"Ready?"

Hesitation. Focus. Finger above the trigger.

A nod.

"Go."

Moving. Under the cover of night. Kalashnikov dirty. But working.

His fingers strum across the guitar strings with such smoothness that it produces a sound so pleasing that it is carried by the wind for the rest of the world to hear. He inhales, the movements of his wrist and fingers coming to a halt.

"Four hostiles, make it quick."

Gunshots. Four of them.

"Area clear. Kills confirmed."

Blood. Oozing out of four adult men's body. Warm. Red.

Then he exhales and his hands resume where they left.

"Spi, mladenets moy prekrasnyy, Bayushki-bayu

Tikho smotrit mesyats yasnyy V kolybel' tvoyu

Stanu skazyvat' ya skazki, Pesenku spoyu

Ty zh dremli, zakryvshi glazki, Bayushki-bayu… bayushki-bayu…"

And his strumming ceases altogether.

He finds peace sitting on the school's roof as he is the only there with no one else to disturb him by approaching him to ask questions that are, more or less, related to his past. Speaking of the past, it has been one year ever since he transferred and enrolled in this school. And what a long year it was. The first few months were… eventful. He got to learn a lot of things about the Japanese culture, the language itself and how quiet the life of a Japanese high school student could be.

He no longer wears the desert tan colored outfit that he wore the first time he arrived in Japan, instead, he now dons the school's male uniform. It has been tailored perfectly, matching his figure and form. The shoes, however, can use a little bit of modification as they are a little bit too tight for his liking. His hair, which used to be short and minimal, is now longer, unkempt but manageable. Aside from his hair, nothing changed that much for him physically. All in all, he's still the same gaijin that arrived one year ago in Japan.

He expects two things when he first thought about living in Japan. Peace and quiet. And he got what he expected, peace and quiet, it's been that way for the whole one year. No fighting, no armed attacks, no shooting HVTs… nothing. And it was nice. Really nice. He quits Leafcorp for a reason and that reason is very personal, but it's not uncommon.

Simply put, he doesn't want to kill anymore.

No. Killing is, while he will not deny that sometime it is necessary to kill, not healthy. Killing for him is like staying awake for a whole day straight without a wink of sleep, he has no problem with it, but the more he does it, the unhealthier it gets. He has been killing for more than seven years of his life and to be honest, it's getting boring for him. When he consulted this dilemma that he has with his master, his master told him that regardless of whatever decision he makes, he will support him all throughout the way. And he did, he got him to Japan and even provided a house for him too.

Speaking of houses, he's been living off his life savings in order to go through the day. With all the amount of money in his bank account, all of the accumulated salary that he has yet to use from the very moment he's 'hired' into Leafcorp, he should be able to live a lavish life for the next ten years or so. But he sees no need to spend more than he needs. Water, electricity and gas bills aside; most of his expenditures are spent on food and transportation, that's about it. Internet? He has his phone with him.

Still, it won't hurt him to get a job. But that is pretty much impossible, considering his lack of compatibility with the service industry.

He'd rather raid a militia compound somewhere in Afghanistan rather than work in a convenience store…

Aside from his lack of compatibility, there's also a crucial matter that has gone unsolved for the past one year.

His social life.

Not to make it sound so serious or anything but his social life is below the average of what a normal person would receive. Sure, some people try to approach him and interact with him, but after they get what they need, they do not talk with him again. If his social life is to be shown on a line graph format, the first few months would show the incline of the amount of attention that he receives on the daily and eventually it will reaches its peak, then it's followed by a very steep decline.

However, it isn't like he's completely bothered by this, in fact, it has its upsides too. He gets to focus and immerse himself in his studies more, he has more free time to attend more lectures, more workout time and many more. This is not Leafcorp where you keep silent and do everything your client wants you to do. No. Now, he gets to make decisions. Decisions that will determine how his 'new' life will be like for the years to come. But he too realizes just how important it is to socialize.

And don't get him started on how important social skills are to finding a job…

Shaking his head, Naruto sighs as he lifts his body up from the floor. He holds the guitar by its spine. He borrowed it earlier from the music room and he has to return it by the end of today. He'd stay up here longer, but lunchtime is about to end and he has some assignments to do.

Walking down the stairs from the roof, Naruto is greeted by the noisy and crowded third floor corridor bustling with life. The third floor is where the third years' classrooms are and he's a second year, so his classroom is still a floor below.

"Hello Naruto-kun!"

"Naruto-kun, have you had lunch? Want to share mine?"

"Stop it Ayaka, that's so sly!"

Smiling, he gives the group of girls a small wave with his other hand. They swoon at the reaction they receive, but the blonde does not stay long enough to see them squealing and gushing over him.

Stopping by the music room, he returns the guitar right where he took it from. Exiting the room, he immediately sets off to his class.

Perhaps he does get some attention, only not the kind that he wants.

"Alright class, you're dismissed."

A small cheer and relieved groans erupted from the students.

"Remember to do your homework and don't forget that we'll be discussing more about the topic in depth tomorrow."

Naruto packs his books into his bag, doing so at his own pace. He's fully accustomed to the things that he should bring to school. Basically, books, food and more books. That's all the things you'll need in school. Oh and your phone too.

"A-Ano… Naruto do you mind if you come with me for a second?"

Looking up, he takes a moment to pause his packing of books. His gaze is met by one of the few faces that he's familiar with, but in her case, it's almost impossible for him to forget about her.

Tilting his head, the blonde asks, "Whatever for, Yui?"

Ah, yes, Yuigahama Yui. The owner of the puppy dog who he saved one year ago. She's the girl with the pink hair styled into a bun, pretty amusing if you ask him. She's one of the few people that actually talks to him, but most of his conversation are actually done with her. Yuigahama Yui is the only person he talks to sometimes during class, excluding teachers.

Personally for him, he thinks of her as being a nice girl, as proven by how much people she seems to associate herself with. She talks to everyone and constantly radiates an air of cheerfulness and outward exuberant to others. But there are also moments when he thinks that her personality is a little bit overwhelming.

