There's a poll on my page that will influence what will go on in Part III so please vote.
Also, due to some personal life stuff, which I won't do into detail, I won't have as much freedom writing as I want, but I am still invested in it since it's a hobby I am passionate about.
Also, got me Okita Alter in FGO! Now to save for future Servants in future events.
Thursday (7/21)
Kuoh Academy
Hallway
"You want me to what?" Naruto found it rare for Millicas to call him on his phone since Sirzechs was the one who'd call him and ask him to help the young Gremory.
"I need help with a very important assignment. I can't tell you what it is until you come to Agares-san's Mansion after you're done for today. Please, I can't tell anyone."
"Hmmm...I had plans today with my friends, but for you, I'll reschedule them for tomorrow."
"Thanks, Naruto-san." Once he finished talking to the blond, Millicas hung up.
Agares Mansion
Naruto looked flabbergasted when he found a blushing Millicas with Mika.
"Hello there Firebrand, so says Mika, sounding polite about her greetings to a former enemy."
"You can just call me Naruto. It's not a good idea to call me that out in the open. Also, hello...How has it been for you? Living at Sirzechs and his son?" Mika tells Naruto of the many perks of living with the one who held the title of Lucifer, starting with how much she gets to eat and the openness of Sirzechs' backyard. "So you haven't been giving any trouble to them?"
"No trouble whatsoever, so answers Mika, having no reason to lie knowing you can kill me in less than a second if you wanted to." Millicas starts looking at Naruto with a questioning look, the latter assuring him he doesn't hit or kill kids.
"Millicas, is there a reason you wanted to come here with Mika?" Naruto asked the boy.
"I...well...you see..." Every time Millicas wanted to answer, he'd be too shy to say it, taking quick glances at Mika, Naruto already aware of why due to Illya telling him over a month ago.
"So he wants to go explore Japan with Mika in hopes of growing closer to her..." Naruto concluded in his head.
"Millicas, why aren't you answering Naruto's question?" so asks Mika, feeling curious about it."
"Don't worry Mika, I have a good grasp of why you're both here," said Naruto. "I know some great places here in Japan we can check out. First, let's get you some clothes to wear that don't make you stand out."
Bullet Train
Millicas, was all red in the face with swirly eyes as he sat next to Mika, the Rook standing in front of them while his right arm gripped the metal bar above him.
"Why are we taking a vehicle to go to Samada, so asks Mika, wondering why we can't just run all the way there or teleport?"
"We can't openly do that Mika," Naruto told the little girl. "Trust me on that. Also, it's Sumida."
"Sarada."
"No, Sumida. Su-mi-da."
Sumida City, Japan
Beams Kids
"Naruto, hey!"
"Saori, hey!" Naruto said to Seekvaira's cousin, sounding welcoming towards her. "You have a day out of the office today?"
"Yeah." Looking at the two kids, she gushed over how cute they were as she hugged them.
"Here you go you two." Saori hands each of the two kids a lollipop, Mika thanking her before unwrapping her lollipop and popping it into her mouth. "Is there a reason why you're hanging around with two kids?" Naruto goes over to Saori and whispers the reason he was hanging with Millicas and Mika.
"So that's why...Alright, how about I help pick out some clothes for him? I have a good eye for clothes," Saori said with a huge smile on her face as her glasses give off a shine. Millicas only lets out a gulp, knowing he wasn't going to like where this was going. The young Gremory boy was made to be Saori's Ken Doll, who looked like she was having fun dressing him in different clothes. While Millicas was occupied with the cousin of Seekvaira, Naruto took this time to talk to Mika.
"For someone who was once a part of Esdeath's group, you changed sides very quickly. Why is that?" he asked her.
"Why did you decide to spare me instead of kill me? So asks Mika."
"If I answer your question, you must answer mine." Mika agrees to it before Naruto gave her his reason for sparing her. "It was Xenovia who suggested we spare you. For me, I don't kill kids, simple as that, unless you're a complete and utter monster like some of the ones I've killed so far."
"Like who? So asks Mika, wanting to know who and what they are."
"Something like that is a subject a kid like you shouldn't be curious about, let alone knowing," Naruto responds.
"Why?"
"They're better off not talked about and forgotten," he answered. "Now, answer my question, why change sides?"
"The Devils allow me to eat more than what I usually get, so says Mika, finding breakfast, lunch, and dinner far more filling and satisfying than the amount Humans usually consume."
"Is that all?" he asked, not finding Mika's answer satisfying to hear.
