🌸Cherry Blossom Palette🎨
🌸Chapter 34: The Pathos of a Gal, Part Two🎨
Written by EmtenDew
Edited by P. serrulata
Author's note:
ED: Continuing their walk home together, Naoto is in for a few revelations from his friend, Sakura.
Attack on Titan was a lame series (I never understood why they put up with those things running around, knocking down city walls and stuff), and Naoto drawing Nagatoro on the train is a boring meme.
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.
Thursday, July 11, 2018
"…Wow, Senpai-kun…" Sakura Inori sympathized. "I'm sorry you've been feeling that way. That's no fun, I know."
Naoto Hachioji blew out a shaky breath, and it came as a low whistle, "Yeah… I don't like it, Sakura-san."
The gal rocked on the spring rider she'd chosen, the horse, near the edge of the little park they'd now visited several times.
"It does feel a little better to just say it though, doesn't it?" she asked. "I mean, when you get to say it out loud to someone, and I always find that helps me."
Naoto had been slightly amused at how much Sakura had wanted "the horsey". He hadn't really cared one little bit which kids' toy he parked his ass on, but he'd chosen the bumblebee, its location slightly but handily blocked from the sunlight bothering his eyes.
"I think so…" He didn't feel worse, but he supposed admitting it to someone that he knew wouldn't laugh at him acted as a timely pressure release-valve, stymieing that unpleasant force that had been threatening to come rushing out of him.
What's crazy was that he only had one person in his immediate ken that might react in such a cruel way, mocking him to his face. She was Hayase Nagatoro, and she was the one he wanted most to understand.
If she laughed at him for admitting that he'd been sitting on pins and needles the last couple days, ready to break down crying over the superficially small reality that his time spent—and it had been a good chunk of time—studying with Sakura and their kohai, Hana Sunomiya, would be ending on Saturday or Sunday, Naoto probably wouldn't be able to take that. And it would be pretty fucked up too, that she'd do such a thing… laughing at him.
Naoto and Sakura had been talking since leaving school, and they hadn't stopped. It hadn't been long before they came upon the park, adjacent to the ice cream shop, but they'd started in on Naoto's worries and kept the conversation going.
They hadn't gotten ice cream—which was fine with both of them, with all the junk they'd been consuming—but they'd stopped at the park, a place that had become quite special.
Naoto had figured that Sakura would go for the swings. No children or families were at the park, so they wouldn't be taking away anyone's chance at a swing. For some reason, Sakura had it in her mind that they had to play on the springy horse or truck or rocket ship or whatever, surrounded by sand.
Unlike the swings, too low for high schoolers, they could at least use what they were sitting on.
It was kind of nice.
Naoto thought aloud, leaning forward, the bee's face pointing at the sand, "I've just been so worried that I'd start bawling in class or something lame like that."
Sakura nodded understandingly. "I know the feeling, Senpai-kun…"
"Remember what I said about not being able to escape crying and stuff? On Monday?"
"I remember." She rested her chin in her palm, elbow propped on the horse's head. "But I don't remember it word-for-word."
He did. "'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?'"
"Yes." That he'd remembered wasn't unimpressive to her. "That's what you said."
"That's how I've been feeling… nearly all week…" Naoto, grasping tight to the handholds, protruding from the bee's thorax, leaned back about as far as he could. "I just feel like I could start crying at any moment… like the kind where I just can't stop. I still feel like that. It really sucks, Sakura-san."
"…"
"…"
She eyed him thoughtfully. "You know what I do? When I feel like that?"
"What do you do?" He wasn't unreceptive.
Sizing him up, Sakura told him, "You might not like it… When I feel upset like that, I sorta force myself to cry. I can't cry on cue or anything, but I can listen to a song or watch a video, and that'll do the trick."
She thought he might not like it, and he really didn't.
Naoto leaned forward, leveling out. "Make myself cry?"
