note.
In Hong Kong right now so updates will be a bit slower for the rest of this month~
I am overwhelmed with the amazing support I've received from all of you and will try to reply to all your reviews soon. It's great to see so many new members to the PTL family!
Chapter title is a reference to the famous Eulerian Trial problem.
track 27.
They were sitting in the band practice room again.
Oto Entertainment had just announced that they were going to hold a nationwide competition-style audition and the band were debating whether they should take the chance. The prize was a contract. The promise of debuting under a big company. It wasn't long until they had exams, and it would be held right after the finals.
It was a big risk. And they would have to balance their time between practice and studies.
It shouldn't even be a choice, and yet it was. A way to achieve their dreams were right in front of them. In reach. Yet, the consequences of taking such a chance didn't allow for much failure. Sasuke knew he was lucky that he had his family to fall back on, the Uchiha name. But Naruto didn't. Not like the others.
In the silence, Naruto finally snapped, especially when he saw how the others were looking over at him. It wasn't pity in their eyes, but an understanding. He was never good at studying, and even if he put all his time into studies only, he would only enter a mediocre university and enter a mediocre company. Living a mediocre life. And that wasn't what he wanted.
"Why aren't you guys saying anything? Say something! Say that you want to enter!"
Seeing that the quieter members of the band were choosing to not reply, Kiba spoke up. "Naruto- it's not that simple." And they all knew.
"We're not going to risk it like that." Sasuke added. Well aware that they all knew what 'it' referred to. "There will be plenty of chances in the future."
"But there won't be. And you know it." Shikamaru sobered.
"I'll take account for whatever happens to me. And if all goes horribly wrong, I will simply make you guys feed me until I save enough funds to open a ramen stand and pay you all back. In instalments. We shouldn't have to give up before we've even tried. Forget about the prize contract. You're all scaredy-cats. Don't you want to know how far we could go? Am I the only one who actually believes in us?"
Belief.
Such an abstract term. To ability to accept things blindly. Without the need for proof. Only an idiot would believe like Naruto could. They tried to not be ashamed at how little trust they had in Naruto.
"Naruto. As the leader of Shinobi, you will all respect my decision. What I say will be the last word. None of us are going to be your fund." If they were to be idiots. They would leave no regrets. Neji's eyes reflected no hesitation. "We'll enter. And we will win."
Celebration wasn't on the schedule as Sakura walked in, laptop in hand.
"I know how much you all love me. I mean it's so not like you all forgot about White's Day or something." Each word dripping with sarcasm, she was content to see that she was awarded by embarrassed looks on at least half the band's faces, while Neji and Sasuke schooled theirs to a cool disinterest. "Anyway, think of this as an extended present and try to not to cry of happiness when I tell you guys what I just did."
Kiba eyed the laptop suspiciously as she swivelled the device around to face them. Her face lit by both the screen and by excitement.
"I entered you guys in the Oto Ent. competition so you can all debut together and skip the trainee process!"
A candid photo of them taken by Sakura was uploaded onto the main page of Oto Entertainment's website. By visuals alone, they were already winning in the votes. Likely to pass the preliminaries because of a single picture.
She had no doubt they would pass. No doubt they would win.
'I believe in you.' He remembered. From the way she had looked him straight in the eye, to the way her tone lifted at the 'e' syllable in 'Sasuke-kun.'
Believe.
It was the one thing an idiot could do better than a genius. An idiot like Naruto. And an idiot like Sakura.