Trimester

Seventeen brightly colored pills, swallowed in no particular order and downed with a chaser of water. Some people need their morning coffee to get them through the day. It's the same with me and my medication, only much more literal than the expression would imply.

Arrhythmia... nine long months since a doctor first introduced me to the word, and yet it still sounds so alien and unsettling to me. My morning routine has become somewhat mechanical by now, but coming to grips with my condition is something I wonder if I'll ever really manage. But it's not all bad.

I've already made friends at Yamaku Academy. Resentful as I was when I arrived, it's a far cry from the image of a hospital dressed in high school clothing I had labeled it with. It's a school for the disabled, of course; there's no trimming around that. But the majority of the students here are all very capable, getting by in their own way. I feel myself adjusting, little by little. I'm getting better at not making an idiot of myself when I meet new classmates, and my room is even starting to feel a little bit like home.

I throw on my uniform and head out the door. The smell of cleaning sprays and detergent first thing in the morning is another thing I'm not sure I'll ever really come to terms with. Not three steps into the hallway, I'm met with the familiar and intricate clacking of a dozen various locks. I feel my shoulders sag as I let out a sigh. "Good morning, Kenji" I say, not particularly caring whether or not he hears it. He does.

The door across from my own pries open just enough for the scrawny figure of my hall mate to poke through. He's wearing a wary expression. "Who's th- oh, shit. It's you. What's up man?" Kenji steps out the doorway to greet me. There is no escape.
"Just headed to class. You going today?"

Kenji waves his hand in front of his face, dismissing the notion. "Nah. I've got work to do. Important work. Much more important than schoolwork. I'm neck deep in an operation that could change everything as we know it."
I decide to humor him. "Finally get your hands on the feminist agenda?"

His body tenses. "Yes. No. Why're you asking? Are you a spy? Did those student council bitches set you up to this? Sent their dog to extract intel, is that it!?" He's too animated for this hour of the day.
"I'm not a spy. I was just curious."

He squints at me for what feels like hours, his proximity unnervingly close as always. His breath smells like pop and junk food. At last, he retreats, his demeanor brightening. "Alright. Good. Hey, can I borrow some cash?"
"For what?", I snap at him. "You still owe me the twenty bucks from last week!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'll get it to you. But if I'm gonna be working all day, I need rations. I gotta stay energized, man!"
I bury my face in my hand. "Pizza money."
"Nah, dude. Take-out. I can't eat the same thing all the time. Variety keeps you on your toes. You know?"
"No. I don't."
"Oh."

His look loses it's interest. For a few seconds, we're trapped in conversational deadlock. The air feels awkward. I can't just walk off, but I don't know what I'm supposed to say to him. He fills the gap himself. "So can I borrow some money?"

I fish into my wallet and hand him a few bills. Some days, it's just easier this way.
Kenji looks contented. "Thanks, man. You're an alright guy, Hisao. Wanna ditch class and hang out? You can help me revise my strategies. Or we can play video games or whatever."
"I'll pass."
"I got booze."
I would lecture him on that last comment, but I'm already going to be late. "I have to go, Kenji."
He frowns. "Whatever, man." And with that, he retreats back into his room.

- - -

I manage to slide into my seat just as the homeroom bell echoes overhead. Fortunately, the teacher doesn't pay much mind to punctuality. He hasn't even arrived yet himself. My bag doesn't reach the ground before an unmistakably girly (and loud) voice chimes into my ear.

"Hiii, Hicchan!~"
I look up to find the bright and beaming face of Misha, accompanied of course by the class president herself. There's a glint in Shizune's eyes this morning. It's barely noticeable, but I can see it. She must be up to something.

"Good morning, Misha", I say with an airy caution in my voice. Just enough to let them know I'm onto them. "And to you too, Shizune." She meets my greeting with a nod of her head, her expression cool and vacant. She's definitely up to something.
"So, so, Hicchan!", Misha pipes up. "Remember last week, when we treated you to lunch? At the Shanghai, remember?"

So that's it. Damn. When they had offered me a free meal last week, I was strapped for cash and took the bait. Nothing had come of it since, so I thought that I was in the clear. How naive.
"Yes, I remember."

A thieve's smile paints Shizune's face. She signs with what I swear is scripted fluidity. Misha's translation is just as abnormally flawless. I find my eyes darting helplessly between the two girls. There are some things I just can't get the hang of.

"Well Hicchan, I think it's only fair that you return the favor! Since we were so nice to pay for you and all! That's right, Shicchan, I agree!~"
"You're not supposed to do favors for people with the intention of getting things in return. That isn't good natured."

