🌸Cherry Blossom Palette🎨
🌸Chapter 51: The Edge, Part Two🎨
Written by EmtenDew
Edited by P. serrulata
Author's note:
ED: Emotions show between and among the girls, and if they're not careful, someone may say something she can't take back.
I'm sorry for not releasing more chapters in the last month, but my editor and me have been busy irl. I also dislike releasing chapters when there is no chance of a Reddit promotion, so I spaced out chapters.
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.
Monday, July 15, 2018
During the extended lunchbreak, the first day of final exams, the atmosphere was a little happier in the Art Club's room than it had been mere minutes ago.
Hayase Nagatoro, conspicuously pissed off a moment before, resentful of her friends' gushing over Hana Sunomiya bein' cute or whatever the Hell else had been bugging her, was abruptly in better spirits. "I can't wait to go to the aquarium again! They're bringing in Rockhopper penguins next week~!"
"You still like penguins that much?" Maki Gamou chewed on the straw from her empty juice-box.
At this point, everyone had finished eating, and they were just shooting the breeze.
"Like 'em?" Nagatoro whirled in the direction of her best friend, lit up like a Christmas tree. "I love 'em!"
Yoshi Yamazaki stated, no differently than one would note the changing weather, "Here we go…"
…
Yes, there she goes about the aquarium and the penguins again. Naoto Hachioji listened as Nagatoro raved over the greatness of the penguin.
He was happy to see her cheer up, but he'd never seen the appeal in visiting aquariums. He didn't see the point, and he took a mental joyride away from where he was.
The minor annoyance of it sparked in him a healthy cynicism.
He'd always found that aquariums were the same, really, no matter where he went.
It was mostly a matter of how big they were, how crappy and grimy they were, and how badly they stank… not to mention how expensive they could be…
A lot of it was just that he felt closed-in, millions of liters of water every which way, pressing towards its theoretical center with enough force to crumple any humanoid creature!
What a way to go!
The allure of penguins was also lost on him.
A buncha birds that can't fly, too stupid to fuck and lay their eggs somewhere where the temperature DIDN'T drop to the occasional -80 °C…!
As far as he was concerned, all penguins did was make noise and vomit on each other and freeze to death and get killed by seals and other birds that could fly.
They seemed very "kickable", penguins…
If he let his sinister side take over, the thought of booting one of their stiff, torpedo-shaped bodies, folding it over his metatarsal, and sending the little bastard sailing into the lower Troposphere was morbidly amusing.
What a sight that'd be!
But Naoto longed to spend more time with Nagatoro, and he'd tolerate the claustrophobic lameness of the aquarium for that end.
He might even learn something! As one might see, he wasn't overly educated in pertinence to penguins.
…
"Hanacchi, what's up?" Gamo-chan glanced to her left, seeing Hana fiddle with her blouse. "You lose a button or something?"
Hana specified, "I didn't lose it, precisely, but it tore off when I caught it on my desk. It's in my pocket. I'll ask my mother to fix it later."
"You don't know how to mend a button, Hana-chan?" Sakura Inori asked, across from her kohai.
Hana shook her head. "I've been taught a few times, including in home-economics, but I never got it down."
"You're in good company, Hanacchi…" Gamo-chan mumbled. "I suck at sewing too…"
Yoshi revealed, "We don't learn!"
Sakura smirked. "It's mending a button, not sewing. 'Sewing' is a little more involved."
"Well, I can't do that either," Gamo-chan admitted.
"Samesies!" Yoshi adjoined.
Sakura dug in her bag, producing a sewing kit. "Everyone should know how to mend a button."
Taking a little scrap of rag that Naoto kept around to clean with, she set everything on the table, pulling a spare button, needle, and thread from the kit.
"Senpai-kun?" she piped.
"Yes?"
She requested, "Please switch places with me; everyone will be able to see a little better."
"Of course…" He did, taking the seat opposite Hana.
Surrounded by five, she instructed, "Hana-chan… everyone… watch."
Threading the needle with an arm-and-a-half of thread, halving the thread, and tying a knot, she ran the needle through the fabric.
"For this, we'll just pretend the button is supposed to go here… This button is a four-hole button, like what most of us have on our uniforms. It's a little more complicated than a two-hole button, but it's not bad.
"We can do a cross-stitch or a double-stitch, and we're gonna go with a cross-stitch; it's easier for beginners, I think. Here's what you do…"
The room gave their attention.
Make sure the button is facing OUT from the fabric… not backwards…
We come up from underneath the first bunny-hole… go back down the bunny-hole diagonal from the first… pull it taut…
Back up the first bunny-hole and back down the second…
Repeat… repeat… Four times is plenty…
Then, from underneath, you go up the third bunny-hole… back down the fourth…
Repeat… repeat… repeat…
"Now that we're done 'playing rabbit', we create a shank."
You come back up from underneath, next to the bunny-hole but NOT up through it…
Wrap around the thread going up and down the bunny-holes four times…
And then back down through the fabric…
"Finally, we tie our finishing-knot…"
I like to run the needle through the clump of thread… leave a loop… run through the loop to knot…
Repeat… repeat…
Snip the thread about one cm away from the knot…
"And… there~!"
