Since I've finished my KasuKari multi-chapter fic, I wanted to post it here as well. I'm not going to post all of the words (its 45,000!), but I'll put all the links to each chapter on AO3. Hope you enjoy~
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Summary:
Karin sees Kasumi chase after her crush, Yu, and thinks that it's a waste of time. In fact, romance itself is a waste of time for Karin, who is busy with her schoolwork, her modeling, and her idol practice.
Kasumi, on the other hand, wants to do anything she can to get closer with Yu. Nothing so far has produced any meaningful results, but there's something that will. Kasumi is sure of it.
What will happen when these two opposites, in their images and in their views on love, are forced to work together to create a duet?
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Chapter 1: Romance Makes Things Messy
Chapter 2: You Could Call it a "Storm"
Chapter 3: Let's Roll Models
Chapter 4: Partners
Chapter 5: Fantasy, Expectations, and Reality
Chapter 6: Ready or Not
Chapter 7: I Have To
Chapter 8: Wooing You
Chapter 9: They'll Figure it Out
This is the first chapter of my first smut fic. No smut here, but smut soon, trust. I hope you enjoy.
On another note, I figured out a way to stop tumblr from cutting my fics in half, so they’ll be posted in full here. I might reblog my other ones with the fix.
This is a future AU, non-canon fic that references canon.
[AO3]
Pairing: KasuKari
Words: ~3.6k
Summary: Karin loves to drunkedly dance at the club whenever she's feeling especially lonely. Maybe it's because of her past, or whatever, but she loves to forget it all on the dance floor. That's when she sees the cute Kasumin, who isn't paying attention to her moves.
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Karin was drunk. Not the belligerent kind of drunk where you threw too many fits, and didn’t remember it the next day, and when you looked around it seemed like a tornado swept through your room — not that Karin needed any help making a mess of her living space. It was the kind of drunk where your body felt paradoxically light yet heavy, and your head felt that everything-will-be-okay numbness, and you didn’t feel so alone.
And, in Karin’s case, it was the kind of drunk where you just felt like dancing.
She was at a high-end, exclusive club she visited whenever her schedule allowed it. It was the kind of clubs where, if you wanted to drink and dance there, you either needed a hefty amount of spending money that night, or you needed to be somebody.
Oh, was Karin Asaka somebody.
She had an astronomical rise to fame as a model after moving to a prominent agency at the age of twenty-two. Now, at twenty-four, she was everywhere. On billboards, magazine covers, and television shows, including the celebrity talent shows where she could show off her singing and dancing. Maybe she could have been an idol in a different life, but she leaned more towards modeling than performing in the first place.
Still, the club might as well have hired her for how often she put on performances while drunk dancing. Whenever she put her drink away and stepped onto the floor, everyone’s eyes started drifting. Sure, they would redirect their stares after realizing they were in company, or when it felt wrong to ogle for that long. But in the back of their minds, they knew they could return their gazes to her and watch an amazing show.
There were some brave people who stepped up to dance with Karin. But it never turned into anything sexual. Karin tunnel visioned on moving her own body way too much to think about her partner. She’d match their movements, sure, but in the end, when that numbness started to dwindle away, she’d thank them, pay her tab, and leave to her liquor-filled penthouse. There she could keep that numbness going long enough to sleep.
Because thoughts came in the night. Thoughts of being lonely for her entire life. Thoughts of how the past could have gone much differently. Thoughts of how she wouldn’t have gotten to where she was in any other way, but at the same time, the curiosity about a normal life would continue burning inside her.
Then again a normal life would involve romance, which Karin was absolutely not interested in.
She told herself that, anyway.
“It’s kinda funny how you can feel lonely surrounded by all these people,” Karin bemusedly thought as the music slowed down. Her drunkenness was starting to wear off, so she thought of leaving. She took a quick scan of the room. Many eyes were on her.
