{These characters are not property of me. I would never attempt to claim them as my own. This story may not be used without my permission, and may not be used to make money in any way, shape or form. Characters and certain situations were created by Rumiko Takahashi, so don't try any funny stuff!}
"He's so cute," Akiko said, gazing at him with this rather sickening dreamy look in her eyes. Like she would ever have a chance with him.
"Yeah. You know Haruko asked him out at the beginning of this year?" Now Hitomi was getting caught up in it too.
"Really? She's only a sophomore."
"It wouldn't matter if she were the Queen of England. He's only got eyes for one girl," I interjected. I hated to ruin their gossip, but there was no point in getting excited over something that would never happen.
They all knew it too. Akiko sighed, that goofy look still on her face. I followed her gaze and considered the object of her attention. He _was_ the cutest thing on two legs in the city and technically, he was the most eligible bachelor at school. Too bad he acted like he had the IQ of a brick and couldn't get it through his concrete skull that my sister wanted nothing to do with him.
Oh well. It sure helped to provide some pocket change. Akane wasn't too happy about the pictures, even if she tried to ignore them. Still, she tolerated them, not that I would stop if she didn't. And I'll admit, he did get the most darling pink flush in his cheeks whenever I had new pictures for him.
"Look at that," Emiko said, smiling. She was working on her predatory look and doing a good job. He was yelling at some skinny, barely there kid and really laying it on... "I bet he's a great kisser." That set them to giggling.
"No way. Those are virgin lips."
They gaped at me. "Uh-uh. You're saying he's never kissed a girl before?" I suppose they had a right to be surprised; they didn't know him like I did.
I nodded. "Yep. The only girl he would consider putting his mouth on is my sister." Not that she would ever let that happen.
"It would still be worth it to try." Of all the... They were all acting like nitwits now. Sure they could try, but I didn't think they would be too happy with their results. Time to nip this in the bud.
"Put your money where your mouth is, ladies." I stood up, brushing myself off. This would be easy money. "Since none of you have the guts to do it yourselves, how much are you willing to put in the pot?"
That got them. "I'm up for 1000," Emiko said without hesitation.
"This should be good," Akiko chimed in. "2000 for me."
Hitomi jumped right in too. "Ooh. Put me down for 2000."
I looked back at him. 5000 yen to give him a kiss? That's like giving me 100 yen a day to breathe. Dumb or not, I bet he _was_ a good kisser; he used his mouth enough for it. This was going to be well worth the setup, even if I wasn't his 'true love'. Not that I believed my sister was his true love either. The poor boy was seriously deluded after all.
But when I'm standing in front of him and he's got that confused look on his face... When he starts complaining about respect and the proper behavior for one of his station... When he tries to hide the fact that he's blushing... Deluded or not, I'll know I got my money's worth.