Chapter Two has been FULLY POSTED as of 28/2/2016.

Read it FIRST before reading Chapter 3 as one chapter leads into the other.

Those of you who remember the original version of this story will recognize the important changes.

This is the complete Chapter 3.

I may post the rewritten chapter 4 next week. It needs a bit more spit and polish.

Also, this book will be renamed shortly. I will post an explanation later as to why.

I know this kind of story is not the norm for what is found here, so I greatly appreciate your support.

Ciao!

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Chapter 3.

(Caprice)

#

I listened to the young man, a fair haired boy by the name of Crais Shepherd afil Raynar.

I listened to him tell me a little about himself.

I sat attentively and wore a well-practiced faint smile.

“When did you become a Familiar?” I asked when he stopped talking.

He looked nervous and sounded nervous, yet the more he talked, the calmer he became. “Oh, right. I guess I haven’t told you about that.” He took a deep breath and averted his gaze. “My body changed when I was thirteen. I was tested halfway through the year and found to be a Familiar. After that, I was transferred into middle-school here at Galatea Academy.”

“You don’t have a Fragment or Artifact.”

I already knew this because I’d used my Valkyrie Legs’ anklets to emanate an Awareness-field that scanned his body, and it came back negative.

He shook his head and smiled sheepishly. “No. The Raynars tested me with a few of them, and eventually said I wasn’t fit for any of them. My compatibility or synch ratio was just too low.”

“So what happened?”

Shepherd shrugged in resignation. “Nothing. I was transferred to this school and I’ve survived a lonely existence for the past four years.” He laughed quickly. “I’m kidding. It hasn’t been so bad. But there are times I wish I had a Fragment or Artifact. Something that would give my life a little more meaning…even if it means serving the Aventis.”

“Be careful of what you wish for,” I said softly.

His eyebrows rose in a hurry, then lowered when his expression recovered. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. You would know, right?”

I pointed down to my anklets. “Yes.”

He looked down at my legs, and I noticed his gaze run over them with interest.

Oddly, I didn’t feel uncomfortable, and that in itself troubled me a little.

He realized he was staring and hastily looked away. Then he surprised me when he said, “I saw you when you transferred here at the beginning of last year.”

“You’ve been watching me since then.”

“Kind of. If I say yes, then you’ll think I’m a crazy stalker.” He shook his head again. “I swear to you I’m not. But I won’t deny looking at you every time I see you…and thinking about you.”

“Why me? Is it because I’m a Familiar?”

He looked nervous again, then relaxed after a gentle sigh. “No. Not really.” Glancing away for a moment, he said, “It’s because I felt you were a strong person, a lot stronger than me. This is place isn’t all that bad, but I don’t fit in, and I can’t say I enjoy being here. But you appeared to get by without letting the Aventis trouble you. I admired you for that, for your inner strength. I thought to myself, here’s a beautiful, strong person. I’d like know what makes her so strong. I want to know more about her.”

Taking a breath, he added, “I’m glad you have friends now. You look…you look a lot happier. A lot brighter too.”

I pressed my lips together for a moment, and studied at him. He noticed and glanced away, then glanced back at me.

After taking a quiet breath, I asked, “Do you like to read?”

His eyes widened a little. “Yeah…I do.”

“Physical or data?”

“Both, but if I can, I like physical books.”

“Why?”

“I like the notion of turning pages over. I like feeling the weight of the paper in my hands. And I like the fact that you don’t need electrical power to read a physical printed book.” He chuckled to himself. “Does that make me weird in this day and age?”

I shook my head before realizing it. “No, it does not.”

He looked surprised and relieved. “Oh…thanks.”

I noticed I was leaning forward slightly, yet decided not to lean back. “What kind of books do you read?”

He laughed shyly under his breath. “Well, I like horror stories, though lately I’ve migrated to thrillers and suspense novels.” He started rubbing his thick, blond hair then abruptly stopped. “What do you like to read?”

“I enjoy a variety of genres, but I do enjoy horror stories the best.”