"It's for a favor, yeah, a favor!" the pink haired girl exclaims bashfully, a trait of hers that Naruto has gotten used to. "Y-You see, I wanna buy some ingredients in the supermarket to bake some cookies, you see, I've been interested in learning how to bake lately so-so… haauu…"

Typical, Naruto thought. She needs someone to accompany her because it's probably in her right mind to drag a person along to help her carry the bags, not that there's any problem with it, but this is the fourth time she's asked him for a favor this week. The previous three times were far more reasonable as in: helping her carry some papers to the faculty office, helping her distribute out assignments that the teacher has asked her to do and screwing on a light bulb in the Audio Visuals room. But something like ingredient shopping? Isn't that too personal?

He's aware of how… one sided his relationship with Yui is. She's the one who does most of the talking while he's the one who listens to her talk. It's been that way ever since she transferred into the school, which was just a day after his transfer. Speaking of which, he remembers how insistent she was in trying to make it up to him about the incident with her dog. Of course, feeling uneasy, he said that it was okay and that she didn't have to do anything. But Yui persisted, she insisted on doing something so that at least she didn't have to feel guilty about leaving scars all over him.

Not being in the position to make the girl feel even more upset, he told her that if she bought him bread and milk at the cafeteria, then he'll accept her so called 'apology'. He thought that they'll settle matters there and not talk to her from that point onwards, but oh no, he's wrong. Ever since that point onwards, Yui's been the only person, girl moreover, he talked with for the entire first year of his high school life.

Aaaaand now we're here.

"Baking, huh?" Naruto tests the word out in his mouth, slowly, he frowns. "Aren't you terrible at cooking, though?"

A look of shock crosses the girl's face, before disappointment settles in, making her feel and look all the more dejected. "Uuuh… you're so cruel Naru… you don't have to make it sound like I'm completely hopeless at cooking!"

Raising a finger, Naruto goes to defend himself. "But you are hopeless at cooking." He says, his voice as flat as ever. However, the frown on his face stretches into that of a smirk. "You even said it one time during our conversation at exactly four days ago, during lunch time, fourteen minutes before third perio-"

"Stop, stop, stop!" The girl is like a red steamroller. She covers the blonde's mouth, literally, with metaphorical hot air blowing out of her ears like the steam from a steam engine. Her face can rival a tomato easily without any effort. "And how can you remember something so specific like that? Even I don't remember that, and I was the one who spoke!"

Pulling her hands from his mouth gently using his hands, Naruto then crosses his arms. "Well, to answer your question in order: unlike you Yui, I'm well aware of my surroundings. That means I'm aware of the time, day, location, people I talked with, things I did, and whatever topic of conversation that I was having at a particular moment. And as for the last one, it's not that strange. People tend to ignore their bad qualities… at least, people like you do so more often."

"You're spouting off mean things about me again, aren't you!?"

His smile widens. "No, no. That's just your imagination, Yui." He closes his eyes, looking 'oh so innocent' with that smile of his.

"You're lying, Naru…"

"I never lie." But his smirk proves otherwise.

But his words only serve as fuel to her fire which is embarrassment. Unable to take his teasing any more, Yui storms off the room shouting 'YOU'RE A JERK NARUTO!'. Chuckling at the mess that he has created, Naruto shakes his head as he stands up to finally leave the room.

"You really shouldn't tease Yui too much, Naruto."

But a voice stops him from actually exiting his classroom.

His smile remains, but it loses the intensity that it had when teasing Yui. Naruto comes face to face with yet another girl, but this time, she holds an even more solid and prominent position in the school's hierarchy. Her green eyes are looking at him with the feeling as if she's scolding him, her appropriately glossed lips are formed into a small disappointed scowl to show her disapproval of what he's just done to the girl who ran out shouting names at him.

"I just can't help it, Miura-san. It's refreshing to see her like that."

This is Miura Yumiko. Normally, someone with the kind of reputation that she has would be the last person to talk to him. However, here she is having a conversation, yet with the intention of scolding, with him as if it's the most natural thing in the world. Of course, it's not like she talks to him all the time, in fact, this moment is so rare. The only occasions when she'd actually talk to him is when she really needs to ask a question about certain topics like, the English subject, calculating the trajectory of moving objects and the amount of force required in order to make said object move in the first place or for other things like… scolding him for teasing Yui like what she's doing now.

A pair of emerald green eyes rolls as if to mock the reason behind what he did. "Refreshing? It's believable the first two times, but it's not a viable reason anymore."

Brave, strong willed and aggressive. Three qualities of Miura Yumiko that makes her stand out amongst the rest of her peers and what earns her the moniker of Soubu's Queen Bee.

Sighing, Yumiko shakes her head and then gives the taller blonde a final look. "Just don't go overboard with it, Yui's actually a sensitive girl, you know?"

Smiling good naturedly, Naruto understands why she's so concerned over Yui. They're friends, after all. "I don't plan on doing so, Miura-san, so you can rest easy."

After letting her look of uncertainty linger at him for a few seconds longer, the girl shrugs, leaving the room before him, but not before saying. "You're a good guy, Naruto."

Girls. It'd take longer than eight four years for him to know what's on their mind, much less understand them.

Next Day

"Certainly, your writing, grammar and vocabulary have improved by a lot over the past year… and that's amazing. I'm not even kidding, for someone who's home taught, it's very impressive."

Ignoring Shizuka's praises about his improvements, Naruto opts to credit someone else for his achievements. "I have a very excellent mentor."

Raising an eyebrow, Shizuka notes the choice of words that he used. "Excellent, eh? I'd like to meet this mentor of yours, he's your guardian too, I take it?"

The blonde nods firmly, no hesitation at all, almost as if he's proud to reveal the information to her. "True. He's my mentor, guardian and father figure in all."

Realizing the pit that she's about to step on if this topic continues further, Shizuka redirects their conversation elsewhere. "There are mistakes, but in your case, the improvements in your overall output have completely outweighed them." the lab coat wearing teacher hums with a hint of approval in her tone. "You might even score more than our previous top scorers, and you're not even a native speaker."