Misha's hands flicker along with my words so Shizune can understand, and they're met with another confident series of gestures in return. Paired with the look on her face, I'm positive she saw my answer coming.

"Come now, Hicchan!", Misha says wearing her usual grin. "Friendship is a give and take relationship! You should be delighted to repay your friends for a nice lunch on the town!"
I cross my arms.

"But when you give to your friends and only think about what you'll be taking from them as compensation, the whole action becomes disingenuous." I'm only teasing them, now. With all the things they've done for me while trying to coax me into the student council, I really should pay them back somehow. Even if they were bribes.

Shizune's excited signing betrays her attempt at a heartbroken face. Misha does her best to impersonate it. "That's cold, Hicchan! That you would think our relationship has been nothing but par...a... parasitic to you all this time! How disappointing!~" Misha stumbles on a tough word. Her bubbly voice demolishes any hint of guilt Shizune had tried to place on me.

I chuckle. "Well, luckily for you, I'm a very lenient person. I'll do something for you, as long as it isn't anything absurd."
Misha lights up. "You will?! Really, Hicchan?! Yay! Yay, yay! That's great!~"

Shizune adjusts her glasses, looking triumphant. I should have known that entire conversation was a competition to her. The loser must have been the one to fold first. Namely, me. I consider telling her that my resistance was mostly in jest, but decide to let it go. "What do you need me to do?"

Shizune's hands sign in a flurry. "Student council, Hicchan!~ Misha makes a frown like a child at the dentist.
 "We're loaded with work! There was a mix-up with the attendance records for last week and now we have to do it ourselves!"

I flash them a look of concern. "Wait. So, do we have to hunt every kid down and ask them if they showed up?" Sounds like a giant pain.
Shizune shakes her head as Misha continues to translate. "Wahaha!~ Of course not, Hicchan!~ That would take forever! Ahaha! No, all the teachers have the attendance logged for their classes. But we need the info all in one place! Sooo~ we have to take all the logs and put the data onto a form thingy."

I feel as if Misha might be taking liberties with her translation. Anyway, the work doesn't sound too hard. And I don't mind spending time with Shizune and Misha. I don't really have a reason to refuse.
"Alright then. We'll meet up in the student council room after school."
"Yay!~ Thanks, Hicchan!~ Thank you!~"
"But don't think this means I'm ready to join. This is just a one time thing, to pay you back. Okay?"
"Awwh~"
The teacher shuffles in and classes proceed as usual.

- - -

An orange light pours in from the windows, filling the student council room with a warm glow. I feel my bones complaining, having been seated in an uncomfortable wooden chair all evening. Shizune sits next to me, her eyes zipping back and forth between separate papers on the table in front of her.

We're the only two in the room. Misha had been here for most of the workload, but eventually said she had more pressing business to tend to. Shizune and I decided to just divide up the remaining classes and record the information separately.

I stretch my sore limbs, closing my eyes and giving an exhausted heave of breath. When they open, I see a small pad of paper in front of me. It's the only way Shizune and I can communicate without Misha around. I don't like it much, and I can tell Shizune isn't too fond of it either. One word is scrawled on the paper in neat, orderly handwriting.

[Tired?]
I scribble beneath it in reply, feeling embarrassed about my sloppy pen craft.
[Sort of.]
[I just finished my classes. How much do you have left?]

Glancing at the list in front of me, I'm pleasantly surprised to see that I'm almost finished as well. I finish up whatever I have left to do before pushing my seat out and standing, working out the knots in my legs and back. "Done!"

I feel a tug on my sleeve. Shizune is looking up at me expectantly. She taps the notepad with her finger.
[Wait. I noticed something weird.]
I sit back down as Shizune shuffles some papers and spreads them out in front of me.
[See? One student in this class hasn't shown up for Math all week.]
[Emi Ibarazaki... the track girl? That's odd.]
[Very. We should look into it.]
[What do you intend to do?]
Shizune fixes her glasses with an authoritative smile.
[Track her down and interrogate her, of course.]
Quite the disturbing choice of words.
[You make her sound like a fugitive on the lamb.]
[She is! But the student council always gets it's man! Or, girl.]
[Right. When will you talk to her? Tomorrow?]
[Now, of course. We can't give her the chance of leaving town!]
As I'm about to reply, Shizune swipes the notepad and grabs my arm, pulling me quickly out the door.

- - -

Three authoritative knocks. My heart is pumping more than it should be, after keeping up with Shizune's brisk pace across the school grounds. This is my first time walking through the girls' dorms. It has a different look to it than the boys'; it seems like it was hastily thrown together. I've heard the building used to be something else entirely before it was turned into a living quarters, so I guess it makes sense. A high-pitched voice squeaks from the other side of the door.

