A/N
Hey guys. No ramblings today, just a quick shoutout to everyone who's been reading this story. I wanted to thank you all for reading and for your continuous support. I really appreciate it! Also, I feel like I need to point this out today for some people so I'll just say it this once: Don't like it, don't read it! It's that simple. There are a million other fics out there, so I'm sure you'll find something to your liking.
Anyhow, let's get on with today's chapter.
CHAPTER THREE : THE BLUE ROSE'S ONIISAN
Night had not long ago fallen over the city, the moon already high in the sky. With classes and training sessions having ended a while ago, the many students at the Academy now spent their time with their friends, did their homework for the following day or were just chilling as they awaited for dinner to be ready at the hall. Of all those students, there was one in particular who didn't feel like doing any of the above, and was currently locked away in her own room, crying her heart out.
Throughout the day, Rice Shower had been sitting in the room only she occupied at the Academy, with no one daring to disturb the poor girl as she dwelled in her own shame and sadness. She'd skipped all classes and meals that day, and the curtains in her room had remained closed ever since she'd hidden herself there.
Some of her classmates and teachers alike had tried knocking on her door to draw her out, but to no avail. To Rice, facing other people at the moment seemed like an impossible task, especially after having ran away from her race... and from Naruto.
'...You'll do just fine. Maybe even get first place!'
'Then... If everyone is against you, if nobody will turn your way to give you a hand or encourage you, I will.'
'Do your best, Ri-chan!'
At the memory of the grinning blond that had placed all his faith on her despite not really knowing each other, Rice couldn't prevent more tears from trailing down her face. She'd failed him. Utterly and completely. She'd let her fear and worries get the better of her and turn away from what she knew was her chance to change herself, to become the person she wanted to be.
Naruto was probably so disappointed in her. He wouldn't want to see her again, and for some reason her chest tightened at the thought. Meeting him that day had felt like fate to Rice, and yet, maybe now she'd lost a potential good friend because of her weakness.
"I really am an useless girl...", she mumbled to herself, hugging her legs to her chest. "I'm so useless, useless..."
Just then, Rice was startled out of her thoughts by a loud to her door, which brought her cries to a momentary stop.
"Knock knock, Rice-chan!"
The aforementioned was surprised at hearing the energetic and cheerful voice of one of the girls that had always been nice to her, despite her attempts at pushing everybody away from her. "U-Urara-chan?", the dark-haired Uma Musume said audibly enough so that her voice could be heard even through the door. "W-What... are you d-doing here?"
"Rice-chan, we brought your boyfriend over like you wanted!"
'B-Boyfriend!?', despite the state she was in, Rice's cheeks turned crimson in response.
"O-Oi, I'm not her boyfriend...", she then heard the unmistakable voice of Naruto complain, and her heart skipped a beat.
"He's right here!", Urara chirped, ignoring the blond completely. "Shall I send him in?"
Before she could even open her mouth to refuse and tell them to go away, as she knew facing Naruto right then was out of the question, the door suddenly slid open, and her words died down in her throat.
With widened eyes, she first saw a grinning Urara pushing an uncomfortable looking Uzumaki in, before closing the door behind him, leaving them both in the dark. Naruto stood there for a few moments in silence while thinking about a proper way to talk to the sad girl, and ultimately he opted for grinning in a friendly manner at her.
"Yo, Ri-chan."
Immediately, Rice faced away from him, unable to see him in the eye. Her heart was pounding madly in her chest, her hands trembling in her lap as her lip quivered.
"So this is the place where you live", Naruto casually said, looking around the room. That proved to be a bit difficult, as the lights were off and the curtains on the lone window at the end of the bedroom prevented most outside light from coming in. It was only thanks to a small moonlight beam that filtered through that he was able to see Rice's figure sitting on her bed. "It's cozy, just what I imagined from you Ri-chan."
At his words, the girl lowered her head. "W-Why are you here... Naruto-san?", despite her words sounding a bit more harsh that she intended, she was geniunely surprised that Naruto had come to see her, of all people. Especially after what'd transpired earlier that day.
"I came to see you", there was no hesitation on his voice, only conviction. "Ah, but getting here was pretty hard, though! That girl in charge of the rooms, Amazon... something, didn't believe me when I told her I was your friend. I was lucky Tazuna-san was there with me!"
As he said this, a short laugh made its way past his lips, yet he quickly saw Rice wasn't laughing and he closed his mouth, unsure of how to proceed next.
"I'm sorry."