Most of them were impressed enough, the "repair" so exact a machine might've done it.
"You made that look easy," Gamo-chan somewhat envied.
Yoshi discharged, "With surgical precision~!"
"Wow…" Hana tugged on the button, held firmly to the fabric.
"Now, you try, Hana-chan~." Sakura offered.
She nodded, eager to give it a go. "Okay."
Hana slowly but steadily rehashed Sakura's method, and…
"I think I got it." She held up the rag, the button secured.
Sakura commended, testing and looking over the job, "You sure did~! Nice and clean too."
"Thanks, Sakura-senpai." Hana gleamed. "That was kind of fun."
Gamo-chan approved, "Nice, Hanacchi~."
"I'd prolly sew my hands together~!" Yoshi shared.
Hana was far from displeased with herself. "…~"
"Now you can fix your own button," Sakura gleamed to her kohai.
"Me?" Hana started and began to fidget; she'd expected her senpai to do it for her.
"Yeah, go for it~!" Sakura boosted. "You just did it fine on the scrap. Give it a try~."
The gal helped Hana get started, if only to get her going in the right direction.
Unfortunately, though it was more along the lines of "it is what it is", the repair wasn't feasible while the young artist wore her top.
So, out of necessity, Hana sat, clad in a bra, and mended her own blouse.
It shouldn't have been a big deal, but…
"Hey, stop squirming over there, Paisen~." Gamo-chan preempted.
Sakura and Yoshi giggled benignly.
"Don't mind me." Naoto, keeping his eyes in a safe direction, was writhing only slightly. It's nothing I haven't seen before!
He wanted to tell Gamo-chan to leave Hana out of smutty jokes, but he held his tongue.
Hana seemed fine with her station, and while Naoto was a little uncomfortable, he was not overly so.
She was just fixing a button, no different than he might, and he DID know how, though he wasn't much good at it.
"Apologies, Hachioji-senpai…" Hana made her way through the process. "I'll be brief."
That's too much! Naoto wouldn't stand for it. "Hey, it's fine, Sunomiya. Do what you gotta do… No rush."
Wow, was he backing into some probable mockery with his ass-cheeks spread!
Consequently, he was pleased to say that Gamo-chan's crack was the only one to be had, and Sakura and Yoshi didn't laugh again, maturity winning out.
But he was almost afraid to look at Nagatoro!
Ergo, he didn't.
…
Not long after, Hana snipped the excess thread. "Done."
Sakura examined the mending. "…"
Somewhat rare to hear, Hana sounded unsure of herself, "…How is it, Sakura-senpai?"
She saw no issues. "Hey, that's really good, Hana-chan~! Try it out."
To Naoto's respite, Hana put her blouse back on, doing up her buttons.
She got to the hitherto detached fastener, and…
"You got it, Hana-chan~!" Sakura cheered.
"Sweet!" Gamo-chan nodded.
Yoshi squalled, "Hanacchi the tailor~!"
Even Naoto joined in. "Good job, Sunomiya."
Hana gifted her senpai with another heartfelt smile, minute but meaningful, proud of what she'd done.
While Sakura, Gamo-chan, and Yoshi were ecstatic at the sight, Naoto quietly sat off to the side, his own satisfaction brimming.
I'm loving this day~!
But there was no skirting it.
One person wasn't loving much of anything, and Naoto finally hazarded a fresh glance her way.
Nagatoro was steamed again; she had her face buried in her English notes, but it was obvious she wasn't getting any studying done.
She was sulking.
And Naoto was met with another lurch, not unlike the one that had dropped into his guts like a bomb, talking with Nagatoro on the phone.
He was getting steamed. If things here are SO BAD for you, "Hayacchi", maybe you should leave!
He dared not voice his thoughts, but Nagatoro's barely-hidden contempt towards the kohai for whom he'd probably throw away his own life had him fuming.
Hadn't he just told Nagatoro the night before to try for a little tolerance?!
Whatever her problem was with Sunomiya, he was increasingly uncaring as to what it might be.
Nagatoro was getting worse and worse, whatever it was.
He just wanted it to stop. "…!"
He needed to cool out for a moment.
Not making a scene of it, he stood up and exited the room.
…
…
…
Naoto was washing his hands, and he splashed some cold water in his face for good measure.
Having left the art room for a change of scenery, he had needed to use the can, he'd gathered, and taking a leak was almost always a relief.
Drying his hands and face, he debated his next move. Maybe I should go walking for a bit…
They still had, what, 80 minutes before they needed to be sitting down to the English exam? And the actual test wouldn't begin for 100 minutes.
It was hot out, but…
He sure hadn't made up his mind by the time he walked out of the bathroom.
Left would bring him back to the art room and the girls, and right—
"Senpai-kun," a very familiar voice came softly from the left.
"Oh… Sakura-san." He saw the gal moving his way. "What are you doing?"
She said without irony, "The same thing you are, buddy… I had to get out of there for a few minutes. But I'm actually on a juice run. Want me to grab you something?"
That might be okay… Naoto wouldn't mind a juice. I could just hand her ¥200; I've got it right in my pocket.
