Note: Please check out the recent poll and vote, for it depends on what the layout will be for Part III.
In the Preludes to Part III, it'll explore some gaps I couldn't put into Part II, as it would've dragged the story on with other side stuff. While there will be a Firebrand DX series, I have no idea when the side stories in High School DX take place, so I may need help from one who's read the books to understand the time placement of them. Otherwise, I'll have to read through each and every one of them, not that it's a bad thing.
Sunday (7/24)
Shino's Apartment
7:30 am
Hearing her alarm on her phone go off, a visibly somber Shino picks it up and switched it off before getting up.
"Todays the day..." After showering, brushing her teeth, and dressing up, Shino went to the kitchen and boiled some water to pour in her cup ramen. As the water boiled, Shino recalled the members of her archery club talking about a member in the archery club at Kuoh Academy, sounding very worried after hearing how good she was. Knowing who they were referring to, Shino wondered if she could beat Xenovia. She and Shirabi had been practicing hard for the rookies' tournament since they were told they would be representing their club and their academy. Though she promised she would win for them, she felt very pressured to succeed.
Shino exits her thoughts once Shirabi called her and the water finished boiling. Picking up, Shino said, "Good morning," to her friend.
"Good morning to you as well, Shino," said the white-haired girl. "Today's the day we start taking the archery world by storm! I'm so pumped to show my skills!"
"I know I know," said Shino, making herself sound happy.
"Let's go and do our best today, alright?"
"Yeah, let's do our best," Shino responds. Hanging up, the bespectacled girl lets out a sigh, the water heater making a sound to let her know the water was done boiling.
8:15 am
Kawahara Academy
Arriving at the gate, Shino saw her friend Shirabi happily waving at her. Standing next to her was Eu, who also waved a hello. The three got on the bus that would take them to the tournament location after. Fifteen minutes into the ride, Shirabi asking her friend if anyone she knows were coming to watch.
"Kazuto and his sister are coming for sure. Sadly, I got texts from Asuna-san, Shinkawa-kun, Klein, Liz, and Ayano (Silica) yesterday, saying they won't be able to make it."
"That stinks. For me, my aunt and uncle are touring the ramen museum with the neighbors. At least Eu will be here to record the whole tournament, right?" Eu nods yes to them, assuring them she'd record the whole thing.
"Thank you for coming with us, Eu."
("It's fine. I didn't have much going on today.") Eu wrote. ("How are you, Shino? You look a bit tired.")
"I didn't get as much sleep as I needed last night," Shino admits, Shirabi adding how that could pose a problem. With a smile, Shirabi suggests she lay her head on her lap and rest so she can perform at the tournament well-rested.
"From what my phone tells me, adding the traffic we're in, it'll take about half an hour for the bus to get there. Come Shino, lay your head," said a happy Shirabi. Saying thanks to her friend, Shino lays her head on her friend's lap and rested her eyes.
[Flashback]
Last Night
Mega Don Quijote Shibuya
6:30 pm
Shino looked very gloomy as she did her grocery shopping. Tomorrow was the rookies' tournament, and she was told by some of the students, along with a few of her fellow club members their academy's victory in the tournament rested on her shoulder. It didn't help to hear some of them joke about how she'd be able to breeze through the tournaments due to her "experience with handling a gun". As she finished her shopping, she received a call from her Mother. Picking it up, she said hello to her.
"I am doing well. Sorry I haven't been calling much. I've been occupied with the archery club lately. IS there a reason why you're calling?... What? You'll be coming to the tournament?... By yourself?... The therapist said it was fine?... I see...I'm fine, I'm just surprised is all. But just to be sure you get here safely, I'll ask a friend to meet up with you...How are Grandma and Grandpa?... That's good to hear...Listen, I have to head home and make dinner now. I'll see you tomorrow at the tournament okay?... I love you too Mom. Goodbye." Hanging up, Shino looks up at the dark blue sky, trying to process what her Mother just told her. Focused on her own thoughts, she doesn't see a man attempting to take her bag. Before he could grab it, someone catches his hand and throws him over their shoulder. Snapping out of her thoughts, Shino turns to see that Xenovia had stopped her attempted bag thief.
"She's..."
