🌸Cherry Blossom Palette🎨
🌸Chapter 49: The Goddesses of Hope and Faith🌺
Written by EmtenDew
Edited by P. serrulata
Author's note:
ED: On the way to school, the first day of final exams, Naoto, Sakura, and Hana make something of a pact upon a little piece of goodwill.
I guess I haven't ever done so, but I wish to thank all the readers from around the world who've checked out my story! It's pretty special to me to see that people from 30+ countries have taken a look at my story. I only know this because a couple of the sites show demographics in the stats.
For those of you feeling weirded out by Naoto's subjects of focus for when Nagatoro models for him, don't feel too put off. It has a purpose in the story. I think nothing in the story is without cause. And that stuff is actually hard to draw.
Ask us anything, and I'll add a Q&A section to the next chapter. I would be happy if you ask questions.
Please enjoy what I wrote.
Monday, July 15, 2018
"I tell you… I don't get why some people think it's so weird to buy used clothes," Sakura Inori mused, hoofing it along to school. "As long as you give 'em a wash, they're usually fine! And only a crazy person couldn't love a nice discount store~!"
Hana Sunomiya, alongside her, didn't see anything weird about it either. "I agree. That was a lot of fun yesterday, Sakura-senpai. In particular, I really liked that outlet store. I'll need to visit more stores like those this summer."
"We can do it together~!" Sakura chirped. "Back when I was a kid, my family shopped secondhand out of necessity. We didn't have a whole lot when I was little, and Mom sorta drilled it into my head to be thrifty… But now, I just love doing it! You never know what you're gonna find~!
"I mean, it's pretty awesome when entire clothing chains dump their stock into the outlet stores, but some people just dump clothes into donations with the tags still attached! Never been worn~! But used is usually good enough. One thing though… never buy used shoes (unless you know where they've been or know what to look for), socks, underwear, or hats. Yuck…"
"Mm." Hana was in accordance.
"Something I always did when I was a little girl (I still do—did it yesterday~) was to rifle through all the pants pockets on the racks," the gal said. "It's ridiculous how many pockets aren't emptied out by their previous owners! Most times, I'd find enough yen to buy a few candy bars~! A couple times, I found bills, not just coins."
Hana had her own anecdote. "When I was small, finding money was always nice… especially when my parents wouldn't buy me sweets, the times I wanted some."
"I'm glad to have another convert~!" the older girl expressed. "Secondhand and outlet for the win~!"
Hana had been lacking in this knowledge, her family always fairly prosperous and never resorting to buying anything used, not even cars, but she could appreciate the practicality of a good deal.
She was glad to discover such a thing. "I'll have to tell my mother about some of those places."
Sakura addressed the third member of their little faction, walking nearest to the street, "You should come thrift store shopping with us, Senpai-kun! It's loads of fun~!"
"Yeah… sometime…" he obliged.
The ice cream shop and the frequented park a block behind them, Naoto had met the two girls near the junction as they were moving east.
He was there, with Sakura and Hana, but… he was feeling wrung-out from the night before, still recovering from his heart-to-heart with Nagatoro.
It was a different kind of "wrung-out" from the conclusion of his intentional crying session the Sunday previous, when he'd blubbered like a four-year-old with a very public case of diarrhea.
What he'd accomplished less than 12 hours earlier, asking Nagatoro what he'd asked and telling her what he'd told her, was akin to falling out of a burning plane, finding and correctly donning a parachute in midair, having it deploy properly, and—upon successful touchdown—being gifted a laurel, courtesy of the prime minister, and two freshly-drawn pitchers of ice-cold beer with a plate of spicy chicken wings, courtesy of two topless supermodels.
Yes, it was that unsubstantiated in his mind!
And Nagatoro was possibly showing up for lunch!
Hopefully, it wouldn't be an issue with his current company…
He felt numb, but he felt pretty damn good.
Regardless, he tried to focus; there were other forces at work. And it wasn't overly difficult, his great accomplishment seeming so unreal.
Final exams were at long, effing last upon them.
They had Japanese and English on that day, Monday, science and math on Tuesday, and social studies in the morning on Wednesday.
Monday and Tuesday each had a super-long lunch hour, and students looked forward to this like the elusive pizza and ice cream day at a rural elementary school!
They had classes otherwise, but they would be little more than make-work, and they'd get their exam results Friday morning.
Why can't they just cut us loose at lunchtime on Wednesday?!
…
Yes, Naoto had to focus, but he didn't have to focus that hard.