"One minute!"
After a sequence of various muffled sounds, the door to Emi's room swings open. She's wearing a simple white t-shirt that seems a size too big and a baggy pair of cotton pajama bottoms covering her prosthetics, decorated with little images. Cows. Cute. Emi's mood takes a visible falter as it's met with Shizune's stern gaze.

"Oh... it's you", Emi says much like a kid caught stealing at a toy store. I wonder if she'd forgotten Shizune couldn't hear her, or if she was using it to her advantage. She takes notice of me, perking up with surprise. "Oh, hey Hisao. What are you doing here? Did you join the student council?"

Before I can reply, I feel a sharp jab to my side. Shizune is looking at me impatiently. At first I don't understand what she's upset about, but then it hits me: without Misha around, the only way Shizune can scold Emi for skipping her classes is either to use her notepad or...

"Mind if we come in, Emi? We should chat." ... delegate the task to me. Great.
Emi lets out a knowing sigh. "Yeah, I know... no, I don't mind. C'mon in."

We follow Emi into her room. It isn't anything too out of the ordinary; colorful furniture laid about here and there, a desk, a bed piled high with pillows and covers. I glance out her window to see the orange sky has already begun to fade into a dark blue.
Emi sits on her bed with a hop, the mattress bouncing her up and down. She looks up at us with those big, green "busted" eyes. How am I supposed to scold that?

"So... this is a pretty nice room." I make a fumbling attempt to stall the topic. I'm really uncomfortable. I don't want to scold anyone, especially since Emi and I are on good terms. And to be honest, the fact she's skipping classes doesn't bother me in the least. Now Emi's looking at me with a quizzical expression, clearly having expected me to start telling her off. Shizune's notepad taps against my chest.

[What are you waiting for? The student council's reputation rides on you apprehending this criminal!]
I look at Emi apologetically. "Excuse us a moment."
[I can't yell at her. I'm not even mad at her!]
I hand the pad back to Shizune, who reads it quickly and rolls her eyes.
[You're too soft, Hisao! A man should be firm and aggressive! Don't take pity on this delinquent!]
[It's not really my place to barge into her room and start chewing her head off. I'm not even on the student council.]
[We didn't BARGE in. She let us in. And you're only detached from the council by your own decision. That's no excuse.]
[I'm just saying it sounds more like your job to scold her, not mine.]
Shizune is getting agitated. The scratching sound of pen scrawling on paper becomes louder as she replies.
[Fine. Then I'll tell you what to say, and you just say it. It's much more inconvenient this way, but evidently there is little choice. Ask her where she was every morning at 9:00 last week.]

I look up from the notepad. Emi seems to have distracted herself while we argued, her eyes drifting across the room, empty with thought. "Emi?"
I grab her attention, her eyes snapping back to look at me. "Sorry, what?"
"Where have you been going during Math?"

Her lips curl into a small frown. "... The track. I'm sorry! The meet's coming up fast, and I wanted to
do more with my routine to make sure I was ready for it. I hate math anyway, so I figured no one would mind if just skipped out on it... but only until the track meet was over! I was gonna make up all the work, I swear!"
I jot down everything Emi says onto the notepad and hand it to Shizune. She looks livid. A maelstrom of pen strokes later, she thrusts the paper back in front of my face.

[MISS IBARAZAKI. Maybe you are okay with throwing your education out the window, but I cannot appreciate nor tolerate a student who is so eager to admit that they are perfectly fine with wasting the opportunity this school and it's staff have provided for them! Your irresponsible behavior is a disappointment not only to your fellow students, but to your teachers and to your family! What would your parents say if they knew you were blowing off your education to go on morning runs of all things? You will cease this selfish activity immediately and apologize to Mr. Yoshida for having wasted his efforts! Am I understood?]

...
[I can't say that.]

Shizune reaches her limit. I can almost see smoke billowing out of her ears as she lets the notepad fall from her hand and onto the floor and marches angrily out of the room. I make the mental note to never deny Shizune of her divine justice. I turn to Emi, my hand idly scratching the back of my head.

"What was that about?", Emi asks.
I bend down and pick up the notepad. "She, uh... had a few words to say. None of which I really wanted to relay. I think the gist of it was... don't keep skipping class. Okay, Emi?" I give her the most reassuring smile I can manage, an attempt to clear the air after the silent warhead that had gone off just moments ago. It seems to have worked. Emi gives me an appreciative grin.

