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"Just how much am I allowed to?"
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The faint voices of our schoolmates echoed from the front porch, prompting me to pull away from Satoru as quickly as I could. The newly arrived Suguru sat in between us, poking the white-haired guy's forehead. "Don't harrass (F/n)-san, Satoru."
Satoru just gave him a blissful smirk. "You mean my wife?"
"Yes, your wife." Suguru playfully grabbed his best friend on a headlock. "You might be my best friend, but that girl's like a sister to me. You better take good care of-"
"Aaah~," Satoru teasingly moaned.
"Fuck, man." Suguru shot him a look of fake disgust and pushed Satoru away, causing Suguru himself to fall butt-first on the wooden floor.
"Oof!," Satoru snickered.
"The dumbass bisexual and the homophobic homosexual," Miura sighed. "Stop horsing around. Yaga sensei is co-"
Our instructor entered the dining area before Miura could finish his warning, smacking the duo with a rounded newspaper on their heads. "We'll have a meeting later at 6. The Kyoto students may stay. I already borrowed you from Gakuganji sensei for the timebeing."
"Eh? What for, sensei?," Kotone inquired. "Sounds serious."
"The curse users are making their move, so we have to decide ours sooner." Our instructor's face was clouded with displeasure.
"Then we gotta stop them if that's the case," Suguru simply stated, breaking the silence.
All eyes turned to him, even Yaga looked surprised. I mean who wouldn't be? The guy was just traumatized from our previous missions, but now he seemed nonchalant about it.
Err. So... I might or might not have forgotten to tell them that I commanded him to forget Riko.
"Yeah," Satoru added, probably noticing the sudden tension from me. I guess he already had an idea with the way my body reacted to excessive usage of cursed speech lately and Suguru's sudden lifted spirits.
Reminds me.
The situation was getting worse. More curse users were messing around the streets of Ginza and the said cult was increasing in terms number.
"Sensei, what is it that they want?," I asked when the two of us were in some distance from the others.
"They're planning something against the clans," Yaga answered, diving into deep thoughts.
"The clans? The major ones?"
"No. The spy we sent mentioned all known clans. He can't provide the exact details, but it seems like they want something really important."
"What is it?"
"I'm not sure either, but if all of them are really clanless or disowned clan members, it might have something to do with their expulsions."
A vendetta?
"I don't really get it, sensei. They know their chances of successfully attacking clans are low. Isn't it more of a suicide mission?"
He heaved a deep sigh. "Your guess is as good as mine. But be careful, okay? You and everyone else. If they're this confident, they might have something up on their sleeves."
"Sensei." I let out a shaky sigh. "I know you have an idea that's why you're warning me. Please, I have to know."
If we were not in real danger, he wouldn't be this persistent in reminding me.
"I...," he deliberated. "I think someone inside Jujutsu High might be working with them."
Inside our school?
"They mentioned about a certain cursed speech user that can be manipulated through-" The two of us nearly jumped in surprise when someone sneaked into the conversation.
"Yaga sensei, are there any dolls I can borrow for training?"
Yaga cleared his throat and placed a heavy hand on my shoulder. He's leaving the rest to me to figure out.
"Yes. What kind of cursed corpse do you need, Yume?," asked Yaga when he finally turned his attention to her.
"The smart ones. I need to practice with those," Yume answered with a smile.
Now, I could not deny things any further. Something was definitely wrong.
──❍──
After the meeting which lasted for at least an hour, everyone had retired to their rooms already. I wouldn't blame them. It's been a while since we had a serious case, apart from the one Haibara handled.
Satoru and I had also finished cleaning up, so we headed to the door of his room since it comes first before mine.
"Goodnight, (F/n)-chan."
"Goodnight."
Satoru looked over his shoulder, eyes resting on me.
"Hm? Why?"
I looked down to my hands that were nervously clutching my chest, realizing I was tensed the whole time.
In his presence, I couldn't breathe so bad that my chest hurt. Even the simplest words couldn't describe what I was feeling. I just wanted nothing more but to hug him.
I almost jumped in shock when the door screeched open and Satoru pulled me in. My panic skyrocketed when he pinned me against the door and hit the lock.
"Oi," I stammered. "What are you doing?"
