Plus, in these types of scenarios, the guy gets caught by himself and gets pounded.
“Just wanted to see if you’d do it or not! Good thing you didn’t, too. If we got caught, I would’ve been outta there faster than you could think of an excuse,” she chuckled.
“Y-You...!”
Before he could say anything to her, he noticed Evie had sat on floor—looking at him with stars in her eyes and innocent smile as she patted the space next to her.
He was cautious when it came to Evie—not that her intent was malicious or anything—he just didn’t want to be on the receiving end of her mischief.
What’s she plottin’...? Was the thought that crossed his mind while he sat a safe distance away from the girl.
“Anyway, congrats on beating Kara. For a second there, I thought you were done for, but that Path of yours really pulled you through.”
“Wasn't tryna show it off. Would’ve preferred if I didn’t have to use it in the first place. To most, it may look pretty strong, but there’s a hell of a lotta setup. If I didn’t have a specific set of circumstances go down, it would’ve been over. To be honest, the fight mentally exhausted me more than physically.”
With barely any prompt, he felt something on the sides of his face.
“.....? What the...?!
“Mental exhaustion, huh? Well, just leave it to Evie! I happen to know the perfect remedy for a stressed mind.
Having said that, Evie brought Reito’s head to her lap, using it as a surrogate pillow.
Reito’s face turned scarlet as he tried to put together what just happened. “.......Huh? ...HUUUUUUUUUHH?!!”
“Shhhhh! Don’t scream. You’re supposed to focus on resting, master~ Now’s the time to relax, see~? Evie gave him a charming wink that made his heart jump like he was on a sugar high.
“That's beside the point! Don’tcha have any shame?!” MASTER! LIKE A GENUINE MAID!
“Hmm...do I...? ...Nope! Not one bit! Things like that ultimately get in the way of my lifestyle. It’s better to just have fun and roll with things, no? Besides, I thought you deserved a bit of a reward for such a big first win. Something small would’ve been nice in the moment, but I thought about seeing all flustered and freaked out, and couldn’t resist. The way you get all red and stuttery reminds me of a friend of mine on the Council.”
“GRAAAAAAGH! SO, YOU ARE JUST MESSIN’ WITH ME!”
“Guess I made the right choice,” she giggled. “Still, aren’t you happy? I’ve read that receiving a lap pillow from an adorable maid is every man’s dream, Master!”
There it is again! I can’t stand her, but in this situation, with her sayin’ that, dressed like that. My heart! He calmed down a bit, closed his eyes and positioned his head to be more comfortable on her lap. “ ‘Every man’s dream’ is probably ten thousand times more lewd...but this is a close fourth or fifth. If I had to choose a reward for you to give me, I’d just want you to teach me ninjutsu or somethin’.”
“If it’s ninjutsu you want, I could teach you something like that. Cloaking your presence shouldn’t be that hard. Ah... But considering you’re so plain-looking, you’re practically unnoticeable already!” She teased with a fake gasp. “Maybe I should take stealth lessons from you!”
“You get some kinda high off of messin’ with me, don’t ya?”
“Aww, don’t think of it like that. Your reactions are just so extreme, it makes me laugh.”
“SAME DIFFERENCE!” What a bitch! Ya like toyin’ with guys, huh? I’d throw ya outta here right now if I wasn’t so friggin’ comfortable right now...!
In the lap of luxury─literally, within his mind, Reito was struggling on whether to feel insulted or content.
“........” Shizuka stood at the front of the room they were in, staring at the two with a judging straight face. She was wearing a loose-fitting white t-shirt with a pair of fleece shorts; her locks glistened from the wetness.
“Shizu! Good to see you again! Wow! You’re even cuter after a shower~!”
“Glad to see you two’re having fun...” Shizuka said. “Although, it looks like one of you is having more than the other.”
Reito darted to his feet. “Sh-Shion! Look, this wasn't my idea, I'm not even really enjoyin’ it!”
“Uh huh... Yeah. I’m sure your dorky smile and blushing face are a sign that you just hate lying in her lap, then?”
“This is just the natural response; any guy would react this way!” He defended, instinctively covering his face with his arm.
“You...weren’t enjoying it?” Evie asked, staring at Reito with a frown.
“You kiddin’?! Course, I was! Compared to a regular pillow, your thighs were like a literal Cloud 9! They’re the pinnacle of luxury! I’d give every game I own up to bury my face into that kinda heaven every day!” ...I did wanna just think that... Kill me.
Evie brought her hands together, her face lighting up with catharsis.
Shizuka took out a beer can and brought it down on Reito’s head. Hard enough to alert him, but not enough to injure him, exactly.