"How 'bout I go with you?" was what he went with; he wasn't about to let Sakura carry upwards of a half-dozen juices by herself.
And he was confident the art room would still be intact when they got back.
The gal seemed pleased. "Uh, sure."
…
…
…
"…So that's how it is, huh?" Sakura sighed, reaching into her shoe locker, grabbing her street shoes.
"Yes," Naoto groaned, pulling his own on. "We talked about… other stuff, but I sorta panicked before she hung up and blurted it out."
He'd just told Sakura that he asked Nagatoro to lighten up in all things concerning Hana.
Maybe he shouldn't have, but what the Hell?
"It was then that she told me she wanted to come to the art room for lunch," he finished his piece.
Sakura supposed, "I shoulda figured that she'd talked to you before messaging Hana-chan and me. I thought you might've spoken with her, but I didn't know for sure 'til you told us."
"When you and Sunomiya said that she'd contacted you both, I was so glad to hear that," he admitted. "I thought she wanted to try and at least be civil towards Sunomiya."
The words came out with more bitterness than he'd intended.
Sakura caught his meaning. "I think she is trying, Senpai-kun."
"…"
"…"
"Before we got in, when you said that Gamo-chan and Yoshi might show up too, I got worried." Naoto stared at the floor in front of him. "But I didn't want to put a damper on our walk to school… We'd just placed the omamori, and I felt so good, so I… kept my mouth shut."
She snorted, "That's exactly how I felt, Senpai-kun…"
"Why'd you keep your mouth shut?" the crooks of his mouth ascended.
"Much the same, but also, Hana-chan wanted us all to meet…" she uttered. "I can't blame her a bit though. I did too. I thought things were more 'ready' for reconciliation than they actually were. Foolish me~."
Naoto denied, "It wasn't foolish…"
"…" She didn't give indication one way or the other.
An unpleasant notion simmered in Naoto's mind, developing about the time he'd had that sinking lurch.
But he wasn't keen on vocalizing it. "…"
"What's up?" Sakura pulled the upper of her loafer over her heel.
You're awfully good for this… Naoto mused.
And she was good, needing to do little to pull information from him.
Or maybe he just trusted her…
"I… kinda wish Nagatoro would just leave the clubroom for the day," he forced out. "She's the one causing most of the trouble."
She wasn't rebuking him, "Glad to see you're not giving her all the credit. There's plenty of blame to go around, but… yeah… She's being pretty rotten today."
Senpai and kohai stepped out of the front doors of the school and turned in the direction of the vending machines.
Hot! Humid! Sticky! Noato didn't like it.
Besides the shitepoke weather, he similarly disliked the fact they were talking about Nagatoro behind her back, but… hey, when you're right, you're right…
…
He'd been waiting to bring it up, the further issue of culpability, and he'd yet to see an opportunity.
As he sometimes did, he didn't wait for it and just said, "It might help if you, Gamo-chan, and Yoshi didn't… fawn over Sunomiya…"
She didn't show it often, but his line angered her, and she let him have it, "You don't think we're faking it, do you?"
Oof! Naoto's existence stung. "I know you're not faking it… and I know you're not trying to piss off Nagatoro."
He was less convinced of the latter, but he was choosing faith!
Sakura's expression went south.
"If she's really getting that pissed off over that, she can go screw…" she spat.
That really stung, but he didn't back down; he entreated, "You understand what I'm saying, Sakura-san. You're all… laying it on a bit thick…"
"…"
"…"
As it happened, she did understand, but she ceased walking. "Senpai-kun…"
Naoto halted, as Sakura just had; he nervously voiced, "Yes?"
Why stop? It's hot out!
She made eye-contact, not hostilely. "How many years has Hana-chan been your kohai?"
"…?" He had no idea where this was going. "We weren't regularly around each other for a lot of it, but it's been almost four years."
She followed up, "How's it feel to have a kohai that hero-worships you and the ground you walk on?"
The statement seemed so absurd at first, Naoto rejected, "Sunomiya doesn't worship me or the ground I walk on…"
"Doesn't she?" Sakura glared.
And… he couldn't rebuff… and he thought it felt GREAT, if he was to answer.
Seeing his resolve crumbling, she said, "Yeah, that's what I thought."
"…"
"…"
"I've always wondered why…" Naoto leaked.
He expected Sakura to berate him, having told him more than once to not put himself down.
She didn't.
In fact, she could relate!
She sighed, "I know Hana-chan doesn't 'worship the ground I walk on'; we're more friends. You're her friend too, but…"
"It's different," Naoto finished.
She reminded, "You told me to not worry about it, and I don't, but that doesn't mean I don't think about it. I'm not sure what's so admirable about me, but Hana-chan is my kohai, and for whatever reason, I'm her esteemed senpai."
Naoto merely took this in. "…"
"Maybe there doesn't need to be a reason to admire or want to be friends with someone. Sometimes, you just want to."
"Mm."
"Before Hana-chan, Senpai-kun, I've never had anyone like that. I've had plenty of younger girls ask me about boys and makeup and clothes and shoes and kissing, but I've never had a kohai that was just… a friend… who liked me for me."
That struck Naoto, every time he heard her say that. "…"
Sakura kept it up, "Do you know why Hana-chan likes Gamo-chan and Yoshi?"
