「Hmm… I see. Feel free to take in my scent as you please, then.」
「…Mhm.」
I breathed in, making a loud sniffing noise as I buried my face in her neck.
Like I thought, the smell really was calming. I wasn’t sure if this was what being spoiled really meant, but since this was between us, I supposed this was the right answer. Sorahashi-san became a puppy because she wanted to be pampered, after all. After a moment of hesitation, I ran my tongue along her neck. That pale neck twitched in response.
It was salty.
Unlike scents, tastes didn’t vary that much. Most people probably had a body that tasted salty. It seemed crazy to lick her while thinking about stuff like this, though. I unbuttoned her blouse and reached in.
What I felt was warmth and softness.
Tracing the shoulder straps of her bra, I ran my fingers down her chest and felt further inside.
Perhaps I was at my limit.
And as always, my desires were running out of control.
The relationship between us had always been one of master and puppy. But right now I was neither. I was just a high school student. Regardless, here I was, licking the neck of a girl I was classmates with, reaching my hands inside her underwear… and it made me so aroused.
Strange. I was becoming so strange.
I felt an odd throbbing in my chest, and I felt like wanting to expose something. I didn’t know what exactly, so I let my body move on its own, seeking her out. Before I knew it, I was placing gentle bites on her neck.
Even though I wasn’t hurting her, her body jumped.
「Kuru… mi…」
Her voice was weaker than usual. Come to think of it, this might have been the first time that I’d done as I pleased and touched her to this extent when she wasn’t being my puppy.
It gave me chills.
This felt different from normal. It felt like my body was drowning.
I wanted to do more. I wanted to see more. I wanted to uncover all of her.
The concept of “everything” was as vague as ever. And because it was vague, I wouldn’t be satisfied until I’d truly felt every last bit of her body. If I had at least made it clear what I wanted to touch, maybe I could have stopped myself.
As I bit into her neck, I slid my hands down from her chest to her stomach.
That smooth sensation felt so good. What would happen if I exposed even more of her? Just that thought made the idea of not doing it unbearable.
I continued to move down from her abdomen to her underwear.
It seemed like it would be easy to get my hand inside, but something stopped me.
I was neither her owner nor her puppy at the moment, after all.
「Say, Sera.」
A sweet voice emanated from my throat, as if she had possessed me.
I was surprised by that sweetness that clung to my voice. But still, I couldn’t stop.
「Will you be my master?」
I said, just like she herself once did.
Those words freed me from my paralysis, my fingertips sliding smoothly into her underwear and touching her skin. Her body once again jumped, even more forcefully than before.
I giggled.
「You haven’t said it properly yet. You want to be my master sometimes, Sera, but you haven’t actually told me yet, have you? 」
「Th-that’s…」
「That’s no good, Sera. If you don’t say it right, I’ll end up being a puppy without an owner.」
I licked at the teeth marks as I continued to move my fingers.
This might not exactly be what you would call being spoiled, but she didn’t resist — so I smiled. It was one overflowing with sweetness, just like Sera’s usually were.
「…I’ll do it. I’ll be your master, Kurumi.」
「…Aha.」
I see.
She and I were the same.
I hadn’t realized it myself, but ultimately, I wanted to be pampered and cared for by someone else. But doing just that was no fun. If it was all sweet, then it’d get boring.
That’s why I…
「Then, Master? Won’t you scold me? I’m doing whatever I want, you know.」
I’d learned so much from Sera. The kind of voice I should use to arouse her sadistic desires. The way I should touch to bring out the Master sleeping within her. The way I should smile to completely captivate her.
Her body jumped in surprise yet again.
「…Fine.」
Her voice was hoarse.
「It’s fine, as long as it’s you.」
Those weren’t words befitting of my master.
They belonged to Sorahashi-san. As my eyes widened, she simply stared at me. There were countless emotions floating within her eyes.
It was fine.
