Anon-san’s Escort Part 4 My face was hot and sweaty, my throat dry. Shiori’s foxy snout was touching the couch cushions next to me. She had bowed so low that it looked like she was trying to burrow into the couch. “I’m sorry Anon-san! I was just trying to, w-w-well…” She trailed off into whimpers. I pulled on my collar, trying to release the heat that had gathered on the surface of my skin in the last couple of seconds. Shiori was big, soft, and more than anything else; warm. It wasn’t just her warmth that had overwhelmed me, it was the presence of her breasts on my arm, the swishing of her tail, the lustful gaze she had shot me. Most of all, it was the sultry tone she had taken and she turned my own joke from last night back at me. I glanced down at her, making sure she wasn’t looking at me, and after taking in a long, appreciative glance at her backside, which was sticking up in the air, delightfully plump, I took a deep breath. And I slapped myself in the face as hard as I could. The jolt woke me from my hormonal stupor in an instant. Shiori looked up, her face bright red just in time for my gentle hand to pat her on the head. “No Shiori, that was great. You really got me there.” I was grinning ear to ear now, and seeing my jovial expression must have calmed her, because she sat up and let my hand slide off of her head. She twiddled her thumbs for a moment, looking away. She murmured something softly in Japanese, something about only half joking, I was sure. Then she looked back to me. “Ah, um, so, what would you like to do for our…date?” I crossed my arms and leaned back, carefully balancing the pillow I had over my crotch as I did so. Looking at the ceiling, I considered my options. “Hmm…Honestly, I’d be fine with just staying in this room with you, playing PS2 games and chatting it up…but that would be a waste, wouldn’t it?” I tilted my head. “Wasn’t there a famous park not too far from here, like within walking distance? Inshakira pond, or something?” “Oh! You must mean Inokashira Park! It’s not exactly in walking distance, but a train that will take us there is. Would you like to go? The cherry blossoms are lovely there, even in the summer time, like now!” Shiori was beaming when I looked back to her. A childish glee had filled her eyes. I smiled wider at that. “That sounds wonderful, Shiori. How about a stroll, and a picnic? Do they allow picnics there?” I had gotten up, starting to stretch. My body was still stiff from the consistent cuddle position I had spent the night in. Shiori’s ears perked up at that. “Yes! Yes, they do allow picnics, as long as you ask permission. Oh, I could make us bentos, and we could eat underneath the cherry blossom trees by the big pond!” Her paws were on her cheeks now. She stopped briefly as she began to blush. Shiori looked at the floor as she continued. “I-I-I mean, that is, if you wouldn’t mind me cooking for you, Anon-san?” I reached out and gingerly lifted her chin, making her face me. “I’d be honored to eat your cooking, Shiori.” I pushed her hand away gently, and pinched her cheek. “I bet you’re great cook, if your proportions are anything to go by!” A smug grin split my face as she swatted my hand away. “Hmmph! I’ll have you know I’m a GREAT cook, Anon-san!” Shiori’s adorable pouty face rose up and out of my vision as she got off of the couch. She stepped over to the little kitchen island quickly, and before I knew it, she was in an apron, brandishing a fork and knife. Her face was some kind of mix of stoic and smug. “Americans like chicken, right?” She twirled the utensils in her hands. I blinked. “Uh, I yes. I like chicken, anyway. Hey, Shiori, you’re not mad that I said that, or anything, are you?” I set the pillow down, now that my boner had retreated, and rose from the couch as well. Shiori smiled a vicious smile, her sharp teeth gleaming in the fluorescent kitchen light. Would you believe I had forgotten that she was a fox? You know, a predator? Shiori began to pull ingredients from the fridge, then. She glanced at me, a determined spark in her eye. “I’ll show you how I got to this size, Anon-san! Two chicken katsu bentos, coming up!” And just like that, her fuzzy black arms became a blur. My eyes widened as she got to work. Sections of chicken were expertly cut, a rice cooker was loaded, a pan on the stove began to heat up cooking oil, and a bunch of vegetables were minced before my eyes. How was she so prepared for this? Shiori was like a completely different person. Sweat began to gather on her brow as she worked. “I uh, alright Shiori. I’m going back to my room now. How about you meet me downstairs in about four hours? Wear whatever you like.” I opened the door just in time to hear Shiori ramble off something in Japanese. Something along the lines of me never wanting another woman’s cooking for the rest of my life. I let out an unsteady chuckle as I headed back to my room. “Boy, that was different…not entirely unwelcome, though. Who knew she could be so assertive?” … It was past noon now, and I was dressed to the nines. Okay, well, maybe that was a bit of an overstatement. I had spent