To him, it was akin to forcing himself to vomit! Like barfing, crying was one of those "ultimate bad things" that was to be avoided if at all possible.
He'd cried plenty in his life. It had definitely happened a few times in the last month. It was occasionally cathartic, sure, but forcing himself?!
"Well, it's not that I like it either." Sakura wasn't deterred from her explanation. "Don't think I don't know it sounds kinda messed up, but sometimes it's the healthy thing to do. You start it up, and it just goes until it's over. You always feel better afterwards, getting all that out."
He grumbled at the notion, "…"
"Humans are emotional creatures, Senpai-kun," Sakura reflected. "It's normal to cry sometimes. Everyone does it… y'know, except for vegetables or people without souls, like psychopaths and stuff."
Holy shit! Naoto reeled, nearly losing his grip; that would've bucked him off the bumblebee, the way he was tilting.
That… had been peculiar, hearing her say that. And she'd said it as casually and offhandedly as if she were picking at a piece of dead skin. And it was just as crude as that action.
Again, with the filter…!
It was weird, yes, but Sakura went on, briefly curbing Naoto's thinking.
"It wouldn't hurt to do it," she murmured, sitting up to grab the rod rammed through the horse's ears. "Just find somewhere where no one will see you or hear you, and just… give into it."
"…"
"…"
The thought briefly passed through Naoto's mind. Maybe… maybe I should tell her about crying in the shower on Saturday… after spending all that time with Nagatoro…
He'd taken the shower he hadn't needed to hide away from his potentially prying parents, knowing he was on the verge of tears, and he'd certainly broken down, defeated. And he'd had such a good first half of the day with Sakura and Hana!
But the thought was brief, and he pushed the idea far, far away.
That had been different than the "healthy" sort of boohooing that Sakura had just prescribed.
Ad nauseam, Gamo-chan's words ran through his head.
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?
Naoto squeezed his handholds, and he felt his knuckles pop. Goddamn it… Why can't I stop thinking about that?!
The cry he'd had in the shower was far from cathartic. Sometimes, he did feel better after crying, but that hadn't been one of those times. It had only served to release an amount of the pressure… blow off some of the steam.
He was ready to speak. "I dunno, Sakura-san… There's just something about it I don't like."
"I'd never say, 'what's not to like?', but what would the harm be?" she asked, quite serious. "It's not like anyone would ever know."
"I'd know." He was quite serious.
Sakura half-smirked, saying, "So? You're too smart to fall for that 'men aren't supposed to cry' shit, so what's the deal?"
Urk! For the first time since they'd become closer, Naoto… kind of wanted to get up and walk away.
That had sprung up quickly, that urge. Whatever nerve she'd just struck, it had him writhing.
But the gal wasn't clueless as to his feelings, especially in view of his sulky reaction. "…I'm sorry, Senpai-kun. That was outta line."
No, you're right… Naoto permitted; his ephemeral craving to leave her by herself vaporized.
He turned to her. "Hey, don't sweat it. I know I'm just being stupid."
"It's not stupid," she refuted. "I know it's not easy."
"I just… think it's… I dunno, Sakura-san…" He didn't know, and he saw his words fade off. "Doing something like that? I mean, I already feel like a weak… feel like a pu…"
"Nobody's gonna call you a pussy but you, Senpai-kun." She reasoned she was completing his sentence.
Naoto juked, nearly sliding off his Hymenopteran mount, stunned at what he'd just heard her say. Damn it! Her filter's undeniably busted!
"That's not what I was gonna say!" Righting himself, he fell back on adjusting his nonexistent glasses, quivering, and he'd been doing so well in avoiding this old habit. "I was gonna say 'pushover'! I just hesitated a little!"
And he meant it!
Sakura let slip a little giggle, but she spoke solemnly, "My bad, Senpai-kun~… I guess I should know better; you'd never use that word."
Her mirthful, unaffected face, welcome by whatever means had brought it there, didn't allow Naoto to be upset for long.
