🌸Cherry Blossom Palette: Summer by the Sea🎨

🌸"Chapter 8: Let's Sing~!" [Part Four]🎨

Doorway into Summer Arc


Written by EmtenDew

Edited by P. serrulata


Author's note:

ED: The super fun karaoke party finally comes to an end! And other stuff happens.

PS came up with almost all of the songs described in the last chapter, so I hope you liked them. I enjoyed listening to the ones I hadn't heard before. I can see why "Tsubasa Wo Kudasai" turns him into a puddle whenever he hears it. It was a gorgeous song, and there are plenty of versions of it to enjoy.

The Nagatoro roundtable I've been mentioning is starting to be published. Unfortunately, it can't be advertised on the Nagatoro sub on Reddit, so here's a link:

r/NagatoroRoundtable/

I recommend that Redditors start spending more time at this little sub.

Some anonymous reader not using an account, identified as "Carl", on asked me if I could personally crush an aluminum can between my boobs.

What a question to ask a young lady who's probably taller and stronger and prettier than Carl is.

Carl, I really don't appreciate anonymous readers leaving stupid comments attached to my stories. At least identify yourself so I can give you a "tongue lashing" or at least engage in some fun banter with you.

But the answer is YES. I don't drink alcohol at all, so it wasn't a beer can, but a Sprite can is made of the same stuff.

My editor can crush beer cans on his forehead. I've also seen him break a glass bottle over his head, once on video chat and once when we met at AnimeIowa. He says there's a trick to doing each with relatively little pain involved. It takes a certain type of glass bottle too. Some pop like old incandescent light bulbs, and some could be used to cave in a burglar's skull.

Yeah, PS is a real dreamboat~. LOL

I watched the new South Park. I guess abusing artificial intelligence phone apps to deal with a needy person via texting is enough for a storyline. It turns into something bigger, which isn't unusual for South Park, but the show lost its way when I was a sophomore in college.

Eric Cartman: "Once you bring girls into things, they're gonna ruin it, just like slavery."

Oh, good heavens! I don't even know where to begin with that.

I didn't spend 24 years of my life growing up and living with the show like my editor did, so I know we have different opinions on the newer material, but I miss the simpler times that I'm too young to remember, when Bill Clinton was president and the Japanese were using Chinpokomon to corrupt American children into destroying their own country.

I don't like bullies, liars, hypocrites, and people who are drunk with power. It's worse when they're all rolled into the same person.

Please look at the Q&A section I set up at the end of the chapter. Ask us anything, and we'll add another section in the next chapter. I would be happy if you ask questions.

Please enjoy what I wrote.


Wednesday, July 25, 2018

"Wee-ooh-wee-ooh-wee-ooh!" Yoshi Yamazaki mimicked the shriek of a siren. "We're just about out of time!"

This fell on six pairs of ears, and while it was always cute to hear they "didn't ever want the day to end", they'd been at it for four-and-a-half hours, and even Maki Gamo was a little burned out spending that much time singing karaoke.

Scattered across the furniture, each of them would benefit from a little fresh air and sunshine…

As if she was the one carrying the baton, Yoshi declared, "We have time for one more song and a few words!"

'A few words…?' Naoto Hachioji didn't know what was left to say, and neither did anyone else.

Just what was Yoshi up to…?

Gamo-chan was the one to ask, "What are you talking about, Yosh?"

Yoshi, knowing well how to throw her weight around, got behind her old friend and took her by the upper-arms. "We need a word from our host~."

Having said that, she propelled the barefooted songstress onto the nearest table, the big girl not knowing what hit her, not until she was faced with the rest of the room from a height.

The development unexpected, Gamo-chan stared around blankly. "…?!"

None of them had foreseen this…

"Speech! Speech! Speech!" Yoshi chanted.

Gamo-chan didn't seem overly interested, put on the spot, a pinkness showing up in the face. "…?!"

No one else chanted, but they weren't disinterested in hearing something from their "host".

"It's alright~!" Nekoba called. "Say something."

"Yeah~!" Sakura Inori joined.

"Well…" Gamo-chan softened, pawing at her neck, a bemused smile peddled. "I, uh…"

"C'mon, Gamo-chan," Tohru Hijikata, shockingly(?), galvanized. "Did we have enough fun for you~?"

His charge struck a chord with them all.

Let's have so much fun today, we couldn't possibly have any more, even if we tried~…

Those had been Gamo-chan's words, at the start of this fine afternoon.

And the boost helped her.

"Wow, uh…" she exhaled but quickly inflated herself. "Yeah~. I think we had a pretty great time today~!"

She was met with much affirmation.

"Woot~!"

"Hell, yeah~!"

"Go, Gamo-chan~!"

"Xena!"

"Yeah!"

"Thanks for this!"

Humbled at her friends' kind words, Gamo-chan heaved another sigh.

"This was fun…" she uttered, rather bittersweetly. "But, yeah, they're gonna kick us out of here soon, so… we do only have the time for one more before we should start cleaning up."

A sobering concession, time being what time was…

So, she asked, "Who wants the last song?"

Who was she kidding?!

Gamo-chan didn't know, but as with giving her the ¥5,000 so she wouldn't be stuck with the excess costs of the room rental, the group had agreed on something else, their host off alone in the ladies' room.

Suchlike the money, Sakura also held this.

"You brought us all together today, Gamo-chan~," she sounded. "It's all yours~! Do whatever you want~!"

Assent was given from all present.

Gamo-chan was touched…

"Oh~…" Cheeks red, she beamed, her eyes twitching. "If that's alright with everyone, then… sure~!"

What…?!

"Eek!" Gamo-chan found herself aloft.

As if they'd rehearsed it, Sakura and Yoshi lifted her from the coffee table and carried the surprised girl to the stage, propping her up.

Nekoba followed with a microphone, forking it over. "Here~."

Sakura brandished the catalog. "Your wish is our command~!"

