Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Danganronpa.
AN: To the one called John Smith…..my dude, I have answered you before. You just didn't like my response. And if I have not replied to you before, then I will make it clear here again: I don't do spoilers. If you're not satisfied with that, then oh well. I personally consider the romance to be the least important part of the story, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to give out plot points. Everything is locked away in my small brain, and it's going to stay that way until it's been published.
On to the story.
Chapter 55:
Connections
Ito Hana didn't go out very much. This was because most of her time was spent practicing alone to hone her craft, so she didn't have any hobbies that could distract her. It's how she had lived most of her life up to this point. It's what was expected of her as the heiress to her household. They might not have the riches that other families enjoyed, but they did have a long history that mattered just as much. They also had the honor that came along with that tradition.
Honor and tradition. Truly, in Japan, there was nothing that mattered more than those two concepts. That's what Hana believed anyway.
She loved Japan. This was probably, again, due to her upbringing in a very traditional household. She had been raised to know and enjoy everything that was "Japan." She wasn't referring to the perverted culture of today's world, with all the idols and gravure models. That was not Japan. It was stupidity that infected her country and somehow became popular.
For now. Hana would change that one day.
The Japanese classical arts were not something that were considered "cool" by your average teenager. You could almost call them "niche." However, that didn't mean that perceptions couldn't change.
Hana prided herself in her work. She had studied hard to become accustom to every facet of traditional Japanese culture. It was expected of her, yes, but she also loved it. This was how she could dedicate so much time to her craft, namely the koto.
The koto was a work of art. It was the national instrument of Japan, and because of it was the most well known traditional musical instrument. Even foreigners were at least vaguely familiar with it. To Hana, the beautiful instrument was still very under appreciated in today's time.
All of that changed when she entered the industry around a decade ago.
Hana wouldn't say that she was naturally gifted in the instrument. No, she had spent countless hours honing her skills to the point that even Hope's Peak Academy had acknowledged her. She was currently known as the Ultimate Koto Player, after all.
At first, such a thing hadn't meant much to her. Her achievements spoke for themselves. Her presence alone had increased the number of younger fans in the koto industry. Hana would go so far as to say that she might be revolutionizing the industry with so many new fans flowing in. How exciting, right?
Hope's Peak Academy had helped a lot in that regard. Her family had said as much. It was a bit frustrating for Hana to use another entity's popularity for her own ambitions, but at the same time Hope's Peak Academy had been the one to approach her. That meant they needed her more. Surely, it balanced out.
Regardless of her feelings on the matter, Hana still took pride in the fact that her talents had been recognized. She had earned it. Most of all, it gave her the opportunity to face the one that annoyed her the most.
Hana didn't dwell on that last thought as she made her way inside the convenience store.
It was rather late at night. Ultimates such as herself weren't given any curfews. It was one of the many perks given to her by the school. They didn't care what she did on her free time so long as they could document her talent.
This had served Hana well enough. She might not care for the prestige of the school all that much, but the resources it provided her with more than made up for it. As long as she could continue to work on her skills, then she was fine attending the over-the-top school. Besides, while the way Hope's Peak went about it might be tacky to her, Hana could still respect the fact that the school wanted to make Japan the best country in the world by promoting talented high school kids from different walks of life.
Although this "laissez faire" style of teaching was slowly changing.
'I have to deal with the school festival now.'
Another sour thought. It was a necessary pain for her, though. Hana had to remind herself of this as she started to walk through one of the aisles of the store.
Hana was still in uniform, so naturally the cashier looked shocked when he took notice of her. Typically, she avoided wearing her school uniform when shopping like this. She didn't like the way people would gawk at her like she was an alien or something. Annoying ants really. If more people bothered to put the effort to succeed rather than just giving up, then they wouldn't have to wonder how it felt like to be attending a place like Hope's Peak Academy. It was all about effort, and most people in this world were lazy.
She was getting sidetracked here.
Hana had never gone to a convenience store before coming to Hope's Peak Academy. It was a vice she had learned this past month as she had found herself hungry one late night and with no other alternatives. She was sure that her parents would scold her for this, and while she still preferred typical traditional Japanese dishes, some of the options here weren't bad.
'I'm feeling extra hungry tonight.'
Since she was regularly attending class now and working on their play, it was to be expected.
What was NOT expected was her eyes to land on a very familiar face walking down one of the aisles while holding hands with a boy their age while excitedly talking about candies.
"I can't believe you talked me into this. There are not many options here, Big Bro!"
"The store you wanted to go to is already closed, remember?"
"T'ch. I bet we could have something airlifted here."
"Airlifted?"
"Yeah! With a plane!I bet the princess could have someone from her kingdom ship some delicious candies in a few minutes!"
"I thought you only liked Japanese candies?"
"….don't take it so seriously. Bend down. I need to flick you on the nose for that."
"I'm not your servant!"
"Mhmm! Slave is more like it."
"That's not any better!"
Ensue some snickering.
Hana would best describe her face as astonished and bewildered right now. Wait, did those two words mean the same? Hana couldn't even remember right now.
The two teens, both blonds if you could believe it, stopped when they noticed her staring at them.
Of course the shorter one instantly cringed and stepped closer to the taller boy's side.
"Ew. Are we being followed by a stalker or something?"
The blond sighed. "Hiyoko. What makes you think she's a stalker? She's wearing the school uniform, you know."
"Didn't I tell you this before, Big Bro? I'm in high demand! I've been stalked before. You should feel lucky that you get to hold my hand like this."
"Right…."
"I don't like your dismissive tone! Bend down! I have to flick your nose for not taking me seriously!"
"I'm not going to do that."
"Grrrr."
Hana just stared at the two blonds. Her mind was trying to work out what was happening right now.
Once Hiyoko got done glaring up at her fellow blond for disobeying her, she switched her attention to Hana again.
"What do you want anyway? Can't you see we're busy here?"
The taller blond scratched his head sheepishly. "I wouldn't say that."
Hiyoko gasped. Her face looked like it had lost some of its color. "Candy shopping is very important, Big Bro! Especially when I have to make do with these terrible options!"
"Then why did you wait until the last moment to buy some more?"
"I-I…..I don't know!" Hiyoko huffed, but she still didn't let go of his hand. "You're not supposed to talk back to me like this by the way! The servant needs to learn his place."
"The butler thing has come and gone!"
Hiyoko had a certain dangerous gleam in her eyes. "For now."
The blond looked worried for his future.
Hana's brain rebooted enough to return to reality.
"I see you're the same as usual." Hana readjusted her round glasses, her face somewhat annoyed. She had not been mentally prepared to deal with this tonight. "You never bother to remember the people around you."
"Huh?" The blond gave her a curious look. "You know Hiyoko?"
"You could say that." Hana fixed her eyes on the blond. "Who might you be?"
"Oh. The name's Uzumaki Naruto. I'm Hiyoko's friend. Nice to meet you!"
The boy's words were almost enough to make Hana drop her glasses.
Hiyoko had friends!?
