🌸Cherry Blossom Palette: Summer by the Sea🎨

Chapter 21: Flower Girls [Part One]

Sunshine Arc


Written by EmtenDew

Edited by P. serrulata


Author's note:

ED: First, I apologize to anyone that saw my editor's promo post on Reddit and came here immediately.

I told him to post at 12:00 pm eastern, and I forgot to upload to Wattpad and earlier.

...

I hope the last chapter wasn't too over the top. It was messed up, but Naoto is a young man, and young men have a right to dream. Giggity.

This time, Naoto hits the town with Sakura and Hana, helping the two girls with a shopping trip.

Prepare yourself for some cute Sakura/Hana material!

Machida's two idiot lackeys are valueless characters. Like shockingly so. Maybe they should join a certain three other characters in a "squalid car wreck".

I almost feel sorry for Machida, her realizing she's wasted a year of her life throwing aside things that actually mattered and being angry and difficult and alienating others for no good reason and junk. She failed to get into art college on her first try, despite her supposed talent, even though the Prez did, which I think they call being a first year "ronin".

I wonder if she has a job, no longer being in high school.

I now think she'd make a better girlfriend than Nagatoro for Naoto, not that she thinks she has any hope, if she does like him.

I also think she has FEWER problems than the main "heroine".

But that's like saying Oedipus Rex had fewer problems than Sigmund Freud, though maybe it's the other way.

Ask us anything, and we'll add a Q&A section in the next chapter. I would be happy if you ask questions.

Please enjoy what I wrote.


Friday, July 27, 2018

Naoto Hachioji watched the city pass him by, the bus window at his shoulder.

He'd hopped on at the stop nearest his house, and its route led right to the location that Sakura Inori had specified, where they'd both meet up with Hana Sunomiya.

His lunch had been nice enough:

The fried chicken he'd made on Tuesday, when he'd cooked for his parents and hadn't eaten any of it, barring a taste-test, had been pretty good.

It wasn't as good as Maki Gamo's mother's BEEF STEW, but at least he'd finally gotten around to his own cooking…

"…" Checking his phone, he found it to be 12:40 p.m.

He was making good time…

He wouldn't be early-early, but he'd definitely have a few minutes to spare.

'How did I let this happen?' he silently wondered.

Sakura had called him up a couple hours earlier, and she'd convinced him to tag along while she helped Hana shop for and build a summer wardrobe.

As far as how, he was won over by the not unwelcome fact that the gal was doing some shopping of her own… including for a new bikini.

He didn't fault her for telling him, knowing he might not resist such temptation…

"…" He could've said this.

Actually, it wasn't that which had won him over.

What was irresistible was that she'd very obviously wanted him to go along…

His biggest complaint was that he'd been of a mind to vegetate the whole day, doing only what was necessary to prepare for the big beach trip he and his friends would be having on Saturday.

That he might have to carry a few bags didn't bother him…

He'd wanted to go shopping with the girls at some point, if only because he loved spending time with them.

"…" He shifted his shoulders, straightening his back.

Slouching bothered his lumbar-region, still a bit sore from cleaning the school's pool…

The other thing troubling Naoto was why Sakura had asked him to come out with them.

She had a reason to ask him, and it wasn't merely because she and Hana needed a pack-mule.

He trusted Sakura, and she hadn't called him with the intention of modeling a bunch of bikinis in front of him, though she was on the hunt for a new one.

She'd goaded him about it, certainly, but she'd been kidding around, and her true intention had been to show him that she wanted him on the trip, playful as it was.

It was something she did…

He knew her well enough to tell, not that his soul hadn't taken a swing at the flying trapeze, the chance to be the first man to see her in a new swimsuit falling into his lap.

And unlike a certain girl, Sakura wasn't going to play some cruel trick on him.

So… why had she asked him to come…?

Naoto thought that Sakura and Hana might come together, but that wasn't the case.

"Hey, it's good to see you for real, Senpai-kun~," Sakura hailed as he exited the bus. "How you doin'~?"

