Love, Eroge, Music & Other Craziness

by Geek Girl Naruru

Namikaze Naruto is a normal fifteen-year-old high school student. He has a distant relationship with his sister Naruko, who always treats him rudely. One Day in Spring, he encounters a foreign girl playing a piano on one of his travels to a junkyard and helps her in many ways as he discover that her name is Weiss Schnee.

6. Girl Problem

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"… Yawnnnn…"

"You seem sleepy today as well. Naruto?"

"I guess. I haven't been getting enough sleep lately… oh, thanks." I felt a refreshing breeze blowing gently on my sweaty face.

Sitting at the seat next to me, Karin was using a desk pad to fan me. Desk pads were very valuable cooling devices for students in the summertime, and I don't think anybody can disagree with that. Around the classroom, I could see many classmates fanning themselves as well with desk pads.

"Feel nice? The test is coming up soon, so don't strain yourself too much, alright? If you stress yourself out and get sick, then there's no point, right?"

At her caring words, I gave her a smile. "Yeah… I'll be careful."

"I'm fine now, you can fan yourself."

"It's alright. I'm not that hot." Liar. Isn't that a good deal of sweat on your brow?

Hah… I felt a strange pain in my chest. It's probably because I'm carrying a pretty shameful secret. The real reason why I seem so sleepy is that every night, I've been playing eroge deep into the nighttime. It's not like I can say that to anyone. Especially to this girl, who's putting all her effort into fanning me with the desk pad. This girl seriously thinks that I've been staying up late at night because I've been trying hard to study.

"Oh, right, Naruto. Today, do you want to come over to my house? We just made some cold kuzukiri. You need to take a break once in a while, right?"

"I guess that would be fun."

"Hehehe~… great."

As usual, Karin sent me back a warm happy smile.

"Alright, Naruto. It's a promise!"

Saying that, Karin went away from my seat, and went to talk with her other friends. My friend Sasuke Uchiha came over and took her place.

"Hey, Naruto."

"What's up? You look so gloomy."

"This has been bothering me for a long time, but are you going out with Karin-chan?"

Taken by surprise, I widened my eyes a bit.

"No… did it seem that way?"

"Yeah, it did. You can ask anybody in this class and they'll tell you the same thing."

Huh… that's quite surprising. Karin was talking with her girlfriends in another part of the classroom. I gave Karin a quick glance, and turned back to Sasuke. Indifferent, I opened my mouth.

"… It's not like that. She just my cousin."

"Oh. So… you don't have romantic feelings for her or something like that?"

"…"

Raising my eyebrows, I tried to hurry him along.

"None."

"… Really?" I responded reluctantly. I don't think I have any feelings like that for Karin. If I had to say it, I would say she's more like a sister… nah, that way of explaining things is wrong too. Hm, how should I put it…

"Hey, Sasuke, take this for example. Imagine that ever since you were young, you've lived with a real nice grandmother. And suppose that you're naturally very attached to that grandmother."

"… This doesn't seem to have anything to do with anything, Naruto."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, and I stuck out one of my hands at him.

"Just let me finish… and then, one day, by some magic your grandmother got 50 years younger and she's now the same age as you. Try to imagine what you would feel about that girl."

"… How did this suddenly turn into a fantasy…?"

Sasuke just became more bewildered, and I nonchalantly continued.

"It's sort of like that."

"What am I supposed to understand from that!?"

"Well, then whatever. It's not like it bothers me if you don't understand!"

Increasingly losing interest in this topic, I tried to stop the conversation then and there, but Sasuke wasn't satisfied. For some reason, the conversation felt like it had suddenly turned serious.

"Well then, if you two are not going out, then is it safe to assume that you also have no plans to go out with her in the future?"

"Huh? What exactly are you asking, Sasuke?"

I responded to his question with a question of my own. I was getting a bit testy.

"For example… if I am to ask out Karin-chan, you wouldn't mind, would you?"

"Huh? Of course I would mind. I wouldn't allow it. You better watch out for me."

At my immediate, irritated response, Sasuke seemed shocked.

"But, you said a few seconds ago that you don't like her in that way."

"So?"

"So… why? Naruto… why would you say something like this? If you really are just friends with Karin-chan, then it's not like you two are going out. And it's not like you're in love with her."

"Something wrong with that?"

"You're saying some really selfish things, Naruto… don't you feel sorry for poor Karin-chan?"

"You know, you have no right to be saying that Sasuke! If the person herself said it, I would consider it."

I said that with the intention of getting him to cut it out, and with that Sasuke fell silent.

"… Hmm." Acting quite naturally, I looked around for Karin. And then, suddenly, our eyes met. Karin sent me a worried look, as if she was asking "What's wrong?" I snorted, trying to tell her "It's nothing."

(◕ω◕✿)

After school. With Karin beside me, I was headed towards Karin house.

The Uzumaki house was done in the old style, and was a bluish two-story building. Honestly, it wouldn't feel too out of place if it were placed in the middle of Edo Wonderland. At a glance, it was a sturdy, relatively large house. A part of the first floor was a Japanese confectionary, so we could always eat and drink in there.

By the way, they didn't only get old people as customers; surprisingly, their main customer base came from young girls. Even though it's such an old-fashioned shop… I don't understand it.

Well, certainly, depending how you looked at it, you could say that it was a well-known shop that boasted a long tradition of making confections.

"I'm home."

"… I'm home."

We entered the house through the back entrance. The minute we entered into the entranceway, I could smell the scent of incense drifting about in the air. It was a smell you would expect in an old man's house out in the countryside.

Karin let me pass into the Japanese-style living room, and then…

"Wait just a second."

With that, she went up the stairs. I raised one hand to send her off.

"Phew… let's settle in then…"

Stretching my legs out on the tatami mats, I felt quite at home. In fact, without Naruko here, you could say I felt even more relaxed. As I was thinking this, I heard a voice.

"Oh, is that you Naruto?"

"Hello Nagato oji-san, Sorry for intruding."

"You're not intruding. Feel free to make yourself at home. By the way how's Naruko? It's been long since she last visit here."

"Naruko is fine, Oji-san. She been busy lately with school and her track club."

"That's good to hear but I hope she doesn't push herself too much. Konan, Naruto came over bring the watermelon."

He looked happy as he called down the hallway. I then heard the pitter patter of footsteps as Aunt Konan came into view.

"Well, Naruto. Did you come to take Karin as your wife?"

This was Aunt Konan's idea of a classy joke, and probably her favorite thing to say.

I responded as usual, with a wry smile and with a "No no, that's not it." With that, Aunt Konan pouted.

"Dear, please cut the watermelon that I just bought a little while ago."

"It's still a bit early to be eating that watermelon, Nagato Oji-san."

The Uzumaki household consisted of Karin, her brother Menma, her parents Uncle Nagato and Aunt Konan, and our grandparents Grandma Mito and Grandpa Hashirama.

"I'm home! Ohhh, who's here?!" With heavy footsteps, Menma came into view .

"Ah! It's you Menma! What's up? Hey, what's with your hair?"

"Oh it's just you, Naruto, I cut it! Hehe… what do you think? Super cool, right? now I look like Chester Bennington!"

"…"

Standing in front of Menma's "super cool new hairstyle," I was at a loss for words for a moment.

Menma patted his own head, and puffed out his chest with a proud expression.

"Naruto, did you know!? This hairstyle is the skinhead style that's really in fashion right now!"

"No no no no! That's just a close shave! It's not a skinhead style or anything!"

Menma put on an expression like a millionaire who had just discovered that the hard-earned, prized painting in his collection was fake.

"Huh? Huh? What are you saying, Naruto? You don't know much about this stuff, do you… no matter how you look at it, this is a skinhead style, isn't it?"

"Where is there a skinhead with hair that shade of blue!?"

Stroking his hair, Menma let out a scream like he was the subject of Munch's "The Scream."

"Really!? Dammit… that guy in the barbershop completely lied to me!?"

"Well, if it's the barber you usually go to, then he probably didn't want to give you a skinhead haircut even if you asked him to, or else Konan Oba-san might complain afterwards."

"U… ughh… dammit!"

Menma seemed heartbroken. Something he seemed so proud about turned out to be a flop…

There was also a more cynical explanation, that the barber was just agreeing to give him a skinhead haircut jokingly. It's probably better if Menma didn't know about his haircut, but I had already let the cat out of the bag. Well, to some extent it's his fault for getting the haircut in the first place.

"Ugh, maybe I should cut it again myself…"

"Stop that. You wouldn't be able to do that well. They used a special razor to cut it in the first place, right?"

"… But nobody told me about this…"

Right then, Karin came back, having changed out of her uniform. She brought tea with kuzukiri on a tray with her.

"What are you two doing?"

"Not much, he just had something shocking happen to him…"

I spoke while rubbing Menma's closely shaven head. Karin faced her heartbroken brother and smiled.

"I see. Well, I don't know what happened, but cheer up. Here, I also brought Ben's portion."

"What do you mean 'Ben'?"

I asked expressionlessly, and Karin smiled.

