Episode 83: I’ll Wait for You, Just a Little While

“Thank you for the lunch break.”

“Welcome back. That was quick. You could have taken a bit longer.”

Saying that, Yui-san lifted her gaze from the PC monitor. It seemed she’d been working away as usual while I was on my break, but had Yui-san already eaten lunch?
Glancing towards the waste bin beside her desk, I spotted a convenience store carrier bag.

“Yui, I always tell you this, but you really must take your breaks properly. Working too hard is bad for your health.”

Concerned for my partner, who tends to overdo things, I gave her this gentle reminder as I turned back to my desk to put my purse away. Then, a loud clatter made me turn towards Yui in surprise.

“Kanata.”

I looked up at Yui-san, who had slowly risen and was now approaching me. Her well-shaped brows were drawn together tightly, and she looked down at me with an expression of utter disbelief.

“Y-yes. What is it?”

“This… isn’t yours, is it? Mitsuya-san’s…?”

“Eh?”

Following her gaze, I realised she was referring to the jacket I was wearing.

“Ah, yes. That is…”

Mid-sentence, Yui-san’s hand reached out towards me. Startled, I pulled back as she suddenly grabbed my collar, trying to pull the jacket off.

“Wh-what are you doing? Mitsuya-san lent it to me because it’s cold today…”

“If you’re cold, I’ll lend you mine. Take it off. Now.”

“Eh? But if I wear yours, the sleeves will be too long…”

“It doesn’t matter if they’re too long.”

I was startled by the cloud that instantly passed over Yui-san’s face. Realising she was quite displeased, I stopped resisting.
It wasn’t wise to defy Yui-san when she was like this. Since we’d started dating, I’d learned the hard way several times that it would only lead to trouble later.

　Yui-san is intensely possessive. It was a side of her I only discovered after we started dating.
She never restricts me, and always puts my feelings first. But the moment she senses any hint of another person getting close to me, she notices immediately and swiftly eliminates them. She possesses this sharpness, like a wolf guarding its territory, always alert, ears pricked, watching her surroundings.

Should I carelessly hop outside Yui-san’s territory, she’d have me by the scruff of the neck in an instant, dragging me back inside.

There’s a line I mustn’t cross. Occasionally I misjudge it, and each time Yui-san teaches me, “That won’t do.”

　She’d embrace me as if disciplining me, believing teaching my body was quicker than words. That moment when the gentle her suddenly transformed into a wolf was still a bit too intense for my inexperienced self.

Just being stared at with those glittering eyes made me sense the fierce affection behind them and sent shivers through my heart.
I’m terribly weak for her like that.

　After stripping Mitsuya-san’s jacket from me, Yui-san hung it on the coat rack with a sulky expression, then grabbed her own jacket instead. She fixed me with a resentful stare, pouting her lips.

“…Kanata. Wearing other people’s clothes is a no-go. Absolutely no one else but me. Understood?”

As I obediently put on the jacket, its sleeves a little too long, I thought about it. True enough — if Yui-san had lent her clothes to someone else, I’d surely feel uncomfortable too.
Only now did I realise I’d done something she disliked, and I reflected on my thoughtlessness.

“…I’m sorry.”

When I apologised sincerely, Yui-san pulled me tightly against her. A make-up hug – I wanted to get her mood back to normal quickly, before things got worse. Just as I reached around her back to put my arms around her, Yui-san suddenly grabbed my shoulders and pushed me away.
My body, abruptly pushed back, swayed with a jolt.

“Whoa!”

I gasped in surprise. Worried I’d done something to upset her, I looked up to find Yui-san’s expression had clearly hardened.

“Um, Yui-san…?”

She’d never refused a hug before. What should I do? Was she that angry? How could I make it up to her?
　As I flustered about, Yui-san’s brow furrowed deeply.

“…It’s not your scent.”

“Eh?”

Ah, right. I remembered the small private room had been filled with cigarette smoke. That must be why the smell clung to me.

“I might have transferred the smell of Mitsuya-san’s cigarettes onto you. Did you dislike it, Yui-san?”

As I hurriedly apologised and tried to take off Yui-san’s jacket, her hand stopped me.