"I also find that most Devils aren't as evil as I was made to believe by the faction of the Church Esdeath was in charge of, so says Mika, telling you this with no ulterior motives in mind." Seeing no deceit in the young girl's eyes, Naruto told her he believed her, informing the girl he didn't always need Infernus to be his lie detector.
"Check out the new and regular-looking Millicas!" Saori says out loud, getting Naruto and Mika's attention. Millicas was wearing a red t-shirt with a picture of Godzilla on the front, a pair of grey shorts, and black sandals.
"Look at you, dressing like a mortal," said Naruto, approving the boy's appearance. "What do you think of Millicas' look?" Taking a closer look at him for a few seconds, starting from head to toe, Mika tells Naruto she wants the same shirt as Millicas, to the boy's joy.
"The monster on the shirt looks wicked. So says Mika, wanting you or the eccentric woman to buy it for me."
"Only if you ask nicely," said Naruto.
"Very well. May I please have a shirt like Millicas? So asks Millicas, being polite about it in hopes you'll buy it." Satisfied, Naruto buys a yellow Godzilla t-shirt for Mika to wear. After he bought the clothes Saori picked out for Sirzechs' son and Mika, Naruto thanked Saori for helping Millicas dress up. "No problem. If you'd have any free time in your schedule, you should check out the clothing store my family's company owns in Osaka. It's called Agaros."
"I'll be sure to make time to visit it."
"I'll take your word. Oh, one last teensy little thing." Saori gestures Mika to come towards her with her hand. Pulling out a red ribbon from her bag, Saori ties the girl's hair in ponytail style. "There, now you look even cuter. Doesn't she look adorable now you two?"
"If she can learn to smile, yes," Naruto answered, adding he'd give her a seven out of ten. Millicas covered his face with his hands to hide how red it was. Mika asks him what he was doing.
"Kids these days..." Saori whispered to herself. After Saori left, Millicas asked Naruto where they were going now that he was dressed in regular mortal clothes.
"I'd like to start with one of Japan's pride and joys, the Tokyo Skytree, considered the tallest tower in the world."
"Is it really the tallest?" Millicas asked, still red and dizzy.
"As a tower, yes. If it was ranked based on the tallest structure, it'd be the third tallest," Naruto explained to the two. "You'll need to see it to believe it."
Tokyo Skytree
Second Observation Deck
"We're so high up!" said an excited Millicas as he looked out through one of the windows in the observation deck alongside Mika, who didn't look impressed by the sight. "To think Humans are capable of building structures as big as this tower! This is cool, right Mika?"
"I can't see the appeal behind looking out from a window up here, so says Mika, wondering why people would come all the way here to view the whole city from here."
"Tha-That so..." Millicas looked like he needed help to get Mika invested in the view.
"How should I put this in a way that makes it appealing...Picture yourself as an almighty being, a God to be exact. Looking out from where we're standing, we're taking in everything Humans have built from the ground up. Coupled with the sky, it gives you a feel of the vastness of the world in front of you." Millicas tells Naruto his explanation about the view from where they were standing was very interesting.
"Of course, what I said is something my father told me when I was young, minus the first part, which was to appeal to Mika's interests. To me, the Skytree is simply a good place for socializing with people and going on dates."
"Hmmm..." Looking out the window once more, Mika tells the blond, "Now that I look outside the second time, I do see the vastness of the world in front of me, so says Mika, now understanding the appeal of this tower."
"Perhaps I should bring my parents here," Millicas said to himself as he, Naruto, and Mika continued to look out the window.
"...Mika is hungry. Are you going to pay for us, so asks Mika, her stomach making sounds that can only stop once it's filled with nutrients?" Right away, a happily blushing Millicas told her he was going to pay for them, raising his hand up as he said it.
"Millicas, a minute alone?" Naruto politely asked Mika if she could stay where she was and talk to the young Gremory boy privately, letting her know they weren't going far. Mika nods yes to him before the blond Rook gestured Millicas to follow him. Once they were far enough, Naruto asked him if he was sure he wanted to pay for them, saying he didn't mind paying for the kids.
"I am sure. It was my idea to ask you to show us around." Since it was his job as someone older than them to pay, Naruto came to an agreement on who pays for what with the kid, Millicas paying for lunch and dinner while he paid for entertainment and snacks. Once they shook hands, Millicas asked the blond if he knew of any good restaurants to eat at.