Truth be told, the thing with Nagatoro—and even finals—presently took a backseat at this little juncture.
It seemed that whatever ailed him was mollified, his being with Sakura and Hana.
He'd never not enjoyed spending time with his fellow study-buddies (in the short amount of time actually had), and he wasn't going to let this brief respite before the "beginning of the end" pass him by.
And the girls weren't about to let that happen either!
Sakura chuckled, nudging her senpai, "Wasn't Hana-chan just the cutest thing in that outfit~?"
Naoto didn't need clarification; she meant the "goth-loli" getup.
But he wouldn't quite commit to using the word "cute", kind of spent in the "laying bare the soul" department. He was striving to ease into being able to casually say such a thing but…
"It was… definitely something…" He blushed, only a little. "That pic of you hiking up that gown was pretty funny."
"Aw, he liked my pic better, Hana-chan~," Sakura poked her.
Hana (pleased with being called "cute") didn't assent, expounding, "Hachioji-senpai said it was funny, Sakura-senpai. He didn't say it was better."
The untrained eye/ear wouldn't have perceived it, but the first-year girl was enjoying this banter.
Her two senpai didn't fall into that camp, that of the uninitiated.
"Whaddaya say there, Senpai-kun~?" Sakura questioned the twitchy young man, hopping to his side. "What's your pick~?"
He fussed, reddening, "Don't start that…"
"Sakura-senpai asked you a question." Hana moved in, not uninvested.
Sunomiya too?! Naoto quailed.
He was now between the two girls!
"Yeah, Sakura-senpai asked you a question~!" the gal went third-person oh him.
Naoto flustered, "I… like them both?"
He should've known that answer might not be acceptable!
"Boo!" Sakura jeered. "That's cheating!"
"I think it's perfectly reasonable, Sakura-senpai," Hana combatted.
The blonde wasn't having it. "That's only 'cuz you know you'd lose~!"
"Nope," Hana opposed.
"Yeah~."
"I don't think so, Sakura-senpai."
"Why not?" she dared. "Why wouldn't I win~?"
"Because it's not always about winning. There's nothing wrong with Hachioji-senpai liking them both. Really, is there anything wrong with it?"
Hana's blameless reckoning disarmed Sakura.
The older of the two girls kicked a pebble. "No… you're right… That was dumb of me…"
"…" Naoto didn't want her put out.
That shouldn't have been enough to daunt her, but their kohai had a way of humbling Sakura.
"…" And Hana didn't seem in any hurry to comfort the gal.
Naoto assuaged, "It's okay, Sakura-san… you were just having fun."
"…" she mumbled.
Naoto tried, "I, uh, did think the picture of you showing your… short dress under the big gown was pretty funny, really. I got your message when I was walking home… I just about tripped, it surprised me so much. I should've stopped moving… before checking my phone."
"That cocktail dress made for a fun outfit~," she crooned, rebounding. "I'm glad you liked it~."
That's not what we're—
No… He couldn't deny he'd utterly approved of it. "…"
Hana didn't miss him furthering a healthy, reddish hue.
She warned, half-serious, "Don't tease, Sakura-senpai."
Sakura chortled, eyeing Naoto, "Sorry, Senpai-kun… I'll leave you be."
He didn't mind her playfulness. "I definitely thought it was a neat dress. I've never seen anything like it before."
"Right~?!" The gal bounced back redux. "It was actually hand-made, and they were practically giving it away! I don't know who she is, but there's some lady out there built just like me with really fun taste~."
Naoto could've done without the last sentence, always a bit brain-addled at her mention of her own fruitful body. "…"
Without warning, shrieking in delight, Sakura bounded back to Hana, "Hey, Hana-chan, what would you call someone like that? Someone cool with your exact measurements~? Would she be something like a 'doppelganger'? There has to be a name for it~."
"…" Hana mulled. "You might call her a… 'dimensions double'…?"
Sakura turned up her nose at it. "…That one's kinda a bust, Hana-chan…"
"Yes, it wasn't very good…" Hana didn't disagree. "Not everything can be a gem."
"But it was logical, at least," her female senpai praised. "It works that way."
"I suppose."
"In fact, I'm gonna use that term!" Sakura announced. "I think I kinda like it~!"
"It's all yours, Sakura-senpai." Hana cast it away, her straight face going just out of whack. "Just don't tell anyone where you got it. I don't wish to be attached to it."
The silly Sakura shook with glee, patting Hana's back. "You're funny~! Really, it wasn't too bad!"
