felt that way. In fact, he was still surprised by Kirisu-sensei's attraction to him.

"Now don't you dare say that." Aunt Hikari whispered harshly. "I won't let anyone insult my nephew, not even you."

For the rest of the night, until they went to sleep, he stayed quiet in her embrace. However, the plan wasn't finished yet. For the next few days, he'd return to his sloppy grooming habits to make it seem like he really was heartbroken. Then he'd go back to taking care of his appearance again, making a habit of it so she wouldn't think he'd found another girl.

\\\\\

"Thanks for meeting with me," Fujimura said. "I have something really important to talk to you about."

"No need to thank me," Mafuyu said. They were sitting indoors by the window in a café. The afternoon sun shone through and gave the place a warm décor which was comforting given the approaching winter. Fujimura had a cup of coffee while Mafuyu had ordered tea. "What do you need to talk to me about?"

"Have you noticed any girl Jurou happened to get close with at school up until a few days ago?"

Mafuyu cleared her throat. Calm. She had to stay calm. This is what she and Jurou had planned. "No, I haven't. May I ask why?"

"Ah, I don't want to reveal too much, but Jurou's gotten really upset over some girl trouble. He won't give me any details so I was wondering if you could help me."

"Sorry, I can't."

Fujimura leaned back and sighed. "Guess I'm going to have to deal with a moody teenager for a bit longer."

"That sounds unfortunate. Even at the best of times Kita-kun isn't easy to handle."

"You have no idea, Kirisu-san. Actually, it's so bad that I don't think he'll be in any state to have his tutoring session with you this week. You should cancel it."

"Very well, if you say so." Mafuyu wanted to say that Kita would be perfectly fine for the session, but she couldn't think of a way to say so naturally. It was unfortunate, but they'd have to skip their date this week.

She and Fujimura chatted for a while longer. Even though Fujimura had claimed to want to keep Kita's situation under wraps, she shared some of the difficulties in dealing with adolescent moping. He was neglecting his hygiene and loafing around the house, tight-lipped and grouchy. From the sounds of it, he was playing his role well.

After they finished their talk, Mafuyu contacted Kita on Line.

On the Ice: I just finished speaking with your aunt. It seems like she's fooled.

Top Ten: Great!

On the Ice: Perhaps too well. She cancelled our session this week.

Top Ten: ! Tell me this is a joke.

On the Ice: It's true. We won't be able to have our date this week.

Top Ten: I'll miss you. A lot. I might actually die of heartbreak now.

Mafuyu smiled. He was such a silly boy.

On the Ice: Don't exaggerate. We may still be able to glimpse each other at school.

Top Ten: That's not the same.

On the Ice: True. Although it helps. You certainly did look different with a growing mustache and unkempt hair.

Top Ten: Gaaah! Please! Don't look at me for the next couple of days! Even if it's to fool Aunt Hikari, I don't want you to see me like that.

That brought a short laugh out of her. Truly, he'd brought so much mirth in her life.

Chapter Text

"Don't worry, Kita-kun. I'll get us there quickly," Mafuyu assured him.

"Th-that's good but remember that we have to get there!" He yelped as she took a turn. Admittedly it was a bit rough, but the screeching of the tires had been minimal. There had been no need for such a reaction.

"I'm surprised. You were so eager to go on this date with me. Why do you want to delay it?" She faced him. His excitement had given way to an odd countenance of fear.

"I don't want to delay it, but I still want us to be alive to date. Please, Kirisu-san, watch the road!"

Mafuyu did. "Hmph." It was true that her current driving was a bit more reckless than usual, but surely he understood that it was warranted. What had happened to their shared keenness for this date?

It was Christmas. An auspicious time for couples, and even more so for the two of them as it was the beginning of Ichinose Academy's winter break. They'd both agreed that it was of paramount importance that they take this opportunity to go on a date. They were heading to a city fifty kilometers away from the school in order to minimize the chances of anyone recognizing them. It was quite far, which was why she wanted to get there in a hurry.

Mafuyu glanced over at Kita, who was clutching the door with his eyes shut muttering prayers. And he'd once told her he wasn't even religious.

Her thoughts then turned to the fact that she was going on a Christmas date. She'd never gone on one before. Actually, considering Kita was her first boyfriend, she'd never gone on any dates before meeting him. Embarrassing. This wasn't like their previous dates. How was she supposed to make this special for him?

She didn't have too much longer to ruminate on their plans for tonight. After a thirty-minute drive, they arrived at the town and she parked at the mall they'd searched up online.

Kita breathed out in relief. "Kirisu-san, I don't know if I'll be able to survive the trip back."

"Do not worry, I will ensure that you receive a proper burial."

He stared at her, gaping. Then he grinned. "You better."

She looked away. What had come over her, to respond in such a way? Perhaps she'd spent too much time with Kita and his jokes. His aunt's sharp tongue had likely influenced Mafuyu as well.

"R-regardless, I still don't appreciate your criticism of my driving," Mafuyu said. "Now wait here as I put on my disguise." A pair of fake glasses. A hat to conceal her head and part of her face, and finally she tied her hair in a ponytail. She turned to him and asked "Well?"

"Hmm, you'll probably fool most people from a distance, but if anyone we knew got close they'd definitely recognize you." He stared for a few seconds and said, "Love the ponytail, by the way."

"Thank you," she said. "Before we go, I want to ask you something. Jurou-kun, how would you feel about being on a first-name basis from now on?"

His eyes widened. "First-name basis? Really?"

Her cheeks burned, and she was comforted to note that Jurou had also turned red. "I thought it would be fitting, given the holiday. Although of course we will have to be careful and use last names around other people. But for today, and whenever else we're alone, let's use first names."

"Okay, I'm down for it. Thank you, Mafuyu-chan."

"Excuse me?" Her gaze turned cold and menacing.

"Mafuyu-san! Sorry, sorry, I meant Mafuyu-san."

She calmly assessed whether his apology contained an acceptable level of fear. As he grew more and more nervous, she then spoke "Let's go."

They left the car and walked out in their winter clothes. It wasn't far to the mall, so they held hands along the way.

Truthfully, it was exhilarating. Mafuyu was frightened by the thought of being caught, but she was out in public with Jurou. What a joyous occasion!

"Mafuyu-san, hypothetically, how long would it take until it became okay for me to call someone -chan?"

As they entered through the doors, she said. "It depends on the individual. However, when dealing with those older than you, even those you're very close to, it may be a very long time before it ever becomes agreeable."

"Then I guess I'll have to stay close to anyone older than me for a long time."

Mafuyu paused in her step. "I hope you do, Jurou-kun."

He beamed so widely that she had no choice but to answer back in kind. For the first part of their date, they just walked around and marveled at the decorations. The Christmas lights shone bright and colorfully, and the green wreaths and red ribbons were a delight. Nice Christmas music played in the surroundings and the scores of other couples hand-in-hand provided a warm sense of camaraderie for Mafuyu.

"Hey, Christmas cake," Jurou stopped them by a store. "Want to get some?"

"Yes." They walked in and ordered. Nobody batted an eye at the teacher with a student, not even the cashier they spoke to. The disguise was impenetrable.

They took a table outside the store and ate their slices of cake. After a few bites in, Mafuyu noticed Jurou watching her with a pleased smirk.

"What is it?" she asked.

"You have a little cream on your lip."

"Oh. Thank you." She dabbed at her mouth with a napkin.

"You know, I would have really liked to lick it off of you."

"Jurou-kun!" Mafuyu scanned the nearby tables. Thank goodness, nobody else seemed to have heard.

"What? Didn't you say that you liked how I use my tongue?" Jurou let a hint of pink peek out between his lips as he took a bite of cake.

She shook her head. He really was a bad influence.

Once they finished eating, they continued exploring. For some strange reason, Mafuyu's attention was drawn to a crane machine.

"You like stuffed animals?" Jurou asked as she led them to it.

"Not particularly. It's difficult to explain, but I feel the urge to . . . to respond to the challenge declared by this machine."

"The challenge-wait what?"

"As I said, difficult to explain." She took a few coins out of her purse. "Now let me attempt to earn some prizes."

Her first three attempts ended in failure.

"How long are you going to keep trying that?" Jurou asked.

She whirled around and said "Perseverance is vital to a virtulife. Until I succeed, we will not leave."

When she failed for the fourth time, she glared at the machine with an inordinate, but she felt nevertheless justified she felt, degree of hatred. There was some strange fish doll that she didn't even care about that much, but for the past two tries she'd almost given it the freedom she knew it desired.

"So I guess you're going to try another time?"

"Correct."

He walked over and patted her on the shoulder. "Well then I'll support you all the way. You're going after that fish, right? Go get him, I know you can do it!"

With his words, Mafuyu surged with a passionate fire. "I will!"

The machine's weak-gripped, dastardly claw could no longer obstruct her. It grabbed the fish doll and deposited it out for them.

She held it up. "Look, Jurou-kun! This is the product of our efforts!"

Jurou held out his hands and when she handed it over he cooed and rocked the doll like an infant. "The product of our love. We'll name her Mafurou."

"Wh-wh-wh- " Was nothing sacred to him? She stopped sputtering and grabbed the doll. "You will do no such thing!"

He erupted in laughter at his inappropriate joke. He truly needed to be disciplined. For the next while, as they roamed the mall, Mafuyu clung to the doll and merely glared as Jurou pouted about not being able to hold hands.

"Will you make such jokes ever again?" she asked.

"No, Mafuyu-san."

"Good." She interlaced their fingers again. His hand was big and warm, a pleasant feeling to return to.

They found a bookstore, and Mafuyu insisted on buying a book for him.

"Seriously, Mafuyu-san, you really don't have to. I'll buy whatever I want on my own."

"As a working adult, it would be shameful of me not to get at least one gift for a partner who's currently studying. Jurou-kun, I want to. Don't worry about the price. As long as you like it, I'll buy it for you."

He smiled. "Okay, I will."

As they explored the shelves, he would find books that he'd already read and flip through them. A reminiscent look came over him as if greeting old friends. From time to time, he would tell her about his favorite ones.

"Oh, Rendezvous with Rama, this one was fun," Jurou said. "Basically, an empty alien spacecraft enters the solar system for a few days and then leaves, and while it's here humanity sends explorers to learn about it. Lots of interesting ideas about how we might build space habitats in the future and work as a multiplanetary species."

"Sounds nice."

When Jurou found another book, his smile was melancholic rather than excited. "Flowers for Algernon. This one was absolutely beautiful." He flipped through the pages.

When his eyes glistened, Mafuyu asked, "Jurou-kun? Did it really affect you that much?"

"Yeah. I just-it's a story about something I want so bad and losing it. Now though, I truly understand its message about what really matters." He pulled her in for a hug. It was a public display she usually wouldn't have approved of, but he'd become so emotional and they were hidden between the shelves. No one would see.

He pulled away. Then, after giving the book a lingering look, he placed it back on the shelf.

Jurou wasn't just interested in science fiction. As expected, he found nonfiction fascinating as well. "Cosmos! Carl Sagan's books are the best."

"Is this what you want?"

"Um, I'm not sure. Sorry, you must be bored just following me around," he said with uncharacteristic embarrassment.

"Not at all." Mafuyu found his enthusiasm for books heartwarming. Not to mention that as a teacher she wished that more students had his passion for knowledge.

Eventually, he picked a different book. A physics book by a professor written for readers at the high school or early university level. After they bought it, he turned it over in his hands with an excited smile.

"Thanks, Mafyu-san. I really appreciate it," he said.

"You're welcome."

Before they left, they bought some hot chocolate to warm them up in the cold. One sip of the sweet, smooth liquid sent pleasing tingles of heat through her. Jurou also made pleased sounds as he drank from his cup.

Once they entered the car, she took off her disguise. The glasses and hat came off, her hair came loose. Meanwhile Jurou spent an excessive amount of time securing the cups in the cupholders and making sure the lids were tightly closed. It was nice that he was making sure her car wouldn't have any stains, but surely he didn't need to be so cautious?

"Have you finished yet?" Mafuyu asked.

He eyed the cups closely, still unsatisfied. "This is as good as we're going to get. You sure you don't want to take a few more sips? It'll make it a lot less likely to spill."

"There is no need. I will drink more when I wish to."

"Okay, I guess I'll just hold them down myself during the drive."

It was another thirty-minute drive. Despite Jurou's outcries, Mafuyu made sure the trip was interesting with some tight turns and swerves. Although his warnings of sloshing in the cups did restrain her slightly.

She wouldn't have minded some conversation with him, but he was too preoccupied to offer more than a few words at a time.

Mafuyu parked a few blocks from Jurou's house to make sure no one would see them. Once they came to a stop, he leaned his head back against the seat. "You know, Mafuyu-san. I think I'm adjusting to your driving. It's kind of sad, I don't think I'll ever be able to enjoy another roller coaster again."

"How rude, comparing my driving to a roller coaster."

He chuckled. "Well, it's good that it got us here fast, can't deny that."

Mafuyu nodded, pleased that he was finally seeing the benefits of her method.

After a few moments, she laid her hand over his. "Jurou-kun, tonight was wonderful. I'd love to see you again soon."

"It was great for me too, Mafuyu-san." He leaned towards her, his eyes closing. Mafuyu smiled and met him halfway.

They locked lips. For a second, Mafuyu wondered how long he'd want to make the kiss. She soon received her answer as his tongue lightly brushed against her lower lip, asking for permission. She opened her mouth wider to let him in and moaned as he entered her.

She didn't know long they stroked each other with their tongues or caressed each other's lips when she pulled back for breath. His face was flushed, and she was certain it mirrored hers.

He approached her again, and her own desire had been stirred to the point that she was eager to reciprocate. They had another hot, passionate kiss and she pulled away giggling.

"Splendid, Juro-mph!" Without warning he'd lunged forward and planted his lips on hers. His hands were on the back of her head pulling her in. She couldn't pull away. One hand was reaching down her shoulder.

How far was he planning to go?!

"Jurou-kun!" Mafuyu had to use a great deal of force to push him off.

They were both heavily panting, their faces red from exertion. In his eyes, Mafuyu saw an urgent need. A burning desire just barely being curbed.

He was a teenage boy. Usually when he had that sort of look, Mafuyu was flattered. She'd often been called a beautiful woman and the compliment meant the most from him. Yet now it had become something frightening.

The lust faded from Jurou's eyes. He leaned back in his seat. "I . . . I'm sorry."

"You-you need to be more careful. Remember, you're much stronger than I am."

"Oh shit, I didn't hurt you, did I?" His genuine concern and ashamed tone made her forgive his language and his behavior immediately.

"No, but I'm not comfortable kissing you if you do something like that again. Not without me consenting to it first."

He nodded. "Yeah, one hundred percent. Won't happen again."

"Good." She leaned forward and gave him a small peck on his lips. Pleased that he was following what she'd told him, she smiled. "I love you, Jurou-kun. See you again."

He grinned back, his mood lifted. "I love you too, Mafuyu-san. Bye." He opened the car door and left with his book.

Chapter Text

"Happy birthday, Kirisu-san!" Fujimura lifted up her cup of beer for a toast, her words slurred.

"Happy birthday!" Her friends, Hamara and Amari sloppily cheered and raised their cups as well. Saito was slumped against Amari. It seemed she'd drunk too much to cheer with them, but she still managed to lift an empty hand and groan.

This was the third time they'd congratulated Mafuyu that night. The alcohol was the clear culprit for their forgetfulness, and she was glad she'd avoided the beverage like the plague, only drinking water.

Even so, for some reason she felt a little woozy. How? She'd made sure to take a small sip first each time she raised the cup to her mouth. There had only been that one small mix-up of taking Amari's cup by accident. Could she really be so affected from that single mistake?