“…You’re cold, aren’t you? You can keep it on.”

Yui said this with a bright smile. But deep in her eyes, there was no trace of laughter — and seeing that smile, I realised, Oh, I’ve done it.

Probably, borrowing her clothes had been right on the edge of Yui’s “line you mustn’t cross”.
But the “transferred scent” seemed to have landed squarely outside it.

　It wasn’t that I didn’t think about how Yui-san herself had come home wearing another woman’s perfume more than once or twice back in university days, but I decided to keep that to myself.

Because honestly, if Yui-san were wearing another woman’s scent right now, I’d be burning with jealousy.
I’d sulk terribly, get angry, and no matter what she said, I wouldn’t forgive her for ages.

　Unlike me, Yui-san is straightforward. Once she’d given me her ‘punishment’, she’d return to being the gentle Yui-san.
But I know all too well that this ‘punishment’ is incredibly troublesome and nasty, so I’d rather avoid it if possible.

At this point, the only way out was to somehow escape until Yui-san’s emotions settled.

　I take a small step back. Thank goodness today is Thursday. If it were Friday, the day I stay over at Yui-san’s house, I’d surely be in for a rough time—

“…Kanata.”

“Y-yes?”

“Come stay over at my place tonight.”

“Eh… but, Yui-san, today is Thursday…?”

“Is there a problem with that?”

I could see the flames of jealousy flickering fiercely behind those black eyes I adored, and I couldn’t help but swallow hard.
Faced with that uncompromising, intense gaze, I raised the white flag.

“…No, nothing… there’s no problem…”

I shook my head. I felt that if I refused here, she’d insist I come over now if I couldn’t stay overnight. So, forcing a smile to avoid provoking her further, accepting was the only thing I could do.

＊＊＊

Yui-san wrapped up work precisely on time and practically swept me along to the car park. Opening the passenger door and urging me in, she smiled warmly at my slight hesitation.

“Let’s head home soon, Kanata.”

“…Um, Yui-san. Is it alright if I ask something?”

“Hmm?”

Before getting into the car, I hesitantly looked at her. She held the car door open, tilting her head as she stared at me.

“…Are you still angry?”

Yui-san always kissed and hugged me without a care, even at work, yet since then she’d been keeping an unnaturally stiff distance.

I reckoned the cigarette smell must have worn off by now… but Yui-san was truly skilled at hiding her feelings, so just how angry she was remained a mystery.

“…I’m not angry.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

“Then… won’t you do anything?”

When I timidly asked, Yui gave a soft chuckle.

“Hmm, I wonder. I can’t promise that.”

Hearing that, I froze completely as I was about to get into the car.
Normally, she’d say, “If you don’t want to, I won’t do anything.”

“What’s wrong? Don’t you want to come home?”

Asked that, I fell silent. Because I knew exactly what would happen if I went home…
Yui-san is cruel. She knows full well that no sheep would willingly walk into the wolf’s den knowing it would eat them.

As I stared at Yui-san with eyes filled with unease, she smiled defiantly.

“…It’s up to you, Kanata. If you want to go home, you can go.”

She says it’s my choice, but she won’t let me leave. This spiteful person is trying to make me choose to walk straight into being eaten.

　She’s usually so kind — that contrast makes my head spin.
Even before we were lovers, she possessed that kind of charm. But since becoming a couple, I think that tendency has become even more pronounced.
The fact that I find all those aspects endearing and accept them wholeheartedly makes me feel like I’m being swallowed up by an endless, bottomless swamp.

　Blushing, I got into the car without a word. Yui-san smiled contentedly and closed the passenger door.

She spun the car round and settled into the driver’s seat. Then, taking my hand — my pouty lips still sulking — she kissed the back of it tenderly.

“…Please don’t be too mean, alright?”

As a last resort, I made that request. Yui-san, still retaining a wolf-like ferocity in her eyes, narrowed them slightly and smiled.

＊＊＊

We headed towards the flat, not far from the office she’d bought for work.
Opening the heavy door, Yui-san pushed me halfway into the room with a half-forced “Come in, please”. The moment the lock clicked shut, she suddenly bared her teeth.