“Oh.” His expression turned thoughtful, then quickly hopeful. “Have you read…H.P. Lovecraft?”

My eyes widened and I found myself smiling. “Yes.”

When he smiled back at me, I felt my heart guiltily skip a beat.

#

(Caelum)

#

I peered through the binocular-visor. “So…which girl is next?”

The four of us were seated on the grassy hill overlooking the west running track currently commandeered by the Track-and-Field club.

Twenty-two girls did laps on the track during the hour-long lunch break.

To my left, Tam said, “Let’s see. Third girl from the front. She’s coming onto the bend now.”

Inhaling deeply, I softly muttered to myself, “One more to go. One more to go.”

So far, my tally was four for four.

I would give Tam my estimates, and he would compare them to the ‘less than official records’ as maintained on the Girls of Galatea site. What I didn’t tell them was that I was using the Awareness-field to heighten my senses, and that included my eyesight and depth of perception. Even though I was using binoculars, the Awareness-field was taking that a step further to point where I could count the sweat drops on each girls face. The downside was that this level of concentration was likely to give me a migraine in a couple of minutes unless I stopped using the Awareness-field in this manner.

I studied the girl carefully as she came running round the bend in the sports track. “What’s her name?”

“Ah, let me check,” Tam replied. “Her name is Melanie Heathencourt Sanreal. She’s a senior, class Three Aye. Height is five foot six. Weight is estimated at forty-eight kilograms. She’s the captain of the Track-and-Field team. Last year she led the team to victory in the Inter-Island Championship, and then to fourth place at the inter-colony championships held on the capital world of Aeneas. The rumor is she has a scholarship lined up for a university on Aeneas, and she’s desperate to do better this year.”

I watched her run around the bend and pull into the straight. As she ran, I imagined someone else running the same track with her, and sympathy twinged in my chest.

If Caprice had been born an Aventis, or joined a Pride, there was no doubt in my mind she’d be out there running laps with these girls.

I sighed. It didn’t feel fair to me. No, it didn’t feel fair to me at all.

There were things we Familiars could do, but there were differences between the Aventis and us – noticeable differences – and being weaker than them was just one of them.

Even so, I couldn’t deny the desire of wanting to see Caprice run the track with these girls.

I sighed inwardly this time. For the time being, I pushed my downcast feelings aside.

Even if we were having our difficulties today, that didn’t mean I felt any different toward her.

Caprice was special to me. Very special.

Tam asked, “Are you ready, Desanto?”

“I’m ready,” I reported back.

“Your numbers in ten seconds.”

“Copy that.”

The enlarged and enhanced image of the girl filled the inside face of my binocular-visor. The Awareness-field sharpened my eyesight even further, while I felt a languid calm wash over me.

I was now in the zone – a perfect state of Zen.

“Bust eighty five. Waist fifty. Hips eighty one.”

I blinked and moved the binoculars away from my face.

The Zen state deserted me; the Awareness-field faded away.

I winced inwardly as I felt my brain complain by kicking the inside of my skull. However, I didn’t want the three guys seeing my state of inner distress.

Bradley asked, “How did he do?”

I saw Tam frown as he looked down at his data-slate. “Uh…almost perfect.”

I gave him a narrow look. “What do you mean almost perfect? My numbers are right on the money.”

Tam faintly shrugged a shoulder. “Well, you said her bust was eighty-five. But we have her bust down at eighty-three.”

“Huh?” I shook my head, and winced when a pang ran through my skull. “She’s definitely bigger than eighty-three. That girl’s not that light up top.”

Milo threw in, “He could be right. She is a growing girl.”

Bradley asked, “Well, how do we tell who’s right and who’s wrong?”

I was about to reiterate that my numbers were on the mark, but decided to keep quiet.

Milo remarked, “We could ask for a second opinion.”

Bradley quipped, “Don’t you mean a third opinion?”

Tam looked up slowly, his expression thoughtful. “In that case, we could give it a try.”

