Tired and exasperated by the mind numbing amount of information presented to her throughout the day, Kaori was relieved, and very thankful to find all her belongings put away and organized. “I’ll have to remember to thank them all for being so helpful.” Itching to get out of her day clothes, Kaori pulled her blue oxford dress shirt over her head, either too tired or too lazy to undo the buttons, and struggled out of her khaki slacks, leaving her clad only in her pink hello kitty panties, and her white cami, showing off her slender form.

Without another thought Kaori snatched up the remote to her television off of its stand, switched on the tv, and plopped herself on the bed, lying on her stomach with her head up, and her feet dangling in the air—her usual position for relaxing after a long day. While flipping through a couple channels on the television, she thought to herself: “It really is nice to be alone for once, no one to yell at you, no one to tell you what to do. I even got a single! It feels amazing to be able to do whatever I want today, tomorrow, whenever, and not have my parents complain… Still, I guess it is a little quiet around here; I never thought I’d admit it, but I guess it was nice sharing a room with my little sister.” Taken out of her reverie by a sudden noise on tv, Kaori was dismayed to find that none of the shows interested her in the least. Kaori reached for the remote, and in order to mask the stark silence, turned up the volume a few notches. She then hopped off her bed, and strode over to the dorm-friendly plastic drawers holding her numerous snacks. Bending over to reach into the bottom drawer, her firm, fit bottom was momentarily on display, before she reemerged holding a box of Pocky.

Her favorite snack since the age of seven, Kaori always ate the sweet asian treat the same way: by sucking, licking, stroking the frosting coated stick with her tongue until every last bit of creamy frosting was gone, and then munching the remaining cookie away. Her mother had always scolded her for eating this way, telling her she would lose all her teeth when she was older, but it was tradition for her. Temporarily occupied by the sugary snack, Kaori hopped back onto her bed and went back to watching the mindless shows on tv.

Not long after, when the television was spouting some nonsense about a novel perfume "guaranteed" to attract your man (what luck, she could seduce the grubby old professors!) and Kaori was happily engaged in sucking the thick white filling from her latest cookie, a knock sounded on the door. It was a firm, pleasant, triple tap that was neither rough nor so infuriating soft that it would be missed.
"Hello in there. This is the welcoming committee. Is this Kaori's room?" The girl might as well not have asked, since a moment later she turned the knob and stood inside the room as glittery gazed and rosily smiling as if she had been invited.

She was a lovely girl, this person who stood so unexpectedly in Kaori's room and favored the furnishings by her encouraging gaze. Her face was fine boned and pink at the cheeks, like some fifties stereotype, and seemed incapable of guile. Her eyes were indigo dark and twinkled at Kaori in as friendly a manner as a twinkle can manage. Her smile was broad and sweet, riding on pout, unblemished lips that dared you to accuse them of having ever been chapped. Two thick, chocolate braids hung down past her shoulders and bounced on her pert breasts as she rocked back on her heels. The school uniform was to be expected. The way the skirt rode up and gave Kaori a wicked flash of white between this friendly interlopers thighs gave Kaori a hint as to what she could expect out of her own school issue garments.

"Hi there Kaori!" She exclaimed, closing her eyes cutely and tilting her head to the side. She bounced again, uanble to contain her glee. In her hands she held a small parcel, wrapped in white paper and emblazoned with the navy letters SHS, below which was spelled out the word Welcome in cheery type.
"I'm your greeter for your first day Kaori. Here's your welcome package." The parcel was presented to the young girl, still embarrassingly clad in her panties and nightclothes.
"My name is Charlotte. I hope you like your new school, and the package. It has some hygiene products, a small first aid kit, candy...I hope you like root beer barrels and chocolate, and an SHS scarlet ribbon." Only after issuing her spiel and placing the paper lump in Kaori's lap did she appear to notice Kaori's present state. Kaori was for a moment too stunned to respond, calmly aghast, blinking at the pleasant apparition now blushing and turned away to twist at her pigtails fetchingly (everything about her was fetching, the insipid thing) as sugary white creme dripped inelegantly onto her collarbone and ran between her breasts. Finally Kaori found here voice, and here is what she said:

At first put off by the intrusion of privacy, Kaori, after taking one look at the adorable girl standing in her doorway was stunned to find herself inexplicably attracted. “mmm... Thanks...” she said embarrassedly, while pulling the thick creamy frosting from her cleavage. Never having been attracted to another girl before, this current feeling was mysterious and enthralling. As Charlotte’s smile returned to face her, Kaori was relieved to not have let her classmate perceive her interest. Brought back to reality, her more conservative side kicked in, and she quickly jumped up from her bed, breasts bouncing slightly, saying, “I’ll be right back,” as she scurried over to her closet to put on some more clothes.

