Heart of the Infiltrators

by MordinofSolus

Senran Kagura x Male Insert - Amidst the turn of the modern era, a young man is forcibly contracted to cure twenty shinobi of a mental ailment known as distortion, caused by the corrupted blood of Yōma. As time goes on, the long hidden societies of the world are forced to come out into the public spotlight when they are pitted against one another.

26. Chapter 26: Ninny Antics

Heart of the Infiltrators

(Senran Kagura x Male Reader)

Chapter 26: Ninny Antics

Lazing around and about the shinobi meeting room at Hanzō Academy, Katsuragi let out another sigh as she once again heard the thumps Asuka's frantic pacing out in the hallway. The brunette wanted to head outside to train and blow off steam but also wanted to binge on snacks in the fridge and cabinets, leading her to repeatedly scamper back and forth between both destinations without really committing to any activity. Considering the dramatic confession that she gave the day before, Katsuragi couldn't blame her anxiousness. While someone as forward and shameless as her couldn't fully understand why Asuka felt such stress over the situation, she could still see that the turmoil in her was immense.

The door slid open and Asuka slipped in to march straight for the pantry, seeking out a few snacks while murmuring her every action under her breath, "Walk to the cabinet… open the cabinet… Salty crackers… Do we have salty crackers? Where are the salty crack- no, Hibari and Yagyū finished those a few days ago… Chips? Do we have- we do have chips… none that I want… We do have macaroons… just a couple for now… No, I've gotta train…"

As much as she should have been marveling at how cute and silly the scene was, Katsuragi couldn't help but wonder how much higher Asuka's stress levels could go. After all, it was just a matter of the confession and waiting for an answer that had thrown the girl into such turmoil. The blonde didn't want to think about what would happen if she found out that Miyabi and Yumi also liked the young man, in addition to the potential feelings that Homura may have had. Would Asuka panic and screech while turning the entire place upside down? Perhaps she'd take in a breath to calm herself and patiently await her answer? Katsuragi already knew that both of those were thoroughly unlikely. With Asuka's lack of confidence when comparing herself to others, it was more than likely that she'd be resigned to defeat and would wait out the days to her anticipated rejection from bed.

Katsuragi hated the very idea of that. As the girl's senior and one of her closest friends, she would not lay back and allow the upbeat mascot of Hanzō Academy to suffer such a crushing blow. It was bad enough that she was stressfully awaiting the young man's answer, a matter in which the blonde did sympathize with the boy who'd seemed so lost he after the confession, but she wouldn't dare watch as Asuka buried her own grave before a firm verdict had been delivered. In fact, Katsuragi knew that she could go even further beyond just that! She could act so that her friend had the highest chance of success and happiness!

But then there came the question about what action Katsuragi had to take. Certainly, she couldn't just go up to Asuka for a lighthearted groping to lighten the tension nor could she just call the other three girls and ask them to quit their pursuit so that their rival had a better chance. If anything, the latter would just spur the lot of them on even more aggressively. No, Katsuragi knew for fact that the action she had to take would have to be something that would kill their interest in the young man entirely. A few ideas filled her head, tempting her to spread malicious rumors that painted the young man in a different light: "He's only interested in a girl's looks, from what I've heard from his classmates… Did you hear that he stalked his last girlfriend? Oh, did you think you'd be his first…? He is apparently very sexually demanding. Who knows how long a woman would have to hold out before he finished for the night…? I hear he has an STD…"

For a few seconds, Katsuragi giggled to herself about the sheer ridiculousness of each idea, knowing each rumor was more farfetched than the last. Between his actions and apparent shyness when Asuka confessed, the blonde could tell that he'd never had a girlfriend, a serious one at least, before and that he definitely never had sex. It was also too unbelievable to say that he was only interested in a girl's looks when considering how, from what Asuka had told her, encouraging he was of the girls' flaws during her and Homura's corrections. In the end, the only rumors Katsuragi could come up with were complete fiction, though she had no intention to spread them in the first place. She considered the boy a friend and wouldn't dare disparage his name.

Ultimately, Katsuragi's plan of action was boiled down to a few unlikely options. Her first idea was to try and keep the other girls from contacting the young man, tying them up if needed. But the blonde already knew that she wouldn't be able to win any of the fights necessary to get them into such a state. Another plan was to invite them all out and keep them distracted until the young man answered Asuka, though that would likely take far longer than Katsuragi's entertainment. Her third plan was a lewder distraction: paying off Ayame to create a body pillow franchise of the young man for a cuddly substitute. In fact, Katsuragi was sure there would be an overall profit once the other girls found out, considering the boy wasn't at all bad looking. Heck, the blonde could see herself getting one. But, then again, the young man likely wouldn't appreciate his image being used in such a way and would likely sue, if only to protect his dignity… nor was Ayame available to create the body pillows on such quick notice… and Katsuragi wouldn't be satisfied with one after she'd already copped a feel of his butt. In the end, that plan was out too.

Then there was the more honest, albeit slightly cruel, approach: flat-out telling the other three admirers that Asuka had confessed and that, based on how receptive the young man was to her physical touches, Katsuragi was inclined to believe that he'd accept her. It seemed really mean to weaponize what should have been a sweet moment… but still…

Amidst Katsuragi's pondering, Asuka had long since left the room and Hibari had taken her place at some point. Peeking her head toward the scheming blonde, the first-year asked, "What're you up to?"

