🌸Cherry Blossom Palette🎨
🌸Chapter 4: An Unexpected Houseguest🎨
Written by EmtenDew
Edited by P. serrulata
Author's note:
I never expected my editor to give me so much help in this story. I appreciate his patience and understanding. I was afraid I weirded him out when he reached this point. When I asked him to help me with this story, I don't think he was expecting me to show him my "proclivities". That word is fancier than the one I would use. You will see what I mean once you read. He said it was okay though. He says some of the stuff he edited for people in other fandoms was pretty extreme and it was sometimes just part of being an editor. My stuff is wholesome in comparison and not gratuitous apparently.
I don't know how anyone could sit and edit some of those clop and snuff fics I used to see when My Little Pony was still big. Why even bother editing them? Yuck. But that's the pot calling the kettle black. This is embarrassing but parts of this chapter were so much fun to write. But it's completely SFW.
Please look at the Q&A section I set up at the end of the chapter. Ask us anything and we'll add another section in the next chapter. I would be happy if you ask questions.
Please enjoy what I wrote.
June 21, 2018
It had been a strange night for Naoto Hachioji. Having left a video game session with his friends earlier, he'd begun making the journey home in a thunderstorm. On the way, Sakura Inori—a kohai and friend of his—literally almost ran into him, fleeing from her Friday night date, the son of a bitch not far behind her.
Naoto suspected the worst, Sakura appearing battered, and he was ready to get his ass kicked by a boy twice his size until Sakura begged he not fight and that he needed to trust her. Deciding to have faith in her, he resolved to bring her out of the cold and to the safety of his parents' house.
That's where he now found himself, and he gladly tromped up the sidewalk to the front door, still carrying the trembling Sakura on his back.
Not even stopping to let her down, he quickly unlocked the door and shoved it open. Hitting the nearby light switch, he automatically checked the time:
The clock in the entryway read 10:18 p.m.
He would've been home 20 to 25 minutes ago if he hadn't fallen into this unique position...
Now fully inside the door, Naoto shut and locked it behind him and turned his eyes as far as he could towards Sakura.
"Okay," he said. "I'll let you down."
She eased off of his back, straightening her legs.
The second her feet were levelly on the floor, Naoto spun around and grabbed her none too gently by the shoulders, knocking his jacket he'd given her off her back. He'd been waiting to get her behind closed doors, somewhere safe, to finally figure out just what the Hell was going on without her bolting on him.
"Sakura-san, what happened?" his eyes bore into hers, and he enunciated every word. "Did he hurt you?"
He didn't mean to shake her, and it rattled her. She yipped and pulled her hands to her chest, shutting her eyes and flinching at his coarseness.
Catching himself, Naoto relaxed his grip; he said more softly, "Sakura-san..."
This time she responded more positively, opening her eyes, "Senpai-kun...?"
"Are you okay?" his hands were still held firmly yet gently upon her. "Are you?"
The tenderness in his voice soothed her, and she relaxed slightly, dropping her arms to clasp them in front of her, "I..."
He asked again, "Sakura-san, please... are you okay?"
Barely making eye-contact with him, she screwed her eyes shut and nodded.
Naoto blew out a heavy and audible sigh, so relieved; he questioned her again, "And you're telling me the truth? That he didn't do anything to you?"
In the same manner as before, Sakura answered with a nod.
"Will you tell me what happened?" he'd been working towards this.
Sakura jolted at the inquiry, pulling her hands close again and shrinking. Her face was pink with embarrassment, and Naoto realized he wouldn't be getting much out of her at that time.
He figured the answer was obvious, but he asked anyway, "You're not going to tell me...?"
This time, she spoke, looking at her clasped hands, "Please, Senpai-kun... not now..."
"Sakura-san..." he squeezed her shoulders again, intent on getting an answer.
She writhed in his grip, only closing herself off further, "Senpai-kun... Please, let me go... You're hurting me..."
Her voice broke with the last three words. She was terrified. Another verbal assault on her would probably see her burst into tears, and that wouldn't do either of them any good.
