🌸Cherry Blossom Palette🎨
🌸Chapter 25: Sunday Blues🎨
Written by EmtenDew
Edited by P. serrulata
Author's note:
ED: I think my editor can conjure up an unhappily anxious teenager's mind pretty well. Chapter 24 was rough, and Naoto doesn't feel all that great about himself in this one either. I promise, promise, promise that better things are coming for him, and it'll begin near the end of this chapter.
Back "down on Earth", Naoto has to process what he'd been through during his time with Nagatoro, all while helping Sakura and Hana with their schoolwork and studies.
Ask us anything, and we'll add a Q&A section in the next chapter. I would be happy if you ask questions.
Please enjoy what I wrote.
Sunday, July 7, 2018
The clock read as follows:
4:57 a.m.
Bah…! Naoto Hachioji had been staring at his alarm clock for the last hour or so, and he wasn't falling back to sleep.
It's not like he'd gone to bed early; he'd been reading his history notes a little after midnight, and he'd fallen asleep with the lights on.
Waking up, he'd darkened his room, but it hadn't helped.
He'd tried clearing his mind of the letdown he'd experienced the afternoon prior.
After nothing short of an outstanding and productive morning of studying, muffins, and overall "industrious enjoyment" with his friends and kohai, Sakura Inori and Hana Sunomiya, they'd had lunch and ice cream together. The day had been great up to that point, and it seemed to only be getting better as the early afternoon approached.
Naoto had gone on a shopping "date" with the girl he'd spent the last 15 months or so crushing on, Hayase Nagatoro. On his way to it, he'd felt big as life and twice as ugly, but his ecstasy was degraded to nothing by the time he and Nagatoro parted ways.
Despite swearing to himself and knowing in his heart of hearts that the next time with her would be better—he would make it better, telling her everything he wanted to tell her about her teasing him and gaining her respect—he'd still felt like lukewarm garbage the rest of the day.
Gaping blankly in the darkness of his own bedroom, as much as he tried, he was no longer able to reason his way out of it:
Yesterday afternoon was awful…!
He again tried clearing his mind of it, but to no avail. It plagued his thinking.
He'd even struggled to decide what he'd do with Sakura and Hana the next morning, knowing they'd be arriving by 8:00 a.m. to the Art Club's room at school ready, willing, and able to learn from one another and him, and he from them in turn. That was the only reason he'd managed to put together a plan of attack for the day, the knowledge that they were relying on their senpai to help give them a little boost in raising their grades.
Naoto knew he was nothing special. He knew he was replaceable. And he certainly knew he wasn't perfect, but the two girls had put their faith in him, and he'd do his damnedest to help prepare them for the final exams coming up in eight days. If nothing else, he had years of experience as a student, and he was honored to lend Sakura and Hana all the knowledge and wisdom he'd soaked up over his many semesters of high school.
Deciding he wasn't accomplishing anything lying there like a tumorous lump, he got up and briefly showered. He didn't especially need the shower, having had one before bed, but he just felt unclean.
In the shower, he wasn't up for any "manly thinking"; he was wrung out. But at least he didn't cry this morning. He'd cried the night before, disenchanted with Nagatoro and the letdown he'd felt.
He was primevally reminded of Gamo-chan's words a few weeks back:
You know how sometimes you just need to cry? It's just gonna happen, and there's nothing you can do to stop it? It's coming out at some point, no matter what you do?
He knew.
He knew. That's why he'd taken a nighttime shower in the first place; it was the easiest place in the house to hide his sniveling and blubbering from his parents.
Well, it's not Nagatoro's fault you're such a candy-ass puddle of jism, Naoto! He kept telling himself this.
It also wasn't her fault her brother and sister were such fucking trash. If he hadn't heard that the two of them would likely be around, fouling up his time at the summer festivals—and probably in other places he longed to share with Nagatoro—he wouldn't have lost his faculties as he had.
He couldn't very well help it! He was terrified of those two!
The mere thought of being around either of them again was what drowning must've felt like. It was suffocating.
But in the end, they were her family. What could he do about it?! Even with a plain, old, platonic friendship, those two were part of the package.