The Ultimate Traditional Dancer huffed again. "Big Bro, you don't have to talk to this person. She's just an annoying pest not worth paying any attention to."
Naruto frowned at her. "Hiyoko….."
"What? I'm being serious!"
Hana sighed as she regained her bearings for a second time.
"You're still the same nasty individual as ever. It's no wonder people avoided you at our old school."
Hiyoko looked smug. "Oh, those future minimum wage workers? Why would I want idiots like that around me anyhow? It's better to toss out the garbage than let it fester."
Naruto fought back a sigh. "You know, other than when you're with Kazuichi or Teruteru, you've really toned down your snarky responses. I'm kinda being reminded of when we first met."
"I don't regret my words." Hiyoko looked indifferent by Naruto's words. "It's like I told you before, Big Bro. This world is full of opportunistic rats that just want to jump on the success of others. My old school was full of people like that. Why would I want to associate with people like that? They would sooner stab you in the back than help you."
Hana interjected here. "More like you never gave them a chance."
She wasn't sure why she said that, really. The words just came out.
Hiyoko glared at her. "Who are you supposed to be again, you four eyed bitch? At least big sis Pekoyama has those red eyes. You look plain."
"A lot of things make sense right now." That's all Naruto could say to this.
Hiyoko pouted a little. "Don't take her side! You don't even know her!"
"But you do."
Hana felt some satisfaction at seeing Hiyoko squirm under Naruto's gaze. She never would have thought that someone other than the blonde's grandmother could elicit this kind of behavior from her.
Fascinating.
"It's not important really. She's just some friend of the family."
"Family?"
Hana frowned a little. Did this guy not know who Hiyoko's family was?
"The old hag keeps connections with other families who are in the business like us."
"Oh, so she dances too?"
Hiyoko smirked a little while shooting Hana a quick glance. "Not like I can, but she's been trained in that too."
Hana's frown deepened. "Stop it. You may be the Ultimate Traditional Dancer now, but I've also got a title of my own."
Deep down, Hana knew she was being hypocritical with that statement, but right now she didn't care.
"God, were you always this annoying?" Hiyoko's eyebrow twitched. "Does it look like I care about any of that? Are you trying to become one of my stalkers or something?"
"That pride of yours is annoying."
Hiyoko held her hand over her lips as she snickered. It made her look like a mischievous child. "You're one to talk. My old hag of a grandmother may be a pain, but she still taught me quite a bit. Your last name is literally Ito. There are so many of you around here it's laughable."
Hana had to stop herself from rising to the bait. This was something Hiyoko was always fond of doing. "Ito" was a very common name in Japan, yes. In fact, it was in the top ten for most common family names in the country. That didn't diminish the legacy of her family or her hard work.
"You won't be able to take it so easy soon. I'll show you which one of us is the better artist." Hana's eyes narrowed behind her glasses. "Both of our classes are putting on a play, correct? Then this couldn't be better."
Hiyoko waved off her words. "Why are you getting fired up? So stupid. Even if by some miracle you guys win, it just means that my class sucks, not me. How stupid."
Insulting the others like it was nothing…..yep, that was Hiyoko.
Hana wasn't fazed by her words. Instead, she only looked more frustrated. "Do you even understand my feelings?"
This girl had been troubling her for more than a decade now. Did she not understand this?
Their first meeting did not go well.
You could almost call it a natural disaster.
The setting was a huge gathering of different dance schools from all over the country. It might seem stereotypical, but the gathering took place in none other than Kyoto. It was not a coincidence as the city hosted the "Dance of the Capital" every year. It wasn't in reference to the traditional dances in of themselves, but rather it referred to the city's former status as the nation's capital. Now, however, many shows were hosted where traditional dances were put on display.
The six year old Hana did not consider herself much of a dancer even though she was trained rigorously in the art. She would much rather spend her time practicing her koto, but as the heiress to the Ito family she had to be well versed in different areas. Her family owned a dance school of their own, so it only made sense.
Many of the other heirs and heiresses of the different schools were much older than Hana, so she didn't pay much attention when they introduced themselves.
There was only one exception: Saionji Hiyoko. The Saionji heiress was the same age as her.
Hana was fascinated by her the moment she saw her. Unlike her rather somber and more reserved appearance, Hiyoko looked like a living doll. Her blonde hair was the first shining example of this. It just didn't seem very Japanese. The other was her kimono. It was very colorful: a very bright pin color adorned with flowery decorations.
The two were not alike at all.
Hiyoko stood out.
Hana did not.
This did not make Hana jealous. On the contrary, it made her want to befriend the girl.
So she tried.
"Hiyoko, this is the Ito heiress: Ito Hana. She will be attending the same elementary school as you."
Hiyoko's grandmother didn't give her the most exciting of introductions. In all honesty, Hana was sort of intimidated by the woman, but that didn't let her stop her from greeting Hiyoko.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope we can become better acquainted in the future."
It was not the typical way that a six year old spoke, but such was her education.
Hiyoko took one look at her before looking up at her grandmother with a pout.
"How long do we have to stay here? I'm hungry."
Hana froze. She didn't even hear what Hiyoko's grandmother said in response.
Was she being ignored?
That couldn't be, right? Because…..how rude could someone be to do something like that?
Hana took it in stride as she tried her best to give Hiyoko another friendly smile.
The girl was probably just shy. Hana wasn't going to let that stop her!
So she tried again.
And again.
And again and again.
All were met with the same dismissal.
As it turned out, Hiyoko was in fact not shy. She just did not care about Hana at all.
Such a dismissal had stung. Hana couldn't understand why. Why had Hiyoko been so quick to dismiss her? And why was this Naruto person able to be accepted? It just didn't make sense.
What had stung more was to discover just how talented Hiyoko really was. In many ways, she was still considered a novice in the Japanese dancing industry. This did not stop Hiyoko's talent from shining through. She made everything she did look so….effortlessly.
Tea ceremonies. Calligraphy. Flower arrangements. She excelled at these arts.
It infuriated Hana to no end. Sure, Hiyoko was clumsy at everything else to a point that it could be considered comical, but the blonde didn't pay any of those things the same level of attention that she did her dancing and her family values. In Hana's mind, they couldn't be weighed the same.
Hiyoko pursed her lips and shrugged. "I don't know what you're trying to say, and I don't really care. You're wasting my candy time with Big Bro, so can you get lost already?"
Nothing had changed. She was just being dismissed again.
Hana could understand this as much now.
"Have a nice evening."
This was all Hana could manage without letting her anger get the best of her.
She did not purchase anything as she left the convenience store. She was no longer hungry.
Rather, she was more determined than ever to make sure that her class won the school festival.
Naruto watched the green haired girl quickly leave the store. He hadn't commented on anything just now because he felt that it wasn't his place.
There was definitely something personal going on here.
Of course, Hiyoko's attitude gave the impression that it was nothing important as she quickly turned to face him while snickering
"Man, I thought she was never going to leave."
Naruto didn't admonish her. He just gave her a curious look.
"Are you happy about all that?"
