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Chapter Text

"Ha-ru-ka!" Tomochika Shibuya hugged her friend from behind as soon as she received the box of sweets she handed to her. "I love you!"

Haruka laughed, accepting the hug, while she rummaged through her suitcases. "Tomo-chan, I got it right this time. Raspberry flavors suit you."

"You bet!" Tomochika Shibuya, Master course student and aspiring idol, proceeded to tear the ribbons from the handmade box and squealed in delight at the stack of pink-colored, freshly baked macaroons that her best friend made for her. She took one of them, worshipped the perfect shape and the glistening of the sweet filling before proceeding to take a delicate bite.

"Delicious!" she closed her eyes, savoring the melting flavors on her tongue.

Haruka Nanami, official composer of the Starish group for the Master course was on leave for two weeks previously and went to Paris to accompany her grandmother, who wanted to attend a horticultural festival. The old ladies persuaded her to attend some macaroon-making classes during their two week stay in the City of Lights.

A week before she was due to be back, she had called Tomochika eager to share about what she learned, and appreciating the excited sounds she made, Tomochika jumped at the chance to plead with Haruka to make some for her before she gets home.

She was so excited to see her friend that she volunteered to pick her up from the airport, while her grandmother continued her tour across Europe. There were now relaxing at the edge of the lake, a few hundred meters away from where Haruka's dormitory was. The spring afternoon was perfect for a lazy day out in the sun, so instead of heading to the dormitory first, they opted to lie on the freshly cut grass and exchange stories.

"I'm glad you liked it." Haruka took out several multi-colored smaller boxes, each labeled carefully with the names from Starish group: Masato, Ren, Syo, Natsuki, Otoya and Tokiya. There was even an aquamarine colored box for Cecil. She placed all the boxes in a paperbag that she unfolded, ready for her distribution later.

"I don't like it." She corrected affectionately, "I love it!" she finished her first sweet and took her second one out, loving the smell of raspberry. "Why aren't you eating your creations?"

"I have lavender flavored ones here that I saved just for this kind of lazy day." She smiled, pulling out a Tupperware box, where the light purple-colored sweets made a heavy jangled sound.

"Boy, if the composing thing didn't work out for you, you can chose to be a pastry chef, you know." Tomochika continued to nibble on her sweet, blissful and content.

"Well, I'm glad it's working for me. You should have seen my first few attempts. I nearly burned the whole classroom." Haruka laughed, as she remembered the episode fondly. "The chef nearly cried when he saw me the next day." She took out one of the purple sweets and stared at it, checking for imperfections. The macaroons looked exquisite between her slender fingers.

A shadow fell on top of the two, and they looked up.

A tall man with spiky pale hair, almost platinum in color and heterochromatic eyes was leaning casually against the tree where they are seated under its majestic shade.

"What's two little ladies doing under my favorite shade?" Ranmaru Kurosaki drawled, purple and silver eyes twinkling mysteriously. He ran a hand down one of the tree trunks, caressing it affectionately.

"Oh! Kurosaki-sempai!" Haruka greeted the Master course sempai of Masato Hijirikawa and Ren Jinguuji enthusiastically. "How are you?" she politely asked.

Tomochika, who had just finished demolishing her third sweet, studied the senior critically. Oh la la. Kurosaki-sempai, looks even more devastating up close.

She had seen the senior supervising her fellow idols, Masato and Ren. They were only introduced once and rarely ever crossed paths since their introduction. She was busy with her own schedule anyway, and his name never came out of Haruka whenever they exchange news. But she wasn't surprised that her friend knows him as she sure is bound to encounter him several times, since he worked closely together with Starish members.

Except.. Tomochika hesitated. That slightly mischievous twinkle in his eye rankled her.

She has more than an acute sixth sense when it comes to Haruka's admirers. Everytime she senses them moving too closely near her friend, her protective maternal instincts acted up. And today, her instincts are telling her to be wary of the handsome man towering over them like a prince.

She nodded at him in greeting and watched closely as Kurosaki-sempai turned to Haruka, smiling down at her as he answered her question.

"Everything is good now." He said, his intense two-colored eyes continue to glimmer. "How was your trip to Paris? Was it good?" he asked, noting the scattered suitcases around them.

Haruka grinned. "It sure was. I had a blast, and I wish I can go back soon." She took one of the lavender macaroons and extended her hand to him. "Would you like some? I made these. Why don't you sit down?"

At her request, the pale-colored sempai's eyes flickered towards Tomochika's, as if briefly asking her permission. Tomochika blinked in surprise as she met his gaze, her suspicion draining slowly away and her guarded stance relaxed. H-how in the world…

And then the tall senior folded his long frame gracefully, took a seat near Haruka, who happily scooted nearer to the tree to make room for him. Her friend looked oblivious to all the sly, covetous glances made by the senior.

Tomochika felt her face getting warm, as if experiencing something intimate. Oh my..

"I don't normally accept invitation to eat someone else's cooking, " he confessed, accepting the macaroon that Haruka held for him, "Especially yours."

"Huh? Why is that?" Tomochika startled herself when she blurted out suddenly. She felt her hackles start to rise in defensive mode. Gritting her teeth in annoyance, she shot him a challenging stare as if to say, Go on. Say it. If you hurt my friend, you'll have me to deal with.

Kurosaki-sempai looked away and pointedly ignored the dagger looks she was throwing at him. He focused intently on the macaroon he was holding.

"I hate girls who pretend they want to work and help another, when in reality she was only after in fulfilling a hidden agenda." He answered, slightly bitterly, closing his eyes, as he paused to inhale the sweet scent coming from the macaroon he was holding.

Tomochika's eyes narrowed irritably. "Now, look here-"

"But I am willing to make an exception." He interrupted suddenly, turning sideways to shoot a warning look at Tomochika before glancing down at Haruka who was staring at his beautiful face, mesmerized by the deep tone of his voice.