He'd… never thought about it. "… I don't know…"
"I'm not totally sure either, but some of it stemmed from them being our friends," she orated. "But she likes them… for just being them. I know she admires Gamo-chan for caring so much about her friends, and I do too, for the same reason…"
Why would she admire Yoshi? Naoto had this on his mind before Sakura even finished clarifying her stance on the Maki, expecting to hear some reason for it.
"And she admires Yoshi for being so loyal to her friends," Sakura reckoned. "She really does."
It's sorta blind loyalty! But he felt it was far more, in his heart.
Sakura went back, "Gamo-chan's never had anyone come along, at least in a long time, that just wanted to be her friend. People respect and admire her, but they fear her more than anything…
"Me? I just sorta fell in with all the girls, trying to find somewhere… and you fell in because of Hayacchi.
"Hana-chan doesn't want anything from Gamo-chan, other than being friends; she just cares about her and looks up to her. You weren't there, but I've never seen Gamo-chan have so much fun doing karaoke than with Hana-chan. And Yoshi…"
What about Yoshi? Naoto didn't know what to assume.
The gal languished, "Senpai-kun, I don't think Yoshi's ever had anyone that really admired her… or respected her… She loves Hana… she thinks she's a lot of fun… and she's really proud to have a kohai that looks up to her, but it's humbling too.
"I think Gamo-chan and I feel the same…"
Oh… That also hit Naoto with a bit of clout behind it.
"Maybe Hana-chan did just choose to respect us because we are her senpai, but she loves us past that." She took on a dangerous air. "She's really neat, and we love her right back, so please forgive us for thinking she's so special."
Shit…! Naoto felt liked he'd been kicked in the balls, that miserable feeling of them retreating into his body.
Sakura was some kind of awesome… but she was probably more terrifying than any girl he'd ever known… when she had reason to bare her teeth.
However, she regretted her harsh, biting words; she bowed slightly. "I'm sorry, Senpai-kun… too much."
"I-it's fine…" he stammered. "I… didn't know how much it meant to all of you."
"…It does." She straightened up.
"…"
"…"
Naoto recommended, "Uh… let's keep moving."
"Let's." Sakura too no issue.
Back to the journey to the vending machines, Naoto wracked his brain. "…"
"What's up?" Sakura wasn't inept at picking up on his cues.
Should I say it? Naoto pondered. I prolly shouldn't say it…
"I said something kinda stupid last night when I was talking to Nagatoro." His check-valve failed.
She knew it could be anything, but she wasn't about to ride him. "And what was that?"
"It's not exactly what I meant to say, but I told her that I didn't understand what she had against Sunomiya… because I really don't," he explained. "I told her—this is the stupid part—that it's not like Sunomiya was replacing her… or anything like that."
"…" Sakura was balancing the scales in her gray matter.
Naoto chuckled, pink for reasons other than the summer heat, "Yeah… that's pretty dumb…"
To his surprise, she didn't reinforce this.
What she had to say, in opposition, wasn't exactly kindhearted. "I think Hayacchi's just jealous that someone more interesting than her, funnier than her, more beautiful than her, and more pleasant than her is getting so much attention from all of us."
Yipe! Filter breach… again.
Naoto, if he was stupider, might say, "tell us how you really feel," but it was usually a worthless and cliché thing to even attempt… not to mention it was fucking annoying, even killable…!
He knew the gal wasn't fooling around… and that she had at least the inkling of a point, at least from her POV.
Instead, he harkened back to a previous though he'd had, "But it's not like Nagatoro would like that sort of attention…"
"You're right, she wouldn't," Sakura couldn't argue. "But she still doesn't like people 'butting in'. Envy is an odd thing. I have a metaphor in mind, but you'd prolly think I was outta my gourd if I said it."
In reply, he wanted to hear it, but he just chortled instead, though he tried not to, "You think it's that simple…? Just… jealousy?"
"…" she ruminated, breaking into a smirk. "There's nothing simple about jealousy."
He couldn't help but give in to frontal sameness, surprising himself with his tired amusement. "Yeah… Yeah, I guess you're right…"
"But Hayacchi has been getting worse over the last couple/three weeks…" Sakura plainly stated.
"…" Naoto reflected. "Maybe… it would've been best to just not have had her at lunch… not when there's so much going on…"
"How would you handle that?" Sakura was confounded. "You? Say 'no' to her?"
He knew she wasn't slamming him, at least not too hard. "Yeah… and she did ask… you, Sunomiya, and me."
"…"
"…"
Sakura had something he needed to hear. "I'll let you know, Senpai-kun—right now—that if things get bad back there, I'm taking Hana-chan somewhere else."
This goosed the anal-port of Naoto's inquisitiveness. "You what?"
"Just what I said," she didn't mince words. "If things suddenly go south in there or I think things are about to blow up, I'm gonna try to get Hana-chan away."
Part of him didn't like this. "Sakura-san, Sunomiya's not just some kid."
He decided he understood her reasoning, but…
"I know she's not just a kid, Senpai-kun." Sakura viewed him from the corner of her eye. "She's plenty tough and together. I was shittin' bricks when Gamo-chan suddenly got pissed off, and Hana-chan appeased her with benevolence and brisket."