Mafuyu shook her head to clear her mind. She had to stay level-headed in order to appreciate this event. She'd never celebrated a birthday with friends before, they deserved a proper amount of gratitude.

The food helped. They'd invited her to a hospitable sukiyaki restaurant, reserving their own room, and all of them had eaten their fill of beef from the dish. In fact, Mafuyu still found it hard to believe just how gluttonous alcohol-enhanced appetites could be. She'd lost track of the number of times servers had come and gone with plates scoured clean of food.

Mafuyu ate some noodles and tofu from the sukiyaki hot pot. Delicious.

"Kirisu-san, come on, drink with us," Fujimura said.

"No thank you. I need to drive later."

"That's no fun. It's your birthday, you should get to really celebrate. You can just get a taxi later. That's what everyone else is doing, right?"

"Yep!" Hamara answered. "Me and Saito are going to share."

"Huh, Amari. Why aren't you going with them?" Fujimura asked.

"B-because Hamara threw up on me last time. I remember." Amari took a deep gulp of her drink.

"Hey, you threw up too!" Hamara said.

"Only because you did it first!"

As they continued their argument, Fujimura told Mafuyu. "Okay, maybe a taxi isn't such a good idea, but just one shot can't hurt. Right?"

"I truly would prefer not to," Mafuyu said. Besides wanting to avoid being drunk on principle, she had plans tonight which required her to be sober. After Jurou had shone a light on her susceptibility to alcohol with harsh, realistic assessment of her tolerance and body weight, it had been impossible to deny it any further.

"You were so nice the last time you drank though." Fujimura swayed from side to side and grinned. "You give really nice head pats."

"Well there's nothing stopping me from doing it again."

"Yayyy!" Fujimura's arms shot up in victory while Mafuyu stroked her head. After a second or so, they slumped down. "Hmm, it's not the same as before."

"Excuse me, I have what you ordered." A male server came in carrying a cake.

"Hooray, it's here!" Fujimura said. "Hamara, Amari, stop fighting and look! Saito, get up!"

Saito was shaken out of her stupor. Her eyes went wide. "Mmm, that's a good-looking cake."

It was. Fluffy and white, with strawberries and chocolate sprinkled on it. They had candles prepared to show her age, 26 years old. Once the candles were lit, they asked the server to turn the lights off. In the dark, they were all bathed by the flickering orange glow of the flames.

Together, her friends sang.

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday Mafuyu-san

Happy birthday to you

With their claps and cheers in her ears, Mafuyu blew out the candle. She hoped for the granting of her dearest wish: that she and Jurou continue their relationship without issue, especially before he graduated.

They dug into the cake, concluding the celebration. After they were done, there was still enough cake for a few slices. Mafuyu had the remaining amount packed and as they left and said goodbye to the others, she offered to drive Fujimura home.

"No way," Fujimura said. "I can't impose on you like that on your birthday."

"It wouldn't be an imposition at all. We live rather close to each other, and I truly want to thank you. I wouldn't have even be able to enjoy this party if it weren't for you."

"Still . . ."

"Truly, it's no trouble at all. Let me drive you home." It wasn't absolutely necessary for Mafuyu's plans to drive her home, but it was highly preferable.

"Alright then, I appreciate it."

Once they were inside the car, Mafuyu's phone rang. She asked Fujimura to wait while she took the call.

"Hello?"

"Nee-sama! Truly, it is disgraceful that I'm not there to celebrate your wondrous birth with you. Please forgive your selfish younger sister!"

Mafuyu sighed. She loved Miharu, she really did, but her sister could be exhausting at times. "I believe we already discussed this. This is an important time for you to train, and I understand that."

"Oh, I am truly blessed to have such a kind and generous older sister. Even so, even so-" Miharu sniffled. "How I wish I could be with you."

"As do I."

"Thank you. On another note, have you received my gift yet? It should have arrived earlier today."

"I think so." In truth, Mafuyu wasn't sure. There were quite a few unopened packages in her apartment, including a few she'd received today. "But I haven't opened it yet."

"Then I shall wait patiently for your reaction. Please call me when you open it."

"I will. Goodbye, Miharu. I love you."

"And I love you as well, dear sister!"

Once the call ended, Mafuyu drove to Fujimura's house. At first she started out slow, only ten or so kilometers an hour over the speed limit in case Fujimura felt the urge to vomit. However, her reaction was completely different from expected.

"Wheee!" Fujimura raised her arms and enjoyed the ride, giving Mafuyu the confidence to drive as she normally did. It meant a good deal more to Mafuyu than she could know. Now, if only Jurou could react more like that.

In a few minutes, they arrived at Mafuyu's house.

"Wow, that was fun." Fujimura stepped out of the car, and promptly expelled her dinner onto the ground. "Blergh!"

"Fujimura-san! A-are you alright?"

The drunk woman wiped her mouth and waved away her concern. "It's fine. It's fine. Sometimes you just have to accept that this is what happens after you drink."

"There may have been another factor involved besides how much you drank tonight," Mafuyu said, wondering perhaps if she should change her driving habits.

"Well, it doesn't matter. Time to return to home, sweet home." Fujimura took unsteady steps towards her house.

"Here, let me help you." Mafuyu came out to help steady her friend. With Fujimura holding her arm, she guided her to their front door and knocked.

Jurou answered it. "Oh, it's Aunt Hikari with Kirisu-sensei. Hi."

"Hello, Kita-kun." Mafuyu resisted the urge to call him Jurou-kun. "I think your aunt needs some help."

"Yeah, sure looks like it. Don't worry, I'll take care of her." With ease, he leaned his aunt up against him.

Fujimura pointed at his face. "Not a damn word, brat. Not a damn word."

"Okay, Aunt Hikari. By the way, happy birthday sensei. See you later."

"Likewise, Kita-kun. Goodbye, Fujimura-san."

He closed the door and she returned to her car. Instead of starting it, she waited in the seat patiently. Ten minutes later, she received a message from Jurou.

Top Ten: Aunt Hikari's out cold. Coming out soon.

A few seconds later, he exited the house and came up to her car with his telescope and backpack. Once he got in, he said "Hmm, chunks of puke next to your car and Aunt Hikari's terrible breath. I wonder, are these two things related?"

"Jurou-kun, we have to be careful. Are you sure your aunt's asleep?"

"A hundred percent. It's a ritual with her. After she drinks, she collapses on her bed pretty much dead until the next morning, which is when her hangover makes her actually wish she was dead. Besides, even if she does wake up during the night and notices I'm gone, I'll just say I went out with my telescope." A fire lit in his eyes. "I'm not going to let anything come in the way of this opportunity. How lucky is it that your birthday is only a few days after Christmas? This is going to be the best winter break ever."

Mafuyu smiled in agreement. "Very well then, I'll believe in you. Let's go."

As she started the car, for a moment his determination wavered. He clutched the seat. "And so it begins again."

After an enjoyable zoom through the streets, they arrived at Mafuyu's apartment. Once she opened the door, Jurou was witness to the clutter that had inexplicably piled up.

"I . . . I have tried cleaning," Mafuyu offered a weak explanation.

"It's alright. Today's your birthday, so I'll clean up by myself while you relax."

"Thank you. Feel free to try some cake after you're done." She left the cake in the kitchen and headed to the bedroom to change. She'd worn a dress tonight instead of her work clothes, and while it was nice, she wanted the comfort of her tracksuit again.

There, all done. Now it was time for her to wash up for the night. In the hallway, she spotted Jurou hauling garbage bags.

"Is it going well, Jurou-kun?" she asked.

"Yeah, I was skeptical at first, but it actually is easier than last time. Good job."

She grinned. It was simple praise but more than enough to delight her.

Twenty minutes later he was finished cleaning and they sat down in front of her TV for a relaxing night. She'd had enough rowdiness with her friends.

They had a romantic comedy planned. Interestingly enough, neither of them had held much interest for the genre before their relationship, but now it was exciting to watch stories of couples overcoming any obstacles to their love.

Before that, however, Jurou was going to give her a birthday present. He took a box with colorful wrapping out of his backpack and handed it to her. "Happy birthday, Mafuyu-san."

"Thank you." Whatever it was, she would be sure to cherish it.

"I think it'd be a good idea if you opened it now."

She unwrapped the paper without the smallest tear. Once she opened the box, she was greeted by cleaning supplies and a book on how to form cleanly habits.

Silence. He looked at her with such an honest smile that she couldn't discern whether or not this was a joke. Finally, she asked, "Are you mocking me?"

His smile dropped. Not a joke then. "What? No. I get why you might think that, but this is serious. Mafuyu-san, I don't know why, but you have a big issue with cleaning your apartment. You're getting better, but this could still help a lot."

She sighed. "Understood. You are right, it is a problem I must address. Thank you."

"Alright, now let's see that cake you promised me." He went to the kitchen and she followed to get him a clean plate and utensil. Once he saw the cake, he asked, "Huh, did Aunt Hikari get this for you?"

"I'm not sure if it was her or one of the others. Why do you ask?"

"Vanilla cream with strawberry and chocolate. It's a lot like the ones she gets for me."

"Is that so? I told her that I liked this kind of cake, it seems that we share the same taste in birthday cakes." She noted the information for later.

"Yeah, I guess. Looks good." He carried the cake to the living room while she set up the movie. She sat on the couch while he was on the floor by her coffee table.

Jurou finished his cake a few minutes into the movie, and Mafuyu asked him, "Could you come up here so we could watch this movie together?"

"Sure." He sat next to her.

"Actually, could you lay down? Make sure your head is comfortable and you're able to watch the movie."

He did so. "Okay, kind of weird that you want me like this."

"Not weird at all if you allow me to do this." She laid beside him and wrapped his arms around her. His chest was on her back and their legs brushed against each other. He was big and warm, like a bear.

"A-are we going to watch the movie like this?" he asked.

"Yes, unless you have any objections?"

"No."

She took the remote and pressed play. For the next while, she savored the experience of being held by Jurou. He was like a cocoon of love suffusing her very being with his tenderness and care.

However, roughly an hour later, she realized something. Jurou was leaning back into the couch, away from her. She tried to get closer to him, but she felt something poke her bottom.

"Oh!" She jumped up. His hands had been around her stomach, and the bulge in his pants confirmed her assumption of what had poked her. "F-forgive me, Jurou-kun. I didn't realize."

He sat up and turned red. "No, no, I should be the one who's sorry. I can't believe . . . oh God. Just, can we please forget about this? It'll go away soon, let's just sit apart for a little while."

Go away. It would go away. The response she'd caused without even trying. That look in his eyes had emerged again, the one she'd seen only a few days ago on their date. It was mixed with shame, but there was no hiding that deep yearning.

The deep yearning for her.

Mafuyu blushed even deeper. The pounding of her heart filled her ears. "Jurou-kun. I'm sorry for embarrassing you, but . . . I don't mind it."

"You don't?"

"I don't. In fact, I want to help you."

He was taken aback, but his desire had been enflamed. She could tell. "Help how?"

Yes, how? As Mafuyu stared at the bulge in his pants, she found that she couldn't even bring to mind the image of . . . of it entering her. At this point, she was too unprepared to even touch it. She knew that about herself, loath as she was to disappoint him.

She sat down by him and said, "The thought of you relieving yourself to the thought of me is-is-" she forced out the words "-I find it exhilarating."

"You want me to touch myself in front of you? I'm not sure I can, it's too embarrassing."

Yes, that was true. While the temptation to see his hard penis was strong (what a scandalous thought that was!) it wouldn't be fair to embarrass him further.

She reached out to his face and pulled him in for a deep kiss. Once they separated, she looked down to check that it had worked as intended. His erection was still fully maintained.

"Could you go to the bathroom and do it?" she asked. "I'll kiss you as much as you like before you go. Oh, and please don't lock the door. I promise not to look, but I want to give you something to help."

He broke into laughter. A nervous response rather than his usual amused one. "Holy crap. Mafuyu-san, I never thought you'd ask for something like this."

"I must admit that I didn't either. Now, will you do it? I would very much appreciate it for my birthday."

"Sure, sure." He stood up and adjusted his pants.

Together they walked to the bathroom. Just before he went inside, they kissed again. This time their bodies were pressed close together and she could feel him poking her in the stomach. She made sure to push her breasts onto his chest, he'd stared at them often enough for her to realize how much he enjoyed them.

"I feel like I'll blow the second I touch it," he said once they separated. His lips were wet and he was breathing heavily.

"Just keep yourself excited for at least a minute, I promise I'll bring you something which will enhance the experience greatly."

He nodded and went in the bathroom. Mafuyu went into the bedroom to prepare. As she did, she couldn't resist the urge to rub her knees together.

Goodness. Only a few feet away Jurou was masturbating while thinking of her, and she'd asked for it!

\\\\\

The night was crazy. Jurou had never seen that look on Kirisu-sensei's face before. When they kissed, she was enthusiastic. Her face would get red and she would laugh and smile but there wouldn't be any serious arousal. Not like there was now.

Jurou pulled his pants down and started stroking himself, aiming over the toilet. Kirisu-sensei was just too fucking hot. How could he avoid getting hard when her curvy body rubbed against him and her sweet scent was right in his nose?

At first he'd wanted to die when she figured out that he'd gotten hard. He'd been so sure that she'd freak out and get mad at him, but she'd blown away his expectations.

Where was this relationship headed now that she'd asked him for this? His imagination ran wild. Would they be touching each other soon? Using their hands, mouths, could he ask for a titjob? What would it be like for her those soft globes to be wrapped around his dick?

What about sex? How soon could he expect that from her? There were a few positions he'd seen in porn. Would she be willing to try them out?

"Jurou-kun, here." Her voice nearly made him jump. Thankfully, instead of her watching him, only her hand reached in through the door. She was holding her phone.

"Um, okay." It was a bit of an awkward shuffle to the door with his pants down. He took the phone from her.

"I hope you like it," she said and then closed the door.

He went back over on the toilet and then looked at her phone. His jaw dropped the picture on the screen.

Kirisu-sensei with her tracksuit unzipped in the front and her boobs hanging out. They were perfection in the flesh. Just the smallest amount of sag to contrast the fake boobs he'd seen online and topped with small pink nipples. She was blushing, but she'd still done it for him.

God he loved her. Curious, he swiped and saw that she'd taken another picture. This time her arm was under her tits, pushing them up.

Jurou wanted to feel them, grab them, pinch them. He wanted to take them in his mouth and suck and nibble on her nipples. He wanted to hear her moan under him as he played with her breasts and shoved his dick inside her pussy.

With a grunt, he came, spurts of semen fell into the water. He didn't think he'd ever cum so much at once before. His breathing was heavy too and his heart was racing.

That had certainly been an intense masturbation session.

He put his pants back on, zipped up, and washed his hands. He left the bathroom and was greeted by Kirisu-sensei waiting for him.

"Mafuyu-san, here you go," Jurou handed her phone back.

She accepted it and asked expectantly, "Did you enjoy the pictures?"

He grinned. "Loved them. Is it alright if you send them to me so I can see them again?"

"No! Think, Jurou-kun. Imagine the scandal it would cause if someone found those kinds of pictures of me on your phone."

Ah, right. That was disappointing. She was right though, it was too risky. "So you're saying I could have naked pictures of you if it was safe?"

Her eyes widened. Then she cleared her throat and evened her expression, pretending to be nonchalant. "If you wanted, then yes."

"Okay, I'll remember that. By the way, Mafuyu-san. You look like you'd really like some relief right now, I'd be willing to help."

"What? What do you mean?"

He pointed at her chest. "I can tell you're not wearing a bra right now. You're looking pretty perky."

She looked down and gasped. Her hands shot up to cover her chest and she glared at him. "You certainly seem to have recovered your wit."

That was true. Cumming had really cleared his head. His nervousness had evaporated and his arousal had been sated. Her body was still enticing, but now he could appreciate her long legs, curvy hips, round ass, and big tits more calmly.

