IA let go abruptly. “I’m sorry. That was inappropriate of me.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAStPdW57E9
Yukari croaked, “It’s okay.” She felt as if her skin was on fire. She took a few deep breaths and wiped her tears away.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzpvJhTcL5h
IA tapped her fingers rapidly against the steering wheel. She looked down at her lap with drooping eyes and sighed.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ924aVMOzzk
“Are you okay?” Yukari asked.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm8ti06aWay
IA’s eyes grew and she lifted her head, putting on a smile.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDBv6xnB1B
“Of course I am. You’re here, aren’t you?”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4V41or32PN
This comment sent the warmth from Yukari’s skin to her heart. She smiled and turned her head, covering her mouth.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNv1ZyFYqTE
IA started the car and continued driving as if nothing had happened. Yukari had gotten used to the speed at which she drove by now, but she remained on the lookout for speed limit signs and reminded IA of them whenever they passed one. IA slowed down a bit.
"Please don’t be upset when I ask this, but why do you drive so quickly?” Yukari asked.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLbAWR1FR53
IA chuckled. “I don’t know. I’m just always so excited to get to a different place that it kind of takes over me. If you weren’t here to bring me back to my senses, I don’t know what I’d do.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr8LSiDQ23W
Yukari’s smile grew bigger.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFoDcEMgHG8
At the apartment, IA wiggled her fingers for a while before taking a book off her shelf.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqTTEyLNLFB
She immediately returned it to the shelf. Then she took it out again.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn8R7Rq2OcQ
“Okay, this one’s… Don’t judge me.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5g5JV1HkSx
She handed it to Yukari while turning her head with her closed eyes scrunched up.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvHvEcKugZ
Yukari gulped. It was a pulp novel that appeared to be translated into Japanese. The cover had two women in lingerie, one brunette lying on a bed and the other, blonde, sitting behind her with a mischievous expression. In the corner of the room they were in was a table with a coat and a magnifying glass on it.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpdzLYuuYBV
IA’s cheeks turned red. “Don’t get the wrong idea! It’s more than just love scenes. I wouldn’t show it to you if it was just that since, you know, that would be kind of weird. It’s a really intriguing mystery and has an interesting romance between the detective…” She pointed to the brunette. “... and the femme fatale she suspects is the murderer.” She moved her finger to the blonde. “It’s surprisingly good for a pulp novel, but the cover makes it a bit of a guilty pleasure. It has some more mature scenes but they’re not that often.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7Yv6LVWCg
Yukari’s chest began to hurt from her heart pounding too hard. She nodded and held the book against her chest.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJVDtUALDk
“I’ll give it a go. I’m eighteen, so I think I can handle it.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ22RxeCcp0X
“Good.” IA’s eyebrows were furrowed as if she felt guilty about something. “If you feel uncomfortable reading it, you’re not obligated to read the rest. You can just return it to me and we can forget I ever lent it to you.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtE4ooX4qqX
“I said it’s fine.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWMdTQsMz0A
The two fell silent, just standing there and looking away from each other. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡevib5BhxJ9
IA gulped loudly. “Okay. I hope you enjoy reading it.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKKbSbj48KJ
Yukari nodded and bowed before leaving the apartment. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpD5YKA9kn
As she headed home she passed Roro’s house and frowned. Her own eyebrows furrowed with guilt, but she continued walking.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSdYcQuq8ze
When she finally made it home, she had dinner with her family. After that, she put her pyjamas on, lied down in bed and stared at her ceiling. One question tugged at her mind.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3PdPtTcqF6
‘Would it be wrong for her to date me?’841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7OkxwHHn7J
There was no age issue, at least in terms of the law, as IA was twenty-two and she was eighteen, but Yukari was still a student at the school IA worked at. Then again, it wasn’t like IA was her teacher or anything like that. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsF4pYlvGlQ
She remembered what IA said.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqazzaHkYsW
"That was inappropriate of me.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSuuoX46SYX
Yukari sighed as Roro’s face popped into her head. Was that breakup all for nothing? 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfwvf2IYkVV
She shook her head. He wouldn’t deserve to be led on like that. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSRrsA1PYEv
She opened the book and began reading it. Some parts of the novel were awkwardly worded, possibly as a result of a bad translation, but the mystery was as engaging as IA said it would be. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlBOK4gsobH
When Yukari made it to the first love scene, her entire body went hot. Clunky wording aside, the scene was undeniably attractive to her, and she pictured IA as the blonde girl on the cover as she read the scene. Eventually, she dropped the book and fantasised on her own, the scenario in her mind getting more and more explicit.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl7fB4wDV0j
When she was done fantasising, she continued reading until Roro’s frightened face entered her mind, convincing her to do homework. After that, she read a bit more until she went to sleep, which was around 11 or 12. It took around half an hour for her to fully fall asleep as the mystery of the novel consumed her mind.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvflfWLS5Y
As soon as she woke up, she read some more before her mother yelled at her to have breakfast and go to school.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRXWMzTVfY5
She shoved the book in her school bag and did as her mother said. During class she kept getting distracted, trying to piece together the clues presented in the novel. She stared at Roro in the seat next to her. He looked back at her and frowned before turning his head and murmuring something she couldn’t hear. She felt her heart sink. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQIVpUrJXZu
When lunch started, she took her food with her to the library, saw the ‘no food’ sign and ran outside. She sat under a bridge from the classrooms to the club rooms and opened the book. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGKJGWWnRy
She managed to get near the end. She was so close, and the answer to the mystery was only a few pages away-841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzJ5MsSpE37
