🌸Cherry Blossom Palette🎨
🌸Chapter 53: Sublimation, Part One🎨
Written by EmtenDew
Edited by P. serrulata
Author's note:
ED: (First, I'm SO sorry to everyone on Reddit that went looking for this new chapter when they saw my editor's post! After giving him the go-ahead, I realized that I messed up with uploading the new chapter and had to unpublish it until I fixed it. I'm sorry that reuploading took so long. I was in such a hurry to get 53 out, I goofed with what I actually uploaded. Thank you for being supportive, those of you that sent along word over this.)
Normally, I introduce the new chapter first, but a few things happened in the last week.
First, I turned 26 on Sunday.
Wow, I'm 26 now. I feel old, but I know I'm not. My family is starting to put on more pressure for me to find a husband, if not in Illinois, then back in Utah. Two of my friends from college wound up in arranged marriages, and they're happy as can be, but only a small portion of LDS practices this, so it still blew a lot of our minds to hear they'd been set up so young.
This doesn't mean that family and friends won't try to set me up, but I might not mind if it gets me a great guy. Less work for me. It's a few more years before I'd be considered "weird" for not having a husband or fiancé. Sometimes, I wish I wasn't 5'11" (181cm) tall and didn't look like a WNBA player. It seems to scare a lot of men away. I'm sad now.
Second, this chapter needed a few parts rewritten, so it's late in coming, and there may be a few delays in coming chapters. Some things need fixing and checking.
Happier thoughts!
Third, I was on a trip over the weekend. I went with a couple of friends and a coworker to AnimeIowa! Four fangirls, piled in a minivan, bound for plastic crap and whirlwind shenanigans!
Something big happened out there.
I met my editor irl! We each only live several hours away from Iowa City. I was going anyway for the con, and we agreed earlier this year to meet up there and hang out for a couple of days. I didn't have the guts to tell my girls who he was or what he did for me, so I just said he was someone I met previously. He told them the same. Thankfully, they didn't ask many questions about that.
PS took a couple of us to a gun range out there on Saturday morning, and he let me fire his Anaconda AND his "Dirty Harry" (LOL). Once I showed I could handle a 357 magnum, the 44 magnum was the next logical step. My older brothers insisted I know how to handle firearms, though I've never cared much for them or hunting.
It was so cool to meet him! He's pretty much everything I pictured him to be. He IS taller than me but not by much. One of my friends, a really mousey girl, wouldn't stop hitting on him when we went out for steaks (and drinks for them; I was the designated driver). PS probably drank more than my three friends combined and didn't get as bad as my mousey friend… or the rest of them. He actually didn't get bad at all. He just couldn't drive.
He had all of us cracking up, the real kind, not the forced female laughter I talked about earlier in the story. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard that I thought I'd be sick. I was blown away at the crazy stuff he came up with when he was tired and drunk, but it's not like he hasn't claimed that to be a "skill" of his, and I didn't doubt him. It was zero to sixty laughter in a split second, the kind where you spray milk out of your nose or cry.
I could've done without one of my other friends, a sad drunk, becoming a REALLY sad drunk, but that was really the only bad thing to happen. PS told me the next day that he disliked dealing with drunk, crying women so much, he thought about running all the way back to the Hyatt, which was four miles away, LOL.
We managed to get a little time alone on Saturday, and we discussed CBP for a little while, but we mostly just wanted to get to know each other after working together over the internet for about 15 months. I'm really glad he didn't turn out to be a creeper or something. (JK, PS!)
I feel even more inspired to keep working hard on this story!
Now! The actual chapter stuff!
When Nagatoro is caught between her fears and a chance at candor, what will she do?
I knew that sublimation was a phase transition in elements and compounds, but my editor told me it's also a Freudian concept involving dealing with unhealthy urges and emotions by channeling that energy into something productive. Naoto does and will do this in the story, but this chapter isn't one of those times. Sublimation when it comes to phase transition is when a substance goes from solid to gas, essentially skipping the liquid phase due to existing conditions. A lot of energy is involved.
In other news!
I just finished Season 13 of South Park last night, and it was an experience. I was a little too old for the Jonas Brothers, but my younger sister wasn't, and neither were my cousins. Seeing Mickey Mouse show up to berate and beat them up wasn't what I expected to see, but it helped me to feel better about the countless hours I had to hear the trio's music.
Then the boys went to Somalia to be pirates. And Butters Stotch became a successful pimp. But the zaniest was the episode where the waterpark got flooded with pee. That was disgusting, and I gagged twice, just imagining the smell and people swimming for their lives and drowning in it.
Onto Season 14!
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
If Noato Hachioji strode the Earth a depraved god, three meters tall and roaring like a lion, a bottle of beer in one hand and the Hammer of Thor in the other, a rigid member the size of a baguette throbbing in his pants, women hanging off of him like monkeys, and doing whatever the fuck he wanted, it was doubtful he'd have felt any better than he was at present.
He was higher than a hawk's nest!
Sure, it was misplaced, his elation, illustrated by the sacrilegiously overblown above simile, but he was feeling pretty Goddamn good!