"Your cursed energy is going on a frenzy, wife." Satoru grinned teasingly. "Do you even notice that?"
"It's your fault," I whispered under shallow breaths. "You keep talking about this and that without properly explaining. You keep leaving me on cliffhanger. What if I take it the other way? The wrong way?"
I couldn't finish my reply as his amused stare vanished, the look of surprise in his eyes drawing me in. That automatic response of my body to Satoru just intensified when I realized he had me cornered against the wall.
"What if? What's not clear enough for you?"
There were no words. His stare was more than enough to empty my mind from those chaos of thoughts.
This is crazy.
His hand extended, reaching out to my cheek. But before it could make contact with my skin, Satoru halted. He smiled a pained smile and brought his hand down with a heavy sigh.
"You're not going to touch me?," I accidentally blurted out which I regretted instantly.
"Why, hm? Does my (F/n)-chan actually want it?" Satoru advanced, matching my height and closing the gap between us little by little. "Doesn't that mean you got your answer already?"
"What...answer?," I breathed out, not daring to meet his eyes. Satoru was so close I could feel his breath tangling against my shaky ones. I placed a hand between us to stop him from getting any closer, but to no avail.
My hands subconsciously smoothed over the wrinkles of his white shirt, feeling his chest tense against my fingers. His eyes were exposed, its allure enhanced under the dim light of his room. His brows furrowed in concentration as he watched me stare in awe, feeling every curves and lines of his chest from outside the clothing.
Satoru took my chin on his fingers, keeping my gaze matched with his. "You...do know what you're doing, don't you?"
Unsure of how to respond, I let myself get lost in his touch, closing my eyes and allowing him to do whatever he wanted. A gasp escaped my lips when I felt something soft on my cheek.
He left a peck on each mark in my cheeks, starting from the circles down to the lines of the Snake & Fangs.
"Satoru." His name came out as a soft whimper. I exhaled shakily, trying to ignore the burning sensation in my chest and the heavy feeling in my stomach.
There was only so little I could do when his face nuzzled on my neck. A careful, heavy breath tickled my skin before his cold lips began pressing soft kisses on the area. They started out shy and muted as if he was waiting for me to stop him.
I was too frozen to utter a word, too dazed that my eyes found it hard to remain open. The weight of anticipation started to sink in.
Seeing this reaction, Satoru took his sweet time. His lips traveled from the angle of my jaw downwards. He followed the parts where I felt most sensitive, getting bolder and more eager to elicit a response from me.
"Satoru," I exhaled, looking down at the hand that had slithered around my waist for support as he pulled me closer to him. I could feel the familiar fabric of our uniform against my inner thigh.
"Mm?"
Separating from him for a mere second, I tried to catch my breath. His touch was soft, gentle, and yet, I couldn't arrange my thoughts nor move my body. I was feeling lightheaded, my thoughts full of Satoru only. His warm body, his insistent touch, his scent- every single damn thing.
I wanted to tell him I needed more. His actions appeared desperate and needy, but they felt too slow. But my lips remained sealed, at loss of how I'd break it to him without feeling like a person deprived of touch.
Maybe I really was.
Am I the only one feeling this nervous?
A grip set my jaw steady, bringing it higher to meet Satoru's gaze. Everything was hazy when I tried to open my eyes, vibrant blue irises being the only ones I could focus on. Shivers erupted from my scalp to the very tip of my fingers when I finally had the courage to look at his face.
He looked just as flustered-if not even more-than I was.
"A-are you okay?," I stammered when his body slumped on mine, his forehead leaning against my shoulder.
"I've got shit self control," he murmured against my neck. "Suguru will kill me."
"Satoru-san."
"Shhh, not yet."
A rather loud knock interrupted me.
I quickly shuffled out of Satoru's embrace, panting as I fixed my hair and opened the door in a rush, not giving Satoru any time to talk.
Miura senpai?
Our upperclassman put his hand down when he realized I had already opened the door. He raised a brow when he realized the person who answered the door was not the one he was expecting.
"Senpai? What are you doing here?"
Well. If this isn't awkward.
"I set up a barrier a while ago to alert me if Yaga sensei is coming, but someone passed through just now. I'm checking if anyone went out," he explained. His eyes darted to the person behind me. "And...why are you two in one room?"