Naoto began, "But—"
"And don't you dare say that Hana-chan didn't recognize the danger or something else stupid like that," Sakura grouched. "She had that."
He had to know, "So… why bother trying to shield her?"
"You're really asking me that?" She almost couldn't believe it. "Why? I don't wanna see it. You don't wanna see it. And Hana-chan doesn't need to see it, but she probably wouldn't leave on her own; she's too polite. It won't do anyone any good to see that. Yoshi won't leave but… whaddaya do?"
That made the best kind of sense to him. "I hear you…"
"Plus, it's not like I'd be spiriting her away to some safe haven, and I won't need to lie or come up with some bullshit," she very nearly giggled, not quite wheedling. "I've got other friends and classmates, and some of them are really interested in meeting Hana-chan."
He didn't bother stopping himself, "Really?"
"…?!" She sneered, raising her thumb and index-finger in a now-familiar gesture.
Naoto immediately protected his triceps. "Hey, sorry! It's just…"
Sakura unwound. "No, I getcha… Prolly sounded a little surprising to you…"
"…" He neither supported or ridiculed her statement.
Somewhat cerise, she smiled. "Really, Senpai-kun… some pretty cool people are interested in meeting the kohai who has 'captured my heart'… and I mean that platonically, so you can keep your hands off your wiener~."
He was caught flailing in the wind on that one, and he cracked up, laughing at her obscene and absurd line, "Oh, geez, Sakura-san…"
It was crossing the line, she of the cherry blossoms saying that, but he'd found himself becoming quite tolerant of her preposterousness.
Far less would he tolerate it from anybody else.
"There's that smile~," she simpered.
"…"
"…"
Naoto said, "I hope things don't come to that, but I'm happy to hear some nice things about Sunomiya… with all the stupid rumors still going around."
"I might just ask Hana-chan to come with me anyway," Sakura made it known. "It's not like we need an excuse… and I think Hana-chan would like to meet them too~."
He had no qualms. "Sure."
"Don't think I don't know that the two of us leaving would alleviate the tension in there," she brought up suddenly.
"…!" He jerked. "Sakura-san…! I don't think you're… causing any…"
As he faded out, she faded in, "Sure I am. Hayacchi's being infuriating today, and I know I'm not helping."
"…" He didn't understand where this nihilism had fallen from.
She said more yet, "I mean, you, Hana-chan, and Yoshi are the only ones not being fuckheads today, and even if I take my head out of the equation, there'll still be enough fuckheadery between Hayacchi and Gamo-chan to turn a battleship around. Let 'em sink each other."
"…!" The stuff that came out of her mouth truly did shock him at times. "That's a really awful thing to say, Sakura-san…"
And she'd just gotten him to guffaw!
She caught herself, sulking. "Yeah… you're right…"
Naoto's skin crawled.
He'd had no idea Sakura was so twisted up in this…
There had to be something worth saying, but he wasn't finding it.
"Let's… not talk about it anymore…" he said feebly. "All of this behind their backs… I don't like it…"
She didn't fight it. "Yeah…"
"…"
"…"
As high they'd just risen, as low as they'd just fallen, the dynamic of Naoto Hachioji and Sakura Inori had a certain robustness to it, and it took only seconds to fall into something new.
There was always the weather to talk about! And it's not like they had to fake it.
"Geez, why can't we just have a few more vending machines inside?" Sakura wasn't a fan of high temperature, possibly hating it more than the subzero.
Naoto looked to her, both of them already sweating and finally noticing it. "I think they have them outside to make sure we get the exercise… for all the sugar we're about to take in."
"Almost all of us walk to school every day!" she battled. "And we have P.E.!"
"The school has to make a profit off the vending machines…" His thinking was along the lines of practical. "Wouldn't they make more money if students didn't have to run outside every time they wanted a soft drink, especially when the weather sucks? They sell junk food in the cafeteria but not juice and soda."
"Friggin' heat…" The gal cared more about what was than why. "The only reasons I wanna be outside when it's so hot is if I can jump into some cool, clean water or if I'm shopping… for something I like to shop for. I guess getting paid is a good reason too."
Yeah, he could see that!
Naoto breathed, at last reaching their destination, "Ah, crap, it looks like they're outta orange."
Sakura butted up to him, reading the indicators. "They're out of a few things… Apple, orange, grape…"
"Who the Hell gets grape?" her Senpai wondered. "Stuff tastes like kids' medicine."
"I dunno, but they've still got cranberry~." She checked the machine to make sure. "Just get a cran with me, and call it good~."
Naoto liked cranberry okay, but he wasn't a fan of the brand the school carried. "…What should I get?"
As with every visit, he perused the selection.
With no grape, apple, and orange, there was still fruit punch, cranberry, grapefruit, mystery…
Sakura put in a couple hundred yen. "Good, old cranberry for me."
She made the selection, and the machine coughed up the tasty beverage.
Naoto hadn't asked, "What did everyone else want?"
She winked. "Who said anything about anyone else~? No one else was interested, but I wanted one."
"So… you didn't need my help after all…" he bellyached.
