🌸Cherry Blossom Palette🎨
🌸Chapter 68: Off-the-Cuff Modeling, Part Four🎨
[Finale]
Written by EmtenDew
Edited by P. serrulata
Author's note:
ED: I want to thank you for staying with me on the journey of this story. 68 chapters. It's been fun, and the next part of the story will be fun too.
In this chapter, Naoto's and Sakura's long afternoon, becoming night, ends at long last.
I usually don't ask my editor how he comes up with some of the really crazy stuff he does, but the line about the protagonist of Princess Shoes "boondoggling" his own "boogie" had me ROTFLMAO. Maybe I will ask what dark recesses of his brain that came from. All he told me was that "alliteration sometimes has a place when used in comedic euphemisms for masturbation". I had to look up a couple of those words to even understand what he told me.
But I'd like to see him outdo me in calculating the stress tolerances of a bridge. (He wouldn't know where to start!) Nyah-nyah!
If you can find Ore no Himegutsu wo Haitekure (Please Put on My Princess Shoes), I do recommend reading it. It's not for all tastes, but I liked it. PS read it too, and I think he enjoyed it. His opinion was actually the one I gave Naoto. He thought it was a nice, brief story that didn't take too much investment, even if it was different.
Do make sure to look for the new story, coming very soon.
Please enjoy what I wrote.
Friday, July 19, 2018
"C'mon, Senpai-kun, you're serious?" Sakura Inori harshly dismissed what she'd just been told. "I'm totally wrong about Hayacchi, Yoshi, Gamo-chan, and Nekoba/me, last to first?"
Naoto Hachioji was quite serious… and he was quite blushy. "I am."
"So, you're telling me I didn't get a single spot correct?"
"Other than your own…" Naoto told her. "But you knew that to begin with."
"So, that means Nekoba is number three for your 'Beach Beauty Hit Parade'~."
"…Yes…"
"I getcha…" Sakura established. "Nothing else would make sense, I guess."
"…" Naoto couldn't believe this shit was happening.
She reasoned further, "So, Gamo-chan and me are tops~?"
"Yes."
"If that's the case, then I'm completely incorrect about Hayacchi being last; she's fourth," she determined. "Yoshi is last."
"…Yes…"
"It's only logical, Senpai-kun~."
"And not just process of elimination?" Naoto charged.
"Hey, up yours, buddy!" Sakura retorted. "It was easy once I knew where Nekoba ranked. And P.o.E. is logic of the basest sort~."
…
Naoto was bewildered as to how they were still in the art room, but there they were!
The room smelled of rewarmed soup, and there were no more leftovers to be had.
They'd found an old cooking pot in the prep room and had reheated their surplus soup on the burner Hana had brought in for tea.
Cold tempura wasn't bad, especially when dropped into piping hot udon!
And as when one gives a mouse a cookie, the little pecker will want something to wash it down with.
So had begun the delicate operation of senpai and kohai not getting locked out of the school, but doing the same thing upon receiving their delivered dinner, and Sakura watched the staff door while Naoto had ventured a little farther out, picking up a few bottles of Dr Pepper at the adjacent convenience store.
Thus, hopped up on even more sugar and caffeine than before, in their merriment, it was only a small step to reopen a past topic between the two, namely Naoto's swimsuit tier-list, both having a laugh over some of their recent "antics".
But Naoto admitting to Sakura the actual placements hadn't been part of the plan… not HIS plan anyway.
It had just happened, and similarly to why they'd decided to come within reach of burning the midnight oil, neither was sure what had brought them to this juncture.
…
No, that wasn't true…
The gal had pushed the issue, and why was the mystery.
Maybe she was just having some fun.
Still, it wasn't such a bad thing…
They needed SOMETHING to talk about while Naoto doodled out a full-body sketch of his kohai!
Unlike their reasons for sticking around and talking shop about bikinis, there was more rhyme and reason to the portrait.
And it was nothing more than Sakura had struck a funny pose, lying on the sofa!
Naoto had a laugh…
Sakura had the idea…
And they decided he'd hash out a quick rendering, and it didn't "count" as the portrait they'd decided to do another time.
This was just for fun.