"Y-yeah…" Gazing around the room at her friends, Gamo-chan had to swallow the great lump forming in her throat; she considered the microphone, held in her hands. "I think I know what I wanna do…"

They waited.

And Gamo-chan?

With this Golden Ticket presented to her, she knew her wish.

She knew, but it didn't stop the twiddling of her thumbs!

"Shuu-kun…?" she crooned, looking his way. "Would you… join me…?"

"?!" The room reacted as one.

This was perhaps the biggest surprise of the day!

"Me?!" Shuu Aisho was perhaps the most surprised.

Gamo-chan said with more spirit, struggling to make eye contact, "Yeah… I want you to sing a song with me~."

Shuu was in raptures, but, "Are you sure? You don't wanna do one with Yoshi-san or…?"

Yoshi, already on board with this, held out a mic to him. "It's okay, Shuu-kun."

Was it?!

Naoto, still as stunned as the others, wanted to offer his blessing, but the words wouldn't come.

"I dunno…" Shuu went magenta. "Do you really…?"

Gamo-chan physically got offstage and padded up to him.

Yipe?!

"C'mon, Shuu-kun!" She pumped his hands in hers. "Sing with me again~!"

"…?!" He almost had a heart attack.

A few others might've come close as well…

Gamo-chan was briefly beyond worrying about what the world thought of her.

"It was so fun, doing 'Bink's Sake' with you, so let's do one more!" she invigorated. "Please, Shuu-kun~?!"

She was like a little girl, begging Daddy to carry her on his shoulders, even if she'd gotten a little big for it…

Shuu turned to putty in her hands, something that hadn't quite happened the last time she'd begged him for a duet.

How could he say "no" to this~?!

"Okay…!" he blathered. "Sure!"

Yoshi pressed the mic into his hand, and she and Sakura prodded him towards the stage.

And there stood Shuu, onstage at the brighter end of the dim room.

He tried calming down his shakes, finding mild success, and he could feel his face BURNING with blush…

Gamo-chan was far more self-assured.

Clambering onto the stage, she called behind her, "Yoshi! Surprise us~!"

Glancing to Yoshi, accepting the song catalog from Sakura, Naoto—

"…!" He saw something in the girl.

He wouldn't call it pride, as one might see a parent proud of a child, but he saw something

Yoshi was happy for her oldest friend, because SHE was happy…

And judging by Yoshi's expression, cycling through the catalog, one might think she was about to give the greatest gift on Earth to Gamo-chan.

Turns out, it was quite the gift:

20 seconds later, the song "Let's Go Fly a Kite" from Disney's Mary Poppins showed up on both monitors.

Naoto had no way of knowing, but Mary Poppins was very special to Gamo-chan and Yoshi.

It was so special, Gamo-chan was ready to back out again.

She was shocked!

With the way the Amazon flustered, one might've supposed that Yoshi was forking over her most-prized possession.

"H-hey, Yoshi…?!" she stammered, making Shuu seem rock-solid in comparison. "Seriously?!"

"Yes." She was ready to press the start-button.

Wow… so THIS was happening…

"But this is, like, your favorite!" Gamo-chan babbled. "We've only ever done this together! Do you really—"

"I really wanna see you smile~," Yoshi condoned. "I think you two could have a lot of fun with it~."

Yoshi wasn't screwing around…

"…!" Gamo-chan's nervous fingers drummed on the mic.

Five minds asked the same question:

'What was going on with Gamo-chan?!'

Naoto hadn't seen this, and he'd seen some stuff with the girl.

If someone had told him the first few months that he'd known her that the girl standing onstage with Shuu NOW was the same girl that had stomped sunscreen onto his back A YEAR EARLIER, he might've (probably not) slapped the taste out of their mouth…

No matter, a new stimulus replaced the source of the company's incredulousness with something even "worse".

Yoshi had already hit the start button~…

The piano accompaniment playing a jaunty rising scale flowed from the sound system, the words appearing on the screen, not that anyone didn't know the words.

But the music stopped!

Naoto had seen this a few times that day. The machine didn't just play music to sing along to.

It needed input! It needed a voice for it to move along!

And Gamo-chan had frozen up!

Something was holding her back…

He looked towards Yoshi, and the Yosh wasn't looking too great.

Had she made a mistake?!

Naoto's everything hurt for the big girl, standing up there, mortified.

The others only had a few seconds to take this in, whether they felt pity, embarrassment, or mere confusion, because something almost implausible happened.

While five were at-odds over Gamo-chan's plight, another had subsequently recovered.

"Wi~ith (can't quote the song) strings…!"

Six teenagers jarred at the solid baritone voice Shuu had just let out, the piano starting up to join him, the music stopping when he stopped.

They gawked at him—all six of them—as if he'd just crapped a motorcycle helmet.

He continued, his blush retreating somewhat, "You can (can't quote the song) wings!"

To the surprise of the five offstage, Gamo-chan quickly took up a stupid, happy grin (the kind that did Naoto's justice).

"…~!" She sparkled.

And she joined him for the next line, brick-red in the face, "With your (can't quote the song) flight…!"

A few smiles and glances were exchanged among the peanut gallery, and—

"With your (can't quote the song) kite!" the whole group thumped out the line.

(I so wish I could type out the song and how much fun was had, but copyright laws are trash.)

Naoto dropped out near the beginning of the second verse, and he just watched, listening to Gamo-chan sing.

It was awe-inspiring… seeing someone that joyful…

"Oh, let's (can't quote the song) ki~i~ite~!" they finished.

As the song ended in a piano flourish and much laughter, Gamo-chan might've been the second-to-last one to realize she had a couple lines of happy tears starting down her cheeks.

After all, it was such a happy song, and they'd had the BEST day…

"…!" Nobody on the floor gasped or anything.

Still, tears were always somewhat unexpected…

"Hiff!" She may very well have thought it was sweat, but the small sob she had to stifle, coming out of nowhere anyone else could see, even as she was giggling, told her all she needed to know. "Urk…?"