But assuming at all he'd use the P-word in front of a girl…?! Where would one even start in on that?
Though, it's not like it would never happen.
Naoto decided, "I'll… think about it, Sakura-san. Thanks. I know you're only trying to help."
"Good to hear~," she chirped.
Naoto pondered a moment, already having something in mind for such a detestable task as forcing himself to cry.
The last 10 minutes of Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket would effectively do the job. He'd seen the short series from 1989 for the first time a few years earlier, and he'd been glad he was alone when it was time for the last episode.
He hadn't known what was coming, and he'd sobbed, seeing that young boy standing in the middle of his schoolmates and the wreckage of their school, weeping, having learned a soldier's lesson of which most men were fortunate enough to remain forever ignorant.
Just thinking about it brought that contemptible "about to cry" feeling to his eyes and throat.
It got him wondering what Sakura would use as her own igniter.
…!
Nope! Enough of that! Naoto reprimanded himself.
"Could we please move on?" he asked her, trying not to whine.
She nodded. "Definitely. I get ya."
All he could say was, "Thanks…"
"…"
"…"
"So…" Sakura gave him a playful leer. "What do you wanna talk about~?"
Realizing the "recommended weeping" argument could've been the end of their time together, but it wasn't, Naoto found himself smiling for the oddest of reasons.
This girl had just used the P-word! In front of him!
This was new territory for him, but he did enjoy the openness, if that's what this was.
A pleasing spiritedness seized him, and he chuckled, his face heating up, "Sakura-san, I think your filter's broken or something."
She snorted, grinning widely, "Heh-heh, what~?"
Naoto said without pretext, "You've just… kinda had a really foul mouth lately…"
"Oh, have I now~?" she bubbled. "Doth it wound thine virtuous pinnae~?"
He was confused. "I didn't understand half of what you just said…"
"How pedestrian~," Sakura huffed. "But I guess I didn't use that word quite the right way."
She simpered, leaning side-to-side, forward and back, her horsey creaking away under a high school girl's weight.
"What word?" Naoto was befuddled. "'Pinnae'? Is that Greek or something?"
"Whee~…" the gal rocked snappishly ahead, rattling her mount and herself as they came to rest. "It's Latin for 'ears'. The only reason I know that word is from this book on seals, sea lions, and walruses I read when I was a kid. The marine carnivores are called 'pinnipeds', and they group them partially on whether they have outer-ears or not."
"You have an interest in zoology, Sakura-san?" He decided to humor her.
"No, it just kinda stuck in my head," Sakura conceded. "I wish more useful stuff would get stuck up there… like chemistry and pre-calculus. I do okay in trivia, at least."
Naoto, struggling to keep a straight face, asked, "So… you're asking me if your foul mouth offends the ears?"
She specified, bursting with a mild euphoria, "I'm asking if the sound-waves registering in your audio-receptors resulted in disruption of your sensibilities, upon making it to the brain."
"No, it doesn't enter via my audio-receptors and disturb my sensibilities held in the brain they're wired to." He wanted to be specific, figuring she was playing around, and that she'd correct him until he'd done it right.
Whether Sakura had intended this or not, she moved on regardless.
She chuckled, eyeballing him, "Yeah, I guess I haven't been watching my mouth all that well lately… especially around you and Hana-chan."
Naoto got straight to the point. "It just kind of surprised me that you'd just say the 'P-word' like that."
Sakura sprayed laughter—her friend saw the droplets spurt from her mouth.
"You think that's bad?" She might as well have sprouted little Devil-horns. "You should've heard a few of the things Hana-chan said over lunch~!"
I heard plenty! Naoto agonized; he'd been horrified.
Though, regarding Hana's infrequently colorful language—
"Whatever it was, I don't think I'd even be surprised anymore…" He gave an all-in shake of the head. "Not long ago, it would've… yeah. But now, I don't even know…"
"I'm sorry if I'm being a bad influence on her…" Sakura offered, dropping her humor.
