“All right! All right! I’ll go over there. Are you happy now?” Alex grumbled.
“We won’t be until you get moving,” they said in unison.
“I liked you two better when you were out of sync,” Alex grumbled as he stood up and moved over to the group of girls. He coughed into his hand several times to get everyone’s attention. When the girls, and, more importantly, Thoe, turned to him, his cheeks turned a luminescent red.
“Uh, so, like, I know you’re depressed and stuff… like, is there anything I can do for, um, you?”
Thoe looked like someone had slapped her in the face with a dead fish. She didn’t seem capable of responding. Kevin and Lilian were in the process of doing the simultaneous facepalm technique when they saw how incompetent their friend was. However, after a moment of silence, she smiled and made room for Alex to sit by her.
“I could use a shoulder to lean on right now.” She gestured to the now open spot.
As an eager Alex sat down next to his girlfriend, he and Lilian went back to their meals.
“Should we call you the love doctors now?” Andrew asked the couple.
“If you want,” Lilian replied, “but only if I can be Dr. Lilian Love McGarden.”
“Okay…”
“Don’t mind her,” Kevin said as he fed Lilian a piece of orange chicken. “We were watching Fairy Tail last night.”
“Ah—oh! Justin!”
At Andrew’s exclamation, Kevin and Lilian turned around. Justin, Christine, and Iris were walking up to them. They shared all of the same classes. Since Justin had just barely passed his entrance exams to not be held back, he was stuck in the easiest classes. Kevin didn’t know why Christine wasn’t taking higher-level courses—her grades had been good enough—but he guessed she just wanted to take it easy.
“Um, yo.” Justin waved at Andrew. “How ya doing?”
“Good, I guess.”
“That’s good.”
Justin sat down. Christine also sat down. Iris did not—at least, not right away.
“Hey, Stud,” she greeted Kevin, grabbing him by the shirt and pulling him into a sloppy kiss.
It was something that Iris had begun doing more and more often. Kissing in public. Ever since their conversation the other week about how he was going to be more accepting, she’d decided to help him along. Kevin didn’t know whether he should be grateful or not. However, in the last week, he’d come a long way from never giving her any affection outside of when she shared a bed with him and Lilian to treating her almost as well as he did Lilian. Almost.
“Um, hey, Iris,” he said. “Have fun in class?”
“It was pretty fun,” Iris said, grinning.
Kevin deadpanned. “What did you do?”
“What makes you think I did anything?”
“It’s your face. Whenever you did something devious, you always wear that grin.”
The grin widened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Right.”
Moving over to Lilian, Iris leaned over and repeated the same kiss that she’d given Kevin. He looked away. It was always conflicting to see them being intimate. It was easily in the top ten most sexy things he’d ever seen, right below a naked Lilian and just above Lilian dressed in cosplay. At the same time, he felt self-conscious—ashamed even—both because he still thought it was wrong, and also because it turned him on.
Will I ever get used to their relationship?
“Nya…”
Nya?
Blinking several times, Kevin looked at Christine, who was glaring at him with a look he’d never seen on her. Oddly enough, it reminded him of a cat eying a mouse before it pounced.
“Um… Christine, are you okay?” he asked.
“Nyi’m fine,” Christine said, and her voice had an odd purr in it.
“Uh huh…” Kevin turned to Iris, who was being fed Kotohime’s cooking by Lilian, and leaned over. “Is something wrong with Christine?” he asked in a whisper.
Iris grinned. “I wouldn’t worry about that.”
Kevin didn’t know why, but he was worried. Very, very worried.
Christine had been feeling unusual all day.
She didn’t know why, but her body had been feeling really warm. Part of her wanted to just find a nice spot in the sun, lay down, and go to sleep. Another part wanted to find Kevin, though she didn’t know why. The rest of her was mortified.
Also, that strange smell that had been following Iris all day was really beginning to bother her. It clung to her friend like a thick, cloying smog, causing her mind to feel addled. She knew that it was the cause of her strange desires.
The blowing of a whistle caused her attention to snap back into reality. She, Lilian, Iris, and the other girls of their group were in the middle of doing stretches. Heather was back in her role as PE coach. Christine was surprised, as she’d thought that the woman would be too busy defending Neo Seiryuu.
Then again, if she wasn’t here, we’d have to deal with that guy.
By “that guy,” Christine meant Mr. Corromperre, Eric’s father and the former principal of Desert Cactus High School. Currently, the man in question was in charge of the boy’s gym class. Christine had heard that he’d tried to become the female gym coach, but several senior girls had beaten him down when they learned of this.
“Hey! Where do you think you’re going, Iris?” Heather asked.
Iris winked at the woman. “I just need to use the restroom. I’ll be right back. Promise.”
Heather sighed. “Don’t take too long.”
“Roger.” Iris tossed her a mock salute before heading into the makeshift restroom, which was basically a glorified porta-potty.
Grunting, Heather stuck the whistle in her mouth and blew on it again. “Okay, everyone! Grab a partner. You should know the routine by now!”
As everyone found someone to pair up with, Christine stood alone, wondering what they were doing. She still hadn’t gotten used to school. Unlike the others, who clearly understood what Heather was talking about, she did not.