“Think I’m gonna get mad over something like this? You’re a guy—she’s a cute girl. What you do with other girls has fuck all to do with me. If I kicked your ass for this, it’d be like yelling at a dog for burying a bone,” she assured Reito, giving him the can.
He’d fully expected Shizuka to send him flying, but she was more or less unfazed by what she saw. “I guess a can to the head ain’t a bad trade for being sent to the ICU,” he snarked. Good thing I’m not a romcom protag, otherwise, she would’ve kicked my ass by now!
“Just try not to be around me when you do it. Don’t really care for the P.D.A stuff.” Shizuka affixed her gaze on the bubbly kunoichi-turned-maid. “As for you...try not to feed into Rei’s instincts. Being lazy is one thing, but if he ends up becoming some super deluded mega-perv, it would be way too much for anyone to handle.” ...She’s cute... Cute... Keep it together, Shizuka...!
Tough as she was, Shizuka still found herself weak around things she thought were cute. It took a lot of willpower not to squeal and embrace the cosplaying girl.
Evie gave a thumbs up. “Can do, Shizu!” As long as a normal level of lewdness will do, it’s a deal! the last part she made sure to keep to herself.
“Now that that’s out of the way, let’s see if ya can hold your liquor,” Reito said, tossing a different beer to Evie, who caught it. “Not bad, now let’s see how much ya can drink!” I can’t stand the taste of straight beer, someone as childish as her should reject it, instantly. It’ll be hilarious! He went on, keeping that last part to himself.
Evie cracked the can open and slowly drank her fill, but unlike what he’d expected, she had a look of pure content on her face.
“Woah! That’s strong! So, this is a raw beer?! It has a great taste!”
Reito wore a face of pure bafflement. “You...? How’re ya, what the?! How in the hell are ya drinkin’ that stuff without spittin’ it out?!”
Evie tilted her head in confusion. “Isn’t that how you're supposed to drink it? It’s just like a ginger-ale without the sugar.”
“Wow. You’re way better at handling it straight than Rei is, imagine that!” Shizuka chuckled.
Annoyed at Evie’s nonchalant reaction, Reito opened the can in his hand and began to slowly drink its contents. But each passing second, he began to gag, more and more. The drink had barely been started and he was barely holding back the urge to upchuck.
“This...is nothinhngh...!”
“Hey, Rei! You okay?! Why in the world didn’t you just mix it with something!?”
After swallowing reluctantly, he flew into a coughing fit. Shizuka patted his back until he began to speak again. “Ack! Seriously?! How the hell can you stand that shit without mixin’ it?! It’s awful!”
“I don’t get it. It’s nothing special, right? Can you handle it, Shizu?”
“Yeah, I’ve got no problem with it. Reito’s just always had a problem with doing it—like his body just doesn’t mesh with ‘em or something.”
“Damn it! This time for sure!” He tried again, but the same result followed. Reito hung his head in defeat with his hands holding him up and his knees on the ground. “Bullshit! She jokes around like it’s her job, but she can handle that stuff?! I can’t believe it! If I’m dreamin’, someone, please pinch me-! No, punch me!”
A tap on his shoulder caused him to turn around to the sight of his best friend handing him a bottle of pink lemonade.
“This is a fight you can’t win, buddy. Maybe next time,” Shizuka consoled him
“She’s right, Tochi! Don’t worry! I’m sure the next time you try, you’ll be able to down a can no problem!”
“Y’know, even though you’re tryna help, hearin’ that from you makes it even worse on me. Argh...fine, gimme the damn thing!” Reito swiped the beverage, pouring some into the can and swishing it around to create a tolerable concoction.
While he was busy with that, the yellow-haired kunoichi turned maid finished the can she had gotten. “Ahhh, that was great! Another please!”
“ARE YA KIDDIN’ ME...?!”
***
After their first drink, Reito remembered something he had on his mind.
“Oh yeah. What happened to Meat Tank? I’m assumin’ you left with him, right?” He asked, turning toward Evie.
“Kara? Well, after he woke up from being knocked out, he went on and on about how exciting the fight between you two was for him! He said stuff along the lines of ‘Damn that guy! He doesn’t take the Academy seriously at all, but I can’t help but respect him as a fighter, he kicked my ass good!’ ...All while wearing a goofy smile. Probably the second biggest one I’ve seen on him.”
Reito took a sip of his can. “What an idiot. What kinda guy gets happy about losin’?”
“That’s a Student Council member for you. Among a whole school of hundreds of Path users, they’re the cream of the crop when it comes to weirdos, present company notwithstanding,” Shizuka explained, pointing to the other girl.
