Gambler of Feelings

by ArinBerry

Summary:

"Let's make a bet." These words had a deeper meaning than she would care to admit. Her entire life depended on it. She wanted to win, no matter what results would bring their little mind game.

Sarada Uchiha always maintains composure, regardless of situation. You could call it a poker face, which is hiding her real feelings. She has just one goal to reach and is doing her best to fulfill that goal. Lack of social skills as well family problems make the matters more complicated. How Sarada can keep her dream? She didn't know yet how to do it, but would do practically everything to keep that dream alive. No matter what.

Karinrumi fanfiction (2018-2024)
Status - Completed ✅

Notes:

I do not own Naruto/Boruto or the characters in it, all rights go to the Masashi Kishimoto&Ukyō Kodachi. However I do own the plot of this story! Any ties to real life events or people is completely coincidental. This story is absolutley fictional.
©Copyright: ©All Rights Reserved

Chapter 1: Prologue

Notes:

I do not own Naruto/Boruto or the characters in it, all rights go to the Masashi Kishimoto&Ukyō Kodachi. However I do own the plot of this story! Any ties to real life events or people is completely coincidental. This story is absolutley fictional.
©Copyright: ©All Rights Reserved.

Why do you express your feelings? Is there a proper way to do it?

These were questions that occupied her mind. In the past, present and the future. She had no idea what's the best way to communicate how she feels. It was harder to do with people closer to her heart.

Sarada stays calm, regardless of the situation she finds herself in. School newspapers and the rumours say so. A lot of them were strange gossip that had an association with her family. She learned to ignore what they said. It wasn't worth her time.

Mr. Shino Aburame was one of her favourite teachers, but it didn't change the fact he's a ghost to the students. That's why she wasn't surprised everyone left the classroom, in a hurry. She wasn't an exception, storming through the crowds to find herself at home one hour later.

In the safe space of her room, the worries overtook her. An inner turmoil caused by one rumour didn't leave her mind.

To calm down, she opened up the notebook that she received from her father. The content of it had the rules that allowed her to regain the composure. A very well thought out, precious birthday gift from him. Inside of it were four rules that helped Sarada to survive the first year of high school. She memorised these rules and their order.

That's details of the contents inside:

Rule number one:

Always maintain your poker face. In any situation, you find yourself in. Especially facing rumours, or being confronted by them. If you're Uchiha — you don't care about them.

Rule number 2:

Idiots are idiots, but since you're the Uchiha, you can't be one.

Rule number 3:

When you have a goal to reach, you reach it, despite what others may think. Ah, and never lose to someone else. No matter what.

Rule number 4:

Looking for a boyfriend is prohibited. Focus on your dreams. Guys are just an unnecessary waste of space, as well as your time.

The four golden rules that her papa has written inside this pink notebook. Even if rule number four went a little overboard, Sarada considered it the best birthday gift she ever received. Helping her to pull through the hardships she went through. She should be happy, right?

However, she didn't feel any happiness at all.

Behind the red glasses, her eyes suffered from the lack of sleep. A middle-length wavy hair isn't tied up nicely as usual. Her pale skin makes her appear to be like a zombie, not a high school girl. Only the black colour of her eyes and hair showed she's Sasuke Uchiha's daughter. The dishevelled appearance was out of ordinary for Sarada. It means an upcoming apocalypse since she's an honour student.

Why?

Why is this stupid rumour about her mother spreading around?

Sarada was aware it's just a stupid rumour, she knew the gossips are a natural part of life. But her worries didn't stop. She was anxious about the whole issue surrounding her mom.

She's an Uchiha. She should follow the mentioned rules and ignore these high-tales. Her mind just naturally drifted to question them, planting a seed of doubt everything is truth. Not a baseless lie.

Why do you express your feelings? Is there a proper way to do it? What you'll do by following a set of rules? Are you trying to find happiness applying them to yourself?

There are so many questions, but so little answers that can satisfy her. And the most important question of them all;

What should she do, if she's close to breaking one of those rules? 

Notes:

Hi, I'm editing the first chapters, so far I edited the Prologue and the first chapter.

Stay Tuned for chapter 20!

- Karinrumi

Chapter 2: Chapter One

"Sarada, it's just a rumour!" said Chō-Chō Akimichi, Sarada's best friend.

"Rumours are stupid," she sighed in response.

Sarada wants to talk with her in person. Phone calls felt like an easy way out. She tries to avoid making them at school. It's not like she has a choice. Not right now. That's the only way to keep in touch with Chō-Chō on a family trip overseas.

Walking with a phone in her hands while trying to talk loudly enough isn't easy. The chattering crowd of students, pushing her out of their way made it difficult. She hates the noise they make. Ugh, that's the reason she avoids this place. Too much sound unnerves her.

"If you think the rumours are stupid, why are you worried?" Chō-Chō's, not even hiding she's getting impatient with reassuring her. Sarada recognises it in her faster pace of voice, followed by a big sigh of exasperation.

It's a sign she needs to hurry up before Chō-Chō's patience runs out. The entire ordeal turning out to be worthless is the last thing she wants, while not having a desired third-party input.

"They're harming my mom's reputation! Of course, I am worried."

A confrontation with her mom crossed Sarada's mind more than once. It's an easy solution she has avoided to pursue after the big quarrel they had. Taking into consideration what has transpired between them, they didn't talk to each other for months. Reaching out first is hard, harder than she anticipated, and she's not ready to do that yet.

"Just ask your mom, that way everything's solved!" answered Chō-Chō, using a simple solution suiting her way of doing things. Sarada admires that about her, the simplicity of resolving complicated problems head-on.

Chō-Chō, unlike Sarada, never second-guesses herself, over analyse, or give a cold impression while interacting with other people. Being a skilful social butterfly like her best friend isn't her strong point. Social skills are a deciding factor amid first impressions, skills she lacked.

The only weak points of Chō-Chō's are brutal honesty, outlandish delusions and her past. She's intense, so not everyone can handle some of the overwhelming things said by her.

When they met for the first time, Sarada wasn't aware that stopping kindergarten bullies from calling Chō-Chō 'fat monster' would turn into a long-lasting friendship. Well, she just looked at them being unaware of her facial expressions terrifying other children. From that moment on six-years-old girls, stuck together as each other best friends till now.

"Hnn..." Sarada hung up. Their shared history didn't mean she isn't feeling disappointed about the advice she got.

That's the worst side of having just one close friend, the limited number of perspectives. It only proves that after seventeen years, she isn't the best motivational speaker. A trait she inherited from her papa, he isn't the best at inspiring speeches either. You can say he's terrible at this aspect of life more than her.

Sarada's eyes scanned the corridors of Konoha's High School, simple in its overall layout. All of the hallways have multiple signs on the white walls displaying the correct path to respective rooms and followed by the smell of freshly painted wooden doors. Finding your way inside of the building is so easy only a clueless idiot can get lost here. An exception is when a group of rowdy students blocks your view of the signs showing the right directions.

Walking through next to the wall and stepping carefully on a tiled floor dispelled some of her worries. This school has a magical effect of calming her down.

Sarada heard it was the present principal, Naruto Uzumaki, that decided to keep the interior of the school simple. It also explained why there's a lot of restaurant posters pinned on announcement boards.

Thinking of mundane topics like that helped to sort out her feelings, underlined the importance of the first rule she should follow;

Always maintain your poker face. In any situation, you find yourself in. Especially facing rumours, or being confronted by them. If you're Uchiha — you don't care about them.

Sarada ought to scold herself for not sticking to something that basic. There is no way her mom has another lover or would betray papa, right? It's impossible. Although she didn't believe it, the worry overtook her again, that there's a tiny chance this rumour is true. In the result, she bumped into someone else by accident, falling onto the floor.

She winced in pain while realising the impact was strong enough for her phone to take irreparable damage. Not only the smartphone she held has fallen, a bunch of students in a hurry to get to the class on time stepped on it completely cracking the screen and made some inside parts in the phone missing. Yes, the model was cheap, but it still physically hurt her soul.

She'll never use a phone on a school break to call her friend ever again. Ever again.

"I'm sorry, ya know!" Sarada felt a wave of anger boiling inside of her, but instead took a rational approach and allowed the guilty party to help her stand up.

A clenched fist was an only clue betraying her pent up anger, on the outside, she looked like a well-composed person with the mask of stoic expression remaining unchanged. Despite that, her gaze mainly focused on her undeniably broken phone.

"It's alright I wasn't paying attention too," she managed to mutter after getting over the initial shock.

Sarada's overall focus didn't change. This time she pondered what was wrong with her life to make a phone that was working one minute ago into a piece of junk due to carelessness. Now it's useless, and after the big fight with her mom, she's not getting a new one soon. Fixing it isn't possible, the damage her phone took is baffling.

"Ya know, are you okay?" The guy, culprit that she bumped into, parroted his earlier question. Coming back to reality, she glared at him. He's one of the primary causes for her destroyed phone!

Only through her glaring, she can see how he looks to avoid him for the entirety of her life. He seems to be a second-year too. His blue eyes were mysterious, similar in appearance, to the eyes of the principal. Their hue was brighter and more vibrant like the sky, rather than a colour of deep blue ocean principal had, though. Spiky blond hair, tanned skin, unzipped black jacket, pink t-shirt and the jeans meant he's a notorious rule breaker. She blinked a few times to shake off her disbelief.

She bumped into the principal son, Boruto Uzumaki. Ugh, this day cannot get worse than it is. Sarada didn't care who Boruto's father is, or in whatever trouble she's walking towards by not holding back for once. Consequences? She'll think about them later.

"Move out of the way, y-you idiot!" she hissed and headed towards the remains of her broken communication device, leaving a dumbfounded Boruto alone.

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

Boruto Uzumaki for a long time has not met a person who would call him an idiot, except his few close friends. Leaving and being rude after he asked for her well-being makes him pissed off. Confused what to do with the situation when you're offering help, but called an idiot instead required some thought. 

An idiot? He, an idiot?! He didn't know this girl and her behaviour is devoid of any charm. He's not an idiot, and he intended to prove it to that girl!

Who's this stupid girl in the first place?! He needs to ask Shikadai about this and teach her you don't mess with Boruto Uzumaki, or call him an idiot!  

Chapter 3: Chapter Two

Furious by his previous encounter with that rude girl, Boruto decided to head to the clubroom.  The school bell has already rung, so his grudge towards her can wait. He has a lot of other things to deal with at the moment, like the club meeting.

The club meeting he's already late to.  He couldn't wait to meet-up with his closest friends too. It'll help him to calm down for sure.
 
"I'm not an idiot," he whispered to himself. 

Boruto Uzumaki was famous among his peers. His image of the social, popular guy that is kind has let him have a dedicated fan-club of girls.  It wasn't their recognition that he desired. 

His fan-club did see only his public mask, not what was lying underneath it.  Most of these girls wanted to use him because of his father's name. That's all there was to it. 

It's not their attention he tried to gain or desperately needed to prove himself to them.  

At one glance, Boruto Uzumaki lives an ideal type of life.  He's social, well-known, his parents are famous, he's lucky, and most of his friends are loyal to him. The imaginary perfect life others crafted based on his image. 

