Mitsuko stopped approximately twenty meters away from where Yuichiro slept. Just like the previous area, it was a small opening surrounded by bushes.
When she turned around, Tadakatsu appeared, wading through the thicket. His eyes were glazed. But maybe it was subconscious. He still kept a tight grip on his gun.
Mitsuko immediately pulled down the side zipper of her skirt. Her pleated skirt fell to the ground, exposing her thighs in the dull morning light. She could tell he was holding his breath.
Then she removed her scarf and undressed. Unlike the other girls she’d never be so square as to wear an undershirt, so she only had her underwear on now. Oh right, she had to take off her shoes. After she took them off, she stared at Tadakatsu with her fallen angel’s smile.
“M-Mitsuko,” Tadakatsu barely managed to utter.
Mitsuko decided to make sure. “I’m so scared, Tadakatsu. So…”
Tadakatsu awkwardly approached Mitsuko.
Mitsuko looked down at his right hand, pretending to suddenly notice the gun, and said, “Put that thing somewhere else.”
Tadakatsu lifted his hand, as if he suddenly became aware of its existence, and gazed at it. Then he put it down, away from them.
He approached her again.
Mitsuko gave a nice smile, spread out her arms, and wrapped her hands around his neck. His body trembled but the moment Mitsuko offered her lips, he immediately began sucking on them. Mitsuko received him by breathing heavily.
After a while their lips separated.
Mitsuko looked up at Tadakatsu’s eyes and said, “This is your first time, huh?”
“So what?” Tadakatsu said, his voice trembling.
They fell down on the grass, Mitsuko underneath.
Tadakatsu immediately went for her breasts.
You idiot, you’re supposed to make out for a while before you do that, Mitsuko thought. Instead she moaned, “Ahh…” Tadakatsu’s rough hands slipped off her bra and clutched at her well-endowed breasts, now exposed. Then his face went down there.
“Ahh… ahh…”
She continued pretending to be turned on (in exaggerated porn-video style), but meanwhile her right hand was reaching down to her panties.
Her fingertips touched a hard, thin object.
Gang girls probably didn’t use such cheap, clunky weapons anymore. But it’d been Mitsuko’s weapon of choice for a long time now. The most useful weapon right now for her was in fact something she could hide in her panties.
Tadakatsu was preoccupied with kissing Mitsuko’s breasts. His left hand reached between her legs. Mitsuko then let out a moan… but Tadakatsu’s eyes were concentrating on her breasts. His scalp was exposed.
Mitsuko slowly moved her right hand near his neck.
Sorry, Tadakatsu. But at least you get to go out with a nice memory, so you can forgive me, right? Too bad we won’t go all the way, though.
Mitsuko’s right ring finger gently touched Tadakatsu’s neck. The object was between her index and middle finger.
Kaw kaw, a bird cried, unfortunately, to her right.
Tadakatsu raised his head reflexively and glanced over in that direction.
It was only the sound of a bird crying. What really made Tadakatsu’s eyes open wide was of course the razor blade in Mitsuko’s hand right in front of his face.
Damn it!
How bad can my timing be? The thought sort of crossed her mind, but Mitsuko didn’t care as she automatically swung the blade.
He groaned and pulled away from Mitsuko. The blade skimmed his neck, but the cut was way too shallow to be fatal. My oh my, good reflexes. That’s right, you’re a baseball jock.
Tadakatsu stood up, his eyes open wide, staring down at Mitsuko, her body half raised. He appeared to be on the verge of saying something but seemed at a loss for words.
She could care less about Tadakatsu’s state. She leaped up and made a dash for the revolver immediately to her right.
But Tadakatsu’s body flew in front of her in a head-first slide. He scooped the gun from the ground, rolled over, and got up on his knees. Ever since elementary school Tadakatsu played the shortstop position formerly occupied by Shuya Nanahara (even though she and Shuya went to different schools Shuya’s reputation as a star player in Little League was so widespread even Mitsuko had heard of him), so his reflexes served him well. The Shiroiwa Junior High School baseball team is in good hands, huh? Well, at least you didn’t take off your pants. You would have looked pretty pathetic naked.
Once Mitsuko realized Tadakatsu would get the gun before she did, she changed course. She heard gunshots behind her, but they missed as she ran into the thicket.
She could hear Tadakatsu chasing her. He would catch up. That was for sure.
She got out of the thicket. There was Yuichiro Takiguchi. He looked like he’d heard the gunfire, got up, and then realizing Mitsuko and Tadakatsu were gone, was looking around, but the moment his eyes found her, they opened wide. (Of course. She was half naked. What a bonus! Mitsuko Souma’s One Night Show. Oh wait, but it’s morning.)
“Yuichiro!” Mitsuko raised her voice and ran towards Yuichiro. She didn’t forget to crumple up her face.
“W-what happened, Mitsuko?”
By the time Tadakatsu Hatagami made his way through the bushes, Mitsuko was behind Yuichiro’s back. Because Yuichiro was only four or five centimeters taller than her, she couldn’t really hide behind him, but oh well.
“Yuichiro!” Tadakatsu stopped and held his gun, groaning. “Get out of my way!”
“H-hold on.” His face still drowsy, Yuichiro spoke quickly perhaps because he didn’t fully grasp the situation. Mitsuko grabbed his shoulders from behind and pressed her half naked body against his back.
Yuichiro said, “What is wrong with you?”
“Mitsuko tried to kill me! I told you, man!”
Still hiding behind Yuichiro, Mitsuko said in a feeble voice, “Th-that’s not true. Tadakatsu tried to force me to—he threatened me with that gun. Please, help me, Yuichiro!”
Tadakatsu’s face contorted in dismay. “I-it’s not true, Yuichiro! Th-that’s right. Look!” Tadakatsu pointed at his neck with the fingers of his empty left hand. The narrow cut had a slight blood stain. “She went at me with a razor blade!”
Yuichiro turned around and looked at Mitsuko out of the corner of his eye. Mitsuko shook her head as cutely as possible, as if terrified. Now she was playing the virgin again.
“I was so desperate, I had to use my nails on him. Then… Tadakatsu got mad. He tried to shoot me…”
She had already gotten rid of the razor blade in the shrubs. Even if she were forced to take off all her clothes (she was nearly naked anyway now) for a body search, they’d find no evidence.
Now Tadakatsu’s face flushed red with anger.
“Move, Yuichiro!” he shouted. “I’m shooting her!”
“Hold on,” Yuichiro said, trying his best to sound calm, “I-I can’t tell who’s telling the truth.”
“What!?” Tadakatsu raised his voice, but Yuichiro wasn’t intimidated. He reached out his right hand to Tadakatsu.
“Give me your gun. Then we’ll see who’s telling the truth.”
Tadakatsu’s face contorted as if he were on the verge of crying out of misery. And wearing this face he screamed at Yuichiro, “We can’t afford to take our time here! You’re going to get killed too if we don’t get rid of her now!”
Mitsuko cried out, “That’s awful. I would never do that. Help me, Yuichiro.” She squeezed his shoulders tightly.