…
The goofy pose the gal had conjured wasn't the easiest to maintain.
"Meh…" She adjusted her skirt, back around her waist, conflicting with the gym shorts, also still worn.
"Hey, try to relax." The owner of said shorts was having trouble concentrating to begin with. "You said you were enjoying their warmth."
"Yeah, well, it's gotten colder outside," she fortified. "But don't shut the window. That fresh air is nice…"
They'd left the windows open to deal with the stink of fixative and the steam of soup.
Naoto quickly remembered Sakura's earlier plight, the room being somewhat chilly for her, and he wanted to stay ahead of her grievances.
Her comfort was important to him.
"Are the backlights too much, Sakura-san?" He'd set some lights around him to illuminate the sofa and its occupant a little better.
He wasn't the one facing them, so…
Sakura continued retuning her school uniform. "The lights are fine, Senpai-kun… They don't hurt my eyes or anything."
"Good." He was relieved. "Please say something if anything's wrong."
"Mm-hmm…" she hummed in reply.
It must be said that Naoto could live with a few distractions taking them away from his tier-list, but the diversion of Sakura's skirt riding up was only a momentary lapse.
Having fixed her wardrobe woes, she got right back into it.
"I should've figured on that for your order," she gathered. "Though I can see why you said mine 'made sense'."
With the worst of the subject out of the way—the "pecking-order" among the five girls in question—Naoto was feeling a little less magenta.
But there was a "why" to everything, and it was irresistible.
Naoto saw danger ahead, but he had to know, "Uh… just what did you think you and Nekoba have over Gamo-chan?"
"You're saying I don't~?"
"I'm just saying I'm not sure why you put Gamo-chan in third."
"It was what I thought about your thoughts… your list," Sakura harumphed. "I have my own list~."
"I'm sure you're dying to share it…"
"Last to first!" she commenced to rattling off. "Nagatoro, Nekoba, Yoshi, me, Gamo-chan!"
"You didn't put yourself in first?" He hadn't thought she would, and he knew she probably wasn't that vain, but one never knew with Sakura.
"C'mon, beating Gamo-chan?!" she ousted. "Pfft! She's gorgeous!"
"…" No comment was to be had from the senpai.
Oh, the Hell that would be if the other girls ever heard about this "game"…!
Be that as it may, Sakura hadn't answered his question, pertaining to his list.
She proceeded to, "If I was to give you a half-serious reason, it'd be that I think I'd have an easier time beating Nekoba than Gamo-chan as your gold-medalist. Hopeful thinking~."
Gold-medalist?! Naoto contorted.
"And that is a half-serious reason, Senpai-kun," Sakura soldiered along. "But if I were to give you the better reasons I have, we talked about it before, at least some."
Talked about what? He and the gal had done a lot of talking, to mention it again.
She didn't leave him guessing long. "I know you really like that 'practical, modest look' Nekoba has, and that's completely understandable. It really looks good on her. What's more, she's a twig—also not a bad thing. I wasn't sure how you felt about girls with more muscle…"
Oh, help me, gods! Naoto never wanted to start in on that.
Regardless, it didn't stop him, faced with it. "Muscle doesn't bother me… not that I'd go for Ms. Olympia…"
Gamo-chan though… Wowza!
"No thoughtful woman would fault a man for that," Sakura opined. "Ms. Olympia? That sorta thing makes the dick soft…"
Jesus Christ! Naoto's hand almost slipped.
He'd found yet another contender for "The Best (Worst) of Busted Filter Sakura".
The off-handedness she'd said it with staggered the mind!
"Sakura-san!" he scolded. "Yikes!"
"Yeah, that was pretty bad~…" she extended, a harsh chortle filling her throat.
Naoto gawked. "Where did that come from…?"
She said, "It's something one of my 'fair-weather' gal-pals I talked about manga with in middle school said about female athletes in general, not just the musclebound. She could be funny, but mostly she was just nasty… We weren't friends, really, but I've told you that story…"
Gloom overtook off-handedness.
Before Naoto could respond, Sakura waved it off.
