🌸Cherry Blossom Palette🎨
🌸Chapter 44: Sunday Brunch🎨
Written by EmtenDew
Edited by P. serrulata
Author's note:
ED: Naoto has a final fun and relaxing time with Sakura and Hana before finals week at school.
I almost didn't get this chapter out on time. After goofing up the last couple chapters, we've been doing more reediting, and we've changed a few things. The plot's the same, but we decided a few things worked better when moved around.
Looking ahead, my editor had concerns over a "progressive, non-plot related tonal change" developing a little further into the story, so we're both rereading my work to keep true to what we're doing. This may set us back slightly, but I agree that it's a good idea. I want the story to keep the same "feeling".
Please forgive the puns and jokes that would certainly not transfer into Japanese from English.
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 14, 2018
At 9:30 a.m., on a most pleasant Sunday morning, Naoto Hachioji was walking towards the northwest part of the little city of Hayama. It was set to be a seasonably hot day, but the temperature wasn't supposed to jump until the afternoon. If all went well, he'd be back home—in air-conditioning—by his normal lunchtime.
He hadn't planned on it, but in lieu of getting together for one final crack at booking with Sakura Inori and Hana Sunomiya, he was meeting both girls for brunch in their corner of town, not far from the sea.
The day prior, Saturday, the three of them had completed the study guides—the three print-offs covering math, science, and English—that Naoto had provided!
Beginning their Saturday morning bright and early, they'd finished all they'd set out to do in preparing for their final exams by lunchtime. And having no more questions they couldn't answer for themselves, they'd decided to take Sunday off, hopefully to relax and enjoy the day before the last week of the semester—and their end-of-term testing.
They felt prepared.
Each would certainly look over their materials in Japanese and English, being the first two exams, but otherwise, they deserved a little rest.
Yes, they'd planned to take Sunday off, but Sakura had called her two friends Saturday night, suggesting they meet up at 10:00 a.m. for a friendly meal.
They'd celebrate all they'd done and have a good time, which Naoto was sure they would.
Incidentally, this was the first time the gal had actually called him. It was also the first time he'd verbally spoken with her on the phone whatsoever.
That he was eagerly making his way, he hadn't been reluctant to take up Sakura on the offer.
One final get-together with Sakura-san and Sunomiya?!
If "being game for brunch with his two gorgeous kohai" was a disease, Naoto was not only touched with it, he was rife with it and being eaten alive by it.
It made the Black Death seem like a mild case of diarrhea!
He was as happy as an arsonist in a world made of matchsticks!
…
Sakura…
…
Once Friday morning had come around, his head clearer, he'd gone through his time with Sakura from Thursday night.
Admittedly, he'd been worried… and he'd thought a lot about her, with how low she'd fallen, the pains of her past coming out.
But he really needn't have.
Friday's Sakura had been the same girl he'd come to know, and to everyone else, she was the same gyaru that they'd come to know.
Naoto just knew a few things others didn't.
Past that, surprise, surprise!
Another chunk of gossip in relation to Sakura had popped up Friday morning!
Rumor had it that the gal had been hanging out with a boy until nearly 11:00 p.m. on Thursday night!
This boy had walked Sakura all the way to her friend Mari's, together having taken cover from the rainstorm.
Mari, turns out, happened to be a busybody and a blabbermouth!
Those were the words that Sakura-san used, at least…
All this mysterious boy and the gal had supposedly done was hunker down in the crappy weather and get dinner, but this had been enough for the busybody/blabbermouth to raise a stink about it.
Something had to be going on!
She'd posted on social media before breakfast, and by midmorning, the whole school knew Miss Inori had "picked up another man".
The chitter-chatter about Sakura and Hana Sunomiya, the wacko freshman, being buddy-buddy in the art room had barely begun, and a brand, spanking new pile of shit had fallen into the blonde's lap!
Maybe Sakura-san shouldn't have made a show about texting me with that pic… Naoto was sure that hadn't dispelled Mari's suspicions about the mysterious boy, surely supposing him to be the recipient. What she'd done, it might've even been out of REVENGE, having been included in the prickly selfie…
And the boy was mysterious, because no one knew who he was. Again.
This is the third or fourth time this has happened! Naoto figured.
But after missing all the other potential notoriety, it was familiar, and he wasn't all that upset to be quietly out of the limelight.
…
…
…
Two days earlier
"Ha-ha!" Gamo-chan guffawed, pounding on the big table in the art room. "The 'tall, dark, notorious man of mystery' has struck again!"
She, of course, was referring to the school's newest bit of scuttlebutt, not even six-hours-old!
Sakura pouted, poking at her bento, railing, "Stupid Mari…! I wish I'd never given her all that kalbi…"
"But she gave you a whole thing of croquettes!" the Amazon said, breaking one of the tasty dumplings open. "These things are incredible."
Sakura wanted none of the fried masses of yum. "Have 'em all! I don't wanna look at 'em!"
Yoshi, not without a croquette or three of her own, laughed along with Gamo-chan, but no one else was overly amused.
Hana was unaffected; she turned to the gal, contentedly munching on that which the gal didn't aspire to gaze upon. "Sakura-senpai, I don't think your friend meant any harm."