Izakaya Nobu
"Another eel bento please, so says Mika, asking politely." Shinobu tells Mika she'll be back with another box as she goes to tell Taishou. Naruto and Millicas looked at the seventy-eight empty shared bento boxes that were stacked up neatly on the floor next to her as the customers in the establishment looked on while Mika sipped lemonade from her straw. By now the two were almost used to the sight of their female friends engorging themselves without gaining an ounce through unknown means.
"Millicas, I know your family's loaded, but I'm going to ask anyway, you CAN pay for all this right?" The young Gremory assured Naruto he could, having saved up every allowance he received every month. As one who had everything for him, there wasn't much he wanted. With the money he saved up, he could spend it for someone, that being the girl who stole his heart. "It sounds more like you had nothing you needed to spend your allowance on until now."
"That is...actually true." Naruto suggests the boy find something he's passionate about other than his studies and wisely spend money on it, using his own love for mechas as an example. "What are you passionate about?"
"Hmmm...Something I'm passionate about..." Millicas couldn't find anything he was passionate about. All he knew was studying and etiquette, nothing more. Seeing how hard the boy was thinking, Naruto smiled and said he didn't need to think about it too hard and that whatever sparks his interests will come to him eventually.
"I'm passionate about fighting, so says Mika, feeling good about learning new ways to fight and improve myself and my body." Naruto says that while it's a good passion to have, it's not one for someone her age.
"Here's your eel bento, Mika-chan," Shinobu politely told Mika with a smile. After thanking her, Mika starts scarfing down the contents within the bento box.
"...All I can think about is eating, fighting, and movies with a lot of fighting, so says Mika, responding to you with the truth," Mika told Naruto while her mouth was full of food.
"Movies?" Naruto asked her, Millicas telling him he'd sometimes have her watch movies with him at home. The girl had no interest in movies with comedy, drama, or horror, finding them boring. Only action movies were her favorite, the young Gremory showing her movies with actors like Jackie Chan, Chuck Norris, and Bruce Lee.
"Only action movies? Well, that's a start. Hmmm...Millicas, do you like superheroes?" The boy tells him he was a fan of them while Mika wonders what the Rook was thinking. "Alright, let's go watch a movie after. "Wonder Woman 1984" is in theatres," Naruto suggests. "I'm pretty sure they're doing a double-feature. Mika, I think you're going to enjoy this one."
Kuoh Town Movie Theatre
"Hanakai-senpai?" Momo turned bright red in the face as she awkwardly turned her head to face a surprised Naruto and a curious Millicas. The Sitri Bishop was cosplaying as Wonder Woman, her hair styled in a ponytail.
"Na-Namikaze-kun!?"
"Oh, Wonder Woman is real, so says Mika, voicing her surprise at meeting the Princess of Themiscyera while wondering why her hair is white instead of black."
"She's not Wonder Woman. She is just my senpai cosplaying as Wonder Woman, Mika," Naruto told the girl. "Wonder Woman is a fictional character from the comics." Facing Momo, he told her her cosplay looked nice and true to the source material.
"Oh, thank you," she said, sounding grateful that Naruto loved her costume. "I see you have two kids with you? You doing a babysitting job?" she asked him. Walking over to her, Naruto whispers the reason for the two accompanying him in her left ear.
"Oh, I see." Kneeling down to Mika's height, Momo introduced herself to Mika, smiling as she did.
"...Those balls on your chest, they're not as big as Grayfia-sama's but they're impressive, as says Mika, curious towards how they get to be that big." Momo turned red once more as Naruto sighed at Mika's question for the Sitri Bishop.
"If you must know, it depends on how well you take care of yourself and how natural each girl's proportions develop," Momo answered, Mika calling her answer a nice piece of wisdom to keep in mind.
"Since you're here, how about we see the double-feature together with the two little kids?" Getting up from where she was kneeling, Momo accepts Naruto's invitation to join them. Entering the theatre, Momo took some shots with Naruto and several other fans of Wonder Woman, Mika receiving a paper Wonder Woman tiara for her to wear by one of the employees in the theatre while she was waiting with Millicas. Once they got their tickets, Naruto told Momo and the kids to go to the theatre room without him, wanting to buy snacks from the snack stand to enjoy while they watched the movie.
Theatre Room 8
"Why are they showing movies that end so quickly? So asks Mika, finding them confusing and not understanding the whole story."
"They're just the trailers for future movies, Mika-chan," Momo told the girl. "If you want to see the whole story you'll have to wait until they come out to theatres."
"Are any of them action movies? So asks Mika, wanting to know what movies have a lot of fighting and what ones don't have any so I can avoid those I have no interest in." Momo tells Mika there was more to movies than the fights. "Do explain, so says Mika, wanting to know why."
