🌸Cherry Blossom Palette🎨
🌸Chapter 14: (Un)wholesome Aspirations: The Philosophizing Male and the Dream of a Life Without Summer School🎨
Written by EmtenDew
Edited by P. serrulata
Author's note:
ED: If Sakura seems a little "odd" the next several chapters, keep in mind she's trying to (re)discover herself. She's trying to find her place.
On a personal note, my editor's being a big grump this week. One of his tractors "threw a rod", whatever that means, and he's having trouble with a few of his other machines. Then he was snubbed online (it's not that important, but we meet and know people we like online), which just put him in a sour mood. Stuff like that can put us over the edge. He won't like me saying it, but it pisses me off. (Forgive me, PS!)
He got permabanned from a Reddit sub he liked for expressing views the "snowflake admins" (my words) dubbed "thinly veiled homophobia" in a discussion, which is bullshit. He's got to be one of the most understanding and compassionate people I've ever met online (for what that's worth), even if he's a little nuts. Some self-described "dumb redneck" farmer boy standing as the best man at his gay fraternity brother's wedding? I don't think your average homophobe would do that.
I wouldn't do it, but I have a reason, even if I don't think it's a good one. It broke my heart to say "no" to being a bridesmaid at my college friend's wedding, but the Area Seventies might try to "excommunicate" me, and my family might disown me if I ever did something like that. They cannot accept two women getting married.
PS will get over it. He just takes everything too seriously.
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.
July 2, 2018
Why'd you do it? Why'd you stand up for her?
What? Naoto Hachioji glanced around, a dense fog enveloping his world.
She really likes you, Hachioji. I wasn't sure if you knew or not…
He could hear Nobuo Takata's voice, but he couldn't see him.
But he heard something else, and it began to overpower anything else:
Seeeeeeeenpaaaaaai…
…?!
Seeeeeeeeeenpaaaaaai~…
What is it?
Open your eyes, Senpai~…
He did; lying on something soft, he stared up into sky-blue skies, puffy, white clouds lazily rolling across the great expanse.
It smelled of summer.
"Se-en-pa-i…" Hayase Nagatoro enunciated every portion of the word.
Naoto sat up, finding himself on a blanket in a meadow somewhere. Across from him, on her side, propped on an elbow, lay the girl he loved so much.
Clad in a shimmering, argent sundress, her eyes riding half-mast, she gazed at him through the wall of straight, glistening black falling into her blushing face.
Whoa…
Brushing her hair behind her ears, she clipped it back with barrettes of silver, giggling, "That's better…"
What the Hell's going on?!
Nagatoro got on her hands and knees and began to crawl towards her senpai, her smiling face crimsoned.
Don't do that! Your dress will-
But she'd already noticed her modest modesty was compromised, bringing up her right hand, pinching closed the neck of the sundress.
"Creepy, creepy, creepy~!" she crooned. "Filthy Senpai, if you try looking down my dress, you're dead~!"
Yeah, he'd behave himself!
It didn't matter too much; she'd already made her way over to him.
"Are you hungry, Senpai~?" she asked sweetly.
Sure, he could stand to eat!
"Well, here you go," she reached into a picnic basket sitting beside them, and Naoto was sure it wasn't there a few seconds before.
Producing a nice, big jam-bun, she presented it before him, "It's strawberry~…"
Oh, boy!
"Let's do it like this."
Naoto was dumbfounded, watching her place one end of the jam-bun in her mouth.
Shutting her eyes, she eased forward, "C'm an' ha' a bi'~…"
Come and have a bite? Sure!
Closing his own eyes, he leaned forward, having already homed in on the pastry.
He found it easily enough and closed his lips around it, sinking his teeth in.
It was juicy… sweet… citrusy? It was on a spoon, and…
It was FREEZING!
His bottom front teeth rang with the cold, and he fell over backwards, whimpering and writhing.
Soon enough, the shock of chill absconded from the reach of the nerve endings in his dentition, and he was able to open his watering eyes.
