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“Ku…!” Karin grits her teeth in agony, her character on the screen flailing helplessly just meters away from the finish line. The pitiful music playing as she finally crosses the finish line sends daggers into her heart. At a poorly timed shell outbreak and several karts bumping her out of the way, Karin placed last in the final race. Dead last. The only thing consoling her was the fact that she was one point above the final computer player in the end results.
“Why don’t we play something else?” Setsuna suggests with a slight strain in her voice. As much fun as it was to watch the normally calm and collected Karin squirm in a children’s video game, her hands were getting tired, having placed first place in every race. She’s lost count of how many times she’s beaten Karin.
“Just one more! One more with a lower difficulty, and then I’ll stop!” The elder pleads with her controller locked in a vice grip. Her desperation seems to give Setsuna an idea.
“If I win again, you have to listen to a request of mine then! It’s only fair!”
“Deal! Start a new race, hurry!”
Fourth place.
“Don’t stress too much about it. It’s only a game, you can always pick it back up later and try again.” Setsuna earnestly attempts to console her senior, smoothing her hair on her head.
Karin sniffles. “It’s not fair.”
Cute! “You can get better with practice. Like I said, it’s just a game.”
“I was pretending to cry but I ended up crying for real, heh.” Karin wipes away a small tear forming at the edge of her eye. “You said you wanted a request?”
“Huh? Ah, not really? I only said it to see if it’ll help motivate—”
One gentle push is all it takes for Setsuna to flop on her back. Karin cautiously climbs over her on the cramped sofa. Her gentle hand pushes disheveled locks of hair away from Setsuna’s face, her fingertips ghosting over her jaw line.
“If it’s a request for me, it has to be that, right?”
“What in the world are you talking about!?”
Karin undos the first button on her shirt.
“It’s quite hot in here, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but why are you unbuttoning my shirt!?”
Setsuna’s panicking knocks her controller onto the floor, the plastic causing a loud clack. It startles both of the teenagers and allows Setsuna to catch her breath for just a moment. The sensations Karin brought to her were too much to endure at once. At this rate, she’ll probably have a heart attack. If it’s a request, then…
“My nails! Paint my nails for me, Karin-san!” Setsuna blurts out. “You paint your own, right? Paint mine too!”
Setsuna sighs as she brings out her old nail polish set from the bottom of her drawer. How old is this stuff? Judging by the layer of dust covering the tops of the bottles, it’s definitely been a while. Not like this has to be something super fancy. The junior grabs a few bottles and some cleaning supplies, placing it carelessly onto her room’s table. Karin hisses at the clatter of glass against wood. Setsuna must have been visibly confused at her reaction since Karin lets out a sheepish chuckle.
“Sorry, just impulse at the noise. Don’t worry about it.”
Ah, that’s right. Karin is a model. Obviously she’ll take more care of her cosmetics, especially if they’re expensive and fragile. Setsuna takes a mental note as she sighs.
“Alright, this is what I have. Can you work with this?”
The senior hums. “Let’s see…”
Karin’s fingers interlace into her own, holding her hand with such a quiet gentleness. It takes Setsuna by surprise. It’s not that it’s unwelcome, it’s simply an unexpected gesture. The warmth of Karin’s palm heats up her hand and seems to reach into her heart. Looking up from Karin’s hand to her eyes, Setsuna’s breath hitches in her throat at the sight of kind eyes looking back at her. As if… examining her. Was she imagining things, or was Karin really scanning her movements? The junior can hear her increasing pulse thudding in her ears. She had to respond.
Setsuna lightly tightens her fingers, locking in Karin’s hand into her own. Slowly and kindly, she kisses Karin’s knuckle.
“Oh,” Karin lets out a small gasp, putting their arms back onto the table. “I was… just propping your fingers up to paint them.”
“Oh.” Setsuna repeats after her. Her cheeks flare up into a bright red. The heat even reaches to her ears as Karin casually opens up a bottle and paints on a base coat. The faintest hint of pink on her cheeks and the edges of her lips lifting up doesn’t suggest that she hated it though.