All of this faded out of the picture in a real hurry when Hayase Nagatoro, from under the table, stomped on his foot, dropping heel-first in her school shoe.
It hurt so much, that it took the breath away.
"Hoo…!" Naoto rasped; he jerked his body so forcefully, the table he and the girls were sitting at bucked, sending their snacks, drinks, and Hana Sunomiya's in-progress taxidermy sketch—smeared and rumpled, sketchbook and all, torn right out from under her eyes by her own hand steadying her efforts—scattering to the floor.
They were all still in the art room, after all, yet at lunch in between final exams. They weren't in some fantasy world. There was no beer or magic hammer or hawks' nests, and nobody had an erection.
"Eek!" Yoshi Yamazaki squealed, leaping clear of the table and her seat.
Maki Gamou startled, toppling backwards in her chair; she fell hard onto the floor, hitting her head. "Ahh!"
Hana, remaining seated, raised her arms slightly and took in the ruin of charcoal rubbed on her hands and forearms and even her blouse, whose button she'd reattached not 20 minutes earlier; her eyes then fell on her sketchpad, blighted on the floor, and her nostrils flared. "…!"
Slouching, Nagatoro maintained an annoyed frown. "…"
"What was that for?!" Naoto wheezed, eyes watering.
She replied, her peepers lidded, one corner of her lip turning up in a sneer, "You were being gross~."
OUCH! He shuddered, feeling as if a vise-grip had been clamped around his foot, attempting to unite his metatarsal and sole at a single point. What did I do this time?!
His expression said plenty, but Nagatoro gave no further "answer", clamming up.
Why are you so bitter? He wished he knew. Seriously, what's your problem?!
Meanwhile, the other three victims of Nagatoro's bitterness had problems of their own.
Gamo-chan noticed her skirt had been compromised, and she did what she could to cover her modesty as she rolled onto her knees.
The pain of the lump on her noggin lessened the feeling of any real embarrassment, her lilac-colored panties—matching the bra her senpai had seen—having been exposed to nonexistent eyes of the ceiling.
"Oh, man, what happened…?" she mumbled, rubbing the back of her head, tearing up as she did. "I'm getting a goose-egg…"
Yoshi, instead of flying to the aid of her oldest friend, gravitated to Hana. "Hanacchi, are you alright?"
Hana… had been better.
Still at her chair, her gaze not leaving her devastated sketchpad, she seethed. "…!"
"Oh, no…" Yoshi went up to Hana's composition, kneeling down; she wanted to pick it up, but her hands wouldn't do what they were told.
It was like seeing some small animal, mangled and crippled, crying out in agony and confusion on the ground… and knowing you couldn't do a thing to help…
Yoshi's face contorted, placing her palms at her knees. "Oh… no…"
Hana knelt down beside her. Yoshi watched as her kohai gingerly scooped up what they'd so enjoyed chatting over… and what was depicted with such enthusiasm and elbow-grease.
The young artist, uncaring of the further mess it caused, held the tattered pages to her breast, gritting her teeth. "…"
"…!" Yoshi felt her heart break. "Oh, Hanacchi…"
…
The others may as well have been on another planet.
Nursing the lump expanding up near her crown, Gamo-chan winced, trying to blink away her waterworks, "What'cha scowling about now, Hayacchi?"
Nagatoro kept mum. "…"
"For Chrissakes," Gamo-chan spat in consternation. "What the fuck was that?"
Naoto, not that it wasn't obvious, knew the tall girl didn't realize what had happened.
He was okay with it staying that way.
"Sorry…" he said quietly, straining to keep his voice level. "Got surprised."
"Over what…?" Gamo-chan's head hurt like Hell, but things were coming clearer.
Naoto didn't say, mouthing something, "…"
Nagatoro upheld her averted surveyance. "…"
"That hurt…" Gamo-chan shivered, having had the life scared out of her. "But, wow, Paisen! I didn't think you could put out that kinda horsepower…"
Another wave of pain shot up from his foot; he struggled to play it cool. "…!"
Gamo-chan was a little pissed off, but she was always quick to stand up after a pop, and she propositioned Naoto.
"What, did she try to play a game of footsie~?" She leered, getting rather close. "Stick her foot in your crotch ~? Hmm~? Paisen~?"
How profane!
But before Naoto could open his mouth—
"Why would I do something like that~?" Nagatoro put the back of her hand to her cheek, speaking out the side of her mouth. "I'd catch his 'gross'~."
"I just don't know what else would've made him jump like that." Gamo-chan hadn't gotten over the shakes, though she could almost see the humor in her situation. "Like, what happened?"
Nagatoro smirked, saying, "I just let him know he shouldn't be acting so lewd~."
Gamo-chan grumped, "Well, warn me next time…"
"…~" Nagatoro crossed her legs, straightening up into the back of her chair, smugness plastered on her mug.
Naoto tried to think of something other than the throbbing, feeling it spike with every beat of his heart.
Gamo-chan shook her head at the stupidity of it… and something caught her eye; she rounded the table.
"What's going on over there?" She'd finally noticed Yoshi and Hana, crouching down at the other end of the room.
Naoto leaned back in his spot, not quite able to see.
But he saw quickly enough. "…?!"
