Episode 5 - Drunken Truths (2)
Chapter 5 - Drunken Truths (2)
Yu-ra and I both walked toward her studio apartment without saying much.
The awkward silence continued, but she didn't let go of my arm.
'It was soft and tender.'
The sensation from when I'd touched it directly a moment ago still lingered at my left fingertips.
It was different from the sensation transmitted through my ability.
If I had to compare...
'...What am I comparing?'
I shook my head for no reason.
-Poke, poke.
Yu-ra poked me in the side.
"Up ahead is my studio—"
"Oh."
I looked up and saw a fairly tall officetel building.
"It's close to the station, and there's a convenience store right nearby, huh?"
"Yeah. That's why I picked it."
Yu-ra gazed at the building for a moment, then suddenly tugged on my arm.
"...Walking for a bit made me thirsty. I want something cold to drink."
Her direction wasn't the officetel entrance but the convenience store right next to it.
-Jingle.
"Welcome."
As we stepped inside, cool air-conditioned air swept over my face.
"Ahh, it's cool."
Yu-ra headed straight for the drink cooler, and I followed behind her.
"What are you going to get?"
"Hmm..."
After peering into the cooler for a while, Yu-ra took out two bottles of water and one sports drink.
"I thought you were going to buy more alcohol."
"What, to kill you, Se-ryu? You said you already felt like dying after four glasses of beer."
"...Everyone has different stats."
Yu-ra chuckled and plopped one bottle of water into my arms.
"Then drink this."
"Thank you."
I accepted the water and bowed my head, and Yu-ra looked at me and smiled.
"You really can't drink. That's kind of cute, too."
"..."
The water nearly went down the wrong way.
"Your ears are red again."
"It's because of the alcohol."
"Alcohol's convenient, huh."
Yu-ra smiled to herself, satisfied, and headed toward the register, then stopped again in front of the snack aisle.
One bag of potato chips.
One small cup of fruit.
Two cups of spoonable ice cream, too.
Her gaze lingered briefly on the household goods section behind the freezer, but she didn't pick anything up.
"...Are you going to eat all of that now?"
"Whyyy? You're going to eat some too, Se-ryu."
"Me?"
She said it so matter-of-factly that I hesitated for a second.
"...I need to go home now."
This time Yu-ra stopped.
Her head slowly turned back.
"Now?"
"Yes. The last bus is probably..."
I took out my phone and checked the time.
11:17.
I opened the bus app and saw there were only about ten minutes left until the last bus.
"...I might make it if I run."
"You're going to run after drinking?"
"I can run."
"You tripped on the crosswalk curb earlier."
"The curb was high."
"It was normal."
"..."
Yu-ra gently pushed my phone down with her fingertips.
"Just stay a little longer. Drink some water, eat this, sober up a bit, and if it gets late, just take a taxi."
She gave the snack bag in her hand a little shake.
The proposal itself was reasonable.
But.
'Why does it sound like there's another meaning?'
"Yu-ra."
"Hmm?"
"Are you... inviting me to your studio?"
Yu-ra blinked a few times and looked at me.
Then she raised the corner of her mouth as if amused.
"Whyyy—? You don't want to?"
She took a step closer.
A faint sake scent mixed with the familiar peach and rose fragrance pushed against my nose.
"...That's not what I meant."
"Then it's settled. If you don't hate it, stay a little longer."
As if she wouldn't accept any further objection, Yu-ra headed straight to the register.
"Please ring this up too—"
"Wait, I'll pay."
"It's fine. I'm the one who called you out today. Se-ryu can buy next time."
Yu-ra held out her card first.
"...So the next visit is already confirmed?"
-Beep.
The payment went through.
Yu-ra took the bag and winked with a smile.
"Just confirmed."
'This woman.'
Was she drunk?
Or was she normally like this? I was finding it harder and harder to tell.
-Jingle.
===
When we came out of the convenience store, the officetel really was right in front of us.
"This way—"
Yu-ra naturally linked her arm through mine again, and by now it would have been weirder for me to pull away.
I was led right up to the automatic door, but I stopped walking at the threshold.
