When the cherry blossoms fall to the ground...
And the scent of perfume fills the air...
The air sparkles with a new life and light...
As the gates of Whole Cake Academy open for the day...
Several Years Prior...
In his younger years, Luffy was growing up in the little town of Foosha. With his father working at the university and his mother working at her day job, Luffy was left in the care of his two babysitters, Mary and Sunny. The two were the surrogate sisters that he never had and were there for him when he needed the most loving. Mary would cook him delicious food, give him fun baths, and nurse him back to health when he was ill. Sunny encouraged his creativity with art, take him out shopping, and took him to the park. Between the two of them, they were glad to look after the little bundle of joy.
When he went to the park, he would hang out with his older brothers Sabo and Ace. The trio was inseparable, causing mischief all over the playground. Several parents would yell at them for stealing snacks from their picnic baskets, carving their initials on the town's oldest tree, and creating an army out of the woodland animals. However, Sunny and Mary would take the trio back to their homes when the hours were over and the lights came on.
Their dynamic would change when Yamato was added to the mix. The tall girl towered over the trio and could easily overpower Ace and Sabo. In Luffy's eyes, she was the coolest girl in the world. Or a guy depending on who asked. Yamato spent hours with the trio, but she was close to Luffy the most. Luffy also gave her the signature oni mask that she loved wearing as a child. For her, those summers of sitting on the top of the tallest tree overlooking Foosha were the ones she remembered the most.
And then, Shanks had to come into town.
The summer when Shanks came to town was one of great importance. He came into town with a bright smile on his face, charming Makino who worked in the bar and impressing the children with his cool stories. He was the idol that Luffy strove to become and he became a somewhat uncle to Luffy.
He also brought in one of the greatest people in his life.
"Luffy, everyone, meet my daughter Uta."
At Party's Bar, Shanks and his employees decided to have their company party at the popular bar. Makino got paid extra during the night to keep the drinks coming and the food cooking. Due to this, she had asked for Ace, Sabo, Yamato, and Luffy to help serve the food and take orders. Luffy happily agreed for the group, donning a cute apron to be the night's waiter. Yamato was placed at the bar, having learned some drinks to serve the guests. Ace and Sabo worked in the back of the kitchen, cooking up some food that Makino taught them before service. After a dozen or so drinks and meals had been served, Makino decided to give the group a break.
Luffy scarfed down a mountain of meat while shoving fries into his mouth. Ace casually drank some root beer and had some meat of his own. Sabo was politely eating a light salad and sharing nachos with Yamato. Said girl was scarfing down her portion of nachos while chugging down some apple juice. Shanks hobbled over to the kid's table in his drunken stupor and presented them with his daughter.
Uta was a pretty little girl. She had white and red hair in ponytails with circular braids at the end. Her eye was bright purple, but the left eye was covered by her white hair. She wore a jean jacket with a purple music note symbol on the right, a yellow sundress, and brown boots. A set of headphones hung around her neck with music blaring.
Her eye ran down the table of children who looked slightly older than her or just about her age. Ace looked stupid in her eyes, startling her when he suddenly fell asleep. Sabo looked nice, if not a bit decent. Yamato held her gaze for a solid minute before Uta dismissed her as well. The last one, Luffy was it, stopped eating for a moment and stared back at her.
"Um...hello?" Luffy said, waving at her.
"Hi there. I like your hat." Uta pointed at the straw hat.
"Thanks! Shanks gave it to me!"
"My dad gave you his hat? You must be something special if he trusts you with that"
"Well he saved my life once and I will never forget it!"
Uta blushed at that, turning away. "He saved me as well. I am forever grateful for that."
"Hey, Uta!" Yamato interrupted, getting a glare from the girl. "I see you have headphones around your neck. Are you some sort of singer?"
This elicited laughter from Shanks' company, making the oni girl confused. Uta gave her a smirk before walking up to the karaoke machine on the side of the bar. Scrolling through the selections before choosing a classic pop song. She pointed towards the crowd and launched into a whole song and dance number for the bar's entertainment. Everyone clapped and sang along with the young lady as she twirled around and posed cutely for all to see. Sabo was recording the entire performance on his phone, Ace woke up to hear the music, and Luffy had stopped eating to listen to the performance. His eyes were sparkling as he gave all his attention to the new girl. All while Yamato fumed in the background and bit her lip.
