GoF Chapter 26

Sumire gagged at Boruto's and Sarada flirting with each other. After they officially got together, they were evidently in the honeymoon phase of their relationship. They didn't tell them they were dating yet. Everyone noticed that they're a couple. When they weren't flirting, they were seriously talking about something without knowing the rest of the club members noticed them doing it. And while she was happy her advice worked out for Boruto and Sarada, she'd prefer for them to take their public displays of affection outside of the clubroom. Sarada's and Boruto's relationship reminded her too much of the rejection she faced during the winter break.

She sat in the chair next to Shikadai that was scribbling something down in his black leather notebook.

"What are you doing?" she asked, while trying to ignore the bantering couple in the background.

"I'm writing a list of potential strategies," he mumbled, swapping the pen he held for another one, and resumed his writing.

"For what?"

"This year's Konoha Gaming Tournament."

She forgot it was this time of the year and thought they'd not join this time. Everyone that knew what happened in the past during the games wouldn't blame Boruto for completely ignoring the tournament.

"What category do you think we can all agree on picking?" She tilted her head and discreetly tried to peek at strategies Shikadai came up with.

"No idea. That's why I imagine different outcomes for each scenario." Shikadai swatted Sumire's head away, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Hey!" she squeaked out, massaging her temples.

"You're distracting me. Go away." He gritted his teeth, grasping the pen he held with a stronger grip.

"No."

"Why?"

"If I stop bothering you, I'd end up like a gawking third-wheel right now." Her gaze wandered to Boruto and Sarada having a very animated discussion. Part of her was jealous. She wanted to experience the feeling of mutual love, too!

Shikadai sighed and closed his notebook, his work forgotten. "Gawking third-wheel? What are you? A parrot?"

"Definitely not," she pouted in response.

His eyes wandered to the scene she was looking at. "So? Your worries are invalid. I don't think they'd mind."

It was her turn to sigh. "You're very smart, but when it involves delicate things like love, you suck, so I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

"I suppose you're right," he mumbled quietly.

"Want to talk about it? It's not like those two pay attention to our conversation anyway," she offered.

Shikadai wasn't the type that openly talked about love at all. Sumire pinned him as someone who shows love for others in a more quiet way. It made sense that he'd not ask her or others to advise him on romance in a flashy way Boruto did. Honestly, no-one else would have a privilege to rent out the entire school building just to confirm they loved someone. She liked Uzumaki as a friend, but his perception of common sense terrified her, especially when money was involved.

"Why not? It's not like I've anything to lose anymore," he answered with clear signs of exhaustion.

"Listen, I know I wasn't the most objective person in the past, but things have changed. I'll be open to anything you want to say." She smiled in an encouraging manner to let him know she was serious. To be honest, Sumire felt a slight guilt for snapping at Shikadai in the past. In her bias, she never considered his perspective on things at all. Their repaired friendship was very recent too. All things aside, she did like to spend time with him.

"It's a drag to bring it out now, but I appreciate you care enough to do so," he opened the notebook he set aside again. Sumire had a hunch why he tried to avoid opening up to her.

"Are you still transferring to Suna High in your last year?" she asked. She wondered if Shikadai was afraid to say anything because of this reason. He was moving out to Suna at the end of their second year. They both initially didn't intend to attend a high school in Konoha.

"Yeah, that's the plan. Uncle Gaara is excited for us to live together for the entire year and to catch up with my mom. He's very chill. It's just…" Shikadai trailed off, visibly lost in his thoughts.

"Hard to tell the rest?"

"Kind of," he nodded, while resuming jotting his notes down. "I don't want to disturb them with that news when they just figure themselves out."

"What about Inojin or Chō-Chō? Did you tell them?" Sumire pondered on his words. From primary to middle school, Inojin, Chō-Chō and Shikadai were a famous trio, since their families were closely knit together. Knowing about Shikadai's transfer wouldn't be unusual for them.

"Not yet. Inojin is busy with important art exhibition at his school and Chō-Chō is distant lately. You're the only one that knows."

Now that he mentioned this, she and Shikadai hung out a lot more frequently than usual. Maybe he was hesitant to tell them, fearing how they'd react to such news? They were very close friends.

"You should tell them. They might be busy, but wouldn't they be upset if you told them at the last minute?" Sumire knew she'd be upset that it cut the remaining time with her friend short. She'd prefer to know earlier and make time to spend as much as she could with the friend that would move away.

