Cherry Blossom Palette: Summer by the Sea
Chapter 46: Untitled
Sunshine Arc
Written by EmtenDew
Edited by P. serrulata
Author's note:
PS:Hey, hope all's well with the readers! As EDew is, I'm also glad to be done with "Sunblock Shenanigans", bringing us one step closer to the Dreamer's Arc, containing the big summer festival and the couple of days leading up to it.
EDew also has a morsel of interesting news, but I'll let her share that with you.
Since it was on Netflix, and I was taking a day off when it was raining, I started watching Pokémon Horizons, taking EDew's advice. It's pretty good. I suddenly find myself wanting a Hatenna plush to sit atop of and guard my gun-safe.
I can see why EDew's favorite anime Pokémon (currently) is Hatenna. That lionhearted little critter has a lot of grit.
ED: For today—
Really uncomfortable boy-talk! (WTF?!)
…
I have some good news about my editor, and it's good for me too.
He lives west of where I do. He has to travel to the east of where I live. Where I am is only about 15 minutes out of the path he'll be taking.
This means, that when he travels next month, we plan to meet up!
We'll probably have lunch or something on his way out, but on his way back, we're setting aside a day to hang out!
I'm happy! We haven't seen each other IRL in two years, since AnimeIowa. It should be fun!
…
I'm still loving Pokémon Horizons! The last couple of episodes have been great, the kids teaming up with the gym leaders they fought in their travels and taking on the members of the Elite Four of Paldea.
Since Liko's adorbs Hatenna evolved last month and showed what major butt she could kick, I'm really hoping that we get to see her battle alongside her trainer in the future. Floragato is tough, but Hattrem pacified three raging monsters as easily as turning around.
But I like Rika of the Elite Four even less now. I thought she was a lame turd of a character in Scarlet/Violet, but now, she's a wet, butterscotch dog turd shoved in the mailbox. Why anyone would want to be her buddy/pal/guy/friend is beyond me.
…
Only two chapters of inconsistently scaled and drawn canon suck left. Nothing really happened in 152, just some worthless characters making cameos and Naoto continuing to be stupid, when a healthy person would run from Nagatoro and her "pancreatic cancer personified" family.
Naoto really should've told Gamo-chan to eff off in Chapter 150, instead of falling for her falseness, especially when she doesn't give a hoot about HIM and what HE'S been through. It would've saved him facing two lowlifes that will never think of him as anything more than a joke. And that would've saved him from a lifetime of dealing with a girl that will continue to treat him like she wants him to decorate his neck with a lasso and jump out a high window.
…
Ask us anything, and we'll add a Q&A section in the next chapter.
It's good to know that you keep reading, so I would be happy if you drop comments and ask questions.
Please enjoy what I wrote.
Saturday, July 28, 2018
Shuu and Tohru were taking a break from swimming, and they'd stepped away from camp for a few minutes.
Two or three of the girls were "guarding" their spot, taking their own break, so their stuff was perfectly safe.
And since it was just the two of them—
"How about this…? We've landed in our very own 'beach episode'~!"
"Aw, don't talk like that… it's nerd-cringe…"
"We are nerds…"
"We don't need to be cringe about it."
"Fine, fine, you're right…"
"Just be glad one of the girls didn't hear you say that…"
"I think some of them would get it…"
"Let's not test that, eh?"
"Yeah… you're right."
"…But you're right too. A couple of them would probably get it."
"And they'd still probably tear us new ones…"
"Yup."
"Mm-hmm…"
"…"
"…"
"You know something?"
"What?"
"…I usually don't like beach episodes… You do get to see a lot of skin on the girls, but they're mostly just drivel, as far as the content is concerned, and it's even worse if it's non-manga filler. It's mostly just fan-service either way…"
"You say that, but me? I like beach episodes, even if they are mostly fan-service."
"Yeah, I know you do…"
"Hey, when they're not filler, that helps."
"…That it does."
"Then, there are always girl-characters being jealous of other girl-characters for having more 'interesting' bodies than them."
"Sometimes, there's even the girl that no one thought much of, but when she shows up in her swimsuit, the whole world breaks~…"
"They rarely do it well, when they go with either cliché."
"No… they usually don't."
"…"
"…"
"You know what a beach episode is for, right?"
"Really? Why do you insist on treading such dangerous waters?"
"But you do?"
"Sure, I know… Who are you telling?"
"Beach episodes are usually just an excuse to see the female characters in swimsuits… and their feet…"
"Now that's cringy…"
"It's the truth."
"…Yeah."