'Am I really going in?'
Until a moment ago, this had just been about walking her home.
By my standards, walking a coworker home maxed out at the lobby.
But once I crossed that door, it felt like I'd be crossing a line.
"Se-ryu."
Yu-ra, who had already gone inside, turned back.
"Why are you standing there?"
"Well... is it okay if I come in?"
Yu-ra chuckled.
"You came all the way here and now you're asking that?"
"I still have to ask."
Yu-ra looked at me for a moment at those words.
Then she let go of my arm and stood right in front of me.
Her voice was clearer than a moment ago.
"Yes. You can come in."
"...Understood."
Only then did I step inside, and Yu-ra took the lead again, looking satisfied.
She pressed the elevator button.
-Ding.
Only the two of us remained inside the narrow elevator.
7th floor.
The doors closed.
"..."
"..."
We'd been chattering away in the convenience store, but the moment we were shut in together, it suddenly went quiet.
'Is Yu-ra okay with this situation?'
I glanced sideways.
Yu-ra was also staring at the mirror, looking a little awkward.
But at some point, she'd linked her arm through mine again.
'No.'
-Squeeze.
'She seems even closer than before.'
Just then, Yu-ra looked at me through the mirror.
"Se-ryu. Are you nervous?"
"No."
'I'm extremely nervous.'
"Your face is stiff."
"It's always like this."
'Other places too, which I can't say.'
"Liar."
Yu-ra pressed her shoulder a little closer to me.
"You seem more nervous than when you touched my butt earlier."
"Huh—, if you say that kind of thing here..."
I instinctively looked around.
Yu-ra laughed.
"It’s just the two of us. What are you so startled for?"
"Still, it'd be bad if someone heard."
Her face looked like she was having the time of her life.
"Teasing Se-ryu is fun."
"I learned something new today. That your personality is worse than I thought, Yu-ra."
"That's mean."
Yu-ra looked at me for a moment.
Then she said it as if it were nothing.
"I'm only like that with Se-ryu."
"..."
My heart pounded a beat late.
But Yu-ra didn't stop there.
"And you're the first one coming in."
"...The first what?"
"Into my place."
-Ding.
The elevator doors opened right on cue.
The timing was good.
No.
It wasn't good at all.
Because my excuse to pretend I hadn't heard what she'd just said had vanished.
Yu-ra walked out first as if nothing had happened.
I stood frozen for a moment, then followed behind her.
Yu-ra stopped at the end of the hallway.
-Beep beep beep beep beep.
-Ddiro-ri-ri-ri—
The door lock opened.
"This is it."
She opened the door and turned on the light inside.
It was a tidy studio-type officetel.
A small dark-colored sofa and table.
A kitchen against one wall.
And further inside, a bed.
'...'
The moment I saw the bed, I turned my gaze elsewhere for no reason.
Yu-ra watched me from just inside the entryway.
"Why aren't you coming in? You got permission in the lobby earlier."
"...Now that I'm actually at your door, it feels a little different."
Yu-ra laughed briefly and took off her shoes.
Then she turned toward me.
"Mr. Jung Se-ryu."
"Yes."
Looking me in the eye, she said it a little playfully.
"Come in. I'll allow it up to here."
"..."
At this point, it really did seem like I'd been dragged here.
In the end, I took off my shoes.
-Click.
The front door closed behind me.
And then.
-Beep.
The sound of the door lock engaging sounded especially loud.
'...Why do I suddenly feel like I'm sobering up?'
Yu-ra, unaware of what was going through my mind, shook the convenience store bag.
"Se-ryu. Drink some water first."
"Y-yes."
I answered very meekly.
It seemed that today.
The last bus had already been missed.
===
We spread the snacks and fruit out on the sofa and sat side by side.
To be precise, only I was sitting properly.
Yu-ra had at some point half-leaned against me and was fiddling with my arm.
"Hmm-nya— Se-ryu, you work out, don't you?"
She was lying down, fiddling with my arm.
Her small palm slid slowly along the muscle.
"Yes. I've been going consistently for a while now."
"No wonder your shoulders felt solid earlier."