"Anyway, want me to help or not?"

She looked at him, interested. "Are you planning to take pictures of yourself to show me?"

"I can if you really want me too, but I don't think a flabby penis is going to be all that attractive. Not that it's much to look at when it's erect. The point is, I'm willing to do more. Even use my mouth, as long as you teach me how."

Her eyes had been drawn to his lips at that, but then she promptly turned away. "That wouldn't be fair."

"That's fine. It's your birthday. You just gave me the best orgasm I've ever had and I want to return the favor."

She was actually considering the offer. Crap, his bravado was fading now that his suggestion might become reality.

"I accept. To the bedroom, then," Kirisu-sensei led him to the bed and they sat down on it with his back against the headboard and her back against his chest. "I am not comfortable with baring myself before you, but you may touch me as you like."

She took his left hand and pulled it into her tracksuit. His heart was thudding against his chest like a drum. Her right breast was soft and warm, more than a decent handful. He squeezed.

Kirisu-sensei moaned. The sound as sweet as honey. "E-enjoy yourself. Now give me your other hand."

He obeyed. She guided his right hand in between her legs and inside her panties. Shit, she was wet.

"Start by rubbing it, go up and down," she said. Her voice was breathy, it was incredibly hot compared to the calm and composed aura she usually tried to give off.

Jurou rubbed. With two fingers he played with the outside of her vagina.

"Good. Good, Jurou-kun. Now a little faster."

He picked up the pace. He could feel her heartrate rising through her chest and playfully pinched her nipple.

She squealed. "Not too hard, Jurou-kun!"

"Sorry." He immediately relaxed and switched over to her left tit to massage it. Kirisu-sensei let out a pleased breath in response.

Jurou pressed his cheek against hers. Looking down, he could see much of her cleavage. It was a tantalizing invitation to see more, but he respected her request to not look further. He inhaled her scent, she was like a drug.

"Oh yes. That's it, Jurou-kun," she said when he explored with his thumb and pushed against what was presumably her clit. After stimulating that for a few seconds, she ordered, "Inside. Push a finger inside and thrust in and out, Jurou."

He did. It was insane how much her pussy clung to his finger. The wet friction set his mind racing. What would it feel like if he ever put his dick in it?

"It's not enough. Jurou, try two fingers while maintaining this pace."

Okay, that was a bit discouraging. His dick wasn't the thickest. He wasn't sure if two of his fingers were actually wider than his dick, but if he heard 'It's not enough' from her when referring to his penis it would just destroy him.

"A bit faster now," she said. "Not that fast. Yes! Like that, good, good."

With one hand on her chest, in her pants, and listening to that encouragement, no straight man could stay unhappy for long. Jurou grinned and even laughed as he realized he was getting hard again. Normally he was spent from after a masturbation session for a while, especially if it was an intense one.

"Kiss. I want a kiss." She turned her head towards him. Her hair had gotten disheveled during the process and her eyes looked wild.

His chest swelled with pride as he realized that he was responsible for that. Jurou happily leaned down to meet her lips. "Mph!"

It was like she was devouring him! Her tongue brushed against his lips and forced its way in. Their breaths mingled. It took a lot of concentration to maintain the kiss and the rhythm of his fingers inside her.

She ended the kiss, and shut her eyes. Her body shuddered. Then, with a spent voice, she told him. "You can take your hand out now."

He did, his fingers glistening with her juices. Jurou stared at them until she cleared her throat.

"Ahem, your other hand too." She referred to the one on her chest.

"Oh, right." He gave her boob a final squeeze and pulled away. He looked down at the empty hand and flexed his fingers. "I miss it already."

"Behave properly and another opportunity to feel my body again may come soon."

He bowed. "Then I am yours to command."

She sighed. It was always funny to get that sort of reaction out of her. "Maybe it would be better if you were somewhat more obedient," she mused. "Oh, Jurou-kun. You've gotten hard again."

"Yep, but please don't ask me to do anything with it. You're unbelievably sexy, but stroking it again so soon is gonna hurt afterwards."

"Very well." She looked down at herself. "I should clean myself. I'm rather tired, do you feel like continuing the movie?"

"No."

"Then would you like to spend the night here?"

Jurou blinked in surprise. "Mafuyu-san, what's gotten into you today?"

"It's my birthday, and I wish to indulge myself. Will you help me?"

"Yes! Absolutely, 100 percent, yes!"

Mafuyu smiled. "Then I'll get ready for the night. I'm sure I can find a spare toothbrush for you if you wait."

She went off and Jurou heard her take a quick shower. Once she was done, she told Jurou to come in and together they got ready for the night.

Jurou watched as Kirisu-sensei entered the bed first. With calm, familiar movements, she laid down and pulled the blanket over herself.

"I'm turning off the light," Jurou said. He flicked the switch. He took careful steps forward in the dark and felt his way toward Kirisu-sensei's bed. Finally, he slipped under the covers with her.

What a night.

"Is this okay?" Jurou wrapped his arms around her and spooned her from behind. She was so incredibly soft and warm, better than any pillow or blanket could be.

"Yes, it's quite nice."

"It really is. I love you, Mafuyu-san."

"I love you too."

Over the course of the night, Jurou's mind danced with the memories of tonight and anticipation of what could follow. From the sound of her breathing, Kirisu-sensei had fallen asleep first. Holding her, with a grin on his face, Jurou drifted off.

Chapter Text

It wasn't always a romantic date or steamy kissing session whenever Jurou and Kirisu-sensei met. Sometimes, she actually tutored him.

This was one of those times. Jurou was sitting on a mat, her folding table in front of him and doing a math assignment. Kirisu-sensei was on his left wearing the tracksuit he'd come to find endearing and marking a history worksheet he'd already finished. She had a mug of hot tea by her side. Every once in a while she'd take a sip and he'd glance at those moist wet lips, wondering if she'd let him have some fun with her after he completed his schoolwork.

A quiet study session was fine though. Jurou wished that he could stay the night whenever they had one, but if they did that too often Aunt Hikari would get suspicious. They'd only risked having him stay over twice since her birthday.

The bell rang. Kirisu-sensei looked up and said, "Wait here, Jurou-kun. I'll see who it is." She stood up and walked over to the door. As she opened it, she asked, "Hello?"

"Nee-sama!" A cheery voice greeted her.

"M-Miharu. Unexpected. Did you not say you were going to come tomorrow?"

"I did, but I so badly wanted to see my beloved sister and surprise you with an early visit. Oh, who's that young man there?" Miharu saw into the living room and gave Jurou a curious appraisal.

When Jurou had searched online for Kirisu-sensei's past as a figure skater, he'd also found information about her younger sister, Kirisu Miharu, who'd followed in her footsteps. So he'd seen her face before, but even if he hadn't the resemblance to sensei was clear. They had the same long pink hair, round blue eyes and adorable charming features.

"He's a student I'm tutoring," Kirisu-sensei said. "If you'd told me that you were coming early, it would have been better for you to come another time.

Miharu gasped. "I didn't realize, please forgive me." She bowed.

"You should reflect on how your actions affect others, Miharu." Kirisu-sensei used a harsher tone than Jurou had expected.

"I'm sorry, nee-sama." Miharu sniffledand looked up with glistening eyes. Was she seriously going to cry over that?

"I don't think it's too bad. It's not like there's a lot of time for our session, right sensei?" Jurou pointed out.

Kirisu-sensei nodded. "True. Miharu, you are forgiven. You may unpack in my room. Please stay silent for the remainder of my time with Kita-kun."

Miharu brightened almost unbelievably quickly. "I shall, my kind understanding sister! Good luck to you as well, student." She pulled along her luggage and entered the bedroom.

Kirisu-sensei came back to the table with a slightly exasperated look.

Jurou grinned. "I guess I shouldn't stick around after we're done studying. That's too bad, but I hope you enjoy your time with your sister, Kirisu-sensei."

She narrowed her eyes at him, sometimes her buttons were just too easy to press. "No matter. If there's anything you wish to ask me, you can do so another time. Now, how is your calculus assignment coming along? Any questions?"

"No, but I get it anyway and can do it on my own later." He set his math notebook aside. "From the red ink on my history worksheet though, there's certainly some things I can improve. I think we should talk about that."

There we go, there was that little smile. Kirisu-sensei didn't smile often, but when she did it was a treat. Like a shy star peeking out from behind a cloud. "Very well then, let's start with your answer to question two. Your answer is adequate enough, but you neglected to mention Napoleon's involvement in the end of the Holy Roman Empire."

They continued the session focusing solely on history. He liked learning from her, and it was always nice to listen to her speak about a subject she was genuinely interested in like history. Kirisu-sensei was Jurou's girlfriend, but she was a teacher too. It was only fair since she happily listened to him gush over his science fiction hobby, and it would make up for her sister's interruption to whatever they might have done after their session.

Twenty minutes later they were done and Kirisu-sensei's mood had improved. "Jurou-kun, Miharu goes to a well-renowned university. Would you like some suggestions from her on how to improve academically?"

"Sure."

Kirisu-sensei went to her bedroom and brought Miharu to the table. "Hello again. Kita-kun, was it?"

"Yes, Kirisu-san."

"My sister says you would like some advice on how to succeed in your studies. I have much to say, so you should probably write this down."

"Um, okay, but can I ask why you're backing away so much?" Jurou asked. Miharu had sat with them at first but she'd gradually moved her mat away from him until she was almost a meter or so from the table.

She looked at the table, then down at her mat, then back up to the table again. The moment gave Jurou the opportunity to really appreciate how much she looked like Kirisu-sensei. Miharu seemed to be the smaller, cuter version of her mature and beautiful sister. A sort of mini-sensei.

After clearing her throat, she shuffled forward although she was clearly uncomfortable for some reason. "Please forget about that. Now, can I see your notes? Any subject is fine."

Jurou handed his math notebook to her.

"Hmm, your handwriting could use some improvement, but otherwise it's formatted adequately." She flipped a couple pages back and asked. "Can you tell me how to find the volume of the function x2 – 2 rotated around the y-axis with the boundaries y = 0 and y = 7?"

Jurou "Um, that's kind of a sudden question."

"No delays. Can you answer it or not?"

He took a pencil and a piece of paper. He drew out the function. He didn't remember the exact way how to do it, but he could derive it from principles of integration and the volume of a disk with an infinitesimal height. He double-checked to make sure he'd gotten it right and presented it to her.

"This is correct, but it's different from what you have in your notes," Miharu said.

"Oh yeah, it is."

"Well, you've demonstrated a deeper understanding of the material than rote memory. Impressive compared to most students."

"Thanks."

It got worse from there. Miharu soon found out that he was already doing well in science and math, so she concentrated on Japanese, history, and literature. His weaker subjects. Her advice was good, but she was a stern and unyielding tutor. Whenever she taught him a new studying technique or note format, she drilled him relentlessly until he could recite it exactly.

Jurou preferred Kirisu-sensei. Thankfully, she saved him. "Miharu, I believe that's enough for today."

Miharu nodded. "If you say so, nee-sama. It's curious, may I ask how these sessions came to be arranged? I did not think my sister would be open enough to bring a student to her home."

"Sure," Jurou said. It might be fun to wax poetic for a bit. "You see, I used to be a misbehaving delinquent. Just awful, but when Kirisu-sensei took notice of me I became a diligent and driven student thanks to her efforts. Truly, she's wonderful."

"Yes!" Miharu's eyes shone. "How fortunate it is that she has students who properly recognizes and admires her many marvelous qualities."

Jurou nodded. Kirisu-sensei was glaring at him. Ooh, scary, but messing with her little sister was just too much fun. "Honestly, at school Kirisu-sensei has a sort of distant and cold air to her. I thought she'd be strict, but she turned out to be really kind and caring."

Miharu looked like she was about to explode from joy. She turned to Kirisu-sensei and caught her in a hug. "Oh, nee-sama! I knew you'd excel at anything, but never did I think you'd reach the hearts of your students to such an extent."

"Now now, Miharu. No need to get so emotional," Kirisu-sensei patted her while shooting angry looks at Jurou.

He just grinned back.

Miharu finished her hug and then glanced curiously at a nearby shelf. Her smile grew even wider. "My present!" She went over and pulled out a book titled Sisterly Love: How to Cultivate a Deeper Bond with Your Sister. "I'm touched. You keep it out in the open to show how much you value our love."

"A-ahem, well . . ." Kirisu-sensei was at a loss for words.

Jurou chuckled to himself. Alright, he'd been curious about who loved Kirisu-sensei more, but here he had to admit defeat. He hadn't expected to beat Miharu, she was family and had shared a childhood with Kirisu-sensei after all, but she was formidable. It would be a while yet until he could prove himself as the most devoted to her.

"Anyway, goodbye," Jurou waved and went to the door. "Oh, and good luck on helping your older sister clean up. Trust me, you'll need it."

Sensei made indignant noises while Miharu tilted her head. "I don't understand, student. Why would I need luck?"

"Well, because she's pretty bad at cleaning."

"Excuse me?" Whoa. Even Miharu's glower looked like sensei's. "Did you just say she was bad at something?"

Even though he had at least a head of height and 30 kilograms on her, Jurou wondered about his safety.

"That's a very confusing joke, Kita-kun," Kirisu-sensei said. "I'm perfect capable of cleaning after myself."

"Sorry, it's an inside joke with teenagers. Anyway, bye!" Jurou hurried out.

\\\\\

It had taken quite a good deal of effort for Mafuyu to extricate herself from Miharu's company. Miharu had constantly wanted to talk about her memories of when they used to spend more time together while hinting at bringing Mafuyu back to figure skating.

That had just upset her more, and thankfully Miharu had read her mood and accepted Mafuyu's weak excuse of leaving to handle a short errand.

Mafuyu called Jurou, not at all in the mood to message him through Line. He answered after the second ring.

"Mafuyu-san? What is it?"

"I have a few things I want to ask you about. Is it safe for you to talk with me for a while?"

"Yeah, Aunt Hikari's not going to be home until later. What is it?"

"Your behavior earlier today with my sister. How do you justify that?"

"My behavior? What did I do wrong?"

Mafuyu bit her lip. Such impertinence! "You know very well what you did wrong. I will not tolerate you ogling my younger sister."

"Ogl- whoa whoa, I did not do that."

"Do you think I didn't notice you, Jurou-kun? You were staring at Miharu."

"O-okay, I was, but I wasn't ogling her."

"Really?" Mafuyu's skepticism had not decreased. "Then can you explain why you stared at her with so much interest?"

"Yes, I can." A brief pause. "Wait, Mafuyu-san, are you jealous?"

"What sort of question is that?!" Mafuyu rarely felt the urge to yell, but this was one such occasion. There were other people in the street, so she merely conveyed her ire through a low, harsh tone.

"You are!" He started laughing. "Oh my God, Mafuyu-san jealous. I never thought it would happen."

"Listen here, Jurou-kun. Regardless of our relationship, I will not tolerate you looking at Miharu with your insatiable, lustful gaze. Neither will I tolerate such a casual attitude to the actions we've taken with each other already."

During her birthday, their relationship had reached a new stage. Twice afterwards had they pleasured each other with their hands. How could his eyes stray to another woman so easily?!

"'Insatiable, lustful gaze'. You know, I'd be mad if it weren't so accurate, but ever since our relationship started I've pretty much only looked at you that way. I'll admit that I was staring at your sister, but that's only because I was surprised at how much she looks like you. Seriously, it's almost like seeing double."

"Do you expect that reasoning to placate me after you just admitted your lust for me? I won't repeat myself again, Jurou-kun. I will not tolerate you looking at her that way."

