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There once was a dove who lived his life in peace. Flying up and out of his nest to see the sunrise at the start of every day, and the sunset at the end.
Rentarou Aijou cricked his shoulder as he exited from his class at Horitsu Law School, the day’s (frankly, the week’s) work had been particularly draining, with essentially every class bogging him down in intense terminology and code review. Being away from most of his girlfriends for such a prolonged period as well was putting his body and mind to the test far more than he had expected. He of course made time to meet up with as many of them as he could every weekend, but, as the course load expanded, his timetable inevitably shrunk. Recently the most he was able to do was keep in contact with the ones who lived closest to him, but nearly everyone in the Rentarou family lived at least a city away from him, as their studies or work simply didn’t find them in Horitsu-chou.
Despite said obstacles, the young man was still determined to do well for the sake of his family, and carried himself with dignity whenever he was out. The second he made it home however, he knew he was likely to melt on the bed and feel his brain slowly rot for a few hours. At the moment, however, he needed to grab dinner. He made his way to his usual café, just outside of campus, where he could multitask between work and eating, before heading back to his apartment to study some more.
One day, while perching up in his normal spot to watch the sunset, he came across an owl just waking up on the branch beside him. The dove, not knowing quite what to make of the bird, decided to greet her. “Such a lovely evening this is!”
After placing down his usual order–curry rice and an egg salad sandwich–Rentarou began to look for a place to sit down and begin eating. Only for his eyes to meet with the deep black pupils of his girlfriend, Meru Zetsubouda, causing his own to light up with joy.
“Meru-chan!” He exclaimed, happily, “I didn’t expect to see you today!”
“It is indeed a very wonderful coincidence that we happened to run into each other today, Rentarou-kun.” The woman tucked her hair behind her ear, “A very fairytaley encounter, indeed.”
The author was currently donning her usual apron dress and blouse attire, the deep naval blues of the former complementing wonderfully with the off-white of the latter. The beret, normally adorning her crown was currently placed beside her, while her always ready sketchpad was in front of her, clearly seeing some use.
Her boyfriend promptly took a seat across from her giddily, barely containing the overflowing flood of happiness within him out of respect for the other patrons of the café. Immediately, he began to probe her with questions, as if he hadn’t talked to her in months (it had been approximately 32 hours since the two had last spoken properly, less than 4 in terms of texting). Even so, Meru humoured the man’s mildly redundant questions, that side of him was just another part which she found charming.
“I’m doing more than well enough, Rentarou-kun.” She drank from her teacup, “I’ve been busy working on my next manuscript, hopefully one to bring more hope into this world just the same as all the ones before it. Lately, however, I have started to see some of the potential in using some of the darkness in the world to better grasp an even greater light deeper beyond that.”
“Oh? That sounds really interesting!” The man replied back, chipperly. “Does it have a title yet?”
“The Dove and the Owl is the current working title for the fairy tale,” Meru replied, “I’ve been working on the outline for the better part of the week but it is only now starting to take shape in a way that I feel will be required to achieve the desired level of hope in the general populace.”
“I’m sure you’ll be able to write another amazing fairy tale, Meru-chan! I can’t wait to read it!”
“Indeed, this evening is quite lovely,” The owl replied, “The sun isn’t as bright, and the colours in the clouds are beautiful.” She gave her wings a stretch in the cooling, twilight air. “The night, however, will be even more beautiful. You should stay to see it.”
“Have you been properly looking after yourself, though?” Meru gave a slight look of concern, “You seem rather well-kept as usual, but as your girlfriend I can tell when something is bothering you beyond that.”
“Ah…I should really expect you to be able to tell by now, huh?” Rentarou rubbed his head sheepishly, “It’s just been the school workload, honestly. I’ve done well up until this point, but they weren’t kidding about it being one of the more intensive law schools you can work in.”
“Will you be alright, Rentarou-kun?”
“I should be!” He quickly moved his hands to try to quell Meru’s concern, but it was to no avail.
