Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Danganronpa.
Chapter 51:
Ecchi
Naruto awoke feeling rested that morning.
After such a tiresome two days, rest was a much needed commodity. In the back of his mind, Naruto knew that there was still a lot for him to do. Not just with the aftermath of these past couple of days, but also the school in general. Specifically, there was still the school festival to worry about. Not as serious, but still required a lot of work to pull off. Plus, it was a lot more fun.
This morning, however, the school festival was the last thing Naruto wanted to think about. He was starting to feel his consciousness return little by little, but as it did more and more of his senses started to function again. He realized that something smelled really, really good. Was it ramen? Did he have ramen already prepared? Or had the gods finally come down from the heavens to bless him for being such a faithful follower? He was the number one devout follower of the ramen religion, no doubt about it! Surely if such a miracle happened, it would happen to him.
He wasn't sure what the nice smell was either way, but he knew for sure that he wanted to be closer to whatever was smelling so good.
He was hugging something too. It must have been his pillow. Was his pillow the source of the smell? Why would his pillow smell good? Wait, wasn't his pillow extra soft this morning too? He knew that his bed and the pillows were a lot nicer compared to the ones he had owned back in his dimension, but despite that the pillow he was hugging still felt extra soft today.
Weird.
Wait, hadn't he slept in the guest room last night? Maybe that's why the pillow felt differently? Naruto couldn't really remember. He remembered getting home, sorta, but after that things sort of just meshed together. His brain still wasn't fully working.
He didn't need to get up yet. It probably wasn't time to get up anyway. Surely he could still sleep in for a few more minutes. Would that be too much to ask for?
The troubles of the world could wait. He just needed to hug his extra soft pillow that suspiciously smelled good a lot tighter. Yep, that's all he needed.
Ah, look. His pillow was even rubbing the back of his head. Wasn't that nice? And…..why did his pillow have a heartbeat?
Hold up.
It took his brain a few seconds to finally connect the dots. Something was amiss here.
Slowly, his eyes started to peel open as they adjusted to the morning light peeking through the curtains. He wasn't really able to notice that detail given that his eyes were being obscured by a pure white silky nightgown, however. He then realized that he wasn't hugging a pillow at all. He had to snap his head back to look at what he was holding.
It took him a few more seconds to come to the unexpected realization that he was in fact holding a person and that that person was rubbing the back of his head.
It was after coming to term with that that he was finally able to notice Sonia's red face staring back at him.
The Ultimate Princess was sleeping right next to him. He must have been resting his head on her neck. And he was hugging her so tightly that he was surprised he wasn't breaking her in half.
Wait, no! What the fuck was happening right now!?
Sonia for her part looked like was in the midst of a panic attack. Her face was redder than a tomato. It was amazing she was able to stay conscious with so much blood rushing to her face.
"G-Good morning, Naruto. I hope you slept well…."
Her voice was calm, betraying nothing. It did not match her face at all.
Naruto didn't have such tact, and thus he practically leapt out of the bed and onto the floor. The blond blushed madly as he shakily pointed at the equally blushing Sonia.
"S-Sonia!? W-What are you doing i-in my bed!?"
How the hell had this even happened!?
"E-Eh!?" The blushing Sonia sat up in a panic. "You don't remember? I came over last night to see how you were doing, and t-then we got in bed t-together….."
They had!? Oh god, had he been so out of it that he hadn't realized what was happening!? Or had he just gone with it because he really didn't mind?
Naruto was too embarrassed to even come up with a proper answer for those questions.
His embarrassment only increased when he took in Sonia's appearance again. Her nightgown was doing nothing to hide her amazing figure from his eyes. The one she had worn for their sleepover was nothing compared to this one. She might not be as well endowed as Mikan or Akane, or even Chiaki, but that didn't diminish her beauty in the slightest. Besides, he wasn't one to care about big breasts anyway. He was more of an ass man if he was being honest. It's why he had found Sakura so attractive in the first place. Not that he didn't also appreciate big boobs…..wait, he was getting sidetracked here! It probably also didn't help that he still remembered how soft Sonia had felt. If he was being honest, a part of him wanted nothing more than just to hop back in the bed with her and hug her again.
He could just feel Jiraiya laughing at him from beyond the grave somehow.
Damn perverted masters. Why did he have to have one of the worst ones?
"A-Ah!"
Naruto came out of his thoughts to see Sonia's face somehow turning even more red, if that was humanly possible. Her eyes were wide and she was staring down at something.
But what?
Wait, was that his coat and the rest of his outfit at the foot of the bed? He must have gotten undressed before going to bed last night. Made sense. They were handy when he needed them, but not comfortable to sleep in.
But then what was he wearing right now?
It was then that he finally realized the final plot twist of the morning: he was only wearing his blue boxers. Loose as they might be, Naruto Jr. was still poking through, standing firm and proud. A typical male phenomenon really, so Naruto hadn't bothered to notice it until now.
But Sonia was here…..and she was gaping and staring at it. She wasn't even blinking.
Naruto could feel his embarrassment just growing by the second, and Sonia was right there with him. It was like the two were exposing themselves to the other without meaning to.
The two blushing teens then locked eyes.
At this point, there was only one thing they could do.
They screamed.
Kotoko wasn't sure how she was meant to be feeling right now. All things considered, she felt….lighter. Like a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She knew she wasn't being dramatic when she said that her life was starting all over again. It wasn't from zero, as the pain of the past was sure to stick with her for the rest of her life, but it was better than still being stuck in that hell.