Tomochika watched as he took a small bite of the macaroon and savored the sweet. The heat rising up in her cheeks previously, intensified, and she let out a small breathless gasp. Ranmaru Kurosaki's face looked blissful to behold and too sensual for her that for a moment, she felt like loosing her breath. My goodness, if that doesn't affect Haruka, I don't know what else will!

"Are you?" Haruka suddenly said, interrupting Tomochika's line of thought.

"Hmmm.." he glanced at her idly, as if he had nothing better to do but put on a sensual act in front of them. He ran the tips of his tongue slowly down his lower lip, intent on removing the crumbs that lingered there from his small bite from the sweet.

"I mean. Are you really making an exception?" Haruka asked, breathlessly. Tomochika saw her friend's face tinged crimson, the glow of her eyes unmistakable in her admiration. Uh-oh.

Tomochika swallowed. She needed water to douse out the fire and fast. If things get more intense, she just might get a nosebleed from the sexual tension the two people in front of her was emitting. But before she can interrupt them, Kurosaki took advantage of her dazed state.

Flicking a quick wink at her before focusing his attention at her friend, Kurosaki-sempai said, "These macaroons are exquisite; even better than Reiji's. Have a bite and taste for yourself."

He placed the remaining sweet between his front teeth and leaned forward, taking Haruka's chin between his thumb and forefinger, and pulled her gently towards him, his head tilting to match the meeting of their mouths.

Their lips touched briefly.

Tomochika felt a vein popped in her neck as she assessed the situation. Heart beating so fast with unexpected pleasure and excitement, she stood up quickly, dropping her own box of macaroons with a small thud.

"I-I'm going to get some drinks." She squeaked in a high voice. "be right back in a jiffy."

She took a step back, releasing a gasp when she caught Kurosaki-sempai's scorching gaze directed at her friend, before turning and rushing back to the main lobby of Saotome Gakuen, where, a drinks vending machine was tucked away in some corner.

Tomochika skidded to a stop, leaned forward as she planted her palms on her knees, willing her heart to stop beating like a drum. How is she ever going to recover from such a mind-blowing, squeal-worthy scene that Kurosaki-sempai gave her? She hoped for the sake of her sanity, she could go to sleep peacefully tonight. What the heck, she can even die in her sleep after today.

Who knew the cold-hearted platinum prince could be emit such intense hotness?

She quickly fanned herself, loosening the scarf wrapped around her neck. Thank god she managed to bring her purse, she thought to herself, as she extracted a few coins and began slotting them inside the machine. It looks like she would be here for at least ten minutes.

"I wonder what's taking her so long." Haruka wondered for the third time, as she glanced up and met Kurosaki-sempai's gleaming eyes. "I'm thirsty."

"She'll be here." He shrugged; taking one of the macaroons from her hands and studied the sweet with the intensity of a scientist about to discover the secrets of the universe. Then, he twisted the macaroon and pried the two sides apart, exposing the cream filling swirled in between.

He licked the cream and smiled wickedly. "I think I'm getting addicted to this lavender cream. Would you like to taste it?" he offered casually.

"Sure." She replied, without hesitating.

Ranmaru Kurosaki took the other half of the sweet and placed it between his lips for the fourth time and leaned forward, pulling the girl's face closely towards him with his fingertips.

"Now, hold still." He breathed seductively, his free hand snaking behind the small of her back, "you need to taste the amount of lavender you put into it so the next time you made another batch of these for me, you'll note the subtle difference."

Chapter Text

Tomochika Shibuya, Master course student and aspiring idol adjusted her large, heavily-tinted sunglasses and groaned loudly, ignoring the people walking to and fro in front of them doing their weekend shopping.

"Ugh! It's so hot today!" she complained as she turned to look at her friend, Haruka Nanami, sitting quietly beside her as she nibbled on the tip of her pen.

She pulled her sunglasses down in disbelief and raised her eyebrows exasperatedly. "Haaaru-chaaan!" she chanted, snatching the thick, cloth-bound notebook her friend was holding. "What are you doing?!"

Haruka Nanami, official composer of the group Starish and Master course student herself, grinned guiltily at her friend. "Umm, nothing?"

"Nothing?!" Tomochika exploded dramatically, "It's summer, and it's freaking hot! You are supposed to spend time with me, and you are composing songs? What happened to girl time? What happened to normal girly stuff like gossip, boys and make-up?" Ugh! Damn those Starish boys, for stealing most of my Haruka's time. She let out her tongue to show her annoyance at the thought of the boys.

"Uh.." Haruka tilted her head, placing a finger on her lower lip. "I am here, isn't it? I am just revising a few notes I did last night. And" she glanced down at the green shorts and white t-shirt she was wearing, "I am not exactly dressed for shopping." Her friend looked like she just went up and about as soon as she woke up in the morning. She was probably too distracted with her compositions to care for her appearance.

"Precisely!" Tomo-chan snapped her fingers. "Why are you wearing this," she snagged a piece of loose thread from the hem of her friend's t-shirt and wrinkled her nose in disgust, "This boring t-shirt? Where's the sundress I bought for you last week?"

"Hey!", Haruka said playfully, "I want you to know I am very comfortable with these clothes, besides, the dress looked too pretty to wear for a normal weekend shopping." She frowned. "Half of my wardrobe was picked out by you. I see no reason to go shopping out again when I barely wore all the clothes stuffed in there," she sighed.

"Hmpf!" Tomo-chan huffed. "We seldom get some girl time alone together, what with all those testosterone surrounding you", she shook her head sadly, "And I was looking forward to spending my time with you, we have a lot to catch up." She glanced at her friend, making her eyes sparkle with unshed tears and her best award-winning pleading look designed to make any person crumble and let her do as she pleases.

Her friend snorted a bit, before giving her a half-smile of suspicion, scrutinized the emotion she was displaying on her face. Damn, Haru-chan is getting way better in scoping out whether I'm genuinely hurt or just play-acting. She marveled at her friend. It must be because she was always exposed to Starish's side jobs, and she get to see them at work when they have tapings in their drama shows. The boys always try to bring her along whenever they could, hence, it was difficult to keep track of her dear friend's whereabouts lately.

