Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Danganronpa.
AN: This chapter is structured differently from the rest. I said it before, but this arc is my most ambitious one so far, given that this is where Junko and Naruto first meet.
This chapter is kind of a culmination of everything so far, so I had a little fun with it. I think it should be simple enough to follow, but we'll see.
Enjoy.
Chapter 59:
The Ultimate Play
The gym was full.
People were crammed in to fill every inch of the area.
For most in the audience, this was the first time any of them had set foot inside the Main School building of Hope's Peak Academy. Sure, they were restricted from the main hall area to where the gym stood, but that was enough. They were seeing with their own eyes where the "chosen" got to spend their time. It was a silly thought, but many felt like they were closer than ever to the Ultimates. There was also the fact that there were several Ultimates within the audience, ready to see the play like the rest of them.
It made them excited.
It was time for the first showing of the play hosted by class 77-B. There weren't enough seats, but that was fine. Those that weren't able to arrive in time to grab a seat were more than happy to remain standing, even if that meant that some of them were crammed by the double doors. This discomfort wasn't enough to deter them. They wanted to see with their own eyes what these Ultimates had to offer. They had been the ones behind this ultimate school festival, after all.
The short anime they had seen outside had more than prep them for the play. If it was anything like the anime, then they were definitely going to enjoy this.
They waited with bated breaths as the lights in the gym began to dim.
Everything was dark for a few moments until the lights shined on one spot in particularly.
It was above their heads, and they all looked up just as a figure began to descend on what looked like a cloud suspended on ropes.
The sight was silly, and many were prepared to laugh until the figure riding the cloud opened their eyes.
Ibuki was dressed in dark purple robes, her eyes full of intensity. Her presence was enough to catch everyone's attention. As the Ultimate Musician, she had honed her stage presence to be the best. There was no way for anyone in the audience to look away from her. She wouldn't allow it. She had their full attention, and what might have caused them to laugh made them pause when they saw the look in her eyes.
She was determined, and the audience was entranced in a matter of seconds.
This was exactly what she needed.
Ibuki began to speak.
Hatred and despair.
These were common throughout the land. Any semblance of peace was long gone during this era of war. It was hard to keep track of all the grudges, and by this point none could remember where or when it all started.
There was only hatred.
There was only despair.
Throughout the land there was no sense of trust or loyalty. People suffered, and a sense of community was hard to come by. Sometimes not even family could be trusted when resources waned, and starvation took hold.
It was during these circumstances that a lone warrior set out on his journey. Once a warrior for hire, now he wandered these lands in search for a more meaningful purpose. He just didn't know what that purpose was yet.
The idea of peace had begun to nag at him even before setting out on his travels, idly wondering if it could be possible. He never gave it any serious thought, however. He just wanted to see the world with his own eyes. He wanted to meet people, to see what they were experiencing during these times.
What would there be to find?
The warrior wasn't certain, nor was he certain of his path.
He merely took his first step forwards, to see if he could find any bonds amidst all the hatred and despair.
It was time for his gutsiness to change the world.
"I think you guys are eating too much…"
"Oh relax, Nagisa. Naruto told us to have some fun before the play started, didn't he?"
"But it's been almost two hours since the festival has started. Shouldn't we be helping him out?"
"They can set everything up themselves. I've already done everything I can with my tutelage. Now I get to eat!"
"Right on, Kotoko! Let's eat!"
"Oh man, some of these stands look like they sell some delicious food!"
Nagisa sighed as Kotoko, Masaru, and Jataro all ran through the many stands like little kids. Sure, they were technically kids, but they could at least be a little more mature too!
Next to him, Monaca giggled. "You're very worried about the play, aren't you?"
Nagisa squirmed a little, poking his fingers together. "W-Well, Naruto asked for our help. I don't want it to fail just because we weren't there."
"I don't think you have to worry about that," Monaca hummed. "Everything went well during practice. I think we can have some fun right now before the excitement begins." She started to giggle a little. "Not that we have any big parts ourselves."
Too true, but still. They needed to be there. They couldn't let Naruto down. That's what Nagisa thought at least.
He eyed his friend, his face unsure. "Monaca…."
He wanted to ask her something.
The girl looked at him. "Hm? Is something the matter?"
Nagisa struggled to find the right words for a few moments, his face still unsure.
"It's not a problem really….i-it's just that, well, you've changed a little this past week."
That's what he had noticed anyway. Monaca had been smiling more than usual? And they seemed to be brighter smiles? That's the impression Nagisa got. Like he said, it wasn't a problem. It was just different.
"Oh, really?" Humming, Monaca tapped her chin with a curious look. "Maybe it's because I'm having so much fun? I mean, we've all been so busy lately."
True, but Nagisa didn't think that was it.
"Besides, you say that I've changed, but you've changed a bit yourself, Nagisa. You like Naruto now, don't you?"
The blue haired boy blushed at her accusation. He rubbed the back of his head.
"I-It's nothing like that. I just….think he's alright. It's Masaru and Jataro who worship him now."
And Kotoko too.
Monaca looked amused. "You don't have to try and hide it. It's not like I'm going to tease you about it."
True….but it was still embarrassing!
"But I guess, if we're on that topic, I did ask Naruto to accompany me to my hometown during the summer break. Or should I say our hometown."
Now this Nagisa hadn't been expecting. He almost gasped.
"S-Seriously? You're going to be with him during the summer?"
Monaca giggled. "Not the whole summer, but yes. He agreed, so I suppose I'm looking forward to it a bit."
Nagisa wasn't sure what he could say to this. To be frank, he had no idea what he would be doing this summer break. His parents hadn't said anything. If it was like the norm, then it was possible that they were going to try and run more tests on him, but they would have said something by now. Summer break was quickly approaching, after all.
Also….why was Monaca telling him this now? Was there a particular reason or was she just making conversation because he had asked her a question?
"What are you guys talking about?"
Nagisa jumped in surprise when Jataro suddenly appeared in between him and Monaca. When he hadn't been looking, the masked boy had run back over to where they were. Nagisa wanted to slap him for almost giving him a heart attack.
"Jataro! You have to have more tact when talking to people!"
"Tact?" Jataro tilted his head. "I have no idea what you mean. There's no way someone like me could have something like that. You expect too much from me, Nagisa. Is it because you hate me? You're supposed to have lower expectations, you know. That way I might be able to meet them, but then I'll just fail at that too. Then you can yell at me for that. It's like a double failure. They stack, kinda like boxes. That's the routine that you're supposed to follow. Now that it's broken, I don't know what I'm going to do. My head is spinning."
His head? Nagisa felt like he was going to pass out just trying to follow that messed up logic!
"Man, are you ranting again, Jataro?" Kotoko looked a bit miffed as she and Masaru ran back to the trio. "You know that's not how you enjoy a festival, don't you?"
"Oh. Ooooohhhh." Jataro held his masked head. "I'm sorry, you guys. I don't really understand any of this social stuff. I'm just not too good at it. I should just-"
"Man, shut up already!" Masaru shook his fist at him. "I don't want to spend this precious time listening to you ramble!"
"Precious time?" Kotoko faked giggled. "That's precious, Masaru. I guess even you can use such an adorbs phrase like that. You should do it more often. I give you my praise."
"I-I don't need that fake praise of yours!" Masaru cried out with a blush. Why he was blushing was anyone's guess.