Safely in her closet, she pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, but changed her mind and decided staying in just her gym shorts and cami would be more enticing for her guest.

Emerging from her closet with a slight strut, showing off her curvy, yet slender hips, Kaori offered her new friend one of her cookies: “Here, take one of these; they're called Pocky. But be careful, the frosting can be a little messy,” she said, blushing slightly. Charlotte cheerfully accepted the gift, and began carefully munching the cookie, but to no avail, the thick frosting stuck to her full, alluring lips. Giggling slightly, Kaori reached over, and wiped the sticky frosting from Charlotte’s open mouth. Slightly ashamed from her last courageous advance, Kaori attempted to save face by asking “So, whats the most important thing for a new student to know, coming her to SHS?”

Charlotte was taken aback. She moved her lips, tasting the sugar left over from Kaori’s bold gesture in a contemplative silence. Her cheeks had grown two raspberry pink spots on them. “Oh umm…” she muttered, stalling for time. Charlotte appeared to take a sudden great interest in the carpeting, and while she twisted up her skirt in both of her hands, her lips took to smiling. It was an intermittent, unbidden sort of smiling, like some sort of spasm. “I umm…” she repeated. “What’s the most important thing to know?” the young, blushing girl asked rapidly, biting her bottom lip softly. She placed one delicate hand to a cheek, pretending to contemplate. “Well I suppose….” Charlotte’s throat bobbed. Finally, as though a dam had broken, she began to speak in a torrent.

“Oh well there’s a lot of things that one should know so I’m not entirely sure as to the most important thing but there are many, many important things, you understand, so it’s really a question of sifting between them and defining what it is exactly you consider important because I know people think differently and say, what I might think is important might be completely useless to you…” Charlotte paused to catch her breath in a small gasp. “I guess keeping a good a-attitude would be b-best.” She supplied meekly at the end. She coughed quietly into her hand and clasped them before her. She bowed simply to fill the awkwardness, flushing more furiously than before.

The carpet wasn’t the most entertaining of things to look at. No matter how Charlotte squinted at it, it remained nothing more than the standard mat of beige and white speckles common throughout the dorm rooms. They were useless speckles too, without even the good grace to form some sort of pattern in the mind, like a face or a person or anything at all. Dull. What had been silence was broken by a shrill, screaming tone, startling Charlotte so badly that her pigtails leaped on her shoulders. She darted toward the inconveniently set alarm clock perched half on the corner of Kaori’s desk, desperately swatting at the button on the raucous contraption. She succeeded in quieting the machine, but in so doing she also managed to knock it off the desk. It flew through the air in a terrific trajectory, tumbling end over end, numbers flashing deadpan and ironically silent as the clock hurtled to its doom upon the carpet. It landed jarringly, poised on one corner, and then thumped onto the floor. The red numbers vanished. Charlotte was left standing in the middle of the room, covering her mouth with both hands, mortified.

Shocked that her momentary boldness had caused such an already awkward situation to become even more uncomfortable, Kaori became much more interested in repairing the current social exchange with a potential new friend than fixing her alarm clock. “ Oh, don’t worry about it, I’ve had that alarm clock for years, ” she lied, having received the alarm clock from her 10 year old brother as a going away present. Unsure that Charlotte had forgiven herself for the accidental slip, Kaori struggled to change the subject back to Charlotte’s advice for new students: “ummm… well, I hope a good attitude won’t be a problem,” she said, with a shy half-smile, half-pout. Though still unsure that a good attitude would be enough to allow her to succeed at such a prestigious school, she didn’t press the matter.