"Look who's talking," Shikadai retorted with a smile. "Didn't you rush your confession to Mitsuki because you plan to attend the University of Suna and move out, too?"

Sumire's eyes widened. "How do you know this?! I thought I was discreet enough."

"I saw you holding the promotional leaflet that Uncle Kankuro showed to me once. I just assumed that was the case."

Sometimes she forgot how smart Shikadai was. His assumption was correct. However, unlike him, she planned to stay until the end of high school.

"That's true. I selfishly rushed things, but I am not the one planning to transfer after the second year of high school ends," she responded calmly.

"Hah, what a drag. You're right, tough. I should tell them sooner rather than later, regardless of how busy they are." Shikadai said, now fully focused on the task she initially distracted him from.

"I guess that means I should settle things down too before my chance goes away," she whispered and left Nara to his own devices. For all it was worth, she should follow her own advice once in a while.

Moving away from Konoha, huh? The conversation with Shikadai this morning flashed through Sumire's mind. She tried to find Mitsuki and Chō-Chō. Even just bumping into one of them would be enough. Before she moves away, she should clear up the awkward atmosphere between the three of them. She'd hate to leave with them on bad terms.

On her way, she asked random students if they saw either of them. One student told her Mitsuki usually ate lunch at the school courtyard. It wasn't hard to find him once she had this information. His figure was easier to spot, since he stood out amongst the crowd.

She silently walked up to him. "Can we talk?"

Mitsuki acknowledged her presence despite being startled. "Sure, wanna sit down?"

"If you don't mind?" She followed up on his gesture.

"I don't. What brings you here?" He looked unaffected, but she could hear a hint of interest in his voice.

"I want to clear up the air between us," she said, trying to think about how to bring up the subject that bothered her for a while.

"Hmm… I don't see a problem with that." Mitsuki took a bite of his sandwich.

"I am just curious about something…" On second thought, maybe she shouldn't bring it up at all! The question that she wanted to ask was a touchy subject for her. Not to mention an embarrassing one.

However, Mitsuki's golden eyes brimmed with curiosity after she cut herself off. "Curious about what?"

Sumire inhaled and exhaled a few times before deciding honesty was the best policy. "Why did you really reject me? I know you said you weren't ready for a relationship. Once I reflected on myself, I could see my confession wasn't the best way to get my feelings across." She got it off her chest. A weird sense of relief washed over her. It felt like a heavy weight that was removed once the question escaped from her lips.

She could hear an awkward chuckle coming out from him. "It's true I don't feel ready to pursue a serious relationship at all, but I think I rejected you and Chō-Chō because I wanted us to remain friends."

"Remain friends? What do you mean by that?"

"How should I put it? You know how after the break up most of my ex-girlfriends don't talk to me anymore? Normally, if that's the case, I don't care when they avoid me. It's not the same with you and Chō-Chō in the picture."

Sumire frowned a bit. "Is it because we were your close friends before we confessed?"

"That's exactly it. My girlfriends were usually the girls I got to know when I already dated them and weren't close with by the end of our relationship." He looked at the clouds above them, reminding her of Shikadai's dad's mannerism. After that slight pause, Mitsuki continued with his explanation. "It's exactly the opposite with you and Chō-Chō. We were close friends before romantic feelings played any role in our relationship with each other. I'd not be able to handle the fallout of our friendship in the same way I handle my break ups. I also wouldn't want to hurt either of you by leading you on, pretending I was ready to commit to a serious relationship either."

Her heart felt warm. What he really meant to say was that they were both too important in his life to lose their strong connection as friends. She was happy that his reason for the rejection she faced was something like this all along. Besides, she understood not everyone ended up like Boruto and Sarada in the realm of love. Her world tremendously expanded by slowly coming to terms with everything that had happened. It was like gaining a fresh viewpoint she wouldn't be able to have otherwise.

"I see. I am quite happy that's your reason." She playfully bumped her fist against his shoulder.

"You're happy? That's weird." He responded in kind by imitating her gesture.

"Yeah, I am."

"Why?"

"Because my friendship with you means a lot to me. Besides, it's your indirect way of saying that I and Chō-Chō have a special place in your heart already. Just not in the way we wanted." Maybe that wasn't something she desired, but something she desperately needed. This reassured Sumire her friendship with Mitsuki would stay strong, even if she moved out to Suna at the end of high school to follow her dreams.