One look at her outfit had alarm bells sounding between his ears. 'I haven't had diarrhea in a while, so that's a plus…'

Fortunately, he was better able to function than that. "Hey, Sakura-san. Still okay… You?"

"I'm dandy, buddy~!" she was pleased to say. "Happy to be here!"

So was he…!

"Great." He endeavored to not ogle her too much.

On this day, Naoto was fortunate enough to see his fetching friend in a short-sleeved button-up blouse of salmon-pink and a knee-length skirt of faded denim.

Ooh…

Atop her golden hair was a bucket hat, dotted with cute and colorful buttons and pins of all sorts, and she wore high-polished, mirror-lensed aviators, obscuring those big, soft, brown eyes of hers.

Ahh…

And—

'Holy hoppin' horse-shit!' Naoto's knees went weak.

Sakura's legs were bare, culminating in a pair of Toms canvas moccasins.

Marvelous~…!

"Like 'em, Senpai-kun~?" she giggled, putting a foot forward, her thumb and index-finger raising a corner of her skirt, showing just a little thigh. "Wanna give a feel~? I shaved 'em fresh just this morning~!"

Her senpai had been caught lookin', despite his dedicated effort to avoid such excesses of prurience~…

"Dyeh!" Naoto staggered like he'd been hit by a meteorite.

Sakura covered her mouth, slipping into a whole fit of giggles. "I guess you approve~."

'You could say that…' His heart thumped away in his chest.

But this was nothing new.

Naoto had built up some resilience, and he leveled off.

"Sorry…" He really was.

"Hey, it's okay, fella," she forgave, snorting with laughter. "I don't really mind it too, too much~."

'I know you don't…' Part of him wished she did.

He voiced another thought, "I thought you and Sunomiya might come together."

"Nope." She shook her head, settling down. "I rode over from near my mom's boutique. She asked me to bring something from home, and I had time, so I just took the long way here. No prob."

"Alright."

"Hana-chan's taking the bus from her neighborhood; she'll be along in a few minutes."

"So, what's the plan?" Naoto asked. "Got one?"

"Oh, most definitely," she confirmed. "We're gonna go in a loop. We're hitting three outlet stores, one second-hand store, and then, I'll find a new swimsuit, unless I see something crazy good early on. Somewhere along the way, we can get a snack or something. It'll bring us right back here."

The plan seemed solid enough to him. "Sounds good."

"You might find a few things you like too. It's not just women's clothes at these places," she advised.

"I made sure to bring some money." He patted his pocket. "I'm not really looking for anything, but maybe I'll find something."

"…?!" Raising her sunglasses, Sakura grinned, pointing to his side. "Is that what I think it is~?"

Sure enough, each of them had a tote bag, and Naoto knew what hers must've contained.

He'd brought the first three volumes of Paradise Harem for her.

Hefting the bag, he offered it. "Yep."

She lifted her own. "Take mine too."

"Heavy…" He was surprised at the weight.

He'd been expecting Volumes 27 to 31 of Eyeshield 21, but upon looking inside, he found 20 to 27.

"…!" He eyed her. "What's this…?"

Sakura saw his dilemma.

"I, uh… wanted you to be able to relive the awesome." She seemed a little regretful. "The anime sucks. The games are so much better in the manga, and I… I guess I should've told you what I was bringing."

Taken aback at this sort of thoughtfulness—he thought it was thoughtful, he pulled out Volume 20.

The cover art alone had him wanting to read it.

"No… it's cool. Thanks, Sakura-san~."

"Sorry for bringing them all…" she regretted this. "Gonna suck to carry them all. Prolly should've brought them to school or met up some other time. But you have the Shinryuji Naga game and the Ojo White Knights game, and that'll bring you to the finals."

Naoto was glad to have a gal-pal like her. "It's fine. I'll definitely enjoy these~."

"I'll enjoy yours too~!" she snickered, peeking into the tote he'd given her.