Then, Karin noticed someone who wasn’t looking. That girl was sitting at a table and facing her friends, engaged in chatter. Her short, light-brown hair framed her tiny, pretty face. She was wearing a light, off-the-shoulder top that hugged her thin body tightly, accentuating her not-so-curvaceous figure. She had on this smile that said she was having a great time chatting. It was the first time Karin had seen her at that club, but Karin thought she looked familiar. She focused on that girl and turned her body in that direction.
The tempo picked up again, and Karin started dancing. Her tantalizing body rocked like a violent ocean wave at times and swayed like a breeze-blown branch at others. She did a sexy dip with her hips, then, after standing up straight, she bent ninety degrees and dragged her hand up, awfully slowly, from her ankle all the way up to her thighs as she straightened out again. The whole time, her eyes were on that girl.
Many people shouted and cheered, drawing the brunette’s attention. The girl looked at Karin, and her gaze moved slowly downwards and lingered, before moving up even more slowly. Karin grinned at that as she continued to dance. However, the girl soon turned back to her friends. Karin was pissed, but wasn’t sure why. She stopped her swaying and started to walk over, twisting her hips with every step.
“I haven’t seen you here before,” Karin said as she stood next to their table. All of them looked, but the brunette Karin was eyeing was the one who turned last.
“Must be because you’re not looking.” The girl stared at her with a deadpan expression. That surprised Karin. Normally everyone wanted her attention. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m talking with my friends.”
“Kasumi-san, that’s Karin Asaka. The Karin Asaka!” One of Kasumi’s friends, a girl with long dark hair and blue eyes, stood up from her seat. “I’m Shizuku Osaka. I’m a big fan.”
Karin recognized the face. Shizuku was an actress that had made her debut recently. Sure, it was as the main character’s best friend, but even Karin could tell she was good. Karin also heard some talk about Shizuku getting a main role soon.
“Same here. Rina Tennoji. You might know me by AIP.” The other friend, a girl with messy pink curls and a blank expression, stood up and bowed.
Karin recognized the name. AIP — as in artificial intelligence producer, but pronounced Ai-P — was a well-known sound technician in the industry who produced vocaloid and electronic songs in her free time. Karin liked most of her songs, and now she could put a face to that name.
“Nice to meet you both,” Karin said before looking at Kasumi. Her friends certainly were somebodies, Karin thought. “What about you?”
“Kasumi Nakasu. Also known as the cute Kasumin. I’m not a fan,” she said. Karin knew she was an up-and-coming idol that relied on the fact that she was cute. That was why she seemed familiar. Karin agreed with the cute part, just not when she was talking.
Karin scanned the table. Her friends were both drinking some sort of light cocktail. Karin would know. Then she noticed that Kasumi’s glass was empty which, in Karin’s head, meant one of two things. Either Kasumi was thirsty for more, or she was ready to dance. In her case, it was probably the former.
“Let me make you one then,” Karin said back. “I’ll buy you a drink.” She spoke in a sultry voice, wearing an expression that would slay any other person in their seat.
“Already charmed by me, huh? Well, can’t say no to a free drink.” Kasumi stood up and started walking to the bar. It wasn’t exactly the response Karin was expecting, but that was a good thing. She didn’t often offer to buy a drink for others, but every time she did, the girl would either be way too eager or way too shy. Kasumi towed the line for being eager, and she was in no way shy. She seemed like a girl who knew what she wanted and knew what to do to get it. Karin’s interest was piqued.
The bartender greeted Karin like she was an old friend, then asked what they’d be having. Karin ordered a shot of a particularly expensive vodka that she liked, then looked at Kasumi.
“I’ll have what she’s having,” Kasumi said, her voice exuding fake confidence. Karin picked up on that and snorted.
“Shots aren’t good for little girls.” Karin smirked at Kasumi’s glare.
“You’re what? Only two years older than me? I’ll be fine.” Kasumi nodded to the bartender, who poured another shot.
