I freeze up. I don't know what I should do in this situation. Maybe I should sleep on that chair anyw-
"Aw, c'mere!" Meiling hugs me, not letting me get up from the bed. Her red hair covers part of my face while she pats my head and rubs my back. Her breasts are rubbing against me and... Man, she smells so nice... I hug her back, and we cuddle in silence for a little while, as I try to do my darndest to not appear aroused. I don't want to ruin the moment.
"This is nice~, it reminds me when I used to sleep alongside Lady Flandre before she tried to choke m- ow, ow, ow!"
I pinch her cheek before she finishes. Way to kill the mood. "Can we not talk about our almost murderer? I can't believe we have, of all things, THAT in common." I sigh before letting her cheek free. "And Sakuya keeps reminding me about that tea party..."
"Hahaha, you're right, you're right..." She hugs me tighter, rubbing her cheek against the top of my head. "It's been a while since I had someone to cuddle with, I find it so comforting."
Ugh, this is killing me. But yeah, I noticed she likes physical affection a lot. When Patchouli patted her head, she almost melted on her hands. But now I'm curious. I let go of her a bit before looking at her face. "Say, we didn't talk much about this before, but don't you have a boyfriend or something?"
Meiling laughs, shaking her head. "Nope! Well... There's someone who likes me, but I'm not sure about her myself. She's pretty, but she's equally as scary."
"Well, that's new for me, who is she?"
"She's a flower youkai. Yuuka is her name. She moves around mostly in summer, but likes to pop out of nowhere from time to time. But you should be careful around her, she likes to bully humans a lot! Well, she bullies me too, that's what you get for looking as human as me, I guess!" She laughs before pulling me closer to her again. "And what about you, Nobu? Do you have a special lady?"
"Uh... Not exactly." This is embarrassing, I laugh trying to mask it a bit. "I was flirting with a co worker, but that's pretty much it. Maybe I should take my love life a little bit more seriously once I get back."
She winces a bit when I finish my last sentence. "... you're right, I almost forgot you're not from here..." There's a slight melancholy in her voice. "Do you have a plan or something to go back home?"
"Miss librarian told me she's going to help me with that once we finish with her research. Not really sure how far we are from that goal, though." I shrug, before looking at her again. Meiling looks slightly upset. Guess going back to the usual doesn't thrill her at all.
"I... I see... Well, you can trust Lady Patchouli, she can probably get you out in a jiffy!" She forces a smile before looking back at me. "I just hope you keep your promise and don't forget about me once you find a way out."
I sigh, I can't believe she's making me say this again. It is embarrassing. "Don't you worry, I told you I can't possibly forget about you. I'll even attend to taichi lessons to keep practicing in your honor."
She gives me a huge smile before squeezing me even tighter. "They won't be half as good as me, but hearing you say thay... Thank you, Nobu. I'm going to miss you so much!"
I had to wait a moment until she let me go. She was squeezing me so tight I couldn't breathe. "H-hey, come on now. We don't know yet how long it will take. There's a chance I'll have to look for another way out. Until then, we have time to keep practicing and hang out together, don't you think?"
Nodding in agreement, she goes back to her usual self. "Yeah, you're right! And talking about that, tomorrow we'll retake your lessons, no matter what Sakuya says! I'll be waiting for you at the gate before dinner."
I nod to her before turning, looking away from her. "Alright, sounds like a plan. *Yawn* Time to get some shut eye..."
As I close my eyes, I can feel she's getting closer again. Now I'm the little spoon. Seriously, she's pushing my blood pressure to the limit. She sure isn't shy about physical contact, like, at all.
"Good night, Nobu." She says as she holds me tight, her breathing normalizing little by little as she falls asleep.
On one hand, I'm a little happy she's so comfortable with me to sleep like this, on the other she's holding me a little too tight. And I should sleep before she starts snoring.
Still, the bandages on her fingers, her fear of being forgotten. The face she made when I told her about my plan to return home... Is there a way for me to return here if I ever escape this place? I care about her. A lot. That also includes Patchouli. Making friends to just leave them behind doesn't sound good. But leaving my family without a word feels just as awful...
My eyes start to close. All those questions shall get their answer, eventually...
...
...
...