"...?"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm... so, so sorry...", like a mantra, Rice began repeating those words over an over as her voice cracked the more she said them. Naruto's face fell at seeing her so miserable, and he took a step in her direction. "I'm s-so useless... E-Even when y-you trusted in me, I... I couldn't d-do it. I really... r-really hate myself. I've wanted to change for so long... I've trained hard and ran in some races but in the end, I'm just a worth... less..."
Rice's voice suddenly found itself stuck in her throat as she felt a pair of strong, yet gentle arms embracing her on the side and pulling her head against a strong chest. Surprise overtook her previous feelings and she widened her amethyst eyes as soon as she realized what was going on, her body becoming stiff against Naruto's arms.
"Shh... It's okay Ri-chan, that's all in the past", he whispered soothingly, running a hand through her raven locks. "I'm here now, and I won't leave you."
Slowly, very slowly, Rice lost all hold she had on her current emotions and finally allowed her own arms to embrace the Uzumaki back, burying her face in his chest. There, with his comforting warmth enveloping her, the Uma Musume vented all her frustrations, anger, pain and sorrow, holding onto Naruto with desperation, almost as if afraid he'd stand up and leave.
Something she eventually realized he wasn't planning to do.
After what seemed like an eternity, Rice Shower's crying came to an end, and her body stopped trembling in Naruto's arms. Her breathing was finally even, and all negative feelings had poured out of her small body. All that remained was a newfound sense of peace and tranquility, and a strong desire to stay in the blond's embrace forever.
"Feeling better, Ri-chan?"
Alas, all things always came to an end, even good ones, and so Rice found herself pouting as Naruto gently pushed her away so that he could look at her in the eye. "Hai", she nodded, still unable to mask her disappointment. "But... I... I wanted to hug Naruto-san a bit more..."
Without even realizing what had left her mouth, Naruto could not help but chuckle at the adorable girl. "No objections here, but if we kept on doing that we wouldn't be able to get to the ramen stand in time before they close...", as he glanced away from her, the blond barely managed to conceal a smile as he noticed her shifting his way in a hurry.
"E-Eh? Ramen stand?"
"Yeah, I was planning to take you out for ramen", the Uzumaki said casually, still not looking her way. "Urara and the others told me you haven't left your room all day, so I figured you'd be pretty hungry by now."
As if on cue, a small, rumbling sound echoed in the room, and Rice found herself blushing at it, quickly realizing that had been her stomach. "S-Sorry", she mumbled embarrassedly, covering her face with her hands.
"Haha, our bodies never lie, ya know!"
Naruto took that as a sign to stand up from Rice's bed and proceeded to stretch his arms above his head. While he did this, Rice finally took a moment to contemplate the blond's proposal and a sudden thought formed in her head.
"G-Going out for ramen with Naruto-san...", her voice was soft, yet shy at the same time, "is this a... d-d-date?"
The Uzumaki blinked.
He then glanced at the expectant girl over his shoulder and, upon seeing the look on her face, grinned. "Sure!", he shrugged his shoulders. "If that's what you want, then let's have a date!"
Rice's cheeks went beet red at his claim and she felt the need to turn away from Naruto once again, twiddling her thumbs awkwardly. "B-But I m-must look ugly right now..."
"Nah! You're too cute to be ugly, Ri-chan", Naruto happily said, nodding at the flushing girl who felt so embarrassed and yet so happy at hearing those words she couldn't even bear herself to come up with a proper reply. "Now then, hurry up, ramen's waiting!"
"Oi baachan, I'm back!"
"Ah, it's you, the gaki from before. And I see you brought that girl you talked so much about with you."
"Haha, yeah, we are really hungry, so we came as fast as we could."
"Heh, lucky for you two, I still have plenty of explosive ramen left so take a seat!"
Rice watched with a shy smile as Naruto interacted with a tough looking woman who was in her early forties. She was wearing an apron over a tight t-shirt and dark shorts, but what caught her attention the most was the scar that run through one side of her hardened face. It started on her forehead, stopping just above her right eye and continuing until her mid-cheek. It was a rather big scar which she assumed was the result of a past injury.
For a moment, she became curious as to why could have happened to the grinning woman before the kitchen, but felt as though it'd be rude to ask and chose against it for the time being.
"Here Ri-chan, sit next to me."
As Naruto patted the stool to his left, Rice nodded shyly, sitting down quietly. She was somewhat nervous as this was her very first date, yet Naruto looked as relaxed as ever, which served to calm her down a bit, and focus on the wonderful smell coming directly from the kitchen. Plus, since it was still early in the night, there wasn't any people at the ramen stand other than them, which gave them some extra privacy.
