The afternoon sun was already starting to dip low when Haruto finally dragged himself up the stairs to his apartment.
But as he rounded the corner to his floor, he stopped dead in his tracks. There she was - Satsuki, leaning against his door with that gentle smile of hers. Her long black hair caught the light streaming through the hallway window, and she was wearing that soft pink sweater that always made her look so... domestic. So warm and welcoming.
"Welcome home, Haruto," she said, pushing herself off the door. Before he could even get his key out, she'd closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.
She smelled like vanilla and something floral - maybe jasmine? Her body pressed against his, soft and warm through the thin fabric of her sweater. Haruto felt his shoulders relax for the first time all day as he melted into her embrace. This was exactly what he needed after that hellish study session.
"Come on, let's get you inside," Satsuki murmured, taking his keys from his fumbling fingers and unlocking the door.
The moment they were through the door, she was on him again, pulling him close and burying his face against her chest. The soft warmth of her breasts pressed against his cheek, and for a second his mind went completely blank. All those equations and historical dates just... disappeared. Replaced by the steady rhythm of her heartbeat and the way her sweater felt against his skin.
But then another image flashed through his mind. Akiko's chest, smaller but just as soft, pressed against him that night. The way she'd looked up at him with those big brown eyes when she woke up, her cheeks flushed pink...
"Haruto?" Satsuki's voice snapped him back to reality. She'd pulled back slightly, her hands on his shoulders, looking at him with concern. "You seem really out of it. Was the exam prep that difficult today?"
He blinked, trying to focus on her face instead of the guilty thoughts swirling around in his head. "Yeah, it was... it was pretty rough. All those practice tests are starting to blur together, you know?"
Her expression softened, and she reached up to brush a strand of hair out of his eyes. The gesture was so tender it made his heart skip. "Poor thing. You've been pushing yourself so hard lately. Here, sit down, I'll make you something to eat."
Before he could protest, she was already pushing him toward the couch and heading for his tiny kitchen. Haruto collapsed onto the cushions with a groan, finally letting himself relax.
The smell of something amazing started drifting from the kitchen: garlic and ginger and something else that made his mouth water. Through the doorway, he could see Satsuki stirring something in a pan. The apron hugged her waist, emphasizing the curve of her hips, and every time she reached for something on the counter, her sweater rode up just slightly.
Twenty minutes later, she appeared with two steaming bowls of what looked like the best stir-fry he'd ever seen. Tender strips of beef, crisp vegetables, all sitting on a bed of perfectly cooked rice. His stomach practically roared with appreciation.
"This looks incredible," he said, accepting the bowl with both hands. "You didn't have to go to all this trouble."
Satsuki settled beside him on the couch, close enough that their thighs were touching. "It's no trouble at all. I like taking care of you, Haruto-kun. You work so hard, you deserve to be pampered a little."
"Slow down," Satsuki smiled, reaching over to wipe a bit of sauce from the corner of his mouth with her thumb. "The food's not going anywhere."
Her thumb lingered at the corner of his mouth for just a second longer than necessary, and he found himself staring at her lips. They were glossy with some kind of lip balm, perfectly shaped, and so close he could probably just lean forward and...
"So," she said, pulling her hand back and breaking the spell. "Tell me about what you're struggling with. Maybe I can help you study afterward?"
Right. Studying. That's what he should be thinking about, not how soft her lips looked or how good she smelled or how her sweater clung to her curves in all the right places.
"It's mostly the math stuff," he said, forcing himself to focus on his food. "Calculus is hard, onee-chan. And don't even get me started on the physics problems."
"I was always pretty good at math," Satsuki said, moving a little closer on the couch. "I could try to help explain some of the concepts that are giving you trouble. Sometimes it helps to hear things explained differently."
"That would be amazing," he said, probably a little too quickly. "I mean, if you don't mind. I know it's probably boring for you."
"Nothing about spending time with you is boring," she said, and there was something in her voice that made him look up from his bowl. Her eyes were warmer than usual, almost... intense. Like she was trying to tell him something without saying it directly.
They finished eating in comfortable silence, with Satsuki occasionally making small comments about the food or asking about his day. When they were done, she took both bowls without being asked and disappeared into the kitchen to wash them. Haruto wanted to help, but she waved him off with a smile.
"Just get your books ready," she called out. "I'll be right there."
He gathered his textbooks and notebooks from his bag, spreading them out on the coffee table. His calculus book fell open to a page covered in red marks from where he'd gotten problem after problem wrong during today's practice session. Just looking at it made his head start to ache again.
Satsuki returned from the kitchen and settled on the couch beside him, closer than before. Close enough that he could feel the warmth radiating from her body and catch hints of her perfume every time she moved.
"Okay, show me what's giving you trouble," she said, leaning forward to look at his textbook. Her sweater gaped slightly at the neckline, giving him a glimpse of smooth skin and the edge of something lacy underneath.
Focus, damn it. Math. Calculus. Not the way her breast curved where it disappeared under the fabric of her bra.
"Um, it's these derivative problems," he said, pointing to a section covered in his scribbles.
Satsuki nodded thoughtfully, pulling the book closer to get a better look. Her thigh pressed against his as she shifted position, and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from reacting.
"Okay, I see what's happening here," she said, grabbing a pencil from the table. "You're overthinking it. The chain rule isn't as scary as it looks - you just have to break it down step by step."
She started working through one of the problems, her voice patient and clear as she explained each step. But Haruto was having trouble concentrating on her words when her hand kept brushing against his as she wrote, and every time she leaned forward to point something out, he got another glimpse of the way her lips moved when she talked instead of paying attention to the math
"Are you following so far?" she asked, looking up at him with those big, trusting eyes.
"Yeah," he said. "That makes sense."
She smiled and continued with the next problem, completely oblivious to the effect she was having on him.
"Here, you try this one," she said, sliding the pencil into his hand. Her fingers closed over his for just a moment, warm and soft. "I'll guide you through it."
The problem was a mess of functions and variables that might as well have been written in a foreign language for all the sense it made to him.
"That's it!" she said, clapping her hands together when he got the right answer. "You've got it now. See? You're much smarter than you give yourself credit for."
The praise made warmth spread through his chest, and he found himself sitting up straighter. When was the last time someone had been this patient with him? This encouraging? His teachers at cram school just barked out formulas and expected everyone to keep up. His parents meant well, but their idea of help was usually just "study harder."
They worked through several more problems...
"I think you've got the hang of it now," she said, setting down the pencil and stretching her arms above her head.
"Thanks to you," he said, meaning it. "I don't know what I would have done without your help. You're an amazing teacher."
Something flickered across her face at the compliment - a flush of pink in her cheeks, a softening around her eyes. "I'm just glad I could help. You've been working so hard, Haruto..."
The way she said his name, soft and almost breathless, made something tight coil in his stomach. She was looking at him differently now, her usual gentle expression replaced by something more intense...
"Satsuki..." he started, not sure what he was going to say but knowing he needed to say something. The air between them felt charged, like the moment before lightning strikes.
She leaned closer, her hand coming up to rest on his chest. He could feel his heart hammering against his ribs, could smell her perfume stronger now, could see the flecks of gold in her brown eyes.
"You work so hard," she whispered, her fingers playing with the buttons of his shirt. "Let me take care of you properly..."
But just as her lips were about to meet his cheek, something changed. The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees in an instant. Satsuki's warm expression vanished, replaced by something cold and sharp and dangerous...