That moment helped her to close this chapter in her life. What she always longed for wasn't love, but long-lasting connections with people close to her. Her determination to confess and try to date Mitsuki was born from wanting to be certain they'd still be in contact after she left Konoha. Perhaps Shikadai had similar thoughts to her own? He was leaving Konoha way faster than her.

"So…" Mitsuki trailed off. "No hard feelings?"

"No hard feelings," she resolutely answered.

"Do you think Chō-Chō would respond in the same way?" Mitsuki openly questioned.

"I am sure she would." Even if she didn't understand, Sumire would try her hardest to let Chō-Chō know about the bigger picture soon. The time they could spend with the members of the club gathered together was severely limited. Konoha's Gaming Tournament could be one of the last activities they'd all be present at.

"I see."

She giggled and winked at him. "You worry too much! Say so and I can help you both to make up!"

From the depths of her heart, she wanted for everyone to get along again. Especially since time passes by quickly. There wasn't enough of it before Shikadai's departure, which will be hard enough. Adding hers to the mix would have made this feeling worse when she tells them. She wouldn't want them to force themselves to get along because she shared the information with the group. That's why she wasn't able to mention it to anyone just yet. She'll do it immediately after everything's sorted out.

"Are you sure?" He raised his eyebrows.

"I am! How about all three of us go on a picnic tomorrow after school? I'll message Chō-Chō to come and mediate between you both." She proposed with newfound enthusiasm and quietly added, "I am happy you were my first love."

"Thank you." Apparently he heard her, since with those words, it was the first time Mitsuki smiled throughout this entire conversation.

Sumire's lips went upwards when seeing this. Her smile appeared as a sign of the change in her heart. Moving on from her first love meant it'd not hurt to change her image a bit, right?

In the end, she wasn't able to tell anyone about either her or Shikadai moving out to Suna at all. Especially not now, when she only patched up things between her and Mitsuki. However, her thoughts were full of excitement about the upcoming future.

After Sumire left, Mitsuki was alone dealing with the aftereffects of their entire exchange. Everything went better than he expected. Sarada was right all along. This whole situation made their friendship stronger than before. He gained a newfound respect for the strength that others displayed after heartbreak. Would he deal with the whole situation gracefully, like Kakei did? He had no clue.

Though, Sumire reaching out to him inspired him enough to talk with Chō-Chō one on one too. Above all, finding the common ground with his other friend before the picnic would make the activity she suggested more pleasant.

Hmm, there was one problem. He had no way of knowing where Chō-Chō was at all. It's not like she avoided him. But considering the recent development between Sarada and Boruto, she was probably alone, reeling in happiness. Mitsuki knew they tried to hide it, although everyone in their club already knew they were a couple. Deducing that information wasn't that difficult at all. The rest of the club members only feigned ignorance in front of them. In reality, everyone treated it like an open secret between them out of respect for both Boruto and Sarada. He was happy for them, even if sorting out things with Chō-Chō now was his priority.

What was the most efficient way to find her? It was quite simple, really. Instead of trying to find a needle in a haystack, you direct this needle to come to you. He simply settled with sending to Chō-Chō a quick message that they need to have a serious talk and asked her to meet him in the clubroom this afternoon. Not only does this method save him a lot of time, it also minimises mindlessly walking around trying to find her. Chō-Chō was usually staring at the screen of her phone during the lunch period. Mitsuki didn't wait long for her response either and after receiving confirmation they'll meet, he carried on with the rest of his day.

The flow of time was seriously fast today. Before he did anything of note, the time of the agreed upon meeting came. It was alright. If Sumire could reach out to him on her own, he could reach out to Chō-Chō by himself too, for the sake of this whole mess finally being resolved.

It didn't take him long to navigate through corridors and end up near the front door of their club. He assumed the person he wanted to talk with was already inside, so he pressed on the doorknob without hesitation.

Chō-Chō was standing near the table, holding a typical teenage girl magazine in her hands. Apparently, it was some series that she got hooked on recently and couldn't put down lately. She hadn't noticed he was already there without him speaking up, but Mitsuki enjoyed observing people in their natural element. Majority of people did things they'd not normally do when they were alone and that made them interesting subjects to observe. Unfortunately, he wasn't here to enjoy one of his favourite pastimes. He was here to reach a resolution between him and Chō-Chō.