"Hm? Oh, umm… a while ago, Menma-kun came back from the barber's and told us 'Hahaha… with this super cool haircut I totally look like Chester Bennington, my name up to now is not adequate anymore! From today, call me Ben, Karin!' "

"I see. Alright, I'll try that too. Nice to meet you, Ben. That's a really stylish haircut you have there."

"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"

Menma ran out of the room while bawling. Having heard his own embarrassing idea come out of someone else's mouth must have really brought him to his senses.

Poor guy. And he's probably been spreading the same idea at school, so there's a distinct possibility that this might become a very long-running nickname for him… and if that happens, he won't be able to shake that name until graduating high school, and even then he'll still be tormented by it during class reunions.

Seeing her brother off, Karin blinked, confused.

"What's wrong with him…?"

"For men, there are things in the past which we want to forget."

"… Huh… I see… hm, that's pretty cool."

You were the one who finished him off though. I stopped myself from saying this to Karin.

"Oh. This is really good, this kuzukiri. Although I usually eat it with ponzu…"

"It's nice with brown sugar syrup once in a while, isn't it? We made a lot, so be sure to fill up."

"Ahh, I'll do that then. By the way, did Baa-chan make most of this?"

"Yeah. Hehe… I also helped."

"Really… pretty impressive."

It was really a very normal conversation between me and Karin. There was nothing exciting about it… which is exactly why I always loved the conversations I've had in this house.

"Naruto, if you become Karin Husband, you'll be able to eat these delicious sweets everyday, you know."

"Waah… Obaa-chan, stop it… you're annoying Naruto…" Karin Blush.

"Good thinking, Mito-chan! Naruto, you really should! If you get together with Karin… umm… lots of good things will happen! If you do it now, I'll also follow you to the end!"

If I do it now… stop treating this like a limited time offer or something… Seriously, Jii-chan! Those extra few words you tacked on at the end were just too much!

"Geez, Ojii-chan. Don't say unnecessary things."

"Hm? So, you don't need your old grandfather anymore? Such words being told to me by my grandchild… there's no more point to living…!"

Swish.

As Grandpa Hashirama seemed to fall over dead, Grandma Mito faced him with a smile.

"Ah, your idiot Ojii-chan is playing dead again. Don't take it seriously, alright? He gets too caught up in the moment sometimes…"

"Hehe."

Karin began to play dead as well, but when I realized Grandpa Hashirama was joking I wanted to smack him.

Absolutely ordinary, without standing out, without making lots of noise, living out my life quietly and in a laid-back way… the life I wanted was probably something like this. Also, of course, there were no annoying sisters around.

(◕ω◕✿)

It was the next day, after school. As always, I was studying with Karin at the local library. This was a custom that we went through every time it approached exam time.

"Ah, dammit, I don't understand this, look at it for a second."

"Hm? Ahh, this one… well, you just use this formula here like this… see?"

"I see… so you do it like this. I got it. Thanks, Karin. What about this one?"

"Hm? Which one?"

"Here, this one… this one where you have to prove this ugly looking formula…"

Math was my weak point, so for a while I've been getting Karin to help me out with math. You're probably supposed to differentiate here or something, but… I leaned forwards to allow Karin easier access to my notes. When I did that, Karin started saying something like "wah, wah…"

"Uh, something wrong?"

"N-Nothing… um, this one? Uhh, uhh…"

"Why are you so worked up…? Hey, your glasses fogged over, you know."

If that were true, she wouldn't be able to see anything.

"H-Huh?"

Like she had been attacked with a Panic spell, Karin looked around restlessly. It was certainly an interesting little act…

"Hey." Snatching the fogged over glasses from her, I watched as Karin squirmed shyly.

"Ahh, no… if you take my glasses I won't be able to see," Karin said with upturned eyes.

"I know. Haha, your eyesight is really bad isn't it?"

"… Naruto, stop being mean. G-Give me back my glasses."

Whenever I stole Karin's glasses, she would always get flustered just like this. I love seeing Karin flustered like this. Yes, it might be a bit mean, but I can't help myself from getting her like this over and over.

Wiping the glasses down, I tried them on myself. Of course, they were too strong for me, and I watched as the world warped before me.

"Hm. How do I look… like a genius?"

"Mmm~~…?"

"… What's with that harsh tone?" I raised my eyebrows, and Karin, confused, tried to clear up the understanding with a "Huh? Ah, no, that wasn't what I meant…"

"You're not wearing your glasses, so you won't know until you come closer."

"Ahh."

While wearing her glasses, I brought my face closer to hers. But because my sense of direction was warped by the glasses, I ended up lightly touching my nose to hers.

"…!?"

"Ah, oops."

I apologized to Karin who seemed to have lost her breath. Separating myself from her a little, I asked her again.

"Well? Do I look smarter?"

"Ugh… y-you idiot Naruto!"

… I wasn't asking for a compliment or anything, but that just sounded cruel. Did I really look that stupid…? And like this, we continued to study, sometimes talking back and forth and making conversation. For me, this type of studying was much more agreeable than going to cram school and jamming in knowledge. That's why I made progress every time I studied with Karin.

"Alrighty, let's stop here for today."

While I stretched, Karin gave me a smile.

"Yeah. You worked hard today, Naruto."

"Haha, I guess. At this rate, I'm going to ace the exams."

"And like that, soon you'll start neglecting your work. If you don't continue doing this every day, it'll all go to waste, alright?"

"Yeah yeah, I got it."

Picking up my bag, I headed towards the library exit with Karin. Reaching the exit, we saw a sunset spread out before us. I've seen this same scene a countless number of times, but I'm still not tired of it. It was a scene that was filled with the satisfaction of a full day's work.

On our way home, we happened to meet an unexpected acquaintance at the junction by the side of my house.

"Ah, good afternoon!"

"Oh?"

Facing the person who had sent me that greeting, I raised a hand in recognition. It was Naruko's friend I had met a few days ago, Ayase Aragaki.

"… Naruto, Someone you know?"

"Hm? Yeah. Umm…"

I started to introduce Ayase to a surprised Karin, but Ayase beat me to the punch.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ayase Aragaki."

"Huh? Ah, it's a pleasure."

Facing the cheerful pretty girl, Karin seemed nervous as she also introduced herself.

"Um, I'm Karin Uzumaki. Nice to meet you Ayase-chan."

After the introductions were over, Ayase sent me a suggestive smile.

"Ahaha, thanks for the other day."

"Eh, ahh…"

Strangely finding myself at a loss for words, I gave a vague response.

The other day, when Ayase had come over, I at first looked at her through cruel eyes. But, getting to know her proved to be a happy occurrence, one of the only bright spots in that gloomy day.

"Well, please excuse me then," she said, expressing her intention to leave.

"Ah, is your house around here? "

"No, you can actually see my house over there, in that direction."

"Ah, I see."

"Yup! Well then, I hope we'll see each other later… oh right, there's something I wanted to talk to you about. The truth is, I got some samples from the first magazine featuring both me and Naruko. Naruko should have them to, so please take a look at them later!"

Hm, so she also was a model…

"That's pretty amazing. I'll be sure to take a look."

"… Hehe, the truth is, it's a special summer edition of the magazine, so we're wearing swimsuits, so it's a bit embarrassing."

"Huh… swimsuits?"

"Yeah. Ah, but but, I'm not as stylish as Naruko, so don't get your hopes up, alright?"

I'll look forward to it. Much more than my own sister in a swimsuit, at the very least.

"Oh, shoot, if I'm late Naruko's going to get angry. Well, see you later!" With an angelic smile and her parting words, Ayase left.

"Yeah. See you later." I raised a hand to send her off.

Karin stood blankly, staring at us strangely. Finally, placing a hand on her chest, she let out a sigh with a "Haah…"

"That girl… she was really mature… like an actress or something."

"Mm. She's certainly a beauty."

There was no other way to put it. Incidentally, Karin's evaluation of Naruko boiled down to "super cool and cute." Both of her assessments were pretty intuitive, but I think the different nuances to these descriptions expressed well the differences between Ayase and Naruko.

"Naruto, you sure were staring closely at that girl's face."

"Eh? Really? Seriously?"

"Geez, Naruto… if you don't cut it out, I'm going to tell Kushina Oba-chan that you were looking at girl with pervy eyes."

"Don't do that!"

What does she mean pervy eyes!? I never put such an obscene thing into how I was looking at her! Absolutely not! But I didn't say any of this. Because if I started making excuses here, soon I would be lying through my teeth. Instead, I tried to dodge the issue by answering jokingly.

"… Hm, well if I had to stare at someone, I would rather stare at a cute girl."

"I guess that's true… hmm… I should try my best too…"

Crap, I forgot. Whenever I said something like that to Karin, she would get really sad and start seriously meditating on her own shortcomings. Dammit, now I feel guilty. But I had a perfect countermeasure to this. Timidly, I whispered.

"No, I mean… Karin? I think you're fine just the way you are."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Instead of trying to do strange things beyond your ability, just try to be yourself."

"R-Really? You… think so?"

While looking downwards, Karin stole a glance every once in a while at my face. Giving my consent, I gave my opinion clearly.

"Yeah, I think that's for the better. It's best if you don't change."