"Wha-!" yelped Katsuragi before she saw that it was just her friend. After taking a long breath, the girl slouched and rested her head upon her hands, "You scared me…"

"Sorry," murmured Hibari, apologetically covering her mouth.

Taking a moment to steady her heart, Katsuragi waved her hand, "No, no… you didn't mean to…" and thought for a moment before realizing something: Hibari was, by far, one of the most considerate and sweetest individuals she'd ever known. Certainly, she would have a way to tell the three other admirers about Asuka's confession without coming off as mean or cruel. Thus, Katsuragi slowly asked, "Mind if I ask you something?"

"Please do!" chipped the girl.

The blonde silently compared the girl to a helpful angel of the gentlest nature, minus when she was thwapping people over the head for groping Asuka. But, before she got carried away in her thoughts, Katsuragi cleared her throat and asked, "How would you tell everyone about Asuka's confession? See, I'm-"

"Oh, I've already done that."

There was a moment of silence as Katsuragi's eyes went absolutely blank, her mouth pausing in the middle of a syllable that she was about to speak. Then her head tilted itself to the side as she mumbled, "Ugh… mhm… Please repeat?"

Hibari nodded her head, as if to affirm what she had said before, and explained, "Well, while thinking about Asuka's confession, I remembered that Miyabi and even Murasaki seemed to be a bit… infatuated with him too. Not wanting Asuka's chances to be hurt, I was about to call the two to ask them to forfeit." The girl started to innocently swing her shoulders back and forth, "But then I thought that might be a bit mean. Then I realized," she clicked her fingers, "I could just call Ryōna, let her know that Asuka confessed, and let her spread the news for me!"

As Hibari was proudly and triumphantly throwing her fist into the air, Katsuragi could only mutter to herself, "Devil… You are the sweetest and most considerate devil I've ever come to know… All this time, I thought you an angel of the sweetest nature… Now I see… For the sake of caring for one hundred and one puppies, you'd kidnap them from competing owners if you had to… Thank you for your excellent work, Miss Devil…"

Meanwhile, the other girl was shifting away in response to the blonde's murmuring, "Katsuragi…? You're scaring me. What're you saying?"

In response to Katsuragi's words that dared to scratch encroach upon Hibari's holy aura, Yagyū opened her eye in the middle of her meditation within a different room toward the far side of the building. A few supernatural forces chilled up her spine before she murmured, "I don't know why, but I feel as though I should be punching Katsuragi… I need to find Hibari and see if she's okay," before standing up and marching out of the room fluidly.

Fortunately, Katsuragi was not punched at all when confronted.

Meanwhile, at Hebijo Academy, Miyabi was just exiting the bath attached to her room after a long day of exercise. While she certainly wasn't done and intended to go back out to the training fields before too long, the baths were certainly a nice breath of relaxation that she needed after all of the stress from the two previous days. Even still, as much as she tried to wash away the memory of her embarrassing and emptyheaded attempt to gain the young man's attention, Miyabi couldn't wipe away the redness from her face when she remembered her breasts being unveiled to him.

While wrapping a towel around herself and strutting as proud as she could make herself out to be, the woman walked into her quarters and began to prepare an outfit… not that it needed much preparation to begin with, seeing as almost every single one was a Hebijo uniform with only a few exceptions. She had some clothes that dabbled in what society deemed trendy and fashionable, most of them coming from Imu and girls from the other shinobi factions. But there was one article of clothing among the uniforms and stylish skirts that did not belong: the young man's tank top.

Pushing away the embarrassing circumstances that brought it into her possession, Miyabi extended her hands to pick up the sleeveless shirt before a confident smile fell on her face. The look on the young man's face in response to her exposed body certainly was more than a bit flattering yet appropriately reserved. It specifically told her, "Miyabi, you are attractive! But you also must be embarrassed, so please have my shirt."

Snorting to herself, the white-haired girl let her towel fall to the floor before she clung to the simple article of clothing. She never understood why some talked about the smell of their loved ones on shirts and hoods nor did she intend to become one of those people. Yet, as she hugged the tank top closer into her chest, she did feel as though she were somehow hugging its owner in spirit. Regardless of whether or not that thought made her out to be weird, Miyabi still found solace in it due to the fact that she experienced extremely little physical contact with the boy during their jog. She may not have gotten the romantic scene she was going for but she did get away with the young man's shirt… even if she would have to return it one day, that alone certainly counted for something.

Then, just as Miyabi was beginning to lose herself into an intimate fantasy, there was a knock at her door before it began to slide open. In the few split seconds that she had before the sudden arrival could find her in such a perverse state, the white-haired girl threw the tank top underneath her bed and wrapped herself back into a towel. Once Ryōbi had fully entered the room and took in the scene, Miyabi had put on a face of mild irritation before disinterestedly stating, "In the past, I've told you to wait for me to answer the door…"

Fortunately, the twin tailed girl completely bought the performance. "Yeah, yeah," grumbled Ryōbi as her eyes reflected a mix of annoyance and concern, "you told me last time but I still don't care to listen… That aside, I've got news…"

Not immediately hearing the last of first-year's statement, Miyabi wanted to smirk then and there. Since the day before, she'd been firmly practicing her ability to keep a neutral face so that the same mistakes made prior to and during the jog would never be repeated. Whenever someone said something that would invoke ire in Miyabi, she took a breath and spoke in her level but chilling voice. If ever something unexpected happen, she'd make sure that not even one ounce of surprise showed itself before she'd make one of her remarks or observations. At one point earlier that day, Miyabi had caught her father watching from the shadows with the same judgmental scowl on his face and she didn't even flinch. Instead, she just carried on by sparring with Imu, acting as though the disgruntled grimace on the man's face wasn't facing her. Of course, when considering the many years she'd been seeing that look of annoyance, it really wasn't too surprising that she kept herself composed. Despite how much Miyabi should have been alarmed by the indifference she felt for her father's looks, she could only view it as a testament to her composure. As such, Miyabi felt as though she'd regained the same element of cool-headedness she'd had before the young man's arrival.