"Fights in movies are good and all, but movies with stories that involve love and drama, even comedy, have their moments where you need a good cry or laugh," Momo explained.
"Why? So asks Mika, not knowing anything about crying or laughing.
"Mika..." It saddened Millicas when Mika told Momo she didn't understand emotions. Mika has seen people laugh, cry, rage, and more, but she could never express it herself, only speak them. Even when Momo explained the need to feel emotions that were evoked from watching scenes from certain genres, she couldn't understand it nor see the reason why emotions were needed.
"I'm back," Naruto told the three, having returned with two large tubs of popcorn, and four large slushies, two cherries (Mika and Millicas), a blue raspberry (Naruto), and a Coca-Cola (Momo). Once he hands the kids a tub of buttered popcorn and their slushies, Naruto hands Momo her Coca-Cola slushie and sits with her. Mika looked at the slushie in her hands before asking Naruto what it was.
"It's a slushie. It came in three flavors at the station." Sipping her drink, Mika fell silent as she observed the drink.
"Ah..." Going for a huge sip, the blank-faced Mika finds herself enjoying the drink as Millicas watched, smiling as he did while Naruto and Momo were occupied with the trailers. Once she had too big of a sip, she finds herself getting a brain freeze.
"Why is my brain experiencing a throbbing headache, so asks Mika, wanting to bang my head to make it cease this sensation in my head?" Instead of looking in pain, Mika's body shivered as she held the beverage in her hands.
"That's a brain freeze Mika," Millicas explain, showing her how it happened by purposefully getting one himself. "You got one...because you sipped on it too fast," he adds while massaging his own head to handle the brain freeze. "Don't worry, it won't kill you." Once her brain freeze stopped, Mika looked at it once more, Mika taking small sips from it as the newest movie trailer showed, finding herself out of cherry slushie in three minutes.
"...Mika, why don't we share mine?" Millicas suggests, finding it the perfect time to get a little bit closer to Mika, who asked him if he was sure. "I am, what do you say?"
"Very well, I will accept your generosity, Millicas, so says Mika, thankful I can try more of this mysterious wonder drink."
"Awww look at that, they're sharing a slushie together," Momo whispered. Naruto only smiled at the two young kids, turning towards the big theatre screen when it was time for "Wonder Woman" to start playing.
Two Wonder Woman Films Later
"1984 was good, though I still prefer the first one," Momo told Naruto as the kids walked behind her as they exited the theatre room. "Sequel was a bit weak, and the whole thing with Steve Trevor coming back to life was pretty messed up."
"I agree, it was weird when they shared a bed together. Anyways do you have a change of clothes, Hanakai-senpai?" Momo assures him she had some and to wait for her. "Wait?"
"It's my free day today so I'm not expecting my King to call me for a job."
"You sure? This is considered work, ya know," Naruto told Momo.
"Maybe, but for me, almost nothing's boring when you're around," Momo told the blond in a flirtatious tone, leaving Naruto speechless before heading to the girls' bathroom to change. While they wait for Momo, Mika asked Naruto what her relationship with Momo was.
"We have a very professional and friendly relationship, among other things."
"Things like what?" asked Millicas, Naruto answering with, "Nothing you're old enough to know or until your parents feel that you're ready to know." The response confused Millicas, who asked him why Naruto told him it was better when the parents did it, remembering how he entered his parents' room when he was younger and found them in the middle of having sex, finding himself unable to sleep that night. He would receive the talk from them the next morning though. Snapping out of his thoughts, Naruto hears Mika tell him she wanted another slushie, turning to face her after.
"But you already had five of them during the movie."
"I want another one, so demands Mika, preferring you give me one that's in a bigger cup." With a sigh, Naruto takes out his phone and texts Seekvaira, asking her if she could pull some strings and have the theatre he was at serve him a slushie in a 7-liter sized cup.
"Seven liters my goodness Naruto!" - Seekvaira
"It's not for me. It's complicated, don't ask why. You think you can do it?" - Naruto
"This is a strange request, but I'll do it." - Seekvaira
Putting away his phone, he told the kids he'll be back soon. Once Momo returned, she looked wide-eyes when Mika was seen slurping out of a 7-liter bucket full of blue raspberry-flavored slushie.
"I definitely missed something crazy."
"...I like the red one, but the blue one is just as delicious, so says Mika, feeling this is an acquired taste."