The hand resting on my shoulder slowly stroked it.
Her face came down close to my shoulder, and Yu-ra's hot breath touched my collarbone.
"Who were you working out so hard to show off to, I wonder?"
"...Just preparing in advance."
"Hmm... I can just look and let you know."
The distance between us gradually closed.
Neither of us looked away first.
"...Why aren't you avoiding me?"
"You're not avoiding me either, Yu-ra."
After a brief silence, her eyelids slowly lowered.
I lowered my head too.
-Smooch.
Her lips tasted of sake and giddy breath.
Once they touched, they didn't pull apart right away.
When I took her lower lip into my mouth, Yu-ra pushed her tongue in and tangled it with mine.
As our saliva mixed, the inside of my mouth quickly grew slick, and each time our tongues parted, a thin thread stretched and then broke.
"Hah—"
I slipped my hand inside her black camisole and unhooked her bra.
The sweat that had soaked into her back came away on my fingers.
-Slide.
With our lips still pressed together, I removed her bra and set it down below the sofa.
'White lace trim.'
I was half lying down, and Yu-ra climbed on top of me, our bodies overlapping.
Through the thin black camisole and my short-sleeved shirt, our body heat pressed together as if sticking.
Even with a layer of clothing between us, the sweat made every movement feel more vivid.
-Tap.
Each time we shifted positions while kissing, her chest brushed against my body.
Inside the camisole, her nipples gradually stiffened and pressed hard against the fabric.
Yu-ra seemed aware of it too, because the hand gripping the hem of my shirt tightened little by little.
We stayed like that for a while, bodies close, kissing.
Each time our lips separated and met again, saliva lingered at the corners of our mouths and our breathing grew hotter.
"Pah—"
When we finally pulled apart, her face was flushed red.
Mine was the same.
Maybe because we'd been pressed so close, a thin layer of sweat had already soaked Yu-ra's back.
The sweat beginning to bead on her back started to wet my hand as it touched her bare chest.
I wrapped my arms around her head and brought my lips close to her ear.
My wet lips clung to her earlobe.
"Yu-ra. Are you hot?"
"Hut—"
Her body flinched at the breath against her ear.
Instead of answering, she buried her face in my chest.
Her cheek slid against my collarbone, slick with sweat.
The black camisole was clinging to her body from sweat too, and the line of her chest showed through the fabric.
I slowly lifted the hem of her top. The sweat-soaked fabric dragged against her skin as it rose.
-Slide.
When I'd pulled it up to just below her chest, Yu-ra grabbed my hand.
-Squeeze.
I stopped moving.
From the hand holding mine, I could feel a damp warmth, as if she were nervous.
I didn't move any further and just slowly stroked her hair with my other hand.
After a moment of catching her breath like that, the strength gradually left Yu-ra's hand.
Yu-ra, who had been looking at me, gave a small nod.
-Slide.
-Jiggle.
When the black camisole came all the way off, Yu-ra curled up slightly, as if embarrassed.
Yu-ra's bare chest was revealed.
It was fair and gathered like droplets of water, and the small pink nipples at the center glistened, wet with sweat.
'Whoa...'
It was far more impressive than I'd imagined, and I was surprised.
Yu-ra must have noticed my gaze had stopped without me realizing, because she blushed and put the cardigan she'd taken off earlier back on.
"..."
'You can still see everything, though?'
It wasn't even fully covering her.
The skin showing through the loosely draped cardigan was actually more arousing.
"Are you shy?"
"...A little cold—"
I heard her small, bashful excuse.
Before she finished answering, I bit her ear.
-Nom.
"Ngh—"
I lightly licked the curve of her ear with my tongue, blew a soft breath, gently bit her earlobe, and slowly grazed around it, and Yu-ra squeezed her eyes shut and flinched.
Then I pushed my tongue inside her ear and licked deep.
Each time my hot tongue pressed against her, a sticky wet sound followed.
"Ahh—"
The stimulation must have been intense, because she squeezed her eyes shut and moved her hands as if she didn't know what to do with them, then grabbed the hem of my shirt.
