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Cold Food

Nagatoro ate lunch in the cafeteria with her best friends, Sakura, Yoshi, and Gamo, at their usual table. As her chopsticks rearranged vegetable and chicken chunks atop a blanket of rice, an ancient Klingon proverb came to mind.

"Revenge is a dish best served cold."

She glanced at Gamo.

That girl still has a debt to pay.

It had been several months since Gamo and Yoshi pranked Nagatoro, stripping her naked after she'd passed out, leaving her for Senpai to find in the art club room. The event had changed her life. But was it for the better?

Hell, yes. My relationship with Senpai needed a jump start, and leaving me naked on his sofa definitely provided a boost.

She smiled when the image of their first nude collaboration, Nagatoro Reclining, flashed to mind. Who would have thought Gamo's prank would ultimately lead to Senpai creating a work of art that sold for thousands?

Still, was it the right thing to do? Suppose things had gone horribly wrong.

With Senpai? No, that wasn't going to happen.

Still, Gamo deserved some payback.

Yoshi bore part of the responsibility, but only as a soldier obeying orders. The plan and its execution were Gamo's brainchild.

She glanced to Gamo's left, at Yoshi seated beside her, the girl who continued to surprise just about everybody, except Senpai. Nagatoro pictured her posing—full breasts, arched back, round bum, toned legs, and a sweet sexy smile that could melt lead.

I don't know why, but that girl scares the hell out of me. She shook her head clear. Hayase, get a grip.

Yoshi was a sweetheart who owed a debt as well. But lately, she felt more like an ally than an adversary. The puppy modeling session had bonded them. Yoshi and Nagatoro were sisters in nudity whose forms Senpai had beautifully transferred to canvas.

"Why so quiet, Hyacchi?" Gamo chided. "What's on your mind?"

Nagatoro met her friend's gaze and smiled. "Cold food."

###

After classes, Nagatoro sat on the couch in the art club room while Senpai touched up a painting. She pretended to read the manga in her hands while her mind focused on revenge.

How can I get even with Gamo-chan? And what will that vengeance look like?

Proper Gamo-payback required a custom plan, one that matched her friend's in audacity, boldness… and eroticism.

The girl was nearly indestructible, though. She had no flaws. Like the others in their crew, Gamo was gorgeous. Her athletically sculpted, yet substantial, curves made her popular with the guys.

Correction. Gamo was a popular girl to look at. She actually intimidated most guys. Her sharp, aggressive, take-no-shit attitude made her unapproachable. She didn't respect any guy in the school. The only young male she seemed to respect was Nagatoro's older brother, Ichiro. "He's a formidable sparring partner," Gamo once said.

Nagatoro joked, "Wouldn't it be cool if you and my bro got together? Then we could be sisters."

The suggestion turned Gamo's face bright red. Was she crushing on her brother?

Why not? Ichiro Nagatoro was a good looking, talented, and super nice guy. The teasing he heaped on his little sister cloaked a protective and kind nature. She recalled the hard time Ichiro gave Senpai the first time they met.

The same Senpai who became her boyfriend, and then her lover.

Because of a prank?

Still, there he sat. In his chair, at the easel. Fixing a painting. The guy with whom she regularly had sex.

How can I get even with Gamo? Is it even possible?

Nagatoro laid her manga in her lap. "Hey Senpai, do you have time for a question?"

He put down his brush. "Sure, shoot."

"How can you get even with someone who doesn't have any flaws?"

"What do you mean by 'get even'?"

"Somebody does you wrong, and you want to return the favor."

Senpai squinted. "Are you still mad at me for putting whipped cream and cherries on your breasts?"

"No. I had no problem with you turning me into your kinky dessert, pervert. But you threatened to post a picture, breaking our 'no photography' rule. You need to be more considerate after you tie your helpless, naked girlfriend to her bed."

"Helpless, my ass."

"Hey, I'm not talking about you. I'm talking about someone who doesn't have any flaws."