"Hana-chan, how could you?" Sakura whined, not joking. "Those things are tainted with bitch…"
Everyone's kohai shrugged. "I eat food for what it is… especially when it's this good. You said her mother made them anyway, so…"
Gamo-chan cackled, "Yeah, listen to the wise Hanacchi, Sakura!"
The cranky Sakura wasn't in the mood, provoked to high dudgeon. "…"
Giggling, Gamo-chan turned to Naoto, across the table, poking his leg with the toe of her shoe, under the table, "Hey, Paisen, how is it you keep getting pulled into this crap~?"
Naoto, having taken a croquette (and trying to not let Sakura see that he had), grumbled, "I dunno…"
He sank into his seat. At least only the people in this room know it was me…
Yoshi chimed in, "He's not quite 190 cm of trouble, but he's hiding in the Art Club! Someone better call the paparazzi!"
His nose about level with the tabletop, the troublesome artist beseeched the room, "Please… keep quiet about this… We don't need this getting any worse…"
"Tch, tch, tch," Gamo-chan clicked her tongue. "Spoken like a true 'Paisen'~… Not willing to take responsibility for his evil deeds~."
He knew the girls were just yanking his chain, but all the same, Naoto vexed, "Meh…"
Giving no credence to the goings-on, Hana came in, asking Twin-tails, "Yamazaki-senpai, may I please have some of your grandmother's curry?"
Yoshi presented the container. "Defs, Hanacchi! If you've got some of that pork-belly~…"
"Here." The younger girl slid the large receptacle of barbecued meat towards her senpai. "There's chicken too."
The Yosh returned with the curry. "You got yourself a deal, Hanacchi!"
"Thank you, Yamazaki-senpai."
"Call me 'Yoshi'~!"
"Okay, Yoshi-senpai," Hana replied; she faced her dodgy role-model. "Hachioji-senpai? Could you please pass some of the paella this way?"
Naoto, sitting up, offered the container. "Here, Sunomiya."
Gamo-chan raised her hand. "Then over here, please~!"
Sakura bucked up, momentarily forgetting Mari's transgression. "And me! Are you sure you don't want any kalbi, Senpai-kun?"
Senpai to all of them, Naoto smiled, in spite of the small dilemma he shared with her. "No, thanks, Sakura-san. No beef for me…"
"Just like you said you'd be~!" she chirped.
"It's not much, but I have these chicken-broth crackers!" Gamo-chan set the unopened box in the middle of the table. "Have all of it! And my meatballs are definitely up for grabs!"
Exchanges were made, and everyone had a little of everything.
As the reader might've surmised, Naoto and his friends had inadvertently turned Friday's lunch into a potluck.
On top of their respective lunches—what they could eat by themselves—they each had surplus. Naoto had his paella, Gamo-chan had her crackers, Yoshi had her curry, Sakura had her "stolen" kalbi (and Mari's excrementitious, sodomite croquettes), and Hana still had a shitload of "grandparents' anniversary picnic" grilled and barbecued meat, making for a fine shared meal.
Though they'd shown up at Gamo-chan's unspoken behest, hoping to make a few plans for the first couple weeks of summer vacation, the hearsay about Sakura's "new boytoy" had been an added bonus to kick around amongst friends.
Not always leaning as she was that day, Gamo-chan was sporadically a "business before pleasure" type of girl, and they'd already established the afternoon of Wednesday the 24th for karaoke and Saturday the 27th for their first big beach day.
And to Naoto's amusement, Gamo-chan did ask for him to try and get Shuu and Tohru to come along to both.
This was gonna be fun!
He couldn't wait!
I won't be THAT outnumbered!
…
Still, it had been a peculiar sort of day for Naoto, it must be said.
He felt… a strange serenity. As Gamo-chan had put it on Wednesday, he'd wrung out the soul.
"Wringing out the soul" wasn't an understatement either.
He felt "psychosomatically clean".
He'd taken Sakura's advice, and he'd watching something tear-inducing the night before, in his case, the last 10 minutes of Gundam 0080.
Naoto hadn't simply cried.
He'd cried like a 4-year-old who'd just liquid-shit his pants on the playground.
And after, he'd slept like the same 4-year-old, having been unceremoniously hosed down in the backyard and fed a couple of sleeping pills so he'd shut up about it (don't try that at home).
With that out of his system, he was refreshed.
It had sounded nuts, "forcing himself to cry", but things were looking pretty clear!
Unrelatedly, he hadn't even eaten breakfast; he'd still felt stuffed upon waking up. He was hungry now, but only middling, though he was liking their "potluck".
He also didn't feel like an overloaded creampuff anymore, his digestive-tract dutifully moving along Thursday's farm-sized dinner, though he was not looking forward to the massive meat-shit he'd be taking before the day was over.
It's gonna be like turning out asphalt…!
Sakura was in the same boat, he was sure.
What had the gal said to Hana, just a day prior, in the midst of their chat that Naoto hadn't had any business eavesdropping on?
To most men, it's bad enough that women even have buttholes to begin with…
Yes… it is… Naoto irked.
…
Getting away from the young man's slight tribulations, the room as a whole was having a good time.
"Oh, this is the best lunch ever~!" Yoshi cried out, and it probably did rank among some of the greatest.