"Not your lucky night, huh Mr. Bag Thief?" As one of the two police officers on duty ran over to pick the man up and handcuff him, the other thanked the bluenette for helping, adding the part where she and Shino were to come to the station with them. After giving the policeman a report about the attempted robbery, the two were free to go.
"Thanks for stopping that man from taking my bag."
"It's no trouble at all," said Xenovia.
"Thanks anyway. I hope you have a good evening, Quarta-san." Xenovia tells the bespectacled girl to call her by her first name, and to drop the honorifics. "Alright, Xenovia. Well, I should get-"
"Hold it." Turning around to face the bluenette again, Shino asked her if she needed anything. "Let's go grab a bite together first."
"Eh? You want to eat dinner together?" With a smile, Xenovia nods yes to her.
"..."
Tendon Tenya
Harajuku
7:25 pm
"I ended up going with her..."
"Here's your excellent tendon, and here's your tempura and soba set." Xenovia thanks the server for delivering their orders before he left, leaving the two girls alone.
"Itadakimasu!"
"I-Itadakimasu..." Shino took some of her soba noodles and dipped them into the sauce before slurping them down as Xenovia took a bit out of one of her shrimp tempuras, humming in bliss.
"Xe-Xenovia?" Shino called out while avoiding eye contact with her.
"Hmm?" Swallowing her food, Xenovia asked what she needed.
"What were you doing by yourself? I would have thought you'd be alone with...with..."
"Naruto? He's at work right now," she told the Asada girl. "I was planning to come here with him, but Seekvaira needed him to come to her building. From the call he had with her, it was pretty serious. I think he'll be there until 1 in the morning."
"...How...has he been? Naruto..." The bluenette told her he was doing okay.
"Although he's been a bit tired since the 19th. Naruto accidentally became the enemy of most of the male students after they found out he went to the fireworks festival with a beautiful third-year we know. Apparently someone saw a picture of them together on a newspaper. Seekvaira has also been keeping him busy after school. He also started dealing with some of his contracts in person. On some of the days, he would be out doing his night activities, sometimes bringing Akame, Ange, and Maki along. On those particular days, Naruto's been coming home at around 3 in the morning." Worried about the blond's health, Shino faced Xenovia and asked her if he was okay.
"You don't need to worry about him. Exposure to sunlight, along with some food in his stomach will charge up his batteries," Xenovia assured, waving her hands in front of the girl as she spoke. Remembering he's a Devil, Shino sighed in relief.
"How are you, Shino?" asked Xenovia. "You doing okay?"
"Yes, I'm doing okay," she assured the bluenette, avoiding eye contact with Xenovia once more. Worried for the girl, Xenovia told her she didn't look okay. "I've just been a bit under the weather today is all. I'll be good for the rookies' tournament tomorrow."
"If that's the case, I hope you get better. I'd like to face you with everything you've got tomorrow."
"Everything I've got..."
"Did I say something wrong?" Shino shook her head no, telling Xenovia she didn't need to worry about her.
"We should finish our food before it gets cold." Looking at her with worry, Xenovia wanted to talk to her about it, but it was obvious what was on Shino's mind was something she didn't want to discuss. If she were to try and ask her, it could end up making a scene.
[Flashback End]
"Shino...Oiiii Shino...We're here..." Shirabi told her friend, gently poking at the sleeping girl's cheek. She stops once Shino opens her eyes and gets up.
"We're here..." Exiting the bus with her fellow club members, Shino sees Xenovia getting off a bus with hers. Noticing the bespectacled girl, Xenovia happily waves at her. Shino forced herself to smile as she waved back at her.
With Naruto
Naruto takes his seat with Illya, Maki, Akame, and Pekoyama as the stadium starts slowly filling up. They are joined by Eu, who turns on the camcorder she was holding.
"Rinne couldn't come?" asked Naruto, Eu using sign language to let him know something came up at the last second. "That explains the camcorder."
"Naruto hey!" Naruto turns his head right to see Kazuto and Suguha walking towards them, a smiling woman with twin tails accompanying them. "Kazuto! Suguha! And...Who is she?"
"This is Shino's Mother," said Kazuto, to Naruto's surprise.
"You must be Naruto. It's a pleasure to finally meet you," said the woman, who offers a hand for Naruto to shake.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you as well, Mrs. Asada," Naruto said to her as he shook her hand. "Shino told me a lot about you before you two broke up."