"I have a way with language."

"Oho? Cocky are we?"

"No, not at all."

Shizuka raises an eyebrow. While she's used to how… stoic and monotone and sometimes downright sarcastic her foreign student could be at times, she fails to detect the obvious sarcasm that he would often hint out when he's joking.

Realizing that his teacher is pondering on the lack of humor in his tone, he elaborates. "I'm a westerner who has lived the first nine years of his life in the Middle East, got taken in by a Japanese man and spends most of his days talking to people of Slavic and Eastern European origin." He shrugs. "Safe to say I'm a natural when it comes to learning languages."

"I see…" no she doesn't.

"No you don't." the blonde reveals her thoughts, flatly.

"A-Anyway, am I safe to assume that due to these… differences in culture… you've been having difficulty in fitting in with the rest of your peers?" recomposing herself, Shizuka lays out yet another question for him to answer.

He answers immediately. "Not quite." He says. "I'm okay with most of them, but there are just times when I feel like they're avoiding me. Whether this is about my race or personality, I can't really tell." Well, he could tell, but he doesn't feel like telling Shizuka. "But you don't have to worry about that, it's all fine, sensei."

"You see, that's the thing." Naruto sees his homeroom teacher sighing whilst shaking her head, probably due to the answer he's given her. "Teenagers like you Naruto, regardless of their origins, will always say that it's fine while in reality it's not." She hums, rethinking her words. "Okay, maybe this does not apply to teenagers only, but people are prone to hide what they actually feel by saying things like 'I'm fine' or 'it's alright' and things like that."

"But… it is alright, sensei… I do not see the point of hiding something that I do not have or feel in the first place…"

But you do have something that you're hiding, right?" again, Naruto is reminded just how persistent women can be. "It doesn't have to be the minimal social contact that you have with your peers, but it's something else, right?"

Blinking several times, something clicks inside of Naruto's head. Hiratsuka Shizuka… you are one crafty woman, smart, but not smart enough.

It's his turn to sigh. "Sensei… if this is you trying to figure out more about my past, then I'm afra-"

"No, no, this isn't about that at all." She interrupts him before he can finish his sentence. "You know, throughout this whole on year, you remain a mystery to me. To all of us. Your past be damned, even your personality and behavior requires my earnest attention to figure out and that's actually something." She snorts humorlessly. "What I'm trying to say is, there's no need to be reserved. As your homeroom teacher and student counselor, you can tell me what is that's been hindering you from trying to go the extra mile to interact with your peers."

Hm… perhaps there are some truths in her words. Though her intention in trying to get more of his past out of him by leading him into an obvious has failed, the last part of her statement is true. He feels something hindering himself from trying to interact with his classmates. He figured that keeping quiet and only talk when you're talked to would be the best course of action into getting associates, but as it turns out, it hasn't done him any good. Yet, he has not done anything about it. The reason?

"Well…" the blonde speaks out, uncertainty filling his tone, something that Shizuka is not used to hear coming from him. "Maybe there is something hindering me…"

"Then tell me, I'd be more than happy to help." Shizuka says with a smile.

"Personally, I think that it is my own incapability to approach others… I am not very good in socializing, especially when it comes to people my own age. And being a foreigner in a foreigner lowers my self-esteem further." Perhaps this is what he's supposed to be doing. Instead of facing it on his own, maybe the help of another party might give him the solution he needs.

"So you are worried about how you will be judged and seen by others?"

He shakes his head. "Not in the sense that you might be thinking. I just don't want people to have a very high expectation from me."

Shizuka hums, presumably taking in his answer. After what feels like twenty seconds, she sighs, looking down, muttering, "If only he'd be more honest like you…" Naruto is sure that he's not supposed to hear what she's just said, so he ignores the comment. The lab coat wearing teacher then returns her attention to him. "I get what you're feeling. But I can't give you any solid solution right now, in fact, I don't think I can ever."

Naruto doesn't know why, but he expects her to say that.

"What I can do, however, is urge you to try and keep on socializing with your friends. Don't think of whatever it is that they might feel towards you, think of you or anything like that. Just try to maintain conversation and make yourself readable for them." she pauses, taking a moment to let the words sink in. "You see, the problem that most people have when talking to a foreigner is that – in the case of us Japanese – is that we're afraid that we might give them the wrong impression of how Japanese people are as a whole, which is why most of us choose not to talk to people and keep our comments to ourselves. I believe that this is the case with people of other countries when they're talking to someone from a different country."

He finds her answer acceptable, logical and makes sense.

"In your case, Naruto, you are probably expecting people to approach you and tell you how they feel about you as person, but know that most people won't do that. Then if that is the case, it's up to you to approach them and tell them how you feel about them. If you take the initiative to engage first, then they'll tolerate your presence even more. Opinions and expectations be damned. If you're not you when you're talking to them, then how can you expect them to be them in the first place?"

'If you're not you when you're talking to them, then how can you expect them to be them?'

Looks like she's a teacher after all.

"I see." Naruto smiles. But unlike his usual ones that are only there for the sake of looking happy, this time, it's genuine. "Thank you, Hiratsuka-sensei."

"Anytime… speaking of which, Naruto, you're not in any club, are you?"

Raising an eyebrow at the sudden shift of topic, he answers her, "No, I'm not in any club."

Shizuka asks again. "Then do you ever consider yourself joining a club?"

Taking a moment to think about it, he hums, "There was this one time I consider on joining the track and fields club… but I'm no longer considering it."

Smiling, Shizuka dumps the ashes of her cigar into the cigar tray on the coffee table in front of her. "Perfect. Come see me after school, we're getting you a club for you to join!"

"What?"

"Now let me do all the talking first, this person is a little bit hard to convince."

"Sensei, where are we-"

"Now, now, we're almost there."

In fact, they are there already.