The last several days had been almost a blur. After finally reaching out for help, Kotoko had to wrestle with the fact that her mother had been murdered. By whom, no one knew. The police certainly didn't. They had no traces of the killer. All they had were the bullets that ended her mother's life. There was no motive nor did they know the means by which the perpetrator got into the hotel room. Her mother's secretary was still hospitalized and too traumatized to tell the police anything. Some had wanted to accuse her, to say that she was in on the whole thing since she had been the only one to survive that night.
Anyone who saw her current mental state would rule that theory out immediately.
Social media had been abuzz with this whole murder since it first got reported on. Kotoko didn't know what everyone had been saying as she had done her best to stay off the Internet as much as possible. She wanted to ignore it. To them, it was just another piece of entertainment. Trying to give them a second thought would be too kind of a gesture.
Kotoko had to accept another harsh reality: her father had disowned her. The man hadn't even had the decency to tell her in person, choosing instead to write her a letter. She was never again to set foot inside her old home. Supposedly it was something she could contest in court, but Kotoko couldn't be bothered to make that sort of decision. She was happy tossing her father away along with the rest of the garbage, like a snake shedding its skin.
Oooohhh, she just thought of something cool. It wasn't adorbs, but who cares. She didn't need to be adorbs all the time. Not anymore.
The most promising thing was how calm she felt about all of this. She hadn't shed a single tear. In her heart, she was sad. Very sad. Even now, Kotoko could confidently say that she loved her mother. Even after everything that had happened, she hadn't wanted to see the woman killed. Perhaps it was just her being a kid again, but she did feel saddened by the loss.
She still did not cry. Not when the police came to inform her of the death. Not when they asked her if she wanted to see the body before it was buried. Not when Naruto had comforted her. She did not shed a single tear. After all, she had promised herself that she was going to be strong now. She wanted to be like Naruto and face her pain head on instead of trying hide from it with her tears.
This led her to the final development of this journey of hers: her future.
Just what was she going to do from now on? She had no parents to support her. She was practically an orphan now. It was even possible that she might have to leave Hope's Peak Academy because of how unstable her situation was. Or that's how that old man, Tengan, had explained her situation to her. Apparently he had been the former headmaster and the one that was currently housing her favorite blond.
"The situation is very delicate," Tengan had said when he had come to visit her and Naruto out of the blue. "The government wants to take her under their protection. To relocate her if necessary. They want to make sure nothing like this ever happens again."
Too little too late honestly.
"I don't want to go." Kotoko had been adamant about this. She had hugged Naruto's arm for moral support. "I want to stay at Hope's Peak with Naruto and everyone else."
"Yes, but without a legal guardian….."
"Then I'll become her legal guardian." Naruto had stepped up with no hesitation.
It had made Kotoko's eyes start to water, but she had kept her promise to not let a single tear shed.
"If she stays with me, then everything is settled, right? She can stay at the house. We have an extra room."
Tengan had let out a pretty loud laugh when he had heard this, stroking his beard in the process.
Naruto hadn't looked too happy with the man laughing, for whatever reason.
"What's so funny about that?"
"Nothing specifically. I had a feeling you would say something like that. But you see, Naruto, there's a big problem with your suggestion. Technically, you're in my custody. You can't serve as the legal guardian to Kotoko-kun here. Not yet. Maybe in a year. Technically you are also a child under the law."
"We can't wait that long, and you know it. And since when did you become my guardian?"
"Since I did your paperwork."
Naruto hadn't looked too happy about that either but had ultimately shrugged. "Okay, so you can do the same for Kotoko too."
"You make everything sound so easy….."
He did. Kotoko liked that about Naruto. There was rarely ever any nonsense with him.
Tengan had still accepted the request. "If she's okay with it, then she can stay with us for the time being. It's not too much of a concern for me. It could liven this place up more."
Kotoko hadn't needed to be convinced. Before Naruto had asked her, she had agreed. What was there for her to think about? It was the easiest decision of her life. Technically, Tengan would be the one having legal custody of her, but as far as she was concerned Naruto was her true guardian.
In the back of her mind, Kotoko knew all of this was very convenient. Just as she reached out for help, her mother was killed. Now, she was starting a new life in the best possible environment for her. Something was definitely at work here. Perhaps she already knew the answer. Perhaps she knew exactly what had happened to her mother. Perhaps turning a blind eye to that truth was just as hypocritical as crying about her problems. Perhaps in a sense she was still running.
Perhaps these were valid concerns, but Kotoko happily ignored them. Because despite all that, her heart and mind were at peace. Maybe one day she would accept the truth that she already knew and give her proper thanks. Right now she wanted to live in the comfort of the lie that she was given.
But all of this was just a hypothetical. There was no way to know the truth for sure. Kotoko could be satisfied with that for now.
And like that, she was able to truly smile again.
The others had been jealous of her. Well, Masaru and Jataro had been, with the masked boy saying something along the lines of "Naruto would never want to adopt an ugly kid like me."
Nagisa had tried to play the whole thing off, but Kotoko could tell that he too had been bothered by this development. Why, she couldn't say for certain. It's not like she knew what their histories were, just like they didn't know hers.
Except for Monaca. She did know, somehow.
Speaking of the girl, she had been bothered the most by this outcome. As the Li'l Ultimate Drama, Kotoko saw through Monaca's mask with ease. It had been flimsy this time around. The green haired girl had tried to act cool and supportive as usual, but Kotoko was able to see through it rather easily. She was annoyed, very much so. She had lost their little wager, after all.
Kotoko wasn't angry. She wasn't going to rub it in Monaca's face. No, she was past that. Like she said, she wanted to be like Naruto. Perhaps she couldn't do things like the blond, but she wanted to help her friends too, because now that she had been freed from her shackles Kotoko was finally able to admit to herself that Nagisa, Masaru, Jataro, and even Monaca were all friends to her. She could see that they all had their pain, but she also knew that they needed to be the ones to take that first step just as she had. Otherwise, they would never be making any progress.
