Chương 29: Intergalactic Flirting

Tim pulled into his apartment complex's parking lot, the engine of his modest sedan ticking as it cooled in the late afternoon sun. The drive home from work had been uneventful, but his mind was already racing ahead to the evening's plans—a hot shower, some cultivation practice, and maybe concentrating on securing lia a ticket out of ironhold. As he walked up the concrete steps leading to his second-floor apartment, something made him stop short.

There, sitting casually on the top step like she belonged there, was Riku. She had her legs tucked under her, a short black miniskirt that showed off her pale thighs, and...

"Is that my hoodie?" Tim asked, his voice carrying a mix of exasperation and disbelief. Riku looked up at him with those mischievous dark eyes, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. The oversized gray hoodie hung loose on her small frame, the sleeves pushed up to her elbows and the hem reaching almost to her knees. Combined with the short skirt underneath, it created an oddly endearing contrast that made her look far too cute.

"Maybe," she said with fake innocence, pulling the hood up over her dark hair.

"It was cold on the walk over, and I may have forgotten to give it back yesterday." Tim glanced around nervously, noting the other apartment doors and windows that faced the walkway. Mrs. Yamamoto from 2B was notorious for her gossip, and the last thing he needed was rumors about his "young girlfriend" waiting outside his apartment.

"Riku, you can't just sit here in my clothes," he hissed, fishing his keys out of his pocket.

"If anyone sees you—if the school finds out—I'll get fired faster than you can say 'inappropriate relationship.'""Oh?" Riku's grin widened as she stood up, stretching dramatically. The movement caused the hoodie to ride up slightly, revealing a strip of pale skin above her skirt.

"So you don't want people to know I slept with you?" Tim's keys clattered to the ground.

"RIKU!" he whispered harshly, his face going bright red as he scrambled to pick them up.

"Don't say things like that! Someone might—""Slept with you on your couch," she continued loudly, clearly enjoying his panic.

"All cuddled up like a couple of—""Get inside. Now." Tim practically shoved the key into the lock, his hands shaking slightly as he wrestled with the deadbolt. Behind him, he could hear Riku's barely suppressed giggles. The door finally gave way, and Tim grabbed Riku's wrist, pulling her quickly into his apartment before slamming the door behind them. He leaned against it, breathing heavily like he'd just escaped a pack of wild animals.

"Do you have any idea how that sounded?" he demanded, running a hand through his hair.

"A student sitting outside her teacher's apartment, wearing his clothes, talking about sleeping together?" Riku kicked off her shoes and padded into his living room, completely unrepentant.

"I said we slept together on the couch, not that we slept together," she pointed out with infuriating logic.

"There's a difference."

"Really either way it would get me fired!" Tim groaned, following her into the apartment.

"What if Mrs. Yamamoto heard? She'll have half the building convinced I'm running some kind of—""Relax, Tim-sensei," Riku interrupted, settling onto his couch with practiced ease. She curled her legs under her, the oversized hoodie making her look even smaller and more innocent.

"No one was around. Besides, I have something exciting to show you." Tim paused in his tirade, noting the genuine excitement in her voice.

"What kind of exciting?" Instead of answering, Riku stood up and moved to the center of his small living room.

"Remember how you said you could move individual body parts with soul steps? Well, I've been practicing." She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she centered herself. Tim could see her lips moving slightly as she went through the visualization exercises they'd learned—imagining her soul as a distinct entity, projecting it forward while maintaining the connection to her physical form.

"Watch this," she whispered. Riku's right arm suddenly snapped forward in a blur of motion, extending fully in what would have been a devastating punch—if there had been a target. But it wasn't the speed that made Tim's eyes widen. It was the way her arm moved. There was no wind-up, no telegraphing, no normal acceleration. One moment her arm was at her side, the next it was fully extended, as his mind struggled to keep up.

"Holy shit," Tim breathed.

"Language, Tim-sensei," Riku teased, but her grin was radiant with pride.

"And that's not all. Watch." This time she projected her soul's leg forward, and her physical leg followed in the same impossible instantaneous movement. A kick that appeared from nothing, with force that would have shattered bone if it had connected with anything solid. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"The control is insane," she said, slightly breathless from her bodies movement and the exertion on the soul.

"It's like... like having a remote control for your own body. I can throw a punch faster than people can see it coming." Tim stared at her in amazement.

"How far can you project now?"

"About six centimeters," Riku replied, settling back onto the couch.

"Doesn't sound like much, but when you can move any part of your body six centimeters instantly..." She threw another lightning-fast punch to demonstrate.

"It's like having a built-in surprise attack."

"That's incredible progress," Tim said, genuine admiration in his voice.

"I'm still working on getting my full-body movement up to four centimeters. Individual limbs are much harder to control." Riku tucked her feet under her, the miniskirt riding up slightly as she got comfortable.