"I don't really care about other people's misconceptions. Oops, sorry." She looked coy even though she was still holding his hand. "That might have been too big of a word for you, Big Bro. My bad!"
Despite what Kazuichi thought, Hiyoko still liked to tease him too. It was just that it mainly happened when they were alone like this.
Naruto didn't let that stop him from asking his questions.
"It looked like she wants to be your friend."
"Well, duh." Hiyoko let out a snort. "When are you going to understand that everyone wants to be my friend? That's why you should so grateful to be here next to me, Big Bro. You can kiss my palm too, if you want. I won't stop you."
They were back to this, huh.
Naruto felt like he understood Hiyoko fairly well, and he knew that she was only talking like this to avoid telling him how she really felt.
Unfortunately for her, she was dealing with the Uzumaki Naruto. He wasn't going to be dissuaded so easily!
"Do you want to be friends with her?"
This time, instead of giving him a mean spirited answer, Hiyoko went silent as she bowed her head a little.
"….you're going to keep digging, aren't you?" she asked him softly.
Naruto grinned. "You know who I am, don't you?"
Hiyoko blushed while looking away from him, but she still squeezed his hand with hers.
"Yeah, annoying."
"I've been called worse."
"That's not a good thing."
"Don't care, and you're stalling."
"T'ch." Hiyoko's blush receded as she sighed. "It's really not important. She's another heiress from one of the dance schools in the country, like my family. They also take part in other industries like the koto. That's what she specializes in."
"What's a koto?"
"That's what you're focusing on!?" Hiyoko's eyebrow twitched. "And you don't know what a koto is? What kind of Japanese man are you!?"
Naruto deadpanned.
Hiyoko blinked before looking sheepish while sticking her tongue out. "Right."
Naruto's eyes drifted to where Hana had stood earlier. "It looks like she also has a grudge against you."
"Don't care. Not my problem. A lot of people have placed their misconceptions on me before. I told you before, didn't I?"
Naruto felt like there was more to it than that, but he had probably pushed enough for one night. He should feel lucky he had managed to get this much out of Hiyoko without her threatening bloody murder. She had done that before. Well, not on him but Kazuichi.
Poor guy.
"Anyway, enough about that stupid bitch!" Hiyoko's face brightened as she started to drag him across the store. "We're here to get some candies! Until tomorrow. Then we go to a real store!"
Naruto was amused. "You should be getting some rest, you know."
"Bah! Who cares what the nurse says!"
"Mikan just cares about you."
"Urk." Hiyoko started to blush again. "I-I know, so don't bring it up…."
Naruto nearly hugged her for that. She just looked so damn adorable!
But he wasn't looking to get stabbed by an angry Hiyoko tonight, so he resisted the urge and just let her drag him through the store to satisfy her candy needs.
And yes, she made him paid for it.
"Guys, I think this is a bad idea. Maybe I should just-"
"Tsumiki can paralyze you in two seconds. Don't you dare."
"T-Togami-san, I can't do that!"
"H'mph, the point stands."
"But there is no point!"
Ryota nearly escaped while Byakuya and Mikan descended into a small argument between themselves, but he didn't get very far as Byakuya caught him by the scruff of his neck.
How the heck was the Ultimate Imposter so strong!?
"You're being too easy on him," Byakuya lectured Mikan while dragging Ryota back to the door of the gym. "At this rate, he will never shape up."
Mikan clenched her hands while looking determined. "T-There should be a balance when you're talking to him! Mental recovery is just as important as physical!"
Wow. She really did care about him.
It made Ryota want to tear up.
Byakuya just smirked. "And yet, you agreed with me about bringing him here."
"But of course! It does not mean we still can't take it easy."
When Mikan smiled, it was like Ryota's world lit up.
Who was this goddess and why was she so kind to him!?…..is what Ryota wondered to himself while silently blushing.
"Tough love never broke anyone." Byakuya kept to his opinion as he let go of Ryota. "Besides, now that we're here, we've reached the finish line. We are not going to let this moment go to waste."
Ryota gulped while looking at the door to the gym.
"Everyone else is beyond that door, right…..?"
Byakuya nodded. "I had them all gather here for this. Yukizome-sensei was the most surprised when I explained the situation to her."
"Seriously?" Ryota thought that the teachers knew about all the students here.
"I wouldn't be the Ultimate Imposter if I couldn't fool her." Byakuya looked proud of himself. "I might not like what I do, but I take pride in my talent. She did some digging up on us, but I had already gotten to the records before then. I suspect only the headmaster and a few others know of my true identity."
Ryota was now more glad than ever that he was friends with Byakuya. If he could do something like that….
"Not that it matters to any of us," Mikan cut in with a smile. "It's like Naruto-san said. As far as we're concerned, you're Togami-san."
Ryota looked on in awe when he saw just how happy Mikan's words made Byakuya.
"Yes, that is also true."
He probably didn't want to say anything else because he felt embarrassed.
It made Ryota smile. He was happy to see his friend be accepted by the others like this. It was completely different than from when they had first met.
"We've wasted enough time as it is." The moment was soon gone as Byakuya retook command of the situation. "We can't stall forever."
Ryota felt his mood change again as he was reminded of what he had to do.
Meeting fifteen other people at once was more than his heart could bear!
"Actually, I think I forgot something at my dorm-"
"Tsumiki. Arm."
Despite Mikan's earlier objection, she still complied with Byakuya's order and grabbed hold of one of Ryota's arms while Byakuya did the same with the other.
Ryota's eyes widened as he panicked. "Wait-!"
There was to be no waiting.
The two dragged him through the gym doors, and Ryota wasn't even able to struggle a little.
It hurt to be this weak.
"It feels like a cheat! A scam I'm telling you. Just because they have that busty actress with them doesn't mean that they can steal our idea!"
Inside the gym, a small debate was taking place. And the loudest complainer was of course none other than Kazuichi.
The Ultimate Mechanic had only heard about class 77-A's plans the night before, so this morning he had come ready to express his displeasure about the situation.
Fuyuhiko scowled in response. "You had to mention the broad's chest, didn't you?"
Kazuichi felt defensive. "Hey, man. Have you seen those puppies? They're not as big as Owari's or Tsumiki's, but they're close!"
"Say what?" Akane was confused. "I don't have any puppies."
Of course she didn't get it.
Hiyoko sneered. "Gross. This pervert only thinks about those fatty things all the time."
Kazuichi couldn't even defend himself here. He had said that out loud in front of everyone else, but most of all in front of his beloved Sonia.
He panicked. "B-But of course, I don't really care too much about all that! Your figure is the best, Miss Sonia."
"Oh. Thank you."
The Ultimate Princess didn't seem to be paying his words any mind, her mind somewhere else.
It made Kazuichi sulk.
"I suppose while some things change, others remain the same," Peko said with a small smile.
"I guess there's some comfort in that, huh," Mahiru mused.
"You guys are not helping me right now." Kazuichi shot the two girls a glare. He didn't want the fact that Sonia constantly ignored him to be a commodity around here.