“Let me come home with you tonight, Rentarou-kun.” Though her voice was gentle, her conviction was firm. Her boyfriend didn’t bother trying to struggle further with attempting to dissuade her.
“A-alright, Meru-chan…” He submitted, “Let me have my dinner first, though.”
“Go right ahead.”
“I’m not sure,” The dove replied, his mother had always warned him not to leave his nest after dark. Doves could not see at night after all. “There will be a full moon tonight.” The owl pressed, “Even a daytime bird like yourself would be able to see all of the wonderful sights you can only perceive when the sun is away.” The dove finally folded, and decided to stay awake as the owl said.
After he had finished his meal–and her, her tea–the two lovebirds exited from the quaint café, en route to Rentarou’s apartment, their hands quickly intertwining as soon as they’d cleared the doorway. Rentarou let out a sigh of joy as he felt the soft warm skin press against his own.
“It feels like it’s been so long since we last went for a walk like this, Meru-chan!” He smiled at her, “I really missed this!”
“It’s only been a week or so, Rentarou-kun.” Meru chimed in, “But, yes I did indeed miss this as well. Whenever the two of us are together like this, I feel as though we can achieve even the wildest fairy tale in this hopeless world of ours.”
“Oh, that reminds me! The other day….”
The two gabbed away as they closed the distance to the law student’s house. The sun had begun to hang lower in the sky as they approached the complex, lighting up the clouds in a vibrant orange.
“So this is your residence then?” Meru looked it over in mild intrigue, “It’s just now occurring to me this is the first time I’ve actually visited your abode. Normally, you have always made the effort to visit each of us instead of vice versa.”
Rentarou was a little nervous as he approached the door to his apartment and inserted the key into the door. He couldn’t help it, since he hadn’t exactly been upkeeping the rooms to the level he had with his room back at Sukisugi (which is to say he cleaned it bi-daily instead of every day, the horror).
“You’d be best if you stuck with me as a guide.” The owl said, “You wouldn’t be used to flying at night after all.” She preened her wings as the sun set ever lower on the horizon. The dove grew more excited and anxious as orange gave way to blue and black.
“Pardon the intrusion.” Meru slipped off her loafers as she stepped inside, and began to examine the place. “Quite the humble abode you have here.”
“I try to keep things a bit simple since it’s a little easier to clean that way, haha.” Rentarou replied. “Plus, I’m out most of the time anyway.”
His room was almost a perfect copy of the one at his parents residence, making it rather nostalgic for the author as she sat down at the centre table, neatly.
“Would you like anything, Meru-chan?” Said a rather antsy Rentarou, “I need to quickly hop in the shower so–”
“I’ll be fine Rentarou-kun, we were both only just at the café after all.”
While Rentarou showered he couldn’t help but slowly become more self-conscious about the fact that his girlfriend was under the same roof as him. Of course, he knew it was rather foolish to worry over something like this, it had only been a year and a half since he was last in a similar situation, and that involved many more of his partners. There was just–something was off about the atmosphere, currently, he couldn’t quite place it. As he turned off the water and dried himself off, he pushed such thoughts to the back of his mind
Sure to the owl’s words, the full moon took the place of the sun. Casting a dim white glow across the forest below. A myriad of creatures, many of which the dove had never even seen before, began to scurry about and take flight. “Now then, follow me.” The owl took off from her perch, leaving the dove to scramble to follow.
As he returned to his room, Meru had already pulled free one of the various photo albums of the Rentarou Family’s times in high school. He sat down beside her quietly and looked over several of them in kind.
“Ah, this is from when Kusuri-san, Kishika-san, and Saki-san all graduated.” She gestured to a panel with a puffy-eyed Rentarou being coddled by the three older women (though Saki was also clearly barely keeping it together), “I remember you needed to be consoled every day for a month after they left to pursue post-secondary pursuits, hihihi.”
“Ahhhh! Don’t remind me!!” Rentarou started blushing and covering his face, “I was being so uncool back then!”