She giggled, "Did I ever say I needed help? I just thought you wanted to chat me up~."
"Uh…" He had to unlock his eyes from hers.
"Aw, we're solid, Senpai-kun," she permitted, trying to get ahold of herself. "It's always nice to talk with you; I wasn't about to tell you to bug off when you offered to come with~…"
And did he ever like talking with her!
Instead of saying that, his blush going critical, Naoto pondered, putting in his own money. "…"
"Well, what are you gonna choose?" Sakura had already cracked her juice, not holding him to her last remark, as she had something a little more ambitious to say anyway. "If you get a fruit punch, I'd like a sip~… I've never actually tried it~."
Woot! A dull smack of something shot from the base of his skull down to the root of his nut-sack, giving his boys a little tickle.
She surely knew how to get the ball(s) rolling!
And he thought the fruit punch was definitely okay!
"That's tempting, Sakura-san~." With a grin on his magenta mien and a song in his heart, he made to hit the mystery button. "But here's hoping for anything not grape…"
"Attaboy~!" she trilled. "I've been wanting to try grapefruit too, so I've still got a one-in-three chance~!"
Pushing the button, Naoto chuckled, the gal rarely failing to amuse him, "Don't forget about the factors relating to probability; we covered that last week."
"…~" she snickered.
Clunk!
An apple juice materialized in the receptacle.
…
…
…
"What's this~?" Gamo-chan crooned. "Paisen and Sakura went out separately, but they come back as one~!"
"Mischief!" Yoshi accused. "Suspicious!"
Naoto wasn't in the mood, and he sat down. "We met as I was coming back from the bathroom, and a juice sounded good, so I went along."
He waved the apple juice, yet unopened, supporting his claim.
Hana perked up. "When did they restock the machine?"
Naoto glanced her way. "Huh?"
"They were out of apple juice when I checked," she recalled.
"Uh, yeah, the machine's still out, but…"
Sakura beamed. "Senpai-kun went with the mystery juice! And he struck a good one~!"
Gamo-chan chortled, "Oh, Paisen took a gamble, did he?"
"Beginner's luck!" Yoshi knew as well as anyone that Naoto had never gone for the mystery juice.
He defended, "Hey, as long as it wasn't grape, I'd be fine with it."
The rest of the room pulled faces; none of them liked the grape.
Even Hana said, "It tastes like medicine…"
Naoto was about to open the apple juice, but—
Hana hadn't been gaping at him, his "good luck" bringing him his second favorite flavor, but he hadn't wanted a juice all that much in the first place; he'd rather wanted to walk and talk with Sakura.
"Sunomiya, would you like this apple juice?" he offered; Hana hadn't begged for it, but Naoto couldn't miss her longing, the girl having been skunked when juice shopping.
Her eyes bugged. "Oh, I couldn't, Hachioji-senpai! You enjoy it… I didn't mean to stare."
Instead of arguing, he knew how Hana operated. "How about this? You take this juice, buy me something not grape tomorrow or whenever, and make sure you bring more beef brisket when we have the potluck tomorrow."
It was a dicey thing, but—
"Potluck?" Hana and Yoshi spoke as one.
Naoto took on greater confidence. "Yeah, we never talked about the potluck again, but I think it sounds like a lot of fun! Tell you what, I'll bring some chicken tempura, how's that sound?"
"'Kin A~!" Yoshi cried out, probably waiting for the topic to resurface. "I'll bring sweet buns!"
They had been floating the idea, and none of them had any real problem with it.
Gamo-chan was in. "I'll stir-fry up some nice veggies~."
"I'll make a fruit salad~!" Sakura undertook.
It seemed there WOULD be a Tuesday potluck! What a way to celebrate being done with the science exam!
Revisiting the obscured reason for all this, Naoto asked of Hana, "So, Sunomiya, would you like the juice?"
He held it out with a smile, the fate of the potluck joshingly in the balance.
Hana gave no indication at first, but she soon softened, the smile showing mostly on her brow.
She reached out and took the juice. "So… can I make the rice, or do you all want more barbecue~?"
"Barbecue~!" "Chicken on the barbie~!" "Barbecue!" "Feel free to empty out your freezer! We can live with that~!"
Hana held no contention. "There's plenty of brisket, but I'll be sure to bring some of everything."
"Yay, Hanacchi~!" "Our hero~!" "Go, Hana-chan!"
Naoto couldn't have been much happier at his stupid plan working, and he leaned back in his chair, holding his peace this time.
Not that there wasn't a hiccup in the scheme.
Gamo-chan proclaimed, "Alright then! That leaves…"
She pointed to the sixth member of their fellowship.
"Hayacchi's stuck with the rice!" Yoshi finalized.
…
Yes, Nagatoro was still there, and she seemed about as pleased with her lot as she was with everything else.
Naoto engrossed the situation. Fuck!
Nagatoro was even angrier than before.
And he knew the contributing environment wasn't totally unintentional, on the other girls' parts.
Well, Hana and Yoshi were possibly innocent of such a charge… just along for the ride, aware or unaware…
He had no idea what Hana was thinking, her grasp falling one way or the other, but Yoshi had to have known, not failing to pick up such things in the past!