Naoto didn't really see an issue. "You're not."
"…"
"…"
Sakura poked at the sand with a loafer, musing, "I sometimes feel like… Oh, I dunno…"
Her good cheer, as her humor did, fell off.
Naoto put his feet on the ground, trying to stop wobbling, which he couldn't do otherwise, considering his size.
He wanted to know, "What is it?"
She took a moment, mulling it over, trying to find the words.
"I guess… it's just strange… how Hana-chan and I just clicked like that," she formed her thoughts. "When I told you—last week—that I've always had trouble making friends, I meant it."
"…!" Naoto hadn't forgotten; it had been painful to hear that.
Sakura leaned back, straining her steed's spring. "Hana-chan told me something… the other day…"
Her senpai didn't miss the emotion rising in her voice.
"Hana-chan… she told me that I was her best friend, Senpai-kun," she swallowed hard.
"…" Hearing that surprised Naoto, and yet it didn't; he kept his mouth shut.
"I was really happy to hear that, but it kinda scared me," she wavered. "It's been less than two weeks since we really started talking, and she already feels that way? I didn't know what to say to her. I love being friends with her, but I couldn't think of a whole lot to say to that."
Another painful thing from Sakura popped up in Naoto's mind, about Hana.
I dunno if I deserve to be friends…
He'd been quick to dispel that thinking, but it had stuck with him.
Sakura's next words were something that he didn't want to be asked, but they came.
"Why me, Senpai-kun?" she asked. "Why would she wanna be besties with me?"
Those hadn't been the exact words he'd been dreading the most. He'd worried that Sakura would ask if Hana had ever even had a friend before, but it was still a rough question.
Maybe it's even harder… Naoto probably could've answered the other question more easily, even if he had to reason his way through it.
Seeing Sakura in such rotten shape did him no good, and he wished very much to give her an answer worth hearing.
He had an idea, and he supposed it might be dodging the issue, but it really wasn't.
The gal was asking the wrong kind of questions.
Naoto inquired, "Why do you like being friends with Sunomiya, Sakura-san?"
"Huh?" she unbent.
She'd perceived him, but she hadn't been listening, exactly.
He said, "Tell me why you like being friends with Sunomiya."
Sakura stared ahead of her, and Naoto could see her tighten her grip, held fast to her mount.
"I… can't say exactly, Senpai-kun," she divulged. "I mean, she's funny, she's smart, she's kind, she's really easy to talk to, but… I dunno…
Naoto resolved to give her all the time she needed. "…"
"I think it's that… she gets me, Senpai-kun…" Sakura worked her way through it, her manner beginning to dissolve. "She just… gets me… and I don't have to fake it with her. I can just be myself… and she doesn't want to change me."
Naoto was sure he saw a flickering in her eyes—a spark—joining the building tears.
She'd found it. "She likes me for… just me."
After his most recent time with Gamo-chan, Naoto had made sure to resupply the tissues he normally carried around.
Sakura wasn't crying, but she needed to dry her eyes, and she gratefully took the offered few sheets.
The young artist, having taken in what Sakura had just said, thought he had something worth saying.
He hoped it was worth saying. "I can't say for sure, Sakura-san, but I think Sunomiya might feel the same way."
She blew her nose. "What, you think so?"
He shrugged, not out of apathy or uncertainty, but out of acceptance. "I think so… but I wouldn't worry about it, Sakura-san."
"…?" She didn't seem to outright reject his idea.
"It's enough that you're friends." Naoto knew an unusual confidence. "And you seem to like her, all the weirdness and everything else."
He knew it wasn't the best thing to do, calling Hana weird, but sometimes simplicity had its place.
Snorffling back in what she couldn't expel into the tissue, Sakura stared at her clasped hands. "You're right… I… just kinda like everything about her. She's just so real."
Naoto recalled her saying something along those lines to him before.