Desperate for company in her disturbingly silent room, yet unwilling to risk further awkward moments, Kaori attempted to solidify a friendship with her guest by inviting her to watch some of her favorite cartoons with her. “ummm… d-do you watch any Anime?” Kaori inquired. Only half waiting for a response, she skipped over to her closet and emerged carrying a box with “Anime” scrawled on the side. “I brought lots: Cardcaptor Sakura, Sailor Moon, Love Hina…” Pulling a dvd case from the box, Kaori said, “ahh, let’s just watch Cardcaptor Sakura… I always love that one.” After placing the dvd into the player, she bellyflopped back onto the bed, hoping Charlotte would join her.

Charlotte stared at the dead alarm. "You're sure it's okay? I'm soo sorry I broke it!" The young woman was clearly distressed; not fully believing Kaori's polite lie. "I would manage to break something the first time I'm on the Welcome Committee." Charlotte pouted upon reflection, then clasped her hands in her lap and bowed. "I apologize for being so clumsy...." Halfway up the recalcitrant greeter paused. "Anime?" was her question. She furrowed her brows. "I don't think I've ever heard of anime..." she muttered doubtfully. As Kaori tossed herself onto the bed in a spritely flop, Charlotte closed the distance, her eyes fixed curiously on Kaori.

They were indigo eyes, and currently the new student was the center of their attention. They glimmered while Charlotte sat, smoothing her palms over the bedspread. Her knuckles came to rest near Kaori's ribs, making a light, unconscious contact. "I guess Cardcaptor Sakura, that's what you called it right? I guess it's a good show?" probed the brunette greeter, biting one finger while keeping her gaze on her half clothed acquaintance. The pink in Charlotte's cheeks spread, especially when her glimmering eyes passed over Kaori's shapely behind, embraced by the pink panties and their childish feline decoration. She looked suddenly toward the screen and leaned forward. But the novelty of the animation did not prevent her from taking another surreptitious peek, or her ashamed expression. Vacillating between the two sights, she dug her hands tighter and tighter in the blankets, until her hands were fists clutching wads of downy comforter.

"I-it must be nice having such nice clothes..." Charlotte smiled timidly after making her halting, shy comment. "I don't have anything I like. Just school uniforms and some old hand me downs. Sakura blossoms drifted across the screen like some shimmering, pink array of feminine promise. It distracted Kaori's potential friend long enough for her expression to soften. "Wow. I can see why you like this show." Tiny fists released their grip on the bed, allowing their possessor to schooch her way onto the edge of the mattress for a closer look. The smell of lilacs wafted from her hair.

Now watching her favorite childhood show, Kaori discounted her earlier attraction to the girl as anxiety from being thrust so suddenly into a new unknown world. Anyways, a relationship was the last thing she needed, when trying to establish herself at a new school. Still, Kaori was so intent upon making a friend in this new world of hers that she wasn't truly able enjoy watching her favorite show. Feeling her friend’s hand graze her body just below her bosom, she twitched slightly at the unexpected contact, but not wanting to appear too touchy or high-strung, allowed the contact to continue.

At first content to stare at the television blankly, relaxing with her new friend, Kaori soon felt the prickle down her spine, normally associated with an outsider’s stare. Breathing in the lilac fragrance of Charlotte’s hair, Kaori was quite tempted to simply allow Charlotte survey the gentle curves of her bottom, the arch of her back, and the slender form of her legs, but her practical side took over. Glancing at Charlotte, she saw her new acquaintance turn to look at the tv. Attempting to appear nonchalant, Kaori asked if her new acquaintance was enjoying the show. In her response, she seemed to show some interest in the show, which, to Kaori, was better than nothing.