Gamo-chan and Sakura weren't brokering any sort of peace, and Naoto was sure of it!
Shit! They were willing to hang Nagatoro out to dry again, just like on Friday!
He found himself again praying that Sakura didn't bring up anything about Hana and swimsuits… or Gamo-chan stooping to pressing the Nagatorial buttons only she may have known about!
Are they taking JOY in watching Nagatoro squirm?!
Were they "all business", just looking to convince her to leave?!
He didn't know.
This was passive-aggressiveness.
This was scary.
Women were scary!
…
Or maybe he was just blowing all of this out of proportion! Maybe NOTHING amiss was happening!
All of this was in his head, brought about by his boding anxiety!
…
Yeah, right! He knew better. Things were running down the drain!
…
Away from Naoto's mental meanderings, things had rolled along.
"Uh… Sakura?" Gamo-chan flustered.
Sakura blinked, taken aback at the Amazon's sudden change in manner. "What is it?"
Naoto took notice, as he had earlier; after seeing it formerly, he was now sure of it!
Gamo-chan had been itching to ask Sakura something!
He thought he'd seen it, around the time Hana had finished mending her blouse, but he hadn't been willing to bet on it.
…
Gamo-chan pinkened. "I have something to ask…"
"Well, ask away," Sakura tried to seem cheerful, but something was off.
Something was really perturbing the big girl!
Gamo-chan pulled for a little courage. "It's my blouse…"
"What about it?"
Gamo-chan raised her left arm.
Naoto could see it.
She had an armpit tear in her blouse!
"Oh!" Sakura covered her mouth.
Gamo-chan quickly dropped her arm. "I noticed it the last time I wore it… I was gonna ask my mom to fix it, but I forgot. Then I forgot when I washed it, and it went back into my closet… Then I wore it today and noticed when I was stretching."
The gal sympathized, "I see."
"I don't think anyone saw, but I was so embarrassed…" Gamo-chan puled. "Could you… could you fix it?"
Wow! Naoto needed a minute to wrap his mind around this. She's THAT bent out of shape over a little tear in her blouse? Big, tough Gamo-chan?!
But he quickly recognized the need for a "Sakura pinch" on his arm or a swift kick in the nads, because he knew better than possibly anyone there:
Gamo-chan was a perfectly normal, sensitive (beautiful) girl, and she had her concerns.
Naoto knew he was embarrassed when he had a fashion faux-pas of any kind, so… there was nothing odd about a mortified Maki…
Of no surprise to him, Sakura did know how to mend such a tear.
"Of course, Gamo-chan!" She put her hands over her friend's. "I'd be happy to! It should only take a few minutes~."
Exhaling in relief, Gamo-chan said, "Thank you, Sakura~…"
"No problem," she returned. "Now, off with your blouse."
Uh-oh… Naoto knew this would happen as soon as Gamo-chan had asked for the repair to be done. Another girl in her skivvies…
It didn't help when Gamo-chan glanced his way, timidly undoing her buttons.
Shit! He quickly turned away.
Sakura took the blouse and examined the rip. "Oh, this isn't too bad. It'll be a clean repair, since the fabric hasn't unraveled."
"You're a lifesaver, Sakura…" Gamo-chan murmured. "I'll feel a lot better when it's fixed. I was too embarrassed to ask earlier…"
"It's nothing to be ashamed of." Sakura set to work.
But Gamo-chan was plenty chagrined. "I'm sorry if it stinks… I know it's a little sweaty…"
"Gamo-chan, don't worry," Sakura said amiably. "It's summer! We're all sweatin' balls~."
Cripes, Sakura-san! Naoto wished he hadn't heard her say that.
Despite his qualms, it relaxed Gamo-chan; she snorked, "Yeah, I guess~…"
"That's right…" Sakura had her needle and thread ready. "Nothing to be embarrassed about."
Naoto happened to disagree. This whole situation stank of unease!
He could see it in Gamo-chan, most of all, and he knew he was in for it when she caught his eyes discreetly scanning her, more interested in her behavior than her body.
"Ah, relax, Paisen~," she heckled him, turning away a hair, red in the cheeks. "You've seen me in a bikini. A bra's not much different~."
"Yes, it is…" He wasn't incorrect, and he knew he wasn't incorrect!
If these articles of clothing were the same, she wouldn't be acting like this.
…
Or would she?
There was no denying it:
Gamo-chan was as self-conscious as he'd ever seen a girl, hunching over, retreating into the imagined safety of her folded arms!
Naoto wasn't sure how he'd missed it!
When he'd seen Gamo-chan in a bikini a year prior, he'd been able to do little more than glance at her and flounder under the power of her awesome boobage and unmatched aggressiveness.
But she'd been flattered at his attention, and he could tell that much!
As to how unsettled she might've been, he'd been too scared and inexperienced to quantitate that.
Something had changed… possibly in BOTH of them… and a lot could change in a year…
…
Or maybe a bikini was, in essence, a complete outfit, and underwear was less than!
That made sense to him.
A girl will flaunt a bikini—even a tiny one—all day but go to pieces when seen in her undies.
Naoto had solved one of the great mysteries of life!