And it was like a punch in the gut!
Gamo-chan walked up; her jaw dropped. "…!"
Yoshi, her hands on Hana's shoulders, both of them in sitting-W, was ashen-faced. "Hanacchi's sketch…"
The Amazon did the algebra, and the answer had her livid; she rounded on the two at the other extremity of the table. "Hayacchi! Paisen! Look what you did!"
Naoto didn't need anyone to tell him how shitty he should feel. A meteorite could've vaporized the subcontinent of India, and he probably wouldn't've have felt any worse.
He wanted to rip out his own fingernails!
Nagatoro, surly as she'd been, regretted Hana's misfortune, largely her fault; she bit her knuckle, and her hauteur dissipated. "…Ooh…"
Gamo-chan was appalled, and she railed at the two, "You assholes! Why'd you have to do that?!"
Now on her feet, Nagatoro crept over, getting a better look.
Naoto couldn't bring himself to stand; his entire person hurt.
"…" Hana finally stood, causing everyone alarm.
Yoshi, her hands upon her kohai, nearly slipped, but she caught herself. "…!"
On pins and needles, the participants watched as Hana strode to the corner she often worked in, and she laid the remains of her art on the table.
The young girl viewed her hands again. "…"
Gamo-chan inched closer. "Hanacchi…?"
With a sigh, Hana, her back to her friends, said, "Please excuse me a moment."
Without another word, she breezed from the art room.
Naoto held the opinion the others likely did. Why can't Sakura be here now…?!
He could tell that Gamo-chan was up for following, but she froze in her tracks.
Her fury was gone, leaving those sad eyes set in a pained face…
Unexpectedly, Yoshi took action. "I'll go."
Answering the prayers of everyone, Twin-tails sped into the hallway.
…
Naoto stared at the empty doorway, slid halfway open. "…!"
He didn't know what to do!
His kohai and friend of four years might've already been off somewhere, her feelings very hurt, weeping…
And he couldn't even get his legs underneath of him! Nothing seemed to be working!
He couldn't go and comfort his kohai.
…
Gamo-chan felt powerless, having lost her nerve.
Nagatoro… wasn't sure how she felt. And she sat down.
Soon, Gamo-chan took her seat too.
…
For a few seconds, Naoto did think he might start crying, but the sensation didn't last.
For several days, he'd done his best to remember that Nagatoro was different from the other girls, and he was different from all of them! They were all different, and he'd done all he could to avoid judging Nagatoro or anyone else because of who she was…
She could be insensitive… Sometimes, she'd carelessly cut you and laugh while you bleed… But he knew she was just… Nagatoro.
She didn't mean for things like this to happen.
Now, his thinking altered, the vision of the girl he loved across the way like needles stabbing at all his senses.
He was struck with thoughts he'd never known. You fucking bitch! This is YOUR fault! YOU ruined Sunomiya's work! FOR NO REASON! And you didn't even say you were SORRY!
His hands unsteady, his body quaking, he didn't need to see himself in a mirror to know the terrible, wild-eyed expression he displayed.
Nagatoro couldn't see him! She was averting her gaze from EVERYTHING!
His blood boiled.
She'd MEANT to hurt him! And it was totally un-fucking-provoked!
His school shoe had become tight, and he realized his injured foot was ballooning up, a bruise the size of a halved-lemon taking form.
Oh, that hurts so fuckin' bad…!
Steadying his breathing, he willed it…
Look at me! Look over here, you piece of shit! I want you to see my face!
But Nagatoro wouldn't look at him, stoically facing the wall.
And Gamo-chan just stared at her own lap, pale. "…"
…
…
…
After what seemed like an eternity but was only a few minutes, Yoshi returned with Hana.
Hana's hands and arms were clean, and she wore a fresh blouse.
"I hope it's not too tight on you, Hanacchi," Yoshi was speaking to her.
Hana shook her head. "Oh, it's just fine, Yoshi-senpai. Thank you for lending it to me."
"I forgot I'd left it at school…" Yoshi explained. "I put on a little weight last fall, so I bought a size up… Then I lost the weight right away, so I never actually wore it… I'm glad it fits you."
"I'm glad I don't have to go the rest of the day looking that that." Hana made for the seat she'd left behind. "I hope the blouse isn't ruined."
Yoshi headed for hers. "I wouldn't worry. It'll come out in the wash. Just bring mine back when you have a chance."
"…!" "…!" "…!" Naoto, Nagatoro, and Gamo-chan weren't sure these were the two girls that they'd just seen hurriedly exit the confines of the Art Club.
"Uh… I guess we're back," Yoshi greeted them, a bit bemused, sitting down. "Got Hanacchi all cleaned up."
Hana took retook Sakura's old chair.
They were all right back where they'd immediately been before the debacle leading to this.
Naoto wasn't sure why, when he'd had the chance, he hadn't moved back to where Gamo-chan now sat, the bitch across from him having the nerve to stay in her spot. "…"
But by now, he'd cooled his ass, and he felt a little guilty for his vile thoughts towards Nagatoro.
He at least didn't want to scream at her anymore…
Nothing, however, alleviated his mashed metatarsal, and he continued to writhe.