Naoto, every now and again, saw a glimpse of mind-blowing clarity, sending all his stupid beliefs and baseless certainties down the very toilet he was now taking his second piss of the day into.
He saw clearly at this moment.
He'd been telling himself—for weeks and even months—that everything would be better. That he'd finally grow a pair and let Nagatoro know what he thought of her constantly, incessantly, and needlessly belittling him.
Every time he saw her, he knew things would be better. He knew he'd be able to tell her, to make himself clear. He knew she'd understand. He knew he'd still be able to keep her.
But every time, he couldn't say anything. He couldn't tell her. He couldn't even begin to tell her.
He couldn't tell her the things he needed to tell her because deep down…
DEEP DOWN…
He knew he'd lose everything.
He'd have nothing.
It would all be gone.
And respect?
Respect?!
Seriously?
You're nothing, Naoto! Fuck you!
The little voice in his head—the "self-loathing" wimp—was rarely kind to him.
"Go-getter" wimp and "submissive" wimp—the two of whom bickered almost constantly—weren't a whole lot better, and neither leant his guidance at this time.
To repeat, Naoto didn't cry that morning, but it was a close call, his eyes heating up and his nasal passages filling, preparing to pour out whatever tears and snot and other bodily fluids he had left over from that miserable sob-fest he'd had the night before, crouching on the floor of the shower, his head between his knees, surveying the dick he'd never use for anything other than peeing and blasting untold trillions of sperm into the hungry, gaping void of a crusty sock.
Wimpy, wimpy, POS Naoto… He every so often really hated himself.
He hated a lot of things sometimes.
Naoto, his junk hanging out over the crapper's bowl anyway, gave himself a manual check down below. He'd been checking and rechecking all morning, each time expecting to come up emptyhanded.
One… Two…
Yep, his balls were still there. He hadn't been entirely sure, but there they were! Both of them.
Though what good are they…?
Maybe, at long last, he'd learn his lesson this time… where he stood in the big picture. He'd remember this feeling and know the minutia that he was.
But he doubted it. Somehow, against whatever odds standing before him, he'd convince himself that things would get better… that he mattered.
Hell, he'd even forget this very moment, warning himself against his own idiocy. He'd forgotten plenty of times before, and he'd do it again. It was all very cyclical.
"It's hopeless…" he mouthed to himself, shaking out the last droplets of urine.
It was simply hopeless.
…
…
…
Putting on a clean school uniform, he wolfed down some leftovers he'd found in the fridge.
Sakura and Hana had agreed to bring the refreshments that morning, so he knew he'd have something better than bean-paste, noodles, and a cup of tasteless broth a little later.
It wasn't even 6:00 a.m. when he walked out the door, but he went to school anyway.
After arriving, he had to wait almost an hour for the weekend custodian to show up, but he kept himself occupied by going over his "lesson plan" for the girls and quizzing himself in history.
It was 7:20 a.m. by the time he made it to the clubroom, and he spent the next half-hour doing the same things he'd been previously doing, sitting on his ass on the cold concrete, outside.
About 7:50 a.m., he heard the voices of his two friends travelling down the hallway outside the room, the door left open.
It was a sweet sound, and it was the highpoint of the day so far.
Sakura and Hana bustled in together, Sakura carrying an insulated cardboard carton and Hana carrying a paper bag in addition to their schoolwork.
"Good morning, Senpai-kun~," Sakura practically sang.
"Hachioji-senpai, good morning." Hana nodded.
Oh, what a sweet sound.
"Hi, girls." Naoto experienced a seemingly unfamiliar bloom of happiness inside. "It's good to see you both."
After about 18 hours away from them, he meant that with all that he was.
He knew the girls valued him, and it gave him joy. He knew he wasn't completely worthless, but he sometimes felt that way, though never with these two. It was selfish, perhaps, but it felt good to be appreciated.
It felt good to help.
It felt good to be depended upon.
Sakura noted he was distinctly sluggish. "Are you okay, Senpai-kun? You seem a little zonked."
He waved it off. "I just didn't sleep the best."
She seemed satisfied with that.
The gal set down her bag and snack contribution. "We have strudel and coffee for today."
Hana set down her own load. "We met on the way here and visited my favorite bakery."
