Sexy, but tragic.

“Great job today, everyone!” Kaede Akamatsu said, her voice emitting warmth as she stood up from her grand piano in her high school band room. She was wearing her normal school uniform, which consisted of a brown jacket with the school emblem on the left, a white undershirt, and a short plaid skirt. She was also wearing her trademark music-note clip in her blonde hair, and she was wearing thigh-high pink socks that were patterned like sheet music. “I’ll see you all again tomorrow! Remember, don’t be late!”

Kaede gently collected the pages of her sheet music into her folder and walked out of the room with her classmates. It was a long day of rehearsals for the big school concert that was approaching, but Kaede didn’t mind; if it meant that the final product was perfect, she knew she’d practice for as long as it took. Still, she was feeling rather tired, and she hoped to head home so she could spend the rest of the day relaxing and recouping for tomorrow.

But, as she went to gather her things from her locker, she noticed something unusual as she passed by a classroom. It was a faint noise, but Kaede’s ears were well trained to spot even the smallest irregularities, so she stopped to get a better listen.

“Is that… crying?” Kaede opened the door to the classroom and, on the other side, and she found a girl with elegantly long light blonde hair with a hair ornament in the shape of a butterfly surrounded by leaves tied by the back sitting alone at a desk in the corner of the room. Her head was lying flat on the desk, and she held a crumpled piece of paper in her hands. “Tsubasa? What are you doing here?”

“K-Kaede?” The girl instantly shot up in her seat in surprise and hastily tried to wipe away the tears that had stained her cheeks. “I, uh, didn’t see you there! H-how are you doing today?”

“I’m doing just fine, Tsubasa, but… you didn’t answer my question.” Kaede shut the classroom door behind her and walked closer to her childhood friend. “What are you doing here in the classroom by yourself? I noticed that you weren’t there for orchestra practice, but I just assumed that you were sick or something.”

“P-practice?” Tsubasa looked at her watch. “Oh… I’m sorry, Kaede. I must have lost track of time. I-it won’t happen again.”

“Lost track of time? But practice started hours ago.” Kaede gasped. “You haven’t been in here this whole time, have you?”

“I… I should really get going.” Tsubasa stuffed the paper she was holding into her school bag and moved towards the exit. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Kaede. Goodn-”

“Tsubasa!” Kaede grabbed her friend by the arm and held her there. “I can tell something’s wrong. I don’t want to push, but… you know I’m always here for you, right? I’ve always been there for you, ever since we were kids! If you want to talk about it…”

Tsubasa reluctantly looked at Kaede for a few moments, sniffling loudly before tossing herself at the taller blonde woman.

“M-my boyfriend!” Tsubasa wailed as she pressed her face hard to Kaede’s chest, covering it in her tears and snot. “H-he broke up with me! W-with a note!”

“What?!” Kaede gasped in shock at the news. Tsubasa and her boyfriend had nearly been inseparable for two straight years. Everyone had seen or heard how much they loved each other, and the idea of the two breaking up so suddenly was unthinkable to Kaede. “Th-there has to be some kind of mistake! Maybe this is just a misunderstanding, or a prank, or-”

“N-no, the note is his… I would never mistake his handwriting! And when I tried t-to call h-him, he… he hung up on me!” Tsubasa bawled into Kaede’s chest, her hands loudly crumpling the paper behind Kaede’s back even further. “What am I going to do now, Kaede? I-I don’t know what to do!”

“Uh, well… music always takes my mind off things when I’m sad,” Kaede replied, saying the first thing that came to her mind. “And we still need to get ready for the concert, so why don’t you take your violin and-”

“Who cares about that dumb concert anymore?! Everything’s over for me!” the violinist interrupted. “I should just throw myself off the school roof! Maybe I’ll be more useful as compost!”

“Tsubasa!” Kade’s voice grew more serious as she gripped her friend’s arms tightly and pushed her away to look Tsubasa in the eye. “Don’t talk like that! Not even as a joke!”