He shuddered. "Yeah… you do that…"

Still, he thought it was funny~.

*Hiss! Choo! …Roooooaar…!*

Senpai and kohai turned to the sound of airbrakes and rumbling down the road, seeing a city bus approach.

"Ooh~!" Sakura warbled. "That's Hana-chan's!"

Naoto's face cracked into a goofy smile, in spite of himself. "…~!"

He'd possibly never been happier to see a bus.

Wednesday night, he'd been RELIEVED to see his bus arriving, "saving" him from movie night with Gamo-chan…

He'd wanted to kick himself a few times over passing on that, but getting sleep had been the best thing for either of them.

Whether it was unusual or not for the time of day, the stopped bus was virtually empty, save the driver and a few elderly passengers… and the peculiar girl in the bob cut making her way down the aisle.

There she is~…!

The door having opened, her two senpai saw her reach the front.

Hana gave a slight bow to the driver. "Thank you, sir, for the ride. Do take care."

"My pleasure, young miss~." He beamed. "Have a good one."

With a stoicism most would mistake for indifference, the first-year high school girl stepped down and out of the bus.

But those that knew her a little better could see the change in her, having noticed her senpai, her smiles not always being smiles.

"Hachioji-senpai… Sakura-senpai… it's good to see you both," she said, boots on the ground.

Rather, that was just an expression, "boots on the ground"…

She wore some sort of sandal that Naoto recognized as a Birkenstock model he'd seen, but with a backstrap added.

As for the rest of her, she wore a lilac polo blouse and a khaki skirt, and upon greeting her friends, she replaced upon her flawless crown the ivory-ribboned, straw boater hat she'd been holding in her hands, almost as if she'd rehearsed her entrance.

Holy mother of exquisiteness~…!

"Oh, Hana-chan, hey~!" Enveloping her kohai, Sakura carried on, loudly enough that the departing bus did nothing to drown out her crowing. "You're cute-as-pie today! I love your hat~!"

'Hello to you too, Sakura-san!' Naoto might've felt embarrassed for Hana, but he knew the blonde was just happy as all-get-out to see her best gal-pal, and the younger girl understood this.

He met, "Hi, Sunomiya. How are you?"

"I'm well, thanks," she said, craning her neck to get a better look at him; she turned her attention back to the one squeezing the life out of her. "Sakura-senpai, we're going to get our makeup all over each other."

Sakura let up. "Whoopsie…"

"…~" Naoto chuckled, always glad to see the girls' dynamic at play.

Hana regarded them both. "I hope you weren't waiting."

"No need to worry, Hana-chan, we just got here a few minutes ago."

"Yeah," Naoto added.

And it was still a couple minutes before 1:00…

Hana asked a similar question that Naoto had, "I assume you've thought of a 'gameplan', Sakura-senpai?"

"Oh, heck, yeah~!" she chirruped. "I was just telling Senpai-kun about it."

"Shall we?" Hana deferred, glancing down the street.

"Hey, that's even the right direction we're going first~!" Sakura rejoined; she faced Naoto. "Good to go, Senpai-kun~?"

He'd expected them to stand around for another minute or three, but he could respect that this trip was one of business and pleasure.

"All set~," it joyed him to say.

Naoto wouldn't say it joyed him, the occasions his two friends chatted it up, largely leaving him as the third wheel, but it didn't really confront him either.

There was a difference between being left out and being on the sidelines of the quirky but idyllic friendship the girls shared when they were together…

"…" He'd never really seen the girls argue, but he knew their relationship wasn't seamless, not by any means, the two being so very different.

What they had between them seemed to transcend their differences…

He knew most solid friendships were based on this, but what Sakura and Hana had was unusually strong, he felt, as if the two fit together as puzzle pieces, unlike but belonging with the other.

Still, thinking about it too much was unnecessary, and HE was happy that the GIRLS were happy…

"…~" As was typical, he found the girls could talk about almost anything and go the distance with it, a sometimes endless game of philosophical tennis played out, but never without a purpose.