"She has huh...Anything good?" he asked.
"Tons in fact," said Mrs. Asada. "It was very sad to hear how you two broke up, though it seems you're both getting along enough that you're attending this tournament."
"I wouldn't say that. I haven't been in contact with Shino since the breakup," Naruto admits to Shino's Mother. "As for why I'm here, my girlfriend's also in the tournament," Naruto adds. "But despite that, I will root for and support both of them."
"Both?
"It's complicated..."
"Mustn't be easy supporting one whom you've dated before and one you're dating now."
"Naruto nii-chan, they're coming out," Illya told Naruto as she tugged at his shirt and pointed at the participants. Shirabi, taking notice of Naruto at the sidelines, tells Shino he came. The Asada girl, not wearing her glasses, turned to face her ex, who waved at her with a gentle smile, Kazuto, and Suguha waving at her as well.
"Knock them dead Shino!" yelled Suguha, to her brother, Mrs. Asada, and Naruto's surprise.
With Shino
"You have quite the support," Mitsuzuri, a fellow club member of hers, whispered in Shino's ear before backing up a bit. "I don't think we'll need to worry with you on our team."
"Yo-You're right." Noticing how Shino responded, Mitsuzuri asked if she was okay. "I'm fine, don't worry."
The first team to start was Kuoh Academy's. Watching Xenovia fire all five arrows within the center of the target was quite a sight for the people attending, along with those participating in the tournament. Suguha voiced how amazing the bluenette was as Naruto told her, "That's Xenovia for you..."
Once Xenovia finished, next to fire was her club captain, who managed to hit three in the center while the other two hit the rings close to the center. The other three members of the club managed the same three shots, with two hitting the edge of the outermost rings.
"With those scores, they'll be able to advance to the finals," said Pekoyama.
"With the team Xenovia has, three of its members need to hit closer to the center if they want to rack in more points," Maki adds.
"Next up, Homurahara Academy!" yelled the announcer. As each club finished, Shino started becoming nervous as her academy's turn neared.
"I can't let Shirabi down, nor can I let down my school. Yet..." Seeing how confident Xenovia was when she fired her arrows in person, Shino found herself comparing the bluenette to her. She was brave, composed, and strong. Herself, on the other hand, was weak, timid, and afraid. She wasn't Sinon or a Devil. She was only Human. How could she compete with her or anyone in the tournament?
"Next up, Kawahara Academy!" Shino's muscles felt tense as her academy's name was called. She stood up with her teammates as she followed them up to the firing range.
"Naruto, Shino is looking a little off right now," Akame informed her brother.
"Yeah, I've noticed as well..." While Mitsuzuri was firing her arrows, Shino found her hands trembling a bit as she waited her turn. Next to fire was Shirabi, who managed to fire four into the center and one into the innermost ring close to the center. Finally, it was her friend's turn.
Shino's hands continued to tremble as she readied an arrow. The view in front of her suddenly transitioned back and forth from clear to blurry, and she felt dizzy. Letting go of the bowstring, Shino found her arrow missing the target completely, to her shock. Readying another one, while it hit the target, it was only the middlemost ring. The third and fourth arrows were the same as the second.
"Shino?" Shirabi said, sounding worried. Seeing the way her friend looked at her didn't help as the Asada girl picked up her fifth arrow and readied it. Letting go of the bowstring, to her disappointment, the last arrow hits the innermost ring. The Asada girl was silent as she lets the next member of the club fire, who had done far better than her, along with the next and final member.
Out of the sixteen academies, only eight were able to advance, with Kuoh and Kawahara being two of the eight academies that advanced. As the number of academies advancing became smaller, Shino continued to perform poorly, hurting her pride, feeding her doubts, and injuring her confidence. It was only by sheer luck that her academy reached the semifinals and secured a spot in the Finals. To her dismay, it was up against Kuoh Academy, who managed to beat Komurahara Academy without a problem.
"The finals will resume in an hour!"
7 minutes later
"What was with those shots!?" yelled one of Shino's teammates. "Where did Asada's aim go!? We're up against Kuoh in less than an hour and she's blowing it!"