“I’m n-not… joking!” Tsubasa struggled to get out of Kaede’s grip, the pianist refused to let go. “Without him… I’m nothing!”

“That’s true at all! You are so much more than him, and you know that!” Kaede countered, her voice ****. “You’re a talented, beautiful young woman who can play the violin better than anyone else in Japan! So many people look up to you, and your friends and family love you all so much!”

“N-not like… he did…” Tsubasa glanced off to the side, still defected.

“No, that’s wrong!” Kaede shouted, catching Tsubasa’s attention once more. “Those people might not be your lovers… but that doesn’t mean their affection for you is any less deep! We care for you, Tsubasa! More than you know!”

“Kaede…” Tsubasa spoke softly as her sniffles began to slow.

“Look… I know that you must feel absolutely terrible right now… you have every right to be! And I promise that I’ll be with you every step of the way until you get past this.” Kaede stepped to Tsubasa, tears now starting to form in her eyes. “But please don’t forget that you’re not just ‘nothing’. You’re my best friend, and I don’t know what I’d do without you!”

“I… I…” Tsubasa sniffled a few more times. “You’re right… this isn’t the end of the world… even if it feels like it.” The violinist wiped her nose with her arm as Kaede finally let her go. “Thank you so much, Kaede. I don’t know if I’ll ever be the same, but… knowing that you’ll be there means a lot to me. I’m sorry that I’m such a burden on you, though…”

“Hey, there’s no need to apologize.” Kaede reached forward and wiped one of Tsubasa’s tears away herself. “What are friends for?”

“...” Tsubasa blushed as she looked up at Kaede, the blonde girl’s hand resting on her cheek. Their eyes remained locked for a moment, gazing into each other’s depths before they both felt a sudden urge deep down inside their hearts. It was subtle, but it was as impossible as a fire to ignore.

Then, before either of them realized what they were doing, both girls leaned forward and closed their eyes.

“Mmmm~” Kaede hummed musically into Tsubasa’s soft lips as they shared their first kiss. Kaede was surprised that Tsubasa tasted so sweet, like french vanilla, but that didn’t slow her down as the kiss steadily deepened.

“Mmmhhhm, mwhah! Mmmph!” Tsubasa felt her knees start to shake like jelly as their lips smacked together again and again, but she refused to let up her pace for even a moment. Trying to steady herself, Tsubasa wrapped her arms around Kaede’s shoulders for support and wound up forcing their bodies even closer together in the process. They could both feel each other’s heaving chests press up against each other through their uniforms, each amazed by the warmth and softness of each other’s busts.

Encouraged by Tsubasa’s embrace, Kaede placed her hands onto Tsubasa’s rear through her skirt and gave it a soft squeeze. Tsubasa whimpered at the sudden action but didn’t pull away, and instead let Kaede continue to press forward into her. She soon found herself starting to stumble backward, but Tsubasa managed to avoid falling thanks to a well-placed desk behind her that she could rest her backside on.

Instincts starting to take over, Tsubasa picked her legs up off the floor and wrapped them firmly around Kaede’s waist, bringing their groins right up against each other in the process. They could both feel the molten heat that was growing in each other’s loins, which stoked their passions even further. A moment later, Kaede felt Tsubasa’s tongue pressed against her lips, silently asking for permission to enter inside.

Kaede had never French-kissed anyone before, let alone another woman, but that was far from her mind right now as she let her friend’s tongue in to be caressed by hers. The sound of their saliva moving between their mouths filled the room as Kaede reached underneath Tusbasa’s dress shirt and placed her hand underneath her friend’s bra.

“Kya!” Tsubasa gasped and broke the kiss as Kaede groped her soft breasts.

“Ah! Are you okay, Tsubasa?” Kaede asked, her voice filled with worry. “Should I stop?”

“No! Keep going!” The violinist begged. “I-I need this!”