“Give what a try?” Bradley asked. “Wait, you don’t mean—?”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I mean.” Tam put the data-slate down on the grass beside him and looked at his classmates. “If we need a second or third opinion, we could give it a spin now. I have it right here in my bag.” He patted the Academy carry-bag beside him. “I believe now is as good a time as any to test the Mark Three.”

Milo grinned weakly as he palmed a fist, and Bradley added with a nod, “Yeah, I agree.”

I leaned toward the trio. “Try what? What are you guys talking about?”

“I’ll show you,” Tam replied with restrained eagerness.

He reached into his school carry-bag and retrieved a box. It was obsidian in color, and looked professionally custom made, with rounded corners and beveled edges.

I raised my eyebrows at sight of it, my interest truly piqued.

He gave me a serious and level look. “This is a top secret prototype. Our group is still working on refining it. I might also point out this is version three, ergo, the Mark Three.”

I arched an eyebrow at him. “Version three of what?”

He swallowed dramatically. “The Guesstimator.”

I gave him a blank look. “Huh?”

Milo urged softly, “Tam, get on with it. Lunch break will be over soon. We’ve got less than fifteen minutes.”

“Yes, yes. Keep your panties on,” Tam replied smoothly.

He opened the box by unlatching the lock. Of course, there was key code to enter which made the whole situation that much more intriguing. When he finally swung the lid open, I saw what appeared to be a wrap-around visor, much like the sunglasses I’d seen snow skiers wear during competitions held in Island Five, which had three habitats devoted to nothing but sports and relaxation.

The visor was sleek and very stylish, and the darkly tinted lenses hid the wearer’s eyes.

I chose to play it down a little. “Okay, so it’s a visor. What’s the big deal?”

“Not just any visor,” Tam protested smoothly. “This baby is wirelessly linked to your palm-slate or data-slate running the Guesstimator software. She comes with binocular lenses here and here”—he tapped the outer rims of the visor—“and can be either voice activated or touch triggered here.”

I regarded it dubiously. “That’s all good, but what does it do?”

“You’ll understand better if we show you.” Tam lifted the visor reverently like he was holding a diamond tiara, and handed it to me. “Put it on.”

I did just that, finding it a little heavier than I expected but not uncomfortable. It was also smaller and tighter than the binocular-visor I’d been using to appraise the girls.

Beside me, Tam pressed a small button on the visor’s left wing that reached back over my left ear. I saw the inside of the visor crackle then clear.

“Hey,” I muttered, “what is this?”

Milo asked, “Tam did you load the latest software patch?”

“Yep. Patch nineteen. The guys are saying patch twenty comes out next week.”

I swallowed and asked, “What am I supposed to do?”

“Look for Melanie Heathencourt Sanreal,” Tam instructed.

I looked at the girls running. “Which one was she again—oh, I see her. She’s in second place now.”

“Good, good,” Tam muttered. “Just getting the slate client up and running.”

Bradley clapped his hands together. “Excellent. Now, let the demonstration begin.”

I was going to ask what ‘demonstration’ when my gaze fell on a girl walking in our direction. I didn’t recognize her, but I could tell she was angry from her expression and the manner in which she stomped toward us. I took her to be the Track-and-Field club’s manager.

“Ah, guys, that girl looks really angry.”

I thought I heard Bradley gasp before he hastily said, “Just ignore her for now. Hurry. Let’s get the show on the road.”

Tam agreed. “Keep your attention on Melanie. She has to be your sole focus.”

I wet my lips as my gaze settled on Melanie once again. “Sole focus…okay…my eyes are locked on her.”

“Desanto,” Tam said, “press the little button on the right wing, just behind where it blends into the visor.”

I reached up and after feeling along the length of the wing my fingers encountered a slight protuberance. I pressed it.

Suddenly an orange targeting silhouette soundlessly flashed up over Melanie Heathencourt. As she ran, I watched bands of light run up and down her trim figure for a few seconds, then a collection of numbers appeared in the left hand portion of my vision.