“I see it as a compliment; thanks a bunch!” Evie gave a thumbs up. “His stay at the hospital turned out to be a bit longer than yours, but the second his injuries healed enough to where he could function—he went straight to his training. When I left, he was doing one handed handstand push-ups and going ‘I’ve gotta get ten times as strong. The way I am now, I deserve to be booted from the Student Council! First, I gotta get my rank back. No, I’ll go even higher than that! Gra-ha-haaa!’ The nurses tried to stop him, but he kept pushing himself.”
Reito couldn’t help but be a little impressed. Geez, girl’s got vocal range; sounded just like him. “He’s gonna break if he pushes himself like that. Why’s he so hellbent on rankin’ up so high in the schools, anyway? Even if the number one ranked at Minami gets some kinda special reward, it can’t be that great, can it?”
Evie raised an eyebrow to the question. “Come on Tochi, you read the invitation to the City, and you didn’t even see what you’re attending for? You must’ve told him, didn’t you, Shizu?”
Shizuka rubbed the back of her head. “Well, with him being you know, Rei, as he is, I didn’t think he’d be all that interested in something like that.”
“Funny thing about that, heh-heh,” Reito chuckled, sheepishly, looking to the side and sweating a bit. “I skimmed the letter down to the point where it mentioned the stipend we were given along with the livin’ space. After I saw that, I had nothin’ on my mind except, “Get to Capital City!”. Y’know?”
Shizuka put her face in her hands, while Evie gave a slight chuckle. “Can’t say I didn’t expect your mind to be so one-track. Not a bad thing, but, if you wanna be the king, you should probably start reading into every little detail.”
King?! Reito thought, going wide eyed. I remember skimmin’ something about the Number 1 Pathos, but... “Wait. What’re ya...?”
“Well, Tochi,” Evie interrupted, “the C.C.C.A.S [Capital City Cuatro Academy System], was established for the purpose of not only putting Pathos into a space where they can come to control their abilities through combat—but also for the choosing of the next ruler of Capital City!”
Upon hearing this info that he had avoided for his whole time spent in the City, Reito stood up. “Huuh?! Seriously?! Shion, you knew about this?”
“What do I look like, an idiot? Course, I knew. I just thought you wouldn’t care about a position like that, considering you’d be the center of attention that the entire City relies on.”
Reito gained a conniving grin. “That can’t be further from the truth! Matter of fact, it’s the answer to all my problems! If I become king, I can close myself off from the rest of the world! I’d hafta decree new laws and junk, yeah, but I can get a stand in for those sorta things! And when I get put into the position, I can give Granny’s dojo tons of word-of-mouth publicity, so I’ll have her off my back too! This is the chance of a lifetime!”
Evie leaned over to whisper into Shizuka’s ear as Reito sprung to his feet, enamored by his realization. “Hey, Shizu, is Tochi just stupid or something...?”
“Y’know, I ask him the same thing, every now and then. Eh, let him dream. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him this motivated, not like he can just quit if that time ever comes, anyway,” she said while finishing the rest of her drink.
“Can do! Y’know, seeing him now, he’s like a little kid getting his first toy.”
“Is that what it looks like?” Shizuka just sipped her drink.
“Hey, you two! Less talkin’, more chuggin’! Let's do it up, big! Shion, we're gonna need some of your cookin, if you'd be so kind.”
“Huh? The hell do I have to?!” She rebutted. “Don't act like you've never cooked before, you handle it!”
Reito put his arms up to his chest while backing up nonchalantly, like he was used to the response.
“Aw, that's too bad...and here I was looking forward to your home cooking, Shizu... You seem like you really know your way around a meal,” Evie sulked, rubbing her arm.
“And how d’ya figure that?!”
Reito’s eyes lit up for a second, like he saw an opportunity. “Come oooon. Do ya really wanna disappoint her? a crying maid'll ruin the mood—and your food’s one of the Seven Wonders Of The World, missin’ out on it's basically a sin... Please?”
“Now I'm super-excited to try it!” Evie said, giving Shizuka an expectant smile.
Seeing as she was outnumbered, being assaulted with compliments from the two, Shizuka quickly turned around to hide a smile from the two. “Alright already! Just shut up about it!”
“Woohoo! Shion, Shion!”
“Shizu, Shizu!” Reito and Evie cheered in unison.
“Don't get too excited, I'll pull the majority of the weight, but you two have to help me out!” Shizuka demanded with a stern point.
The sound of crickets flowed into the dorm from outside, becoming the all they could hear as Reito and Evie just went silent.
““Boooo...””
“Don't gimme that! I get Reito, but the hell’re you dressed like a maid for if ya don’t wanna work?!”
Shizuka brought out pots, pans, carrots, potatoes and rice, and the three prepared to cook their meal, moonlight shining through the window as howls from dogs filled the air of Capital City.
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