Chapter Text
NATSUKI I
I'm upstairs waiting for Mai to return, folding my laundry as it just finished drying.
I hold out the pullover I'm holding to see it better and then look at myself in the tall mirror facing me, putting the cloth on top of mine as if I were trying it on. It definitely is starting to be worn out but this deep blue is my favourite colour and I love wearing this pullover, I don't want to get rid of it so soon… It was part of my pretty outfits, but even if it gets worn out, I can always wear it when I'm working with the horses. At least they don't care about my clothes.
I sigh and look at my reflection again. I've always been taking good care of my hair but it seems that it grew even longer these days, it's as black as it was when I was a kid, and when I'm under the sun it shines beautifully, natural metallic blue highlights showing up sometimes. I can't say that I'm a confident person but if there's something I'm proud of is how beautiful my hair is. I'm working hard to maintain it that way and I'm glad that it's paying off.
I take a step closer to look at my face better. My green eyes seem to be quite clear today, surely it's thanks to this beautiful sun we're having. It's getting close to the horizon now and it’s shining its light brightly through the large window of the laundry room. Even though I'm spending a lot of time outside, I'm being careful to protect my skin and though I celebrated my thirtieth birthday a few weeks ago, my skin is still quite clear and not marked by the sunlight like I've seen in others. I may have an outdoor and quite physical job, it's important for me to take care of myself. This too is something I take pride in.
I fold my pullover and put it on top of the other clothes when I hear the front door open.
“I'm home!” I hear Mai’s always enthusiastic voice say.
Eight years ago, after working for a company for a few years and realizing that I was overworked and miserable, I decided to go back to my roots and use the big house in the countryside that I inherited from my mom to transform it into a sanctuary for mistreated horses. I wasn’t sure how I was going to earn a living from that, but Mai motivated me and later on joined me to go even further and to make it into a hostel to welcome travelers and tourists and use this opportunity to teach them about nature and animals. Especially mistreated and abandoned animals, to try and sensibilize them to this huge problem and teach them what they can do about it even from far away.
To be honest, I really didn't want to at first. I thought I’d find a way to work remotely from home, suffer for a few hours to earn enough money and then use my free time to take care of my animals in peace but after months of discussion, I finally accepted Mai's idea. She would take care of welcoming the guests, of cooking and maintaining the rooms while I would take care of the animals and of the activities that people could partake in, with the one condition that they were ready to listen and to learn what I had to tell them. If they don't listen or don't take what I tell them seriously or worse, don't respect my rules, I warn them once, if they still don't listen, I kick them out. I'm not here to play and these animals I've been traumatised enough already, if I don't protect them, no one will and they're my top priority no matter what. Yes we live thanks to this place, but this isn’t a business, I will not bend to people’s weird requests or behaviors if I consider them to be a threat to us, and “us” includes both humans and animals living here.
Our website is pretty clear about it. We are not a zoo, we're not a riding club for tourists, we are more like a rehabilitation center for animals, mainly horses. Years later, I understand that some people also come here to heal a part of themselves, or even when they don't come for that, they end up working on themselves anyway and I'm now really proud of the work we are doing here.
Mai and I have been best friends since high school and even though I never imagined myself working with her, I'm glad we started this adventure together. She's almost the opposite of me, she's extroverted and cheerful while I'm a huge introvert and I tend to be sulky. She's chatty and I don't talk so easily, though thanks to my position here I’ve made huge progress and I’m even comfortable in this leading position now. But I still remain hard to get close to, talking about myself is a whole other thing... But I guess that's why we get along and that we're able to work so well together.
The farm is big enough for us to each have our own places, she actually lives in the small house next to the main building that we renovated when Yuuichi moved in here with her. Tate Yuuichi, her high school lover and her now husband, these two had quite a chaotic start but they love each other a lot and he was always so supportive of her. He found a way to come live here with her after he found a job in the small town thirty minutes away by car. He got a good position now and surprisingly, with how well our farm is working too, we all live comfortably enough.
My own house is also apart from the main building, a bit further away than everyone else and closer to the meadows, but I am now on the first floor of the main farm where our laundry room is located. My house is one of the smallest, but it was my mom’s favourite so I can’t let anyone have it, and I don’t really care about not having the most comfortable or to have my own washing machine… This is my house and that’s it. I can be pretty stubborn and I feel like this house is what still connects me to my mother.