“Christine, why don’t you pair up with me?” Lilian suggested.
“Are you sure that’s all right?” Christine asked. “Won’t Iris be upset?”
“First come, first serve, right? Iris can get as upset as she wants.”
“That’s cruel.” Christine chuckled. “I like it.”
Christine soon learned why Heather made them partner up with someone. All of the routines they did, stretches and exercises, required that they have a partner.
Iris returned sometime during this routine. Christine had expected her to kick up a fuss about not being paired with Lilian, but contrary to her belief, the vixen merely found another girl to partner up with. The poor child turned into a blathering idiot as Iris seduced her into a drooling, blushing mess.
After stretches and exercises, they played basketball. Not surprisingly, Christine sucked at basketball. Though saying she sucked at basketball implied that there was a sport in which she did excel in, which she did not. Unlike Lilian, who was actually quite good at sports, she lacked the stamina and strength for such endeavors. It was because of her poor ability at sports that Christine ended up sitting out during the second game.
“Not gonna join them?” Iris asked, sitting down next to her on the bleachers. Her mind went haywire when Iris walked up to her, and she caught a whiff of that unusual scent. It was all over the girl now.
What… what is this feeling?
There was an unbearable heat pooling around her lower abdomen. She felt like she should’ve known what this was, but her thoughts were muddied. The scent that Iris was exuding overpowered her ability to process complex thoughts.
“Something wrong?”
“N-nyo,” Christine gasped.
What is… going on?
“Nya… I feel strange… nya…”
Neko?
Christine didn’t know what was happening, but she could feel her mind slipping away as th
oughts that she knew did not belong to her leapt to the forefront. The last thing she saw before everything went blank was Iris’s grinning face.
“Nya…?”
Christine blinked several times. A ceiling stared down at her, white tiled and filled with lines. The sharp scent of alcohol and antiseptics hit her olfactory senses, which at the moment, were dozens of times stronger than her usual senses.
Christine? she called out to her other half. Christine, are nyou there?
…There was no answer.
“Oh? You’re awake,” came a familiar voice.
“Iris?” Christine turned her head, which felt like it had been weighed down with lead, to see Iris leaning against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest.
Wearing a large grin, Iris looked very much like a fox that had just pulled a successful prank. “The one and only. Glad to see you’re up and about… Neko.”
“Neko…?”
“That’s right. I’ve suspected for a while now that your yuki-onna half and your nekomata half were split. Seeing this just confirms it. I’ve decided to call your kitty half Neko.”
“Neko…” Christine repeated the word, testing it, tasting it. “I like it.”
Iris’s grin widened. “I thought you might.”
“Why did nyou do this?”
“Why indeed…”
Her lips curving into a frown, Neko followed Iris’s gaze downwards. Two people sat, their heads resting on the bed, eyes closed and breathing even as they slept. Lilian and Kevin remained side by side, a pair of slumbering guardians.
She looked back up at Iris.
“I didn’t cast an enchantment on them, if that’s what you’re about to ask.”
“They wouldn’t have fallen for an enchantment anyway. Kevin’s too strong-willed, and Lilian’s nyo slouch.”
“Hm, true.”
“So, I’m guessing the reason nyou forced my consciousness out of Christine’s mind was because nyou wanted help hooking Christine up with her man?”
“That’s right.” Iris’s lips twisted in a beautiful, yet frightening manner. “I’ve got a sure-fire plan that’s bound to work—or at least weaken the stud’s resolve. Would you like to hear it?”
Neko tilted her head, then nodded. “I’m all ears.”
School ended and everyone parted ways. Lindsay and Jessica were going on a date, Justin was going to be interrogated on everything he knew about the Sons and Daughters of Humanity again, Alex and Andrew were off on their own, and the group of yama uba were getting ready to patrol that night. Kevin and Christine were also heading home.
Normally, Lilian would have gone home with Kevin. However, Iris had asked her to do some after school shopping with her. When Lilian suggested that they all go, Iris and Christine had both been adamant on it only being her and her sister. Even now, as they walked through West Mall, she could hear her sister humming over the noise of the crowd. Iris seemed inordinately happy about something.
“Is there something going on that I should know about, but you’re not telling me?” asked Lilian.
Iris’s smile widened. “What makes you think that?”
“You never hum.”
“Maybe I’m trying to come up with a theme song for us.”
Lilian pouted. “And now you’re making fun of me.”
A grinning Iris forced her to stop walking as she wrapped her arms around Lilian’s neck. Lilian stiffened at the feeling of her sister pressing herself into her back, and she shuddered when Iris leaned in and whispered into her ear. “I’d never make fun of you, Lily-pad.”
“S-stop that,” Lilian stuttered. “Not in public.”
Lilian wasn’t averse to kisses and other public displays of affection, but she drew a line at seduction.
“Uhuhuhu, why not? I’ve heard from Kotohime that before you and Kevin started dating, you’d try to seduce him in public.”
“That’s—”
“No different than what I’m doing now, except I don’t actually need to seduce you.”