Shuu was the last to notice, standing side-by-side with her. "…!"

"Eh…!" Gamo-chan covered her mouth, a hoot or two of laughter making it around her hands. "Ha… Ha-ha…"

What was…?

Shuu backed off. "…?!"

Gamo-chan's face fell as her laughter became crying.

"Ooh…" Covering her face, almost dropping the mic, she wept into her hands. "Snrk…!"

'Oh, shit…' Naoto's stomach twisted.

Tears of happiness were one thing, but this wasn't it, and the room knew it.

While five of them were stunned, one had reacted fastest, and it wasn't Shuu this time.

"Oh, Gamo-chan…" Yoshi hopped onto the stage with the room's tissue box and relieved her oldest friend of the microphone.

Shuu took the device when it was held out to him. "…?!"

He was handed the tissue box too, lightened by a good handful of paper…

Slinging an arm over Gamo-chan's shoulders, she dabbed at the taller girl's cheeks, pressing the rest of the tissues into her hands.

Gamo-chan took them and buried her face in them.

The group parted as Yoshi led her from the stage, sitting her down on the couch and taking the seat next to her.

Shuu slowly followed, and not knowing what else to do, he plopped the box of tissues on the coffee table in front of the girls.

Along with Gamo-chan, Yoshi too had tears in her eyes, and she hugged the trembling girl.

"Sorry…" she fretted, rubbing Gamo-chan's back. "I didn't think that'd happen…"

With all this going on, Naoto didn't react as he had the last couple days, but Sakura and Nekoba took up on Gamo-chan's other side and behind her, respectively, Sakura pulling the tissue box in among them.

Neither needed them personally, but the two old companions did…

"Here…" The gal offered fresh tissue to Yoshi, still supplying Gamo-chan with what she already had. "It's alright~…"

Nekoba patted both Gamo-chan's and Yoshi's backs, soothing, "Yeah, it's okay, guys…"

"…" "…" "…" Three young men watched.

Naoto was fine enough, but Shuu, and Tohru just stood by, thankful someone else knew how to handle this.

They weren't clueless, but they did feel a bit lost…

Naoto remembered something, and it wasn't for the first time:

You know how sometimes you just need to cry? It's just gonna happen, and there's nothing you can do to stop it? It's coming out at some point, no matter what you do?

He remembered it well.

He hadn't forgotten about Gamo-chan's "nightmare" either, of possibly breaking down in front of her girl-friends… in front of boys

But among friends…? Something that was normally a nightmare was sometimes no more than "just one of those things", even if some of the friends WERE boys…

"Hey, I'm… really sorry about that, guys…" Gamo-chan murmured, thoroughly ashamed of herself, hesitant to lock eyes, especially with the boys. "I dunno what came over me…"

She'd washed her face, the physical evidence of the good cry she'd had gone…

The time had come for the karaoke party to end, and the seven partygoers were standing in the lobby, enroute to everywhere (at least within the city limits of Hayama).

Nekoba and the boys had cleaned up the room, not that there was much to clean up, and it hadn't taken long, leaving Yoshi and Sakura to sit with Gamo-chan.

She seemed okay, but having a breakdown in front of others—in public—was never a cakewalk…

If Shuu and Tohru had anything to say about it, they were mum. "…" "…"

What DID you say to that…? Nothing seemed like the right thing to say…

Sakura may have been the only one able to publicly tackle this snag.

"It happens, Gamo-chan," she assured. "I think we've all been feeling a little emotional lately, for a whole lotta reasons. That last song? That song's pure happiness set to music~. Everything just sorta… mixes up inside you, and you get hit by a 'cry truck'. It could've happened to anyone."

As nuts as that sounded, coming out of the "worldly" gal, it made a lot of sense…

Naoto could agree with it.

And Gamo-chan could at least smile a bit over it… or a least not give the impression she was clinging to some other plane of existence, refusing her own.

As humiliated and flummoxed as she might've been over her demeanor, she knew where she was, even if she was still a bit shaken to make sense of it all…

"Yeah…" She stared at the pointed toes of her blue suede Fawns, chuckling as she blew out a ragged breath. "Thanks, Sakura…"

She may have even believed it…

Perhaps Shuu couldn't address Gamo-chan's lament, but that she'd done so did nothing to overshadow the rest of the day.

"Hey, Gamo-chan, thanks," he gulped, shyly scratching at his ear. "It was totally a lot of fun today. I don't think I remember the last time I had fun like this. This was great! Thanks for inviting us to come, really~…"

It was one of the more meaningful things the Amazon might've heard from some guy she barely knew.

"Yeah~…" Her blush hadn't really been gone, returning, a grin with it, and she brushed a length of hair behind her own ear. "Sorry for getting too excited back there… and for all the joking around…"

Shuu barked out a brief cackle, "H-hey, don't worry about it. It was a lot of fun… singing with you."

He'd handled that nicely…

None of them could stop smiling, knowing that the Maki was probably more-or-less alright.

Tohru seemed ready to say something, but he wasn't jumping at it…

He was still pleased to see Xena's smile. "…~"

Yoshi reverberated, though reverently, "But now the time has come for us to part! Not that we won't be seeing each other again soon enough~…"

"Yeah," Nekoba observed. "Saturday's only three days away."

"And Hana-chan will be joining us~!" Sakura burst. "I missed her at the karaoke party in June, so this'll be the first time we'll get to hang out with everyone together~!"

Naoto cringed at her words. "…!"

It seemed… just a little insensitive, flaunting the fact that Hana Sunomiya would be with them—a kohai who may well have become Sakura's best gal-pal—when Gamo-chan couldn't say the same of her own best friend…

He knew Sakura meant no harm, but yeesh!

Gloriously, Gamo-chan ran with it, addressing the group as a whole, "Let's take bets~! Right now! Who here thinks Hanacchi will beat out Sakura in the 'swimsuit category'~?"