I blinked in awe. “So that’s what it does. Wow. This is cool.”

Tam sounded proud of the device. “Doesn’t matter if she’s wearing clothes or not. Once it gets a good idea of size and distance, then it goes to work. Tell us the numbers.”

I read them back to him. “Bust eighty-four. Waist fifty. Hips eighty-one.”

“Hmm,” Tam murmured. “Yeah. I got those here too. Let’s try it again.”

I had my finger on the small button built into the visor’s right wing, when my attention again fell on the angry girl storming toward us. In surprise, I pressed the button. The orange targeting silhouette highlighted her body, and the bands of light travelled over.

Tam blurted out, “Wait—why’d you scan her for?”

“Sorry. My finger slipped.” When the numbers came up, I couldn’t hide my disappointment. “Man, she’s a letdown. Bust seventy five, waist forty five, hips seventy three.”

Sho Bradley sighed loudly on my right. “Yeah, that’s my sister for you.”

“Eh!” My head spun as I faced him. “She’s your sister?”

Sho nodded sadly. “I think she and I took after our dad, because our mother’s a knock-out.”

I slipped off the Guesstimator. “Man, sorry about that. I didn’t mean any disrespect.”

He waved a hand loosely. “It’s cool. But, she’s a senior in middle-school so you never know. She might ‘blossom’ after all.” He started to get up. “However, I think we should get clear of her. Otherwise, she’ll give me an earful when I get home.”

I looked at the other two on my left. They nodded in agreement.

I shook my head. “You guys go on ahead. I’ll cover your retreat.”

They looked stunned, and Tam warned, “Man, you have no idea what you’re in for. That’s a tiger headed our way.”

I gave them a reassuring nod. “Trust me. I’ve handled bigger fish in just the first two weeks of school.”

Sho said, “Your exploits aside, she’s still my little sister.”

“I’m not going to do anything to her. I’m just going to divert her attention. Now, get going before she gets here.”

“Ara ara, what do we have here?”

For a moment my mind went blank, and my heart forgot to beat inside my chest.

My shoulders reflexively hunched up as I near instantly recognized that lilting feminine voice.

The trio around me froze like statues.

Tam stuttered wildly for a moment, sounding like a frightened little girl. “V—Vice President!”

“Ara ara, aren’t you being naughty little boys. Spying on the girls, are we? Now what shall I do with you?”

I didn’t need to turn around to know what expression she wore.

All I needed was to hear her voice.

Overwhelming panic washed over me.

Inside my mind, something went ‘snap’.

#

(Haruka)

#

Within the shadows of trees, we watched Caprice and the Shepherd boy part company.

She wore her usual faint smile, but he had a rather large grin on his face.

In other words, he was a happy boy.

I noticed Caprice held onto the pink rose in its conical plastic wrapping.

She watched him leave, during which he glanced back at her no less than five times. Once he was out of sight, she walked toward us.

Siobhan noted, “You certainly made his day. Probably his whole week.”

Caprice tipped her head ever so slightly. “I followed Haruka’s advice.”

I felt a twinge in my chest but kept my expression calm.

Caprice added while glancing at me, “I played it by ear.”

Another twinge, this time in my heart, and I took a small step toward her. “Caprice, about what I said…I’m sorry. I think I went too far.”

She blinked slowly, then nodded gently. “I understand.”

I shook my head stiffly.  “No, I don’t think you do. What I said came out of my bad experiences with Caelum. It doesn’t mean it’ll be that way for you.”

The shadow of a frown crossed her face, but she brightened quickly. “I understand.”

“Caprice—”

Alistair cut me off. “Hey, Caprice. I noticed you traded slate numbers. That’s pretty bold.”

I swallowed uncomfortably. “You traded numbers? What—what are you going to do?”

Caprice was quiet for a moment. “He asked me out on date. I told him I would get back to him.”

“You did? Why?”

“Because I wish to keep an open mind.” She touched her chest. “I want to know if he can make me feel the way Caelum does.”