So she continued with her puppy dog eyes before her friend finally relented.

"Alright. You win, Tomo-chan." Haruka raised both of her hands in defeat. "I'm all yours for the day."

Bingo! Tomochika smiled to herself triumphantly. Her friend will always be putty in her hands. "Yay! How about you just give yourself over to your wonderful sister, and she will take care of you for the whole day."

If there was anything to be afraid about Tomochika Shibuya, it is when you give your permission to do whatever she wants with you for the whole day. Tomo-chan can think a lot of elaborate schemes that would occupy them the whole morning.

So it came as to no surprise when after she has dragged Haruka around for an indecent bout of indulgent shopping and a couple of hours at the body spa, Tomo-chan came up with a brilliant idea of spending the late afternoon in the nearest beach.

"The beach?" Haruka asked, puzzled, grimacing at the amount of lotion applied on her legs. The spa assistant who was assigned to her, had plucked every strand of unwanted hair from her legs and arms (not to mention her most intimate parts), buffed and massaged her skin until it glowed and painted her toenails a dangerous red color, that she felt like her very essence was poured into another person's body.

"Of course!" her friend arched her perfect eyebrows, lips glistening from the lipgloss she had just patted on, "There's still plenty of hot sun left and I know just the right spot where it's not too crowded."

Haruka just sighed and let herself be dragged on by her friend towards the white sports car she had gotten for her graduation.

"Come on. Come on I want to see!" She was wringing her hands in anticipation, trying very hard not to jump up and down impatiently in the hotel room they had rented for the day. The Sun Cabana hotel was a nice, simple classy establishment located at Stoneport just a few miles from where Saotome Academy campus was located. It is a popular hangout for the local crowd, and some of the students from their campus also frequent the area.

"Okay, okay! Hold your panties!" Haruka chided her for acting like a mother hen fussing over her chick. Unlocking the door to the bathroom, she took a small tentative step out to face her friend's scrutiny. She even twirled around slowly for her benefit; because she was sure Tomo-chan will ask her to do it anyway.

"Ohh! I am so right to get you that style! It suits you!" she clapped her hands happily as she encircled her beloved best friend, adjusting the strings of her bikini.

The bikini she is wearing is of black color, with a thick strip of stretchy white fabric that serves as a wide belt that hugged her hips. The bra top covering her breasts were held up with strings trimmed with tiny white ribbons.

"You look absolutely gorgeous!" Tomo-chan gushed proudly. Beaming, she wiped a tear away from her eyes. "My little Haru-chan all grown up!"

"Alright, woman! Off we go! You desperately need sunlight. You are acting crazy today!" Haruka laughed.

Snagging their beach towels, bags, sunglasses and hats, they went out of the room. On the way to the spot where Tomo-chan has managed to scope a secluded spot, they went passed a very trendy beach café. The café was surrounded with cute, bright red beach umbrellas, underneath where wooden chairs and tables were arranged neatly, inviting the customers to sit down and relax. The red, white and green colors of the café with its logo of a dolphin seemed vaguely familiar to her.

Where have I seen this logo before?

Tomochika was about to ask her friend whether she wanted to buy something to drink before they head to their beach spot, when she saw her friend's face light up. She gave an amused smile, following her friend's trail of vision and saw that the café had set up an ice cream stand to lure their customers to sample their sweet offers.

"Ice cream!" she breathed in awe, like a kid being presented with a Christmas gift.

Without waiting for her, Haruka headed straight to the counter where an open freezer displayed an array of custom-made frozen flavors designed to distinguish the café's signature food offerings.

Really, she looks like a kid when she sees something she really likes, Tomochika mused as she shakes her head before following her friend who is straining to get a better look at the flavors in front of her.

"Ehh?! Haru-chan! Tomo-chan!"

"Huh?" the two girls looked up to see a very tall, lean young man, with an unruly mop of brown hair and chocolate eyes, standing behind the ice cream counter.

"K-kotobuki-sempai?" Haruka took a step back, eyes wide with surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Tomochika suddenly realized why the color and design of the café was so familiar. She remembered that Reiji Kotobuki's family owns a chain of restaurants and cafés scattered all over the area. Opening her mouth to speak, she caught Reiji-sempai's eye, saw him mouthed the words Don't tell her!, before winking at her flirtatiously. She felt her heart lurch, and her pulse race, realizing how cute Reiji-sempai looks up close. And why did she not notice the small dimples at his cheeks? When he smiled mischievously like that, his brown bangs falling all over his eyes, he's even more heart-stoppingly adorable.

"Well.." Reiji leaned over the counter, gazing down at her friend, his face a few inches away; "I've been tasked to take care of this café after I lost a bet."

"Oh." Haruka gave him a sympathetic smile, "I'm sorry you lost the bet."

Reiji raised his eyebrows disbelievingly, before breaking into a chuckle. "That's alright, I was beginning to get bored manning the counter, most of the customers won't be coming down this weekend, so it's a lazy day today for me. Plus," he added slyly, meeting Tomochika's eyes, winked at her again before, flicking Haruka's upturned nose lightly with his fingers in a playful manner, "You guys showed up unexpectedly."

Tomochika giggled, face glowing red. She closed the gap between her and the counter, eager to choose the ice cream flavors. Flirting suddenly made her hungry for the sweet, frozen dessert.

Delighted to see such a colorful display of flavors, she eagerly choose a decadent dark chocolate flavor with fresh cherries and nuts, while her friend chose blueberry cheesecake with macadamia and walnuts.

"Right-o!" Reiji said, clapping his hands while he prepared the thick, crispy waffle cones. "Why don't you two lovely cuties go and park yourselves in the sand, I will deliver your orders in a short while."

"Great!" Haruka chirped, her energy levels suddenly high at the prospect of sinking her teeth on some delicious dessert soon. Turning, she hook an arm on her friend. "I can't wait!"