Of course, there was nothing wrong with giving them a little push, was there?
Absolutely not!
This was the final decision that she had made for herself, all thanks to the chance that Naruto had given her.
Utsugi Kotoko could start walking forward again, and she was going to bring her friends with her. That was a promise.
It was hard for Sonia to lose her cool. She had been raised as a proper princess of the Kingdom of Novoselic should. She was trained to keep her emotions in check at all times so that she could inspire hope and security to her people. Her emotions were not something she was meant to act on. No, she had to suppress them. She wasn't just a high school girl. She had the futures of thousands on her shoulders. She couldn't allow herself to show weakness, ever.
And yet, since coming to Hope's Peak Academy that's all she had been doing. She had no idea she could scream as she did when she had gazed upon Naruto's…..tool.
How would the Japanese describe such a situation? Surely there was a term for it, like when lovers when on a ski trip and then got stuck by a blizzard and were forced to warm themselves under a blanket while naked. Truly, Sonia did not yet understand this part of Japanese culture. Such a challenge, but it made her heart beat in excitement!
To be frank, Sonia had not meant to sleep together with Naruto like that. She had only wanted to check on the Uzumaki, to see if she could be of some moral support to him. The mood had taken her somewhere else. While nothing had happened, it had still been physically stimulating for her. She was sure her head of security would not approve of her actions, but thankfully her maids were more understanding of the situation when they had helped her sneak out from her hotel room.
Sonia was just glad things had stayed civil. She still needed to show her Golden Makango to Naruto before they took that sort of step. She blushed hard thinking about it, realizing that she was getting ahead of herself.
It had still been an enjoyable night, but since then things had been sort of awkward between her and Naruto.
It had been a week since that night, with things returning more or less back to normal. There was the fact that Kotoko was now permanently living with Naruto for the foreseeable future, but everyone was just happy to see the little girl smiling and acting carefree again. She deserved that much.
The main focus for their class at the moment was of course their play. Naruto and Peko had finished writing it. Supposedly Fuyuhiko and Chiaki had added their input here and there. From there, it was only a matter of dividing the parts among them.
This was what they were here to discuss as they all gathered in the gym.
"Heh, Ibuki gets to be the narrator!?" The Ultimate Musician whistled. "I never expected to make my acting debut like this!"
Kazuichi deadpanned. "No one is going to see your face, though."
"Not true," Nagito quickly interjected. "It says here on the stage instructions that Mioda-san will be floating down on a cloud to introduce every act…."
The luckster trailed off after reading that.
Ibuki almost fell to the floor laughing. "So cool! Ibuki gets to act like a goddess!"
Kazuichi couldn't believe it. "I thought you said this was from your master's novel! Why would he add something like that?"
He was of course talking to Naruto when he said that.
The blond in question looked sheepish. "W-Well, it wasn't in the original story. And I'm not the one who added that…."
He glanced over to the satisfied-looking Chiaki.
Kazuichi understood right away. "Of course."
It had to be the Ultimate Gamer.
"Don't look so disappointed, Soda-kun. This is a staple of games! You have to have this sort of entrance to make an impact!"
"Hmm, indeed." Nekomaru was nodding in agreement. "As with sports, you have to give them the big guns!"
Kazuichi looked done with life. "I think you two are talking about two different things here. And besides, how are we going to get a cloud!?"
"Eh?" Chiaki tilted her head. "We thought you could make one. With effects and everything. It should be easy for you, right?"
"O-Oh." Her compliment caught Kazuichi off guard. He blushed as he puffed out his chest. "B-But of course I can do something like that! I could make it in my sleep!"
He wasn't the Ultimate Mechanic for nothing!
"Yeah, yeah." Hiyoko threw a sadistic smile his way. "You think you're awesome. We get it. Just do it, you wuss."
"Why are you always saying something so snide to me!?"
It wasn't fair!
"Maybe that's how Hiyoko-chan expresses her love for you?" Ibuki pondered.
The small blonde turned red, but whether it was from anger or embarrassment it was hard to say.
"I will maim you alive. Don't test me!"
Ibuki just laughed off her threat.
Chisa was reading over her copy of the script. She was surprised to see that she had a part of her own.
"You guys included me too?"
Naruto shrugged. What kind of question was that. "Of course. You're part of the class as well, sensei."
She was touched, really. She had such an important role too!
"I'm going to be the protagonist's traveling companion…."
"There wasn't a character like that in the original, but I decided to include one," Naruto explained. "I think it's important to have a balance. Having the main protagonist do everything on his own doesn't feel quite right to me."
Fuyuhiko smirked. "For someone who says he's not a writer, you sure are putting on some airs."
Byakuya chuckled in agreement. "Too true."
"Fuck you, Fuyuhiko." Naruto grumbled under his breath. The yakuza heir was always trying to make fun of him. "It's something Peko-chan and I decided after talking it over."
"Indeed." Peko nodded. She was very satisfied with this inclusion. "I think it's more important to emphasize the bonds the protagonist makes along the way."
"Wow." Sonia's eyes were sparkling. "That sounds amazing!"
Gundham had a smirk of his own. "I suppose even the necromancer traveling down to the gates of hell has his own companions in the dead. Kekekeke."
That just sounded morbid. Ironically enough, the Ultimate Breeder would be playing as a puppeteer, so perhaps that's why he chose that analogy.
"So it's different from your master's play." Nagito hummed. "How interesting."
