Dueling life in a futuristic world

 When my conversation with my former roommates was done, I went up to my hotel room to meet with the girls, finding them in various states of undress. It wasn’t anything lewd, just three girls relaxing after an exhausting day.

 I joined them, laying on my bed face-down after throwing everything save for my underwear to the side, not even bothering to clean off the e-girl makeup I had on for the match. But comfort wasn’t the only reason for this position, as I felt a subtle warmth around the base of my spine where a device shaped like an arch shined a laser on my skin, leaving behind a symbol.

 Haruna, sitting in one corner of the bed, teased. “Fufufufu, this is gonna look so good on you. Nanako really figured out an amazing design so quickly.”

 Looking at the wall in front of the bed, I roll my eyes. Yes, they insisted that we all lost the bet, meaning we all get tattoos. It’s... Not that bad, really more of a team building thing than an actual consequence. Nanako even showed me a sketch before Haruna went about applying it. It’s a wispy, stylised heart with the words ‘Bad Bitch’ written in a girly font wrapped in barbed wire, all to be applied in glowing chromicolor ink by nanobots.

 Haruna looks over at my face and asks. “What do you think?”

 I move my head in her direction, pressing my left ear into the pillow. “It’s a pretty neat piece, but I don’t think I will keep it passed a week.”

 Her eyes lower, and she sighs. “Even after all the work Nanako put into making it?...”

 I hear footsteps in her direction, followed by Nanako’s voice. “Come on Haruna, if that’s not her style, then there’s nothing we can do.” She gets on her knees close to the bed, her oval face closing on mine, with her black eyes looking into mine. “Don’t worry about it. I knew you planned on removing it when I made it.”

 My lips form a smile. “Thanks Nanako. You’re really sweet.”

 Looking our way, Haruna gives a teasing laugh. “Hahahaha, I was just kidding. You just get so shy I can’t help but push you on a bit.”

 Yet the other girl in the room seems to have something to say about that, as she closes on Haruna and gazes at her with her hands holding her hips. “Harunaaaa, don’t overdo it. We don’t want to turn Yuumi into a shameless slut like you...” she leans into her, whispering close to her face. “Not that I don’t love shameless sluts.”

 Haruna’s face blushes, and she shoots back. “Look who’s talking. Come here!” She fully presses her face against Naeko’s, wrapping her arms around her neck, going in for a full French Kiss she is more than happy to accept.

 Me and Nanako watch the developing lesbian action taking place on the edge of my bed, firing longing peeks at one another.

 When their lips finally detach, I tease. “Fufufu, you two almost look like a proper couple.”

 Nanako follows. “Yes, lovey dovey Haruna and Naeko. I ship them.”

 They turn to us, with Naeko saying. “Want some? That’s the beauty of a relationship like we four have, free love, baby.”

 Haruna follows. “Best decision we ever made, really. Remember when we used to date between us? So much unnecessary drama.”

 The three look up as if recalling that time, but I can’t help but raise an eyebrow, questioning. “You three used to date? How did that go?”

 Nanako looks back at me, and with a wide smile, tells. “Terribly, we almost ended up ending the cheer club.”

 Haruna continues. “Our dramas were insane. Once, after Naeko and Nanako hooked up together, I was so furious that I rescheduled the whole practice calendar for the year just to break them up; When that didn’t work, I threatened Naeko to reveal who she was dating to her family for a night of revenge sex, which I recorded and sent to Nanako...”

 Naeko finishes with an uncharacteristic smile. “Nanako broke up with me after that, and then I rolled into Haruna’s bed so she wouldn’t spread the recording on GlobalNet. Nanako found that out, and the cycle continued.”

 ‘... Jesus fucking chr—I mean... Solus fucking... Something!’

 “How the hell did you three end up as friends after that?!”

 They look away, with Haruna explaining. “Well... Once we figured out that we didn’t really have any romantic feelings for each other, save for physical attraction, we made this compromise. We would stay friends, with some added benefits, especially in the bedroom...” She looks back at me, her eyes inching to the side. “It was the same proposition we gave to you.”

 I smile. “And I’m glad I took it. It has been a fun two weeks; Shame we won’t be together as much when we return to the academy.”

 The two separate, with Naeko sitting down on the nearest bed. “Are you sure? We have history Yuumi, history that makes it impossible for any of us to have any proper relationships. But you’re still young. Are you really satisfied settling for this? Romance can be a good thing for some people. Just look at Aya.”

 Raising my head, I sigh. Am I really satisfied with a purely carnal relationship? “Yes...” I voice. “Love isn’t for me... At least not so soon.”

 Tilting her head, Nanako asks. “So soon after what?”

 I look at her, my mouth drying up. ‘I can’t tell them the real reason...‘ “Well... I... It just isn’t for me, ok? Please don’t pry...”

 She raises an eyebrow but lets it go. “If you say so.”