Gamo-chan chuckled in a way unfamiliarly girlish, delighting in it all, "Yup, it's like dinner and a movie, having Sakura and Paisen around!"
Naoto rolled his eyes, making his stance no secret. Oh, I just want this week to be over!
Sakura, filling her face, was in a slightly less crappy mood, in that she was filling her face. "I'm with Senpai-kun… why don't we talk about something else?"
"Ah, poor Sakura~…" Gamo-chan lightheartedly disdained. "But I guess you have been seeing your share of unwanted attention…"
Naoto was pleased to see the tall girl's manner soften. She wasn't trying to be awful to Sakura; she was just giving her a little guff.
"Yes…" Sakura poured her share of Yoshi's curry over some rice; despite what she'd said, she didn't leave the subject. "Why couldn't Mari just keep it to herself?! Really, did she have to spread it around online?"
"What'd you do to her?" Yoshi asked, her oral cavity jam-packed with barbecue chicken. "You must've done something to piss her off."
"I…" The gal took on a little bit of color, atypically so. "I took a… a selfie of the two of us in matching PJs… I bet that's why…"
Naoto sank under the table again. I can't believe she admitted to that! Shit!
But he knew it wasn't like she hadn't dropped her guard to a degree around the other girls, readily abandoning her carefree but very much in-control identity when she was pushed out of her element. Like anyone else, she had weaknesses, and she wasn't always on-the-ball.
The girls knew that Sakura played the part of a gyaru, and she played it well, but she was still a gyaru.
At least, that's as far as their understanding went.
Gamo-chan gawked, sputtering and signaling wildly, "Did you see how Sakura just blushed?! Did you all see that~?!"
"Sure did…" Yoshi couldn't believe it either. "Abnormal. A chink has arisen in her armor."
"Yeah, something stinks…" Gamo-chan opined. "That's not a good enough reason for Mari to get mad at you, much less seek vengeance; she's not like that. Something else happened."
You have no idea! Naoto thought about slinking out of the room; he knew this might get out of hand. It might be good to leave before—
"You should've just kept the photo to yourself, Sakura-senpai." Hana had politely waited until her mouth wasn't full to address whom she now considered to be her best friend. "Mari-san probably didn't appreciate you sharing it so late at night, you both being in your nightclothes."
Fuck! Naoto knew it was too late to escape.
"Hana-chan!" Sakura squeaked. "Quiet!"
Gamo-chan spoke over the gal, "What do you mean, Hanacchi?"
Hana blinked. "It's only logical. Sakura-senpai just said she took what must be a potentially embarrassing picture of herself and Mari-san…"
Gamo-chan and Yoshi nodded in unison. "Yeah?" "Maybe…"
Naoto took one last look at a possible route out, and none was to be had. Nooooooooo…!
Hana waxed lucidity, "Mari-san would have no reason to be upset unless Sakura-senpai did something with the selfie besides merely taking it."
"Hana-chan…!" Sakura howled.
"Yes, Sakura-senpai?" Hana was next to oblivious.
Oh, here it comes… Naoto prepared himself.
Exchanging one look, Gamo-chan and Yoshi knew.
"Yoshi, grab Paisen before he can scramble away~!" Gamo-chan pointed at Naoto's tousle of hair, barely visible. "Get 'im!"
Yoshi saluted, already moving. "On it!"
It made sense to Naoto, in the process of abandoning his seat:
Not only was Yoshi closer to him, she was faster than Gamo-chan.
The young artist hadn't even made it out of his chair before Yoshi had wrapped her arms around him, pinning him to his chair from behind.
"Gotcha, Sensei~!" she declared, squatting down, her full weight keeping him seated.
"Good job!" Gamo-chan sounded.
Naoto didn't even bother struggling; he'd been got!
"So~…" Gamo-chan sauntered over to him. "Which pocket do you keep your phone in, Paisen? The right one, correct?"
He gave in, saying, "Yes…"
She reached in with a "tee-hee", retrieving it.
Sakura wasn't happy. "Gamo-chan! Don't!"
The gal was given no heed.
Gamo-chan leered, simpering, "Okay, Paisen… let's see that pic!"
She tried opening his phone… and she scowled.
Of course!
He had a password.
Who didn't?!
Naoto couldn't not smile. "What, do you really think I wouldn't have my phone protected?"
It was the main reason he hadn't fussed too much about being restrained or giving up his phone.
"Gamo-chan…" Yoshi growled. "Should we get him to squeal~?"
She waved it off. "Nah, I don't feel like it…"
"You're lucky, Sensei~…" Yoshi hissed in his ear.
I know! Naoto squirmed.
Gamo-chan turned around, pointing to another. "You must know how to unlock Paisen's phone! What do I do?"
"…" This girl wasn't having it… at all.
Yoshi peered around Naoto. "Yeah, c'mon, Hayacchi! Spill the beans!"
Indeed, encircled by all this merriment, Nagatoro was there, and she was about as happy with everyone else's cheerfulness as a badly infected hemorrhoid might enjoy being sanded off with a cheese-grater.
And she showed it. "…😡..."
"You're no fun, Hayacchi…" Gamo-chan chided her best friend. "Stop sluffing off over there!"