"That's the only main change really," Naruto replied, shrugging again. "I guess it's not something the Pervy Sage thought about when he wrote it. That, and the conclusion."
It came down to the man not having found an answer to his question, while Naruto had found something akin to an answer.
"Still, I was hoping you would have given me a bigger role," Teruteru moaned out. "I'm only in the second act!"
He was meant to play as the second significant person the protagonist encountered while out in his travels, a traveling monk of all things.
Mahiru sweatdropped. "The part and the person playing it don't really match."
"I know." Teruteru tried to look dignified. "My aura is far more impressive than that of a mere monk. My good looks are the only proof you need."
"Your confidence still surprises me sometimes, dude," Kazuichi muttered.
Naruto and Peko thought Teruteru was fitting for the part. They weren't going to change their minds on that.
"I'm more surprised by my role," Nagito said with a few chuckles. "I'm the last one you face in the climatic standoff. Such an important part like that…..do you really think I have what it takes?"
Naruto waved him off. "You'll do fine. Just put on your best mean face. I'm sure you can do it."
Mahiru sweatdropped again. "Stage direction like that….."
This was going to be difficult.
"I don't really get it!" Akane admitted without any shame after skimming through the play. "I just like the part where you stop Pekoyama from attacking a village." She beamed. "I'm sure it's full of kids, right? It's always good to look out for the little ones. They can never take care of themselves."
"Finally you said something worth a shit." Fuyuhiko was just happy it wasn't about food this time.
Nekomaru was in agreement. "Shitting is indeed very important. It's a good way to measure how in tune with your body you are!"
"I-I feel like you're simplifying it a little too much," Mikan said. She was still trying to read through the play, so she wasn't able to fully join in the conversation.
Hiyoko looked indignant. "This disgusting gorilla is never going to get it, is he."
Why did he insist on talking about shitting when she was around dammit.
"Jeeeeez, that's just too much, Nidai-san." Mahiru wasn't pleased either. "There are a lot of girls here, you know. Try to behave with more tact."
She wasn't always able to call him out on his language, but she still did from time to time.
"Ugh." Nekomaru clenched his fist as he looked down, ashamed. "I apologize."
Hiyoko snickered. "I guess you can teach a dumb old gorilla some tricks if you put your mind to it, huh."
Kazuichi was just happy it wasn't about him this time.
"I guess there's still a lot to do, huh." Chisa thought about their progress so far. Kazuichi had made most of the props they were going to need, thanks to the guidelines Naruto had provided him with. It was basically "scene changes" and the like, such as a forest or in rubble of some recently destroyed village. Stuff like that. Sonia was providing them with their costumes, so there was no need to worry about that. Kotoko had been given them all "lessons" for their performance. The former Ultimate Housekeeper was sure that the girl would be doing the same thing later today.
Now that they had the finished script, they could get to the meat of their preparations.
There were around three weeks left until the school festival. It would take place over a five day period, so they were going to have to perform five times.
Sounded easy enough she supposed. She had confidence in her precious students. Besides, there was something else she needed to take care of as well.
"We must start practicing at once!" Sonia declared with great enthusiasm.
"There is nothing to worry about." Hiyoko brought out a fan from the sleeves of her kimono. "I'm already a natural performer. I'm sure I won't need much practice."
"It's not like you're one of the main characters anyway," Fuyuhiko retorted, rolling his eyes.
"Shut up! That doesn't matter! My performance will still blow everyone way!"
"Hiyoko-chan has the right idea!" Ibuki cheered. "Ibuki will make sure that her voice blows everyone away!"
"Phrasing!" Kazuichi yelled while Teruteru let out a perverted giggle.
"I-I guess we have to start practicing, huh." Mikan looked worried. Could she do this?
"I suggest everyone that has a scene together start practicing to develop a natural rhythm," Chisa suggested while smiling. "Since Uzumaki-kun is the protagonist, I suppose he'll have to go around practicing with everyone."
How fun.
"Actually, there is something else I wanted to bring up." Naruto looked a bit hesitant as they all turned to look at him. He mentally gulped as he readied himself.
"It's about the beauty pageant."
"No, no, no! Dammit, you got it all wrong! I keep telling you that you have to smile more! How do you want us to attract customers if you're not going to put your soul into it!"
"I-I'm sorry!"
"If you're sorry, then do better!"
Hajime found himself feeling tired as he had to help some of his classmates put the final touches to their official banner that was going to be hanging outside their classroom. He had been hard at work for the past week, doing whatever he could to help his class prepare for the school festival. In other words, he had been stuck following Natsumi's orders left and right.
They were making good progress, he wasn't denying that. With her leadership they all had clear defined roles for what they needed to. There was no confusion, and most of all everyone was focused. Overall, there was little to complain about.
If only she wasn't such a slave driver.
Hajime didn't know what had happened, but something had caused Natsumi to become more adamant about doing their best for the school festival. How that was possible, he had no idea. He could still see the change in the girl. It was almost as if she was more desperate now than ever.
He couldn't understand her.
"This is ridiculous." Next to him, Sato was muttering to herself as she finished her part of the banner. It read "The Ultimate Kuzuryu Clan Maid Cafe."
So inspiring.
But yeah, they were doing a maid cafe, with a twist! Instead of the girls wearing maid outfits, they were instead going to be in proper yakuza suits. It was Natsumi's idea. She was sure that seeing girls in yakuza suits would make them "moe," which would attract a huge number of customers.
Honestly, Hajime couldn't even begin to follow that train of thought. No one was going to argue with the girl, though. Well, maybe Sato would have, but she had also become very cooperative with this whole endeavor. At the very least, she wasn't openly challenging Natsumi anymore. It made Hajime curious about her too, but he didn't have the time or luxury to worry about such things.