"I've never been there, but it was lovely," Sakura gushed. "I think we're in for a real treat! They even gave us some cane sugar… and fresh whipped cream~!"
Maybe this is what Heaven is like… Naoto thought.
And he realized how pathetic that was, but after being treated like a used tampon for three hours, a little kindness and civility from a couple of girls he was lucky to know was Heaven.
It was as if he stood before a blast-furnace and someone had suddenly sealed the door, completely insulating him from its heat. All he knew of it was a remembered, uncomfortable, and lingering warmth.
"That sounds so good," Naoto enthused.
"We both ate already," Hana informed him. "We should have the coffee while it's still hot, but we agreed it would be beneficial to begin working right away and take a break later, unless you feel differently."
Shoot, he didn't mind!
His entire attitude taking a 180-degree turn from where he'd awoken, Naoto stood up. "You both have a few questions?"
Sakura drummed her fingers on the table, facing away from him, humming, "Oh… yeah… definitely~. I… ran into a few things last night. I'm kinda stumped in my workbooks."
"We'll give it a go," Naoto answered; he turned to Hana. "Sunomiya?"
She met his eyes. "Yes, Hachioji-senpai. I'd like to spend more time reviewing tenses in English, and I don't quite remember the trick to that algebra procedure you and Sakura-senpai showed me yesterday."
"We can work with that!" He was perhaps overly excited.
And the girls noticed.
Sakura looked at him. "Are… you feeling okay, Senpai-kun?"
She knew well enough he'd been quite lethargic upon her and Hana's arrival.
He stared right back at her. "I'm feeling pretty good right now."
And he was. At that moment. Having seen the two girls again.
Any earlier, and the answer would've been a little different.
Sakura seemed to let it go, and she nudged Hana. "Okay. Great."
Hana got the message; she faced Naoto. "Where should we start, Hachioji-senpai?"
He sensed an almost manic energy welling inside. "Well, I was hoping to start with math today, and the method we showed you will lead right into it, so I think that's a good place."
Sakura perhaps now regretted "letting it go"; something was up.
But she decided it could wait. They had the whole morning.
She nodded, "That sounds good to us."
…
…
…
Later, the three of them took a break, and Sakura set out the strudel by their filling.
She pointed at the groups of pastries, naming them off. "Apple, raspberry, cherry, and raisin."
"We used up too much of the cream with the coffee," Hana mourned, digging in the container. "It was just so yummy."
"Don't fret, Hana-chan." Sakura wasn't mussed over it. "There's still enough for each of us to have a little."
And there was enough. They finished off the coffee and dug into the flaky goodness the girls had brought.
Every once in a while, however fleetingly, the world seemed a perfect place.
Oh, is this ever good! Naoto savored the crumbling layers of opposing sweetness and tartness. Raspberry~!
Seeing as he had calmed down over the last hour-and-a-half, becoming more "himself", Sakura pretty much forgot about the certifiable stranger she and Hana had met upon arriving.
Being the senpai she knew and loved, she thought nothing of asking him about his time with Nagatoro.
"I didn't wanna pester you over the phone last night." She put a tiny dollop of cream on her apple strudel. "Did you have fun with Hayacchi yesterday~?"
Naoto froze, in the motion of forking another piece of raspberry strudel.
He was about to lie, but…
"No…" He wouldn't lie to Sakura… and he wasn't feeling great that Hana was hearing it too.
Both girls experienced a cloud of bleh descend upon the room.
"Oh…" Now Sakura remembered the basket case she'd encountered a little earlier.
Hana was about to stand up and say something, but Sakura put a hand on her back, advising her to hold her peace. She went along with the gal's rational.
"Don't worry about it," Naoto droned, sighing deeply. "We still have work to do this morning."
He finished what he'd taken, but the strudel, so wonderful a moment before, now tasted like ashes.
…
…
…
The rest of the morning went well enough, each of the girls able to get some more clarity as regards to their concerns, though Naoto seemed resigned, if not defeated. Still, even the girls' senpai made a lot of progress in his own materials.
After they finished cleaning up for the day, Hana said to Sakura, gathering her books, "Good work today. I'll see you tomorrow, Sakura-senpai."