Tomo-chan paid for their bill, winked back at Reiji who nodded, and they happily made the last few meters to their destination.

The beach is amazingly empty, save for a few occasional beachgoers, but they were parked far away from where they are. Her coveted spot turned out to be part of Reiji Kotobuki's café's exclusive beach strip. The area was dotted with black wrought iron lounge chairs heaped with red and white pillows. Each pair of lounge chairs was a large green umbrella giving ample shade for its user. Small, low tables were provided, made of wrought iron too.

"Lovely!" Haruka said, shielding her eyes from the hot sun. "the water looks inviting. I'm glad that you convinced me to come here, Tomo-chan. This place looks fantastic!" she gave her a hug. Now that Haruka is in high spirits, she would game to try anything she springs on her friend.

"Yay! We can go and dip in the waters later, but for now, why don't we just relax and wait for the ice cream?" Tomo-chan said, dropping her beach bag beside one of the chairs and kicking off her sandals to feel the soft sand under her bare feet. "Mmmm.. this feels great." She murmured in a satisfied manner. Yes, paradise for a few hours. Her lounge chair was set up almost next to her friend with just enough space in between to maneuver in the sand.

She quickly removed her thin cotton dress, revealing her one piece maillot with cutouts at the waist and a dip behind her back. Rummaging inside her beach bag, she pulled out bottles of sunscreen and suntan oil. Now is the best time to work on that tan she has been dreaming of for days.

Watching Haruka follow her lead, she could not help but sigh indulgently at her friend, admiring the curves she always conceals underneath her conservative clothes. While Haruka obviously favors dresses with knee length skirts and no-fuss old t-shirts and shorts combination, it is not because she was lacking in the curves department. Like a proud mama, she grinned as she watch her consciously adjust the strings of her bikini top. Haruka has a slim, svelte body with a little bit more extra oomph in all the right places: flaring hips, smooth, flat stomach, curvy bottoms, and lean thighs. Her small stature is not proportionate with her breast size though; her friend sports a generous size enough to whet a man's appetite.

She stifled a giggle, somewhat regretting that the Starish boys are not here to see Haruka in a revealing bikini. How she would've love to see their open-jaw reactions when they see her!

Tomo-chan settled comfortable on her seat, took out her portable radio and started to play her favorite mix of songs. She proceeds to pat some sunscreen on her arms and legs, while Haruka leaned back on her own chair, and promptly took a short nap.

After what seemed like twenty minutes, Tomo-chan looked up and saw Reiji balancing a tray near them. He proceeded to arrange a large glass of lemonade and a bottle of water on each of their table, before handing over their large waffle cone ice creams, the shiny fruit toppings glistening with freshness and the crumbled nuts oozing with the slowly melting cream.

"Ooh! This looks so delicious!" Haruka began to lick her frozen dessert happily. "I'm glad you like it!" Reiji said, propping the empty tray beside one of the empty tables and gingerly took a seat on the sand between the two girls, "I've helped create some of the flavors, especially yours, Haruka!"

"Really?" Tomo-chan asked, popping a ripe cherry into her mouth. "You're an amazing cook! These flavors are awesome!"

"Kotobuki-sempai, do you want to join us later?" Haruka took a pause from nibbling the sides of her waffle cone, "We have plenty of room under this umbrella."

Reiji gave a lazy smile at Haruka, took a glance at Tomochika before answering. "Sure, if you guys don't mind. My shift is ending anyway."

Tomo-chan smiled, "That's a great idea. You can keep us company." She said, before adding, "You can tell us all about the secret techniques you seniors are so very reluctant to share and-"

"Head's up!" someone yelled, making all three look up in the direction of the voice.

A small kid with dark hair and tanned skin was chasing a wayward beach volleyball that his friend had thrown.

Tomo-chan watched, as if in slow motion, when the ball slipped through the kid's outstretched hands, before whizzing straight at them. She quickly put up her arms in an attempt to protect herself from the impact. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Haruka do the same.

"Look out!" the other kid shouted his warning. But it was too late.

Quick as a lightning, Reiji stood up and block the ball, hitting it with just the right amount of force. The ball bounced back towards the two kids without hitting anyone. The other kid ran towards the wayward ball and caught it easily with his two hands.

"Hey guys! No playing beach volleyball on this side!" Reiji raised his arms, pointing to the left, "Run over to that side. That's the designated spot for sports play."

"Sorry mister!" one of the kids yelled, "Thanks for stopping the ball!" Then they both ran to the direction that Reiji pointed.

For a few moments, no one spoke, and Tomo-chan finally lowered her arms in relief. Whew. That was close.

"K-kotobuki-sempai! W-wait! What are you doing?"

Tomo-chan turned to her left and saw Reiji sitting very close to her friend, his face leaning in towards her face, now turning pink with embarrassment.

His deep voice send shivers down Tomochika's spine when he said, "HA-Ru-chaaan. What did you do to your ice cream?" his eyes lowered down to her chest where, Tomo-chan saw the frozen dessert spilled. Most of the sweet, creamy concoction was held in between the valley of her breasts, staining the bikini top on its edges. Due to the combined body heat and the sun's hot temperature, it starts to melt rapidly, trailing silkily down to her stomach past to her navel where it pooled like a thick, lavender colored potion. Haruka was halfway between lying and sitting up; she struggled to make sense of the mess she created from panicking earlier. It was obvious that she dropped her ice cream cone during the mayhem earlier.

Feeling an unexpected rush of liquid heat gather in her very center, Tomochika took in the scene next to her, as Reiji's delicate, yet unexpectedly strong hands immediately restrain Haruka. He lifted both of her wrists high above her head, pinning them securely with one hand of his.

"Allow me to clean it up for you." He whispered, though just loud enough for the three of them to hear it. The slight purr on his voice made her sit up, her mouth frowning a little suspiciously.

"Oh, okay." Her friend relaxed a bit, relieved that the sticky disaster she had got herself into would be resolved immediately. Haruka hates getting messy despite her sloppy choice of clothes. She can be squeaky clean at times when she is in the mood to nitpick.