Bunkyo City, Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo Dome City (Bowling Center)
"This is..." Millicas's face turned red as he followed Naruto and Momo to the bowling center, Mika following behind while sipping on her slushie, which was about halfway finished. The young devil boy remembered researching places to take a girl on a date at cheatsheet dot com, where it listed the five best places to go on a first date, bowling being the second best.
"It's been over a year since I've gone bowling," said Momo, who tells Naruto she once had a perfect game.
"I don't believe you," he told her. "I need proof." Taking out her phone, Momo showed him a picture of a point monitor that showed her perfect score. "What's to say you didn't have someone bowl for you?"
"Oh, Namikaze Naruto-kun, you're about to witness my amazing bowling arms once we get our shoes and balls." Giving her a huge grin, Naruto asked if she was challenging him. "Oh yes, I am challenging Seekvaira's strongest Rook to a bowling match and I am confident in myself to say I am about to defeat Firebrand at something."
"Very well. However, we can't leave Millicas and Mika out of this so..." Turning his head towards Millicas, Naruto told him he was on his team.
"Ehhh? But that means..."
"Looks like I'm going to wipe the floor with you with the help of Mika-chan," Momo told Naruto, sounding confident in her skills. "To make this a little more interesting, let's make a bet. If we win, you do something for me. If you and Millicas win, we do something for you."
"Heh, win or lose I am sure it ends with you and her getting it on before bedtime." Naruto tells the fire primordial to fuck off before agreeing to Momo's bet.
"I am going to enjoy kicking your butt in bowling. Do you know how to play, Mika-chan?"
"No, but can you teach me? So asks Mika, wanting to learn and see if I can incorporate this bowling into my fighting." As Momo schools Mika in the art of bowling, Naruto asked Millicas if he's ever bowled before. "No, I haven't bowled before. You?"
"Yes...But I'm average at bowling." Millicas paled when Naruto admits he's just okay. "I can at least get spares from time to time. I mean I did good enough to beat a jerk couple with Moka during our vacation in Okinawa."
"Why did you take us here if you're not that good at it?" Naruto tells Millicas girls and boys can get closer through competition. "But if I don't do well, Mika won't see much in me."
"Millicas, you don't need to win. Sure it'd be a bonus if we somehow win after ten rounds, but in the end, we're having fun. Trust me."
"...Alright, I trust you." On the first round, Momo went first, rolling her ball at the ten pins across from her. To Naruto and Millicas' surprise, the ball curved and knocked down all ten pins.
"Holy crap, Hanakai-senpai's got game," Naruto whispered to himself. Next turn was the blond Rook's, who knocks down five pins on the first roll and getting three more with the second. Momo gives the Rook a pity clap for his efforts. "I can kill Devils, Fallen Angels, and Criminals, and build my own weapons, but I can't bowl very well..." When Mika's turn started, she rolled her ball and had it get stuck in the left gutter as it rolled into the end of the lane and returned to Mika, who then rolls the second time, only knocking down a single pin. Now it was time for Millicas to roll, who gets a strike on his first roll.
"Millicas...you're a good kid," Naruto told the young Gremory boy and patting him on the head. "Now keep rolling balls like that."
"He got a strike on the first try, and this is his first time bowling. There's more to him than I thought, so says Mika, seeing the hidden potential in him." Hearing Mika say something nice about him made Millicas blush. "I must improve as soon as possible to achieve victory for us, so says Mika, finding a challenge in this game of rolling balls." Momo and Millicas continued to roll perfect strikes all the way until the end while Naruto and Mika got around six to eight pins, the former upping Mika's final score by 4 points, thus winning the team game.
"I lost, so says Mika, thinking to herself how I can improve next time and feeling bitter about the defeat." When the blond tried to make her feel better by saying she did her best and that was all she could do, she told him she didn't want pity from him.
"So we just won the game, regardless of how perfect your personal game was," Naruto told Momo. "You know what that means."
"A deal's a deal," said a smiling Momo, satisfied knowing while she didn't beat him in the team match, she still beat his personal score with her perfect game. "Mika-chan, since you lost to Millicas, you have to obey a single request from him."
"Very well, so says, Mika, willing to swallow my bitterness over the defeat and set aside my pride for Millicas' request." Facing the boy, she asked him what he wanted from her. "It's...well...I...want to hold hands for the rest of the time here."
"That is a strange request, so says Mika, wondering why you'd request something so trivial as that." Milicas says it wasn't trivial and it holds a special meaning. "What sort of special meaning, so asks Mika, demanding an answer."
"I...cannot tell you now, but eventually," he told her, acting shy about it.