"So, Ri-chan, do you like ramen?"
"Uhm, yes, a lot", Rice admitted as she turned her head away from the boiling pots of ramen ahead and towards a grinning Naruto. "Okaasan used to make me ramen quite often when I lived with her."
"Hah... sounds like your mum has great taste", the blond hummed happily. "Do you miss her?"
At his question, the girl could not help but lower her head a bit. "Very much", she admitted with a sigh, only now realizing the nostalgia she felt at waiting for a good bowl of ramen. Her mother's cooking was out of that world, and although she was really looking forward to try out that new variety of ramen the restaurant had to offer, she knew she'd never have anything like her kaasan's ramen. "It was hard leaving her to start school here, but I don't regret it. I know I'll become a blue rose someday, if I work hard enough."
"A blue rose?", Naruto tilted his head to a side, visibly confused.
Something to which Rice responded with a sheepish look. "Ah, it's one of my favorite stories", a blush crept to her cheeks then, as she began summarizing the plot for an awaiting Uzumaki. "It's about a rose that's always being criticised and look down upon by other roses. They tell her she'll never become a beautiful flower and that she'll wither down soon."
"Huh, that's mean."
"Isn't it!?", Rice exclaimed, nodding profusely. "To make things worse, the blue rose believes those words to be true and ends up resigning to what she thinks is her fate. But one day, an oniisan shows up and chooses her out of all the other roses. He says she will bloom into a beautiful flower and takes care of her", an angelical smile took over Rice's lips, "until she becomes the prettiest rose in the oniisan's garden!"
Naruto watched as the Uma Musume's visage was brimming with excitement and joy and he couldn't help but smile at the sight. It was clear to him that she felt similar to the rose of her story, and the blond could truly see why.
"And that oniisan...", Rice continued then, growing a bit shy, "was just like you. Brave, confident and kind."
The Uzumaki's previous smile widened upon hearing those words. Despite having known her for such a short amount of time, Naruto felt happy he could be that oniisan she so desperately needed to overcome her fears and suceed just like he knew she could.
"Hah, stop it Ri-chan, you're gonna make me blush", Naruto scratched his cheek embarrassedly, eliciting a giggle from the girl. He opened his mouth to make another comment on her story, but he was beaten to it by the owner of the ramen stand turning their way with two enormous bowls of ramen.
"Whoaaaa!"
"Here you go!", the woman said, flashing them a feral grin. "Two orders of explosive ramen!"
"T-This looks amazing Naruto-san!"
Rice found herself on the receiving end of an excited smile from Naruto. "Eat as much as you want Ri-chan, today it's on me!", he said proudly, to which the woman behind the bar chuckled.
"R-Really!?"
"Yup!"
"But... how are you going to pay for this, Naruto-san?"
There was a sudden silence that ensued her question, and the girl failed to notice the amused look the owner of the restaurant sent Naruto's way. Yet his smile didn't falter at all, not for a single moment as he shook his head. "Mah mah, don't worry about it and eat already! It's getting cold."
"Oh, o-okay, i-itadakimasu!"
Using her chopsticks to pick a rather generous amount of noodles from her bowl, Rice took a moment to gawk at the inhuman speed with which the Uzumaki proceeded to devour the contents of his own bowl, and then decided to dig in herself, moaning in delight. 'D-Delicious! It's like... an explosion of tastes and flavors in my mouth!'
"Heh, I take it you both are really enjoying your meals right now, aren't ya?", as she chuckled to herself, the woman turned around, smirking mysteriously. "Though you might want to slow down gaki, or you'll scare your little friend there."
Her words fell on deaf ears as Naruto brought the almost empty bowl to his lips and proceeded to drink the rest of soup directly from it in one go. When he finished, he let out a rather loud and satisfied sigh. "Haaah, ramen's just the best!", he said, feeling rejuvenated. "Baachan, make me another one!"
"Coming right up!"
"W-Whoa... I've never seen anyone eat so fast before."
Naruto was pleasantly surprised at seeing Rice's bowl half empty, which showed how much she really liked it. Most people he went on to eat ramen with back at Konoha ate more slowly or were satisfied with just one fill, though by the looks of it, his new friend seemed ready to ask for more, if the way she greedily munched on the noodles was of any indication.
"That's because I love ramen! I could eat it all day, every day and never get tired of it."
Rice giggled at the enthusiasm with which the blond spoke about his favorite food. "Did your okaasan use to make it to you, too?"