…
The ice was already broken, or rather, it had melted, Yoshi and Hana chatting amiably upon their reappearance, so an ice-breaker wasn't necessary.
The Maki chipped away, regardless, "Uh… Hanacchi? Are you okay?"
Hana left off with Yoshi and, "Yes. Are you okay, Gamou-senpai?"
"Am I okay?" Gamo-chan couldn't fathom that being the first thing out of her kohai.
"Well, yes, are you?" she asked. "I know you fell backwards when we were all surprised."
"I… bumped my head, but I'm okay."
"I'm sorry, Gamou-senpai." Hana bowed slightly.
Incredulous was Gamo-chan. "Why?"
"I was only thinking of myself." Hana regretted it. "I was just so mad, that I didn't think of anyone else and left."
The tall girl was at a loss for words. "…!"
Naoto… didn't get it; he just watched.
"I was about to lose my temper, but…" Hana then regarded the remaining blonde in attendance. "Yoshi-senpai helped me."
Gamo-chan's mouth worked, but nothing was falling out of it. "…?"
"I took a deep breath," Hana demonstrated with an in-and-out. "And I counted to 10."
Naoto really didn't get it!
Somehow, he had trouble envisioning Yoshi attempting to cool down Gamo-chan in such a manner!
Really, he couldn't picture Yoshi steering anyone towards a cooler head.
And Hana had even more to say, "There was really no need to cuss out Hachioji-senpai and Nagatoro-senpai, Gamou-senpai. It was an accident."
"…"
"…"
"Hanacchi…" Sad Eyes at last found something to say. "It's okay to be angry sometimes. You were working so hard on that…!"
She stated this as if it were a Truth of Life.
Naoto thought this was the most reasonable thing he'd heard most of the lunch-hour!
"I'm sad about it, but it was an accident," Hana granted. "Nagatoro-senpai was playing, and it just happened."
"Hanacchi…" Gamo-chan's eyes were pathetic, trying to deliver her point, beseeching her kohai.
"It was a new sketchbook," Hana continued. "That was the only piece in there. I can still use most of the paper."
It nonetheless didn't click with her senpai. "How can you…? Are you really…?"
"I can try again sometime." It seemed she was. "I plan on visiting the diner again. If they aren't busy, I'll work on something over breakfast."
Naoto's everything ached for Gamo-chan. She was really upset at the wrong!
Taking a gander in Nagatoro's direction, failing to have done so a moment, he found the girl to be crawling in her own skin, as uncomfortable as a kid with a taint full of poison ivy.
Now, Hana called to the rest of the room.
"But I wish you wouldn't roughhouse like that in the art room," she spoke to Naoto and Nagatoro in particular. "We work too hard to risk our work being destroyed. Let's all please be more careful."
The current club president felt she was preaching to the choir!
Lastly, Hana faced Gamo-chan anew. "Gamou-senpai, I really appreciate that you're concerned, but it's going to be okay. It's not worth holding onto."
Still thoroughly unconvinced, the other finally conceded, "…Okay…"
Having ignored the other mess, they cleaned up the floor.
It wasn't much.
All the drinks on the table had been capped, and just a few pretzels that only Naoto and Yoshi seemed able to stomach were lost.
…
…
…
Inconceivable as it was, peaceful times had returned to the Art Club and its guests.
All the same, Naoto had some misgivings. We're only almost halfway through "lunch"!
There was a whole other hour and change before they had to sit down and wait for the English exam to be administered.
He tried to envision what else might go wrong that day.
Both Nagatoro and Gamo-chan were still not backing down.
It had seemed that one of them would split, the fur flying as it had.
Nagatoro had scampered away before when Hana became the center of attention, but she wasn't about to do it now!
And Gamo-chan…
Naoto wasn't sure what had kept her there.
Peace had seemingly returned, but after skunking one another more than once, the girls' delicate armistice had been strained several times in the last hour.
And Sakura was still off somewhere…
Even so, Naoto would still take it!
Even Nagatoro's mood had improved, and she took part in bantering with Gamo-chan, Yoshi still separating them. He wished that she would've properly apologized, but…
Hana… just sat there, doing a whole lot of nothing.
He could understand her lack of motivation to begin sketching again…
But he wished his creative kohai would perk up a little.
…
Again, he'd still take it!
What he couldn't take was the miserable, shooting pain in his foot.
Was something broken?
It was a surefire thing that something had ruptured. That's what a bruise was… burst blood vessels…
Maybe he should go to the nurse…? Get an icepack, at the least…
He wanted to.
But would he have to explain what happened?
He didn't want to do that.
Would anyone believe that someone had merely stepped on him when he was moving between sessions? That he'd dropped something?
…
He didn't want Nagatoro to get into trouble, not that she would…
Then, and despite that, he'd also have to explain things to the other girls… an icepack taped on…
He didn't want that pressure.
Sure, he'd been really ticked off for a few minutes, but Nagatoro hadn't MEANT to hurt him that badly…
Nagatoro had been pushing and prodding him for a year. It was what she did sometimes.
She'd just gone too far…
He couldn't forget how Sakura had begun to get his attention.