It's after school now, he's supposed to be on the street making his walk home, but right now, he's tasked with following Shizuka to this mysterious club. Why is she doing this in the first place? What makes this necessary? And why is he following her in the first place when he could have just rejected her? He'll have to satisfy his unanswered questions later, because Shizuka has entered the fray by sliding open the door of the club that he's supposed to visit.

Inside the club, he's greeted with an unfurnished classroom which is just as big as the rest of the classrooms in this school. At least that's what he thought at first. Upon further inspection, the chairs and tables are actually stacked on the back of the room allowing so much free space left for people to use. But he's not convinced just yet, because this place looks nothing like a clubroom. It lacks the necessary equipment, furnishing and accessories to warrant his identity as a club room.

The literature club has countless books and shelves, the soccer club has their field, the music club uses the music room and their instruments but this room? Not a single thing.

But all of that doesn't explain the presence of the black haired, pale skinned and blue eyed beauty sitting on a chair with a table, who is reading a book while sipping on a mug of tea either.

So… what is happening right now?

His expression is as blank as the moon; nothing really shows aside from the obvious confusion he's currently feeling. The mysterious girl glances over to both him and Shizuka, her gaze fixed on the lab coat wearing teacher.

"Hiratsuka-sensei… how many times should I remind you to knock the door before entering?" her voice is exactly as he'd thought it might sound like. Firm, yet smooth as if he's skating on silk. But she's using her voice as a medium to scold the teacher, adding in a pinch of deliberateness and resolution into it.

Shizuka waves her hand, indicating her lack of sincerity on apologizing. "Maa, maa, it's a habit of mine, don't mind it too much."

Sighing, the blue eyed girl's gaze switches over to him, maintaining it in a rather firm lock. "So, are we having guests?"

"Yes, yes, he's your guest today." Shizuka motions for Naruto to enter. "Don't just stand in the hallway Naruto, come in already."

Stepping into the room, the light but relaxing scent of red tea overwhelms his senses. While Naruto is getting used to the room, the girl has prepared a chair and a warm cup of tea for him. "Please, sit down."

Naruto nods before taking the spot that she has prepared for him. He sees her sitting down on her chair and from there, the conversation resumes. "So, may I ask what's his purpose here, sensei?"

Chuckling lightly, Shizuka, who's opted to lean on the wall near the door for her place, answers the girl. "As blunt as ever, eh, Yukinoshita? The both of you will get along together well…" she sighs. Rudely, she points at the blonde, who's sipping the tea that has been prepared for him, before saying. "Simply said, he'll be joining this club from now on."

Yeah, he expects this. Sighing into his cup, he places it back on the table. "Sensei, does it not occur to you that I might not have any time to spare for something as time-consuming as a club?"

"Oh? Are you saying that you have things to do after school, Naruto?" Shizuka's tone is challenging him for a battle of wits. "If you happen to have a part time job, then why wasn't I made aware? You do know that having a part time job without confirming about it to your homeroom teacher is punishable by the school's rule, right?"

He crosses his arm, resting his chin on his palm. "You're mistaken. I never said anything about having a part time job, all I'm saying is that I have things better to do than wasting my time in a… eh… room that may or may not be a club room in the first place."

"Excuse me."

Both Naruto and Shizuka looks at Yukinoshita, who has a pretty offended look on her face, and she is directing all of that irritation at the blonde in the room. "Not only this is the first time I have met you, but you also insulted my club room too? How despicable and rude of you." Her glare doubles in intensity.

The muscle on Naruto's neck twitches. He is thiiiiiis close from retorting, but he refrains himself. First impressions are important, especially with girls… is what he overheard some of the boys in his class were saying. Sighing, the blonde looks over at Shizuka instead, paying the other girl attention no longer.

"Can we please get to the point of why I'm here, sensei?"

Clearing her throat, Shizuka steps forward, donning a confident and plotting smile on her beautiful face. "The reason why I've brought you here Naruto is because she-" Shizuka points a finger at Yukinoshita, who raises an eyebrow at the gesture. "-will be the one to help you with improving your social life in this high school environment."

"What?" the word is uttered by two people. Naruto and Yukinoshita.

"The both of you heard me correctly." Shizuka's smiling a million dollar worth of smile. "Naruto will join the service club and Yukinoshita will help him improve his social skills."

As soon as Shizuka finish speaking, both students raised their hands simultaneously. And Yukinoshita is the first one to speak. "Sensei, forgive me, but I don't think I will be able to confine myself in a room alone with this person. I do not know him and everything about him seems dangerous."

After hearing her reason, Naruto actually considers on lowering his hand and let this whole thing roll into an even uglier mess than what it already is now. But he needs to prove that he's at least making an effort to defend himself. First impressions are important, after all. "Sensei, I don't think that this person will be able to help me in the slightest." He says flatly. "Her entire presence reeks that of a loner."

How's that for a first impression?

Shizuka winces internally, knowing the full weight behind Naruto's words. Yukinoshita, on the other hand, flinches as if she's just taken a shot from a .22 LR bullet. "O-Oh, so are you saying that you are far more capable in socializing with others than me?"

The blonde shrugs. "I guess. I'm not the one who's actually confining herself inside a room somewhere in the school now am I?"

"A-Alright you two, break it up, break it up!" Shizuka has to interfere at this point. Naruto has done too much damage to Yukinoshita that the girl's face is all red, the normally calm and unshaken expression is currently absent from her person. "Ahem, you see, there is a purpose for this."

The two students direct a questioning look at the teacher of their own.

"Yukinoshita, I've given you a fellow club member to help out with club activities. That way, you'll be able to do the tasks that require strenuous efforts." The girl, despite knowing just how logical her teacher's reasoning is, cannot seem to back down just yet. "And Naruto, Yukinoshita is actually one of the most well-known individual in the school. She should be able to help you just fine."

Crossing her arms, Yukinoshita opens her mouth to speak. "Regardless of what you have just said, sensei, I still think that that man cannot be trusted."

Blinking several times, Naruto isn't sure of what he's supposed to feel. Is he supposed to feel offended, hurt or something? Regardless of what it is, one thing is clear: this Yukinoshita chick is going to be a pain in the ass. Both figuratively and literally.