Yoshi and Nekoba had a good laugh at this, seeing Sakura falter, as if the gal was a doll whose batteries had just fallen out.

The boys didn't DARE open their mouths…

Sakura ricocheted, cerise in the cheeks, "Maybe we should let the boys decide~!"

Naoto wanted to roll his eyes. 'Fuck!'

Yoshi hopped on the wagon, "Panel! Three-judge panel!"

"Can we bribe them~?" Gamo-chan contemplated. "Threaten them~?"

"Grrrr…" Nekoba didn't seem as eager over the prospect.

Though, she may have gotten Naoto's vote~!

Nevertheless, he could do without such chatter. 'Oh, please let this end…'

After a few more absurdities among the three bustier babes of the bunch, they let off.

"Nah, I think it'll be a whole lotta fun~!" Sakura was positively sure.

Yoshi proposed, "We could bring out a grill~! Do up some meat~! Potluck~!"

"Let's talk about it tonight," Gamo-chan suggested. "We can decide who brings what tomorrow."

"We'll want to have someone save us a spot too… maybe rent a couple of big umbrellas…" Nekoba voiced.

As before, the boys just listened, but at least the girls weren't joking about swimsuits anymore.

None of them would mind bringing something to eat for everyone… and one of them would probably end up saving a spot…

Stepping outside, leading the coalition, Sakura shielded her eyes against the early evening sun in the west.

"Well, I gotta go meet Mom at the shop," she said.

Tohru looked down the street, the bus stop in sight. "The bus Shuu and I need should be here any minute…"

"Ours too…" Yoshi checked the time on her phone.

"Gotta run a few errands…" Nekoba contributed.

"Nao-kun, you getting on with us?" Shuu asked. "It'd be a longer ride and an extra stop for you, but you wouldn't have to wait around a half-hour for your direct route to show up."

His 6:00 p.m. bus had passed by SECONDS before they'd come out…

"No." Naoto shook his head. "I wanna hit the book store the next block over, and that'll kill time anyway."

"Well, I guess that's that~," Sakura chirped. "Today was so killer~! I guess I'll see you all Saturday, if not sooner."

Farewells were exchanged.

"See ya."

"Yeah~."

"Later…"

"Saturday! Saturday! Saturday!"

"They're figuring on 33°C and sunny skies~!"

"Sounds like a good day on the water to me~!"

"C'mon, Gamo-chan," Yoshi spurred. "Bus'll be here in three minutes."

"Oh, I gotta stick around," Gamo-chan informed.

Yoshi blinked. "Huh?"

"Yeah, I gotta stick around a few minutes," Gamo-chan recited. "I gotta talk with the staff and check out. They'll charge us a fee if someone doesn't do it."

None of the girls liked this…

Sakura mumbled, "I'd stay with you, but I really gotta go meet my mom."

"I need to get to the store and finish shopping before it closes at 7:00…" Nekoba regretted.

"Then I'll stick around too," Yoshi declared.

Gamo-chan waved it off. "Naw, you go on, Yosh."

"But…" Twin-tails protested. "I don't wanna leave you here by yourself."

"Hey, what did you promise your parents?" Gamo-chan contended.

Yoshi hesitated but said, submitting, "That I'd go home when we were done and do a couple hours of schoolwork… We agreed on a schedule with my 'sorta' tutor."

It wasn't a bad thing, Yoshi having a regimen for her summer homework (and the four study guides), but it seemed unfair to use it as ammo against her…

Naoto didn't like seeing Yoshi dejected.

He himself wasn't crazy about sticking around, and he knew that Shuu and Tohru needed to get on the bus unless they felt like waiting an hour for the next, so Gamo-chan would have to be on her—

'Shit!' He was in for it.

Gamo-chan's eyes had fallen on him.

She wouldn't?!

She said to the group, "I'm not gonna be alone; Paisen's agreed to wait around for a few minutes."

"He did?" Yoshi hadn't heard this.

Naoto certainly didn't know about this…!

Neither did anyone else.

However, it seemed to satisfy… and he kept his mouth shut…

"Well, okay then!" Sakura declared. "Saturday, if not sooner~!"

"Mm."

"Yup."

"Meat~!"

Picking up a little courage, Gamo-chan faced Naoto's pals. "Uh, Shuu-kun, Tohru-kun…"

"Yeah?"

"Hmm?"

"I had fun~." She shone. "Thank you so much for coming today. I really liked hanging out~…"

"Y-yeah, definitely~…" Shuu managed.

Tohru approved, "It was pretty good."

"Sorry again… for all the weird crap, Tohru-kun…" she mumbled.

"I won't be the one to break this peace, Xena~."

"Yeah," she chuckled, bucking up. "See ya, Short-pai~."

Thus ended a pretty kickass Wednesday afternoon…

Seeing his friends disperse, Naoto would be hard-pressed to remember having more fun than he had that day.

Reentering the club alongside Gamo-chan, he could tell she had something to say. "Yeah?"

"Phew…" she expelled. "Sorry for roping you into this… I just didn't want them to make a big deal and worry about stuff… not after my little… 'display' back there…"

"I get it," he ensured.

"You don't have to stick around… That was just to get the others gone…"

The thing was… he didn't want to leave her alone either

"It's fine, Gamo-chan. I'll meet you back in the room. Just lemme hit the bathroom."

She didn't seem displeased to hear he'd be sticking around…

"Okay~." Her jaw twitched.

It hadn't been some excuse to make himself scarce, Naoto saying he had to visit the can.

His back teeth had been floating since Gamo-chan had sung "Tsubasa Wo Kudasai"…

He just hadn't thought about it.

Getting back to the now-well-lit karaoke suite, he encountered a refreshed-looking Gamo-chan.

Having undone the braid in her hair, she'd relaxed her dress even more, her blouse untucked from the pencil skirt, collar loosened, and the power suit coat resting beside her bag.