Naruto laughed. "It's okay, Kazuichi. You may be an idiot, but we still like you."
"Shut it, you eroge protagonist!"
"That's always your default insult when you're frustrated," Naruto said with a deadpan expression.
"If the shoe fits!"
Teruteru whistled. "Well, we've already established the merits of that nickname, have we not?"
Chiaki hummed in agreement. "It was most…..enlightening."
Naruto blushed.
Dammit Chiaki!
Hiyoko looked suspicious now. "Hey, what does that mean?"
Ibuki jumped on Naruto's back with a cheer. "Has Naruto-chan been playing eroge games with Chiaki-chan? Without Ibuki? This is betrayal!"
"I-It's not like that at all!" Crap, now Naruto was stuttering. Dammit!
Hiyoko was having none of it as she glared at Chiaki. "What do you have to say for yourself?"
Chiaki hummed again. "Yeah, Uzumaki-kun and I played several of them. I'm not all that skilled in them, so I wanted to learn. And Uzumaki-kun offered his help."
"That's not how that played out!" Naruto denied those chain of events with fervor.
Mahiru crossed her arms, blushing a little. "So you two played…..an eroge?"
Fuyuhiko looked annoyed. "Fucking hell. Do kids have no self control these days?"
Chisa was amused. "Perhaps that should be my line, Kuzuryu-kun."
"What are you guys talking about?" Akane asked. "What's an eroge?"
Nekomaru rubbed his chin. "I too find myself curious about this. Is it a game like the ones we've played before?"
Gundham scoffed. "It is not worthwhile to entertain. It is a most perverse art. Even the foulest of beasts dare not tread down that path."
Mahiru shot the breeder a suspicious glance. "And how do you know that?"
Gundham's cheeks redeemed but said nothing in return.
Mahiru narrowed her eyes at him.
"Wooooooow." Ibuki's face was full of glee as she poked Naruto's cheeks while glancing between the blond and Gundham. "All of you guys have some skeletons in your closet, huh~ Ibuki is ashamed!"
Naruto just blushed harder.
Kazuichi was happy with himself. For once, Naruto was the one being shamed. "That's what you get, you bastard."
"I don't know about that." Sadly for him, Teruteru had to rain on his parade. "Those games can get kind of…..intense. Who's to say that Uzumaki-kun and Miss Chiaki did not reenact them? To get a….deeper understanding of them?"
Naruto wanted to die while Chiaki was just looking at Teruteru with a blank look.
"That never happened!" The blond ninja cried out.
Why the heck were Teruteru and Kazuichi always making his life harder for him!? Dammit! His name was going to get drag through the mud at this point!
"Like I believe that." Kazuichi looked annoyed now. When would he get his double entendre scene dammit.
"This is all very suspicious." Hiyoko was stating the obvious now.
"Highly suspicious!" Ibuki was more than happy to agree, if only to embarrass Naruto further.
The blond tried to switch topics, because for some reason Chiaki wasn't coming to his rescue here.
"I think you guys are missing the point here."
"And what is that?" Mahiru asked him, her arms crossed. She wasn't happy to learn that Naruto had played an eroge of all things.
"That we have to win the school festival! We have to have our game face on! We have rivals to beat now, you know."
"While your attempt to change topics suck." Naruto sulked at this. "Those bastards did practically declare war on us," Fuyuhiko agreed. "Wouldn't feel so bad to knock them down a peg."
"I think it's only natural that they would be drawn to you guys like this," Nagito said with a wide smile. "Think about it. You've attracted the attention of the entire school. It's because you guys stand out even among the shining symbols of hope! How incredible is that?"
Chisa sweatdropped. "Komaeda-kun, I know you're trying to compliment my kids, but you know….."
He could have phrased it differently.
Ibuki just laughed. "Ha! Ibuki knows what it's like to be the star of the show, no doubt about it! I guess it's not surprising that I would have my own fanbase here too."
"I guess even this place is just another stepping stone for my career, huh." Hiyoko didn't have any shame accepting Nagito's praise this time around.
It was Mahiru's turn to sweatdrop. "I think you two might be getting ahead of yourselves….."
"It is not as if Komaeda is wrong, however," Peko said with a pensive look. "This school festival did start because the student council approached Naruto about it, correct?"
"Actually, they approached Fuyuhiko and Chiaki." Naruto wasn't looking to take the credit for this.
Fuyuhiko rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but he was looking for you, you idiot."
Chiaki sighed. "Trying to pass the blame. That's shameful, Uzumaki-kun."
But he wasn't!? Why was he getting picked on today dammit?
Kazuichi looked happy again.
"It's not like we were trying to impress anyone," Teruteru said while rubbing his chin in thought. "My food must have blown everyone away, huh."
Akane grinned. "It blew me away for sure!"
Hiyoko rolled her eyes at this. "That's not a hard thing to do."
"Hey, food is food." And Akane would never change her mind about that…..whatever "that" was.
"Heh, my aura is certainly dangerous enough to attract the weak," Gundham said while chuckling. "I have done my best to suppress my powers as much as possible, but I suppose completely concealing a being as great as I is impossible. So be it. I shall accept this world's gratitude for this one time. Rejoice, you fools! Fuhahahaha!"
"And he's lost in his own world again." Hiyoko groaned while holding her head. "Is it bad that I understood what he was trying to say? Am I going crazy?"
Kazuichi sulked. "You were crazy from the start."
"What was that!?"
The mechanic wisely kept his mouth shut this time. Hiyoko could still be scary when she wanted to be.
"I think you guys are overthinking this," Chisa said, gathering their attention. "For whatever reason it might have been, you guys did something incredible. You came together as a class to accomplish a goal. It's been a while since Hope's Peak has seen a class as strong as you. Which is why I was so happy when I learned that I would be your teacher." Chisa wiped a tear away, whether imaginary or real was anyone's guess. "I'm more than a little proud."
Her words had the effect of making them all look somewhat sheepish.
"I-I guess it doesn't feel bad to be admired like this," Kazuichi said after a moment's silence. "Even if our ideas are being used against us."
Fuyuhiko cracked a grin. "You're so goddamn easy. And anyway, performing a play for the school festival isn't a revolutionary idea."
"Hey, you said it yourself that they were definitely coming after us, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then that means we gotta kick their asses, no matter what!" Kazuichi was suddenly feeling fired up. "Even if it is against that hot actress!"
Naruto's face was blank. "You had something good going, and you ruined it."
Kazuichi's libido, as always, was his own worst enemy.
"You should just die." Hiyoko's words were followed by the most heartwarming smile they had seen from her.
Too bad her expression didn't match her message.
"So cruel." Kazuichi sunk to his knees in despair.
"It's like poetry in motion." Nagito looked down with excitement. "Two hopes, clashing for the ultimate victory at the school festival. Of course, I have no doubt about you guys' victory. There's absolutely no way that you can lose."
Nekomaru cracked his knuckles. "That goes without saying."
"You guys look like you're more than a little ready for war," Chisa mused.
Was this all thanks to Naruto? Chisa had to once again wonder….
