Sarada was starting to wonder if relying on Chou Chou had been a smart thing to do. It's not like she wanted to doubt Chou Chou's expertise in the art of seduction - she really didn't. After all, Chou Chou was Sarada's friend, and a really close one at that. The way she saw it, whatever it is that Chou Chou recommends, she does so in Sarada's best interest and that's because Sarada herself could not muster enough courage to do one simple act of confession. However, despite telling herself that, a small glance at the list Chou Chou had made for Sarada in order to win the heart of her beloved had left her reeling back in shock and embarrassment. How could she - a prestigious Uchiha - be made to do such humiliating and preposterous acts? Sarada truly wondered if boys really liked half the things on the list. And if they did, then Sarada wasn't sure boys should be called boys anymore. They were beasts.
But then again, when desperation kicks in, anything goes. Chou Chou was the only person close enough with the young Uchiha that both could deliver insults to each other and still laugh it off later. Gradually, they came to confide in one another. While Chou Chou had that habit of liking someone every five minutes, telling Sarada immediately and then losing interest, Sarada wasn't particularly very interested in the opposite sex. This hadn't gone unnoticed by Chou Chou, however, who had once suspected Sarada of preferring girls to boys.
Sarada made sure Chou Chou received a good beating.
That all changed when Sarada found herself thinking more and more about a certain someone. She noticed how she would blush at his every comment about her - good or bad. How she would subconsciously check her appearance first before meeting him. How his jokes sounded that much more funny. How he seemed that much more interesting. So when she had finally come to terms with her own feelings, Chou Chou was the first and only person that came up on her "who-to-tell" list.
Chou Chou's reaction was far from positive and Sarada couldn't blame her.
"Are you sure this would work?" Sarada questioned, still very skeptical about Chou Chou's methods.
Chou Chou rolled her eyes immediately, annoyed at hearing the same question being asked over and over again for about the sixth time. "Look Sarada, we have to determine what type of girl he likes first if we are to have any chance at all in getting him and you together."
"Yeah but, seriously? The ice queen? Me? I've known him since I was five and only up till very recently have I stopped giving him cold shoulders."
Sarada couldn't help but blush. It was only recently did she realize how hard she had fallen for him.
Chou Chou, who had her makeup kit ready, could only sigh in disappointment as she noticed her friend cutely hugging herself.
"God, you're hopeless, you know that? It's a good thing you have me. Now stay still, I'll dab a little of this here and that over there," Chou Chou was being careful at applying makeup on Sarada's face. She wanted there to be just enough for it to be obvious yet not obvious at the same time. Eyeliner, light pink lipstick and cosmetic powder made Sarada really shine. Still cute, but now also pretty.
"But do I have to put makeup on? You know I rarely use makeup, right?
"Exactly, and I'm gonna use that to my advantage. Ya' see, people would start wondering why you're wearing makeup all of a sudden. They'll look at you and comment - probably compliment - on how good you look, girl. But all of this is just bait, remember that. What you want is to catch just one fish, the catfish, you got that? When he bites, I want you to ignore him. Play hard to get."
"I get the premise of the plan but are you certain our relationship would still stay intact after this? Won't not talking to him actually have a more negative impact on our relationship?"
"Girl, this is Boruto you're talking about. The boy with whiskers. The prankster. Daddy's little boy. Someone I did not expect you to fall for."
Sarada blushed harder, immediately placing her forefinger in front of her lips. "Shh, someone might hear you!"
Chou Chou ignored Sarada's pleas for silence. "Look, if it does change something, trust me, it'll be positive. Heck, you'll be reeling in Boruto like a fisherwoman reeling in catfish."
"... Can you please stop comparing Boruto to catfish."
"Why? They have similar characteristics. Whiskers, slimy and a fondness for mud."
"Boruto only needs mud for pranks!"
"Anyway," Chou Chou changed the subject. "He'll come talk to you as usual later on, he'll probably ask you for help with whatever pranks he has in mind again. Now, usually you'd agree. Not this time. Stick to one word answers and don't stare into his eyes."
"But that's so hard... "
"Do it."
"But I really don't wanna ignore him..."
"This won't be permanent. What you're doing is just reeling him in, you know, make him see you more as a woman. Not a childhood friend. Or worse..."
Chou Chou exaggerated her shiver as she continued, whispering the words "a sister."
Sarada pucked her lips in frustration."Fine."
"Good girl, now let's go to school."
School started as usual. They had to be in class by 7.30am. They were trudging the school halls towards their classroom at around 7.20am. Still ten minutes to spare, no problem. Only thing is, Sarada was on the verge of death. And the cause? Embarrassment. Her face - she reckoned - would have been so much more redder in colour than her own damned Sharingan had Chou Chou not applied white cosmetic powder on it. Sure, she walked the same hallway. Sure, she saw the same familiar faces. Same teachers. Friends. Even the stray cats that tend to loiter around the school compound. But something was different today. Other than her putting on makeup of course. Everyone had been... staring at her. Glancing. Secretly looking. It was so embarrassing.
"People always give me those kinda stares, Sarada. Don't worry, you'll get used to it eventually," Chou Chou whispered as she nudged Sarada forward whenever the young Uchiha stopped to consider fleeing.
"I don't know about this, Chou Chou. "
"C'mon, you're almost there. Remember what we talked about. Oh, and you're expressions. Keep it to a minimum. You're the ice queen today, okay?"
In front of the sliding classroom door, Sarada took one deep breath and a moment to habitually adjust her glasses before entering.
What greeted her was the sight of Boruto in the midst of telling his friends - namely Mitsuki, Shikadai and Inojin - his latest prank. From how Boruto was acting it out and how Sarada could lip read a little - even without the use of her Sharingan, it seemed as if it had something to do with pouring lots of cement over the Seventh. That or he was mourning the loss of the Seventh. Sarada was pretty sure it was the former.
