IA let go abruptly. “I’m sorry. That was inappropriate of me.”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpo7pf1JL1z
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.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFfZ2DfNZ2
IA tapped her fingers rapidly against the steering wheel. She looked down at her lap with drooping eyes and sighed.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2zIaXDTF1
“Are you okay?” Yukari asked.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtpSfstcdx7
IA’s eyes grew and she lifted her head, putting on a smile.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6kuUx2XDAd
“Of course I am. You’re here, aren’t you?”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKoeq6ebGJx
This comment sent the warmth from Yukari’s skin to her heart. She smiled and turned her head, covering her mouth.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQLd9KxUTE
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.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZgxNw0cnC
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.”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDUeQcLRhl
Yukari’s smile grew bigger.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHgdgxUYG3t
At the apartment, IA wiggled her fingers for a while before taking a book off her shelf.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1XAKvcJOe
She immediately returned it to the shelf. Then she took it out again.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtgPUg5l7L1
“Okay, this one’s… Don’t judge me.”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFS065A8nh
She handed it to Yukari while turning her head with her closed eyes scrunched up.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX1uuleMwBc
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.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLV38Uhe7r
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.”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGm7RfkZ5ao
Yukari’s chest began to hurt from her heart pounding too hard. She nodded and held the book against her chest.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ22BUEl3jCQ
“I’ll give it a go. I’m eighteen, so I think I can handle it.”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbofE3c2QIb
“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.”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpRTSs6IbES
“I said it’s fine.”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYclB9kTV2
The two fell silent, just standing there and looking away from each other. 652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKPu7mxmldG
IA gulped loudly. “Okay. I hope you enjoy reading it.”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHXqWB4uGR
Yukari nodded and bowed before leaving the apartment. 652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhThk6mFnLl
As she headed home she passed Roro’s house and frowned. Her own eyebrows furrowed with guilt, but she continued walking.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlMaHxylA3m
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.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAd6bSEahbB
‘Would it be wrong for her to date me?’652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtoBnwYMDqY
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. 652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRDRPHiKUG2
She remembered what IA said.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB6JIKRBXxh
"That was inappropriate of me.”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfPZJaFvyRM
Yukari sighed as Roro’s face popped into her head. Was that breakup all for nothing? 652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Cc5HCbFd2
She shook her head. He wouldn’t deserve to be led on like that. 652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02uKrqW40r
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. 652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKJ0qdRfsZw
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.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQo2Yjqjlan
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.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrWfJsnKnyb
As soon as she woke up, she read some more before her mother yelled at her to have breakfast and go to school.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJLADLUXw5v
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. 652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSVjmTbi7HC
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. 652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIO4rGIFPrR
She managed to get near the end. She was so close, and the answer to the mystery was only a few pages away-652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcyNt5MpRdm
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.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIQHA1sBkQT
“Show me what you’ve got.”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOXSbKcYvI1
Yukari groaned but complied, her hands shaking as she held the book up. The teacher raised an eyebrow. 652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡidYAE2Lxxv
“Come with me to the Principal’s office.”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0emEiarT5x
“I-It’s not what you think! It’s a mystery novel!”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5SShTO1VgL
“Nice try.”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3eppjj7Qny
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.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHYT1xUN7Ya
“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.”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0F7siyKzAe
Yukari cried, “They don’t know! Please don’t tell them!”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAThXukMvdp
The Principal shook his head. “This is very concerning. Now, where did you get this book?”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7OHvr01nuj
“That’s…” IA’s pearly white smile jumped into her mind. “I bought it.”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCH6yXzmoc4
“And you brought this book here because…”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmni6CSS0Gl
Yukari turned her head and scrunched up her eyes. 652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjGFlF9NFUw
“I wanted to get answers to the mystery in the book. It’s a murder mystery. Look at the magnifying glass on the cover.”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmLXIr287Oh
The Principal stared at the cover, trying to keep himself from smiling.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw5LagndqE6
“I’ll have to confiscate this.”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8LJSWbRrmK
“For how long?”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgAiqRdd2I1
“I don’t think a girl like you should be reading something like this.”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2nN4slAybv
“But… please…. I’m really sorry. I won’t bring it in again.”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXt75mTEQdg
“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.”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlm5IiKzqwS
Yukari bowed and left. She headed to the library, finishing her food on the way.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4PH1wNgwQh
“IA, can I talk to you about the book?” 652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQdVh7nEnH6
IA nodded, leading her to the librarian’s office. Yukari took a deep breath and bowed again.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2AxuOEf7y
“I’m really sorry.” She explained what happened.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9jTU2zk7Nv
IA’s eyebrows were furrowed as she rubbed the back of her neck.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuiHCiA8VFK
“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. 652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLS5OtMuQsb
Yukari raised a trembling hand up to IA’s cheek.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjGT53Y8H4Z
“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.”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRxQW9qAe2A
IA turned away and took a book off the shelf, her breaths ragged. 652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6JL0nXRGx2
“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.”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7QtU1m8P4
“I like you. Could we maybe, I don’t know, go out for coffee sometime?”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcCDjvbmOfz
IA dropped the book and whipped her head around.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoDQv9h5nCW
“Could you… repeat that?”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh2VKmQ1zNx
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?”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡucNYzIp7wo
IA grinned and giggled, her eyes welling up with tears. She wrapped her arms around Yukari and started to cry on her shoulder.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu4RCmffh3f
“Thank you. Thank you so much!”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7bdc4PohNS
Yukari patted her head before stroking her hair.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXkH0udBWdH
“I-Is that a yes?”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9B2Tu3SgB
“It has to be secret, though. Are you sure you want to worry about keeping secrets?”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFfIyD3GMc
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.”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsblntLznjk
IA frowned and let go. “I… I guess. No one else, though. Not even your parents.”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRLaLrXsh2U
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.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXjjfFCbfe
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.652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbWwFXAm1wz
IA winked. “We have to keep this a secret, right? Don’t want to arouse suspicion around me taking you to my office.”652Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvwrqJjTqS7
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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