Now, it was my turn to be captivated by her. Those emotions painted into her irises were unlike any other that I’d ever felt from her. There was a strength to them that pierced straight through my heart, and yet, beyond that strength was a sweetness. My pulse raced even faster.
「This isn’t any good, is it?」
I began to change things up, alternating my motions between two fingers.
Sorahashi-san gazed downwards. Her ears were a little red.
「I said it’s fine.」
「Then, what about this?」
I bit her neck with more force than before.
「It’s all okay. Since you’re the one doing it.」
Sorahashi-san said in a raspy voice.
All of it.
Those words were so unfair. But even so…
「I won’t know if you’ll want to punish me later, okay?」
「Please, don’t say anything else.」
「…Sera.」
It was no longer a matter of relying on or being spoiled by someone. I had wanted Master to scold me, but Sorahashi-san stubbornly refused to do so. As if she wanted me to do this to her.
I let out a small laugh.
「You’re such a bad girl, Sera.」
The identities of master, puppy, and Nabana Kurumi all melted together into a new me that I hadn’t seen before. I was a little surprised to discover a side of me that I hadn’t shown her yet, but above that, I was enjoying what we were doing in this current moment.
If it was what she wanted, I might as well just uncover it all.
Staying like this, my fingers continued at their work.
She said nothing. I said nothing. The only thing I knew for certain was that we both wanted this.
Before I knew it, the time had passed to nine in the evening. Even though I’d eaten a lot, I still hadn’t had a proper meal, so I was starting to feel a little hungry. I got up and stretched.
「Sorahashi-san, want something light to eat?」
「Ah, yes. …The fridge might be empty, though.」
I buttoned up just my blouse and headed to the kitchen.
Like she said, empty. All I had on hand were a few dried-out vegetables, rice, and eggs.
I wryly smiled. I supposed I could manage rice porridge, at the very least.
「When did you buy these?」
「I wonder. I bought them the other day thinking I ought to cook at home, but I gave up in the end.」
「It’s unhealthy to eat out all the time.」
「I’ll be okay. Sometimes I buy ready-made meals and eat them at home, too.」
「Jeez.」
Regardless of whether it was outside or at home, I didn’t think it was good for you to eat that every day. I was a little exasperated, but Sorahashi-san grinned.
「If you’re so worried about me, why don’t you come over and make me dinner every day?」
「I don’t have time for that.」
「Really, now. Then maybe I’ll just come over to your house to eat.」
「…Seriously? I don’t mind at least making you bentos, though.」
「Really? Then I’ll ask for a bento from my loving master every single day.」
「Bentos from your master…」
I sighed.
I’d heard of bentos from a loving wife[1], but a bento from a loving master wasn’t a concept that existed in this world. Like always, she was saying some pretty crazy stuff. Although I supposed I wasn’t one to talk, either.
「It’s fine, isn’t it? Since you love me a whole bunch, don’t you, Kurumi?」
「Yeah, yeah.」
I washed my hands and prepared the pot. The rice we had was made and frozen, so I thought I could get the food ready pretty quickly. Luckily, the vegetables were still good.
「How can I help?」
「Hmm… How about you wash your hands and cut up the vegetables?」
「Kayy.」
「Ah, hold up. It’s dangerous, so at least button up your clothes.」
「What? But you’re not wearing any underwear or even a skirt.」
「This is this and that is that.」
I was a little scared to get near the fire with my bare skin out because I could get burned.
But like she said, I also had found it a hassle to put on my skirt or find a change of underwear, so I had ended up coming to the kitchen in just my blouse.
This was so sloppy. I was sure it’d cause a ruckus if my family saw me like this.
「Umm, for now, is this good?」
「Hey, wai…! Careful, careful! You don’t have to use so much force for a carrot!」
She was handling her knife as if she were about to chop up a pumpkin.
She was usually so dexterous. So why was she so clumsy with a knife? I watched over her, my heart beating for a completely different reason than before. When it came to knife skills, she might be even clumsier than Mizuki used to be.
