IA let go abruptly. “I’m sorry. That was inappropriate of me.”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡft5MnuOSFM
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.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbCuNQVziuD
IA tapped her fingers rapidly against the steering wheel. She looked down at her lap with drooping eyes and sighed.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0z3iPL8IyH
“Are you okay?” Yukari asked.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSG0buqGnou
IA’s eyes grew and she lifted her head, putting on a smile.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIcQnaHUwlS
“Of course I am. You’re here, aren’t you?”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59mRxhJUBB
This comment sent the warmth from Yukari’s skin to her heart. She smiled and turned her head, covering her mouth.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw3cpFOmRwP
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.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ld0YnGXqV
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.”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQso0iRMJaN
Yukari’s smile grew bigger.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjd0XpEAFtm
At the apartment, IA wiggled her fingers for a while before taking a book off her shelf.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVWGVo1ONY
She immediately returned it to the shelf. Then she took it out again.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSfp1jQpteX
“Okay, this one’s… Don’t judge me.”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyY2Kf1cHvH
She handed it to Yukari while turning her head with her closed eyes scrunched up.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJIagC9ivh4
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.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmSneYHhR5p
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.”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQdBMPE4fjO
Yukari’s chest began to hurt from her heart pounding too hard. She nodded and held the book against her chest.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtapw6V2ZMR
“I’ll give it a go. I’m eighteen, so I think I can handle it.”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡisSK7yMEHY
“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.”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlodYQslxgG
“I said it’s fine.”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6aQeALC1Hr
The two fell silent, just standing there and looking away from each other. 680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJZopbynYZ
IA gulped loudly. “Okay. I hope you enjoy reading it.”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcUzuoCZplj
Yukari nodded and bowed before leaving the apartment. 680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRIOuWSj9I
As she headed home she passed Roro’s house and frowned. Her own eyebrows furrowed with guilt, but she continued walking.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUu6769lDy8
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.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIgiohW1mF0
‘Would it be wrong for her to date me?’680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlRWVZKQ9oY
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. 680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡenrhaooFjU
She remembered what IA said.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBb0URzHY2t
"That was inappropriate of me.”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhM1oyHXhSg
Yukari sighed as Roro’s face popped into her head. Was that breakup all for nothing? 680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡczB1CHrTu5
She shook her head. He wouldn’t deserve to be led on like that. 680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMg34QXX8Pf
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. 680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlcGnL8XAIJ
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.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwOHifjGKoG
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.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ZEhbDeEBV
As soon as she woke up, she read some more before her mother yelled at her to have breakfast and go to school.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOB1mhVVUus
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. 680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6NoPYlkGC
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. 680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkf3GoGoJCo
She managed to get near the end. She was so close, and the answer to the mystery was only a few pages away-680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0TG6rVJtsE
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.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKsjzGm75s8
“Show me what you’ve got.”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2PXIaJAbNs
Yukari groaned but complied, her hands shaking as she held the book up. The teacher raised an eyebrow. 680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWCXSRueCq
“Come with me to the Principal’s office.”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5J2lB6Fk6
“I-It’s not what you think! It’s a mystery novel!”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeCpcg6oN9m
“Nice try.”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiqFbH8TlmW
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.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡurEGOE2ENG
“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.”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7sex2monkO
Yukari cried, “They don’t know! Please don’t tell them!”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0GSAx4qM5c
The Principal shook his head. “This is very concerning. Now, where did you get this book?”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbla22a3eUF
“That’s…” IA’s pearly white smile jumped into her mind. “I bought it.”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbiJq86GKu
“And you brought this book here because…”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGx8cxfq87
Yukari turned her head and scrunched up her eyes. 680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEG42LyIVi6
“I wanted to get answers to the mystery in the book. It’s a murder mystery. Look at the magnifying glass on the cover.”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNyWMHvDdc9
The Principal stared at the cover, trying to keep himself from smiling.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMw8Cwo6EwK
“I’ll have to confiscate this.”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjkA2EgLC54
“For how long?”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9061qWG8OS
“I don’t think a girl like you should be reading something like this.”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEzdamNsk4a
“But… please…. I’m really sorry. I won’t bring it in again.”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqG4kfLGiHx
“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.”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi1r049Uhzg
Yukari bowed and left. She headed to the library, finishing her food on the way.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG3z5g9OPZU
“IA, can I talk to you about the book?” 680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO3yYmhBdJf
IA nodded, leading her to the librarian’s office. Yukari took a deep breath and bowed again.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcxgID0Ecvr
“I’m really sorry.” She explained what happened.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv3EcooLYhK
IA’s eyebrows were furrowed as she rubbed the back of her neck.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡai7YpQ45wI
“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. 680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxCBT7SHOvP
Yukari raised a trembling hand up to IA’s cheek.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNX8pdxfx3I
“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.”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWlQ6vLTPBE
IA turned away and took a book off the shelf, her breaths ragged. 680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡef2qjVTFxK
“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.”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWdridahozG
“I like you. Could we maybe, I don’t know, go out for coffee sometime?”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV7VN4Ga4A4
IA dropped the book and whipped her head around.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedCMFJGH5a
“Could you… repeat that?”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMSCok19H5L
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?”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ80iMj2uDkU
IA grinned and giggled, her eyes welling up with tears. She wrapped her arms around Yukari and started to cry on her shoulder.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBtfQhleGp7
“Thank you. Thank you so much!”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDK60yvlgzk
Yukari patted her head before stroking her hair.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ33azkZCuU9
“I-Is that a yes?”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXBbrwGEBdd
“It has to be secret, though. Are you sure you want to worry about keeping secrets?”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Ei4CySOQ2
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.”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpIxy2Ovoos
IA frowned and let go. “I… I guess. No one else, though. Not even your parents.”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEgXkIdr3Rq
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.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡduWVjDKd67
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.680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuFnD2uVbJ8
IA winked. “We have to keep this a secret, right? Don’t want to arouse suspicion around me taking you to my office.”680Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDymQgQ5ZWg
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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