It was why they could be talking about something he didn't know, like, or even really care about, but he was never bored or annoyed, listening to them…

A moment before, they'd been discoursing Sakura's Prada bag and how she'd left it home in favor of a large wallet with a wrist-strap.

Hana had decided on a wallet too, though hers was brown leather as opposed to a flashy vinyl blue.

They'd wanted to travel light~…

At present, they were focused on their respective attire.

"Ooh, if I'd known you were wearing Birks, I woulda worn a pair of mine!" the gal lamented.

Hana thought little of it. "You never asked."

"I didn't think to…" her lady senpai puttered. "And I don't know how we're wearing the same sorta blouse with a knee-skirt; we never talked about it."

"A button-up, short-sleeved blouse and a knee-length skirt?" Hana petitioned. "That seemed like the thing to wear for a summer day out on the town. I got the idea, seeing Nekoba-senpai's outfit from Wednesday."

"Hey, that's the same idea I had~."

"Great minds, Sakura-senpai."

"She looked amazing in that~!"

"I thought it might look nice on me too…"

"You know it, Hana-chan~. You're cute as a button~!"

"Thanks~…" *wiggle, wiggle*

"But I so wish I'd gone with Birks today…"

"You like Birkenstocks, Sakura-senpai?"

"Oh, I love 'em~!" she screeched. "They're the king of classy/casual sandals! I've never owned a pair of Milanos, but I wear the Hell outta my Arizonas~."

Hana recollected, "I told my mother about the outlet stores we visited the day we had brunch, and we stopped by a few in Tokyo, hoping to find some summer footwear. She's a fan of Birkenstock herself, and I've always found them comfortable. We each found a pair of these Milanos for only ¥5,000 apiece."

"That's quite a deal~!"

"My mother said to thank you for opening her eyes," Hana passed along the good word. "She can't believe she went all these years without ever visiting an outlet store. She never wants to pay full-price for anything again."

"Well, I wouldn't go that far; sometimes, when you come across something you really want, you just need to bite the bullet and pay." This irked Sakura, though she accepted it. "But every woman should know the pleasure of finding great stuff at a great price! It can be so much fun~!"

"Hmph~!" Hana reinforced. "Surely."

"Do you own any Toms, Hana-chan?"

"No, but I want to get a pair sometime, if I can find a pair on sale. I think they're expensive, for what they are."

"Yeah, they can be, but I just love the way they look, especially the way the fabric is sewn to the lower on this model~! Also, they look like burlap, but they're not."

"They are neat."

"Let's keep an eye out for a sale~!"

"Yes, let's."

Naoto still had trouble, knowing that their school largely viewed these two young ladies as a "gyaru slut" and the "weird Art Club girl".

But those poor bastards had never had the chance to see what HE was seeing… and what their other friends had seen…

"…~" He again had one of those dumb, overly sentimental "old man" moments, often producing lumps in throats, knowing that bittersweet feeling of life being the great miracle they were blessed but cursed with, blessed to be a part of it and cursed to be little more than the briefest blip on Father Time's radar screen.

How good it was to be alive…~!

Greater men had wept over this, and he was an okay man, but he wasn't left to stew over this for very long, which was probably a good thing.

"Hachioji-senpai…?" Hana peeked across Sakura's front, the three of them walking abreast on the sidewalk.

He was nearest the street. "Yeah, Sunomiya?"

"What's in the bag?" She gestured to his.

'Uh-oh…' He figured she'd ask about Sakura's bag too, but he'd try to find a better bridge across the river, if they came to it~.

Why she hadn't asked Sakura first, CLOSER to her, the same, he didn't know…

"Sakura-san and I exchanged some manga," he said.

Maybe it was a dumb idea to bring the gal into this already, but there was little point to scrambling around over it…

"Oh…" Hana lit up. "What manga?"

The young artiste DID enjoy several shojo series…

"Eyeshield 21," Naoto responded. "That's what Sakura-san lent me."