some time frantically bumbling about online looking for Japanese dating tips, and after barely getting the basics down, I cobbled together a business casual outfit from my wardrobe. A simple grey suit and slacks, no tie, and a white dress shirt with the top three buttons boldly undone. Before meeting with Shiori, I scrambled to a nearby convenience store for something extra. I snatched up a cute Shadow of the Colossus phone charm (the first colossus in chibi form) and a grey stetson hat that pretty much matched the rest of my outfit. Feeling slick as fuck, I made my way to the hotel lobby in search of my date. I was not disappointed. Shiori was waiting for me right near the front desk, and she had undergone an amazing transformation. I had read that business casual was the way to go with these types of things, but Shiori must have been given the opposite advice. She was wearing a dark blue sleeveless blouse, covered in white polka dots. Her skirt was frilly and pink, and her meaty legs were wrapped in dark blue stockings, also covered in while dots. Her shoes were bright red, with tiny black bows on them. Her tail had been fixed with a shiny pink ribbon, which, I noticed, happened to match the one holding up her ponytail. My god, her hair. I had nearly forgotten. Her hair had been expertly coifed into an elegant hime cut. Her midnight locks gleaming in the light of the lobby. Her bangs perfectly framed her chubby face, drawing the eye right to her gorgeous icy blue eyes. In her hands were what must have been the two bento boxes, lovingly wrapped in sky blue cloth. I almost started stuttering again, by the hard pinch I laid on my forearm put a stop to that as I stepped up to my lovely date. “Shiori…you look incredible.” I said. She bowed her head, smiling as she tried to hide her blush. “And you look like a villain in a western movie, Anon-san.” Before I could awkwardly apologize for my appearance, she spoke again. “No, I love it. It’s kind of how I expected you to look when you arrived, Anon-san. Handsome, charming, and slightly dangerous.” She looked down at me, stars in her eyes. “But knowing the way you are…how kind you have been to me, it’s amazing to see you like this, Anon-san.” I tipped my hat, trying to save face. “Weh-hell, thank you ma’am.” I flashed her what I thought was my most charming smile, and reaching into my pocket, I offered her the trinket I had picked out. Shiori’s eyes lit up as she looked over the chibi colossus. “Oh, Anon-san, it’s so cute!” She squealed in delight as she attached the charm to her phone. “How does it look?” “Just as kawaii as its new owner.” I said. Smooth as fuck. I congratulated myself silently, and swept an arm toward the glass doors at the front of the lobby. “Would you care to lead the way, Shiori?” “Of course, Anon-san. The station is just over here…” Shiori said, her eyelids fluttering. I wondered if she did that on purpose. Either way, I watched as she strode across the lobby with the cool confidence of a gunslinger at high noon. With every motion of her wide hips, her dress lifted ever so slightly, giving me just a peak of her absolute territory. Her tail swished seductively as she walked, and I noticed then that a pair of tiny bells had been fixed to the ribbon. They jingled with every step. “Anon-san?” She said. “Are you coming?” She looked over her shoulder at me, and it was then that I realized I had been staring at her, hungrily eyeing her voluptuous, overlapping curves in motion. She was like living poetry. I snapped to attention, and briskly powerwalked to catch up. “Right, sorry! I’m coming, Shiori!” As she giggled and led me out of the lobby and onto the sidewalk, I wondered silently if I’d be saying that a lot in the coming days. I sure hoped so. … Inokashira Park was more beautiful than I could have imagined. As Shiori and I chatted, I marveled at the scenery. The pink and purple azaleas lining the path were in full bloom, and their sweet scent eased the mind with every breath. Red pines towered over us on one side as we strolled along, and beyond them were the regal Japanese cypress trees, rising like the towers of an emperor’s castle. The birds danced through the air over the great pond to our right side, occasionally dipping into the water as they chirped their own love songs to each other. All was at peace. The summer sun stung my eyes, which up until now had spent this time of day locked in an office closet, focused on a screen of streaming code. I didn’t care, though I was glad and grateful when Shiori reached into her purse and handed me a pair of slick sunshades. “They look better on you anyway, Anon-san.” She said, smiling down at me. At first, I had kind of struggled to keep up with Shiori. Her stature and long legs meant that I had to step twice as often as her to keep her pace, but it was worth the extra effort to stay in lockstep with this towering enchantress. Once, I had offered my arm to her, but she had politely declined. “It wouldn’t be proper on the first date, Anon-san.” She had said, as we scoped out a good spot to lay out our picnic cloth. I had chuckled