Monaca giggled. "You guys, we're not supposed to be arguing among ourselves, remember? We gotta have some fun!"
Kotoko looked at her. "Sure, but you and Nagisa decided to be slowpokes and hold us back."
"Yeah!" Masaru nodded, glad that Kotoko wasn't going to keep teasing him. "What's up with that?"
Jataro hummed. "I did ask them what they were talking about, but they didn't give me an answer. I guess I'm not even worth the effort. That's what it means to be socially accepted, surely! This must be the debut that I've been looking for!"
"That makes zero sense," Nagisa muttered with a sour look.
Monaca smiled. "It's nothing serious, you guys. Nagisa was just curious about why I was so happy lately."
When she put it like that, it made Nagisa all the more self-conscious. In hindsight, it sounded like a weird question.
"Huh?" Masaru started to pick his nose. Or he would have if Kotoko didn't slap his hand away. He glared at her, which she returned. Still glaring at her, he said, "What kind of question is that? There's fun stuff to do now, duh."
"Right!" Monaca clapped in agreement. "Plus, I decided to invite Naruto to visit my family with me over the summer. That's also going to be exciting."
Her declaration had the effect of the others, apart from Nagisa, looking at her with wide eyes.
"Eh!?" Masaru was the first to recover and pointed at the smiling Monaca. "When did this happen!?"
"Like a week ago." Monaca nodded. "Nagisa was curious enough to ask me, so I thought maybe you guys would be curious too."
Kotoko frowned, looking uncertain now. "Naruto is going to that place….?"
"Hm?" Monaca glanced at her. "But of course! I asked him to, and he agreed. He's a nice guy, don't you think? Also, calling it 'that place' sounds a bit dirty. It's our home, you know."
Kotoko's frown remained in place.
Nagisa crossed his arms. "But why? Why would you ask him to do that?"
He wanted to know that. Plus, Monaca hadn't spoken about her home before. They were all aware of what Monaca's last name was, so they knew about her family. When Nagisa said that Monaca was their princess, he wasn't just referring to her personality. She practically was a princess with how much power Towa carried. All that said, they had never heard of the details from Monaca herself.
Why was she wanting Naruto to go with her now? Nagisa was very curious about this, and it seemed like Kotoko was too. Masaru and Jataro were less interested, but they were curious enough to wait for an answer since it involved Naruto.
"Hmm." Monaca seemed to ponder Nagisa's question with one of her hums. It almost made Nagisa sweat with anticipation as he waited to hear her answer.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, it came.
"I guess….I wanted to see if I could be the damsel in distress this time."
...
Nagisa wasn't sure how to take that answer.
Neither did the others for that matter.
"Besides!" Monaca pointed at each of them slowly, almost methodical. "I think you guys could benefit from this too. That's another reason why I decided to tell you guys about it now. Well." Her eyes went to Kotoko. "I'm sure Kotoko was already going to come. Since Naruto is her big brother now, I'm sure she won't accept being left behind."
Instead of coming up with a snarky response, Kotoko just crossed her arms and huffed.
"So not adorbs," she quietly grumbled to herself.
Nagisa looked at the two of them. Ever since Kotoko had been taken in by Naruto, her attitude toward Monaca had changed. She was no longer acting like they were the best of friends. Rather, they butted heads more often than not.
It was just another shift in their dynamic that Nagisa wasn't sure what to make of. At this rate, where were they going to end up at? It was kind of scary to think about. They only had each other.
"A vacation!?" Masaru's eyes sparkled. Of course he reacted first. "Man, that sounds like fun!"
"I've never been offered that before," Jataro admitted while shaking his head. "I don't really get it. Does this mean that Monaca hates me? Wait, I guess it's obvious that she does. Treating me like this just makes me confused."
"Shut up already!" Masaru rolled his eyes at the masked boy. "Don't ruin this with your dumb fantasies."
Nagisa glanced at them. "You guys are gonna go….?"
Masaru shrugged and merely said, "Why wouldn't I? It's better than going home…."
His voice became soft at the end, his eyes downcast. It made Nagisa reevaluate his own feelings about what he wanted to do.
Out of the corner of his eyes, Nagisa noticed Kotoko looking at Masaru with a sympathetic gaze. It made his own heart ache, but he wasn't strong enough to admit it.
Monaca's giggles brought him out of his depressing thoughts.
"Why are you guys acting so serious? You guys realize that we're at a school festival, right?" She gestured at all the people walking about and at the stands. "Let's have some fun before we return to Naruto. That's what he would want us to do, right?"
"So wise," Jataro said with a nod.
"It's better than standing around at least." Surprising the others, Kotoko grabbed Masaru by the hand and pulled him alongside her. "Let's have a good time!"
Masaru was too stunned to speak, but it quickly changed as he started blushing and stuttering. He didn't fight the gesture, though.
Nagisa had to shake his head before he felt Monaca's eyes on him. Jataro was already following after Kotoko and Masaru.
Monaca smiled at him. "Let's go, okay?"
In front of the smile, Nagisa couldn't refuse.
As he pushed Monaca in her wheelchair, in the back of his mind, he started to look forward to what this summer would bring.
The five kids had a lot of fun together.
The first bond was established.
It was out circumstance that the former warrior for hire met a kindred spirit: another warrior. This warrior appeared to be lost in these uncertain times, much like him. The two were of rough spirit but managed to find some solace in each other's presence.
They realized that each other's company was better than no company at all.
It was here that the former warrior was able to share his past profession with the one he could call a friend.
A ninja.
The two set out on their travels.
Hajime felt overwhelmed. He had not been expecting business to be booming as much as it was, but after Naruto's stunt earlier there were a lot more people at Hope's Peak Academy now. It was wild to see, as once the halls of the Reserve Course building had only been filled with students from the Reserve Course.
Now, there were so many people that Hajime couldn't keep track of them all.
He was slightly surprised to see that any customers had been curious enough to try out their café. He was sure that most people would have been more curious about what the Ultimates were doing.
'It's not like I'm not curious either.'
Hajime wanted to slip out and see what Chiaki and Naruto were doing, along with the other Ultimates, but sadly he was under Natsumi's watchful eye. He had no idea why she was so focused on keeping him around, but it made it all that harder to sneak out.
What a stubborn girl.
"Hey, you're spacing out."
Hajime felt the soft tap of a menu hitting his head.
Snapping out of his thoughts, he found Sato staring at him from inside the makeshift kitchen that they had prepared inside the classroom. That's what it was officially called, but really it was just the area by the chalkboard that had been sectioned off by a large curtain. Here, the boys had been crammed in together to prepare the already made cakes and other desserts that their customers ordered.
Natsumi had bought the desserts and then brought them in today, no doubt paid by all the yakuza money that the Kuzuryu clan had.
Hajime didn't want to dwell on the fact that they were using yakuza money for their café and just gave Sato a sheepish look.
"Sorry about that. I was deep in thought."
"I'll say." Unlike earlier, Sato was no longer in her school uniform. She had been made to wear what all the other girls in the class now wore: a butler uniform.
It was the first time Hajime was seeing a girl in such an outfit, and to be honest he didn't entirely hate the aesthetic of the whole thing. A lot of the male customers were probably here because they dug the whole thing too.
Guys really were simple sometimes. Even Hajime could admit that to himself.
"You're spacing out again."
Sato's voice snapped him to attention…..again.