She stubbornly stared at the opposite wall; she wanted none of it, her lunch barely touched. Moreover, she'd taken no part in the food exchange in the first place, even when offered.
Naoto had been trying to not worry about this, but Nagatoro was irate.
Thankfully—and the term was used charitably—it freed him from Yoshi's grasp, and the selfie silliness was left in the dust.
Back in their seats, the group went on as normal.
Gamo-chan said to Hana, "Thanks for bringing the meat, Hanacchi, it's awesome."
"You're very welcome, Gamou-senpai," she replied. "And thank you for the meatball; it's delicious. And crackers baked in chicken-stock~! I've never tried them."
"They're a favorite of mine~," Gamo-chan grinned. "The meatballs and the crackers. My mom's meatballs, it's the spice-blend she came up with, but the ketchup really gets them good."
"My uncle makes his own barbecue sauce, and he likes to say he makes it from scratch, but he uses ketchup as the base. Not the same."
"It's good though," Gamo-chan had sampled some with the pork-belly. "I think that's what matters the most."
"I agree." Hana bit off a corner of a cracker.
Yoshi leaned close. "Hanacchi… Sakura said all this meat came from your grandparents' anniversary celebration. Really, they've been together for 50 years~?"
Hana nodded. "Yes, Yoshi-senpai… they have."
Gamo-chan pinkened, looking over Hana's shoulder.
"Do you… still have the pictures…?" she asked shyly.
Naoto could see Sakura begin to gleam, but the gal kept quiet.
But she hadn't kept quiet earlier, telling the other girls about Hana's little album.
Hana nodded again. "Would you like to see, Gamou-senpai?"
"Yes!" Yoshi almost yelled, butting in.
Gamo-chan curtly nodded, pressing her lips together, trying to keep even-keeled.
Now Sakura came to life, apparently forgetting her cool front. "Wait 'til you see this!"
Oh, boy… Naoto grinned foolishly, hiding his face, half-mortified. Please don't show them that video…
Hana didn't show them the video, but they all took in the "slideshow" that hadn't quite broken him.
Listening to Sakura aid in the narration, Gamo-chan and Yoshi shrilling the whole way through, Naoto experienced a great warmth filling him. So much for Gamo-chan holding steady!
He didn't feel like crying—that was gone—but man, was it a nice sensation!
But not all was well.
There remained a malingerer amongst all this joy.
…
What the fuck is your problem? Naoto wanted to shout this at Nagatoro, the girl showing an increasing discontent.
The night before, he'd been at peace with the idea of "live and let live", but sleeping had sort of reset things in his head.
Well, that and her attitude that day…
If she was going to be such a wet blanket, it was best that she was keeping her mouth shut, but she was being utterly lame, and it was easy for Naoto to feel a little sore about her recent behavior towards him.
He didn't enjoy seeing her unhappy—at all—but her current conduct was unquestionably cushioning the blow. Sakura had told him to give things a chance, and he really wanted to, but he didn't feel as lousy as he might over not being terribly sympathetic towards her.
Steadfastly, Nagatoro continued to fester like a blistering sunburn, even after her three closest gal-pals had finished gushing over Hana's grandparents and the events of the wonderful day their kohai had just shared with them.
Crap… All the more, Naoto didn't like the way things were going.
And it didn't really improve.
"I can't believe you smuggled that much beef outta the restaurant, Sakura," Gamo-chan said in wonderment.
No longer hung-up over parts of the previous night—at least not among friends—Sakura beamed, imparting, "That's thanks to Senpai-kun~. He ate so much beef, they didn't even question how much meat they were dropping off at the table~."
Damn it… Naoto had hoped they were done talking about last night. But at least Sakura-san's not freaking out now…
"I'm glad the two of you had a good time," Hana expressed. "But I'm surprised you were out so late."
Cripes, Sunomiya… Naoto knew Hana meant well, but "well meant" and "well met" lay in different realities.
Yoshi tittered, "Shady~…"
Gamo-chan asked Sunomiya, a leer directed towards Sakura, "What time did you leave them, Hanacchi?"
Hana paused in between bites. "I don't remember exactly when I left school, but I made it home well before 6:00 p.m., Gamou-senpai."
Naoto wished he was elsewhere. Why's this gotta happen…?
Gamo-chan turned her full attention to Sakura, a quasi-evil glee embraced. "I understand dinner, but what happened between then and the rainstorm~?"
Sakura floundered, spouting, "Nothing you need to worry about."
Why…? Naoto had "spoken" too soon; the gal was far from calm.
Yoshi inquired of Hana, "Do you know what happened?"
Hana didn't know. "I went home early, Yoshi-senpai. I think they just studied."
I can't tell if Sunomiya is trying to save our bacon or not…! Naoto's eyes darted between Sakura and Hana.
His eyes also found Nagatoro, and she was looking even worse! Normally, she'd jump on any opportunity to mock him for something like this, potentially tearing him a new one…
Then!
It was a sure thing she didn't' mean to, but Yoshi navigated them away from this occurring shipwreck, finding another mess to crash into.
She mentioned, "I don't really care about that… What I wanna know is what happened after I left Gamo-chan and Sensei on Wednesday…"
Oh, crap-ola! Naoto had been praying this setting was dead and buried, conceivably more so than the previous subject.