This time irritation entered his voice. "I never looked at her that way in the first place. I'm sorry for explaining it badly, but what I meant was that her resemblance to you was just a surprise. The only woman I love is you. Even if I did look at another woman with my 'insatiable lustful gaze', I'm not going to try anything since I'm already in a relationship with you. Seriously, think about it. I'm already crazy lucky to be with you, I'm not stupid enough to ruin it like that."

Mafuyu's face was warm and she was grateful that she was speaking to him over the phone. "I told you, Jurou-kun. This is not about any concerns of infidelity, this is about your behavior towards my sister."

"Okay, then I promise that I won't ever ogle her. Not that I ever did."

"Good . . . I apologize for accusing you of such. It was my mistake."

"Cool. Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?"

"No."

"Then bye." He hung up immediately.

He hadn't needed to, she wouldn't have minded if he wanted to talk more.

Mafuyu pulled her phone away and sighed. Her anger had been unwarranted, hadn't it? There had been no reason to doubt Jurou, just how often had he showed his dedication for her?

Chapter Text

Jurou walked through the school halls. The day was only halfway done, and it couldn't finish soon enough.

"Waagh!" A girl ran into him from around the corner. They both fell down. Considering how much shorter she was compared to him, that indicated a pretty decent amount of strength.

"Hey, what the hell?" Jurou frowned at her. More bothered than hurt, he stood up. He recognized her from her tan skin, she was the school's swimming champion. What was her name again?

"Ah, sorry!" When she accepted his offered hand, she got up and said, "Thank you, I didn't watch where I was going and-wait, where is it?!" She looked down and searched the ground.

Her eyes honed in on a heart-shaped package on the ground with clear plastic packaging. Inside was an elaborately decorated chocolate pastry.

Another student came out from the corner. He wore glasses and had a nerdy look to him even by Jurou's standards. "Takemoto?"

"Eep!" She spun around but kept the chocolate behind her back and blushed. "Nariyuki, what are you doing here?"

"Ishino-sensei asked me to get some paper from the supply room," Nariyuki said. "Are you alright, Takemoto? Is something going on between you and this guy?"

"Nah, we just bumped into each other," Jurou explained with a mischievous grin. "I guess she was in such a rush to give some chocolate to her boyfriend that she wasn't paying attention to where she was going."

As Jurou walked off, he snickered at the ensuing chaos behind him.

"Wait, you have a boyfriend?" Nariyuki asked.

"N-n-no, no I don't! I don't know why he said that! I'm just holding this chocolate for a friend. Yeah, a friend!"

\\\\\

"Is something bothering you, Jurou-kun?" Mafuyu asked. She herself was in a pleasant mood for a number of reasons. It was Friday, meaning that Jurou could stay late as there was no school the next day.

However, while he seemed his usual satisfied self at the moment sitting on her couch, she'd glimpsed cross looks on his face earlier today at school.

"No, not really."

"Hm, well today's always somewhat disruptive with for teachers. A number of students get distracted from their schoolwork by the prospect of Valentine's Day chocolate."

Jurou rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, chocolate. I don't understand what's the big deal. I've honestly even seen a couple of guys tear up over not getting any."

"Oh." Mafuyu turned her eyes down. "I had planned to give you some, but if you'd rather not have it . . ."

"Wait, you got me Valentine's chocolate?" The switch in Jurou's mood was abrupt. He looked at her with an eager expression.

Mafuyu blinked. "Yes, I did. Nothing extravagant, let me get it for you." She walked over to the kitchen and brought over the packaged chocolate. "Happy Valentine's Day, Jurou-kun."

"Thanks." He accepted it with a bright smile and keen eyes.

"I'm confused, did you not just say how it was inconsequential whether or not you received Valentine's chocolate?"

He waved the question away. "That's just what people say to comfort themselves for not getting any. This year's different though, I have you."

"Try some," she told him. He nodded in response and took a couple out.

"Mmm, good."

"I'm glad." Mafuyu walked over to him and kneeled on the couch. It wasn't often that she got the chance to look down on him and she relished it. She placed her hand under his chin and angled his mouth up to kiss him. When their lips parted, she said, "Jurou-kun, I also prepared something else for Valentine's Day. Would you like me to give it to you?"

"What is it?" The thirst for her had entered his eyes again. Truly, the libido of a young man was remarkable.

"I'll tell you that it requires you to take off your pants."

With astonishing speed he stripped the lower half of his body. All of the embarrassment of those earlier sessions had faded from him.

She kissed him again and lowered the zipper on her tracksuit. Finally, she removed her bra and proudly allowed her breasts their freedom. Before Jurou, she'd considered their size a minor inconvenience, but now she truly appreciated the advantage they gave her over most other women.

She giggled as he stared. It was as if he'd been hypnotized. He hadn't seen them fully uncovered since her birthday, and even then it had only been through a screen.

"Can I suck on them?"

The question caught Mafuyu off guard. He wanted to suck on them? Like a baby? "Yes, if you'd like."

His mouth latched onto her left nipple.

"Ooh!" Mafuyu's moan had been involuntary. That-that certainly felt strange, but not bad. Goodness, what was he doing with his tongue?

For the next minute, Jurou's hands were on her back and his lips stayed on her bosom. He sucked on her nipples and flicked them. From time to time he'd say "Oh God, thank you Mafuyu-san. Thank you."

Meanwhile, Mafuyu watched from above. Such a big, strong young man attached to her breast. It stirred strange feelings within her. She was somewhat afraid, but also intrigued.

"O-okay." She stopped him by pushing on his chest, otherwise she would have had to deal with her own arousal. She glanced at his erection, which had fully hardened. She'd been surprised when she'd first seen how big it was, and even now she found it hard to believe when he said its size was considered average. "I'm glad that you enjoyed yourself, but that's not what I had in mind. This is."

Mafuyu knelt between his legs and looked up at him. With an encouraging smile, she guided his hand to her breast and took his penis, no his cock into her mouth.

His head leaned back and he moaned. "Oh my God, Mafuyu-san. That's so good."

Success! Mafuyu had done extensive research on how to give a good blowjob. She made sure to maintain eye contact, at least when Jurou was able to meet her eyes. When she sucked harder, he'd closed his eyes and swore. One of the few times she allowed such language in her presence.

His cock was a good fit for her mouth. Mafuyu could take him in completely and she'd trained to minimize her gag reflex. He'd washed it well, there was no offending taste. She marveled at how hard it was, she'd felt it in its flaccid state before and its transformation from soft to rigid was incredible.

It seemed that Jurou had forgotten all he'd learned about how to handle her breasts after her birthday. Or rather, if he did remember, he couldn't concentrate in applying what he knew. With his entire hand, he groped and squeezed. There was no tweaking or pinching of her nipples.

"I-I'm going to-"

He came into her mouth. Mafuyu bobbed her head a few more times. She knew that he preferred that she continue stroking after he came when she used her hand and she applied the same logic to the blowjob.

Mafuyu swallowed without really tasting the cum. However, there was still a mild salty, bitter aftertaste.

His jaw dropped. "Whoa."

"Did you like that?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Um, you have a little . . ." He tapped the side of his mouth.

Mafuyu felt a sticky trail of fluid on her lips. She gathered it with a finger and sucked on it. Not too bad, she could certainly tolerate it if he wanted her to.

Jurou pulled his pants back up and grinned at her. "I'm going to have a lot to pay you back for on White Day, huh?"

She smiled back at him. "Certainly. I look forward to it."

Chapter Text

Jurou grinned and paid rapt attention to the history lesson. The topic, Japan's rapid modernization in the early Meiji era, wasn't boring but there was really only one reason why he was so transfixed. For Jurou's final year of high school, he'd gotten Kirisu-sensei as his history teacher.

He sat in the upper half of the classroom. Not too close to the front row that he might distract sensei. Kirisu-sensei was surprisingly good at acting nonchalant. She'd known beforehand since he'd told her what class he'd been assigned to, but she'd hardly even spared him a second glance during her lessons.

Or at least, not without interference. Every once in a while, Jurou would get playful and send her sly gestures. A thumbs up, kissy faces, holding up notes saying 'I love you'. Like clockwork she would clear her throat and turn away for a second every time. Once, he'd even made her blush, which she tried to hide by cover her face and coughing.

Small pranks, but he knew when to rein his behavior in. Most of the time he played the part of either the diligent student or just another bored and distracted one like the majority of any class.

Once classes ended for the day, Jurou headed down to the shoe lockers immediately. He didn't get involved in any clubs, he preferred to spend his time with Kirisu-sensei. Although since he didn't have a date or anything planned with her today he was just going to head home.

On the way, a short, thin guy with classes stepped out of a room and said something back to the people inside. "As an ally of the talentless, I'm going to help them learn what they want. Thank you for the talk, sensei."

He seemed familiar, and it took Jurou a few seconds to recall the incident a few months back on Valentine's Day. The guy's name was Yuiga. Not that Jurou really cared much. In fact, he probably would have forgotten this moment by the next day if it weren't for the teacher who walked out of the meeting room.

Kirisu-sensei came out and sighed. Jurou went past her without even a greeting and spent a few seconds watching Yuiga as the other student walked away.

\\\\\

"Happy birthday, Jurou-kun." Mafuyu planted a deep kiss on his lips. It was May 14th, and Jurou had turned eighteen. As a special treat, they'd decided to have an actual, outdoors date. The last time they'd had one had been White Day, which had ended spectacularly. Even now she sometimes got delightful shivers as she reminisced about teaching Jurou how to use his mouth on her. At this point it was far too embarrassing to do on a regular basis, but eventually that would change.

They'd driven to a park in a town about forty or so kilometers from their hometown. Mafuyu had donned her disguise again, not that it was necessary tonight. They were the only ones here in this field. In the distance, leaves rustled in the slight wind carrying the smell of grass and spring. Above, the stars twinkled, and the Moon beamed down on them as a crescent.

In fact, that was the main reason Jurou had chosen this location to celebrate his birthday. According to him, it was also a good time of the year to view multiple planets and stargaze. He'd just finished setting up his tripod and telescope when she'd kissed him.

"Thanks Mafuyu-san," Jurou said when they pulled apart.

The first object he showed her was the Moon. She'd gone stargazing with him and seen it through his telescope before, but it was different now. The view seemed more detailed, the rocky outlines and shadows sharper. It seemed more like a world in its own right, with white mountains, ranges, silver valleys, and dark gray plains.

When she told him this, he explained, "That's because last time I showed you it the Moon was almost full. At the line between the day and night side, the shadows show you a lot more features. Small craters, little ridges, that kinds of thing."

"Fascinating." Mafuyu kept her eye on the telescope and moved it around the way he'd taught her. She followed the curved line between day and night, the terminator he'd said it was called. The radiating lines of the Tycho crater were clearer than before, and she had him tell her the names of the other craters she found.

Once she finished admiring the Moon, Jurou angled the telescope to Jupiter. She'd been surprised to learn that she could see it with the naked eye. In fact, it was brighter than any of the stars out in the sky.

Mafuyu gasped at the view in the eyepiece. It was a beautiful marble with lined bands of brown, yellow, and white. It wasn't at all like looking at it in a picture, this was a sight with her eyes, aided by an instrument. The difference between seeing a picture of herself and looking in an actual mirror. She angled the telescope left and right slightly to verify that she was looking at something real. The largest planet in the solar system, just floating there in the sky.

She noted four bright stars by it almost in a straight line and thought it was a wonderful coincidence. Jurou corrected her, telling her those were four of Jupiter's own moons. "They were discovered by Galileo like four hundred years ago. He actually used them as evidence against geocentrism by pointing out that there were objects which didn't go around the Earth."

He told her more. About how Jupiter had multiple different rotation rates because the bands of gas went around at different speeds. The volcanoes on Io created by strong tides, the ice and oceans of the other three moons, and the sheer number of moons Jupiter had. 79! Surely that was too many, but astronomers thought there could be more.

At this point, they sat down on a picnic blanket and rested. They'd brought along some pastries and a thermos of coffee.

"This is the best birthday ever," Jurou said with his head resting on Mafuyu's lap. She fed him some banana bread.

Mafuyu smiled. "Considering what I've heard, that's not a very high bar to exceed. Why don't you celebrate your birthday?"

He shrugged. "Eh, just never really wanted to. I wasn't planning to do anything special this year either until you offered." He reached up and held her hand. "Thanks for that."

The next planet he showed her was Saturn. Again, the images of it she'd seen paled in comparison to the reality of it before her eyes. It was like a toy hanging in the sky, a yellow ball with a disk around it. The rings had gaps and gradients of yellow to brown.

"You know, when Galileo first saw them he called them 'ears'. They're thousands of kilometers wide but only a kilometer or so thick at the most. It's mostly made up of ice, with a few rocks thrown in there for variety."

"Breathtaking."

Jurou showed her more extraordinary sights that night. Double star systems which seemed like singular points of light in the sky. Star clusters which seemed to have hidden the majority of their shining members only to be revealed by the penetrating power of the telescope. Colorful clouds of dust and gas called nebulae. He even showed her a couple of distant galaxies, collections of perhaps billions of stars.

It was an enlightening and awe-inspiring night. Mafuyu saw with her own eyes the majesty of the universe around her and was fortunate to do so with the one she loved. He'd done much of the work to celebrate his birthday so far, setting up the telescope, guiding it, telling her about all the astronomical knowledge he'd gained.

Now she was even more certain on how to truly show him her gratitude.

Once he finished packing everything up, she held his hand and they went to her car. Thankfully Jurou had toned down his reactions to her driving. He sat in his seat still and silent. It seemed like he tensed and forced his eyes shut every once in a while, but she couldn't tell for sure from the corner of her eye.

"Here we are." Mafuyu parked the car once they arrived at their destination.

"Huh? Why are we here? Isn't it still like a fifteen-minute drive till we get home?"

"Yes, but we should stop here first." Mafuyu put on her disguise, stepped out of the car, and motioned for Jurou to follow.

Once he saw where they were, he was at a loss for words. A rare occurrence from him which made Mafuyu grin.

They were at a love hotel. In bright neon were the words 'stay'and 'rest'. It had a humorous name, the Adult Playground. The design was rather garish, lines of red and pink in curved lines which were suggestive but not completely brazen.

"Mafuyu-san, are we really going to . . ."

"Yes. Now come along." She grabbed his hand and led him inside. Inside, it seemed like a normal hotel with warm yellow lighting as opposed to the gaudy exterior, and thankfully the lobby was empty. After an amusing transaction of paying 10000 yen to an unseen clerk through a small hole, she picked up their room key and went to the elevator. Their room was on the third floor.

"Wow." Jurou said once they entered their room.

It was well furnished and decorated. They spared a minute or so to see their room. A large TV with a silky-smooth couch to watch from. The bathroom's tub was large enough to fit the two of them comfortably and its glass doors silently slid open with only a slight pull. The floor was made of clean white tiles and the rest was either smooth porcelain or polished shining metal. There was every article of toiletry one could need. Solid bars and liquid bottles of soap, shampoo, conditioner, facial cleansers, bubble bath packets, razers, and shaving cream. The kitchen was well-stocked as well. Fresh fruits, cheeses, snacks such as crackers and granola bars, a variety of drinks. Even alcoholic beverages were available, although Mafuyu was going to make sure they avoided them. She would not allow either of them to experience this night with anything but a clear, sober mind.

Lastly, they entered the bedroom. The sizable king-sized bed was more than wide enough for the two of them. Red pillows with heart designs contrasted with strangely innocent white sheets. On the wooden dresser beside the bed there were complimentary condoms.

Mafuyu picked one up and then faced Jurou. "We can use these if you want to be extra-safe, but they're not necessary. I've already taken measures to protect us from any . . . unintended consequences."

Jurou stared at the condoms for a few seconds before meeting her eyes. "How safe is the method you're using?"

"The pills I'm using have a ninety-nine percent effective rate. I've been extremely careful to follow the instructions. I understand if you think the risk is too high to trust them alone, but I think it's safe enough."