Her thoughts aside, they weren't just here to pump themselves up like this. No, no. They were getting ready to welcome the last of their class, someone that should have have been with them from the start but had been absent this whole time.
Mikan and Byakuya were supposed to get him. Could they be running late?
Chisa contemplated running to get them in case something had come up, but in the end she didn't have to.
Because at that moment, the doors to the gym were pushed open.
It was hard for Naruto to say what his first impression of Ryota was. The Ultimate Imposter had once donned Ryota's face, so looks like it was like Naruto was looking at an old friend…..only a lot skinnier. And of course, there was little doubt that the Ultimate Imposter had nailed Ryota's personality too, so Naruto was sure that he and the others would already be "accustomed" to talking to Ryota.
None of that took away from this first meeting, as they all turned to look at the sweating Ryota who was forcefully dragged into the gymnasium.
Byakuya gave Ryota a couple of pats on the back.
"He was taking his time, so we decided to speed up the process."
"It worked wonderfully!" Mikan said with excitement, happy to see Ryota finally stand in front of the others.
The Ultimate Animator could not share in their excitement as he looked at the curious faces of his classmates.
Naruto had no idea what the guy could be thinking right now, but it was probably something embarrassing by the way he blushed and looked down.
"U-Um. Hello t-there. My name is Mitarai Ryota. I'm happy to make your acquaintance…."
Even his voice was low. It seems like Byakuya had toned down Ryota's natural meekness when first introducing himself during the entrance ceremony.
This of course lit a fire in Nekomaru's belly.
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"
Ryota looked ready to pass out as Nekomaru descended upon him, his eyes streaked with lightning. For a second, Naruto was afraid Nekomaru was going to tackle the poor guy, but thankfully the team manager stopped himself before going that far.
"Y-Yes?"
"YOU'RE SPEAKING TOO SOFTLY! YOU NEED TO USE THAT VOICE OF YOURS! YOU GOT THAT!?"
"Y-Yes…..!"
"THEN LET ME HEAR YOU!"
"M-My name is Mitarai Ryota…..sir!"
Sir?
Naruto almost laughed at this. What kind of respect was that?
"YOU CAN BE LOUDER THAN THAT!"
"R-Right! Mitarai Ryota is my name, sir!"
"ONE MORE TIME!"
"My name is Mitarai Ryota! Pleased to meet you, sir!"
"AHAHAHAHA!" Nekomaru looked pleased by Ryota's new greeting. "That's more like it! You got to use that spirit inside of you! Only then can you achieve your ultimate goals!"
"O-Of course!"
"Did we just see Nidai abduct someone into his way of thinking?" Fuyuhiko asked no one in particular.
Kazuichi looked annoyed. "He's crazy."
Sonia on the other hand was excited. "Such enthusiasm! I must follow in Nidai-san's footsteps!"
"Nah, you're already excited enough as it is," Fuyuhiko said under his breath.
Hey now. Naruto thought that was one of Sonia's best qualities.
"It does help lighten the mood, though," Mahiru reasoned with a small smile.
Hiyoko raised her arms in excitement while laughing. "Hahaha! Look at this guy! He's got such a timid personality! I bet it would be easy to make fun of him!"
Teruteru twiddled with his thumbs in slight fear. "That's what you're focusing on…..?"
Did he expect anything differently?
"So he's Mitarai-kun." Nagito just stood back and silently observed the still somewhat nervous Ryota who was being congratulated by Nekomaru for all the progress that he had done. "Another ray of hope has joined us."
"I think you need to work on how you present yourself to people, Nagito-chan," Ibuki said while holding her head. She looked slightly put off by what Nagito had said. "It's always about the hopes with you. It should be about the rock! You would be more popular that way."
Some Ibuki wisdom for everyone.
Nagito looked happy by Ibuki's "correction." "Aha. My mistake, Mioda-san. I'm not as musically inclined as you are, so I apologize if I can't keep up."
"No problem-o!" Ibuki stuck her tongue out playfully while giving the luckster a wink. "Just leave it to Ibuki! You can join my band, and you'll be on your way to becoming a super star! Of course, your registration to Ibuki's harem is still pending!"
Naruto mentally groaned at hearing Ibuki's pitch while some of the others just sweatdropped.
"So Komaeda just got roped into Mioda's bullshit." Fuyuhiko sighed in dismay. "Can't say I'm surprised."
"Mioda-san has a harem?" Sonia was just plain confused.
"I would not take those two seriously," Mahiru said while waving her hand in dismissal.
At least she hoped Ibuki wasn't serious.
All that said, combined with Nekomaru's boisterous introduction, it had the desired effect of calming Ryota down.
At the very least, he started to chuckle a little, catching their attention.
"I had heard Mioda-san was…..eccentric. It's great to see it for myself."
"Eccentric?" Ibuki hummed while bouncing in place. "Ibuki declares that she has no idea what that means! Big words always get to me."
Naruto could understand that.
Byakuya sighed. "You thought we were exaggerating….but we were not."
Ibuki let out a dramatic gasp. "Byakuya-chan talked about me!? I am flattered!"
"About all of you." Ryota looked at his classmates while putting on a softer smile. "It really is nice to finally meet you all. I….am sorry for not being in class these past two months."
"I'll say." Chisa was in front of the animator's face before the boy had a chance to react, drawing a rather weak "eep" from the boy. "I may not have been your teacher the entire time, but you've been skipping out on my lessons. We cannot allow this to continue. We have to make sure you're properly educated, right Mitarai-kun?"
Naruto couldn't see the woman's face, but based on how pale Ryota got he was sure it wasn't a nice one.
"I-I promise not to skip anymore, s-sensei!"
Seemingly satisfied, Chisa stepped back and nodded. "There we go! That's the spirit!"
Nekomaru laughed. "Ha! I CONCUR!"
"I honestly can't tell which one is worse," Kazuichi complained a little.
"Really?" Chiaki tilted her head. "I think it's encouraging. This way, Mitarai-kun won't have to feel so alone."
"More like, you kids need to all introduce yourselves!" Chisa said while turning to them. "Also, this is the kind of thing that the class representative should be handling!"
Seriously?
Naruto had a sneaky suspicion that Chisa just wanted to pass the buck to him, but in this case he wasn't going to complain. He was interested in finally talking to Ryota.
"Oh, Tsumiki-san mentioned something about that," Ryota murmured.
Said girl beamed at this. "Yes! We already have a class representative."
"Jeez, you don't have to make it sound so flashy," Naruto said as he stepped forward.
Behind him, some of the others looked amused by his words while Ryota stood up straighter when his eyes landed on him. Why, Naruto didn't know, but he wasn't going to question it. Maybe it was just one of Ryota's quirks?
"Indeed." Byakuya shot Naruto a smirk as the blond approached them. "After all, it was only because I decided to step aside that you took the position. You should be eternally grateful to me."
"Yeah, yeah." Naruto ignored Byakuya's boasting in favor of introducing himself as he stopped in front of his new friend. "Nice to meet ya at last, Ryota. You've kept us all waiting quite a bit."