The occasional reprimand was FAR more tolerable out of the gal!
He could at least say he'd given her a decent reason for nearly every "not playful" pinch to his triceps.
You don't say, "It's not gay if the balls don't touch!" to a young lady and not expect retaliation.
…
"…!" He cast it off.
He was thinking too hard again!
Thus, he tried not to.
But his foot was still killing him.
…
So, he distracted himself. It wasn't difficult, not with Gamo-chan once more in decent spirts, excited about the weekend, still a long time off.
It beggared his imagination how she could ricochet back to happy after such a dreadful interaction, but…
The girl was batting around yet another bout of fun times. "We don't have to know for sure right away, but I'd like to get it together before everyone has other Friday plans."
"Pizza party~!" Yoshi wrought the blue with her lust for the king of all the flatbreads. "We're going out for some pies!"
"Indeed, we are~!" Gamo-chan publicized, hiking her leg up on the seat of her chair, leaning with her forearm on her knee. "Nekoba's a 'definitely', and Sakura's a 'most likely'!"
Naoto, making a point to not be in any position to see up her skirt, thought this sounded awesome, but he had other plans. And so did Nagatoro~!
How would Nagatoro react…?
Looking her way, her demeanor told him nothing, and he knew this might be a hurdle in need of some skillful clearing.
But that was on her…
Naoto would concern himself.
He knew how HE'D react! He wasn't expecting an invite anyway, so he—
"Paisen," Gamo-chan called him out, grinning less ferally than was her wont and trending in his direction. "I was planning on this just being a girls' day, but I think we could tolerate your presence~. Wanna come~?"
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah! This was as unforeseen as finding an unopened LaserDisc of Disney's Song of the South for ¥700!
She'd asked using a few "unkind" words, but they were full of fun and without airs!
The fondness in her voice was a double-edged sword to Naoto… and so was the fondness in her eager, hopeful eyes.
He still felt like a piece of garbage for ever thinking that she disliked him, and it was even worse knowing she'd had thoughts of him hating her. He'd never given her any concrete reason to think that, but… it still plagued him.
The invitation itself rallied mixed feelings; he knew very well that she'd all but longed for him to accept such offers.
Almost wishing he and Nagatoro were crossing a personal boundary in the modeling of the human figure a different day, Naoto clapped his palms together and bowed slightly. "Sorry, Gamo-chan… If I'd known about this sooner, I'd be glad to go."
Catching an unfriendly look from Nagatoro, he steeled himself. What do you expect me to say…?
More important than that, he finished with Gamo-chan, still showing her the defenseless top of his head, "Thank you for inviting me… but I have plans Friday afternoon… for something important…"
He prayed that Gamo-chan understood that her offer wasn't UNIMPORTANT… not at all…
Then…
This time, he beheld a serener vision of Nagatoro, a slight pink working its way into her cheeks and a strange little smile spreading. She was trying to "be cool", averting herself, but she didn't quite hide it.
And he was sure he was the only one to see it!
Awright! This augured well to him.
To his reprieve, Gamo-chan didn't seem too bent out of shape about it.
She sighed, yes, and gave a melancholy smile, "Again? Too bad…"
"I'm sorry, Gamo-chan, really," he stressed.
Taking on an air full of beans, she allowed, "I'll forgive you… if you buy me a soda or two when we head to the park later~."
That's all? Naoto wasn't sure if she was serious or not. "A soda?"
Gamo-chan took up a diabolical demeanor.
"How 'bout a couple bottles of Ramuné Melon~?" She hoisted her gazongas. "Get it~? Melons~…"
Yoshi wolf-whistled, "Double entendre!"
Whether Gamo-chan was kidding or not about actually wanting a soda, he found himself "adjusting his glasses", spouting, "I'll buy you a soda! Please don't do that again…"
She just laughed, and she lowered her leg from the chair-top.
Hana pressed her tiggobitties together, impressing upon Yoshi. "A Ramuné Melon would be nice…"
Yoshi undulated hers, alternating them. "Melon, melon~!"
"Melon, melon," Hana hummed, imitating Yoshi.
Gamo-chan laughed harder, juking her jugs, "Flubbida, flubbida~!"
"Flubbida, flubbida, flubbida-doobidee-doobidee-doo~!" Yoshi cackled, cupping her cleavage. "R-r-r-rut-ta-ta ta-ta, r-r-r-rut-ta-ta ta-ta, r-r-r-rut-ta-ta ta-ta~!"
Oh, geez! Naoto felt unclean just for seeing this, the room teeming with girlish glee. Does Sunomiya even know I'm HERE?!
And didn't a one of them care that NAGATORO was there?!
He knew they were just having fun, but this was too much.
Losing count of how many times he'd looked away from the girls' antics in the last 60 minutes, he stared straight ahead.
It was nothing new, what greeted him.
Nagatoro was pissed, glowering at the display of impressive mammalian secretory organs, and she glowered at him too!
No big shocker, Naoto had more unpleasant feelings towards her, and he made an effort to not roll his eyes.
Ordinarily, he'd be intimidated by such comportment—and maybe he was, a little—but he still hadn't quite forgiven her for the lemon that had taken to fruit on the top of his foot, and it made odium a little easier.
