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"I'm sorry for making you come all this way. Should I get you a drink before we get started?"
"Not at all, this is exciting! I can't wait to find out what Utami's lingerie looks like."
Utami laughed and shook her head. "Good luck with that."
Saya swelled with pleasure. They had something good going now. She knew how to flirt just enough that it became more silly and self-deprecating than sincere. Their little inside joke, their call and response.
Saya watched Utami's body turning back into the room with a pitcher and a stack of glasses. Her large shoulders and long torso, gently hugged by her shirt. Her hair mussed with no gel in it, like she had woken up and come right to Saya in the morning.
She felt a little overdressed, body tight against the sofa in her silk blouse and long folded skirt. Utami sat on the edge of the cushion with her legs spread, just wearing track pants and a long sleeve t-shirt. Maybe this was how she dressed when she wasn't performing for anyone. She certainly looked relaxed, a soft smile lingering as she watched Saya sip her iced tea.
The highschool girl inside of Saya had been screaming since she left the train. Utami never had to invite her over. She could have brought the bag of clothes to the dojo if she wanted to, or donated them.
"Let's move to the bedroom."
Saya coughed into her drink.
"To try on clothes. What were you imagining?"
Utami showed Saya to her cavernous walk in closet. Racks and racks of clothes filled the room, and shelves and boxes promised more riches than Saya could imagine were stuffed inside.
"Isn't this your entire wardrobe? Do you need help deciding what to keep?"
"This isn't all of it."
Saya tried to hold back her shock, but the quick chuckle from Utami told her she had failed.
"How could I take even half of this?" she said, her voice faltering. "I should be paying you."
"No. You're definitely doing me a favor."
It was strange to offer up so many expensive looking pieces. Classical cuts and trendy dresses with barely any fabric were mixed together on the racks.
Maybe Utami realized that she was going to need more space if she wanted to buy anything more. It was sweet that she was letting Saya pick and too callous at the same time.
Shut inside the dark closet, almost naked in her underwear with her clothes pooled on the floor, Saya tried not to read into this. She tried not to think that Utami may have wanted to see her like this. Between them was a single door, and at any second Utami could walk in and push herself against the wall. With her full power, Saya made herself get up.
A boxy brown sweatshirt and skirt made both of them laugh, as what had been oversized on Utami now looked like a sack on Saya. A purple silk shirt and plaid pencil skirt combo made her look like a crooked accountant. The black leather shorts and sheer sleeved black crop top looked amazing, daring in a way Saya always wanted to be.
Saya came out again feeling happily goofy wearing pants and a sweater completely covered in fluffy hearts. "Be my valentine?"
She wasn't sure if she pronounced it right, but that was the point, because it made Utami laugh. "Should I get you a White Day gift?"
"Yes. I'd appreciate 100,000,000 yen chocolate."
Without saying anything, Utami walked up to Saya and touched the collar on her sweater, smoothing it down. "Sounds like I really do have to become champion again."
Saya felt jittery getting treated like that. Utami's charm point was how she could seem like she was focusing her whole attention on someone for a moment. Like a real prince, she spread her care around and rarely forgot anyone.
It was just that this was a bit too much attention for Saya to handle. When she came out in a denim dress with a belt, Utami actually tied the belt herself. And she smoothed out the creases when Saya was wearing velvet pants.
Saya closed her eyes as she felt Utami's hands running down her legs, lingering long enough that she could feel their warmth. Maybe she was being inappropriate. But when she met Utami's eyes, she showed nothing but the calm spark of a friend enjoying a visit.
"Why don't you try something on too, this is embarrassing," said Saya, rubbing at her neck.
"Sure. Wait here and I'll show you what I just bought. It's pretty cool."
Saya sat down on Utami's bed and tried to look normal, not at all weirdly curious about what was in Utami's room while she was away. The door opened right as she was about to start doing stretches to get her energy out.
Utami had a confident look sometimes, like she already knew she had taken your heart. If it were anyone else, Saya would get mad and push them away. Instead she bit her lip and cursed inside. The jacket was so well fitted, and the pants were too. She wore a blue checkered suit with black zippers, made painfully casual with a white t-shirt underneath instead of a button-up. The kind of thing models did without a second thought.
Saya felt mindless with greed. She wanted to stare at Utami as long as she wanted, she wanted to go beyond that and get Utami to touch her while she looked like that.
"That good, huh?" said Utami dryly.
"You look good in everything. It's not fair."
"Most things, I'm sure."
Saya ducked back inside the closet, set on what she would do. It was a little daring for Saya to wear this, but it wasn't like she hadn't thrown herself at Utami while drunk a million times or confessed her love while sober. The dress she put on was smooth and modern, all black, with a large keyhole in the front right over her breasts. That part was a little loose, and it was exactly where Utami's eyes would go. Saya's heart jumped inside her chest. She imagined Utami's thumb dipping through the hole and feeling it.
Saya slowly opened the door and peeked out. "What do you think?" said Utami.
"I-I'm not sure. What do you think?"
"Come out and let me see."
"Well I- I need help getting the zipper up."
Saya held the dress to her and walked out carefully with her back to Utami. She could sense Utami approaching her. The first light touch against her back still made her jolt.
The dress zipped up too quickly. "All done," said Utami.
Saya smiled nervously and did a little twirl around.
"Pretty." Utami was looking at her chest while she said it. Utami thought she looked pretty. Saya might have been blushing already, and Utami probably was doing her a favor by not reacting.
"We look like we're on a date, don't we?" Saya blurted out. "I'll, um, go try something else."
"Hold on, let me get a good look at us together."
Utami stepped up close behind her. She breathed in deep and made herself look into the mirror on the door. They definitely were color coordinated, and their faces looked nice together, and it almost looked like Utami was holding her like a date. Her chest pressed against Saya's back. It felt firmer and flatter than Saya had expected. Exactly like Yuu Ishino used to feel when he trained with her on off days.
"You've changed. I thought this was just to get into Syuri's head, but you..."
"You're just noticing? I thought you were watching me closer than that."
"You've been sending mixed signals," said Saya.
"I'm never wearing those extensions again, if that's what you mean."
"Not just that." Utami still hadn't stepped away. Her face was kind of flushed.
"Well, what do you think? Is it silly to try being like this?" Utami actually sounded nervous. Like she thought there was a chance Saya and everyone else would tell her to go back to the version of herself from two years ago.
It wasn’t like her. Well, if Saya's reassurance could help her then she absolutely needed to give it.
"You pull it off like you were born like this. I think soon I might have to beat women away with a stick."
"Yeah, I know." Utami sighed and stepped away. "But it's different if I want to do this forever. Maybe I will wear those dresses again some time, so no one's disappointed."
"Don't do that. Absolutely don't."
Saya hugged her and pushed her face into Utami's back. She didn't care about being careful anymore. Be happy Utami, Saya wished. Realize how amazing you are to me and everyone else.
Utami pulled away and then hugged her again briefly, her arms around Saya's waist. "You're right. Thanks." She ruffled Saya's hair and Saya yelped and jerked her head away, trying not to laugh.
Maybe this was the real reason Utami invited her over, not to flirt or make storage space. Saya could show her that feminine things were beautiful, but they looked even better with a masculine prince as their complement. Just like their tag team gear, the two of them were better together than they were apart.