Uta finished her performance, bowing toward the patrons, her father, and the kids. Skipping over to the table, she smugly placed the microphone down in front of Yamato.
"Does that answer your question, dog girl?"
"Dog girl? Dog girl! What is with that name!?" Yamato asked, her face red with anger.
"Cause that ugly look on your face reminds me of a kicked puppy. Are you mad that I actually can sing?"
Yamato was going to say something else before she was interrupted by Luffy. "Your voice is amazing! You could be a famous pop star one day! You should sing more often Uta!"
"Really? You like my singing?" Uta blushed, not used to hearing anyone outside her father and his company compliment her that deeply. "Maybe I should pursue my singing career. I was thinking of doing that when I finished schooling."
"You should! Finish school and go into the music industry." Sabo agreed.
"School is stupid! Just go straight into the music business and go to school later." Ace huffed.
Uta ignored the other two, staring right at Luffy. Perhaps if she was lucky, maybe he would join her. He seemed like he had a good head on his shoulders and would provide her with some good times. Shanks spoke praises about this young man and he wouldn't lie about something like that.
The only problem was that another girl was secretly glaring at her.
"Say Luffy, when I make it big, you should come to see my concerts! We could travel the world together and you can eat all the meat you want!"
Luffy's eyes sparkled. "All the meat I could want?"
Uta nodded, rocking back and forth on her feet. "Let's exchange numbers and keep in touch. Since papa will be away for a business trip, we can arrange some playdates! You know, for planning and playing."
"It's a deal! Let's be good friends Uta!"
The two made a pact that night to keep in touch and follow their respective dreams. Who would've guessed that this chance encounter would change their lives forever?
Present Day
Lunchtime was always a time of day that everyone looked forward to.
Today especially since it was Stuffed Crust Pizza Day.
Bonney was already gorging on her third slice before Luffy sat down next to her. He currently had earbuds in while bobbing his head to the music. Camie sat next to him, sewing some new clothes for the winter fashion show. Kaya and Robin were studying for the midterms, exchanging notes in various subjects. Nami and Vivi were looking over some notes from the council, checking the budget for the Winter Festival. Yamato was eating some pizza as well, sneaking gazes at Luffy.
"So, the Winter Festival is coming upon us. Due to Linlin-sama's spending on the Thanksgiving Can Food Drive, we have no acts for the music portion." Nami bit her pencil till it broke. "How did we not budget this properly?"
"Calm down Nami, we can handle this. This isn't the first time we've had to budget around our gorger of a president. We may have to rely on local bands and music groups for the music." Vivi said, calming down the treasurer.
"Say Camie, what are you sewing over there? It looks nice." Yamato asked, her eyes full of curiosity.
"Glad you asked Yama-chin! These clothes are going to be used for the fashion show! Would you like a hat or scarf?"
"I would love a fluffy scarf! Thank you so much!"
Bonney continued to eat her food while staring at Luffy, who was staring in the distance. His food was gone like usual, but he was listening to something loud and poppy.
"Who would be able to perform at the last minute? The preparations are underway and the budget is low." Nami's pencil was now fully broken and snapped in half.
"Hey Strawhat, whose music are you listening to?" Bonney asked, taking out the earbud from his left ear.
"Oy! What the hell Bonney?" Luffy snatched it back and glared at her. "I was just listening to Utahime's new album! Was that an excuse to rip out my earbud?"
"Utahime? That idol girl who tours around the world and sings those songs about peace and love?" Robin looked up from her notes and smiled. "I quite like her songs. Very catchy..."
Yamato paused when she heard that name. Oh no, not her again. All those summers of playing with Luffy, Ace, and Sabo were always interrupted by Uta. She was Luffy's rival growing up since the two were overly ambitious with every activity. Sabo got along with her well enough, treating her like a princess. Ace was one she butted heads with constantly since they both had hot-blooded personalities. Yamato just didn't get along with that diva of a girl since she always commented on how she looked and dressed.
To hear that her music had a profound impact on Luffy made her glare.
"Yeah, Uta and I used to date a while back." Luffy gave a goofy grin. "She was something special when we were together."