"H-Huh?" Ryota's eyes widened a little. "You're using my first name?"
Why was everyone surprised about that? So weird.
"You'll get used to that," Byakuya said with a small shrug.
Ryota didn't look convinced. "R-Right. The pleasure is all mine, Uzumaki-san. I've heard quite a bit about you from Togami-san and Tsumiki-san."
Oh yeah?
"That I'm awesome? You didn't have to, Byakuya."
The Togami heir scoffed. "T'ch, don't get ahead of yourself. I mostly talked about your annoying personality."
Aww, he loved Naruto!
Mikan blushed a little. "I-I mentioned all of your good points, Naruto-san…."
R-Right.
Naruto fought down his blush at that. Better not think about the changing room.
Byakuya rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes. It's a typical friendship party. Congratulations to all of us." Beautiful sarcasm! "Moving on, I told you that I would get him in better shape. Here's my proof. Although coming from me, it's of no surprise. My words are merely facts that haven't been put to paper yet."
"There's gotta be a limit to how pompous you are!" Kazuichi had to say it.
"Fatass is always getting carried away." Fuyuhiko had to give Kazuichi that one.
Hiyoko was ecstatic. "Mister Ham Hands can't help but talk about himself all the time!"
Ibuki winked. "Ibuki likes it~"
Teruteru patted his stomach with a wide smile. "My buddy agrees."
Mahiru grimaced but said nothing to that.
Chisa wiped another tear away. "You guys make me so happy. Welcoming another friend like this. Sensei wants to throw you all a party!"
"A party!?" Akane's mouth instantly watered. "Does that mean we'll get to eat!?"
Sonia gasped. "Owari-san, your mouth is leaking!"
"I-I just fed you not long ago!" Teruteru cried out in dismay.
Fuyuhiko chuckled. "Since when is that enough for her?"
Peko bore a small smile. "It would take more than a simple banquet to satisfy Owari's appetite."
"Are you guys underestimating me!?" Teruteru said, shocked. "Cruel! Too cruel! I'm more than enough to feed Miss Akane!"
"Oh yeah?" Hiyoko scoffed while glancing away with a sly look. "Then prove it, porky."
Naruto sweatdropped at this development. "What are you guys trying to do here?"
Why was Hiyoko trying to bait Teruteru?
"Isn't it obvious?" Chisa said with sparkling eyes. "We have to throw Mitarai-kun a small party for finally joining us!"
"Seriously!?" Ryota looked surprised. "I don't think you guys have to go through all that trouble…."
"Nonsense!" Sonia instantly disagreed. "You are our friend, and we must celebrate our friend's arrival!"
"I agree!" Kazuichi was instantly on board.
"A party, huh." Nagito looked intrigued. "It does not sound like a bad idea at all."
"We can also play games!" Now Chiaki was pumped up.
"Hehe, just leave the music to Ibuki!"
Hiyoko did a quick twirl while waving her small personal fan. "I'm more than enough for the entertainment."
"I think the two of you make more than a good pair for that job," Nekomaru said in approval.
"So it is a feat of sorts, huh." Gundham smirked. "If it's to be a bloodbath, then so be it. I shall entertain this foolishness for the time being. It is not every day one acquires a new companion while traversing through to the road of hell."
Hiyoko barely contained her laugh. "Like I said, I doubt that big bro Hanamura has enough energy left in him to make anything decent for us."
She wasn't going to let that go, huh.
A dark aura was now emanating from Teruteru. "Being underestimated like this…..FINE!" He raged as the vein on his forehead threatened to burst. "I shall deliver the finest feast you've ever laid your eyes on! I declare now that you won't be able to fit in your panties after I'm done!"
"YES!" That's all Akane needed to hear to jump in excitement.
"Did he have to say that last part, though?" Hiyoko grimaced. "So annoying."
Peko wasn't surprised. "It's to be expected."
Mahiru raised her hand. "Not that I mind taking it easy today, but don't we also have to practice for the school festival?"
They weren't done with that yet.
Naruto shrugged. "Meh. We got time. It's always good to take breaks sometimes."
Look at him, being a symbol of moderation. How he had grown.
Sakura and Sasuke would have been so proud of him!
Mahiru narrowed her eyes at him. "You just want to eat Hanamura-san's cooking, don't you?"
Crap biscuits. She was on to him!
"But of course he wants to eat my cooking." Teruteru let out a low whistle, his earlier rage vanishing. "Who wouldn't want to taste more of my delectable recipes? There's no one on this planet who would refuse!"
Pervert or not, the dude could cook.
"BRING IT ON!" Akane shouted, just barely restraining herself.
And so it was. They were going to have an impromptu party in the middle of the week to welcome Ryota finally joining their class.
Let the party commence!
It was kind of impressive how quickly they managed to come together to throw an impromptu party for their new classmate. It was nothing fancy. Just some tables outside, all filled to the brim with different foods and drinks. There was enough food here to keep a family a well fed for a week!
And Teruteru was only getting started apparently. His pride must have really been hurt.
Naruto, Byakuya, and Akane weren't going to complain.
The Li'l Ultimates came to crash the party a little later as well, given how originally they were all supposed to be practicing for the school festival. Kotoko had originally been distraught about this change of plans, but some delicious food and getting to pet Kurama quickly changed her tune.
"Man, she caved in easily."
That's what Masaru was trying to say, but his cheeks were stuffed with food and so nothing coherent came out.
Talk about easy.
All of this came as a surprise to Ryota. "There are kids here?"
"I didn't mention them, did I." Byakuya didn't look all that bothered by this. "Don't worry about that. Just know that Naruto has the habit of making friends with just about everyone he meets."
"Ha, you're telling me." Fuyuhiko took a sip from his drink. "That bastard gets to you before you know it."
"I can hear that!" Naruto said from where he was standing. He was in the middle of an eating contest with Akane while Kazuichi and Ibuki watched on as the judges. Some of the others were spectating too.
Ryota looked down at his own drink. "That sounds kind of amazing."
Thinking back on his past, his younger self would have loved to have such an ability.
"Uzumaki-kun is indeed full of surprises," a smiling Nagito said as he walked past them with several trays of food in hand. He was acting as a server of sorts until all the food was brought out from the cafeteria. "He's the true light this school needs."
Ryota didn't know what to say to that.
"You'll learn to understand him," Byakuya said. "Eventually."
'He doesn't sound so confident about that,' the animator mused to himself.
It took only about an hour for the rest of the food to be prepared and brought out. Nekomaru ended up giving Nagito a hand with the serving of the plates.
There were no chairs, so it was almost like a kind of outdoor buffet of sorts.
The students and teacher all gathered around the tables despite the fact that some of them had already begun to eat.
"Oh man, this is too good." Akane was in tears as she munched on the food she had already served herself.
Nagisa looked green. "How can she eat so much?"
It was the first time he was paying close attention to the Ultimate Gymnast and her eating habits. He did not like what he saw.
Jataro was the total opposite, once again amazed by Akane's eating prowess.