He'd known some real affection towards Nagatoro, a moment before, seeing her turn to mush in knowing how "important" their Friday future was to him, but he still hadn't quite forgiven her for the lemon that had taken to fruit on the top of his foot—however unintended in severity it had been!
Trying to picture her mosquito bites going flubbida, flubbida in her hands, he had some difficulty with this.
Melon, melon? Naoto spurned, all in his own mind. If she tried that, it'd be more like "strawberry, strawberry"…
And he smirked, almost chuckling, pulling his legs safely and well under his chair, barely giving the movement a thought.
Maybe, just maybe, when they hit the park after school, he'd buy her a Ramuné Strawberry! She didn't need to know why!
Covering his mouth, he was unable to hold his composure, trying hard and vainly attempting hiding it.
Nagatoro saw this, and her hackles rose up all the more. "…!"
And Naoto knew a little satisfaction…
Now, he felt they were "even".
Tromping on his foot that heavily WAS an accident, after all, even if it was an "intentional accident".
He still felt like a jackass, but not a big jackass.
In the interim, the three with advanced degrees in mammary studies had ceased the flubbida and the r-r-r-rut-ta-ta ta-ta, allowing Gamo-chan to return to task and Naoto to face his kohai.
Her "Gamou grin" made a fresh appearance, and taking a step, she slanted towards him.
"But you're coming to karaoke next Wednesday, Paisen," she chuckled, a minute blush emerging. "If you try to back out, I will drag you there by your short-hairs~. Remember~?"
Yow! Naoto jarred, and all he could do was acknowledge her. "…Y-yeah…"
Reconciled with a few of the things stubbornly adhering to her plate, she gave him a kindlier smile. "Good to hear~."
And she repossessed the place of her rump's recent respite, her senpai to her left and Hana to her right.
…
Wow! Naoto hadn't foreseen such a sincere summons. And Gamo-chan had done such a thing in front of Nagatoro!
Why couldn't he have known about the pursuit of pizza before agreeing with the Friday modeling session?!
But it was what it was.
Still…
Somewhere, not a far lark from the thoughts and hopes upmost in his mind, there existed a strange inkling…
He'd had a good laugh with Sakura, bringing up the ridiculous rumination of Gamo-chan physically forcing him to join their karaoke group, but…
He sort of wished he hadn't.
It seemed best that Sakura wasn't there to hear it referenced, though it probably wouldn't mean a minutia. That's what his non-brain parts—his heart, gut, and balls—told him.
It didn't make much sense…
All he knew was that the sights and sounds of Gamo-chan jogging away from him, Wednesday afternoon, stoked within him an incommunicably powerful yearning.
You said you'd come to karaoke, and I'm gonna hold you to it~!
He'd again been struck that she was his friend.
You're coming this time, even if I have to drag you by your short-hairs!
She was a great friend. She was a very pretty girl. She was pretty special.
We'll get everyone together and blow the roof off the dump!
His words had failed him, and all he'd been able to do was return her wave.
See ya soon!
He'd swallowed quite the lump in his throat, keeping a lid on his emotions.
…
Why did he wish he'd never mentioned it to Sakura?
Maybe he just wanted something that intoxicating to be theirs, his and Gamo-chan's… their memory and no one else's.
Maybe…
…
Although, it was most likely because of something a great deal huger… something that he couldn't even grasp in that time and space:
In that moment, Gamo-chan bidding him farewell, never in his life had he felt so valued… so respected… so treasured…
…
As most of this vastness wasn't finding traction in his brain, heart, gut, or balls, Naoto was treated to Gamo-chan "failing" to coax Nagatoro to hop aboard the pizza wagon.
If Nagatoro was steamed any further over Gamo-chan's subpoena towards him, she didn't show it.
Whatever way, he would now have an answer as to how Nagatoro would react to the same behest.
"How 'bout it, Hayacchi?" Gamo-chan queried. "Still not sure? I know I asked earlier, but do you know anything new?"
She'd already asked?!
Nagatoro answered, "I'm… still thinking 'no'. I'm probably busy that afternoon."
Probably?!
"…?" Naoto did a double-take.
The girl of his dreams had gone all the way to a mauve hue, a strange, nervous, happy face on her.
Holy shit~!
Gamo-chan compelled, "'Probably'?"
Nagatoro twiddled her hands and feet, shrinking. "Yeah, probably…"
Hot damn! Naoto was reascending to that hawk's nest. I'm sorry for thinking such bad stuff about you!
It was quite a reassurance for him, seeing how on board she seemed to be!
Consequentially, he failed to realize his OWN face had gone mauve!
Gamo-chan didn't need algebra to deduce this one.
Basic arithmetic was more than enough!
"Oh-ho~!" she whirred. "So that's what you're up to on Friday~."
Naoto ducked. Crap!
Gamo-chan went in for a jab.
"What are you and Paisen getting' up to, Hayacchi~?" She circled her prey. "Crepes? Cake? A walk on the beach~?"
For about the first time, Naoto saw Nagatoro at a loss for words, and it wasn't in a completely negative way.
"…~!" Her mauveness went mauver, and she wiggled in place.