Okay, no problem. Reiji-sempai to the rescue. She cheered inside, expecting the cute senior to produce thick napkins from the back of his jeans pocket or something. Disaster under control. Reiji-sempai seemed to be used to taking control of unexpected situations. It was probably thanks to the time he spent helping his family's f & b business. Though, she was a bit disappointed that the unexpectedly hot and arousing scene before her won't last much longer. But still, he looks like someone they can count on in times of need.

Hurry, for responsible seniors. She glanced back at her friend to give her a reassuring smile.

What went on next would temporarily render her face red in the few weeks to come every time she sees a pair of string bikini.

"Oh. Oh! Don't It's making me ticklish!" her friend suddenly squealed.

Tomochika's eyes widened both in alarm and fascination, jaw dropping, as she sat up straighter to take in the action happening right before her.

Reiji-sempai had quickly undone the front strings of Haruka's bikini top, the stretchy fabric, pushed slightly aside to reveal the deep vee of her generous chest.

From her vantage point, she could almost see her friend's strawberry-colored areola peeking enticingly from the material of her top. And Reiji-sempai, oh naughty Reiji, she groaned inwardly, her excitement mounting; her sempai is gently licking the melting ice cream from her friend's skin.

He lapped at the silky cream like a cat drinking milk, trailing his tongue all over Haruka's exposed skin. The squishing and slurping sounds he made, combined with her friend's soft shrieks of pleasure is too much for her to bear. She found herself licking her lower lip in response, as she watched Reiji with her intense eyes. Oh my God… How utterly devilish you are, sempai! I did not know that you have such a dark side!

Despite her friend's squeaks of protest, there was no mistake that she is not immune to the effect from Reiji-sempai's intimate attention lavished on her. The nubs on her breasts are poking through the thin material of her bikini top, signifying her arousal too.

All too soon, he managed to clean off most of the dessert from Haruka's chest. The patch of skin he had worked his way into was blotchy with red and pinkish love bites.

Tomochika exhaled slowly, unable to gulp in lungfuls of air. The scene proved to be too hot for her that her body almost forgot to breathe properly. She could feel her toes curling with unfulfilled satisfaction.

"Tomo-chan. Are you alright?" her friend asked, voice high and unrecognizable. It was obvious she is still in the throes of an emotional high after the 'cleaning up' Reiji-sempai had subjected her to.

She nodded; mouth still dropped open, eyes glazed with pleasure. I am sooo not forgetting this!

"Oh, Tomo-chan! Your ice cream." Haruka's voice trailed off, and she found herself glancing down at her own waffle cone that she had dropped in her haste to protect herself from the wayward ball.

The waffle cone itself was still intact, but the contents spilled on her chest and stomach, the cream oozing slowly down her bikini bottom. It's funny, how she did not realize its coldness. The intense heat that she generated from the sexually charged scene countered the dessert's cold temperature.

Suddenly, Reiji-sempai was sitting close to her. Too close.

"Tomo-chan. Do you want me to clean it up for you, too?" he asked huskily, chocolate eyes gleaming with mischief. The bangs in his forehead looked so soft, and his lips were slightly swollen from all the kissing he had done on her friend.

She swallowed. "I-Uh." She stammered, avoiding his look, and felt his hands, snaking around the small of her back, pulling her gently against him. Oh no, I'm gonna get a nosebleed from this!

Tomochika Shibuya, the aspiring idol, who seldom gets flustered when she finds herself in the middle of crises, stood up suddenly, ignoring the waffle cone dropping in the sand with a gentle thud.

"I..err, right! Napkins! I will get some from the café, Kotobuki-sempai!" she said hurriedly, backing away as fast as she could. Damn! What the hell, Shibuya? What has gotten into you?

Half running, half walking, she was already a few meters away from where her sempai was sitting when she sneaked a look behind her shoulder.

Reiji-sempai has this beautiful grin plastered on his face as he winked back. "Don't worry, I will look after Haru-chan!" he yelled.

Blushing furiously at the thought of what else he had in store for her friend, Tomochika ran to the café, determined to stay there until she can calm down.

Look after her, my foot! She told herself, dizzy from all the combined excitement and arousal that her sempai had evoked from her.

"Kotobuki-sempai-"

"Shhh.. You can call me Reiji when it is only the two of us." Reiji grinned at her after he waved Tomochika Shibuya off. Sitting beside the adorably delectable Haruka Nanami, he leaned over her again, propping his hands on both sides of her.

"R-reiji." Haruka bit her lower lip nervously, and he felt his body hardened in reaction. Ahhh, such a pretty little thing. Until recently, she is the only one capable of making him react like that.

It was lucky that he lost the bet from Ranmaru Kurosaki a week ago. Or he would not have experienced the opportunity of seeing this small, petite goddess of music in such revealing attire. He could barely keep his hands off her, when she stripped down to her beachwear. As a result, he broke two drinks glasses as he hurriedly prepared their order of ice cream. He should remember to bring home something nice for Ran-Ran tonight as thanks.

"Good girl," he nodded approvingly. Leaving his other hand, still propped on her side, he brushed a knuckle on her soft skin of her jaw, before letting his fingers skim lightly down her shoulders, passed her ribcage, her waist, stopping at her hips where the white thick band of her bikini bottom hugged her snugly. The bikini top still lay exposed before him; the mounds of flesh playing hide and seek with his eyes.

I wonder, he thought, his forefinger playing with the garter before hooking it up with his thumb. He gently eased the material slightly downwards, smiling to himself as he heard her gasp. The excitement coloring her voice seemed like music to his ears.

"You still got some ice cream on your stomach, Haruka." His scorching gaze held her molten gold eyes for a moment before glancing down to her lower body. "I will clean it up for you so that you won't feel sticky. However," he paused, the mischievous gleam in his eyes returning, "You will need to come up to my room above the café afterwards, so that I can clean up the rest of the ice cream that stained the inside of your bikini bottoms. You know," he added, "as part of my café's apology for ruining your swimwear."