He was torn. With a pained expression, he took the condom from her and then put it aside. "Not tonight. If we do this again later, then we'll use these along with the pills. Maybe on special occasions we can just do it raw."

Jurou was technically an adult, but still so young. He was visibly frightened of being a father at such an early age. Understandable, even if he'd been the same age as Mafuyu she would have been alarmed at the idea of becoming parents so soon. Yet he was terrified, even more than she thought was warranted.

She could ask later. Today was his birthday and they were in a love hotel. He shouldn't be afraid, he should be celebrating.

"Jurou-kun, sit." She gently pushed him down on the bed. She took off her fake glasses and untied her ponytail, setting the disguise on the dresser. In a fluid motion, she disrobed. Her sweater went over her head and her pants fell down to the floor. She stood before him and asked, "Do you like what you see?"

Covering her body was an outfit that not so long ago she would have held in disdain for its lewdness. A pink lingerie set which she had meticulously uncovered that matched the shade of her hair. The lacey material had floral patterns and the bra pushed up her already respectable breasts into an even more impressive cleavage. Her chest once again drew his eyes with its hypnotic force. Attached to the bra was a transparent pink chemise which went down to her legs over her pink g-string and were clipped onto the garter straps on her thighs.

His eyes became as round as dinner plates. "Holy fuck, you're beautiful."

Mafuyu smiled. The embarrassment at wearing such an outfit was quickly subsiding. His gaze travelled over her body as if it was a priceless treasure. "Thank you. Since it's your birthday, Jurou-kun, I'll listen to any request. Order me as you'd like, touch me as you'd like." The words coming out of her mouth were so wonderfully obscene. Chills ran down her body.

Jurou wet his lips. "Pose for me. Run a hand through your hair and lean on one leg to really make your ass pop."

She obeyed. As he'd noted rather blatantly, her curves were more prominent this way.

"Put a hand on your hip and keep the other one in your hair." After a few seconds of admiring the view, he ordered. "Now come closer and turn around."

"Understood." She stepped up to him and presented her butt. His hands stroked her thighs for a few moments until his fingers sank into her cheeks.

"Damn, Mafuyu-san. You know I'm a boob guy, but your ass might change my mind. It's unbelievable."

She trembled as he kneaded and groped her butt. Just what about it sent him into such a frenzy? When they kissed his hands would always seem to reach for her bottom regardless of whether she was wearing a skirt or her tracksuit. Admittedly, it was soft, not nearly as firm as her figure-skating days. Did he like it soft, or would he prefer it if she added some more muscle to it?

She jumped when he smacked her cheek.

"Did that hurt?" he asked.

Mafuyu looked back at him encouragingly. "Not at all. You can do even do it a little harder."

He did so with an open palm. "I feel like I could watch your ass jiggle for hours." He slapped it a few more times, but not for nearly as long he'd claimed he was capable of.

"Come here." He pulled her down onto the bed, making her yelp in surprise. Now she was on her back, looking up at Jurou's hungry open-mouthed grin. The predatory glint in his eyes sent her heart racing.

Yes! Yes! He was going to ravage her, violate her, defile her. All those months of kissing and licking, stroking and squeezing, it had all led up to this. Each sexual act had transformed her stern, prudish mind and soiled it, awakening an all-consuming lust that she surrendered to without remorse. He'd done this to her, he'd changed her. He had to take responsibility!

Their lips clashed in a passionate kiss. Their hot tongues caressed each other and their mouths smacked together. Her hand went to the back of his head to pull him against her. On either side of her head Jurou's elbows supported the weight of his upper body.

Their kiss ended, and she wet her lips before they separated to form the saliva string he loved so much. When he saw it, he grinned and pecked her lips again to break it.

"God, you're so beautiful." His hand roamed down to her chest to squeeze her breast. Then he reached under her to unclasp her bra. However, instead of removing it completely, he draped it around her neck. He shoved the chemise aside so her boobs were bare.

"Jurou-kun?"

"Keep it hanging off of you," Jurou said. He lowered his head and sucked on her pink protruding left nipple. With his other hand he pinched her remaining boob. His eyes closed, and he moaned.

Mafuyu shuddered at the sensations coming in from her sensitive nub. When Jurou concentrated on his technique, he could send her into an orgasm with just his tongue on her chest. This time, however, he was focused on his own pleasure.

It was a titillating realization. Jurou always tended to her needs during any sexual act. Even when she wanted to use her mouth or hands on him without receiving anything in return, he handled her breasts the way she liked. Now his restraints had been released. He was selfishly using her body as she'd urged him to. What a thrill!

Jurou removed his hand and then clenched it into a fist. Then, in a shocking move, he slammed it against the mattress and growled. He released her breast from his mouth and looked her in the eyes. "I want to bite you. Can I?"

Bite her? She was a bit scared at the notion, but she considered it and nodded.

"Tell me if I start biting too hard." He latched onto her boob again and then started applying pressure with his teeth.

Mafuyu had meant to endure any pain to make sure he could enjoy himself, but an unintentional wince had him relax his jaw slightly. His teeth still pressed into her soft, vulnerable flesh with force just on the edge of hurting her. He rocked his head back and forth, keeping his lips enclosed on her round pink breast.

Jurou freed her boob again and stared at his handiwork. He'd left indents around her glistening bud. With a gentle finger, he traced the outline of his teeth.

"I want to fuck you now," he said. In rushed motions he jumped off the bed and threw away his clothes. His shirt going over head made his glasses askew and he fixed them. He stripped off his pants and underwear, displaying a ramrod straight cock.

Jurou climbed onto the bed again and kneeled between her legs. He started peeling her panties off. She lifted her hips off the bed to help, and she was happy to note that her pussy was dripping wet. There would be no further delay in shoving himself inside her. He felt likewise and he grabbed his dick to aim it at her hole.

"Go ahead," she encouraged him with a smile.

He entered her. Slowly, painfully, and lovingly his penis filled her up.

"Ooh. Please-please don't move yet," she pleaded him. It hurt, but they were connected. They were making love.

Gradually, the pain faded. It was still a strange sensation, but one that was becoming more agreeable.

"Continue," she said.

Jurou lowered his body so that their faces were close together and he kept his weight off her with his elbows. Her breasts were squashed against his chest. He began thrusting.

They grunted and moaned. The pleasure was rising in her again. It wasn't just from his hard penis rhythmically moving in and out and rubbing against the walls of her insides. It was from the panting breath against her face, the heat of his sweaty body against hers, the closeness of the act.

His words were also encouraging. "You feel so damn good. Oh my god oh my god oh my god."

It must have been only a few minutes of pounding against her when he shouted "Mafuyu!" He burst into tears and thrusted a few more times. With a groan, he fell onto the bed beside her. He buried his head in her shoulder and repeated. "Mafuyu . . . Mafuyu . . ."

"Jurou-kun?" Mafuyu laid a hand on his head in concern. "Jurou-kun, what's wrong?"

He looked up at her. Tears streamed down his face but they were accompanied by a wide smile. He wiped them away and sniffed. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong. I love you so much, Mafuyu."

She stroked his head and noted that she felt a warm fluid seeping out of her. "Are you certain? Why did you start crying?"

"Tears of joy. God, I didn't know that sex would be this amazing." He shifted up so that he could cradle her head in his arms.

"Mafuyu. Mafuyu." In between saying her name, he peppered her face with kisses. They were ticklish and made her giggle uncontrollably.

He finished laying kisses on her, allowing her to enjoy his contact in calm silence. There was so much to take in. This warmth in her heart, the safety in his arms, the utter rightness of their bond, and the shock of seeing Jurou being moved to tears. Jurou, who could go through an entire day of school with hardly a shift in his indifferent demeanor. Her beloved boyfriend who seemed to be able to make light of any situation and treat it as a joke. The fact that their love could affect him so deeply left Mafuyu in awe.

It didn't matter that she was a teacher and he was a student. Even if the world found out and went against them, in her heart she knew it was right.

"You're so beautiful," Jurou said. He stared down at her naked body. With a finger he traced the breast he'd marked.

"You're rather handsome too," Mafuyu said.

He grinned. "You know, it's not often that I get to take you in like this without getting aroused. It's a bit weird. You're still sexy as hell, but it's not as . . . as urgent as it usually is. I can enjoy your sexiness calmly."

Mafuyu turned over on her belly. She noted with approval that his eyes were still drawn to her cleavage. "Oh? Is that all I am to you? A slender, voluptuous body? I wonder sometimes what your reaction would be if I were to suddenly gain weight and lose this figure you love so much."

"If your body changed, I'd learn to love the changes."

"Hmm, is that so? I have been thinking of cutting my hair short . . ."

His look of dismay sent her into a fit of laughter. Truth be told, it really did seem as if he would be more comfortable with her losing her figure than cutting the long hair he loved so much.

Once he realized she hadn't been serious, Jurou relaxed. "You know, Mafuyu-san. This has been the best year of my life. Thank you." He held her hand and squeezed.

Her heart swelled with joy. "It's been the best of mine as well."

They lied there enjoying each other's presence. Occasionally adding some warm conversation to the comfortable silence. However, it wasn't long before Jurou got hard again. They made love once more that night, the second time he was on his back and Mafuyu rode him to a mutual climax. Her breasts heaved with each bounce. His hands alternated between playing with them and holding her hips to keep her on him.

After that, they cleaned their sticky, sweaty bodies in the large shower. Jurou loved rubbing soap on her pillowy boobs and running his hands over her smooth skin. They laughed as he fondled her and spent much longer than necessary washing each other's bodies.

Since they'd released so many fluids, they each drank a bottle of fruit juice that they'd found in the fridge. He'd chosen mango while she had strawberry. They watched TV for a while. There were amusing options for porn, but they were sexually satisfied and had no need for them. They flipped through channels and settled on watching the last half hour of a comedy movie.

To end the night, they slept in the bed after replacing the sheets stained with her blood and a mix of their fluids. They cuddled on their sides, Jurou's arm wrapped around her waist and her back brushed against his chest.

Chapter Text

"Good work today, Jurou-kun," Mafuyu said. They'd just finished up another tutoring session.

"Thanks." He packed away his books and then walked next to her, seating himself by her cushion. He gave her a hug from the side. "I guess that means we can have some fun now?"

At her nod they kissed. Jurou's arms wrapped around her and pulled her in. Before she'd met him, she'd never known the variety of kisses there could be. Warm, comforting kisses. Steamy, passionate kisses. Short pecks. Deep lip locks. It was always a joy to connect with him like this.

He stood up and pulled her along so they could sit on the couch. She followed willingly and continued their kissing.

The issue arose when he began trying to remove her tracksuit.

"Wait." Mafuyu laid a hand on his chest and kept some distance between them.

"What is it?"

"How far do you plan on going today, Jurou-kun?"

He gave her a puzzled look. "As far as we usually go. Don't worry, I still have enough condoms." He pulled a plastic square out from his pocket.

"That's not what I mean. Jurou-kun, I don't want to have sex today."

"You don't?" He responded with a surprisingly despondent tone. "Why not? Am I doing something wrong?"

"No, sex with you is wonderful. There's no doubt about that. Even so, I'm not comfortable with this pace," Mafuyu explained.

It had been three weeks since Jurou's birthday, and since then he'd asked for sex every chance he could. Sometimes even twice a week.

True, that first night with him had been magical, but as good as it was, she was not suited for that much sex. Disappointed he may be, but he would have to accept her decision.

"I'm not happy with it either, but I haven't been complaining." Jurou's voice held a degree of irritation.

"Y-you aren't?" Mafuyu was surprised. The satisfied grin he always wore after making love and his improved mood since his birthday had made her believe that he was elated.

"No, I'm not."

"Then what would be your ideal?"

"Once a day. Maybe even twice on some special days."

Once a day?! Mafuyu's head whirled at the thought. Was this truly the potency of a young man's libido?

"What?" Jurou said after seeing her astonishment. "Sex with you is awesome. Why wouldn't I do that instead of masturbating everyday?"

Mafuyu blinked at the admission of daily masturbation. She considered her words carefully before answering. "Because I won't agree to it. I'm sorry, Jurou-kun, but you'll have to handle your own urges yourself."

"Whoa whoa whoa, are you saying no more sex?"

"No, I am not saying that. I was originally going to propose a rate of once a month, but I'll try to be understanding of your needs. Is once every two weeks agreeable?"

He bit his lip. "And what if it isn't? Are you going to change it?"

"No."

Jurou frowned. His voice became gentle, pleading. "Am I doing something wrong? I promise, if you don't like sex with me, I'll get better."

She sighed. "Don't misunderstand, Jurou-kun. This isn't about your ability to please me. You're good at sex, I assure you that it's enjoyable for me too. My sex drive just isn't as strong as yours."

"I still don't understand. If it really was as great for you as it is for me, you'd want it as much as I do. I have to be doing something wrong. Just tell me what it is, I can take the criticism. You don't have to do this."

"I'm telling you Jurou-kun, that is not the issue. This is about me. I don't crave sex as much as you do, and this is a compromise between our two differing desires."

He scowled at her. "Fine." The explanation didn't satisfy him, but at least he wasn't fixating on his own insecurities about his ability to please her. Jurou left the couch and picked up his bag.

"Where are you going? We still have time together."

"Home. To take care of my urges like you said."

Mafuyu narrowed her eyes. Such immaturity. She'd thought he was better than that. "Is there really no point in being here with me if I won't have sex with you? Is that how you see our relationship now?"

"What the fuck did you just say?" He faced her and stomped over to her with a furious expression.

Mafuyu recalled with a chill just how much taller and stronger he was than her. If he acted out, would she be able to stop him?

"Is that what you think?" His voice had gotten louder, but he wasn't yelling yet. "That I only think about sex like some horny animal? I fucking love you, Mafuyu. Why else would I get so pissed when you tell me that you don't feel the same way?"

Mafuyu swallowed. "You're confusing me. I'm not the one who equated love and sex."

"I'm not saying they're the same thing. I know you can pay to have loveless sex and I know there can be love without sex. It's just . . . for me there's so much love involved when we have sex. I don't understand why you don't want that for us unless it's not like that for you."

She was taken aback by the glistening in his eyes. "Jurou-kun, I'm sorry. I didn't understand. We can discuss it more if yo-

"No, I'm leaving."

"Wait, Jurou-

He walked out and closed the door to her apartment, leaving Mafuyu all on her own. A tired breath escaped her as she craned her head back and stared up at the ceiling. Hopefully as Jurou matured his sex drive would diminish and he would understand what she'd meant.

Yet there were niggling doubts. Could Jurou's desire for frequent sex truly be simplified to teenage hormones?

\\\\\

Jurou waited at the end of the hall, watching the door to an office. If someone came out, they'd have a tough time spotting him peeking out from the corner of the wall, but he'd have a clear view of them.

A few minutes later, the person he'd been expecting walked out. Yuiga Nariyuki. Some average-looking nobody at their school who didn't deserve a second glance. Or rather, that was usually the case. This time, following him was the person who Jurou had hoped he wouldn't see, but her long pink hair and outfit was unmistakable.

There was no way for him to get close enough to hear what they were saying without them noticing, so he left. This was the fourth time Jurou had seen them alone together in the past two months, and that was just at school. There were at least a few other incidents that Jurou knew of when Kirisu-sensei and Yuiga had been with each other.

Jurou stayed silent on it until his next tutoring session. They used to be dates rather than tutoring sessions, but ever since Mafuyu had refused to admit that he was bad at sex they'd been ruined.

He understood that she wasn't obligated to have sex with him if she didn't like it. It made sense. What didn't make sense was her refusing to say straight to his face what he needed to fix. Did she think he was hopelessly bad at sex and that it would always just be a chore for her to get through?