“Oh? So you do know a little about me.” And now Karin knew a little about her.
“Who doesn’t?” Kasumi handed a shot glass to Karin. They clinked glasses together. “Cheers.”
They both downed the vodka. It went smoothly down Karin’s throat but left a familiar burning sensation at the end. On the other hand, Kasumi grimaced as she swallowed. Karin saw that and giggled and called Kasumi cute. Kasumi told her to shut it and ordered more, and they took another.
Karin looked at Kasumi, who was still reeling in the aftermath of swallowing. She had on this small black skirt that barely reached her thighs. Her heels lifted her a few centimeters off the floor, not helping her small stature much.
Kasumi wasn’t that kind of innocent cute reserved for small animals and children. No, it was the kind of cute where Kasumi was still unbelievably hot but was unable to be described as sexy like Karin. That’s how Karin saw it, anyway.
When Karin brought her eyes back up, making sure to linger on all the right places, she found that a smirk had replaced Kasumi’s grimace.
“Enjoying the view?” Kasumi asked, her grin only getting more annoying by the second.
“View of what?” Karin’s eyes landed on Kasumi’s meager chest.
“Don’t be rude. That’s one of my selling points. I wouldn’t be called ‘cute’ if I had those… things you call boobs.” Kasumi pointed at Karin’s chest, and Karin laughed back.
Karin felt that drunken numbness coming along again, but she didn’t want to stop talking for the moment. Kasumi alternated between looking at her friends and at Karin. When she stood up, Karin grabbed her hand.
“Why don’t you tell me a little about the idol life?” Karin asked.
“Give me a second.” Kasumi walked back over to her friends and talked with them for a bit. Then she sauntered back over to Karin, trying to show off her cuteness with each step. “Why? Interested in becoming one?” she asked as she sat down.
“Interested in you,” Karin said while tilting Kasumi’s chin upwards. Kasumi’s reaction would surely be snarky and fun, Karin thought. But, when Kasumi’s face turned red, Karin let go of her after a delayed heartbeat. “S-Sorry, I didn’t mean-"
“I-It’s fine. It was just… Anyway, let’s have longer drinks if we’re gonna do this.” Kasumi ordered a relatively weak cocktail. The bartender looked at Karin, waiting for her to order something strong.
“I’ll have what she’s having.” The bartender’s eyes widened, but he shrugged and made them their drinks.
Kasumi started talking about idols. Really talking about them. Not about all the glitz and glam, but about the painstaking effort they had to put in to get to the top.
Kasumi knew she wanted to be an idol from a young age. She saw how cute they were and wanted to be that cute as well. So she devoted time to learning how to sing and dance. In high school she became a school idol. And for the first time she realized how it felt to be on stage.
It sucked. Sure, you performed in front of all of the people who supported you and cheered you on; that part was great. But, if you made a mistake up there, the whole world could see it. And then your number of fans would dwindle away. Kasumi was never a super popular school idol to begin with anyway, so watching any of her fans disappear hurt.
It was after high school when she decided to devote herself to becoming better. She enrolled in more dance classes, took up singing lessons, and took everything she learned and applied it. She talked with every producer she could and auditioned many, many times. She was hired by an agency that, at the time, was pretty much unknown. Kasumi brought it out of the shadow and into the limelight through her performances.
The road was tough, and she even did things to sabotage the people in her way. Things that didn’t hurt them directly, but things that definitely made them look worse at being idols in comparison to Kasumi. Never anything sleazy like sleeping with their producer or some rich guy supporting her agency, though. Kasumi was too good for that. Eventually a popular agency saw how much she pushed herself and picked her up.
Karin appreciated the competitive mindset that Kasumi had. She saw the same drive she once had in herself before she ended up at the top of the modeling world. Kasumi might be able to reach the top, as well, Karin thought. She didn’t say it, since that would boost Kasumi’s ego way too much.