Immediately after her question left her mouth, the young horse-girl regretted ever asking it, as Naruto's bright demeanor turned somber in an instant, with a kind of sad look taking over his expression. "Ah, no, not really. She... died before I could even try any of her homemade food."
A tense and rather awkward silence settled over the stand, with Naruto ignoring the new bowl placed before him for the time being, looking like he was reminiscing about the past in some way or another. Gone was his usual cheerfulness, which had Rice realizing how much she liked seeing him smile instead of that sad, absent expression that now occupied his visage.
"I-I'm sorry, Naruto-san, I s-should have been more careful", she mumbled, looking away in shame. She inwardly berated herself for her foolishness, but quickly found out she didn't have any need to.
"Nah, it's okay Ri-chan. I was just thinking about them, my parents, I mean", as he said this, his eyes looked up at the starred sky above, and Rice felt a sudden desire to ask a bit more about his mum and dad, which she fought down as she knew it'd only bring more pain to him. "Anyway, it was my sensei, Iruka, who introduced me to ramen when I was a kid. He used to invite me to Ichiraku Ramen every once in a while for dinner, so I guess eating it became a habit to me."
The way in which he spoke about his sensei was almost nostalgic, as if he hadn't seen him in some time. She briefly wondered whether she should ask more about it, but seeing Naruto quickly focus back on his new bowl of Explosive Ramen and proceeding to eat it with gusto forced her to put aside all that for later.
After all, she too was starving.
"Thanks for the meal baachan, it was great!"
Amidst all the costumers that were lining the stand, the owner of the restaurant poked her head up so that she could make herself heard before Naruto left.
"Oi gaki, don't forget our deal!", she exclaimed with a rather menacing grin, making Rice furrow her eyebrows. "Here at Mandaku we start with the sunrise!"
"Yeah yeah, see ya tomorrow baachan!"
"Uhm, Naruto-san?", Rice tugged on his sleeve as they were leaving the place. "What is that deal you were talking about?"
The Uzumaki immediately waved his hand dismissively at his friend. "It's nothing, Ri-chan, don't worry", he placed his arms behind his neck and grinned at her. "Now come on, I promised Tazuna I'd bring you back before eleven."
Trying to mask her disappointment both at Naruto evading her question and the fact that their 'date' was nearly over, the girl followed the young blond as he led them away from the stand and towards the street that would take them back to the Academy. The street they were currently walking down was practically empty, with only a few couples or lone people walking past them. Rice liked the way the many lamp posts casted their lights over the houses that lined both sides, filling her with a sense of tranquility and peace.
As they strolled in silence, her amethyst eye caught sight of a house in particular where a bunch of children played at the frontyard while their parents smiled at them from the porch. The scene brought back memories of how her okaasan would take her out at night to read her stories in their garden.
And it was same scene that made a sudden thought materialize in her mind.
"Ne, Naruto-san."
"Hmm?"
Distracted as he was by his own thoughts, Naruto turned Rice's way with a dazed look, his arms still settled behind his head.
"I-If you don't mind me asking", Rice began, quickly growing shy for some reason. "Where do you live?"
Naruto blinked. And for a few seconds, he just remained quiet, his brain processing the question he'd just been asked. And just before Rice could tell him it was okay if he didn't want to share that with her, he shrugged. "I live alone, by the forest."
Now it was Rice's turn to blink her only visible eye. "The... forest?", she repeated incredulously, not really sure what he meant by that.
"Yeah, you know... It's the one just outside the city", the blond explained nonchalantly.
"O-Oh", the Uma Musume was geniunely taken aback by that statement, "I didn't know there were other houses in the forest."
"There aren't. Well, at least that's what I think. I didn't see anyone last time I was out to explore", ignoring the shocked look on the girl's visage, Naruto placed a hand under his chin and hummed. "Huh, maybe there is some people living there apart from me... I should take another look soon and make sure."
As Naruto talked, mostly to himself, Rice continued to stare at him in utter disbelief. She didn't know whether to take him seriously or not, though despite knowing next to nothing about him, she felt he was actually telling the truth, which only served to increase her incredulity tenfold.
"Why...?", she began but quickly found the words stuck in her mouth. Being rude was the last thing she wanted, but she really desired to know what she was about to ask him. "Why do you live there, all by yourself?"
Her question had Naruto visibly flinch, and she watched as a rather forced grin made its way to his lips then. "That's because... Well, how do I put this...", he wasn't about to reveal the REAL reason he'd chosen that spot in the forest of all places as his temporary home, so he decided to go with something that wasn't necessarily a lie, but wasn't the actual truth either. "I... I don't have any money left."