No. No no no! Jurou wouldn't accept that. Sex was supposed to be amazing for both of them. Mafuyu kept saying that it was for her, but there was no way it was the same. Maybe she did like it, but it was too much of an inconvenience for her to do it so often.

Seriously, she only wanted sex once a month and was willing to compromise for once every two weeks? That was like saying she liked hugging him but then saying she would only tolerate one hug a day.

It had been four weeks since she'd told him, and they hadn't had sex since. She'd offered, but Jurou didn't want pity sex, he wanted them to make love.

God, he knew he sounded like an asshole dressing up his horniness in fancy language to make it sound better, but that wasn't what he meant. Maybe that would be accurate for the shallow way he'd thought about sex before losing his virginity, but not now. Not when he knew what it was really like.

Jurou wasn't religious or spiritual or even hopeful. In fact, before meeting Mafuyu he'd generally considered the world to be trash and everyone in it just busying themselves with meaningless crap while stuck on the inevitable march to death. Maybe that was still true, but Mafuyu had shown him that it didn't matter. And when they'd first had sex, when their bodies had pressed together and he'd burst into tears while losing himself inside her, he'd truly believed in something for the first time.

They were meant for each other. He didn't how or why. Soulmates, a match made by some god, a string of fate, whatever. What mattered was the truth of their love and every time they made love and held each other in an embrace was a testament to that. Whether he was frantically thrusting away at her or moving with her in a slow steady rhythm, the certainty and awe at their love could move him to tears.

Jurou had thought it was like that for her. She'd never cried during sex or shouted out his name like he had hers, but he'd assumed she'd still felt something similar. But now he knew it couldn't be true, sex to Mafuyu was probably just a sticky, noisy event which left her tired.

She'd refused to help him get better at sex so he could share the experience with her, and even if he'd told her she wouldn't have understood. There was no way she could understand unless she felt it first.

But that was an issue for another time. Right now, after finishing his schoolwork with Mafuyu at her apartment, Jurou had to address the issue of the other male student who'd caught her attention.

"What's going on between you and Yuiga?" Jurou asked.

She blinked and set down the cup of tea she'd been drinking. "Pardon?"

Oh no, he wasn't going to accept feigned innocence. If she could lie to the world about her relationship with him, how could he know whether she was lying about Yuiga?

"You and Yuiga Nariyuki. I've seen you with him several times. What were they for?"

"I'm merely giving him advice on how to tutor the students the headmaster assigned to him."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"So you and him talking in one of the school office rooms is just for that, huh?"

Mafuyu narrowed her eyes. As if he were the who was doing something wrong. "Yes."

He grit his teeth. "And you and him going to the same public bathhouse, was that to give him tutoring advice too? How about servicing him at a maid cafe?"

"W-what?! How do you-have you been following me?"

What the hell made her think she could be so self-righteous? "Actually, I didn't. When I first saw you and Yuiga walk out of a bathhouse talking to each other it was a coincidence. And the maid cafe? I was there because it was in a region with a bunch of anime stores. I just heard about an incident that involved a pink-haired temporary maid and a high-school student with glasses."

"O-oh." Her anger lost its steam. "I'll explain then. Jurou-kun, I don't know what you think is going on between me and Yuiga-kun, but we keep running into each other and ending up in bizarre situations. It's baffling, I realize that, but it's true. "

"Don't bullshit me." He spat out the words.

"Excuse me?" Mafuyu said with a shocked expression. Well what did she think he was going to say? 'Haha, okay, I totally accept that shitty explanation. Nothing must be going on between you two.'?

"How far have you gone with him?" Jurou asked. "Is that why you don't want sex anymore? Because you're satisfied with him?" He hadn't even thought about the possibility, but it made perfect sense.

"How dare you? Do you truly have such a low opinion of me?"

"You think I want it to be true? I don't! You're my girlfriend, not Yuiga's. So when I see you in those types of situations or hear about them, what am I supposed to think?"

"The proper thing to do would have been to ask for an explanation, not beginning with accusations."

"I did ask. I gave you the chance to tell me the truth, but you kept answering with lies."

"They're not lies!" She yelled at him. It was hard to believe that furious voice she used now and her usual, calm one belonged to the same person.

"Prove it then!" He screamed back.

"I don't need to. I've told you the truth, there is nothing more I can do. If you don't believe me Jurou-kun, that is your problem."

"Fuck you, you bitch! You think I'm stupid? You're only saying that because you know you can't prove me wrong."

She glared at him. In an icy tone, she said, "Get out."

Jurou shot her a dirty look back, and without another word he picked up his backpack and left.

What a selfish bitch. How had Jurou gone this long without seeing this side of her? He should have known that there was something wrong with a teacher who would sleep with one of her students.

Fuck fuck fuck! He wouldn't have cared if something was wrong with her as long as she loved him. Not anyone else, not that Yuiga asshole, him!

Chapter Text

It had been three weeks since Jurou and Mafuyu last tutoring session. Three weeks since their last date. At school they'd ignored each other, him listening to her lessons and only catching glimpses of her in the halls.

It was hell. Jurou sat at his desk in his room, most days he could barely muster the motivation to do . . . well anything. Right now he rested his head on his desk, staring at the wall.

His eyes travelled to his phone right by his hand. Should he? Was he really going to go that far?

He sat up and unlocked his phone. This was the only chance he had to salvage anything of their relationship. He had to grow up and set aside any pride and jealousy. With the Line app, he sent a message.

Top Ten: Mafuyu, I want to apologize. Really, I mean it. Can we meet?

He stared at his phone, waiting for a reply. After a few minutes of silence, he laid his head on the desk again and stole glances at his phone repeatedly. When an hour passed, he carried it to the bed and fell face first onto the mattress.

He stayed that way until it vibrated to indicate a new message. His head shot up and he read the screen.

Ice Queen: If you are telling the truth, then you may come now.

Yes! Oh God, she was going to give him a chance. He just needed to explain his deal perfectly, tell her why they needed to go through with it to preserve their love.

He cleaned himself up. Shaving, washing his face, combing his hair, and then choosing his least dirtiest clothes in order to rush out of the house and meet up with her.

Jurou ran a good part of the way, his eagerness left him panting at first, but he learned to pace himself. After a few minutes, he arrived at her apartment and climbed the stairs. He knocked on the door.

She opened it and gave him an even look. "Jurou-kun. Are you here to apologize?"

"Yes, yes. 100% absolutely, yes. I love you, Mafuyu-san and I'm sorry for everything I said last time. It was wrong of me. I don't want to let our relationship die because of a mistake, and I think there's a way to fix everything. Will you let me in?"

After a few painful, silent moments, she said, "You may enter."

While she'd granted him permission, her greeting lacked its usual warm hospitality. God, he'd missed it. It highlighted just how important it was for him to fix everything.

Jurou walked in. Once she sat down at her coffee table, he set down a cushion to sit across from her. He trembled. It had been so long since he'd been close enough to catch a hint of her intoxicating scent.

"I was very hurt by what you said before, do you realize that?" she asked. "However, I realize that I'm not free of guilt either. I'm sorry for what I said as well."

Jurou shoved down his rage. There was no point in getting angry at her even though she'd cheated on him, this was what he was here to fix. At least she'd apologized.

"I accept your apology." Jurou paused as he considered how to begin. "Mafuyu-san, these past few weeks, I realized that what really matters is our love. As long as we love each other, we can get through anything, including this."

She smiled. It was like seeing the sun again after a long, cold winter. "I believe so as well."

He beamed, excited at the prospects of making up. "Okay, then we need to set a few things straight first. I'll let go of anything that happened between you and Yuiga. I don't want to hear about it, so don't tell me. As long as it stops and you love me and only me, then I'll accept it as part of the past."

She frowned. No no, why? "Jurou-kun, are you still under the impression that I was unfaithful to you?"

He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Whatever happened doesn't matter. Let's look to the future and let go of the past."

"No, I will not. Not if it means you have a mistaken view of the past and my loyalty towards you. What I told you previously was the truth, nothing occurred between me and Yuiga-kun."

He shrugged. If she wanted to deny it, fine. The end result would be the same. "Okay. Just as long as you stay away from him we're good."

"You still don't believe me," she said, annoyed. "Do you think I'm indifferent to establishing a truthful basis for our relationship? No, I will not accept any reconciliation until you genuinely see that the only one I love is you and that I haven't even glanced in the direction of other men."

Jurou couldn't let her weaken him with sweet words. As much as he wanted to believe it, it didn't add up. He'd seen her with Yuiga too often.

Why was she being like this?! He was willing to leave it as water under the bridge, he was willing to make peace. She should be accepting it gracefully.

"In addition, I cannot refrain myself from interacting with Yuiga-kun. I have duties as a teacher, and the development of two other students rests on him tutoring them wisely."

"That's bull-" He shut his mouth and tried again in a calmer tone. "Why can't another teacher do that?"

"The students he's tutoring are my responsibility," she said. "And even if they weren't, he is a pleasant young man who is eager to learn. I will not let you dictate who I can and can't speak with."

"But-but I'd do that for you. If any other girl was getting close with me and you wanted her gone, I'd make it happen in a second!"

"I am not you," Mafuyu said. "Not to mention that you being willing to sacrifice interactions with others just to please me is a worrying inclination. It's not one you should expect me to follow."

"This isn't fair!" He was shouting now. He'd tried to rein in his anger, but he couldn't. "Just because you can have any guy you want doesn't mean you can treat me this way. I only have you, you're the only one who'll love me and the only one I need. Please, try to understand."

"I am trying to understand, but you're not giving me the same courtesy. Nothing happened between me and Yuiga-kun, and I will not stop advising him regularly."

Jurou clenched his fist. Why? Why why why? Why was she doing this to him?

An insane thought hit him. It would work, but did he really have to resort to that? A look at her determined expression made up his mind. She wasn't going to stop, but even so he still loved her. He had to protect their love.

"You will," Jurou said, his eyes crazed. "You will, or else I'm going to the police and revealing everything about our relationship."

Mafuyu's hand shot up to cover her mouth. For a few silent moments, she was taken aback. Then, her expression turned cold and aloof. "Jurou-kun, I am disappointed in you. If you attempt to use such leverage over me, I will lose the love I hold for you. You may stop me from advising Yuiga-kun, but I will no longer respond to your passion. I will not allow you to touch me, I will choose embarrassment, loss of my career, and prison over letting you violate my body. Do you understand? Is that the kind of relationship you want?"

No, no it wasn't. "Fine then, I won't reveal anything. But . . . where can we go from here?"

"That depends on you." Mafuyu stood up. "Please don't come to see me again unless you are able to accept the truth. If you try to bring such accusations to me or present ultimatums once more, then that will be the end of us."

With those words, she left him in her living room. After a few silent moments seated at her table, he left.

\\\\\

Mafuyu's hand ran through the tracksuits hanging on the rack. Nearby, Fujimura was gushing over some colorful blouses that the stores was selling for a fifteen percent discount. Mafuyu looked over with a small smile.

For a long time, Mafuyu had felt no need to diversify her wardrobe beyond tracksuits and her work outfit. In the past year, she'd enjoyed trying out new dresses, leggings, and tops. She recalled how pleased she'd been to show Jurou her new clothing on their dates.

Would there ever be a need to wear such clothing again? Much of the joy in trying new clothes had been sapped from her. She still enjoyed these shopping trips with Fujimura, but Jurou had been the one to see them the most.

Mafuyu wondered whether their relationship could recover, and whether it should recover. She'd never realized that Jurou had such a jealous, possessive side to him. Or that he would be so underhanded to even consider threatening her career and betraying her trust.

Yet she remembered his wide grins. His eager, excited face and his dedication to the topics which interested him. The passion and love in his gaze, and the tears he'd shed the night they'd first made love. There was hope. If that was the true Jurou and this was just a minor lapse in his behavior, then there was a chance they could reconcile.

"Deep in thought there, Kirisu-san?"

Mafuyu's hand slipped from the clothes. She turned to face her friend. "Y-yes, I suppose I am."

"Can I ask what you were thinking about?"

"Nothing important. Work difficulties."

"Hmm, are you sure?"

Mafuyu blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Something's been off about you the past month, Kirisu -san. Don't think I don't see those sad expressions of yours all the time. Not to mention you've stopped tutoring Jurou."

Mafuyu fought to keep her expression calm. Fujimura must not have noticed anything. She likely considered the stopping of the sessions with Jurou a result of her troubles rather than a cause.

"Well, are you going to tell me or am I gonna have to squeeze the truth out of you?" Fujimura asked.

"I'll tell you," Mafuyu said. Since it was going to take a while to explain, they left the store and sat at a bench in the shopping center.

"So what's going on?" Fujimura asked, eager to lend an ear to her troubles. She really was a good friend.

"I-I'm having relationship issues."

"Wow, really? You never told me you were going out with someone."

"I know, and I apologize for hiding it from you. I want to keep some details secret, but this is what I can tell you . . ." Mafuyu went on to describe recent events with Jurou without mentioning to his name or any identifying features to his aunt. Mafuyu allowed her to assume that she was dealing with an adult boyfriend's jealousy and that he had threatened her career in some vague way.

"Hmmm." Fujimura crossed her arms. "You want my advice?"

"Yes!" Mafuyu cleared her throat and then repeated in a calmer tone. "I mean, yes I would."

"Dump him."

Mafuyu searched Fujimura's eyes for a few seconds. "Is that really the only thing I can do?" she asked in a despondent voice.

"Hey hey, whoa. Sorry, I didn't expect you'd react like that. That's just my first instinct after hearing about this guy, but maybe I'm wrong. You're the one who knows him best. Seriously though, no matter how much you like him, do you really think you should tolerate behavior like that?"

"No, of course not. But . . . but this has to be a mistake. He was never like this before."

"Maybe he was and you just didn't see it."

"Even so, I should still give him a chance though, shouldn't I?"

"Nah, I don't think so. There are plenty of other guys out there." Fujimura's tone softened. "But I guess you've gotten really attached to him, huh?"

"I can honestly say that I love him."

Fujimura sighed. "Then I don't really know. Maybe it would still be better for you to cut things off if the person you love turns out to be like that."

"Perhaps, but there's more than my welfare at stake. I know this may sound rather conceited, yet I feel that he truly needs me. I worry about what would happen to him without me. I don't want to specify, but he seemed to be in a dark place before I met him."

"Again, I don't really know. This is weirdly intense, especially coming from you. I don't want to be too nonchalant and tell you to end something so important to you without knowing, but I think you should take care of yourself first."

Self-preservation. Would Mafuyu really have to end things with him to save herself? And perhaps it would actually be good for him too. He could find a girl his own age and . . . and . . .

Please no. If there was any God out there, please show her another way.

Chapter Text

"The reasons why Japan decided to attack the United States of America were numerous." Mafuyu stood at the board and wrote down the list of reasons. "There was the oil embargo, the conditions for withdrawal from China, and . . ."

After she finished writing, she turned and faced her students. Teaching a class had never been this difficult before. Most of the time she could go on lecturing as usual, answering any questions which came up or checking that the students were following along, but then she'd catch a glimpse of him out of the corner of the eye. Jurou, lately he sat all the way in the back of the room. Sometimes he'd stare at her with an uncomfortable level of intensity and sometimes he'd just stare out the window distracted.

His childish antics during class had seemed so irritating at the time, but now she realized just how heartwarming they were. A playful wink or a mischievous note. How she wished she could see them again, and even more keen was the desire for their relationship to be in a state where she could allow such behavior.

It was both easier and harder once she finished teaching his class and taught another group. Easier because he was no longer present to draw her eye, and harder because her mind would still drift to him. His history schoolwork was adequate, but did the same hold for his other subjects? Was he still using the studying techniques she'd taught him?