But, amidst her mental reflection, the supposed stone-cold leader of the Hebijo elite realized that she had left Ryōbi hanging and waiting for an answer. Thus, after clearing her throat and making sure her face was as blank as the young man's often was, Miyabi answered in a dull voice, "You've got my ears. Has something important happened?"

Blinking a few times after what was nearly twenty seconds of straight silence from her friend, Ryōbi quietly responded, "Nothing terrible… for the rest of us, that is. You, well, you may not like what I'm going to say about your dude."

Misinterpreting the question at first, Miyabi waved her hands, "You've already said plenty and complained enough about his antics. What else could you say-," before realizing that her comrade was implying that something had happened to the young man. Immediately, the older woman's face fell more serious as she unknowingly cranked her head a bit forward, "Wait, is he okay? What happened?"

"You have competition, that's what," stated Ryōbi, slightly cringing her head back a bit in anticipation of the resulting blowup.

Much to the girl's surprise, Miyabi let out a relieved sigh before saying, "Ah, you mean Yumi, right? I've heard as much when Shiki was blabbering much louder than she should've been." Nodding her head resolutely, the woman declared with a pumped fist, "Don't worry, I've no intention to lose. I've learned from what happened before and am prepared to double down on my efforts."

Ryōbi gulped with a bit of fear, something that she'd never admit, before stammering, "No, uh… You might-, hm… Actually, Asuka is who I was talking about. Asuka has a… crush, let's call it, on him too."

With extremely little reaction, Miyabi snorted before using her hand to wipe back some hair, "And? That doesn't change the circumstances. As far as I'm concerned, I'm the furthest ahead in this pursuit and I've no intention of letting that change."

"Have you confessed to him… or do you intend to confess?" asked the twin tailed girl.

Though there was a bit of a stutter to Miyabi's movements, the woman still proudly closed her eyes and raised her chin before answering, "Not yet, though that time will come soon. I only need to set the right mood, advertise myself in the right… way before… I… con-…" but came to a slow and sudden stop before her eyes opened and widened. She slowly looked down to Ryōbi before asking, "Why do you ask…? I'm pretty sure I know the answer but… You don't mean Asuka… confessed already, do you? Because something like that would be absolutely ridiculous… Right? Right!? Asuka did not confess! I'm definitely still at the head of this and will definitely be the winner! Right!?"

Ryōbi could only whisper in a voice that was barely audible to a normal ear, "…Hibari saw it and… left a message about it on Ryōna's phone… talked about how… sweet and… other stuff… something about hugging… maybe accepting in the future… I dunno…" Unfortunately, Miyabi's ears were well beyond standard. She'd heard every word and took in the full implication. For a few seconds, she stood silently as a low growl began to emanate from the bowels of her throat. Ryōbi threw up her hands and began to stammer, "Uh, woah-, hold on-, No, wait, wait, wait-, you seem- oh no…" before she realized she needed to make a run for it.

Meanwhile, Ryōna was trailing through the hallways to find her sister, singing along to Hibari's voicemail on her phone all the while. As the pink-haired girl's sweet voice spoke in the background, the masochist sang cheerfully through the halls, "-the confession was so, so sweet~, I wish I could watch it a thousand times~! By the look of it, too~ he'll accept it- Oh~ho~, I hope I get to see it! It'll be so sweet-" before she caught sight of her Ryōbi making a mad dash from Miyabi's room. As the voicemail continued to play from the blonde's phone, Ryōna called, "Hello~! Sing with me, Sis! Hibari's phone-voice is always so much fun to-"

"Run!" cried Ryōbi as she ran as fast as her legs could handle, "Run and do not look back!"

The girl ran straight past Ryōna and fled for her life, forcing the blonde to step aside and watch curiously for a moment. Then it clicked in her head as she began to smile lewdly, "Oh-ho-ho~! Miyabi found out, Miyabi found out!" and made straight for the door to the woman's room, "Explode, Miyabi! Feel the rage and explode into my face-"

As the girl turned into the doorway, the sound of Hibari's voicemail reached the white-haired woman's ears like fire pressing into a stick of dynamite. Without further warning, Miyabi let loose all of her rage as she roared incomprehensibly, "SECRET NINJA ART!" and transformed, unleashing a massive shockwave that blew Ryōna back out into the hallway with a loud crash. Students all over Hebijo Academy felt a sudden sense of dread as they all turned to the dorm where they knew something terrible was happening. From his office, Jirō dropped his phone and lifted his head before grumbling incoherently under his breath.

Just as he recovered, the often-frustrated principal pinched the bridge of his nose and commented, "What else are you creating for me so soon after-" before letting out a noise of surprise, "Ah!" and reached down to retrieve his phone. He cleared his throat and spoke curtly, "My apologies, Oda. What trouble were you saying that Miyabi had gotten into?"