"You're definitely in the phase of chasing the latest trends. Don't get too swept up in trend-chasing. Be careful to not get bankrupt by paying for the stuff that you'll stop using after they're out of fashion. You should only purchase things you'd use in the long-term instead," he commented, alerting Chō-Chō to his presence.

She scoffed. "Mind your own business! If I want to chase trends, I'll chase trends. It's only natural to be as fashionable as possible to let everyone know how awesome I am!"

"You can do that without things you won't use after one week. Clout chasing is addicting, but is also fleeting. The clout chasers can get what they want, but do they get what they need? They chase for fame only to get burned in the end. You can let everyone know you're awesome, but it isn't necessary. People close to you already know how amazing you are."

Mitsuki liked to go off on tangents like this to see how the person on the receiving end would react. Boruto and Chō-Chō were often dealing with this side of his personality the most. The reason was simple. Both of them had hilarious reactions to his words. Sometimes he caught himself babbling to them a complete nonsense only to see them agreeing or ending up believing in it. Adding to that, they carried a flair for dramatics that didn't help their case. Teasing them was fun.

"Or I can simply enjoy fashion trends like any teenage girl, while ignoring your presence. I hope it's not what you wanted to say to me, did you?" She rolled her eyes and stomped on the floor with her right leg. How amusing.

"I didn't say you can't enjoy fashion. I only said you should be careful. You've a tendency to get carried away." He let it go, sensing she'd storm off if he said something more in this direction. "Anyway, it's not why I asked to meet with you here."

Chō-Chō snickered. "I figured. Spill what you've to say then."

As on the cue, he summarised to Chō-Chō what he already told Sumire and informed her about the picnic.

"That about covers it up," he summed it all up, rendering her speechless. Mitsuki didn't know if it was the way he cautiously approached the topic, or if she was still processing everything he said.

After a few minutes of waiting, she laughed with small tears in the corner of her eyes. "Damn, you and Sumire take things way too seriously sometimes."

"If you say so. Does that mean we're cool?" he asked.

"Yeah, we are. I don't mind hanging out with you both tomorrow." Chō-Chō snorted without her laughter stopping. "Besides, I might've jumped on the wrong tree. It happens all the time! I'd not turn down the chance to get to know you better at all and use this opportunity to get closer to you as a friend."

"Are you sure?" He needed to be certain she was really okay with this. This day was going great for him so far. It made him feel uneasy.

"Yeah, I am! You're just lucky I am in the good mood and that means enjoying my trendy magazine in peace. Shoo-shoo, go away!" She waved him off like an annoying fly, but Mitsuki didn't take offence. It didn't differ that much from their usual interaction. He nodded and went somewhere else to think today's events through.

Taking into consideration everything got resolved. The picnic tomorrow should be fun. Maybe he should ask Orochimaru about how to secure an excellent picnic spot. His parent was an avid fan of outdoor activities, despite spending a lot of time being holed up inside of a lab. If that person was too busy, he could ask Suigetsu instead, as he seemed experienced in those matters.

Suddenly, he looked forward to spending his afternoon on a picnic with both girls. The feeling of dread in his heart was gone.

The next day, Chō-Chō had a split inducing headache. She didn't know what to do today! She promised Sumire and Mitsuki to come on a picnic with them this afternoon, but she encountered an obstacle. Would they know what brand of crisps she craved?! In the end, she settled on buying a few brands of potato crisps that she'd like to share with them. Some flavours of crisps were underrated, and she'd fight with anyone saying otherwise.

Her day at school wasn't something revolutionary. What was happening after school was more exciting. She missed having Sumire and Mitsuki around without drama. Shikadai was clearly hiding something from her, and Inojin was extremely busy with preparing for an important art exhibition. There was also Sarada, but she was occupied with something important and worked on it along with Boruto. It made her feel lonely. Everyone seemed to change, too. She was the only one that stayed the same.

Overthinking things wasn't in her style, so she cast all of her negative thoughts aside.

She hummed a popular song until she spotted two figures in the distance spreading a blanket on the grass under the sturdy-looking tree. Increasing the speed of her pace, she joined them with a shopping bag that had potato crisps she bought inside.

"Am I late?" she asked, wondering if she missed out on something.

"No, we both just arrived!" Sumire said cheerfully and hugged her in a greeting. It was only after the purple-haired girl let her go, Chō-Chō noticed her appearance changed.

Sumire had her hair down, and she was wearing a light purple headband with ornamental violets. The only thing that remained the same was her dress. Chō-Chō tried to think for any reason this change happened.