Also, Sato was still more than happy to complain to herself.
"She's just getting carried away. She won't even accept anyone else's opinion."
"You think so?" Hajime's question startled the girl. Obviously she hadn't expected anyone to be listening to her.
"Hinata!" Sato almost hissed at him. "Why were you listening in on my conversation!?"
What?
Hajime deadpanned. "You can't have a conversation with yourself, Sato. Besides, you were talking out loud."
"Still!"
Why was his class full of unreasonable people?
"Anyway, if you think Kuzuryu is getting ahead of herself, then why didn't you say something sooner?"
By this point, it was too late to try and do something else. They wouldn't have enough time. They would surely lose then. No way Natsumi was going to let that happen.
"You think I can!?" Wow, she was almost hissing at him again. "I've got my own circumstances to consider here."
She did?
Hajime didn't get it. "This is supposed to be fun, you know."
Sato scoffed. "Don't try to lecture me, Hinata. I see you complaining a lot too."
Well, yeah. Natsumi was working him to the bone.
"It's still fun." At the very least, he couldn't wait to compare results with Naruto and Chiaki. "I think letting out your frustrations is quite healthy."
"Then why are you bothering me?"
"Because you complain at every little thing Kuzuryu says and does."
It was frankly getting annoying.
"L-Leave me alone, alright?" Sato adverted her gaze with a scowl. "I might have to participate in this dumb thing, but that doesn't mean I have to like that girl."
That didn't make much sense. Hajime wasn't going to push the issue regardless.
"Just try and have fun, alright? I'm sure that'll make things a little bearable at least."
Sato glared at him. "Since when did you become Mister Positive?"
It wasn't a compliment, but Hajime still blushed a little.
"It's not like that at all. I'm just trying to do my best for Uzumaki and Nanami."
They were really pumped up about the school festival. Hajime didn't want to let them down. Besides, Naruto had asked him to see if he could motivate anyone from the Reserve Course who wasn't interested in the school festival. As if that was a simple thing to do.
Ah, wait. She probably didn't know who Naruto and Chiaki were.
Hajime was about to explain until he noticed the color draining from Sato's face.
"U-Uzumaki…..that damn bastard again." She held her head, her whole body shaking. "Why can't I ever escape that man? First Mahiru, and now in here too. Am I being cursed?"
Talk about a reaction. What had Naruto ever done to her?
Before Hajime could ask her, a third voice cut into their conversation.
"Excuse me, but should you really be talking so much between yourselves when there's still so much to do?"
It was Natsumi. The blonde was standing over them, a hand on her hips. She was glaring at them both.
Sato was already looking away, like she was trying to pretend that Natsumi wasn't here.
Hajime decided to answer her, already knowing that it would do little good.
"We were having a little fun while working. It's perfectly normal."
Natsumi narrowed her eyes. "I don't need normal. I need spectacular."
There she went again with that.
"I think doing our best is good enough-"
"It's not." Natsumi scoffed. "We're going up against my brother here. Do you not understand how amazing he is? He has more talent in one finger than you have in your entire body. You think that your 'best' will be enough against that? I need even more than your best."
Hajime clamped up. He knew there was no point in trying to reason with her. Besides, he couldn't fault her for that thinking. Until recently he had been the same…no, maybe he still was and he was just trying to cover it up.
Natsumi then calmed down as she added, "I guess even my brother's class has its dead weights, so we can make up for it if we give it our 300% instead of 400%. Don't you think so, Sato-san?"
Before, Sato would have blown up on her, but now she kept her eyes fixed away from the blonde, not saying anything.
Hajime did not miss the way Sato was gripping her skirt. She was doing her best to keep herself under control.
Natsumi just waited a couple of seconds to see if Sato had anything to say her.
No response came.
The blonde heiress sighed in annoyance.
"How boring. Just get back to work, will you?"
Hajime watched her go and start berating another group about their lack of progress with the menu.
"Why do I have to go through with this? Why….."
Sato was whimpering.
Now, Hajime became concerned. He was no expert on these things, but he could tell that Sato was deteriorating. Something needed to be done, and fast.
But what?
Chisa was smiling. She had to. As she read through the play more closely, looked at its ending, she couldn't help but smile.
It was a beautiful story. She was no professional critic, but she could see where the story might be "childish" at times. Despite that, she could also feel how the author was trying his best to reach the reader with his hopeful message about the future.
'Uzumaki-kun's master wrote this.'
Chisa's opinion of the man was very high, if he was capable of putting such thoughts to paper. She wanted to meet the man now, if possible. To her, the message of the story felt very similar to what Kyosuke was trying to accomplish. It resonated with her. It's why she had fallen for the man in the first place. His unwavering conviction to what hope actually stood for made her want to stand next to him to help him achieve it, no matter what she hurdles she might face because of it.
She wondered…..could Naruto be capable of understanding that dream as well?
Something to consider for the future, especially considering Tengan's interest in the boy.
That line of thought took her back to what had happened last week, so she did not dwell on them. She still had many questions, many apprehensions. A part of her felt like she now better understood where the opposition was, but she also felt lost, confused. Could it be possible that Kyosuke wasn't telling her everything?
No, she had to shake those thoughts. She couldn't allow herself to be tricked by the likes of Tengan. She was loyal to Kyosuke. That would never change.
'Ah, there she is!'
Pocketing her copy of the play, Chisa quickly jogged over to where her target was.
Mahiru.
The Ultimate Photographer stopped in her tracks when she saw Chisa jogging up to her
"Sensei!" She wasn't surprised by this point. The woman was eccentric, sort of like Naruto. "I didn't think I would run into you so quickly."