Sitting on his butt, he beheld someone he was positive hadn't been there a moment before. It sure wasn't Nagatoro, and the girl was nowhere to be found.
In her place, adorned in a pure white gown, a wreath of daisies riding atop her golden locks, was Sakura Inori.
Huh?! Naoto could've crapped himself.
She only dimpled at him, a rosy glow rising in her cheeks, her large, soft, brown eyes scanning his entire being, "Hello, Senpai-kun~."
Moving over to be closer to him, her ample assets threatened to spill from the gown.
"…" the boy contemplated.
Modest modesty…
Ample assets…
Modest modesty…
Ample assets…
Modest modesty…
Ample assets…
Modest modesty…
AMPLE ASSETS!
"…!"
Nope! Nope! Nope! Nope! Naoto attempted to backpaddle, despite being seated, but found his ass was glued to the ground for some reason or another.
Undaunted by his retreat, not that he was going anywhere, Sakura flushed red as a cherry, giving him her warmest smile.
"Are you sure you just want boring, old strawberry, Senpai-kun~?" the gal giggled, dipping the spoon into the frozen treat she held. "This fresh orange sorbet is way better!"
He was reeling, "…!"
With a healthy dollop of orange on the spoon's tip, she brought it to her mouth, flipping it upside down and drawing it along her tongue, all the way to the tip, "Mmm~…"
Yikes! Naoto felt his dick jump.
Cradling the dish of sorbet in one hand, she held it before him, licking a juicy drop from the corner of her mouth, offering him another spoonful with her free hand, "Want some more, Senpai-kun~…?"
"…!"
"Say 'aahhh'~…"
Ho-lee shit!
…
…
…
Naoto's eyes snapped open, for real this time.
Before another thought even entered his mind, he did a manual check in the general area of his male plumbing.
Good…
It seemed the dream he'd just had was a dry one. They weren't always. Since he was now closer to leaving behind his teenage years, such happy dreams were less and less frequently leaving behind physical evidence they'd occurred.
He'd be fine with it if it just stopped. For some, it did, and for others, it was a crapshoot.
Relieved he hadn't remade the likeness of Lake Ashi in his boxers—or on his sheets—he rolled out of bed.
Then and only then did he stop and smell the roses.
That dream…! He'd had similar ones containing only Nagatoro, and a few of them even ended in a kiss!
He'd startled awake more than once, only to find himself trying to poke his tongue into his lightly clenched fist.
But that…
That wasn't the first time one of the other girls had shown up in a dream… especially considering all the times they'd "appeared", making fun of him and cockblocking his clumsy efforts.
But even when they showed up, they didn't always succeed in preventing much of anything.
He'd had plenty of dreams that went a WHOLE Helluva lot farther than making first base with Nagatoro.
Regardless, he'd certainly never had one of the three friends feed him or show him any kind of healthy affection.
Didn't mean they couldn't turn him on a little… There'd been some whoppers.
Once, in a dream, of course, Gamo-chan, Yoshi, and Sakura had arisen as succubi from his vegetable garden, dressed in nothing but shrouds. They'd been quite tenacious about the whole thing, intent on screwing his brains out and then dragging him back to Hell with them.
…Mmhmm…
Clearing his head, Naoto looked at the clock, squinting for lack of contact lenses:
5:47 a.m.
No wonder the alarm hadn't gone off yet… wouldn't for more than another hour!
However, knowing any more sleep would be fitful or even detrimental, he decided to stay up. He'd fallen asleep by 10:00 p.m. the night before, so he was in decent shape.
Since he had plenty of time to spare, he figured on showering and putting together a nice bento using some leftovers from the weekend.
For reasons unknown to the human race, men have some of their most "profound" ideas in the shower… They did their best thinking there, supposedly. Naoto sure as Hell didn't know why this might be true or not, but he did his fair share of brooding, positive and negatively directed, whilst in such a setting.