He gave her a heart-stopping grin, watching the charmingly naïve and innocent Starish composer nod her head in agreement.

"Of course, Reiji. If it helps."

Chapter Text

“Tomo-chan. Are you sure it’s ok to hide here?” Haruka Nanami peered into a seemingly empty classroom dubiously.

Tomochika Shibuya, Master Class student and Haruka Nanami’s best friend swiveled her head around to check if they are alone in the corridor. Straining her ears for any sounds of life, she is satisfied to find it is empty. Without wasting time, she quickly pushed her friend inside the classroom, ignoring her faint protests, frantically shutting the door behind her with a click.

She breathed out her relief, closing her eyes to emphasize it. That was a close call. Her temporary Master Class sempai is very difficult. She can’t wait for Eiren-sempai to come back from her overseas tours to resume in teaching her. The temporary replacement is driving her nuts with her unreasonable demands which has nothing to do about studying on becoming an international idol.

“Are you alright?”

Tomochika opened her eyes and saw her friend studying her closely, concern etched on her face. “You look a bit sick.”

“Not really.” She fluffed her thick, wavy reddish hair with her fingers and stifled a giggle. “I just want a couple of hours break from my temporary Master Class senior.”

“That bad, huh?” Her friend’s face turned into worry, eyes glistening and bright with unshed tears. “Do you want me to talk to her?”

Heaven forbid, no. She stopped herself from blurting it out in time. She’s grateful for her friend’s concern and worry, but if she let Haruka mediate between her and her temporary sempai, she’ll be eaten alive.

She sighed, before reaching out to ruffle her friend’s hair fondly. “No. I’ve got this. Let’s just enjoy a peaceful hour or two before we go back to our dorms, ok?” she smiled in a convincing manner. Really, she can do her compositions here and finish it in time for her deadline tomorrow. Besides, it’s soothing to be with her friend. She’s always revved up to do her best whenever Haruka gives her words of encouragement..

Not to mention, she gets to enjoy her masterpiece without sharing her with Starish and Quartet Night. Lately they all seemed to monopolize her time and she hardly ever gets to spend her time with her best friend.

It was lucky that she went to visit her in her dorm room, brand new clothes in tow. She’s been itching to make her wear this cute powder blue dress with polka dots. Haruka looks so adorable just wearing the clothes she has chosen. She gets quiet pride and pleasure just seeing her wear the things she chose; now she understand why her mother fusses when she’s at home, it’s the same with her when she’s with her friend, too.

Resisting the urge to pinch her friend’s apple cheeks, Tomochika, instead started to rummage in her bag to get her notebook out, as she led the way further in the classroom. They can find some seats and get to work.

“Errm.”

She froze. As soon as she pulled out her notebook from her bag, she looked up, expecting to see her sempai magically materializing from somewhere. How in the world did she manage to find her here?

Bright, cold cyan eyes met hers.

Her eyebrows rose, blinking several times.

Ai Mikaze? What is he doing here?

Uh-oh.

The tall young man wearing pristine white jeans, white shirt and white leather jacket, was sitting on the teacher’s desk, long legs crossed over casually, hands propped behind while he leaned backwards, eyeing them critically. How long he was sitting there, she didn’t know, but it seems like he heard everything they talked about. She can just imagine the wheels inside his brain turning.

“Oh, hello Ai-sempai. Are you taking a break from your group, too?” As usual, her forever-clueless friend seemed oblivious to the hostility emitted by their unexpected companion. Her friend barely registered Ai Mikaze’s blank stare in their direction. But she knows he’s irritated with them for interrupting him inside his sanctuary. She didn’t know the cyan-haired handsome young man has a habit of prowling the classrooms in his free time. Where the heck are the rest of his minions?

“So, you’re hiding from Yuyuka-san.” He said. He tilted his head; piercing eyes seemed to sear Tomochika into staying in one place. The deep voice of his barely growled at the edges of his words.

“Err.” How to explain this? She’s doomed. Mikaze-sempai is cold-hearted and ruthless-very, very strict, according to Syo Kurusu and Natsuki Shinomiya. But they both gushed about how talented he is. Even Syo who usually displays his annoyance towards his sempai, can’t help but show his admiration to their senior, albeit grudgingly. His information network is flawless and he works the knowledge he gathers to his advantage. Rumors circling about Quartet Night indicates Ai is instrumental is some of Quartet Nights legendary feats in the entertainment industry. That’s how much Shining Saotome trusts the group to steer Starish group in the right direction.

Ai loomed closer.

Both of them reacted by taking a step backwards one at a time, until Tomochika felt the brass doorknob poking the small of her back. She turned sideways and saw Haruka mesmerized by the senior’s face.

Like a graceful and sleek snow tiger, Ai trapped them both by placing his palms on the timber panel behind them. He peered down at Tomochika’s face, commandeering her attention first.

Forced to look up because of his tall height, she swallowed nervously before attempting to answer his question again.

“Well, you see, I’ve got this homework that I needed to finish. But Yuyuka-sempai is being unreasonable, asking me to do some errands for her that is beyond the scope of what we agreed on. So, I snuck away to finish my compositions.” She said in a rush. There’s no point lying and being dishonest with Ai. He almost always knows what’s going on in this university even if the events doesn’t concern him directly.

Ai’s face is so close now, she can almost count the number of hairs he has on each of his long, curling eyelashes. She hardly dared breathe, her heart pounding erratically. Really, for a cold-hearted young man, he has the capacity to render a woman senseless just by focusing his attention on her.

“Hmmm. I guess that’s a reasonable explanation. The probability of you both playing hooky and ignoring your duties is a measly 3%.” Ai said, letting a finger brush Tomochika’s jaw and lifting her chin to scrutinize her eyes properly. “Though I find it irritating that both of your presence here wreaked havoc to the previous research notes I have inside my head.” He said without as much as a preamble.