The small brush runs over Setsuna’s nails with grace, not a single movement wasted by running over her skin instead. Karin’s touch is delicate and experienced. The sight of her focused face, her long lashes, her glossed lips, her everything was starting to make Setsuna feel dizzy.
Her staring hadn’t gone unnoticed. Once Karin finished the base coat on one hand, she held the other with the same tender grip. She moves her face unbearably close to Setsuna’s, their warm breaths mingling together as the junior continues to be hypnotized under her spell.
“Setsuna.” Karin breathily whispers out. It tickles Setsuna’s cheeks. The more she indulges in Karin, the more the capable student council president crumbles apart. With her teasing nature, every single moment with her feels like nibbling at the very edge of the forbidden fruit. It’s intoxicating, thrilling, and all Setsuna wants to do is drink up all of those heart-pounding feelings.
“What is it?” Her voice is barely audible.
“Focus.”
As if closing off a charm, Karin’s command snaps Setsuna out of her trance. They still had plenty of work to do if she wanted her nails painted and dried this century.
“S— Sorry!” Some of her sense was starting to return.
“Are you feeling a little overwhelmed by my charm?” Karin’s voice takes on a seductive tone but drops as soon as she giggles. “Sorry, Setsuna-chan! You’re too cute to not tease.”
“You’re way too mean, Karin-san.” She pouts, which seems to set off a switch.
“I’m mean?” Karin lets out a low chuckle. The blue-haired girl brings Setsun’s hand up and gives her inner palm a tender kiss. Placing her hand on her cheek and leaning into her touch, she smiles at Setsuna with a teasing look in her eyes. “I wonder.”
Setsuna sinks lower into the bathtub, the hot water’s pressure swallowing her body like a cocoon. She blows bubbles into the water’s surface in frustration. It’s no secret that the Dengeki team is close. Isn’t that to be expected? They go to the same school and while their opinions usually differ, opposites always attract. That must be why Setsuna’s so attracted to Karin. Her way of life is so different from hers yet so similar at the same time. Due to her abilities, she’s given lots of difficult tasks. School idol, model, Nijigasaki’s elder leader. She has enough energy to tease her juniors endlessly and even keeps up with their antics. Even with all of those weighing on her shoulders, Karin continues her days with a carefree smile. And even if she’s so capable of handling everything, for just a moment, she wants her to rely on others too. Especially her.
The supposed super idol could write a whole novel about how much she admired Karin. Not like she had time for that. The actual person was waiting for her to be done. At least with a bath and some quiet time, she could blow off some steam. She’ll come back more refreshed than ever and turn the tables on her senior for sure. With a new determination, Setsuna climbs out of the bath and exits, glancing at the clock. How long did she even spend in there?
Wait.
Forty five minutes!? That’s way too long to leave someone alone in your house! Setsuna quickly throws on her pajamas and wraps a towel around her damp hair. She runs to her room on her toes, light enough to avoid making a lot of noise but quick enough to make up for lost time.
“Sorry I took so long in the bath!” Setsuna begins as she swings open her door, only to be silenced by the sight of her sleeping elder. In the middle of her bed. Didn't even leave enough room for her to squeeze in. Great.
Setsuna sighs as she tosses her towel over her chair, sitting gently on the edge of the bed. She runs her fingers through the midnight-colored silky locks. The strands run through her grasp with no issue. Karin truly, from head to toe, has cared for herself like royalty. At least, that’s what Setsuna believes. If she listens closely, Karin’s breathing is labored. Sweat is starting to form on her face, shining slightly under the fluorescent lights. While she lays mostly still, her muscles seem to convulse every now and then as her nightmare continues on. Her brows furrow and tears begin to leak through her tightly shut eyelids.
“Kasumi…” She groans, shifting uncomfortably in the bed.
Setsuna lets a small sigh escape. Her knuckle wipes away a small tear, fingertips brushing against the smooth skin of her cheek. Nightmares are nightmares but reality can’t be changed. If she wakes her up now, it’ll surely make everything worse. For just this moment, Setsuna will simply comfort Karin from a distance with a small whisper.
“I’m sorry I can't be her.” With those words, Setsuna places a gentle kiss on Karin’s cheek.