"Want to practice together? I was thinking we could work on combination movements—like projecting your soul forward in a series of combos. Tim nodded eagerly, already moving to clear more space in the living room. As he pushed his coffee table aside, he couldn't help but glance at Riku. Sitting there in his oversized hoodie, her dark hair framing her face as she talked excitedly about cultivation techniques, she looked... He shook his head, focusing on the task at hand.

They had training to do, and the soul step technique was proving to be more valuable than he'd initially realized. How far could they grow with this soul cultivation. Was it another path than qi cultivation.

"Alright," he said, "but first, do you want a cup of tea?" As he made a cup of tea for them both and sat down, mid-sip Riku asked, "So have you got Lia to flick the bean yet?" Tim nearly choked on his tea, the hot liquid burning his throat as Riku's blunt question hit him like a physical blow. He set his cup down with shaking hands, his face turning several shades of red.

"Riku!" he sputtered, wiping tea from his chin.

"You can't just—what kind of question is—""A perfectly reasonable one," Riku interrupted, pulling her legs up onto the couch and hugging her knees. The oversized hoodie made her look deceptively innocent despite the decidedly non-innocent topic.

"I mean, you've been in that body for several days now. Haven't you been... curious?" Tim's mouth opened and closed soundlessly as he struggled to form a coherent response.

"That's—I'm her teacher, and you're my student, and we shouldn't be discussing—""Oh please," Riku rolled her eyes.

"You think I haven't figured things out as Varek? Male bodies have... needs. And urges. Trust me, I've had to deal with some very awkward situations." She grinned wickedly.

"Morning wood is a real eye-opener when you're not used to having the equipment. Getting rid of morning wood is even better. I understand why you guys are always looking at porn now."

"Riku, stop," Tim groaned, burying his face in his hands.

"This is incredibly inappropriate."

"Says the guy who admitted to checking out Lia's body in the mirror," she shot back.

"At least I'm being honest about the weirdness of this whole situation." Tim sighed.

"Yeah, but when I get her to do something, my male mind objects, and when I try to do something, her female mind objects. I'm stuck not being able to think sexual thoughts at all."

"Uh, didn't you just wait till one body was sleeping?" Riku said. Tim blinked, looking genuinely confused.

"Wait until one body was sleeping? I... honestly never thought of that." Riku stared at him in disbelief.

"You're telling me that in all this time, with access to what you've described as the most beautiful body you've ever seen, it never occurred to you to just... wait until your Earth body was unconscious?"

"I guess I've been so focused on survival and cultivation that I never..." Tim trailed off, his face reddening again.

"I mean, the thought crossed my mind, but then I'd get distracted by sect politics or beast attacks or—""Oh my god, you're such a guy," Riku laughed, shaking her head.

"Only a man would overthink something that simple. Meanwhile, I figured out Varek's... situation... on like day two because I was curious about the differences." Tim looked suspiciously at Riku.

"Wait a minute... you're just trying to get me comfortable with Lia's body so Varek can make his move on her, aren't you? You absolute horndog!" Riku's innocent expression cracked, and she burst into giggles.

"What? Me? I would never—""Oh my god, you totally are!" Tim pointed an accusatory finger at her.

"This whole 'it's perfectly natural to explore your new body' speech is just you trying to prime Lia for your testosterone-fueled warrior boy!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Riku said, trying to look offended but failing miserably as her grin kept breaking through.

"I'm just concerned about your mental health and—""You've been planning this!" Tim stood up, pacing around his small living room.

"Get Tim to accept Lia's sexual thoughts, then swoop in with tall and handsome Varek to sweep her off her feet. You're running a long con!" Riku finally gave up pretending and dissolved into laughter, hugging her knees to her chest.

"Okay, maybe there was a tiny bit of strategy involved," she admitted between giggles.

"But in my defense, you two are perfect for each other! Lia needs someone confident and protective, and Varek needs someone who can challenge him intellectually and help him train...." Riku said with a creepy grin.

"You're trying to play matchmaker with my own body!" Tim exclaimed, though he was starting to crack a smile despite himself.

"That has to be some kind of cosmic violation of the bro code."

"There is no bro code for interdimensional soul-splitting scenarios!" Riku protested, still laughing.

"I'm improvising here!"

"If only people knew it's the teacher getting sexually harassed," Tim sighed, collapsing back onto the couch with an expression of mock defeat. Riku burst into fresh giggles at that.

"Oh please, you love the attention. When's the last time a 20 year old girl was this interested in your love life?"

"Never, and there's probably a good reason for that," Tim replied dryly.

"Normal twenty year olds don't try to set up their teachers with their own alternate-dimension bodies."

"Normal is overrated," Riku declared, stretching out on the couch and accidentally kicking Tim's leg with her socked foot.

"Besides, someone has to look out for your romantic interests since you're clearly hopeless at it yourself." Tim grabbed her ankle, giving it a gentle shake.

"I'm starting to think you're more dangerous than any cultivation sect."

"Definitely," she agreed cheerfully.

"But I'm on your side, so that makes me the good kind of dangerous."