I felt a little ill.

Good gods, what have I done?

I didn’t know whether to silently apologize to Caelum or to Caprice.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

Caprice began walking south down the path. “I’m going to leave the rose in my locker.”

“Well, make it quick,” Siobhan said. “We got ten minutes to the end of lunch, and I’m hungry. I have to eat something!”

“I shall return shortly,” she replied in near monotone.

I threw Siobhan and Alistair a hasty look. “You two go on ahead. I need to talk to her.”

Alistair’s expression soured. “Oh sure. Like we’re going to leave you alone with her.”

“What?”

“Have you heard of the snake in the Garden of Eden?”

My mouth fell open. Then I turned away angrily and chased after Caprice.

You bitch, Alistair!

I didn’t have to hurry for very far.

Caprice had come to a stop on the path, and was facing south in the direction of the sports field where girls of the Track-and-Field club were running. Rather, they had been running but had stumbled to a halt. It was easy to understand why, considering the commotion on the hill overlooking the sports field.

As I watched the comedy scene playing out on the hill, I felt my heart sink.

Behind me, Alistair muttered, “Oh shit….”

A sharp crack cut the air, and the pink rose in Caprice’s hand snapped in two.

#

(Caelum)

#

I spun round as agilely as I could. “Guys—run! Save yourselves.”

I tossed the Guesstimator to Tam who reflexively caught it in the air.

Then I overclocked as I sprinted toward the Countess, Simone Alucard Raynar, who stood a couple of meters away, perched prettily atop her Jimmy Chans with their three inch heels.

In slow-motion, I watched the smile of confident superiority on her beautiful face fade as I ran toward her.

Before she could utter a cry of protest, I crouched and scooped her up onto my right shoulder. Then with one hand over her back and the other against her buttocks to hold her in place, I ran along the grassy high ground that bordered the running track.

I think I gave those girls in the Track-and-Field club a run for their money.

Suffice to say the Countess’s cries of protest caught their attention, causing a number of them to stumble.

I must have cut quite the picture fleeing with a girl like the Countess over my right shoulder.

In any event, I ran until I arrived at the storage houses behind the gym, well out of sight of the Academy’s buildings. Only then did I put her back down on her high heels. She swayed unsteadily so I reached out and supported her for a few moments.

Simone’s silver hair was a mess. She brushed it back, straightened her uniform, and then smacked me across the top of my head.

“Ouch!”

“That was uncalled for,” she declared in annoyance.

I rubbed my head. “Sorry.”

She stared at me hard for a few moments, then relaxed and slowly shook her head. “Ara ara, why am I so surprised?” She rubbed her midriff for a little while. “That really did hurt.”

I bowed to her. “I’m truly sorry.”

“I wasn’t going to hurt them,” she said.

“Ah—I guess not.” I remained bowed before her.

She was quiet for a little while. “So, you made some new friends.”

I slowly straightened then held up a finger. “Associates. Acquaintances. Not friends.”

“Birds of a feather flock together.”

“Ah…well, they are like minded individuals.” I ran a hand through my hair shyly. “They sought me out. I guess my reputation precedes me.” I chuckled but stopped when I noticed her eyes narrow sharply. “Ah…Countess?”

“Caelum.”

“Yes…Countess?”

“I won’t approve of you cheating behind my back.”

I choked. “Wh—what? What cheating? How could I be cheating on you if we’re not dating?”

“Ara ara, so you haven’t heard the rumors.”

“Geh—what rumors?” My stomach felt like a cannon ball weighing down on my bladder.

The Countess’s eyes widened, then a calculating look settled upon her face.

I shied back a little. “Count—Countess?”

“This is going to be interesting,” she murmured loudly. “However, just like you have a reputation to uphold, so do I.”

“Meaning what?”

“Meaning that it’s my duty to safeguard the girls of this Academy from you.”

“Huh? But I haven’t done anything.”

“Oh no? What about passing confidential information to the members maintaining the site for The Girls of Galatea?”