As Karin listened to Kasumi’s story, she sipped at the cocktail, which tasted more like fruit juice than liquor. After Kasumi stopped, they both finished their glasses. Kasumi ordered two more.
“Your turn,” Kasumi said after handing Karin her cocktail. With a sigh, Karin recollected her past and swirled her glass around before taking a long drink.
Karin’s story was roughly the same as Kasumi’s now that she thought about it. She was an amateur model throughout high school, then devoted her life to modeling afterwards. She worked her way up to the top. Kasumi was heading up on the same road that Karin took a couple of years ago. Following that projected path, soon Kasumi would be as famous as her.
But she wouldn’t be as lonely. Karin was sure of it. Kasumi had friends to hang out with at bars. She wasn’t there to dance the night away in a drunken haze, all alone in a sea of swaying bodies.
Thinking of that while she recounted her past to Kasumi, Karin downed the rest of her drink and ordered another. Kasumi eyed her, suspicious of what Karin was feeling, then followed her lead.
The alcohol started to kick in, and the two of them started talking about random topics, including the people around them. Karin had met a few of them before or heard about them from others. Kasumi was curious to learn more, maybe to find some angle to approach them, Karin thought. The two of them leaned closer in their seats as Karin whispered, and Kasumi laughed and put her hand on Karin’s thigh and left it there. Karin looked all over Kasumi’s body, and could feel that Kasumi was doing the same to her. The distance between them grew smaller with each second.
“You gonna dance with me or what?” Kasumi asked before they could actually collide. Karin grabbed her hand and pulled her to the dance floor.
Again, everyone’s gaze drifted. Oh, it was another one of Karin’s performances, they probably thought. They were waiting to see how much she outshined her partner.
But, for some reason unknown to Karin, that night felt different. Like the energy in the air was charged with something special. She decided to focus on herself like she always did.
But in the end, Karin couldn’t take her eyes off Kasumi. She kept up with Karin with seemingly no effort. Karin knew it was due to the dance practice she talked about when they chatted about idols, but Karin never knew idols could be this good. She thought they were all about being cute and smiling and appealing to the audience, but Kasumi was hot and sexy and everything Karin never expected from her.
Kasumi pulled Karin over, and they danced together, their bodies touching then separating, as if Kasumi was teasing Karin with the light contact. Karin focused on showing off her body and sex appeal, and she could tell that Kasumi’s eyes were all over her. She pointed that out to Kasumi, who said that Karin wasn’t any better. She was right. Some tried to join them, but Kasumi and Karin shooed them away while pulling each other closer. Soon their bodies started to grind together, leaving no room for anyone between them.
Everyone’s eyes were on them, but they only looked at each other.
After a few songs, Kasumi called for a water break. As they walked up to the bar, Karin watched a mixture of both of their sweat drip down Kasumi’s upper back. Kasumi asked the bartender for two waters.
“You’re gonna need water to keep up with the cute Kasumin,” she said as she downed the entire glass. After thinking about how Kasumi was much, much more than cute, Karin did the same.
Karin looked over at the table where Kasumi’s friends were sitting. It was filled with unfamiliar faces.
“You’re gonna be fine without your friends?” Karin asked.
“Yeah, I told them earlier I might be a while. They’re probably off doing their own things.”
“What like… each other?” Karin asked while winking. Kasumi scoffed and shook her head.
“No, they’re not an item. Shizuko is single since she’s way too busy learning roles and auditioning. Rinako does have a girlfriend, and they’re good for each other, you know?” Kasumi smiled as she looked past the bottles in front of them. “You don’t know this, but Rinako is pretty shy. Her girlfriend is the opposite. She’s bubbly and always helps Rinako when it comes to her feelings. They're cute.”
Karin hummed. Yeah, if only there was someone tailor-made to suit you, Karin thought. If only it always worked out no matter what happened. If only you could just be together forever and nothing would get in your way.
She shook off those thoughts before speaking again.