“Well, Hahari-san did get that facetime system set up on the roof rather quickly.” Meru looked over to her boyfriend, “So it’s not as if you were without them from your routine for long.”
She flipped the page to reveal multiple shots from their second year field trip out to Kyoto. A prominent shot of the Family members who attended, drew the author’s attention right away.
“I have fond memories of this event. I often forget just how many in our year ended up coming to convene with you, romantically.” She quickly scanned the room, before her eyes landed on one of the several framed photographs by his bedside. “I’m glad to see you still have the larger version of this photograph out, it was a very precious fairytailey memory for me as well after all.”
As she looked at the copy in the album closer, she began giggling again.
“Hihihihi! Poor Kogoe-san, it seems this version was taken right as there was a cold gust of wind.” She took a breath, “Well, she’s mostly surmounted such issues at this point, I seriously doubt such a breeze would cause her to make such a face, today”
She continued to scroll through the album, only for Rentarou to stop her on a picture.
“Ah! This is from when you won the Naoki Prize at the start of our third year!” Rentarou’s eyes lit up, “Though I barely even remember what happened at the award ceremony because I was so overwhelmed, I’ll be honest…”
“Indeed, a very important stepping stone in the conversion of humanity to fairy tales.” She spoke rather bluntly, “Though my efforts have been much more successful now as of late.”
The two continued idly chatting over the various photographs, reminiscing on times past, and pondering what the future might hold for the both of them as it grew darker outside. Rentarou stood up to put the album away and prepare to see his girlfriend out the door.
The dove felt he had made a mistake, while the night was very beautiful, he was not used to flying in it. Branches would occasionally snap against his wings as he attempted to follow the ever-vanishing owl. The sounds around him were disorienting and strange. He knew not where to go. Then, the owl disappeared.
“Sit, Rentarou-kun.” Meru gripped his shirt gently between her fingers and pulled him back down. “I don’t need to go anywhere tonight.”
“O-oh! If you say so Meru-chan.” He obliged to his girlfriend’s whims, who quickly leaned her head against his shoulder and nuzzled it. There was a calm silence between the two of them; comforting in its stillness. The author’s hand crept its way up onto her boyfriend’s thigh.
“...Meru-chan?” His face flushed red, almost stun-locked and uncertain of what was going to happen next. The two made eye-contact for what felt like an eternity, before the woman finally replied.
“...let me help relieve your tension, Ren-chan.”
“Miss Owl!?” The dove cried out, desperate to find his guide through the night air. It was all for naught however, as the last thing the dove heard was “You’d do best not to trust a creature of the night, naive dove.”
Before Rentarou could properly process the reintroduction of a pet-name he assumed Meru had long since retired for him, her gentle, lithe fingers had moved down beneath his pant’s waist, and beneath his briefs.
“Meru-chan…we mustn’t–ngh!” Rentarou held his voice back as best he could as his girlfriend began tracing patterns along his nether region.
“You sound like Kimari-sensei, Ren-chan…” She spoke low and slowly, just above a whisper as she positioned herself behind him. “I simply wish to release the stress you’ve been bottling up until now.”
“B-but...nn...I’m not ready for–Nngh!” He was cut off by a pinch at his base, as Meru rested her chin on his shoulder.
“No lying, Ren-chan…” She slowly reached her hand down further to cup him gently, “You wanted this…you knew this could have happened, yet you didn’t bother wearing your usual protection this time around, even after having the chance to, following your shower.”
“N-no….nngh…th-that’s not–ahh” Rentarou could already feel his mind going blank, Meru’s voice was like an intoxicating cloud enveloping him, the stimulation he was receiving making it hard to pierce through.
“Thaaaat’s it…shhh…no struggling against me, Ren-chan.” Meru cooed, “It’s very endearing when you do, but I prefer being able to see the side of my boyfriend that almost no one else does…”
Meru’s free hand ran underneath his shirt, causing him to twitch instinctively at her touch as she dragged her fingers up to his chest and began tracing his nipple with her nail. He whimpered rather pathetically as she did, spurring her on more. She began massaging his base more earnestly.