Yes, in the eyes of others, he's enviably owning a lot of precious things, yet he still was seeking something he didn't have, the attention from his dad. 

Naruto Uzumaki held the highest status at this school as its principal. He also managed one of the most famous companies worldwide called Hokage Inc. Being the head of the school, plus the company meant he's likely busy.  

Boruto didn't see him at home often, and when he did see him, his father wasn't paying attention to him at all. It was more likely the father went to sleep rather than spending time with his family. 

To an extent, he understood that his father dealt with important matters. His dad was the leader, so it's natural he's a busy person, but part of him was hurt by his ongoing absence in his life.  

Does his dad even know him at all? 

Boruto's mind jumped to the conclusion they're behaving like strangers at this point in time. The other part of him despised his father and the way everyone talked about their achievements. 

He hated being compared to Naruto the most.

Boruto knew that his father's success doesn't belong to him, despite others giving him a mountain of praise for it.  They praised him as if he achieved it himself. When it came down to it, they never noticed his personal achievements that belonged only to him. 
His own success always was written off as something his dad did. The worst feeling ever in the mind of Boruto was to be seen as the accessory to someone else. 

The situation at home was complicated, and he didn't want to cause distress to his mom and his younger sister Himawari with his identity crisis.  
Boruto navigated the school corridors with ease until he found himself in front of the clubroom.  He's president of the club, arriving late paints the picture he's not taking his duties seriously.  

A wooden door to the clubroom had the old traces of brown paint. It was the only door that had a doorknob shaped like a black crown decorated with red jewels. On the door was hanging the white sign of the "Tabletop and Video Games" club at the top.  

Boruto took a deep breath. He wasn't in the mood for being lectured by his friends. His right hand pushed down the doorknob, then he entered inside. He missed the sight of the grey swivel chairs, the wooden desks, computers, the cupboard that contained all of their video and tabletop games.  In the chairs were already sitting three out of four club members. 

"Sorry for being late, ya know! I was in the middle of helping a teacher and bumped into someone by accident on my way, hehe." Well, it looked like his apology wasn't convincing enough. 

It wasn't his first time appearing late to the meeting.  In fact, that was an everyday occurrence.  Boruto's lateness and poor excuses were influenced by his uncle, Kakashi. Uncle Kakashi was one of the dad's close friends, notorious for his poor alibis. 

Boruto learned various tactics from him, especially when he was late to the events he was invited to attend.  Uncle Kakashi was his comrade that knew him better than his father. 

"Nobody is fooled, Boruto. Your last story was more convincing compared to this. You should think of something better."  

Mitsuki, the newest member of the club and Boruto's best friend, reacted to the news first. His tongue was harsh and cut you deep with the truth no-one needed to hear.  He was always weird with the way he snuck up on you. 

Probably it was this weirdness that pushed away most of the people from him, despite his looks rivalling Boruto in terms of attractiveness.  That or his past history of breaking up with all girls he dated.

There was also the mystery of his parent Orochimaru. Mitsuki himself called him both mom and dad on several occasions while saying Orochimaru says that he can be looking like a man or woman, but is both at heart.  

Boruto wasn't able to wrap up his head of why Mitsuki never explained anything about his family to his former partners. Breaking with them up by showing the collection of domestic snakes was something Mitsuki considered normal.  

Well, at least the way he walked away from his past relationships was entertaining to watch, Boruto concluded. Mitsuki was the epitome of strange, after all. Boruto almost laughed, remembering one of Mitsuki's famous break-ups.  

"You think something nasty about me, don't you?" Mitsuki smiled, a kind of simile that would scare even most hardcore horror fanatics. 
Boruto almost forgot this guy has a sixth sense of sorts. 

"Nasty?! No way!" he quickly defended himself. 

Mitsuki didn't look convinced, crap, he needs to do something before his life is over.

"Troublesome," commented Shikadai Nara, Boruto's childhood friend. He's very dependable!  

Shikadai, unlike Boruto, didn't share similar worries, despite them being raised in a similar way.  They were both compared to their fathers, yet Shikadai brushed off things like comparisons, even using some of them in his favour.  

Hell, he tied his black hair up in a ponytail which looked like a pineapple, since his hair was spiky.  Only Shikada's green eyes were a sign he's auntie Temari son appearance-wise. In conclusion, Shikadai didn't care much about people comparing him to his father.
 
"Uwahahawa! To you, everything is troublesome," said Sumire Kakei. 

She was attending the same class as Boruto and cursed being a class president for a long time because of him. Her violet eyes and hair tied up in two iconic braids were her outstanding features.  

Sumire wore the standard school uniform, a sailor's white blouse and black skirt, knee-length, white tights, and black boots. 
Boruto, for a long time, had a sneaking suspicion she joined the club due to her crush. He assumes she likes Mitsuki but wasn't sure if it wasn't a figment of his vivid imagination. 

"It is," nodded Shikadai in affirmation, yawning and placing his head on the desk. 

"Where's Chō-Chō?" Boruto questioned. The last club member wasn't present here at all. 

He tried to divert their attention from the fact he was late for the meeting. 

"On a family trip overseas, she apparently forgot to inform you about it. She also said our new member will join us today," explained hastily, Mitsuki.

"A new club Member?" Boruto wanted to verify just in case he heard everything correctly. 

"Chō-Chō's best friend, so she said we should just chill."

That was news Boruto didn't expect. Is Mitsuki close with Chō-Chō outside of the club? It'd make sense he's the one sharing what's up then. 

"Chō-Chō's best friend? What a drag it is," whispered Shikadai.

"Hey, don't assume her friend is troublesome from the get-go, Shikadai!" Sumire interjected.  

"Let's all calm down, I'm sure-" Boruto didn't have the chance to finish what he wanted to say when they heard a knock on the door.

The girl he bumped into today entered inside, and he froze.  An upsetting reminder of his dampened mood from before. She's the one that straight-up insulted him by calling him an idiot!

Is she Chō-Chō's best friend?

His bad luck must be great to meet her so soon after their initial meeting. Meeting full of first terrible impressions.

This is his chance! He'll prove to her he isn't an idiot by a direct challenge. After all, this club specialises in playing various kinds of games. If she's joining this club, sooner or later, he'd challenge her to a game of wits.

Boruto Uzumaki never quits a challenge, especially when someone gets on his nerves. A game of wits with this rude girl isn't an exception, and he'll prove it.

He'll prove he's not an idiot by defeating her in this game.

Boruto swore it in the precise moment he recognised who the new member and Chō-Chō's best friend is.

Chapter 4: Chapter Three

Sarada stood shocked when she noticed the same person, which was responsible for her destroyed smartphone. Although she was surprised, Sarada very quickly came back to using her calm demeanour.  It was the second time where she was cursing this day and her bad luck.

"I'm Sarada Uchiha and from today onwards I will be a member of this club. Nice to meet you all..." she said in a very polite manner. She was looking at every person gathered in the clubroom, but at the same time avoiding an intense gaze of a certain blond guy.  And that certain blond guy was the principal son. Exactly the same person, which she called an idiot earlier in her rare moments of anger. 

"Uwawah! I'm Sumire Kakei, nice to m-meet you too!" said the only other girl present in this room. Sarada noted that Sumire had a great potential to be her friend, at least among the girls in this high school.  Of course, Chō-Chō would always be her best friend, but what is the harm in getting to know new people? Especially since Sumire didn't make any sarcastic remarks in regards to her family name. What was rather rare in this place. 

"Introductions are too much troublesome. I'm Shikadai Nara and my role in this club is being the strategist. Like you probably know, our club will be participating in the upcoming game tournament ." Excluding his crazy pineapple black hair and the green tracksuit, Shikadai looked like a complete slacker, so Sarada had many issues in believing he was the strategist of this club.   

"I know it is hard to believe it, but Shikadai is amazing in that role. He is the best person for making sure that our group strategies will work, by the way, I'm Mitsuki the vice president of this club. I heard many great things about you from Chō-Chō, Sarada. " Mitsuki golden eyes shifted from Sarada to Boruto like he was thinking about something complicated.  Sarada compared to the Boruto didn't know Mitsuki that well, but even she herself could tell it wasn't something good.  And even if it was, it was something she wouldn't personally like.  Boruto, on the other hand, knew Mitsuki better, so he was afraid of the things Mitsuki had planned. Mitsuki smile just showed for him, he should pray to survive this whole upcoming school year.

"I'm Boruto Uzumaki and I'm the president of this club. Nice to meet you, Sarada." She should know that luck wasn't on her side today. Although Boruto introduction seemed friendly, Sarada could tell he was hiding his irritation by her presence.  She sighed. First, that stupid rumours about her mom, second her smashed to pieces smartphone and now she must deal with the principal son. This day was a definition of one of the worst days in her life. Sarada wasn't liking Boruto. He was an arrogant, spoiled brat in her opinion.  That is the main reason why she was avoiding him in the first place.  They went to different classes, so avoiding him was quite easy. She knew that Boruto was one of the Chō-Chō friends, but she wasn't expecting he was a president of a club, where Chō-Chō was a member.

"I heard from Chō-Chō that you all meet here in order to play different types of games, so what game we will be playing today?" Sarada asked, at the same time ignoring Boruto smug grin. He was quite handsome when he smiled. Wait, handsome? No way! She never would admit it, but she was a tiny bit attracted to that guy. Especially she liked his blue eyes, but being attractive isn't everything. She still considered him an arrogant, spoiled brat. At least that was her first impression when she saw him for the first time.  Sarada honestly doubted that Boruto even noticed her during that time.

Boruto always had amazing empathic skills, so he could easily tell when someone didn't like him. He knew that Sarada was annoyed by his presence as well and that it was exactly what he wanted. Boruto very fast connected the latest rumours to the Sarada surname, but his small, personal grudge with every minute grew.  This grudge grew so much that he wanted to her regretting calling him an idiot in the first place. Without the use of the stupid rumours or petty tricks. He even forgot to ask Shikadai about advice regarding her by that whole situation. It felt very cliché in his opinion.  His focused gaze was completely on her heartless, beautiful onyx eyes, middle-length, wavy black hair and the pale skin contrasting very nice with their high school uniform. He probably stared in her direction too long, because Mitsuki false cough started to get louder.  Boruto would admit that Sarada was a very pretty girl, but her character was making him easily annoyed. She represented everything he hated in other people.  

"We are playing today in an old maid!" Sumire statement broke up uncomfortable silence between the group.  She wanted to see Mitsuki amazing smile a little bit longer, but at the same time, she had enough of Boruto bad mood.  Sometimes Sumire felt inferior to Chō-Chō. If she would be here, then both Mitsuki and Shikadai would take this meeting seriously. Sumire whished for Chō-Chō to develop feelings for Shikadai or some another guy, but not Mitsuki. She knew it was petty, but she couldn't deal with jealousy, especially when she saw how great they were looking with each other company. Sumire couldn't help, but think she was third-wheeling when they were spending time together as a group. 