Charlotte inched closer to the TV, and Kaori slid up the bed to lay next to her. Then Charlotte made what was to Kaori, an extremely pitiful comment: "I-it must be nice having such nice clothes... I don't have anything I like. Just school uniforms and some old hand me downs.” Kaori’s family wasn’t loaded, but her parents had done well for themselves. That said, she had been able to indulge herself in some of the nicest clothes. Jumping up from the bed, Kaori sidled over to the closet door, and upon reaching its wooden frame, turned around, and beckoned for Charlotte to come over. “come here, I want to show you something,” she said. “My mom gave me some money so I could shop for some new clothes before going to school…” She pulled out first a white halter sundress with red flower print and a plunging neckline; a gloriously short black wool skirt; a beautiful soft pink cashmere cardigan; a shimmering slate grey three-quarter sleeve button down shirt… “I know this sounds weird… but do you want to play dress up with me?” horrified at Charlotte’s bewildered reaction, Kaori quickly added, “Oh, its just that my little sister and I used to dress each other up all the time. C’mon, I’ll do you, and then you can do me next,” she pleaded, “It’ll be fun, I promise.”

The bed sprang back into shape as Charlotte popped herself off the edge of the mattress, curious as to what idea Kaori had come up with. “What are you doing?” she asked, trying to look over her shoulder and into the closet. Sure that whatever Kaori produced from her wardrobe would be equally as enticing as the garments Charlotte had already complimented her on, she waited on impatient feet. Out the clothes came in a swirl; proudly displayed. Charlotte made an envious sound as she saw Kaori smooth the sundress over her tee, as white as the blossoms on an apple bough, and as studded with blooms. Then there was the inky black skirt that was clearly meant for show and not concealment. “They’re kind of risqué aren’t they?” the captive greeter ventured, a bit coyly. She reached out and traced the cut of the sundress’s bust with a finger, and grew pink in the cheeks looking at the skirt. “Either one of those would…” Leaving her thought unfinished she regarded the pink sweater and the slate shirt, and visibly melted. “They’re so nice…” she sighed, tugging one of her braids.

She was so engrossed that when the Kaori asked her question Charlotte did not at first hear her. Giving a distracted “hmmm?” and looking up from the clothes into the junior student’s face, the brunette blinked. “Hmmm?” Then her cloudy gaze cleared up, her mind catching up with events breathlessly. “Oh um,” came Charlotte’s response. “Dress up?” Her skepticism prompted Kaori in hasty pleading. “It’ll be fun,” the half dressed young woman claimed, “I promise.” The broken clock’s dead, listless face stared accusingly up at the braided girl from its place on the floor, stubby legs upended and pointing into the air. “I s-suppose I could…” Charlotte agreed reluctantly. “I did break your alarm, after all.”

Charlotte turned around, chewing one of her pigtails fretfully. Reaching up to undo her blouse with her back presented to the ecstatic Kaori, finger fumbling due to shyness, she worked loose the first few buttons. Her uniform went slack about the shoulders, and fell open at the front, causing delicate silvery white lace to peek out, shimmering. Her back was turned but Charlotte found to her chagrin that she was facing a full sized looking glass which was displaying her modesty on its impassive surface. It caught her blush and threw it back at her, and she turned away from it with her arms crossed. “Oh!” she exclaimed. “I forgot. I shouldn’t be doing this should I?” Nearly laughing at a sudden, perceived error, she turned back to Kaori and dropped her hands. “I’m supposed to let you undress me right? Otherwise it’s…not really dress up is it?” She flushed again, seeming possessed of an unlimited supply of crimson dye for her perpetually embarrassed face, and adding “I haven’t played dress up since I was a little girl” in a sort of soft apology. “So you used to do this with your little sister?”

“Yeah, we used to play this a lot. We were really close… and she always preferred the look of my clothes.” Kaori had not bargained on undressing the flirtatious greeter. Once more, Kaori’s practicality struggled with her impulsiveness; she wanted to undress Charlotte, but at the same time, she simply wanted to never have made such an advance at all. She remembered how it felt playing with her sister: the joy her sister felt from her older sister’s attention. Then she remembered her boyfriend back home… how he had always made fun of her for playing such childish games. Despite her misgivings, she continued unbuttoning Charlotte’s blouse, her shapely orbs, covered by her lace brassiere, emerging button-by-button. “There we go,” said Kaori, without much feeling, so as not to give either internal side any leeway. She then dropped into a kneel, in preparation to remove Charlotte’s skirt. But as her quaking hands grasped the plaid fabric, Kaori suddenly stopped: her internal struggle was won, and her practical side had taken over. “I’m sorry… I can’t do this…” She paused, unsure what she was going to say to her guest. Not wanting to offend, yet unable to find any other way to escape from this situation, Kaori stammered out, “I’m t-t-terribly sorry, Charlotte, this has to have been so awkward for you.” Now horrified by her seductive advance, even despite her promises she made to her boyfriend before she had left, she handed Charlotte back her blouse as she said, “it’s getting kind of late… maybe it’d be best if we just called it a night.”

