Joya the Journalist

You help the dazed girl button up her shirt and let her rest in your arms. A while later, Merry calls over, “Misaki, it’s your turn.”

“Alright!” Misaki exclaims as she scampers over to the couch.

You go to your bedroom and change out your sopping panties. As you return to the living room, Olivia pops in. “Hello, I’m here to help with dinner,” Your sister says as she walks in with groceries.

You take a bag from her and put it on the counter. “What did you pick up?”

“Shrimp and other materials to make shrimp pasta as well as some drinks and sides,” She explains while emptying the bags.

There is some apple cider and orange juice. “Sounds good. Let’s get set up,” you say.

You both begin preparations for the predictably chaotic dinner. The dish is relatively simple, so the main issue is making enough for a gaggle of teenage women. You pull out your largest pots and heat the oven.

As you finish setting the table, Jessica enters with Joya. “Hello,” Jessica says. Joya politely says, “Thanks for having me.”

Joya and Jessica remove light shawls, showing they’ve already removed their bra. You worry that Joya might write an article about your family’s unique rules. You aren’t sure if you should mention it, but Joya, seeing your apprehension, says, “Jessica explained the situation. I think it’s an interesting idea.”

“Oh yeah, thanks,” you say nervously, rubbing your head. Now that she isn’t wearing a bra, you can see she has breasts about the same size as yours. “I want them to get used to seeing people more exposed. They should experience with people they are comfortable with,” you add.

Joya nods with a smile of a serpent. “I surmised as much. I know I have a reputation, but an article about this would never be allowed,” she explains with a bitter voice. You’d prefer she’d tell you that she didn’t want to write the article at all. But at least you are safe for now.

As she reaches the table, she says, “I’m more interested in what strange notions made your daughters decide to leave Lilly.”

“Ah, well, you’ll have to ask them,” you respond wearily.

“Indeed.”

Olivia comes to your rescue, saying, “Why don’t you have a seat.”

“Thank you,” Joya says, sitting next to Jessica.

You then go gather up the other girls. The dining hall is filled with the noise of young women. Giggles, screeching, and yelling. Even with their strict upbringing in the school, when they are allowed to let loose, they aren’t that different from ordinary women.

As you finish preparing the meal with Olivia, you quietly enquire, “How am I supposed to level her?”

“How long do you need?”

“Fifty seconds,” you respond with a frown.

Your sister folds her arms and says, “That’s rough. She’s more observant than the other girls.”

“yeah,” you can’t help but worry.

Olivia advises, “Well, just take it slow. It’s not like we need to do it in one sitting.”

“That’s true,” you say with relief.

You end up sitting across from Joya and next to Tiffany and Olivia. The conversation flows to your daughters’ decision to leave the school. It’s a bit uncomfortable, but overall, it’s a cordial conversation.

As everyone is debating, you stretch your foot and touch someone else. You jerk away in surprise. You’d felt someone's bare toes and remember you hadn’t worn socks since your bath.

No one seems to notice your movements, so you don’t think much of it, letting your legs relax again. As your legs spread, you feel the foot again. Its toes poke yours, but they don’t move away. You glance across from you at Joya, but she isn’t even looking your way as she talks with Merry on the other side of the table.

But they have to be her feet, you think, confused. Well, it’s your chance to get her some xp. Honestly, you don’t even know what xp is. Isn’t that something from games? What did Merry say? You contemplate.

As you are deep in thought, Joya’s toes begin to play with yours, wiggling against your feet. Your toes poke between each other in a game of casual footsy. It distracts you as your feet are ticklish.

“Oh, it’s experience,” you mumble.

“What?” Olivia asks.

“Nothing,” you respond, shaking your head. “I just thought of something.”

Joya then disrupts your awkward conversation, “So what do you think of all this, Miss Squirter?”

“Ah, I was quite upset at first,” you admit.

“That’s quite understandable. So what about now?” Joya interrogates you.

You think for a moment with your hand on your chin. “I can’t say that I’m happy about it. But I decided that I will support my daughters no matter their choice. More specifically, I came to the conclusion that wallowing in negativity wasn’t good for anyone. So I decided to make the best of what time we have left,” you explain seriously.

Joya laughs, “You make it sound like the end of the world.”

Jessica's head bounces. “She totally acted like that.”

Tiffany bitterly adds, “She cried for a whole week. It was rough.”

“But now we are closer than ever,” Merry states, flipping the mood.

Tiffany nods. “I don’t know if we are closer than ever. But we’ve been doing good.”

“I’m glad things worked out then. But based on what you said, you’d still prefer them to stay in Lilly?” Joya questions.

“That’s true. But it’s not all about the school. If they end up in different schools, I’ll have to separate from them,” you confess.

“Ah,” Joya covers her mouth coyly. “But they will leave the nest eventually.”

“My dream is-“ you begin, but Tiffany cuts you off, “Not your dream again!”

“The fact you don’t want her to tell me makes me even more interested,” Joya says mischievously.

Jessica leans on her friend and says, “It really is ridiculous.”

Joya gestures to you. “I’d love to hear your dream.”

“It’s that after completing their school, they will have their own daughters, and we can raise them here together,” you state.

Joya's eyes wander as she says, “Wow, that’s quite the plan.”

Tiffany has her head in her hands and says, “See, it’s ridiculous.”

“Even if it’s absurd, it does seem like a lovely dream. After all, if I could live here forever, it’d be a blessing,” Joya says wistfully.

Jessica hugs her friend's arm and says, “You still have a lot of time. Don’t get depressed now.”

Joya pats Jessica’s arm and responds, “Your right. We can all learn from Miss Squirter. If we let the future ruin the present, we’ll only have sad memories.”