Settling on the knowledge that whatever this was wasn't the most important thing immediately, Naoto took his hands from her; he sighed again, "You're safe, Sakura-san. Just try to take it easy, okay?"
She merely nodded, her eyes cast downward.
Naoto went through the shoe basket his parents kept by the threshold, and he found what he was looking for.
He dropped a pair of extra slippers before her. She took the hint and began removing her pantyhose.
Sakura winced. Naoto could easily see some small lacerations on her calves and her feet as she peeled off the filthy, torn hose. Dropping the garment into the little wastebasket near the door, she stepped into the slippers and tiredly walked over the lip of the main floor.
Naoto sat down, wrenching off his soiled shoes and stripping off his sodden socks.
Finally!
That helped. He stood up—not caring so much at the moment about modesty—and dropped his pants around his knees; they were too sopped to cleanly fall to his ankles. Still, he got them off and felt a world better. The legs of his boxers were wet, and his shirt was sticking to him, but he felt better.
Oh, tonight sucked...
Stepping up to the floor himself, it was great walking on a dry surface again. He emptied his pockets and left the pants lying on the floor; he'd deal with them later, as with the rest of his clothes.
Sighing in relief, he saw his cell phone was fine. No water had made its way in. He also noticed a missed text. It was from Tohru.
He opened his phone:
You make it home, Nao-kun?
Right... he was supposed to let his friends know when he made it home.
Hoping they hadn't worried, Naoto typed:
Sorry. Forgot to text. Made it home.
A moment later, a response came:
I thought so. We plan to go online with the game at 11:00. Join us?
Naoto thought. How the Hell was he going to explain what had just happened?!
Obviously, he figured he didn't have to, and he answered:
No thanks. I want to just sit around tonight. Maybe tomorrow if you are on.
Tohru returned:
Okay. Later.
Naoto replied:
Bye.
Naoto respired, clutching his phone. He looked over his stuff, now strewn at his feet.
His bag...! It hadn't held up to the storm. Scowling, he'd have to deal with that too, but later. He had something more pressing to deal with.
A pretty girl—a friend he'd never expected to find in his home—was standing in his kitchen, wringing her hands and shivering.
Naoto would be quick; he said in Sakura's general direction, "Be right back."
Not even checking to find out if she'd heard him, he bounded up the stairs and straight to his bedroom. Unbuttoning his shirt and taking it off, along with his undershirt, he changed into a pair of dry boxers. Pulling on a pair of shorts he wore around the house and a plain t-shirt over his wet hair, he ran by the linen closet and grabbed three towels.
He made it down the stairs and back to the kitchen; he wasn't even gone two minutes.
Offering Sakura one of the towels, Naoto said, "And I have a second one if you need it."
She gratefully took the towel and quickly began to dab herself off, starting with her hair.
Naoto toweled off his own hair, not needing to do much more than that.
A moment later, both of them were far from bone-dry, but they were no longer so cold.
Naoto pulled out a chair at the kitchen table in the corner and bade she sit, "Here."
She sat, staring at her clutched hands, not looking up.
Figuring Sakura was thirsty, being thirsty himself, Naoto grabbed two glasses and drew water.
Handing off the water to Sakura, she guzzled it down, while he sipped on his, realizing she'd gotten a little more "exercise" than he had that evening.
He refilled her glass, and she more calmly drank the second.
Allowing her a few swallows first, Naoto asked, "Where's your phone?"
Pausing from the water, she reached into a pocket in her skirt and pulled out the device, waking it up. As Naoto's, it was also dry and intact.
He had to think, and he figured he knew what had to be done, "Sakura-san?"
Her phone held in her hands between her knees, she responded, glancing his way, "Senpai-kun...?"
"Does your family know where you are?"
She shrank at the mention of her family—her parents—and murmured, "They think I'm out with a friend. I was earlier... We were on a double date before we went off on our own."
"Are they expecting you home? Your parents?" Naoto pressed, recognizing he might have to nudge her along on the matter.
"I was going to stay the night with another girlfriend..." she said. "I was going to head there after the date."