Kaede nodded silently and pulled off the rest of Tusbasa’s upper clothes, revealing her gorgeous C-cup breasts to the sunset-lit classroom. Kaede couldn’t help but stare at Tsubasa’s puffy pink nipples in the center of her milky white breasts and Tsubasa, in turn, couldn’t help but embarrassedly blush even though they’d seen each other naked plenty of times before.

“Ah… Tsubasa… your body is so cute.” Kaede knelt down and began to kiss her way up Tsubasa’s stomach, making her shiver with each smack. “It’s so soft and smooth… every inch is like a miracle on earth.”

“Guuh…” Tsubasa squirmed and did her absolute best not to cry out in pleasure as Kaede kept kissing her, though that plan failed the moment Kade reached her sensitive neck. “Gyaaaah! Oh, Kaede! Th-that feels so good!”

Kaede latched her mouth onto Tsubasa’s neck and sucked at it gently as she reached underneath Tsubasa’s skirt and pulled down her black tights and white panties. With those out of the way, she reached back underneath and found her fingers drawn almost magnetically to her friend’s pulsing pink clit.

“Ah! W-wait a second!” Tsubasa called out, causing Kaede to stop. “I… want to make you feel good too…”

“Right… of course, you do.” Kaede smiled and stood back from Tsubasa, stripping out of all her uniform in only a few moments. Tsubasa’s eyes widened as she found herself face-to-face with a bust that was the envy of the entire school.

“Wow, Kaede… you’re so beautiful…” Tsubasa meekly mumbled, her eyes sparkling. “To think that you said that my body was cute…”

“Well, it is true you know~,” Kaede said as she pushed another desk into the one that Tsubasa was sitting on. Kaede then climbed onto the combined desks and laid Tsubasa down onto her back so that Tsubasa’s head was between Kaede’s thighs and vice-versa. “All the way from your head… right down to here~”

Tsubasa let out another loud gasp as she felt Kaede suddenly start lapping at her folds. It was such a bizarre sensation, unlike anything the young woman had ever felt before, but it also made her stomach tingle in ways that not even her now ex-boyfriend had managed to accomplish.

Despite how good it felt, though, Tsubasa decided to raised her neck so that she could return the favor to Kaede’s now-exposed pussy. The smell and the taste were strange and overpowering at first, but the sound and feeling of Kaede moaning into her clit encouraged Tsubasa to keep going. Soon enough, the strange and overpowering sensation started to develop into a delightful and pleasant feeling.

“Aaaah! Kaede!” Tsubasa moaned, her entire body shivering with each lick that Kaede gave to her clit. “You’re making me feel like… I’m a string, and you’re playing a high note! Oh god, I had no idea a tongue could even do these kinds of things! P-please, keep going!”

“Mmm, of course! I wouldn’t stop this for anything!” Kaede gasps, her chin shamelessly dripping with Tsubasa’s arousals. She then reached down and gripped the top of Tusbasa’s pubic mound, massaging the other girl’s clit with her own body while she continued worshipping it with her tongue. “I love licking your pretty pussy so much! Mwah! And the way your smooth legs frame it like a picture… mwah! I don’t think I could think of anything more beautiful!”

Kaede kissed Tsubasa’s pussy a few more times before taking things a step further, latching her mouth upside-down onto her friend’s exposed sex, sticking her tongue as deep inside as she could.

“Aaaah! K-Kaede!” Tsubasa melodically squealed as she felt Kaede’s long, wet tongue wiggle around inside her, massaging her most sensitive folds. “Oh, Kaede! Kaede! Aaaaah! I feel something… building up! I don’t think I’ve ever been this s-sensitive before! I-I think something is about to happen!”

“Ah!” Kaede gasped and quickly pulled her mouth off Tsubasa’s pussy. “Wait, let’s change position again! I want to finish this… facing you.”

“K-Kaede!” Hearing those words made Tsubasa blush even more than licking Kaede’s folds had. “O-okay… I’ll follow your lead.”