"As for that, you do not have to worry, Yukinoshita." Shizuka reassures the black haired beauty with a smile. "Naruto is one of the most reserved, gentle and well-mannered people I know. He won't do anything to you."

"But his comment earlier says otherwise…"

"That's only because you started it, Yukinoshita," Shizuka crosses her arms, her tone beginning to take a stern turn, "he's only defending himself."

A sense of pleasure washes over Naruto. So this is what it feels like to have someone defending you in an argument? Feels good, better than what he expects. Most of the arguments he'd been in always end up in him diving first into gunfights, turning live people to dead people and him wiping out an entire platoon of soldiers. So, it feels nice to be the one being defended once in a while. His master, despite being there with him while the entire thing took place, never really did anything to defend him. Something about tough love or whatever.

Sighing, Yukinoshita sees that there is no more room to argue. "Very well, I will accept him as a member of this club… and the request regarding him."

Satisfied with Yukinoshita's answer, Shizuka nods her head, the smile on her face brimming with cheer. "Good! Then, I will take my leave now." She turns her attention to the blonde. "Naruto, from now on, you're to attend club per Yukinoshita's order. She is your club leader now so listen to her, okay?"

"…yes ma'am."

"Good." Nodding one last time, the teacher finally exits the scene, closing behind the sliding door.

Immediately, awkwardness settles into the room as if it's been hanging out waiting for the whole situation to become quiet. Naruto, who is now seated on his chair, reaches for his bag, before reaching inside as if he's trying to search for something. His action is observed silently by the club president herself who is seated on the other end of the table, she's taking discreet glances at him, using her book as cover. She watches him take out a rectangular object which she immediately recognizes as a book. She catches a glimpse of the title.

Green on Blue: A Novel. Written by Elliot Ackerman.

That is the title of the book he's currently reading.

She has not heard much less read about that book. And it seems to be written in English too. Being a book connoisseur, especially when it comes to foreign books, she cannot deny the feeling of interest and curiosity that she has towards the book.

"Is there anything that I can help you with, Yukinoshita-san?"

The club president of this yet-to-be-revealed club snaps off her trance. Redness dusts her cheeks, before eventually subsiding. Coughing to her fist as a cover for her blunder, she swiftly answers the question that has been asked of her. "It's nothing. But it seems that we have skipped out introductions." Nodding her head slightly, she begins introducing herself. "I am Yukinoshita Yukino from 2-J. I will be your club president from now on." As usual, there is a hint of sass in her tone. She needs to make her position in the club clear, after all.

The blonde is polite enough to discard his book for a second, giving her a nod in return. "I'm Naruto, class 2-F, no last name. My earlier display of rudeness aside, Yukinoshita-san, I hope that we will be able to get along well. Hopefully."

Yukino snorts, detecting the subtle hint of sarcasm in his tone. "To hope is to risk despair, haven't you heard of that saying before, Naruto-kun?"

"And what is it are you trying to say?" the blonde flatly asks.

"It means that it's better not to hope in the first place, instead, say it as 'please take care of me' or something similar along those lines."

The blonde looks up, making a thinking posture. Then, he shakes his head. "Nah, I'd rather risk despair than having you take care of me." he says nonchalantly in his stoic but serious tone. "However, it seems that there's no digging me up from that hole, huh, considering that I am now a member of this club." He sighs remorsefully. Or at least how remorse sounds like when it's Naruto who's projecting it.

Yukino feels something that she rarely feels when talking or even socializing with people. Irritation. Not many people irritate her nowadays, they're usually her sister, Shizuka when she is being unreasonable and maybe her mother, but that last one is a topic that she is not willing to discuss anytime soon. Not noticing the twitch that her left eyebrow is making, Yukinoshita opens her mouth to speak.

"Indeed, how unfortunate, the same goes for me." it's the only retort that she can say without making her irritation obvious. And she notices that he's back on reading his book that is still intriguing her. "By the way Naruto-kun, are there any questions that you would like to ask from me?"

He answers immediately, but this time, he is not taking his eyes off his book. "Yes. What kind of club is this anyway?"

Yukinoshita raises an eyebrow. "Hm. Then let's play a small game, shall we? A game in which you guess what club is this."

But she receives no answer from him.

Three seconds passed.

Naruto then looks at her, blinking, "Oh sorry, was that not rhetorical?"

Another twitch. 'This man…' now, Yukino is sure that her irritation is showing, though not that obvious. "That was not rhetorical, Naruto-kun. I was being serious."

"…I see." The blonde puts aside his book, taking a moment to think. "Is this not the counseling club?"

Yukinoshita is not expecting that kind of answer from him. "What makes you think that this is a counseling club? In fact, what makes you think that there is such thing called a counseling club in the first place?"

The blonde shrugs, an action that Yukino is slowly getting used to see from him. "Not a really solid reason but considering that Hiratsuka-sensei is a counselor herself and she's brought me here with the intention of improving my social skills by introducing me to you, I expect you to be some sort of assistant counselor? I do not know if that make sense. And as for the second question… I do not know, I only assume that there is one in the first place."

"Well, based on the answer that you have given me, you are not so far off the mark." A small smirk graces her lips. "But tell me first, Naruto-kun, when was the last time you have a real conversation with a girl?"

"Three hours ago during third period." His answer is as instant as a cupped ramen. "I'm assuming that you meant girls that are around my age range? Not adult females that are way past their appropriate courtship age?"

Somewhere in the school, Shizuka sneezes.

"…indeed." Funny, Shizuka comes to her mind when he says that last part. "Seeing that you have managed to make conversations with a girl, then this will make my job easier. You see, Naruto-kun, there are two types of people in this world. Those who help and those who don't. We, as a member of this club, are those who help. Whether our deeds are recognized or not, no matter how trivial or big the task is, it is our job as a volunteer to help those who have sought us out."

Yukino tilts her head slightly, the small smile present on her face.

"I welcome you to the Service Club, and thank you for joining, Naruto-kun. And forgive me for calling you with such honorific, for you have no last name."