Her hair was a lot straighter than usual… as it had been during their video chat…

"Oh, Paisen…" She looked up from her phone, checking the bus schedule. "Looks like it'll be a bit before someone comes to check us out."

Her hair had a certain shine and softness to it too… something he'd never seen…

The other thing he noticed was she'd changed into sneakers with socks.

'Are those…?' Naoto did a take. "Are those the socks I leant you yesterday?"

"Hrn…" she ho-hummed. "Yeah, sorry…"

"No, it's alright," he wrote off. "I forgot I let you take them. Just get 'em back the next time you swing by the Art Club… or Saturday."

"I was planning on getting them back to you today, but I thought I might wanna put something else on once the party was over."

"No problem." Naoto had socks aplenty.

The whole afternoon, she'd struggled with those 100 mm-stemmed heels, leaning on anything that supported her weight, dipping, dangling, popping, and wincing…

But she'd stubbornly kept wearing them, other than during her attempts to frighten Tohru and near the end.

As if reading his thoughts, Gamo-chan admitted, somewhat unwillingly, "After trying to act so cool in front of Sakura, I wasn't gonna complain about the Fawns or change into something more comfortable, not when she was still around…"

"You shouldn't push yourself if you're not used to something." Naoto thought that might be the case, her mulishness. "You see office ladies in running shoes during commutes anyway, and they put on the 'pro' shoes when it's time to work, so it's not like you couldn't have done that."

"I thought you and the boys might enjoy the show~," Gamo-chan chortled. "I didn't think you'd mind, at least~."

'Oh, damn it!' Naoto's mind swam, and he shivered. "Bwaaah…"

She giggled at his physical reaction, "Oh, sorry, Paisen… and sorry for treating you like a creep when Tohru-kun threw my little 'gag' back in my face…"

'I don't think he or Shuu minded the show…' Naoto would never say that out loud; but it was nothing to get bent out of shape over in the first place. "No sweat…"

Gamo-chan was no Sakura, but…

It was becoming surprisingly easy to talk to her…

It was weird.

Gamo-chan hadn't wanted to complain in front of Sakura, but Naoto was her "Paisen".

"Man, it was rough wearing those…" She eyed the Fawns, lying next to her bag, with distaste.

Naoto answered, "I heard you all talking. It's a shame you spent that much on them, even if they were on major discount."

"I wouldn't call ¥8,200 'that much'." It wasn't like she didn't have money. "I found a great deal, and I'm glad I went for it."

He shrugged. "I suppose."

Gamo-chan took on a diabolical expression.

'Oh, shiz-nit!' Naoto knew something was on the way.

And he was right-as-rain.

"Still, I'll sell 'em to you~," she relished. "Better yet, I'll wear them until they're absolutely ruined and then sell them online. Like we were saying earlier~? Some guys are into that, right~?"

It was that ham-fisted ribbing again… something she was usually so much better at…

"Ugh…" The thought still disgusted him at a visceral level. "Yeah, I heard you talking a little about that too."

"So… you want 'em now or later, Paisen~?" she peddled her wares. "If you wanna postpone until a later date, I'll put you in the number-one spot on the waiting list. It's your call~!"

"I'm not one of those guys!" He wasn't sure how much more he could handle. "And didn't you decide to keep them?"

She laughed merrily at him, "Yeah… I did…"

Geez, could this girl spring some crazy shit on him! It was different from Sakura's, but…

The big, rented room wasn't booked again until 8:00 p.m., and the club was busy, so the staff took their sweet time in showing up for the checkout.

But finding no problems they could pin on the party of seven, Gamo-chan and Naoto were cut loose, no additional fees attained.

It was a close call, getting out when they did, minutes to spare before 6:30 p.m.!

Gamo-chan's bus showed up every half-hour, so she wouldn't have to wait for the 7:00 to show up.

Naoto's bus also ran every half-hour—until 7:00 p.m.—so he'd have to catch the 7:00.

He still wanted to get to the bookstore, and he'd make it in time, the walk there only three minutes…

In no great rush, he decided to wait until Gamo-chan's bus appeared.

"Hey, thanks for clearing things up in there, Paisen," she expressed.

He found no thanks was necessary and reaffirmed, "That tear on the sofa was there when we showed up. I saw it. I bet it got scuffed up when they brought it into the room."

The staff had GRILLED them on the room's condition, seemingly praying to find something to fine them for…

"I thought for sure that Yoshi did that when she was climbing on the furniture…" She couldn't believe her friend had been strutting over the room's fixtures, wearing 50 mm heels.

Fun was fun, but sometimes, the Yosh didn't think things through…

Naoto snorted, the image of Yoshi walloping the tambourine to "Bink's Sake" still fresh in his mind, "Yeah…"

She'd been beating that thing like a nincompoop beating his meat in a 1950's lunatic asylum…

"That was pretty dumb…" Gamo-chan mumbled.

Even if it was, he cast off, "She was just having fun…"

"Seems a lot more natural when she does something silly…"

'Ouch!' Naoto picked up on that sentiment.

She thought she'd gone overboard, and… yeah, she did, but it was mostly benign, her antics…

"I made a pretty big ass of myself today, didn't I, Paisen…?" she stewed. "I don't know what I was thinking… doing that in front of your friends…"

Was she fishing for validation …?

He didn't want to give it to her. "After yesterday, I was afraid you might have ended up having a terrible time today, but… I'm glad you're feeling better."

"…"

"It's okay to cut loose a little… to get a little goofy…" He didn't want her thinking it wasn't.

Gamo-chan responded this time, "I guess…"

"…"

"…"

Should he…?

"You didn't do anything that bothered Shuu or Tohru," he did, be it should or shouldn't. "You were… just a bit nervous, so you played around and tried to have some fun with it."

"…!" Her credibly proverbial blush was still affixed.

"…"

"…"

The crying though…? Was that even SMART to try talking about…?