“I haven’t done anything of the sort.”

“Your talent for discerning a girl’s three sizes is uncanny. Naturally, I wasn’t surprised to hear the members had recruited you.”

“Eh? You heard about that.”

“Of course I did.” She waved a hand in the direction where the guys and I had been seated. “Those three boys were the leading members, right?”

I tried to deny it but eventually just nodded.

Simone exhaled heavily. “Never mind. Never mind. I should have expected this would happen sooner rather than later.”

I frowned inwardly. How did she know I was meeting with the students running the Girls of Galatea Academy site?

Outwardly, I cringed nervously. “Uh, Countess?”

She waved a perfectly manicured hand. “Relax, Caelum. Relax.” The Countess fished into her skirt’s pocket then pulled out her palm-slate. “I came to show you this.”

I took the slate from her slender hands and studied the dossier it displayed. “A student…Serenity Artesan afil Avenir?”

The Countess said, “She’s a Familiar in the service of the Avenirs.”

“And?”

“And she’s transferring to this Academy next week.”

I looked at the Countess. “Do you know why?”

Simone shook her head. Her silver hair swished gently about her face. Her bosom heaved when she took a deep breath. “I asked but was told not to. In particular, my sister told me not to question the directives of the upper echelons. This leads me to believe the order for her transfer came from the Sanctum…or maybe the Primogen Council.”

“What’s her Fragment?”

The Countess looked anxious for a heartbeat. “A Valkyrie….”

I frowned. “You mean it’s like Caprice’s.”

“Yes, though I don’t know if it’s locked down as a Fragment, or unlocked as an Artifact. Information on her is ‘sketchy’ at best.”

I swallowed nervously. “Do you think…she’s here to keep an eye on me?”

Simone regarded me with a steady look. “That remains to be seen. However, I do believe you’ll need to be on your best behavior.”

“In what regards?”

“Caelum, from now on, I want you to stick close to me.”

I straightened and stared at her, all humor gone from my body. “What are you up to, Simone?”

She shook her head gently. “It’s not what you think. I don’t want this girl looking for trouble with you. To that end, I’m going to make it clear that you’re firmly in my square.”

“Countess, I’m firmly in Arisa’s square, not yours.”

“What I mean is, I want this girl to see you’re co-operating fully with the Raynar Pride—my Pride.”

I studied Serenity’s image for a little while.

I won’t lie. She was ‘hot’.

She had that weird cartoon style, pastel lavender hair, but it fell beautifully like waterfalls over her shoulders. Combine that with her elfin features and violet eyes—wait, violet?

I peered at her image intently.

This girl looks awfully familiar. I mean, I know I’ve seen her before, but where?

“Caelum.” The Countess stuck out her hand, and I reluctantly handed the palm-slate back to her.

She fiddled with it before pocketing it into her skirt.

Taking a quick breath, I asked, “So, what does ‘stick close to me’ entail?”

“Well, to begin with…next weekend keep Saturday completely free.”

“Next Saturday? You don’t mean this coming Saturday?”

She looked distressed. “No, I can’t be with you this weekend. Family affairs to deal with.” She rubbed her eyes for a moment. “Damn—Mother can be so insistent sometimes. I don’t what she’s so afraid of.”

Folding her arms once again, the Countess regarded me with an expectant look.

My shoulders drooped in response. “So, talking about next Saturday. Let me guess, same place, same time, right?”

So far she’d monopolized every one of my weekends since she ruined Prissila’s plans. In fact, she had succeeded in keeping all other girls away from me, including Caprice. Actually, Caprice was keeping away of her own volition which made my heart ache in a strange, empty way.

Honestly, I didn’t mind Simone’s company, but I was quickly getting to the point where I wanted time for myself, especially on weekends. For now, she had skipped visiting our training sessions this week, and I was a little relieved. However, last week I was still convalescing from my gut piercing injury, and the Countess had dominated every afternoon and evening after school. If it wasn’t shopping, it was usually movies and dinner.