Blinking several times, Naruto nods. "It's fine." He pauses. "And… you're welcome, I guess." The last part of his sentence is not a question.

"Then, let us begin addressing the topic at hand, shall we?" Yukino says in a tone that requires Naruto's attention. And she receives it. "First, I have gotten the feeling that you are not as… socially hopeless as I thought you might be, care to explain that to me?"

"If you mean that I'm able to have a conversation with you, then, you're completely ignoring the other side of the spectrum." Naruto sighs, his voice sounds tired for once. "I have no problem when it comes to talking itself, but only if others are the ones who initiate the conversation first. Hiratsuka-sensei told me the importance of taking the initiative when it comes to socializing, she particularly mentioned how much of an impact I'll leave if I am to engage first."

Humming, a calculating look descends on Yukino's face. "Hmm… I suppose that is true. So, the problem here is indeed more complicated than what it is." She sighs. "I'll take this as a sign for me to put in more effort than usual." The snob is obvious in her tone here, almost as if she wants him to know that she'll put in more effort in doing his request.

So you haven't been using all your efforts until now? …is the thought that crosses Naruto's head. He's beginning to understand this Yukinoshita Yukino chick and his earlier thought of her being a pain in the ass is right. Her attitude… let's just say that he's seen better from war orphans in Syria.

Shrugging his shoulders, Naruto says nothing, letting his club president think on the matter by herself.

"If you're capable of showing social skills… have no problem talking to people personally… and speaks with a certain degree of intelligence… then that only means one thing: your looks." Yukino finally says, revealing the possible cause of his dilemma. "Being a foreigner in Japan is a double edged sword, Naruto-kun, and it is the most likely reason why it is hard for you to approach people."

Finally they are getting somewhere. "You're right, Yukino-san." He confirms her conclusion. "I noticed it, of course, but I have to confess, my own self-consciousness is to blame as well." Upon noticing her inquiring look, he elaborates. "I am… afrai-" he stops, rethinking his word of choice, "-no, not afraid, but concerned of what others might think of me. I don't want them to expect so much from me. Perhaps at this point, it has become a form of insecurity for me. I think that it is what hindering me to be able to socialize properly with others."

"I see… there are truths in your explanation." The girl smiles. "I'm glad that you are able to come up with this answer yourself, Naruto-kun, but getting a question answered doesn't necessarily mean that the problem is solved." She pauses. "You see, I have always been cute-"

Okay that confirms it. This girl has an ego as big as Jupiter.

"-and most of the boys who came near me came to like me." she says again, with the same self-appreciating tone that she's using. "However, when I was in elementary school, my indoor shoes were hidden sixty times. Fifty of those times were done by the same girls." She makes a wistful and borderline melancholic expression. "As a result, I have to bring home my indoor shoes and recorder with me every time I go home." she finishes the story with a sigh that hints out disappointment, whether it is to herself or to the people that had done those things to her, Naruto will never know.

The small gap of silence in the story telling is taken by Naruto as his cue to sympathize with her. "That's… harsh for an elementary school kid." He can't really sympathize with her.

Nodding, Yukino continues. "Sadly, there's nothing I can do about that. My existence and presence to them is overwhelming, the things I did back then outshines the cumulative efforts of all of them combined. And the same reason can be used for your situation." She says. "The fact that you are a foreigner that speaks proper Japanese, and I'm assuming that you also do well than your Japanese classmates in your academics, those are pretty much the reasons why they are expecting so much from you. People judge us based on the results we produce and ultimately, this leads to them expecting more of those results from us. And that is one of the many flaws of humanity right there."

After hearing that last part of her statement, Naruto can finally agree with what she's saying. That's not to say that he didn't previously… however, it has become clear. He shouldn't worry about what others might think of him. Despite how cliché, simple and obvious the answer is; it is the best answer that anyone could have given him.

"You are the first client that has approached me with this type of counseling request, Naruto-kun. My advice may not be the best or someone else may have given the same advice prior to me, but sometimes not worrying about what others think about you can be the best thing you'll ever do in your life."

A smile forms on his face. "Ignorance is bliss, eh?"

"In this case, it's only because you choose to ignore them." Yukinoshita clarifies in a knowing register.

Nodding his head, Naruto then says, "Thank you for the advice, Yukino-san. Hiratsuka-sensei told me the same thing earlier and hearing you suggesting the same thing means that it is probably the best thing to do."

"You are very much welcomed, Naruto-kun." Yukino returns his thanks. "This world is filled with jealous people, ignorant people or just generally unreasonable people. There are those who are weak and those who are strong." She pauses, but her attention is returned to the book that she's reading before. "Regardless of how much suffering the weak has gone through, the strong will suffer double that amount."

This entire conversation has turned one sided and dark at the same time. Naruto muses. This is something that he is not used to hear coming from a person his age. Yukino casts a glance at his direction, prompting him to stare back at her.

"Isn't that wrong, Naruto-kun?" her question is rhetorical. "That is why, I'm going to change that."

Yukino hears chuckling coming from the blonde, causing her to direct her undivided attention at him. Naruto looks at her, this time with the softest smile she has ever seen on a boy.

"What do you mean by that? A world where none suffer or a world where all suffering is equal?" He continues. "Regardless of which one is it, I wish the best for you and your ambition because you will be trying to do what most seasoned politicians, hardened war veterans and experienced rulers would not be able to do."

Yukino can only detect sincerity in his words, almost as if he has said those words so many times in his life. She does not know how to respond to his statement. "You're welcome." Aside from that, of course.

"I think that I will enjoy my time in this club, Yukino-san." Naruto suddenly says, grabbing her attention once more. "I've just spent forty minutes here yet I'm already comfortable, and that is not something that I usually experience. Once again, may we get along well, Yukino-san."

The Yukinoshita can only nod.

Next day

"It may seem out of nowhere but… could you please share a little bit more about yourself, Naruto-kun?"

The blonde is not surprised to hear the words come out from her mouth.