Sakura snaked her way in, attending Hana, "We talked about it yesterday, remember? The American football series~?"

"Yes, I remember." Hana nodded. "You said it was a fun one."

"It sure is~," Sakura bubbled. "The anime stank on ice, and it only went so far, so I gave Senpai-kun a good starting point to read from."

"Hmm…" Hana acknowledged.

Naoto was able to push aside his misgivings (for a moment). "Yeah, should be fun; it's a good place to pick up, I think."

And "a moment" didn't last long…

"What did he give you, Sakura-senpai?" Hana asked innocently.

Sakura cringed, fleetingly meeting Naoto's eyes (he thought she was, conceivably, though he couldn't tell with her wearing the aviators), silently asking his advice. "…?!"

She knew it was questionable stuff…

Naoto, for whatever reason, decided to quickly yank off the bandage, hairy arm or no.

Hana wouldn't judge… even if she didn't "get it"… probably…

He answered, "I lent her a series called Paradise Harem."

He didn't like answering, but the bridge they came upon wasn't the biggest piece of shit to ever exist.

Sakura gawked at him. "…?!"

"Paradise Harem?" Hana repeated.

"Yeah…" Naoto surrendered (somewhat). "It's one of those stories where a warrior-mage starts a traveling band, and they go on all sorts of adventures."

Sakura picked up the slack, "Yeah, it's something I've been curious about… It's not really my thing, but I wanted to give it a look."

'Thank you, Sakura-san!'

'Ten-four, good buddy!'

Unexpectedly, Hana said, "I know about that story… I paged through the newest volume at the store."

"…?!" "…?!" Asshole-kun and Blondie nearly fell on their faces.

Blondie gawked anew. "You did…?"

'Yikes…' Asshole-kun wished things had gone differently.

Nipple ticket…

Hana nodded. "Yes… and I've seen Hachioji-senpai reading it before. It's not for me…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

Silence pervaded a moment, Hana's expression not altering an iota.

Those of her senpai were a different story, but…

Naoto arrived at the conclusion their kohai wasn't judging either of them, and he tried to move past it.

Maybe he was even right… but it was nothing to get bent out of shape over…

"I thought of something, girls…" he introduced.

Sakura perked up. "Hmm?"

"What is it, Hachioji-senpai?" Hana questioned.

'Sunomiya's acting "normal"!' Naoto cheered himself.

Sakura seemed relieved too. "…~!"

Asking Yoshi Yamazaki might serve him better, but Naoto set out, holding a bit of confidence, "I was talking with Gamo-chan, and she asked me for suggestions on a good manga for her to read."

MOST people read at least SOME manga, so he doubted the Amazon would mind him bringing this up…

"Did she~?" Sakura enquired expectantly.

He replied, "Yup. She said there wasn't anything she wanted to watch for TV this summer, so she wanted to read a little manga."

"And you haven't come up with any ideas?" Hana entered.

"It's not that…" Naoto denied. "I thought of a couple things, but I want to ask you two for some ideas too."

"Ooh~…" Sakura delighted at the idea. "What were you thinking?"

"Berserk," he said at once. "I think it's something she might like."

He didn't doubt it…

"She prolly would…" Sakura thought. "The only series I know she follows is One Piece, but I think she might enjoy Berserk."

"What about Anonymous Noise?" the third member of their group spoke up.

"Hmm?" "What?" Her senpai looked over to her.

"It's a series I like," Hana illuminated. "It's about a girl who plays music online, hoping it'll reach her childhood friend. She hasn't seen him in many years.

"Gamo-neechan likes rock music, so I think she might be able to enjoy Anonymous Noise."

That was… thoughtful~…

"I've heard of that one…" Sakura made known. "It's pretty popular."

Naoto had heard of it too, but shojo manga wasn't something he was too interested in.

"I started reading it in middle school," Hana said. "I've been following it since."

"Do you think she might like Aoba-kun's Confessions?" Sakura wondered.

The younger girl recalled, "I've read that one… partly."