"Okay, Hisao. Thanks. I guess I'll try to find time after school to get some extra running in. Speaking of runs..."

Shit.

Emi smiles wryly. "Haven't seen you at the track in a while. I wonder, have you been getting your exercise?"
I stumble for words that would make up a good excuse. "Ah... well, yeah. I mean, kind of. I'm going for walks when I can, and stuff."
She giggles. "I'm only asking because the nurse wanted me to. Aren't I a good spy?"

A look of relief escapes me. I was supposed to be the one scolding her, but here I am glad it didn't turn out the other way around. The irony's not lost on me. "Sure are. I guess I'm okay with it, as long as you don't watch me when I'm sleeping."
Emi laughs at that. "I hear you're the one who likes to watch girls when they're asleep, Hisao. I think it's only fair that I'm allowed the same privilege!"

I can feel my cheeks going red. "Rin sure is talkative with you, isn't she?"
"You hear a lot of things from someone when you dress'em in the morning", Emi replies with a wink. "Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me."

I give her my most sarcastic "gee, thanks" before noticing her window again. The sky is black now, stars twinkling and blotting the empty canvas.
"Well, it's getting late. I'll get out of your hair now."
"No, I didn't mind. You're good company, Hisao. You should join Rin and I on the roof sometime! We miss having a third lunch buddy!"
"I dunno... is there a free meal plan?"

Emi folds her arms and sticks her nose in the air. "Hmph! Abusing a cute girl's kindness just to score some free food! That's low, Hisao!" She opens an eye to look at me as she sticks out her tongue. "One-time offer. And only if you act tomorrow! This deal's going fast! Limited supply!"
I laugh at her unconvincing saleswoman impression. "Tomorrow it is. Goodnight, Emi." I spin on my heel to leave.

"Hisao?"
I half-turn at the sound of my name. "Hm?"
"What did she say? Shizune, I mean."
My face twists into a grimace. "You don't want to know."
"I do! Come on, please? Tell me!"
"Confidential information."

Emi bounces once on her mattress and uses the momentum to lunge at me, her hand outstretched and grabbing for the notepad in my hand. "Lemme see, Hisao!"
"I said no-wha!"

I hit the ground with a thud. The ache in my back is nothing compared to the painful pounding of my heart, leaping sporadically against my chest. I squeeze my eyes shut, clutching at my heart over my uniform. Red lines swim across my vision. And then, as quickly as it came, it's over. My pulse finds a steady rhythm and my breathing starts to calm. I open my eyes to see Emi, worry written on her face.

"Hey, are you okay? Want me to get someone?"
I shake my head. "No, I'm fine. Just a flutter. You seem to have a habit of knocking me off my feet."
She throws me a laugh that's anchored with concern. "Yeah... you sure you're alright?"

"Never better" is what I almost say, but my words get sucked back into my mouth when I realize the situation I'm in. Emi is there, her twintails dangling from her head as she looks down at me. That is to say, as she straddles me. I'm lying on the floor of her bedroom, the light weight of her body pressing against my abdomen and her small hands holding her up from my chest.

I think she must realize this at the same time I do, as her face quickly reddens and her bright jade eyes widen as the situation dawns on them. Unfortunately, realization hits neither of us fast enough to move before the sound of a creaking floorboard resonates against the walls of Emi's room. I twist my head to see Shizune standing in the doorway, a look of surprise on her face. A look which quickly turns sour.

Emi springs off of me and I roll back up onto my feet, all the while attempting to reassure Shizune with words I forget in my fluster she can't hear. Shizune walks with restrained fury to the pen and notepad on the floor and snatches them in her hand. I can see her shaking her head behind her fevered writing. Once she's finished, she tosses the pad not to me, but to my surprise into Emi's hands. She catches it with an lack of grace.

Her eyes jitter to and fro as she reads. I see her brow furrow once she's finished, as she proceeds to stride across her room, pick a pen of her own up from her desk and heatedly write her response. My stomach forms a knot. This will likely not be good.

Soon, it's as if I'm watching an game of emotional pong, minus any narration. Emi tosses the pad to Shizune. Her body twitches angrily before she writes a message of her own and throws it back across the room. Emi lets out a haughty laugh as she reads, writes and tosses it again.

To Shizune, who's nostrils flare at the sight of whatever words are on the paper.
To Emi, who regards it with a look of distaste.
To Shizune, who gives her glasses a signature tug. She throws the pad with less vigor than before and looks at me with a face I can't read. It makes me nervous. Are they talking about me?
To Emi, who considers the message with... was that a mischievous smile? The anger in her movements seem to take a shift as well, and she looks me over with that same indistinguishable stare.
To Shizune, who's eyes begin to sparkle with that competitive light I've grown to recognize.