"I knew I would be able to find you here." Chisa smiled. They were standing on the first floor of the school, leading out to the main hall. "You're going to the Reserve Course, right?"
"Ah, yes." How did Chisa know that? Mahiru was curious. "How did you know?"
"I know you have a friend in the Reserve Course!"
Chisa had nothing to hide.
Mahiru sweatdropped a little. "Right….."
She was sure she must have mentioned Sato around the young teacher. That was probably it.
"But I also saw something the other day that caught my interest!"
Mahiru raised an eyebrow. "You did?"
What was it?
"I saw you talking with another student from the Reserve Course. She was blonde…and she looked like Kuzuryu-kun's sister."
Chisa wasn't going to beat around the bush here. It wasn't her style unless she absolutely needed to.
"O-Oh." Now this was a subject that Mahiru had not been expecting. "I didn't think you were there to see that, sensei."
She didn't think to question how Chisa knew what Fuyuhiko's sister looked like.
"I'm always there when my adorable students need me!"
Oh yeah?
Mahiru just sweatdropped at that. She felt like she was doing that a lot today.
"In the end, it seems like you didn't need my help." And Chisa was proud of Mahiru for that. "I take it there's some history there between you and her?"
Mahiru looked uncomfortable now. "You could say that. It's not something I like talking about."
"Nonsense. You look like you're in trouble, so you should rely on us! Especially Kuzuryu-kun. He must have no idea what's going on between you two."
He didn't, and Mahiru was happy to keep it like that.
"It's not really a big deal." Mahiru straightened out her back. "I don't want to trouble Kuzuryu-san over something like this. It's just some teasing."
Mahiru could ignore all of it. She didn't want to give Natsumi the satisfaction of getting a rise out of her. Although, until recently, Mahiru knew that she had also felt some amount of fear towards the girl. She couldn't deny that either.
Those days were gone now.
Chisa saw the absolutism in her student's eyes. She wasn't going to be swayed from her position.
Well, there went her plan.
"Mhmm, I see. Okay!" Not one to let herself feel down for too long, Chisa was perking up again as she took a step back with a cheer. "I just wanted to extend my hand if you needed it. I'm sure the others feel the same way."
Truth be told, there was something that Mahiru did want to do, but it wasn't with Natsumi.
"I do want to make my friend feel more comfortable around the class….."
Mahiru was confident that Sato could get along with Fuyuhiko if she tried.
Chisa's eyes sparkled in excitement.
"I like that plan! We can set it all up whenever! Just tell me, and we can all meet up with her."
It wasn't really a plan, though? That made it sound like they were plotting something….
Instead of saying this, Mahiru settled for a nod as she watched Chisa run off with a wave.
Really, what a strange sensei. But Mahiru was glad to have her.
Naruto was a student on a mission. He sort of felt like he had imposed this on himself when he had started this whole play thing, but the beauty pageant was not his idea dammit.
So why the heck was he standing in Mikan's dorm?
The room wasn't big, and it didn't help that it was filled with all sorts of equipment. Heck, Mikan had a whole shelf just dedicated to bandages.
The girl really loved bandages, didn't she?
Still, he felt a bit creeped out by all the medical equipment. It reminded him too much of a hospital for his liking. Why did needles have to be so painful? It made no sense to him.
"I-I'm glad you c-could come, Naruto-san."
She was stuttering again.
Now that he thought about it, they hadn't been alone like this since their date. That reminder, along with their kiss, and everything else related to this subject started to make him feel a bit self-conscious too.
"You wanted to start practicing, right?" Naruto scratched his cheek to try and keep his mind pure.
The Ultimate Nurse was going to be playing a traveling healer. She would be another one of those significant encounters the protagonist had in his travels. It was a major role, and understandably Mikan wanted to do her best.
The young nurse nodded. "Yes. Although that's not all….."
She trailed off while her eyes darted to the closet in her room.
Naruto understood. "The beauty pageant."
While he had gone to get approval for Ibuki's concert, the student council had also been kind to explain to him what they were expecting from the beauty pageant. Apparently it was going to take place in the middle of the school festival. Something to seal the halfway point or something like that.
They really wanted to put on a show.
"You didn't end up buying any of the dresses you tried before, did you?"
Ah crap, he had to bring up their date.
Mikan's face was a little flushed, probably thinking along the same lines.
If only he knew.
"W-Well, if I had known about the competition, then I probably would have bought something. I'm sorry!"
"You don't have to apologize, Mikan. I'm sure you have other stuff you can wear."
Mikan hung her head in shame.
"….I do not."
She almost whimpered the words out.
Naruto blinked.
"Say what?"
They were going off script here. He was supposed to be practicing with Mikan for their play, but instead they were walking through a fancy dress store in the city.
How many clothing stores had he visited by this point?
Already he knew, this was going to be a long week for him.
Naruto was still having a good time as he and Mikan talked while walking through the store. At least he wasn't in her room anymore. With everything that had happened recently, it was not good for his blood pressure to be in such an attractive girl's bedroom.
It didn't take long for Mikan to pick out a few selections that caught her eye. The girls were only allowed to wear one dress on stage. Naruto had no idea what kind would leave the most impact, but he wasn't one of the judges so he didn't care too much. Besides, as it had become painfully obvious to him, all the girls in his class were extremely beautiful. They could choose the ugliest dresses imaginable and he was sure they would still look amazing.
He was sure Kazuichi would be happy with anything, that pervert.
"I really like these two!" Mikan was gushing as she decided on the two she wanted to try. One was a pure white dress that would reach all the way down to her knees. What do they call those? It only had one strap on the left shoulder. Maybe just a one strap dress?