The gal asked, "Leaving already?"
"My parents and I are visiting Sana-neechan's family this afternoon for an early dinner. My grandparents live with them, and it's their 50th wedding anniversary today."
Sakura beamed, "Oh, that sounds so wonderful~! Please give them my congratulations!"
Hana, not big on smiles, gave a not so faint suggestion of one. "Thank you, I will. It's a most blessed occasion, Sakura-senpai."
Looking up, Naoto managed, "Later, Sunomiya. Do give them my best."
"I will let them know my senpai send their warmest greetings," she nodded to him. "Thank you for today, Hachioji-senpai. I hope you feel better, so please take care of yourself. I'll be thinking of you."
Hana seemed in a hurry to leave, even with such a happy event waiting for her, and Naoto was sorry to see her go as she had. It really hurt to see his wonderful kohai worried over his nearly worthless ass.
He'd never wanted to bring her down—and maybe he hadn't—but he just couldn't muster any more than he had. He was feeling defeated.
Sakura approached Naoto with caution, her senpai hunched in his chair, slowly heaping his schoolwork into his bag.
She put a hand on his, pausing his efforts. "You wanna talk, Senpai-kun?"
He did, and yet he didn't. "I dunno…"
She wasn't trying to get a rise out of him, but her touch hadn't even fazed him.
The gal knew he was in need and resolved on "yes".
"Let me buy you lunch," Sakura asked of him.
"Ah, you don't have to…" He didn't want her to go through any trouble over him… but he did want to talk… though he wasn't worth it…
"Yes, I do," she corrected him. "Nothing big! We're just hitting a ramen cart or something."
Naoto fussed, "It seems to me that we've all been spending a little too much money, or am I crazy?"
"I know a good place." She wasn't letting him talk his way out of this. "We're going."
And they did just that.
…
…
…
Naoto tiredly blew out a breath, sitting atop a stool at the bar of a little noodle shop alongside Sakura. No one else was there, which seemed odd on the weekend, but neither would complain about it.
The gal made herself comfortable. "I like this place. It's cheap, and the soup's pretty good."
"What do you like to get?" Naoto asked morosely.
"Try anything with the udon. The chicken tempura is always a good bet."
That's what they ordered, and each got a soda.
Sakura was content to dink around a couple minutes, sipping on her Mountain Dew, checking her phone, while her senpai vegetated next to her.
But his stagnation soon began to irritate her.
He was really out of it!
She decided to make the most of the situation.
"This place has been here since 1947." She peered around at the tiny eatery's interior. "It's been remodeled a few times, but it's been here as long as my grandparents have been alive. Isn't that something?"
"…" Naoto vacuously contemplated his silverware.
Sakura kept trying. "The building has been around longer than that though. This row was one of the few commercial structures that still stood after Yokohama and the rest of Kanagawa Prefecture were blown to smithereens during the War. The peninsula was hit pretty hard."
She was talking to the air as much as she was talking to Naoto, as he wasn't really paying much—if any— attention, and she knew it.
His mind was elsewhere.
Morning had gone well for studying, but all he could focus on now was the shitty afternoon he'd had with Nagatoro, as well as the misery he'd known since. And then he had to go and upset Sakura and Hana over it!
He felt like… well, crap.
Could he really tell Sakura just what was bugging him? He didn't want to lie. Was hiding all this from her as bad as lying?
Meanwhile, back in reality, some time had passed, and Pilot Inori was about to attempt her seventh strafe on the Battleship Hachioji.
Sakura said with no indecision, having had "luck" thus far, "Remember on Wednesday night when we were messaging each other? I said I was gonna touch up my roots? I'd been putting it off for a whole week, but I decided to just get it over with. I also hit my eyebrows 'cause a couple chestnut strays had grown in. I told Hana something 'weird' happened, but it really wasn't all that weird; it was just dumb.
"Y'see, I was standing over the sink, working right up next to the mirror, and I saw a cockroach out of the corner of my eye. Now, I'm scared of roaches, so when I saw the little bastard, I shrieked like a banshee and ran backwards like Fred Flintstone. The floor was all slippery, of course, so I slipped.