“And what about you, Miss Cute?” Karin asked.
“I’m an idol. Relationships are out of the question. After all, the cute Kasumin belongs to all her fans, not just one person.” Kasumi said that last sentence in a sing-song voice. Karin recalled that rule she had heard about. She snorted and shook her head at how stupid she thought it was. “You?” Kasumi asked, leaning closer as if she was listening to a secret shared between them.
“No. I’m single. Have been for a long time.” Karin looked beyond Kasumi into the past, remembering her. Kasumi tilted her head in questioning, but Karin said nothing more. Instead she went back to the bartender to get another glass of water. When Karin came back, Kasumi grabbed onto her hand.
“Enough talking. Let’s dance.” It was Kasumi’s turn to pull Karin away from everything, including her thoughts.
Their shared performance this time was much like the first, except it escalated more quickly. Kasumi seemed to be extra attentive to Karin, teasing her with quick touches whenever she felt like she’d be pulled away from the dance by her memories. Karin wasn’t sure how Kasumi knew. Eventually, Karin focused on only her.
Soon, Karin was dancing against Kasumi’s back, their bodies still pressed together. Their hips swayed in sync. Karin’s hands drifted along Kasumi’s body but missed the parts that should only be touched in the bedroom. Her shoulders, arms, waist, and midriff were all free game, though. Kasumi rubbed her hands along Karin’s thighs and hips in return.
It was almost like sex with their clothes on, Karin thought as she started to ache. A familiar heat spread up to her cheeks and inside her stomach and down between her thighs. She knew the wetness down there wasn’t just sweat. She looked at Kasumi’s chest from above, and saw moisture slide down it, and felt the urge to kiss and lick Kasumi, following the path of the sweat droplets. She didn’t but spun Kasumi around instead.
Kasumi didn’t seem to be faring any better, with a blushing face and eyes that practically screamed, “Do me.” Karin saw that and grabbed Kasumi's waist and pulled her closer, so close that there was no air in between their bodies. Kasumi exhaled a hot breath and looked up at Karin. They stayed together like that, not moving for a brief moment.
Then Karin wrapped her arms around Kasumi’s back, and leaned in closer, and Kasumi was so warm, and her lips were so close, and… then Kasumi pulled away. Karin questioned her with a confused look.
“R-Remember what I said.” Right, relationships were out of the question. People were watching. They might be able to pass off dancing together, but a kiss was a death sentence.
But Karin didn’t want the night to end. Sure, that drunkenness had turned into something else entirely, but Karin relished that feeling.
“We could... go somewhere else,” Karin said, unsure of everything. “If you still want to dance.” Kasumi thought for a while, just swaying in Karin’s arms. Then she leaned in and whispered.
“I’ll meet you outside. Don't make it too obvious you're following me, okay?” Karin nodded, then headed back to the bar.
“Getting another drink, Asaka-san?” the bartender asked as he pulled out a bottle of her favorite vodka and a shot glass. Without waiting for an answer, he started to tilt the bottle. Karin half-thought of accepting it.
“No, no. I’m closing my tab. Put her drinks on it. Can you also call a cab to my apartment?” The bartender smiled and put the liquor away.
“Of course.” He closed her tab and made a quick phone call. “Good luck, by the way.”
“You know it's not like that.” Karin looked back towards the door, where she saw Kasumi exiting the building. “But thanks. As always.”
The bartender bowed to her then went to serve other customers. Karin did as Kasumi said and waited for a little, looking upon the many people dancing. After a couple minutes that felt like an eternity, she left, leaving the club behind.
She saw Kasumi outside, wearing a facemask and sunglasses, as if no one would recognize it was her from that hair and that face shape and that body. Karin tried to stifle a laugh as she walked over. They argued about whether or not her disguise was effective as they waited for the cab to arrive. When it did, Karin opened the door for Kasumi, and they both got into the car.