Gamo-chan flared up, but she was too stunned to do anything besides blather, so Sakura swooped in.
"What's that Yoshi~?!" the gal chirruped. "What is it that Senpai-kun and Gamo-chan did~?!"
Yoshi could immediately tell she'd made a grave error, Gamo-chan giving her a very dirty look.
"I… uh…" Twin-tails, struggling in the deep-end of the pool, sought out a life-preserver. "Eep~…!"
Naoto was almost ready to speak up, but—
Gamo-chan spoke up, "Paisen, Yoshi, and I left school at the same time on Wednesday. Yoshi left to go grocery shopping for her mom, and Paisen and I grabbed a soda at the old dagashi shop near my and Yoshi's houses."
Yoshi mouthed, Without ME?!
Sakura deflated. "That's all?"
"Yeah," Gamo-chan answered; she turned to Yoshi. "It's not the first time we've grabbed a snack there with Paisen, is it?"
Yoshi had nothing against this. "Yup. We did it last month, I think. Yeah."
Gamo-chan swiveled, facing Naoto. "Right, Paisen~?"
He didn't have to make anything up. "Sure, we had a couple of Ramuné sodas. It was nice."
Some of it had been, at least!
This should've been the end of it, but Sakura couldn't resist a dig.
"Aw, Senpai-kun, you ditched Hana-chan and me so you could get a soda with her~?" she puckered. "You never said a thing about this~!"
He couldn't stop himself from saying, "Hey, you know I was cooking for my folks that day! Where do you think all that paella you've been eating—yesterday and today—came from?!"
Without warning, Hana took a poke as well. "It seems Hachioji-senpai had a few things cooking that day…"
"…!" The room froze.
Pfft~! Gamo-chan, Yoshi, and Sakura all seeped jollity.
And the three girls fell all over themselves, screaming with laughter.
Hana placed a piece of kalbi into her pie-hole, rather pleased with herself, chopsticks hindering the miniscule smirk she bore. "…~"
Even Naoto failed to hold back a smile. "…~!"
The tension filling the art room dissipated, and things became chill as fresh snow.
It was all good fun, Hana receiving hearty congratulations for her witticism, the three girls able to laugh at the goofy situation and their place in it gladly giving it.
But Nagatoro was still simmering, and it seemed to Naoto that nobody cared but him.
…
Blessedly, the world kept turning, and the assemblage quickly moved onto something else.
"Hanacchi, are you sure you're okay with missing karaoke?" Gamo-chan entreated. "We can come up with another date…"
Hana brushed off the other girl's worries, stating, "It's the date that works the best for everyone. It's okay; we can always go another time."
"That's really big of you." Gamo-chan glowed.
"It's fine," Hana said. "And it's not a guarantee that the 24th won't work for me. I'm just not sure when we'll be getting back from Tokyo."
"It's a shame your cousin wasn't able to make it back for the anniversary…" Gamo-chan frowned.
"My grandparents understand… Sana-neechan has her own end-of-term obligations. That's why we're visiting her next weekend."
In fact, the entirety of the Sunomiya family was heading to Tokyo for about five days to visit the Prez, take in the sights, and do some shopping.
It wasn't far away, but it was worth the stay.
"That sounds like a fun trip, Hana-chan," Sakura contributed.
"And you're sure your cousin can't make the beach trip?" Gamo-chan wondered.
Hana said, the slightest bit of irony extant, "We wouldn't be visiting Sana-neechan in Tokyo next Friday if she was able to visit Hayama the next weekend."
Gamo-chan chuckled, "Can't argue with that…"
"She'll be around this summer, Gamou-senpai." Hana took a sip off her glass of water. "I'm certain we'll be going to the beach more than once, and she won't want to miss all the local festivals.
"Should be fun~." Gamo-chan took a bite of chicken. "Something tells me she's pretty good at carnival games~."
"Fun, fun, fun~!" Yoshi piped, paella stuck to her lip.
Naoto was happy that the girls were interested in seeing the Prez again; their relationship had been somewhat rocky in the past.
But there was one thing—among others—he wasn't happy about.
Sakura had a semi-malicious expression pasted on, and she asked Hana, the look not directed at her good friend and kohai, "So, Hana-chan… do you still wanna go swimsuit shopping once summer break starts?"
The gal's look was directed at another, and she didn't have to glare at the girl to send her message.
Oh, shit… Naoto shrank into his seat.
Nagatoro's countenance darkened all the more, Sakura's question and method tearing at her.
Hana didn't seem to pick up on it, Sakura's or Nagatoro's states. "Yes, Sakura-senpai. The only suit I currently own is my school swimsuit. I've long since outgrown my other suit, and it's worn-out anyway."
Long since outgrown…?! Naoto wished she'd picked another way of putting it.
"Did you see anything you liked on the websites I told you about~?" Sakura pursued.
Geez, you're laying it on a little thick… Naoto hid his mouth, feigning consumption.
"Yes," Hana took on a slight rosiness near the cheekbones. "We can talk about it later though."
Naoto wasn't sure if their kohai had meant to steer the conversation away from that or if it was incidental, but he was glad she was trying. Good going, Sunomiya~!