His parents slept like the dead, and they wouldn't be up for a while, so he felt no qualms in taking a nice 20-minute shower. It wasn't the best thing for the water bill, but what the 'rents didn't know wouldn't hurt 'em.
The 20 minutes of letting his brain roam free had him rereading Takata's letter in his head. He'd read it so many times in the bathroom stall at school—once he'd gotten over the initial, emotional shock he'd felt—that he more-or-less had it memorized, and bits and pieces of it would just fire across his neurons unexpectedly.
It means a lot that you listened to me.
When Naoto saw Takata enter his clubroom, he could never have imagined the two of them would be sitting together, "singing the blues", so it goes.
I thought I would be alone in this, but thanks to you, I was not.
Reading that sentence had hit Naoto pretty hard. The whole thing juked him, but that in particular was such a painful and vulnerable and personal thing…
He'd only seen Takata a few times the week prior and not even the previous day, in which the other boy at some point had slipped the letter into his shoe locker.
Naoto never expected the two of them to be friends or even really acknowledge each other further, and they hadn't done so since they'd talked, but he'd figured on seeing something out of Takata… A "hello" or a "how you doing?" or a cordial nod.
Maybe Takata had wished the preceding Monday be the end of their association; as favorable as it had been, it had been such a visceral thing…
Sometimes, when things got that painful and vulnerable and personal, there was simply no revisiting it for any of the party…
But it's not like Naoto himself had gone out of his way to say "hi" anyway…
However…
The contents of the letter told Naoto that Takata had wanted to speak with him, but he didn't know how or what to say.
Naoto could relate to that… falling short on spoken words, but it was gratifying that Takata had put his words into writing. Though it hadn't come from his mouth, it was perhaps the highest form of acknowledgment he could give; it was true and from the heart.
The letter or anything similar was never expected or anticipated, but… it had meant more to Naoto than he could articulate, knowing he'd helped make a difference, and he wasn't even sure what he was feeling surrounding it all.
Even if they never spoke again, it had been a good thing… maybe the best of things…
"…"
Naoto could ponder until the cows came home, but he'd had enough "manly thinkin' time", and he finished his shower.
…
…
…
After the final class of the day had let out, Naoto was making his way through the halls of the emptying school.
So far, the most remarkable part of the day—besides that dream— was the fact he'd taken the time for masculine introspections whilst cleansing his body at dawn.
Nothing much happened in the morning, really. He saw Yoshi and Nagatoro, and they waved to one another, but he didn't see Sakura or Gamo-chan. As was typical, he droned through his morning classes, picking up enough to do what he needed in his schoolwork.
At lunch, Naoto ate in the cafeteria, and his friends were quiet about the school's gossip surrounding Sakura and Takata, which was still going strong. They talked about other things, namely whether Captain America or Iron Man had been more correct in Civil War. Shuu was for Captain America, Tohru was for Iron Man, and Naoto didn't really care. Naoto had just enjoyed the movie and the part of the comic series he'd been able to read. The movie and comics were… different, but they were both good.
Lunch had been nice, and Naoto was pleased he hadn't just gone to the art room, which he'd been planning. He did sometimes fuss over Sunomiya eating alone nearly every day when he was elsewhere, but he wasn't sure what to do about it…
He couldn't interfere with everything she did, after all; she was her own person…
By the middle of the afternoon, his loss of that hour or so of sleep made known its effects, and he had to stave off his case of the "sleepies", having begun to nod off like some junkie at an all-you-can-eat buffet.
But the school day was over, his homework and study situation were still under control, and he elected to spend a little time in the art room.
Entering his clubroom, he noted Sunomiya in her typical, same such corner.
His kohai raised her gaze from what she was working on, "Hello, Hachioji-senpai."
Naoto set down his bag on the table, "Hi, Sunomiya."
Expecting her to still be working on her recently preferred charcoal sketch featuring the old straw hat he'd lent her, he noticed that particular sketch had been hit with fixative, Sunomiya herself having tacked it to the wall. It was unlike her to do that without encouragement, but it was a piece to be proud of.