"Hey, lay off Asada," Mitsuzuri told the girl. "I don't know what's going on with her, but that gives you no right to blame her. You should be glad we got this far in this tournament."
"Had she not ran off I'd give her a piece of my mind."
"Don't push it," Mitsuzuri warned. "Just give her a little time. Yes, she wasn't performing as she should now, but that can change, quite hopefully before the finals start."
"Speaking of Asada-san, where is she?" asked the only male member of their team, sounding worried for the girl. Mitsuzuri tells him Shirabi was looking for her as they spoke.
"Can't we ask someone else to come and take her place?" asked the angry club member. "If she fumbles this now, we won't win."
"As Mitsuzuri said, she'll come around," said the male club member. "We just need to believe she can overcome what's troubling her."
With Naruto
"I'm going to look for Shino," Naruto told Akame, Maki, and Pekoyama. "After her display, I am worried about her."
"Of course. We'll watch Illya. Hopefully, you can find her before the start of the finals," said Pekoyama. Nodding at them, Naruto rushed off to find the Asada girl.
With Shino
Shino puts her head under a faucet as she turns it on and lets the cold water pour down on her head. Once her head felt cool enough she turned it off, heavily panting to herself.
"Hey!" Shino turns to see Xenovia approach her, the bluenette's hands resting on the back of her head.
"Hey..." Shino responds, not looking at the Knight. Smiling, Xenovia puts her hands on the girl's cheeks and turns the girl's face so it faced hers.
"It's rude to talk to someone without giving them the necessary eye contact," she happily told her. "Come, let's go for some croquettes, my treat."
Food Stand
The two find themselves having croquettes together as they sat on a bench and blew at them to cool them down. Once they cooled down enough, they took a bite out of them, Xenovia humming in delight.
"Croquettes are the best when fresh out of the fryer," Xenovia said out loud, Shino nodding her head in approval. "...You've been performing terribly since the first round."
"I certainly have been doing poorly. Sorry."
"No need for sorrys, Shino. I believe you can bounce back from this. First, what's on your mind that's causing your poor performance?"
"...After Naruto and I broke up, I had Shirabi and the archery club to help me distract myself, and it was good. I further sharpened my skills with it and was praised by my teammates. Shirabi and Mitsuzuri were the proudest out of all of them. From the beginning, it was just me promising Shirabi we'd take the archery world together, as she puts it, but it became more once I was chosen to represent the club for the rookies' tournament."
"That's where it began?" Shino nods yes to her before continuing on.
"With my knack for archery being known after a few of the members started bragging about it, I found myself getting popular with my fellow first-years. Even some second and third-years, particularly ones who were once part of the archery club were praising me. "Asada-san, with your skills, Kawahara's victory is assured", "There's no way Asada can fail. She shot a live target after all,", "Asada, you better win this for us. The whole academy's watching you", "You're our best shot at winning first place. You better not fail us." Those were the things I heard from some of the students' mouths. Skipping forward to last night, my Mother was given permission to see me perform, and so far I have nothing to show her but my lousy shots."
"Huh, a lot rides upon your club's victory," said Xenovia. "You don't want to let down Shirabi, your fellow members, those who admire you, and your Mother, and you feel pressured to win for their sake."
"There's one other problem." When asked what the problem was, Shino points to her. "Me?"
"I feel...threatened by you." Hearing her response, Xenovia calmly told Shino to give her an explanation in detail, so she can have a better grasp of how the girl was feeling towards her. "I'm not as brave, composed, and strong as you. I am jealous of you for it, yet, I also admire you. I can't be like you, and I can never be as strong as Sinon..."
[SAO II OST - Looking Back on Those Days]
"Shino...I wasn't always like this. I was a very powerless person, back when I was about eight-years-old," Xenovia told the bespectacled girl. "I caused a lot of problems for my guardian. Because of one of the problems I caused, I and another girl were taken by this Devil to serve as his dinner. On that same night, I killed that devil."
"You...killed it?"
"Yeah, an eight-year-old killed her first Devil. It was quite a mess. I had a few minor scrapes and cuts from it. It was only through my need to survive that I even killed it. You could say that I am like you...Since that day, I wanted to become strong so I didn't worry my guardian or anyone else, and to protect the world from Devils, at least until I became a Devil myself...As I got better and became an exorcist in my own right, people started praising me and putting their trust in me, like you."