There was a pause before the girls at the table had to register what was just said. Nami and Yamato's mouths dropped, Kaya blushed, Camie squealed, Vivi covered her mouth in shock, and Bonney choked on her food.
"You dated a popstar!? Since when was that a thing?" Nami demanded, not believing a word that just came out of his mouth.
"Nobody asked and frankly I didn't know you guys even knew her music."
"Wow, never thought I'd say this, but Luffy you have game!" Bonney clapped his back, swallowing the food she choked on. "Why did she break it off?"
Luffy sighed, his face turning sincere. "I broke up with her."
Another pause...
"You broke up with her? Oh my..." Kaya whispered, putting her book down.
"Luffy-chin why did you break up with her? Imagine the mad publicity! Nobody would bother you at this school since Uta is a big star!" Camie waved her hands.
"We had different dreams and ideals for the future. My plans didn't intertwine with hers and I wanted more than what she offered me. So, we broke it off."
"Wow Luffy, I never thought you were so mature enough to admit such a thing," Nami commented. "You come off as a person who doesn't even know what sex is."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean? I am mature!" He stuck out his tongue. "And I know what sex is! My big brother's girlfriend Isuka told me about it! I even heard her fight Ace in his bedroom that one time."
This comment caused his head to get bashed in by Nami, who was blushing up a storm. Robin and Vivi just chuckled at Luffy's innocent antics while Kaya started treating his wound with Camie. Yamato was deep in thought as she stared at Luffy with a soft smile.
"If you know Utahime, why not invite her to perform for the winter concert? Bet you she'd quit her tour just to see you again." Bonney jested, washing down her pizza with a swig of soda.
"I highly doubt a mega popstar like Utahime would stop her tour just to perform at our small-town school festival." Yamato tried to dissuade her from suggesting such a notion.
Luffy rubbed his now sore head bump while shrugging. "Couldn't hurt to try. I mean, I still have her number."
"WHO THE HECK KEEPS THEIR EX-GIRLFRIEND ON SPEED DIAL!?" Nami roared, jerking his face in every which way.
A lone tour bus was seen driving down a long, winding highway. This bus was decorated bright pink with colorful musical notes on a rainbow stanza. A blown-out picture of Utahime was on the side, winking and sticking out her tongue in a teasing manner.
Inside the bus was the now older form of Uta, who was lounging on her bus bed on her phone. Off-stage, she could wear her more comfortable clothing with consisted of a white t-shirt, burgundy shorts, and rainbow socks. A pair of headphones could still be seen around her neck as she hummed along to the music. Scrolling her social media pages, she suddenly noticed a text coming through.
"Huh? Who could be texting me at this hour?"
The only people who messaged her were her father, his most trusted employees, her agent Gordon, and her stage manager. However, this number looked familiar. Uta pressed the message and nearly gasped when she recognized the writing.
Hey Uta, are you coming home for the holidays? It would be nice to see you again. Please call me as soon as possible. Hope to see you soon!
"After all these years, it would be nice to be home for the holidays. Luffy...I wonder how you've been."
Her heart started racing when she remembered how their former relationship went. He was so kind and stupid, with his hunger for meat and lust for adventure. Those grand summers going to the ocean and sailing their small boat. How they would catch fireflies and release them into the air. Those slumber parties where the both of them would sing karaoke. How upset he was when she decided to go on tour, leaving Foosha behind for her big dreams in the big city.
"You know what..." Uta ran up front, hugging Gordon who was driving the bus. "Gordon, cancel the rest of my tour. I think it's time we come home for the holidays."
Hey everyone!
So...I've been reading the comments down below and you all crack me up!
I thank you for your constant suggestions and chapter ideas! I do keep track of what everyone says and take them to heart. I might just use some of them since this is kind of an anthology series.
To the comments about how Luffy is acting out of character, what were you expecting? This is a story with a twist! Of course, Luffy might be out of character since this is a different interpretation of the character. He has some of the key traits you associate with Luffy, but not fully Luffy. This is a parody of shoujo manga!
Also, as for the relationships, I do agree with the one comment about how he's befriending more people than romancing. Sure the girls get blushy, but crushes are different from lovers. You will tell which ones are infatuated versus the ones that are crushing.
Comments are good to read and make the story better!