Then this time, she started pulling my top up first.
"...Yu-ra?"
"Stay still."
I lifted my upper body to make it easier, and Yu-ra pulled my shirt up.
-Slide.
My top came off.
This time, Yu-ra's gaze had nowhere to go.
She was so different from the person who had been teasing me just moments ago that it was hard to believe—her face flushed, she couldn't keep her eyes properly on my chest and stomach, yet couldn't look away either.
'You started this yourself.'
Holding back a laugh, I gently lifted Yu-ra's chin as she kept her head lowered.
And I kissed her ear again.
-Suck
-Swish
When I bit her ear again—the one that had reacted so sensitively earlier—she swallowed another small breath.
As I traced her earlobe and the shell of her ear with my tongue, I slowly laid Yu-ra, who was practically lying on top of my stomach, onto her side.
I carefully brought my hand to her fair breasts—the ones I had only seen with my eyes and felt against my chest.
-Squish
Beneath my fingertips, I felt both firmness and a cloud-like softness at the same time.
Her flesh pushed out between my fingers, gliding over her sweat-dampened skin.
"Hnn..."
Listening to Yu-ra's pleased little moan, I stroked her breasts with my fingers.
With each small movement, I could feel Yu-ra's breathing change.
My four fingers swept one after another over her pink nipples—small compared to her breasts, looking like they would taste of peach.
-Tap, tap-tap-tap
"Kyah—"
I had felt a reaction from the moment my fingertip first touched her nipple, but as I slowly brushed over it several times, the firmness against my fingertips grew more and more distinct.
When my pinky flicked past, Yu-ra curled her body inward.
She had become far more sensitive than before, her nipple standing erect and slick with sweat.
I pulled my mouth away from her ear and turned my face toward her chest.
I took a large mouthful of the soft flesh around Yu-ra's nipple.
-Suuuck.
"Haaah—"
Even with my mouth full of her breast, the flesh overflowed, burying my cheek and the tip of my nose in her soft skin.
Her sweat-dampened skin clung to my lips.
Her reaction was so strong that it brought out my mischievous side.
With her breast in my mouth, my tongue slowly circled the soft skin around her pink nipple before licking the target itself hard.
"Hoo-eeht—"
Perhaps because of the unfamiliar sensation of having her nipple licked, a strange sound leaked from Yu-ra.
As I kept her breast in my mouth and looked up at her, Yu-ra had her eyes squeezed shut, her whole face flushed red.
'...She must be incredibly embarrassed.'
Part of me wanted to tease her, but this time I slowly moved my lips to the other side.
I gently caressed one nipple with my fingers while rolling the hardened nipple of the other breast with my tongue, slowly.
-Kiss.
-Rustle.
The closer I was, the more clearly I could smell her familiar scent.
Mixed with her faint natural body scent was something sweet like peach and soft like rose.
It felt too natural to be perfume, as if it were seeping out from her skin itself.
-Suck
-Roll, roll, roll
-Pinch
As I caressed her breasts for a long while, Yu-ra's body temperature rose hotly and she grew languid—I could feel the increased heat even through the hand supporting her back.
Yu-ra, too, seemed to be relaxing bit by bit, and before I knew it she had pulled my head, still licking her breast, into her embrace.
Then she raised her body slightly.
"Se-ryu..."
Just as I had done earlier, she brought her lips close to my ear.
-Smooch
As Yu-ra's hot tongue circled the shell of my ear, an unexpected ticklishness and a deep wave of pleasure washed over me.
"...Hup."
When her warm breath and lips brushed my ear, an unanticipated ticklish sensation surged up sharply.
'Oh.'
The stimulation was stronger than I expected.
Finding my reaction amusing, Yu-ra lightly kissed around my earlobe a few more times.
"Why is that?"
There was laughter in her voice.
"...This feels more intense than I thought."
"You did it to me just fine earlier."
I had nothing to say to that.
I pulled Yu-ra into my arms again, and she didn't pull away.
For a while, without either of us leading, we kissed and held each other as if searching out each other's sensitive spots one by one.
As if we had started some game to fluster each other even more.