She blushed a violent shade of pink. Rumors about his bluntness have proven to be correct. With Ai Mikaze’s cold demeanor, he’s been called the Frost King by some of his peers. That, along with Camus-sempai and Ranmaru-sempai, they’ve been called the Heavenly Cold Trilogy behind their backs. Three-fourths of Quartet Night is known for their aloofness and coldness towards their colleagues.

But, it’s puzzling to know that even with his frosty glare, Ai’s fingers are not cold. In fact they are surprisingly warm.

Despite herself, Tomochika felt a thrill of excitement run down her back.

“You know. Since we have a bit of time, maybe you both can indulge me with a bit of experiment.” Ai released his hold on her chin, taking a slight step back to allow them some breathing room.

Tomochika let out a shake breath of release. Asking them to indulge him with an experiment doesn’t seem like a request coming from him- it’s more of a command.

Resisting the urge to raise her eyebrows, she schooled her expression to faint curiosity. She needed to distract Ai, let him do his experiment so he can be on his way. The sooner he’s gone the better. She has a ton of homework to do.

He tilted his head in their direction before turning to capture Haruka’s attention, cupping her face with his other hand. “A little experiment will help me confirm my studies and observation of the human brain’s reaction.” He said in a serious tone.

Ai-sempai smelled like spring and… Strawberries. Huh.

“If it helps Ai-sempai..” Haruka’s voice trailed off, brow furrowed. Tomochika reached for her friend’s hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Surely it won’t be that bad? Sempai is not one of those guys who often take advantage of her friend.

But still.. There is something that doesn’t feel right with Ai Mikaze and she could not place a finger at it.

“An experiment.” Tomochika repeated. Her smile was too bright. Right. This can’t be good, but it’s better than spending another two hours in the presence of Yuyuka-sempai.

“Yes.” Ai took something out from the back of his pant’s pocket.

He held up a pink, rectangular box.

Strawberry pocky? No wonder he smelled like sweet strawberries!

“Oh, I love pocky!” Haruka exclaimed enthusiastically, clapping her hands.

She furrowed her brow, genuinely curious now.

Ai broke in a smirk, blindsiding her with his amazingly good looks. His gorgeousness jumped up several notches with the mischievous look he now sported.

“Excellent to know, Haruka-chan.” He then gave Tomochika a wink before turning his attention back at Starish’s exclusive composer.

He held out a hand. “Let’s start with you first.”

It happened so fast before Tomochika realized what is happening. What? No! Not my Haru-chan!

But it was too late. Haruka took his hand and let herself be led to the desk like a meek lamb about to be slaughtered on the sacrificial table.

Tomochika clenched her fist, wanting to bang it against the door for being slow to analyze the situation. Never mind Yuyuka-san’s wrath when she finds her! She’d rather polish her collection of Manolo Blahnik shoes than put her friend into Sempai’s care. “H-haruka…” she started to protest. “Maybe we should just go back to our dorms-“

“You’ll get your turn soon enough, Tomochika.” Ai Mikaze swung around and pierced her with his warning glare. He gestured to the chair nearest the desk.

“Sit!” he ordered.

Despite her protest, she found herself obeying his command as sat down in an instant, unable to defy him. She seemed to loose control over her body, recognizing the authority in his voice.

“Now, then.” He turned back to Haruka with a flourish. He scrutinized her by giving her a once over, nodding his head in an adorable fashion. Only Ai Mikaze could have the power to pull off looking both decidedly delicious and dangerous at the same time, as he contemplated on what he intends to do with Haruka, his white clothes stark against his vivid colouring.

“Hmmm..”

Without warning, Ai easily lifted Haruka up, gathering her in his arms like she weighed next to nothing, before depositing her gently on top of the desk. Her skirts rode high on her thighs, making faint noises, his hands crushing the silky material. Haruka gave a nervous squeal of surprise as she grabbed hold of his lean, strong arms for support. The ribbons on her hair loosened, strands of hair escaping from its tight restrictions.

“Reiji just told me an interesting game which I wanted to try. He said that young women liked to play the Pocky game because its sexy..” He propped both of his hands on both sides of Haruka, leaned in close to use his nose to nuzzle Haruka’s jaw. “I could not understand his explanations and I decided a live experiment is in order. I’m very lucky to find two willing participants.” He flashed a look at Tomochika before continuing to breathe into Haruka’s scent.

His sexy pose made Tomochika sweat profusely. She took a swallow, eyelashes fluttering fast. She opened her mouth to talk more, delay him a bit on what he was about to do, but the words seemed to be stuck in her throat.

“Oh, I heard of that one!” Haruka piped in, tossing her head, making the ribbons tied on her hair come undone. They made a faint whispering sound as the strips of silk landed on the floor. The cloud of reddish gold hair cascaded down her shoulders and back in a gleaming gold waterfall.

Ai breathed more of her scent, “Pray do tell, my lovely composer.” He turned sideways and pushed his ear close to her mouth, throwing another one of his blank stares at Tomochika, who gripped the edges of her seat in response, unable to utter a word of caution.

Ai’s face may be coldly aloof, but she can see the faint blush of pink underneath his pale, white skin. His cyan eyes glowed as he listened to Haruka’s whispers of explanation.

“Excellent explanation, Haru-chan. I can never put it better myself.” He beamed at her, flicking a finger on her nose.

Tomochika gulped. Still unable to move, pinned to her seat by Ai Mikaze-sempai’s warning stare, she can only squirm inside, bracing herself for the inevitable seduction. Oh, how can she fail to protect her clueless friend from such a perfectly executed trick by the Frost King? And how will she survive in this session? The last time this happened with Reiji-sempai, she almost lost a lot of blood from the nosebleed alone. Ugh.

The box of pocky was torn open, and the scent of strawberry filled the air around them.

“Now, Haruka. You bite the end of this stick, and I take the other one. Tomo-chan can do the counting.”

Haruka nodded eagerly, ready to please the cyan-haired idol. A perfectly innocent participant in this diabolical game of seduction.