Naruto wasn't looking too good either. "Man, I'm gonna be sick."
Mikan was standing to his left while Sonia stood to his right. The two girls were rubbing his back for support.
"Do you need any medicine, Naruto-san?" Mikan looked ready to run out of there and get to the nurse's office at the drop of the hat.
"The idiot just ate too much." Mahiru let out a frustrated sigh. "I know he's got a big appetite, but challenging Owari-san is just stupid."
"It was Uzumaki-kun's loss," Chiaki said with a nod.
Kazuichi would have cheered for this if not for the fact that Sonia and Mikan were all over the boy.
'Lucky son of a bitch.'
He had to get his turn soon, right? Please, eroge gods! He needed some love too!
Ryota was feeling a bit jealous too. He knew that Mikan was a nurse, so it was only natural that she would be worried. But he also knew that she had feelings for the blond. Was he going to get jealous every time that he saw the two together?
This was going to be exhausting.
"At least we know that Big Bro is human." Hiyoko snickered at her own little joke, even though deep down she wasn't all that happy with how close Mikan and Sonia were to her servant.
"I've always been human." Naruto could still argue his case, albeit weakly.
"Heh. To be brought to your knees like this." Gundham's red eye glowed. "How deplorable! And you dare call yourself my servant!? Foolish mortal!"
"You….ah, forget it." Naruto couldn't argue that much.
Ibuki looked impressed. "Woah. Naruto-chan gave up without a fight!"
"I guess my food was just that good, huh." Teruteru laughed with the glee, although his knees were shaking a little. "You guys must pay your honors later, got it!"
Peko sighed. "You can barely stand, you know."
"I'm still able to last till the end! Don't doubt my stamina, Miss Peko!"
"For some reason, I want to hit you with my sword right now."
"U-Ugh! I don't think I could come back from such a blow at this moment…."
For once, Teruteru wasn't all that enthusiastic about receiving Peko's punishment. What a miracle!
"Naruto may be sick, but we still have to commemorate this event!" Mahiru said while snapping several pictures.
"Yes, yes." Chisa raised her glass with excitement. It wasn't wine or anything, but she could still pretend. "This is a momentous occasion! Class 77-B is finally complete!"
There were many cheers.
Ryota looked embarrassed again."Really, I think this is too much. I don't know how much help I can give you guys either."
"Help?" Sonia raised an eyebrow. "This is not about that. We are just glad that you are finally with us, Mitarai-san."
"Yep." Chiaki quickly agreed. "Even though we didn't know about you originally, you're still a member of our class. We couldn't go on without you forever."
"Here, here!" Ibuki cheered. "Now it feels like I can write an even more incredible song for the school festival!"
"Pfft." Hiyoko snorted. "I think you might just be drunk on juice."
Was that even a thing?
Despite how awful he felt, Naruto eyed Hiyoko suspiciously. "You didn't do anything to the drinks, did you?"
The blonde blushed at the reminder of that event. "N-No! How could you even ask, Big Bro! I'm not like big bro Hanamura!"
Debatable.
Ryota was curious. "What happened? What about drinks?"
Byakuya's face flashed with some annoyance. "I'll tell you about that later."
Even the kids were curious too, but no one was in the mood to bring up those particular memories right now.
They were just happy to have their class be complete.
"It's all well and good." Naruto gave his stomach some pats to calm it down while giving Ryota a grin. "I thought Byakuya was dragging his feet, but I'm glad that he got you to come here today, Ryota. Now we can focus on the school festival without holding back."
Byakuya smirked. "To have doubted me…..if I were a lesser man, I would imprison you for your folly."
"We definitely have to win!" Kotoko shouted with determination. "I don't really get who this guy is, but we can't let those jerks from the other class beat us!"
A small smirk appeared on Peko's face. "They're looking for a fight, so we should not disappoint them."
"HA!" Nekomaru nearly crushed his glass as his body let out another stream of energy. "That goes without saying! We must show them our determination and abilities!"
"Hey, hey." Hiyoko cut in with a gleeful look. "You guys are saying that, but let's not forget that some of us are also enemies here. We've got the beauty pageant to win too, don't we?"
"Oh yeah." Chiaki had almost forgotten about that. She let out a sigh in dismay. "That's a pain. Why did Uzumaki-kun agree to that again?"
Naruto almost choked on his drink while Mikan panicked trying to help him.
"Naruto-chan just wanted to see us in pretty dresses." Ibuki laughed in a rather haughty manner. "I can't say I blame him. I'm hot."
Fuyuhiko just shook his head. "Right. Whatever you say."
Kazuichi shot the yakuza a grin. "I bet you're looking forward to seeing Pekoyama in a dress. Right~"
Both teens blushed at the notion.
"You fucker-!" In his embarrassed state, Fuyuhiko was ready to draw blood.
Kazuichi's smugness wasn't going anywhere, though. He knew he was right!
"So much drama, even within the class." Chisa slammed her glass on the table in front of her. "So amazing!"
"I don't think your words should match your excitement," Mahiru said with another sweatdrop.
Drama wasn't good!
"A beauty pageant?" Ryota sounded intrigued. "I hadn't heard about that either."
This time, Kazuichi's grin was aimed at Byakuya. "Wow, you suck at relaying information. So much for being amazing, huh."
"Don't make me have you disappear, Soda."
"WHAT THE FUCK-!?"
"The beauty pageant seems insignificant compared to the school festival itself," Byakuya added with a shrug of indifference. At the very least, he wasn't all that interested in it.
"It's not like they've told us how we'll be judged," Mahiru mused.
"Or who the judges will be," Sonia added.
"Wouldn't that be a plot twist?" Teruteru gave the girls a wink. "What if the student council decides to have our very own Uzumaki-kun be the judge of the beauty pageant? What do you think would happen then?"
"Oh." Nagito looked surprised. "I hadn't thought of that." He cupped his chin in thought. "If he were to be the judge, then who would Uzumaki-kun choose….."
Nagito hadn't meant for his question to be taken so seriously, but the others all found themselves wondering the same thing.
Said blond, who was still recovering from Chiaki's earlier statement and hadn't been paying attention to the conversation, suddenly froze when he found everyone else staring at him. Even Mikan was staring at him.
He blinked.
"Uh, what?"
Did he have something on his face?
"Naruto's choice, huh." Monaca merely smiled to herself.
"Oh dear." Chisa cupped her cheek as her precious students began to wonder about that possibility while Naruto still looked confused. She had a feeling that Teruteru had only said that to mess with everyone, and it was working.
It appeared as though the beauty pageant could potentially be just as interesting as the school festival.
There was only one way to know, and there were only a few days left until both events took place.
How very exciting!
Was it possible to get drunk off of juice?
Naruto looked down at his drink and then at all his friends who all looked drunk and ready to pass out.
Well, Chisa didn't at least.
"What the heck did Teruteru put in this?"
"Those acushations shame me, Uzumaki-kun!" Teruteru said while crying. He was on the ground, face down but somehow still able to talk. "I would nevesh violate my oath as a cooksh!"