Today we have a new guest and Mai was just out to give her a ride from the train station. Just before Mai left, we were discussing this newcomer, apparently a woman a year older than me, coming from Kyoto, who booked a one month stay. Such a long reservation is quite rare, so Mai and I were trying to guess what this girl would be like… I told Mai that it was probably a typical rich girl wanting to disconnect from the city and since I assume that Mai showed her to her bungalow before joining me here, I say as I start to walk down the stairs, not even seeing her yet,
“Welcome back! So, does she look like the typical rich girl?” I ask and as I go down a bit more, I see that Mai isn't alone.
Shit. What a way to welcome a new customer, furthermore someone who'll stay one month.
Fuck. On top of that she's gorgeous, she's looking up at me with surprise, standing tall, holding her suitcase in front of her with her two hands elegantly, her eyes wide open as we stare at each other in silence. Holy crap… She's totally my type, her skin is white as porcelain and her hair is a clear shade of brown, or a dark shade of blond I can’t tell. The colour really catches me off guard, she looks so soft but her eyes are looking at me piercingly. From here I can't tell the exact colour either but they seem quite clear too, something between a brown and a burgundy maybe. She's looking at me and truly, she's stunning… I'm sure both men and women turn their heads to look at her wherever she's going, and on top of that she seems to have a great sense of style, her clothes are relaxed yet very classy. It's been a while since I've found someone that pretty and now this is the first impression she has of me. I'm such an idiot, it's definitely not my habit to judge people but now she definitely thinks I'm an asshole.
“Ah, I'm sorry to announce that I am not a rich person.” The woman says, she's smiling politely now, and I catch the amusement in her beautiful reddish eyes. Her voice is soft, her accent strong and I'm already loving the way it sounds.
“Wha- No! I am, I'm sorry, I'm the one who's sorry for saying that.” I say stuttering with my usual nonexistent eloquence. I can feel myself blushing, great . “I apologise. For making assumptions. You're just not like our typical visitors I guess, so Mai and I were curious and trying to guess what you'd be like.” It's true that most of our guests are families who often stay a weekend or at most a week. We also have a lot of young adults that come in small groups for a few days too. Most of them come from the cities around here, sometimes from further away if they're visiting our region… But someone coming from so far away, alone, staying one month: this is a first. And she's a woman. Of course we were wondering what brought her to our place.
Silence stretches awkwardly between us until finally Mai saves me.
“Shizuru-san, this is Natsuki, as I warned you earlier, she can seem a bit weird and gruff, but she's the kindest person I know.” Mai says and I feel myself blush again, so much for a rescue… “Natsuki, this is Shizuru-san who, as you're aware, will stay with us for a month. So behave, please!” Save me , my ass yeah, of course she uses this opportunity to make fun of me and I can feel my face burning.
“Mai-san, if I understood correctly you were also an active part of this conversation about my person, right?” The woman -Shizuru, says with that polite smile again and this time it's Mai’s turn to blush and stutter and I can't help but openly laugh at her. I'm glad to see Shizuru join in and quickly enough, Mai is also vainly hiding her smile behind a pouting face. “Nice to meet you, Natsuki-san.” She says after we stop laughing, looking at me with that intensity in her eyes again. At least she seems to be smart and someone who we can joke with, I'm reassured somehow.
“Nice to meet you. I hope you'll enjoy your stay with us.”
“Ah Natsuki,” Mai stops me before I can even turn around. “Actually, could you show Shizuru-san to her place? I have dinner to prepare and we're full tonight, I'd like to start immediately.”
“Of course, of course.” I say and decide that my laundry can wait. I go down the stairs and a few steps later, I'm standing right in front of our new guest. Just as I expected, she's a bit taller than me. Now that I'm closer, I see the colour of her eyes better… a brown so clear it almost appears red with the low light of the sunset passing through the window. I stand there like an idiot, staring at her, captivated by her beauty, until I finally realise I'm the one who's supposed to lead her. I grab her suitcase and am surprised by its weight. She had been carrying it so easily and gracefully earlier, I really didn't expect it to be so damn heavy.
