Yuri in Which the World Will End in Ten Days

Day 7

Three days left until the end of the world. Somehow, it still doesn\'t feel real. Makes me wonder if it\'s actually going to happen.

No one is out on the streets, but electricity still works perfectly fine, and the TV is still showing the usual nonsensical programs. Almost feels like everyone is being way too calm.

But none of those matter to me; my ex-girlfriend\'s little sister is the only thing on my mind.

"Oh, did you find the towel?"

I call out to Riri right after she got out of the bathroom; that clearly startled her.

"I didn\'t know where I should put it. Always been bad at learning how things work at other people\'s places, you see."

"It\'s alright."

Riri casts her eyes down and walks away.

"I\'ll dry your hair for you."

"I\'m good."

She\'s trying to look away. Ever since we kissed yesterday, most of our interactions have gone like this. Hasn\'t looked at me since this morning. Though it\'s not to the point of avoiding me, she\'s been very nervous and conscious when I\'m around.

"C\'mon, just let me. I\'m a pro at drying women\'s hair, you know."

With me beckoning her over, Riri reluctantly sits down in front of me. I proceed to lightly wipe her head with a towel.

"Have you gotten in touch with Ruru lately?"

I squeeze out the excess moisture, from her hairline up, while my gaze fixates on well-shaped ears. So cute. This is probably how it feels to want to eat her up. She\'ll definitely get mad if I say that to her, though, so I decide against it.

"She was concerned for my well-being back here."

"Did you tell her you\'re getting by just fine?"

Riri turns around and glares at me.

"I told her that you\'ve already left, so please don\'t say anything."

"You covered up for me? How nice."

I think about how Ruru, back when I dated her, has never done this. She was impregnable, never breaking character in front of me. Always a perfect, beautiful girlfriend. I wonder what she\'s up to now.

"No, I was just ensuring that I\'ll still be free to do whatever."

I\'ve left my axe at the house\'s entranceway. It is so that, on the off chance that she comes back one day, I would be able to kill her then.

Bringing out the dryer from the bathroom, I plug it in blow Riri\'s hair.

"What\'re you studying at school, Riri-chan?"

"Nothing special, just normal high school stuff."

"What normal high school stuff?"

Her hair is a beautiful black and perfectly healthy; totally worth drying for. I take my time with the whole process.

"...You didn\'t go to school?"

Now I\'m feeling like giving her a nice, big hug from behind. She might bolt off if I actually do that, though.

"I did graduate, for what it\'s worth."

"So you didn\'t study?"

"Didn\'t work that way for me... no, nevermind. My bad for bringing up the studying stuff."

"Heh, how about I help you with your studies, then?"

Riri seems quite elated to have pinpointed one of my weaknesses. Grinning with triumph, she glances back at me. This expression of hers resembles Ruru\'s, if only a slight bit.

"Ah, is that an invitation to study naughty stuff together?"

"It\'s not."

"You know what, why don\'t we try teaching each other stuff? Exchange knowledge about something we\'re good at."

"No."

"I haven\'t even said what I\'m good at yet, though."

"I already know what it\'ll be."

"Heh..."

I laugh; Riri blushes. As if trying to distance herself from me, she nudges me with her elbow. I catch hold of her arm.

"...Please stop it."

Riri cast her eyes down, refusing to look at me.

"Listen, if you have anything you wanna say to me, just let it out."

"Then tell me, what did you mean by being a pro at drying women\'s hair?"

"Huh?"

That caught me off guard; I was expecting her to ask something completely different.

"Do you always do this for other women?"

Riri asks as she tenses up and begins to tremble. I just can\'t help but think how precious she is, being so concerned about such a trivial thing, staying so persistent in asking about it.

"Sure do."

She raises her face, looking like she\'s about to cry.

"I work as a beautician, after all."

"Huh?"

"Your sister never told you? Well, I\'m technically unemployed right now, though."

Riri, red to her ears, cast her eyes down again.

"So what, I can\'t do it for someone else?"

"N-no, that\'s not what I mean! Just forget it!"

"Tell you what, Riri-chan, I can be your personal hairdresser if you want."

"I don\'t want that!"

Riri, arms stiffening up, glares at me as if to deter my approach. But, well, I think those eyes of hers are having the opposite effect on me.

"You did that for my sister too, right?"

She asks, her voice suggesting that she might burst into tears any second now.

"Used to, not anymore. Now it\'s all you, Riri. You\'re my last."

The world is ending. But all I\'m thinking, in spite of everything, is that I want to feel more of her. Nothing else matters; I just want to feel her. Giving it my all to paint myself a serious face, I say,

"I want you to be my last lover."