"That's just the thing, Jirō. She hasn't gotten into any trouble aside from the incident at Hanzō Academy. But, were I you, I'd still be a bit worried."

"Oh? Please elaborate," asked the principal, trying to ignore the sudden power surge and the anxiety of his daughter being the topic of discussion with a man like Oda. It was a miracle that the large man hadn't already exterminated every evil shinobi on his own, though that was mostly due to his more humanitarian nature. Perhaps it seemed a bit foolhardy to Jirō but, so long as he was allowed to live and breathe, he'd never complain.

"See, during my investigation after the aforementioned incident, I did some outside investigation to make sure that all of the involved shinobi were still in their legal… or, in the girls of Hebijo Academy's case, honorary boundaries. As the father of a young girl, myself, I thought you ought to know that Miyabi appears to have taken interest in a boy… a non-shinobi, at that."

While the two men tensely conversed over the phone, Yumi heard the news of Asuka's confession from Minori, who received a text from Ryōna, within her room at Gessen Academy. Her answer was a calm and curt, "That's a bit surprising, considering the fact that this is Asuka we're talking about… but I don't see a reason to panic."

Despite her older sister's calm words, Minori was quivering and shaking in a mix of excitement and anxiety, "But what about you!? Shouldn't you be the one to give a cutesy confession? I mean, in every cartoon I've ever seen, the first one to confess is referred to as the 'main girl' and they're always the most likely person to take the main guy's heart!"

Reaching up from her desk to pleasantly pat the girl's head while using her other hand to cover her own smiling mouth, Yumi sweetly said, "Oh, Minori…" before her eyes turned dangerous. Suddenly, her patting hand began to turn aggressive as she uncovered her mouth to growl, "This isn't one of your cartoons. This is real life and things don't work like that."

"Right…" came the frightened whimper from Minori, "got it…"

Seeing that she'd evidently scared her sister, Yumi's face fell before she began to stutter, "No-, I'm sorry. I took some stress out on you and I was-, I'm sorry…" As much as she wanted to be frustrated with Minori's observations in fictional romance, Yumi couldn't bring herself to hold any annoyance against her nor any of her other sisters. Partly because a bit of her still felt guilty for the actions that she took under her distortion… though it was mostly due to the fact that Yumi felt as though she should have been treasuring her sisters more. They forgave her after everything… so what were a few innocent observations that were meant to convey genuine concern? To her, nothing worth getting angry over.

Like she always did in the past, Minori immediately hugged her older sister and dropped the fearful look on her face, "I love you, Yumi! I love and forgive you!"

Yumi wanted to cry out, "Bless this girl! Bless this girl to the sweetest plot of Heaven!" but instead opted to also give into the warm hug. The two held each other for a moment before a confident breath of air blew out of the third-year's nose. Once the two girls parted, Yumi stated after, "But, as for what you were saying before, there's nothing to be worried about. After all, we've planned out everything for tomorrow, right?"

A sudden look of remembrance and realization hit Minori, who dropped her jaw in awe before cheering, "Yes, Ma'am! I'm going to be the best decorator I can be! I'll give it my all! The rooms and halls will be cute, warm, welcoming, and all those other words you mentioned that I can't really remember right now-"

"Regardless, I trust you," murmured Yumi with a smile as a bit of worry was settling into her.

"-and, with Yozakura doing the cooking, and Murakumo-"

At that point, the older girl gently clasped a hand over Minori's shoulder while ushering her toward the door, "Yes, yes, don't worry. I remember it all and I'm looking forward to it!" Once the two of them were out in the hallway, Yumi rubbed her fingers against her sister's back before quietly saying, "And… I know I've probably said it a thousand times… but thank you for taking part in this. I know I was a bit… emotional, for the sake of using a pleasant word, yesterday and that this isn't the most innocent plan I could've come up with-"

"But you love him, right?" stated Minori with a U-shaped smile, "You love him and you want to hold him and kiss him and cuddle and things?"

Blown a bit back by the unexpectedly straightforward words from a, more often than not, simple-headed girl, Yumi could only shyly avert her eyes to the side before murmuring, "Of course… that's what couples do, I believe."

"Then I'm happy to help!" declared Minori before she dashed down the hallway, eager to check on Shiki and Murakumo's progress with their given projects.

Yumi paused in her step for a moment and laid a hand over her chest. When she thought about what her sisters had done for her in the past, how they'd forgiven her trespasses against them and were willing to help in her romantic endeavor so soon after… There was no better word than blessed. Yumi truly and honestly felt blessed to have the family that she had.

She smiled and her eyes sparkled in wonder. Had the events after Peach Beach Splash not taken place, Yumi and Murakumo would have graduated and Shiki would have been transferred out of the country to a different school. But they didn't because of a few failures on the part of other shinobi. Regardless of how heartbreaking the circumstances were for some, Ayame especially, Yumi would have changed nothing. Even if she would have been happy for her sister's transfer and growing status as an "international super shinobi" along with all of the paths everyone else would have taken… there was still a selfish part of her that couldn't let go of the happy times they were living in. However guilty it made her feel, Yumi was grateful for the circumstances that uprooted their lives prior to the young man's arrival. Once she got passed the turmoil and the disappointment, she still had her sisters… and that's what mattered most to her.

Yumi closed her eyes as she gave another smile to no one in particular. Truly, she thought herself to be the most blessed person on the face of the Earth.

