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With only half an hour left until bedtime, Tamamo figured she should get a head start on studying for the geography test next week.
The movement of tectonic plates may seem slow on paper, at an average rate of 1.5cm a year. However, the constant movement…
Flick, flick.
…may cause earthquakes near the fault line. There are three types of earthquakes, depending on whether the plates are-
Flick, flick.
“Agh!” Tamamo snapped the textbook shut loudly, putting it on her bedside table. “I can’t focus with your constant ear flickin’.”
“Oh… sorry. My right ear’s been itchy since this morning. I thought it would go away after showering, but it’s still…” Oguri paused to shake her head like a dog after a bath. “Maybe I should ask Creek…”
Creek did seem to enjoy cleaning other people’s ears, be they Umamusume or human. The thing was, Creek already did a lot for them - Hell, she’d washed Tamamo’s tracksuit and Oguri’s muddy pants two days ago - and Tamamo didn’t want to feel indebted to her for additional things. “It’s no trouble at all! I like to help,” Creek would say, but it didn’t sit right with Tamamo.
“Don’t needa do that. I’ve done it for the lil’ ones back home; I can do it for ya.”
Tamamo’s younger sister Poppy had the tendency to squirm or attempt to flick her ears when having them cleaned, which was dangerous. Their younger brother Choki, on the other hand, would not stop talking, which meant looking into his ears was essentially what Tamamo imagined the hallways in Alice in Wonderland to be like. He could not flick his ears, but Umamusume did not have their ear canal shape changed by jaw movement, so the two of them were about equal in difficulty.
Compared to her siblings, Tamamo figured Oguri would be much easier to handle. In terms of not posing a danger to herself, she was.
“I get to look up at you today,” Oguri smiled contentedly. “It’s nice.”
The real danger was to Tamamo’s heart rate, which Oguri was very good at unintentionally increasing. Seeing the taller girl laying peacefully on her lap, unguarded and gazing at her with such reverence, had Tamamo thinking that she wouldn’t mind doing such things more often.
Oguri’s ears are slightly fluffy, Tamamo noted as she trailed a finger around the outer edge of Oguri’s right ear. She wasn’t Symboli Kris S, but it was still a trait that Tamamo had heard Oguri’s fans talk about before. Hence, it wasn’t that Tamamo didn’t know, just that it was her first time seeing the small tufts of longer hair at the tip of Oguri’s ears up close.
“Tama, that tickles… Are you trying to give me an ear massage?”
“Ah, nah. Just… kinda interesting to see another Umamusume’s ears up close ‘n personal, yanno?”
Oguri seemed mildly confused. “Really? I look at yours all the time.”
“That’s ‘cos most of you are just too damn tall compared to me!”
“Oh.” Oguri’s ears drooped. “Sorry.”
“Eh, it’s just a fact. I’m short, you’re tall, and we’ve probably both stopped growing by now. And put your ears back up, I can’t see nothin’ like that.”
Using her phone as a torchlight, Tamamo peered down her roommate’s ears. “I see some wax in both sides.”
“Then… why does only the right side itch?”
“How the heck ‘m I supposed to know?”
Oguri continued to smile serenely, eyes now fully shut. “You’re smart.”
“‘Course I am! But that’s totally unrelate- whatever.” Tamamo shook her head slowly before refocusing her attention on Oguri’s right ear. If she got too caught up in retorting, she’d never get anything done. “Tell me to stop if it hurts, yea?”
“Okay.”
It was always a slow process with a traditional bamboo ear pick. One had to be careful not to scrape the walls of the ear too hard, as the skin was thin. There was also the danger of pushing wax further in or worse, rupturing the ear drum. The former would be unpleasant, and the latter would result in a trip to the emergency room. It was sweet that Oguri trusted Tamamo enough to allow her to put a somewhat sharp object in her ears.
Tamamo had heard that some clinics were opting to use suction technology to reduce the risks, although such apparatus were not available to the general public. This had not stopped Tachyon, who had been spotted chasing Shakur down the hallway while brandishing what looked like a miniature vacuum cleaner, yelling about experimenting with ear pressure. It was likely that she’d made it herself, not that anyone had the desire to ask.
Alright, the wax isn’t filling the entire passageway, so I can use the opening on the side to get the ear pick behind it. Pull it up slowly, and- Agh, it broke. I suppose it’s bigger than I thought. But I won’t lose!
After what felt like 10 minutes but was probably closer to 30 seconds, Tamamo was successful. “I got it out.”
Oguri gave a thumbs up, eyes still closed.
“Hey. Say somethin’.”
“Hm? Oh. Are we… done?” Oguri sounded mildly disappointed. “It was really relaxing, like having a nice meal after soaking in the hot springs. I wanted to savour the feeling for a bit longer.”
Well, who was Tamamo to say no to such sweet words? In some ways, Oguri’s requests were harder to turn down than her siblings’, because they were often a challenge to Tamamo’s self-control rather than to her parents’ wallet.
“I can do the other side too.”
Oguri’s tail thumped against the bed. It’s so easy to make her happy. Cute.
It was interesting that Oguri seemed to enjoy it, as Choki would start saying things like “Is Tama-nee looking for gold in there?” whenever he felt like she was taking too long. Tamamo decided not to prioritise efficiency, taking the time to clear out any small flakes that lined the canal walls. If it didn’t require so much concentration, she would almost say that it was therapeutic. After she cleaned out the left ear, she returned to the right to do the same. Better balance it out, she thought.
Several minutes later, Tamamo was satisfied with her handiwork. “How is it? Does it feel any better?”
When Oguri didn’t respond, Tamamo gave her a nudge on the shoulder. “Ogurin, wake up.”
Oguri blinked a few times as she stirred. “Mmm… I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
Tamamo glanced at the bedside clock. “It’s almost time to sleep anyway. So, has it stopped itching?”
Oguri gave her ears a few experimental flicks as she sat up. “Amazing. Thank you, Tama.”
“No problem.”
“I’ll do it for you next.”
“But I don’t need it?”
“I’ll be sure to do a great job like you did for me.”
“That’s not the point!”
Due to Oguri’s insistence, they slept over fifteen minutes past their regular bedtime.