"But did you ever feel pressured? From the trust that was put in you?"
"Devils needed slaying, and I was one of many exorcists who were right for the job. Even so, I paid no attention to it." Xenovia's response was a surprise to Shino, who asked how she could do the job without the pressure getting to her.
"How? Because I did it for myself, and because I wanted to," said the bluenette, almost leaving the bespectacled girl speechless.
[Music End]
[Lord El-Melloi II Case Files OST - tender smile, gentle feeling]
"Those are why?"
"Sure, I took those jobs so those who tasked me with them could rest easy knowing they were being taken care of," said Xenovia. "At the same time, I did it because I wanted to help and to get stronger for me.
"Stronger for yourself..."
"Tell me, do you love archery?" Xenovia asked Shino.
"I do."
"Why do you do archery?" Shino tells the bluenette she did it for Shirabi and her goal to take the archery world by storm. "Like you are now?" The Asada girl went silent when Xenovia said that to her.
"You can't do that, especially with those mediocre skills you showed off." Shino became angry when the bluenette said those words. "You'll only disappoint and continue to disappoint. It's best to give up. You can't hope to-"
"I can!" yelled Shino.
"Oh? What makes you think you can?"
"Because...Because I want to!" yelled a madly blushing Shino. "And I'll start by winning the final round! After that, I'll make myself known in the world of archery with Shirabi! Just you wait!" Hearing her answer, Xenovia smiled. After her sudden outburst, Shino realized why Xenovia said what she said.
"That's right, you're not doing it for those who are watching and are depending on you. You're doing it for yourself." Getting up, Xenovia prepared to walk away. "If you want to fulfill that goal with Shirabi, you need to do it not just for her, but for yourself. I think you forgot that important fact somewhere along the way. I believe your Mother would be happy to see you doing this because you want to, not because of her. I'll see you at the Finals in a few. Till then, finish that croquette before it gets cold okay?" Having said what she wanted, a satisfied Xenovia gets up and walks away, though not before hearing Shino thank her.
[Music End]
One she turned a corner, Xenovia found Naruto with his back against the wall.
"Looks like Shino is feeling better," said Naruto.
"You had nothing to worry about with me handling it...I can see why you loved her. Her Sacred Gear aside, there's a hidden strength inside her, a strength I am looking forward to seeing soon." Xenovia then told Naruto they should get back with the others.
"SHINOOOOOOO!" Shino turned her head to the left to see a teary-eyed Shirabi running towards her.
"Oh, hey Shirabi," said the bespectacled girl. "What's going-" Shino was taken aback when the white-haired girl puts her hands on her shoulders and started bawling her eyes out to the now-comically surprised girl.
"I'm sorry for putting too much pressure on you! Had I've known you were feeling overwhelmed from being told to win for the school by others, I would have done something to help you! I just want you to know you're my friend, and I don't want you to feel pressured in winning! Those who piled all of that on you can put a sock in it!"
"Shirabi, there there," Shino told her friend, patting her on the head to calm her down. "I'm sorry to have made you distressed. I am glad you care a lot for me, but I am okay now."
"Re...Really?"
"Really," she said with an assuring smile. Suddenly Shirabi's stomach growled, embarrassing the former Servant. After eating croquettes with Shirabi and assuring her she was good to go once more, Shino and her friend head back to the stadium for the Finals. Along the way, Shino's Mother called her to check if she was okay, her daughter assuring her she was okay now and apologizing to her for making her worry. Finishing the call, the two stop at the front of the stadium.
"The final round...Shirabi?"
"Yeah?" Facing her, Shino told her, "Let's dominate this tournament and the world of archery," sounding confident about it as she puts her fist in front of the girl. Smiling, the former Servant said, "Yeah!" as she bumped fists with her friend.
With Naruto
"She's looking better," Maki said to Naruto as the two teams entered the arena. "Seems you managed to make her feel better."
"No, that was all Xenovia," Naruto told her.
"Helping the competition, are you sure that was wise?" asked a smiling Pekoyama.
"I think it's nice," said Kazuto. "That way, everyone is now performing at their best, Shino included. I'd be disappointed to win a match where the other opponent isn't giving it their all."