"Is it really alright… if I don't change…? You… like me that way?"

Although this would definitely not happen, if Karin became like Naruko, I would be outrageously bothered by it. It might be too late, but withdrawing my previous remarks, I tried to comfort her somewhat desperately.

"Yeah, I do. I really like you this way, even more than that other girl just now."

It wasn't the most eloquent of praises, and for some reason I couldn't come up with anything less stale, but I'll praise her with these words anyways. It doesn't really matter, so I'll praise her to high heaven. And then…

"Thank… that makes me happy…"

Karin had looked like she was about to cry, but her expression widened into a smile, and I stroked my chest in relief. It seemed like Karin's behavior would never change. But…

It was morning in the classroom. It was the break right after first period. Drawing near to Karin's seat, I called out to her, not having spoken to her yet that day. It was a bit strange, but this morning Karin was late, and didn't show up to our usual meeting spot.

"Hey. What happened this morning? Did you oversleep?"

"… Eh? Y-Yeah… I did. Sorry, I kept you waiting…"

"You don't have to apologize. You never make me apologize when I'm late."

"Y-Yeah…" Karin nodded, but maybe she was still apologetic or something, since she kept her head cast downwards.

I felt slightly uncomfortable seeing her in this strange mood, but pushed it to the back of my mind. Thinking back, I guess that Karin was acting like that all through class too, but I had missed breakfast that morning, so I was too busy thinking about how hungry I was to really pay her any mind.

It was after school on the same day. In an unusual turn of events, today it was me who called out to Karin. It was almost a perfect recreation of the scene that morning.

"Karin, let's go home together."

"Umm… uhh…" Karin put a hand to her forehead as if she had a headache, and looked at me through upturned eyes.

"Sorry… I have something I need to do. I can't go home with you today…"

"Ah, I-I see…" I was surprised at how disappointed I felt at this point. I just didn't want to admit that to Karin, so I continued in the most cheerful voice I could muster.

"Ah, fine fine. Don't worry about it. We can take a day off of studying together. I don't want to keep imposing on you anyways. Sometimes it's nice to study by yourself."

"I'm really sorry…"

"I said it's fine. I just wouldn't feel right about forcing you to study with me every single day anyways."

This is probably the first time this kind of conversation has ever happened. Usually, I would just say whatever I wanted to her. How unusual.

As I predicted, when I went home, I couldn't get any studying done. It would be best if tomorrow things could go back to normal, and I could get helped by Karin again. I was perfectly carefree as these thoughts passed through my head.

The Next Day.

"Sorry, Naruto… I can't today either."

W-What?! Feeling shaken by her announcement, I replied with my voice in disarray.

"W-Why?" She wasn't waiting for me at our usual meeting spot this morning either… what exactly was going on?

"… It's just that… I have plans…"

Karin was terrible at lying. But this time, it was difficult for me to gauge whether she was lying or not. One reason for this was that Karin was hanging her head sadly, so I couldn't really see her face. Another reason was that I could honestly feel how bad she felt for doing this. So, even if she was lying about having plans, I couldn't really hold it against her.

"… Alright. I guess there's no helping it if you have plans." Leaving without raising a fuss, I headed towards the exit of the classroom…

"Haaah…" I sighed. After all, I felt that Karin had definitely been acting a bit strangely… but also, to be frank, my traditional study session with Karin was not just to help me get better grades, but also served to be a precious time when I could rejuvenate my tired spirit. Especially ever since I was forced to give Naruko those life counseling sessions, spending my free time with Karin in that carefree way has become all the more important. As soon as that was taken away from me, even though it's only been two days, I could already feel my spirit becoming heavy. Then, Sasuke appeared and spoke to me in a teasing tone of voice.

"What's wrong Naruto, is she avoiding you?"

"Huh? What are you…"

It wasn't like he was saying something outrageous, so I couldn't do anything but fire back a stupid response. So, what happened? Did he see my little exchange with Karin back there?

"I mean, Naruto, you've realized it yourself right? Lately, Karin-chan has been plainly avoiding you."

"… Karin's been avoiding me?"

I hadn't even considered that possibility. I guess my understanding of the situation was pretty dim.

"Why do you think that?"

"Come on, no matter how you look at it, that's what's happening, isn't it? Just now even, you two looked like a bickering couple or something."

"…"

Normally, I would immediately ignore such a crazy remark… but honestly, it is true that Karin's been acting strange lately.

Frowning, I fell into silence.

… Karin… was avoiding me? That should be impossible, but thinking back on the recent conversations we've had, it definitely fit the situation. Certainly, these two past days, she's been trying to avoid eye contact with me. Also, even when we talked, her voice sounded weak, like it had no energy. It seemed like she was trying to act normally though, so I didn't bring any of this up with her. But now she's refusing to study with me, to walk home with me, because she "has plans." At the very least, to a casual observer, it certainly might look like she's trying to avoid me.

Well, what if it was true? Let's suppose that she really was avoiding me. I can't imagine why she would. Did I do something to her? I don't think I've done anything wrong… also, generally, it was pretty easy to tell when Karin got angry, with the way she would pout and blurt it out. She was definitely not the kind of person to avoid someone without even telling them why. I seriously have no idea. I really don't know what to do here.

"… Does it seriously look that way?"

I had left the classroom with Sasuke, and I asked him that. If she really was avoiding me, I would want to know why and why she was doing this without even telling me.

"… Yeah, Naruto, you know, I might know what's going on."

"What?"

"Karin-chan probably got a boyfriend, didn't she?"

"Huh?"

My face probably held the same kind of grimace I gave when I was forced to give Naruko life counseling.

"Why do you think that?"

"I mean, just think about it, Naruto. If you got a girlfriend, wouldn't you also try to distance yourself a bit from Karin-chan? But it's hard to just tell her 'Oh, I got a girlfriend, so from today we can't go home together and we can't study together.' And lately, Karin-chan has been telling you that she has plans so she can't go with you. The facts fit, don't they?"

That doesn't make it true. I immediately rejected Sasuke's outrageous claim. I couldn't imagine Karin being able to get a boyfriend, just like I couldn't imagine that Naruko had gotten one…

"Well, I have club activities, so I'll see you later, Naruto. Don't get too depressed over it. Hahaha."

"Shut up!"

After completely ruining my mood, Sasuke patted me on the shoulder as if trying to cheer me up, and darted off briskly. That asshole.

As I glared fiercely at his retreating back, I continued to think. About how it was utterly unthinkable that Karin could have gotten a boyfriend.

Although… well… even if she didn't have one now, I could see her having one in the distant future. Even though I don't really want to think about it. Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, we would probably continue to spend our days the same way we've spent them up until now. But I might be being a bit optimistic to think that this would still be true five years, or ten years later. It was impossible to completely stop people from changing. For me, and for Karin, and of course even for Naruko, every year we grew a year older, and soon we would graduate. There are plenty of things that would change, whether I like it or not.

"Hm…" I tried to imagine it. For example, if in the future… if I got a girlfriend… would I try to avoid Karin? Definitely not! Well, at least that's what I thought now.

(◕ω◕✿)

It was nighttime. I was sitting on my own bed, reading magazine. While I was reading, I was thinking. Was Karin… really avoiding me…?

Earlier, I had thought that she might have been, but gradually, as time passed, I changed my mind and decided that she couldn't be.

I don't think Karin could change how she acted around me that easily. I would do my best in my own way to keep that from happening, so that we could live on normally like we've been living. It's just, today, I felt a strange prickling pain in my mind.

As I thought, I was in no mood to study, but even when I read manga or watched television, I just couldn't get into it. Because that bastard Ryouta had said those stupid things, I was getting a bit worried by some trivial things in Karin's behavior that I wouldn't have noticed otherwise.

"I'm bored."

Tossing the manga I was reading away, I collapsed onto my bed. Taking out my cell phone, I hit the number one on my speed dial. I mean, it's probably better if I just ask the person herself. That's what I thought. In any case, it was probably some boring misunderstanding, so I should call Karin right away, get this cleared up, and then this will just become a funny story I can recall later.

But… "The cell phone you have dialed is not in an area with cell phone service, or is turned off-" The phone call didn't connect.

"…What the hell. Haaah…" Sighing deeply, I squinted at my cell phone display. I guess there's no helping it. I'll ask her at school tomorrow.

For some reason, I found this all very hard to swallow, and could feel myself getting irritated… so I had to be patient till tomorrow… a bitter smile appeared on my face. But the next morning, I was unable to talk to Karin. That day, Karin didn't even come to school.

"Uzumaki-san is dealing with a situation at home, so she's taking a few days off." That's what Hiratsuka Sensei said.

A situation at home… what could that be…? I haven't heard anything about something like that… I tried to ask Hiratsuka Sensei for more details, but she couldn't supply any. I tried to ask the other girls in the class, but I got responses like "I don't know" or "But, now that I think about it, she's been a bit out of it lately… maybe that has something to do with it?" But nobody could tell me anything about this "situation at home" that I wanted to know about.