…
His mental gymnastics aside, he was sitting handily next to Sakura, and he was able to watch her perform the repair without much accusation of gawking at the Gamou, whose ruddiness was receding.
It was pretty cool, this sewing stuff!
In short order, Sakura had mended the damage.
She handed the blouse to Gamo-chan. "There you go, Gamo-chan, better than new~."
She looked at the repair with love, the pink in her cheeks returning. "Thanks~."
"You're welcome, girl~." Sakura was happy to help.
"No, really, thank you…!" Gamo-chan squeaked, her smile widening. "This is my favorite one~. They all look the same, but this one fits just right."
"I'm glad I could help~," Sakura reiterated. "Please, don't hesitate to ask if you need help with this kind of stuff."
Beaming, Gamo-chan restored her blouse to its proper place, concealing from the world the view—but not the silhouette—of her proportionally high white-meat.
Wow… Naoto didn't expect this, Gamo-chan so emotional about a piece of clothing.
But it's not like HE didn't have a favorite shirt!
Unexpected or not, he turned his consideration to something he didn't want to see, no matter its likelihood.
Nagatoro hated this. She hated… something about it, barely hiding it!
Oh, no… Naoto could tell that Gamo-chan hadn't done that to get a rise out of her best friend, but it did nothing to bolster.
Gamo-chan had really been uncomfortable. She'd really wanted help.
In any case, Nagatoro didn't like it, and she wasn't keeping her mouth shut any longer.
She said sanguinely, "Wow, Sakura, I had no idea you were so handy~."
It sounded charitable, but it was far from that! Naoto read it in Nagatoro's eyes.
"Thanks, Hayacchi~," Sakura chirped. "But it was just a couple of small repairs. My mom drilled me on this stuff when I was younger…"
Was Sakura missing the intent?!
Naoto doubted it, but Sakura didn't give any hint.
"No, really, that was so impressive~," Nagatoro easily(?) falsified.
Why are you so resentful?! Naoto was regretting more and more letting all the girls visit for lunch.
But, again, it's not like it would've been easy to stop them from gathering!
Even so, he found himself wishing. Why do you need to be like this?! You're all just… different!
His thoughts fell on "deaf ears", these thoughts being in his head alone, and the rest of the girls commended Sakura's work, whatever their cognizance might've been.
…
From here, Gamo-chan took a trip a little further down the allegorical drain the whole of the room seemed to be circling, and a rawness began taking hold, a shuddering tightness falling across her face.
Her eyes were as fiery as her hair, but when that cocksure, ferocious grin wasn't pasted on her face—even a pleasant smile overcame this—there was something Naoto had noted.
He'd realized this about the time it was finally made clear to him that Gamo-chan was just a very normal teenage girl, and that she wasn't some scary caveman-woman who viewed him as pond scum, ready to rip his spine out through his browneye.
It shook him in a way most unsettling, and here it was again:
Gamo-chan's eyes always looked sad, even when they weren't. Their very shape lent to this hard fact.
And shape's "help" wasn't needed here!
Truly…
Gamo-chan's face was a mask of tragedy.
A little momentum might set her to tears.
Something was very wrong…
The rest of the room knew why… had known since before she'd shown up to lunch, edging. Whether or not they understood what Naoto did, that was another matter.
…
Naoto found himself calling to mind what Sakura had said on the way to the vending machines, and he had a pretty well-educated guess why.
…if things get bad, I'm taking Hana-chan somewhere else…
But he was rest assured, spectator to what had just happened between Sakura and Gamo-chan—even with the tiny amount of guff he'd received—that these two weren't trying to cause trouble; they were… just.
Just being friends…
It wasn't their fault if someone reacted so negatively to such a guiltless interchange.
He wished he'd never doubted them.
Maybe things WOULDN'T go critical… melting down like some errant nuclear plant…
…
Had Naoto known where this path and its bypasses would soon take them—and how very promptly—he'd have taken Hana—and himself—far and away from the art room.
The apprehension he knew, tangled in the forthcoming modeling session with Nagatoro, in which he'd be sketching her hands, not to mention the distal portions of his favorite chunk of the female anatomy, would seem small in comparison.
And he'd barely even thought about that! Not since his aspirations of penguin-punting!
Q&A Section
What made you decide on the Naoto X Sakura pairing as opposed to say Gamo or Yoshi?
ED: I made the story about Naoto and Sakura because I like their chemistry. Or rather, I like their potential chemistry. In canon, but based heavily on some of the works of my editor, I think they could have a really neat, respectable relationship as friends and as more than friends. I feel like they could bring out the best in each other without any toxicity between them, unlike a certain other girl in the series.
Could we expect any romance between Naoto and Sakura to come up soon, for example after the exams?
ED: The end of exams will see some big changes in the group dynamics, but sparks of any substantial kind between any characters won't fly for a little while. Multiple intrigues will arise on multiple fronts as the summer wears on.
What sort of anime (if any) would you consider making another fanfic of aside from the Nagatoro series?
ED: I've never wanted to do another fanfic besides this one. I never did in the past, and I don't have anything I want to do in the future. It was only last spring that I began work on CBP.
Please look forward to the next chapter! Thanks for reading! Questions and comments are welcome!