“So where are we going?” Kasumi asked as she dragged her fingers along Karin’s thigh, again causing Karin to heat up all over.
Again, I can’t post the whole thing here, so you can read the rest on AO3!
[AO3]
Pairing: KasuKari
Words: ~5k
Summary: Karin knows she has to give up on Kasumi after she graduates. She just knows. But, will this hiking date with Kasumi change her mind?
What were the odds of this happening, Karin Asaka wondered. The odds of attending Nijigasaki High School, and bumping into a transfer student who adored idols, and joining the School Idol Club, and falling in love.
Karin wouldn’t say she was a math expert, but she knew that finding the chance of several events occurring had to do with multiplying their probabilities. She also knew that the product of two small percentages was an even smaller percentage.
The odds had to be minuscule. After all, there were seven billion other fish in the sea, and it had to be her.
Unfortunately for Karin, Kasumi Nakasu was just a minnow.
Two years might not seem like much of an age difference. However, in high school, a first-year and a third-year can come into each other’s lives as quickly as they can leave.
Karin didn’t even know whether or not Kasumi loved her back. For the past few months, the two of them had followed the same back-and-forth routine. Karin was content with their tease-offs. She didn’t want to get her hopes up through misunderstandings or project the reasons for her actions onto Kasumi.
Even if Kasumi felt the same way, she would be stuck in high school for the next two years. She’d meet someone else, someone who could spend more time with her than Karin ever could in their one year together.
Besides, behind her mask of cool maturity, Karin felt weak and pathetic. According to all the relationship advice she’d read in magazines and online, successful relationships were built on honesty. Karin could pretend to be cool and sexy all she wanted. If Kasumi realized the truth about her…
Karin rid herself of the thought by shaking her head back and forth. As the train she was riding pulled into the station where they would rendezvous, a new thought entered Karin’s head and lingered as she exited through the sliding doors.
Summary: Karin celebrates the date of her high school anniversary by drinking a couple of bottles of wine. However, Kasumi is there to end Karin's drunk-texting-reign-of-terror.
God this summary is so bad, agree? Anyway, thanks to the usual suspects for reading: @hidekins, @myonmukyuu, @noelclover. This pairing is my livelihood by the way. Here you go.
Please read it on AO3... for some reason tumblr is not letting me copy and paste this whole thing. But, I'll post the first section here.
[AO3] <-
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Karin wasn’t one to get drunk often. No, because of her modeling job, Karin had to be completely in control of her body and attitude, and a hangover would ruin both of those. Drinking alcohol was also conducive to weight gain, so she avoided drinking excessively.
But there were certain occasions where Karin would drink. When she attended work parties or dinners, she’d have a glass. When it was her birthday, she’d get buzzed off a few drinks.
Then there was that one night each year when she’d cancel all plans, grab a couple bottles of wine, and drink them. The day of her high school graduation was a strange anniversary to keep, but Karin observed it with the same traditions almost every year after she became an adult.
After all, it was the day she decided to throw away all of her feelings.
Her feelings for being an idol... and her feelings for Kasumi.
Thinking about it, Karin sped up her uncorking of the first bottle of wine. After she finished, she poured a full glass, then gulped it down and poured another.
It was for the best, Karin thought. After all, if she tried to devote her time between being an idol and being a model, she’d be mediocre at both. And, if she pursued Kasumi, Karin would just end up hurting her.
Karin was too busy with her own career. She didn’t have a lot of free time to spend with Kasumi, especially after she moved. Sure, the commute from Shinjuku to Odaiba and back would only take around an hour, but her schedule was arranged in such a way that she had at most an hour for her breaks. Maybe they could spend nights together, if Karin wasn’t burnt out after photo shoots or television appearances. Kasumi deserved someone who could actually be there.
Besides, Kasumi was out of high school now, working at a bakery while taking classes at a culinary school. She had her own future to pursue. Neither of them had time for thoughts of romance. It would complicate their schedules and distract them.