Well, that's that. If I really wanted to know, I should probably ask Karin herself. But Karin was still unreachable by cell phone. My phone would still go to the same old " The number you have dialed- " message, read by a robotic-like voice.

As I listened to the message, I thought, "Well… what should I do…?" I started to think of another plan of attack.

After school. Having returned to my own room, I took out my cell phone from my bag, and called a certain someone. Even if I couldn't connect to her cell phone, there were a few other ways I could try to get in touch with her.

The phone in the Uzumaki household was used both as the phone for their home and for their business. So, whenever I had to get in touch with someone, I would try as much as possible not to call their home phone and call cell phones instead, since I didn't want to interfere in their work. When the call connected, the person on the other line greeted me very loudly.

"HEY WELCOME! This is the Uzumaki shop!"

"Why the hell are you answering your cell phone with business talk?" Also what was with the sing-song way he was speaking?

"Huh?! It's how I always do it! That kind of question… could this be you, Naruto?!" As always, he was such a flashy guy. And his voice was so loud.

Slightly bewildered, I responded with a "Yeah, this is."

"Seriously!? This is seriously You!? You're not trying to trick me right!? If you're really the real Naruto, over there on the other end, you should be able to beat me into submission with a witty remark!"

"You're really an idiot. Just look at your Caller ID, dammit. My number should be listed."

"Ooooh it's really you!? HEY! As expected from you Naruto!"

Damm he so loud. I moved the phone away from my ear, and turned the volume two levels down.

"Hey, Menma. You really don't need to shout that loud, but do you have a minute?"

"Oh, what a coincidence, Naruto. I had something I wanted your advice on too. How do you get rid of a nickname once it gets attached to you?"

"You can't."

"Instant KO!?"

Having answered Manma's question in an instant, I continued in a harsh tone.

"And don't interrupt someone in the middle of asking you a question with your own problems, dumbass."

"Geez. What's up with you Naruto, you sound like you're in a bad mood. Usually you would play along for a bit longer."

Maybe. But, the only reason I called you was to deal with my bad mood in the first place.

"Sorry. I'm not in the mood to play around with you right now. I need you to help me with something first."

"I see. Okay. Hehe… alright, I shall listen to your request."

This bastard, acting so smug about it.

"Unfortunately, I'm not calling to talk with you. Could you put Karin on? For some reason, her cell phone doesn't seem to be on."

"Huh? You need something with my sister? Well, you're out of luck since she's not home."

"What? She's not home? Why? I heard that she didn't come to school today because of a 'situation at home' or something… does this have something to do with that?"

These questions all came out lumped together, but as if evading my questions, Menma answered in an annoying way.

With an irritating tone, he said, "Tch tch tch… Sorry, can't say."

"I see. Next time I see you, maybe I'll give you a Style Clash."

"W-Why, Naruto, are you always only making jabs at me!?"

"It's your imagination."

It's not like I was singling him out or something. Rather, I'm being pretty nice to him. He doesn't know the things I say to Naruko, so he can complain like that… but with Naruko, I had to be ten times as forceful as I am with him, or else she wouldn't even give me an inch. It was seriously annoying. And also, I reacted that way because he was so self-important.

I remained silent, letting him interpret the silence however he wished.

"Ugh… you're seriously in a bad mood… how unusual. But, I mean, it's not like I'm trying to be arrogant or something… I seriously can't say anything about it. Karin told me 'if Naruto asks you don't tell him'!"

"What…?"

What the hell? Karin had anticipated that I was going to come asking about this, and told her brother not to tell me? Why did she have to do that…? Dammit, I don't like this at all.

… tch… even though Karin was usually pretty bad with planning ahead… I felt my mood getting progressively worse. It was inevitable that I would get angry at Menma in this situation, and I couldn't help myself from getting more aggressive in my questioning.

"Why the hell did she do that!?"

"I don't even know! That's all she told me to do… but Karin isn't home right now, and she's taking a bit of a break from school too. That's all I can say!"

"Tch, are you trying to piss me off!? Alright! Fine! Whatever!"

"…you're really in a bad mood right now… Naruto."

"Ugh… alright, I'm sorry. I won't get angry anymore."

Trying to calm down the muttering Menma, I continued talking. If he was told to not tell me anything, then I wouldn't get anything out of him.

"… well. When is Karin going to come back? You can at least tell me that much, right?"

"Umm… in the evening on the weekend, she said."

So, in three days then. Until then, Karin wouldn't be in school. I wouldn't be able to see her, and of course, I wouldn't be able to talk with her. Even though three days wasn't even as long as a week, to me right now, it seemed like a horribly long time. It was really annoying that I had to spend these three days not knowing why exactly Karin had been acting so strange lately.

Hm… let me see if I can approach this in a different way…

"By the way, lately Karin has been acting pretty weird… have you noticed?"

"Hm, now that you mention it, she's seemed a bit down lately… maybe."

"Really? What do you mean by 'lately'? Can you be more specific?"

"I don't think so… it's not like I'm always paying attention to Karin's mood or something…"

"Tch. You're a useless idiot, aren't you."

"You're seriously being terrible today, Naruto!"

Well, sure. After all, I sounded like Naruko just now… dammit, I guess I'm way more annoyed about this than I thought I was. But if I think about it, I don't always pay attention to my sister either. So here, Menma was acting correctly.

"Sorry, sorry. My bad, Menma. I apologize… so could you try just a bit harder and tell me if you remember anything?

"It's fine… umm… I think that a few days ago, while she was watching Detective Conan and eating dinner, she really seemed down about something, I think. I can't remember anything from before then though."

"Ah, umm… that was five days ago, maybe? Hold on a second…"

I checked with the television schedule on a newspaper I found, and as I thought that was five days ago. If I thought back, the first time Karin began to act strangely with me was around three days ago. And, before that… I had met with Karin… umm… there was a day off in between… yeah, it was the day when we had met Ayase on the way home from school. So, in other words… between the time we separated on that day and evening on the same day, something had happened to Karin that put her in a really sad mood…

"Menma… so did anything else happen?"

"Well, that haircut was a pretty big fail, so that was pretty depressing…"

"I'm not talking about you! I'm talking about Karin! I'm asking about your sister!"

"Well… I know, but…"

Liar. He didn't know at all… but I didn't comment. I had already said that I wouldn't get angry. I really shouldn't keep on breaking my promise like this.

"Hey, speaking of hair, I was thinking that I should buy a wig while my hair is still short."

"You really didn't understand what I said, did you, idiot!? Fine, I'll give you one word of advice, don't even think about doing that! If you suddenly come into school with a full head of hair after being shaved, your classmates won't let you live it down!"

"I see… so if I don't do it gradually, I'll get exposed, right?"

"Can we please get back on topic!? I seriously might smack you Menma!"

In the end, I really couldn't get any more useful information out of Menma.

(◕ω◕✿)

A few days had passed since my conversation with Menma. There weren't many days left before I would have to take exams. Ever since that conversation, I hadn't been able to meet with Karin, hadn't been able to ask her why she was acting so strangely… and every day passed by lazily. And I still hadn't made any progress in my studies.

Well, I have an excuse for that. From the start, when I wasn't with Karin, it was difficult for me to study. I knew this wasn't exactly a good thing, so I was pretty nervous at this point… but honestly, I couldn't muster up even the tiniest bit of motivation. I would think to myself 'I'll do it later,' and then go surf the net or read magazine, and suddenly it would be nighttime.

On the bottom right of the display, I could see the cruel time display showing 00:41. Uuugh… haaaah… that was supposed to be ten hours of time… what the hell happened?

In my room at this time of night, I stared at the computer screen with a painful expression. But, naturally, the time that had been stolen from me by the Internet could not be returned. It wasn't supposed to be like this…!

"Ahhh, dammit! This seriously isn't funny! Students should definitely not be allowed to have computers! Your time just gets sucked away so damn fast!"

Unintentionally finding myself yelling to no one in particular, I heard a thud coming from the wall. It was Naruko, who then told me "shut the hell up!" I looked at the wall with a sour expression.

"Geez…" Feeling as if someone had splashed water in my face, I found my willpower to continue surfing the net fade. Once again, my thoughts drifted to Karin who had been recently acting strangely.

"Karin probably got a boyfriend, didn't she?"

Sasuke had made that rash remark, but I could say for sure that his statement couldn't possibly be true. But, there was no denying that she's seemed down lately, and seemed to be avoiding me. After that, no matter how many times I thought about it, I couldn't for the life of me think of why Karin would act that way. In the end, just being bothered by this by myself here didn't lead to any good ideas.

She was definitely being bothered by something. I could say with reasonable certainty that at least that much was true. She supposedly had a situation at home, and she was also taking off from school. But it also seemed to be something that Karin didn't want me to know about. She probably told her brother and maybe even our homeroom teacher that when talking with me, they should try to act normally and not tell me anything about this "situation at home." In that case, maybe I should just not try to do anything here… at the very least, it seemed that Karin didn't want me to interfere… no, that conclusion was just unacceptable. This was bothering me so much that I couldn't possibly study…

I tried once again to think about whether or not I could do anything for her. At this point in time, my reasons for my actions were no longer for Karin's sake. Nobody was asking me to do this, and I couldn't ask anyone else for help. To the very end, for my own sake, I thought about what I could do for Karin. So… I wasn't able to meet with Karin herself, I already knew that Menma wouldn't be of much help, my female classmates didn't seem to know anything, and asking that bastard Sasuke was out of the question… including myself, there wasn't a single person around me that I could depend on for this matter.