Naoto kept on keeping on, relishing where and when he was, in-step with his two lovely companions. "…~"
He was surrounded by loveliness.
Even the weather's lovely!
It was early, and it wasn't hot yet.
…
Sakura said to Hana, "I was hoping you'd wear your new boots again today, Hana-chan."
"They wouldn't fit in the shoe-lockers, Sakura-senpai." Hana wasn't impractical over such matters. "Don't think I didn't want to try and break them in a little more."
"Good point." The gal hadn't considered this. "But you were so adorbs yesterday, your new boots with that outfit you showed up with~."
"Thanks…" Hana wiggled shyly. "They weren't actually that bad to wear, but they were definitely new and unbroken."
Sakura bore in mind, "Y'know, there are other ways to break in boots without having to run all over the place."
"Are there?" This appealed to the freshman.
…
Yeah… this is nice… Naoto reflected to himself.
…
Still… he did worry about the "girl fight", going on amongst his female friends; it undeniably wasn't ended.
Nagatoro had told him over the horn that she'd try to talk to the other girls about their dispute.
He wasn't sure if she'd meant it or not.
He didn't think she was lying, but he'd pretty much cornered her, not that he'd meant—
No, he had meant to trap her, attempting to nullify her bedeviling him.
Though it had worked…
It wasn't a thing he was proud of, and he was regretting it.
She might've said ANYTHING, just "reacting to stimuli"!
If that was the case…
Will she stick to Friday afternoon? For that conceivably mortifying modeling session?
It did worry him.
But he was far more worried that she was nowadays—more immediately—upset, resentful of the "affronts" she'd experienced recently.
You can give it, but you can't take it!
This pissed the shit out of him sometimes, her "double-standard of living", but still…
He worried.
And he knew it was messed up of him to condemn her so severely.
…
"Hachioji-senpai?" Hana directed her attention to Naoto, noting his condition.
"You okay, Senpai-kun?" Sakura came across kindly, though not overly bothered.
He was okay, more or less.
Permitting himself a bleak smile, he told the girls what was on his mind.
"Oh, I'm… just hoping Nagatoro's okay… and the rest of you." There wasn't any reason to hide it. "I called Nagatoro last night, and I think she was still upset about last Friday."
Besides using the word "think"—he knew she was bent out of shape—he wasn't lying!
But the rest was private.
"…" "…" Sakura and Hana absorbed this.
"I'm not blaming anyone…" Naoto (un)implicated. "Things just haven't been the best with everyone…"
…
Hana eyed Sakura, to which Sakura, ho-humming, nodded.
The gal spoke, "Senpai-kun?"
"Yes, Sakura-san?"
"We were gonna keep mum about it, but Hayacchi messaged Hana-chan and me last night… and I think Gamo-chan and Yoshi."
"…!" He showed surprise.
Giving a reply to a query never asked—though it had hopped the synapses between Naoto's neurons—Hana said, "She asked if it was okay if she joined us for lunch today, Hachioji-senpai."
His mood soared. "She did~?!"
And he immediately caught himself, though there was no taking it back.
Sakura cracked up, "How's that for a reaction, Hana-chan~?"
"Not unforeseen, Sakura-senpai." She revolved away from Sakura and towards Naoto. "We told her 'yes', of course."
Naoto rejoiced in his heart. "So… you…"
"It seems we're prolly all back on speaking terms, Senpai-kun; it's something," Sakura told him. "And… depending on how well things went with Gamo-chan, we may see her and Yoshi too, but I don't know."
He wanted to jump for joy, but…
This didn't bode as well for Naoto. I trust Sakura-san and Sunomiya to "behave", but…
Feelings had been hurt, and it made for tricky terrain.
And what if everyone caught wind of their Sunday brunch?! He could see trouble ahead.
Sakura didn't need to read his mind. "Don't worry yourself over it, Senpai-kun."
Hana pledged, "Nagatoro-senpai is always welcome, Hachioji-senpai… and so are Gamou-senpai and Yoshi-senpai. It would be nice to see them."
It wasn't the easiest thing in the world for Naoto to cast away his concerns, but there were people he knew that he'd trust a lot less than Sakura and Hana.
He took strength in their words. "It would be good to see everyone."
…
…
…
A block west of school was a bus stop, empty at the moment, that received daily foot-traffic, and Sakura pulled her two walking pals aside.
Naoto hadn't the foggiest what was going on, but Hana perked up.
She came close. "Oh, you finished it, Sakura-senpai?"