"If this is what you request of me, I shall comply, so says Mika. First, I want to play another round of bowling, so says Mika, knowing we have enough time for another game or two before we go for dinner." Looking at Naruto to see if they could go for another round without betting, Millicas thanked him when he agreed to let the two play another game, the Agares Rook and Sitri Bishop deciding to sit back and watch.
"Now that those two are distracted with their game, what do you request from me?" Moving his mouth towards the Bishop's left ear, Naruto whispered how he wanted to have cosplay sex with her at her place, Momo wearing her Wonder Woman costume while he was dressed as Firebrand. "Namikaze Naruto-kun...I would've thought you'd ask me to help increase the budget for your body fitness club," she playfully told the blond, gently punching his right shoulder.
"I would have requested that had I not seen you dressed as the Princess of Themyscira at the movies," he adds. "But not tonight."
"Reason?"
"I was wondering if, possible, you could make another one based on the Wonder Woman in the "Superman: Red Son" movie? I love the classic look, but after I saw how hot Wonder Woman was when she flew in to say goodbye to Superman, I-," Quickly, Momo put her right hand over the blond's mouth and kissed her palm, letting go after.
"It may take some time to get the materials needed to put it all together," she said with a smile.
"I can wait," he told the Sitri Bishop.
"Wait for what?" asked Millicas, butting in on the two, Naruto and Momo telling him he wasn't old enough to know in unison. When Mika tried to tell him what it was, Naruto told her he wasn't ready to hear it. "Now I really want to know!"
Himawari Sushi Shintoshin
"Oh my goodness, this cuttlefish is so good! You have to try this Namikaze-kun." Momo picks up a cuttlefish nigiri with her chopsticks and feeds it to Naruto. While the blond savors the food in his mouth, Mika takes plate after plate of sushi from the conveyor belt and empties them all into her mouth.
"I fail to understand why they serve this food called sushi in small servings for every plate, so says Mika, feeling they should put them all in one large plate for me."
"The flavors in sushi are very strong," Naruto to the girl. "The whole point of it is to enjoy the little things, one bite at a time." Looking at Millicas, she takes note of how happy he was savoring the salmon roll in his mouth. Looking back at her plate, there was one tuna roll left on it. Picking it up, she pops it in her mouth and takes the time to truly enjoy it.
"So this is enjoying the little things, so says Mika, understanding the appeal of sushi being served in small amounts."
"Naruto?" Turning their heads, Naruto and Momo are met with a surprised but quiet Koneko.
"Hey," Naruto said to her, a welcoming tone in his voice.
"Hey..." Looking at Momo, she said the Bishop's last name to acknowledge her presence.
"Toujou..."
"Is there a reason why you're with Hanakai, Rias-senpai's Nephew, and a girl his age?" Naruto tells her he was doing a job for the young Gremory boy.
"I'll tell you about it tomorrow at school. For now, why don't you join us?" Momo didn't like it when Koneko quickly took up Naruto's invitation to join them at their table, especially when she took her seat on the right side of the blond Rook. Taking a pair of chopsticks, Koneko steals Naruto's plate of salmon sashimi and empties the plate into her mouth.
"That was mine," he told the Gremory Rook, whose response was, "Didn't see your name on it..."
"Who is this girl? So asks Mika."
"Koneko Toujou. She's a friend of mine, and she goes to the same school as us," Naruto answered. "Koneko, Mika. Mika, Koneko."
"...Where are your orbs of desirable flesh, so asks Mika, wondering why you're the same age as Naruto yet they haven't grown yet?" Naruto, Momo, and Millicas tensed up when Mika asked Koneko about her small chest size. Knowing Koneko, she was very self-conscious about her body proportions, especially when it involved her chest.
"They have yet to grow..." said Koneko, trying her best not to jump at and attack the little girl.
"Are you sure? Perhaps they're done growing and you are refusing to believe so in order to mask the painful truth that they'll never be as bountiful as you want them to be, so says Mika." Angered by the girl's response, Koneko's energy flares up.
"Oi, Koneko, do not start a fight with a little kid, especially when we're in a restaurant." Aware of this even when seethed with anger, Koneko asked Mika if she was up for an arm-wrestling match. Agreeing to it to test her own strength, the two grip each other's hands and tried to pin each other's arm onto the surface of the table. The Gremory Rook found herself in an immediate stalemate, finding Mika's strength to be at the same level as her own. Millicas roots for his crush as Naruto and Momo stayed silent, grabbed more sushi, and watched the two try to outmuscle each other. Even as two minutes passed, the two were still at a stalemate. Until...