"...!"
Just as he was expecting as a reaction, Rice gasped in horror and widened her eyes, shocked at the news.
"You... really don't have any money, Naruto-san?"
The blond nodded, before waving his hands. "Ah but it's okay! I don't care about it, as long as I have enough to live by and eat ramen once in a while, that's fine by me!", he sounded strangely honest as he said this, as if he truly meant what he said, which further astonished Rice.
"B-But if that's true...", she began, slowly realizing something that had bothering her for a while, "how did you pay for dinner tonight?"
At such question, Naruto had the decency of looking sheepish as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Ah, haha, I just told baachan I'd be coming along with you and we made a deal so that you could eat all the ramen you wanted for free!", as he went over what had really happened, Naruto's features brightened and he looked absolutely proud of what he'd done, as if he'd been the one to win in the end.
And seeing just that made Rice's eyes fill to the brim with tears.
"Why...", lowering her head, she allowed her rather long hair to shadow her face from view, and Naruto only noticed something was wrong when he saw she had stopped walking altogether. Then, and as the blond turned her way to see what the problem was, he was surprised when he saw tears falling from her face and onto the ground below. "Why... why are you so nice to me? I'm... I-I'm just an useless girl, I don't deserve your kindness!"
"Ri-chan..."
"You s-should have told me...", she mumbled, "I could have... h-helped you."
"Maybe", Naruto then said, walking up to her with conviction in his steps. As he got there, the blond used his hand to gently rise Rice's face to meet his eyes, and proceeded to carefully wipe the tears off her cheeks. "But I guess I see a lot of my old, lonely self in you, so I just wanted to make you happy for a change."
"...Why?", was all she could ask, her sight clouding with fresh tears as Naruto grinned at her, taking his hand away from her cheek and placing it on her head.
"Because we are friends!", he said as if it was the most natural answer to give. "And friends are always there for each other, right?"
A mixture of emotions crossed Rice's visage at his words. From surprise and incredulity to ultimately understanding and a indescribable new feeling that took over her whole being and made her throw herself into Naruto's arms and hold on tightly, allowing his wamth to comfort her as it had earlier that day. Her heart was beating furiously in her chest, but all she cared at the moment was to stay in his embrace where she felt welcomed and understood.
"There there, it's okay", Naruto patted her head gently as she hid her face away from him, with the former giving her all the time she needed to come to terms with what he'd laid upon her.
It was only a minute later that Rice finally pulled away from him, and only then could Naruto see the rather intense crimson color that had spread all over her face, which made him grow worried for a second.
"Are you okay Ri-chan? Your face is all red..."
He raised a hand with the intention of pressing it against her forehead in search of a potential fever, but what Rice did had him frozen in surprise.
As soon as his arm extended her way, the Uma Musume quickly put her arms around it, hugging it tightly.
An act that had Naruto blushing up a storm.
"R-Ri-chan? What...?"
"Naruto-san", her tone made him shut up and straighten as her beautiful eye now turned to stare directly into his azure ones, which had his heart skip a beat. "Would you please listen to my... selfish request?"
Unable to say anything in response due to unexpectedness of the situation he was in at the moment, the Uzumaki could merely nod his head to signal her to go on, wondering what would she ask of him.
Rice took a deep breath, steadied herself and said, "from now on, can I call you oniisan?"
"Oni...san?"
Blushing even harder, the girl squeezed his strong arm gently. "O-Only if you want to."
Naruto didn't have to think very hard about it. Even though it'd take some time to get used to be called like that by Rice, he understood she now saw him as the character from her favorite story, which made him feel special in some way. Grinning, he gave her a thumbs up with his free hand. "Ok! You can call me like that from now on, Ri-chan."
Immediately, the Uzumaki knew he'd made the right choice after he saw Rice's expression becoming as bright as a Christmas tree. A beautiful smile adorned her lips then, and she nodded happily at him.
"Tee-hehe~, then I'll do just that, oniisan!"
The moment Naruto had left Rice at the dormitories, and evaded the neverending questions of all the Uma Musume that had seen them arrive together, he was pushed against a nearby wall by a rather strong force that caught him by surprise. Now and while any other person would have been scared or at the very least alarmed while seeking to find out what was going on, Naruto merely blinked his azure eyes as he quickly found himself staring at the beautiful and at the same time scary face of one Hishi Amazon.