Attagirl! Few things were more deserving of a spot on their wall; it had turned out great, and giving it a closer look would be a treat!
Currently, Naoto could see her working on something else.
"What are you doing?" he approached, keen to know.
Sunomiya didn't verbally answer, but she gestured to what he quickly recognized as an ordinary hairbrush, now being close enough to see it.
A hairbrush… A plain, everyday thing… The PERFECT specimen for a good portrayal!
Naoto was always pleased to see that she was sketching with charcoal; it seemed to be her favorite media to work with. He couldn't blame her, and he particularly enjoyed it himself.
Recalling the wonders she'd rendered, sketching that glass of water a week-and-a-half earlier, it reinforced his belief that charcoal could really capture the simple but meaningful contrast between light and dark.
That might sound a little eclectic, but the two students could appreciate this credence.
Though she'd nonverbally indicated her subject—despite greeting him with her words—Sunomiya dropped a piece of news in her senpai's lap.
"Sakura-senpai came by looking for you," she nonchalantly informed him. "She needs to ask you something. She should be back any minute."
Sakura-senpai?!
Sure, it seemed a little out of the ordinary (what was ordinary those days though?) that Sakura would actively come looking for him, but it was Sunomiya's chosen moniker for the blonde boon that caught him napping on his feet.
The day before and prior, Sakura had been "Inori-senpai".
Sunomiya called all the girls senpai and by their family names.
And there was more!
It's not as if Naoto didn't notice that Sunomiya was a pretty young woman, and he did pay close attention to her appearance. Whether he was interested or not wasn't the issue; she was his friend and underclassman, and he'd opted to watch over her, as paltry of a man he often considered himself.
So, the fact Sunomiya was currently wearing makeup was definitely perceived. And it was well-done! Not at all overdone. She didn't really need the stuff, but it nicely accented her sharp eyes.
This was new!
It hadn't immediately occurred to Naoto when he'd entered the room, but he knew Sunomiya didn't keep a hairbrush in her school bag, so it stood up to reason the item wasn't hers.
He had an inkling, and he examined the hairbrush his kohai was sketching, being right next to her.
Blonde hairs…!
It was Sakura's (probably).
And Sakura had done Sunomiya's makeup (probably, but she may have only assisted).
He knew immediately:
Something big had happened between the two girls…
This entire set of mental gymnastics only took seconds in Naoto's mind, but it was long enough for Sunomiya to realize something was going on in the gray matter behind the eyeballs of her senpai.
"Hachioji-senpai?" she blinked, tilting her head a fraction. "Are you alright?"
He blinked right back, leaving his brief trance; with little preamble, he said, "Oh… I, uh… You're wearing m-"
Rattle!
Naoto and Sunomiya's eyes revolved to the entrance to the room.
The door had slid open, revealing Sakura, cradling three bottles of juice in her arms.
"I'm back, Hana-chan!" Sakura greeted her kohai brightly. "I've got apple for you…"
Hana-chan?! Something really HAD happened…
The gal trotted over, handing off the bottle.
Sunomiya broke out in a tiny but legitimate grin, "Thank you, Sakura-senpai."
"There you are~," Sakura turned to Naoto, offering him a bottle. "I know you like orange the best, Senpai-kun~."
Dumbfounded at all the pleasantness going on, he managed, "Uh, okay…"
Appearing quite satisfied with all things in general, Sakura cracked the last bottle, "And cranberry for me."
Naoto beheld the two girls cheerfully begin enjoying their drinks, Sunomiya lurking in her chosen corner and Sakura sitting cross-legged on one edge of the table.
…What the Hell was he missing…?!
"…" he glanced between the girls, too stumped to devise his next move.
Apparently, he stood there like a goon long enough to draw Sakura's attention.
"Uh, Senpai-kun?" she asked. "You alright?"
He just came out and said it, his eyes darting from Sakura to Sunomiya, "What's going on?"
Sakura blinked at him, screwing the top back onto her juice, "What do you mean?"