"Thankfully, I didn't hit my head or even get hurt, but it knocked the wind outta me. I look down and—oh, no—my bath towel fell off! My bazookas were exposed, and they're so big that they don't, like, point straight up at the ceiling, so one of 'em's sorta pointed at the door, and the other one's kinda pointing at the tub. Not to mention that these days, the carpet matches the drapes, and that was there for all the world to see too.
"I heard Daddy call out, sounding all scared, 'Sakura, what's wrong, honey?' And then I could hear him pounding down the hallway. Now, the door to the tub room and stuff doesn't have a lock or anything, so I knew he was gonna open the door, and he'd see me naked for the first time since I was an elementary school kid. When he hears his wife or his daughter scream, he's not stopping to knock on the door.
"So, I'm freaking out, and I know I only have a couple of seconds. I didn't have time to cover up 'cause I was lying on top of my towel, I didn't have time to jump into the empty bathtub, and I couldn't even talk, so I spun on my butt-cheeks and held the door shut with my feet. A split second later, and Daddy would've seen his daughter—flat on her back, her meat and dairy on full display—lying pitch naked on the floor. I suppose I could've just covered up with my hands, but I sorta panicked and did what I did. Still not something Daddy needed to see…"
"I was sure when I told Hana-chan that story yesterday, that she'd do something. Maybe she'd actually laugh or blush or make a joke. I think she did go with a joke, but I couldn't tell if she was serious or not. Wanna know what she said? Sure, you must. She said, 'My boobs are even bigger than yours, but they'll still point at the ceiling when I'm lying on my back.' I was so shocked she said something like that, I didn't know to laugh or gasp or what. So, we just talked about something else."
Even after all that, Sakura turned to Naoto, and she could tell immediately that he hadn't caught a single syllable of it!
At once annoyed that her senpai wasn't paying the very slightest bit of attention to her but relieved he hadn't heard her refer to her lady parts as "bazookas" or "meat and dairy" or what she'd just said about Hana (though she'd been absolutely positive he wouldn't in the first place), she gave him a swift heel-kick to one of his shins.
"Yipe!" Naoto jumped; it hadn't really hurt, but it received considerable consideration. "What was that?!"
"I think it was a kappa," Sakura spoke out of the side of her mouth. "I don't know why one's in the middle of town, crawling around and kicking people in the shins~."
He figured it out quickly enough, whining, "Why'd you kick me?"
Deciding she'd had enough of the dejected Asshole-kun, duffing it next to her, Sakura didn't beat around the bush.
"You're off in another world, Senpai-kun," she said. "I've been talking for at least five minutes straight, and I don't think you've picked up a word of it. I thought it was kinda funny at first, but bleh!"
Naoto huddled up to the counter, dismally resting his chin on his forearms. "…"
"…"
"…"
"I'm sorry I kicked you," Sakura admitted, regretting it. "That was mean…"
"It didn't hurt much; it mostly just surprised me." He watched the last of the bubbles rising in his untouched Dr Pepper.
"…"
"…"
Sighing, Sakura asked, "Seriously, what's wrong, Senpai-kun?"
He thought about it.
A lot of things! He wouldn't say that.
Would the gal want to hear about his meltdown in the bathroom at the sporting goods store? That the same thing had happened more than once for three different reasons?
How much he feared and hated Nagatoro's siblings?
How Nagatoro had most recently tricked him, publicly making a spectacle of them both?
The degree to which a guy hates himself?
Just how angry he sometimes feels?
How he's been in love with Nagatoro for more than a year, and he's finally starting to get desperate over it because he still has no idea what to do?
Naoto knew each of these alone was neither satisfactory or appropriate to just spill out (except, very possibly, the last point listed), so he summarized it all.
"Yesterday… wasn't good," he expressed.
"I gathered that much," she replied.
"…" He wasn't sure how to elaborate.
Sakura exhaled.
"You were in such a good mood yesterday, Senpai-kun," she reflected. "I don't think I've ever seen you that cheerful."
He couldn't rightly recall being that thrilled, not in recent memory.
Sakura joined him at his level, resting her chin on her hands. "This morning, you were like a slug, but you shot off like a bottle-rocket when we got started studying. Then, just as quickly, it all went belly-up."