She too was a horse-girl, with long, azure hair that reached as low as her knees, a red bow next to one of her pointy ears and tanned, smooth skin. Her amber eyes were as fierce as she looked, but even still Naruto could not help but think he really liked them, as they were burning with determination and conviction, aspects that never ceased to impress him whenever he saw them on another person.
Said girl, he noticed, was pinning him against the wall holding him by the scruff of his t-shirt, and her visage was very close to his own. So close in fact, he could feel her breath against him.
"Uhm...", the blond couldn't help but mumble, noticing she was just staring at him with a seizing look. "What are you doing?"
"I'm just making sure you're really Rice's friend, and not a weirdo who wants to take advantage of her."
Her accusation had Naruto scowling in response, his own features hardening but at the same time he didn't make any effort to push her away from him. "Oi! You don't know me!"
"Exactly", her eyes narrowed dangerously. "And that's why from now on, I'm going to keep my eyes on you. Until you either prove to me you're a good guy, or you don't."
"And what happens if I'm not?"
His question was met with a threatening smile, one that promised pain and suffering if that was indeed the case. "Then I'll make you wish you'd never set foot on this place", she said slowly, hoping to get the message across. "Nobody, and much less an innocent girl such as Rice will be harmed. Not on my watch!"
"Hah...", despite the situation he was in, Naruto could not help but smile back. He liked her. She looked strong and her heart was in the right place, which was something not many could boast about. With her around, he knew Rice would never be in danger or even victim to mockery or mistreat by her peers. "You're seriously awesome, Amazon!"
"H-Huh?"
"Honestly, I was a little bit worried about Ri-chan but with you taking care of her, I guess I can relax a bit!"
Perhaps due to how random and unexpected his words had been, Naruto was then treated to the sight of the Uma Musume gaping and blushing before him. She clearly didn't expect to be complimented by the very same guy she'd been threatening up until then, and it made her promptly push herself away from him.
"T-That's good enough for now!", she turned around and put some distance between them, before saying, "now, get lost! Hayakawa-san may have granted you permission to be at the Academy at this time but you better not be around when I come back!"
And before Naruto could even have the chance to reply, Amazon walked away as fast as she could until the blond could no longer see her in the darkness of night.
The Uzumaki then scratched his cheek, thinking about the admirable way the girl seemed to care about every student in the Academy when suddenly something hit his mind. Something that made him widen his eyes briefly.
'Ah! That's right! I still need to see Tazuna-san before leaving!'
Under the cover of night and while everyone in the dormitories slept or got ready to do so, Naruto disappeared from sight in the blink of an eye, leaving nothing but a swirl of leaves floating in the very same spot he'd been standing on a few seconds before.
"So? How did your date with Rice-san go, Uzumaki-kun?"
"Pretty good", the blond leaned back against the rather comfortable sofa he was sitting on, waving his hand as Tazuna offered him some tea. "We went for ramen and chatted."
"Did you talk about what happened at the selection race?"
Naruto shook his head, which was met with a satisfied smile on behalf of the secretary. She then took a small porcelain cup in her hands and brought it to her lips, quietly sipping some tea from it. As she did this, the Uzumaki took a quick look around the office he now found himself in at the moment. It was a spacious room, with three couches facing a small table at the center, two bookcases and a few portraits of what he guessed were famous Uma Musume lining the walls.
He only glanced at each picture for a few moments, not really recognizing said horse-girls, before his eyes stopped at a wooden desk that sat at the end of the room. It was ample and tidy, a contrast to what he remembered the old Godaime Hokage's desk to be back at Konoha. There was a small stack of papers to one side, a plaque with the legend 'Chairwoman' written on it and an elegant looking chair behind the desk which was currently facing the wall, as if someone had forgot to turn it around after sitting on it.
Yet perhaps what caught his attention was the sign hanging just above the chairman's seat.
'Eclipse first, the rest nowhere?', the blond mused inwardly, narrowing his eyes in confusion. 'What's that supposed to mean?'
"A metaphor of some sort", from within its confines, the deep voice of Kurama made its way to Naruto's mind, seizing the opportunity to speak for the first time in hours. "Probably a reference to one of those Uma Musume. A very famous one, perhaps."
Naruto found himself nodding at what his old friend had to say. He had to admit the Kyuubi's theory made plenty of sense, especially when that school's whole purpose was to guide horse-girls on their way to success and fame.
Shaking his head, he turned back to the silent woman sitting on a different couch. "Hey, Tazuna-san, is this going to take much longer? I really should get going..."
"I'm sorry Uzumaki-kun, I know it's gotten pretty late", she said apologetically while glancing at the small watch around her wrist, "but the chairman should be here at any minute. Let's just wait a little longer, okay?"