Was there anybody else that I could ask for help on this matter, that would actually be able to give me some useful ideas…? Maybe someone I knew that I hadn't thought about yet… someone who didn't think in the same way I did… someone who understood how girls thought… and also, someone who could keep a secret and wasn't a gossip.

First off… well, I had already tried the first person I could think of, Karin's brother Menma, and that effort had proven pretty fruitless. I could also try Dad… but that wouldn't work. He would never gossip, and he would definitely listen to me, but he just as clueless as me to understand the female heart. Mom, excelled at these kind of things, but she was way too loose-lipped to be trusted. Ugh… so… that would leave…

I contemplated it for almost a minute, and finally with a exceedingly complex set of feelings, narrowed my eyes. There did exist someone. Only one person… someone who would listen to me seriously, someone who understood girls, someone who would never gossip about this with anyone else, someone who might be able to give me useful advice… but… that person was… that person was… ugh… as I thought of the most suitable person for this job, I felt my determination wavering… deep wrinkles formed on my forehead, and I groaned.

"Alright." Making up my mind, I slowly turned my gaze to the wall. On the other side of that wall was Naruko's room. I decided to ask my sister for advice. Becoming resolute, I wanted to take action as soon as possible while my determination was still there.

I found myself standing right outside the door to Naruko's room. It was already really late, but when she came asking me for advice it was also in the middle of the night, so I was just doing the same thing that she had done.

Thinking back to that dreadful incident, I remembered that in the middle of the night, even though I had been sleeping soundly, she had smacked me awake… I was completely confused at what was going on.

When I asked her what she wanted, she told me "I told you to be quiet. How late do you think it is?" And what's more, without letting me respond she told me "I need to talk so come with me." She wouldn't listen to my complaints that I was sleepy and we should do whatever she wanted the next day, and wouldn't even tell me why she woke me up…

Seriously, in this world, is there any brother who is as nice as I am, who would listen to his sister's request like that? I'm seriously a saint. If I were my sister, I would have fallen in love with me a long time ago. It would be a straight line to one of the good endings. So, let's put this plan into action. No longer hesitating, I began to turn the doorknob to my sister's room.

Click. It was locked.

"Dammit! Life is pretty unfair…"

I mean, seriously. My room didn't have a lock installed, but her room had one. Last year her room kept on being redecorated, and so became much better than my room, even though I'm the eldest.

Dammit! I won't get frustrated about this! Facing the door to my sister's room, I pointlessly grit my teeth. Feeling annoyance wash over me, I continued to turn the knob with a rattle rattle. As if her door detected my impending hostility, it fired back first.

Bang! Suddenly, the door swung forcefully open, Naruko stood over me. She was dressed roughly, wearing a pair of short pants with a shirt. I had predicted how Naruko would react to me suddenly coming to her room, so I had prepared an appropriate response. It was a response that my sister had used before, filled with the same level of sarcasm. What response?

"Be quiet… exactly what time do you think it is?"

"…"

Unexpectedly, my statement seemed to have backfired. I don't think I've ever sounded quite as lame as I just did. Naruko expressionlessly shut the door.

Click. I heard the sound of the door locking.

"Hey Wait, Dammit! Please open the door!"

She didn't open it. I waited ten seconds, then a minute, and she still didn't open the door. Although, I probably wouldn't have opened the door in her position either. Well, no use complaining about the situation. I began to knock.

Knock knock, knock knock, knock knock, knock knock…

After continuing to knock for six or seven minutes, it seemed that Naruko had finally run out of patience, and she opened the door forcefully once again.

As I began to mentally celebrate my victory, she sent a few extremely threatening words my way.

"What!? What do you want!? Do you like pissing people off or something!?"

"I have something I need to talk to you about. Come with me for a bit."

Naruko let me get away with saying that to her, but when I thought about it I realized something. Those weren't exactly words you said to someone who was already angry. Naruko's response was pretty much exactly how I had responded in her position months ago.

"Huh? You want to talk? At this hour?"

"Yes."

"Ah, I see. Go die."

Finally saying what she was planning on saying in the first place, Naruko tried to forcibly end the conversation by closing the door again. But, I managed to just barely shove my leg into the door before she closed it.

"Just listen to what I have to say, dammit!"

"I don't want to… you're being stubborn, aren't you? Why do I have to listen to you?"

"I listened to you back then too!"

"Are you an idiot? That was that and this is this."

What cruel logic. I already guessed that she might say something like that, but that didn't make it any less cruel.

Dammit! I had imagined something like this would happen, but why do I have to go through so much pain just to get her to listen to me!? If I were her, I would have agreed to listen a long time ago already!

"Come on! Can't you just be reasonable!?"

"Uuugh…"

I was also getting a bit stubborn here, so I held my ground even though I should have probably already given up.

"Please! All you have to do is listen Naruko! You're the only one who I can talk to about this!"

"…"

My desperate plea might have had some effect, since the pressure on my foot weakened.

"… What…? You mean… you mean that… you want my advice on something?"

"Yeah, exactly. I wanted to say that from the start!"

I honestly didn't think that there would ever be a day where I would go to Naruko for advice.

"Fine! Come in quickly.

"Yeah yeah, as you command princess."

"What's with that attitude? Aren't you being a bit rude to the kind person who's giving you advice?"

The light was on in my sister's room. It's not like I cared, but if you looked at her in a lit place, my sister's face did look pretty cute. Only her face though. As always, there was a strange sweet smell in the air, and red seemed to be the predominant color in the room. Naruko sat quietly on the bed, and crossed her arms arrogantly, and coldly jerked her chin up.

"Well? What do you need advice on?"

"Ahh well… that is…" When I tried to begin talking about my problem, my mouth stopped moving.

Was it really alright to be asking her for advice? My mind began to hesitate. I knew that this was a pretty late stage in the game to be thinking like this, but… well, that's how I felt. I slowly opened my mouth.

"Well, honestly… it's about Karin."

Hearing Karin name Naruko expression turn into sour.

"Huh? What are you talking about? This isn't about some special hobby you couldn't tell anyone else about?"

"No! Who the hell do you think I am!?"

"Well then, what is it? Do you need love advice about her or something?"

"No, not that either. We're not involved in some sort of love affair like that."

"Hmph, even though you two cling to each other enough to make me vomit."

What an unpleasant thing to say. Getting annoyed, and I responded.

"What exactly do you think you know about my relationship with Karin!?"

"As always, whenever we start talking about that four-eyed girl, you get annoyed…"

Naruko spoke, looking irritated. She seriously hates Karin, doesn't she? I have no idea why. I mean, she's barely ever even talked to Karin, so why is she talking about Karin as if she had something against her?

"Certainly, I don't know too much about your gross relationship with her. So why are you coming here to ask me about her? Are you an idiot?"

"I was hoping to get your opinion as a girl. I'm a boy, so I'm pretty thickheaded about these types of things. I thought that you might be able to understand the situation in a way I can't…"

"… I see." Looking at me with a scornful expression, Naruko swung her crossed legs bak and forth.

"I see. Go ahead. I'll listen."

"Lately, she's been acting strangely…" I told Naruko about how Karin had seemed pretty depressed as of late, and how she might be avoiding me.

"And then, what happened was…"

Naruko suddenly interrupted me mid-sentence.

"Hold on. Rewind for a second."

"Huh? Um, to where?"

"The time when you came home with her, give me a few more details there."

"Ahh…" It seemed that something about that time set off Naruko's sensors.

So, I went back and spoke about that time when Karin and I had met Ayase on our way back home. But for some reason, I didn't actually bring up Ayase's name. Well, it's not like there was any reason to, in any case. Also, if I had exposed that detail this situation might get a bit more complicated… so I didn't mind leaving it out. After that, I continued and talked about my conversation with Menma a few days ago.

"So that's what happened… what do you think?"

"I think you should die."

"Hey!"

But, Naruko didn't flinch at all.

"Well, in all seriousness though…" She continued. "I don't know what exactly is going on at her house, but… I do know one thing. You should go die."

Looking into my sister's eyes, I could feel the temperature sharply drop. Naruko continued.

"How in hell didn't you notice this before? Having your appearance being made fun of by the guy you're walking home with, and then being compared to another girl… that would obviously depress any girl."

"I wasn't making fun of her! And I smoothed it over afterwards too!"

"It doesn't matter why you said what you said. The important thing is how she takes it. Also, keep in mind that I really don't know what you're relationship with her is. This is just what I would think if I were in that situation. Well, of course, if it were me, before I got depressed over it, I would put the guy in his place first for screwing around. Also, what? You smoothed it over? You already said these words once, and you think you can take them back that easily? You're an idiot if you think that's true."