The two girls rolled over each other on the tables until they were sitting across from each other, legs intertwined. They were both messes, with their hair all frizzled, makeup smudged, arousal covering their faces, and their pussies still leaking juices onto the desks underneath them. Tsubasa watched silently as Kaede carefully brought their hips closer together so that their sexes rubbed up against each other.

“Aaaah~” Tsubasa moaned with arousal when she felt their clits collide. “Tribbing… I didn’t think this was a real sex position! Ah, you feel so hot down there!”

“S-so do you!” Her hips now secure, Kaede began to rock her hips back and forth to grind her pussy against Tsubasa’s, creating a thin mixture of arousal that pooled on the table in between them. “Now, just move like I am and- ah, wait, aaaaah!”

The tables underneath the two suddenly began to wobble and, before they knew what was happening, they both crashed onto the ground on top of each other.

“Ah! Oh my god!” Kaede gasped as the dust settled. “I can’t believe that just happened! Tsubasa, are you alright?!”

“Y-yeah, I think so,” the other girl replied, her face resting on Kaede’s naked chest. “What about you?”

“Don’t worry, I’m fine… I’m fine.” Kaede took a moment to catch her breath; and then, she began to laugh. “Sorry about that, Tsubasa! Doing it on the desk like that probably wasn’t one of my best ideas.”

“Well, I was the one begging you not to stop,” Tsubasa giggled, playfully poking Kaede in her ribs. “Uh… do you want to try that again? But, you know… on the ground this time?”

“Yeah… I think I’d like that.” Kaede kissed Tsubasa on the forehead and they got back into position on the floor. “I’m ready when you are.”

“Thank you, Kaede,” Tsubasa replied, adding in a whisper “For everything.”

Kaede smiled and began to grind once more, placing her friend’s right leg over her shoulder to use as leverage and to kiss lovingly as they went. Their passion wasn’t nearly as hot as it was a few minutes before, but it was certainly still there as they made out with their lower lips and embraced each other with their legs.

“Hmm? What was that crashing noise?” a female student with white hair and red highlights said to herself as she passed by the classroom Kaede and Tsubasa were in. She had come back to get something from her locker and was one of the only people still left in the school. “I could have sworn… ah! Oh my goodness!”

The girl cracked open the door to the classroom and saw Kaede and Tsubasa both staring lovingly into each other’s eyes as they continued rubbing their dripping sexes together, each letting out soft moans whenever a strong bolt of pleasure shot up their spines.

“Oh my gosh! The two most popular girls in school are having sex in a classroom!? Wow!” the voyeur gasped quietly to herself. “Just wait until my friends hear about this!”

“Kaede… I.. I think I’m getting close again!” Tsubasa moaned, unaware of the audience they had now.

“Don’t hold back, Tsubasa! Just let it all out!” Kaede moaned as she squeezed her own tits with her spare hand. “I’m so close too! Let’s… finish this together! Aaaaaah!”

The two high school girls both screamed together as they reached their climaxes at the same time, each so powerful that they felt their toes curl and their heads grow light. When they finally came out of it, they found themselves lying on the ground in each other’s comforting embrace once more.

“Mmm… thanks Kaede. That was incredible,” Tsubasa cooed as she nuzzled Kaede’s chest.

“Heh, not bad for my first time with a girl, huh?” Kaede chuckled. “Though, I know I probably can’t compare to what it was like with your boyfriend…”

“Actually… I, uh…” Tsubasa meekly looked away and blushed. “That… was actually the first orgasm I ever had.”

“Ah!” Kaede gasped in shock. “And… how long had you and him been having sex again?”

“Two years…” Tsubasa blushed even brighter.

“Well… don’t worry about it!” Kaede hugged Tsubasa reassuringly. “You’ll get luckier with your next boyfriend, I’m sure! O-or girlfriend perhaps, I suppose…”

“I hope so, Kaede,” Tsubasa replied. “But after being with Daichi for so long, I don’t know where I’ll even begin to start looking for someone else. It’s… honestly kind of scary.”