"You look great!" She opted to compliment her instead.

Sumire shyly tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Thank you! I wasn't sure the headband was looking good on me, but I like it a lot."

"It suits her." Mitsuki chimed in and Chō-Chō greeted him with a hug, too.

"So, what were the two of you doing? Can I help in any way?" She was ready to have some fun!

Sumire and Mitsuki glanced at each other in some sort of understanding and burst out with laughter.

"We were just spreading the blanket on the ground," Mitsuki said.

"You didn't miss anything exciting," Sumire added, smoothing out the corners of said blanket. "Before you came, Mitsuki just headed out to buy us the drinks to accompany the food we brought. Once we knew where we wanted to set up, we took out the blanket"

"Makes sense," Chō-Chō nodded along. "I'll help now too."

All three of them worked on the set-up and coordinated where things should go and created seating arrangements. Sunny weather helped with uplifting their mood. Honestly, it wasn't so bad doing something like this once in a while. It felt nice. After completing the preparations, they quickly seated themselves in their assigned seats. Main dishes included a variety of sandwiches, fruit salads, snacks each of them liked and a cheesecake. Only thing that they needed to fix is including something to chat about.

"So what do you think about Boruto and Sarada?" Chō-Chõ took a good looking chicken mayo sandwich.

Mitsuki raised an eyebrow, holding a potato crisp packet with cheese and onion flavour that she recommended to him. "Do you mean individually or as a couple?"

At those words, Sumire almost dropped the plate with a slice of her cheesecake. Mitsuki heroically saved it by catching the plate before it was too late, while Chō-Chō was soaking in the chaos she caused with a single question.

"I thought they don't want us to know they're dating. Is it okay with us talking about it?" Sumire cleared her throat, while neatly eating her food.

"Totally! As long as it's not in front of them, I don't see the problem. Everyone here knows they're officially dating by now, right?!" Sarada and Boruto's whirlwind romance was still a big mystery to Chō-Chō. She planned to grill Sarada for all the juicy details later, but it was frustrating to only know minor details.

"You have a point. It'd be weirder not to notice anything with how glued to each other they are." Mitsuki nodded in agreement.

"See? Even Mitsuki noticed, and he's an emotionally constipated person!" Chō-Chō couldn't wait to learn what they think about their friends hooking up. That was an opportunity to learn additional information she missed out on.

Mitsuki glared at Chō-Chō. "I'm fine in the emotional department. Thank you very much."

Sumire let out a sigh. "Fine, you're right. They're very obvious. I just wish they held back a little in front of me. It's painful to be a third-wheel."

"You think so? I think they're fun to observe." The crisp packet in Mitsuki's hand was already empty, and he reached for a bottle of water.

"I don't doubt they are." Sumire agreed with him. "I just feel tired whenever I think of how excessive Boruto can be."

Chō-Chō put down her sandwich. "Excessive how?!"

"He borrowed an entire school building on the weekend just for romantic advice. Isn't it excessive?" After finishing her cheesecake, Sumire grabbed one of the fruit salads.

"Damn, that is excessive." Chō-Chō let out a whistle. "Perks of being the principal's son, I bet."

"I don't think so. Boruto doesn't strike me as the type that would use his connections just for that." Cleaning up empty crisps packets, Mitsuki disagreed with the notion.

"Well… He did, so maybe you should reconsider your opinion on this front, Mitsuki." As someone who was a witness to the whole thing, Sumire offered a solid counterpoint. She got up and helped him sort out the trash from leftover food.

"Point taken." He conceded defeat.

Chō-Chō wasn't sure why, but their exchanges were refreshing to see after the effort she put to ask Sarada for a favour to help with the club's affairs. The respect those two showed towards each other was a considerable improvement. Hell, a lot of things improved thanks to her genius plan, and everything right now was how it should be from the start.

"Do you think we find someone special we can love, too?" Chō-Chō was close to spitting out her juice when Sumire hit them with this question.

"Beats me." A curt reply from Mitsuki, as usual. It'd not hurt him to share a more detailed response, would it?

"Obviously, we can! Of course, they won't be as special as I am, but that's the case for the most people," she declared proudly. Chō-Chō wouldn't let them leave until she hears what they seek from a partner. It didn't matter she wasn't one that initially asked the question.

"Personally, what I find special is how your ego is too high." A necessary intervention from Sumire to stop Chō-Chō from strangling Mitsuki transpired when he uttered those words.

