🌸Cherry Blossom Palette🎨

🌸Chapter 25: Sunday Blues🎨

Written by EmtenDew

Edited by P. serrulata

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Author's note:

ED: I think my editor can conjure up an unhappily anxious teenager's mind pretty well. Chapter 24 was rough, and Naoto doesn't feel all that great about himself in this one either. I promise, promise, promise that better things are coming for him, and it'll begin near the end of this chapter.

Back "down on Earth", Naoto has to process what he'd been through during his time with Nagatoro, all while helping Sakura and Hana with their schoolwork and studies.

Ask us anything, and we'll add a Q&A section in the next chapter. I would be happy if you ask questions.

Please enjoy what I wrote.

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Sunday, July 7, 2018

The clock read as follows:

4:57 a.m.

Bah...! Naoto Hachioji had been staring at his alarm clock for the last hour or so, and he wasn't falling back to sleep.

It's not like he'd gone to bed early; he'd been reading his history notes a little after midnight, and he'd fallen asleep with the lights on.

Waking up, he'd darkened his room, but it hadn't helped.

He'd tried clearing his mind of the letdown he'd experienced the afternoon prior.

After nothing short of an outstanding and productive morning of studying, muffins, and overall "industrious enjoyment" with his friends and kohai, Sakura Inori and Hana Sunomiya, they'd had lunch and ice cream together. The day had been great up to that point, and it seemed to only be getting better as the early afternoon approached.

Naoto had gone on a shopping "date" with the girl he'd spent the last 15 months or so crushing on, Hayase Nagatoro. On his way to it, he'd felt big as life and twice as ugly, but his ecstasy was degraded to nothing by the time he and Nagatoro parted ways.

Despite swearing to himself and knowing in his heart of hearts that the next time with her would be better—he would make it better, telling her everything he wanted to tell her about her teasing him and gaining her respect—he'd still felt like lukewarm garbage the rest of the day.

Gaping blankly in the darkness of his own bedroom, as much as he tried, he was no longer able to reason his way out of it:

Yesterday afternoon was awful...!

He again tried clearing his mind of it, but to no avail. It plagued his thinking.

He'd even struggled to decide what he'd do with Sakura and Hana the next morning, knowing they'd be arriving by 8:00 a.m. to the Art Club's room at school ready, willing, and able to learn from one another and him, and he from them in turn. That was the only reason he'd managed to put together a plan of attack for the day, the knowledge that they were relying on their senpai to help give them a little boost in raising their grades.

Naoto knew he was nothing special. He knew he was replaceable. And he certainly knew he wasn't perfect, but the two girls had put their faith in him, and he'd do his damnedest to help prepare them for the final exams coming up in eight days. If nothing else, he had years of experience as a student, and he was honored to lend Sakura and Hana all the knowledge and wisdom he'd soaked up over his many semesters of high school.

Deciding he wasn't accomplishing anything lying there like a tumorous lump, he got up and briefly showered. He didn't especially need the shower, having had one before bed, but he just felt unclean.