"You need to do better than that," Sato said while shaking her head. "Otherwise, our scary yakuza princess will snap at you."
Hajime found it incredible that Sato was able to crack such a joke. Just two weeks ago she and Natsumi were at each other's throats, but this morning when the blonde had given her all kind of crap for disappearing for a week instead of arguing with her Sato had merely apologized and told her that she was ready to do whatever Natsumi needed her to do.
A lot of their classmates had been stunned, but no one was more stunned than Natsumi herself. For the first time, Hajime was able to see the blonde at a loss for words. It was kind of funny, but as Hajime didn't want to lose his head he didn't say anything.
Readjusting the green apron he now wore over his school dress shirt, Hajime mustered the energy to give Sato a dull stare.
"I like to think that I'm enough under the radar to not have to worry about that."
He was lying, but only because he wanted this lie to be true. He didn't want Natsumi bugging him.
"You really undervalue yourself, huh." Sato looked amused for a second. "You know that Natsumi considers you one of her best assets, right? That's why she's been trying to push you all morning to do as much as possible."
Apart from what he was currently doing, Hajime had been forced to handle some of the decorations and give out instructions in Natsumi's stead. It was the type of leadership role that Hajime wasn't used to taking. He was sure he had been clumsy at it, but it had also felt nice to be counted on like that.
"Uzumaki wants this to go smoothly, right?" Hajime shrugged. "I don't mind giving it my all if it means that we can have a little fun."
Sato laughed softly. "So he got to you too."
Hajime felt his cheeks heat up a little. "I-I don't know about that…."
"You don't have to explain anything," Sato said, trying to control her laughter. "I was roped into this sooner than you, remember?"
Hajime did.
"You didn't look all that enthusiastic about it…."
Hajime let his statement dangle. He wanted to see if Sato would bite.
The girl raised an eyebrow when she noticed this. "You're curious about something?"
She was going to play coy too.
"K-Kind of." Hajime rubbed the back of his head. "I guess I wasn't expecting you to cooperate this easily with Kuzuryu of all people. Everyone in the class is surprised."
"People can change."
She was saying that again, and so Hajime had to think the same again: could someone change so drastically? And so quickly too…..
Hajime felt like there was more going on here.
Sato smiled. It was like she could tell what he was thinking.
"Perhaps I'll tell you about it some day. Now that we're comrades, I guess we'll be seeing more of each other."
"Comrades?"
What did she mean by that?
"Yeah. You don't think that Uzumaki-san means to end with this school festival, do you? I'm sure he'll have another crazy idea soon, and he'll ask for our help again."
Oh. That was true. Hajime could already picture that. It made him crack a smile.
He did have to take one issue with Sato's statement, however.
"You say 'help,' but I don't think I was able to do much of anything."
Compared to Naruto's deeds, Hajime's felt insignificant. Sure, he was able to try and smooth things out between Natsumi and the rest of the class, but that was it. Simply taking into account what Naruto did earlier…..Hajime was no match.
"Every deed, no matter how small, has its place."
Sato's words gave Hajime some pause.
The girl then shrugged. "That's something he would say, don't you think?"
Hajime couldn't deny that, yeah. But still….
"Just don't go doubting yourself like that," Sato said after a small pause. "I'm sure Uzumaki-san appreciates you for you. Otherwise, he wouldn't call you a friend."
Hajime felt self-conscious all of a sudden. "How do you know about that….?"
"Just a guess." Sato hummed. "It's what I imagine he would say. Even though I don't deserve it, he would say that I'm his friend too."
Naruto was straightforward like that. It made it easy to talk to him. Not that Hajime had exchanged many texts or conversations with him thus far. That didn't seem to make much of a difference to the blond. To some, such an inclusive view of the word "friend" might cheapen it, but Hajime didn't feel that way. Why? Because he was certain that if he asked Naruto for help the blond would be more than happy to give it to him, no matter what. Naruto took the word very seriously. Anyone would appreciate that.
Now if only Hajime felt that he was deserving of such an act….
Sato was telling him that he was, but was that really true? When he thought of Naruto and Chiaki, even Nekomaru and Akane, with all of their amazing talents, could someone like him be deserving of their friendship?
Hajime didn't know, but he wasn't able to dwell on these thoughts as a ticked off Natsumi emerged from the other side of the curtain.
"What the hell is the hold up over here? Are you two having yourselves a little party while the rest of us are working?"
Like Sato, Natsumi was in a butler uniform. She looked very good in it. If it weren't for her personality, Hajime would be able to think of the girl as "beautiful."
"It's nothing like that." Sato pointed at Hajime. "We were just thinking of sneaking out later to see if we can catch class 77-B's play."
"What-!?" Hajime's eyes widened.
Why was Sato saying this to Natsumi of all people!? Did she have a death wish!?
'And why is she dragging me down with her!?'
"That so?" Natsumi glared at the sweating Hajime. "I should have known. You want to fuck around at an important time like this, huh. Even though we have to win this contest!"
"S-Sato's just messing with you!" Hajime tried to placate the blond, even though Sato was spot on with her words.
Natsumi continued to glare at him. She didn't believe him.
Sato meanwhile wasn't fazed. "We can all use a little break, don't you think? I'm sure someone can watch the café while we go see the play."
Natsumi's glared shifted to her. "Huh? Why are you acting all chummy with me? Even if I did allow it, why would I go with you?"
The disdain in her voice was clear for anyone to hear.
For a moment, Hajime wondered if Sato would retort in a similar fashion, but to his growing surprise Sato instead offered the blonde a small smile.
"Because Mahiru gave me special tickets. We'll have front row seats. That way, you'll be able to see your amazing big brother with his friends. Not a bad deal, right?"
They were selling tickets!? Hajime had no idea. If he had tried to go alone, he probably wouldn't have been able to get in then!
Natsumi was left staring at Sato as her glare slowly vanished. Once again, Hajime could tell that the girl wasn't sure how to respond here. Sato's behavior was throwing her for a loop. Heck, it was throwing Hajime for a loop too!
Would she reject Sato's offer? A part of Hajime thought that she was going to. After all, Natsumi was a very stubborn girl.
Except she didn't. She only gave Sato a meek nod before walking to the other side of the curtain without another word.
Hajime couldn't believe it. Sato had defused Natsumi! Incredible! Perhaps the offer to see her brother up close was too tempting to pass up. She had a massive brother complex, after all.
"I guess that's that." Sato turned to Hajime with a small smile. "Looks like we won't have to sneak out, huh. Lucky us."
Hajime could only dumbly nod at her.
He was starting to think that this new Sato was amazing.
The people were suffering. The villages that they called home were set aflame.
Why?
Wanton destruction.
There was no reason. It was an age of strife, and many just wanted to see others suffer.
There was much darkness. Much loneliness.
Orphans. Refugees. They were everywhere.
Despite it all, the gutsy ninja was able to found bonds along the way.
The spirited samurai.
The traveling healer.
The wayward monk.
The compassionate puppeteer.
They all had their own stories, their own pasts. They still managed to come together for a purpose they did not yet understand.
Now, they would be coming across the one who could possibly put a stop to all of this, if only they had the will to do so.
They continued traveling.
Ruruka was officially creeped out. She could safely attest that at this moment she was the most creeped out that she had ever been in her life thus far.
She ran fast through the first floor of the school, reaching speeds that she didn't think she was capable of.