　She scooped me up, burying her face in the nape of my neck and inhaling deeply as if to confirm my scent.
I couldn’t tell my own scent anymore. I could only feel the scent of Yui-san’s favourite perfume and her gentle hair, my heart pounding reflexively.

“…The scent hasn’t faded yet.”

A sulky voice murmured in my ear. Having been tense ever since we were in the car, the moment I felt that soft voice on my eardrum, my body shook so violently it felt like my knees would give way.

Lately, I really do think I’m strange. Only now do I think I understand the feelings of those girls from university days who, knowing Yui-san would never take them seriously, still came to her saying, “Even so, it’s fine.”

Perhaps this person was born under that kind of star. A born womaniser, gifted from birth with the talent to beguile both a girl’s heart and body.

But initially, I’d assumed she hadn’t inherited the genes for loving someone deeply and faithfully from her father. Yet, thinking about it now, it’s astonishing how much it runs in the family.

I couldn’t help but feel relieved that this was her true nature. And I felt profound gratitude towards my past self, who hadn’t held the reckless values that might have led me to give myself away so carelessly during university.

　Had I been reckless, had she seen me merely as a plaything — I’d surely be living in hell by now.

Once hooked, there’s no escape. Yui-san is like a drug. Once you know the softness of these lips, the heat her fingertips bring, the sweet voice whispering gently in your ear — you become utterly addicted.

　Through the parting of her silky black hair, I gently stroked the nape of her neck. The chain of the necklace I’d given her brushed my fingertips.
Yui lifted her face, still looking displeased, pressed her lips to my cheek, then pulled away and silently took my hand.

I was led not to the bedroom but to the dressing room, where neatly manicured nails, a coppery red befitting autumn, undid the ribbon at my blouse’s collar and promptly touched the top button.

“Ah, um, Yui-san…!”

I had no intention of resisting being held now, but being stripped naked under such bright lighting was utterly humiliating.

　As I instinctively tried to protest, Yui-san forcefully pulled me closer, silencing me by sealing my lips with hers. Though she couldn’t see, her fingers deftly popped each button with practiced ease – the skill of someone accustomed to a woman’s body made me resent her deeply.

　After undoing every button, she slipped off my blouse while kissing me repeatedly, then tossed it into the laundry basket with a flop after pulling it off my arms.

“Yui-san, um, it’s embarrassing with the lights this bright…!”

“You’re still wearing your underwear, aren’t you?”

“That’s not the issue…”

　Silencing me with another kiss, Yui-san deftly undid my skirt’s hook and slid down the zip. The skirt fell to my feet with a soft thud.

Without pause, Yui-san also shed her own blouse, tossing it carelessly to the floor. When our lips parted, her pure white, rounded shoulders and the straps of her navy blue underwear came into view, making me avert my gaze involuntarily.

　Her hand moved behind me, clicking open my bra clasp. Suddenly feeling exposed, I instinctively covered my chest with both hands.
I must have been bright red up to my neck by then, but Yui just stared at me intently and smiled.

　Her fingertips traced my hipbone before reaching for my underwear, so I grabbed her left hand to stop her.
Looking up imploringly, as if begging for forgiveness, her intense gaze pierced straight through me.

“…If you don’t want me to undress you, would you rather do it yourself? Fine, I’ll let you. I’ll wait, just a little while.”

Her tone and voice were gentle, but what she said was anything but kind.
　Picking up my skirt from the floor, Yui-san carefully folded it and placed it inside the basket.

Would she forgive me if I took it off? It certainly didn’t look like it, and I averted my gaze.

While I hesitated, Yui-san reached behind her own neck and undid the clasp of her necklace.
She removed the one I’d given her, handling it as if it were precious, and placed it gently on top of the skirt she’d taken from me.

What should I do? What’s the right thing to do? Though taking them off myself might be slightly less embarrassing than having them removed, it’s still rather humiliating and I hesitate.

Yui-san slipped out of her trouser suit, leaving her in the same underwear as me. After staring intently into my flustered eyes, she smiled brightly and said, “Time’s up,” then gently pushed my shoulder towards the bathroom.