梅詩
*** Plum Poetry (Ume POV) ***
The Mayoiga was hushed except for the sound of Shishi crying. The bright kimonos and cosmetic jars seemed to wink at me as if to say, “You’re an idiot. You’ve ruined everything.”
“Arggh, I’d blown it. Totally, absolutely blown it.” I thought. The words, “I don’t want to be your friend,” had slipped out in frustration. After that, I couldn’t stop. “You think you owe me something, but you don’t. You need to understand that and respond honestly. I don’t want to be your friend. I want to be your lover. Please, I want you to sing, dance, and be with me always. Say yes, before I burn up in your flame.”
Why hadn’t I just said? “I love you. Be my girlfriend?”
Not only had I overstepped the boundaries of our relationship, I’d even lectured the poor girl.
And now Shishi was weeping.
I grabbed a random kimono and started drying her eyes. “Sorry; please forgive me. If you don’t want to be my girlfriend, I’ll understand. I’m a big mess. People have always taken care of me. I get excited and say and do stupid things. Tomo says…”
“Shut up, Ume,” Shishi said through the makeup I had just smeared all over her face. “Of course, I want to be your lover. I’ve been waiting ever since Sen no Taki for you to ask me. Waiting all those months in your house while you said nothing. My White Knight Ume-san, living up to your vow never to abandon me.”
“I’m an idiot,” I thought. Tomo kept trying to tell me. Saying I was a disaster lesbian. And, as usual, he was right. And now I was just staring at her like a dodo.
“So, that’s a yes?” I finally said.
“Ume, kiss me.”
What could I say? I’m not that big a disaster. I took her in my arms and gently kissed her. My breath was shallow, and my chest felt hot. Her lips were soft and warm. She smelled of freshly applied cosmetics. The scent of violets, sandalwood, and cosmetics would never be the same; the perfume of love and my girlfriend.
Before I knew it, her arms were around my neck, and what had started as a gentle kiss became a passionate embrace. She pressed against me. I could feel her breasts through my kimono. It felt like my head would explode.
We fell over and landed on the floor with a thud. My pistol clattered to the floor and cosmetics spilled around us. A sakura blossom kimono fluttered down, half covering us. Ignoring them, I peppered her face with kisses while she looked up at me. Her hair spilled out around her head in flowing waves, and her face glowed. I was seeing a goddess. Fukitsu, my dark goddess. I would happily burn up in her flame.
The next kiss was longer, and when our lips parted, I heard her mummer, “Ume.”
“Fukitsu.” The name slipped out.
It didn’t seem to bother her, but she corrected me. “Shishi. Ume and Shishi. Umeshi.”
“Umeshi,” I echoed. My girlfriend. No longer a protectee, but my girlfriend. Umeshi. My face flushed, burning with exhilaration. She’d accepted me. Umeshi. My brain was turning to mush, and the name Umeshi kept tumbling around in my head, like an otaku thinking about their fav ship, Umeshi.
“I love you, Shishi,” I declared.
She gave me a peck and said, “And I love you too, but let’s move to the library. I’m lying on your gun, and it’s digging into me. We’ll be more comfortable there.”
“Okay,” I said.
For the life of me, I couldn’t think of why I had a gun. What did I need protection from? I looked at Shishi’s flushed face and noticed the amulets around her neck had spilled out. That’s right, Mikawa was hunting us.
I tucked the gun into my obi and straightened my kimono, while Shishi prepared to fix our makeup. “Look, Ume, the house replaced the cosmetics we spilled,” she said. Indeed, it was true. The house had replaced everything we had spoiled while we made out.
I smiled watching my girlfriend happily line up what she needed. Calm washed over me. It was just me and Shishi, cocooned by the Mayoiga. Ume and Shishi. Umeshi. Plum Poetry.
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Note:
For my readers who can’t read kanji, the title of the chapter is a play on the ship name of Umeshi. Ume/梅 means “plum,” and shi can be read as 詩 or poetry. Ume can be proud of coming up with this interpretation.
And on that note ends volume II. Please join me in volume III, “For Love of a Konbini Idol, I Sought the Kudan.” There will be a brief break while I post some side stories and related material. But I Sought the Kudan is coming soon.
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Story by Nara Moore
Twitter/X:@nara_moore
Mastodon: sakurajima.moe
WordPress: Josei Yuri and Paranormal Romance
Art by Mai-sensei
Twitter: @Maiisheree
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