She exhaled, "I guess that's it, but… I still don't think I understand her all that well…"
He wasn't sure whose ass he pulled it out of, because it seemed too profound to have tumbled out of his own. "Do you really have to understand someone to get them?"
Sakura shook her head, sure of it. "No. I don't think so."
"I feel the same," he added.
"…"
"…"
"Just… wow~…" The blonde brightened right up and squirmed in her seat, all smiles. "I think Hana-chan's really blessed to have a senpai that cares about her so much. I've said it before, but… wow~."
Where'd she get this from? Naoto hadn't the foggiest how before had led to now.
It may not have mattered, because Sakura wanted to know something. "Uh, Senpai-kun…"
Her tenor gave him cause for apprehension; it wasn't sad, but it was serious.
He replied, "Yes?"
"Could I ask you a question?" Sakura fidgeted, an air of tension around her.
"…Yes…" Naoto couldn't be sure what it might be.
It was a heavy one; she posed, "What would you do if Hana-chan said she loved you?"
Whoosh! Smack! That hit Naoto hard. His very breath caught, and he coughed, choking on nothing.
Sakura sat bolt upright. "Senpai-kun?"
At this point he did wish they'd gotten drinks or something, if only to clear the pipes; he strained, coughing a few more times, "I'm okay."
His friend mumbled, wringing her hands, "Sorry about that… Guess I surprised you…"
You could say that! Naoto thought, aghast. Could anyone blame me?
Sakura turned crimson, looking away. "I'm… really sorry, Senpai-kun. I dunno what I was thinking…"
Naoto was thinking a few things of his own!
Is she talking about me?!
Is she talking about herself? Did Sunomiya confess to her or something?!
Did Sunomiya say something else?!
Are you just asking theoretically?!
His brain was churning out these questions and several others.
He blurted, "Why are you asking me that?!"
Sakura yipped, avoiding his gaze, "I'm sorry!"
That's not an answer! Naoto's head was spinning.
He just asked, "What, did she say that to you?"
The image of Sakura squirrelly twittering away in the "shame corner", first telling him her admiration of Hana, had emerged.
She started, gaping at him. "No!"
Oh, no! Naoto was already assuming "the worst".
"Did she… say that about me?" he eked.
Sakura denied, firmly and at once, "No."
Naoto immediately began to calm down. Don't say things like that out of the blue!
"…I'm sorry, Sakura-san… that, uh… made me jump a little." He tried showing his calm.
She let her guard down, having shied away. "I… guess I get it. That was a weird thing to just suddenly ask."
"…" Naoto took some time to finish coming back down.
"…"
"…"
Sakura revealed, "I… meant hypothetically, Senpai-kun."
He'd surmised that. "I see."
"…"
"…"
"So…" Sakura prodded.
Naoto stared blankly ahead. "Do you mean… 'like' or 'like-like'?"
She wriggled, her butt having slid on the plastic pony. "Well, both, I guess… You don't have to answer if you don't wanna…"
She'd trailed off, and Naoto could tell she was ready to abandon the subject, and that wasn't just him making an "ass" our of "u" and "me". She would drop it without hesitation.
But he decided he'd tell her.
"I guess… I have no idea, Sakura-san…" He wished he did. "You said she cares, and I know she does, but I don't know what I'd do if she said either one to me."
She seemed pleased to receive an answer of any kind. "I think I get it. Hearing that from a kohai like that would be pretty wack… especially from someone that… you don't always get or understand."
And he was grateful for her empathy. "I want to give a better answer, but that's all there is. …Thanks."
"I know you care about her so much, Senpai-kun," she comforted. "A girl couldn't ask for a better senpai."
"I'm worried about her," he suddenly interrupted, his body stiffening. "A lot…"
He'd interrupted her, yes, but it hadn't been intentional. It had just sort of burst out, seemingly overwhelming his other faculties.
"…" Sakura rotated his way.
"…" Naoto hung his head.
