Sunset ^beta

It was supposed to be a boring afternoon. Since it was raining, most of the students were cozied up inside the school grounds, lazily gambling while waiting for the sky to clear up.

Mary was just staring at the windows, seeing the drops of water lingering in the glass while propping her head on her hands. She had already made her money quota and wasn't interested in playing anything, so she didn't have much to do at the moment.

Or so she thought.

"Mary-san," The soothing voice of Jabami took her attention, making her golden eyes look at the other girl, "Do you want to gamble with me?"

"Eh?" Was the only thing her brain could come up with.

It was nothing new for Yumeko to ask her to play. That still didn't make sense for Saotome, who had heard all her whining about the rain making her bored and how much she disliked the possibilities of new games being cut off because of it.

As if people actually gambled that much outside of the school's buildings.

"Gamble with me!" Yumeko asked again, with a glow on her face that made her small smile all the more alluring.

Ignoring how her cheeks seemed to warm up at the sight, Mary sighed.

"Well, what's the bet about?" If the other was so excited over the idea, why not humor her? She didn't have anything interesting to do at the moment anyway.

She almost regretted her words when she saw the flash of a red glint on Jabami's eyes.

[—]

"This is going to be so much fun!" Yumeko said excitedly, letting a pleased smile tug at her lips. She was twirling in the rain with her arms stretched out, looking so damn happy and dumb that it was making Saotome's heart skip some beats.

"Yeah, yeah or so you say." Was the grouchy answer Mary gave, by her side. The water was slowly clawing their uniforms, and part of her bangs were already wet, but she tried to not acknowledge it.

She didn't want to lose the gamble even if it was a ridiculous one.

"Are you two really sure that this is a good idea?" Suzui was under the roof of the hallway, watching them with worried eyes. He was their dealer by Jabami's request, since they weren't going for a money exchange when one of them lost. "Being so long in the rain could make you have a fever."

"Shut up, idiot."

"Don't worry, Suzui-san."

It was kinda impressionnant how they answered at the same time. But it was also something Ryouta was getting accustomed to, so he could understand what they said even if the sentences were very different.

"It will be okay, I don't think we will be more than a few hours outside." Yumeko concluded her thoughts neatly, giving him a comforting smile.

He shuffled a bit in his foot before nodding.

"Right." He whispered to himself, before straightening up to stand taller. "I'm starting the chronometer, the first one to get out of the rain will make it stop. If the person who got out isn't the one who was stipulated, the winner will be decided by how close to the time you choose. Any questions?"

"No."

"Then let's start this gamble." Suzui said softly, touching the screen of his phone before setting his worried but determined look on the girls before him.

Even if her chest twingled with warmth, Mary only rolled her eyes before setting them on the other girl. She wasn't surprised to see that Jabami was already staring at her with a convincing spark in it.

Saotome let an arrogant smile twist her lips, accepting the challenge. She could taste the rain already and the touch of the water was weirdly comforting. The only thing annoying about being under this metaphoric shower was the fact that from time to time the winds would hug her, making her skin cool off, making her feel even colder than the rain could.

Yumeko seemed as fine as always, unperturbed by the fresh air or the intrusive water. Her bangs were already flattened on her forehead, turning her serene look into something funny.

It was also frustrating how it could not ruin her beauty. Her dark eyes seemed more alluring than ever in the middle of the rain, taking all the focus Mary had to try and analyze them — to try to uncover the secrets they hide, to try to understand the softness that the look carries when it's set on her, to try and come close so she could see them even better.

Her soft skin looks paler in contrast with the strong colors of Yumeko's hair and uniform. It was almost as if her face was emitting light, which was an absurd thought in itself, but the way her face glowed didn't seem fake though.

Suddenly, Saotome's breath wasn't her own. She felt her fingers tingling to touch the other and, to control herself, she bit her lips while taking her eyes away from her rival.

It didn't take much time to put them back on Jabami again. She simply couldn't really look otherside when the girl was right in front of her. Mary did avoid letting her look linger too long on the body, knowing she would get easily distracted with all the wet clothes that clung to the flawless skin.

The goosebump that passed over Saotome's arms when she saw that Yumeko was already looking at her was one of a warning. Warmness was pooling in her stomach and in her face, the arousal starting to grow on her body just because she had all the focus of the other girl.

Mary closed her eyes, trying to regain control over herself. She needed to get out of there. How much time had passed? It was probably enough, there was no way they were so little time in the rain — their clothes were already starting to stick to the skin, making it itch a little. It was time to finish that foolish gamble and win.

Saotome breathed in before opening her eyes. She gave a confident smile to the girl in front of her, and turned in the direction of the dealer.

