Cross Gun: Interlude 9 – Exposure

Interlude 9 – Exposure

「Alright guys. I’m gonna start cooking.」

「Ah, welcome home, Aniki.」

 

As he arrived home with his school and shopping bags in hand, Junichi was welcomed by his gracious little sister. From what Junichi could see, Mana’s jet black hair had a slicker and glossier shine than usual. Seeing that each strand of her hair was silken and slightly damp, Junichi could tell that she had already taken her shower.

Surveying her figure, Junichi could see that her body was covered by a frilly red camisole that fell halfway down her thighs. Due to having no sleeves, the camisole appeared to be rather revealing as it exposed Mana’s glowing skin, particularly at the shoulders and thighs down. Of course, while this attire might have enflamed the lust in most men, Junichi was barely affected as this was hardly the first time that he had been faced with Mana’s unintentional charm.

As a side note, the reason why Mana was wearing such thin and revealing clothing was due to the summer weather. She was most certainly not trying to appeal to her brother in anyway.

Or at least, that’s what Saito Junichi believed.

 

「Ah, Junichi-kun. Welcome home!」

 

Behind Mana, Junichi saw a girl with beautiful, light brown hair that fell straight down towards her waist. Unlike Mana’s breezy outfit designed to cool off against the humid environment, Shiori wore a rather modest set of plain, long sleeved pajamas, colored with a shade of pale caramel. Although they appeared to be long sleeves, Junichi could tell that the fabric was rather thin and long. In fact, for some strange reason, the sleeves were so long that a part of Shiori’s palms had been covered by the long sleeves, giving quite an innocent, yet cute, image. While Shiori’s figure had by no means fallen short of Mana’s attractiveness, Junichi couldn’t help but feel that Shiori looked more like the younger sister than his actual one due to the clothes they wore altering the atmosphere around their wearers.

 

「? Where’s senpai?」

 

Although he noticed that Shiori had flecks of water attached to her hair, he was aware that Shiori had also cleansed herself in the bathroom. That said, his thoughts didn’t linger long as he asked where their “guest” was.

And then, as if on cue-

 

*Slide*

 

「? Oh, Saito-kun! Welcome back!」

 

A tall, blue haired girl stepped out of the bathroom and into the corridor, exposing her drenched, clothless body to the dark haired youth that was standing at the entrance. Whether by luck or chance, Mana and Shiori’s bodies were blocking Junichi’s view of the girl’s “treasured jewels”. That said, Junichi could more or less determine that Miyazaki Sora, the girl that had walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her neck, was not only well proportioned, but also incredibly naked.

 

「S-S-Sora!? I keep telling you to cover yourself up when you finish your shower!」

「S-S-S-S-Sora-san! P-Please s-s-s-show some m-modesty!」

 

As Mana and Shiori scolded Sora for her lack of delicacy, Junichi simply sighed as he walked past the three girls.

Miyazaki Sora. A girl that had taken an interest in his little sister during her first year being on the council. Shortly after this first contact, Mana and Shiori would often invite Sora to their house for a sleepover where they would help each other with assignments.

However, for some reason or another, the blue devil of a senpai had an extremely strange habit of exiting the shower completely bare, save for the towel that she often hung on the back of her neck. Obviously, it went without saying that, during the times she stayed here, she exhibited the same behavior without a care in the world.

Naturally, as a healthy young man, while Junichi wasn’t particularly interested in a relationship with the school’s No. 3, he could not deny that this girl was as much a beauty as the other two girls that were currently struggling to cover her from Junichi’s gaze. If he had to make a comparison, then Miyazaki Sora would be an unintentional temptation, like a piece of chocolate that you ate on a whim that suddenly spread through your body, causing you to feel a strange ecstasy that would make you want more.

Even though the metaphor left much to be desired, Junichi earnestly believed that the blue devil was as simple and as addicting as such a treat compounded with sugar and cocoa.

 

「*sigh* I’m gonna start cooking now. It’ll take about an hour and a half.」

 

Junichi stated as he nonchalantly walked into the kitchen. He didn’t dare make eye contact with his senpai’s naked body due to the fact that he was sure to receive another beating from Mana if he did so.

 

(……partner. You’re like your little sister’s whipping boy.)

