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Gentle hands pushed against Shinobu’s back, and though she was delicately careful with her movements, Shinobu could sense the strength in Mitsuri’s arms. Her back ached pleasantly as she was pushed forward, bending at the waist and stretching her arms out before her.
“I’m not pushing you too far, am I?” Mitsuri asked in a worried voice as she leaned over Shinobu’s shoulder, her brows creasing in concern.
“Not at all,” Shinobu assured her with a soft smile. “Actually, it almost feels pleasant, my muscles stretching like this.”
“Oh!” Mitsuri nodded eagerly. “I know what you mean! I love pushing myself to my limit because the way your muscles pull is just so satisfying.”
With a hum, Shinobu reached her fingers out, and Mitsuri pushed down between her shoulder blades. Her hands reached out to her toes, and she spread her legs slightly so she could lay her hands on the floor.
“You did it!” Mitsuri gasped, and she let up on the pressure, and Shinobu tried not to feel disappointed as her touch disappeared. Without Mitsuri’s strength pushing her past her limits, Shinobu’s arms pulled back, leaving her toes just out of reach of her fingers.
“We’ll have to see if I can eventually manage it without your help,” Shinobu said with a soft sigh as she sat up straight.
“I’m sure you will!” Mitsuri encouraged as she sat on the floor next to Shinobu. “It just takes dedication and practice.” With an ease Shinobu didn’t quite have, Mitsuri splayed her legs out and practically folded her body in half to press her torso against the floor and reach her arms out before herself.
Shinobu peered closer, not quite trying to hide the way she watched as Mitsuri’s tits squished up against the wooden floor.
Mitsuri glanced up at her, and a faint blushed bloomed across her cheeks as she realized where Shinobu was looking. Slowly, she sat up, and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she did so.
She didn’t say anything about Shinobu’s less than innocent stares, but she never did. They were both aware of the feelings, but Mitsuri was a proper lady through and through. She was waiting for Shinobu to make the first actual move.
Shinobu knew she should. Or rather, she knew she should quit indulging this considering her plans, but…
She just couldn’t make herself.
She couldn’t give up the time with Mitsuri she had, even if she didn’t let them grow as close as they could.
“Do you want to try some more stretches?” Mitsuri asked. “I can tell you’ve been practicing on your own. You’ve improved a lot since we started doing this.”
Indeed she had. Shinobu’s fighting style didn’t rely much on flexibility. Instead, she relied almost purely on speed and stamina. But if she could incorporate flexibility into Insect Breathing… Well, she would take any techniques she could that didn’t rely on brute strength. Shinobu could make herself more flexible, but she couldn’t make herself much physically stronger than she already was.
Not to mention, the training with Mitsuri was a good excuse to spend time with her and be physically close.
“I have been,” Shinobu said. “I’ve made the stretches part of my morning routine.”
Mitsuri smiled and got to her feet. “Can you lift your leg above your head yet?” To demonstrate, she lifted her leg from the floor, and without shifting her upper body at all, stuck it straight up into the air, leaving her toes pointed straight towards the ceiling.
“Decidedly not,” Shinobu laughed. “I’m not quite sure if I’ll ever be able to manage the likes of that. I almost want to study your joints. You seriously don’t feel any pain when you do this kind of stuff?”
“Not at all!” Mitsuri confirmed with a small laugh. “I think I just have a freakish body in general.” Slowly, delicately, she lowered her leg and placed it back on the floor. “It makes me a good slayer though.”
“It makes you a very good slayer,” Shinobu agreed with a nod. In fact, she often found herself desperate not to feel jealous over Mitsuri and her gifted body. She was everything Shinobu could never be. While Mitsuri had a body that made her damn near the perfect slayer, Shinobu had a body that did the exact opposite. If it weren’t for her poisons, she couldn’t be a slayer at all.
But she did her best not to dwell on the feelings. Even though she knew she would never let them drive a wedge between her and Mitsuri even if she focused too much on them, what point was there in doing such a thing? It was a waste of her time to feel envious.
“Yeah, so… At least it’s good for something,” Mitsuri said with a quiet chuckle that did not appear quite genuine. “But anyways!” She shook her head. “Let’s practice a few more stretches, and I have some new ones for you to add to your routine, if you think you’ll have the time!”
“I’ll make the time,” Shinobu said. For Mitsuri, of course she would. Even if it was just doing stretches at her behest. “What are these new stretches?”
With a smile, Mitsuri took Shinobu’s hand and pulled her to her feet. “Is it okay if I show you?” she asked as she laid a hand on Shinobu’s waist.
Shinobu grinned, more than happy to agree to anything if it meant she could feel Mitsuri’s hands on her body, guiding the way she moved, making her strength evident even if she was only using a fraction of it. “Of course.”
“Alright!” Mitsuri placed her hand on Shinobu’s lower back. “I want you to bend backwards as far as you can. Don’t worry, I’ll catch you if you bend too far.”
Shinobu had half a mind to do just that, wanting the feeling of being held in Mitsuri’s arms, even if it was just due to a failed exercise. She would gladly take what she could get.
“Okay.”