"Haha, what are you looking for in a partner then? I am kind of curious to hear your answers." With her nimble movement, Sumire cleaned up the remaining area and came back to her seating spot. Mitsuki gave her a thumbs up, while mimicking her actions.

Their ideal partners, huh? Chō-Chō needed to tidy up her list of ideal qualities for a future partner before she'll be ready to answer Sumire's question about the search for one.

Unfortunately, it was Mitsuki that was first to respond. "Hmm, I guess they'd need to be open-minded and a little crazy. They'd also need to survive meeting my family."

"Seriously, what's up with your family? Why do your future partners need a high survivability rate?!" she exclaimed. Mitsuki's family was still a mystery to her. She swore on Akimichi's name that someday she'll learn his secrets just to have some ammunition against him!

"Because it's fun," he said with an irritating smugness that got on Chō-Chō's nerves, then pointed at her. "I already answered. It's your turn now."

Irritating bastard. Why did she think she was in love with him again? She already forgot.

"Ugh, fine! I want to meet someone amazing, handsome, capable and knowing what I think before I even tell them. That person should also be a romantic, just like I am!" Chō-Chō was sure it was only a matter of time before she found someone like that.

Mitsuki shook his head at her with a hint of resignation, like she was a lost cause. "As expected, your standards are unrealistic. What you want is a mind-reader and not a partner."

A second intervention from Sumire this day to stop Chō-Chō from strangling Mitsuki a second time happened. Calming down, she glanced at the girl that was holding her back. "I am sure this version of my destined partner exists somewhere! What about you, Sumire?"

Letting her go, Sumire answered. "Ugh… Someone I relate to and am comfortable with? I didn't give it that much thought."

"That doesn't sound too hard." Why did Mitsuki have valid points only when Sumire was concerned?! He wasn't like that towards her at all. Chō-Chō felt less bad about her attempts to get back at him.

"Believe me, it's harder to find someone you'd be comfortable with than you think," Sumire said with a frown.

Chō-Chō closed her eyes in contemplation. "That's fine, isn't it? We still have some time to figure this stuff out."

"Yeah, you're right. I hope we'll still be friends when we do." With a strained smile, Sumire urged them to stand up and folded the blanket for it to fit inside of her bag.

"Of course! Why wouldn't we? We all live in Konoha, so we're bound to meet again soon, anyway." Joining to help, Chō-Chō opened up the bag and rearranged scattered items to free up the space.

"…yeah, you're right," whispered Sumire.

"What's with that frown on your face? Let's hang out again soon, okay? Just the three of us. I had my doubts, but today turned out to be quite fun, don't you think?" Aside from her wanting to strangle Mitsuki, Chō-Chō considered today a gigantic success. They all communicated without lingering anger or regret.

"I agree. That was a pleasant change of pace." Mitsuki took the folded blanket, threw it skilfully into the bag, closed it, and handed it over to Sumire.

Accepting the bag from Mitsuki, Sumire hesitantly asked; "See you tomorrow at school, then?"

"Yeah!" Chō-Chō and Mitsuki replied in sync.

The three of them said their goodbyes with a wave of their hands and looked forward to the next time they'd spend having fun together.

AN:

Hello everyone!

Good news, I passed all of my hellish exams and assessments, so I was in super good mood when I was handling this chapter.

I hope you all enjoyed reading what I wrote! Moving on, I had a lot of fun with character interactions in this one. It's the chapter with the more prominent focus on the other club members. Especially since the rest of the chapters will heavily focus on Boruto and Sarada.

Let me know which interactions in this chapter you found the most fun!

a) Sumire with Shikadai

b) Sumire with Mitsuki

c) Mitsuki with Chō-Chō

d) Chō-Chõ, Mitsuki and Sumire interactions during the picnic

Personally, I loved writing all of them, haha. That's why this chapter turned out to be pretty long. What happens next?

I'm juggling between GoF and Toy's Maker Wish (my other, short BoruSara fic) to avoid burnout. So I'll be updating the chapter 27 of GoF after I'll post chapter 5 of Toy's Maker Wish and so on. I hope it makes sense. Both of those fics will be completed by the end of August 2023, so I hope that answers any potential questions. I also am active on Twitter concerning my writing/editing progress if anyone's curious. Still need to fix the time-limiter on my update schedule website. I'll take care of this as soon as possible.

Sincerely yours,

Karinrumi