Two blocks down, Gamo-chan's bus rounded the corner, its diesel engine roaring as it accelerated out of the turn.

Naoto was saved~!

He knew there'd be a better time to deal with—

"Hey, uh, Paisen…" Gamo-chan said.

He jumped. "…?!"

Her demeanor had changed drastically!

"…Yes…?" Naoto wasn't not frightened.

The bus had hit a stoplight, not 100 meters from them…

"I'm kinda hungry…" Gamo-chan wheedled, more untroubled than she'd just been but somehow more nervous too.

'You are?!' He'd seen her eating all afternoon.

She tendered, "Wanna grab another soda? Maybe something a little more substantial?"

'Are you seriously…?' Naoto's butt puckered.

"We could still swing by the book store," she quickly added, saying it quickly. "There's a little sandwich shop I know on the same street; it's really good…"

He didn't really WANT to, but he knew at once she was looking to do more than have a cold drink with him…

"Sure." He knew she wanted to talk.

He had no doubt that they could both make their 8:00 buses.

They'd all had enough sugary drinks that day to kill a suicidal, diabetic army… and enough salt to kill a small child or two, the appetizers being what they were…

Naoto didn't think a little more of each would hurt anything.

Thank goodness for all the processed junk the average teenager consumed…

He didn't think she was wrong about the "substantial" part either, the finger foods they'd been inhaling not very satisfying.

Some crisp salad and some bread to soak up all that grease sounded pretty good…

Naoto still hadn't heard back from Hayase Nagatoro.

He'd messaged her before he'd even left school that morning…

It hadn't been on his mind until he'd gotten home, looking over all the stuff from his phone that day.

His thoughts on the way home had been preoccupied with his unexpected 7:00 p.m. dinner with Gamo-chan.

After not giving him a single bit of guff over the manga book he'd purchased at the book store, she'd led him to a Vietnamese-style sandwich shop, and he'd been privy to something he'd never eaten before.

It had been pretty awesome~…

He'd gotten the same thing as his gal-pal, barbecue pork-belly with pate, carrot, cucumber, jalapeno, cilantro, green onion, and fatty mayo on French bread.

The two had split up at the bus stop, their 8:00 bus routes taking them in different directions.

He'd had a long day away from home, and he had to be up early the next morning.

He'd… indeed had a long chat with Gamo-chan, but he wasn't thinking much about that either, now being preoccupied with another girl entirely.

Sitting on his bed, staring at the wall of his own bedroom, Sakura was chatting him up on the phone.

"Hey, I shouldn't have sent you that dumb text about Gamo-chan's legs…" She almost sounded like she regretted it. "Yoshi restrained you again… Sorry about that~…"

Naoto wished he could see her face right now, but they weren't having a video call, just a normal old phone call.

Was the gal already in her pajamas~…?

That hadn't stopped her from sending him a pic a couple weeks back, resulting in the last time Yoshi had pinned his arms to his side, exposing him to some playful Maki-malevolence.

Naoto could almost visualize the blonde, jittery with mirth, on the other end…

He knew she might've mildly regretted her action, but mostly, it still amused her, and he couldn't blame her.

"Are you~?" he challenged. "Are you sorry?"

She could probably picture him smirking too…

"Yeah, a little~…" she admitted.

"I guess you didn't hear about the headlock Gamo-chan put me in when Sunomiya called, did you?" He wasn't upset about Sakura's joke; it had been funny.

She extolled, "Oh, but I did~! Hana-chan told me herself~."

Maybe she didn't regret her little crack at all~…!

But Naoto rolled it off of him.

In fact, he'd barely thought about all that.

Maybe he was getting far too used to all that he went through…

And he still let it glance off of him. "Yeah, everyone seemed to have fun today…"

"Mm…"

"…"

"…"

"…?"

"So… is Gamo-chan okay?" Sakura asked.

Naoto knew this was coming…

Notwithstanding, he could say with conviction, "She's okay, Sakura-san… The stuff you said about the 'cry truck'? You're probably 100% right. I talked with her a while. She's fine."

Hopefully, Sakura wouldn't ask WHAT they'd been doing…

"That's good," she sighed. "I was kinda worried."

"I get that…"

"Color me shocked when she just started crying like that." The gal sounded as if her words were the Gospel truth.

"Yeah…"

"I can only imagine how embarrassed she must've felt…"

"Like I said, I think she'll be okay." He did think so. "Shuu and Tohru get it."

She considered, "I guess that's what worried me the most. In front of us girls, that's bad enough, but guys?"

"They get it, Sakura-san. She doesn't have anything to worry about."

"But I feel so bad for Gamo-chan… She's had a rough week."

"I know."

Though, he did ponder just how badly Sakura felt for Nagatoro

She was certainly sad for Gamo-chan but was maybe GLAD that Nagatoro might not be around…

Naoto did believe Sakura's words from the week before:

If it came to "choosing sides", she'd side with Hana…

"Senpai-kun…?" Sakura put forth.

"Yeah?"

"You…" she began, searching for the words. "You didn't seem all that surprised, seeing Gamo-chan go to pieces like that… Did something happen?"

'Oh, c'mon…' He wished to avoid this. "You're really asking…?"

"…Yes."

Since he wasn't going to share the nitty-gritty, "No, I wasn't all that surprised… She's been pretty mixed up over everything the last few days…"

"Oh…" she submitted. "I think I get you."

And she wasn't about to ask him of his part in it…

Honestly, he could tell that she understood. "She just got a little overwhelmed after the last song."

"…"

"…"

"I'm not sure how to put this, Senpai-kun, but…"

'Oh, what are you gonna say?!' He braced himself. "Yeah…?"

He must've sounded agitated…

She put such negativity to rest, "Oh, it's nothing bad… It's just…"

"…What?" Naoto felt the tension drop.

"I'm just happy you were able to be there for her, Senpai-kun. I think she… really needed it, with everything and all…"

"Oh…" He was relieved.

