The Boy in the Park
Chapter Sixty-Six
Kurenai's right eyebrow twitched.
"So," she said quietly. "You have a friend, who was invited out by an older guy, who believed your friend was older, and she made no attempt to correct him, and now your friend needs help appearing mature for a date with said older guy?"
Naruko nodded.
"And you can't go to Shinku, because Shinku is a friend of said guy?"
She nodded again.
"So...to get it straight, someone's pinning for Kakashi?"
Naruko sputtered. "W-What!?"
"Shinku has a few male friends, but the bets are on Kakashi or Gai, and out of the two Kakashi's the most 'normal' one."
"Ehm..."
"Or maybe it's Umino-san, from the Academy?"
"No, it's..." Naruko bit her tongue. "So, anyway! What should I tell my friend?"
"Tell her not to lie about her age to him," Kurenai retorted. "If she's interested, and if he's interested, and if they are both Chuunin, then certainly they are able to keep their maturity with or without the age difference being so excessive."
"B-But what if he starts looking at her differently after that, and what if there's a reason she can't say her real age?"
"She isn't a minor or a civilian, is she?" Kurenai asked then, a hint of concern in her voice. "If she is, she should tell him, or you should tell him. It would be the proper thing to do, because he might risk a fine or heading off to jail if she keeps quiet about it and things take a more serious turn."
Naruko blushed red.
"Serious turn?" she squeaked out.
"Surely you had the talk, right?" Kurenai asked. "You know, the one on where Babies come from?" she patted gently the bulge in her stomach.
"Ah…ye-yes!" she stuttered out, nodding frantically.
"Good, but that's way down the road…so, your friend and Shinku's friend are going out for the first time, to a cinema?"
She nodded.
"Pretty bland, with little to talk about… I suppose the real problem is the before the film starts and the after…if he's grabby, then she should firmly but gently pinch his hand away."
"Grabby? Pinch hand?"
"One of the oldest tricks in the book is yawning, stretching, and putting the arm around the neck of the girl. If she accepts it, it's usually a means to realize she's fine with it. Or even simply sharing the same armchair's arm is another way a male tries to 'taste the waters'."
"I see," Naruko nodded. "And what next?"
"That's generally all there is, unless he offers her a dinner. In which case unless he's a perfect gentleman or she doesn't know him more she should refuse. A first date is usually just that, a date. Of course if she accepts then it generally does make it look like she's interested too."
She swallowed nervously. "So, if he offers dinner, the answer is no?"
"If you want to keep the distances and take it slowly, then yes," Kurenai nodded.
"It's just that…what if he no longer likes me because I said no?"
"I doubt anyone would hate someone else over this…" Kurenai smiled warmly, "So you set your eyes on someone then, Naruko? Oh just you wait until I tell Shinku…"
Naruko turned crimson.
"WHAT!? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU I NEVER SAI—"
"Hush," Kurenai chided her. "You just said so, really," the woman rolled her eyes. "It can't be Kakashi because he's your sensei, and he'd know your real age. Gai is excluded too, because they're friends. It can't be Umino-san, because he's a colleague of Shinku. Really, once you take them all out it can only be a civilian or a shinobi I don't know of."
"He's…" she choked and looked downwards. "Promise you won't say it to him?"
Kurenai raised an eyebrow, but gave a curt nod.
"It's Aniki."
She mumbled, looking like a wet kitten. "I…I just want to prove him wrong. I made a bet with Baa-chan about whether he'd find out it's me or not by the time…"
"Wait, so you are Nazuma-sensei?" Kurenai retorted, clicking her tongue. "So that's why it felt familiar. He did ask me after all what would be a nice place for a d-"
"Wait, he asked you?" Naruko's eyes widened as they darted to stare at her accusingly. "Why did he ask you?"
"I'm still his sister, thank you very much," Kurenai replied curtly. "And what you're doing is wrong, Naruko. I hope you know that."
Naruko fidgeted. "I just wanted to prove to him that I'm not a spoiled brat."
"By lying and acting on the whim of a bet? How do you think he'll take it when he finds out?"
"Oh no!" Naruko's eyes closed as she shook her head firmly. "No, no he won't find out."
"So what, you intend on going on a date and then drop the issue?"