"I sure did~." Sakura opened her bag, and she pulled out a new omamori, similar to the one she'd had the day before. "I told you yesterday that it was close to completion~. All I had to do was the cording."
This one had a light checkered background, blue ties, and the character for 'hope' in black.
She made more? Naoto hadn't expected to see this again so soon.
"I finished it last night, Hana-chan," Sakura illuminated. "Back before I started, I was thinking about making one to cheer some student up… for blowing an exam, but I decided to just make another token for 'hope' instead."
"Why the checkered pattern?" the younger of the two girls asked.
"Say that someone has a 'checkered past'…" Sakura described. "It means their life have seen ups and downs… shifts in fortune… and duality in the honorability of their actions. It's not always a bad thing; it just signifies that things change overtime… providences ebb and flow in life."
"Ah…" Hana got it.
Naoto weighed the concept, "'Checks'…? Huh…"
"We all have checks in our lives, Senpai-kun…" Sakura wasn't bothered by his detachment. "Light, dark, think, thick… Red, blue, yellow, black, white, green, whatever… It's just part of life."
Naoto shrugged. "Surely."
"So… 'hope' in a checkered existence…" Hana metaphysically cogitated.
"…"
"…"
"What do you two know about Greek mythology?" Sakura asked.
That sorta fell outta the sky!
"Greek mythology?" Naoto had no idea why she'd bring that up.
Hana waited to see where this was going. "…"
Sakura nodded. "Yes… Greek mythology… Do you know much about it?"
Naoto listed, "…I know about Zeus… Hercules… Poseidon…"
"I only know a little bit about it, and it's just through sculpture and several paintings." Hana wasn't much better off.
Sakura taught, "There are parallels for most gods and lore with Greek and Roman mythology. It's interesting… Most are more familiar with Greek mythology because of its prominence in popular culture, but Roman mythology is much more prevalent in other areas, particularly astronomy.
"That's just to introduce a little context. You've both heard of Pandora's Box, haven't you?"
Naoto and Hana affirmed.
The gal continued, "It was said Pandora's Box contained… just about everything bad for mortal man… Sickness, fear, war, suffering, pain… But it also contained all that was good… Really, it contained everything that it was to be human… to be mortal… Most of all, one of the good things was hope. Elpis is the goddess of hope, and she was the final 'item' in Pandora's Box.
"Something kinda odd about Greek mythology is that Elpis wasn't given a whole lotta consideration, meaning she didn't have a 'dedicated religion' supporting her. Hope is the last refuge of man, but many of the learned Greeks were—at best—indifferent to the institution of hope; it didn't mesh with their predominant philosophical structures. Those familiar with Pandora's Box might not even recognize the name 'Elpis', but they know that hope lay at the bottom of Pandora's Box.
"What I'm getting at, is the Romans held hope in better regard. Spes is the Roman goddess of hope. The Romans also revered Fides, the goddess of… well, faith… trust and good faith. Hope and faith are different, but… they share a connection."
"…?" Naoto didn't see where this was going.
"…" Hana was grateful for the lesson in antiquity.
"Uh… what's all that got to do with the omamori?" Naoto moreover wondered where the gal picked up so much "random" knowledge.
Sakura chuckled, aware that he wasn't knocking her.
"Nothing, really, Senpai-kun~!" she warbled. "Just a little background info on the subject of 'hope'."
"I see…" He did. Sakura-san, you're the coolest girl I've ever known… but you're kinda nuts!
Unaware of her senpai sitting in judgement of her saneness, Sakura regarded the bus stop, "You could say that I have 'good luck' with this stop in particular. Hundreds of people use it every day. I've left a good dozen of these talismans here, and they've all disappeared within 24 hours.
"I have no way of knowing with all of them, but at least one person took my little charm, and they took heart in it. I know this because this person left a note in the same spot… saying 'thank you'. It reached someone, guys… It's the only time I've had confirmation that one of these found a home with someone in need of a little encouragement. I still pray for them all, but it was good to know for sure at least one person benefitted."
Naoto took in the vision of the gal, her back to him. "…!"
She revolved to her friends, beaming. "Isn't that something? Hana-chan? Senpai-kun?"
Hana pounded the air with her fists in solidarity. "Hmph!"
The girls' senpai couldn't agree more, but he wasn't about to pump his fists alongside Hana.
Fully facing her study buddies, Sakura cradled the omamori tenderly; she said, "Senpai-kun…"
He had a thrill, a kind he couldn't quite identify, course through him. "Yes?"