This was all assuming that Kasumi even felt the same way.
The second glass came and went, as did the third, and soon Karin felt the familiar lightheadedness that came with consuming alcohol. Deciding she was feeling sufficiently buzzed, Karin turned on her laptop and opened up Netflix. She headed to the romance category and picked a popular American flick, a film about two people pursuing their dreams while juggling a bittersweet romance in Hollywood. Karin had seen it before. A year ago, in fact.
She watched as the characters met and eventually fell in love. Then, when the characters had their first kiss, she watched them with a smile.
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Read the rest on AO3, Idk why tumblr isn't letting me post the rest here... is there a character limit or smth that i'm unaware of???? Stupid toombl
Thanks to the usual suspects, @hidekins, @myonmukyuu, and @noelclover for providing their reading and proofing services. Always grateful for your help~
Anyway, I plan on writing some KasuKari oneshots whenever they pop up in my head while I’m working on some larger KasuKari projects.
Also always looking for KasuKari content. Me hungry.
[AO3]
Pair: KasuKari
Words: ~1.2k
Summary: Kasumi is trying to reach her toes, but can't when Karin tries to help. Maybe a little reward will help motivate Kasumi...
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The first two in the practice room that afternoon were Karin and Kasumi. Fortunately for them, no one else was there to hear the loud grunts in the studio.
“I’m so close,” Kasumi said.
“C’mon, Kasumi-chan,” Karin said as she pressed her body into Kasumi’s back. At her limit, Kasumi let out a long moan.
But even still, she was not able to reach her toes. Her hands slumped down to her ankles as she gave up in frustration.
“It’s not happening today, okay? Let’s move on to other stretches,” Kasumi said.
“You’re so close, though.” Karin thought for a while, then came up with an idea. “I know.”
“What?”
“If you touch your shoes, I’ll give you a reward.” Karin stood up and walked around to face Kasumi, whose legs were still stretched out.
“You can’t just say that and not tell me what it is, Karin-senpai.”
“Hmm… how about…” As Karin trailed off, she bent her body into an acute angle to bring her face closer to Kasumi’s. Then she brought her finger to her lips and winked at Kasumi. “I reward you with a kiss?”
Kasumi didn’t know where to look. Karin’s face right next to her, or Karin’s breasts which looked like they could fall right out of her workout gear, or Karin’s curvy legs behind those both. So instead she shut her eyes.
“T-That’s not a reward!” Kasumi yelled.
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Just trying to motivate you,” Karin said, smiling as she had succeeded once again in teasing her cute junior. She loved exasperating Kasumi whenever the opportunity presented itself, and that day was no exception.
Kasumi sighed, then stretched her arms upwards.
“Breathe out when I stretch,” she whispered to herself, remembering Karin’s words from the past. Then she went for it.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes before she started reaching for her toes. The centimeters before her mid-shin were always effortless. After that, she had to lean her back forward. As her hands went further and further, she let out the breath she had been holding in. Her calves and thighs started burning as they stretched.
Then, with her longest finger, she felt something. Her eyes lit up as she opened them and saw her hand touching her shoe.
“I… I did it, Karin-senpai!”
“Great job, Kasumi-chan,” Karin said as she clapped. “The next goal is to be able to touch the balls of your feet with your fingers.”
“Eeeehhh? That’s so far, though.”
“If you don’t keep aiming for further, then you won’t get a good stretch.”
“Fine, fine.” Kasumi stood up to some arm stretches, when suddenly it hit her. This was a chance to tease Karin back.
This is what you get for earlier.
“Wait, Karin-senpai,” Kasumi said while walking up to Karin.
“Need help on the next stretch?” Karin asked, puzzled as to why Kasumi was so close.
“Weren’t you going to give me a reward?” Kasumi brought her finger to her lips and sneered at Karin.
Unlike Kasumi, Karin placed her gaze on a single spot: Kasumi’s soft lips.