He kept at it, "And you're telling me the truth when you say your date didn't do anything...?"
Reluctantly, she bobbed her head after a few seconds, "Yes..."
Naoto had been reasoning a while, and based on past experience, he wasn't at all happy with the conclusion he was reaching. He'd figured pretty early on that she'd been up to no good, and he was likely right. She was playing a dangerous game.
But... that had to wait.
He had to remain calm and not lose his cool; he put his thoughts together, "You need to call your date. Or text him. If you really are okay and nothing happened, you need to let him know you're safe and that things are fine. Tell him... you got nervous... whatever... Just let him know you're okay."
She seemed repelled by the notion, but she settled with a quick nod.
"Good..." Naoto knew the harder part was over. "Then call your friend—the one you were going to stay with—and tell her your plans changed."
Sakura had an easier time with that idea; she nodded again.
"My parents are out of town tonight, so I think you should stay here," Naoto finally said. "You'll be okay here."
She thought a moment and eventually agreed.
Naoto thought he was doing the right thing... but this was all too surreal!
Reaching for his next move, he wondered, "How's your phone? Charged?"
She woke it up again, "...Nearly. But I don't have a charging cable with me."
"I have the same charger," he said. "You can charge it in a while. Make your calls before it gets any later."
Sakura's senpai stood up.
The girl jarred at his sudden movement, "Senpai-kun... where are you going?"
He paused and answered, "I think we should clean your cuts. I'm getting the first aid kit."
Starting up again, he was stalled again.
"Senpai-kun...!" Sakura exclaimed. "Please!"
Naoto startled, and he found her hands holding fast to the corner of his shirt, "Huh?"
Sakura implored, "Senpai-kun...?"
He stammered, "W-what?"
"Please don't tell anyone," she whimpered, tightening her grip on his shirt.
She was begging. Naoto shivered, bothered by her desperation. It was upsetting.
Again, Sakura pleaded, "Please don't tell Gamo-chan... or Hayacchi... Please..."
It was painfully apparent to Naoto that she'd been waiting—trying to find a moment—to tell him that. He also realized something else:
She really needed his help... Sakura was in distress, and she needed him... She trusted him, and he realized all the more what he had to do, if he could pluck up the courage.
And he didn't look forward to it, but it still wasn't time.
"Sakura-san," Naoto said.
There were tears forming at the corners of her eyes; she blinked, "Senpai-kun?"
"Don't worry," he tugged at his shirt, its hem still clamped in her hand. "I won't tell anyone; I promise."
The relief she exuded was palpable; she exhaled, "Okay..."
"Let go," he said. "I need to get the first aid kit."
Having to further encourage her to release him, Naoto did just that, and he returned a few minutes later. Seeing Sakura finish typing something on her phone, he trusted she'd done what she'd needed. Now she just watched him.
He saw her tensing up, eyeing him uncertainly, but he didn't think much of it. They were about to clean her cuts, and no one liked that. This was going to sting.
"Let's get you cleaned up," he sat on the floor before her legs, setting down and opening the first aid kit. "After this, you can take a bath or a shower. I'll help you get the laundry started and find you something warm to wear."
"..." she didn't look pleased, but she wasn't putting up much of a fuss either.
Naoto wondered, "You didn't run into any broken glass or anything like that, did you?"
Sakura shook her head slowly, her eyes never leaving his hands.
That was a relief; he nodded, "Okay."
With little else to say, Naoto knew now that things were about to get "interesting", and he wasn't exactly looking forward to this either. He gulped, trying to compose himself.
Too affected by the seriousness of the night, he hadn't had a single thought Nagatoro could've fairly given him a hard time over. Any "perverted" or "gross" thoughts had been kilometers away. The climate was changing though.
Oh, man...
The "unintended restraint" or whatever it was began disintegrating! Before him sat one of the most beautiful girls he'd ever known, and her legs were no exception to the rest of her! They had a little more meat on them than Nagatoro's, but most girls' legs did! He couldn't see her panties or anything—her pleated skirt reached past her knees—but this occurrence was at risk of happening! He'd seen a lot more of her body when she was in that bikini, but... a bikini's different than... underwear...!