Gamo-chan squeed, "Nothin' to say~?"
"…?" Naoto considered all this. She seemed… too happy about it.
Naoto wasn't sure why Gamo-chan would get so worked up!
Not unexpectedly, Nagatoro had nothing. "…~"
Yoshi and Hana viewed the show. "…!" "…"
Since Nagatoro gave her nothing, Gamo-chan went after Naoto.
She glowed, fit to burst, asking, "What are you two doing, Paisen~?"
Oof! He wasn't sure if he wanted to answer that.
Nagatoro was embarrassed enough!
…Still…
The girls knew she'd modeled for him multiple times. The whole school knew.
They didn't need to know the specifics.
It was better that they didn't!
Naoto took a chance, replying, "We're planning on having a modeling session Friday afternoon."
Across from him, Nagatoro bugged, and it was plain enough what she might say.
"What the Hell are you doing, Senpai?!" might fit the bill.
He could live with it.
The gamble having been made, Naoto prepared for a Gamo-chan/Yoshi jeering sandwich to envelope him, but he was proved wanting.
It seemed TAME to Maki and Yosh!
Gamo-chan's air ran out, and her shoulders slumped. "That's all?"
Yoshi had asked the same question!
Sorry to disappoint you! Naoto didn't enjoy hearing that question. "Sure, there's something I wanna work on, and Nagatoro agreed to help me."
Hana gave her two yen, "I hope it goes well, Hachioji-senpai."
"Thanks," he replied. "I'm looking to add to my portfolio."
She returned, "I'm sure you can't wait to get back to freely creating art; I know I can't wait."
He'd hop on that bandwagon (and not just because it distracted from Gamo-chan's badgering)! "It's gonna be great, Sunomiya!"
Evaluating the others, Naoto found that Yoshi gave the impression of being slaked.
Good…
Nagatoro seemed shaken with embarrassment, but he reasoned she'd be fine.
It'll be okay…
That being said, Naoto has a bad feeling about Gamo-chan, the burly girly radiating naughtiness, flushed and out for blood.
Yes, Nagatoro would be fine… as long as she was left alone.
This didn't augur the best!
Uh-oh… Naoto got a chill.
He kept forgetting—like he could forget, but he did!—and needed to remind himself that the modeling session he'd be sharing with Nagatoro wasn't of the "normal" sort.
If it was normal, there wouldn't be any need for a fuss.
It was impossible for a session to be normal, not when his biggest worry was keeping his dick droopy in such local proximity to Nagatoro's… yeah.
In multiple cases of his close encounters with Nagatoro's… "yeah", he'd failed fully in arresting a boner upon one cropping up.
He couldn't really help it!
All that had saved him were the positions he sat in and his practiced ability to tuck Lil' Naoto behind his belt (and always, always behind his shirt) when he decided to grow.
And it was the whole of Nagatoro's legs that got him!
He thought Gamo-chan and Yoshi both had gorgeous legs, long and toned. He also thought Sakura had a lovely pair; her legs weren't stumpy, but they lacked the willowy quality of her taller friends, more "average" in length.
But Nagatoro's legs, slender and long for her size, sent his endocrinal emissions into low orbit!
He wanted to conduct this whole thing with professionalism, but that was nigh out of the question with a rod raging in one's undertrou.
…
Enough about HIM! What about Nagatoro?!
He knew she was cracking, but she wouldn't crack, not in the sense of disclosure.
She'd crack, crumbling and unable to defend herself!
He knew that she knew that they knew her down below limbs turned him on, and they'd been able to live with that, but things were different now.
Nagatoro had always been the one with run of the ship, at least mostly, sometimes slipping off the helm or a wayward rope or sail. But she'd been the one in charge.
This time, Naoto stood at the controls.
He quickly glanced around, assessing Yoshi and Hana.
Yoshi was quivering like a chihuahua in a blizzard, eyes focused on a blemish in the table's surface.
And Hana sat pat.
Neither would put a stop to Gamo-chan's quest for ignominy!
She didn't waste time in closing in. "Something's going on, Hayacchi~. He makin' you cosplay or something?"
It's not like we haven't done that before!
Naoto might've said this, but there were bigger things going on.
Oh, please don't do this, Gamo-chan! Silently pleading, he wanted to pull a vanishing act. Even Yoshi thinks this is a bad idea!
"…!" Nagatoro gave a textbook example of invertebrate motility, squiggling like a worm.
"He must've asked you to do something special, Hayacchi~," Gamo-chan cantillated. "Tell Papa what it is~."
Hayacchi couldn't. "…!"
"Now look what you did," Gamo-chan reproached Naoto, trying very hard to not smirk. "You broke Hayacchi! Good going, Paisen~."
He pulled out a little audacity, "Okay, that's enough of that. Haven't you had your fun?"
What did I just do?! It had sort of slipped out.
To his amazement, Gamo-chan withdrew, sighing, "Yeah…"
Phew! He wasn't going to die just then.
"Sorry, Hayacchi…" Not-so-sad Eyes reconciled. "Went too far again…"
More quickly than expected, Nagatoro accepted, "It's okay…"
It didn't SOUND okay, but maybe it was over!