Sakura held up the token, developing a little color in the cheeks. "I… changed the message inside from last time. I… wasn't about to ask, but Hana-chan said she wanted to give her thoughts along with me… the next time I finished one of these. I was really happy that she wanted to join me…"
Naoto's spine tingled. "…!"
The blonde expressed, cerise, "And I would be just ecstatic if you'd join me too!"
He gave a complete lack of dispute, cocksure that his own face was going crimson, "I'd be glad to!"
The gal smiled. "Let's do this!"
Opening the pouch, she pulled out the piece of stationary, handing it over to Hana.
Hana gaped. "Are you sure, Sakura-senpai?"
"I'd feel honored if you would~."
Hana read the letter aloud.
"You do not know us, and we do not know you, but we are praying for you. We do not have the authority to bless this talisman, but we will pray for you, no matter your station."
Taking back the slip of paper, Sakura replaced it in the charm. "Thank you, Hana-chan~."
"You're welcome, Sakura-senpai," she replied.
From there, all three directed good thoughts into the talisman, and each gave it a kiss.
Naoto still had the other half of the sheet of paper used the day before on the last omamori, and he wrote the same message that Sakura had.
Take me home with you
"…~" Having pinned the note to the small treasure, Sakura held it to her bosom; she addressed her friends, "Thank you… both of you."
Neither could've been more pleased to have been a part.
"Hana-chan… Senpai-kun…" Sakura prompted. "When you have a moment… when you remember… please think of whomever might take this home."
This, they would do.
While Naoto was give-or-take satisfied with things, Hana was curious.
She wanted to know, "Sakura-senpai… what made you decide to start doing this?"
Doink! Flashes of apprehension strobed away in Naoto's head. Sunomiya! Why'd you have to go and ask a thing like that?
But he recalled that while Sakura had given purpose to this act and why she did it, she'd not said why she did it, as in the initial reason behind this ritual.
Hana's question was a blameless one, the girl never frivolous in asking much of anything, and she truly cared.
That said, Naoto wouldn't dare—
…
Fine… He'd been curious too, but he didn't doubt Sakura's practice had come from some dark place in her life; it was the reason he was pretty much content in letting her be on the matter.
Blessedly, her whys and wherefores were far more innocent.
She exuded, "I don't know if she'd heard it somewhere or if she made it up, but it's a story my mom told me when I was little, of giving strangers who need it a little love and a little luck. That was a good enough reason to do it… when I was six-years-old, that is."
"…!" The hair stood up on the back of Naoto's neck and his scalp prickled, a terrible premonition rising. Is she gonna…?
It was egotistical if him, yes, but Sakura gave him no small measure of relief, saying, "As for why I kept doing it, Hana-chan… and why I started again after stopping… I'd need to think about it for a while before trying to answer you… Sorry."
The blonde, grimacing, distractedly twirled her hair on a finger, something Naoto had never seen her do.
It didn't bode the best…
Not at all surprising, Hana took no ire with Sakura's answer. "There's no need to apologize, Sakura-senpai. But please do tell me if you ever want to."
The gal's face lit up. "…Thank you, Hana-chan…"
Hana merely nodded.
Wow! Naoto had been taking the backseat in this exchange.
While Hana was the kind of girl to ask questions, she was very understanding when not given a direct answer or gifted with a vague response.
It was a very positive attribute.
Naoto had his hopes. Maybe it ISN'T anything bad…
Still, it didn't augur well to him. "…"
Sakura had some thoughts to finish. "If I was to get all religious on you, no one knows what waits in the beyond. It doesn't have much to do with this, but… yeah…
"Wishes and thoughts and prayers sound nice, but they don't mean much unless they're given substance. So… if someone can benefit in knowing a few people are thinking of them, then… good."
And this was good enough for her two friends.
"…"
"…"
"…"
In all of them, something stirred.
It was time to move on.
Hana lifted her voice, "Hachioji-senpai?"
He took notice, "Sunomiya?"
She smiled; it wasn't a big one—it was scarcely perceptible—but it was warm and true. "Thank you again for your hard work and time, Hachioji-senpai. I'm really happy I was able to study with you and Sakura-senpai."
Not immune to Hana's feelings, Naoto was sent reeling. "…!"
It knocked the wind right out of him!
All the same, he came back, warm and true, with no absence of a blush, "I should be the one thanking you, but you're welcome, Sunomiya…"
"Me too, Senpai-kun!" Sakura came in. "I truly, truly feel a lot better about things, Senpai-kun. Thank you so much~."
