friends

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When morning came, thousands of petals were floating in the air as if it was raining Sakura, bathing the entire neighborhood in pink. The glabrous flowers entangled themselves in Manaka's hair and on her dress too as she stood outside her apartment, allowing the beauty of the cherry blossoms captivate her breath away.

"So beautiful." She managed to utter.

YET, despite it's ethereal appearance, it did nothing to alleviate the dread that was maliciously gnawing at her guts. Last night, Naruto proposed to her the idea of meeting his friends. He insisted on taking her to his favorite BBQ restaurant where everyone usually hangs out. And immediately, anxiousness enveloped Manaka's chest.

Unbeknownst to the shinobi, Manaka and the term "friends" don't really cope with each other. Nonetheless, she didn't want to disappoint him since Naruto was too happy describing how great she'd get along with his group. She simply couldn't bring herself to decline his offer.

So now, Manaka waited alone at her terrace, her insides a jumbled mess. She fiddled with the hem of her new dress while trying to manage her breathing. Her heart thumped erratically against her chest, almost destroying her ribcage if speaking truthfully. A part of her wanted to cancel and merely hide in her room, but she also didn't really want his plan to fail.

To be completely honest, she doesn't remember a time where she naturally made convo with someone her age in her previous world. Due to the bullying and harassment she faced on a daily basis, mostly coming from Jennie's loudmouth, it had an effect on her equilibrium. Now, whenever someone stares at her out of the blue, she becomes anxious for no reason. Even if they don't intend harm.

But now, she wanted this to change.

'I already got along with Sakura and Ino so what's the harm in knowing even more individuals?'

Letting out a trembling sigh, she adjusted her palm above her neck and carefully massaged the area. By the time Naruto appeared beneath her balcony, he simply flashed her a grin and Manaka could've sworn it briefly soothed her perturbed overthinking.

Immediately, she exited out of her small apartment, locked it, and descended the stairs. When she greeted Naruto with a solemn expression instead of an ecstatic one, he knew something was wrong. As a result, he leaned in closer and placed his hand above her shoulder, his touch emitting warmth once it made contact with her skin.

He inquired, concerned, "Hey, is something bothering you? Are you not feeling well?"

She hesitantly shook her head, unable to make eye contact with his beautiful ocean eyes. "No, I'm fine, just..." she shrunk in embarrassment. "I'm scared your friends won't like me."

Naruto widened his eyes in disbelief. "Won't like you? Manaka, they're going to love you!"

Even after hearing his attempted comforting, Manaka remained uncertain.

"C'mon now, don't worry too much, everyone's vibe is pretty welcoming. Well, all except for Sai. He came from the anbu black ops and he's sorta gloomy and depressing, as if he's grieving something. Just a weird guy who's constantly reading books. But he draws great and is pretty strong."

Manaka rose a brow as they both began maneuvering towards the meeting place. "What can you tell me about the rest? How are they like?"

"Um, there's Team 10 which consists of Shikamaru, Choji and Ino. Although Shikamaru always complains about receiving work to do, he's actually impressive when it comes to concluding his missions. As for Choji, he eats 24/7, and just a heads up," He leaned in, whispering as if they were in the presence of something dangerous, "never comment on his weight. He gets out of control."

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