She was happy she'd found the words. "Yeah… That's all, really…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

With that out of the way…

"But, really, Senpai-kun, how pretty was she today, singing like she did~?" Sakura bolstered.

Yes, she'd been a "vision"…

"Yeah…" he wouldn't say otherwise.

"She was so happy we were all able to get together like that~," Sakura gushed. "I was too."

Naoto almost found himself becoming tight in the throat… and warm around the eyeballs. "It was a good day."

"Did you see Hana-chan's response to the video you sent her~?"

"I sure did…" He smiled to himself.

For Hana's eyes only, Naoto had sent the video of Gamo-chan singing "Tsubasa".

And their kohai had sent a selfie to all seven karaoke partiers, the artiste with the bob cut giving a thumbs-up, her face a mask of tragedy with a teardrop in her eye.

It seemed she found it beautiful too!

"Gamo-chan did get a little wild though, Senpai-kun~," Sakura giggled. "I can't believe some of the shit she tried pulling on Tohru-kun~! I've never seen her act out like that…"

"She was just having a little fun," he told her the same thing he'd told Gamo-chan herself. "She overdid it, but… hey, we all had fun with it."

"How great would it be if she became friends with Shuu-kun and Tohru-kun~?"

Hadn't they become friends that very day?

Naoto, at the least, thought it was a start; he answered, "Yeah… that would be pretty great…"

"…"

"…"

"Hey, about something else…" Sakura changed the subject. "With Shuu-kun and Tohru-kun…"

"Yes?"

"I checked my schedule; I'm good to go to that videogame convention on August 10~."

'Oh, kick-fuckin'-ass!' Naoto wanted to drop the F-bomb.

Instead, he said, "That's great! I doubt either of them found another taker in the last few hours, so the ticket's all yours."

"'Kin' A, Senpai-kun~," she gleefully dropped a minced F-bomb. "I'm looking forward to it~."

So was he. "…~"

"…~"

"…"

"…"

"…Uh, Sakura-san?"

Her voice became "all business"…

She let go, "Hey, since you're in a good mood, there's something we need to talk about."

'Oh, damn it!' Naoto had anticipated she'd spring this on him at some point.

But why ruin his good mood…?!

"Aw, not again, Sakura-san…" he bitched and moaned.

"Can it, buddy," she quashed such rebellion. "I left you alone about it since we talked this morning, and you're not getting away now, you hear?"

'I could always just hang up the phone!' He didn't dare do it though.

It was as if she could smell his discontent. "Hey, you could've brought this up yourself."

Why would he do such a stupid thing?!

She hadn't been ragging him about it, so he was content with keeping quiet.

But he answered, hoping it would be the last time, "We went over this twice. I have to clean the pool by myself. If you show up, they'll know what happened on Friday night."

"That's not everything, Senpai-kun…" she growled. "What about Hana-chan?"

"…I… still haven't told her…"

"Why not?"

Maybe he didn't look forward to telling Hana that he'd put on a foot-modeling session with her dear "Sakura-senpai" as the subject… and that the police had stormed the art room… and that he had to clean the pool as punishment for taking the fall by himself…

He pushed back, "I said I'd tell her once she got home. She's not home, so let's leave her be until she's had some sleep. I'll let her know in the morning."

"Will you now~?" she opposed. "You'll actually tell her~?"

He couldn't commit. "…"

"You should just let her know tonight, Senpai-kun," Sakura warned. "She's gonna be sore at you for keeping it from her."

He knew she was right, but, "Do you really want her thinking about that on the long car ride home?"

"…No…" Sakura didn't want that.

The Sunomiya clan, sans Sana the Prez, would be driving into Hayama in the wee hours of the morning, so both knew the family would be zonked…

"I'll tell her in the morning, Sakura-san," Naoto figured. "If she's pissed about it, then she's pissed, I guess…"

"…"

"…"

"Okay…" Sakura yielded. "You're right about that…"

'Phew~!' That was welcome to him. "I think it's for the best."

"…"

"…"

"Senpai-kun, I'll ask you one last time…"

Naoto scowled, not that she could see it. 'Do you really have to…?'

She must've, "Will you please let me help you with cleaning the school pool? It's really not right that you have to do it by yourself…"

He didn't think it was right that he had to do it at all…!

"Sakura-san, please, I really appreciate it…" Naoto truly did. "But if you show up, they'll get suspicious about who you are and why you're there, and we can kiss this leniency goodbye. It'd probably be suspension or expulsion for us. They wouldn't be able to hide it anymore, but this way, it'll be over and done with."

She tried one last thing, "Do you really think they'd bother, just because I showed up?"

"Sakura-san…" He collected his thoughts. "Four of the staff know the truth… The entire staff thinks that a single student stayed late on Friday and know that the police showed up—with a bomb squad… Some of the public knows the police showed up…"

He didn't like putting it in such harsh terms, but…

"Yes, Sakura-san, I think someone would look into it," he finished.

He could tell he'd convinced her.

"I see…" Her dejection was audible.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-san… That was the only way I could think to put it."

She accepted, "No, no… I get you now."

"Okay," he settled.

"…"

"…"

"But… we do need to tell Hana-chan about it all, and she needs to know tomorrow. She's the only other member of the Art Club, and she deserves to know."

"You're right…"

"Would you like me to help you tell her? If you need it?"

It was like a breath of good, fresh, clean air~!

"I'd appreciate that, Sakura-san," he humbly consented. "She probably will be pissed that I didn't tell her right away…"

"I know why you didn't tell her, Senpai-kun. It'll be alright~."

"Thanks." He appreciated it.

"Let's talk about it sometime tomorrow morning," she proposed. "We can figure out what to do then."

"Sounds good."

"Well… get some good sleep, Senpai-kun."

"I will."

"And wear plenty of sunscreen, and drink plenty of water."

"I will."

"Okay… Goodnight, buddy."