Despite herself, Tomochika leaned forward, watching the two intently. She moved closer to the edge of her seat, wishing she was somewhere, yet, strangely relieved to be here. Ai Mikaze has such a compelling talent for making someone sit up and listen to his commands. If it happens that it was only Haruka he found, god knows what kind of experiment he would rope her into.

Flashes of silk ropes and black handcuffs filled her mind, and Tomochika’s eyes glazed over.

She could smell Ai-sempai’s fresh cologne, making her nostrils flare with unexpected excitement. She closed her eyes, savoring it. When she finally open, he was gazing into her again, and she opened her mouth as if in a trance.

“One.”

Ai went for the first bite, taking about half an inch on the other end of the strawberry flavored pretzel snack. His mouth moved with steady precision, face barely changing its expression of intense concentration.

“Two.”

Haruka took a delicate move, the tip of her tongue poking out of her Cupid’s bow mouth before taking a bigger chunk at the end of her pretzel stick.

Haruka Nanami is intent on the game as well.

Tomochika gripped the edge of her seat again, wanting to take an even closer look, the sweat beading on her forehead. Her cheeks are hot, and she felt constrained inside her clothes, nerves tingling with perverse excitement. Oh Tomochika, how despicable.

“T-three.” She half-stammered, half-whimpered.

Ai sneaked a glance at her again before snapping his eyes into focus. Using his teeth to hold the pretzel in between, his lips moved closer.

Only a couple of inches were left between their mouths.

“F-four..Four!” Tomochika said, slightly louder than intended. She watched Haruka’s shy face lift up, capture Ai’s gaze before nibbling a small portion at her end.

“Mmmm.” She whispered.

Tomochika’s mouth dropped open at her friend’s sudden transformation.

Whereas, she looked super adorable earlier; this time, Haruka became serious in the game. Face flushed red, lips glistening, up close, her eyes glowed a deep golden fire. Amazed at the transformation to an intoxicating beauty, she can only gasped in wonder.

“Five.”

Like watching a super-erotic slow motion movie, Tomochika watch Ai-sempai slowly leaned over, took the last of the strawberry flavored stick inside his mouth and capture Haruka’s lips. His hand automatically caught her tiny waist, sweeping her against him, tipping her back in one motion. His right hand rested on her knee, gently creeping up higher, pushing the bunched up skirts further to expose more of her creamy skin..

Haruka caught Ai’s hair through her fingers, forcing the tie to snap. His silky, cyan hair came loose, pouring down his shoulders the same way Haruka’s hair spilled over onto the desk. Cyan co-mingling with gold creating an entirely new color.

Feeling like she can rip out chunks out from the chair, Tomochika felt her cheeks heat up even more, bolts of electricity running down her arm; each bolt increasing its pulse. The scene before her aroused her so much, the skin at the back of her neck were rigid.

God!

Unable to stand it any longer, she bolted up from her seat and ran out of the room. Ai Mikaze-sempai can have Haruka for as long as he wants today. She can just retrieve her friend later. For now, she’ll find a quiet corner to work on her compositions. With that much passion she has just witness, maybe she can put that experience into writing something even better than what she has in mind.

Sorry, Haruka. She apologized a little guiltily inside her head. Quartet Night members are waaaay out of my league when it comes to teasing them against you.

She let out a sigh. Way to go Tomochika Shibuya. Quartet Night scored another one.

Ai Mikaze barely even blinked in surprise when he heard the chair make a squeaking noise, as its occupant pushed it back with her heels before bolting out of the room. His calculations have been proven correct: Tomochika Shibuya is fiercely protective when it comes to her bestfriend, Haruka Nanami. But her overprotectiveness overrides the fact that she gets perversely excited whenever an eligible man sets out to seduce her friend in front of her.

Reiji’s guess is right on the mark. Ai thought, running a hand up Haruka’s back, clutching a handful of hair at her nape and yanked it down gently to expose her neck.

Truly, it is fun teasing Tomo-chan for a change. After he caught his protégés Syo Kurusu and Natsuki Shinomiya bemoaning the fact that they’d been maneuvered once again by Haruka’s friend, he spent several days cooking up a scheme to get back at the sly she-devil for making his adorable wards suffer with longing for the woman he now held in his arms.

Pulling away from her mouth, he stared down at the young woman, whose swollen lips and glazed eyes made all his senses tingle. Admittedly, he can’t blame Tomo-chan for being overprotective or his two wards for pinning on their official composer. Haruka Nanami may look ordinary most of the time, but once you get close to her, you can’t help but want her. One only has to peer in her deep, fathomless eyes; study the expression on her face or marvel at her hair’s golden silkiness. That plus, her talent in creating such powerful songs and her cluelessness in her surroundings makes one want to possess her completely and make her submit to his domination. A worthwhile activity to enslave her for his personal pleasure while he is bored with his free time.

Haruka Nanami is a real challenge. One that he wants to study more in depth for the coming days and weeks.

“Ai-sempai? Have you found the conclusion to your experiment?” the questioning look in her eyes melted some of the coldness inside his chest. The steady rhythm of his heart bloomed, and it began to beat faster. He gripped her hair, bending again to capture her lips. He moved, making sure that her legs locked around him. With only their clothes separating their skin contact, his body registered the increasing heat building in her core. Even now, as her body temperature rises slowly, but steadily, her signature scent is triggered, filling his nostrils with the now familiar lavender and vanilla.

A much better scent than strawberry, don’t you think so? His mind replied automatically.

Filled with increasing hunger for more, he found the zip at the back of her dress and eased it down several inches. The dress gave way, the front revealing more skin; the scoop neckline gave him a view of full mounds of breast and lacy edges of a bra.

Wanting to feel more of her skin, his hands went under her skirts and skimmed the top garter bands of her panties; thumbs automatically hooking them slowly down.

“The experiments needed to be performed for a few more tries until the results are conclusive with the theory,” he murmured against her lips, eyeing the box of strawberry pocky, the contents still full. “I’m proposing we continue this session in my room. Perhaps a change of environment may ignite a more favorable response, don’t you think so?”