"Don't call me that," Ino reprimands, scowling. She unscrews the cap of a bottle of bright blue nail polish with her teeth. The color matches her eyes.
Shino sighs, crossing out BRACE FACE on his list of nicknames for Ino. It sits between PONYTAIL and FANGIRL, both of which have been struck through multiple times by Ino. "It has a nice ring to it," he tries, knowing Ino won't budge.
"My braces are off limits. We want to sound mean without actually hurting each others' feelings," Ino says primly. Shino watches fascinatedly as Ino quickly, almost effortlessly applies the nail polish, never smearing or smudging any of the layers. "And without sounding stupid either."
Shino furrows his brows. "I thought 'underdeveloped cryptocercus garciai' sounded cool."
"NO!" Ino says, barely suppressing a full-body shudder. "I'm not saying that, ever. Gimme your hands."
Shino dutifully puts his clipboard down and extends his hands towards Ino. Without messing up her own flawless coating of polish, she paints a simple clear coat over Shino's nails and releases his hands.
"I still think you'd look good with yellow," Ino says, shaking her head and capping the little bottle. "Or maybe green. Hey, that's a good idea! I bet I can get some next time I go—"
Shino shakes his head, and Ino deflates.
"Fine," Ino relents, sounding extremely put-upon. "Hit me with the next one."
Shino gingerly picks the clipboard back up, careful not to ruin his nails. He scans the list, searching for a name that hasn't been crossed out. "Hmm… Sakura call you Ino-pig already… How do you feel about Hog?"
Ino makes a face.
"I will assume that's a no."
"That's a no," Ino agrees. She snatches his clipboard and pen away and begins to rapid-fire eliminate options, even going so far as to strike out the insect names Shino had come up with for her. "Shino, these are all horrible."
Shino shrugs.
"We have to preserve our image as bullies, not make ourselves the laughingstocks of the academy," Ino lectures, straightening and tapping the end of her (Shino's) pen against the clipboard. "Now, here's the secret to coming up with a good nickname…"