“Ren-chan…Tell me: do you feel good right now?” She planted several kisses on his neck before pulling back to gain a better view of his face. “I already know the answer, of course. I simply desire to see whether or not you’ll be honest with me.”
“I–....y-yes…you’re–nngh…really good, Meru-chan…ah–!” He threw his head back as she pinched his nipple, and started to rub his member.
“Good boy, Ren-chan…” Her breathing began getting heavy as she pressed herself more against him, “Now…tell me….what do you want?”
Rentarou's thoughts struggled to form cohesively as he felt his body be reduced to an assortment of flesh and nerves completely at the whims of the woman holding him in place, gasping as her assault continued. Internally, he had known Meru had the proclivities to be more ‘direct’ with her emotions than many of the other girls, but her tendency towards a more domineering attitude was something that didn’t begin to reveal itself to him until the two of them were nearing their third year. Now an adult, she would frequently take the lead for any dates the two went on, and while they had never quite led to a situation this intense before, he would be lying if he said he hadn’t been expecting as much.
“...c–....go…” He turned his head away from her while whimpering, “...let…m-me…come…”
“Haaahhn, you’re so cute right now, Ren-chan…” Her movements intensified as she began to gently bite along his neck and shoulder, “Don’t stop moaning for me…”
Rentarou’s member began to wet around its tip, coating the delicate phalanges rubbing it. The air around the two of them had grown hot with their breath and sweat; their faces flushed red with blood as basal desires took control. Meru slowly pulled her partner to the ground–like a lioness pinning down its prey before consuming it–adjusting her hands in the process. The man’s face looked borderline delirious: a string of drool slowly streaming down from his parted lips; unfocused, half-lidded eyes frequently shutting in response to bursts of pleasure; and an expression that was equal parts confusion, submission, and pleasure. She intensified her effort to push her man closer to the edge, causing him to let out a yelp–only just catching it in his throat. His legs squirmed as his muscles tightened, bracing for the inevitable release. Right as her efforts were ready to bear fruit, she paused, leaning in close to her lover’s ear.
“...Come for me, Ren-chan~” She whispered, as the muscle in her hand began to twitch uncontrollably. Rentarou whimpered one final time as he finally released his discharge into the open air. Meru pulled her hand away from the still twitching member, grabbing a tissue from the box on the table–giving a quick clean to her hand–before slowly lifting Rentarou against the mattress behind them and resting his head against her bosom. The man wordlessly wrapped his own arms around her in turn, attempting to steady his breath, before the two simply enjoyed the other’s presence for the remainder of the evening.
As the sun rose once again, the owl perched neatly on the same branch she had visited the day before. Stretching her wings, she felt herself drifting off as the light began to overtake the sky. “Perhaps I shall keep visiting this spot, in memory of that strange dove.” she said to herself, “I’m sure he would have done the same had he made it through the night.”
“Well then, it was wonderful as always to spend the day with you, Rentarou-kun.” Meru said as she stood by the door to leave, “We shall talk again soon I am sure.”
“It was honestly really revitalizing to be able to spend the night with you Meru-chan!” Rentarou placed a hand on his bicep, “I should be ready to do nonstop studying until the weekend honestly!”
“While I can’t say I don’t understand the allure of the night life, proper sleep will help you better retain knowledge for tests, Rentarou-kun.”
Meru approached her boyfriend one final time for the night, giving him a kiss and a hug, and turned to leave. She cast one final glance behind her as she closed the door.
“If you ever need me to help with clearing your mind again, don’t hesitate to call me, Ren-chan.”
Rentarou didn’t manage to get a word in before the door shut, leaving him blushing violently as he proceeded back into his bedroom to study. While he attempted to be quiet about this incident for as long as he could amongst the other girls, a drinking party following the completion of his second year in law school would finally spill the beans to the rest of the girls. Needless to say, he did not sleep that night, but that tale is one which will not be divulged here.
The End.