Unable to resist the smile she sent his way and feeling a bit too curious to leave just yet, Naruto shrugged his shoulders and slumped back against the sofa, placing his arms behind his neck. Yawning audibly, the blond did his best to relax on his seat and closed his eyes as he allowed his mind to wander back to memories of his friends back home and all the places he was planning to go to after he returned.
For what felt like an eternity but was in fact a couple of minutes, Tazuna and Naruto waited in a comfortable silence, neither feeling the need to break it as they dwelled on their own thoughts. Eventually, the blond's eyes snapped open as he heard the unmistakable sound of the door to the office being pushed open, and as soon as that happened, he glanced that way to finally meet the person they'd been waiting for all that time.
"Ah, welcome back, Yayoi-sama."
Naruto blinked. Then again. And again. Until the fox inside him told him he wasn't hallucinating and that the woman now standing at the entrance was, indeed, the chairwoman of the institution.
"Sorry I'm late, Tazuna", said woman sighed, sounding exhausted. "That dinner with our investors took longer than I'd anticipated."
"Ara ara, I take it they weren't too pleased with your request now, were they?"
As the mention of that matter, Yayoi scoffed. "Hpmh, they think it'd be a waste of resources, but they should know my ideas always come to fruition", schooling her features back into a neutral look, the woman finally realized she and Tazuna were not alone in the office, and she turned her dark blue eyes towards the adolescent standing to the side awkwardly. "Ah! Tazuna, why didn't you tell me we had a visitor?"
"My apologies, Yayoi-sama."
The chairwoman waved her hand dismissively and retrieved a folding hand fan from her pocket. She began fanning herself as she walked up to the quiet young man, raising her head to look at him as he was much taller than she was. For several seconds, Yayoi stared at him up and down in a scrutinizing manner, until a pleased smile found its way to her lips.
"You must be that young man Tazuna has told me about", she then began, her smile never leaving her face. "Naruto... Uzumaki, was it?"
Said teen had a stupefied look on his face as he continued to gawk at the tiny woman that reached his stomach in terms of height. He wasn't even paying attention to her, as caught up as he was in his own incredulity.
"It's a pleasure to meet a fine young man such as yourself", whether she didn't mind his staring or didn't even notice his confusion, the headmistress proceeded with what she thought was a due introduction. "I'm the chairwoman of this institution, Akikawa Yayoi. I've been here for many years, helping countless Uma Musume achieve their full potential and become worldwide idols and racers. Some of them you may have seen on the walls", as she said this, her hand gestured towards the portraits around the office with a proud and grandious smile.
But Naruto didn't even look the way she was pointing, and instead leaned down towards the headmistress in an act that managed to catch her and her assistant off guard. Though it was what he did next that truly surprised both women and had Yayoi widen her eyes.
"Eep! What do you think you're doing!?"
"So small...", the blond said as he picked the now flushing woman up and brought her to his level, holding her high. "So light too... Are you really the one in charge around here?"
"P-Put me down this very instant, boy!", with a very flustered look on her childish visage, Yayoi began flailing her arms and legs helplessly while Naruto stared at her through narrowed eyes, as if refusing to believe she was truly the chairwoman of the Academy. "How dare you treat me like a child!? I'll have you know I'm a full grown adult, so stop this at once! Tazuna, help me!"
"Hmmm..."
As this bizarre turn of events went on before her very eyes, Tazuna could not help herself and had to raise a hand to her lips to stop herself from laughing at the scene. She felt this was probably one of the most embarrassing moments in her boss' life, but at the same it was the funniest thing to have happened at Tracen Academy in a very long time.
Still, she knew the chairwoman would not be too pleased with her if she didn't get her out of that situation.
And it was after taking a deep breath to steady herself that she said, "Uzumaki-kun, it's not very polite to hold someone else in the air against their will."
"Huh?", as if her words had served to break him out of his daze, Naruto glanced at Tazuna with a blank look before realization hit his mind and his mouth curled in an 'o' shape. Grinning embarrassedly, the blond carefully put a very annoyed Yayoi on the floor. "Ah sorry about that, for a minute there I thought you were joking, haha."
Shooting him a nasty glare, the headmistress huffed in exhasperation and walked away from Naruto, slumping down on the chair by her desk. Naruto rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and only then realized he'd messed things up big time, something that was further confirmed by the way Tazuna merely smiled at him when he glanced her way with a questioning look.
"Sit."