Unable to bear watching any longer, I decided to take over vegetable duty.
She just watched from the side and smiled in admiration.
「You’re so good at this, Kurumi.」
「Sorahashi-san. From now on, please never ever cook alone.」
「What?」
She had told me before that her mother was bad at cooking, but she wasn’t any good at it either.
I quickly made the rice porridge and set it on the table. In the end it wasn’t very nutritious, but given how late it was, it was good enough.
Like usual, we held hands as we ate.
I’d recently had more opportunities to eat with her. There was no longer any awkward atmosphere like there had been before, and we could enjoy chatting naturally about all sorts of silly things. It was like we were really family.
「When we’re like this, it’s almost like we’re newlyweds.」
「If anything, wouldn’t we be more like sisters?」
「Are you like this with Mizuki-chan?」
「Yeah, I guess.」
「Hmm… But I don’t think I want to be your sister.」
My eyes widened.
She grinned.
「Because I love you.」
It was a surprisingly simple phrase. Her “love” wasn’t familial love or sisterly love, nor was it platonic affection. It was a sound I’d never heard before. But this unfamiliar sound made my heart beat faster and faster, to the point that I couldn’t stop wondering why and how.
「I see. ….Thank you.」
I said only that and was about to go back to eating, but the girl sitting across from me started poking at my leg, preventing me from focusing on my meal. I had been gazing downwards, but when I looked up, she was staring right at me.
There was something serious in her eyes.
「What about you? Do you love me, Kurumi?」
It was a question similar to the one she’d asked just earlier, but these words carried a completely different tone.
I froze for a moment. But when I met her gaze, the words just spilled out naturally.
「I do. I love you too, Sorahashi-san.」
Hearing my words, her eyes widened in surprise.
And then, she gently smiled.
It was as if she was a flower in bloom. That warm smile was more beautiful than any other I’d ever seen.
「Wonderful. I’m happy that you feel that way.」
「Um…」
「Say, Kurumi. You should tell me what the recipe for this is. I’ll try making it myself next time.」
「Uh…」
「Wow, you look like you hate the idea. Why? Is it a family secret?」
「I’d rather not be held responsible if you lose a finger.」
「I’m not that bad at cooking. Gosh.」
「Why don’t we start with something that doesn’t need a knife?」
She didn’t seem very satisfied. I giggled. Maybe a day would come when she’d cook for me.
I’d never imagined that I’d end up in a relationship like this with Sorahashi-san. It’d surprised me so much back when she had asked me to be her master. Only a few months had passed since then, but it felt more like several years.
It had been so confusing in the moment, but just a few months later I was saying the exact same thing. Life was so unpredictable.
「Say, Master.」
I said.
「What’s the matter, Kurumi?」
She smiled at me.
「…Actually, it’s nothing at all!」
I laughed. I was her puppy, and she was mine. But we were more than just that. There was something deeper connecting us. So it didn’t matter to me if our relationship wasn’t so simple, wasn’t something that could be put into words.
Whether that label was friends, lovers, or anything else…
Nothing could change who we were.
★
「Kurumi, the bath is ready… would you like to get in with me today?」
「I’ll pass.」
「Why?」
「Because I feel like you might do something weird.」
「…Aha. You’re right. You did whatever you wanted with me just earlier, so I imagined I could return the favor.」
「Nope. I’m tired now.」
「Ugh. That’s so unfair.」
「You’re the one that said you were okay with it, though.」
「This is this and that is that.」
「You’re being unfair too.」
「Ahaha. Perhaps. …Are you sure we can’t?」
「…Okay, fine.」
「That’s what I thought. Let’s hurry, Kurumi!」
「Woah, hold up. …Jeez.」
[1] Here, the text is referring to 愛妻弁当 (aisai bento), a term specifically about lovingly made lunch bentos by a wife for her partner. They’re carefully arranged to not only be tasty and healthy, but also visually appealing, often with a little caring message inside.
Ave Lilium Translations 