“Wha… Er… I-I guess I did say that.” Karin looked away from Kasumi. Behind her back, Karin twiddled her fingers. Kasumi, seeing Karin’s expression, decided to push her advantage.
“Well, I’m waiting. Oh? What’s this? The Karin-senpai is getting flustered over just a kiss? Well if you can’t do it, admit it.” Kasumi drew closer and closer with every word that she said. She knew that Karin would never do it. Even though Karin pretended to be mature, she had as little experience as Kasumi did.
Which is why what happened next surprised Kasumi.
“... Fine.”
Karin turned, wrapped two arms around Kasumi’s lower back, pulled Kasumi closer, tilted her head, and closed her eyes. Then she leaned forward and placed her lips on Kasumi’s.
The kiss wasn’t electric like the magazines described. No, it was soft, and wet, and warm all at once. But, Karin didn’t feel disappointed that the magazines were wrong.
On the other hand, Kasumi stood there, wide-eyed, in shock.
They separated after a split second.
Karin opened her eyes to find Kasumi staring back with her mouth slightly open.
“Kasumi-chan, are you okay? Did it hurt? I thought I did everything right.”
“That… that was my first,” Kasumi said with a deep blush.
“O-oh, I-”
“Your first kiss is supposed to be with someone you love… and you took it from me.”
“But you said you wanted the reward! That’s not my fault.”
“I thought… we were just joking,” Kasumi said while looking away from Karin.
“Sorry. If it makes you feel any better…” As Karin trailed off, she walked towards Kasumi and placed her hand on Kasumi’s head. “T-That was my first, too.”
Kasumi turned back and stared at Karin, who was looking right back at her. Karin’s cheeks were dusted with redness.
Their gaze lacked any of the emotions from their usual stares. Feelings of frustration, annoyance, jealousy, superiority, sarcasm… those were all absent. Instead, they stared at each other, not knowing the name to the emotion they felt.
Suddenly, Kasumi’s words returned to both of their thoughts.
Your first kiss is supposed to be with someone you love.
Someone you love.
Kasumi closed her eyes. Karin did the same. Kasumi tilted her head upwards. Karin started to lean towards her once more.
The studio door creaked. Emma’s voice could be heard through the crack in the door.
“Kanata-chan, we’re not gonna fit through with you on my shoulder.”
“We can go sideways,” Kanata said with a yawn.
“Alright, let’s do that.” The two of them walked in together, with Kanata seemingly glued to Emma’s left shoulder.
They entered the room and saw Kasumi and Karin both doing their own stretches on opposite sides of the studio.
“Hello, Karin-chan, Kasumi-chan.”
“H-Hey, Emma,” Karin said. Kasumi simply waved. Emma tilted her head.
“What’s going on-“
“Ahaha, made it here first again, Rinari!” Ai said from the hallway.
“You did,” Rina responded. More and more voices started to trickle into the room along with the other members of the School Idol Club.
“Let’s get started with some stretches,” Yu said. “Oh, Karin-senpai and Kasumi-chan are already at it.”
Karin sent her a smile, then looked back at Kasumi. Kasumi did the same stretch and touched her toes again. She looked up at Karin, then blushed and looked away. Remembering what had just happened, Karin swallowed her saliva and tried to focus on stretching her shoulders.
The entire group started stretching together. After they finished, and Yu started talking about their agenda for the day, Kasumi approached Karin.
“Karin-senpai,” Kasumi whispered.
“Hmm?”
“I… I did well on my stretches so… c-could you reward me again?” Karin glanced over at Kasumi, who had turned her back to the rest of the group.
But at that angle, Kasumi’s flushed face looked quite cute to Karin. She leaned closer to Kasumi and spoke in a low whisper.
“Only if you practice hard.”
After that practice session, Kasumi knew she’d feel extra sore the next day.
But, she thought, any soreness she’d feel would be worth the reward.