"…"
"…"
"Are you really that worried about her?" She guessed he hadn't even heard her last sentence. "What about?"
He huddled up, pressing his body against the plastic bee, his arms supporting his forehead.
He had a few things to say. "I'm graduating this year… and if I… we… can't bring in any new members, then Sunomiya may be alone next year. I… don't want her to be alone. Before this semester… before this last month, I'm… I'm not even sure if she's really ever had a friend. I should know that, but I don't. I don't think it's right that I don't know. I'm the senpai, and I don't even know that.
"I wasn't alone, exactly, but I was the only active member of the Art Club last year. I had my friends from before, I had the Prez, and I met you and the other girls, but I was alone in my club. I can't let Sunomiya go through that, being alone. She'll be leading the Art Club, and she needs something worth presiding over… something she'll love and be proud of… and pass on.
"But then, after next year, you, Nagatoro, Gamo-chan, and Yoshi-san will be gone; you'll have graduated. Unless we get new members or Sunomiya manages to make more friends… then she really will be alone. If the club disappeared once she graduated, I don't think I'd even care. I just don't want her to be alone. I'm scared about that, Sakura-san… I'm scared."
"…!" The gal, choosing to let him say what he had to say, felt her heart ache.
"…" Naoto had wrung himself out; he felt empty, but he knew an inner peace of sorts.
Try as she might, Sakura was at a loss. "Oh, man… Senpai-kun. That's a lot."
Glancing her way, he saw she'd become rather morose. He didn't like that, but a part of him was relieved that she had nothing to immediately say to that. He hadn't expected an answer, and he didn't think he could handle talking or hearing about it anymore.
He sighed heavily, "I shouldn't have said all that… I'm just… worried. I'm worried about a lot, and that… That one bothers me. It feels… empty."
"…" Sakura thought a moment. "Whoa… You do have your share of problems."
Naoto wasn't sure what that statement as a whole meant, but it meant enough. "I'm not sure what to do…"
Sakura let it mull a bit longer, and she made up her mind.
"Senpai-kun… that's all a long way off." This was important, she thought. "Hana-chan's loving school… and your club… and she's really enjoying that we've become friends, all of us."
"I know she does…" Naoto felt like a douche, just baring this crap to the girl beside him. "I'm just not sure what's gonna happen."
It would've been easy for Sakura to say, "Hey, dumbass! Stop this crap. You're suckin' the life outta me, you pussy!", but she wasn't that kind of girl.
"Just stop thinking so hard about it, Senpai-kun," she decided. "There's nothing you can do about it right now, so don't get so tied up in it."
He jarred, her sudden declaration startling him. "…"
She wasn't wrong, and he knew it.
"Just don't worry about it," she continued. "There's a lot of time between now and when you leave school, so worry about it later. Really, don't worry. Do something about it when you actually have the time."
That made plenty of sense… Naoto wasn't sure why it hadn't occurred to him.
It was easy enough to chalk it up to tunnel vision.
What did occur to him is that both of them had reservations that crippled each of them, but they'd readily push aside each other's worries like they were eraser crumbs on a desktop. How would they really do, reversed?
They'd very likely do just as "badly" with their new lot!
Maybe that said something about… something, but he wasn't sure what.
…
"There is one thing, Senpai-kun…" Sakura inhaled.
"Yeah?" His thought bubble popped.
"You said you didn't care if your club went belly-up once Hana-chan graduated," she jogged his short-term memory. "I really hope that Hana-chan never hears you say that. And I hope you don't mean that, truly. That's not you. It's pretty selfish, that's what it is. I never want to hear you say that again."
"…?!" At her lethal tenor, Naoto felt his nuts pull up, making neighbors with his prostate.
He didn't say anything, but Sakura could tell he'd fully taken in what she'd said.
She leered, her voice low and severe, and asked what she likely didn't need to ask, "Do you understand me?"
Part of his mind wondered why she cared, and the other part was just scared, not appreciating why he should care.