Back in the renegades' cave, the young man sat cross-legged on the couch while pressing his mouth into folded hands. He could hear Homura arguing with Yomi in the background, stating something along the lines that they should be prepping a special meal since they'd practically kidnapped him. In turn, Yomi was retorting that she was preparing a "very special meal which would show off the power of my beansprouts at their finest" or something along those lines. If the young man was honest with himself, he knew that he wasn't listening to anything within his immediate surroundings anymore. Instead, while Hikage was napping in her chair and Mirai was trying to make suggestions for dinner from her spot on the couch, the boy was mutely voicing his thoughts about his most outstanding predicament.

"Ancestors…" he quietly mumbled in a deep and dreadful voice, "if I've offended or disappointed you in some way, I beg forgiveness. This problem has proven too much for this wretch who shares your blood. These women are too much me. However much their beauty and colorful personalities are wonderful, I cannot bear to stand the exhaustion any longer… Please, forgive and release me from this prison."

After she voiced to Yomi her desire for a meatball stew, Mirai turned to the young man and tilted her head. For a moment, she thought she heard a voice and there was a distinct feeling that he was thinking about her and everyone else. But the young man's eyes remained forward and the rest of his face was covered by his folded hands. As far as she cared, he was just waiting quietly and patiently for dinner.

"Gods and goddesses… if you somehow believe me worthy to be put through some heroic trial or a probably deserved suffering, I beg you to release me from your chains. I, a mere mortal born to a family of exceptional individuals, am not worth the time you are spending to put me through these harrowing events. If you would release me here and now from my chains, I promise to disappear to a rural town and live the humblest life possible. If you would do this soon enough, I would even carve wooden statues of every single last one of you that I could read about. Whether you are Japanese, Chinese, Greek, Roman, Norse, African or from the Americas… I will carve a statue of you and worship all of you for an hour each day for the rest of my life. You need only release me from your hold… please…"

Just as Mirai was trying to figure out why the young man's jaw was ever slightly moving, Haruka sneaked up behind him and stood behind the couch. The smaller girl cringed for a moment, unsure of what the dominatrix had in mind for her next victim, before hopping up and hiding behind the couch's arm. Mirai knew some kind of innuendo or molestation would be enacted and that she would want to run away by the time the attack went down… but she was still so curious to see what would happen.

Her answer came when Haruka threw her arms forward and gripped the young man's shoulders as she leaned over the couch. After giving the boy a second to process what was happening, the woman pulled him into her, smooshing his head between her breasts, before singing, "If you don't mind~…" and prattled off a few questions. Though the young man's eyes were wide and his face heated up from the contact, he still kept his mouth covered as he frantically began to incoherently mumble.

"God, often referred to as Father! I beg you to forgive me! Forgive me of whatever sins I've committed according to your Bible, Quran… the book of the Jews that I forgot- Tanakh, I believe- or whatever other books that may or may not worship your ever-holy name! While I've yet to take part in any cleansing of sins according to the customs of your particular religion, I promise that I will strive to be more God-fearing in the future. I do not fear death as I believe that there is something, which may very well be you, waiting for me. But I do not forsake life either, which is why I beg for you to take my hand and lead me from these complexities that are twisting my mind! Bring me a solution that will appease the four women who appear to be vying for me, for whatever reasons that I fail to truly understand… Bring me a solution that will not harm my path to freedom, that is the correction of all these other women… BRING ME A SOLUTION THAT WILL REMOVE ME FROM THIS SHE-DEVIL'S CLEAVAGE! I beg, Lord and Father, to release me from this mess! If you are up there, just get me out of this-"

Realizing that the young man wasn't listening to any of her questions, Haruka began to teasing scratch at his ear before blowing into it. As a result, the poor boy let out a yelp and attempted to pull himself free but found that he was still firmly stuck between the woman's breasts. Once he began to truly struggle against her, Haruka hummed a bit to herself before wickedly whispering, "You should be listening to those who are speaking to you…"

"Haruka!" came the fearsome voice of Yomi as she stepped away from Homura to be the young man's rescuer, "No harassing our guest!"

With her sultry smile still stuck on her face, Haruka dropped her hold on the young man before clapping her hands together, "I apologize. I had no ill wishes for him."

"I doubt that," quipped Mirai, who was still hiding behind the arm of the couch.

Haruka rested her cheek against one of her hands, "Still, I only wish to know more about him. You know why, I'm sure." The woman sucked in some air and let out a saddened breath, very obviously trying to guilt-trip the young man. In the meantime, Homura froze where she stood while silently hoping that he wouldn't ask about Haruka's reasoning. Fortunately for her, the boy didn't say anything.

Realizing her own curiosity for the young man, Yomi faltered a bit in her determination to defend him from Haruka's pryingHadasdda. Then, between remembering her maternal convictions and the fact that Homura would likely take the matter into her own hands if left unresolved, the blonde sighed before ordering, "You can ask him when we eat. There's no need to make him more uncomfortable after everything else we've done today."

Thankfully, Haruka relented, "I understand," and turned to the young man, "I'm sorry if I've done anything to make you uncomfortable. I promise you that I was just trying to welcome you in my own… special way." The woman proceeded toward the kitchen while casting a sassy smile to the young man.

"I thoroughly doubt that," grumbled the boy, "but I'll accept your apology anyway."