"I understand that feeling," Naruto told Kazuto, Maki, Akame, and Pekoyama nodding in agreement.
"If that's the case..." Getting up from her seat, Suguha yelled, "You can do it Shino! Give it your best!" Seeing how the buxom girl was cheering on her friend, Illya cheered for Xenovia to win.
With Shino
The two teams faced one another as they shook hands before their final match. Shaking Shino's hand, Xenovia told her she was going to give it her best.
"I as well, Xenovia." Kawahara Academy went first, with Mitsuzuri hitting four arrows at the center, and the final one hitting the innermost ring closest to the center. The male club member managed to hit three at the center, with the final two arrows hitting the middlemost rings. The archer after him, the girl who was talking ill of Shino, only managed to hit two in the center, the final three hitting the outermost rings. After her turn was Shirabi's, who managed to hit the center with all her arrows. Finally, it was Shino's turn.
Unlike the previous times, Shino was calmer and more confident with herself, aware that she was doing this not for others, but for herself. Each time the arrows she fired hit the center evoked sounds of surprise from those who watched Shino's earlier performances, up until the final arrow was fired.
"Those were beautiful shots, Shino," Xenovia thought to herself as the announcer yelled, "Next up, Kuoh Academy!"
"With our final shots, anything can happen..." Xenovia told herself as she got up. With the same confidence she has from the previous matches, all five of the bluenette's arrows hit the center of her target. Up until the fifth and final member, it looked like both academies were going to tie until the last two arrows the final member fired hit the outermost rings. The results were a huge surprise to Shino and her club as the announcer declared Kawahara Academy the winner.
"Xenovia lost?" said Illya.
"THAT'S MY SHINO!" a happy Mrs. Asada shouts as she got up, to everyone's surprise. Realizing this, the embarrassed woman sat back down, trying to pretend what she did didn't happen.
"WE WON SHINO!" Shirabi yelled as she hugged her friend while jumping up and down. "WE WON WE WON WE WON!"
"Yes, we did, Shirabi," Shino told her friend, telling her to please let go of her after. Mitsuzuri walks over to Shino and pats her on the back hard, telling her, "You performed beautifully my friend! I knew you would bounce back somehow!"
"Th-Thank you, Mitsuzuri."
"You can call me Ayako from now on," said the girl, Shino smiling at her.
"Shino..." Turning to face Xenovia, the Asada girl looked surprised when the smiling bluenette bowing her head to her in respect. "Congratulations on winning. I look forward to future tournaments against you."
"You as well, Xenovia," she said, bowing her head to the Knight.
"Asada..." Turning to face the girl who talked bad about her, the Asada girl asked if she needed anything. "...While you weren't around during the break, I talked badly about you. After my poor performance, and after seeing you save us with those shots, I realized I was wrong to have said what I said. I should've believed that you'd turn it around so...I'm sorry! If you want, you can hit me!"
"Eh? EHHHH!?"
"HIT ME ASADA! I DESERVE IT!"
"I-I'm good! You don't need to go that far to make me feel better," Shino told her, waving her arms in front of her as she did, the girl still insisting she hit her.
6:45 pm
STARBUCKS COFFEE Shibuya Modi Shop
Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
While Kazuto and Suguha waited in line to order, Shino and her mother talked with one another at a table while having their coffee.
"You did great in the tournament Shino. I am very proud of you."
"Thanks, Mom, it feels nice to hear that from you," said a grateful Shino. "I am glad you were able to see me perform, even when I was doing so poorly up until the final round."
"I owed you that much, after everything I had put you through. After...what happened all those years ago." While she said those words other daughter, Mrs. Asada stirred the sugar she put in her coffee with a small spoon.
"..."
"...Shino...After I'm done with all my therapy sessions, I want us to live together as a family again," Mrs. Asada told her daughter, who was left speechless as she stared at her.
[SAO II OST - Peace, Again]
"When I mean as a family again, I mean just us, with frequent visits from Grandma and Grandpa of course. I want to be the parent you need me to be. I know it'll be difficult for us both to move on from our traumas, but I want to give it my all if it means I can move forward with you." Hearing what her Mother had to say, Shino was brought to tears as Kazuto and Suguha walked over to them.