Naoto had heard of this one too.

A shy girl who can't communicate well becoming friends with her school's star basketball player…

"I mean, it's nothing really original, but it's a nice enough read," Sakura stated.

Hana asked, quite sincerely, "Do you think Gamo-neechan might enjoy CITRUS? It should be reaching its conclusion sometime this fall, so she'd be able to enjoy a story near its end."

"I dunno if Gamo-chan would go for a yuri series…" Sakura wasn't shooting down the idea; she just wasn't sure it was up the big girl's alley.

Hana mused, "How about Living Room Matsunaga-san?"

"Eek~!" Sakura squealed. "Now, that's not a bad idea! It's such a cute story~!"

"…~" Naoto had heard very good things about that one, a high school girl moving into her uncle's boarding house due to family circumstances, quickly falling in love with a wacky graphic artist, the de facto leader of the residents.

He didn't really care IF the girls had "hijacked" the conversation; Berserk WAS the only solid idea he had~…

"It makes me sick, already seeing back-to-school crap…" Sakura disdained, tucking her sunglasses into the unbuttoned collar of her blouse, standing before a cardboard display of mostly gyaru-type clothes and accessories, obviously of the sort to offset the blandness of a boring school uniform. "It's only a week into vacation, and this junk is already on display."

"It's not 'back-to-school crap', Sakura-senpai; it's winter and spring stock," Hana reasoned. "It's no surprise to see it here, at an outlet store. They need to make room for the fall fashion items, not that most of this wouldn't be appropriate year-round."

Sakura supplemented, "Some of this is from last fall too… I guess it's just the display itself I'm having a problem with, being all covered by pics of happy girls in sailor uniforms. It just pissed me off a little, 'cause you do already see back-to-school crap in some of the big stores."

"The outlet probably bought the items, display and all," Hana figured.

"Yeah, I s'pose…" Sakura resigned. "But there's actually some pretty good stuff here."

Hana was taking an active interest in the discounted accessories.

"I've never understood the big floppy socks." She ran a hand through a particularly floppy pair, as slack as flour sacks. "What's the point of them?"

Sakura—a connoisseur of voluminous stockings—explained, "They're just for fun… something different. But, yeah, these are a little extreme."

"I certainly don't mean yours, Sakura-senpai. There's a difference between what you wear and these."

"I know~." The gal understood. "These giant 'parachute socks' aren't even in style right now, but they're never really outta style either. You'll always find a few girls wearing them."

"…~" Hana was looking at a pink ribbon, wider than the ones she normally wore with her uniform blouse. "This is pretty~."

"Yeah, the good thing is almost everything in this display doesn't violate our school's dress code." Sakura looked over a set of colorful scrunchies; she examined the elasticity. "I like these~."

Almost a year after shortening her hair to the jawline, she was finally able to do more with it than simply keep it out of her face.

Hana was somewhat envious. "I sometimes wish I didn't keep my hair so short…"

"You could always go with barrettes, Hana-chan," Sakura pointed out the hair clips, picking up a set. "That's what I've been doing since last fall. I think it'd be cute if you tried it! Try holding these up~!"

The younger girl observed herself in the small mirror bordering the display, brushing her hair to one side, pressing the barrettes to her temple. "Ooh~…"

"You could do a few things in your hair with a ribbon too~!" Sakura burst. "I think this might work on you~. Take a look!"

"You don't think my hair's too dark for it? For that blue?" Hana put forth, letting her hair back down, allowing Sakura in.

"Oh, heck, no!" The gal held the ribbon up, rearranging the bob cut with it. "But I think another shade of blue might go a little better with it. This was just the first one I grabbed. We can try another~."

Naoto felt a little self-conscious, in a chair against the far wall, being the only guy in the place.

There were plenty of teenage girls there, and he felt invisible, barely a one of them paying him any heed.

That was okay with him…

The trio had stopped at a tiny shop—a fly-by-night sort of place—temporarily renting a storefront, and it had odds-and-ends out the wazoo.