He knew that Nagatoro was upset about Hana going to the beach with them, and she'd expressed it—briefly, that very day—but it was a bad idea to passive-aggressively attack her.
However, he wasn't the only one to notice short-stuff's latest downward spiral.
Gamo-chan regarded Nagatoro, "Would you cut it out, Hayacchi? You're killing the good vibes in here!"
Can't you see you're not helping?! Naoto was shocked.
The "killer of the good vibes", arms crossed, glowered.
Naoto glimpsed the whole scene going to Hell in a handbasket.
If something positive didn't happen for Nagatoro…
"I can't wait to see what we wind up getting on you, Hana-chan~," Sakura warbled. "You'll be the 'belle of the beach'~."
Oh, fuckin' shit, Sakura-san…! Naoto's balls revisited his prostrate. I should just run now…
To make matters worse, Gamo-chan wasn't in disagreement with the blonde. "Definitely, Hanacchi~!"
Oh, sweet, merciful cock-stains that won't come out in the laundry! Naoto wasn't sure it could get worse.
Naturally, it could…
"Voice of an angel! Body of a goddess~!" Yoshi squawked.
Hana, for her part, fidgeted, a little rosy-faced, the corners of her mouth turning up. "…~"
…
…Gawddamn it… Naoto's hair was all that could be seen of him.
…
Nagatoro slapped the top onto her bento, and without a word, she stood up, grabbed her stuff, and stalked out of the room.
…
"…?!" The whole room was as one.
Well, besides maybe Naoto, watching as it had unfolded.
…
"Whoops…" Sakura submitted, ducking down.
Naoto could tell… her "whoops" wasn't in jest.
And no one else took any pleasure in Nagatoro's departure.
"Yeah… maybe we went a little too far with that…" Gamo-chan muttered. "Shit…"
"I guess we did…" Yoshi supplemented.
"I didn't think she'd do that…" Sakura murmured.
"Neither did I…" Gamo-chan whistled. "She should've just lightened up, normally. I didn't think we were giving her that hard of a time. Shit…"
"…!" Naoto couldn't believe it.
They'd shut Nagatoro out!
Even as he looked around at the regretful trio of Naga-friends, Naoto couldn't abscond from his thinking:
GIRLS ARE TERRIFYING!
…
…
…
Present day
There wasn't a whole lot to say about how the rest of Friday's lunch went.
"They dourly finished" worked well enough.
Naoto recalled Sakura's words as to Hana's regard:
If Hayacchi even HINTS at not wanting her around, there'll be trouble…
He'd hoped Sakura's cloud talk on Thursday—specifically, her "piggies in the mud" talk—about rising up against Nagatoro was just that—cloud talk—and that she was just running her mouth, blowing off a little steam, never really intending to do it.
Even if she had been running her mouth and blowing off a little steam, she'd likewise made good on her promise.
He wanted to believe that Sakura wouldn't have done so without "provocation", but he didn't know, and he would probably never know.
But she doesn't usually START trouble…
Truly, in the past, she'd avoided trouble unless she was the one securely at the helm of said mischief.
This was enough to sway him in Sakura's "favor", though what the gal had done was far from helpful, favorable, or flavorful.
She'd laid into Nagatoro, the farm-tanned cutie-pie, distinctly not happy about Hana joining them.
Nagatoro hadn't needed to say anything.
How she felt?
It had been as obvious as a giant space penis with two boobs instead of balls spinning like a ceiling-fan over Tokyo Bay.
This pissed off Naoto rather substantially, but he hadn't been about to retaliate, and he'd watched in dismay as Sakura went to town.
And then, Gamo-chan and Yoshi just had to join in and praise Hana—not that Hana wasn't praiseworthy—at Nagatoro's "expense".
Expense?!
Well… Naoto supposed it was at Nagatoro's expense. They joined up with Sakura in plugging it.
It had to have been obvious that the gal had been lashing out at Nagatoro. Even if Yoshi was unable to identify such a thing, Gamo-chan wasn't!
Yeah… He didn't like it, but it didn't seem untrue. They knew they were aggravating Nagatoro—at least Sakura and Gamo-chan…
…
But more importantly…
There was no good reason for Nagatoro to feel anything negative towards Hana!
It didn't make much sense to Naoto. What's she got against Sunomiya? Really?!
If it really was the whole "lacking a bombshell body" thing, he was frankly disgusted that Nagatoro could be that shallow.
Surely, he knew he sometimes looked down on himself, concerned that other men were more "impressive" than him, but Nagatoro had so much going for her!
He'd made it perfectly clear that a girl's body wasn't the most important thing about her to him, and she was no exception.
Nagatoro had a charm unlike that of any other, and he'd shown it to whoever looked at his club's art display that she did!
He'd told her and assured her that she was special—to him and in many other ways.
…
However…
Nagatoro's lousy attitude hadn't begun at lunchtime. She'd been pissy the whole, entire day, Gamo-chan had said. Since morning!
What Naoto saw in the art room was just a continuation of her lameness.
He thought…
She CAN'T be upset about me having dinner with Sakura!
A lot more than dinner had happened, but what went on between the end of studying and the storm was nobody's business, and nothing untoward had occurred.
But the stuff on social media had not looked good.