"Sorry…" she apologized. "Forget I said that…"
He'd try…
And he knew she didn't want to talk about middle school, so he let her have it. "…"
As a bouncy-ball thrown against a wall, Sakura came zipping back almost as potently, "But another reason I chose Nekoba over Gamo-chan for you was because you strike me as the sort of guy who likes shorter hair on a girl."
Where'd she get that from?
He wasn't about to diss her, but he was curious as to her basis. "What makes you think that?"
"It's just a feeling…" she submitted. "I can't really explain why."
"It… doesn't bother me either way, really." Naoto was freaking himself out with how easily his answers were coming.
"Well, I prefer short hair, but that's just me." Sakura fondled her fools' golden locks. "I'd been growing it for a few years, but it was so nice to chop it all off last spring."
He remembered the first few times he saw Sakura had been with hair down to her naval.
"…it's a whole 15 cm longer just over a year later, but I have trimmed it a few times," the gal measured.
Naoto had missed the first couple words of her sentence, but he couldn't have missed much. "…"
Sakura smiled. "I think it's time to raise it to my chin again; it's all over my shoulders."
It sure is…
Effortlessly, "I remember you with long hair, Sakura-san… I kinda liked it."
What did he just say?!
Immediately, he could tell he was flushed. "…!"
Sakura, flattered, tittered, rapidly resembling a semi-ripe tomato.
"I didn't know you felt that way," she whirred. "Maybe I'll let it go awhile~."
Do what you will… He wanted to say that, but, "…Okay…"
He also wanted to say nothing else was on the way, but he could tell he was in for it.
"Now…" Sakura crooned dramatically, maintaining pressure. "I think I'm ready~."
He KNEW there was something…!
Though, he didn't know what. "R-r-r-ready for what?"
The tremolo in his question was as gasoline poured on a campfire.
"~…~" She leaned closer, accentuating her breasts. "I'm ready to know whether me or Gamo-chan are number one in your 'hottie hit parade'~."
$#!+! Naoto was in disagreement with himself whether it was her question or the juddering of her jugs that took that day or two away from his life.
Her wheedling voice didn't do as much anymore, its presence nearly ubiquitous…
But he did have an answer, and playing along wasn't so daunting.
It was easier when he tried to view it as a game, and he'd come CLOSE to succeeding!
There was probably no other way he'd have made it through the first leg of the "game", eight days earlier.
"I haven't decided, actually," Naoto gave her the truth, conquering his nerves. "You're still tied."
He'd caught her snoozing!
Sakura crimsoned. "What?!"
Aw, damn it! He hadn't wanted to do that to her again.
She'd "underestimated" him when she'd dropped the whole "list thing" in his lap on Thursday, and she'd paid for it.
And she was shown up now too.
Even so, she was quick to recover. "I'll just need to wow you at the beach then~."
He broke character by not breaking. "Yup."
Sakura laughed pretty hard at that, knowing she wasn't besting him.
"Well countered, Senpai-kun~," she complemented. "I should've remembered your fortitude in the last clash."
"…" Naoto chose silence, returning his attention to his work.
Sakura took it as no put-down, and she relaxed into her puerile pose. "…~"
"…"
"…~"
…
"…" Naoto wasn't trying too hard to make a masterpiece, but he was having fun with this.
He would've been okay with calling it a night, rather beat, but he wasn't regretting sticking around!
"…Uh… Senpai-kun?" His comely subject sounded far more severe than was warranted, given what they were going for.
"Yes, Sakura-san?" He peered around his easel. "Do you need to take a break or something?"
"Something from earlier…"
"Yes?"
"Since you've been embarrassed more than me today, I can't walk away with the scales unbalanced," she diagnosed, quite solemn in her delivery. "It's not fair."
It was the clumsiest thing he'd heard from her! …At least in the last couple hours.
Whatever she was moving towards, Naoto wasn't keen on it.
He tried to stick a fork in it. "Hey, let's not worry about scales or evening the score…"
"Fine, there's something I want to tell you regardless," she persisted.
He now KNEW something was bothering her…
He'd let her have it. "What is it?"
"…" Sakura fidgeted. "It's just I don't like misunderstandings… I don't think you do misunderstand, but… I wanna be sure."
If she was this perturbed, he'd DEFINITELY listen.
"Alright, Sakura-san, what is it?" he invited.