It has only been a day after their meeting, but he's come to know one thing. Despite how elegant, reserved and quiet Yukinoshita Yukino is, she is still a human being capable of getting her interest or curiosity piqued. Currently, the two of them are alone inside their club room, a room that Naruto has gotten used to, especially with how… minimal it is in terms of aesthetics.

Yukino is polite enough to serve him a cup of tea which she prepared earlier before his arrival and currently, the cup is half full. Naruto, who is in the middle of reading the same book that he has the other day, puts it aside to address her question.

"I'll tell you what I told Hiratsuka-sensei: I cannot answer all of your questions, so do not blame me if you are dissatisfied with what you are about to hear." He says in a soft but mindful tone.

"Hmm… you cannot or you won't?" It seems that he needs to remind himself at just how sharp this girl could be. "Regardless, I shall respect your privacy."

"Understood. So, what would you like to know, Yukino-san?"

She takes a brief second to think. "Where are you from?" she asks.

A simple start only means that things will get more complicated later, but Naruto answers her regardless, using the cover story that he has fabricated and used throughout the entire year of his stay in Japan. "I was born in the United States, but I spent most of my early childhood in the Middle East." The answer he's given should be enough, but adding a little bit more will not hurt, besides, this is also a good chance for him to improve his social skills by letting her know just a little bit more about himself. "Due to my guardian's profession, I've spent a lot of time in some Eastern European countries, most of them being Slavic countries."

"Interesting." Yukino comments, sounding sincere. "So, is it safe for me to assume that you are familiar with the languages of the countries you've been into?"

Naruto nods. "Yes." This time, he will need to be more careful in speaking to her. "Having grown up in the Middle East, my Arabic is good. I also speak other Arabic influenced languages like Pashto, Farsi and some more. The same goes for Slavic languages… but I am most confident in my Russian." He pauses. "As for my Japanese… my guardian is a Japanese person so, it's only natural that he'd teach me about his mother tongue."

"A polyglot, huh? I'm impressed."

Naruto chuckled. "I just know what I know, nothing more."

"And there're rumors that I recalled spreading a while back about you having military backgrounds, is that true?"

Without hesitation, Naruto answers her. "It's true." See, since that rumor is pretty much known by almost every student in this school, there's no point in hiding it anymore. Besides, it's not like it's that strange. People his age enlist in the military, some even chose to drop out of high school to join in the military, so using that as a cover story might be a pretty good idea for him to use later on if he has time to fabricate another story.

"Heeh…" the girl is silent for several seconds, but Naruto's sure that she is not done with questioning him. "That's all, I guess. Thank you for answering, Naruto-kun."

Oh, looks like he's wrong after all. Lowering his book, Naruto casts an inquiring look at the girl. "I take it that that was all a part of a plan to improve my social skills?" Naruto delivers the question to her.

"Oh? It seems that you are more perceptive than I thought." A smirk appears on Yukino's lips. "Yes, you're right, but I have to admit, I was also sating my curiosities while doing so."

"I see. Then, any comments?"

"Hm… let's see… you need to speak more casually."

Naruto snorts. "You are the last person I want to hear that from, Yukino-san."

"Ha ha ha. Very funny, Naruto-kun, but I can't blame you." she rests an elbow on the table, shifting her pose into that of a more relaxed one than before. "While I do prioritize politeness, curtsey and manners, some situation requires the right approach. You wouldn't come to a school dressed in a tuxedo, now would you?"

Well, he did wear his battledress attire... at least, a PMC's version of it the first time he got here. "No, no, I totally get what you're trying to say but…" he sighs. "It doesn't... how should I say this without offending you…?"

"Hm." She nudges an eyebrow at his hesitation. "Please speak your mind, I would like to know."

"Well…" he hesitates, but he finally finds the ability to speak. "You don't look like the type of person who would enjoy pointless talk, as in, casual talks with people. So… yeah."

"Funny, I kind of thought that you are too." Yukino says, flipping several strands of hair that was obscuring her vision. "But what we are doing could not be considered pointless in the slightest, I am helping you, after all and that doesn't sound pointless to me."

"Yeah. I guess you're right."

He'll have to come out and confess here.

Yukinoshita Yukino is probably one of the few people – next to his master and Yui – that he actually talks to. Aside from the obviously close relationship within him and his master, Yui and Yukino are two different girls who are around his age group. Not to mention, they are several worlds apart from his. They are ordinary girls living their respective ordinary lives and he was a child orphan inducted into a mercenary lifestyle and is mentored by one of the strongest and most dangerous person he ever knew.

Safe to say, living the kind of life he has, having a 'normal' conversation like the ones he have had with Yui and Yukinoshita is not something that he's used to do.

And, as if to mock him for bringing up Yui, the door slides open, revealing…

"Eh, Naruto?"

Yuigahama Yui, in all of her busty and carefree glory, enters the room. However, it seems that she has to cut the carefreeness short. The pink haired girl's eyes immediately land on the only male in the room, blinking several times, making sure that they are not deceiving her. She points a finger at the male she's currently staring at, her mouth opening slight in an 'O' shape.

The blonde haired boy gives her a small nod, acknowledging her presence. "Yui." His deep and confident voice says her name, snapping her out from her trance.

"W-What are you doing here?" Yui asks, closing the door behind her. "A-And… uh… you are Yukinoshita Yukino-san, right?" this time, she's directing this question to the black haired beauty who is currently in the middle of sipping her tea.

Yukino takes a moment to place her mug back on the table before addressing the question that has been asked to her. "Indeed and you are Yuigahama Yui-san from the same class as that man," she gestures to Naruto, who rolls his eyes, "right?"

Yui blinks, noting the kind of reaction that Naruto made when Yukino loosely gestures to him. "U-Uh yeah, that's right." She hesitates, her eyes brimming with contained curiosity. "Um… what is Naruto doing here?"

Yukino closes her eyes, commenting, "Well, Naruto-kun, are you going to answer that question, or should I do it for you?"

'K-Kun… she's calling him with kun…' Yui feels something aching around her chest area, her stomach suddenly churning. What is this?