"Goodnight, Sakura-san."

With the call over, Naoto flopped down on his bed.

'Finally! Maybe that'll put this to rest…' he prayed so.

He also prayed that Hana wouldn't hold it against him for keeping mum on the situation, but what good would it have done for her to hear about it on her family trip?!

He saw none, and he decided he'd made the right choice.

It did hurt though…

Sakura really cared, and he knew it.

It also hurt that he hadn't shared the whole truth…

Primarily, he was worried that she'd get into trouble and that both of them would get into worse trouble, but part of it was that he felt he should be the only one punished over this.

And he didn't know why, exactly…

Come what may, he hoped to put a serious dent in that stupid job he'd been assigned before he spoke to Sakura again… and before Hana found out

Thursday, July 25, 2018

It wasn't even 6:00 a.m. when Naoto began his march to school.

He didn't have a whole lot with him:

He had his phone, earbuds, wallet, some sunscreen, a couple pieces of fruit, a water jug, the gym clothes on his back, the sandals on his feet, the hat on his head, and the contact lenses on his corneas…

He had a long day ahead of him, and he wasn't anticipating finishing until the next day.

One thing that might've made his morning better would've been a reply from Nagatoro, his message to her 20 hours old…

But she'd given him no such response, and it didn't do wonders in encouraging him.

At least he'd had a good night's sleep…

He'd given it a little thought, what he'd tell Hana, but she'd be sleeping a few more hours.

Maybe Sakura would know what to say…

He reasoned on messaging Sakura in a few hours, once he'd gotten started on cleaning the pool.

He wished he'd brought an actual lunch, but taking a break, running to a convenience store or even a proper restaurant, would be something to look forward to…

Naoto had been told 6:30 a.m., but the P.E. teacher getting him going didn't show up until nearly 7:00.

Granted access to the poolside broom shed, filled with brushes and squeegees and, naturally, brooms, he was supplied with soap, an electric pressure washer, and a bilge pump.

His task wasn't overly complicated.

The pool was soiled with dust, grime, and the occasional crumb of grout.

He was to sweep up, pick up, scrub the walls and floor, pressure wash all the crap into a corner of the deep end, and pump out the muck into a designated drain outside of the pool's fencing.

They didn't want the pool's delicate drain and circulation system gummed up, so the muck HAD to go somewhere else…

And he was to do this—in that order—until the pool was clean, up to its rim.

He was told to put the tools away when he was done for the day, to drink plenty of water, and to take what breaks he needed.

His assignment before him, he figured that he could finish it by the next day.

He'd cleared his schedule for the miserable work…

Thus, he was left to his sentence of (not very) hard labor.

Naoto tried to keep a relatively positive attitude, but 45 minutes in—only halfway done with his first sweep of the pool—he was already in a sour mood.

He'd DEFINITELY be back tomorrow, no matter how well things went today…

'What a Goddamn cliché punishment…!' He angrily urged along the various detritus the contractors had left behind.

He didn't understand why they had him cleaning the pool; they didn't live in some anime!

He could be waxing the gym floor or cleaning the bathrooms or cleaning windows or recycling or burning trash or any NUMBER of other things…

The worst was the knowledge that the pool would turn into a fucking convection oven once the sun got a little higher.

He could already feel it out of the shade…

But he centered himself and decided to face his punishment like a man.

He wasn't the only one getting the stinky end of the shit-stick…

He reminded himself that Gamo-chan was probably over in the martial arts building, helping with that dumb tournament in which she had no horse, Nagatoro or herself.

Nagatoro… She'd be in summer school that day… and depending on what classrooms remedial classes were being held in, she might be able to see the tourney from her desk…

He hated that thought, but it was what it was.

A little later, Naoto had raised his spirits slightly.

Checking his phone, he found a couple new podcasts from the comedian he'd been enjoying, and he was listening.

"…~" He steadily made his way, pushing his broom into the deep end of the empty pool.

Really… this wasn't that bad, when he thought about it…

Compared to the trouble he might've seen—to the trouble Sakura would've been pulled into as well—he could live with this.

If it was for the gal, he was GLAD to be doing this…

He—

"Well, well, well, well, well, well, well, well, well, well, lookie here~!" a chirpish tone came from above.

'Oh, shit…' Naoto froze.

The voice persisted, "Seems we found us an Asshole-kun, didn't we~?"

Us?! We?!

"…!" Removing his earbuds, Naoto looked up, and he espied two good-looking sets of bare legs—attached to two good-looking girls, clad in clothes of gym—standing at the edge of the pool.

"What do you think of this, Hana-chan~?" Sakura simpered to her companion.

Hana eyeballed their older friend. "I think Asshole-senpai owes me an explanation."


Q&A Section

Give us a top 5 list of the messed up lines your editor has suggested that you actually used.

ED: It would take a long time to go through everything to pick my favorites, but I'll give you more than five that immediately come to mind. I'll just use ones from this story, not the first story.

-The stuff about the rabid tanuki making a mess in the snowy parking lot was very descriptive.

-The line about the force of lil' Naoto being able to reach the Oort cloud in six weeks had me ROTFLMAO. For reference, including its journey starting in 1977, Voyager 1 will take 350 years to get there.

-Lil' Naoto playing a game of "turtle" during Naoto's cold shower was pretty funny.

-The joke about Naoto dropping "fear poops" when Gamo-chan leaned on his shoulder was cute.

-Naoto's level of doubt being compared to his believing in the existence of Santa Claus's sex dungeon was pretty terrible.

-Calling Gamo-chan's breasts "Maki mounds" was pretty good. I can't believe I have to ask a man to help me with funny and interesting names to call boobs.

-The line about Gamo-chan's boob recycling center almost had me in tears laughing.

-Calling the old lady that called the cops on Naoto a "batsh*t, dried-up, nonagenarian tw*t" was a little shocking.


Please look forward to the next chapter! Thanks for reading! Questions and comments are welcome!