"Do you have anyone you like, Nini-chan? You're not going to school just because you want to meet them, are you?"
I don't know whether or not the other students are still going to school regularly. I do think it's probable, though. School is the go-to place for romance, after all. Between going there to study and to get hooked up, the latter feels more believable.
Maybe that's her deal with not calling over the friend from yesterday; she likes that girl, and so she didn't want her here. Oh, the intricacies of adolescent relationships.
"I don't."
Nini returns with a coldhearted answer. But even if she does have someone, it's not like she's going to say yes, either. I observe her expression intently.
"So, Nini-chan, you're a virgin?"
The change in her countenance is very visible.
"Wha..."
"Wanna experience it at least a bit before the world ends? If there's someone you like, you should go confess to them."
"Pervert! Get out!"
Nini, blushing deep red, grabs a cushion and throws it at me.
"I haven't even done anything yet."
"The way you act in itself is sexual harassment!"
She's quite an amusing girl, being so thoroughly genuine with her reactions. A far cry from her sister, who seemed to always be looking for love with a new woman.
"I'm not trying to harass you, you know..."
Nini, after throwing the cushion, searches around her for something else to throw. She picks up a bulky-looking reference book.
"Wait, wait, real talk! It'd be better to not go out regretting anything, that's what I mean."
Before long, Nini quietly says,
"I don't have anyone I like; not in that way."
"Huh, really? What about that girl from yesterday?"
"She's a friend."
I can tell that Nini's voice has gotten even quieter.
"You don't like her?"
I'm normally not one to pry into someone else's love affairs like this. But now, there are only four days left to go. I figure that if she likes someone, then she should at least let her feelings be known to them.
"...Not in that way."
"Listen, I don't mean to force you or anything, but... You know, the world is ending, yeah?"
Nini gradually loses her energy. I grip the cushion that was thrown at me and wait for her to speak.
"Not that way, really."
"Hm~m."
"...You liked my sister that much? Still do?"
Nini suddenly raises her face and looks at me anxiously. That shocked me for a moment. Her eyes are so pure, unlike her sister's.
I'm twenty-one, my ex-girlfriend is still young, and she's the younger sister of the latter. I know I mustn't go there, but since it has come down to this, I feel very much tempted to.
"I sure did, but now, it's a little bit different."
"But you want to kill her."
"...That's right."
Softly, I hold Nini's hands.
"See, it's all good if you're actually fine with it, Nini-chan, but I just think you'd be better off not regretting anything. It's not a matter of doing the deed or not."
"...Would you say that I'd lose my virginity if the experience is with a woman?"
Nini says with a great deal of difficulty as she looks at me.
"I mean, it's... with a woman..."
"Sure. With a man or a woman, it doesn't make any difference either way."
"Uh, I mean, isn't it clearly different?"
"Doesn't change that it's sex."
Nini, perhaps thinking she was being made fun of, turns away and sinks into silence. Thinking how cute she is, I poke her on the cheek. She glares back at me while keeping her face the way it is.
"Heh, you mad? Tell you what, just let me know if you've got any dream places. See if you can get your sister to book you a French-style hotel with a nice night view, or something."
"No need for any of that!"
"The illusion of it is what's important."
"I don't care anymore!"
"What got you so riled up, Nini-chan?"
I've had experience with a few partners from back when I was around her age. None took place in a high-class hotel, being on a thin futon in a six-mat room, on the bottom half of a bunk bed in a kid's room, in the cramped space of a car, such and such.
Nothing changed the fact that it was sex. I guess it's better not to talk about such things with her, though. Right now, I'd like to love this girl in a way that preserves as much of her sincerity as possible.
"Hey, what about kissing?"
As she turns back around, I hit her with a surprise kiss. Just a dab on her lips, but Nini reacts as if she was flipped upside down.
"You ever did it? Or was that your first?"
"That counts as sexual violence, you know!!"
She says while wiping her lips, her face flushed.
"Then how should I go with it?"
"Get consent first, for one."
I'm not one to go rough on such a helpless girl. But then again, all of Nini's reactions have been so genuinely and adorable that I feel so inclined to tease her. Moreover, I don't think just saying "I'll kiss you" will be enough to get her to agree to it.
"Alright, then I'll keep it no longer than ten seconds. If you don't like how you're feeling, raise your right hand."
"Now you're acting like a dentist..."
Wasting not a single second more, I hold up her chin.
"Mhm..."
She grips my arm with her right hand. Doesn't look like she'll ever raise it.
Not to brag, but I'm a rather good kisser.
Nini, turning beet red, struggles to catch her breath. For her first, it's not too bad. Seems like she's going to suffocate at this rate, though, so I savor her lips while the time lasts and then let her go.
Her face all red, her breathing rough, it's like she was just done sprinting a lap with all her strength.
She doesn't say anything.
"Alright, now I'll use my tongue. Raise your right hand if you're uncomfortable, same as before."
That right hand of hers was never raised up.
YOU ARE READING
The World Will End in Ten Days (Jenlisa)
Короткий рассказA story in which a woman, after learning that the world would end in ten days, sets out to finish one last thing: murder her ex-girlfriend. However, she ends up befriending, and spending the world's final days with the little sister of her ex-girlfr...