"Yeah…" He tentatively glanced sideways at the gal.
Seeing him, she turned to her senpai. "To be that high and fall this far, either you went in expecting something else to happen yesterday, or it really was that bad."
"I think it's both of those, Sakura-san," he reasoned, resting his cheek on his arm.
"So, what's going on?" she questioned.
The benevolence in Sakura's voice was like a salve on Naoto's chapped hide.
He wouldn't talk about Nagatoro's brother and sister. He wouldn't talk about that fit he'd pitched. He wouldn't tell her that Nagatoro had podiatrically seduced him, fooling him and humiliating him to the point he'd switched off. Nor would he tell her he was little more than an angry mess whom hated himself.
But there was still plenty to say.
After pulling over his Dr Pepper and taking a good pull off the straw, he tried to explain.
"Sakura-san…" he uttered. "Nagatoro's teasing me is really starting to bother me."
She tottered a little, having not expected that. "But she always does that. For more than a year, she's done that. It's just her way."
"Nagatoro doesn't do it with any other guy though," Naoto conveyed.
"She only does that with you, Senpai-kun, because you're her friend," Sakura rationalized, twirling the ice in her soda. "You and Hayacchi are friends. You're good friends. Sometimes friends give each other a hard time."
"I don't do it," he grumbled. "I don't like doing it. I don't like toying with others."
"You don't even give your guy friends a hard time?" she wondered, doubtful.
Naoto knew that he didn't. He didn't tease or give others a hard time for no good reason.
Shuu and Tohru, his two pals…
No, he didn't give them grief just for the Hell of it. He'd call them out when he had a reason to, but just picking at them for fun or for cruelty's sake wasn't in him.
Naoto didn't like being teased much of the time, even if it was friendly. He knew what it felt like, and it had never made sense to him why others did it, knowing how much it could hurt.
It also didn't help that he felt unworthy to address most of the troubles he faced and was afraid to address many of said troubles.
With this in mind, Naoto could answer Sakura frankly. "I don't give anyone grief unless they actually deserve it."
"'Unless they actually deserve it'?" she parroted, her straw between her lips.
"I don't, Sakura-san." In his heart, he knew he was telling the truth. "I hate treating other people that way."
The edge on his voice didn't juke her, but she didn't disbelieve it either, slurping noisily on her soda, the ice finally reaching bottom.
"I guess I can see that, Senpai-kun," she conceded, setting down her glass. "I sometimes feel the same way. There is a line."
"…" Naoto wriggled in his seat.
Sakura said softly, "Senpai-kun… you know Hayacchi is just playing."
"I know." And he did know… yet he didn't know, fully; it was complicated.
"So, what's the big deal?" she wondered.
Naoto thought a moment, hoping to put it properly.
There wasn't any way to church it up, really, he realized. "Nagatoro did something… pretty mean to me yesterday."
Sakura waited for him to continue, and when he didn't, she asked, "Well, what was it she did?"
There was no way Naoto was going to answer that; he shook his head in response.
"Don't wanna say, huh?" She probably didn't even need to ask.
Naoto shook his head again. "No… I don't."
"…" Sakura rolled her drink in her hands.
"She'll just be so sweet…" he described. "Then the next minute, she'll do something horrible… and then she goes back to being nice… like nothing happened! She goes back and forth and back and forth."
"Hmm." Sakura wasn't being dismissive; she was listening to her senpai.
"It seems like it's getting worse… the teasing…" He shivered. "I'm suddenly starting to feel different about it. In the last few weeks, it's just really started to hurt, and I don't think she cares one bit that it does. I… I don't think she has any respect for me."
He hadn't told Nagatoro any of this, but all the same…
Sakura gauged him. "That's what you think? Senpai-kun?"
"Yes," he breathed, raising his head slightly. "And I'm getting tired of it."
He sounded it.
"That's how you really feel?" Sakura pressed.
Naoto knew she only asked this because she cared.
And he trusted her. "It is."
"…" She gave it a minute.
"…" Naoto stooped, sucking on his Dr Pep.
The gal sat up. "Senpai-kun."
"Yeah?"
"Sit up."
"Hmm?"