"…"
"…?"
Sakura sighed and let it rip.
"First off, I'm not interested in girls like that… 'that' meaning romantically…" she particularized. "I just think women's bodies are beautiful."
That's what was bugging her?!
Okay… Naoto had been expecting something a little hairier than that.
"That's all?" he found himself asking.
"…!" She bristled. "Whadda ya mean, 'that's all?'"
He didn't quite regret what he'd said. "I mean, we were just talking about being able to appreciate the beauty of things. It doesn't always need to be anything more than that. I get it, Sakura-san."
Her relief was palpable. "Oh, good…"
"You were really worried?" Naoto thought they were past that kind of crap.
Sakura sandwiched her knees together uncomfortably, breaking her pose. "It's just… a lot of people don't understand… And I know you don't like people jumping to conclusions either, but they sometimes do… even people we think we know… or that they should know better."
"I guess I can see what you mean." He knew some things shouldn't be taken for granted.
She concurred, "Misunderstandings can cause trouble… lead to rumors…"
Naoto could dig her motives, knowing the trouble those things frequently caused her. "I get it, Sakura-san."
She put in, "There's more…"
He wouldn't mind a little quiet, allowing him to focus on the portrait.
Not that he'd quell her concerns, "Yes, Sakura-san?"
"I said a bit ago, Senpai-kun…" She was guarded but not entirely. "Even though women's can be pretty, I've always thought feet were kinda weird and gross, but… I do like hands… and not just on a woman."
Naoto stopped feathering out one of the lines forming doodle-Sakura's hair. "…?!"
WTF?! Where'd she pull THAT from?!
She declared, "That's one thing I do like on a guy."
"…?" he puzzled. "…Alright…"
"Aw, you're being kinda cold, aren't you?" she pouted.
"Cold?"
"Yeah, like, brrrr~…" She demonstrated the act of shivering.
"What am I supposed to say?"
He wasn't sure what to say.
They'd talked a little about hands during sketching and the review of the earlier sketches… mainly the stuff about a person's hands transcendentally reflecting their being and speaking to the more practical side of who or what that person is.
Naoto didn't see much point in discussing the matter beyond that, but…
Sakura DID say she liked hands…
And he got it.
Wait… is she…?! She couldn't…!
She was. "When I first actually got to know you, Senpai-kun, I thought you had nice hands~."
She IS! And she DID!
She related, "I definitely noticed that you had 'air' hands too, like mine, not that I had any idea what air hands were until today~."
Naoto was stunned, but he wasn't reeling. "Sakura-san…?"
"Don't overthink it," she smirked. "I mean, would you freak out if I said you had a nice face? That seems pretty 'normal'."
He probably would, at least some, hearing it from her, but yes, it was "normal".
Honestly, he could say, "No, not really."
"Well, that's good, because you kinda do~."
"…?!" Words couldn't describe Naoto's face. "…?!"
Neither could Sakura!
She pointed, her smile spreading. "Sen… Senpai-kun~…!"
His eyes darted around. "What?!"
"Senpai-kun… your…" she giggled unrestrainedly.
He blinked. "My what…?"
And the gal cracked up, unable to form words.
…
To recap—for perhaps the thousandth time—Naoto had seen Sakura laugh before.
She'd laughed at his dumb manga, she'd laughed at the antics of Nagatoro and their other friends, she'd laughed at him and with him, and she'd laughed over many other things.
But almost everything prior he'd ever seen out of her—expressing amusement included—was done with some measure.
Compared to all else, this laugh seemed… truly genuine. It was… unguarded; there was no fabrication or holding back, and she appeared truly over the moon.
It wasn't just a belly laugh… it was a "soul laugh".
Her defenses were dropped, and her little place in the world was secure.
She was as safe as yesterday is.
Her wheezy guffaw was akin to something Naoto had only heard in videos about the treatment of sleep apnea.
Tears ran down the sides of her face, into her ears and hair and onto the sofa.
She kicked and bucked, rolling from one side to the other, and her chosen posture for the spontaneous "silly sketch" was nowhere to be found.
And the dumb look on Naoto's mug only sent her to greater heights.