How strong is this woman? My eyes jump at her in surprise and again, she's looking at me with that unreadable polite smile. I won't say that she looks weak, but I wouldn't say that she looks very muscular either. Anyway, I don't look like it either but with the work I do here and the fact that I used to do combat sports, I gained a lot of strength ever since I was young, so after knowing what to expect, I easily carry her suitcase and ask her to follow me outside.
“We have a capacity of twenty people in total, a bit more if families come with young kids. There are five bungalows but we mostly use these four, each can accommodate four to five people.” I start explaining to Shizuru how things work here, and to show her around. We usually don't explain everything in detail but since she's staying such a long time, I guess it's different for her. “You'll be staying in the third bungalow, it's a bit smaller and has a capacity of two, maybe three persons and it's a bit further down, closer to my house.” I don't tell her that if we try not to put people in this one it's mainly because of this reason, it's next to my house and no matter how much I like welcoming people here and teaching them a lot of things, I also value my alone time and my independence greatly and I don't want to be bothered. But Mai and I guessed that Shizuru was also coming here to find some peaceful moments so we agreed on assignating her the one we call number 3.
I tell her that the first house she saw right next to the main building is Mai’s house where she lives with her husband and that, of course, is off limits. “The main building used to be a huge barn built by farmers a long time ago. As you saw earlier, we renovated it to be the place where we all gather. Tonight you can come a bit before dinner so we can show you around, there are a few important rooms there.”
We walk together along the path that leads to the bungalows. I explain to her when each was built, their capacity and who's there these days. Behind them there are the stables, and on the other side, the parks and meadows. I quickly explain that the stables are empty because I want my animals to live outside and to have a lot of space but we still need stables just in case something happens. It's also where I'm stocking the food and all the materials I need for them.
“Besides from inside the animal’s parks, we don't really have a rule to where you can and can't go, as long as you always close doors and fences behind you properly, that you're not bothering the animals, or damaging anything, you're free to go wherever you want. But usually people stay in the first part of the park, there are picnic tables, nice trees to stay fresh in the shadows and the goats and chickens are free to roam there so of course it's fun for everyone. The rest is just long alleys between the different meadows where I have my horses, there's nothing really fun there unless you want to go say hi to the horses.”
“I would love to greet the horses, but I'm afraid I may appear rude to them as I'm not sure how to interact with them properly.” Shizuru says with a lot of seriousness. I almost stop in my tracks to make sure she's not making fun of me, but a quick look at her face is enough to tell me that she is indeed very serious about this. I almost want to laugh at the gravity of her expression, but secretly I'm feeling very happy to have someone understand how important proper animals’ communication is. I'm feeling even more curious about this person now and the reasons that lead her to come here so before I can really think about it, I tell her,
“Well, you can come with me then, I'll show you. After dinner I do one last round before going back home for the night, usually there's no one outside so it's a calm moment and the animals know I'm coming so they all approach for their night snack, you can join me if you'd like.”
“May I join you tonight?”
“Tonight or any other night works too.”
“What about all of them?” Shizuru asks and turns to me with that innocent smile. I can tell she's joking and inevitably, I feel myself blushing as I look away.
“I mean, I can't promise it'll be as interesting as you think it'll be, but do as you want, I don't mind.” I like this moment, this evening routine is part of my daily life now and I actually love walking around on my own and having this moment with my animals… I know a girl like Shizuru won't come every night so I don't think too much when I tell her that she can join me every night.
“And I think Natsuki-san is more interesting than she thinks she is.” She answers… I blush even more, ah really I'm still so bad with compliments, especially coming from such a pretty woman.
Finally we reach the third bungalow and I open the door in silence. It's quite small so the visit is quick and after a few minutes, I'm taking my leave. “See you at dinner then, remember to come a bit early, I'll explain how it works there too.” I remind her.
“I will be there.” she answers solemnly. The way she talks is really unusual and the questions I want to ask her are piling up in my head. But for now I can only wave at her and leave.