"And that isn't gonna stop you."
"Of course, it won't."
"And you're the master of cringe, aren't you, whether you like it or not~?"
"Suck it."
"But you're about to prove me right~."
"…"
"Well, go on, maestro~."
"Pfft…! Fuck you~…"
"Entertain me!"
"…Summer episodes are enough for the second one, seeing a female character's feet, unless the girl is like that to begin with… But she's usually a crappy character anyway, typically an athlete or a delinquent or trashy or weird or poor or stupid, whether she's a barefooter or just some cock-tease running around in her school uniform, showing her bare legs all the time, so who cares…?"
"A schoolgirl always going without some form of stocking qualifies her as a 'cock-tease'?"
"In most cases, yes. She's keeping the goods conveniently yet tantalizingly out of sight."
"Fuck, dude…"
"Hey, I didn't write the rules."
"What rules?"
"The ones that angry, hate-filled, misogynistic incels come up with~!"
"Oh, so you're joking…"
"Yeah. But in some cases, it is true. It's just not a universal. You gotta go case-by-case. Just because a girl isn't showing you something you wanna see doesn't automatically make her a cock-tease."
"I dunno about all that. This whole thing's kind of a messed up way to think."
"And some serious nerd-cringe…"
"The worst kind…"
"…Well, whatever… doesn't really matter. We were talking about beach episodes."
"Yeah."
"I'll say one thing: it's awful when they decide to skimp on the animation for that stuff! Beach episodes almost always show up in the middle of a season, and those are the episodes that suffer the most in quality. I mean, at least half of the viewers wanna see the girls in sandals or going barefoot and/or looking really detailed in their swimsuits, and when they come up short…"
"Unacceptable… The animators and staff get lazy, and they think it's okay to release a beach episode—oftentimes the most anticipated part of the show, when they didn't even make an honest effort?"
"…Cocksuckers…"
"…Scumbags…"
"Yeah, I mean, for most female characters, unless they have a swimming pool scene, bath scene, or a pajama/loungewear scene earlier on, you're not gonna get any footy content until a summer or beach episode."
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"Fuck it, I gotta say it… How epic was it when Gamo-chan put her feet up on the table on Wednesday~?"
"Aw, shit, dude…! Yikes!"
"Heh-heh-heh-heh~…!"
"Oh, geez, you really had to say it?! Really?"
"Huh?"
"And you called what I said "messed up". You've been waiting all week to say that, haven't you?"
"Hey, wait a—"
"I mean, she's pretty much our friend now."
"I don't think she's interested in being friends at the moment…"
"She'll forget the thing with Rabi-chan."
"I dunno… She seemed pretty cold to us… especially Nao-kun."
"She's gonna be fine."
"What about what she did to Hana-san?"
"What about it? That was just 'girl stuff'."
"Guys don't do that sorta thing…"
"Gah! I hope not. That's disgusting…!"
"So, you think there's nothing to worry about?"
"They were just being crazy. Gamo-chan had fun with it, and so did Hana-san, even if they went overboard."
"You think?"
"Yes. And I don't think we need to worry about the other bullshit either."
"That's a lot of bullshit though. She seemed a little bit wrung-out, embarrassing Nao-kun, Yoshi-san, and herself, telling us all that ridiculous story."
"As my grandpa used to say, 'She doesn't have a whole lotta piss-and-vinegar left in her.'"
"'Piss-and-vinegar'?"
"Yeah, he said stuff like that all the time."
"Hmm…"
"…"
"…"
"I mean, can you imagine that, having three girls trampling sunscreen onto you…?!"
"Hard pass. That is pretty twisted."
"And what was up with that, Hana-san being able to tell what it was right away?"
"Hana-san's definitely an interesting girl. Something tells me it's not a good idea to get on her bad side."
"Yep…"
"But like I was saying, all that stuff aside, Gamo-chan's our friend now. It's not like she's the only one to make a fool of herself like that. Plus, she's a really cool chick, so, maybe… let's maybe try to not talk about her that way?"
"Hey~, think of it as a 'friends-with-benefits' sort of deal. Except instead of getting laid, we… you know… get a free show~…?"
"You're a fink…"
"I'm only being 5% serious~."
"Don't give it a percentage, you dick-head."
"You were thinking it too."
"…Not quite the same way."
"And how cute was it, when she got all spooked and everything~?"
"Did you hear what I just said?! There's something wrong with you."
"Says the guy with a faulty definition of 'cock-tease'~…"
"There is something wrong with you."
"So…?"