"Noooooo! Get him away from me!"
"What's the matter, my precious kitten!? I promise not to hurt you….!"
There was a lot of huffing and puffing that came along with those words that made Ruruka's skin crawl.
Why the heck was there no one else on this side of the building!? Was she cursed?
The Ultimate Confectioner did the only thing she could: she ran even faster. It was sort of hard to do given that she was wearing heels as part of her scary monster cat costume, but she wasn't going to let something like that slow her down for too long.
'Why did I have to sneak out!?'
She almost cried. She should have brought Yoi-chan with her! Or Ruruka! Surely her friend could have acted as a shield against this…..monstrosity! Heck, Jun could have done something too!
Actually….the guy probably would have abandoned her while laughing right at her. He was an asshole like that.
Ruruka didn't have the time to think about the Ultimate Physicist as she sprinted into one of the classrooms. Thankfully, it was the exact classroom that she needed, 1-B.
Pushing the sliding door open, Ruruka rushed inside and was met with a rather surprising sight that caused all of the fear in her to disappear.
Pinned against the chalkboard was Naruto. Why was he pinned? Because of Ibuki, duh!
The Ultimate Musician was pushing him against the board for some reason, and the blond didn't look too happy about it. He was wearing some strange outfit that Ruruka had never seen before, along with some kind of headband, while Ibuki wore some dark robes that gave off a very cult leader vibe.
Why was this class so weird? Nothing was ever normal with them.
"I only asked you to help me put the vest on, ya know," Naruto complained as he pushed Ibuki's face away from his.
The girl was grinning despite that.
"Aww, don't get embarrassed, Naruto-chan! It's not the first time I caught a glimpse of those muscles! You don't have to hide anything from Ibuki! Show it all! The others already left to the gym, so it's just the two of us right now~"
"This isn't the time for your jokes!"
"Who says I'm joking?"
"That only makes it worse!"
The two started to butt heads and tried to overpower the other while Ruruka was left standing by the doorway with a blank look.
"You guys…..is this really the time to be flirting?"
Her voice was low and hollow. She had been agonizing about this school festival for so long, and these two were over here just flirting like this?
How inconsiderate was that!? She had wanted to spend more lovey dovey time with her Yoi-chan too! Instead, she had worked hard to make sure her class was ready for the school festival.
"I knew something like this was going to happen," Naruto continued to complain as Ibuki glanced at Ruruka with a raised eyebrow.
"Eh? Who's trying to meddle in my private time with Naruto-chan? They must pay!"
"You're gonna cause a lot of misunderstandings, you know. What if Kazuichi heard you?"
"That guy already has his head in the clouds most of the time."
"That…..damn, you're right."
Ibuki's argument was too sound for Naruto to argue against.
"Stop ignoring me!" Ruruka puffed out her cheeks as she glared at the two. "What are you two even doing, dressed like that?"
Finally stepping back, Ibuki did a little twirl in her getup. "Do you like it? This is how Ibuki will become an actress today! She's no longer just a singer or a musician! Instead of one star, it's like Ibuki will become two stars in one! How cool is that? It's a revolutionary ascension!"
Naruto just snorted at this, but he didn't try to correct her.
Ruruka didn't get it. "What are you talking about?" It was always hard for her to make sense of what Ibuki said.
"I guess I never told you, huh." Naruto fixed his green vest that had gotten ruffled from Ibuki's teasing. "We're putting on a play. This is our costumes."
"Heh." Ruruka never would have guessed that.
"But more like, what are you wearing?" Ibuki pointed at Ruruka with a twinkle in her eyes. "That skintight suit with those cat ears and tail….if Teruteru-chan sees you in that, he'll lose control! Ibuki herself is considering jumping from the Naruto-chan route to the yuri route because of it! Would something like that be allowed at this point?"
"Y-Yuri!?" Ruruka didn't know what to say that, but she was obviously surprised.
And a little embarrassed.
Naruto seemed amused by her reaction but still asked, "What the heck is 'yuri'?"
"Eh?" Ibuki started to poke him. "Naruto-chan, you played eroge games with Chiaki-chan, but you don't know what that means?"
"I-It's not like I'm an expert!" Naruto defended himself with a small blush of his own. He tried to swat Ibuki's hands away, but the girl was faster as she pulled back again.
"Look at you, blushing like that. So cute! It makes Ibuki want to take a bite out of you!"
"Ruruka is here! She doesn't get your jokes!"
"Again, who says I'm joking?"
Naruto was stumped. And embarrassed.
It was Ruruka's turn to be amused. "You're living it up, huh. While the rest of us are slaving away for this school festival, you're having fun as a couple. What will the others think!"
Naruto shook his fist at her as his blush grew stronger. "Shut up! You're getting the wrong idea about this!"
"I think I have enough proof right here-"
"There you are, my sweet kitten! I have found you!"
Ruruka let out a loud shriek that startled both Naruto and Ibuki. They had never heard Ruruka make such a noise before.
It was kind of scary.
On instinct, she backed away from the doorway and ran toward Naruto where she cowered behind him. In all of the confusion and excitement, she had completely forgotten about this monster!
"Eh?" Ibuki squinted her eyes as a large, round figure came panting into the classroom. "Why does this smelly entity look so familiar…..?"
Ibuki wasn't kidding about the smell. The classroom was quickly becoming engulfed in a terrible stink that had all three of them crinkling their noses.
The figure panted, heavily. "I-I only desired a word with-wait, where am I?"
The figure seemed confused all of a sudden.
Naruto started to rub his forehead. "You gotta be kidding me."
"Why are you just standing there?" Ruruka tried to push him forward, but the blond didn't budge. "Deal with this monster who's trying to steal my innocence. Onward!"
Naruto twitched. "First of all, I'm not a horse."
"A Naruto-chan horse!" Ibuki raised her arms in excitement. "That sounds like a great product! We should sell it."
Naruto twitched harder. He took a deep breath in before composing himself.
"….secondly, this guy isn't a monster. He's just a massive pervert."
"Heh?" The figure at the door seemed to regain his bearing as he raised his hand. "Objection! I will not have my name slander like this while in a new location! This is a new debut for me!"
"Wait a sec." Ibuki blinked as she looked at the figure again. "This smell and the voice….no way, it's the peeper who was watching Ibuki share her first hot kiss with Naruto-chan!"
Naruto buried his face in his hands.
Ruruka just looked at him with a cold look.
"….you're awful."
Naruto let out a sob.
"Slanderous words!" The guy wasn't fond of how Ibuki was addressing him. "We have already gone over that event, and you admitted your defeat! Besides, why would you remember me by my smell of all things? Do you have a fetish for smell?" He started to pant again as he placed a finger under his lips, his cheeks flushed. "A-Actually, that might be kind of interesting…."
Ibuki stepped closer to the sobbing Naruto. Her face turned cold as she gazed at the boy.
"Ibuki still does not care for you."
Aside from his roundish and sweaty appearance, his attitude didn't look to be the best. So Ruruka was right there with Ibuki when it came to judging this guy.
"O-Oh yeah? Sucks for you, but I have leveled up since our previous encounter! Your words couldn't hurt me then, and they can't hurt me now! Haha!"
Ruruka wasn't buying that. It was very clear that Ibuki's dismissal had struck him hard.
Wait, no. She had her own complaints here too!
