Volume 3 - Speedy Centaur, Chapter 16 - Hold Your Horses

After pausing in the entryway to dig out some slipper-like hoof-covers from her bag and put them on, Tsuen followed Yuisu into the house. Her room was the one in the southeast corner, not far from the kitchen. Tsuen had few belongings, so it didn’t take long for her to settle in and Yuisu soon started the tour of the house.

Tsuen was particularly thrilled when she saw the bath setup. “Oh, this is perfect! My last place only had a tiny bathtub that was just awful.” She turned to Yuisu, her ears lowered in a bashful expression. “Mind if we pause the tour so I can rinse off? The dirt and sweat from the run earlier is really bothering me.”

Yuisu smiled and shook her head. “That’s not a problem at all. If you want you can throw your dirty clothes in one of these baskets, and I’ll wash them later.”

Tsuen beamed and her cyan eyes lit up. Her short magenta tail flipped playfully. “Thanks, Yuizu.”

Yuisu’s eye twitched at the pronunciation of her name. I’ll work with her on that later. No sense getting hung up over it now. “No problem. I’ll be right here in the living room if you need me.”

Ten minutes later, Yuisu thought she heard her name being called. She muted the TV and asked, “Tsuen? Was that you?”

“Yes, I could use some help, Yuizu,” a voice came from the laundry room.

Yuisu leaned over in her seat and looked at the laundry room door. She saw Tsuen’s face, her magenta hair dripping wet, peeking around the doorframe.

Yuisu hefted herself out of the comfy grasp of the couch. “Oh sure. What do you need?” she asked as she approached Tsuen.

With an EEP! the face disappeared from the corner. “Don’t come over here! I’m naked.”

Yuisu rolled her eyes, and was glad that her new guest couldn’t see her do it. “Then what do you want me to do?”

“I forgot to grab clean clothes before bathing. Can you go get some from my room for me?”

“Alright. Be right back.” Yuisu went the longer way around through the kitchen, since Tsuen seemed so concerned about being seen. We’re both girls, it's not like it’s that big a deal. Yuisu shrugged. Well, maybe it is, since I’m gay, and with the way things have been going with the girls Agent Will is sending, I bet she is too.

She entered Tsuen’s room to see all of her clothes spread out on the dresser. Tsuen had so few clothes that she didn’t even need to put anything in the drawers, and with her height, the top of the dresser would be easier to get to anyway. A few shirts, a few bras, and a few pairs of centaur-fit shorts seemed to be all she owned. Along with her dirty sweatshirt, I suppose. It’s a good thing she didn’t move in earlier in the year. She’s got nothing here for cold weather.

Yuisu pawed through the three piles of clothes and couldn’t find anything resembling panties. Does she go commando? How are centaurs even set up down there? Yuisu shook her head to clear it. Doesn’t matter. Tsuen’s waiting. She quickly grabbed one of each article and left the room.

She stopped a few feet from the laundry room and said, “Here are some clothes. I can leave them by the door.”

“Thanks so much, Yuizu!” Tsuen called back from inside.

Yuisu set the clothes on the floor and went back to the couch. Tsuen had to kneel on the floor to reach the clothes, and leaned forward toward them. Her slender arms peeked out of the laundry room door and Yuisu’s eyes naturally looked to the movement. She caught the briefest glimpse of moderately sized breasts before Tsuen snatched up the clothes and vanished.

Mmmm, cute… Yuisu thought, then slapped herself lightly on the face. Stop that. Tsuen’s a guest, and I’m with Haru now. She turned up the TV volume to distract herself from the sexy thoughts now galloping through her head.

That night Yuisu smoothed things over with Haru, with some help from a big, meaty dinner. It wasn’t until it dinner was served that Yuisu realized the meal was far from ideal for the newest vegetarian member of the household. Tsuen didn’t mind, and she whipped up a salad for herself.

The four housemates setting in at the table and talked throughout the meal. Yuisu, Haru, and Mara sat on chairs, but Tsuen just kneeled next to the table, her eye level just a little lower than the others.

Mara turned to Tsuen, waving a fork in her hand as she spoke, “So what do you do for fun, Tsuen?”

“Just fitness mostly. I love to run, so I make sure to get a few miles in every day.”

Mara frowned. “That’s it? What about video games? Anime? Fashion?” When Tsuen shook her head to each, Mara hunched forward and whined, “How am I supposed to relate to you at all?”

Tsuen shrugged. “How about your own fitness? Do you have a daily exercise routine, Mara?”

“...No.” Mara looked down at the table. “I don’t.”

Yuisu sensed Mara’s unease and cut in. “I’ve been looking to start a fitness routine of my own, Tsuen. I could join you for runs if you want. The trails around the house are too rocky and uneven for running, but if you’re with me as escort, you can leave the property and run on the country roads or even to town.”