Naoto was already hearing about the posting the moment he'd walked into school, but he hadn't thought much of it until he'd seen how lascivious the meddling Mari's post appeared.
Nevertheless…
It was hard to stay wowed at rumors and stuff when they kept appearing so quickly!
…
About Hana…
Naoto thought one of the more difficult things was seeing Hana confused over the situation.
It turns out, he was the one not getting it.
Hana got the picture. She was peculiar, but she wasn't clueless. Though she reliably avoided hurtfully mocking anyone, she understood that friends sometimes gave each other a hard time.
What had transpired was more than just a "hard time".
The girls had gone too far, and she knew it, no matter how sick they'd been of Nagatoro's senselessly rubbish attitude.
…
Seriously…
Why'd they push knowing Nagatoro was so upset?
Nothing good was bound to happen whenever they did this; they knew Nagatoro better than he did, and he knew they were kicking an anthill.
…
The thing about Nagatoro…
She hated being teased far more than Naoto had ever known in his own aversion.
She knew how much it could hurt, but she kept doing it, namely to him.
Why?! Why would you do something when you know how much it can hurt?!
Nagatoro gleefully doled out injury, but she herself couldn't take anything.
She couldn't take a joke.
She wasn't a good sport.
She wasn't a "team player".
Naoto knew he wasn't perfect in all these things, but he could readily laugh at himself, at least much of the time.
Nagatoro?
Unless she was the one laughing, she had no sense of humor.
This was probably what he liked the least about her.
…
Naoto hadn't been in contact with Nagatoro for several days. They'd texted a few times during the week, but he hadn't heard from her since Friday.
It was the same with the girls—they hadn't heard from her.
In fact, Nagatoro was ignoring their calls and messages, clearly upset over Friday.
Nobody knew what she was up to.
He hoped that she was doing okay… and studying.
Despite wanting to do so, he hadn't contacted her, unsure of what to say.
…
What's really going on?! Naoto was failing to wrap his mind around it. What is Nagatoro's issue?!
He knew he'd been spending a lot of time with Sakura and Hana.
He'd even spent a fun time with Gamo-chan and Yoshi… and a meaningful time with Gamo-chan, by her lonesome.
"…!" It struck him, not that it hadn't been on his mind already.
Was Nagatoro jealous of the time he'd not spent with her?
Part of him found this difficult to believe.
If she wanted to hang out, she could've made the time! This was by no means the first time he'd reasoned this.
And he'd made time to hang out with her! There were other things he could've done with the previous Saturday's afternoon.
And he dearly wished that he had!
Beating off and taking a nap would've been time better spent than being mistreated, as had happened.
It was a bitter thing!
She wants some quality time to hang out?!
Maybe, just maybe, she should've valued the time she'd had with him.
…
… …
… … …
"…"
… … …
… …
…
He was thinking himself in circles!
Naoto shook it off, remembering what he was doing.
Now… is this the correct street? He consulted his phone and the nearest street sign.
He wasn't far off, and he made to hop a block over.
Starting west, he was on track, the restaurant at the end of the road.
Okay! This is where I need to—
"Senpai-kun~!"
He perked up, stopping, the joyous sound very nearby.
Looking east, Naoto beheld his two kohai. Yahoo!
Sakura and Hana had exited the opposite fork in the road he was just past, joining in a single street.
"G'morning, Senpai-kun~!" the gal waved.
He was about to reply, but the girls' manner of dress captured his notice.
More accurately, the duality of their manner of dress captured his notice.
Hana wore a plain, blue button-up blouse, a checkered skirt, and Mary-Janes with white crew-socks.
Wow!
It was unadorned.
It was modest.
It looked great on Hana!
…
And then there was Sakura.
She had on what Naoto could only describe as midthigh-length cocktail dress… in camouflage!
Her golden locks fanned out from a ballcap labeled with the Latin script:
USAF
Completing the outfit were a pair of combat boots with OD green socks just peeking over the uppers.
WTF~?! It was the most interesting thing he'd ever seen her wear.
And she was carrying her Prada bag she'd gotten such a bargain on! He recognized it from a picture she'd showed him.
"Like something you see, Senpai-kun~?" Sakura's warble called Naoto back from the void.
"Huh!" He blinked.
He'd been staring, apparently…
"G-good morning, Sakura-san," he stammered; he turned to Hana. "Good morning, Sunomiya."
"Hello, Hachioji-senpai." Hana bowed her head.
Naoto took a breath, centering himself.
Sakura giggled, pointing at their senpai, "Check it out, Hana-chan, I think we broke him~."
"It seems the contrast we present is jarring, Sakura-senpai," she determined. "I told you your outfit might surprise him…"
"And you're just so adorable!" Sakura gushed. "You're the picture of properness~. Put us both together, and it's too much to handle~!"
Hana pumped her fist, eyes shining. "Deadly duo…"
Sakura laughed, jostling Hana.
Naoto looked back and forth at his two friends.
Wow, are they cute today!
Sakura sauntered closer. "So, how are you doing today, Senpai-kun~?"
He didn't refrain from the one question he had. "What are you wearing, Sakura-san…?"
Rather than vexation, she was tickled. "I got the dress second-hand at a junk shop! Isn't it cool~?"
There was no denying that!