 ...

 ...

 [“*Ping!* Application successful.”] The Tattoo machine chimes.

 It disintegrates into particles of light after Haruna presses something on her phone.

 I sit up on the bed, leaning forward. “So, how does it look?”

 They lean in, with comments following soon after.

 “Pretty good. Matches you perfectly.” Haruna comments, not that I didn’t already know what her opinion was.

 “Great lines, deep color. That machine did a bang-up good job.” Naeko follows.

 Nanako takes a while to say something, likely because she drew the figure herself. “I agree with Naeko. Looks like I imagined it would.”

 My lips form into a light smile. ‘Well, at least they’re happy with it. I admit, it’s pretty cool.’ I sit back up on the bed and look at the girls once again, saying with a teasing smirk. “What now? Relax the afternoon away?... Or... Is there something else you girls wanted to do today?”

 Haruna’s expression scrunches up and she mumbles. “Yuumi, I don’t think we should do that right now. There’s no saying if there will be another attack, we shouldn’t get distracted like that...”

 My eyes shoot wide open as I realize what I just suggested. “Oh!... I’m sorry, all this talk just made me forget about it. Please forget it.”

 But the cheeky, modestly tan cheerleader with a full chest leans in, pressing a knee right between my thighs on the bed, facing me with a teasing smile. “Come on, don’t get so flustered. It might not be a good idea to go full on, but a little kissing never hurt anyone.”

 I blush, returning. “Wasn’t Haruna enough for you?”

 Looking around at the other two, they look on with wide smiles but also give us some space.

 Yet Naeko remains in front of me, grabbing my shoulders and leaning further in, her eyes covered by bright-pink contact lenses piercing into mine. “You know one’s never enough for me.” With that, she leans further in, her lips planting herself on mine as she closes her eyes.

 Feeling a little frisky myself, I engage with her in yet another game of ‘Tongue wrestling.’ Naeko’s a great kisser and I’ve got enough experience to say that.

 As we go on with our little game, the two onlookers further focus in, with Nanako whispering into Haruna’s ear. “Sorry to say, sister, but the Yumieko ship may beat Nekaruna.”

 This only makes Haruna whisper back. “Is this what getting cucked feels like?... I might be into it...”

 Probably unbeknownst to the two, I hear all of that because of my earbuds, and have to stifle a laugh in the middle of a deep kiss.

 When we two finally let go, Naeko smiles and asks. “Did that do it for you?”

 My lips form a wide smile and I respond with my eyes half closed. “More than you think.” I look over her shoulder at the other two.

 Nanako looks satisfied, sporting a wide smile on her lips.

 Meanwhile, Haruna looks on while bitting her bottom lip, but she still asks. “So... What do you girls want to do now? We have god knows how much time locked up in our room without a data connection and the obvious answer is out of the question. Suggestions?”

 Naeko rolls over, sitting next to me, with Nanako and Haruna sharing a peck in the meantime.

 After a couple of seconds, I say. “There’s not really much we can do... How about we just talk?”

 Haruna lets go of Nanako and squints at me, asking. “About what?”

 I lean back on the bed. “I don’t know... about stuff?” Sitting up straight, I continue. “For example, what do you girls want to do after graduating?” It was a question I often asked myself and as third-year students, they should have a better idea about what they want to do than anyone else I know.

 The three look among each other, with Naeko being the first to speak. “Easy. I want to become a solid vision engineer. NWDA might not be the best school for practical-dueling, but their courses cover enough.”

 While the other two remain silent, I turn to Naeko and ask. “How does that work? I can’t imagine that the NWDA has many of those types of classes.”

 She shrugs. “It’s a pre-requisite. Solid-vision certified universities require a dueling academy degree for enrollment.”

 I furrow my brow and ask. “Really? Isn’t that a lot? Why don’t they just teach dueling at the uni’s?”

 She shakes her head. “They can’t, dueling education is relegated to dueling academies, actually a pretty gruesome story for that system to come about...”

 I try to ignore the second part. “Fine, but how long are you going to stay in school for? Dueling academy is 5 years, a bachelor’s at a regular university is another 3...”

 She looks straight at me before laughing. “Hahaha, I’m already doing my bachelor’s dummy! Did you really think I was going to wait 8 years for a bachelor’s degree? That’s insane!”

 “Wait... Didn’t you just say you need to finish dueling academy before enrolling?”

 She nods. “Yes, but if you’re already in a dueling academy, you can enroll and get the non-solid vision part out of the way; After I’m done with dueling academy, it’ll only take one year for me to complete my master’s.”

 “Doesn’t that get overwhelming? Having college classes in addition to the regular dueling ones?”

 The genius girl shakes her head again. “Not really. The university I’m in has great Vrains classes and GlobalNet course work.” She looks off to the side and mumbles. “It also helps I’m spared from most homework because of the double enrollment...”