"The old maid was a Victorian card game for two or more players probably deriving an ancient gambling game in which the loser pays for the drinks.  Of course, we won't start to pay for any alcoholic drinks, but we can bet who pays for today's dinner or something " explained amused with this whole situation Mitsuki.  Partially since he felt that with Sumire reaction was something off, so he decided to play proposed by her game. Although the old maid wasn't his favourite one among so many games, today Mitsuki wanted for Sumire to feel relaxed in the presence of a new girl. 

"We can use retail cards for playing an old maid, but I prefer to play with a regular deck of fifty-two cards." Sumire tone of voice sounded more confident than earlier. She even gathered the courage to send to Sarada one of her best smiles. Sarada awkwardly tried to return her smile with her own, but it did not work well. Sarada Uchiha wasn't good with showing her feelings by using the facial expressions, but the girl with a purple hair at least could sense it. 

"Ah, so are we adding a card to our game or removing one?" Sarada asked calmly.

"We can always add the joker. I hate removing cards, ya know!" shouted Boruto. He hated that suddenly the whole attention focused on Sumire and Mitsuki. He was this club president for God's sake! 

"It's troublesome, so I'm out from playing an old maid," groaned unhappy Shikadai. He wanted to go to sleep. 

"I will shuffle the cards for the game to be fair to every participant, even though it's trouble," he added suddenly. Sumire eyes lit upon his words, she loved to play in an old maid in comparison to the male members of this club.  

"Rules of the old maid are very simple. After Shikadai will shuffle the cards each of us receives the cards. Some of us may have more cards than others, this is acceptable. After that, we look at our cards and discard any pairs we have. We will start a game and take turns in selecting the card and adding it to our own cards. If a person sees that taken card makes a pair with their original cards, then that person discards received pair as well. The main objective of the game is to continue to take cards, discarding pairs until no more pairs can be made. In other words, a person who ends up with joker will lose. That are the rules of an old maid!" Sumire explanation was very energetic, although unnecessary.  Boruto looked very bored what made Sarada want to play in that card game even more. 

"Let's make a bet. I together with Mitsuki will pair up against Sumire and Sarada, and the pair which will lose the game pays for today's dinner!" shouted Boruto surprising Mitsuki.

"Bring it on. I bet you lose, you idiot" said bluntly Sarada and Sumire stared at her in shock. She knew that the young Uzumaki hated being called an idiot. Sumire expected that Boruto would lose his composure, but to her surprise, it didn't happen. 

"I accept your challenge you loser" he responded and smiled in her direction. It wasn't Boruto real smile, it was one of his fake smiles reserved for people, which he didn't like at all. 

He accepted Sarada's challenge just because he wanted to see her without that poker face and show that calling him an idiot was the biggest mistake in her life. And that's how it all began.

Chapter 5: Chapter Four

When Sarada, Sumire, Boruto and Mitsuki started to play in an old maid, Shikadai used this opportunity to take a nap. He couldn't understand why his childhood friend was so determined to win against a new member in the club. Shikadai always thought that Boruto in some aspects was more lazy than he himself.

Their card game lasted a few turns, but in the end the person which ended up with a joker was Mitsuki.

"It seems we lost, Boruto" he said with a big smile. His golden eyes started glittering from amusement. Mitsuki expression told Boruto everything, which he needed to know. Mitsuki lost the game on purpose in order to buy dinner for Sumire.

"It seems you're helpful like always, Mitsuki" snarked Boruto in the response to the Mitsuki words.

Although Sarada won, she wasn't feeling happy about her victory. For some strange reason beating Boruto in an old maid didn't bring her any satisfaction. First of all his partner didn't even tried to win and that made her more angry than earlier. Did Mitsuki even took Sumire seriously during the game?! No, he didn't and that was making her angry. What actually was going on with this club? It was supposed to be a club with the people who loved playing in the games seriously, but it looked like majority of this club didn't treated Sumire Kakei seriously at all.

"Hey, since your silver-haired friend didn't even took our challenge seriously can we really call it a fair game? I hate half-assed victories and it seems like members of this club just love losing without trying to win as well" spoke harshly Sarada. She scanned calmly with her eyes reaction of all the club members. Boruto looked annoyed, but he averted his blue eyes knowing that these words were harsh truth. Mitsuki still was smiling, while Sumire clenched her fist and Sarada noticed sadness in her expression. Shikadai just muttered his usual catchphrase, but you could say these words seemed less confident than before.

Chō-Chō told her various stories about this club, but in the reality Sarada felt disappointed with the real mentality of the club members. When Boruto noticed that Mitsuki stopped take this challenge seriously, he did it as well. According to Chō-Chō, Uzumaki not long time ago was more passionate about games, however due to some incident between the club members extinguished his passion. Sarada suspected that main source of this problem was Mitsuki, although she wasn't one hundred precent sure. It seemed that a request from Chō-Chō will be harder to fulfil than she initially thought.

"You shouldn't assume how we are or how we like to win, when you don't know anything, y'all know? " Boruto stated, but something wasn't right when Sarada looked into his light blue eyes. The time seemed to stop for her in that moment. Boruto eyes showed a small bits of anger and that was for Sarada fascinating.

Boruto Uzumaki during this whole time was irritated by her behaviour, but he never showed till this point really angry expression on his face. Sure, she called him an idiot and they had a few arguments before, however Boruto expressions mainly were showing his irritation. Not an anger. Maybe she shouldn't be honest about her thoughts on the club members? Sarada always had problems in conversations with other people, of course not counting Chō-Chō. Circling rumours about her mom didn't helped in her being more open to talking with others. She should decline Chō-Chō offer to join the club.

"Oh, really? Hnn.. I can assume what I want. You can't blame me for having bigger imagination than you, idiot" Sarada responded and she didn't even flinched during Boruto angry stare. She was an Uchiha after all, so deadly stares had a rather weak effect on her, unlike some other members of the club. Hearing her response Boruto desire to destroy Sarada poker face multiplied a lot more than before theirs earlier challenge.

"Fine. If you aren't satisfied with the result of our card game why you don't challenge me to another game, tomorrow? I will take you on seriously then, newbie, y'all know!" Boruto smile made a poor job in hiding his anger, but Sarada responded with her overconfident smirk. Looking at Boruto, Sarada was following two rules from her book.

Rule number two:

Idiots are idiots, but since you are an Uchiha you can't be a one.

Boruto was an idiot compared to her, so she pretty much didn't care about him being more smart than her.

Rule number three:

If you have a goal to reach, so you reach it, no matter what others think about it. Ah, and never lose with someone else.

Sarada and Sumire in theory didn't lose to the Boruto or Mitsuki, but both of them were clearly underestimated. And just for that she wanted to kick their ass. They deserved it.

"I will challenge you tomoorow. Don't underestimate me or you will be in world of pain, you cowarad" she claimed with the same blank expression on her face. Expression, which Boruto hated about Sarada Uchiha the most, but at the same time thinking it fits to this girl character.

"I'm fine with being a coward, totally fine with it" he said, mocking Sarada words.

"Is that so? But you aren't fine with being called an idiot?" Sarada asked, while she started letting her guard down. Her mask seemed to crack a little bit, what didn't get unnoticed by Boruto when he looked into her wide open eyes. Although Sarada eyes stopped be a sign of her surprise, one minute later.

This means that Sarada Uchiha was able to show emotions. He just didn't know how to break her poker face. Boruto still wanted for Sarada Uchiha regret for calling him an idiot. Tomorrow game between them should be interesting. Sarada wanted to set straight this club and win the challenge in a honor to her family name, while he wanted just apology from her and during this occasion revenge for calling him an idiot so many times.

"What a pain" said Shikadai, while Sumire and Mitsuki agreed with him this time around. Angry Boruto was never good sign for them. He really started to take this new girl challenge seriously. They just hoped it doesn't end like the last time Boruto showed passion for gaming. He wouldn't bear this pain all over again and Sarada Uchiha was screaming for them trouble, but in a different way than their troublemaker Boruto Uzumaki.

Notes:

AN: I'm too lazy to change A03 skins and will remember for the future that posting prologue on A03 is made automatically into chapter 1. x'DD

Yours clumsy author Karinrumi ;)

Chapter 6: Chapter Five

Club meeting and exchange between Sarada and Boruto came to an end. The whole group even managed to go to a nearby café, where Mitsuki bought dinner for Sumire. Taking into account the events of that day, Boruto and Sarada decided to decide on the winner of their bet after tomorrow's game. When the club meeting ended, everyone went to their own homes.

Sarada was very tired of events this Monday. She tried to remember why she even agreed to help the club members in the first place. However, all her problems today could summarise the name of one person who started all of this, namely Chō-Chō. If something wasn't complicated enough, her best friend always was making it more difficult in many ways. Sarada went back in time to their first discussion about the 'Club of Gamers.'

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

 Conversation with Chō-Chō last Saturday:

"Sarada, you would be a very big help if you joined my club! People, there are really nice and are very passionate about games, especially the club president. I'm sure you will like him since you both share similar hobbies," said Chō-Chō during the past Saturday.

"Chō-Chō, I'm not completely sure about it. I didn't plan to join  any club this year." Sarada was completely sure that Chō-Chō predicted the outcome of their conversation. Even if she didn't want to admit it, Chō-Chō knew her character better than she herself knew what is in her bag. And to tell the truth, Sarada bag showed that even she isn't a "perfect human being", but just ordinary teenage girl.

"Okay, okay I probably presented the club in a more positive light than it really is, but! But, we really need a new member and someone who would bring this club back to its old glory. You did enjoy games in the past, right Sarada? You were even called at that time the Gambling Queen, remember? " Chō-Chō words reminded Sarada of her past where she was learning how to maintain a poker face. Being unfazed by the opponent during the game was really important in this field. However, gaming tournaments had a very negative impact if it came to showing her emotions to other people. Sarada was really unsure whether to join the club. Especially since its major activities included playing different types of games. Her mom wouldn't be probably happy with it either.

"So you basically want my help in bringing this gaming club back to its glory? If that's the case can I ask why this club needs my help? I can't help you if I don't know anything about the circumstances." Sarada said bluntly, then brushed back part of her black hair behind the ear. She really needed some sort of good accessory in order to tie her hair without any problems. Taking good care of a short, wavy hair was very hard, but the hardest part about it was making the hairstyles, which included tying her hair. She still tried to be focused on her conversation with Chō -Chō. Depending on an answer of her ginger friend, Sarada planned to make decision if she should face her past.

"You see... I don't know the details, but it includes some sort of conflict between the club members. Remember when I told you that the president of our club is very passionate if it comes to games? He is one of my old friends, which I met again recently in high school, but according to other members by some incident, he stopped being passionate about playing a while ago. It really makes me worried about him, since he drastically changed! I know that our club president still loves playing as well have a good challenge, but there is no way he would regain his passion for gaming without a new club member. Please, you must help me out in making this club great again, Sarada." After Chō-Chō explained her request to her, Sarada agreed to help the club mentioned in their conversation. Later that day she had a big argument with her mom, which she wanted to forget.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

 Back to the Present:

"I'm home!" shouted Sarada, but just like she excepted her parents weren't present at home. And even if she would meet her mom the atmosphere between them was awkward. Especially with all those rumours circling around and it didn't help they were both angry at each other.