"Why the heck were you chasing me earlier!?"
She had to run from the second floor all the way to the first because of this guy!
"Huh?" He turned his attention to her. His eyes started to glow from behind his glasses. "I saw a beautiful kitten that I wanted to devote myself to. How can anyone blame a man for a such thing?"
What the hell kind of reason was that!?
"Ah, but I appear to have been mistaken." He shooed her away. "You're nothing more than another 3D NPC. I want nothing to do with the likes of you. My admiration isn't so easily won!"
Ruruka's face darkened. "First you harass me and now you're insulting me?"
Her voice had become hollow again. Her hands were twitching, and it was obvious what she was thinking of doing.
"Man, I'm really glad Sonosuke isn't here," Naruto muttered while shaking his head, finally able to get his sobs under control.
Ruruka heard him. "It's only a matter of time before he gets here. I'm sure he's noticed my absence by now. When that happens….."
"Hm? Why does the air feel so heavy now? Weird!"
This guy was clueless.
Naruto deadpanned. "How did they allow someone like you into the school?"
"What are you saying, Naruto-chan?" Ibuki gave him an incredulous look. "We have Teruteru-chan! Should anything surprise you at this point?"
Once again, Ibuki's argument was too sound for Naruto argue against.
"I'm sure Teruteru-chan would be a peeper too…..at least he can make Ibuki good food. This peeper just gives off weird vibes!"
"Tell me about it." Ruruka still wanted to kill this guy.
The round teen started to quiver when he noticed the cold looks he was getting from the two girls.
"S-Such disdain…..this is why I don't interact with the 3D female form!"
"Just give me more reason to have Yoi-chan take you out. Please." Ruruka was really looking forward to that.
"Also, calling me a 'peeper' and 'that guy' is too much! Don't you know who I am by now? It's none other than I, Yamada Hifumi! The one and only, 'The Alpha and The Omega' stands before you! My name shall pass on to legend, like the many artists before me. You should be more respectful."
"What?" Ruruka's eyes turned colder, if that was even possible. "What nonsense is this pig spewing out now?"
"It sounds like a lot of titles!" Ibuki laughed after hearing the nickname Hifumi had given himself. "Not that Ibuki knows what it means."
"P-Pig?" Hifumi recoiled at Ruruka's name for him. "S-Such a mischaracterization! Do you not know that this body of mine is but my first form!?"
"Shut up, pig. I'll take you out in less than a second."
Naruto believed her.
Shrieking, Hifumi clasped his hands together with tears streaming down his cheeks. "Y-Yes! This piggy will do as you say and serve you dutifully from now on!"
"What the heck?" Naruto scratched his head. How had this happen? "Is that something you're supposed to accept?"
It didn't make much sense.
"D-Don't get in my way!" Hifumi puffed out his chest. All of a sudden, he looked proud rather than tearful. "This is how romance works. I suppose someone like you wouldn't be able to understand that."
He didn't understand that Ruruka was insulting him? Or was he just a masochist?
"Romance!? Oh, that does it!"
Ruruka took some threatening steps forward. She couldn't wait for Izayoi. She was getting ready to strangle Hifumi to death with her own hands. She didn't care if she went to jail for it! She couldn't handle this guy anymore!
Sadly, Naruto had to put a stop to it as he stepped in front of her and flicked her on the forehead, much to her horror.
"Knock it off. I don't want a dead body in the classroom."
Ibuki quickly nodded. "Aye! He looks heavy to pick up too. Ibuki doubts that even Nekomaru-chan would be able to pick him up."
Nekomaru would probably take that as a challenge.
"S-Such hurtful words again." Hifumi's shoulders sagged. "My HP won't dip, though. I promise you that….!"
"Your excuses are getting stale." Ibuki gave him a bored look that only made Hifumi's shoulders sag more.
It looked like getting ignored was the best way to hurt him.
Ruruka was more concerned with the fact that Naruto had just flicked her.
"You can't treat ladies this way! I'm way too delicate for this kind of treatment!"
Ignoring the way Hifumi creepily laughed to himself when hearing Ruruka's words, Naruto gave the Ultimate Confectioner a dull stare.
"You'll live."
"You're a brute!"
Naruto didn't seem to care. When handling Ruruka, this way was easier for him.
It made Ruruka pout as she nursed her forehead, her anger toward Hifumi momentarily forgotten.
"That's some rough play you have going on." Huffing and puffing, Hifumi stared intently at Ruruka and Naruto.
Naruto's eyebrow twitched. "You're not hiding your intentions at all….."
Ibuki quickly hid away behind the blond. "My chastity is in danger!"
Naruto didn't have the energy to correct her this time. He had to deal with Hifumi first.
"Look. Uh. Hifumi, was it?"
"Oho." Hifumi's glasses sparkled somehow. "Despite my prestigious reputation, you're addressing me so casually. You're brave. But I shall allow it! If only to thank the man who has inspired me so."
Inspired? What?
Naruto didn't have the time to try and decipher that. "Look, I don't know why you're here but we're kinda busy."
Ruruka looked around. "Oh yeah, where are the others? I wanted to brag about my haunted house to everyone."
Ibuki snorted. "Is that why you're dressed like that? It's not scary at all! It's like that cat man from before!"
"Well, Yoi-chan and I are matching." Ruruka looked proud about that fact. "It only makes sense that we would. We're partners, after all."
Izayoi as a cat man? Funny. Naruto kinda wanted to see that now. Was Jun dressed up too? Even funnier! He was going to have to check their haunted house later. There weren't any real ghosts, so it was okay.
"Eh~" Ibuki let out a small whine before looking at Naruto. "Next time, we gotta match too, Naruto-chan!"
No thanks.
"So very interesting." Hifumi rubbed his chin as he studied the three of them. "It appears as if my muse was not wrong. I must ask you, master. What is your name?"
Wait, what? Master!?
"Why are you calling me that?"
"But why else!" Hifumi pointed at him. "You have clearly mastered a way to tame the 3D female life forms! It's a most coveted art among my circles."
Naruto looked at Ibuki. "Can you translate that?"
"I don't want to."
Oh.
Ruruka let out a whimper as she held her head. "I can't understand him at all."
"Oh, I know!" Ibuki perked up. "We just gotta wait for Teruteru-chan! As a pervert, Ibuki is certain that he would know what this peeper is talking about!"
Hifumi glowered. "I gave you my name, did I not? How rude! Especially after failing to identify yourselves."
Ruruka scoffed. "I'm not telling you my name, you pig."
"I don't think you should call him that," Naruto muttered when he saw Hifumi's cheeks heat up at Ruruka's nickname for him. This guy definitely had a thing for this.
"A-Anyway!" Hifumi failed at trying to look more dignified. "I have been searching for you for the past couple of weeks in order to express my gratitude. It's only because of the video going around that I realized that you attended this school. At any rate, in order to show my gratitude, I must know your name first!"
Naruto looked worried. "What kind of gratitude are you gonna give me?"
"The best that I can give."
Ruruka rolled her eyes. "That doesn't inspire much confidence." She then glanced at Naruto. "What video is this creep talking about?"
Naruto was kinda surprised that she didn't already know about it but didn't dwell on it.
"I'll tell you about it later."
Ruruka huffed but didn't respond.
Hifumi chuckled while addressing Naruto. "You won't be able to hold yourself back, I swear."