…
He might've been upset… if it hadn't been so mesmerizing.
…
…
…
"Oh, Senpai-kun, I'm sorry…" Sakura held her ribs, still tootling with hilarity.
He assured her, sitting her down behind the easel in a second chair, "It's… it's okay…"
"No, really, I'm sorry for laughing so hard…" She regretted losing control so completely.
Part of Naoto wanted to tell her how much he'd enjoyed it…
How often did a man get the GOOD kind of chills, just from seeing and hearing a girl laugh from the bottom of her heart?
How often DID a girl laugh from the bottom of her heart?!
He'd felt it through his entire body, like a rush of arctic air on the back of his neck and like ice-water in his veins.
But she'd probably heard enough weirdness out of him for one semester…
"It's alright, Sakura-san…" Sitting beside her in the chair he'd been using, Naoto didn't want her thinking she'd done anything wrong. "Sometimes you start laughing at something, and you just can't stop… I know what it's like."
"It was just your… your face~!" she gloried.
He chuckled, "I wish I coulda seen it…"
He did wish!
"…~" she snickered into her hands.
"Alright, alright…" Pushing other things aside, Naoto had brought her to the easel for a reason, wishing to review the portrait, just as they had with the rest of the material that day. "This is as far as we got, Sakura-san, but there's plenty to talk about."
She atoned, still trying with middling success to calm herself, "I'm sorry for effing up your sketch…"
He HAD been hoping to add a few more details to the piece, but Sakura's dissolvement put the kibosh on such things…
Nevertheless, "It's okay, Sakura-san… I kinda like it this way."
"You do?" she mulled, hiccupping. "It looks sorta… incomplete."
Naoto thought he could get her meaning.
It reminded him quite a bit of the sketch he'd done of Sakura and Hana at the diner.
Very rough… but in the best way possible!
"There's still plenty to take in, Sakura-san." He pointed out. "What's one thing you notice when you compare this to everything else we've done? There are a few differences, but one stands out to me more than anything else. I know we don't have the other sketches out here to compare side-by-side, but what do you see?"
She immediately responded, her simpering having petered off, "The most intense light is coming in from the side and not from above. The brightest light's facing me instead of coming from the ceiling. I can see it in my face, mostly."
"Good~." Naoto was pleased. "That's probably the biggest difference, Sakura-san."
"It's kinda neat~," she appreciated. "It really changes the whole scene, especially the shadowing. I keep thinking about that sketch you did of my hands folded… The light was more off to the side, so the shadowing was greater on the leeward side of my hands instead of under them, more on the table."
"Hey, looks like you did pick that up." Naoto commended.
He'd never thought guiding a layperson through the process of critiquing could be so enjoyable!
"You told me to remember~." She was happy she'd been listening. "You'd almost think you had this all planned, setting up for this 'lesson'~."
He denied, "I wasn't planning on this last piece at all. You're the one that suggested I sketch it."
"Oh, poo…" Sakura grumbled. "You can't even humor me~?"
Oh, she wanted to play?
"You want me to humor you, you need to say something funny~," Naoto dared.
The chirruping blonde was rather harsh with the sensitive flesh covering his tricep. "Asshole-kun~!"
…
…
…
There were a few other things of note to cover in Sakura's leisurely likeness, but they were spent soon enough.
"Would you like the 'honor', Sakura-san?" Naoto presented the can of fixative.
She'd never seen anyone besides him or Hana apply it to a work, and Hana was more comfortable when he did it.
"Are you sure?" She'd never expected the "honor" to fall on her.
He held out the can to her. "I'm sure."
She took it. "…What do I do?"
He wasn't about to put his hand over hers and guide her, but he instructed, "It's like what you and Sunomiya were talking about when you painted your nails. Go for light, even coats. It'll dry quickly, and you'll be able to apply it in layers. Give the can a shake, hold it about 30 cm away, keep moving, and go easy on the trigger until you get the hang of it."
Sakura did as she was told.
"Hey~!" she twittered. "Look at that."
"Nice." Naoto applauded. "Now, let it dry a minute, and do it again."
She did so, and the piece was soon relatively safe for careful handling.
Before filing it away, Naoto wished to admire his creation a moment.