I check my watch, there's actually only an hour before dinner. That means forty minutes for me. I won't have time to do much outside, my laundry can wait since I’m going back soon anyway and I just saw that no one was out in the area… I have a book waiting for me at home that I've been dying to keep reading and this is the perfect occasion, for once I will allow myself a short break and go read at home until it's time to eat.
As soon as I open the door, a massive and hairy white creature launches itself at me.
“Duran! Yes yes, I'm happy to see you, it's been thirty minutes only now, calm down.” I gently push my dog away. He usually follows me around everywhere but this is exactly why I kept him inside this time: he's adorable but he's quite a big dog and he tends to greet everyone like this so I always make sure to know if people are afraid of dogs or not before letting him free to say hello. He can also be very protective of me so I'm careful about that too… Though it can be very useful and reassuring: I once had one of our customers that was way too insistent with me and when one night after dinner he kept trying to get closer, Duran came standing in front of me with his teeth out, his eyes fixated on that man… I've never seen him do that, even less taught him but he instinctively understood something was off.
“Yes, we'll go out together later. You're lucky again, our newcomer isn't afraid of dogs. But be nice to her, okay? We'll go a bit later, for now I'm going to rest a little.” I talk to him as if he understands me and deep down, I'm convinced he does. I've never seen a dog so smart. He goes to lay down next to the door and I know he's going to calmly wait for me until it's time for dinner.
I grab my book and let myself fall in my armchair, crossing my legs at the ankle. I close my eyes for a few seconds and let out a deep sigh. I feel like it's been a while since I was able to sit down here during the daytime. I open my book and start reading. I'm able to quickly plunge back into the story but I can feel that a part of my mind keeps thinking about my new neighbour, and already, I'm looking forward to dinner.
SHIZURU I
The train starts to slow down and upon hearing the name of the station that is my destination, I stand up and pull my suitcase down. It is quite heavy as I have decided to leave for a whole month and I wasn't sure what type of clothes would be best and what equipment I would need. I am familiar with the countryside, but I have been living in the city for a long time now and though I am the one who planned this little escape, I am not sure what to expect from this stay.
I bend a little to take in the view through the windows as the train’s speed is decreasing and as yet to enter the station. Luxurious hills hover above fields and meadows, an ocean of vibrant green where only a few houses and what seems to be a farm can be seen, a landscape that has been calling to me for months now. I can already feel the pure and fresh air contrasting with the strength of the late summer sun.
The train finally stops and I step outside. As I expected, this place being a bit higher in altitude and not covered with asphalt, the temperature is not as stifling as it was in the middle of Kyoto that I left behind me this morning. I take a deep breath and walk along the platform towards the main building where I am supposed to meet the person in charge of the place where I rented a bungalow for a month. She kindly offered to give me a ride and we agreed on meeting right outside the front gate of the train station.
I enter the train station through the back only to walk out of it again in the front a few seconds later. Instantly, the strong light of the afternoon sun blinds me. Covering my eyes with my free hand, I move forward until I spot the person who came to pick me up. In her hands is a paper with my name beautifully written, I walk towards her with a smile on my face. I was taught to smile politely since I was a very young girl and it is something that I've been using ever since, sometimes in its intended polite form, and sometimes as a way to cover my honest feelings, most of the time it is simply my expression by default. ‘Shizuru, your face is the mirror of your thoughts. You will learn to control your expressions to hide your emotions.’ I can still hear my mother's words that were said to me almos t as soon as I could comprehend them. It has been ingrained in me from a very young age and I rarely show my real self. I was taught later how being able to hide your true feelings could give you power, how my mother intended to teach me how to navigate and manipulate any conversations I may encounter, and how coupled with well-chosen words, it would allow me to receive whatever results I may wish for. Like everything I ever learned, I mastered this skill quickly and though it may not always be ethical, it is very efficient.
“Fujino Shizuru-san?” She asks when I'm close enough.
“It is I.” I answer and she smiles back at me brightly. She's quite cute and already, I'm glad I chose this place. Though I didn't come here with seduction in mind, it doesn't hurt that my host is a charming woman to say the least. Though on their website it was said that they were two friends working together and taking care of this place… It was written ’friends’ , but two women handling such a business instantly caught my attention and until now I can't help but wonder if they're more than friends and I shall investigate this matter. Maybe it was why I instantly booked this place without looking at anything else.