And in the meantime, the initial awkwardness had almost completely vanished.
And then—
Neither of us showed any sign of cooling down.
With her breast still in my mouth, I slowly lifted the hem of her skirt.
Yu-ra didn't pull away either; she wrapped her legs close around my waist and leaned into me.
The hand that had been stroking her back slid slowly down along the curve of her slender waist.
As my palm caressed her full, shapely bottom, Yu-ra swallowed a small breath.
"Hah—"
Still shy about being touched on bare skin, her body flinched slightly.
Without rushing, I slowly caressed around her waist and stomach again.
I moved my hand toward her belly, past the clearly defined pubic bone with no trace of extra flesh, rubbed gently around her navel, then lowered my hand a little further.
-Tap
Beneath the soft band of her panties, I felt the slightly rough texture of lace.
Right in the center, I felt thin fabric soaked through as if water had been poured on it.
'...It's incredibly hot.'
After touching that far, I couldn't hold back, and as one knuckle of my finger slipped inside her panties—
-Flinch.
Yu-ra's body stiffened slightly.
I lifted my face from her breast, met Yu-ra's eyes, and kissed her deeply.
-Smooch.
Her stiffened body gradually relaxed.
Yu-ra wrapped her arms around my neck and accepted the kiss.
"Hnn..."
A moment later, Yu-ra shifted her body slightly, adjusting her position so my hand could reach more easily.
Only after confirming that reaction did I carefully move my hand again.
I slid my hand inside, pulled her panties down a little, and my fingers pressed into her depths.
As my touch reached much deeper than before, Yu-ra's body flinched hard once more.
-Squelch
"Hah—"
Just as I had known from touching outside her panties, that place was thoroughly wet.
I stroked along the cleft, following the line of her neatly groomed pubic hair.
The cleft was closed neatly, but her clit, swollen with arousal, was easy to find with my fingers, and my finger parted the top of the cleft slightly to touch the clit inside.
"Haaang—"
Perhaps because this kind of stimulation was new and strange to her, she let out a sharp moan and grabbed my wrist tightly.
"Are you okay?"
I asked worriedly, but—
-Suck, suck
Yu-ra didn't answer right away.
Instead, she loosened her grip on my hand a little and buried her face against my chest.
Shyly, Yu-ra pressed her lips to my chest and licked it like a child.
The strength holding my wrist also eased little by little.
Only after confirming that reaction did I carefully move my hand again.
I moved the finger inside her panties, slowly pressing and circling her soaked clit.
"Hnnnng—"
With the stimulation now more sensitive than before, Yu-ra's breathing quickly grew louder.
"You can hold on, right?"
Instead of answering, Yu-ra held me even tighter.
Her arms wrapped around my back, and as her legs tensed too, our bodies pressed together without any gap.
I gently teased and caressed her clit, pressing it like a jelly ball, flicking it lightly.
Yu-ra, who had her face buried against my chest, seemed to be running out of composure too, clutching my clothes tightly.
"Nnnngh—"
Yu-ra's arms and legs wrapped around my back and waist as if she would never let go.
Everywhere we touched, our body heat felt scorching.
The mouth that had been licking my chest bit down hard enough to leave a mark.
Then, at some point—
"Haaaaah—"
Yu-ra's body trembled once, hard.
The strength that had been coiled in her drained all at once, and she went limp in my arms.
Her panties and the hand inside them were already soaked through.
"Hah—hah— Se-ryu..."
Yu-ra's face, gasping for breath, was flushed bright red.
I stopped moving and studied her face.
"Are you okay?"
-Smooch.
Instead of answering, Yu-ra pulled my neck close and kissed me first.
She had less strength than before, but there was no sign of her pulling away.
I held Yu-ra again and kissed her back.
That was the moment when the mood was naturally about to move one step further.
-Grip.
Yu-ra's hand carefully caught my wrist.
It felt different from before.
Her grip wasn't strong, but she was clearly hesitating.
"...Yu-ra?"
Yu-ra couldn't answer for a while.
The gaze that had been meeting my eyes until just moments ago slowly dropped downward.