"Nobody's flawless in real life. Is this 'somebody' a character in the story you're reading?" He pointed at the manga in her lap.

"Could be."

"Okay, so it's a thought experiment. I can work with that." He pinched his chin and thought. "I got it. What do bad guys fighting Superman do to get an edge?"'

"He's invincible," she replied, "so don't they usually get their butts kicked?"

"Not if they fight dirty. When bad guys focus on distracting Superman by going after innocent bystanders, they have a fighting chance to win. Or at least escape, right?"

"What's your point?"

"If your adversary doesn't have any weaknesses, use their strengths against them."

Nagatoro considered Senpai's advice for a few moments before her lips curled into a smile. "You know what, Senpai? That's brilliant."

###

Nagatoro took a seat in the picnic shelter near her home and pulled a notebook out of her backpack along with several colored pens. She opened the notebook flat and wrote, 'Maki Gamou's strengths' on top of the right page. On the opposite page, she wrote, 'How I can use her strengths against her.'

She'd recently spent a good bit of time with Gamo in fairly close quarters. Several events that occurred during their recent Sports Weekend tournament in Osaka came to mind.

Strength number one: Gamo-chan was fiercely competitive. She gave every competition her all, and she hated losing. Governed by her tremendous desire to win, she often took risks, most of which paid off.

Strength number two: She also possessed an innate sense of honor. The few times Gamo lost, she never complained or blamed anyone but herself. She always accepted the outcome. Instead of faulting outside influences, she vowed to do better next time.

She'd only lost one of her matches during Sports Weekend and only lost because she slipped on a wet spot. She never used the slip as an excuse, though she rightly could have.

Gamo usually won, and she didn't mind having fun with it. Nagatoro remembered one particular incident that took place off the mats.

Since the Gamou family loved playing cards, especially Poker, the family hosting the event and Gamo's family always took part in a second, non-athletic rivalry. You could always count on a game of Texas Holdem No Limit to break out somewhere after a long day of competition. Nagatoro had never heard of the game, so Gamo taught her the basic rules.

"It's all about the odds," Gamo said to encourage Nagatoro when she couldn't seem to win. "And you don't get a feel for that unless you play a lot."

Nagatoro recalled one particular contest where only two players had any chips, Gamo-chan and Hokona. Hokana felt certain he had a winning hand, but Gamo held most of the chips. At this point, the small victory wouldn't help him. His losing overall was inevitable.

"I'm all in, for what it's worth," he groaned as he pushed in the remainder of his stack. "Unless…"

Picking up on the hint, Gamo immediately countered, "Okay, I'll let you match my pot with a Texas Dare."

A Texas Dare was an additional bet two players agreed on. If Hokano won the hand, he'd clean out Gamo. If Gamo won the hand, she'd not only clean out Hokano, but he'd have to perform the dare.

"What do you dare me to do?"

"Make him run around the complex naked shouting, 'Green aliens are chasing me,'" one player suggested.

"Make him sing you a love song wearing a dress," suggested another.

"I'm feeling generous," Gamo finally said. "I'll let you call it even if you do a One Punch Man workout. One hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, one hundred squats, and a ten kilometer run. In your underwear."

Naturally, Gamo won and the guy lost his chips. Plus, he did the One Punch Man workout in his boxers.

"How did you know you were going to win?" Nagatoro asked her friend afterward.

"I knew the odds, and I knew my hand, so I had a little fun with him."

In large red letters, Nagatoro wrote the words "TEXAS DARE" at the center of her notebook page and circled it.

"It's time for me to have some fun with you, Miss Poker."


Author's Notes: Hello, everyone. I'm back after a four month hiatus. Yes, it's time for Gamo to get some payback! For those of you who are unfamiliar with the proverb "Revenge is a dish best served cold," it means you don't take out your revenge in the heat of emotion. You cool down and contemplate. You let the food get cold before you serve it. — SK