>>5802154It’s several hours later and you’re in a towel, hanging up your clothes to dry while poor Naoki sits defeated on a bench. Masami and Hotaru went inside to do whatever it was that women do.
“Hey Naoki?”
“Yeah?”
“I had a pretty bad conversation with Lord Third.”
“... Alright. Explain.”
“My mom is missing-nin now on account of the fact that she used forbidden jutsu to murder my soul when I was a kid. I only survived because the ghost of my dead sister decided not to kill me and steal my body. The ANBU raided my old house to arrest her and obliterated the whole place to the ground.”
“... Uh… I have to be honest, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with that. ‘I’m sorry’? ‘That sucks’? Kind of hard not to react all underwhelming when you say something so heavy while standing there all casually in a towel.”
“I’m telling you because I need advanced distraction from my problems tonight.”
“Katsuro would tell you that sounds gay and you should be talking to Masami or Yuna instead.”
“Naoki, come on. Be serious. Damn.”
He laughs. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it. Well… At minimum I need to go home to get out of this soggy gear. I’m not really a fun guy either… You said you needed advanced distraction? How advanced? Do you think our ‘kind and beautiful’ team leader would harass you if I gave you a bottle of sake?”
“We’ll be too busy tomorrow for that.”
“Not for tonight, I’m already committed to a celebration dinner with the folks tonight anyway. But we’re 13 and newly minted working men in a dangerous profession, even if it’s going to be milk runs for a while. I think we should get the boys together for some teenage idiocy. It happens in my manga.”
“This line of conversation feels out of character for you.”
He hops up off the bench where he’s been sitting. “Well… I wouldn’t call myself straight-laced so much as I would call myself a guy who likes to accomplish things in an orderly and efficient manner. Efficient and direct. If camaraderie and fun is what our goal is, being stupid one of these weekends is definitely the best way. Mini-golf won’t cut it.”
“I guess it sounds like something to look forward to. To be honest though, it feels out of character to me as well. That isn’t something I would normally just do.”
“You need advanced distraction.” He explains, walking past you to start heading home, but pausing at the gate leading to the alley. “Not today, maybe not even soon, but I’ll make it happen. Today? I’ll order you a pizza. And… Get closer to Masami. I think she likes you.”
“Get real.”
