"Whoops, look where my hand was," she smiled before suddenly moving it away.
Without missing a beat, she casually shook her head and waved her fingers dismissively.
"You'll simply have to forgive me, Ryu-kun. It's far too easy to feel comfortable around you. I saw how concerned you were for your friend the other day."
I took a quick breath when she mentioned Shion.
Murasaki leaned forward, smiling like a cat toying with a mouse.
"The poor girl was so upset over what she'd done."
I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. Her fingers gently wrapping around my arm.
"Please tell me, is she okay?"
My mouth opened on its own, but I quickly shut it.
I shook my head. It was so hard to think around Murasaki, and I felt like I was swimming in a haze of soft caresses and lemon-ginger perfume.
It would have been impossibly easy to reach back, lace my fingers with Murasaki's, pull her petite body onto my desk and begin kissing her. The damn thing is that I somehow knew Murasaki would let me.
And that didn't make it any easier to resist.
Suddenly, Murasaki moved her hand from my shoulder back to her desk. She looked down at her literature book, pretending to be reading.
"Kazeyama-san?" I heard Fushineko-sensei's grating whine from the front of the class. "Are you okay? You appear to be sweating… it looks gross."
I winced. I hadn't even realized that my face was red.
A few students snickered around me.
Damn it, she'd played me like a fiddle.
"Feeling hot under the collar, Ryu-kun?" I felt Murasaki whisper, her breath brushing my ear softly.
I turned towards Fushineko-sensei. "I'm fine, Fushineko-sensei."
She lazily rolled her eyes. "Nnnnyyaa, right. Please try to get your bodily functions under control while you're in my class."
She looked at the clock by the door. "It's close enough until it's time to go," she said. "Start putting your things away. Don't forget to read through Chapter 3 tonight. There's a quiz tomorrow and pay close attention to what Nick's father says. Oh, and make sure you sign up for a club. Nnnnyyaa, I'm sponsoring the literature club."
I turned around to see Murasaki grinning at me. Her violet eyes were bright as spring belladonna and just as dangerous. "What's your game?" I asked.
She didn't raise an eyebrow. She didn't get defensive at all.
Her eyes brightened.
Her smile widened.
She leaned closer to me. "I'm not playing a game, Ryu-kun. Please, don't think like that… I was out of line yesterday because I was concerned about…" She quickly looked across the room at Inego. "…your friend."
She sighed. "I must've seemed like a maniac. That's my fault. I'm just trying to make amends for it, okay?"
She looked at my shoulder, as if considering reaching out, but this time she didn't.
Then she looked away. At the floor. "Please forgive me for that yesterday."
Before I could say anything, the bell rang. I caught up with Inego as soon as I could.
"I don't like her," Yuki said as soon as we walked out of Literature class.
I could have guessed that. Inego was waiting for me by the door.
"Well, you're really in the thick of it now, old chum," he said.
"Yeah," I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Listen, Inego, I need your help."
He snorted. "I'd say you do! I don't think you understand who that is."
He leaned closer to me, his voice dropping to a whisper as the hallways crowded with students and… other things.
"Murisaki is a succubus! She's hunting you, Ryu. She was after me yesterday, and I barely got away from her." He straightened up and shot a cocky grin at me.
I gasped.
Inego just nodded. "Yeah, you get it. A succubus, mate. The whole mind-bending, soul-siphoning, kill-you-in-your-sleep package."
And I'd been letting her caress my shoulder and whisper into my ear.
"Thank you for your help, old chum. You and Shion provided the perfect distraction."
"I helped too," said Yuki.
"Yuki helped too," I said.
"Oh yeah. And Azuki," Inego agreed.
I saw Yuki scowl and cross her arms. "At least you know I helped," she told me.
"Have you considered what club you're going to join?" Inego asked as we walked through Withers Hall.
I shook my head. I hadn't even thought about clubs since he'd mentioned it earlier.
"I haven't even had a chance."
He shrugged. "That's too bad. You'd better make your mind up fast. I'd hate to see what kind of club they'd choose for me."
"How about the blood doner club?" asked Shion.
Inego nearly jumped out of his socks.
"Where'd you come from?" I asked, turning around.
Shion just grinned cryptically. "Here and there. I go where I want. I heard you talking about clubs, though, and thought I'd share my thoughts."
Inego scratched his neck bandage. "You're brilliant, Shion. Sheer cheek."
She just smirked even more. "Yeah, but I bet you'd like to kiss my cheek, huh, Inego. You know… you're cute enough."
Inego stopped walking mid-step.
Shion giggled. "I'd let you…" She leaned closer, showing just the tip of her fangs. "For a price, of course."
Inego cringed. "Oh my god, Fang, you're the devil!"
Shion just shrugged and started walking again. "Suit yourself. I thought I'd just let you know."
I shook my head. "You know exactly what you're doing, and it's wrong."
She just grinned at me. "But the seeds have been planted. Now I just need to wait to see what blooms."
Inego shook his head. "That's… that's not even fair. She literally nearly killed me yesterday. How, Ryu, can she just be so… casual about everything?"
I felt for the guy. I didn't have any answers about Shion either.
He took a cautious step forward. "Don't you dare tell her, and I must be mad, but I'd almost consider her offer… if she weren't so terrifying. Listen, I'm joining the guitar club."
My heart almost skipped a beat. "There's a guitar club?"
Ryu's guitar, my guitar, sat in mine and Yuki's room at the onsen. The last time I'd been lost in music, I'd lived as a 44-year-old in West Virginia. It seemed like another lifetime.
Inego smiled. "Oh, don't tell me you play, old chum!"
I nodded. I'd picked up the guitar a few years ago after seeing a chubby, pot-smoking hippie college student wow some cute girls at the VA park in Clarksburg.
"Brilliant! Join the guitar club," Inego said.
Then I felt Shion's cold fingers on my arm.
"Hang on just a minute," she said. "I don't play guitar."
Yuki huffed. "Music soothes the savage beast. They don't make the music."
Shion ignored her. "Fushineko-sensei is my favorite teacher. She's hosting the literature club. Let's join that instead."
Of course, Fushineko-sensei would be Shion's favorite teacher. The nekomata acted like everything she had to do was an inconvenience, and I could see Shion absolutely eating it up in her classroom.
I imagined enjoying myself in guitar club with Inego, and knew that's exactly what I wanted to do.
But then I remembered Shion yesterday, her sleek black hair falling across her face, and the way she'd said "please don't go."
She'd never admit it, but that's what she was saying now. She needed me.
Again. And I wouldn't feel right abandoning her.
I sighed, thinking high school would be easier as an adult. If it wasn't hard enough the first time, the second time was nearly killing me.
Shion grinned. "Sweet. I'll see you in Literature Club, Ryu."
Inego rolled his eyes. "Oh, so we're getting our tragic brooding phase out early, huh? Ryu, that's cool, but my heart is set on the guitar club. But… I think I've got an idea."
I looked up at him. "Sure. Let's hear it."
We stopped in front of the music room where Inego had music appreciation class. "We're not going to be in clubs all the time. Sometime soon, I'm bringing my guitar to your flat at the onsen, and that's all there is to it."
I laughed. "I'll hold you to that," I said.
Shion scoffed. "You two are so cute together. Now I get why Inego turned me down. Against Blondie here? I never stood a chance."