at that. “Shiori, we spent last night wrapped around each other. Your legs had my waist in a death grip all night, and it was great. Would you call that ‘improper’?” I said as we spread out our checkerboard cloth underneath a particularly shady cherry blossom tree. The light filtering through the rosy pink petals warmed us slightly, balancing with the coolness of the shade. Perfect. Shiori nearly dropped the bento boxes she was untying. “A-Anon-san, that was different! I was emotional, and you were really warm…” She trailed off, trying to focus on the task at hand, er…paw. She scrunched up her snout, a deep blush on her cheeks. I could get used to that pout. It gave me life. I prodded Shiori gently in the side, my finger receding slightly into her fuzzy love handle. “Ah, I’m just joking with you, Shiori. Since this is your turf, and your lunch, I guess I should just let you set the pace, huh?” I procured our chopsticks and laid them out, then stretched out on the picnic cloth, lounging on my side. I took my cowboy hat off, letting the cool breeze run through my hair. “No, it’s okay, Anon-san. You might be the most honest person I’ve met since I began working for Sony.” Shiori said, sitting heavily on the cloth, across from me. “It’s very refreshing.” She began to pour out some tea we had grabbed from a snack stand along the way. The soothing scent of matcha green tea mixed with the cherry blossoms. I savored the moment, closing my eyes. I was just about to say something introspective and charming when I felt a bento box get thrust into my lap. I sat up, looking over to Shiori. That competitive glint from this morning was in her eye again, and her icy blue gaze seemed to bore into my very soul. A smug grin curled her lips as she spoke. “I hope you enjoy it, Anon-san~.” Suddenly feeling a little tense, I gulped as my hands tentatively pulled up the wooden lid. What was revealed to me was a feast for the senses. I stared at it for just a moment before I dug in. The chicken katsu had been fried expertly, the juicy meat covered in a crispy layer of skin that dazzled my taste buds with every bite. The bed of ride beneath the meat had been lightly salted buttered, enhancing the taste of the chicken, and making me want to scoop up every morsel. The katsu sauce tasted homemade, a unique mesquite flavor that I had never experienced before. I dumped it over the rice and chicken in an instant, and it enhanced the flavor even further. There were some steamed vegetables as well, delightfully seasoned and crisp. They were gone in an instant. Lastly, There were two halves of a strawberry which had been cut and arranged into a perfect heart shape. My estimations had been correct; Shiori wasn’t just heavyset, she was a full on foodie. One that sure as hell knew her way around the kitchen. I was in heaven as I devoured the lunch that Shiori had clearly poured her passion into, and felt heartbroken when I polished off the last of it. I even started to choke about halfway through, only for Shiori to swat my back and offer me more tea. She spent the whole meal daintily picking at her food, watching me intently as I wolfed down her cooking. When I glanced up, in-between gulps, I saw that same pride in her eyes, her mission a clear success. “That was amazing Shiori! No one has ever cooked a meal like that for me. You must have trained like crazy to get so good!” I patted my stomach appreciatively, as I began to lay back on the picnic cloth. Before I could, however, Shiori was right next to me, and before I could react, she placed her paws on my shoulders and gently pushed me down, resting my head in her lap. I was about to make a snarky comment about her own forwardness, but I shut up when I heard her speak. Shiori’s voice was softer now as she responded. She was back to her bashful self, it seemed. “Oh, well, you would be amazed at the things a person can do when they suddenly have free time.” I looked up at Shiori. She looked wistfully out over the lake, the breeze causing her shining black ponytail to wave through the air. At the moment, surrounded by cherry blossoms and summer sun, I could have easily believed that she was a real fox spirit, right out of a fairy tale. Her voice was barely above a whisper when she spoke again. “It has been a while since I made a bento box for someone else.” She said. “Not since before…” Her emotional pain was evident, tears forming on the edges of her eyes. I placed my hand atop her fluffy paw. “Its okay, Shiori.” I said. “Today has been absolutely amazing. Your cooking, this place, and more than anything else; you. You Shiori, have made this one of the best days of my life.” I didn’t need to turn her chin this time. She looked down at me, eyes watering, but no longer with sorrow. Her quivering lips began to smile her little smile. Emboldened, I continued. “Shiori, no matter how the meeting goes, no matter how much time we end up spending together, I just want you to know, that I’m going to hold on to today for the rest of my life. I could never forget this feeling.” It was then that I sat up. My eyes were locked with Shiori’s, and