"'So', what? Which do you mean, 'I pay no heed to what you just said,' or 'Answer my questions'?"
"The latter, which my inflection should've made obvious. Believe you me, I pay some heed to it; I know that's a screwed up thing to say."
"…"
"…"
"Can't we just talk about how great she must look in a bikini, or argue about her bra-size, like normal people…?"
"We've already done that though…"
"…"
"…"
"Fine… It was cute, seeing her trying to hide and freaking out… As for your first question…? It was awesome, when she did that, but… I thought the dipping was better."
"The dangling was best for me… There was a lotta dangling also…"
"She was pretty good at it too, even if she was an obvious amateur…"
"I didn't expect that…"
"…"
"…"
"Ack!"
"Fu~u~uck~… So much for 'let's try'…"
"You wanted to hear it."
"You might as well spill your guts then~."
"You're disgusting sometimes…"
"You speak. I perceive."
"…You did see her dip out of her heels, just when she was about to put 'em up on the table, right?"
"No, I couldn't from the angle I was sitting at. I tried to see, but I would've had to stand up or do something compromising to get a look."
"Hoo… That's too bad…"
"When I first saw her in the heels, I was thinking, 'Shit, she's probably wearing liners,' but it was pretty sweet to find out she wasn't!"
"You mean, when she was hanging over Nao-kun's shoulder, looking at the catalogue of songs with him?"
"Oh, yeah~, she lost all composure…"
"…"
"…"
"Hey, remember the look on Nao-kun's face when the girls all gave him that death-glare~?"
"Oof! I felt so bad for him~!"
"I think getting 'sunscreen'd' by a trio of mean girls had to be worse though…"
"Maybe… but we didn't have to see it."
"I still think I feel worse about the sunscreen deal."
"It's not a contest I'd wanna judge."
"How did it go~? 'You like what you see, Short-pai? Enjoying the view?'"
"And then, 'It's alright… but I'm not the one you need to look out for.'~"
"I don't think that's quite it, but it's close enough."
"Oh, that was bad~…"
"Sure 'nuff…"
"I'm kinda shocked Nao-kun made it through the whole afternoon without losing it over all that…"
"Hey, he's got more self-control than you."
"Same to you…"
"…"
"…"
"Man… this sucks, talking to just you about this stuff…"
"Whatever, it sucks talking to just you about this stuff…"
"…"
"…"
"It's just no good… Whenever Nao-kun's not around, these talks always devolve into shit…"
"That's because he refuses to talk about this sorta shit. "
"Mm-hmm. You bring up anything podo-related to him, he shuts down or talks his way out of it. He just refuses to go along with it, though I know we're all on the same page. It's like he's avoiding the plague."
"He's got it a lot worse than you or me, so you'd think he'd go bananas over the chance to let it fly."
"With the amount of shame he has though~? No way."
"…"
"…"
"Yeah… Who'da thought he was the one keeping this sort of thing on the tracks…?"
"Keeping what on track?"
"Y'know, 'guy-talk'. How he always tries keeping things on the up-and-up…? Not that we haven't always known that~."
"There's nothing 'on the up-and-up' about this…"
"You get what I mean."
"Well, it's nothing new…"
"But we can't talk about… him, man… not when he's around…"
"…"
"…"
"Hey… about the 'foot' stuff…"
"Ugh… What about it?"
"I mean, that's gotta be one of the top reasons—if not the top one—why he likes that Nagatoro girl."
"That again? Nao-kun's not that shallow, and you know it. I'm sure that's something he really likes about her, but…"
"Picture what it'd be like to confront him with that~…"
"Just like you said, he'd shut down… and maybe have a coronary or something…"
"…"
"…"
"How much would it suck to just… to like a girl for just that…?"
"Quit it. Nao-kun likes her for a lot more than that, I'm sure."
"Maybe that's what he thinks, but what the fuck else is there to like about that girl? I'm being serious."
"Right for the jugular? Just like that?"
"Well?"
"…"
"You can't think of anything, can you?"
"…I can't… but it's not like either of us know her."
"I know what kinda girl she is…!"
"Don't start."
"I know exactly how that sort of girl operates…!"
"Nagatoro's not the same girl as, uh… as her, so… relax, okay?"
"…!"
"Calm down… You're getting things mixed up…"
"I won't calm down! She's pure trash. The little bitch is always so mean to him, I dunno what he sees in that awful girl… but he sees something. If I were him, I'd have told her to drop dead a year ago."
"Dude!"
"What?! Are you gonna say, 'You did it before!'?!"
"I wasn't going to say that… That was a long time ago."