"You don't sound convincing at all….."
Chisa didn't seem to mind. "I think they're just getting drunk off the atmosphere.'
That was a thing?
"It's a Japanese miracle!" Hiyoko exclaimed with rosy cheeks. "The old hag never let me have wine when I ate with her. I must savor the experience!"
"I have some experience with alcohol." Sonia looked intoxicated, yes, but she was still as compose as ever. "This must be strong."
"Like I said, they're not actually alcoholic….." Chisa trailed off when she noticed that none of them were paying any attention to her words.
Truly, what rotten kids she was in charge of!
"This feels weird." Even though she was standing in place, Chiaki was still swaying left to right. She rubbed her eyes. "I feel sleepy."
"H'mph, lightweights." Byakuya was another who didn't look bothered at all.
Fuyuhiko was in the same camp. "Tell me about it."
Even though he couldn't condone high school kids drinking alcohol, he had still partaken in the activity from time to time with his parents. A necessary evil in his line of work. On a side note, he would have admonished Byakuya for his comment, but he felt too relaxed to do so.
Peko on the other hand didn't seem to have the same fortitude as him as she was gulping her juice down while hiccuping a lot.
Ibuki was cheering about something while Jataro and Masaru cheered her on in return.
Nekomaru was in tears. "THIS IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL EVENT! I COULDN'T BE HAPPIER THAN I AM RIGHT NOW!"
"We get to party with Mitarai!" Akane cheered for that, looking ready to cry herself.
Ryota scratched his cheek in embarrassment. "T-Thanks again….."
Naruto just narrowed his eyes. All of this was very suspicious.
"Naruto-san, aren't you going to drink some more?"
Naruto nearly shrieked when Mikan suddenly appeared at his side again. He was sure that she had gone to talk to Mahiru or something. How did she get next to him so quickly?
Weird.
"I already have a drink. See."
He wasn't very thirsty, and after scarfing all that food earlier he just wanted to relax for a bit.
Mikan didn't even glance down at the cup in his hand. She just handed him another.
And why was her face so close to his? And were her cheeks also a bit pink? And why did she look so alluring right now?
There was also a peculiar scent coming from her that he could now smell….
"I think you might need another."
"Um…."
It was kind of odd to see Mikan so direct like this that Naruto didn't know how to react.
"Did you get sick or something?" Mahiru appeared on his other side with a drink of her own. "Jeez, this is why I'm always telling you to take things more seriously, you dummy."
Right, right.
Wait…..dummy?
Now Naruto knew something was up. Mahiru would never say anything like that!
"How strange." Chisa started to hum a little to herself as she took another sip from her juice. "I'm starting to get drunk from the atmosphere too!"
Shouldn't that raise some alarm bells!
"This is the best juice ever!" Kotoko shouted in excitement.
Nagisa looked to be in bliss. "You said it."
Monaca just smiled.
Naruto eyed all of them with increasing concern. This couldn't be normal for sure.
"Naruto-san."
"Naaaruto."
"What-"
The blond barely had time to respond before Mikan and Mahiru were trying to push their drinks on him. He quickly ducked back while putting his arms up in a placating manner.
"Hahaha, see, I'm not all that thirsty….."
"So unfair. Do you dislike me that much, Naruto-san?" Mikan pouted.
Damn, she looked adorable when she did that.
"What? No!"
"Then you should drink!"
Next to her, Mahiru nodded. "Yeah! You have to drink!"
"You shouldn't deprive yourself of such flavors," Byakuya said off to the side with a firm nod of his own.
"Eh? Naruto-chan doesn't want to party with us!" Ibuki came running behind him. She nearly tackled him, but he dodged her too. "That's impossible! You must partay!"
Ibuki too!?
Naruto contemplated his options as Mikan, Mahiru, and Ibuki surrounded him.
What the heck was he meant to do here?
Fuyuhiko and Byakuya were still drinking like nothing was wrong. Peko was about to pass out. So was Chiaki. Gundham looked to be arguing with his right hand about something. Hiyoko was dancing all by herself. Chisa was still talking to herself about the joys of youth or something like that. Nekomaru was crying while trying to get Ryota to share a drink with him. Masaru, Nagisa, Jataro, and Kotoko were all laughing while Monaca just watched them with a smile. Teruteru was already passed out, and Akane was eating more food again.
Did he miss someone?
Oh yeah. Kazuichi was crying to himself while looking at Sonia who looked to be lost in her own world while she drank.
"She's just so beautiful!"
"Hm?" Sonia gave him a glance. "Did you say something, Soda-san?"
"Yes!" Woah, for once Kazuichi was taking a bold stance. "I said you look amazing while drinking that juice!"
"Oh really?" Sonia tilted her head. "I do not think I'm doing anything special….."
"It's what you would expect from someone like you, Miss Sonia! Not because you're royalty. You're just naturally graceful!"
"Is that so?"
Crap. The idiot was holding a proper conversation with Sonia for once. He wasn't going to be of any help right now.
"He's trying to struggle." Ibuki wiggled her fingers. It reminded him of Jiraiya. "Don't struggle, Naruto-chan. This is for your own good!"
"This drink is magical!" Mahiru said, hiccuping. It was kind of cute. "You'll feel sooooo much bettersh! We promise it!"
Mikan giggled. "I think Naruto-san just needs some incentive."
Incentive? Naruto didn't even know what that meant!
Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your point of view, Naruto didn't have to wait long as Mikan quickly took of her school blazer, leaving her only in her white dress shirt that hugged her frame tight. Then, she stretched out her hands towards Naruto with a welcoming smile.
"Come here, Naruto-san."
Crap. That was tempting. So tempting.
Naruto gulped.
Was this a dream? It had to be a dream, right?
"Exposed! Ibuki tackle!"
Naruto barely felt Ibuki tackling him to the ground.
"That's the way!" Mahiru said with excitement as she and Mikan quickly came to Ibuki's aid.
Naruto found himself pinned to the ground with the three girls hovering over him. Mikan was in the middle, with Mahiru and Ibuki flanking her. The three girls looked happy as they each held a cup in their hand.
Mikan took a deep breath in. "Now."
Mahiru followed suit. "It's time."
"For you to drink, Naruto-chan!" Ibuki finished.
Ah. Naruto understood.
They were drunk.
Actually drunk.
He didn't have time to wonder just how this could have happened. He was only certain that this wasn't going to end well for him. How could it? He had three of his friends pinning him to the ground. Sure, he could have pushed them off, but his brain and body weren't communicating well right now.
Naruto barely remembered much of what happened after that.
It must have been a good party, right?
Off to the side, Nagito calmly took a sip of his drink as he watched the events unfold in front of him.
He chuckled to himself.
"How beautiful."
Class 77-B was definitely complete now.
And with a delicious drink to boot!
Good times.
Summer sucks, though. I hate the heat.
It's been a moment since I wrote the entire class together like this, just goofing off. It was fun. Ryota is now in the class. Hooray.
Thanks for the reviews.
Till next time.