And then a teacher walked up to her. He was tall and had eyebrows so thick it felt as if he could crush someone with them. She hid the book behind her back and the teacher scowled at her.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI6SimE2nbT
“Show me what you’ve got.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7EJ9S5ittQ
Yukari groaned but complied, her hands shaking as she held the book up. The teacher raised an eyebrow. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4iyM3yaK6D
“Come with me to the Principal’s office.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPvK8RLVgFX
“I-It’s not what you think! It’s a mystery novel!”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoHK9P62Da0
“Nice try.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZamXaPD2P8
Yukari stood up, trying her best not to cry. She followed him to the Principal’s office, which was inhabited by a short man with a toupee. The teacher handed him the book and the Principal’s eyebrows jumped through the roof. Yukari lowered her head and bit her lip.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrtWGZmhsP2
“This is… I’ve never seen a girl bring this sort of material to school before. I’m going to have to call your parents.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59WP6HVVPG
Yukari cried, “They don’t know! Please don’t tell them!”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAZxb8o0mzq
The Principal shook his head. “This is very concerning. Now, where did you get this book?”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs2IyJFGCJF
“That’s…” IA’s pearly white smile jumped into her mind. “I bought it.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCLAhdmqcss
“And you brought this book here because…”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpSZ3WLfFz
Yukari turned her head and scrunched up her eyes. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡic9ZXk9Uh9
“I wanted to get answers to the mystery in the book. It’s a murder mystery. Look at the magnifying glass on the cover.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMsvh9ij6G6
The Principal stared at the cover, trying to keep himself from smiling.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZFozMo2DI
“I’ll have to confiscate this.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBAajydRnHD
“For how long?”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU4xEbNGKLd
“I don’t think a girl like you should be reading something like this.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhSRiiBpXXh
“But… please…. I’m really sorry. I won’t bring it in again.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡChUwoQ3cjJ
“Well, since this is your first offence, I guess I can give it back at the end of the week.” He ran his thumb against the cover. “Yes, a week should do. You’ll have learnt your lesson by then. I’m still going to have to call your parents. Come here after school for a meeting. And if you try to leave school before then, I think this book will look nice on my shelf.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpptl2B3FP5
Yukari bowed and left. She headed to the library, finishing her food on the way.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj8YiEPKGPg
“IA, can I talk to you about the book?” 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH9k79Cbymw
IA nodded, leading her to the librarian’s office. Yukari took a deep breath and bowed again.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXLqPPiiwuj
“I’m really sorry.” She explained what happened.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYOOMOxCkfd
IA’s eyebrows were furrowed as she rubbed the back of her neck.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgkq1S6nbg2
“I… I see. The one who should really be sorry is me. Giving you that book… how inappropriate of me. Should I… stop giving you these books? I went too far. I knew this was a bad idea.” Yukari noticed that there were bags under IA’s eyes. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡawC8smB9Nk
Yukari raised a trembling hand up to IA’s cheek.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJHc9sd6IL
“It’s okay. I… I don’t want to end the time we’ve spent together. I do hav something to tell you, though. Hopefully it won’t end… whatever it is we have.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DiKeLolzT
IA turned away and took a book off the shelf, her breaths ragged. 841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2p947re39
“I know what you’re going to say.” She and Yukari spoke at the same time. “You’re straight and feel weirded out by me giving you these books.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLdTjehO63f
“I like you. Could we maybe, I don’t know, go out for coffee sometime?”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCjbCJjvuG
IA dropped the book and whipped her head around.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSgp5aKDlB
“Could you… repeat that?”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzhMqJK2FGs
Yukari’s cheeks went pink. “Well, I like you. You know that breakup with Roro? It was because I liked you more. You kind of made realise that I’m bisexual. I was thinking… maybe we could go out somewhere. I get it if you don’t want to! You probably want to keep your job. But we could keep it a secret if you want. But, you know, if you don’t want to… that’s cool… I’ll act cool as a cucumber. Cool as ice. Cool as… What am I saying?”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ80Vbq7qk6p
IA grinned and giggled, her eyes welling up with tears. She wrapped her arms around Yukari and started to cry on her shoulder.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfC1Tq8hwYx
“Thank you. Thank you so much!”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZuPTCuhth0
Yukari patted her head before stroking her hair.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJNVJsFG4w
“I-Is that a yes?”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV6JNHQJEWt
“It has to be secret, though. Are you sure you want to worry about keeping secrets?”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ55HiJFTiyt
Yukari chuckled. “So long as I don’t do anything as stupid as bringing a dirty book to school, I’ll be fine. By the way, please don’t spoil the ending. I didn’t get to finish it.” She released a short gasp. “Wait, can I tell Roro if he starts talking to me again? He already knows I like you and I know he won’t tell anyone.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5QR2oem87
IA frowned and let go. “I… I guess. No one else, though. Not even your parents.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFzHw6lxW07
Yukari eyes widened. “Oh god, my parents. Well, I’ll see you tomorrow since my parents are probably going to drag me home after this meeting. Thanks for reminding me.” Both her body and her voice shuddered as she shook her head like a dog trying to rid its fur of water after a bath.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLEmOirc6eN
IA took several books off the shelf and made a pile of them, giving them to Yukari, who stared at her with one eyebrow higher than the other.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa4QGCkERGP
IA winked. “We have to keep this a secret, right? Don’t want to arouse suspicion around me taking you to my office.”841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoNURtQ1IGq
Yukari nodded with a smile. She turned towards the door and breathed slowly. She took a few moments to appreciate the moment she shared with IA before having to deal with her parents. For a few more seconds it was just her and the ghostlike librarian who became her girlfriend.
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