"…"

That was pretty harsh, but… I silently mulled over Naruko's words. So, Karin was depressed because of what I had said back then…? Was that it? Certainly she looked pretty sad and mentioned that she should "try harder" with her own appearance, but… I thought that my attempts at smoothing the situation over had been successful. Also, it's not like that was the first time Karin and I had had a conversation like this. Although, in the past, I had once told her "You smell like tatami. It's like grass is going to start growing on your body or something." And suddenly she started crying. In retrospect, I do feel like I had really hurt her feelings that time.

Hm… but when all's said and done, I'm still not fully satisfied here. This explanation also didn't seem to be connected at all to any situation she was having at home… but, there wasn't anything else I could think of that would explain all this, so let's just see what we can do with this one hypothesis.

"Well, for argument's sake, let's say you're right… what should I do?"

"I told you, you should go die."

"Something other than that!"

Dammit, this girl. She has absolutely no compassion for her brother, does she? Not even a shred of compassion. Why did I come to her for advice? Suddenly, I couldn't understand my reasons anymore…

After I asked her for some advice other than telling me to go die, Naruko looked troubled.

"Tch… that's a hard question…"

"What would you do… in my situation? For example… if I made you angry, what should I do to be forgiven?"

"I would never forgive you."

"Just assume there is a way and think about it!"

"Eh… but seriously, no matter what you did I wouldn't forgive you."

Naruko stared blankly at me and blinked her eyes in confusion. She said that as if it were the most natural thing in the world… and don't put on such a cute expression here, dammit. I won't fall for it.

When I faced her with a stern stare, Naruko shook her head, with a "I guess it can't be helped…"

"How should I put it… I definitely wouldn't forgive you no matter what you did. But what if I just thought about this from the standpoint of a normal girl?"

"Well, alright. Please do. How does a guy deal with a girl when he's hurt her?"

"I think you should give her some money. Something like that."

"Money!? You want me to give Karin money as an apology!?"

"It's the sincerest way to let know you're sorry and to compensate her, isn't it?"

"It's not like I'm the government or something! Do you really think that kind of thing would be able to heal a girl's heart?!"

"It's not like I think like that… but from what I've heard, isn't that the case? My friend once told me 'When I get presents from guys, the more money I can turn them into, the happier I am.'"

"Who the hell could be so evil? She's just trampling their pure feelings under her foot!"

"You mean, Kuuko? She was the short girl with red hair who came over that day."

Her!? That annoying brat! Now I can see where Naruko's advice was coming from all too clearly.

"Naruko, I'm going to have to reject that proposal. No matter how I think about it, giving Karin money won't help the situation."

"What? How can that girl be so greedy?"

"That's not what I mean!"

She needs to understand that Karin honors a completely different set of values. After all, Karin wasn't the type who would care much about money. When I invited her to hang out with me wherever she wanted to, she suggested we go to the park, didn't she? If I really gave her expensive makeup or jewelry, instead of being happy she might actually be really troubled by it.

"Ah, well whatever. Just do what you want, so get out." Naruko began to shoo me out with her hands.

"Yeah yeah…" Heh… it was a mistake coming to her for advice after all, wasn't it? I headed towards the door. In the end, I wasn't able to get any good advice from her… what should I do…

"But, hey."

Having already gripped the doorknob in my hands, I heard a voice come from behind me.

"You might think that you're trying to bribe her with a present or something… but it's really not about what you give her. The more important thing is that you're doing something for her sake, don't you think?"

Naruko was muttering nonchalantly, as if she were completely spaced out, but her words stuck right into my chest. When I turned back towards her, Naruko slowly stood up, and took out a single magazine from her bookshelf. She casually tossed the magazine my way.

It landed at my feet, and I stared at it. Naruko spoke curtly.

"Look. Feature on page 175."

I guess she wanted me to pick the magazine up and flip to that page or something…

When I opened to that feature page, I saw the title jump out at me with its large font.

Summer Special Edition — You have to have these! With our magical charm items, become a Cinderella by the beach!

What the hell… what's with this annoyingly extreme article? There was a sparkling rosary-like bracelet, and earrings, and… wearing those really flashy accessories, the blond swim-suit model shown in front of me, making a cool pose by the beachside, was none other than my sister. Next to her, Ayase sported a blue bikini. This must be the sample magazine that Ayase was talking about the other day. This was an article that modern teenage girls would take a liking to, probably. How cute.

Well? What was she trying to tell me? Why is she making me look at a photo of her in a swimsuit? When I looked at my little sister, puzzled, she lightly clicked her tongue.

"It's not like I'm telling you to give that four-eyed girl such flashy accessories. No matter how you look at it, they really wouldn't suit her. Tch… well? I mean, magazines and TV programs always have these fashion special features and they try to stir girls up into buying these things, but if you think girls can't think for themselves and just drink this all up, then you're completely wrong. Don't take girls lightly. And I mean, of course girls worry about fashion and things like that, but they also have to think about what suits them the best, and what looks the best on them. When it comes down to it, I obviously know myself much better than the media knows me."

Even though she was a magazine model, she was strangely critical of the article that she was featured in. But also… she got completely off topic there, didn't she…? She was seriously hopeless when it came to talking.

As if guessing what I was thinking, Naruko clumsily tried to wrap up what she was talking about.

"I-I mean… what I wanted to say is… um, you want to tell her your feelings, but you're obsessed with thinking about whether or not giving her money or presents is right or wrong. But really, all you have to do is to think hard about her, and then choose a way to fix this situation. That's all."

Finishing her speech, Naruko once again sent a serious look my way.

"At least… if someone gets a present from a person she's close enough to have an argument with… there's no reason she wouldn't be happy about it."

"… Does that also apply to you? Or rather, does that only work for average girls?"

"Huh?"

My tone was slightly rude… but she was probably serious. Certainly, she had a terrible, sickening personality. But, she wouldn't give a half-hearted response to someone who came to her asking her sincerely for advice. In contrast to her outwards appearance, perhaps through strict discipline and training, she really did have a strangely tough interior. I had already come to understand that from how she acted during last month's events. And that's why I came to her about my troubles.

Hm… giving her a light nod and smile, I spoke. "Thanks, Naruko."

"Whatever." Naruko faced the other way. There was no mistaking that, towards her brother who had expressed his thanks so suavely, she was thinking… my brother can't possibly be this cute. Yeah, as if!

(◕ω◕✿)

In the end, I still really didn't know why Karin had been in such a strange mood lately.

Earlier, Naruko had pointed out Karin might be depressed because I had compared her with Ayase, but I didn't know if that was really the real reason or not. So right now, one thing I didn't understand is why Karin had been acting this way. Also, I still didn't know if she really was trying to avoid me or not.

In any case… Karin would be back tomorrow. When I met with her in person, I would have to make sure she told me the whole story. But, if something was really bothering her, then I wanted to do something to help. I wanted to help cheer her up. And if I really had done something wrong, then I wanted to sincerely apologize.

At any rate, this was about Karin. For me, I couldn't treat this nonchalantly like I had with Naruko's friends, as if this had nothing to do with me. Karin had helped me out a lot in the past, and I planned to rely on her in the future as well. In that case, it wouldn't be bad if I got her a present, right?

Yes, a present. Obviously, I wouldn't just give her cash or anything too high-class but if giving her something would make her happy, certainly this wasn't a bad idea, was it? And I mean, it's not like I had any better ideas. When I had thanked Naruko earlier, I was expressing my true feelings. In the end, she gave me some very valuable advice. At the very least, that's how I saw it.

That is, she told me that it didn't matter what I bought her, but it was enough to do something for Karin. That I wanted to tell her how I felt, but I was fixating on whether or not giving her a present was right or wrong. That all I had to do was think hard about her, and then choose a way to fix this situation. That generally, if someone gets a present from someone she was close enough with to argue with… there's no reason she wouldn't be happy about it.

In this case, it's not like we were arguing or something… and Karin and I weren't strangers. But… yeah. No matter what was troubling Karin, this might make her feel just a bit better. Even if she really was trying to avoid me. If this could make her happy, then it wouldn't be a waste, right? I really didn't like seeing her so unhappy like this.

"Yeah… that's it. That's it."

She had always helped me study, and even if she wasn't going to do that anymore, I should at least get her something. That's what I decided…

"Hm. What should I get her…?"

It seemed that a new problem had come into sigh. Karin's frugal nature was rather troublesome in this case. I couldn't really imagine what I could possibly get her that would make her happy. If I were buying a present for Naruko, I would buy something as expensive as possible, and I could figure that out by consulting both my own budget and a store clerk… and I did have quite a bit saved up. After all, it's not like I have much to spend my money on.

Umm… things that Karin would like, things that she would want… Tea? Candy? No no, those are things her family sells. Well… glasses? Clothes? I felt that these were probably not right either… they were too expensive, and might make her feel uncomfortable… I had to find a present that wasn't expensive enough that it would make her embarrassed…

"Hm…" I couldn't figure anything out for a long time, but at least, I had a flash of insight from something Karin had said in the past "Hey, lately I've been sleeping with this bear-shaped body pillow. It's reaaally comfortable.I'm collecting pillows right now."