Though, through the description of the place, the activities available, the localisation and the pictures, I had already made up my mind. But let's say that this detail convinced me even more, my need for fresh air then took the lead and before I knew it, I had booked a whole month there. The website described the place to be “a sanctuary for mistreated, sick and abandoned horses where you can learn how to care for them.”. They do have a horseback trail riding activity but they do not put an accent on this but more on actually learning how to respect these animals and I am very curious about this sadly unusual approach.
“Nice to meet you, I'm Tokiha Mai! Just ‘Mai’ is fine though.” She says with energy and an enthusiasm that seems honest. She helps me with my heavy luggage and we make small talk as we walk towards her car. The parking is small and only a minute later, I am sitting in the passenger seat as Mai turns the engine on.
It takes twenty minutes to reach the sanctuary and I have to admit that Mai is very easy to talk to, she knows how to ask the right questions and I am able to tell her about my journey here today without feeling scrutinized or needing to reveal much about myself, it's just the right amount of enquiries and already, I feel comfortable in her presence. It is reassuring since I am staying a month at her place and I hope I will get along just as well with her friend.
She skillfully parks the car along with others, next to a huge barn that seems to have been newly renovated. The building is obviously quite old but it is beautiful and as I step out of the car, I look all around me to take in what is going to be my home for the next month. Behind the barn is another long building and next to it, delimited by fences, what seems to be an individual house. Is it where the owners live together? I can't help but immediately wonder… I turn around and spot a dirt path that continues down after the road that leads to the parking lot. There, I count five bungalows and further down, what seems to be another private house, surrounded by fences again. On the other side, vast green meadows are expanding so far that I can't see the end and I decipher the shapes of several horses peacefully grazing there.
Mai leads me towards the main building where a wooden welcome sign is indicating the public entrance. I insist on carrying my suitcase this time, the small wheels will only get stuck in the grass as soon as we leave the parking lot and I am fully aware of its heaviness.
Mai doesn't insist and tells me, “I hope Natsuki will be there too so you can meet her. I need to warn you though, she's a bit of a weirdo for those who don't know her… She can be very cold and short-tempered, but she's actually a very sensitive person and she's extremely kind, she just doesn't show it and doesn't like being told that she is. The work she does with the animals she rescues is absolutely incredible, and everything is done calmly and gently… I guess relationships with humans tend to be more complicated for her, so don't take it personally if she says or reacts in unexpected ways.”
Now, what a curious manner to introduce someone. They must be very close and again, I can't help but be curious about their relationship, but right now, even more about this Natsuki .
I follow Mai as she opens the door and guides me inside. After removing my shoes in the large entrance, we pass into what seems to be the living room, with two large wooden tables that can probably seat at least ten people each. She makes her return known to whomever may be listening but as I am surveying the place, I don't see anyone.
“I'm home!”
Then, I hear footsteps coming from upstairs and as they start coming down the stairs, the person's voice reaches us loud and clear. “Welcome back! So, does she look like the typical rich girl?” I look up, quite surprised at those words. ‘The typical rich girl . ’ Is this about me?
A second later, said person appears on top of the stairs and I am blessed with the cutest face I've seen in a long time. Our eyes meet instantly, I automatically smile and the most adorable expression of embarrassment crosses her face, coupled with a beautiful blush. Absolutely adorable.
“Ah, I'm sorry to announce that I am not a rich person.” I tell her and watch with amusement as she stumbles upon her words to apologise and tries to explain herself. Her eyes are fixated on me and I find it endearing how easy to read her face is. Surely she's flustered by her mistake, but I recognise the way that she looks at me now, that spark, those blushing cheeks… In all humility, I know that I am an attractive person, I was gifted with a beautiful face and I take care of my body and the way I hold myself. Ever since I've started to discover and then explore my sexuality, I quickly realised that both men and women look at me this way when they feel attraction towards me.
Unfortunately for men, I am absolutely not interested, but fortunately for me, just as many women are not shying away from their interest in me and I am already curious to know what this attractive green-eyed girl will do. I have to admit that she's particularly beautiful, probably one of the most beautiful women I've ever met and I suddenly feel the rushing need to eat her alive right here.
