Chapter Text
Riko scooped up the lightly snoring girl, carrying her upstairs, and tucking her into bed, one last time. She was gonna miss the little demon.
As she turned out the lights, about to close the door, a timid voice beckoned to her.
“Lily…?” Yoshiko rubbed her eyes drowsily. For once she hadn’t been feigning sleep. “Am I…am I ever going to see you again…?”
The redhead knelt down beside the child, gently ruffling her hair. “Of course. We’ll see each other again real soon, ok?”
Yoshiko nodded, fighting the sniffles and tears that were welling up inside. She was a big girl now. She couldn’t let Riko see her cry.
As Riko took one look back, a reassuring smile on her face, Yoshiko couldn’t help but smile herself. “I love you, Lily.”
“…I love you too, Yocchan. Sweet dreams.”
Yoshiko trudged through the halls of her new school, groaning internally. Same sounds, same faces, same everything. High school was going to be no different than middle school, which was so regrettably boring.
Admittedly, she herself hadn’t changed much since middle school, but hey, at least she was trying. She’d decided to wear her hair down for once, instead of up in a bun, not that anyone would notice. She only hung out with one person anyways, and said person wasn’t the most observant—
“Yoshiko-chan! We’re in the same class again!” Speak of the devil. One step into the classroom and she’d already been hit by a wall of sound. Hanamaru came bounding towards her, effervescent as ever. She was a handful, but Yoshiko couldn’t help but crack a smile; she’d missed the limitless energy of her one and only friend.
“Ah, Zuramaru, have a good break?” She’d realized her mistake as soon as she made it. What she meant to be a simple exchange of pleasantries Hanamaru no doubt saw as an opportunity to launch into her usual tirade about the fascinating life of a shrine maiden.
“Oh my gosh, zura, you’d never believe all the fun stuff I did over break—”
“Alright class, please take your seats.” A sharp voice cut Hanamaru off, Yoshiko waving apologetically to the brunette as she stumbled to her seat.
Back turned to the class, the teacher wrote her name on the board. Yoshiko couldn’t help but stare, not at her ass (she liked to think she was more civilized than that), but at her long, silky, red hair. It was a dark auburn color, so tantalizing and oh-so familiar. As she turned to face the class, her dazzling amber eyes in full view behind a pair of thick-rimmed spectacles, Yoshiko didn’t even need to read the name on the board to confirm her suspicious.
“Hello everyone, I’m Sakurauchi-sensei, and I’ll be your homeroom teacher this year!”
Yoshiko could only stare in disbelief at the woman that stood before her. It’d been over ten years since she’d last seen her, when the redhead was nothing more than her babysitter.
Riko had matured remarkably since her days of looking after Yoshiko. She’d gone from cute girl next door to elegant, refined woman. She was fucking gorgeous.
Yoshiko turned to survey the class, seeing several mouths agape and several flushed cheeks, amongst both guys and gals alike. She almost wanted to nod her head in agreement, as if to say “I know, right??”
As Sakurauchi-sensei began taking roll, Yoshiko came upon the sudden realization: what if Riko didn’t remember her? After all it’d been sooo long and she looked completely different and—
“Tsushima Yoshiko?”
She found, even before her hand shot up in the air, Riko’s bright eyes gazing at hers, a warm smile on her face. She could’ve sworn a wink followed.
“H-Here…” Their eyes met, for the briefest of eternities before Riko moved on to the next student. No no, her heart definitely wasn’t fluttering.
...
As her first day come to a close, the rest of the class filing out of the room, Yoshiko found herself planted in her seat, unable to move. She’d been planning on bolting out of there as soon as the bell released her, but her body had other plans, plans to reacquaint herself with her long-lost babysitter, it seemed. Once her last classmate had walked out the door, her feet willed her to the front of room, where Riko was erasing the blackboard.
“H-Hey…Lily…”
The redhead stopped what she was doing. “That’s Sakurauchi-sensei to you,” she turned around, a smirk plastered on her face, “Yocchan~”
Yoshiko’s cheeks were burning. She hadn’t been called that name in a long time.
Suddenly, she felt her whole body warm up, Riko’s arms ambushing her, enveloping her in a hug.
“So, how’ve you been, Yocchan? It’s been so long since I last saw—"
Ever since she was little, Yoshiko had dreamt of locking lips with Riko. Apparently, somewhere in her mind, ten years was enough waiting.
Her lips cut Riko off midsentence, muffled objections melting into a soft, passionate, kiss. But it was over as soon as it begun, Riko finally regaining her senses and pulling away.
“W-What was that!?”
Yoshiko stood in wide-eyed horror, finally beginning to realize just what had transpired.
“I-I-I don’t know…I’m sorry!!!”
She raced out of the classroom, blinking away tears. What sort of cruel demon had possessed her this time? Yoshiko definitely didn’t have the stones to pull such an act of treachery. No, this was the work of someone far more sinister.
Yoshiko wanted to skip school the next day, she really did. But a part of her wanted to see what Riko’s reaction would be (also read as, “her mom wouldn’t let her stay home”). Detention was off the table; who’d want to be alone in a room with someone that just assaulted them? Maybe a suspension? That wouldn’t be so bad.
...
“Tsushima-san, may I talk to you after class?”
Yoshiko could feel the dirty looks being sent her way. Day two and this kid was already in trouble? Maybe the stares from her classmates were warranted. But even more interesting, was the look on Riko’s face. Her delivery had been blemished by a quivering voice, all whilst avoiding eye contact. And Yoshiko could’ve sworn she was blushing.
Did she actually enjoy the kiss?
The thought did cross her mind. Whether she should entertain that thought, she hadn’t decided.
...
The silence must’ve lasted a good five minutes. Yoshiko knew Riko was itching to speak up, so she kept her mouth shut out of politeness.
“Yocc…Yoshiko-chan.” Riko bit her lip shyly. “A-Are you going to explain to me what happened yesterday…?”
Yoshiko sheepishly scratched the back of her neck. “…Would you believe me if I said I was possessed by a demon?” It was partly true, Yohane had made her do some crazy shit in the past.
“No I wouldn’t, and I’m honestly surprised you’re still into that stuff.”
“Well…” It was no use. Riko would see through any of her lies. “What if I told you I was in love with you…?”
“H-Huh?”
Yoshiko was not about to let her resolve falter, but she couldn’t help it. “R-Remember…all those times when I was little, when I used to say that I was going to…m-marry you, and stuff like that…?”
“I…I thought you were just joking around…”
“Well I wasn’t, ok?” Yoshiko felt her rage, her embarrassment, something , building up. It’s not like it was Riko’s fault though. Who in their right mind would take what a child had to say at face-value? “Now that I’m older I thought that, maybe…you know...”
It was a longshot, that much Yoshiko knew. But to be fair, she’d already kissed Riko before she had a chance to think about any of this stuff; it’s not like she had a choice other than to confess.
Riko stared at her in disbelief. “Y-You know we couldn’t do something like that. I-I’m your teacher, a-and you’re my student—"
“That can’t be the only reason.”
“Why would I need any other reason…?”
Yoshiko felt her heart leap inside her chest. Maybe Hanamaru was onto something. “Because if that’s your only reason, it means you're scared you might actually have feelings for me.”
“W-What?”
“You could’ve easily said you weren’t interested. But instead you gave some lame excuse about why we can’t be together. Which means if we weren’t student and teacher, you’d be all over me.” It felt a bit sleazy to be so smug, but Yoshiko would be the first to say it felt good to go on the offensive.
“T-That’s ridiculous!”
“Says the one who kissed me back~”