*Tick, tock, tick, tock*
I wake up some hours later. We are face to face again, but she's snoring loud as hell and didn't loosen up her arms one bit. Normally I would enjoy it, but there's something wrong here. With the corner of my eye I think I noticed something in the room.
*Tick, tock, tick, tock*
That sound... I don't know why, and I feel childish for this, but I have a feeling in my gut that, whoever intruded in my room notices I'm awake, I'm good as dead. I snuggle closer to Meiling seeking protection. And that eerie ticking is getting louder and louder. As the presence grew more and more oppressive, Meiling woke up and the heavy atmosphere just banished.
Nothing really happened after that, but it felt dangerous. Really dangerous.
Weirdly, Sakuya didn't come to my room, but we went to the dinning hall anyways. After breakfast, I went with Patchouli and Meiling went to the gate.
And so a few more weeks went by. After helping Patchouli with her research, I go to the gate to practice with Meiling, helping her with the extra chores Sakuya puts on her. Some days that rhythm is hell. I have to keep up with her despite being slightly poisoned or intoxicated after helping Patchouli out.
Some nights, Meiling comes to my room and we sleep together. Nothing really happens beyond cuddling and talking. I'm starting to think she's a panda, or maybe she's too tone deaf and doesn't realize how touchy she gets sometimes.
Beyond that, the mini-hakkero stopped flickering whenever I touch it, and emits light consistently. According to Patchouli, I might be able to learn a basic spell soon. I can't wait for this to end, I'm sick and tired of drinking and eating that nasty stuff all the time.
And thanks to Meiling training, now I can deflect some attacks. I have some trouble dealing with her kicks though. At least, that's not all. She showed me how to do a short but explosive elbow strike (Explosive as in powerful, I wish I could obliterate things with just my elbow). It hurts like hell when I do it. I need to put them in practice in a real scenario. I still can't use Qi like she does... Figures, I suppose I need more training. I can't lie, though, I felt really dissapointed after finding out I couldn't fly yet.
I can't complain too much. If they keep teaching me and I keep on practicing, maybe I'll become a badass monk or something! What if I ditch the city entirely and go back to my hometown once I'm done with all this? Going back at that desk job again doesn't thrill me at all. I wonder if this magic tool works outside Gensokyo...
My third month here came to a close. No signs of their mistress, and Koakuma is still locked in that basement. Sakuya is around, but I barely see her, let alone talk to her. She's even more distant somehow. Not that it matters, really. The least I have to interact with her, the better. But certainly, she wasn't as cold as she is now, I wonder what is going on there.
One of those evenings while practicing with Meiling, it was a rather tame session in comparison to most occassions. But as we sparred, I noticed something in the sky. The moon's silver light gradually turned into a light pink, only to grow its intensity into an almost blood red hue.
"U-uhm... Meiling? What's going on?"
She catches her breath before looking up to the sky. "Oh! Wow, she really took her time to come back." She pats my shoulder. "Mistress does that every time she's about to come back home. Lady Remilia really likes to make a scene whenever she can."
"A little too ominous, don't you think? When is she coming home then?"
"Hahaha, scary, right? But don't worry, she'll get here in maybe... ten days or so. That blood moon is just for show, actually, she uses it to signal Sakuya to gather things for a banquet before she arrives."
I understand that they don't use cellphones, but this is a little bit of an overkill if you ask me. "A-anyways, what are your recommendations for this first encounter?"
She scratches her chin, thinking for a moment. "Well, I already told you what to expect before. Most importantly, expect to be a night owl for a while, she's probably going to monopolize your time until she grows bored." She shrugs. "But if you want to feel a little bit better about it, we should keep on training! Knowing you have ways to defend yourself, might help you keep your mind at ease!"
I see her point, and probably I should do the same while I'm with Patchouli. If this Remilia is anything close to Flandre... I need to be extra careful now. I trust Meiling anyways, I doubt she would force me to go through this if it was dangerous. But who knows, I still have a few days to get ready. Better make the most of it.
(A/N: Well fellas, we're reaching a breaking point in the plot. In a few more chapters, we'll decide if we keep going with the SDM arc or change it to something new. Also, since you all chose to hug Meiling rather than kissing her, a reader of mine asked me to tell you how that would've ended. And just let me say, besides cuddling something more intimate could've happened, free from consequences unlike going to bed with Koakuma like in Bonded by Sin. But the show must go on!)