"You're right to doubt it," chimed Mirai, who proceeded to cross her arms, "but her reasoning can't be denied."

"Then she can start a conversation like a normal person," retorted the young man, "It's bad enough that you guys don't know how to just pull me aside for a regular invitation, but I'm not going to suffer unwanted touching. If any of you have a question, quit jumping through hoops and just ask the friggin' question."

"I'll do exactly that then!" called Haruka, who immediately turned herself around and dived toward the back of the couch to press her face toward the young man, who was jumping in complete surprise from the sudden turnaround, "Could you tell me your tastes in women?"

Homura made a sound from the kitchen area of the cave while the boy just blinked in response. Immediately, he caught on to her Haruka's intent. She was trying to determine whether or not he'd be a good partner for the renegades' leader… that or she was just trying to find more material to hassle him with. Either way, his first instinct was to lie and make himself out to be the worst kind of person, someone they wouldn't let Homura near without a three-meter pole… but then he realized that he had to be honest. If the young man made himself out to be a horrible person or, worse, was caught lying about himself, that would damage all of his chances of earning the renegades' trust and correcting their distortion. Whether he wanted to or not, the boy had to be honest… but he could at least be difficult.

"I'm not going to answer that."

Mirai immediately pointed her finger at him before calling, "Hey! You told her to ask a normal question and she asked you a normal question. Get answering, bubsy."

But Haruka took a different approach. She bent over her torso to give the young man a view of the cleavage peering from her sweater and asked sweetly, "My, is there a reason you don't want to answer? Perhaps someone within hearing distance fits your ideal woman and you don't want to be caught?"

In turn, the boy averted his gaze with burning cheeks, "Since we've declared a truce, I've been answering a whole lot of questions while holding back a ton of my own. If you want me to give an answer to anything you ask, you've got to answer my questions too. And, I'll tell you now, the questions I have will be prying on your secret shinobi stuff. Fair's fair…" and he turned his head to face Haruka again, "Well? Deal or no deal?" His intention was to try and drive off the interrogation by threatening to ask about whatever secrets they kept from him. His immediate thought said that there was no way they'd be so willing to share stuff like that… but then he remembered that the shinobi he was dealing with were an extremely straightforward bunch. The young man's face fell and he immediately regretted his decision before the answer came.

"That sounds fair," replied Haruka as she closed her eyes and nodded her head, "Please, ask away."

The young man silently cursed under his breath, "Damn… I didn't think this through…" but closed his eyes and scoured his brain for something to ask. Perhaps if he found the right question that was just a bit too personal, he could get the woman to back off… But Haruka was extremely shameless, going as far to deliberately press him into her when she had him, an enemy at the time, cornered on a train… What exactly was too personal for her? Then he realized she'd given him such a question not a minute before! The young man silently thanked her before asking, "Who would be your ideal guy?" raised his finger, "Be specific, please," and crossed his arms while trying to keep a showy smirk off his face. Then, once again, he could feel the regret seep in before the answer came.

That was the wrong question to ask, according to the bright smile on Haruka's face. She teasingly swayed her body back and forth before letting let out a hum. "Someone like you, of course," she replied, causing nearly everyone else in the room to freeze and turn absolutely pale. Homura, in particular, began to shake after a few seconds before turning around to incoherently yap like an angry chihuahua, all while the young man's eyes had narrowed into small pencil dots as his jaw dropped. After a moment of consideration, he began to edge himself away from Haruka. In response, the woman said, "Like you, I said. Not you, considering how little I know about you. Just someone like you."

"How so?" came the young man's deep and quiet voice as he became the epitome of the word 'wary' and braced to run for his life.

"Well," Haruka sang while Homura was being held back by Yomi, "the shape of your head is certainly ideal for me, with it being easy to rest mine on top. Plus, your figure makes you extremely easy to trap and hug… If you don't mind, I may actually try that now~…" After snickering a bit to herself, the woman teasingly raised her fingers and gripped them toward her target.

Without hesitation, the young man pulled out his phone and mumbled, "Hello? Is this the police?"

To that remark, Haruka froze and lightly bowed her head, "I understand… I'll stop…"

"Thank you…"

"But, to be serious," Haruka crossed her arms, "I do find your… franker attitude appealing. Even when you have something more abrasive to say, it's comfortable to know your honest thoughts."

"That's just part of trying to gain your guys' trust," replied the young man, not at all impressed by the woman's standards, "If I'm being a nice yes-man who's always offering compliments or approval, any smart person would be more likely to distrust me… And, considering the fact that everyone is or was, in your guys' case, the elite of their respective academies, I have to assume all of you are pretty smart… even if one of you don't know the basics to chloroform."

"I'm going to kick your ass," threatened Mirai, who was snapped out of her shock to Haruka's answer and began to raise a violent fist.

"Well, even if it's just to earn our trust, thank you for being forward," said Haruka with a seductive smile, "It's very loveable." The woman took a moment to relish the young man's embarrassed shuffling to her comment, kept her eyes averted from a seething Homura, and proceeded to ask, "Your turn. Describe your ideal woman and make sure to," and proceeded to waggle her finger back and forth, "be ve-ry spe-ci-fic~."

Breaking away from his shock to Haruka's previous statement, the boy had to take a moment to think. Whether it was smart or not, he was going to answer honestly. He just had to be sure that nothing he said spurred on Homura. Choosing his words carefully while also closing his eyes in thought, the young man answered, "To be honest, I don't really have an… ideal woman. For me, it just comes down to whether or not my partner and I accept each other's flaws and are, of course, happy to be together."