“I'm tapping out, Ryouta." She said, before going to the hallway where the boy was standing up. She heard Jabami's gasp but ignored it, deciding to see the timing while already thinking about what she could do with her prize.

The moment her feet touched the dry ground, Suzui was handing her a towel to wipe the excess of the water on herself. He did the same for Yumeko before grabbing his phone again to end the gamble.

“Okay, so Saotome was the first one to get out of the rain.” He said the obvious, trying to refit himself in the role of a dealer. “This results in the win of one point for Yumeko, since she had decided that Saotome was going to be the first one to do so.”

Both girls made a sound of acknowledgement, still more focused on drying their hair than in what Ryouta was saying.

“Then now we are going to check the timing. Saotome betted that the first one to get out would do so in one minute while Yumeko betted on the time being only forty-five seconds.” He recalls, before lighting up the screen of his phone and unlocking it. “And the official time is… thirty-three seconds!”

“What?”

Two sets of dark eyes were fixed on Mary, who realized, with embarrassment, that she had said that out loud.

“I said that the official time is thirty–”

“I heard you the first time, stupid.” Mary grumbled, annoyed. “I just can't understand it, it seemed way longer out there.”

Yumeko nodded, agreeing.

“For a moment I even thought Mary-san was going to win it!”

“Oh, so you were already thinking about tapping out? I should have waited a little more, then.” Saotome teased, feeling a small satisfaction over the revelation warm up her heart.

“Girls…” Suzui called apologetic, trying to bring them back on track. Sometimes it was really hard to be part of the trio for him, given that he was manhandled by the two of them in the crazier stunts. That moment wasn't any different.

“Sorry, Suzui-san. Go on.”

With a thankful nod towards Jabami, he coughs before continuing his job.

“Since Yumeko's time was closer, she now has two points and is, officially, the winner of this bet.”

“Yey!” Yumeko cheers, bringing her fists up while a cute smile softens her lips. Mary can't even be mad about losing the bet when she sees how happy the other is.

“Well, congratulations.” Saotome says, half amused and half sarcastic. She still doesn't know if she wants to be a sore loser or not about it.

“Thanks, Mary-san. You also did very well.”

Jabami approaches her rival, now with a more thoughtful expression on her face. It makes all Saotome's alarms ringing in her head, making her tense up at first.

“So, now, about my prize…” Yumeko's eyes having a flash of red in them, and the curve of her smiling lips are sharper than before.

“You– You already know what you want?” Mary internally curses for her sutter. She shouldn't show how much the other affects her.

“Yes.” Jabami is so close to her, she can even feel her breath warming up her nose. “I want… a kiss!”

Saotome's brain halted for a moment.

What.

“What?” She asked, before coming back to her senses. “You made a whole ass bet with me just to have a kiss?”

At Yumeko's delighted giggle, she could only sigh.

“You do know you can just ask for it, right? The whole dating thing isn't just a new label on our relationship.” She comments, crossing her arms. The ridiculousness of the situation having yet to be absorbed.

“But then it wouldn't be half as fun.” Jabami pouts, like an indignant child.

Sighing again, Mary resigned herself to it.

“Well then, come grab your prize.” She opened her arms for emphasis, and soon enough Yumeko was again very close to her.

Their clothes were still squashy, but it didn't stop Jabami from holding her girlfriend, letting the warmth from their bodies chase away the cold still lingering on their skin. Her fingers took a hold of Saotome's cheek, while her other hand was on her neck, caressing the few strands of her there.

The look that Mary was sending to her rival was so soft and full of love, that it was a shame to have to close them just to have a kiss. But Yumeko couldn't let herself be stopped by it, even if she really wanted to keep looking at the expressive golden eyes.

They soon were close enough to finish the gap between their lips, sighing contently into it. One of the hands of Saotome tightened on the curve of her waist, while the other grabbed a lock of damp hair and pulled it. The gasp that left Jabami was pretty, like it always was, and the opportunity that she gave to Mary to put her tongue inside her mouth wasn't wasted.

The kiss was sweet and tasted like victory, and it left both of them feeling excited and warm. There wasn't any fight in the action, it was more like they were both going along with the turn of heads or lick of lips, in the same beat and rhythm about this particular dance.

They were so focused on themselves, that it was a little bit sad for Ryouta, who just wanted to come inside the building again and maybe eat something in the cafeteria. The rain hadn't stopped yet and the winds were cold and unforgiving, but he couldn't leave the girls alone there.

“You two are so mean to me.” He whispered, hugging himself more tightly to keep his body warm.

He was going to wait until they were finished, then.