Naruto sends Yukino his best rendition of what an irritated look could ever be like. "I'll do it myself, thank you."

Yui blinks. Is that sarcasm she's hearing from him? She knows that the boy could be sarcastic, a tease and sly, but… she detects irritation from his tone too.

"Yui, I'm a member of this… club. This is the Service Club, I'm sure you're aware of that, right?" the blonde raises his eyebrow, holding to his book with one hand.

Yui takes a moment to completely register what he means. Blushing slightly, the girl with the bun on her head stammers out bashfully, "O-Of course I know! Hiratsuka-sensei herself told me to go here for my request after all! I'm not that dumb, Naruto, hmph!" she swivels on her heels, arms crossed, lips pouted and face slightly pink.

Rolling his eyes, a teasing smirk forms on the blonde's face. "Of course, Yui, I believe you."

"You, like, totally don't!"

"I… I… please give me a minute to recompose myself…"

It seems that Yui's serious when she said that she wants to get into baking. Currently, the three of them are inside the home economics room. The table is messy with kitchen utensils, dough, flour and butter filling the surface like an aftermath of a carpet bombing from an F-22. The trio are examining a tray with black burnt out cookies that are pretty much charcoal on top of it.

Each of them has varied expressions.

Yui is completely devastated. This is her fourth failure, not counting the attempts she had done prior at home the other day. The results might be even worse than her previous attempts.

Yukino's expression is a mixture between confusion, disappointment and morbid awe. She deserves to be awed. How can a person screw up this much? She was even there to guide Yui throughout the entire process, how can someone mess something as simple as cookie baking?

Naruto is… well, he could only careless. But, in all honesty, he'd rather eat the bitter, lactose free biscuits that have that same texture as a brick that he used to get when eating MREs. However, he bravely picks up one of the charcoal-like cookies, popping it into his mouth and munching into it with the same indifferent expression that is normally found on him.

"N-Naruto?" Yui gasps, surprised. She tasted one of her own cookies and nearly vomited them out. "You shouldn't eat… that…"

The blonde swallows the lump in his throat, effectively letting digestion take over.

"Are you a masochist, Naruto-kun?" Yukino wonders, slightly surprised but teasing at the same time.

"No I'm not." The blonde deadpans. Then, his expression twists into regret. "Just make sure that you don't hand these out to anyone else." He then bents his body forward slightly to pick up the tray of burnt cookies.

"What are you going to do with them?" Yui asks.

"Eat them." Naruto replies, as if it's the most normal thing to say. "Once you taste poison, you might as well finish the meal. If it comes to that, you would make as fine a dish as any." He places the cookies into one zip-lock bag that is laid out on the table. "I'll be taking these home. You can't waste food, after all, regardless of how… hazardous they are."

"M-Mou… you're so mean Naruto…"

Yukino watches the scene with a small smile. She shakes her head.

Naruto is a mystery. She has heard of them having a foreign transferee a year prior but never really bothered to look it up because he's in a different class than hers. However, the people around her – regardless whether they are classmates or teachers – are not so silent when it comes to the blonde. The girls in her class are gushing at how dashing and charming he is, the small population of boys in her class also talks about the blonde and even the teachers can be heard mentioning his name a few times whenever she needs to visit the faculty room.

She viewed the school's ranking, which is like a score board for the students to look at in order for them to know where the stand amongst their peers. She was surprised to see his name within the single digits. That is an impressive feat for a foreigner. While she knows that it's wrong to judge, it tends to be hard for foreign students to get used to Japanese lectures, especially when it comes to history, language and so on and so forth. Needless to say, he has garnered more than a little bit of her attention.

Just who are you, Naruto?

"Is this… Naruto?"

Eyes narrowed.

"Who is this?"

"A friend."

A pause. The blonde stops on the middle of his walk, the violet and orange sky above him basking the area with the late afternoon atmosphere. He holds the phone close to his ear, his brain already going through databases of voices of people that he had met before. This person matches none.

"Not good enough. Who are you?"

"For now, you can call me Kage. And as for why I'm calling you… eh… let's just say that we need a favor."

His grip on his phone tightens, but Naruto notes how easy the man's tone becomes. "If this is related to Leafcorp in anyway, then I'm sorry to tell you, I'm retired."

"…no, no. This is not something like that, not for Leafcorp but something even more personal. Meet me at the coordinates that I will send you tomorrow at 1800 hours. Oh and try not to be late, I know you're your mentor's protégé but, man, even I'm not that lazy."

Just like that, the line is cut.

"That was… interesting." Naruto says to himself. The person on the other end of the line does not sound as if he's interested in talking to him, he can basically taste the laziness from his end of the line.

Things are not looking good for him. Oh no. Naruto looks at his call history and the number of the caller from earlier. With several taps of his screen, he adds the number into his contact list, inputting the name 'Kage' into the list. This Kage person is definitely affiliated with Leafcorp, no doubt. Meeting him might not be the smartest thing to do, but this is something that he can't ignore.

Fist clenched around his phone, Naruto's gaze slips off to the distance. He sighs, pocketing his phone into the blazer he's wearing.

This is not looking pretty.

"Looks like you're right master…" Naruto sighs. "It won't be that easy…"

Okay, so, I've received a lot of suggestions saying that I should continue this story. But I'll warn you guys, I may just disappoint you. If you guys weren't disappointed enough with my other NarutoXOregairu fanfic, then you may just find this one disappointing.

Characterization will be different, both for Naruto-verse and Oregiru-verse.

I may neglect/change/exclude certain events in the Oregairu-verse and replace them with my own.

Again, this story features a non-chakra Naruto, which means that it will feature Naruto-verse characters in it who are also going to be chakra-less.

And there's really no telling when my interest in this story will drop.

So, for now, I will still mark this story as completed. But if response is positive, support is plenty and demand is more, I'll make this into a full story. If I decided to do so, then Chapters 1 and 2 (this) will be edited to suit the story. With that said, to those of you who wants to see this idea become a full story, please review!