Read or Die, Volume 1, Chapter 1 (23)

[tani]

Nenene silently reached for Yomiko's face.

"Yes?"

She pinched both of her cheeks and then pulled to either side.

"Eek! Wha-Henhei!"

"Wow, they really stretch."

It probably wasn't any more than a normal person's cheeks would stretch, but Nenene raised her voice in amazement.

"P-pease shop, shop..."

Nenene, after messing around for a little while, let go.

"Ow..."

Cheeks red, Yomiko whined. Beneath her glasses, a faint sheen of tears coated her eyes.

"You call that strong? I almost made you cry just from pinching your cheeks."

"That was a surprise attack. That's cheating."

"Ah."

Nenene looked behind Yomiko.

"Huh?"

Without thinking, Yomiko turned around.

"Hah!" Without a moment's delay, Nenene lightly kicked at Yomiko's unguarded back. "Fool!"

Yomiko fell over magnificently, hands thrown up like someone yelling, 'Banzai!'

"You're wide open. You'd be better off worrying about yourself, rather than about protecting me. What about taking a correspondence course in aikido?"

Having pulled herself into a crouch, Yomiko brushed the dirt off her face, whining in protest. Her cheeks were still red.

"I can't summon my true strength unless it's the real deal..."

The two of them had clearly reversed their roles as student and teacher. Two passing students called out to them. "What's this, Sumiregawa? Are you and the teacher doing a skit?"

"Are you finally switching to comedy? Is this your breakthrough to the world of entertainment?"

It was Nenene's classmates, Kawarazaki Nori and Mishima Harumi.