Akira climbed the stairs back to Satomi’s apartnt; the bag containing the clothes for Rina and Ayaka in one hand, Valerius’s card in his pocket. The hallway was very quiet, the kind of quiet in the early morning where your own footsteps sound too loud.
He knocked once. The door opened before his knuckles pulled back.
Satomi stood there, still in the loose silk robe, but her expression had shifted from the composed warmth of earlier to sothing sharper. Focused.
Her eyes went to the bag first, then his face, and she stepped aside without a word.
Inside, Ayaka and Rina were awake.
Ayaka was sitting upright on the couch in one of Satomi’s oversized sweaters... dark gray, the sleeves rolled twice, falling past her thighs. Rina was curled in the armchair wearing a similar sweater, but hers was cream-colored; her legs were tucked under her and her hair still ssy from sleep.
They both looked up when he entered.
"Akira-kun," Ayaka said, her voice still a little rough. She stood carefully, like she was testing whether her legs would cooperate. "You brought clothes."
"As promised." He set the bag on the low table. "Sothing clean for both of you."
Rina unfolded herself from the chair and padded over, reaching into the bag without ceremony. She pulled out the shirt he’d grabbed for her and held it up, inspecting it. "This one’s cute. You have decent taste."
"I tried."
Ayaka took her own, a simple blouse and skirt and gave him a small, tired smile. "Thank you. For everything. Last night..." She paused, looking for the right words. "We wouldn’t have made it without you."
"You would have," Akira said. "You’re tougher than you think."
"Maybe." She didn’t sound convinced. "But I’m glad we didn’t have to find out."
Rina was already halfway to the bathroom, clothes bundled in her arms, when she paused and turned around. "Oh... wait. Before I forget."
She fished her phone out from inside the oversized sweater, tapped the screen a few tis, and grinned like she’d been waiting for this mont all morning.
"We woke up and you were gone. Satomi-sensei handed us these sweaters and made tea, but we were still pretty wrecked from last night." She flicked a glance at Ayaka, who suddenly found the ceiling fascinating. "So I snapped a few pics. You know... mories."
She turned the phone toward him, swiping slowly.
They were both tangled up on Satomi’s couch. Rina was curled against Ayaka, their heads close. Rina’s cream sweater had slipped off her shoulder, showing the smooth curve of her collarbone and the faint red mark his teeth had left there hours before.
Ayaka’s gray sweater was huge on her, the bottom reaching past her knees, but the neckline showed just a hint of her boobs underneath.
Their hair was a wild ss, their lips were still swollen, cheeks flushed, and their eyes looked heavy and sleepy in the golden morning light coming through the window. It looked like post-orgasm haze captured in a soft, glowing light.
The second was solo Rina. She’d tugged the cream neckline down low on purpose, showing the upper curve of her breast. One hand threaded through her tousled hair, head tilted back, lips parted just enough to show a glimpse of tongue.
The cara angle was pure tease: fabric clinging to the hard points of her nipples, shadows tracing the dip between her thighs where the sweater rode up.
The third had both of them again. Ayaka sat up straighter, gray sweater sliding off one shoulder to reveal the faint purple bloom of a hickey near her throat.
Rina leaned into her, legs tucked under, one bare thigh pressed against Ayaka’s. Ayaka’s hand rested high on Rina’s leg in a way that looked too comfortable. Both girls stared straight at the cara with small smiles, eyes glinting like they knew exactly what he’d rember when he looked at it later.
"Satomi-sensei said you’d want proof we were okay," Rina said, grin turning wicked. "I might’ve... gotten a little creative with the assignnr."
Ayaka finally looked away from the ceiling, blushing. "She took fifteen."
"Seventeen," Rina corrected sweetly. "I’ll send you the full set later. So are... way better than others. You’ll like the ones where we’re not wearing the sweaters at all."
Akira managed to keep his expression neutral, though he stuttered a bit as he replied. "That’s... appreciated."
"Rina," Ayaka said from behind him, sounding halfway between embarrassed and amused. "You’re going to give him the wrong impression."
"What impression? That we’re grateful?" Rina shrugged, pocketing the phone. "He earned it." She disappeared into the bathroom.
Ayaka lingered, holding her clean clothes against her chest. "She’s not wrong. About being grateful." She t his eyes. "Whatever happens next... you have us. Both of us. You know that, right?"
"I know."
She nodded once, satisfied, and followed Rina toward the bathroom to change.
Akira stood in the quiet living room. He could hear running water and soft talking coming from the bathroom. Satomi was in the kitchenette with her back to him, doing sothing with two glasses and a dark bottle he knew was red wine.
He watched her for a mont. She moved with the kind of calm that usually ant soone was thinking through several things at once.
Then the bathroom door opened again. Ayaka ca out first, fully dressed now, hair smoothed back into place. Rina ca out a beat later, adjusting the hem of her shirt and looking significantly more like herself.
"We should get going," Ayaka said, glancing at Satomi’s back. "Let you two talk."
"You sure you’re stable?" Akira asked.
"Stable enough." Ayaka picked up the bag with their festival clothes from the corner. "The purification worked. We just need rest now. Proper rest."
Rina grabbed her jacket from the couch. "Thanks again, Satomi-sensei. For letting us crash here."
Satomi turned, holding the two glasses of wine. "Stay safe. Both of you. And if you feel anything off... any destabilization, any essence spikes, you call Akira imdiately."
"We will," Ayaka promised. She looked at Akira one more ti. "See you at school?"
"Sure."
They left together, closing the door behind them.
The apartnt went quiet again.
Satomi set both glasses on the low table and settled into the armchair Rina had vacated. She gestured to the couch. "Sit."
Akira sat, but he didn’t reach for the wine. He looked at her directly. "When were you planning to tell you used to work for Valerius?"
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