Just what the hell are they talking about?

A few more tosses back and forth until eventually, much to my relief, it seems the dispute as been settled in some form. Not being one cent involved, however, I'm left immensely curious and with very little to say.

Shizune waltzes over to me and places the notepad in my hands. Every feature on her face is telling that she's in full competitive mode. What I'd like to know is why. I waste no time flipping through their conversation.

[And here I was, returning to apologize and settle our dispute in a more collected fashion. Tell me, Miss Ibarazaki, is being a delinquent something you take pride in? I'm sure I don't have to tell you that this kind of activity violates multiple Academy rules and regulations. Do you know why we set these rules in place? It is to maintain order, so that Yamaku remains a place of higher learning rather than a zoo. Not that you have ever shown any wisp of care or appreciation for such things.]

[Oh, come off it! We weren't even doing anything bad! I tripped and fell on top of him, okay? And stop talking like I'm a bad kid just because I skipped a few classes! I do just as much work as anyone else!]

[Tripped and fell? Perhaps you think that because I cannot hear, I fail to see as well. I assure you, I am plenty wise enough to see through your ridiculous excuses and to know a scene of lewdness when I happen upon one.]

[Are you serious? Please, you obviously wouldn't know a "scene of lewdness" if one crawled up your skirt. Do you even know what two people in the act looks like? No, I guess if you did, you wouldn't be making this stupid accusation.]

[If you are implying that I do not know my way around the male anatomy, Emi, then you are quite mistaken. I simply know the proper time and place for such perverse things, unlike yourself.]

[Hah! Yeah right. You couldn't win a guy over if you locked him in a room with you. Sounds to me like you're just jealous because you'll never get as close to a cute boy as I was! I wonder if you've ever even had a boyfriend? I guess some girls just aren't born with any charm.]

I blush. Emi thinks I'm cute?

[If that is a challenge, then I will gladly accept. A race, perhaps?]
[You think you can snag a guy before I can? I didn't know you could be such a riot, class rep.]
[The rules are simple: the first to acquire a boyfriend is the victor. The time limit is one week. The loser must buy the winner lunch for one week.]
[Easiest food I've ever eaten.]
[Hisao, will you go out with me?]

My brain freezes. There, in neat little blue handwriting, Shizune asks me out. For a few seconds, my mouth gapes and I'm tumbling around the possibilities. What am I supposed to say? I like Shizune, but would I want to go out with her? Do I feel for her that way? I try to clear the haze in my mind.

No. She isn't asking because she wants to date me. She's asking so she can win her silly bet. Feeling a small pang of foolishness, I reply, my thoughts spilling mindlessly out of my mouth as I write. "Sorry, Shizune... I'm not a game piece. Try someone else."

Emi hears my muttering and looks upset. "Hey! Is she asking you out?! No fair, you don't co-" An invisible light bulb suddenly pops over Emi's head. She walks over to us, holding her hands behind her back and putting a cutesy sway in her steps.

Oh, no.

"You don't really want to date her, do you Hisao? Wouldn't you rather go out with a girl who's fun and super cute?"
The situation is leaving me extremely uncomfortable. I'm a part of the game, now, stuck between these two girls and their desire to defeat one another. And if I know anything about Shizune and Emi, it's that both of them have heads as hard as bricks.

"Emi... I'm not going to date either of you just so one of you can win. I don't want anything to do with this."
She looks crestfallen, with a pouting lip and emerald puppy dog eyes. It's enough to make a gladiator cry. "You don't want to date me, Hisao? Do you not think I'm cute?"

I feel a forceful tug on my sleeve and find Shizune holding her notepad out to me. She looks smug, as if she's already bested her opponent. It's a strange contrast to Emi's guilt driven offensive.

[If you date me, I will never ask you to join the student council again.]

It's a bribe. I should have expected as much, coming from Shizune. I write a simple "no", hoping the girls will give up their pursuit. I'm not so lucky. I feel a hand on my collar, making my body flinch from the sudden touch. Emi's palm moves slowly down to my chest.

"C'mon, Hisao... think of all the fun we'd have together." She's looking up at me, a look of posed sincerity laced with mischief. She's using her feminine wiles on me. She must really be serious about this. My brain goes fuzzy as she leans fragilely into me, speaking quietly into the nape of my neck.

"Would it really be so bad, going out with me? You like me, don't you?"
My throat is dry. I swallow my spit, but it doesn't do any good. I know I should slink away and make a fast exit, but my thoughts feel like a broken clock, it's hands ticking back and forth in place, refusing to move forward.