Sarada started to think she made a mistake agreeing to help Chō-Chō.  At that time she didn't know that Boruto Uzumaki was, in fact, a club president, which her friend mentioned during their conversation. Because, why HE of all people would share something common with her? However help was help and if she was already helping, then she intended to help till the same end. Maybe... Maybe helping this club could save her in some way too? Sarada Uchiha should stop running away from her past and accept that she was indeed called back in the old days a Gambling Queen.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

 Sumire picked up the phone call from Shikadai. She was aware of why he would call her at such a late hour. He wanted to talk about Boruto. And that meant Shikadai still didn't stop have feelings for that girl. It was that girl fault. If she just didn't join their club in the first place everything would be alright. Everyone would still be happy as each other friends. She just hoped that Sarada will never get to know about their little secret. Depending on the situation, there is no guarantee that Boruto doesn't end up hurt again.

Chapter 7: Chapter Six

"What do you want, Shikadai?" hissed Sumire knowing the exact reason. If it was about that girl... Nara was blinded in judging the situation.

"Don't ask stupid questions. You know why I called you, right? You were closest to the truth, so I want to hear your opinion on Boruto behaviour today," responded Shikadai. Sumire had a very good reason to be cold towards him but decided to leave behind their issues from the past. At least for now.

"Why you suddenly ask me about the opinion on Boruto behaviour? In the past you didn't give a damn about my warnings", coldness in her voice couldn't be more noticeable than now.

"It was too much troublesome and I admit it was one of my past mistakes", admitted defeated Shikadai.

"Ha! Even if you finally realised it, it's too late now. Considering our past I will decide if I should hear you out depending on your answer. Shikadai, why you still try to justify that girl which hurt both you and Boruto? Shouldn't you both just move on and forget about her?"

Sumire felt disgusted when she mentioned up this girl in their phone conversation. She never liked her and never will. It just proves that she was right from the same beginning. Now they all suffer and it's her fault. It's her fault that the rest of the club members don't treat her seriously as well. Sumire had a lot of her own secrets, but Shikadai and Boruto actually were more secretive than her in regard to their past. Past, which even Mitsuki had no idea about.

"It's complicated and without Boruto constent I cannot tell you... What a drag..." Sumire hunged up. She was fed up with Shikadai excuses. Looking at night sky she went into the direction of an orphanage where she was an older sister for younger children. This Monday had too much of unexcepted events as well developments. Taking a break didn't seem that bad, especially in her current mood. Shikadai started unintentionally awaken her bad side of personality.

"Even if Mitsuki will accept my feelings... I'm not ready right now for entering into a relationship. Huh, I should realize this earlier. The past will be always hunting me" she whispered, but still wanted to deny reality a little bit more.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

"Mom, Hima, I came back, ya know!" screamed Boruto standing in the middle of the two most important women in his family.

"We can hear you, Boruto" claimed in a calm manner Hinata Uzumaki, in other words, Boruto mom. She was a beautiful middle-aged woman with unique lavender eyes, pale skin and style-bobbed dark blue hair. Indeed Boruto mother was very pretty, patient and good mannered what made Boruto think that dad didn't deserve to be with her in the relationship at all.

"Brother, you're too loud. It is disturbing me in creating my art" complained, on the other hand, his younger sister Himawari. Himawari was a mini-copy of their mother, not counting her blue eyes and whisker marks on her cheeks. In terms of character, she was too similar to their mom, which worried Boruto. Although he loved them both or since he loved them both, Boruto couldn't stand their forgiving attitude towards dad, even if it was his DAD fault, to begin with.

"Sorry, Hima! I didn't do it on purpose, you know?" answered a little bit nervous Boruto. He noted to himself that both Hinata and Himawari were really hard to deal with, especially if they were angry with you.

"I know, I was just teasing you" she sent to him a warm smile. Boruto pouted a little bit and as usual, was overdramatic during their family dinner. He ate already in the cafe but didn't want to make mom sad by not eating her cooking. In the result, he couldn't look at evening adverts with food, because they were making him too much full than he actually was.

"You seem more energetic today. Did something good happen? I didn't see you that happy in a while" asked Hinata, having puzzled thoughts about her son being in such a good mood and not complaining as usual about his dad.

"Not really, ya know! Just usual stuff and gaining new member for our club, which means I can continue pursuing my passion", said Boruto in a happy tone. He never mentioned that girl, which Sumire despised with her full heart to his family. And the current situation meant they wouldn't know anyway. It is actually better this way.

"Alright, you can say I believe you for now. Could you please pick up letters from the mailbox for me?" Boruto stood up in order to pick up letters and at the same time respect his mom request.

The mailbox was just next to their house, so the trip was very short. He picked up various letters but noticed one message which was sticking out the most. What stood out from these letters was that it was not packed in an envelope and you could easily read its contents. The message in the letter said:

Dear Naruto

Meet me today at our usual place. Don't let Hinata or anybody know about it, you know what I mean, right? Anyway, I'm counting on you!

Sakura Uchiha

Why his father knew Sarada mother?! And more importantly why he had a secret meeting with her. Boruto hid the message in the pocket of his jacket. There is no way he shows the contents of that letter to his mom, at least not before he confronts Sarada about this case.  He didn't like this situation at all but decided to leave everything for tomorrow and go to sleep. Sleep with many questions lingering onto his mind.

Chapter 8: Chapter Seven

The ringing alarm was like usual annoying for Sarada. According to her 'gossiping' classmates, she was a morning person. Well, their source of information was totally wrong. Sarada Uchiha hated to wake up at early hours, but unlike some people, she had to take care of her good reputation.

"Hnn...", she mumbled turning off her loud clock and slowly getting up from the bed. As always at this hour Sarada was alone. It's nothing new, at that point, she considered this state of affairs as her daily routine.

Sarada's dad had work, which needed constant travelling, so she rarely was seeing him at home. And if her father was spending time with his family it was a strange miracle. Sakura Uchiha, although busy as main head of a 'Spring Haruno Hospital' was trying her best in taking care of their daughter. In other words, Sarada parents were usually not present at home, so she was spending the majority of her time alone.

Breakfast, shower, making a meal as well pack it into the lunchbox were her routine in daily life. However, this daily life was for Sarada too silent and boring. In the past, she always had her small dose of excitement during the gambling tournaments. She was called a 'Gambling Queen',been one of the best players, but she screwed it up.

'Rule number three:

If you have a goal to reach, so you reach it, no matter what others think about it. Ah, and never lose with someone else.'

It was the rule, which she had the hardest time to follow considering her past. If she would describe herself in a few honest words... She would tell that Sarada Uchiha at school is a mask full of lies. That was one of her reasons why she couldn't stand Boruto.

"Why I think about so much unnecessary things?" her soft whisper was the only sound, which somebody could hear at her house.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

Mornings at Uzumaki household were loud as usual. Boruto as morning person was in charge of waking up the whole family. Of course, the person which he went to wake up first was his dad, since hedeserved it. His mom and Himawari in contrast to the Naruto were treated by him more gently during the whole process.

Later on, they all, except dad were eating together breakfast, where Boruto was pretending to be a drama queen. He tried his best to not give any signs that yesterday he found a strange letter addressed to his dad. The young Uzumaki first needed some sort of proof that the initial sender or his father was suspicious. Lucky for him today during a club meeting he can confirm the whole situation with Sarada. He didn't like her that much, but it was her mom who wrote this message in the first place.

After his thoughts drifted to Sarada, Boruto scolded himself for forgetting that today is as well the day when they will be having a serious bet and he must think of some sort a game.

"I'm going out, kay!" he shouted and left every troubling thought for later. His daily life was a very happy one, even if there were some issues between him and Naruto.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

Lessons passed very fast for Sarada, but for Boruto they felt like eternal torture. Then later both of them went to the club meeting in different moods. Although they were not excepting to be in front of the club door at the exact same time. They both ignored good manners and just went into the clubroom in a sort of mutual understanding.

"O-hh, Sarada, Boruto, welcome!" said Sumire who was sitting further away from Shikadai. For some reason, the atmosphere between her and him gave of negative vibes.

"Did something happened between you two?" asked Boruto feeling a little bit uncomfortable. Especially since Sumire showing her anger wasn't a common occurrence.

"It's nothing" she responded, but she couldn't help in sending to poor Shikadai a lot of deadly glares.

"What a drag" mumbled Shikadai trying his best to ignore Sumire stares. Mitsuki wasn't here yet, so Boruto and Sarada decided to take care of their own business for now and focus on angry Sumire later.

"Let's make a bet." Sarada wasn't aware of this yet, that these words from Boruto mouth had for her deeper meaning than she would care to admit. Theirs lives were different, even if they had the same determination to be the winner of this little mind game.

"Bring it on" she replied sealing her fate.

Chapter 9: Chapter Eight

"Bring it on, huh? You're really confident, ya know? Did you consider that I can be the winner?" asked a little taken aback by Sarada answer, Boruto.

"You talk like you aren't overconfident either. And yes I considered many possibilities before, including the one where I'm the winner. So what are conditions of this bet?" she stated in a calm manner. However, for some reason, Sarada voice and expressionless face irritated Boruto, even more than some secret meeting between her mom and his dad.

"Hmm... Let's say I will keep my demand a secret for now and hear what you do with me when I lose," he said to her while ignoring the troubled Shikadai with angry Sumire behind him.

"Fine. If I win you will do anything I say." Boruto just stopped the urge to say that it is a really unoriginal idea. He decided that the best course of action would be to brush it off right now. Who knows what would happen if he lost to this stuck-up, irritating girl.

"That's okay with me, so moving on the game this time will be a little bit different from usual games." It looked like Sarada onyx eyes showed slight interest after his words.

"Is that so?"

Even though she was talking to him, he hated that she had the same expression on her face. His feelings yesterday were very much directed by anger, but today he was completely sure about cracking this annoying mask. The mask, which she was wearing. Of course, Boruto had his own reasons for doing so. It was the first time from that cursed day when somebody managed to provoke him this badly.That feeling was for him strange, but at the same time strangely refreshing.

"Yeah, ya know. Our little game will include playing the detectives, hope you up to it S-A-R-A-D-A," he mocked her in order to see how she responds. Change in her expression would be nice, even if he was thinking about filling complaints in regards to some parts of her personality.

"Detectives? We... You don't do anything illegal, right?" Her question made him smile a little in order to see if teasing her would work in crumbling her mask.

So far it didn't have any effect at all. Why stuck-up, expressionless, emo people were so hard to deal with?! Although Boruto was very social, a popular type of guy at the school, he had a problem dealing with people like Sarada.

"Of course we don't do anything illegal. I think our game will involve something, which could be good for both of us in the end. Oh, but first I should show you the note."

Boruto took the copy of the note addressed to his dad and handed it to Sarada. It was a minor detail, but he noticed her small movement betraying surprise she felt. He started to have fun in this little game. It reminded him of his past and more naive self.

"I see, so this is what you were thinking when you said we will be playing as detectives. Do you think up some rules considering this is a game?"

"Yes, I did. In the end, the person who wins our game will be the person who faster discovers all secrets around this note. Even if the game itself isn't that great the end results could be positive, ya know?" 