Tsuen smiled. “That sounds great. We can start first thing in the morning!”

Haru kept an uneasy eye on Tsuen. A jealous part of her didn’t want Yuisu spending time alone with other girls, but another part of her knew there was nothing to worry about. She trusted Yuisu.

“Wait… a second…” Yuisu said between gasps, hunched over with her hands on her knees. She had her hair back in a high ponytail and wore a black and green tank top and similarly colored shorts. “Tsuen… I need… a break. “

Tsuen, wearing her typical orange shorts and sports bra, slowed from her perky trot to a walk and turned back around. “Aww, bummer. I was just getting into it.” She continued to prance in place next to Yuisu.

“Sorry… I’m just… not that fit... right now.” Yuisu peered up at Tsuen and wiped sweat and loose hairs from her forehead with the back of a hand. “It’s been a week… but I still suck.”

“Even serious runners would have a hard time keeping up with me. I’m built for running, after all,” she bragged. She leaned into a stretch and added, “Don’t be so hard on yourself, Yuizu.”

Yuisu had stopped trying to correct Tsuen’s pronunciation of her name long ago. It seemed that ‘Yuizu’ was here to stay.

Yuisu was no longer gasping for air, but she was still breathing hard. “Still, it’s no good if I’m holding you back from getting your own exercise. I think I have an idea though. I’ll give Agent Will a call when we get back.”

They headed back home at a light jog. By the time they arrived, Yuisu’s legs ached and her sides were cramping up, even though the run had barely totalled two miles. She hobbled to the phone to make the call, planning to hit the bath right after.

Agent Will picked up quickly. “Miss Nakahara! Just the girl I wanted to speak to!”

Yuisu was caught of guard. “Huh? Why?”

“Nevermind. You go first, since you called me.”

“I’ve been running with Tsuen, but I just can’t keep up with her, and she’s not getting enough distance in. Do you think you can get her approval to run on her own, maybe just on the dirt roads?”

Agent Will chuckled. “Funny you should ask that. That ties in nicely with what I wanted to talk to you about. I’ve got a nice opportunity for you—”

Yuisu cut him off. “You’re not dropping another girl on me, are you?”

“Oh no, nothing like that. It does solve your issue with Tsuen, though. There’s a lot to talk about, but I’ll be in town tomorrow. I can give all of you the specifics in person then.”

“Huh, okay.” Yuisu was skeptical, but if we he was actually coming to town, it must be important.

Agent Will added a cheerful, “Seeya then!” and hung up.

Yuisu trudged to her room and grabbed a change of clothes, then started to the bathroom. On the way, she met Haru in the hall. “I’m all sweaty and gross, so no hugs.”

“Aww,” Haru said, grinning. “Can I at least offer you some help washing off?”

Yuisu lit up. “As if I would ever turn that down.” Suddenly revitalized, she grabbed Haru by the wing and pulled her towards the laundry room.

After a good scrubbing, with some help from Haru, to remove the sweat and dust, they both slipped into the hot water of the tile tub. Yuisu could feel the tension in her muscles melting away. “Ahhhhh, that hits the spot… I really need to get that hot spring plan of mine going.”

Haru scootched up next to Yuisu and put her wings behind them on the edge of the pool. Haru’s feathers didn’t do well when soaked, so she tended to keep her wings out of the water. To Yuisu’s delight, the pose also kept Haru’s breasts lifted up prominently.

Yuisu stared, happy that she didn’t even have to hide it. “I apologize if this sounds pervy, but damn, your breasts look good. You must have some good genes for them to be so large and yet perky.”

Haru blushed, but she enjoyed the praise. “Hey, bigger isn’t always better. It’s hard to get a good supportive bra, and they get in the way sometimes.”

Yuisu lightly elbowed Haru’s right breast, which bobbed in the water. “With all you go through, it’s all the more reason for me to appreciate them.” She grabbed her own boobs and lifted them at Haru. “How about you, Haru? Are you a boob girl?” She turned around and wiggled her lower body. “Or maybe you like butts? Mine’s been getting pretty toned thanks to my running routine.”

Haru recognized fishing for compliments when she saw it, but was happy to deliver. “Oh, I can see the results of your routine. You’re looking great, miss Yuisu. I’d say I’m a ‘whole package’ kind of girl.” She hooked her wing around Yuisu’s shoulder and pulled her close. “And you’ve got the whole package… That reminds me. I’ve actually got a surprise for you.”

Yuisu’s raised an eyebrow. “Oh? You have my attention.”

Haru kissed Yuisu on the nose and stood up from the pool. “But you’ll have to wait ‘til tonight to see it.”

Yuisu feigned outrage and chased Haru out of the bathing room. “You villainous tease!”