There were some summery-type clothes and shoes, but most of the supply was just left over from the clothing sales they'd seen in late May/early June.

There were even puffy winter jackets and funny winter hats, having lingered since March…

Watching the girls blithely prowling over a cardboard cutout, populated with enough kogal -type gear to outfit an army, he showed a minute smile, despite his feeling out-of-place. "…~"

Along with the totes of manga and the girls' hats, Sakura and Hana had left their wallets—too big for their pockets—with him, which he kept in his lap, and he found he didn't mind.

They needed their hands free to check out all that cool stuff~…

Well, he wasn't interested, but his kohai were.

Regrettably, there was nothing, nada, zilch for him at this store, and the girls hadn't fared any better, at least for clothing.

"…~" Naoto well remembered Gamo-chan and Yoshi once joking about Hana becoming a gyaru, and while he was fairly certain it would never happen, he thought it might be neat for her to customize her uniform.

There was no harm in it, a girl having fun with livening up her school identity…

And he was certain that Sakura was the right girl for the job, if Hana wished to make an "autumnal debut".

That seemed a little farfetched though, Hana making a "debut", presenting herself as a whole new girl…

Shutting his eyes a moment, Naoto looked back on their afternoon… not that they'd been at it for more than a half-hour.

The little store they were currently patronizing was the second place they'd hit, actually.

The girls weren't dawdling, not at all, again, set on business AND pleasure, which was the way Naoto liked it~…

The first place hadn't been a dud, but it was little more than a "discount hole-in-the-wall" attached to a sundries retailer, and there hadn't even been a dressing room, so while the girls had bought a few articles of clothing, they only went with stuff they were familiar with, having worn the styles and sizes previously.

It made sense, not buying something you weren't sure of fitting, especially since all sales were final…

He thought it was too bad, the girls having come across some really cute clothes, and seeing Hana in a couple of the outfits they'd debated was something he would've liked, but it was what it was.

"…" He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Sakura hadn't seen a bikini that she'd liked, both places they'd been to being very picked over.

She had a lot more confidence in the third outlet and the thrift shop, though not for swimsuits.

While the first store was a "hole" and the current one "fly-by-night", the third store was a designated outlet, open year-round, seeing new items arriving two or three times a week, and the thrift shops always had something to see.

Naoto, opening his eyes, lazily surveyed the room, not "all there". "…"

Maybe he wouldn't be the ONLY guy in the other stores…

The first place had been filled with nothing but girls too, but instead of being ignored, the staff eyeballed him like he was a piece of roadkill.

'Suck it!' he'd wanted to say. 'My friends asked me along!'

Predictably, he'd said no such thing, and being ignored, as he was, beat the "evil eye" every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

"Senpai-kun~!" the Sakura-ish wheedle brought him back from his ruminations.

"…!" He saw the blonde girl approach. "What's up?"

She held out her hands. "We've decided on what to buy. Wallets, please~."

"Yup…" He forked them over.

She smiled sweetly, leaning in. "Thanks for holding onto them. It helps, really~."

"N-no prob…" He couldn't tell if she was accentuating her bust on purpose or not, but he surely had a nice view of the mountains.

"And thanks for being so patient~," Sakura said. "Just give us a couple/three minutes, and we'll be good to go, okay? There's something else we gotta do before we leave."

"Sounds good…" he replied.

The gal paddled back over to Hana, holding their would-be purchases, and the two got in line at the register, each sporting a small armload of the store's odds-and-ends.

"…" Naoto had heard the term "pussy-whipped" a thousand times at school, the idea that a guy was subservient to a girl—usually a girlfriend—to the degree that his balls had been swiped and he had no ability to stand up for himself.

He supposed these poor bastards did exist, but his idea of "pussy-whipped" didn't mesh with most guys'.

A man wasn't necessarily pussy-whipped just because he was doing for a woman something other men—or even himself—considered "unmanly"…

Many would call him pussy-whipped, even a slave, merely because he was helping a couple of girls shop—not that he'd done much of anything—and he supposed this was possibly why not a single dude besides him had turned up in either store.