I look at Shizune with what must be desperation. But her face is flush and she doesn't seem to notice. Suddenly, she regains her focus and walks boldly over to me, almost throwing herself against the front of my body. My back presses against the wall behind me.

She's grabbing at my shirt, balling it in her hands as her eyes pierce through me with a heart dropping mix of determination and embarrassment. It's absurdly cute. Emi takes notice, and from the corner of my eye I can see her glowering. Her hand glides down the fabric of my uniform. I can feel the warmth of her had through the cloth, traveling across my torso. My heart does it's best to keep itself in check.

The reality of the situation hits me like a bag of cement as Shizune mimics her foe, sliding her delicate fingers along my stomach and over my shoulder. The two girls have locked themselves into a situation that their stubbornness will force them to see through to the end. And my ability to stop them has all but dissipated. 'Shit... this is really going to happen'. That's what I think to myself as Emi buries her face into my neck.

Her fingertips make their way under my shirt and onto my skin, the initial contact sending sparks up my body. She breathes hotly against me. It feels more like a nervous exhale than an act of eroticism. My shirt folds against her wrist as her fingers travel up my abdomen, her nails brushing lightly along my flesh. At the same time, Shizune keeps up, not missing a beat.

Shizune's hand is softer, but more slender and thin. It roams up the side of my neck and finds my cheek. Her thumb traces it delicately before running along the curve of my ear. Her left hand, meanwhile, matches Emi's as it slides up and under my shirt. I can feel the hair on my body standing on end. The last of my resistances falls. I give in.

Wrapping an arm around Emi's waist, I pull her body closer to mine. Even through our clothing, the feeling of her pressed against me is extremely warm and pleasant. Her hand gives a slight jolt of surprise, but it quickly relaxes as she lifts her head up to my ear.

"Does this mean I'm winning?", she coos softly. "Just think, Hisao. If we were dating, we could be this close. All. The. Time."

Shizune takes notice and, not one to fall behind, unfastens a button on my shirt. The motion is swift and decisive, her hesitation washed over by her desire to win. "Sh-Shizune", I stutter to no one. It wouldn't matter even if she could have heard me. Shizune is quickly working her way up, feeding through buttons one after another.

The turn of events doesn't leave Emi pleased. "Finally getting serious? Won't do you any good." I'm left little time to wonder if either of them remember just what it is they're competing for as Emi begins working at my buttons as well, starting from the top and meeting Shizune somewhere in the middle. Their hands fight over the last button as if victory lies in it's undoer. It ends up tearing off it's threads and hurdling to the ground.

I become suddenly self-conscious about my scar as Emi hurriedly closes and locks her door. Shizune seizes the opportunity to center herself, locking her thin figure into mine. I can't help but notice the feel of her bust pressed up against my bare chest as she hooks her arms around my neck. Her expression is nothing short of seductive, and for once I struggle to figure out how much of it is an act.

I coil my arms around her frame. My hands move almost on their own, working quickly to remove the dainty girl's blouse. Her forehead rests against me, and I feel the touch of her lips on my front, making my hands fumble momentarily with her top. She continues kissing me in short, sweet pecks, soft lips leaving faint traces of moisture along my collar.

Emi returns as Shizune's uniform slips off her pale shoulders and hangs across her arms, revealing the alluring black bra underneath, adorned with laces. "Hey! Cheater!" Shizune sees her animosity and shrugs with a cocky, winner's smile, causing her shirt to fall effortlessly to the floor. With a huff, Emi quickly removes her own, exposing...

My jaw nearly unhinges. Emi looks at us with discontent, blonde hair undone and flowing down her back. She is completely bare from the waist up. Her breasts are small, but perky; they suit her small figure. Unsurprisingly, she's very fit, her curving hips and flat stomach not unnoticed by my shamelessly fixated stare. This is the body of a runner. Emi stomps toward us and grabs me by the arm. Suddenly I'm being dragged across the room.

"My turn!", she declares before shoving me onto her bed with a strength I didn't know she had in her. Before I know it, Emi is on top of me again, seated on my lap as my legs hang down the side of her mattress. Her body bends down over mine with a show of cat-like flexibility, keeping me pinned as she leans in close and bites playfully at my neck, pinching my skin between her teeth. I suck in a sharp breath.

"Hisao..." Emi murmurs, nipping at the lobe of my ear. The heat of her breath is enough to make my vision turn to static. "The game's no fun if we're the only ones playing."