No, no!
The boy had to remember... this wasn't anything dirty. It wasn't at all! All he had to do was remember that. It wasn't like he hadn't been assigned to the nurse's office a few times in middle school. He knew how to deal with a few cuts and scrapes.
This is nothing...
However, no amount of logic or mental gymnastics could rid him of his thinking about the one thing this situation so viscerally reminded him of.
Back in the fall, when Nagatoro announced it was time to start wearing tights to combat the impending cold, Naoto had committed the blunder of letting her know, though he was kind of surprised she hadn't already realized it, that he adored girls' legs. And he adored bare legs. It didn't make sense, but there it was! A girl without stockings going barefoot in her shoes was pretty trashy, but it was even sexier than it was trashy...
When Nagatoro had teased off her school shoes and waggled her toes in his face, demanding he put her new pair of tights on her, he'd almost lost his Goddamn mind. He still didn't know how he'd managed to make it through that, even with the "radish thing", but he had!
And he could deal with it again. Sakura wasn't Nagatoro, and even if the gal was so inclined, she was in no temperament to goad him. He had the "advantage".
This is nothing...
Mentally returning to the real world at the time and place he found himself, he could do this. Repositioning himself to sit cross-legged, he dampened a cloth with some rubbing alcohol.
"Okay, let me see," he said simply, deciding to start with a calf.
He reached for an ankle and his hand only managed to graze her skin as she jerked.
Dropping one of the slippers, she recoiled at his touch and blushed, curling her toes and pulling her legs out of his reach to her right side. Her hands, already clamped onto the seat of the chair, gripped harder, and the chair creaked.
Naoto faltered, but he raised the cloth, "Sakura-san, let me see."
She only pulled up further into herself, looking most uncomfortable. This reminded him all the more of a child, afraid of the antiseptic before the bandage. A pouty grimace was plainly obvious upon her cherry red face, and she refused to meet his gaze.
Naoto could see she needed a little medical attention, the small cuts and scratches difficult to miss. He even saw some dried blood. Considering she'd run from who-knows-where to the park without shoes, she was fortunate the soles of her feet didn't resemble squished raspberries.
And still she was being difficult.
What was this? Well...
Realizing he'd been rougher with her than he maybe should have only moments before, on top of whatever she'd been through earlier, he gathered she maybe just didn't want to be touched again.
She may even be a little cross over his manhandling her...
He couldn't blame her.
Naoto sighed, "Okay... you can take care of it yourself."
He closed the first aid kit and stood up, handing it to her.
She stared at the box, "..."
Walking to the kitchen, Naoto asked for her phone, "We can plug it in for a while."
She let him begin charging it and waited.
"C'mon," Naoto beckoned, already making his way to the bathroom.
Sakura followed.
Readying the washer/dryer, Naoto showed her how to use it. He supplied her with a fresh towel and wash cloth. They'd already begun drawing the bath, and it would be ready soon.
Sakura was on her own for a while.
The boy instructed, "Once you start the laundry, it should take about an hour. Just call if you need anything. My mom has makeup remover in the leftmost drawer; she won't miss a dab. Use any soap or shampoo you like. Leave the first aid kit on the counter. Take your time..."
Naoto walked out, leaving her standing there. Meandering out to the couch, he flopped down, thankful to be alone for a bit.
...
...
...
The leftovers!
Naoto hopped up and went to his school bag, wetly lazing near the front door.
Retrieving the chicken, pizza, and pretzels, he put them away. Looking back to the bag... he figured on just dealing with it and getting it over with.
It wasn't as bad as it could've been. The sketchbook he'd had in there—thankfully—was dry. And what a relief that was! His math notebook was nearly saturated at a corner, and a library book was no better off, but that was about all.
Glad for this better-than-expected fortune, Naoto set up everything to air out. He hung up his wet clothes and jacket, put newspaper in his shoes, and that was that.