“Ku…”
Lilian squirmed as her sister toyed with her. While she normally never noticed the attention that she drew, for some reason, with Iris nibbling on her foxy ear in public, she was keenly aware of the eyes on her. Embarrassed by all the stares she was getting, Lilian did the only thing she could think of.
WHAP!
She smacked Iris in the face with her tails. Hard.
“I told you not in public,” Lilian huffed before stalking off. Her sister sat on the ground for several seconds before chuckling.
“Hey, wait up, sis! Come on! It was just a little fun!”
Kevin thought there was something weird going on.
It wasn’t because Lilian and Iris had gone off on their own. Knowing Iris as he did, she probably wanted to spend some time with her sister. Chances were, Iris had already dragged Lilian into a bathroom and was having her wicked way with his mate… Kevin groaned.
Great. Now I’m aroused by just thinking about it. I really am screwed up.
Even now, his mind was picturing Lilian and Iris. He could imagine the way Iris would pin her sister against the wall, kissing her, licking her throat, nibbling on her ear. His mind’s eye could see how Iris would trail her lips down Lilian’s body, lifting Lilian’s shirt so she could play with the redhead’s nipples, then going even lower so she could pull off Lilian’s shorts and…
U-ugh! Down boy! Kevin stifled a groan as he pressed his palm to his face. I can’t believe I’m even thinking like this! I’m turning into a complete pervert! Damn that Iris.
Naturally, he put the blame on the girl who was corrupting him, even if he knew, logically, that she wasn’t fully to blame.
“Something wrong, Kevin?” Christine asked.
Kevin nearly froze. He’d completely forgotten that Christine was with him!
“N-no,” he squeaked. “Nothing’s wrong!”
“Nya…”
Nya?
With Iris and Lilian off on their own, it was just him and Christine walking home today. He felt awkward. It wasn’t because it was just him and Christine walking home, but because of his own thoughts and how aroused they were making him. He could already feel the blood rushing to his lower region. If he didn’t think of something unsexy, and soon, Christine would notice his erection.
That would be too embarrassing. I think I’d really die from embarrassment if she found out.
“Kevin…”
Kevin nearly shrieked like a little girl when Christine wrapped her arms around him. “W-what it is?”
“I’m still feeling a little tired.” She looked up at him with eyes that were wide and innocent. Were her eyes always so adorable? “Would nyou mind letting me lean on nyou for a while?”
“Uh, no. Go right ahead.” Kevin was so shocked by her request that all he could do was agree to it.
“Thanks.”
Christine must have been more tired than he thought. She’d never do something like this if that wasn’t the case. What happened during gym period that had made her collapse?
They feel so soft…
By “they,” Kevin was, of course, talking about Christine’s breasts. They weren’t large. In fact, compared to everyone else he knew, they were quite small, but that didn’t mean a whole lot. She still possessed them, and he could still feel them as she clung to his arm. Perhaps it was the result of him already being aroused, but he was keenly aware of Christine and her feminine assets.
Calm down. Calm down, calm down, calm down. You have a mate… and an Iris. I can’t afford to lose myself to lust.
“Say, Kevin,” Christine started talking again, “I was thinking that since Iris and Lilian are doing their own thing, nyou and I could watch a movie together.”
What’s with that weird speech impediment? The last time she had that was when she used her bakeneko powers back in the Yamata Alliance base.
Either way, Kevin was grateful that Christine had started up a conversation. It helped him reg
ain control over his hormonal reactions.
“A movie? I don’t see why not. What movie were you thinking about watching?”
“The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.”
“I love that movie!” Kevin exclaimed. “Have you not seen it yet?”
“Nyo, but I’ve heard a lot of good things about it when I was looking up interesting movies to watch.”
“I think you’ll love this movie. It’s about a girl who has the power to ‘time leap.’ It has a really interesting take on the butterfly effect, showing how her actions adversely affect the people around her. The artwork is so beautiful, and the animation is flawless.”
“Is that so? Nyou really like this movie, don’t nyou?”
“I’ve always enjoyed animated movies.”
He and Christine talked all the way back home, with her asking multiple questions about the movie and him answering them to the best of his ability. He did find it a little strange. Christine liked anime, sure, but she tended to not be so open about it. Lilian often called her a closet otaku because she didn’t admit to liking anime and manga in public.
When they got home, it was to discover Kirihime hanging laundry out in the front yard. Camellia was playing with her stuffed animals next to her.
“Oh, Lord Kevin, Miss Christine. How was school?” she greeted them with a smile.
“Um, it was good,” Kevin hedged.
Christine nodded. “Yes, it was really interesting.”
“That’s good. I’m glad to hear that. Where are Lady Iris and Lady Lilian?”
“They had something to do,” Kevin said. “Anyway, we’re going to go inside.”
“Very well.”
“Bye, bye, Kevin-kyun!” Camellia said, making the nine-tailed fox plushie in her hands wave at him.
As they entered the house, Christine turned to him and asked, “Kirihime does knyow that the laundromat has a dryer, right?”
“I think so,” Kevin said as he took off his shoes. “But she’s always been like that. I’ve never seen her use a dryer even once, though she’ll at least use the washing machine now.”
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