Naruto quickly did as he was told and took a seat by the desk, not really wanting to upset the chairwoman further. At the moment, he could not see her face, as the chair was still facing the wall. With a wave of her hand, Tazuna nodded her head and brought a steaming cup of tea to her boss, leaving it by the desk.
"N-Ne... You're really not mad at me, right Yayoi-chan?"
"Uzumaki-kun!", Tazuna gasped, looking mildly alarmed. "That's not the proper way to adress-"
"It's fine, Tazuna", the headmistress said dismissively, before finally turning around to face a nervous looking Naruto. Her face was as emotionless as an anbu mask, the Uzumaki noticed, and it made him tense for what he guessed was about to come. However, hearing her next words allowed him to relax a bit on his seat. "I'll forgive your rudeness this time. Consider it a token of my gratitude for what you did today."
"What I did...?", Naruto couldn't help but wonder aloud, not really seeing where this was going.
"That's right", a small smile found its way to Yayoi's lips as she took the cup in her hands. "I'm aware of the kindness you showed towards one of our students today."
Ahh so this was about Rice, the blond realized. He now understood why Tazuna had asked him to come back to the chairman's office after his date with Rice; to have a word with the headmistress herself.
"You may not know this, but until now, Rice Shower had rejected any form of help or assistance we or any other peer of hers tried to provide. Given that you were the first person outside this Academy to succeed where we failed, you must be special."
At that, Naruto felt his cheeks heating up in embarrassment. "Ah... It was nothing, really, I just happened to be around when she needed it", he said awkwardly, unsure of what else to add. He wasn't used to being complimented by other people, so whenever others and especially adults said nice things of him he'd immediately start feeling awkward.
Yayoi's smile widened as she sipped on her tea, taking a moment to enjoy the taste it left in her mouth. "Don't undervalue yourself Naruto-san. I can see you truly are a good person all around, the kind of person that someone like Rice Shower needs in her life", the tiny woman paused for a moment to place her cup on the desk again, unfolding her fan to get some air on her visage. "That's why I'd like to ask a favour of you."
Naruto briefly glanced Tazuna's way and saw her nodding back at him, almost as if encouraging him to keep on listening to the headmistress. He didn't feel any ill will coming from any of them, and he felt he could trust both women in the room, so he finally inclined his head. "Sure, as long as it's something I can do..."
"You will find this task well within the scope of your abilities, I'm sure", folding her fan once more, she pointed it in the direction on his face with a serious look. "I want you... to keep on being friends with Rice Shower!"
"...That's all?"
"That's all", the woman nodded happily, bringing the fan back to fanning her face. "So, what do you say? Could you do that for me? I'd be really grateful..."
Naruto took a moment to look at the headmistress with a mildly confused look. Was that really it? They had gone the extra mile to meet him in person that late at night only to ask something he was already going to do, regardless of whether they asked him or not. Both must have been a bit desperate, he guessed, to come to a total stranger for help. Then again his intentions were completely honest, so he wasn't going to betray their trust.
So it was with one of his trademark grins and a thumbs-up that he gave them the answer they were looking for. "No problem! Ri-chan's my friend and I never leave my friends behind, ever! You won't have to worry about her feeling alone again, I promise!"
His words seemed to satisfy both women as they briefly exchanged smiles. "Thank you, Uzumaki-kun", Tazuna then said, bowing her head. "We really appreciate this."
"We do", Yayoi said, sending a grateful look the blond's way. "And if there's anything I can do to help you, don't hesitate to ask."
Naruto quickly nodded and was about to thank the headmistress on that, when a sudden idea formed on his mind and made him straighten up. "Actually... I'd like to ask something."
"Of course! What is it?"
Anticipation built up in the room as Naruto took a moment to think about his next words carefully, knowing that what he was about to ask for could very well be met with rejection on behalf of the headmistress. It was actually a silly idea, one that he'd been thinking about all day after having attended his first Uma Musume official race as an spectator.
He didn't know whether it'd work, or if there was any point on venturing himself into something he knew next to nothing about.
"I want..."
He took a deep breath and smiled with determination, his mind made up.
"I want to train Rice Shower!"
A/N
Guess what time is it... yup, that's right, cliffhanger time! I decided to leave things here for the time being, so there will be plenty more to read next time.
I'm currently working on the next installment for this fic, though all my efforts will be devoted to my other story 'Gal's Ai' at the moment. That doesn't mean this fic will put on hiatus or anything of the sort; only that the next update may take a bit longer to come out. Stay tuned until then.
Until next time... じゃね！