"Well," she mumbled. "I just…" she fidgeted. "I'm just trying to be considered to Aniki. I'll tell him I'm not interested, and then everything will be fine…" she looked down, "That way he won't feel betrayed."
"Fine," Kurenai acquiesced. "Then, if you really want to act mature here is what you should do…"
Saturday arrived.
Shinku patiently stood in front of the cinema, fifteen minutes early. He gave another look at his wristwatch, and then sighed.
Five minutes later, and Nazuma-san arrived. She was early too, and was embarrassedly fidgeting as she held her hair tied in a braid that descended on the back of her hair. She wore a simple one-piece green dress, which further accentuated the red of her hair, and a nice little purse tied with a thin strap hung from her wrist.
Naruko knew Aniki would be wearing a casual Jacket and something underneath attire —really, he rarely dressed with something without pouches.
She just didn't expect him to look at her with a different air. It was like…not like when he usually smiled at her in the house or chuckled good-naturedly. It was, all together, a different attitude. A completely new and different air that made her heart skip a beat and that brought heat to her face.
He smiled gently and closed the distance.
"Is there any film in particular you would like to see? A few start in a couple of minutes, others in half an hour…"
"There's that romantic novel turned into film," she commented. The one where as 'Naruko' she had participated in and where she just hoped the director had remained true to his word. Because if he hadn't…she'd kill him.
"The one based on Icha-Icha 'Lovers in the Frost'?" her Aniki said then warily. "Of course," he nodded. "It starts in half an hour though…"
"Then we have all the time to get to know each other better," she replied calmly, "This is what this date is about, Shinku-san," she added quietly. "Know any good café nearby?"
"Yes, just a moment though…better to get the tickets now rather than afterwards," he waved at her as he entered the cinema quickly, before emerging five minutes later with them and placing them in his pocket.
"Haruno-san," Naruko clicked her tongue in displeasure and then mentally winced, holding her face schooled in the feature Kurenai had told her to use. "I wish to pay for my share. This is us going out as friends for the moment, understood?"
"Ah…" Shinku sighed. "Then, how about we go to the café and you offer me a coffee?"
"There is a clear difference in price however," she retorted. Ah! Kurenai had prepared for that too!
"Very well then," Shinku nodded sagely. "Then we will have to go out as friends one more time, and you will pay then, Nazuma-san."
"You are quite the pushy individual, Shinku-san," she replied, her eyes moving to the café they were currently entering. Really, it was so unfair! But then again, if she refused the dinner invitation then there would not be a second time.
She was sure of it!
It just meant breaking her Aniki's heart.
Of course, that thought froze her brain processes.
She was going to hurt her Aniki.
That…
That wasn't something she wanted to do. She didn't want to hurt him.
She didn't want to make him sad. She…
As he smiled and ordered two coffees, she found herself feeling horrible. Her hands twitched. She was just in time. If…if she just said something cropped up and she left, then…then everything would turn out fine. Or if she acted immaturely or something…she didn't know what to do precisely, but even then something clearly had to be done.
And why did Aniki have to keep up that extremely unfair smile?
How was she supposed to say no to him when he appeared genuinely happy about being there, with 'her'?
How could she break that happiness?
She shuddered slightly as another clone from the training dispersed.
She clenched her fists as she watched the cup of coffee arrive in front of her. It was just as she was about to bring the murky dark liquid to her mouth that her eyes opened in realization.
Naruko could not drink coffee.
Nazuma had no reason not to.
If she drank it, if she became some sort of hyperactive squirrel…then Aniki would certainly connect the dots. Even if he didn't, then he would know something was amiss.
It was as she stood there frozen in indecision, that someone slammed against her elbow and with a jolt forced the hot scorching coffee down her lap.
"Oh, excuse me!" a fake excuse shot out from the black-dressed Yakuza-like Hyuga, who then proceeded back to his corner.
As he did, he nodded to his colleagues.
All were wearing black suits, black bowler hats, and black sunglasses.
"Plan Alpha in execution, leader," one of them whispered into the small microphone tied to his wrist.
"Very well," Hinata commented from her position, "Men! Remember! This is not simply a battle, but a war! This is a war for love! LET THE FIRES OF LOVE BURN BRIGHTLY IN US ALL!"
Gai sneezed.
He always did when someone stole his catchphrase.
Author's notes
Someone's going to die…