She's acting crazier than usual…
She just pranced into the clubroom and gave its sole members juice…
She was isolating herself for an entire week, and now she's acting giddy?
Is she bipolar or something, like seriously?
But what he came up with was, "I… just haven't seen much of you the last week… No one else has either. I'm just a little surprised to see you. Have you been alright?"
And he meant it…
Sakura could tell he meant it; her manner dialed way back, "I'm… feeling okay, Senpai-kun. I know the others are a little worried, but I just wanted some time to myself."
He was relieved to hear this, "Maybe message the girls… Let them know you're doing okay. They miss you."
"I will, Senpai-kun…" she promised.
A little taken aback at her sudden shift in mood—though the "bipolar" thing was unlikely—he answered, "I'm, uh, glad you're feeling better."
She looked it, "I really am, thanks…"
Casting his eyes to Sunomiya, Naoto saw she was calmly sipping her apple juice, watching her two senpai speak to one another.
She knew something…
Naoto again faced Sakura, "Well, thanks for the orange juice."
"Oh, you're welcome, Senpai-kun," she replied pleasantly. "I just wanted to talk to you about something, and since you weren't here right away, I thought I'd grab us all some drinks…"
"…"
"…"
Not wanting to beat around the bush or keep quiet, Naoto asked as casually as he could, "So… what's going on, Sakura-san? What do you want to talk about?"
At this "drop of a hat", Sakura stood "at attention", face serious, "Senpai-kun, there's something I want to ask you."
"…?!" he drew back. "Huh?"
She restated with a little more umph, "There's something I need to ask you."
"What's with the formality…?" he murmured, bewildered.
What was she up to?!
Still, she stood before him as a lieutenant to her captain, "Senpai-kun… I don't want to go to summer school this year… I want to do better. I've made it my goal to pass all my classes. I'm trying to get at least as close to average as possible. I've been reviewing my stuff all week, and I think it's going okay, but I know I'm not ready for the exams. Will you help me study?"
What?
"You're serious?" was Naoto's reaction.
She didn't seem deterred, despite the expression he showed her, "You studied the same materials—and more—last year, you get pretty good grades overall, and you seem to do a good job when it comes to balancing out your schoolwork, club activities, and free time. I know you need to study yourself, but if you would help steer me in the right direction, I think I can do it."
She's acting like a cartoon character…!
But he listened.
"I won't get in your way, and I won't make any trouble," she declared. "I'd like to use your clubroom with you to study."
…! Naoto hunted for a response.
Sakura continued to stand there in front of her senpai, looking expectant but not overly hopeful.
He couldn't recall this much primness out of her, ever.
But he thought a moment.
There were now less than three weeks left in the semester… and less than TWO weeks until the exams began…!
He didn't know everything about the pretty blonde, but he could tell when she meant her words.
She was earnest. And he'd do it.
"Okay, Sakura-san…" he submitted.
The gal was all smiles, "Really? You'll help me?"
"I will."
Sunomiya put up a hand, "Hachioji-senpai, will you help me too if I need it?"
He turned to her, not expecting this, "…Yes, of course."
Sakura beamed at Sunomiya, "Yay! Study buddies!"
Their collective kohai squirmed in her seat, pinkening in the face.
Naoto was flummoxed.
Was Sunomiya WAITING to ask him that?
It was unusual for her to hold back, if that was the case. Really, it was just plain unusual.
Sunomiya isn't a top student by any means, but she's well above average!
So why?
…
He never figured Sunomiya to be the sort, but maybe she just felt "left out"… Maybe she just wanted someone else to study with…
Nevertheless, whatever their reasons, if both of his kohai were serious about studying and he could help them, he would.
But he wanted to lay out some rules.
"Girls, listen up," he began, and he caught their attention. "If we're going to do this-"
Bee-beep!
The Art Club's president stopped short, scowling at the noise.
It had come from Sakura's pocket; she checked her phone, nodding.
Naoto waited for her to say something, which she did, and it wasn't what he wanted to hear out of a "serious student" set on passing her exams.