Yes, clearly Naruto did not know fashion.
The other one was red, but a darker shade of red than normal. Naruto was sure there was a word for that too, as well as the type of dress. This one wasn't as long as the first one.
"I've always been a fan of halter dresses," Mikan said softly, her cheeks red. "But I didn't think I would look good in them."
Naruto gave her a thumbs up. "Don't worry, Mikan. You look good in just about anything."
He was speaking from the heart, so he didn't really think how his words would affect the poor girl.
Obviously, Mikan was left a blushing mess by the simple compliment. She squeaked before jumping into one of the dressing rooms.
"I-I-I'll be r-right back!" she stuttered.
Naruto watched her go while snickering.
'It's cute when she's embarrassed.'
Mikan was doing her best to keep her heart rate calm while she changed out of her school uniform.
She had thought she had gotten braver recently, but she still had a tough time keeping her composure whenever Naruto complimented her. Why did he have to look so good when he smiled at her? It wasn't fair to her poor mind.
There was also the fact that she had been getting more and more worked up since Naruto had first stepped into her dorm room. It wasn't her fault, honest! Ever since she had managed to kiss the blond, her dreams about him had gotten more and more vivid. Thankfully she was still able to keep that side of herself hidden from the others, especially Akane. Her nose was better than Naruto's, and the last thing she needed was to have the Ultimate Gymnast smelling something she shouldn't.
Like arousal.
As the Ultimate Nurse, Mikan was painfully aware of how one's body released pheromones through their sweat when they were aroused. There was no way Akane would keep her mouth shut if she smelled something differently in the air. It's why Mikan had taken many precautions, like bathing more often or starting to wear perfume. She genuinely hated the smell of most perfumes, but if it was to keep her secret than she would put up with it. She would die if Naruto somehow found out that she was having such thoughts about him.
Unfortunately, she didn't have any on her right now, so she just prayed to whatever deity was out there that she didn't offend Naruto with her odor.
Mikan took a deep breath in as she changed into the garnet halter dress. She typically preferred dresses with one color rather than anything that was too complex. On the other hand, she typically didn't wear dresses in the first place so maybe she just didn't have enough experience to have a proper opinion.
Regardless of her inexperience, Mikan still felt a sense of satisfaction as she looked at herself in the dress with the help of the mirror in the changing room. She had seen a bigger mirror just outside, but she wanted to make sure she was presentable first before showing Naruto. They had done this before during their date, but Mikan still felt embarrassed. Probably because this dress was showing a lot more skin than the ones she had worn for him on their date. She knew some halter dresses came backless, and others that were even shorter than this one. She didn't think she could wear something like that yet, though.
Still, it didn't look bad on her, right? Naruto had said that she looked good in most things. Or was this perhaps too simple?
'W-Would it make him want to kiss me….a-again?'
Mikan's blush returned full force at the thought, but her mind didn't stop there.
What if it made him want to go beyond just a simple kiss? What if he made his way in here with her and decided that he wanted to see more of her body? Could that happen?
'O-Oh no…..'
Mikan started panting as she rubbed her thighs together. Her hands started to sneak underneath her dress. She had no idea if she was being loud right now, but she couldn't help it. Her imagination was getting the better of her. Plus, she hadn't been able to "recharge" in the last couple of days since she had been more preoccupied with trying to better understand the subtleties of acting, or however Kotoko had explained it to them. Mikan was probably the only one taking the lessons seriously, but it was only because she wanted to make sure she did a good job.
Her mind was more preoccupied with trying to get rid of the ache coming from her crotch right now than worry about any of that.
"Mikan? You doing alright in there? I can hear you panting….."
Oh no, Naruto had heard her! Why did he have to have such good ears!?
"I-I'm fine….."
Mikan did not mean to moan when she said that, but hearing Naruto's voice was not helping her at the moment. It was the same voice that she was always plaguing her mind at night.
"Hey, are you alright!?"
Obviously her response did not quell Naruto's concern. It only increased it, as the blond rushed into the changing room without giving it much thought, easily pushing his way past the flimsy curtain that gave the room any semblance of privacy. He was just as clueless as her when it came to "common sense" sometimes, so they had that in common at least.
Mikan was only barely able to register Naruto's reaction to her current predicament. She was hunched over, with her hands still tucked away underneath her dress. Her face must have been flushed as she was still panting pretty heavily.
"M-Mikan, what are you doing!?" Naruto's eyes were wide as his cheeks heated up. Obviously he had not expected to see her in such a compromising position.
She was no longer able to react to his question as she lunged for him. Now that he was here, right in front of her, Mikan could no longer hold herself back.
The two teens went tumbling back. Mikan landed right on top of the still shocked blond whose brain was still trying to make sense of all of this.
Because of the dress, Mikan's breasts were being more emphasized than usual. And right now, she was pushing down with all her weight on Naruto's chest. So the two big round orbs were threatening to spill out from the dress at any moment.
This, combined with the sensation they brought, did nothing to soothe Naruto's mind.
It only exasperated his problem.
"M-Mikan." The blond audibly gulped as the Ultimate Nurse started to pick herself up without actually removing herself off him. "W-What's going on? Are you okay…..?"
Was she okay?
"Naruto-san." She wasn't stuttering, but her voice only made Naruto's predicament harder. He had heard her sound like this only a couple of times before, and that was when she had been talking in her sleep. It was full of raw sex appeal that drove him crazy.
"I can't hold myself back. I need you….."
Wasn't a line like that something you would only find in a stupid book like Icha Icha!?
Naruto was unable to form a coherent response to Mikan's desire, but that suited her just fine. She didn't need him to talk.