 ‘She really must be smarter than I first imagined, engineering degree and dueling academy at the same time? Sounds like a recipe for disaster, yet she manages that with club activities on top.’

 I offer her a full smile and say so. “You’re really smart Naeko. That must be a nightmare to manage with the cheer club on top.”

 Naeko looks to the side, blushing a little. “Thanks...” She looks back down, fidgeting with her fingers. “Daddy always says we have to get used to being overwhelmed to prosper in this world... And he always made sure to drive the point home...” Her eyes inch over to mine. “Sometimes I wonder if I needed him at all.”

 ... I try my best not to react to that. ‘Jesus christ Naeko, that’s not something you say to an orphan whose parents abandoned her...’

 Laying a hand on her back, I reassure in a fake calm tone. “That just means he wants you to grow.” I lean over to look at her face before continuing. “If he didn’t push you, that would mean he doesn’t care.” I lean back up and let out a sigh. “Ask me how I know.”

 She turns to me with a furrowed brow, but her eyes open wide as she voices. “Right... You also had a family. Sorry-I... I forgot about that...”

 I look up at the ceiling. “It’s okay...” It’s not, but this moment is about her, not me. “Just remember, as long as he’s pushing you to follow your dreams, he cares about you. I can spot a shitty father from a million miles away, and he doesn’t sound like one.”

 She leans back on the bed, mumbling. “Thanks, Yuumi... I needed that.”

 I try my best to divert from this topic right away. “So, how did you end up in the cheer club? You clearly had a lot of work on your hands.”

 Her face grows red right away, and the two other girls in the room chip in, with Haruna saying in an elevated tone of voice. “Ohh! Let me tell that story! That’s always a fun one!”

 Then Nanako follows in the same tone. “Oh, come on! I recruited her, let me tell it!”

 ‘Something that Naeko is embarrassed about? That’s rare...’

 I turn to the two, crossing my arms and querying in a teasing tone. “Oh? So now you two decide to say something?” I turn back to Naeko, who’s now hiding her face behind her hands. “Must be an interesting story then~”

 The now embarrassed cheerleader whispers. “Please don’t... It’s so cringy...”

 Yet Nanako takes a step forward, placing herself in front of Naeko and laying a hand on her shoulder. “Really? I think it was sweet what you did back there.”

 Curious, I ask. “And what was that?”

 The girl glances at me and says. “Well, this little love bird joined the club because she had a crush on me.” She ends by leaning down and placing a kiss on her forehead. “Isn’t that right?”

 Naeko’s blush turns into a deep red. “Yes... Please don’t laugh...”

 I smile at the two and reassure. “Why would I laugh at that? That’s really charming.” I lean over and fake whisper, “Did it work?”

 Seeing a great opportunity, Naeko says, “Well, yes. It was a resounding success.” She glances up at the three of us, and gathers the courage to declare with a cheeky smirk. “I even got two other girls wrapped up in the package.”

 We descend into a bout of laughing, even if we’re laughing with her.

—

 As we finally settle down, my attention draws to Haruna and Nanako. They still haven’t answered my original question, but Haruna finally seems to figure out what she wants.

 Leaning against a wall, she tells. “Well, now that you ask, I think I want to keep doing what I do now, action dueling and cheerleading. My father might not like that, but I think he’d support opening up a firm if I ask nicely.”

 Comfortably laying on a bed with two other girls, I ask. “Like an Event Catering firm?”

 The pink-haired girl looks up at the ceiling, shaking her head. “More like an entertainment firm. Renting out professional cheer-teams, dancers and action duelists to events and the like. With all the tournaments in Dragoon City, it would be pretty profitable.” She looks back down at me. “Using solid-vision in performances might even set a trend.”

 I smile. “So, you already have that all figured out?”

 “Nah, not even close. I hadn’t even thought about it before you brought that up. It’s five years Yuumi, I have 3 years left, you have 5, we have plenty of time to figure out what we want to do. No need to rush.”

 ‘Ahhh how naïve, as someone with a combined almost 50 years of life experience, 30 of them sequential, five years pass by in an instant. Still, I can’t say that, and they all have rich families to support them. It’s not like they can’t take a few years to figure out what they want.’

 The other person laying on the bed chips in. “Yeah, I agree with Haruna, no need to rush Yuumi.” The cheerleader with long black hair laying on my bed next to Naeko turns to me. “For example, I don’t know what to do after graduating, but it doesn’t bother me. You need to relax, Yuumi.”

 I shrug. “Well, I just thought it was a pleasant topic to talk about, but if you have something else on your mind, please tell us.”

 Her lips form a frown, but she shakes her head. “Nothing really from me.” She lays back down and stretches out. “It really sucks that we have no connection to GlobalNet. I’m so boooorreddddddd.”

 We laugh at her whine, yet something tells me she might’ve jinxed it...