Oh, how he'd love to leave this out for a while! To tack it on that BIG, BARE SPOT on the east wall!
But he'd decided to conceal this, as he had with the other pile of sketches from that day.
Sakura had even agreed…
"…" He took in the large sheet of paper, adorned with his pretty friend and the ratty sofa.
He hadn't gone apeshit or even hog-wild in depicting the madcap she'd intended.
Much of the time, she'd just given him a playful face and an amusing posture, and that's how he'd presented her.
"…~" He liked it.
Observing her own smile, facing back at her, Sakura hailed, "That's real nice, Senpai-kun."
He couldn't stop grinning. "Thanks, I… I do like this one."
"Did I do okay as your model?" she wondered.
Fuckin' A, right! She'd been a GREAT model!
Naoto beamed. "Yeah… you did just swell~."
She poked his arm in a place she hadn't given him the crab-claw. "Not too bad for a 'practice girl', right~?"
"…!" His inner-senpai stirred.
That "practice girl" malarkey again…
Naoto scanned over what he'd done.
It wasn't his best work, but…
He'd had fun doing it!
He'd given it a relaxed but competent try, more so than he'd been planning!
And…
It was HIS business who and what he sketched!
…
Fuck it!
"I think… I'm gonna leave this out" He regarded the portrait.
Sakura gawked. "You what?"
"I'm gonna hang this up." He detached the paper from the easel and proceeded to tack it up over the big, bare spot on the east wall.
The gal watched incredulously. "Are you sure about this?"
She knew there might be trouble for SOMEONE.
"I'm sure." Even Naoto didn't know where this confidence came from.
He knew there might be trouble, but…
If anyone made a stink about it… he'd deal with it!
"…!" He had another matter he wished to address, and it was more important than someone's unwarranted butthurt over his art. "Sakura-san…"
"Yes?" She felt lost, wondering who'd replaced her Senpai-kun.
This senpai took a deep breath and said, "I know we say this stuff—what we did today—was for practice…"
Sakura blinked. "Yeah?"
"If it's okay with you…" he tendered. "Would it be okay if I… maybe put a few of those sketches in my portfolio?"
Naoto's face had begun to go brick-red, and Sakura's wasn't far behind.
She gaped. "You… you really want to?"
"Maybe…" He wasn't about to guarantee it. "There's only so much I can put in, but a few of these… they're some of my better work…"
"…?!" Sakura flinched.
Naoto was steadfast. "I'd only do it with your permission, but some of them are probably good enough to be used… I wouldn't make a big deal about it… but I wanna have the option…"
"…" Dumbfounded, she stared back at him.
He'd said all he wanted to. "…"
"You're serious…" Sakura wasn't asking… rather observing.
And she wasn't smirking… or trying at being demure…
Naoto would have to think to remember a time he was more serious. "…!"
Certain of his conviction, she agreed, "Okay…"
He was elated. "Thank you!"
Now, Sakura tried to joke… but it came out as more a matter-of-fact. "It's not like anyone can tell it's me in those sketches anyway…"
…
…
…
"Holy crap…" Naoto had just checked the time on his phone.
It was 11:18 p.m.!
This was the latest he'd ever been at the school, even beating the time in first year when he'd been roped into finishing up for his homeroom class's stupid café the night before the school's culture festival!
They'd always finished in a timely manner in ART CLUB!
"Whew!" Sakura blew out a breath. "We'd better get out of here…"
Damn skippy, they'd better!
Naoto had been lackadaisical in his actions that evening, and it only now occurred to him how many rules they'd been breaking!
Staying seven hours past school closure…
Using the employee/staff entrance… TWICE!
Having food delivered without permission…
"…" He supposed those were the only rules they'd broken, but they were rules nonetheless.
A bunch of students staying half the night to finish some dumb project for the culture fest was one thing, but this was another!
And they'd done it on the eve of summer vacation!
But the only trouble they had to worry about were their parents, and there was no need to worry.
Sakura's parents weren't waiting up for her, expecting their daughter to be out with her friends shopping or doing karaoke until all hours, after getting together for pizza (neither of which had happened).