That didn't sound too good.
"You're not gonna leave until we play along, are you?" Naruto's voice sounded defeated.
"Never!"
Hifumi was, if nothing else, determined.
"Uzumaki Naruto." So the blond caved with a small sigh. "Why do I always attract the perverts…."
Ibuki laughed. "That must say something about you since even your master was a pervert~"
Naruto wanted to cry again. Jiraiya's reputation was always going to follow him it seems.
"I see, I see." Hifumi was rubbing his pudgy chin again. "Uzumaki Naruto-dono. I understand. I will remember that!"
"I'd prefer if you didn't."
"It's too late for that."
Naruto was afraid of that.
"Besides, I'm sure you will be just as grateful as I when I show you what I brought with me."
For the first time, Naruto noticed that Hifumi had an orange backpack on.
Hifumi reached for said backpack and pulled out two sealed books.
"I said I only wanted to thank you, Uzumaki-dono, but that wasn't entirely true. For you see, the Miss next to you also deserves some of my thanks for inspiring me so! I have reached a new level of power never seen before! It won't be long before I'm recognized for my new work!"
Naruto and Ibuki didn't understand, but Ibuki didn't seem to mind that as she skipped over to Hifumi.
"Wow, you got Ibuki a gift? You're a creep, but I will accept it. I guess Ibuki inspires people wherever she goes. The gods must really love me!"
Naruto was more hesitant to approach Hifumi and not because of the smell which he was quickly growing accustomed to. He just didn't trust the guy.
Ruruka decided to stay where she was, not trusting Hifumi either after he had chased her.
The whiskered blond took the sealed book from Hifumi with Ibuki doing the same. Since the seal was clear, Naruto and Ibuki were able to read the tittle of the book as well as see the illustration for it.
"Arashi and the Essence of Enlightenment?" Naruto read the cover with a raised eyebrow.
The illustration was that of a blond character that was wearing a disturbingly similar outfit to that of his father's with said character looking way too similar to Minato for Naruto's taste. There were also five other female characters in the background, all doing weird poses. These female characters had weird features, though. Like one of them had wings, another long ears, and even another had some kind of fish tail. They all looked familiar too, but Naruto couldn't quite put his finger on who they reminded him of. Plus, the outfits they were wearing…..they were way too skimpy! They left little to the imagination!
What in the world was this!?
Ibuki was now frowning, but she didn't say anything, just looking over the cover.
Ruruka let her curiosity get the best of her. She approached behind Naruto and peered over his shoulder.
"What is it? Is it weird?"
She looked at the cover. The art itself wasn't bad. The female characters all looked way too sexual for her tastes, and the title was weird.
"Hifumi….what is this?" Naruto had to ask.
Once again puffing out his chest, Hifumi grinned widely while his nostrils flared in excitement.
"What you're seeing here is my never before seen original work, which I managed to put together thanks to your help, Uzumaki-dono! That showing you put on with the Miss struck me with inspiration, so much so that every bone in my body was telling me to put my inspiration to paper! Soon, I shall reveal this at my school festival and other conventions. It's only the first volume, but more will come in due time. Soon, everyone will know of my brilliance! Ah, I made sure to sign both of your copies. There's no need to thank me. I have to repay my debts."
Ruruka pursed her lips while looking at the cover again. "This is based on whiskers over here?"
She could kind of see it, except the blond on the cover had longer hair and didn't have any whiskers. She would describe Naruto as having that "rough" aesthetic. He looked tough and wild, especially with his hair. The blond on the cover had softer features and was definitely more handsome…..and also girly looking. It made Ruruka want to hug him.
"I had to take some liberties," was Hifumi's explanation. "The pretty boy trope is not as popular with male readers, but that's what will make this stand out. It goes against convention. No more simple black haired protagonists! I shall bring new life to this genre! Oh, I'm excited just thinking about it."
Ruruka wasn't going to pretend like she understood what this guy was saying.
Naruto suddenly fell to his knees in despair. His face was stark white. Coming from someone like Hifumi, there could only be one meaning to all of this.
"It's finally happened. I got caught up in someone else's porn fantasies…."
Hifumi had done what only one other person had managed to do before: he had psychologically broken Naruto.
Way to go!
"Eh, this sounds funny~" Ibuki's frown disappeared as she seemed to finally catch on to what was happening. The look on her face was harder to decipher. "You know something, we gotta share this with the rest of the class."
"Good idea!" Hifumi was instantly on board with that proposition. More people to realize his awesomeness.
Naruto's mind was still too broken to argue with Ibuki. Besides, unlike Ibuki, he didn't yet fully grasp the significance of the book.
Speaking of, several of the others started to walk into the classroom at this point, all of them in costumes.
"What the fuck is the hold up with you two? And…..why is Uzumaki on the floor?"
"N-Naruto-san!"
Ruruka was shoved aside as Mikan ran over to Naruto's side to check up on him, leaving the Ultimate Confectioner to huff in annoyance at the treatment.
"It smells terrible in here," Akane remarked with a hand on her hips.
"I can see why." Byakuya stared at the beaming Hifumi. "What do we have here?"
"Ew, this guy looks and smells awful." Hiyoko covered her nose while walking over to where Naruto and Mikan were.
Sonia and Mahiru quickly ran into the classroom as well to check up on the fallen blond who, despite Mikan's attempts to get him to speak, was still not saying a word. It was like he had passed on to the next world.
Noticing the new arrivals, Hifumi studied his fellow teens and for a few moments everything was normal. Then, he almost choked on his own saliva as he started to sweat. He had to quickly readjust his tie as he finally understood that perhaps he had made a grave mistake in coming here.
Before he could say anything, though, Ibuki beat him to the punch. She held her sealed book up.
"Actually, Ibuki has something she needs to share with you guys."
Hifumi's sweating increased.
Ruruka was left feeling confused, especially when she noticed several of the other girls turn bright red as Ibuki passed the sealed book around.
She was missing something, wasn't she?
She didn't dwell on it as she made her exit without saying a word. She didn't understand why Naruto was out of commission like that all of a sudden, but she wasn't going to be able to brag about her haunted house like this. Seriously, nothing had gone as planned.
As Ruruka left the classroom with a huff, she thought she could hear someone screaming in pain, like they were being continuously tortured, painfully so.
By the time she reached the stairs leading to the second floor, the screams had vanished.
…
She had probably imagined that.
He hated when people lied to themselves.
Everyone around him was always saying that they were fine with the current situation. That this was just the way the world was.
Was it really?
No, his friends were not telling the truth. No one was.
The more he thought about it, the more the gutsy ninja realized that perhaps there was something he wanted to do. He had no way of knowing how to reach peace. It was a mere word, but its meaning was big. Bigger than his hands. No matter how hard he wanted it, he could never hold it.
As he confined in his companions about his thoughts, the gutsy ninja made another startling realization.
True peace might be impossible, and if it wasn't he still had no way of knowing what method he could use to achieve it. However, one thing was certain to him. Just as important as the goal itself was the belief that achieving it was possible.
The thought was enough to raise up his spirits.
The gutsy ninja would never give up.
Jin took a sip from his drink as he gazed out the window from his quiet office. There was some paperwork that he needed to complete, but at the moment he was taking a break.
His phone lied on the large desk behind him. He had just finished watching a very interesting video that the board of trustees had sent him.