"And you have no idea what that was like! What she was like!"
"I know what Rino-san was like."
"Don't say that name!"
"You're the one that brought her up!"
"And I don't wanna hear her fuckin' name!"
"Fine, I know what she was like…"
"But it didn't happen to you! You just got to watch!"
"Are you…? Where's this coming from, all of a sudden?"
"You don't know…!"
"…But the only people that knew the truth were you… me… and her… We somehow kept even Nao-kun clear of it. I don't think he has any idea how it really was."
"…! …!"
"Wh-what?"
"I should've torn her down in front of everyone…"
"You knew that was a bad idea. That's why you kept it quiet."
"No… I was a pussy. That's why I didn't do it…"
"You're not a pussy. You were smart. It wasn't worth it, and you were smart enough to see that."
"…"
"You tried to let it go. I don't know if I could've done that."
"…I didn't let go though."
"You tried."
"…"
"Following through wouldn't have made you a man…"
"…"
"…"
"Saying it though, that wiped that look off her stupid face for good!"
"…It did."
"It felt so good to say that~…!"
"…?"
"… … …"
"What happened after wasn't your fault…"
"…I know… and I never thought it was."
"Just saying…"
"Yeah, but you don't need to remind me though. I really don't like to hear it."
"…"
"…"
"…"
"Mrmbl…"
"…?"
"…!"
"…?!"
"Rrrrr! But she STILL got away with it! With everything!"
"Calm down!"
"Goddamn it…!"
"Hold it!"
"…!"
"You're gonna—"
"That. BITCH…!"
"Don't do th—"
"FUCK!"
"Seriously, get a grip!"
"…! …! …!"
"Breathe, dude…"
"…! …! …!"
"…?"
"…! … …"
"…"
"…"
"You good?"
"…Sorry…"
"It's okay."
"It's not…"
"It is… And I'm sorry too."
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…Seriously… just where'd that come from…?"
"…"
"You just…"
"Blew up?"
"…Yeah."
"…"
"…?"
"…Lately, I've been feeling… really angry about her again… I hate it!"
"I know things here aren't helping."
"Sure isn't…"
"I didn't know it… still bothered you that much…"
"I know I should just say, 'fuck it,' but…"
"I know it hurt."
"…"
"And I know I had better 'luck' than you…"
"…I never held that against you."
"I know."
"…"
"If you need to talk about it, then…"
"…No… but we were talking about Nao-kun."
"Try to stick to that. And try not to get angry about it."
"Not get angry? Forget that!"
"It doesn't do any good."
"How can he not see what's going on?!"
"Listen, would you?"
"I am! But damn right, I'm angry! I just don't get it… why he can't see it…"
"You know why. Because he's pretty much blind to all else. Because he'd have to hear it from someone else to even consider it. He'll never figure it out on his own."
"Phew… I can't imagine even trying to tell him though."
"Neither can I…"
"I know how over-the-moon he seems, but sometimes… Nao-kun, he's just so… defeated…"
"…"
"I mean, what she did to him last Monday…?!"
"…Yeah…"
"Even with everything else, I was all for things working out between them, but…"
"Yeah… After that…"
"…"
"…"
"Argh…"
"What is it?"
"I don't get it. It just doesn't make sense to me…"
"What don't you get?"
"What do you think? Some of the girls he's made friends with… Wow! And he settles for that?"
"Hey, it's not like he's into any of them… or them into him…"
"…I wouldn't be so sure…"
"Oh, THIS again…?"
"Yes, that again. I mean, you must see it."
"…"
"You have to see it. He's not thinking of anyone else, but…"
"…"
"You know what I'm talking about."
"…"
"So?"
"I don't wanna talk about this right now…"
"…"
"…"
"Fine."
"…"
"…"
"Wanna go see if Nao-kun and the girls are back?"
"They left the same time we did. They won't be back for a while. You know that."
"What's your damage?"
"You just had to ask for a Pepsi, didn't you? It's a hike to get to the Pepsi machine."
"Hey, I'm not the only one that wanted a Pepsi. Don't blame me. We said they would've been better off buying them at that grocery store off the boardwalk, but they didn't wanna deal with the dress code and stuff."
"Meh, whatever… Let's get back anyway. I could use a bottle of water."
"I suppose I could too."
"…"
"…"
"I do know one thing…"
"What?"
"Nao-kun really sucks at rock-paper-scissors~…"
"Well… that's why he's out there, and we're still here, man~."
Please look forward to the next chapter! Thanks for reading!
Questions and comments are welcome!