And Naoto's parents were stuck at the office for the night… another night…
The gyaru and the latchkey kid weren't missed… or rather, there was no need for worry on the part of their families.
Naoto took another look at his portrait of Sakura, tacked to the wall.
That erstwhile empty spot looked one holy assload better with something in it!
"…~" Sakura saw what he was up to. "Hey, I really had fun tonight, Senpai-kun~."
Naoto had definitely enjoyed it!
She'd been a good model, she'd been mature, thoughtful, and inquisitive, and her good humor had saved the day more than once!
"Same here, Sakura-san…" He'd gone burgundy. "This has been good."
Maybe there WAS something to letting someone besides Nagatoro model for him.
He wanted to tell her—though he'd already done so—that he wanted her to model for him again, but he decided less was more.
She knew how he felt!
"Thanks for lending me your gym shorts, Senpai-kun." Her thighs had been toasty-warm, and no panty-shots had been had.
She was STILL wearing them!
And he wasn't about to take them back, not when the night chill had come down from the hills.
She'd even asked if she could wear them home.
"Just bring them back to the art room in the next week," he said. "That'd be fine."
"I'm sorry for taking them with me…" she regretted. "I'm just a little cold."
"Hey, we talked about this. It's cool."
"I mean it, Senpai-kun," she warbled. "It's not because I think you'd never wash them and wear them as a hat~…"
It was a little more creative than merely suggesting he'd sniff them…
Naoto snorted, "Sakura-san!"
"…~" She puckered. "You're walking me halfway home, right? I could take 'em off and give 'em to you then~…"
Whoo-hoo! Did Naoto ever get a kick out of her nonsense. "…~!"
Of course, he'd see her partway home! He wouldn't feel right otherwise!
The two friends smiled at one another.
It had been quite a night for senpai and kohai.
Boy, had this been a good time!
Naoto couldn't believe—
"…!" He… noticed something.
Sakura noticed. "Senpai-kun?"
"I thought I heard something," he uttered.
What the Hell was that?
"I don't hear anything…" She didn't.
No… There was… something… Naoto was sure.
"You don't hear it?" It couldn't just be him.
"I dunno what you're talking about."
Meh… He let it go.
"Hey, thanks again, Sakura-san," he bid. "You really helped me out."
"It's cool, buddy~."
"Please at least let me buy you a juice or some ice cream next time we hang out."
The idea of more sweets turned her stomach. "Eh… no more ice cream…"
"Let me do something." Naoto wanted to. "I won't feel right otherwise."
"With all the bets and udon, I figured we were squaresies otherwise," Sakura submitted. "But if you insist, then buy me dessert sometime~. Just not now…"
"Okay!" He knew there would be plenty of time.
It was summer break! And they'd be working on their lame summer homework! And they'd have their dear kohai, Hana, at their elbows!
"…!" Naoto heard the "something" again.
What was it?!
"You have to have heard that, Sakura-san…" He wasn't sure how she couldn't.
She shook her head. "There's nothing, Senpai-kun… Just you and me."
"No…" He was cocksure he'd heard it!
"Could it be… my heartbeat~?" she suggested.
Naoto raised an eyebrow. "Your what?"
"My heartbeat, but I don't think so," she reckoned. "You wowed me tonight, but you didn't wow me that much~!"
Her chirpishness had recovered significantly from her flummoxation of being asked permission by Naoto to use his sketches of her hands and feet to maaaaaybe use in his portfolio.
But Naoto wasn't fooling around. "No… it's…"
*~ee~*
Oh…
*~oo~*
Oh, no…
*~weeeeeeeeeeeeee-wooooooooo~*
Oh, fuck…!
Sakura heard it this time, and she knew what it was.
"Senpai-kun…?" her voice wavered.
*~Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-Woooooooooooooo~*
Naoto shut off the ceiling lights and ran to the window.
Shit! Someone had called the cops on them!
Whoever it might've been had probably noticed a few lights that shouldn't have been turned on at such an hour!
The police sirens were getting louder.
*~WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-WOOOOOOOOOOO~*
And the faint flashing of moving red lights—slowing to stopping—could be seen across the courtyard, reflecting up from the front of the school on the other side.
Oh, Gawddamn it…!