Boruto words were for Sarada more tempting than she wanted to show. Considering recent rumours about her mom playing a detective wasn't that bad in comparison to ignoring a message, which her mom sent to Boruto dad. And in that case, she was unable to refuse or resign from the bet. On top of that maybe it was her chance to improve her relationship with Sakura. Lately, they both hardly ever talked to each other.

"In that case, I'm in one hundred per cent. Can you tell me the rules?" This whole conversation started draining her whole energy. She wouldn't mind taking a little nap.

"Here ya go! I wrote all the rules in this little notebook. Talking with you makes me terribly tired, so if I talk with you a bit longer I would probably die from being too long near your emo aura. I hate explaining the rules, I prefer to break them."

Sarada at this point didn't know if she should admire or curse this blond guy honesty.

"I am not emo, you constantly smiling bastard!" She corrected him in a polite manner, but the only thing she could hear was his annoying laugh. And for some reason, she stopped the urge to punch him in his smug, grinning face.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

When Boruto and Sarada were busy talking with each other, at the same time Sumire deadly stares started to make Shikadai angry as well. He sighed since this whole situation was literally a drag.

"Sumire, I don't understand why you still angry about our conversation yesterday. Your pouting doesn't change my answer." Shikadai comments instead to calm down Sumire, made her mad even more.

"If you don't understand, so think about it hard and try to later. Sarada was right, I don't know about the other club members, but you aren't taking me seriously at all, do you?" she muttered showing a pained expression. Although she usually wasn't hard on people her position right now required it.

"Maybe it's actually you who don't understand anything. Stop playing the goody two shoes and admit that your action comes from your own selfish desires. Instead of bothering me go stalking or going to do puppy dog eyes to Mitsuki or something. If you think that you can understand my feelings, you're totally wrong about that part. Oh, I forgot that even puppy dog eyes will not help you to get attention from Mitsuki since he probably would be too busy observing Boruto. Too bad for you," he snapped. Shikadai had his own reasons for getting angry on miss Kakei.

Sumire looked shocked, but a minute later she slapped Shikadai Nara in the cheek. Her violet eyes were glinting with anger.

"Even though Mitsuki has weird hobbies, he is a hundred times better man than you will ever be" she hissed and walked out from the clubroom.
Ouch. He should stop himself before he went too far.

Even if Shikadai could calculate to some extent his own actions when emotions got better of him, he could be sometimes too harsh on the others. However, his current thoughts were interrupted by SMS from Mitsuki.

'I have something urgent to do today, so I will not be coming to the club meeting.'

Great, just great. How the hell Boruto and the new girl didn't notice this whole commotion earlier? Observing Boruto giving some sort of paper to that Sarada girl was for sure interesting, but he really wasn't in the mood today to do the club activities when they both finish their business.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

Chō-Chō Akimichi was holding a bag of chips and silently cursing this world. For some reason, Sarada didn't pick up any of her phone calls today when she needed her the most! In the end, she ended up calling Mitsuki, since Shikadai, Sumire or Boruto weren't picking up either, so Chō-Chō was really wondering if everything is going alright. Especially with accepting Sarada as a new member of their club.

"Aahhhh, so annoying! Why everyone was ignoring me? They should know I'm the super, awesome and the best, every guy loves me!" she claimed, munching on her chips. Chō-Chō was forced to suddenly come back from her family trip alone, so she called everyone to help her with the luggage when she arrives. However, every person she knew wasn't responding to her calls, except Mitsuki.

"Your condition every day is getting worse," said Mitsuki appearing behind her.

"Yeah, I know you have a crush on me, but sorry my heart belongs to my only one and true love!" The crowd of people started to send her strange stares, but Chō-Chō in general just ignored those who never understood how great she is.

"Yup, we can add to your symptoms of being delusional, narcissism as well," added to his earlier words Mitsuki and took half of her baggage.
Chō-Chō planned a big surprise for some of the club members today and Mitsuki agreed to work together with her in an exchange for the photos with a sleeping Boruto. He needed to add some other versions of Boruto pictures to properly decorate his room and own some variety of them.

Chapter 10: Chapter Nine

Shikadai, Boruto and Sarada were sitting on the club chairs next to each other in uncomfortable silence. They started to do their mandatory club activities, but without Sumire, the whole atmosphere was lacking something. Although it could be possible that it was because all three of them weren't in the best mood for different reasons.

Shikadai said a few words too much. He was painfully aware of it and tried to think about a way to apologise Sumire for his harsh words. Considering how angry she got it won't be easy to resolve that issue with a simple apology. At the same time, he wasn't willing to tell her too much about his past and private life. Sumire was prying today too much in that subject. No... She was probably prying into it from the moment where the girl, which he loved hurt both his and Boruto feelings.

What a drag. That was his primary thought when he came to that conclusion analysing Sumire anger. Miss Kakei was indeed a very troublesome woman in her own way. It's just she doesn't know about it or does she? Sometimes it wasn't that obvious what Sumire Kakei was thinking or feeling. Eh, he never seriously thought about her feelings in the past. She was just a Mitsuki fangirl who joined the club to get into his pants. However, it was initially his first as the well-mistaken impression, since Sumire turned out to be a good female friend. Though he was hesitant to admit it to someone else, he screwed up by making her angry.  Shikadai Nara scattered thoughts resulted in him being unusually quiet, so the tension between his childhood friend and this Uchiha stuck-up lady would be more disturbing for an innocent passerby. 

When Sarada and Boruto finished talking about their bet the bad tension between them grew.  It was an understandable silence. They needed to think about their strategy in order to learn more information from the note, which Sakura Uchiha sent to Naruto Uzumaki. First of all both Sarada and Boruto wanted to win this bet for personal reasons, but at the same time know what's really going on between their parents.  

They could gather from the Sakura Uchiha message that it wasn't the first time when she was meeting Naruto Uzumaki. In the end, the words in it said:

'Meet me today at our usual place. Don't let Hinata or anybody know about it, you know what I mean, right? Anyway, I'm counting on you!'

So it meant that they both at least were meeting with each other regularly. Though both Sarada and Boruto didn't know where these regular meetings are taking place.  The most worrying part of this whole situation was that Sarada mother didn't want to let Hinata Uzumaki know about these meetings for some mysterious reasons.

Sarada bit corner of her lips, struggling to process this shocking information about her mother. Her doubts about the rumours, which she tried to deny didn't fade away. In fact, it made them more valid with this type of development. She should calm down. It was just one stupid piece of paper. Nothing more. 

Yeah, it was just one stupid paper with a vague information, but she could be sure that this note was written by her mother. That handwriting was too much similar to handwriting of Sakura Uchiha for it to be a mistake.

Calm down. 

Sarada after this thought bottled up inside all her mixed feelings. It was something, which she always did and was the best at. Looking calm as well composed around everyone else.  

Sarada Uchiha took a notebook, which contained the rules of the game played by her and Boruto. She narrowed her brows to concentrate. Here it goes!

Rule number one:

Our game as well bet will last one school year. After this period of time if any of us don't make any progress in discovering the truth we automatically reach a draw.

Rule number two:

The condition of winning this game is showing the second player, the evidence supporting discovered truth before the mentioned time in the rule number one.  

Rule number three:

To make things fair we will have access to the same information considering the mystery of this note.

Just three rules? What Boruto Uzumaki is thinking?! There must be some sorta catch in this. Sarada sends a suspicious stare to the blond who just answered her with a cocky smile. 

For the first time in her life, she felt like hating somebody else guts.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

Chō-Chō Akimichi was walking besides Mitsuki and complaining about her beauty or life itself. However, most complaints were directed at all her friends for not responding to her phone calls. Mitsuki wanted just receive some pictures of a sleeping Boruto! He kept telling himself that for this he must endure a little bit more of Chō-Chō overwhelming  presence.

"Are you listening, Mitsuki?" she asked with knowing it all tone. 

"No." The Mitsuki response was apparently too honest. It was a miracle that he didn't get killed by any of his past girlfriends. At least not yet. Chō-Chō golden eyes showed that she felt pity for his future self and just continued babbling nonsense, which Mitsuki couldn't stand. But some sacrifices must be made if one wanted to obtain Boruto Uzumaki exclusive photos. 

They were walking together for a while until they reached their destination. Chō-Chō was excited and couldn't wait for showing up behind all of these ignorants who didn't picked-up her phone calls. She took a few photos of a sleeping Boruto from her bag and handed them over to Mitsuki. 

"Here is your payment! I know that I'm awesome, so you don't need to thank me" she proudly said.

"Yeah, I will note that I don't need to thank you in the future as well if that's the case", responded with a big smile Mitsuki. He was just happy that's already possible to add next Boruto photos to his collection. 

They went inside the school building and directed their steps to the clubroom.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

Boruto due to the awkward atmosphere decided that for today they should finish their club activities and go home. He really couldn't stand that Shikadai was in a gloomy mood and miss perfect played on his nerves too much.

"We should tie it up for toda..." he didn't finish his words since the door to the clubroom opened up with a big bang. 

"Yoooo, why there is here such a gloomy atmosphere? Where is Sumire?  And why all of you didn't respond to my calls!?" shouted Chō-Chō, which would be for him in the normal circumstances annoying as hell.

"Calm down Chō-Chō. I did not respond to your calls since my phone was smashed to pieces yesterday" said Sarada surprised to see her best friend. According to her source of information, Chō-Chō should be on a family trip this entire week.

"SARADA, I missed you!" Chō-Chō stated and sat in the chair next to the little lady Uchiha. 

"Hnnn..."  That was the only response, which Boruto could hear coming from Sarada mouth. Did Chō-Chō decide that miss perfection is her best friend and didn't care about her opinion in that regard at all?

"Mitsuki, I thought that you didn't plan to come for a club meeting today" muttered annoyed Shikadai. He wanted already to go home and stop thinking about unnecessary things.

"That was the plan until I received a call from that delusional girl", he pointed a finger in the direction where Chō-Chō was sitting.

"What a drag" answered Shikadai.

"Yeah, I'm glad that you both came and all, but we actually finished for today, ya know?" Boruto claimed a little bit mad that Chō-Chō took away the whole attention, which should be focused on him.

"What?! Already, but I didn't catch up with anyone! Sarada tell something!" Chō-Chō pouted like a small child. Sarada just rolled her eyes.

"Something, are you happy?" Boruto snorted hearing Sarada comment. That girl was playing on his nerves in every possible aspect. 

Chō-Chō just happily nodded and it seemed she was satisfied with Sarada answer, but she narrowed her brows when she noticed that Shikadai was unusually silent and many of them didn't answer where was Sumire.

"Seriously, where is Sumire? Shouldn't she be here as well?" Chō-Chō tried to steer the conversation in the interesting her topic. Mitsuki reaction showed that he was curious as well, so if there was a need for it he would provide her with a back-up. 

"..." Shikadai averted his emerald eyes, which were glinting with a hint of sadness and anger. 

"She went home earlier." Boruto saved Shikadai from telling the truth, even though he himself wasn't knowing the real reason for it.

"She was troublesome today" added Nara and his statement closed the subject. Mitsuki seemed to be suspecting that something else was going on, but didn't bother to ask. Chō-Chō after a little chat with Sarada decided to go home as well, so they all felt relief when she stopped her questions. 