Taking her cue, I cup her modest breasts in my hands. Emi lets out a poorly contained mewl. I squeeze them gently, kneading them in slow, symmetrical circles. It rouses a lustful exhale from her, and suddenly I feel something warm and damp against my skin. The tip of Emi's tongue makes a slow journey down my neck, and this time it's me who fails to stifle a quiet moan.

I graze my thumb against one of her nipples, rolling and rubbing it as she rocks sensually against me. Emi is trying all the while to repress her voice, making hushed squeals as the small bump stiffens with my teasing. It makes me want to hear her let one out. I crane my neck up to her opposite breast and seek out her other nipple. Finding it already hard as a rock, I lightly grate against the sensitive red outgrowth with my teeth. This time, Emi can't help but yelp.

She drags her tongue down and away from my neck, the movement stuttered by the occasional kiss along my torso. She travels down my stomach, makes a sharp swivel around my belly-button and stops at the brim of my pants, giving me a teasing, devilish look. It drops as soon as it arrives, however, as Shizune returns, apparently having done enough standing by. Her bra has been abandoned, and the sight of her round, pallid breasts leave me nearly breathless.

Shizune's hand seizes the button on my slacks and unfastens it, her head all the while turned to give Emi a mocking expression. She slides the zipper down and, with the unwanted help of an Emi, pulls my pants down from my legs to a heap at my feet.

It's Shizune's fingers that beat Emi's to the punch. I feel them over my boxers, touching me hesitantly, curiously even, as if unsure what to expect. It doesn't take long at all for me to become erect. She wraps her hand around my member, the fabric somewhat getting in her way as it makes slow, semi-confident strokes. Despite the slight reluctance, it feels amazing, and my body gives an affirmative shudder.

Emi doesn't seem to share her hesitation. In a swift motion, she pulls at the top of my underwear, sliding them down and out of the way without regard for Shizune's attempts. She holds my penis with a firm but gentle grip and starts to move. Slowly, but with mindful flicks of her wrist, her hand moves up and down around my shaft. Victory all the while dancing on her face.

I quickly get lost in the feeling, her movements so expert and precise that I can't help but wonder if she's working with experience. Shizune isn't happy. Even in my daze, I can see her working quickly and silently on a countermeasure. And indeed, she deftly crawls up along my side, hooks her leg over top of me and promptly connects her lips with mine. It's initial passion turns uncertain for a moment, but she quickly regains her confidence and kisses me deeply.

The sensation of Emi's hand hitting me in waves and the taste of Shizune on my lips... I pray my heart keeps up it's defiant struggle. Shizune's mouth parts slightly, her tongue reaching cautiously out to mine before they touch, grind and wrap around one another. My hands can't help but explore her body, traversing every inch of her they find. She sighs into me, showing no sign of restraint against my touch.

I feel the pace of Emi's hand pick up below my waist, the faster tempo intensifying the effect multiple times over. I have to break the kiss just to catch my breath. Shizune's skin feels hot against my hands, a bead of sweat rolling down her body and catching my eye. I begin to peel her skirt off of her, tugging at it slowly as we share a primitive, wanting stare through her mist-tinted bifocals. Her skirt soon gets tossed aside to some other dimension.

Shizune's panties are also lacy and black, matching the scheme of her bra. Paired with her dark leggings, they create a stark contrast against her white, moonlit skin that proves very enticing. Pulling her lips back to mine, I run my hand along her smooth, milky thigh. Shizune yelps into me as I press my fingers up between her legs. The cloth over her mound is hot and humid.

Her tongue meets mine again as my fingers start to move, rubbing her in small circles over her underwear. Shizune is breathing heavily now, her nails digging into my chest as her hips sway against me in tiny, rhythmic motions. I'm so captivated by her body that I only then notice that the movement below me has stopped. A foreign clicking noise bounces off the fog surrounding my perception, followed quickly by a sensation unlike any I've felt before.

"Hanngh-!!" is all I can manage, unlocking my lips from Shizune's once again. Below my waist, something has wrapped itself around me. It's like a sleeve lowering itself around my dick, and it's incredibly warm and moist. I can't stop my body from arching up as it ascends back up my length with a subtle grip. For an instant, everything goes blank. I hear an impish giggle rising from between my legs.

"Feel good?", Emi asks roguishly. "It's my secret weapon! Once I use my mouth, it's game over."

Emi's lips envelope me again, the intense warmth shooting through me and making my head swim. Shizune's nails sink deeper into my skin as she leans in to continue where our kiss left off. There's a new ferocity in her, a dominating passion as if wanting me to know that she's kissing me and not the other way around. But a particularly powerful pull from beneath me commands my attention. My head tips back as I disconnect us again with an audible grunt.

