Comfort Zone

Chapter 30 - Mika

Suzuka woke up the next morning, amused by the sights that awaited her.

Harumi had woken up a while ago and was still cuddling with Suzuka. Asahi had rolled over at some point, clinging closely to Nanmei. Mika had twisted around and wrapped her arms and legs around one of Harumi's tails, her body draped over the other four girls.

They had school that day. Harumi, Suzuka, and Mika slipped away and went into the bathroom, washing off. Nanmei didn't have a bath, and the shower wasn't very big, so they'd have to go in two batches regardless.

Suzuka hadn't really seen Mika and Harumi interacting too much, aside from Harumi patting Mika occasionally. Both foxes and cats enjoyed social grooming, the two washing each other and displaying a close bond. Mika slyly tried to stand outside of the range of the water whenever possible, or stood where the water would hit one of the other girls instead of her.

Once they finished, Harumi went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast while Suzuka dried Mika's hair.

Nanmei and Asahi woke up before long and also went into the bathroom to shower. Then, they all ate together before setting off for school.

Suzuka encountered a problem. She only had two hands. Naturally, one of them went to Harumi, but she wasn't sure who to give the other.

However, neither Nanmei nor Asahi moved to take it. After walking for a while, Mika noticed Suzuka's uncertainty and took the free hand for herself. Mika held hands in a friendly way, rather than the intimate way Harumi did, so Suzuka didn't mind.

Asahi was shy about displaying affection publicly, but Suzuka wasn't sure why Nanmei didn't want to hold hands. Perhaps Nanmei was another that didn't like public displays of affection. In any case, it made it easier for Suzuka.

At school, Suzuka sat at her desk, thinking.

She couldn't imagine adding another girl would improve her happiness at all. It would only cause her more problems. They already struggled to all sleep together, and she only had so much time she could divide between them. She didn't think another would be a good idea.

Since Harumi had given Suzuka three spots, Suzuka had subconsciously thought about filling all three. But now, she didn't really know what she wanted to do with the third.

She could save it for the future as a just-in-case.

She could throw it away by sleeping with Ayame. That would remove the temptation having an open spot gave, but if she grew attached to Ayame, it would be troublesome.

Or she could throw it away in a different manner, with someone she'd never grow to be attached to. Her gaze drifted down to Mika, whose head was in her lap.

Mika turned her head and met Suzuka's gaze. She raised an eyebrow, as if saying, "You can't seriously be thinking that, can you?"

Suzuka smiled and rubbed Mika's head, playing with the cat-like ears.

That aside, it basically boiled down to whether she wanted to take the risk and get closer to Ayame, or if it would be better to remain as friends. Would she give that third slot to Ayame, or not?

If she chose not to, but then remained as friends with Ayame, she would be constantly tempted to press it further. It was difficult to decide ahead of time.

Since she couldn't decide, she decided to stop thinking about it and let things progress naturally.

That night, after bathing with Mika, Suzuka sat on the edge of her bed, drying the cat's hair.