And so this club meeting officially ended.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

Sarada was walking alone until she started to hear meowing in the nearby alley. She decided to follow it since she wasn't in the right mood to sit alone at home during the evening. A load of unexcepted information and remembering all these rumours about her mother were destroying her daily rhythm. One step, two steps, three steps... She stopped counting a while ago, but it helped calm down her inner feelings.

When she turned to her right, she noticed a little Siamese kitten. The kitten had a blue like sky eyes and this feature reminded her of someone else she met just yesterday. But unlike that person, the little kittens were much more adorable. Sarada crouched down to see how the little kitten would react to her presence.  

"Meeeeoww." The kitten cried, came closer to her and started to rub his head against her leg.

"Meow, meow..."  Sarada responded to a kitten in that manner, even if she knew that this form of response didn't have any sense.  She started to slowly move her hand in order to pat the kitten, but her action was interrupted by annoying chuckle coming from behind her back.

"So little miss perfection is liking animals? Ya know, it would be interesting to tell everyone at our school about this sudden discovery.  High and mighty lady Sarada has a soft spot for the animals! I bet that all of your admirers would appreciate that information" teased her Boruto Uzumaki. That guy appeared in her life just yesterday but still managed to show up near her a lot lately. What the hell was with that?! Some sort of a curse where a person which you can't stand will be everywhere you go?

"Eh, what are you doing here?" she asked trying to hide her embarrassment in being caught at this actual moment.

"This alley is a really comfortable shortcut to my house. I should be the one who is asking what are you doing here?" his response made Sarada feeling like she was doing something wrong. 

"Is that so? Good for you, I think." 

After her words, Boruto took a few steps to show up in front of her and crouched down as well. Sarada could see in his blue eyes a spark of amusement.

"Hey, hey what with that reaction miss meow, meow. I'm just worried about you. You shouldn't walk alone in the shady alley, ya know?" His words as usual pissed her off.

"I don't need anyone to worry about me" she pouted, but then came to a sudden realization. Why she pouted in front of him in the first place? It wasn't like her, it wasn't like her at all.

She could see his surprise at her reaction since his blue eyes widened and after it, he smiled. His face looked more handsome with a smile, but Sarada was too busy panicking about the fact she let out unnecessary and petty emotion.

"Are you sure about that? No matter how strong you are it is nice to have someone worrying about your well being." Boruto smile didn't disappear, but it was more annoying than anything he did thus far.

"You're really annoying." It was probably the most honest and best words, which described Boruto Uzumaki existence in her opinion.

"O-ho! So I'm annoying to you lady meow, meow?" he started teasing her too much about her personal feelings and worst of all still felt amused by this situation. 

"Yeah, you are!" Sarada shouted, stood up and started running in the direction of her house. She couldn't stand anymore his presence, so it was for her a logical course of action. 

Boruto looked in the direction where she has gone into a bit longer, but a little smirk was visible on his face. He met Sarada on his way home completely by accident. After all, they all went in opposite directions when the club meeting ended. However, it was at least a valuable meeting for him. 

"I see, so you're more of a scaredy kitten than a cold hearted person, eh? That's interesting in some way. Yeah, it will be fun trying to make you my friend." Boruto muttered these words to himself, stood up and left the alley. The only sound which stayed was a constant meowing of a bunch of stray cats. 

Chapter 11: Chapter Ten

Rest of the school week passed for Sarada too fast, at least considering recent events. She even didn't notice when Friday turned into Saturday while being busy with her daily routine. Of course, in that past three days, she was looking around for some clues at her house.

She found nothing worthwhile, which would connect her mother note to Naruto Uzumaki. It reminded her that principal son was a really 'troublesome' person in every possible way. And worst of all he heard her saying, meow, meow.

The ending result of this week was a conclusion that Boruto Uzumaki is really annoying her. Although by this sole fact she caught herself thinking about him too often than necessary.

"Ughh... Mom isn't at home. Again." Sarada sighed and just stayed in her room, since laying in bed was her priority during the weekends. It was her only time where she could completely relax since she usually was done with every work, which she needed to do.

"If she isn't here I can't tell her about my phone being broken or rather useless." Talking to empty air wasn't really helping her in anything, but it made her less lonely sometimes.

The doorbell to the Uchiha household suddenly ringed, what surprised Sarada. Usually, nobody visited her... Except for Chō-Chō, so Sarada was sure that it was her. Without any thought she went out from her room and opened the door for an unexcepted visitor.

Correction. Visitors.

"Why suddenly all of you decided to come for a visit?" Sarada asked Sumire, Chō-Chō and Boruto, which were standing in her front door discussing something.

"See! I told you that she was at home. Sarada is my best friend after all. You owe me ten bags of potato chips, Boruto", said Chō-Chō with an overconfident manner.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Just stop throwing this fact in my face, ya know?" answered to Sarada best friend, Boruto.

"Uwawauwah! Stop both of you! We should answer Sarada question first!" Sumire stepped in and Sarada Uchiha suddenly felt that the calm atmosphere, which she always experienced during weekends will stop being calm in the near, upcoming future.

"Yeah, before I let you all in into my house I would appreciate an explanation," Sarada claimed and her onyx eyes looked like she wanted to punch someone for destroying her peaceful Saturday.

"I wanted to talk with everyone about club matters, but Sumire is still mad at Shikadai, so I couldn't bring him with us, ya know! "

Sarada sighed. It seems that Shikadai didn't apologised Sumire yet, but at the same time it was a hard task to apologise a person, which was completely avoiding you.

"Alright, alright you all can stop standing in the corridor and come in."

"Thanks, Sarada!' They all said in unison and without any hesitation behaved like it was their own house.

Chō-Chō, Boruto and Sumire were now sitting on a black couch near the wooden table in a living room.

"Coffee? Tea? Anything you all want to drink?" If she had guests at least she should take care of their needs. Her Uchiha pride was hanging on a thin line if she wouldn't treat them well.

"I want a cola, Sumire probably wants hot chocolate and Boruto would like to drink coffee with milk." Chō-Chō went ahead and decided what Sumire with Boruto wants to have for a drink, even if they personally didn't say anything in that matter.

"Alright, I will come back in a few minutes."

After these words, Sarada started to go to the kitchen in order to prepare requested drinks for everyone sitting in a living room. The fact that the person, which was seeing her in an embarrassing moment not too long ago, named Boruto Uzumaki was here as well made Sarada really nervous. She hoped that he won't tell anyone about her 'meowing'.

Soon she found herself in the kitchen and sighed. What will happen to her calm weekends from now on? 

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

"So this is Sarada house, huh? Ya know... I excepted to be it more gloomy and dark, but it's really normal", said Boruto carefully observing everything around him.

"I know it's hard to believe, but Sarada isn't that much into the dark stuff, you know? She is more of a book lover, so I bet that her room is a mini-sized library more than anything, which you had in mind." Chō-Chō stated in her 'I know it better than you" tone of voice. It irritated Boruto more than Sarada calling him an idiot.

"Ummm... You said that we came with club matters, but in reality, you are interested in Sarada, don't you, Boruto?", confronted the blond about the matter, Sumire. Her boldness made Boruto cough louder or rather fake coughing. He wasn't ready for this sort of conversation. Where did Sumire get that idea?

Boruto wasn't sure if he wanted to know what is inside Sumire Kakei head and why she started this topic near Chō-Chō, which was Sarada best friend.

"I-I'm not interested in her t-that way! I just want to be her friend, but she is difficult to deal with." He defended himself from those claims, which just confirmed Sumire suspicions in that area.

"Right. At beginning, all guys want to be just 'friends' with a girl, but later throw themselves at her! How we can be both sure that you won't throw yourself at Sarada!?" Chō-Chō pointed out her finger on Boruto in an accusing manner.

"Hey, I'm not throwing myself on anyone! It's just stupid stereotype, ya know! Out there exists a lot of normal friendships between males and females, Chō-Chō. It's just you're saying this basing it on your experience with your ex-boyfriends, don't you? You lead these poor guys into thinking that they can have a chance with you, but later you're rejecting them by saying 'Hey, let's be friends!' Me wanting to be Sarada friend has nothing to do with your way of thinking!" Boruto tried to get back at Chō-Chō using these precise words.

He didn't understand why Chō-Chō was thinking that he wanted to throw himself on Sarada. It was a stupid idea in the first place. Throwing himself on her would just make her hate him and that would cancel his goal of being Sarada friend. Besides she already considered him annoying, so he wasn't wanting to know how she would react if he would do something like that without warning her about it.

Though teasing Sarada was amusing, Boruto was usually careful to not go overboard with it. He just knew her for five days, so invading Sarada personal space wasn't an option.

Geezz, Chō-Chō and her stupid ideas irritated him. By her, he started to imagine a scenario in which he is throwing himself on Sarada and what would happen afterwards.

And after thinking it through he knew the answer. He would be punched in the face. He was sure of it!

"Uwawaah! Calm down both of you. I was just interested why Boruto wants to be Sarada friend so badly," whispered Sumire who was caught in the middle of this pointless argument.

"Eh? You could put it into your words a little bit better, ya know. I want to be her friend, since teasing her is amusing and fun." Yeah, that was his official reason for wanting to be Sarada friend. Unofficial one was that he wanted to see her without this perfect mask, which she was putting in front of others.

"Booring! Though I agree that teasing Sarada is amusing. It's rare to see her losing composure, but when she does it's really funny to watch her! From what Sumire said you're doing a good job in irritating her, Boruto! Keep it up for me", Chō-Chō winked at him after saying those words.

"Get lost", Boruto hissed, but Chō-Chō completely ignored his cold words. Sumire just started praying for Sarada to come back with their drinks. She didn't know how long she can stand Chō-Chō and Boruto arguing about their clashing ideologies. However part of her was very happy that Boruto started moving on from Asami. It was a good sign for miss Kakei, but the main problem was Shikadai, which still had feelings for that girl.

Asami Kinoshita was still a thorn in her eyes, which created a big wall standing in her way. Sumire never liked her and probably this will not change. Sumire was really mad that Shikadai wasn't telling her truth about this girl, but she would get to know it sooner or later. No matter what it takes.

After all, this was the main reason why she was mad at Shikadai, but thinking about her motivations was stopped by Sarada appearing in a living room and giving everyone their drinks.

"So what club matters made you all come into my house?" Sarada asked and sit on a white couch across the black couch, where all three of them were sitting.

"We came to visit to deepen our power of friendship with you!" shouted Chō-Chō, but was completely ignored by everyone.

"It will take some time, so can you all be patient and listen to me?" asked Boruto in a serious manner, but for some reason, Sumire had a bad feeling about it. Though she probably was just paranoid and everything will turn out alright.

"Go ahead", responded Sarada and took a sip of her black tea. For some reason, she felt that the upcoming subject will be interesting and exciting to her. Though she wouldn't complain if her free time would be calmer. 

Chapter 12: Chapter Eleven

"Like you know our club will be taking the part in an upcoming game tournament, but before that, we must take care of the most important matter. Actually, I completely forgot about it until one of the teachers talked with me." Boruto said looking nervously at all three girls gathered here. He still felt uncomfortable after a conversation with Sumire and Chō-Chō.