Again, I didn’t mind her company. Truthfully, I enjoyed being with her, but we were partaking in events that couples enjoyed, and that troubled me because she and I were not a couple.

Just what was our relationship?

What did I want our relationship to be?

I found myself contemplating her. A girl like her, and I guy like me. There was just no possibility of that happening, right?

The Countess was shaking her head uneasily.

“Wrong,” she replied.

“Huh?” I was confused and hurriedly jumped back on track. “What do you mean I’m wrong?”

She took a really, deep breath, then let it out with a slow shudder. “Caelum, my sister wants to meet you.”

My eyes widened – I mean, they really, really widened. “You’re not serious—”

She lowered her arms and clenched her hands at her sides. “I’m completely serious. Completely!”

I raised my palms toward her. “Okay, okay. But does Arisa know?”

Again the Countess crossed her arms, but this time with a degree of reticence. “She gave her…very grudging consent.”

“Heh? You didn’t bribe her, did you?”

She drew her lips back in a sour smile. “Ah, well, there was one condition I had to agree to….”

“What condition?”

She hastily sucked in air, then spoke in a rush. “It’s not a concern. It’s all taken care off. For now, the priority is dinner with my sister”—her voice fell quickly—“and my mother….”

My innards turned to stone. “Huh?”

Simone closed her eyes – actually she squeezed them shut – then held her breath. Without warning, she stepped up to me and took both my hands in hers. With her gaze locked onto mine, and I was trapped by her imploring azure eyes.

“Caelum, please. I really, really need your help.”

“Heh? With—with what?”

“You—you need to make the best possible impression.”

“What—why?”

“I promise I’ll tell you afterwards. You have to trust me—this is all for a very good cause.”

“Trust you? But you’re always—” My voice caught in my throat when she brought my knuckles up to her lips. “Wh—what are you doing?”

But it wasn’t my knuckles she was interested in.

She took my right index finger into her mouth and began suckling on it.

My breath caught.

Ah—what the Hell is she doing? What’s this weird feeling? Damn, she’s making me blush. Actually, I think part of me is already on fire.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her face as she worked her lips and tongue around my finger.

Damn it, what is it with this crazy tongue technique?

When she closed her eyes, a dreamy look came over her.

Damn, that is so incredibly erotic. No—it’s impossibly erotic!

A soft moan escaped her lips, and fireworks exploded inside my head.

“Aggh—stop, stop! Countess, I can’t take it anymore.”

I was afraid of pulling my finger out. Would she bite it if I tried? But what the heck could I do?

Amidst the fireworks continuously exploding in the cavern of my mind, a single thought shone bright and steady. My consciousness was drawn to it like a moth to a flame. That light was the answer to my current predicament.

It was telling me to give up.

I wasn’t going to win this round against her.

I spoke like a man drowning. “Okay, okay. I trust you. I’ll help you in any way I can. I’ll make the best possible impression. I’ll be so good your mother will start making wedding plans!”

Gah! What did I just say? I have to stop now! Someone stop me now!

She stopped suckling on my finger. She was careful to suck it almost dry as it left her mouth.

Then she stared at me intently. “You promise?”

I nodded fervently. “I do—I do.”

She frowned. “You do?”

“I do. I definitely do. No doubt about it.”

Wait! Maybe that was the wrong thing to say. I only realized that after she leapt onto me and threw her arms around my neck.

“You do, you do, you do,” she kept repeating. “Oh, I’m so happy.”

Gah—her breasts didn’t flatten against me. More like they crushed my chest. Yep, that’s how firm and heavy they were.

Ah, still, I could die happy from this sensation alone.

Then my body warned me it would need air in a half minute.

“Simone, I can’t breathe.”

She whispered loudly into my ear. “Then let me go.”

“Huh?”

She kept whispering. “Caelum, you’re the one holding onto me.”

My heart stopped for a complete second.

She was right. I was the one holding onto her.

In a blur, I quickly separated the both of us – or at least I tried to. Her arms remained looped around my neck and shoulders.

