Taro: Planting the scarab

two days later, and Taro began working on the scarab walker. He was fast and efficient, while Kokoro went back to recording songs for Music and Metal, in her sound booth behind him. Taro felt a quiet joy at having her back. Plus, the fact they were now an official couple, sharing a workspace with her suddenly became so much more intimate.

Three weeks past and Taro could count the number of times he actually showed up at school. He would spend day and night locked up in his workshop, constantly having virtual meetings with neural surgeons, doctors, specialists from all around the world, all while he made careful progress on the scarab walker.

The consultation fee for the people Taro contacted was most definitely not cheap. But thanks to the unlimited funding offered by star Airi, he didn’t have to worry about any of that.

When the time came for Kokoro to try out the device, Taro suddenly found himself nervous on two fronts. The first reason, Taro was worried the scarab walker wasn’t going to function as intended, and may end up seriously injuring Kokoro. He wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if that happened. The second reason however, was directly tied to the first.

Because Taro had to attach the device to Kokoro’s back himself, he was now alone in his room with Kokoro lying naked on his bed. Her back was to the ceiling, and her legs were partially covered with his blanket. But not all the way. What Taro was able to see the moment he walked into the room, fired off all sorts of biological reactions within him. Heart racing. Blood rising. Even sweating. But he needed to stay focused.

He walked over to the bedside and entered his girlfriend’s field of vision. When she saw him, Kokoro quickly hid her face by shoving her head down into the pillow. Taro only caught a glimpse of her face for a second, but he smiled when he saw it was almost as red from embarrassment, as his was just a second ago.

Setting the rectangular briefcase he had brought with him on the ground, Taro unlocked the case and opened it to reveal the scarab walker lying inside. He carefully reached in with both of his hands to pick it up out of the box. It weighed quite a bit, and was constructed using a special metal alloy Taro was able to get his hands on thanks to star Airi’s assistant.

The final iteration of the device resembled a cross between an electric eel, and a jet-black centipede thing with long and curved pin-like legs. He slowly began lowering it down on Kokoro’s back, her very shapely, exposed, and beautiful back, before quickly stopping himself realizing what he hadn’t done yet.

“Are you ready?” Taro asked, wanting her consent one more time before he tried anything.

Kokoro replied by lifting her hand in a thumbs up while still hiding her face in the pillow.

Taking in a deep breath, Taro then slowly set the device onto Kokoro’s back, making sure the thing rested vertically along her spine. From the nape of her neck, down her back, and reaching the tailbone.

Kokoro shuttered as the cold underbelly of the metal pressed against her exposed skin. Taro waited for her to settle her nerves, then he reached for the on button at the nape of the device and pressed it.

It happened so fast.

The scarab hummed softly, then vibrated to life. Before Taro could take another breath, it latched on to Kokoro’s spine, pressing flat against her skin as its needle-like legs burrowed deep into her flesh. Kokoro gave a quiet yelp as blood began seeping out of the numerous wounds that had suddenly formed on her back, but despite how much Taro wanted to stop the process, he knew he had to let it finish.

The scarab continued sinking its needles deep into her back, extending its legs into her flesh so it eventually wrapped itself around her spine on the inside. And as soon as it began, it was over.

The nurses that had been waiting on standby, quickly rushed into the room with their medkits. Taro got out of the way as the women went to work. He was quietly sitting with Tomomi outside the house when one of the nurses stepped out after a while to update them on the situation. Kokoro was doing just fine, the woman had said. She was asleep. They cleaned her up, and gave her a few things to help with the pain. Both Taro and Tomomi were visibly relieved as the woman spoke. However, Kokoro was going to remain sleeping for a few more hours, and in case of any emergencies, Tomomi was going to have to be checking up on her on a twenty-minute interval.

After the nurses left, Kokoro ended up sleeping soundly for almost the entire day. Tomomi chose to spend the entire time with her, while Taro sat waiting in the living room. When Tomomi got hungry, Taro drove to get them food instead of simply ordering it online. He needed sometime away from the house, so he could clear his mind and think.

When Taro finally got back with the food, he walked up to his front porch and opened the door.

He was suddenly frozen to the spot. His eyes grew wide, and his words caught in his throat.

Awkwardly standing in the center of the living room like a toddler learning to walk, was the most beautiful young woman in the world. With great blue eyes, and shiny blond hair. She was dressed in a simple short pink gown, and she was staring at him, and smiling.

“Kokoro?”