And only after a long pause did a small voice come.
"...I'm a little scared."
The face that had been flushed with heat just moments before now showed both embarrassment and apology.
Yu-ra slowly lowered her head.
The heated atmosphere naturally subsided along with those words.
I pulled my body slightly away from Yu-ra.
"If you're scared, we don't have to. Really."
Yu-ra glanced up at me.
"...You're not disappointed?"
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't."
"...I knew it."
"But that and this are different matters."
I straightened out her disheveled cardigan and draped it back over Yu-ra's shoulders.
Yu-ra silently pulled the collar closed.
The person who had been so boldly coming onto me just moments ago suddenly seemed to have shrunk into herself.
"Actually... I've never gone all the way before."
"...Really?"
"Why are you so surprised?"
"No, I mean..."
"What did you think I was?"
"Nothing at all."
"Liar."
Yu-ra glared at me for a moment, then let out a small sigh.
"This is actually my first time with this kind of thing. I've never gotten this close to anyone before... I thought I'd be okay today, but when it actually came to going further, I suddenly got scared."
After she finished speaking, Yu-ra came back into my arms.
Even her earlobes were flushed red.
I slowly stroked her back.
"Then let's stop here for today. It doesn't have to be today."
Yu-ra lifted her head.
"So there is going to be a next time, then."
"...Whenever you want it, Yu-ra."
I was flustered for a moment, but in the end that was my answer.
The corners of Yu-ra's lips lifted slightly.
"Hehe."
"Why are you laughing?"
"No reason."
This time Yu-ra leaned her head comfortably against my shoulder.
"If it's my first time, I want to do it on a better day. Not a day when I've had a ton to drink and I'm out of it—a day when we're both clear-headed and don't have to worry about work the next day."
"That sounds good."
"And a day when you can't run away, Se-ryu."
"...That last condition is weird."
"It's the most important one."
Yu-ra laughed softly.
Only then did the stiff atmosphere from earlier finally ease again.
Then she suddenly looked up at my face.
"...But what about you, Se-ryu?"
"What about me?"
Yu-ra's gaze flicked downward for a second, then hurriedly came back up.
Her face turned red again.
"I'm the one who started all this and then suddenly stopped. I feel bad just telling you to deal with it on your own..."
I had a rough idea of what she was trying to say.
Yu-ra hesitantly reached her hand toward me, then stopped again.
For someone who handled people so skillfully at work, she was unbelievably clumsy about this kind of thing.
In the end, I let out a small laugh and took that hand.
"It's fine. You don't have to force yourself just because you feel bad."
"..."
"It's the same as when you said you were scared earlier."
Yu-ra looked down at our joined hands.
"Se-ryu."
"Yes."
"Why are you so composed only at times like this?"
"...My heart is pounding like crazy right now."
Yu-ra blinked.
Then, as if to check whether I was telling the truth, she pressed her ear to my chest.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
After listening quietly for a moment, the corners of Yu-ra's lips lifted.
"It's true."
"So please move away a little."
"Don't want to."
She pressed her body even closer instead.
"Today, I just want to do this."
"Do what?"
"Just stay close to you."
"..."
I didn't say anything more either, just held Yu-ra comfortably.
A moment later, a small voice came.
"...Actually, earlier, when all the strength suddenly drained out of my body—that was the first time, so I was a little scared."
"But it didn't feel bad, right?"
Yu-ra looked up at me for a second.
"...I'm not sure from just one time."
"..."
"I think I'll know after I feel it again."
After saying it, she seemed embarrassed herself and buried her face in my chest again.
'Isn't that basically saying there will be a next time?'
I didn't say that out loud, just rested my chin lightly on top of Yu-ra's head.
"Yu-ra."
"Yeah."
"You'll remember tomorrow, right? What happened today."
A brief silence passed.
"Who knows~. My memory when I drink is a little..."
"..."
"It's a joke. I'll remember everything."
Yu-ra laughed softly in my arms.
And a moment later, a voice so quiet it was almost inaudible followed.
"Next time too."
"..."
It seemed the most dangerous thing tonight hadn't been my ability after all.