It took only one person from the group to notice Sarada for the rest of them to turn their heads. That person was Boruto.
They locked eyes for a moment before Sarada broke off. Sarada was trying her hardest to hold her image.
Initially, his expression was empty, quaint to say the least. Then he raised an eyebrow, pushing the mesmerized Mitsuki aside as he made his way towards her.
"Good luck, ice queen," Chou Chou walked off. As she passed Boruto, she made sure Boruto saw her wink. That left Boruto slightly confused and shaken.
"Did she just made a pass at me?" Boruto asked Sarada as he stood in front her, one hand pointing at Chou Chou who was, by then, mingling with the other female students.
"You give yourself too much credit."
Sarada mentally slapped herself. She was supposed to stick to one word answers.
"Well, still. I'd be a dead man if Chou Chou had her sights set on me. A dead fat man... "
Sarada stifled her giggle. She never knew that was even possible. "Right," she replied coldly.
Sarada walked passed Boruto, making sure she avoided eye contact. That probably left Boruto confused because then he caught up with her again, blocking her path.
"Something's different about you today."
"Right."
"No, I'm serious."
"Right."
"Right?"
"... Right.. "
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Sarada mentally slapped herself over and over. She had to think of better responses.
Boruto, who looked confused before, suddenly seemed suspicious. His change in expression made it even harder for Sarada to look at Boruto in the face. Boruto, however, wanted to look at her. He closed the distance between their faces, their noses almost touching. Sarada was blinking now. Her senses were overloaded to the point where she just stood there, frozen. Sarada realized that she had quite literally become the ice queen.
One part of her wanted to whack Boruto immediately. Another part, however, didn't. Did she like it when Boruto stared at her like that? She could clearly see Boruto's facial features. Sharp blue eyes, small nose, his stupidly rounded face coupled with those whisker-like markings on the sides of his cheeks made Sarada squeamish in the inside. She found them weird - even distasteful - at first, but eventually, she came to see them as part of his charm.
At that moment, their class teacher Konohamaru, entered just as the bell rang. He was on time as usual.
"Settle down, class," he instructed. "Your designated seats, now."
Sarada cringed at the thought of classes. You see, the young Uchiha sat right in front of Boruto.
Boruto shrugged, backed off, and headed for his seat quietly. Sarada, relieved at his silence, headed towards hers as well. Maybe today, he wasn't gonna talk to her as much. Sarada didn't know how she should feel about that.
It didn't matter though. She was wrong.
Not more than ten minutes into Konohamaru's lecture on the uses of chakra, Sarada heard Boruto whisper her name.
"Sarada," Boruto whispered.
Sarada ignored him. Stick to the plan, she could mentally hear Chou Chou's instructions.
"Sarada."
Ignore.
"Sarada. Hey, Sarada. Psst."
Ignore. Ignore.
"Sarada. Sarada. Hey! Sarada."
Ignore. Ignore. Ignore.
Boruto stopped whispering. Sarada wondered if he'd finally given up. She was, yet again, wrong.
She got hit by what felt like wet blobs of paper. Moving an arm up, she combed a few out of her hair to find that they really were wet blobs of paper. Wet, slimy blobs of paper. Boruto had chew them thoroughly before spitting them out through a straw he happened to have. What kinda idiot carries a straw with him anyway? She thought. Sarada threw them away quickly, disgusted.
"What!?" Sarada finally snapped, wanting to scream. She couldn't though, so she whispered angrily instead.
"I finally noticed what's so different about you today?"
Sarada's eyes widened. "Y-you do?"
Could it be? Was he gonna compliment her? Tell her she was beautiful? Could Chou Chou have actually been right about playing hard to get? Heck, Sarada couldn't think, she was finally bagging this catfish.
"Yeah. You remember that time we went on a class trip and met Maroshi the gloomy clown?"
How was that relevant? Sarada wondered.
"Uhh yeah?"
"You're trying to imitate him, aren't you? That's why you've been so gloomy. That's why you've been putting on make up!"
Suddenly, whatever thing that Sarada had hoped for, whatever wishful thinking she had, any sort of good that she thought could have come out from today was instantly, immensely and certainly shattered into tiny shards by words she could have never possibly expect. Left speechless, Sarada balled her palms into fists.
Boruto continued. "You want to be the first Uchiha ever in Uchiha history to have worked as a clown, right? Am I right or am i right? You can't fool me, Clown-chan. I've known you since-"
Boruto's face was instantly met with the knuckles from Sarada's fist, punching him with such force that sent the young upstart flying upwards, across the class and into the wall at the back.
"I WILL NEVER. EVER. EVER. EVER WORK AS A CLOWN. NOT IN THIS LIFE. NOT IN THE NEXT. NOT EVER. SHANNARO!"
She promptly sat down, ignoring the stares, murmurs and uneasy fidgeting of her classmates. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Chou Chou face palming herself. She ignored that too.
"Boruto sure messed up," Shikadai quietly muttered to himself out loud.
"Well, then," Konohamaru cleared his throat. "Let's continue with class."
At the far back end of the class, where Boruto lay quietly in the fetus position - injured and barely conscious - he couldn't help but smile to himself. "Now that's more like you," he uttered to no one in particular. "I like it better when you talk more."
Unbeknownst to him, Chou Chou - whose seat was located at the back of the class - heard every word.
"When she talks more, huh?" Chou Chou smiled devilishly, satiated with the extra knowledge behind Boruto's preferences. "You better improve you're acting skills Sarada, 'cause from today onwards, we'll be doing a lot more trial-and-error."