"Looks like this is all the power you possess, so says Mika, deciding to finally use my full strength to crush you in arm wrestling." Immediately following this, Koneko found herself struggling to stop Mika's arm as the designer baby slowly uses her full might to pin her arm down.
"Her power!"
"...Nekoshou..." Koneko's eyes widened when Mika muttered it in her quiet voice.
"How does she know?"
"If you use "that power" you have, perhaps you could win this, so suggests Mika." Not wanting to use the power Mika spoke of, Koneko continues to struggle against the girl's might. "A match like this...is not interesting..." Applying all her strength into her arm, Mika immediately pins a shocked Koneko's arm, winning the match. "when I'm the only one giving it my all against someone too afraid of her own full strength, so says Mika, voicing her annoyance towards your inability to truly accept yourself..." The words Mika spoke struck Koneko on an emotional level, her eyes looking empty while looking down at her shaking hand.
"Millicas!" The Gremory boy looked afraid when Grayfia showed up and power walked up to their table. "So this is where you ran off to..."
"Mo-Mother!"
"Grayfia-sama?"
"You were supposed to stay with the tutor and study today while I was out with your Father on important business. Instead, you decided to run off with Mika to Tokyo..." Surprised by this, Naruto said to Millicas, "You decided to explore Japan with Mika when you were supposed to stay home?"
"Did I leave that detail out? My bad..." Millicas said to the blond, looking away from him in embarrassment from being caught.
"You're coming home right now, Millicas, you as well Mika. You're in big trouble." Nervous sweat on his face, Millicas said, "O-Okay, Mother...", as he and Mika got up from their seat(s) and walked up to her.
"I thank you for looking after my son and Mika, Naruto, and I apologize for my son bringing you into this. I am sure you had plans today that had to be rescheduled." When Grayfia bowed her head to him, the Rook told her it wasn't necessary. "To make it up to you, I will owe you one favor. I won't take no for an answer, especially from someone who has done so much for Sirzechs."
"If you insist, Grayfia-sama," Naruto said after letting out a sigh.
Agares Mansion
Naruto stood with Koneko, Momo, and Seekvaira as Grayfia created a summoning circle to return herself, her son, and Mika back to the Underworld. Before they entered the circle, Grayfia allowed Millicas to speak to the blond Rook.
"Thank you for spending your time on my selfish request, and sorry for bringing you into it," Millicas said to the blond in a thankful and apologetic manner.
"Next time, let's do that, but without you getting into trouble with your Mother," Naruto replied, Millicas nodding his head in agreement before he went to his Mother's side.
"...Firebrand..." Looking at Mika, the others wondered what she was going to say. "No...Naruto...You have shown me a few great places around this land called Japan...taught me new things...It was...fun as you put it, so says Mika, voicing her interest in this land and the places I have yet to see."
"You have Millicas to thank for this experience," said Naruto, giving the credit to the young Gremory boy. Looking at the blushing boy and back at Naruto, then back at former, Mika thanked Millicas.
"N-No problem. If you want...do you want to join me the next time I decide to go see Naruto-san?" Mika agrees, but only if they go bowling next time, wanting to have another match with him and Naruto and crush them once she gets better at rolling the ball. "Deal!"
"I also want a slushie machine, so says Mika."
"Slushie Machine?" Grayfia questioned the reason for Mika's need for a slushie machine as Seekvaira realized who the large slushie was for when he texted her after the movies. Once again, Millicas agreed to Mika's demands. Finished, the young Gremory boy and Mika left for home with Grayfia.
"So she's become a slushie addict?" Seekvaira asked Naruto.
"Looks like it..." Letting out a yawn, Naruto decides to call it a night and head home with Momo and Koneko, the latter still silent after her arm-wrestling match with Mika. "I'll see you tomorrow, Seekvaira."
"Same to you three."
On the way home
After waving goodbye to Naruto and Koneko, Momo enters her house, leaving the two Rooks alone as they continued their walk.
"...Naruto?"
"Yeah?" Looking down at the sidewalk, Koneko told him she didn't feel like going home, knowing if she did, she'd be worrying Rias with the state she was in. She then asked if she could stay at his place.
"Sure..." Grateful despite how she was looking at the moment, Koneko thanked the blond for allowing her to stay at his place.
"I'm sorry for having you do this."