"Yeah, I remember that you all mentioned something about upcoming game tournament when I joined the club this week" commented Sarada. She still hoped that Boruto will not mention anything about her saying 'meow' to a cat.

"Although it seems you want to talk about the matter, which you forgot." She added after taking a second sip of her black tea. Sarada loved snacks based on black tea flavour. Although she wasn't eating them often.

"Yay! Let's talk about boring stuff!" Chō-Chō started pouting. She wanted to talk about something exciting or start teasing Boruto again. Romance, drama things like that. Talking about the club activities without all club members was not that thrilling or exciting.

"Hey, who knows? Maybe it will be something interesting Chō-Chō." Sumire words were completely useless since Chō-Chō already started to be in her own little world.

"Instead of gossiping can you all already listen to me?" asked again in a polite manner the only present male member of their club. Boruto, unlike Shikadai or Mitsuki, was a club president, so skipping a club meeting wasn't something he could do without any consequences. After a short moment of waiting, he decided it's safe to speak now without any interruptions.

"Our club must organise games for the sports festival. Ya know, prepare needed things and think about some fresh ideas in general. It's basically what our club is obliged to do every year," heavy sigh escaped from his mouth. Sometimes he was wondering why he wanted to be a club president?

Oh, right. Asami convinced him to be the one. Looking back he always wanted to impress her, even if in the end he did stupid things. That thought reminded him about memories, which he wanted to forget.

"Games for a sports festival? Do you mean that event, which is used to torture students?" Sarada words brought Boruto back to reality. Miss Meow, meow wasn't that bad like he thought earlier. Yeah, she still irritated him, but after personally seeing her trying to pet a cat she wasn't that bad to deal with now.

"Why do you think this event exists to torture students?" Boruto directed this question to Sarada holding back his laughter. In response, she eyed him with a suspicious glare.

"Sarada never liked this event from what I remember. She's too much into competitions for her own good," explained with an absent-minded look, Chō-Chō.

"Hey, I like good challenges," said in her defence Sarada.

"Excuses," snorted Chō-Chō.

During this whole conversation, Sumire was feeling like a fourth-wheel this time. Great. Not that the third-wheeling was something pleasant either.

"Can we come back to the topic at hand?" Sumire demanded clearly fed up of being ignored by everyone.

"Sure" responded Boruto and Sarada in unison. That surprised both of them.

"I knew it! You both have a lot in common. I'm a genius!" screamed excited by something miss Akimichi.

"No way," stated Boruto with an overconfident manner. Sarada decided it's better to ignore the comment of her best friend. She agreed with the 'idiot' this time.

"Ummm... I'm here too" muttered Sumire. She wasn't invisible, right?

"Yeah, yeah sports festival we get it, but why you all visited my house? To just tell me about it?"

"Nah, not really, Sarada. We visited you to ask for a favour", admitted weakly the blond. He usually was helping people. Not the other way around. If it would be Chō-Chō, Sumire, Shikadai or Mitsuki he would be more confident about asking for help. However, Sarada was a different case. He met her just a few days ago and she was irritating him, yet he wanted to befriend her at the same time. 

At this moment Boruto started questioning his credibility as a person. Yes, part of him wanted to be her friend, although thought to befriend her to win theirs bet passed his mind more than once. That worse part of him wanted for Sarada to regret calling him an idiot.

Heh, that's what happens with him after getting over a major heartbreak? No, he was a better person than her. A better person than Asami. It doesn't mean he should use other people as she used him. Damn memories. They were standing in his way to make new friends lately.

"A favour?" Sarada voice brought him back to reality again. Yeah, he should focus on the present situation. That will be the best solution for everyone.

"We need a place to take care of additional work during the weekends, ya know? I heard from Chō-Chō that your house would be the best place for that. Can we come here until the work for a sports festival is done?" Boruto forced himself to show a smile. He was incredibly tired of all events, which happened during this week.

"Sure, why not? Under the condition that you all don't destroy this place." Sarada responded with a frown. Yeah, goodbye calm weekends. She should see it coming.

"Really? It means a lot, ya know! Thank you" sighed relieved, Boruto. During this whole discussion, he didn't even notice that they all finished their drinks.

"I clean this up."

After those words, Sarada stood up to take every mug from the table. Even now her expression didn't change that much. Boruto pretty much deduced what she feels based on her words in the entire conversation. His instinct was telling him to help her washing this mugs for some strange reason.

He hated chores! Why he should be bothered about some dirty mugs?!

"I will help you." This words came out naturally from his mouth, ironically contradicting his entire thinking process. Before he knew what he was doing, he found himself in the kitchen together with Sarada.

Sumire and Chō-Chō just stared in a direction where their friends went.

"Do you think that he really wants to throw himself at her?" asked Chō-Chō. She was just joking earlier, but this time she started really think that was the case.

"I don't think so. Though I think that Sarada presence is helping him in regaining passion for his hobbies. She brings in him a competitive side and thanks to that Boruto started to play in games again. I honestly doubt that he noticed it himself." Sumire shook her head in disbelief.

"If that's the case my gut feeling was right and I made the right decision in convincing Sarada to join our club." Chō-Chō sent a friendly smile to Sumire, but in a response, she got from her a deadly glare.

"I will not lose to you," she mumbled the words, which she always wanted to say in regards to her feelings for Mitsuki. Sumire considered Chō-Chō a rival in love.

"What? What are you talking about?" answered confused Chō-Chō, however, Sumire decided to not bother answering her question. The atmosphere between them started to be awkward.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

That same Saturday Mitsuki and Shikadai had a meeting at the park. Unlike the other club members, they both couldn't go to Sarada house for different reasons.

Shikadai couldn't come since he underestimated Sumire anger. Mitsuki was excluded from the group in order to fight with his stalking habits.

"Ahhh! What a drag. I didn't think that saying a simple 'sorry' will be that troublesome," complained to the silver-haired guy, Shikadai. 

"It is simple. You both just making it more complicated," stated honestly, Mitsuki.

"Thanks. If I wanted to hear a brutal and honest answer I would go to talk with Inojin, not hanging out with you."

"Inojin is hard to deal with. I don't understand how you can be one of his best friends, Shikadai."

"Inojin isn't that bad to deal with. At least you know what he's really thinking, besides he has his cool moments. I think the main reason why you think he's hard to deal with is that his personality is similar to your own. Though Inojin doesn't have any stalking habits like you." Shikadai response stated the truth. Mitsuki was fully aware that he was a pretty good stalker. Everyone was knowing that he was stalking Boruto. However, Boruto himself was oblivious to it.

Mitsuki owned a small altar with Boruto photos in his room. He was really proud of his photo collection. He met small issues with his past girlfriend when she discovered Boruto pictures while visiting his house. She was utterly pissed, so he broke up with her.

"You wouldn't bring Inojin in our conversation without a reason. What's up?" Mitsuki couldn't help, but be interested why Shikadai mentioned Inojin right now.

"I need some time to think, so I was thinking about visiting him right now. I would bring Chō-Chō with me, but she went to Sarada house. I contacted you since I thought you don't have any plans this weekend."

"Oh, it explains a lot why you stopped using your catchphrase. You the one who is troublesome now, eh?"

"Sometimes I think you're the best company when you don't say anything. It's a total drag." summed up this entire discussion Shikadai. Both him and Mitsuki started walking in the direction of Inojin house. 

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

Boruto and Sarada were washing together mugs in awkward silence. Young Uzumaki still tried to figure out the reason behind his sudden urge to help with chores. Fighting with his inner thoughts he decided to keep his sanity by saying something to this Uchiha lady. 

 "Did you find some information about your mom note to my father?" He decided to ask this question after making himself comfortable with speaking his mind.

"No. I looked around the whole house, but I didn't find anything important." Sarada answered when all mugs were already clean.

"I see. It seems we on the same boat right now. I didn't found anything important either, ya know," stated the blond.

"I see."

Damn! The awkward silence came back again. He needed to talk about something or else he will go crazy.

"So should I start calling you officially lady or miss meow, meow?" Boruto teased her but wasn't prepared for a reaction which Sarada displayed.

She was blushing. Sarada Uchiha was blushing in front of him. He doubted that the reason for this reaction was his presence. Maybe he was hallucinating? Boruto blinked his eyelids a few times feeling disbelief.

"My family have a long history involving cats, but it doesn't mean you can call me lady or miss meow, meow!"

Sarada reaction on his teasing was amusing and adorable. He tried very hard to not laugh at her right now.

"I was just joking, ya know? You don't need to have a long family history to like cats. " Boruto couldn't stop now his laughter.

"You're annoying."

"I know. You already told me that. Geez, I will never understand girls" muttered Boruto partially to himself. Coming here was actually a good idea. For a moment he forgot about all his problems.

After he calmed down his laughter both he and Sarada came back to Sumire and Chō-Chō, which were sitting in a living room.

Chapter 13: Chapter Twelve

Shikadai ringed the doorbell waiting for Inojin or for his parents to open the door leading to Yamanaka household. It didn't help that Mitsuki watched his actions like a newborn baby or a hawk. Mitsuki glares made Shikadai feel uncomfortable for a few reasons.

First of all, Mitsuki didn't know what Shikadai said to Sumire and that Mitsuki is partially responsible for the whole mess. Young Nara wasn't sure if his friend even knew about Sumire feelings towards him. Ha! He wasn't even sure what Mitsuki is feeling towards Sumire, not to mention what would he do if he knew the whole context of Sumire anger towards Shikadai.

"I didn't know Inojin family was rich. This house seems very fancy," commented Mitsuki, since nobody responded to the ringing doorbell.

"It's troublesome, but his mom is the owner of the popular line of boutiques and flower shops, while his dad is a famous artist," said bored with the subject Shikadai. He was more worried about how to apologise Sumire than about Inojin family at the present moment. In the first place, he came to visit Inojin to relax, ask about some things and forget about his problems.

"Is that so? His background seems completely different than mine, but you still call us similar. I don't understand how we are similar if we have a different background, Shikadai." Mitsuki complained, even though he was aware that Shikadai wouldn't explain to him why he is similar to Inojin.

The black door to the Yamanaka household opened, but due to Shikadai surprise, the one who welcomed them at the front door was Inojin mother, Ino Yamanaka.

"Hi, Shikadai I didn't see you here lately. Are you came here to visit, Inojin? And who is that handsome boy with a silver hair standing next to you?"

Shikadai sighed at aunt Ino words. Although she was really pretty women with long blonde hair tied in a ponytail, blue eyes, porcelain skin and had a good fashion taste... She was talking too much and that made her troublesome to deal with.

However, it was better to deal with aunt Ino than her husband Sai. You can tell that aunt Ino husband had a very interesting way of interacting with people.

"Hello, auntie. The guy standing behind me is Mitsuki. He is one of my classmates in high school. Yeah, I came to visit Inojin." Shikadai answered in the most casual manner as usual. Inojin and Shikadai visiting each other was their daily routine before both of them enrolled in different schools.

"In that case please come in. Inojin should come back from his additional art lessons in a minute or two, " responded to him in a happy manner, Ino.