He figured she'd sit down, and they'd start immediately!
"Sorry, I have to go for today…" Sakura apologized to both art students, gathering her stuff, chugging the last of her cranberry juice, and opting for the exit. "Glad I set that reminder… My mom asked me to pick up a few ingredients for sukiyaki. It's a little 'out-of-season', but it's my dad's birthday~! We have a lot to do before he gets home. I'll make sure to bring everything I'll need tomorrow, Senpai-kun~. Hana-chan, I don't need the hairbrush back for a few days, so have fun~! See ya both later!"
The gal vanished, and her footsteps could be heard pattering away down the hall.
…
Naoto, after a moment, considered Sunomiya.
"What was that?" he asked his kohai.
"I'm not sure," she shook her head.
"You don't know?" he figured she might.
Sunomiya shrugged, going back to rendering her likeness of the hairbrush, "You have some strange friends, Hachioji-senpai…"
Not a hint of sarcasm!
Hearing that from her was a mindblower, but she wasn't wrong, and he had nothing to counter with.
But did she have any idea she rode in the top three of that list?
Naoto's mind rattled around like a truck engine with a broken timing chain.
What was going on?
Q&A Section
(P. serrulata wanted to comment on two recent questions)
When you write emotional scenes, what do you do to "get in the mood"?
What is the hardest thing about writing fan fiction?
PS: I don't get to see all the questions readers submit to EDew before a chapter is posted. I only tend to see them initially when she thinks it might interest me or she wants my input, and that's okay. I just wanted to share my thoughts on the two questions put out alongside Chapter 13.
I'm gonna answer both questions at once, I suppose, from my perspective.
To me, the hardest thing about writing (or working with) fanfiction and any fiction is putting events and dialogue in a given setting in a natural, tangible, and believable order. I've encountered material in the vein of this issue in all the 10 years I've spent assisting others in their work. In comedy, drama, romance, smut, action, adventure, etc., sequence is always, always, always important.
It's hardest during emotional scenes though. These situations progress as a scene goes on, and a reader needs to be able to relate with it and "buy" it. It's a very necessary thing. Events usually happen in a general sequence, even if things "bounce around" some.
When it comes to "getting in the mood", I think it's best for an author to observe—watching on film or reading about—such circumstances similar to about that which they're writing or to rely on their own experience.
To reiterate, proper arrangement matters, and it's the likely the biggest difference between resonance and crap-ola (besides the actual dialogue and events being convincing in and of themselves).
What inspired you to write this story?
ED: I've liked the Senpai/Sakura ship since their fake date. I happen to think she's the best girl for Naoto, even if Yoshi is "best girl". It was when I first read my editor's Reddit essays on Nagatoro characters that I actually wanted to write a fanfiction about Senpai and Sakura. I pulled more ideas from his essays than are probably fair to him, but his ideas made a lot of sense.
I went out on a limb and talked with him about writing a story. It turns out that he has done work with fanfiction authors in the past, so I just asked him if he would be willing to help me. To my surprise, he agreed. He has been encouraging me and helping me for a few months, and I'm very happy for it.
One thing that "keeps me going", besides my editor lighting a fire under my butt, is the fact I think the manga is going downhill. All the characters have gone from interesting and developing to one-note, one-joke caricatures. Nanashi is feeding us stale fluff at this point. Readers are confusing character development with progress in the story.
Have you ever had writer's block, and if so, how did you deal with it?
ED: I wouldn't say I get writer's block specifically. When it comes to my stories, I have a large outline I work off of that covers the story beginning to end. I know what will happen, and I just "fill in the details" as I go along.
But I do get stuck sometimes, even with the outline, usually because I'm not sure how to present something. When that happens, I take a break. I get ideas doing everyday things, and I keep notes on my phone, both for normal stuff and for creative stuff. If it's convenient, I'll write myself a note so I don't lose an idea or forget something.
Please look forward to the next chapter! Thanks for reading!