Thoughts of him also tended to send her into wild mood swings. When she sat alone in the teacher's lounge eating her food, she would reminisce about the meals she'd shared with Jurou. Then her heart would swell with yearning and ache in her chest. Yet when she went through the halls and caught sight of him in the halls, she would recall the accusations he'd assaulted her with and her blood would boil.

Such sorrow. Such rage. Yet they were how she knew how deeply she'd fallen in love with him. Painful as it was, she couldn't find it in herself to regret everything she'd gone through with him. She might regret the particulars of how she'd handled his jealousy, but never their relationship.

Even if their love was fated to be a thing of the past, a possibility she dreaded with her entire body and soul, she would say she was glad to have known and to have loved Jurou.

\\\\\

Jurou entered the school bathroom. It was empty, but he wouldn't have cared if anyone had seen him storm into a stall. Once he shut the door he threw his backpack in the corner and sat on the toilet.

"Fuck fuck fuck!" His fist slammed against the wall and tears streamed down his face.

He'd thought he and Mafuyu were meant to be together. He'd thought their love was something real, something that would last their entire lives, but it had all been a lie. A stupid, bewitching lie!

Mafuyu, no, Kirisu-sensei did her best to ignore him at school now. Like he wasn't even worth looking at. Even when he could muster up the courage to meet her eyes during class, searching for the slightest hint that she cared, she wouldn't give him the chance. Now she only assumed her strict, distant role as a teacher as if wiping out the loving, kind, clumsy Kirisu-sensei he'd known.

It was his fault that everything had gone to shit. He hadn't been able to satisfy her, so she'd gone to another student. It had been wrong of him to tell her to stop before fixing himself first. He should have been a better boyfriend, and what the hell had he been thinking when he'd tried to blackmail her like that?!

His body wracked with sobs. He had to take off his glasses to wipe away at his face with the back of his hand. Pangs of pain tore into his heart, as if someone had reached in and ripped it up for their amusement.

Whoever had said it was better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all was a delusional idiot. He wished he'd never known how amazing and wonderful love could be. It only made it hurt that much more when it was gone. Maybe he could have found a way to tolerate life before, but now? What could he do now that he knew just how far he'd fallen?

\\\\\

"You've been doing well," Mafuyu told Yuiga. She'd asked him and the three students he was tutoring to this office for an update on their situation. From their description they were handling their studies more than adequately.

"Thank you, sensei," Yuiga said.

"Y-yeah, thank you!" Fumino agreed. The girl was still somewhat nervous around her. Meanwhile, Ogata was silent, although if she did speak up their conversation was likely to end up rather combative.

"Yeah, Nariyuki's a great tutor, sensei," Takemoto said with a grin. "It's nice of you to check up on us, but you can trust him."

"Yes, I suppose I can." After what had happened with Jurou, it was nice to hear that at least they had bright futures ahead of them. She stood up. "I'll check in again on your progress in three weeks. Although you should feel free to come and ask for assistance before then if you'd like."

"We will," Yuiga said. The students got up and followed her out the door.

"Waah!" Takemoto screamed and then Mafuyu felt something tug at her skirt.

Takemoto was on the ground and Mafuyu's skirt had been pulled askew. A portion of her underwear was showing and Yuiga spluttered with a red face.

"Avert your eyes right now young man!" Mafuyu shouted with a vehemence that made them all flinch.

"Right! I'm sorry!" Yuiga covered his eyes spun around to face the wall.

Mafuyu tugged her skirt up and glared at Takemoto. "Explain yourself."

Her dark skin had gone pale. With a voice that hardly rose above a whisper, she said, "I-it was an accident. I fell and my hand got caught on your skirt and it just happened and I didn't mean to-

Mafuyu sighed and massaged her forehead. "Very well. Calm down, I understand that it was an accident. You can face me now Yuiga-kun." Once he did, she told them, "I apologize for raising my voice like that. It was unprofessional. I have been dealing with . . . personal issues lately, but that is no excuse. You're all dismissed."

They left the room with such speed it was a wonder they didn't break into a sprint. Mafuyu sat down at the desk.

'I should have been more considerate towards Jurou-kun,' she thought to herself. Even she found it hard to believe what had just happened, how could she have expected him to accept such bizarre events? That didn't justify his behavior of course, but even she'd lashed out at Yuiga when she'd been reminded of how he'd indirectly come in between her and Jurou.

Maybe she should talk to Jurou and try to explain herself again? It was a tantalizing prospect. Yet she couldn't know whether he was mature enough to accept the truth, or whether it would even be his fault if he didn't.

Chapter Text

"Here you go," Jurou said as he poured coffee into the customer's cup. His class was running a cafe for the school festival, and he'd been assigned as a server.

Jurou went through the motions of the job. A few times the other students asked him to smile a little, but he didn't give enough of a shit to indulge them. Either they worked him as a server, or they didn't use him at all since he clearly wasn't going to put in the effort to cook.

After bringing plates of cake and other pastries to a table, Jurou noted that there was some commotion in the hall. He recognized the source of it, that asshole who'd taken Mafuyu from him along with the two geniuses of the school.

"Are you sure, Yuiga-kun?" Furuhashi asked, giving him a suspicious look.

"Yes! It was an accident, I promise," he said.

"A very convenient accident it was," Ogata added. She shared Furuhashi's disapproving gaze and for some reason had her arms crossed in front of her chest as if to protect herself.

"I know, but it's the truth!"

Jurou snorted and moved along. He nearly bumped into Sekijo, a classmate of his who'd insisted on wearing her lab coat even during the festival.

"Sorry," he said and stepped aside.

"It's alright." She looked into the hall and giggled. "Oh, is Yuiga-kun having another one of his incidents with the girls?"

Jurou narrowed his eyes. "His incidents? What do you mean?"

She shrugged. "This type of thing tends to happen around Yuiga-kun. I remember there were some incidents when he put his hand on Furuhashi-san's stomach and drenching the girls' clothes with water and making them see-through. Even I've been roped into it a few times. He and I once got our hands super-glued together. He truly was gentlemanly during that, looking away when I had to take a shower."

A horrifying possibility took root in Jurou's mind. "Hold on, are you for real? I thought I saw something weird between him and Kirisu-sensei once, do you know if it's ever happened with her?"

Sekijo considered the question. "I've heard about something that happened with Yuiga-kun, her, and a former student of the school. Something to do with maids? I'm not sure."

Jurou ran out of the classroom. He heard Sekijo's confusion behind him, asking him where he was going, but he didn't have time to waste.

It had been true. Everything she'd said, all the unbelievable stories, they had been true. She'd been faithful to him.

She'd been loyal to him, and he was the one who'd accused her of lying and cheating on him. She was so unbelievably kind and patient to have given him another chance, so much more than he deserved. Maybe he didn't deserve her love either, but he was going to do his damn best to earn it back. Or failing that, he was going to at least let her know that he'd realized just how terrible he'd been to her.

Jurou ran through the school grounds, his eyes shooting over the crowd to locate her. He found her outside, a beautiful sight made even more so by the fact that he now knew the truth about her. She was supervising other students and he walked up to her.

"Kirisu-sensei, I need to talk to you."

"Kita-kun?" Her eyes grew wide. Then she reined in her reaction and cleared her throat, her voice too calm to be natural. "Very well, after the festival."

"Now, sensei. Please." Jurou went to his knees, looking up at her.

"Kita-kun! Wh-what are you doing?" Mafuyu nervously eyed the crowd, a few people were giving confused looks at the student kneeling before her. "Alright, I'll speak with you. Get up and follow me."

He stood and went along as she headed back to the school. This was his chance. He couldn't screw it up.

\\\\\

Mafuyu guided Jurou to an office in a secluded part of the school. It could be disastrous if someone overheard their conversation.

She entered and stood across from him. "Well?"

He closed his eyes and took a breath. Once he opened them again, his gaze was nervous and uncertain. "Mafuyu-san, I'm sorry. So so sorry for everything I did."

"You are?" Despite the hope rising up in her chest, Mafuyu maintained a cool exterior. "And you do remember what I said previously, correct? You have to tell me what you're sorry for."

"I'm sorry for doubting you. For thinking that you cheated on me. I saw Yuiga earlier and . . . well, it shouldn't have taken that much to convince me, but I know the truth now. Still, I understand if I've gone too far, and you don't want me back. Just, hear me out first, there's a lot I want to say to you."

He gained confidence and formed a steely expression. "Before I met you, I wasn't doing well mentally. I'd stopped caring about a lot of things besides just my grades, but when you confessed how you felt, you changed everything for me. You showed me how amazing love can be. You taught me so much and made me so happy, and I'll never forget it. Thank you for . . . for everything." He smiled, his eyes glistening with tears behind his glasses.

Mafuyu walked forward and cradled his head. She wrapped him in a loving embrace. "You also showed me the wonder of being in love, Jurou-kun. I forgive you. You're not the only one who wanted our relationship to survive this, and I'll happily agree to starting over."

Jurou burst into tears. They were so forceful that his body shook with sobs. "Mafuyu . . . Mafuyu . . . Mafuyu."

"There there." Mafuyu patted his head. "Don't worry, Jurou-kun. I'll be here for you."

He sniffled and pulled away. "There's something you should know. Do you remember that night when you almost ran me over? Before we started dating? I was planning to kill myself that night."

Mafuyu's blood chilled. With horror she realized just how well that explained the strange night. Why Jurou had been in a town miles away from home in the middle of the night, and why he'd left his aunt a note and the money from his part-time job. She gripped his arm. "Jurou, those feelings were in the past, correct? You no longer feel that way?"

Now it was his turn to soothe her. "I don't. Well . . . I did a bit before I heard your answer, but I didn't want to use it as leverage over you. You made the decision to stay with me on your own, and I won't let you regret it."

Mafuyu's imagination drew out the scenario. What would it have been like to hear about Jurou's suicide after she'd given a different response? How could she have faced Fujimura after being responsible for her nephew's death? She slapped his shoulder.

"Ow, hey!"

"You should have told me you were in such a state!" Mafuyu said. Still beating on his chest. "If I'd-if I'd known that you were thinking that way, I never would have wanted to hurt you like this."

He caught her wrists and said. "I'm sorry. It's just . . . I didn't want to use my life to force you to be with me. Not after I tried blackmailing you."

"Tell me these things from now on, Jurou-kun," she said, furious. "Tell me, or else I really will leave you permanently."

He nodded frantically. "I will. I promise."

"Good, now kiss me."

"What?" He stood dumbfounded.

She answered by bringing her lips on his own. It had been so long since she'd felt his sturdy face against her own. She'd almost forgotten the feeling.

They separated with a string of glistening wetness between them. She'd remembered his kink for them, though to be honest she now shared his fascination for them.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"I've missed you greatly." She sighed. "It's unfortunate that we can't go further here. Perhaps tonight at my apartment instead?" Mafuyu had a playful glint in her eye.

He laughed. "I'll be there!"

\\\\\

This was the most important graduation at Ichinose Academy that Mafuyu had ever attended. The joy and pride in her heart exceeded what she'd felt at her own graduation by leaps and bounds. Back then she'd been alone, a girl who'd spent more figure-skating than studying or making friends. Her only real connection had been with Yuiga-sensei. Now, she would see his son and his friends reach a new stage in their lives.

Most importantly, however, she'd be able to see the same for the one she loved.

She cradled the button hidden in her hand. Jurou had given it to her, the second button to his jacket. She'd spotted quite a few male students offering them to girls, but Mafuyu felt certain that she was the happiest out of all of them.

The students sang the National Anthem. Jurou, that lovable little jokester, only mouthed the words and added his own lyrics in a whisper. She couldn't hear them, but the students near him were trying to hold in their laughter.

Once they finished singing, Furuhashi gave a moving, heartfelt speech which brought many to tears. The literature teachers were already sobbing and even Mafuyu felt a sting behind her eyes. She managed to keep her face dry, and then the headmaster began giving out diplomas.

Hundreds of students were called up and received their diploma. After that, the headmaster gave his own speech, one which was mercifully much more concise than his usual rambling. It received a well-earned applause from the teachers, parents, and students alike.

Then the ceremony was over, and they were no longer students of Ichinose. As Jurou had pointed out, a relationship with him would have no legal repercussions now. It was a thrilling idea, showing their love to the world, but obviously they couldn't let anyone discover just when it had started. They'd have to wait quite a while before revealing it.

A number of students came up to Mafuyu along with their parents. Yuiga's mother she was already familiar with, but this time she got to speak with the parents of Ogata, Furuhashi, and Takemoto in-depth. Mafuyu received flowers as well, which she was incredibly grateful for.

Fujimura, her best friend, also came up to her. "Hey, thanks for helping Jurou all this time."

Mafuyu smiled. "Of course, I was glad to help. May I ask where he is?" she asked even though she already knew.

Fujimura sighed. "You can ask, but I can't answer. That ungrateful brat ditched me the moment the ceremony ended. I can't believe he didn't come up to thank you."

"Ah, well I suppose that's not surprising coming from him. I hope you tell him I'm glad to have had him as a student."

"I will, and let me tell you, he's really glad to have had you as a teacher."

"Thank you."

Fujimura seemed to think for a bit. "You know what? Jurou deserves this for not showing up, and I think I should warn you. Mafuyu-san, he really likes you. You know how beautiful you are and . . . well he's a teenage boy."

"Oh . . ." Mafuyu feigned awkwardness to hide her concern. Fujimura didn't suspect anything, did she?

"Don't worry, I'll make sure he behaves. Anyway, see you later!"

After her conversation with Fujimura, Mafuyu had few tasks remaining. She spoke with a few of the teachers and the headmaster, but only the minimum amount necessary. She wanted to get home as quickly as possible and drove even faster than she usually did.

She was greeted by the sight of Jurou waiting in the stairway. He had much practice in visiting her without anyone becoming suspicious, and today he'd done so expertly.

"Hi Mafuyu-san." He waved to her with a big grin.

"Hello, Kita-kun. Although it should be Kirisu-san in public from now on."

"Then we need to get out of public, don't we?"

"Exactly." Mafuyu led him up the stairs and they entered her apartment. She ordered him to wait in the bedroom, and she changed into the outfit she'd bought for this special occasion.

"Are you ready, Jurou-kun?" She walked in and presented her body to him, her hands clasped together and her arms pushing up her chest.

"Wow." Jurou sat on the bed and stared in awe at her cosplay. It was the pink and white magical girl outfit she'd ended up wearing at the festival which had caught his eye back then. A hint of her thighs peeked out between the skirt and the stockings. It didn't show much skin, but it hugged her curves nicely.

She walked up to him and guided his hands to her body. "Do as you like."

He showed his teeth and caressed her thighs. Then, he roughly spun her around and pinched her butt.

She gasped when he pulled her onto the bed. On her back, with her legs straddling him, they kissed. When their lips separated, she whispered in his ear. "Unbutton me, I have a surprise for you."

Jurou's fingers raced up to her shirt. Once he opened it up, her boobs spilled out unencumbered. She hadn't been wearing a bra, and now that her pink nipples were out and vulnerable, Jurou latched onto one and suckled as if his life depended on it.

Mafuyu moaned as he did. They'd become so sensitive after he'd played with them so often, and her other nipple was hardening between his fingers as they rolled the nub.

He stripped her of her panties next, leaving the skirt on. Before Jurou moved on to explore her body further, he brought his face just inches above hers.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you," she answered.

Chapter Text

Jurou looked in the mirror and fussed over his clothes. Was his bowtie crooked? It was, but should he tilt back to the right or the left? His hair looked like it might need taking care of too. Where was his comb? Were those wrinkles in his dress shirt?

"Hey man, you going to finish fixing yourself up today or what?" One of his friends, Atsui said. He was a cheerful heavyset man sitting with the others over by the table.

"Today? Definitely," Jurou said, not taking his eyes off the mirror. "Before I have to go out for the procession? Probably not."