“Hey, don’t be like that! Anyone would be lucky to date you!” Kaede squeezed Tsubasa’s hands. “And I’ll be there to support you every step of the way!”

“Really?” Tsubasa blushed once more. “So… does that mean you’ll do ‘that’ again if things don’t work out again?”

“Well… who says we only have to do this when you’re feeling down?”

“... and when we finished, we put our clothes back on and promised that we’d see each other again tomorrow,” Kae told Shuichi, concluding a brief story of her fling with her unnamed high school friend. “Unfortunately, though, someone peeked into the classroom and saw what we were doing, and within a few days rumors about us were swirling around the school. Not only did everyone know that we had sex, but people were starting to say that I ‘seduced’ my friend away from her boyfriend and that I was the reason they broke up. Soon, it seemed like half the school thought I was some kind of evil lesbian homewrecker or a slut who’d drop her panties for just about anyone. I tried my best to just ignore the rumors at first, but then…”

Shuichi felt his heart sink in his chest as Kae’s eyes drifted sadly towards their table.

“... people stopped sitting with me at lunch. The school band rescinded my membership. School clubs wouldn’t let me go to their meetings. And, before I knew it, even the arts college and the Australian orchestra all took back their invitations. None of them wanted to be associated with ‘that whore who plays the piano’, all because I comforted my friend when she needed it most. She received some of the shame too, of course, but since she came from a powerful family it was more convenient to believe that it was all ‘my fault’ somehow. My friend and I still remained close throughout all that, though, and we still keep in touch today, but she was the only one who finished high school. I realized that all my dreams were already over, so I dropped out a month before graduation. ”

“Wow, Kae… I… I had no idea.” Shuichi put a hand over his mouth in shock. “I’m sorry that happened to you. I wish things turned out differently for you.”

“Different?” To Shuichi’s surprise, Kaede began to laugh so hard she started tearing up. “You know, I hear that a lot whenever I tell people that story, but you know what?” Kae wiped away her tears and looked Shuichi in the eye. “Even after all this time, I still don’t regret what I did with my friend; not one bit.”

“W-wait, really?” Shuichi gasped in shock. “But… your dreams!”

“Yeah, of course, I’m disappointed that I didn’t get to be a famous pianist, but can you really say I did anything wrong? She needed me to be there for her, and I needed her to be there for me too. And if that’s wrong, then I don’t think I want to be right,” Kae replied proudly. “I remember realizing that on the day I dropped out of high school. That day, I decided that if everyone was just going to know me as ‘the whore who plays piano’, then I was going to own it! So I bought the shortest skirt and the laciest lingerie I could find, and ‘Kae, the Ultimate Pianist’ was born!”

“So you just… started working as a sex worker, just like that?” Shuichi asked, amazed.

“Well, things were a little rough at the very start, but yeah - I got to work right away!” Kae replied. “And I have to say, working in the red-light district isn’t that bad. The pay is good, the other escorts are nice, and no one is ever ashamed of their sexuality, or who they love. It’s not perfect, of course, but I think society could learn a thing or two from it! My only major complaint is that the place is the absolute worst when it comes to rumors.”

“Rumors?” Shuichi repeated. “What do you mean by that?”

“Don’t get me wrong, even I understand that it’s only natural for people to gossip every now and then, but some of the rumors that get spread in the red light district are even more ridiculous than what they said about me in high school,” Kae explained. “Like, there’s this one woman named Pandora who owns a clothing store nearby. People keep saying that she’s secretly some kind of sadist who breaks hearts for fun, but I’ve met her and she’s one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet!”

“R-really?” Shuichi swallowed audibly, but Kae didn’t notice. “You don’t say?”

“Yeah, I know; completely ridiculous!” Kae replied. “And there’s even a few rumors about you out there, Shuichi. They say stuff like that you’re the ‘Ultimate Playboy’ who has a wallet the size of a football field, and that you bang a cheerleader troupe’s worth of girls every night. I’m not really sure, though; I do my best not to pay attention to that kind of talk.”

