The Boy in the Park

Chapter Sixty-Seven

She decided to keep the coffee stains hidden with a slight Henge.

Thankfully, Aniki did not ask how she had managed the feat, and thus they both headed off towards the cinema. She knew that whatever she said to Aniki now would later be important. If she managed to remain quiet, or not interesting enough, then everything would be fine.

She just had to let him down gently.

It couldn't be that difficult, right?

"It's really a nice day," he began, carefully vying towards the weather topic.

"Indeed, it is," she retorted evenly. They lapsed into silence again.

"Have you managed to get Konohamaru off your case?" he asked.

"Yes, I managed to," she replied. "I told him I had no interests in taking you away from his 'One-san'. What is it with the 'Oyabun' thing anyway?"

"Ah," Shinku averted his gaze, embarrassed. "My little sister calls me Aniki, Konohamaru idolizes her and so if I'm his 'one-san' Aniki, then that makes me the Oyabun."

"Have you ever thought about correcting them?" she replied scathingly. "Using a firm hand to resolve the issue once and for all would certainly work wonders."

The look of hurt on Aniki's face made her heart twist.

"I suppose so," he acquiesced, "But it's not like they're harming anyone by using those words…"

She didn't want to say it, but she had to.

"So, you're letting them do as they please? Flinging wooden kunai and rubber shuriken is one thing, but what when they escalate to something else? Putting your foot down and drawing a line would solve a lot of problems in the future," she retorted.

"Ah…once more, I suppose you're right, Nazuma-san," Shinku muttered. "I'll have a firm chat with them afterwards, to make sure they won't repeat it."

"You would need to do more than just chat with them. You're the older brother, right? Act like it then, tell them to cease and stop acting like mad people." She pressed on. "Or maybe you enjoy all that attention, uh?"

She was snapping at her Aniki. Her tongue felt filled with ashes as she watched his mood drop further.

"It's…It's not like that, I just…I don't see a problem with—"

"Oh, of course, a bunch of girls vying for your attention and you don't see a problem with it. Typical chauvinistic," she knew that word! She knew that word's meaning, "Male right? Do you know two more girls tried subtly to intimidate me while I was teaching? And of course, this is all because you can't apparently put down your foot on the matter."

"I'm sorry if my sister or—"

"I don't want your excuses, Shinku-san," she replied frostily. "I want you to understand that the way you act is simply going to hurt them all in the long run. You should be clear and to the point," she added then. She sighed afterwards, her eyes looking at Shinku's downcast expression —as if he were a kicked puppy. "Look, I'm not trying to be spiteful…I'm sure you were just acting out in a way not to hurt their feelings but, in the end, you will just worsen the situation if you keep this up."

Shinku made a small bitter smile as he nodded. "Yeah, I suppose so…"

Then they entered the cinema, with Shinku handing over the tickets to the man at the entrance —a black dressed, sunglass wearing man— who ushered them in.

There were just a few spots left, but the two seats that should have been side by side…weren't.

Shinku checked the tickets once more.

"They gave us separate seats?" he muttered in surprise. "I thought I had asked for one next to the other," he agonizingly looked back towards the exit of the hall, only to find the door closed and the film about to begin.

The rest of the cinema was occupied by the Hyuga-family outing of Branch members.

Apparently, that day was the day they randomly occupied a single cinema to watch films with their crying babies.

Even if the babies had sunglasses on though…which made him wonder how the hell they could watch a movie like that.

"Well," Naruko said, suddenly feeling bitter about this, "What is the number of the seat closest to the screen?"

"It's that one, but…"

Nazuma grabbed him by the sleeve, and then after bringing him right to the spot —between two burly looking Hyuga, she made him sit down there…

Before sitting on his lap and dropping her head backwards.

"There," she commented calmly, a grin on her face as she heard the entire Hyuga-Branch swallow their spits by the shock. "This way we can both watch the film," she whispered in a low voice, "I'm not heavy, am I?"

"No," Shinku whispered back, slightly nervous. "You aren't."

Naruko inwardly smiled as she gently relaxed against her Aniki's shoulder. She was practically cheek to cheek with him though, which meant she'd just have to turn her head to the side for but an instant, and then she'd be kissing him.

That was, of course, if she wanted to.

"Naruko-chan, please, do not sacrifice yourself for me!" Princess Gale yelled from the screen.

"I must!" her 'other-self' appeared on screen, and instinctively she looked towards her Aniki's face. He was slack jawed. AH! He hadn't believed her, had he!?

"Princess, please escape with your beloved subordinate and live happily! I will sacrifice myself to buy you time!" then the 'Naruko' on the screen turned and headed towards the door of the Daimyo's palace. "I know what it means to love someone, and yet to never be able to hold him in your arms and say those words," she said softly.

Nazuma had a bad feeling. She had made the director swear to cut that scene out. He wouldn't have dared to put it in, would he!?

"You too love someone, Naruko-chan?" Princess Gale said softly.

"Yes," Naruko-on-the-screen acquiesced. "But it is forbidden, and thus I could not let my love bloom…"

Oh he had dared. The bastard had dared. She was going to kill that son-of-a-bit—

"What man captured your maiden's heart, Naruko-chan? Please answer me!"

"It is…"

"Achuu!" the Hyuga to her left sneezed loudly, slamming his elbow against her side and sending her to tumble forward, just as Shinku was turning around because of the sudden noise.

There was a 'chuu' sound.

Lips interlocked.

And Naruko-from-the-screen said crisply, as if someone had brought the volume up to the maximum possible output —as if someone was being menaced from the camera room by a Hyuga-Juuken strike of balls dropping if he didn't bring the volume to the max.

"My brother!"

Author's notes

…Hyuga should stop interfering.

I began to laugh like an imbecile at imagining the scene of the 'Achuu', because literally over a dozen of Harem-like animes have the same 'mistake-kiss' scene.

So I'm laughing. Ahahaha.