"I got the hat there too. I don't know how, but they got ahold of a whole box of these hats saying 'United States Air Force'."
Naoto managed, "That is pretty neat."
"I just thought it'd be fun~," she chirped; she turned her devotion to Hana, presenting her to their senpai. "Now… what do you think of Hana-chan~?"
There was no blushing to be done; he said, "You look nice, Sunomiya."
Hana didn't blush either, but she took on a warmer expression. "Thank you, Hachioji-senpai. I thought it looked nice too."
Man, did he think the girls looked great!
Sakura trumpeted, "Let's go! I'm hungry!"
Hana nodded. "Yes."
Naoto assented, "Sure."
…
…
…
The restaurant was just as interesting as Sakura's outfit, an American-style diner set in an old, repurposed train car.
The restaurant was crowded, but they managed to get three spots at a booth, Naoto on one side, the girls on the other.
"Look at this place…!" Naoto gaped at the Americana festooning the walls.
He didn't know who half the celebrities were, or what was being referenced, but he recognized a lot of what he saw:
There were countless posters, framed images depicting Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, an alligator hunting picture (beneath the alligator's mounted head), Judy Garland as Dorothy "with her little dog too", a few animal pelts, Marlon Brando a la The Godfather, a group-execution by hanging with half the town watching, Lucky Strikes cigarettes, other objects such as fishing poles with trophies of fish he'd never seen, and much more!
"How did they get all this stuff~?" Naoto kept being impressed.
Sakura grinned. "It is a pretty neat little restaurant~. My favorite thing is that. You might be able to appreciate it too, Senpai-kun~."
He followed her pointed finger.
No way…! He physically stood up and walked over.
It was out of reach and protected by glass, but he was certain of what it was, up close.
Sakura appeared beside him. "Yeah, the owner's dad got ahold of this in 1974, one of the times he visited Japan."
Naoto goggled.
It was little more than a sketch, but—
"This is an Andy Warhol original!" he exclaimed.
"Isn't that something~?" Sakura loved his enthusiasm.
Naoto waved. "Sunomiya! Come look!"
Hana got up and came over.
"…" She considered the piece. "Interesting."
"Just interesting?!" Naoto was aghast.
"I don't know very much about Andy Warhol, Hachioji-senpai."
"Well, we need to fix that!" he said with purpose. "Sometime, I'll show you this book in the club—"
"Will you kids please move?" an annoyed waitress, looking very 1950's, stood with a platter of food.
Naoto came to his senses; he'd forgotten that there were other people around, and they were staring, many none too kindly.
With a quick bow and an embarrassed "sorry", Naoto sat back down, followed by the girls.
Sakura sighed, "Yeah, when they're busy like this, they don't like people running around."
Hana did approve of their surroundings, never having been there. "I'll come here when they're not so busy and look around."
"We could do it together, Hana-chan~!" Sakura inserted. "We only live a few blocks away~."
"Yes, Sakura-senpai, that sounds fun."
"What can I get you to drink?"
The three turned, faced with the same server from before.
Naoto humbled himself, saying, "I'm sorry, ma'am… I was just excited about the décor. I didn't mean to get in the way."
She kindly said, "Oh, I was just struggling with that tray, so don't worry about it. It is fun to check out the walls."
Handing each of them menus, she pulled out a pad of paper.
"What to drink?"
They ordered coffee, and they were given time to read the menu.
"So… what's good here?" Naoto asked.
Sakura glowed and said, "This place makes the best caramel-rolls in the prefecture~. I like to get one on top of whatever else I get."
Naoto knew Sakura had decent taste in food, so he was sure they were good, but he looked at the menu.
Boy, were there some interesting items!
He'd never known so many types of omelets existed.
Minutes later, their server returned with three mugs and a pot of coffee, pulling out her pad. "What would you like?"
Sakura said at once, "I'd love a caramel roll~."
Sadly—
"Sorry young lady, we sold out by 8:30 a.m. They make a certain amount every morning, and when they're gone, they're gone."
The gal's face fell, puckering in mild disappointment. "Oh, poo…"
But it wasn't that big of a deal.
Sakura had decided. "I'd like a Denver omelet with hashbrowns and fruit."
Hana doubled the order, "I'd like the same, please."
"Wanna split a waffle, Hana-chan~?" Sakura wondered.
She liked the idea. "Please, that would be nice."
Turning to Naoto, the server asked, "Well, young man, you decide on something?"
He had.
"I'd like the chicken-fried steak with gravy, hashbrowns, pancakes, and fruit," he relished.
"You must be hungry~," she replied.
"Yes." He was.
"I'll get that started for you." The server left.
"…" Sakura liked waffles, but she'd really been hoping for a caramel roll.
Hana assured, "It's okay, Sakura-senpai. We'll be working on summer homework together. We could stop here on the way to school and pick up some of those rolls to bring to the clubroom."
This was a good idea to the gal. "Yeah~! Sounds good, Hana-chan~! The place opens at 6:00 a.m. every day!"
Naoto rolled his eyes, but he didn't let the girls see him do it. There's no reason to get up that early!
After all, there would likely be no getting into the school until 8:00 a.m. once summer break started.
It was only five school-days away!
Please look forward to the next chapter! Thanks for reading! Questions and comments are welcome!