I am no stranger to flirts and long loving nights and though I absolutely did not come here for that, seeing that spark in her eyes seems to instantly awaken that part of me. A part of me that I tend to despise from time to time, but a part of me that I learned to live with and that allows me to have some fun without worrying about a committed relationship. I am not sure if I simply lack the resources for that or if I haven't met the right person yet, but the result is that after a relationship that lasted two years and ended in an embarrassing fiasco that I could barely keep under control, I had decided to not be too serious about that matter.
Silence falls between us and I just know she's waiting for me to say something but she's just too cute, searching for the right words to explain herself and try to make things less awkward. Well, especially for her, I wasn't offended by what she said, I know very well that I give off this impression, people simply don’t say it to my face like she involuntarily did.
Mai is the one who finally starts talking again, letting me know that this charming creature is the Natsuki she's been telling me about. She somehow compliments her, then tells her to “behave”, surely as a way to soften Natsuki's entrance and the latter blushes even more as she looks away, obviously doing her best to avoid looking at anyone.
I can't miss this occasion to turn the situation around and with my kindest voice, I remind Mai that obviously she was an active part of the conversation they had about me, and just as I expected, it's her turn to blush and to look away. Ah, she's also quite cute, but Natsuki then laughs and I can't help but feel intrigued by her the most. I can't keep my eyes off her and I end up laughing with her, of a controlled but genuine laugh. Mai joins us and I am pleased to notice that I am already feeling relaxed here and I am glad I chose this place.
It is decided that Natsuki will be the one guiding me to my new place for the incoming month. She quickly walks down the stairs and stands in front of me. I have to admit that I imagined her a bit taller than she is but really, this simply adds to her cuteness. She stays there, looking at me right in the eyes, unmoving and I found myself lost in the green of her irises. I came here wanting to see nature, forests and meadows but I didn't expect to be mesmerized by the deep green of an attractive stranger's eyes.
She suddenly blushes and reaches out for my suitcase, lifting it up and instantly putting it down as her eyes jump back to me. I just smile at her and she looks puzzled, I am not sure why, does she find this suitcase too heavy? Before I can even say anything, she lifts it up again, with ease this time and leads me outside.
As we walk along the rocky path, she starts explaining to me everything about this place. I listen with attention but the bit that catches my curiosity the most is this,
“The house on the other side of the main building is where Mai and her husband live. This and my own house are the two only places where visitors aren't allowed to go. In case of an emergency you have our phone numbers, please call us directly and we'll be with you right away.”
‘Mai and her husband’ , so there's nothing between them after all. I can't help but still be curious about Natsuki's situation. Does she also live with someone too? A woman maybe? I really don't think she's straight… I am dying to ask her but the conversation leads us to another subject that has been circling in my mind ever since I booked this stay: the horses.
“I would love to greet the horses, but I'm afraid I may appear rude to them as I'm not sure how to interact with them properly.” I admit. The last time I approached a horse was when I was still a kid and I am not sure if I should even call it an interaction as I was simply thrown onto its back before I could even pet it. Someone then led the horse to walk for a few minutes before I was pulled away by my father and couldn't thank the poor animal. To this day, I remember the sadness in this horse's eyes, carrying people on its back against its will, turning round and round for hours… I was young and yet, I felt something was wrong.
Seeing Natsuki and Mai’s work awoke these memories and this time, I want to do things properly: I am willing to learn about these fascinating animals and I want to actually interact with them… simply, I absolutely don't know how to.
“Well, you can come with me then, I'll show you. After dinner I do one last round before going back home for the night, usually there's no one outside so it's a calm moment and the animals know I'm coming so they all approach for their night snack, you can join me if you'd like.”
“May I join you tonight?” I ask, eager to know about the horses and about Natsuki and I can't miss this perfect occasion that presents itself to me.
“Tonight or any other night works too.” Natsuki answers kindly and instantly my greedy nature is surging to the surface.
“What about all of them?” I ask and delight in seeing her cute blush spread on her skin again. It’s light, but the way her shoulders tense as she looks away to avoid looking at me… She reacted like that when Mai complimented her earlier too and obviously, she isn’t comfortable with attention and kind words. Unfortunately for her, I enjoy playing with words and teasing people to observe their reactions, and hers are absolutely adorable.