Naoto knew he wasn't a slave.

Sakura had asked him along…

He still didn't know why she'd wanted him along, but he'd come because he'd ultimately wanted to.

It seemed like a small kindness, helping a girl shop, in addition to possibly seeing something REALLY GOOD, the moment she stepped out of the dressing room…

"…" It puzzled him. 'How do some guys get, much less KEEP a girlfriend if this was truly the way they thought?'

Then again, he knew that some girls were just as stupid as some guys.

Maybe THAT was how some guys got girlfriends…

To him, that a girl would want her man along with her—with him the first one to see her in some new outfit—seemed like a gesture of respect, in and of itself.

He didn't have a girlfriend, but he had pretty female friends, and he had eyes, so he didn't think he had it so bad, being there.

More than anything, he wanted Hana to be having a good time… to find some clothes and stuff she liked… to have fun with Sakura… and he wanted Sakura to have fun too…

If he could potentially help ease their time along, then he was happy to do so. "…~"

"B-but, Sakura-senpai…"

"Hana-chan, you should just go ahead… Do it~…"

"…!"

"It's alright, I'm right here~…"

"Mmbrl…"

"You said you'd do it."

"I… I changed my mind…"

"Hana-chan, he'll love it~…!"

"…!"

Naoto was indeed happy to be there with his two kohai. "…~"

It was too bad the pickings that day had been so sparse…

He only hoped the girls would have better luck in finding the things they wanted, two or three stores still ahead of them.

"H-H-Hachioji-senpai…?" an unusually timid but familiar voice made itself known.

He looked up, having yet again set off for daydream-land. "Huh?"

Hana, if she wasn't already, immediately blushed, faced with him. "…!"

Naoto thought for a second or two that he must be in another dimension. "…?!"

Who WAS this flushed freshman…?

"You're alright, Hana-chan…" Sakura encouraged, at her shoulder. "Go on~."

Had Naoto heard Sakura correctly?

WAS this Hana…?

He had heard Sakura correctly.

This WAS Hana…

And she did her best, addressing him.

She brought her hand up, showing what she had to show. "What… what do you think…?"

Naoto had noticed it immediately, even before he realized this was Hana, the "it" and the ceriseness throwing him off.

Her hair was different, adorned by one of her immediate purchases.

She had a whole new look…

Two flowing ivory ribbons festooned her countenance, pulling a measure of her hair behind her ears, opening up her face, showing more cheek, jawline, and, absolutely, her ears.

"…!" Naoto thought something, to be sure.

Hana kept her eyes down, but she fiddled with her new adornments. "Sakura-senpai helped me with them… these ribbons…"

Another ribbon, wider and in matching ivory, was tied at her collar, as was her wont, always electing to wear one with her school uniform, and pleased to wear it with her lilac blouse.

"What do you think… Hachioji-senpai…?" Hana stared slightly off to the side, flashing a crimsoned glance Naoto's way.

What did he think…?

Naoto had never seen her in anything but a bob cut, hair down, no accessories.

She'd had the same hairstyle since she was 12, as far as he knew…

Sakura was still there, reassuring Hana, but all Naoto saw was his longtime kohai, the girl who'd given him credit for almost everything she knew about art.

What did he think…?

Hana had wished for his constructive criticism of her art countless times.

And she always took it with grace, knowing he was only trying to guide her…

Sakura had asked him for his thoughts on Hana's makeup multiple times.

And four times out of five, Hana took his comments with the utmost grace…

But Hana, the girl herself, had never asked Naoto what he thought of her appearance.

And this was the most graceless he'd probably ever seen her…

"…!" He didn't want to make such a big deal about it, especially when Hana was so nervous, but…

What did he think…?

Naoto shone like a lighthouse. "I like it~!"


Please look forward to the next chapter! Thanks for reading!

Questions and comments are welcome!