"So… a pillow?" At my own words, I tilted my head In puzzlement. I really didn't have much confidence that a pillow was an appropriate present for a girl. For example, what if I gave a pillow to Naruko?

"Hey, Naruko. This is a present for you… it's a pillow."

"Die."

It would definitely be like that. But, I was dealing with Karin here, not Naruko… so maybe this would be good… that's what I thought, even though I didn't really have an ounce of confidence in my idea. Even so, I was supposed to be the person who should know Karin the best. If the present I got her was wrong, then it's doubtful that anybody could get her an appropriate present. Right?

"Alright, a pillow, then. Let's get her a pillow."

Quickly reviving my computer from standby, I began to look up prices for her present on the Internet. I got the idea to try the pillow site I had found before. Karin was, in the end, a girl, so she probably really liked character pillows… so let's take a look at those. I guess computers weren't originally just tools for killing time. They also could be used at times like this. For the first time since I had gotten it, I felt comforted by this computer that Naruko had lent me.

(◕ω◕✿)

It was the evening Karin was supposed to return. I was standing on a road right next to the Uzumaki house, leaning on a concrete wall, and staring up at the sky.

"It's so hot…" I narrowed my eyes in the sunlight of this pretty summer day. I wiped the sweat off my face with a handkerchief. It was hot beyond belief. It was already evening, but the temperature was so high that I could still see the top of the telephone poles around me distorting in the heat.

I might have come too early… that's what I was thinking. But, I couldn't help it, could I? I really wanted to see Karin as soon as possible. But… waiting around like this was making me increasingly anxious… even though Menma had told me Karin would be coming back this evening, I wondered if she really would be… I also wondered about what I would say to her when I saw her… and what I would do if she still was trying to avoid me…

"Agh… dammit… how pitiful…" My mind wouldn't stop turning. Thoughts of Karin seemed to relentlessly swirl around in my head.

My handkerchief had already taken in so much sweat that it had become sticky. I thought about going to buy some cola, but thinking that in that time, Karin might come back, I couldn't move an inch from where I was.

Maybe it would be better if I just went into the house and waited for her there, but for some reason I didn't want to do that. I just wanted to wait for her out here and see her face as soon as possible.

After that, I waited for around ten more minutes, and then… soon, I saw Karin appear around the corner. She came lugging a heavy-looking trunk behind her, yelling out "yossha!" in self-encouragement every time she took a step. And occasionally, she would stop and wipe off the sweat from her face.

In a second, a number of various feelings passed through my chest. Worry, loneliness, irritation, nostalgia, and also… well… in my confusion, I couldn't really describe this feeling in one word, but… it was probably a feeling closest to relief. When I was next to her, I couldn't help but feel relieved. That was true even now, even though I was afraid that she might be trying to avoid me.

Hah… seriously, I'm so lost when she's not around. It would be great if I could fix whatever had happened between us. I really thought that. I casually raised a hand in greeting, trying as hard as possible to make it seem like everything was normal.

"Hey, welcome back."

"Wha-Whaaa?"

She probably was surprised because when she rounded the corner, suddenly I was there.

Widening her eyes, Karin looked shocked.

"N-Naruto… what are you doing here…? How did you know that I was coming back today…? Umm… could it be… that you were waiting here for a long time for me…?"

"It's not like that, no."

Well, honestly though, I've been here for around two hours.

"I mean… I just… wanted to see you."

"… Uh… a-ahh…"

For some reason, Karin looked embarrassed as she mumbled something under her breath. She looked really confused, so I spoke up while scratching my cheek.

"Ah… did you not want to see me?"

"N-No, it's not like that. N-Not at all…"

When I tried to get a good peek at her face, Karin suddenly turned her head downwards. What's more, as if she were trying to run away from me, she began to slowly move backwards with her trunk. She looked like a teary-eyed puppy who had just lost a fight with a bigger dog.

… Geez. I had hoped that when she came back, everything would return to normal… but it didn't seem like that was going to happen. Karin's mood seemed just as strange as it was before. Dammit. This wasn't normal at all. This wasn't like how we usually acted towards each other.

Alright… making up my mind, I held out my hand. And then, I firmly caught Karin by the wrist. I had already prepared myself to do things I didn't want to do, and I definitely couldn't let her run away from me here. And then, I started pleading with her with a pitiable tone of voice.

"Hold on… please don't run away, Karin."

"I'm… not trying to run away…"

Liar. If that's true, why won't you even look at me? If everything were normal, you would send me a pleasant smile instead, wouldn't you? That's what you would do when you talked with me.

… Dammit, what should I do? I had thought about plenty of things I could start the conversation with, but I couldn't remember any of them. It felt like I had failed cramming for a test or something…

"Has something been… bothering you lately?" I had no choice but to get straight to the issue. It was an amazingly blunt way to start.

"Huh? Huuuh?" As if I had hit the bulls-eye, Karin raised her head. But, immediately afterwards, she turned her heads downwards once again.

"W-Why do you ask? N-Nothing's been bothering me. Haha…"

She was absolutely terrible at playing dumb like this. Even worse than Naruko. But… I see… as I thought, something was bothering her. And what's more, it was something she didn't want to talk to me about. It was perfectly clear, as I watched her desperately trying to hide whatever it was she was trying to hide, that she didn't want me to ask her about this. In other words, Karin didn't need my help right now.

I didn't want to admit it, but that's how things seemed. It's just, I couldn't consent to leaving this alone so easily here. No matter what. I might be repeating myself, but I really wanted to just do something for her, to help her out of this. If I couldn't do that, at the very least I wanted to cheer her up. It wasn't for anyone else's sake, but just for my own. To the very end, I was just acting selfishly out of my own self-interest. So, therefore, she might not want me to, but I can't let this conversation end here.

I sincerely bowed my head. "… Sorry."

"Eh…? N-Naruto?" Karin's voice sounded rather confused. She was probably surprised at my sudden apology.

"'I don't quite know what's bothering you… but I can tell that whatever it is, you don't want to talk to me about it. But, I can't let that go. No matter how much you say it doesn't have anything to do with me and refuse my help, I can't just stand by and pretend nothing is happening."

"So, you mean…"

"At some point, you also said something like that to me, right?"

For just a second, Karin, wide-eyed, made eye contact with me. In the next second, she once again turned her eyes away.

"D-Did I?"

"Yes, you did. It's always been like that. Whenever I've been tired, you've always interfered and meddled in my business. Even though I didn't ask you to."

I gave a strained smile while thinking back to those pleasant times. Yes, whenever I got like that, she would come to my rescue. So, this was just me giving her the same thing back.

"That's… I mean… I just can't leave you alone."

"I know. You seem more like my mother than my own mother sometimes."

"… So, by that, do you mean you love me?"

Karin asked that with a slightly downtrodden tone of voice. A different response from before spontaneously burst forth from my mouth.

"Yeah."

"E-Ehhh!?" Karin's body began to tremble in surprise.

"Ah… n-no, not like that. That's not what I mean… argh, dammit… ummm… I might have responded too quickly… I mean that you're like my big sister… umm…"

Idiot! What the hell am I saying!? Did standing for two hours in this damn heat scramble my brains or something!?

As I desperately tried to clear up any misunderstandings, Karin, staring at me all the while, began to chuckle. She wiped a few tears from the side of her eyes with her finger.

"Geez… Naruto… you're the same as always."

"… Look who's talking…"

"But… I did change."

Stopping her giggling, Karin looked downwards once again. If nothing had changed, then here we would start laughing together at each other, and then that would be the end of the problem. But, I guess she's right. You could say that lately, she's "changed." Even though I honestly didn't want things to change like this…

The silence stretched out for a little while longer. In that silence, I thought about Karin, who was standing in front of me. We basically had known each other for our entire life. There were still probably things that we didn't know about each other… but I probably knew Karin better than anybody else, and she me. But I grew used to that kind of relationship, and I grew complacent. And if, because of that, I didn't realize it when I hurt Karin… then just like Naruko had said, I really should just go and die.

"The something that's bothering you… is it my fault? Was I the reason you changed…? Am I why you've seemed so sad lately, why you've seemed like you've been avoiding me…? If I did something bad to you, I apologize. So, please. Just tell me what's going on."

"Whaaat!?"

Upon hearing what I had to say, Karin shouted in protest and waved her hands back and forth.

"N-no! T-That's completely wrong! I-It's really not like you did something like that to me!"

"Eh!? R-Really?"

"Yes! Where did you come up with such a ridiculous idea?!"

Karin strongly protested my statement with an unexpectedly loud voice. It seemed like my words might have even angered her. I faltered a bit at her angry look, but even then I felt relieved. I heard that I wasn't the cause of Karin's problems, straight from the person herself. But I couldn't stop here. This means that her troubles came from some other source.

"But, honestly, you've been acting strangely lately, right? And… you said that you changed, right? Is that why you've been avoiding me…? What's your reason for doing that?"

When I asked this, Karin bashfully fiddled with her fingers and blushed.

"Well… that is… that time when I came back with you… that time when we met that girl, do you remember…?"

And, like that, with her glasses almost completely clouded over, Karin began her explanation.

"Y-Your bangs?"