"What? But.." Charlotte peered at Kaori, standing there bewildered and half undressed. "I'm already..Kaori? I don't get it." Charlotte turned and walked a few steps away, buttoning herself up hastily. Once the lace of her bra has been safely closed away udner her blouse she threw Kaori a hurt look, her expression tight and her cheeks reddened. "Why'd you ask if you were just going to change your mind?" Charlotte demanded sharply with her arms crossed over her chest. Spying the clock she gave it a impetuous kick, sending it skidding over the carpet.

Charlotte was instantly sorry, and stepped from side to side, chewing on the end of a braid. Facing the new student she muttered an apology. "I...I didn't mean that." Self conscious, the greeter smoothed out her blouse. "It is the first day..." Affecting a cheery smile she looked over Kaori a last time and headed cringingly toward the door, wishing her a pleasant stay at Shokushu. Something in Charlotte's voice was rigid when she said this, as brittle and sharp as flint. Her hands were fists riding on her hips.

Shocked by Charlotte’s uncharacteristically violent reaction, and embarrassed by her impulsive behavior, and ensuing drama it had caused, Kaori stood tacit in the closet doorway staring at her feet. Though she was relieved that Charlotte had apologized and that she was free from her self-caused dilemma, the stinging tone in Charlotte’s voice told her she might not be as lucky as she thought.

Still looking at her feet, Kaori began to speak: “Thanks for every--“ she heard the soft click of a door being closed extra cautiously, to prevent true emotions from showing through. The new girl sighed, dismayed by her failed attempts to be social with her new classmates. She had had enough for a night, and just wanted to relax in a hot shower. She slid out of her clothes, the cloth shorts, and cotton panties sliding down her hips, and slender legs. She wrapped herself tightly in a soft white towel, and grabbed her shower bucket off of her dresser.

She peeked her head out of her room, looking both ways down the hall to make sure Charlotte had left. Seeing no one, she began walking someone quickly towards the bathrooms, hopefully avoiding seeing anyone else.

Charlotte walked hastily, it would seem, and had already left the hall empty. Kaori was able to make her way privately to the bathroom, clad in the clinging towel, padding barefoot down the carpet. The softness under her feet turned to slick tile as she crossed the bathroom's threshold and closed the door behind herself.

It was like a sauna inside, recent use of the showers having left layers of floating steam drawn from wall to wall. Humid droplets collected on Kaori's unmarred skin. The mositure made her hair drape down in darkened tendrils. A strawberry scent permeated the mist that might have been shampoo. Kaori had to be cautious on the staggered pink tiling to keep her footing, taking a little leap over a shallow puddle of water that was sluggishly draining into a round grate about the size of her heel. Her graceful limbs flexed upon landing, and her hair bounced, shedding droplets.

One of the showerheads was still dripping and the pipes squeaked. A throaty gurgle sounded from the drain, which spat up a mass of bubbles that sank dejectedly back into the hole. Over the row of sinks lined on the wall opposite the downturned shower spigots and the toilet stalls was the long mirror. Looking into the foggy panels the young girl could see only her own indistinct shape hovering like a white ghost amidst even more ephemeral shapes behind her. Her towel rose up over her alluringly round bottom as she bent forward to wipe at the mirror, squinting, the swelling undercurves of her buttocks peeking naughtily out. Clearing away a patch she spied someone else in the room behind her. She had no time to react when it splashed over the floor at her. Holding a threatening, slender bit of steel, a swift hand stretched out and buried the needle in the side of Kaori's vulnerable neck. A burning lightness flooded her brain. The towel came undone as she fainted. Before a heavy blackness covered her eyes she saw her nude self tumble into enveloping arms.