IA let go abruptly. “I’m sorry. That was inappropriate of me.”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6svNhczEOY
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.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ZM8Ru2k4q
IA tapped her fingers rapidly against the steering wheel. She looked down at her lap with drooping eyes and sighed.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBcnxcb99KR
“Are you okay?” Yukari asked.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8MNV6QpZQ7
IA’s eyes grew and she lifted her head, putting on a smile.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhU0ct16yuO
“Of course I am. You’re here, aren’t you?”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡigD89fzbO2
This comment sent the warmth from Yukari’s skin to her heart. She smiled and turned her head, covering her mouth.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNYRbRFpoI
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.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDRcnozOCi
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.”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGPWOEfUIuk
Yukari’s smile grew bigger.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEmeEUP59lB
At the apartment, IA wiggled her fingers for a while before taking a book off her shelf.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKiq41bFRN1
She immediately returned it to the shelf. Then she took it out again.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhVuGRRoiU
“Okay, this one’s… Don’t judge me.”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaYmLcYHooF
She handed it to Yukari while turning her head with her closed eyes scrunched up.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwzWNCENoJ
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.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡll3MAlZdEz
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.”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ71dDZ0sxOe
Yukari’s chest began to hurt from her heart pounding too hard. She nodded and held the book against her chest.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0qvvunaeKQ
“I’ll give it a go. I’m eighteen, so I think I can handle it.”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPsF4oI8bex
“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.”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5pZjITsaCJ
“I said it’s fine.”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3LDCI7PYDb
The two fell silent, just standing there and looking away from each other. 645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW580Txp0YZ
IA gulped loudly. “Okay. I hope you enjoy reading it.”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLzSaBPDUH0
Yukari nodded and bowed before leaving the apartment. 645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhyNuncxJQE
As she headed home she passed Roro’s house and frowned. Her own eyebrows furrowed with guilt, but she continued walking.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr4SZm2EKw9
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.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5JbV7nAFLY
‘Would it be wrong for her to date me?’645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtFN5MNPLtW
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. 645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUSbcqERVcq
She remembered what IA said.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0bT5dG5K0j
"That was inappropriate of me.”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrq3yiyFNRr
Yukari sighed as Roro’s face popped into her head. Was that breakup all for nothing? 645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZizbCeJ8Bo
She shook her head. He wouldn’t deserve to be led on like that. 645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSdkAqhW08U
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. 645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRR2bZS72G
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.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4amyJoUvuk
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.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡReXCap1jQy
As soon as she woke up, she read some more before her mother yelled at her to have breakfast and go to school.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpqiHbQ9o0
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. 645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXDtwTXK6G5
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. 645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6AsSMOJC0
She managed to get near the end. She was so close, and the answer to the mystery was only a few pages away-645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHN3CFYDYJY
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.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ntyU4v6DF
“Show me what you’ve got.”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5MoOpkONjK
Yukari groaned but complied, her hands shaking as she held the book up. The teacher raised an eyebrow. 645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLbe1T7j8Bf
“Come with me to the Principal’s office.”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8GitFI4ZL3
“I-It’s not what you think! It’s a mystery novel!”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI4FCRxZpt6
“Nice try.”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaYWYOd0tGk
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.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYf0m7zmrZj
“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.”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcZPz9qNPFe
Yukari cried, “They don’t know! Please don’t tell them!”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ0NOMSN7Z5
The Principal shook his head. “This is very concerning. Now, where did you get this book?”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5HeIuxK2uj
“That’s…” IA’s pearly white smile jumped into her mind. “I bought it.”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPsrsiyrQa2
“And you brought this book here because…”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZ0W8nGO1x
Yukari turned her head and scrunched up her eyes. 645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsO1Jw6pSCN
“I wanted to get answers to the mystery in the book. It’s a murder mystery. Look at the magnifying glass on the cover.”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJhpnfVwx3
The Principal stared at the cover, trying to keep himself from smiling.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE38qJjFVDy
“I’ll have to confiscate this.”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XcbtO8sud
“For how long?”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡamalrHoFhc
“I don’t think a girl like you should be reading something like this.”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkuASwZlFJP
“But… please…. I’m really sorry. I won’t bring it in again.”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0jTTiq0Mm2
“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.”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA4QyA5BNFQ
Yukari bowed and left. She headed to the library, finishing her food on the way.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKx1GCW6BDP
“IA, can I talk to you about the book?” 645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR7ceFMyDLk
IA nodded, leading her to the librarian’s office. Yukari took a deep breath and bowed again.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSgDYJhWamF
“I’m really sorry.” She explained what happened.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8o9b97CX8
IA’s eyebrows were furrowed as she rubbed the back of her neck.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl9oE2CNfZL
“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. 645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ACCF2Vw8n
Yukari raised a trembling hand up to IA’s cheek.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzMim4yGUOA
“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.”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgUIe7sU1rl
IA turned away and took a book off the shelf, her breaths ragged. 645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEMQHnOgtBJ
“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.”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEfOTMegQrW
“I like you. Could we maybe, I don’t know, go out for coffee sometime?”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc77HKwT07j
IA dropped the book and whipped her head around.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB0Pd9JHCFQ
“Could you… repeat that?”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9pdjta4QZj
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?”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb3rVPNZpes
IA grinned and giggled, her eyes welling up with tears. She wrapped her arms around Yukari and started to cry on her shoulder.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5npGMdYZcj
“Thank you. Thank you so much!”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaklKcHyhPZ
Yukari patted her head before stroking her hair.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiS99QebAKd
“I-Is that a yes?”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHBYnvQCCK4
“It has to be secret, though. Are you sure you want to worry about keeping secrets?”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqZcULZDvMP
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.”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiecAIoG0nz
IA frowned and let go. “I… I guess. No one else, though. Not even your parents.”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqFIa0ZWD7n
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.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ZX5oqgOMp
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.645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYCgLhJsdj
IA winked. “We have to keep this a secret, right? Don’t want to arouse suspicion around me taking you to my office.”645Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmSAswEvlfK
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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