But for now, he'd just agree, knowing he should care; bowing his head, he said, "I understand, Sakura-san."
And she trusted that he did.
She also knew she'd freaked out her senpai.
The gal cooled her jets, allowing, "A little rough, Senpai-kun, but you needed to hear that, you get me? And you need to stop tearing yourself up over this stuff."
"I get you," he assured her, and he felt like an ass.
Whatever, it was already in the past.
Sakura stood up, placing her feet on the ground; she turned to Naoto. "Senpai-kun, you thirsty?"
He pricked, "Thirsty?"
"Yeah." She nodded. "Me? I'm parched."
They weren't going to go buy something, were they? He was just about broke over his most recent contribution to snack time! And they'd just pigged out on scones and chai!
Moreso, it was odd to see her this way, so chipper, considering she'd just torn her Asshole-kun a new asshole!
But there'd be no ice cream or soda or even juice. As it was, Sakura had different plans.
She riled him, "C'mon… I'll show you where the spigot is."
Naoto came to standing, grabbing his stuff. "The spigot?"
"Stop repeating me, would you?" scooping up her schoolbag, she nickered as she began walking. "We're gonna drink from the hose."
He understood that well enough, and he sensed the instance of fear that had just come over him leave. "Gotcha."
Sakura stopped abruptly. "Senpai-kun?"
He stopped too. "Yes?"
She rotated at the hips, just far enough to meet his eyes; she gave a feral grin worthy of Gamo-chan. "After we get a drink, I wanna go sit on the swings. You in~?"
Woot! A chill ran up and down Naoto's spine.
An excitement joined said chill, and he nodded, uncaring of how goofily fervent he sounded. "Yeah!"
The feral grin became a gentler smile, and she giggled, "I'm glad, Senpai-kun~."
Q&A Section
Hey! I asked about Senpai's first kiss back in chapter 29. Will you tell us which girl he will "walk in on" first?
ED: Do you really think I'd use such a cliché device in my story? That Naoto will come across one of his friends in some stage of undress? Well, yes, it's sure to happen at some point. Whenever groups of boys and girls go to the beach or go camping or go swimming, there's always a chance of it happening, even without the author having to "force" it.
Maybe one of the girls will walk in on her senpai. That happens too.
You'll have to wait and see.
What inspired you to make Sakura and Hana Sunomiya such good friends? Was it always planned or did it just fall into place?
ED: I said of Hana (through Naoto) that she can see the value in others. Once she can "see" someone for who they are and the good, I think she can get along with anyone willing to give her a chance once she gives them a chance. I also feel that Sakura, as a character, can see good in people and get along with just about anybody. I think (mostly) any two people can get along when you take away their dissimilarities.
Both girls have a certain purity to them. Hana is just pure. Sakura can see past imperfections and see the "big picture", but she also is jaded to a degree, which probably won't surprise readers, and this will be revealed more as the story goes on. Additionally, I don't think either girl has a motive.
As an aside, Nagatoro and Gamo-chan have motives, but Yoshi doesn't.
Sometimes it doesn't make sense why two people become friends. But both girls aren't unalike at a base level, and both of them were looking for a friend that wouldn't judge them. Hana is more self-aware than many give her credit for, and she wants people to like her. Sakura knows herself. Both took a bit of a gamble.
Sakura wanted to be herself, and she hankered to play in that sandy puddle the two girls encountered at the park on July 1st to the point that she admitted to Hana that the younger girl thought she might be crazy for doing something. Whether Hana made a decision to empower Sakura or it's just her nature to do things when they're in front of her, she encouraged Sakura to "be weird" if she wanted, and that she'd join her. Sakura trusted her, and they had an "adventure".
I also keep saying that both girls needed a friend, and I stand by that.
Initially, I planned for Sakura and Hana to merely get along, but the degree it is came as the story developed.
Please look forward to the next chapter! Thanks for reading! Questions and comments are welcome!