the distance between us seemed to shrink without either of us really noticing. Shiori didn’t protest, her paw squeezing my hand. “And I could never forget you, Shiori.” The words had barely left my mouth before Shiori’s lips locked with mine. She had closed the distance entirely, and her arms draped gently upon my shoulders as she pulled me close. Her tail slid around to my back, pulling me deeper into her embrace. Just as before, her warmth surrounded me, but it was different now. This was an intense, needy heat. The feeling we shared was like a spark, igniting a blaze between us that cried out to be quenched. Her lips moved delicately, gracefully against mine, parting to allow my tongue passage into her mouth. Her passion was obvious; her desire clear to me. This was a gentle, but aggressive and deep kiss. My own arms grasped her fur, my fingers sinking into hips that were like velvet pillows. I pushed back against her lips, but Shiori’s slow, insistent strength won out. Before I knew it, I was on my back, and Shiori had straddled me. Her weight atop my body should have been uncomfortable, or so I thought for a moment. Instead, it was the same dreamlike feeling that had swallowed me up the previous night. Her soft, squishy body, her warm, fragrant fur, her impossibly plush lips and the thrashing amorous tongue between them all worked in concert, assaulting my senses. An assault that I struggled to meet with my own lust. It was over just as quickly as it began. Shiori was on top of me, panting like a dog in heat, and my own breaths were no less ragged. I was sweating in the sudden summer heat that had taken over the both of us, and in Shiori’s eyes was a clear, simple desire. At least, the desire was there until Shiori stopped hyperventilating, blinked and took a look around her. While it was true that we were pretty isolated at this corner of the lake, and our passionate display had taken place beneath the shade of a cherry blossom, it was no less apparent that we had just been making out like a couple of horny teenagers in a public space. I smiled up at Shiori, and with my best shit-eating grin, unloaded that snarky comment I had put on the back burner earlier. “So, uh, you were saying about what is and isn’t ‘improper’ on the first date?” I laughed as Shiori scrambled off of me, smoothing out her puffed up tail fur and trying desperately to straighten out her skirt, which had gotten conspicuously hiked up her hips during our little exchange. “A-Anon-san! I’m sorry I don’t know what came over me please don’t think I’m some sort of vulgar brutish woman with no sense of timing!” Shiori was apologizing at the speed of sound. It was honestly kind of hard to keep up with, but I just sat up, dusted myself off, and patted her gently on the head, moving one of her carefully combed bangs from in front of her eyes. “Shiori!” I barked. She immediately stopped bowing and scraping and sat at attention, her fluffy fox ears standing straight up. “It’s fine.” I said. “Really. I like that side of you, honestly!” I said, brushing the front of my shirt and jacket off. Shiori’s expression was struggling to decide if it wanted to look mortified or grateful. I decided to categorize it as ‘adorable’. I smiled at her as I reached over and placed my cowboy hat back on my head. I doffed it at the flustered kitsune, and my smile turned devious. “In fact, I’d love to see more of it, if’n you catch my meaning, ma’am.” I said, summoning the shittiest Texas drawl I could muster. Shiori, for the first time since I met her, threw her head back and started howling with laughter. Snorting and covering her eyes, she flapped a paw in my general direction as she spoke. “Anon-san, that’s, that’s how do you say it?” She giggled. “Just about the cheesiest thing you’ve ever heard?” I finished for her, standing up and offering her a hand to do the same. “Yes, yes, that’s it.” She said, grasping my hand. She kept on giggling about it as we collected our picnic and bundled it up. “I can’t believe that you Americans actually act like that, Anon-san!” I smirked at that. “Oh, no, Shiori. Not every American is a snarky, loud-mouthed moron.” I said, adjusting my hat and offering my arm once again. “Oh?” Shiori said, tilting her head to the side. She wasn’t even thinking about it as her furry arm slid around my own, her paw gently grasping my bicep. “Is that so?” She smiled down at me as we began to stroll down the path, back the way we came. I beamed up at her, and raised an eyebrow. “Nope. Just me.” I said, flashing her a wicked grin. Shiori nearly doubled over in laughter again, but I steadied her with a careful hand, cradling her doughy gut. I noticed her tail swishing merrily as we strolled along, her eyes full of mirth. It was decided. No matter what happened this week in Japan, I would do everything I possibly could to protect that smile, and that laughter. Beyond the prototype, beyond the Sony execs, beyond even my own lofty goals as a programmer, this was my new mission. Shiori was a diamond, and she deserved all the happiness in the world. I was determined to make that happen.