(………)

 

Although Junichi had clearly heard 『Cross’』 comment, he chose to ignore it for the time being as he began to unload his ingredients. Following this, he took off his blazer, removed his phone from his trouser pocket into his blazer pocket, and put on an apron.

As he began to make his preparations, Junichi couldn’t help but reminisce to around the first time that he had seen his senpai coming out of the shower in that state.

While Mana and Shiori were in their rooms busy studying, Junichi had come back home to see a lone, blue haired girl, her moist skin revealed before his very eyes. Due to the mist coming from the bathroom, it seemed that a lot of her body appeared to be slightly blurred, masked by the fog that appeared to show just enough for Junichi to be aware that the girl before him was undeniably clothless.

Of course, Junichi was concerned. After all, he had no idea why this blue haired girl was so brazenly naked before his very eyes. While it wasn’t the first time that he had seen a naked girl, Junichi had to admit that being exposed to such stimuli would be quite disorienting.

However, after finally managing to snap out of his slight stupor, Junichi maintained a blank expression as he called out to the girl with blue hair.

 

「…senpai, are you an exhibitionist?」

 

And then, according to Junichi’s memory, the blue devil abruptly sprung towards Junichi as her leg came slamming down onto the back of his cranium.

It was a beautiful axe kick that rivalled…no, that far surpassed Mana’s 【Axe】. From what Junichi was aware of, this was one of the 『Hurricane’s』 special techniques, one that Mana had based her 【Axe】 off of. 【Sledge Hammer】.

Unlike Mana’s kick that focused on a clean swing that aimed for a precise point, Sora’s 【Sledge Hammer】 was a much cruder technique. It was an axe kick that aimed for maximum offensive power rather than precision, requiring a significant amount of leg strength in order to generate a substantial amount of force.

Incidentally, Mana had asked Sora to coach her on leg techniques. While Mana was unable to learn 【Sledge Hammer】, she did manage to create her own unique 【Axe】. This was due to the fact that Mana had learned combat via karate lessons, which allowed her to obtain more control over her body. As Junichi had arbitrarily described her, Mana was more of a “Precision Powerhouse”, a person that had a rather large amount of power that used it to perform accurate strikes in order to disable one’s opponent quickly and without too much risk.

Mana’s 【Axe】 was such a technique that required pinpoint precision in order to target and inflict a lot of damage on the target’s most vulnerable areas. Similar to how the sharp blade of an axe is designed to sink into a tree and tear away at its wood, Mana’s kicks were keen blades that bore into her opponent’s vitals.

Yet, in comparison, Sora’s wasn’t nearly as fine as Mana’s. In fact, if she were an axe, her blade would be so crude that one may as well be swing around a hammer. It was because of her athletic training and lack of finesse that Sora’s legs lacked the keen precision that her junior possessed. That said, it was most likely due to the fact that Sora never needed precision in the first place.

Like how a hammer can knock down a tree with enough force, Sora was the “Momentum Brawler”. She would use her speed and leg strength to generate enough power that her legs turned into bludgeoning tools that equalled and surpassed Mana’s axes. In fact, it was precisely because she lacked speed that Mana was unable to perform Sora’s 【Sledge Hammer】 technique.

After all, a sledge hammer would require a significant amount of velocity and momentum in order for it to be capable of smashing through objects. While axes required velocity and momentum as well, it was clear to Junichi that Mana’s running speed could not even be compared to the school’s top athlete.

In the end, even though Miyazawa Mana and Miyazaki Sora were friends, they were quite different from each other in their own way. Especially considering that one of them had excelled to the Rank of 3 based on physical capabilities alone. To reinforce this idea, while Mana’s 【Axe】 had caused a tile to crack in the infirmary, Sora’s 【Sledge Hammer】 had apparently sent Junichi’s head crashing down into the apartment below his.

Of course, as Junichi wasn’t at fault, Sora had (un)fortunately taken care of the bill for repairs.

That said, even after all the time they’ve seen each other, Junichi never dared to ask Sora about that again.

After all, the “Evading Assassin” was really a bad match against the “Momentum Fighter”.