In the mostly dark of the art room, Naoto turned to Sakura.
She was as "alarmed" as he was!
"What do we do…?" she fussed.
She sounded like she might start bawling.
Naoto's brain could work pretty fast when it had to.
They couldn't be caught alone together! Any and all rumors aside—all friends aside—they COULDN'T BE CAUGHT TOGETHER, at this hour, at school!
They'd face suspension and probably worse!
And after all, the WORST would be assumed.
He only saw one option. "Sakura-san, you need to hide."
"I need to what?"
There wasn't time for this!
He insisted, "You need to go hide!"
"What about you?"
He'd… get caught… and they both knew it.
"I have an excuse to be here! Kinda!" He was in the Art Club. "But you…"
She had NO business being there, even by herself, and with a BOY…!
She was quickly getting the picture. "…!"
Naoto couldn't let it come to be. "You know what'll happen if they catch us here!"
She didn't need to be told.
Suspension or worse…
"What should I do?" Sakura was a gyaru to most people, but it didn't mean she was, and she wasn't used to getting in trouble.
Naoto wasn't used to trouble either!
He'd spent most of his life avoiding trouble.
However, he had a plan.
Hiding her in the prep room was probably a bad idea… and the utility closets in the hallways would probably be locked.
"I think you just need to hide in a stall in the girls' room," he proposed.
"The bathroom?"
"Yeah." It seemed like the best idea to him. "Turn off your phone, keep quiet, and don't make a peep until it's over."
He didn't need to explain what "over" meant.
Sakura was more than willing to listen. "Then what?"
"Once the coast is clear, go to one of the exits with no security alarm, and leave." It was simple enough to him.
She didn't seem so sure. "…"
"I'll call you or message you later, but you need to do this." He wasn't going to see her get in trouble for helping him. "I don't know how much time you have, so go hide."
The gal was reluctant, but Naoto convinced her to shut off her phone and go tuck herself away in the nearest girls' room.
With Sakura gone, he turned on the lights in the clubroom.
He was working late after all…
The best thing to do would be to… "casually wait" for whatever happened.
It would certainly be a surprise, the police breaking into the art room…
He opened the sliding door to its fullest.
There was nothing to hide; he was working late…
The hand/foot sketches were "safe" already, so that was nothing to worry about.
No one would find them unless they went through EVERYTHING…
It saddened him to take down the big sketch he'd just done of Sakura, but it was the smart thing to do, and he hid it away.
No one could know she'd just been there, and it was fully-dry, ready to roll up…
The stink of fixative permeating the room couldn't be attached to any one piece of art, but the chance of some asshole noticing the fresh job on the east wall was a risk he didn't want to take.
The clubroom seemed "ready" for anything…
So, Naoto, figuring he didn't have the time to pretend like he was painting the bust (which he'd pretty much been pretending to paint earlier), he pulled out a sketch of a can of pencils (and the actual can of pencils) he'd abandoned a day or so prior.
With a little rearranging, it looked close enough to what it looked like in the sketch…
And he went about "finishing" the sketch.
If he was to be caught, this is how they'd find him…
It was only a minute or two before he heard the commotion softly echoing throughout the school building.
They'd find him easily enough…
And hopefully, they wouldn't bother looking for Sakura.
But he was here… a born loser as far as most were concerned… alone… working on his art when "normal" guys were out getting blown or laid by their girlfriends or some chick they paid ¥10,000 for.
It wasn't like Naoto knew how much a hooker cost, and he lacked any and all diseases associated with that lovely profession.
He was a born, ever-fucking loser!
But he knew better than that… at least most of the time.
He heaved a great sigh, "Pwoo…"
It had been some day.
It had been some week!
It had been a week of dizzying highs and soul-crushing lows.
And after all that—AFTER ALL THAT…!
Through the windows facing the courtyard, he saw the waving flashlights moving down an adjacent hallway.
And he heard the stamp, stamp, stamp of hard work shoes, a sound most foreign in the land of soft indoor school shoes, closing in from two directions.
Naoto could only utter one thing.
"Shit…"
That's all for Cherry Blossom Palette! Thank you SO much for your readership!
Next time, we will begin the continuation of this story in "Summer by the Sea"!