'Honestly, there's never a dull moment with him around,' he quietly mused with a small grin.
Jin had been grinning a lot more lately. He wasn't sure why. There were still a lot of troubles in his mind, a lot of doubts. However, when he sat back and thought about the future, he wasn't as pessimistic about it as before.
'I guess Tengan-san might be rubbing off on me.'
That old man. Ever since that night at the police station, he had made such a big gamble and now it was looking like it was paying off.
"Hmm. I half expected you to be deep in your work. Taking it easy for once?"
Speaking of the devil.
Jin turned on his chair to see Tengan entering his office with another one of his small smiles. It was a way of calming those around him, and most of the time it worked.
Tengan glanced at Jin's hand as he sat down. "Drinking so early in the day? You're not developing any bad habits, are you?"
"I'm not a child, Tengan-san."
"Perhaps. But when you get to be my age, you view just about everyone else as a kid. I'm sure you'll understand one day."
Was he trying to be condescending or just making a joke? It was hard for Jin to tell, so he didn't dwell on it.
"May I ask what you're doing here? I didn't know we had an appointment today."
"It's nothing like that. I just wanted to see how this school festival would go. It's only the first day, and already sparks are flying."
Jin didn't need to ask for clarification.
"You saw what happened earlier then."
"The boy is already a national star. They're calling him the 'Unknown Ultimate.' I'm not sure how this will affect his ninja career."
Funny.
"I did let some information slip about him back when classes first started," Tengan admitted while stroking his beard. "To help better build a cover story for him. Nothing concrete of course. I guess people haven't put it all together yet."
"The online boards." Jin had never gone through them himself, but he was aware of how popular they were. People were always gushing over the Ultimates. He supposed it was only natural. All the kids here were gifted with talents people could only dream about.
"I didn't know you were one to pull such a trick."
"I may be old, but you have to adapt to the times," Tengan chuckled. "Though I am surprised to see how calm you are. I'm guessing the board doesn't plan on trying to kick him out for this, hm?"
Oh, so that's why he was here.
Jin grinned a little. "Were you worried about him?"
"That's one way of looking at it. He is under my care."
"As I hear it, you don't even show up at the house anymore."
"He doesn't really need me there," Tengan replied. "I don't think Kotoko-kun would appreciate my presence either. She is able to open up her heart a little thanks to Naruto, but I'm sure she still views adults with mistrust. I don't want to cause her any unnecessary pain."
"That's the most considerate thing I've ever heard you say."
"Well, thank you. I like to think I'm a considerate person."
Jin was being a bit snarky, he knew that. And after he chastised Chisa for it too. How shameful. He couldn't help it, though. He felt like some amount of snark was necessary here.
"You're pushing your luck, you know."
"Really now?" Tengan didn't seem troubled by Jin's words. "You haven't complained so far. I think you're already on our side."
"What side?"
Tengan said nothing. He merely smiled.
It aggravated Jin. "You shouldn't talk like you hold all the cards."
"I hold none of the cards actually. Like I said, I'm just letting things play out. That's why I'm here."
At the very least, all of this confirmed many things in Jin's mind.
"When you first suggested that he should live with you, I thought you were going crazy. Despite the boy's personality, he was a walking red flag. In many ways, he still is. Yet, you opened your doors to him. You've done a lot for him, almost like he was family to you."
"Oh dear." Tengan slowly shook his head. "I didn't think I was going to be interrogated like this. On such a wonderful day too. You surprise me, Kirigiri-kun."
Well, Jin might be a little drunk right now.
Maybe.
"I'm not accusing you of anything." Jin turned back toward the window. Even from the fourth floor, he could make out some of the activity happening out in front of the Main School building. Usually, it was quiet, apart from the mayhem that accompanied having so many Ultimates around. Now, it was buzzing with activity.
"I just feel like we're on the same page now."
Hmm, maybe that wasn't entirely true. Perhaps they had been on the same page ever since Jin decided to share information about that project with Naruto.
"I'm glad you understand then."
Right, right.
"They're not kicking him out," Jin informed him while taking another sip from his drink. He didn't turn to see what Tengan's reaction was. "Although I can't say they won't try to do something else, at the very least we know he's not going anywhere."
Tengan's response came a few moments later.
"I know that you would have fought to make sure that he stayed."
Jin didn't offer a response.
"I'm glad." Jin could hear Tengan standing back up. "If that's the case, then I can enjoy the rest of the day in peace. I might go down and see if I can catch a glimpse of what Naruto and his friends are doing. I hear there's a contest going on too. Such lively youths. Makes me feel young again."
Jin could not argue with the old man there.
Hope's Peak Academy was definitely very lively lately.
It made Jin very happy to see it. If this was the school that Kyoko was coming to, then he would welcome it.
The end was near.
There stood but one obstacle in their way.
Even if the gutsy ninja had affirmed his principles, the fact remained: would others share his viewpoint? Could he convince others to fight for the same struggle?
Even if he won, would he win again tomorrow? Or the day after that?
Could this hatred and despair ever be defeated once and for all?
The answers still alluded him, but he never once gave up on his beliefs. He might struggle for the rest of his life. He might never see his dream come true, but he would still fight for it. He wouldn't think twice about it.
His determination would never allow him to.
After all, it wasn't a fight that he had to take up alone.
Junko was in disbelief.
She had decided to stick around to see what Naruto and the others were planning on doing for this supposed contest that was going on, and as it turned out he was doing the exact same thing that Yasuke was.
Or was it the other way around? Was her dear friend trying to antagonize the blond?
In her mind, Junko was well aware that there was more going on between Naruto and Yasuke than she knew, but for the moment she didn't care about that.
Naruto had been kind enough to offer her backstage access to see their final preparations and then watch the whole play from a comfortable position.
She idly noticed that there had been some embarrassment present between Naruto and some of the girls in the class. Why, she didn't know. That embarrassment quickly left when the curtains rose and the play started.
They were ready to impress.
Junko watched the whole thing. From start to finish. She was even given a copy of the play that had later been passed around to the audience. Some kids had been the one to hand out the paper copies. Why kids were here Junko didn't know either. Honestly, this entire class was filled with weird people. However, seeing Utsugi Kotoko confirmed a suspicion of hers.
It made her laugh.
The play was fairly straightforward from her point of view.
A ninja sets out on a journey to try and find the answer to peace. He meets others along the way who had given up on any ideals thanks to the war ridden world they were in, but one by one they come to believe the same thing the protagonist does.
It was mushy, and its message made Junko want to gag.
Why the hell would anyone want peace? That was far too boring and predictable! It was just as lame as hope. That's why this school was lame. There was no excitement in any of it.
Her opinion was in the minority as when the play concluded everyone in the audience erupted into cheers. She could just feel the positive vibes floating around, and it made her skin crawl.
As per usual, Junko didn't let her true thoughts show as she congratulated everyone with a smile when they returned backstage. They were all sweating from how much they had to concentrate on their roles as well as having to stand in front of so many people. It was only their first show, but they had completely sold out.
If this contest was based on attendance, then they had knocked it out of the park.
"Man, that was draining." Naruto fell back against the wall as Kurama excitedly jumped on his lap and started to lick his cheek. It made him chuckle as he petted the small fox. "Thanks for the encouragement, buddy."
Junko approached him.
"You look exhausted~" Junko noticed how many of the others had collapsed too. Their nerves were fried. They had worked hard.