“This again…” Shuichi thought to himself, flashing back to the night he met Artemis. “People can’t think all that’s true though, right, Kae?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t care. Besides….,” Kae answered with a bright and beautiful smile to Shuichi. “I know who the real Shuichi is, after all, and that’s all that matters!”

“Alright, here are your orders,” The violet-haired bunny girl from earlier suddenly interjected as she approached Kae and Shuichi’s table with a large serving tray. “A sushi donut for the madame, and a turkey sandwich for the sir.”

“Ah! This looks lovely!” Kae eagerly readied her chopsticks as her plate was placed in front of her. “Thank you so much!”

“You’re welcome, miss.” The bunny girl bowed respectfully while keeping her tray in perfect balance. “Please, let me know if you need anything else.”

“Alright, let’s dig in! Itadakimasu!” Kae eagerly began to eat, whatever sadness she felt telling her story already long forgotten. “So, what else do you want to talk about, Shuichi?”

“Well, uh… did you hear about that new highway that they’re thinking about building next year?” Shuichi asked, picking up his sandwich. “I hear it’s supposed to go straight to Towa City.”

“Oh yeah, I heard about that! It’d be nice to have another way in and out of this city,” Kae replied through a mouthful of fish and cucumber. “Though, I’d hate to be one of the workers who have to build it all in the blistering summer heat…”

Shuichi and Kae spent the next half hour eating and chatting with each other about various topics. Some of it was spent laughing as they told each other jokes, some of it was spent thinking as they debated ideas, and some of it was spent quietly munching as they both pretended not to stare whenever a woman in a bunny suit got too close to their table. Shuichi was pleasantly surprised by how much fun he was having, but no matter how much he tried he just couldn’t bring himself to ask Kae the big question that he wanted to.

“Aaah, that was a great meal! This place really does serve some quality stuff.” Kaede patted her belly contently. “What about you, Shuichi? Did you enjoy your meal?”

“Yeah, it was pretty good,” Shuichi replied, wiping his mouth with a napkin to try and hide how nervous he was growing.

“Perfect!” Kae waved over their bunny waitress and paid her the cost of the sushi. “Thanks for hanging out with me, Shuichi!”

“Yeah, no problem, Kae.” Shuichi hastily finished his food and paid for it as well so he could follow her to the door.

“Alright, it looks like my shift is finally over,” their lavender-haired waitresses said as she walked over to Usami. “So, how did I do?”

“Hmm… well, you did a good job of being attentive and respectful, but your friendliness could use a little work,” the elder bunny girl replied. “You’re not going to fit in well when you go undercover if you don’t flirt or make friendly conversation.”

“Conversation? About what?” The younger woman crossed her arms. “About how ‘strong and handsome’ my customers are?”

“Well, it’s certainly not a bad place to start; especially if it’s true!” Usami giggled. “There has to be at least one customer that you find yourself fancying during your time here!”

“Well… I suppose there was one customer in particular that caught my interest…”

Back outside the restaurant, Shuichi and Kae had reached the sidewalk and were just about to part ways. Kae had her usual relaxed smile on her face, but Shuichi could feel his heart lodged in his throat as he stared at her.

“Alright, I guess this is where we say goodbye for now! I’ll text you again later when I get the chance, okay?” Kae asked cheerfully.

“S-sure, I’ll look forward to hearing from you,” Shuichi replied. Kae nodded and moved to walk away, but Shuichi managed to find his voice again before she finished turning around. “A-actually, before you go! I have something I need to ask! Is it okay if… we hung out like this more often?”

“Huh? Oh, sure, that sounds like it would be fun! Maybe next time we could have some other friends with us too, like Komaru.” Kae placed a finger to her lips as she tried to think of anyone else she could invite.

“That would be nice, but…” Remembering Sayaka’s advice, Shuichi took a deep breath, straightened his back, and envisioned himself the best, boldest version of himself possible. “... I was hoping we could do it as more than just friends,” Shuichi finished, his voice smooth and confident.