"Long story." I dodged his question in embarrassment. "But someone passing through the barrier? Aren't everyone supposed to be in their rooms now?"
"That's why I came here to check," he informed. "Where's Suguru and Yume?"
"Maybe in their rooms...?"
"No. They're not."
I... don't have a good feeling about this.
I didn't like where this was going.
Knowing I still wasn't sure about how effective my cursed technique was back when I cursed Suguru and his violent tendencies, I sprang out of the room in terror, thoughts of what could possibly happen plaguing my mind.
"(F/n), wait!"
For some reason, I couldn't turn back despite Satoru's calls. This could just be an overreaction and I would be glad if it was only one, but I didn't want to risk it.
Suguru's thoughts, Yume's sudden change towards me, all those weird feelings lately...
I immediately calmed down when my body slammed into someone as I was about to turn to the staircase.
Suguru...
"Hey hey, calm down. What happened?"
He's safe.
"Where were you?!," I couldn't help but exclaim. I didn't mean to raise my voice, but I was far too relieved to care.
"Getting some fresh air." He innocently pointed to the stairs going up the rooftop, looking confused at my sudden outburst. "What happened to you? You look terrified."
No. I was being paranoid 'cause you're vulnerable and I'm getting weird vibes around me.
"It's nothing," I lied. "Have you seen Yume?"
"Isn't she asleep?," Suguru asked, his brows arching towards each other.
"Ah... maybe she went out to get some fresh air, too. Miura senpai didn't see her in her room."
Suguru motioned me to walk with him, which I did. He glanced at me and asked, "Where's Satoru?"
Oh...ya.
"Err... In his room already, I guess?," I replied, trying to look uncertain. I was so sure he'd never let an opportunity to tease me pass.
He just nodded his head, acknowledging the answer. The atmosphere turned quiet, the corridors filled only with our footsteps and the outside with sounds of crickets chirping and gentle midnight breeze.
"Satoru can be annoying sometimes," he told in a soft tone. "I also can't say he's a good person, but I believe he's trying. Matching such power with a good attitude is not easy and with his upbringing, it must be harder for him. Especially now that he has gotten even stronger."
I let out a faint smile.
He was just as strong as Satoru, but he was definitely one with better attitude and humility. But I had seen what it did to him already and thought it wouldn't be good to remind him now.
He had so much integrity but when his beliefs took a turn, he could be manipulated and he'd think he was not doing anything wrong as long as it's reasonable. Quite dangerous.
"Both of you," I corrected. "Both of you are getting stronger lately."
Suguru's eyes widened.
"I agree that Satoru's technique improved a lot, but so did your capacity and strategies. Whenever we trained before, you'd always find ways to be on the dominant offensive side, but now, your defenses are getting harder to pass through."
"Oh, you noticed." He scratched his nape shyly.
It drove me mad how this guy deserved more recognition, but was just often overlooked.
"About Satoru," he continued, smiling at me. His eyes shone under the moonlight, full of mirth as he fondly talked about his best friend. "Please don't get tired of him, (F/n)-san. He's trying, too..."
What?
"You're both here," a familiar voice spoke from the end of the hallways. It was dark, but the faint moonlight passing through the windows gave me a glimpse of the silhouette.
I ran to her, enveloping her in a tight hug. "Oh god, Yume! Where the hell did you go?"
Her body tensed for a moment before she wrapped her arms around me in return. But when our skin touched, I nearly shivered with how cold hers felt. It felt like scorching ice. I squirmed uncomfortably. "Y-yume. Wait."
"(F/n)," she whispered. "What are you doing here?"
When I managed to pull out of the hug, my feet stumbled a little, forcing me to stand in a protective stance to retain my balance. My eyes darted back at her. "Where... have you been?"
"I just got some water," she replied, looking over to Suguru and smiling at him like nothing happened. She turned to me again. "Aren't you supposed to be with Satoru?"
Right in front of Suguru?
Is this a sis code telling me to leave her alone with him?
But...
"You can go now if you want, (F/n)-san. It's midnight already," Suguru assured. "Thank you for your time."
"Well... okay. Good night both of you."
I hesitantly backed away from the two and retreated to my room. I didn't really want to leave, but I couldn't get myself into their business. It seemed like Yume wanted to talk to him about something.
I'm seriously being paranoid.