“Ara ara, could this mean—”

“No, no. Don’t even let your mind start running off in that direction.”

She sighed but smiled brightly. “As long as you keep your promise, I have nothing to worry about.” She started bouncing happily on her high heels.

I found it impossible not to smile at her buoyant expression.

Then I heard the sound of the first lunch bell. The second would ring in five minutes.

She removed her arms from around me, but then quickly kissed my cheek.

“Hurry back to class,” she whispered with a loving tone that almost turned me into butter.

Yet again, I ruminated the nature of our relationship, and then wondered if the one trying to deny the relationship was in fact me. Was it because of the other girls on the compass, or was it because I was afraid of committing to her? Was it because subconsciously I didn’t believe I could trust her?

Now her family wanted to meet me. I didn’t think this new development would bode well for me.

Simone walked away with that swish of her hips and buttocks that captivated my attention without fail, dispelling my worries as my mind followed a single path all the way to her shapely derriere.

If only she wore something more befitting than gym shorts under her skirt.

Ah, what a disappointment. It was enough to make my heart wilt.

The life support system in Habitat One had been shaky since the attack by Crimson Crescent. Shifts in temperature happened often, and gusts of strong wind were rather frequent to the point the Academy had issued a warning to the girls to not shorten their skirts by tucking them into their waistband. To the surprise of many, the practice continued in earnest, despite the frequent flashing of panties in and out of school grounds.

As Simone walked away, a very strong breeze blew over the Academy grounds.

Her white skirt billowed upwards, then fluttered back down.

Almost as an afterthought she placed a hand on her skirt to keep it in check.

Then she spared me a glance over her shoulder.

I was too stunned to react. I felt as though I was experiencing an out-of-body event.

Crimson lacy ruffles with a very high cut and bows tied at the hips.

A vision of naughty loveliness that would haunt me for the rest of the day, and well into the night.

Then my brain kicked back into gear, and an ominous foreboding brushed my heart.

I had the answer to the question I’d asked the Society for the Promotion of Cultural Ideals.

I now knew the identity of those mouthwatering buttocks in the up-skirt photo.

She was the Countess of Galatea Academy…Simone Alucard Raynar.

Pressing my lips into a thin line, I wondered if I was being played by Simone, or by someone else.

#

(Haruka)

#

Siobhan arrived late. “Hey, what happened? What about lunch?”

In the aftermath of having witnessed Caelum Desanto sprinting madly with the Countess tossed over his right shoulder, Caprice, Alistair, and I were standing in quiet shock.

However, it was Caprice who recovered first.

Holding the broken rose between her clenched teeth, Caprice pulled out her slender palm-slate from a skirt pocket, and began typing away on its screen.

Clearing my throat uncertainly, I cautiously asked, “What are you doing?”

With the rose in her mouth, she mumbled, “Sending Crais Shepherd a message.”

“Huh?” Alistair blinked and shook herself out of the shock-induced torpor. “What message?”

“I’m asking if he’s free this Sunday,” Caprice mumbled back.

“Why?” I queried though I already knew the answer.

Caprice continued typing with one hand, while removing the broken rose from between her teeth. “Because I’m asking him out on a date.”

“Oh….” My heart sank. There really wasn’t anything I could say. Caelum had messed up big time. In a very real way he’d proven my words of warning to Caprice.

She tapped away some more, then pressed ‘send’. Pocketing her palm-slate, she turned to face Alistair, Siobhan, and I.

“I need your help,” she declared deadpan.

“With what?” Siobhan asked.

Caprice bowed respectfully to us. “I need you to make me look pretty.”

“Oh,” Siobhan whispered. “That’s easy. You’re already a knock-out.”

Caprice straightened, but wouldn’t meet our eyes.

She sounded faintly nervous when she softly admitted, “I want to make a good impression.”

In my chest, my heart twisted painfully, and I cursed Caelum.

Damn you. Damn you, Caelum. You stupid, stupid fool!