Disgusting.
"It's the first time I've ever done something like this," Naruto admitted with a sheepish look. "I thought it was going to be a walk in the park, but man you really feel the pressure out there."
"I guess so~ I've never done it, but entertaining a bunch of peasants wouldn't be too much for someone like me."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. I'm a star myself, remember?"
"Oh yeah…."
Junko's eyebrow twitched a little. Once again, she didn't much care about her fashionista status, but deep down having it so easily dismissed like this made her a tad annoyed. She was used to it from Yasuke, but not from anyone else.
"Sorry I couldn't show you around too much." Naruto's apology made her focus on him again. "We got busy fast, and then we had to deal with a pervert. There's never enough time, I swear."
"Don't worry about it~ You guys will be free after this, right?"
"Yeah. We're planning on looking around the festival together after we take a small break. You can come too if you want." He followed his invitation by making himself more comfortable against the wall and closing his eyes while Kurama settled on his lap.
This guy was the definition of "friendly," wasn't he? That made it all the easier to manipulate him.
Still, Junko couldn't forget about what she had felt from him earlier. Even now, it made her spine shiver in both happiness and disgust. She wasn't sure what that sensation had been all about, but she knew that she was very curious to know more. Something like that just wasn't natural.
So she decided to probe a little now that the blond was more mentally exhausted than normal and the others were too tired to interrupt them.
"Did you write this play?"
"Hm?" Cracking one eye open, Naruto said, "Nah. I'm not a writer. It was my master who wrote it a long time ago and then later published it. I decided to act it out because I thought it was an awesome story. A lot better than his later works."
"A master?" Junko placed a delicate finger under her lips while titling her head. "That sounds so serious. I guess you respect him. Is that why you're all about hope?"
"What do you mean?"
"You attend Hope's Peak Academy. You and every other Ultimate at this school are called the 'symbols of hope.' And this play. It's all about hope, isn't it?"
"Nagito would probably say something similar."
Speaking of the luckster, due to his poor constitution and how much energy he had to expend, being the main bad guy and all, he was currently being looked after by Mikan and Kazuichi after collapsing, the latter of which was grumbling about the whole thing.
Junko wasn't going to let him change the subject.
"Am I wrong?"
Her face had changed. It was sort of like when they had first met. She didn't express her usual playfulness but a rather a more serious demeanor.
Naruto thought about it. "Hmm. My master's intent with this story was definitely all about hope. He was trying to change the world in fact. Too bad it never sold all that well."
Well, duh. The story sucked! Junko would never buy it.
"Honestly, I changed some of the stuff in it. Maybe that's why it's giving a different message. In the original story, the main character travels all alone. He doesn't have a companion at his side or a team."
"You mean the sidekicks."
"Pfft-ahahaha!" Naruto had to laugh at her description. "I guess that's one way of putting it. Although personally I don't see them as less important than the main character."
"Why not? They only decide to do something about all the despair after the main character convinces them. They were too lazy to do anything on their own."
"That's true, but you forget that the main character only feels so strongly about peace after he begins his travels. He's able to feel safe knowing that he can tackle such a problem because he's not alone. It's not a one way street. They're able to help one another."
Junko realized something.
"The main character is you, isn't it?"
Naruto scratched his cheek, his face sheepish. "W-Well, not exactly. My parents did name me after the main character in the book, b-but it's not like it was based off of me."
"What about your version of the story then?"
Here, Naruto's eyes softened. It caused Junko to become more curious about what his answer was going to be.
"I guess I inserted some of myself into the character this time around, but it's not just me. Because in the end the choices he makes are something that anyone can do. He just chooses to continue to believe in the idea of hope."
In the end, the main character saves the day by killing the corrupt official and restoring justice and order to the daimyo's court. That said, it did not mean that all of the world's problems had been solved. It's how Jiraiya's novel ended too, with the main character being able to bring some semblance of peace to the land. In Jiraiya's novel, the main message was about never giving up, that in order to secure peace rather than worrying about the method what was more important was believing in the idea itself.
Naruto liked that message, and it was included in his version too, only that it wasn't the main message this time around. That's how he had altered the ending after thinking about it for so long.
"Bonds." Junko had already been able to figure it out. "That's what you wanted to convey. Being around other people…..is that your idea of hope?"
"Something like that." Naruto shrugged. "I don't know what the right answer is. I don't even know how peace can be achieved. I just know it can happen. It's a struggle, and more often than not people choose the easy path. That's what makes fighting for peace so rewarding. Because it's not easy. Losing yourself over to your fear or your despair…..anyone can do that. It takes a strong willpower to be able to resist that. The temptation might be strong, I'm not denying that. If you can't do it alone, then just rely on others to help you, so that you can help them in turn. You'll always be able to reach greater heights with other people at your side than if you're doing it by yourself. I'm living proof of that. All my life I've had my friends help me get stronger. That hasn't changed, even after coming to this school."
Junko stared at him.
Naruto stared at her.
Neither knew it, but they were locked in a battle of wills right now.
They also didn't realize that the others were now staring at them, listening in to their conversation but choosing not to interrupt it.
The two kept this uninterrupted eye contact for almost a minute before Junko asked her next question.
"Do you think something like that can truly stop despair?"
Naruto snorted at this. "That's kinda impossible, don't you think? We're not perfect. Despair will always exist. I'm not sure why it has to be a one hundred percent thing or nothing. Negative emotions will always exist. It's impossible not to feel sadness or anger or even hatred. We humans aren't perfect. It's what happens afterwards that's important. You have to just control it."
Junko's eyes hardened.
"You're saying that you have despair? That you can control it?"
Naruto smiled at her.
"Yeah."
He didn't offer her an explanation, but he didn't have to. Junko could feel it. Naruto wasn't pure white. On the surface, that's what he appeared to be, and she could tell that his soul was an honest one. He had nothing but good intentions.
He was straightforward and an idiot. For someone like her, manipulating him would be easy.
But he wasn't pure white. He wasn't just a white hope.
No, he had black specks of despair riddled all over him.
The despair within Junko could sense it. Within Naruto, there was white and black. It wasn't one or the other with him.
This despair…..it was positively and despairfully delicious.
Junko had no way of knowing where the source of his despair came from, but that wasn't what mattered. She would take her time figuring all of that out later.
Junko moved her body without thinking. To the others looking in, it looked like she wanted to comfort the boy as she knelt next to him and wrapped her arms around him, engulfing him in a hug. After all, he had just declared that he had despair. To any normal person, this would mean that he was suffering.
This didn't stop their eyes from widening at the action.
Naruto's eyes widened too.
"W-What are you doing?"
He was caught off guard, but he wasn't pushing her away either. He just didn't understand.
Junko wasn't able to give him an answer. It was a good thing her face wasn't in view. After all, she was too busy smiling to give out a proper response. It wasn't a kind smile, however. There was no hiding the darkness contained within such a smile. The malice. The utter and pure despair.
Her eyes were twinkling with many emotions. There was also no denying how fast her heart was beating right now.
After all these revelations, only one conclusion could be reached.
For the second time in her life, Enoshima Junko had fallen in love.
Such a fact only caused her despair to deepen.
I had a lot of fun with this chapter. If I had been faster, this could have been the first chapter of the year. What can you do.
The developments keep happening, and the school festival rages on! Whatever shall happen next?
Till next time.