"Oh?" hummed Haruka, "That sounds rather barebones, if you ask me. You realize we're talking about an ideal scenario where you have the woman of your dreams, yes? Please tell me who that woman is."

"That's just the thing," the young man reiterated, "I don't have an- actually, let me word it like this: I don't put too much time into thinking about dreams that are unlikely to happen." He wanted to leave it at that but Haruka continued to give him an expectant look, as though she were asking for more details. Thus, the young man continued, "Let me put it this way… I could spend time thinking up a vision of someone. I could shape her hair, eyes, nose, and lips like a doll. I could dress her in whatever way I'd like to, whether it'd be cute and casual or mature and sexy. But that woman is just a vision and the chances of me meeting someone like her are pretty much impossible. Thus, I keep myself grounded in reality. If there's someone who accepts my flaws and we enjoy one another's company, I could live out my life without regret even if I did meet that dream girl at some point down the line. It's as simple as just wanting to be happy."

Standing from her position in the kitchen area, Homura's eyes fell as she dived into thought. For a moment, she wondered about whether or not she fit the bill of his unspecified dream woman before her thoughts turned to the bulk of what he'd said. Certainly, she liked the young man as he was, flaws and all, but something just didn't seem right. Were his standards really that low and open? Was he, perhaps, an extremely easy heart to conquer? After her thoughts began to circle around her head, Homura's fallen eyes began to glow as she smiled deviously. From where his head was facing, the young man caught sight of her and realized that he should have shut his mouth after his initial statement.

But Haruka still didn't look convinced. She rested her cheek into one of her palms to tilt her head while asking, "So, there's nothing then? There isn't something about a woman that would drive you absolutely mad with love? Nothing at all?"

Just as he was about to affirm his answer, the young man immediately thought of Asuka's hugs and kisses to the back of his head from the previous night. Her playing with his hair had absolutely subdued him and her gentle fingers rubbing against his cheek were heavenly. So, lost in reflection and briefly forgetting his self-given order to keep his mouth shut, the young man shyly answered, "Well… I suppose someone who was okay with hugging would be nice…" before he paused and his eyes turned to fear, "What's with that dangerous look on your face? Get away from me."

Haruka had a massive smile that reeked of her teasing him, curling itself upward like an eager cat about to catch a trapped mouse. Slowly, she began to advance toward the young man. She extended her arms forward to him and purred, "You just want a hug, then? C'mere~…"

Just as the boy was about to scream, a shadow launched itself over Haruka and was flying straight toward the young man. Before he could realize it was Homura, her eyes glowing red with determination, the boy could only exclaim complete gibberish, "Hu-whaa-ha! WHA! Hua-gon-on!? HUAWAAAAAGH!?"

Homura's form had tackled straight into him, rolling them both off the couch and straight into Hikage's chair. As the girl was woken up, the renegades' leader sat on top of the young man's legs while breathing heavily, smiling while completely nervous and unsure of what to say. Then, as if something clicked in her head, Homura's face turned angry and she turned around to face Haruka, "Knock it off! Question time is over!"

Satisfied that she got the very result she'd been after the whole time, Haruka waved her hand, "Very well. I think that one question's answer was all I needed anyway."

Mirai began to protest, "Wha-, hold on! I've got like thirty more that I want-"

"The nature of those questions, sweet thing," purred the older woman, "can all be found in his answer from before. He's a kind enough man and he means no harm. Certainly, you could hear and feel that?"

While Mirai argued back against Haruka's explanation, Homura turned around to the young man and found a sight that made her want to gush a bit. Despite how alarmed he'd been when tackled, he was trying to put on a tough and defiant look. However, his face was too cute to be taken seriously. With cheeks that were tinged a lovely pink, an upper lip covering the lower, and his beautiful eyes sparkling with embarrassment, he just came off as too sweet to actually be considered resistant.

Then Homura realized that she was still sitting on top of him. Feeling her own cheeks heat up, she stood onto her feet and reached down to pull up the young man. She quietly mumbled an apology and began to shyly scratch at her neck before a thought came to mind. The others wouldn't be asking anymore questions, if Haruka was being true to her word, and Yomi would still take a while before dinner was done. Then and there was the perfect opportunity to do the one thing… no. If she executed it perfectly, she could have the two things that she'd been wanting.

Without really thinking out her sentence, Homura stammered, "Wanna fight?"

Caught extremely off guard and just grasping the girl's hand as she moved to pull him up, the young man's face froze before he tilted his head to the side, "Come again?"

Homura remained determined as an awkward smile found itself onto her red face, "While dinner's getting ready, would you like to fight…? Spar, I'm sorry… Would you like to spar?"

"No," replied the young man frankly as he spitefully released her hand and kept himself seated on the floor. Though he was aware of her feelings for him, he didn't know what game she was trying to play… He also had no intention to find out.

Her face fell for a moment before she took a breath and resolute goaded, "C'mon~, it'll be fun. I'll have my swords, you'll have your fisticuffs-"

"That doesn't even sound like fair fight."

"-and we can head outside to this one clearing the girls and I always use. Or if you'd rather it be treated like a special occasion-"

"I don't want it to be an occasion at all."

