Former emplacement of Hachi Academy, several months ago.
Summer vacations are about to begin, for that occasion, the students decided to party.
The dojo of the school has been arranged for that evening, buffets, decorations… And even a scene.
A scene that has the attention of every student that evening.
But behind the curtains...
"F-Fumiyo… Are you sure about that?"
Heitan asks Fumiyo, who's put him in that situation.
"Of course! The entire school knows how good you are at singing! They are all going to love you!"
Fumiyo answers in a joyful voice, but Heitan is far to share that enthusiasm.
"You could at least ask me before organizing everything…"
Heitan responds in an embarrassed voice.
But before Fumiyo could say anything in return, the other elite students come here too.
"Fumiyo, could you explain what is going on there, please?"
Arisa asks, confused.
"For that party, I though Heitan could sing for everyone, he is very good at this!"
Fumiyo explains.
Arisa, Yû, and Ai all heard about their comrade's talent as a singer, but they've never had the occasion to hear him themselves.
"Holy shit, Fumiyo! Just for that idea, I forgive you one third of the time you pissed me off!"
Ai yells in an enthusiastic tone of voice.
"I admit I am now curious…"
Arisa says in an eager voice.
"I don't want to stay at a party… But I guess I can endure that for this…"
Yû admits with embarrassment.
Heitan is definitively busted, he can refuse that to his four friends.
"Okay… But I rip apart the first one who laught!"
Heitan claims in a threatening voice, which scares his comrades a little.
A few moments later
Heitan is on the scene, the other elite students have joined the normal students.
The silence reigns over, and after a last moment of hesitation and a deep breath, he finally starts:
"The vagabonds we have become,
we will get our hands dirty.
For our missions, our hearts at home,
we can go called for duty.
The all of us, we struggle hard,
but only a few come back.
Shadows like us as your rearguard,
mercilessly we attack.
You have our thanks for our new lives,
our debt to you, we will pay.
Your enemies, we stab with our knives,
and we leave when comes the day.
With wounds must come our journey's end,
thus, starts your own happiness.
Don't betray the one you call friend,
or we'll make you know darkness."
Then Heitan end his performance, the silence reigns over again.
And after a few seconds, cheering starts to resonate in the entire hall, becoming more and more intense.
Despite being sinister sounding, the students really loved Heitan's song.
Among the ones applauding, the elite students are exception, not even Yû.
By seeing that, Heitan can't help but shyly smiling.
"T-Thank you!"
A few days later
Fumiyo and Heitan are donating their blood in Arisa's room (with their consent).
"Done!"
The nurse juste finished.
"How you feel, Fumiyo?"
Heitan asks; since it's Fumiyo's first time donating her blood.
"A little empty… But nothing more."
Fumiyo responds.
"Thanks for your donation! That's good quality blood like I deeply love!"
Arisa says by rubbing her check on the blood bag as if it was cute little pets.
Heitan and Fumiyo smile with embarrassment by seeing that, but Arisa doesn't take long noticing her attitude looks a little too weird.
"Anyway… Thanks Fumiyo for coming, I don't even know why I did not ask you before…"
Arisa by smiling.
"Oh, this is nothing, you should thank Heitan because he was the one offering me…"
Fumiyo answers.
Arisa, by hearing that, takes Heitan in her arms by reflex.
"Really?! How nice of you!"
Arisa joyfully says, holding Heitan's head in her bust.
Fumiyo is blushing, but Heitan is panicking.
"Um… Arisa…"
Fumiyo starts, but she doesn't need to explain, Arisa understands by herself she should stop…
"Oops, sorry…"
She says by letting Heitan go, the young man is red like a tomato.
"O-Oh… It's alright…"
He says in an embarrassed voice.
Both Fumiyo and Arisa cheerfully smile at him in return.
"To be honest, heitan… If I could, I would adopt you as my little brother, because you are lovely in every way…"
Arisa adds, which make Heitan feels even more embarrassed.
"Whatever… After a magnificent donation, it's important to get some nutriments… Would you like to lunch with me?"
Arisa asks in a soft voice.
"I would gladly do!"
Fumiyo joyfully answers.
"Why not…"
Heitan responds with a shy smile.
A week later
Yû comes back from a walk with her dogs, like she does several times per day.
The young woman is in a bad mood today, and it's easy to feel. Nobody would dare annoy her… Expect one person.
"Yû?"
Heitan says to catch his comrade's attention.
"What?"
Yû asks in a bitter voice, ready to punch him if she doesn't have a good reason to bother her.
Heitan is first hesitating, but still talk.
"I've… I've found this box outside and… I need your help…"
Heitan says in a shy voice while showing Yû a simple open carton box.
By seeing her dogs reacting to a smell from the box, Yû immediately understands what is it.
She looks inside, to see small puppies, way too young to be weaned.
"..."
Yû looks at the puppies with kindness in her eyes, but anger quickly replaces kindness when she imagines what happened.
"Abandonned, I guess…"
Yû claims.
"Yes…"
Heitan confirms.
Yû is angry, but still takes the box.
"I know an association with people pretty good with puppies, I'll call them…"
Yû says in a softer voice.
"Thank you, Yû…"
Heitan answers by smiling.
Yû, before leaving, tells her comrade one last thing by smiling:
"No, I thank you… They own you their life…"
Three days later, during the night
Ai and Heitan are back from an assassination mission which ended very well, which makes Ai very joyful.
"Ah! We're really a hella great pairing!"
Ai yells with joy.
"Seems so."
Heitan responds with hesitation, hesitation Ai felt.
"You don't look convinced…"
Ai says by pouting.
"Eh? Of course I am, I'm your favourite partner, am I wrong?"
Heitan tells Ai while cheerfully smiling.
"True…"
Ai answers, smiling too.
The two shinobi are exhausted, they just reported their success to Hamato and are currently walking in the dormitories.
"Ah, here my room…"
Ai says before taking the doorknob, but without lowering it.
"I'm going, goodnight."
Heitan says by continuing his route, but…
"Wait…"
Ai says in a hesitating voice.
"Eh? Yes?"
Heitan asks, confused.
Ai doesn't respond or turning her head around, all she does is waving his comrade to get close.
Heitan obeys, and come closer the door.
"Is something…"
Heitan starts, but Ai stops him by suddenly kissing him, which freezes him.
The kiss only lasts a few seconds, but once over, Ai lustfully looks Heitan and asks him:
"Wanna spend the night with me?"
Heitan is red and shocked.
He stays hesitant ten seconds before answering.
And his response is:
"A-Alright…"