"Sit up straight," she directed. "Do it."
The power behind her statement compelled he do so. She had his attention.
"Senpai-kun, I'd like you to just listen to me," Sakura stated, taking on a thoughtful, serious mien. "I've… been thinking about some of this stuff for a couple weeks and the rest of it this morning. I've even practiced some of it… in front of the mirror and everything."
"You practiced what?" Naoto cocked his head.
"Can you do that?" She wasn't deterred, and she eyeballed him. "I think I know what I'm talking about, so just keep quiet and listen for a moment or two."
He nodded, subdued. "Got it."
"…"
"…"
Taking a good lungful, Sakura was ready.
"Don't overthink it, Senpai-kun," she advised. "When we do that, we start to see things that aren't always really there. Hayacchi might not get you as much as you want her to, but it's probably the same the other way; you probably don't get her as well as you might need to.
"You seem like a real yin-yang, Senpai-kun. One minute you're hot-headed and impulsive and stupid enough to jump into a fight you (probably) have no hope of winning or to rise up and scare the shit out of some dumb freshmen, but the next minute… Well, here you are.
"I can't pretend to know exactly what's going on between you and Hayacchi or what's going through your head. I shouldn't judge, and I can't put myself in your shoes, but I think you're just stressing out. You're stressed out. You're worrying too much.
"You've got a lot on your plate right now. You have final exams, entrance exams to think about, summer break's almost here, not to mention the fact you're helping out Hana-chan and me. You have a lot going on, so just take a breath, and try to take it easy. You said you didn't sleep well, and you look it; you're exhausted. I know what it's like, believe me. You need to take time for yourself—make it if you have to. Please just see that you do that.
"And once the semester's over, think about all that stuff again. You may see things differently. Just keep that in mind."
Naoto gaped. "…"
Sakura questioned, "You get me?"
Oh, he did. "Yes, Sakura-san."
"You think you can do that… Senpai-kun?"
"Yes."
She didn't smile, but she seemed contented. "Good. Just remember all that, and things should go okay."
"Right…" he answered.
The gal, figuring that she'd gotten through to him, gave him an extra push anyway. "I think Hana-chan and I are doing well. You're doing a good job with this, Senpai-kun. I already feel so much more prepared for next week, and I know Hana-chan feels the same way. She's very happy to be working with us like this. She's happy to be working with you.
"I'm happy too, Senpai-kun. It's been a lot of fun, but we've also gotten a lot done already. We still have another week to prepare, and we'll do just fine on the finals.
"We're depending on you, and you'll help get us there. So… chin up."
Naoto, unable to take this kind of longwinded praise, melded into the countertop, red as a cherry. "…"
Sakura smirked, "I guess that'll have to be good enough for now. Just try to remember that."
Her words reached him, regardless, and he sat up, exhaling unsteadily.
She nudged him. "Now… please tell me you feel a little better~."
Naoto had a tickle run through him, noticing that small hint of her wheedling tone she was so good at. He didn't dislike the feeling.
It occurred to him that maybe he wasn't just some candy-ass puddle of jism.
He smiled in spite of himself. "Yes, Sakura-san, I think so."
"Good to hear." She slurped down the last of her Dew, opting for a refill.
Naoto, lightening up, steadily drained his soda as well, setting the glass out for a refill of his own.
That was another thing Sakura liked about this little noodle shop: a fountain with free refills, a rarity.
"So…" Sakura, her elbow on the bar, placed her chin on the palm of her hand. "Have you thought about what we're gonna do tomorrow~?"
All at once, Naoto realized he was probably overthinking a lot of stuff. Things weren't perfect, but they could be worse.
An ease welled up in his heart. "Not yet. Any ideas?"
"I've got a few~," she said with some humor. "Seems there's always something I need to work on…"
He figured she might. "Okay, shoot."
They exchanged some thoughts, and minutes later, their food and refills arrived.
The soup was far too hot to comfortably eat, but each of them began picking at the topmost goodies.
Naoto wasn't unimpressed, managing to work his way through the first piping mouthful of the thick noodles and broth.
Sukura was right.
The udon tasted pretty good.
Please look forward to the next chapter! Thanks for reading!