She’s adorable.
“I mean, I can't promise it'll be as interesting as you think it'll be, but do as you want, I don't mind.”
“And I think Natsuki-san is more interesting than she thinks she is.” The pink of her cheeks turns red and spreads to her neck. She doesn’t answer and simply starts walking faster. I silently laugh behind her and already, I am thinking of what I may say next and what range of reactions she will show me… I only arrived though and I remind myself that I have to tone down these feelings a bit, my priority remains spending a peaceful time here and enjoying the calm of the countryside. But I guess a bit of entertainment on the side can’t hurt…
We arrive at the bungalow that Natsuki opens before guiding me inside. It is quite small and the tour is quick, everything seems pretty new and is extremely clean and I can already tell that I’m going to like it here. It’s simple but it has everything I need, the armchair in the living room that takes almost half of space promises long and enjoyable evenings reading the books I’ve been postponing to read for so long, and I can’t wait to try the marvelous selection of tea waiting for me in the small kitchen.
As she shows me where the clean towels are stored, she suddenly asks me if I’m afraid of dogs. I tell her that I do not mind them and she proceeds to explain that her own dog, who's apparently quite large, is waiting at home because he tends to be too affectionate with everyone. I am curious to see what she calls ‘affectionate’ and I can’t help but notice how thoughtful she is. Most encounters I had with dogs when I was still in the countryside were of free dogs and carefree owners who’d let their uncontrolled animal run freely simply telling you that ‘they’re not aggressive, don’t worry!’ . I always found it quite unreasonable, the dog may not be aggressive but what of people’s possible fear? What about other animals' safety?
Already, I understand Mai’s words. Natsuki has a gruff exterior, but she seems kind and thoughtful. I am not someone who’s very interested in others, I do enjoy teasing and playing with them, and I do find pleasure in seduction games, but I do not seek a deeper connection with anyone. But this woman intrigues me more than others usually do and I am looking forward to getting to know her better.
“If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call me directly. You can call Mai too, but I live closer and I’m the one who handles all technical problems.” Natsuki tells me as she hands me the key. It is attached to a single keychain, a quite large ‘three’ written in roman numbers, the three letters standing side by side boldly. For a mysterious reason, I feel nostalgic for a second as I look at it, almost causing me to forget to reply appropriately.
“Thank you, Natsuki-san.” I smile at her and put the key in my pocket.
“See you at dinner then, remember to come a bit early, I'll explain how it works there too.” She asks again.
“I will be there.” I have never been late once in my life, and holidays or not, I don't want that to change.
Natsuki takes her leave and I am left alone in what is going to be my new place for a month. I have a small hour in front of me before dinner and I decide that to get comfortable here, I need to fully unpack the contents of my suitcase. If I have time, maybe I could also take a shower before eating. Though I enjoy train rides, they tend to make me feel dirty and after crossing half of the city by foot and then sitting in several trains for hours, I feel the need to remove these clothes and thoroughly clean both my body and my hair as soon as possible.
I pull my suitcase to the bedroom and open it. I take out the perfectly folded clothes and put them in the narrow cupboard. As my belongings were set in a logical order, stored in clean closed bags per category, I only need five minutes to unpack everything and put the suitcase away.
I take the clothes I'd decide on for tonight and walk to the bathroom. I grab a towel from under the sink just like Natsuki showed me earlier and I find myself thinking about the girl again… I set the clothes beside the sink and stare at them. I opted for something comfortable but should have I picked something that'd show off my assets?
No, I just arrived, I should focus on relaxing first, later perhaps I will test the water and see how things go from there. I came here to disconnect from my daily routine and to properly wind down, seducing the place's owner doesn't seem to be an entirely wise and relaxing idea… yet, I'm afraid my heart has already decided on its next prey, my brain is already playing scenarios of how the situation may unfold between us… I am guessing she's someone who doesn't have much experience and by the way she was looking at me, I imagine her to be easy to seduce.
First of all, let's take a shower and have a good dinner tonight. After all, a month is long and I have time to get to know this adorable woman.