It happened quickly. Mikan ducked her head back down towards his lips. She was kissing him again. She had no idea that this would be how things would go between them today, but she was not going to complain.
Naruto was unable to resist, not that he wanted to if he could.
Like with their first kiss, he was soon kissing her back. Unlike their first kiss, this one was far more forceful and sexual in nature. Before, Mikan had wanted to convey her love for him. Now, she needed to show that she wanted him.
Naruto found Mikan's tongue entangling itself with their kiss. He had no idea how Mikan was so good at this, so he found himself at a disadvantage. The way she was moaning into the kiss only made his blood pump faster, especially with how she was beginning to grind her hips with his.
This was a fact that Mikan discovered as she then started to fiddle with his school pants, undoing the buttons and slipping her hand into his boxers. Naruto only realized this after he felt her non-bandaged soft hand grab a hold of his member. A bolt of pleasure rang throughout his body at the sensation.
"W-Wow." They separated from their kiss just long enough for Mikan to marvel at the appendage in her hand. "I-I read about them in books, but it's b-bigger than I thought. A-And so warm….."
If Naruto was embarrassed by her words, he didn't show it as he went back in for another deep kiss. It surprised Mikan, but she welcomed it, especially as he then took charge by flipping their positions, with Mikan now finding herself on the ground and the blond hovering over her. All the while she never let go of his dick, rubbing her hand up and down. In retaliation, Naruto pulled her dress down to expose her chest to the world. Mikan was never good at picking out the proper size for her panties, and her bra was no exception. It was too small to fully contain her breasts, and so it wasn't hard for them to come popping out. It gave the blond the perfect opportunity he needed to grab them and start squeezing them.
It looked like Yūto had been right. He might not initiate at first, but once his buttons were pushed, Naruto was the type to take control.
Mikan liked that. She wanted Naruto to control her, to do whatever he wanted to her. She would welcome it all.
Or at least, that's how it was meant to go. But then, the flimsy curtain to the changing room was shoved to the side as a head peeked inside.
That head belonged to none other than Akane. The Ultimate Gymnast's nose was twitching, and her eyes danced with satisfaction when she saw them.
"Ha, found you! I knew I smelled you two nearby!"
She then paused, her expression puzzled.
"What are you two doing anyway?"
Naruto and Mikan could say nothing as they looked up at Akane from their entangled position on the floor.
How were they going to explain this?
Mahiru thought of herself as an understanding person. Sure, she gave boys a tougher time, but that's because they deserved it. So many times she saw them underachieving when they were capable of so much more. It was only fair of her to point that out when it was necessary. It was her way of showing that she cared. Not that she would ever say that out loud of course.
Still, as understanding as she thought she was, she had to admit that she felt troubled by Sato's behavior at the moment.
The Ultimate Photographer had come to the Reserve Course to see if her friend wanted to join her and the others for lunch. She had been extending similar invitations for a while, but every time Sato had turned her down. Only when it was the girls doing something did her friend feel comfortable enough to come hang out with her.
Mahiru did not understand what was going on, but she wasn't going to pressure Sato to tell her anything until she was ready.
But she had noticed how distressed and panicky Sato had started to become for a while now. It was strange, and Mahiru didn't know how to react to these frequent mood changes.
Today took the cake.
Mahiru was barely able to make it to the doorway to Sato's class before said girl walked out from the classroom, grabbed her by the hand, and led her away.
"What's going on, Sato? Aren't you still working with your class?"
Were they just allowed to leave any time they wanted?
"I can't do this anymore, Mahiru!" Sato was finally letting out her frustrations in the open as the two girls stood in one the far ends of the hallway. "I can't put up with Natsumi and her way of talking down to you!"
Is that what this was about?
Mahiru smiled to try to appease Sato. "You know you don't have to do that, right? I don't care what she says anymore. Everything is fine. You can ignore her."
"How can I do that when she's always planning something!?" Sato nearly shouted as she grabbed her hair in frustration. "She's always trying to find a way to bring you down, but I can't confront her because of that bastard!"
Wait, this was new.
"What are you talking about?" Mahiru had no idea who this "bastard" was.
Mahiru looked around in fear. "You can't trust him, Mahiru. You can't trust him or Uzumaki. They just want to use you!"
What!?
Mahiru frowned. Where was all of this coming from?
"What are you trying to say? Naruto isn't like that, you know. He's been nothing but helpful to me since I got to this school."
Not just her, but also to all the others in the class.
"That's just what he wants you to think!" Sato was nearly sobbing by this point. "I don't know how they're working together, or what they want exactly. B-But it's true! They want to use your talent for something nonsensical!"
None of this was making any sense to Mahiru. Had her friend lost her mind?
"Sato." Mahiru tried to be as gentle as she could as she reached out to the shaking girl. She held Sato's hands firmly but gently. "I don't know what has been troubling you lately, but I'm here for you. You know that, don't you?"
Sato's shaking slowed down as some amount of sense returned to her.
"I….I do." She bit her lip. "I'm just scared, Mahiru. I don't know what they're planning to do with you."
Why did she keep saying that?
"Sato, that's not-"
"That's why you have to promise me." Sato's voice was firm as she brought Mahiru closer to her. "Promise me that you'll distance yourself from Uzumaki."
Again, what!?
Mahiru's eyes widened. "Sato, you can't possible mean that."
"I do. It's the only way to save you, Mahiru. Please." Sato looked like she was on the verge of tears. "You have to promise me that you won't go near that guy ever again."
Mahiru had no idea how to respond.
It was at this point that Mahiru realized that maybe she should have accepted Chisa's earlier help, after all.
How was she going to answer Sato now?
Mikan is raunchy. We all know this.
Till next time.