Heading back to the couch, he found himself glancing towards the light showing from under the bathroom door. In the darkened hallway, he could see shadows dancing, periodically obstructing the brightness shining through.
"..."
When he heard the water turn on suddenly, he cringed and hightailed it back to his destination, fully aware of what was now transpiring on the other side of the door.
What the crap is going on...?! He lay down, staring at the ceiling light above him.
This was turning out to be one of the weirdest nights of his life...
Turning onto his side, facing the backrest, he pondered what to do next.
The guest room was already made up, Naoto knew. They had a small, spare bedroom that relatives or his parents' friends occupied when visiting. It was rarely used, and it probably had the nicest bed in the house.
Right... He also had to find her something to wear. Her underwear would be dry, which was good, because he wasn't about to go digging in his mom's dresser to find Sakura a bra or something... not that he might find one to fit her...
Bweeeeh!
His whole body contorted even thinking about that, and he was disgusted with himself that the idea had even crossed his mind.
Geez...
No, he'd just find her one of his old t-shirts and give her a pair of sweat pants.
Maybe she'd appreciate a pair of wool socks too...
That... was about all there was to worry about, he supposed.
At least as far as the clothing and sleeping situation went...
Naoto now looked forward even less to what he knew he'd wind up doing later... if he had the balls to do it, that is...
He had to have a potentially difficult chat with Sakura; this wasn't the first time she'd gotten into similar trouble... but this time... Shit...
Rolling back, facing the TV across the room, he tried distracting himself by watching something.
But there was nothing on he wanted to watch. There wasn't a single anime series he was currently following... He didn't give a fart about the results of some golf tournament or the standings in the football leagues. And the news told him nothing he hadn't already seen pop up on his phone...
Shutting the TV off, he could still hear Sakura running the water.
Man, she's taking her sweet time washing...!
It was impossible to rid himself of the mental image of the good-looking gal, lathered up, running clean water through her voluminous, wavy blonde hair...
No... No, no, no, no, no!
Just... no...
Naoto resolutely turned his half-assed meditation to Nagatoro... her cute face... her slender legs... that built little body of hers...
Se-en-pa-i~!
He quivered, partly out of pleasure and partly out of the familiar unease that always accompanied it. What he wouldn't give to be sitting across from her, somewhere nice, having a fun time, doing something they both loved. Just hearing her voice could leave him breathless...!
Se-en-pa-i~!
Hayase~... Naoto let a euphoria wash over him, and after a time, he dozed off.
Q&A Section
Given that most of the second chapter was centered on Naoto's interacting with his guy friends, can readers expect to see them more often in this series compared to the manga?
ED: Shuu and Tohru will not be MAIN characters but they will be regular characters. They will be showing up plenty.
Periwinkle is a pretty specific color for toenail polish.
ED: I like periwinkle. I looked at swatches of blues and purples online to find the name. I knew the color but I didn't know the name. It turns out I had an old bottle similar to it in my makeup box. With sparkles. So cute. That's what I'm wearing right now. And for those that don't know I'm a bona fide woman! People keep calling me a dude.
PS: Senpai's an artist, and I used to do color-drafting for backyard-landscapes. Just because someone's a guy doesn't mean the only color of blue is "blue". I resent that thinking.
How will Nagatoro react in the story when she learns that Naoto and Sakura are an item?
ED: You want to know this early? I guess I can say that IF Naoto and Sakura become an item that Nagatoro won't be happy about it lol. You'll have to wait a while before the story hits that stage.
PS: I don't know. I think I've only seen about 30 to 40% of the story. But in the actual series? It'd destroy her. It'd destroy her to the point she couldn't even retaliate against Sakura or Senpai. I think Gamo-chan might have something to say about it, but we'll likely never see such an interesting development.
What are you wearing?
ED: A pink bathrobe and bunny slippers. My company is transitioning BACK to a lot of us working from home after all the trouble of going back to work at WORK. It's a mess. But I didn't have to bother getting dressed today. Or wear a bra. That's always nice.
PS: Work clothes.
Please look forward to the next chapter! Thanks for reading!
Check me out on Reddit: u/EmtenDew