It had Naoto breathing easier.
At least Gamo-chan hadn't been malevolent about it! She'd seen her best friend luxuriating in whatever it was she and her senpai would be doing, and she was just trying to get a little rise out of her.
Miss Non-malevolence finally resumed her seat, a most pleasant expression held.
Okay! While a little grief had been given, Naoto saw it as no big whoop.
Just by the cooling sensation he knew on his face, it seemed that his blush had reduced.
This was good news!
He cast his gaze to Nagatoro.
Her blush had also lessened!
He'd take it, though things seemed dead in the water again.
Still, it beat the holy shitload of trouble they'd endured!
Pleased as a man might be in these circumstances, he leaned back in his chair and made to cross his legs.
Thunk!
"Ack…!" he choked, strangled in his breathing.
Blinding pain shot from his injured foot all the way to his jaw.
Fu-u-u-u-u-uck! He'd banged his lemon-bruise—catching up to his yam-bag in size—against a leg of the table.
"Paisen?" Gamo-chan's head spun his way. "You okay?"
Yoshi and Hana emerged on either side, both keen on the prevailing state of affairs.
The "thunk" had been loud enough to get them invested.
Naoto tried to play it off, meaning he lied, "I just bonked my knee under the table."
"Ooh…" Yoshi grimaced. "That hurts."
"Yeah," her senpai extended the falsehood. "You know how you can hit it just right? And it just zings?"
Gamo-chan could relate, "Oh, damn, that sucks when that happens…"
"Are you going to be okay, Hachioji-senpai?" Hana asked. "Do you need anything?"
Oh, don't jump in too, Sunomiya! Naoto hated lying to Hana, but… it seemed to beat the truth, just then.
"Thanks, but I'll be okay, Sunomiya," he tried brushing the whole thing under the rug. "It's kinda like hitting your funny-bone… It's like, OUCH, but it doesn't last. It's fine."
She believed him, replying, "That's good. I'd hate to see you hurt."
Shit! He really hated lying to Hana.
But if he could calm himself, he'd be okay!
This quickly proved difficult.
And the pain had become unbearable.
He'd felt the rosiness leave his face, but he now felt the color leave.
Damn it, it can't be broken! Can it?
Then, the sweating increased, evidently opposing his body's thinking it had been laid bare to polar conditions, and he began shivering his ass off.
He didn't need a mirror too see: a pallor was all his blanching left behind.
Whether or not she was the first to take note, Gamo-chan was the first to address it, positing in a concerned voice, "You look like shit, Paisen. Are you sure you're okay?"
No, I'm not okay! Naoto wished to cry out, his eyes watering.
How could he go from "kind of okay" to THIS so fast?!
Twin-tails's Yosh-sense reared its head, and it was clear something was wack.
Becoming worried about the situation, he stole a glimpse to his opposite.
Nagatoro would've had to endeavor to look more shamefaced, her nervousness and guilt unmistakable.
Regardless, it was missed by Gamo-chan and Yoshi. Naoto wouldn't have seen it if he hadn't striven to check what she was up to.
But it wasn't missed by Hana.
Her eyes were always vigilant, always on the lookout for the wellbeing of her beloved senpai, the young man she cared about and even loved like the big brother she'd never had.
And she had ALWAYS kept an eye on Nagatoro.
All it took was a peek under the table, and Naoto's and Nagatoro's body languages told her all she needed to know.
At first, no one but Yoshi noticed when Hana stood up and walked to the diagonal of the table, looping behind Gamo-chan and Naoto.
Then, Gamo-chan noticed her, towering against the smallness of Nagatoro, seated in front of her.
Nagatoro saw her before their senpai did, and Naoto didn't even notice until another one of them spoke.
Gamo-chan had barely gotten out, "…What is it, Hana—?"
"Stand up, Nagatoro-senpai," Hana commanded the farm-tanned girl before her.
Q&A Section
What is a story element you were considering but decided to scrap?
ED: I like this question. It seems like a good one to ask any author, fanfic or not.
I can think of one. I considered giving Yoshi an eating disorder, specifically bulimia. But my editor and I don't have "experience" and "knowledge" of living with it or (knowingly) dealing with someone with it. Anorexia, both of us are unfortunately familiar with people in our lives that have suffered with it, but Yoshi isn't anorexic. I don't think that could be disputed. Yoshi will see character and background development in other ways.
Anyone that's going to try writing about conditions, disorders, and diseases in fiction should have fairly intimate knowledge or a quality source of information on these subjects. People from all places and walks of life can be living with certain issues, and people from all places and walks might read fanfics. It's partly a matter of respect towards readers, affected or not, and it's helpful if a reader can relate to or understand something a character might be experiencing. I think it's also a way that writers and readers can relate to and understand each other.
Plus, we also discussed at length that Gamo-chan and the other girls likely have enough of a hold on Yoshi that they'd notice something like that. We also considered the idea that the girls, even Gamo-chan, wouldn't know and even miss the signs. People can miss things when not looking for them, and it's not always anyone's fault.
I don't regret the two of us axing this element.
Please look forward to the next chapter! Thanks for reading! Questions and comments are welcome!