Naoto really got a kick out of her "wheedling voice" at times, but it was small potatoes compared to hearing love in her tone.
And he'd heard it, just then. "I'm glad I could help, Sakura-san…"
"And thank you, Hana-chan~," Sakura made to finish, turning to her kohai, becoming somber. "Thanks… for everything… really…"
As was her wont, Hana gave a simple nod. "You're welcome… and thank you as well."
"…~" Sakura dimpled.
Oh, did Naoto love his girls!
He felt ready, regarding them, "I'm proud of you both. Just do your best this week. I'll do the same."
"Right!" Sakura pumped her fists.
Hana raised her hands. "Banzai."
"Eyes on the prize." Naoto declared.
"'Eyes on the prize?'" Hana, lowering her hands, wasn't familiar with this phrase.
I guess I've only said that to myself… Naoto had used it as a mantra for days.
Sakura informed Hana, "He means 'to focus on the objective'."
"Oh…" Hana blinked.
"I have an idea!" Sakura beamed. "How about this?"
Naoto and Hana watched.
Sakura still held the amulet, and on her upturned left palm, she presented it central among them.
"With Spes, the Goddess of Hope, as our witness, let's give it all we've got~!" The gal cheerfully placed her right hand over the little bag. "Everybody in! Eyes on the prize~!"
Naoto saw what she was up to, and he loved it. "…!"
Hana recognized it too, and she was the first to put her hand over Sakura's. "Eyes on the prize."
Naoto grinned, his joining hand eclipsing the girls'. "Eyes on the prize."
Unexpectedly, Hana's other hand appeared atop his, surprising Naoto.
Sakura tittered, "That's not how it's done, Hana-chan~…"
"Why not?" she puzzled. "Both of your hands are in."
"It's alright," Naoto chuckled, finishing the pile with his other hand.
Now they really WERE "all-in"!
Sakura laughed, "Yeah, I guess it's fine…"
"May this token be a comfort to someone in need of it," Hana said, not devoid of optimism.
"Yes, may it do just that~," Sakura approved, smiling.
Naoto added, "And may their hope become faith."
He wasn't sure whose ass he'd pulled that from, but the sentiment was well-received, and Sakura placed the omamori in a place where someone lacking in some hope might find it.
This done, they continued their walk to school.
Q&A Section
By nature, fanfiction is a departure from canon. What specific departure do you think best lends itself to your story?
ED: How eloquent~. But really, I like this question. If I had to pick one "departure", it would be the fact that Sakura and Hana are becoming best friends in my story. I think it's turned out well, their relationship. They're two peculiar but earnest girls, and they can learn a lot from each other and find fun in anything.
I'm pretty sure I've said it before, but I think Sakura and Hana are the kind of people that can get along with anyone if they and the other party are willing to give each other a chance.
What did you initially like about the Nagatoro series that made you decide on writing such a large story about it?
ED: It was more what I didn't like about the story. I guess I wanted better for Naoto after watching him for a year from his perspective and a couple from mine. Blame the pandemic for some of it too. I actually began to brainstorm the story in late 2020, but it was daunting.
I learned that P. serrulata used to do editing for fanfiction when chatting with him and other people on Reddit. I keep talking about his essays too. I ended up taking more ideas from his stuff than is probably fair. I wanted to write a fanfic, and he "read between the lines" and thought there was so much potential in the story and its characters. Some of his ideas sounded crazy, but they made sense to me when I thought about what might realistically happen in the situations.
I thought that he'd say no when I asked him to help me and at best steer me in the right direction. We talked a few times, and I pitched some of my ideas to him and got advice back. When I constructed an outline with an ending and everything in between, I straight up asked him if he would be willing to help me. He said yes.
The story didn't seem it would be nearly as long as it has become, but I quickly saw that details were important. That's how it got so big. PS called it "outlining without boundaries". "Make things as long or as short as they need to be to accomplish the goal at hand." He does remove a lot of content and tries to streamline the story. Content he removes is either something the story doesn't really need or things that can be used in different places.
I do remember reading that you are an avid fan of One Piece, but are there other romantic comedies that you enjoy as well?
ED: Wotakoi and Living Room Matsunaga-san are series I like that could be called romantic comedies. Other series I like are dramas that have funny elements. Sweat and Soap is one I like that fits that. Perfect World is far from being a comedy, but it still has funny elements, mostly from relatable situations.
Please look forward to the next chapter! Thanks for reading! Questions and comments are welcome!