IA let go abruptly. “I’m sorry. That was inappropriate of me.”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBw7UeT4bv
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.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE3pnEn0Ckr
IA tapped her fingers rapidly against the steering wheel. She looked down at her lap with drooping eyes and sighed.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmhdftJaD1
“Are you okay?” Yukari asked.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo31LlJKDUQ
IA’s eyes grew and she lifted her head, putting on a smile.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2gF9DZa6e
“Of course I am. You’re here, aren’t you?”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQjFFPlVR0D
This comment sent the warmth from Yukari’s skin to her heart. She smiled and turned her head, covering her mouth.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwc8LBEXv9n
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.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgtiwtuLYiw
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.”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFWaYZdVAGO
Yukari’s smile grew bigger.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEW2JP2tOiE
At the apartment, IA wiggled her fingers for a while before taking a book off her shelf.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYEa2BXeX5C
She immediately returned it to the shelf. Then she took it out again.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf6spEI5vrY
“Okay, this one’s… Don’t judge me.”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDjBSFgbiuW
She handed it to Yukari while turning her head with her closed eyes scrunched up.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49rw7ZapF1
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.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwqp4Y3U0mk
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.”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrhDILiKlcX
Yukari’s chest began to hurt from her heart pounding too hard. She nodded and held the book against her chest.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBf3TFzRBbC
“I’ll give it a go. I’m eighteen, so I think I can handle it.”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCahGaBFBM1
“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.”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJkY083ehI
“I said it’s fine.”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhrN9kMw4j
The two fell silent, just standing there and looking away from each other. 857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4L4fsnpt0E
IA gulped loudly. “Okay. I hope you enjoy reading it.”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwgrBE86mLw
Yukari nodded and bowed before leaving the apartment. 857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzNNSFmTtcD
As she headed home she passed Roro’s house and frowned. Her own eyebrows furrowed with guilt, but she continued walking.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkgvBzpIxkv
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.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf8LPvmUvrG
‘Would it be wrong for her to date me?’857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuotJZsS3cN
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. 857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsW5uWwLIXE
She remembered what IA said.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡstbIcIbOfl
"That was inappropriate of me.”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD2g6STnfGj
Yukari sighed as Roro’s face popped into her head. Was that breakup all for nothing? 857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkuSq9EFIub
She shook her head. He wouldn’t deserve to be led on like that. 857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyQPzytjQac
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. 857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVaYzJcdMg0
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.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKmZuq1png7
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.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfOToPOp8g
As soon as she woke up, she read some more before her mother yelled at her to have breakfast and go to school.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7tocmvethq
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. 857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9KnbiXWgy9
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. 857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfJDJorZ12
She managed to get near the end. She was so close, and the answer to the mystery was only a few pages away-857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9kU9fSOuT6
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.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7NASfi1k5l
“Show me what you’ve got.”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16n9SJPbR3
Yukari groaned but complied, her hands shaking as she held the book up. The teacher raised an eyebrow. 857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0lGVaIT9Nt
“Come with me to the Principal’s office.”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgbrrrdGdLg
“I-It’s not what you think! It’s a mystery novel!”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMVdK0WjsYZ
“Nice try.”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqqMww6M1e6
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.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMeOQgDDKtn
“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.”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2nlyBOvFuA
Yukari cried, “They don’t know! Please don’t tell them!”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7JQIfl6USC
The Principal shook his head. “This is very concerning. Now, where did you get this book?”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Ktg0z2kJb
“That’s…” IA’s pearly white smile jumped into her mind. “I bought it.”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwyDEFv3P7
“And you brought this book here because…”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu4y5UW4diM
Yukari turned her head and scrunched up her eyes. 857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4u0weke6g
“I wanted to get answers to the mystery in the book. It’s a murder mystery. Look at the magnifying glass on the cover.”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9SGxYz8TTa
The Principal stared at the cover, trying to keep himself from smiling.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaj5s0bXT7C
“I’ll have to confiscate this.”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ43JP4xoyJl
“For how long?”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyGMSkmjsqe
“I don’t think a girl like you should be reading something like this.”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFDAlt4klGA
“But… please…. I’m really sorry. I won’t bring it in again.”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIJYNqQ31wB
“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.”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ02pfyWDETZ
Yukari bowed and left. She headed to the library, finishing her food on the way.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFkIdQBpaRH
“IA, can I talk to you about the book?” 857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa2ZFsoIQqa
IA nodded, leading her to the librarian’s office. Yukari took a deep breath and bowed again.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBWwUEyGd9w
“I’m really sorry.” She explained what happened.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNX9qA0BVyT
IA’s eyebrows were furrowed as she rubbed the back of her neck.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTkVHTBpZfS
“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. 857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpTncThO0wd
Yukari raised a trembling hand up to IA’s cheek.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsgYkVYvSU3
“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.”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ1ZGE1UotP
IA turned away and took a book off the shelf, her breaths ragged. 857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqpa4XjIJpK
“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.”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSqBOlctWt7
“I like you. Could we maybe, I don’t know, go out for coffee sometime?”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPypnSWe8L
IA dropped the book and whipped her head around.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIx0dKaHVvt
“Could you… repeat that?”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRtqtYswRAs
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?”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9nFKK2AaBj
IA grinned and giggled, her eyes welling up with tears. She wrapped her arms around Yukari and started to cry on her shoulder.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiZcMtwIPwi
“Thank you. Thank you so much!”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwUwhoF1q2j
Yukari patted her head before stroking her hair.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8EHiqa6r8h
“I-Is that a yes?”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbF0sKL8oM
“It has to be secret, though. Are you sure you want to worry about keeping secrets?”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1isrSiYtHY
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.”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0LHpr9OADh
IA frowned and let go. “I… I guess. No one else, though. Not even your parents.”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNTJzb6vRc
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.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBL3OQottti
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.857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSk1hU8KqrN
IA winked. “We have to keep this a secret, right? Don’t want to arouse suspicion around me taking you to my office.”857Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVLbXBkUB2k
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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