"-we can wait until after dinner and take a trip out to some fields that Asuka and I have used to battle one another in the past. From there, we can go at it until one of us gives in-"

"HOW ABOUT WE DO THIS!?" yelled the young man in an effort to cut her off. He raised a flattened palm into the air and ordered her, "Poke me."

Homura blinked and scratched the side of her head in confusion. But, after a few seconds of glancing back and forth between the boy's head and hand, she nodded, "Alright…" and poked him right in the palm.

"OH GOD, GODS, GODDESSES, AND ANCESTORS! I'M VANQUISHED!" screeched the young man as grasped at his chest and flung himself onto his side. His tongue flapped out of his mouth and his eyes rolled up. The renegades all looked at him in confusion before he briefly turned his head up, "This is me being dead, by the way. You've won. Fight's over," and leaned his head back to the ground. Homura's eyelids drooped a bit in irritation as Hikage poked her head over the arm of her chair and gazed at the young man's body. The green-haired girl blinked once and twice before poking a finger into his cheek. Without hesitation, the boy slapped her hand away and said, "Don't desecrate my body, I'm already dead."

"You're not dead, though," mumbled Hikage.

"Shaddup."

While Homura pinched the bridge of her nose, Yomi approached from behind and said, "Perhaps you should give it a rest for now. He's not one to be considered much of a… fighter."

"Are you kidding me?" cried the tanned girl, "Look back to his fight with Yumi! He took her on without any weapons and came out the victor. Why wouldn't he fight me?" In truth, she already knew why. She was just venting and looking for something to complain about while trying to think of a way to convince her desired opponent to fight.

Pressing his hands into the cold rock below to push himself up, the young man grouchily stated, "Because Yumi's case was out of necessity and I had little choice in the matter!"

Homura turned her head back to him, "I wasn't actually looking for an answer, you know."

"Then don't ask the question in the first place!"

"Homura," mumbled Mirai from the couch.

The tanned girl turned her back completely to the young man, "What!?"

"I know you're one who wants to fight the toughest opponents," came the smaller girl's monotone voice, "but the best he's got to offer is probably some dirty tricks. Just give up."

Homura scoffed defiantly and ran a hand through her hair, "Don't kid yourself," before pointing her finger at Mirai, "You know damn well that Yumi wouldn't fall to someone who relied on dirty tri-" Suddenly a cold sensation overwhelmed the back of her neck and the girl proceeded to scream into the air, "-ckyaaaAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!"

Behind her, the young man had stood up, taken his hand up from the cold rock, and rested it against the back of Homura's head. His eyes were unfeeling and completely without mercy. He wouldn't be standing for the girl's nonsense anymore. Without much energy, he proclaimed, "There, I've got you. I've won. Yippee."

Mirai quickly jumped on the opportunity to gloat, "Told you so."

As Homura continued to scream, Yomi closed her eyes and covered her mouth an effort to hide her smile, "I suppose you and Haruka have both called it."

Ignoring the fact that her leader was still crying out, Haruka shrugged her shoulders and stated, "To be honest, I was expecting something a bit more generic like… Well, to be honest, I'm not really sure. Perhaps, if given the opportunity, he'd throw dirt and sand-"

Without further warning, Homura's scream turned into a war cry as she reached over her shoulder and gripped the young man's arm. It didn't take him long to realize that he was about to suffer for his arrogance in attacking her in such a dirty way. Once he felt the force vibrate throughout his body, the young man closed his eyes and braced himself for the impact to come. Homura pulled and threw him over her shoulder before spinning him around and throwing him toward the couch. As Mirai yelped from the sudden projectile bombarding her resting station, the couch rocked back from the impact.

Still standing in her position behind Mirai, Haruka took a step back and began to scold, "Now, now, there's no need to get so violent from a cold hand-" before the couch fell backward and landed onto one of her feet, "gyaAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHH-"

While the couch was tipping, Mirai kicked herself off of it and unintentionally gave it the last boost it needed to fall over. Her only desire was to flee from wherever Homura was exacting her wrath, though she was entirely unsympathetic to Haruka's foot. In fact, she was about to goad the girl that what had happened was completely karma after all of the unwanted touching. But, before a word could even be said, the smaller girl realized she was still in the air and crashed into Yomi, who was toppled backwards and began to madly claw for something to catch herself on.

Eventually, while she was still tripping backward, the blonde caught a grip on Hikage's chair and tried to steady herself on it. Instead, her combined weight with Mirai just began to pull it back, forcing the green-haired girl to spring out of harms way. Unfortunately for Hikage, her foot was caught by the chair as it flipped backward. With a still and unflinching face, she muttered, "Oh…" and found her fall cut short as her head collided straight into Homura's before allowing herself to flop onto the ground.

The tanned girl remained standing for a few seconds so that she could survey the damage of her domino effect. She raised a finger into the air, thinking to at least try and say something witty before declaring victory, but collapsed and fell onto the floor. All six people in the cave were officially KO'd with Homura being the defaulted winner, seeing as she was the last one standing, of the fight that never actually took place. It was only such a shame for the poor girl though, seeing as she was going to use her victory as an opportunity to confess… She decided she'd wait until dinner.

Meanwhile, the young man's phone vibrated in his pocket from a text message:

"I'm sorry to intrude on your day, which I hope is going well! While doing some work for the academy, I was thinking about how wonderful it'd be for us to have a get together. My sisters will be mostly busy through tomorrow but I'd personally enjoy the one-on-one time. Please let me know what you think and have a great rest of your day!

-Yumi"