 

 

 

 

「Hey, Mana-chan!」

「? What is it, Sora?」

 

Mana asked as she turned towards her blue haired friend. After some slight difficulty, Sora changed into a baggy pair of grey shorts and a red tank top. While her attire seemed suited for the humidity of summer nights, in all honesty, Mana couldn’t help but think that Sora’s pajamas closely resembled a basketball uniform.

 

「Check out what I got!」

 

As Sora smiled mischievously, she pulled out a rectangular piece of dark blue plastic. From the shape and size of the object, it didn’t take long for both Mana and Shiori to understand what it was.

 

「T-That’s Junichi-kun’s phone!?」

 

Shiori widened her eyes as she covered her open mouth with both of her pale, delicate hands.

 

「S-Sora!? Why do you-!?」

「He heh~ I managed to snag it from his blazer pocket after he took it off!」

 

Sora puffed her chest out in pride as she held the phone high above her head, as if she were flaunting her trophy of triumph. Luckily for her, they were in Mana’s room. Otherwise, Sora’s snatching would have been immediately identified.

 

「S-Sora-san! W-We should put it back!」

 

Shiori adamantly suggested as she stood up, trying to reach the phone.

However-

 

「Shiori-chan, aren’t you curious?」

「C-Curious?」

 

Wondering what in the world Sora was talking about, both Mana and Shiori expressed intrigue as their eyes were transfixed onto the blue devil.

 

「Saito-kun might have a girlfriend, you know? If he does, he’d definitely have her in his contacts, right?」

 

Raising her index finger towards the roof, Sora began to explain.

 

「Are you really sure you can just turn this chance away!? You might finally be able to find out whether or not Saito-kun actually has a lover!」

「E-Eh? W-wait a m-minute, huh?」

 

In the face of this revelation, Mana could only return a blank expression as she had been rendered into a state of incomprehension.

As for Shiori-

 

「……………I’m sorry, Junichi-kun.」

 

Apologizing to the youth that was cooking their dinner, Shiori’s face reddened as she made a stern expression.

 

(……Shiori…as I thought, you really……)

 

Noticing Shiori’s resolve, Mana couldn’t help but feel that her suspicions about her childhood friend was not merely conjecture.

 

「Alright then! Let’s take a look, shall we?」

「W-Wait a minute!? What about Aniki’s privacy!」

「Screw that! This is payback for what happened in the restroom!」

 

Allowing her true intentions to leak out, Sora disregarded Mana’s concern as she turned on Junichi’s phone.

And then-

 

*BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ*

 

「Uwa-!?」

 

As soon as she turned the phone on, the piece of plastic in her hand uncontrollably vibrated, causing Sora to jump as she dropped the phone onto coffee table that Mana had in her room.

 

*BZZZZ BZZZZ BZZZZ BZZZZ BZZZZ BZZZ*

 

For several minutes, the dark blue piece of plastic continued to rumble as it flailed wildly across the desk. And then, as if it had all its battery drained, the phone stopped moving.

 

「……what just happened?」

 

Mana voiced out as she gingerly picked up the piece of plastic that had vibrated so vigorously not too long ago.

Opening up the flip phone, Mana widened her eyes as she couldn’t comprehend what was shown on the display.

 

-Notifications: 539-

 

Well, to be fair, Mana was able to understand that the symbols depicted on the display corresponded to the notion of notifications and the number 539. However, that was all she was able to understand.

 

「……M-Mana-chan.」

「Yeah. Let’s keep going.」

 

Although slightly startled, Shiori urged Mana to continue further into this “investigation”.

After all, Mana was now just as curious as Shiori and Sora as to whether or not Junichi really had a girlfriend. Even if he didn’t, Mana couldn’t deny that this strange amount of notifications was quite abnormal, if not disturbing.

Long story short, Mana wanted to know what the meaning behind those notifications were.

And so, she opened up the notifications to see that they had all come from a singular source. A contact detail that was simply labelled as “Cocoa Valentine”.

 

「K-Kokoa?」

 

Mana heard Shiori utter. Although it was a foreign name, all three of the girls in the room somehow understood that this was a name that belonged to a female.

A female contact that none of them had ever heard about.

 

「*Gulp*」

 

As the three girls gulped audibly, Mana opened the most recent notification to find-

-a girl with dark skin and black hair, posed in a rather revealing bunny costume.