"I don't mind. I did tell you I'd be happy to help if you ever needed me after all." Koneko said nothing as she continued to walk with Naruto. "...This problem you have, Koneko, involving this power...You'll need to face it eventually." Koneko says she understands, and that she remembered what he said to her back at Okinawa. "A bit of advice, from the words of British psychologist Robert Holden, "No amount of self-improvement can make up for any lack of self-acceptance."
"Hmm, smart guy."
"When it comes to his field of excellence..."
"...Tell me Naruto, what was it like the first two weeks working with Infernus?" Koneko asked. Was it hard to accept the power you now wield?"
"The first time I used my abilities without the help of Infernus, I killed a small group of fallen angels." Koneko looked surprised when Naruto told her of the first time he used his powers. "Crazy thing about it...I enjoyed killing them, and the power I had got the best of me at that time. And that wasn't the only time. There were these three guys who were planning to rob a convenience store and have their way with JoJo's girlfriend. I stopped them, using brutal methods to do so, one of them involving one of their heads being crushed with my new strength. In both those times, I feared what I was becoming, and Infernus knew it. He told me like me, he struggled with it too the first time he became what he was, but after a week, he learned to embrace the power he had and made it his own. He made me realize I had to do the same. I needed this power if I wanted to protect the things I hold close to me. I don't know what would've happened, how events could've played out, had I not embraced this power. All I know is if I didn't, we wouldn't be having this conversation."
"You make it sound like if you didn't embrace your power all those months ago, Kokabiel would have killed us all and had his war," Koneko told the blond.
"That could've happened," Naruto admits to the Gremory Rook. "Though we have no way of knowing for sure. If anything, Vali would've kicked his ass. I can see that happening, had I not been there to obliterate his body."
"...You know what, Naruto? You and I aren't so different."
"You think so?" Naruto asked, raising a brow.
"We're both Rooks who are first-years at Kuoh Academy, and we both love sweets," Koneko said, shrugging her shoulders. "The only difference is that we have different progression levels. I've been building up my strength with nothing but self-improvement to get where I am, and you, you went beyond, by not only improving yourself but accepting everything you've become. I don't just envy that about you, I...l-...I admire it." Koneko's face turned red after. In truth, she wanted to say she loved it, but she decided it wasn't time to tell him.
"...You're a good friend Naruto. I want you to know that. I don't believe I'd be able to tell anyone about this, save for Rias."
"I am happy to hear you say that Koneko." The Gremory Rook responds with a smile, Naruto telling the girl she really shines when she does it.
"If I wasn't in a good mood after such a meaningful talk, I would've pulled your cheeks."
"I don't doubt it. Those cheek pulls really hurt, ya know." The smiling Koneko lightly elbowed the Agares Rook's right side in a friendly manner as Naruto smiled with her.
Namikaze Residence
"Who's this? Who's this Naruto!?" asked an excited Chelsea, who gushes over Koneko as Naruto and Akame watched.
"Her name's Koneko. She's a friend of mine." Unable to control herself, Chelsea hugs the girl, who couldn't bring herself to pull out of it.
"She so cute and soft! Almost like a cat!"
"Cute, I am not-" Koneko stops when Chelsea rubs under Koneko's chin with her fingers, the latter being subdued by it.
"There there, Koneko-chan, no need to deny it..." Once Chelsea stopped, Koneko told her to do what she did with her chin again. As Chelsea rubbed under Koneko's chin again, Naruto wondered what was going on, Akame thinking the same thing.
5 minutes later
Once Koneko and Akame left for bed, the former deciding to sleep in Naruto's room, Chelsea asked her little brother what he was doing all day, wondering why she didn't see him home when she got back, who told her he was dealing with a client for Seekvaira's cousin.
"Must have been a tough one if he had you from the time school was finished for the day till now."
"Actually, he had me take him around Japan." When Chelsea asked if he had fun, Naruto told her he did, making the older sibling smile.
"...The archery club tournament is in five days. Shino's going to be there...Will you be okay watching the tournament, despite you two breaking up?"
"Yes, I believe I will be okay," he assured, giving her a smile to let her know she had nothing to worry about. A satisfied Chelsea pats Naruto on the shoulder three times and says good night to him, heading up to bed after. "If you can help it, make sure you don't stay up too late. I know you tend to overwork yourself with your occasional night activities." Naruto's eyes widened when she said that, turning around to see her walk up the stairs.
"She couldn't possibly know...could she?" Infernus asked the blond, who was left unsure. Until...
"I swear, you should talk to your boss about getting a schedule that won't have you working overnight on weekdays." Naruto could only sigh a breath of relief, thinking to himself, "Oh, good, she only meant that."