"Y-Yeah…"

What Karin ended up telling me was completely beyond my expectations, and filled me with surprise.

"The day we met that girl, right…? I… after I went home, I cut my hair… but… that is… I sort of failed at doing that… my bangs came out uneven… and when I tried to fix that, it just got worse and worse… a-and eventually, there wasn't really anything more I could do to fix it…"

Reminiscing on that day, I remembered that Karin was close to tears.

"Even though you complimented me that day… I changed like this… and then, I didn't even want to go to school, and waited until the last possible second to leave the house."

"And then, you didn't want to show me your face, Is that why you was avoiding me?"

"… Yeah." Looking completely dispirited, Karin sniffled.

It was like we were in some shounen manga, and the heroine who had been turned into a monster was confessing her dirty secret to the protagonist, or something. I still was a bit stumped by what was going on, but for now I should deal with the remaining questions I had, and so I went through them in order.

"So… this all happened because of that time we met Ayase…?"

"What do you mean?"

Blinking her tear-stricken eyes, Karin cocked her head to the side in confusion. What?

"T-Then… when I called your cell phone, it seemed like your phone was off…"

"Huh? You called me…? Sorry, I left for a while to go to my friend's house…"

"No, I called your cell phone though."

"I don't really leave the house with my cell phone. I'm afraid of losing it…"

Then what's the point of you had a cell phone! I was seriously troubled when I couldn't reach her by phone, though.

"W-Well… what about this 'situation at home' they told me about at school?"

"A-Ah, that. I went to my friend's house, they run a store out of their house too, to help out… well she's fine now in any case… she was hospitalized…"

"I… see… b-but, you even told your brother not to tell me about this. He told me that you told him that if I asked about this to not tell me anything… why did you do that?"

Because of that, my suspicions that I had done something bad to you grew stronger…

"Huh?" Karin widened her eyes, and then looked downhearted, as if she had made some major blunder.

"It's not what you think! That time, I didn't know what the condition is… if her condition worsened and this situation got worse… well, you would worry about me… so I told him 'Until we know about her condition, even if he asks you, don't tell Naruto anything, alright?'"

"I… see…"

I see. When Karin started taking off from school because of some "situation at home," even normally, I would probably go to Menma to ask about the situation. And if I heard that one of Karin's friend had been hospitalized and so on, of course I would be worried. Thinking about Karin's feelings, I would feel pretty downhearted.

So she decided to not tell me anything. But in this case, her plan backfired. Not only did the person she entrusted to tell me say suggestive things, but he explained his sister's intentions rather carelessly. So, that means… the "situation at home" and the "thing that's bothering Karin" were two separate things…

"So, you weren't angry because… I had made fun of your face…?"

"Like I said, there's no reason I would do that. I mean… that time, you told me that you liked me the way I was, right…? That you like me this way, even more than you liked that girl… you made me really, really happy, Naruto."

D-Did I really say something like that…? If I try to remember, I guess some words that resembled those came out of my mouth… but wasn't the nuance a bit different the way she said it? Incredibly bewildered, I watched as Karin gave me a loose smile, looking quite happy.

"That's why… there's no reason for me to be mad at you, Naruto…"

"I-I see…"

Well, I couldn't help but feel embarassed, so with great effort I turned my thoughts elsewhere.

"So… where is it? Where did you cut off too much?"

"Umm… h-here. See, here… isn't it weird looking?"

I mean, even if she points to it with such a miserable expression…

"Haah… I'm really sad about this change…"

At the same time that Karin dropped her shoulders, I sadly did the same. T-This person… Even if she says that she cut off too much, I can't see it at all… and first and foremost, certainly, I did tell her that I liked her the way she was. But there's no reason I would get angry or hate it if she just changed her hairstyle. Geez, I really didn't understand girls who took these small things so seriously…

Well, it seems that everything was alright, so I'm relieved. I'm seriously relieved. With this, from tomorrow we can return to how everything was. We can go to school together, study together, go home together, and eat sweets together…

Hahaha! Do you see, Sasuke!? She didn't have a boyfriend at all! Serves you right!

Wait? How should I put it… there was something else…

As I thought back on the conversation I exchanged with Menma a few days ago, the person in question showed up. He probably spied Karin and I talking outside.

He leaned outside from the second floor window of the Uzumaki house.

"HEYO! Welcome home Karin!"

He waved his hand energetically. He then went back into the room, and soon flew out of the house entryway.

"Karin! I went out and bought a wig for you! Don't worry don't worry, it's one that only covers a part of your head! So people definitely won't figure it out! This wig… oh!"

It was Menma. He ran towards us with noisy footsteps, and when he realized I was there he raised his voice enthusiastically.

"OH! If it isn't Naruto! Hey Man!"

"Hey… good timing, Menma. Come here for a sec."

As I beckoned him to come with my hands, the idiot rushed over like some over-eager dog.

"What, what? Do you have something for me?"

When that bastard came within attack range, I quickly put him in a headlock and tightened my arms around his neck.

"You asshole! Bastard you knew from the beginning what was bothering Karin!"

"Ahhhhhh! That hurts! B-But I said it already! I said 'Well, the haircut went overboard' didn't I!? You're the one who wouldn't listen to me!"

"Ohh? Well sorry about that. Because it's not like there's ANY way I could misinterpret that!" I began to grind my knuckles on his head.

I've often played wrestling with Menma in the past, so it's not like Karin was that bothered by what was happening in front of her. Rather, she thought it was quite amusing.

"You two are getting along well as usual, huh?"

Dammit, I'm exhausted. Why the hell have I been so worried for the past few days? I even went for advice to my annoying sister… but, well, I might be repeating myself again, but I'm seriously glad that nothing was wrong.

As soon as my strength waned a bit, Menma found a gap in my hold and ran away. He's like a little rat, isn't it? Well, whatever.

"Haaah…" Sighing deeply, I stuck a hand in the bag on my back. Taking something out, I held it out casually towards Karin.

"This is for you."

"Huh? Huuh?"

She received the gift properly, but she put on a rather strange expression and blinked rapidly.

"… This… is for me? T-Thanks… but, why? Is it… my birthday today?"

"Idiot… of course it's not your birthday. Aren't you 50 years too young to be going senile? Your birthday is June 20th, isn't it? That's it, right? But don't worry, since you'll definitely get something on your birthday too. This isn't a birthday present… ah, dammit, whatever!"

I felt rather embarrassed talking like this, but because I couldn't think of anything else to say, my speech became jumbled up like that.

"Just take it!"

"A-Alright…"

Hiding my embarrassment behind annoyance, I managed to get Karin, still blinking, to nod. Maybe due to my bad temper, I continued to say unnecessary things.

"… I-It's not like there's any strange meaning behind this. Don't misunderstand what I'm doing here."

After I said that, Karin looked happy and replied with a "… Yeah, alright."

… Why do I suddenly feel so fidgety?

Tch… because it seemed like it would be difficult for Karin to lug my present together with her luggage, I put on a stern expression and took up her trunk. She quickly thanked me, but I turned the other way and ignored her. When I stole a glance at Karin, "Hm, should I open it? hm… I wonder what it is…"

I watched with bated breath as Karin began to gently, gently peel off the wrapping on the package. At long last, the present lay bare on Karin's arm.

"Whoooaa…"

I had selected a fox hug pillow. The body was long, and it was made from a very comfortable material. Honestly, I think it might have been an anime character or something, but whatever. I just liked the design. I really felt that this present would make Karin happy. And it seemed like my prediction was completely correct.

"Such a cute pillow~~! Thanks, Naruto~~~!"

"… Hehe, it looks strangely lazed and sleepy, doesn't it? Well, if you like it then I'm happy. Be sure to sleep with it once in a while!"

I stroked my chest in relief, and Karin happily hugged the fox pillow close.

"Uhm, I'll pretend it's you and take good care of it!"

"Don't do that."

"Eh? Why? It's drowsy eyes remind me of you though…"

"Nevermind."

When you think of "thickheaded," you usually think of guys… but her head was definitely also quite thick. That was super embarrassing! So, in the end, the situation turned out to unfold like this… there wasn't really anything serious happening here, it was simply me jumping to conclusions. My relationship with Karin was the same as always, and hadn't changed in the least.

"Hey, when summer break starts… be sure to come over and hang out with me, alright?"

"If you'll help me with my homework, I'll come."

"Mmm. And, aand, because I made you worry… as an apology and as thanks, I'm going to make Naruto some yummy food."

"By 'Naruto,' I hope you don't mean that fox there…"

As always, with wrinkles creasing my brow, I began my retort as Karin feigned innocence. It was the same scenery as always. The life I had always desired, that I would continue to desire, was certainly here with me right now.

Geez. Our inseparable relationship was sturdier than I had thought. I got the impression that I would be with this airheaded for quite a long time. As long as Karin and I both shared the same desire about our relationship, then that desire would be fulfilled. Even if, someday, that desire would change. But I was happy with what I had right now. I didn't have a single complaint. I'll be depending on her after today as well.

Looking up, I gazed languidly at the evening sun, and a pleasant exhaustion filled my mind.

.

.

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