"Sh-Shino!? Are you okay!?" asked a worried Mrs. Asada, the Kirigaya siblings looking just as worried for the teary-eyed girl as her. As she tried to wipe away the tears that wouldn't stop coming, Shino told her Mother she was fine.
"I'm just happy to hear that is all..." she told her Mother. "I'd like that a lot, Mom..."
Shibuya Station
7:30 pm
After hugging her Mother and watching her leave with Kazuto and Suguha as they waved goodbye from the windows, Shino waited for her train to arrive, happily smiling to herself. Feeling a familiar presence, Shino opened her eyes and turned to her left to see Naruto looking at her, surprised to see her.
"...Hey," Naruto said in an awkward manner.
"Hey to you as well," she told the blond, giving the blond a welcoming smile.
[Music End]
Shibuya Train to Kuoh Town
The two found themselves pressed together in the crowded train as they rode it to their intended destinations.
"It's been a while since we last spoke on the phone," said a red-cheeked Shino, Naruto nodding his head yes, his cheeks a bit red like hers. "...This train sure is cramped. Reminds me of our first date."
"Yeah..."
"Fuck this shit's awkward. Would it be weird if you guys decide to go to a love hotel, fuck for two or three hours, and make-"
"Fuck off Infernus."
"...You haven't been on "Fatal Bullet" for over a month now. Is there any particular reason as to why?" Naruto tells her the real world has him occupied a lot lately. "I'll be sure to get back on when time allows me to. I definitely missed a lot of daily log-in rewards."
"You missed a pretty good event in the game...What have you been up to after the tournament?" Shino asked the Rook. Naruto tells her he just finished eating ramen, following a contract he finished that involved tutoring a junior high student.
"Make sure you don't overwork yourself. Even as a Devil, you still need the necessary eight hours of sleep..." Naruto tells her he'll try but can't guarantee it'll be every day. "As long as you try...I have some good news," Shino tells Naruto, letting him know about her Mother's plans to live together with her again after her therapy sessions were completed.
"I'm glad to hear that, Shino. Do you plan to move into a bigger house once she gets better?" he asked. Shino told him finding a good place for her and her Mom to live in could be difficult, wondering where they'd find a good house.
With Naruto
15 minutes later
Arriving at her stop, Shino thanked Naruto for keeping her company as the train doors opened, telling him it was nice to talk to him again.
"It was nice to talk to you again as well, Shino."
"Guess I'll see you later...Don't be a stranger." Shino made her exit as passengers filled up the train, the blond watching her leave. Once it filled, Naruto realized he forgot to say something to Shino, struggling to get through the crowded section he was in and making it out just before the doors closed. Quickly, Naruto ran after Shino. Eventually, he found her crossing the street. When he tried to run after her, the light turned red, preventing him from getting across. Seeing her walking farther and farther away, Naruto turned red, knowing what he was about to do was going to be very embarrassing.
"SHINO!" Hearing Naruto callout her name, Shino turned around to look him in the eye from across the street. "CONGRATULATIONS ON WINNING THE ROOKIES' TOURNAMENT!" Shino looked surprised when she heard Naruto congratulate her on her victory. He got out of the train and ran after her just to tell her that. With a smile, Shino said "Thank you," to him, knowing he would be able to hear it, turning around to continue her way home after.
"Are you satisfied, Drama Boy?" Still red in the face, Naruto said, "It couldn't be helped with the light being red and everything."
"I'd just run across regardless of the color of the light."
"At least I got the message across..." Receiving a text, Naruto takes out his phone and sees the message was from Momo Hanakai, who was asking him if he was on his way to her house to help her study. Texting her saying he'll be there soon, Naruto sends it before finding a nice alley to use a sling portal in.
While Naruto was in it, I wanted Shino to be the main focus for this prelude. I didn't want Naruto to be the one to comfort her because this was between her and Xenovia, who I felt was well-suited for talking with Shino's problems.
I love "Tsurune", which is a light novel/anime series involving a Kyūdō club, which is Japanese martial art of archery. The point system in the tournament is based on the ten-point system where the center garners the most points whereas the range of the outer layers, from the outermost layer to innermost, garner about 1-9 points.
I wanted to have Shino lose and bawl her eyes out to reference a scene in "Your Lie in April", but I felt she needed this win.