Shizune's head swivels to her adversary, leaving my imagination to draw the fury on her face. Emi gives her a muffled laugh, sending vibrations through me like an electric charge. Shizune slithers off of the bed and situates herself next to Emi, who lifts her mouth away from me and looks curiously in her direction. Shizune clutches the base of my manhood with her hand and pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose with a taunting smirk.

Emi looks momentarily irritated, but complies with a noise and expression that seem to say "oh, this should be good". Shizune traps me with her eyes, absorbing and infinite like two deep blue wells. They don't stray from me as her head descends, my dick slowly disappearing between her lips. Shizune's mouth is smaller and more narrow than Emi's. It makes the friction between us tighter, the feeling more intense.

Shizune's head bobs steadily, clamping snugly around me on it's way down before sucking and squeezing as she makes her way back up. Her dark hair has begun to cling to her face as perspiration marks her forehead. The curtains close over her eyes and Shizune finds her focus, accenting her motions with small twists of her head as she begins to move at a more irregular pace. Quickly down, and slowly back up.
Slowly down again, then even moreso on the return. It's driving me completely mad, my hands grabbing at the sheets of Emi's bed with every erratic movement.

It's easy to see that Emi isn't enjoying the experience nearly as much as I am. She's pouting angrily, staring daggers at me every time my body gives a spasm of pleasure. Finally fed up, she taps Shizune on the shoulder, who snaps out of her trance and looks at her.
Emi makes a dramatic thumbs-down with her hand, shaking her head in mock disappointment. It works, earning a rattled gaze from the council president. Emi shoos her enemy's hand away and grabs it herself, bending it a little closer to her direction.

Her tongue slips into view as she moves it along the height of my cock. Slowly, teasingly, she starts from the base, her tongue flattening as it travels up along my shaft. By the time she reaches the tip, I'm practically screaming at her in my mind. Her methods are effective, the frustrating foreplay making the payoff that much sweeter as her mouth finds it's way around me again.

This time, however, Emi makes a point to utilize her tongue however she can. I feel it snaking against my skin as she moves in her buoying motion, grinding and wriggling hotly inside the cavern of her mouth. It's a slippery, slightly bristled feeling, and it makes my head reel every time it bumps against one of my sensitive spots. In unison with the churning, vacuuming force of her lips fastened around me, I'm not sure how much longer I can hold out. I tell her as much in a quivering, timid voice that doesn't sound like my own.

She laughs at my helplessness, beaming at me with a delighted grin as she her hand pumps seemingly on it's own around me. Her fellow combatant sees it as a moment of weakness. Shizune's tongue catches me by surprise as it tentatively licks the head of my dick with varying angles and strokes, trying to find a pattern that feels right. Emi, determined not to lose her stance in the game, follows suit. The two girls surround my most erogenous zone. A luckier man there may never have been before me.

It's a carnal battle for oral domination, with my body as the stage. The two beauties are heated and relentless, their tongues working madly to bring me to my edge. They twist and coil around me from every side, saliva wet and moistening in a thin glaze. Emi makes a trail along my veins, cushions me with her lips, slides them against me with their pillowy surface. Shizune has claimed the head, her tongue swirling and flickering. I feel myself sink into a narrow tunnel as she drapes over me again.

Shizune's glasses nearly lose their hold on her ears as she continues farther down. I'm both impressed and almost numb as her tiny mouth engulfs me, feeding more and more of me into it until Emi is left without room to work with. Shizune looks like she's struggling, but to my amazement, presses on until my length is entirely inside of her. I rub against the back of her throat, and suddenly everything turns white. The valve opens and I explode, my hips giving a kick.

Shizune releases me, a lewd, sticky noise cutting through the air like a hot knife through butter. Her throat gives a small twitch as she swallows. Adjusting her spectacles, she presents Emi with the most gloating, triumphant expression I've ever seen.
At least, I think she does. My vision is a collage of blurs and colors. I hit the bed with a flop, using the plain white of Emi's ceiling to regain my composure. My breathing is hard and heavy.

Minutes pass. How many, I couldn't say. I'm trying to piece together what just happened, but everything around me feels intangible, surreal. My heart thumps frantically in my chest. I'm completely drained.

There's a tap on my knee. It takes some effort, but I prop myself up onto my elbows. Emi is looking at me with her kittenish smile. She's holding something in her hand; a tiny, packaged square.

"Hisao..."
Her voice is playful and lilting.
"You're not done yet, are you? We still have to declare a winner."