"Fujimura-san, have you ever seen Jurou this concerned with his own appearance before?" Hideo asked. He was another friend, a body-builder who had inspired Jurou to get in shape in the past few years.

Jurou had quite a defined set of abs and pecs now which Mafuyu liked to run her hands over. His muscles were nowhere near Hideo's well-toned figure but certainly an improvement over his body throughout high school and college.

Jurou's aunt said, "Only Mafuyu-san could ever get him to care about how he looked, but I don't think I've ever seen him so engrossed in his own appearance before. I'm still trying to decide whether it's cute or a worrying sign of a clingy man."

"Haha." Jurou said with a flat voice. "Don't forget that I'm getting married before you are, Aunt Hikari."

"Hey, Eizo's going to come around eventually! I just need to get him more comfortable with commitment first." Her objection was met with the laughter of Jurou's friends.

Hideo walked up Jurou and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Seriously though, relax Jurou. You look great. You're gonna blow Mafuyu-san away and there's really nothing left for you to fix." He guided Jurou to sit with them.

"Fujimura-san, you have to know a way to distract him," Atsui said. "Can you give it a try?"

Aunt Hikari smirked. "Sure. Did I ever tell you guys just how obvious it was that Jurou liked Mafuyu-san even back in high school?"

"Nope, but then again, I can believe it," Hideo said. "Most guys would leave their fantasies about their teacher fantasies, but you need to be dedicated to pull it off like Jurou did."

"Obsessed is more like it. Jurou, you thought you were subtle, but you used to stare at her. Honestly, I have no idea how you convinced Mafuyu-san to even go out with you rather than creeping her out."

"It's a bit of a mystery to me too. But you want to know something, Aunt Hikari? Mafuyu-chan's not as stuffy as you think. She likes being stared at when it's by the right person, I was just lucky enough to be that person."

His aunt snorted. "Sure. You know, Jurou, why don't you tell us a bit more about how you seduced her? I've never heard any details."

"Wow, really?" Hideo said in amazement. "He's never told us either, but I thought that at the very least you would know."

"Nope. Just some vagueness about wooing her during his college days."

Jurou grinned and leaned back in his seat. "I'll tell you guys this. It wasn't easy getting Mafuyu to see me as a man rather than a student, but I'm just that awesome." He had to hold in his laughter at the blatant lie. It was going to be fun weaving some nice stories for them to hear. "I already had plenty of reasons to visit her even without tutoring sessions. She's actually pretty clumsy, so I helped her a lot with housework."

Aunt Hikari had been right. Telling them the story he and Mafuyu had come up with distracted him from fidgeting over his appearance. It was just the right mix of lies and the truth. They'd decided to say they'd had a trial period of two months before revealing their relationship during his second year of college when the truth was that by that point they'd been together for about three years.

Jurou blathered on until it was time for the ceremony. After his friends and aunt wished him good luck, he headed up to the stage where the officiant waited behind a wooden podium. He was an elderly white man who was a friend of Mafuyu's dad and had officiated several weddings before.

Jurou stood in front of the officiant. The crowd had quieted down as they realized it was time for the declaration of vows. They stood at a variety of tables. Jurou's aunt and Mafuyu's family had the ones closest to the front, and further in the back were friends and other acquaintances.

Then, the music started playing. Mafuyu and her father appeared and walked down the aisle to Jurou. She was breathtaking. She'd expressed concerns about her age, although he'd felt that she had no reason to worry given that she was only thirty-two. The only thing that time had done was give her beauty a chance to blossom even further. The wedding dress was a pure white and still managed to show the slender, buxom figure she'd maintained over the years. Her long lustrous hair had been braided and styled to perfection. She had a white flower pinned in her hair, and a silver necklace gleamed around her throat.

She walked up and stood on the other side of the podium, facing him. She had a cool expression, but Jurou's lips curled into a grin.

"You may all be seated," the officiant said. The guests obeyed. Mafuyu's father went to sit by his wife.

"Thank you. Now, marriage is a legally binding commitment which changes the status of both parties and the rights and obligations given to them. Kita Jurou, do you enter this commitment willingly and with your full mental faculties in order?"

"Yes."

The officiant nodded. "And Kirisu Mafuyu, do you enter this commitment willingly and with your full mental faculties in order?"

"Yes."

"Then it is now time for the exchange of vows. Do you, Kita Jurou, swear to take this woman, for your lawful wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

Jurou nodded. "I do."

"And do you, Kirisu Mafuyu, swear to take this man, for your lawful husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

She tipped her head forward elegantly. "I do."

"Good. Now, the rings please?"

Natsumi, Mafuyu's adorable cousin, nervously carried up the rings on a pillow. Jurou and Mafuyu accepted the rings and placed them on each other's fingers at the officiant's prompting.

"By the power vested in me by the nation of Japan and in accordance with its laws, it is my honor to pronounce you two husband and wife. You may now kiss to seal your vows."

Jurou reached for her and tilted up her head. Strange, they'd probably kissed hundreds of times by now, but he was even more nervous than he'd been the first time. His heart raced in his chest, and his hearing zeroed in on her breathing. In fact, he hardly even heard the applause from the guests.

When they pulled apart, her calm demeanor had broken into a smile. They turned to the crowd as a picture-perfect happy couple. Now it was time to eat, relax, and party.

In college, Jurou had turned vegan, and he'd convinced Mafuyu to do the same. As a result their wedding only had plant-based foods. Potatoes, tofu, udon noodles courtesy of the very accommodating Ogata shop, soba, mushrooms, vegetable dumplings, eggplant and squash dishes. There were fake meats too, and it only took a few minutes for Jurou to note their extreme popularity among the attendees. Their wedding cake, with cute groom and bride models, had also come from a vegan bakery.

Neither Jurou nor Mafuyu drank. Him because he prized being clear-headed, and Mafuyu due to her own particular susceptibility to alcohol. However, there was a selection of wines and champagne for the guests.

They sat down at a table with their families. Jurou had Mafuyu on his right and Aunt Hikari on his left while Mafuyu had her mother on her right.

"Wow, Aunt Hikari, you're getting soft. I never thought I'd see the day when you cried," Jurou said to his aunt who was wiping her eyes. To be fair, Mafuyu's mother was doing the same.

Rather than respond to his quip, she gave him a genuine smile. "Maybe you're right. Can you blame me, though? When I think about how happy your mother would have been if she were here. . ."

To be honest, Jurou didn't remember that much about his mother. If it weren't for the pictures he looked at occasionally, he might not have recognized her even if she came back from the dead and walked up to him. Even so, the few memories he'd held onto were warm and loving.

"I'm sure that that she's looking on happily right now," Miharu said. Jurou didn't believe in an afterlife, but he accepted the sentiment regardless.

"Sorry, just ignore me." Aunt Hikari shook her head as if that would get rid of her tears. "This is a wedding. I shouldn't be making it all gray and gloomy."

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with mentioning how you feel," Eizo, her boyfriend, patted her shoulder.

"Weeeell, I'm pretty sure the only tears allowed today are happy tears. If she doesn't shape up, I'm going have to use my groom powers to expel her from the wedding."

His aunt laughed. "Oh be quiet you, your jokes aren't as good as you think they are."

"What? My jokes are amazing. Tell her, Mafuyu."

"Hmm, what?" she said confused. She'd been talking with her parents.

"Say my jokes are awesome. You have to say it even if you think they suck. We're a husband and wife team now."

She smiled and indulged him. "Jurou's jokes are awesome."

"See?" Jurou said.

Aunt Hikari rolled her eyes. "Whatever, let's just eat more of this weird bean meat thing you're forcing on us." She stabbed into her 'beef' and took a bite. Despite her words, she seemed to enjoy it.

"Jurou-san, I have a question," Mafuyu's mother said. "Mafuyu says you don't want biological children, may I ask why?"

"Well, a variety of reasons. Some of them are personal, but one reason is that after thinking about how many children there are that could use good homes, I decided that if I ever wanted a child I would adopt. Although right now neither of us want children particularly badly anyway, and I don't think that's the right mindset to have when deciding to have kids."

"I can't believe you became such a bleeding heart at college," Aunt Hikari said.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to never show you any mercy. You'll remember me as I was, a lovable bastard."

"And you're certain about this?" Mafuyu's father asked.

"Yes, completely certain." For once, Jurou became serious. Mafuyu patted his arm to show that they stood together on this.

He really was the luckiest man in the world. Mafuyu did like the thought of raising a family, but she'd agreed to his decision to not have biological children. The main reason being that after Jurou's struggle with suicidal thoughts and self-loathing, he'd decided that he'd never have children in a system in which they'd be without proper mental health options. It had been pure luck that Mafuyu had been there for him and even with her love it had taken years of therapy to get to where he was now.

He chuckled at how her parents glanced at Miharu. She was going to be their only hope for biological grandchildren now, and he wished her luck. She was still nervous around guys and as far as he knew she hadn't even been in a serious relationship yet.

Maybe Hideo or Atsui could set her up with someone. Jurou owed her a lot, after all. When she'd first heard about their relationship, she'd been a bit antagonistic towards him. Understandable given her fervent love for her sister, but after Jurou had proven the extent of his love for Mafuyu, she'd acknowledged it as even greater than hers. Now she was their greatest supporter, she'd even spoken on their behalf when Mafuyu's parents had heard that their eldest daughter was in a relationship with a former student.

It was a fun night, definitely one he'd remember for all his life. A few friends got drunk and entertained them all with their antics. Plenty of people came up and congratulated them on their marriage.

Jurou was also glad to have his dance with Mafuyu. He'd learned in the past few months, although it had only taken her a few days to perfect all the moves. She had an impressive memory when it came to that, a relic of her figure skating days.

Hours later, when the food was eaten and the music died down to a calm beat, Jurou and Mafuyu bid all the guests goodbye. He bridal carried her out.

"Are you sure you can carry me all the way?" she asked.

He winked. "Don't worry, Mafuyu-chan. You're even lighter than you were back when I was a high schooler."

"I doubt it. You've just gotten stronger." She rubbed his arm, feeling the muscle. "A development which I appreciate."

"Hey, don't forget, we're supposed to stay together through sickness and through health. So even if I become a fat old man, you're stuck with me."

"Only if you do the same for a withered old woman."

"Always." He lifted her head up and their lips met in a brief kiss.

They reached the room, and she opened it for them. Finally, he set her down on the bed. It was decorated with pink and white flower petals.

"Come help me take this off." Mafuyu stood with her back to him, taking her hair out of the way of her dress. He unzipped it and pulled it down for her to step out of.

She was clad in black lingerie. The bra pushed up her already impressive chest into a mind-blowing display of the globes' beauty. The high-waisted garter belt clung to her shapely hips and straps went down to her thighs. The panties were lacy and showed off her flawless butt with only a small string climbing between her cheeks.

"Wow." It had an added effect as their first night as husband and wife, but Jurou would always love seeing Mafuyu naked.

"Time for you to undress, young man." She said in her teacher voice.

He couldn't strip fast enough. The jacket, dress shirt, and pants were all flung onto a nearby chair. At that moment, he was pushed down on the bed, laying on his back. Mafuyu sat on his chest, straddling it.

She traced his bare chest, smiling down at him with a hungry glint in her eyes. "While it has been nice to hear you call me Mafuyu-chan these past couple of years, right now I want another title. What do you think would be appropriate, Jurou?"

"Mafuyu-san?"

"No, something more."

"Mafuyu-sensei?"

"Ooh, I like that. But not for tonight, tonight I want something different. If you don't guess it soon, you'll be punished." She squeezed his nipple, a hint of how she'd twist and hurt him like a toy.

Jurou was hard as a rock. Mafuyu's transformation into a dominatrix had been an unbelievable journey. Even in high school he'd suspected she'd had the potential and after awakening it she was a sight to behold.

"Yes, Mafuyu-sama."

"Good boy. Now here's your reward." She lifted her butt off of him to peel off her panties. She got closer up and shoved her womanhood in his face. He knew what he had to do. It was time for him to serve her, to lick her, to nibble her. To please her until she was satisfied.

"Good. Good. That's goo-oh!" She shivered and continued grinding her pussy on his lips. After a few more minutes of licking, she lovingly patted his head. "That was nice, but it's time for the main event." She finally removed her bra, exposing the beautiful tits to his eager eyes. She claimed that they sagged more than they used to, but he couldn't tell. They were still as eye-catching as ever.

Mafuyu crawled backwards to position herself over his hard dick. She took hold of it and aimed it straight up. "Are you ready, Jurou?"

"Hell yeah!" He was more than ready. He was raring to go.

With torturously slow movements, she took his cock inside of her hot wet hole. She began to rock up and down, up and down. A steady rhythm that drove him crazy when he wanted to thrust away with total abandon.

His hands rode up to her breasts, the most perfect playthings in the universe. With the right pinch or grope he was rewarded with a sweet moan.

It was only a couple minutes later when he forced his hips up as much as he could and spurted all of his cum inside her. Normally his endurance would have been more impressive, but tonight he couldn't handle it. Not with Mafuyu's lingerie and the ring gleaming on her finger. She was his wife now. His wife.

She pushed herself off his softening penis and settled down in the bed beside him. She snuggled up against him. "Did you like my surprise?" she asked.

"Naughty girl, hiding such lewd lingerie under a pure white dress." He grinned. "I loved it."

She laughed. "It was exhilarating, wearing it in the presence of my parents and the other guests."

He became contemplative. "You see, I'm worried though. First the lingerie under your clothes, then forcing me to submit to you in bed. Where will it end? Are you going to become an exhibitionist nymphomaniac?"

She slapped his shoulder. "If I do, it'll be your fault. You taught me just how wonderful sex can be and the exquisite feeling of having a man under my fingertips." She twirled a finger around his chest. Then she reached for his right hand and traced the ring on his finger. "And this is my guarantee of permanent access to such delights. To make love with the man I love."

"Hmmm, speaking of that . . ." He indicated his hardening penis.

"So soon?" she said in a pleased tone. "Very well, how do you want me?"

"Like this." With a forceful push, he tipped Mafuyu over so she laid on her stomach. Then he positioned himself behind her ass. "Get to your knees."

She obeyed, raising her crotch so it was only inches away from his dick. He could see his cum leaking out of her and the sheen of her own fluids. He placed his hands on her round, firm ass and gave the right cheek a slap. It jiggled beautifully.

"I'm thinking of making your ass red," he said while kneading her butt. "What do you think?"

"I want to see your handprint, Jurou. I'm your wife now, so mark me. Mark me in a place only you're allowed to see."

He happily obliged and they made love once more.

Their relationship had been a rough, bumpy ride. While their early days had been the most problematic, they'd had their issues even after Jurou had graduated high school and finally matured. They'd learned to handle one source of tension. His sex drive had declined to more manageable levels for her while hers had risen, and they had methods for helping each other get relief. Their phones and computers had well-protected files of racy messages, photos, and videos they'd sent to each other. At other times they called each other and talked dirty to help the other masturbate.

There had been other issues too. Jurou's jealousy hadn't ended with Yuiga, but with her help he'd worked on his insecurities. His jealousy had been rooted in his self-loathing, which had also manifested as suicidal tendencies and low self-esteem. Even now there were scars from his teenage years, but with Mafuyu beside him he'd finally learned to love himself and to declare to the world that he did deserve her love.

He would dedicate his life to her, but not in the immature worshipful way he'd had when he was younger, but as an equal worthy of receiving the same dedication.

As Jurou lay in the night, listening to the sound of Mafuyu's breathing as she slept, he whispered in her ear. "Thank you. Thank you for everything."

And when she awoke the next morning, smiling down at his sleeping face, she told him those same words. It was the first of such exchanges between them as husband and wife, unknown to both of them and that much more sincere for it.