Both Shikadai and Mitsuki found themselves in the middle of the Yamanaka household living room. The tables, chairs and even red carpets with big sized TV were screaming that Inojin parents are very rich. Well, it wasn't that surprising for Shikadai, but Mitsuki was a completely different case.

"Rich modern houses are amazing." Summarised the whole decor atmosphere, still shocked with how houses can be so big, Mitsuki.

"They are, aren't they?" Shikadai nodded more to himself than to his companion.

You could describe Inojin as the definition of a pretty boy or in simpler terms a mini copy of the aunt Ino. Shikadai wouldn't be surprised if some people would mistake his friend for a girl if he would decide to wear a dress. That vision for some reason was very terrifying.

Just like aunt Ino said, Inojin came back very soon and although slightly annoyed with that Shikadai didn't inform him about the visit he still greeted him in a polite way...

"Oh, hello Shikadai! Your hair looks too much like fruit as it always does and who is that silver hair dude? He looks like silver hair alien. That brings a question... Do aliens have a di-"

Shikadai poked Inojin before his words would make Mitsuki mad. Although young Nara realised that it is probably the most polite greeting ever!

The most polite greeting coming from Inojin mouth.

"Yo, Inojin that is Mitsuki, Mitsuki that is Inojin."

"Nice to meet you, I guess" muttered Inojin to Mitsuki.

"This is the part where I would tell 'nice to meet you too', but you started to question our relationship and it didn't even start yet. Shikadai, your friend is very rude." Mitsuki glared at Inojin in an unpleasant manner.

"What a drag... Mitsuki, you shouldn't take Inojin words seriously, since he likes messing with people" sighed Shikadai.

"Although the subject about my hobbies would be more interesting I doubt you came to talk about them, right Shikadai?" Inojin sounded a little disappointed while asking this question.

"I came here to talk about certain 'troublesome' girl" ignoring Inojin comment, Shikadai steered the conversation into the right direction.

"Troublesome girl? I was thinking that in your life the only troublesome girl was your mother and Asa... Nevermind." Inojin averted his blue eyes feeling a little bit guilty for mentioning Asami not knowing if that 'Mitsuki" knows about Shikadai feelings regarding her.

"Naahh, it isn't about my mother or her. The troublesome girl is Sumire this time." Mitsuki nodded like he knew that it will be their main discussion topic and pretended not to hear anything about some 'Asa..' girl. It looked like atmosphere was getting awkward just by mentioning her name.

"So Sumire avoids or ignores me like I'm a pebble after I said a few words too much and by that, I can't even apologise her for my harsh words. It is such a drag, but I prefer to be with her on friendly terms."

Shikadai explained his problem and Mitsuki shook his head a little bit amused. He and Shikadai talked about every possible method in how to apologise Sumire this entire week, so it started to be very a boring topic for him.

"Huh? So why you just don't go and apologise her? You can buy her flowers, sing a ballad or something like that. If she ignores you go to her, kneel and shout "I AM SORRY LADY SUMIRE, PLEASE FORGIVE ME AS I AM JUST A PEBBLE KNOWN AS SHIKADAI NARA." Inojin gave his advice while stopping himself from laughing.

"I agree with him in terms of solving problems. When I had a problem with people asking too much about my parent gender I shouted for a while that he is a man, but a woman at heart. After that they never asked me about Orochimaru gender ever again" Mitsuki agreed with Inojin idea.

"What a drag... You guys aren't helping me at all, but I think you both have a point and I should confront Sumire even if she ignores me." Although he said those words Shikadai planned to write to himself a little note that he shouldn't ask those two for advice, or help in the future. Especially in the case where he would have a more complicated problem. Well, at least he still can relax at Inojin house and forget about his problems for now.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

Boruto, Sumire and Chō-Chō left Sarada house not too long ago. It made Sarada feel very uncomfortable after she came back to sitting alone in her own room just as she originally planned.

Sarada liked silence, but it was the first time where the quiet atmosphere of the house was bothering her in a different way than usual. Although she wouldn't admit it that unexcepted visit of the club members for some reason soothed her loneliness a little bit.

Though when they left she felt more lonely than usual. Sarada knew it but still focused on reading her book until she heard a commotion in a living room.

"Sarada, I'm home!" shouted Sakura Uchiha or in other words her mom.

Sarada came out a little bit surprised that her mom is at home today. When she saw Sakura, she practically stopped herself from blinking due to shock.

Sarada took her time to see and remember how beautiful is her mother. Emerald catlike eyes, pale skin and middle lengthed pink hair combined with a red dress painted the unforgettable image of beauty.

Beauty, which should be unforgettable if Sarada would see her more often. At least that was Sarada bitter thoughts when she saw her mother after they had a big argument last Saturday.

"Welcome home mom, but why are you here? I thought you were busy this weekend." Sarada started the conversation, but Sakura eyed her suspiciously.

"I sent to you a message from my phone. Don't tell me you didn't read it?" Sakura started to be worried about Sarada memory at this precise moment.

"Oh, I f-forgot to tell you, mom... My phone is broken and can't be repaired due to a certain incident at school." Sarada responded an tried to be calm, even if she still felt that her mother wasn't happy about her decision to join the club at all.

"..."

After this short discussion silence dawned upon them both. Their relationship was a little worse than in the past. However, at that time grandma Tsunade was still alive. Tsunade Senju was an older, but very beautiful women. Sarada always admired her blonde hair tied into two ponytails, fierce brown eyes and how grandma looked better in green clothes than Sarada herself.

Tsunade Senju was a person who started Sarada passion for gambling and games in the first place. Although she wasn't here with Sarada anymore, they shared a similar dream. Sarada just as she wanted to own a travelling casino. Travelling casino would work in a similar way to the circus, but instead of the performers or the animals, inside would be a regular casino.

Sarada never remembered when she started to dream about her own travelling casino, but she knew that in honour of her grandma Tsunade death she would do everything to make this dream come true. No matter what.

However, Sakura due to circumstances of Tsunade death was completely against the idea and tried to convince Sarada in pursuing a different dream. Maybe grandma death at that time affected her mother too much since Sarada recalled that their relationship started to be more distant after they attended grandma funeral.

Maybe Sakura Uchiha didn't want for Sarada to travel and leave her alone just like her husband. Sarada wasn't planning to ask her mother about that. Something was holding her back. She knew if she asked her mother all the questions about what was bothering her their relationship would improve or get much more worse. Why she didn't do it?

It's simple. Sarada hid her emotions near her mother too long to demand from Sakura the honest answers. It sounded stupid, but she was afraid to change their current relationship. Sarada was scared that the contact, which she has with her mother right now would disappear if both of them would tell what they really feel.

"You should quit that club, Sarada. I cannot live through losing someone dear to me again." Sakura told her after a few minutes of the awkward silence. Although it pained her to do it Sarada ignored her mother comment for the time being. 

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

Shikadai met with Sumire at the park and started to be nervous looking at her. It seemed that she was still mad and wasn't too happy about meeting with him right now.

"I'm sorry for my words at the former club meeting towards you. I wasn't too happy about you digging about my feelings for Asami. I'm not ready to tell everything to you yet, besides to tell you everything I will need Boruto constent. However, me picking on your feelings towards Mitsuki was very uncalled for. Again, I'm really sorry." Shikadai apologised Sumire from the bottom of his heart.

"Apology is accepted under one condition" responded Sumire, but now she at least smiled and didn't looked like she wanted to kill him.

"And that condition is?"

"Answering my question. D-do you know by a-any chance if Chō-Chō has a crush on Mitsuki?

Sumire question left Shikadai speechless. That was her condition? He thought that she will demand something completely different. Though answering her question was less troublesome than what he had in mind.

"I don't know if Chō-Chō has a crush on him, to be honest. What interests me more is why you have a crush on him in the first place?" Shikadai asked not being sure if he is now entering into the dangerous territory of their conversation.

"Hmm... I will tell you why I have a crush on Mitsuki if you tell me about your past with Asami." Sumire answer was something he excepted, so he just nodded.

Unknown to them someone overheard their conversation by accident. Chō-Chō Akimich was behind one of the park trees since she was waiting here for her next boyfriend or like Boruto says one of her 'poor victims'. Sumire and Shikadai talking about her feelings towards Mitsuki made her wondering if she really has a crush on him.

Her mind and her heart started to be in turmoil due to that thoughts.

Notes:

AN:
Congratulations for every person, which managed to read this story until this chapter. I know GoF isn't perfect, but it will always have a special place in my heart. I hope that, even though it's more slice of life/romance that giving it chance/reading it was really enjoyable. x'DD I hope that my writing has improved in comparison to the chapter one for example.

I consider Tsunade a pretty major character in Naruto/Boruto and her death is important to the plot, so yeah I'm sorry!

In other words - hope you all stay for upcoming chapters!

Yours Clumsy Author Karinrumi ;)

Chapter 14: Chapter Thirteen

Notes:

This chapter is with a special dedication for anakrlns that helped when I was confused, while using Tumblr. Once again thank you for helping me out!

 

Two weeks passed away as well seasons changed. It was now winter, which left Shikadai usually in the grumpy mood. He always disliked snow, since unlike Boruto he found walking on it really annoying. If Shikadai would be an animal, he would for sure prefer to go into sleep hibernation and not doing anything during the winter at all.

However his conversation with Sumire made him think about talking with Boruto. Boruto that was currently defending himself from a crowd of fangirls. His main reason for forgetting Boruto poularity was caused by seeing him often either at the club or Sarada's house, of course not counting classses.

It was pain in the ass, but visiting Sarada's house with the entire club helped them a lot with preparations for upcoming Sport Festival. If everything goes smoothly they should end preparing everything during this week and allow themselves to laze around afterwards.

In a short summary of events, winter, his past love and talking to Boruto was the last thing he wanted to do. Turning into the animal in order to hibernate on the other hand was taking the first place in the things he wanted to do right now.

When walking through school corridors the crowds of students chattering, running to theirs lockers and being excited about upcoming winter break would nearly squish him like a bug on the way. Great. Shikadai personally thought he somehow managed to survive walking through to his locker due to him being lazy and too much sleepy to care about squeaking Boruto fangirls.

Shikadai thanks to recent events almost forgot that his childhood friend is Mr. Popular guy in theirs school. Young Nara always was thinking that popularity is too much troublesome to deal with and it's better to have a nap than being worshipped.

It wasn't a subject that Shikadai wanted to intiate considering his role in the whole story, but Sumire being mad at him again would be too much troublesome to deal with.

"Hey, Boruto." Shikadai couldn't help feeling sleepy and yawned. The few female students around Boruto sent to him a nasty stare. It seemed that Boruto didn't care about surronding them girls and instead waved to him with a big plastered smile on his face.

"Yo, Shikadai! Thanks for the rescue!" Boruto said feeling relieved. Yeah, he was attention seeker, but being the source of attention this morning was really ovewhelming for him.

"No problem. Can we talk about something?" Shikadai emerald eyes expressed his annoyance with Boruto fangirls, which were spying on them behind the lockers.

"Sure, what's up?" Boruto response was causal as ever, but Shikadai knew his happy-go-lucky expression will soon change.

"It's about Asami. Sumire want to know what happened between her and us that day. Can I tell her the truth?" Boruto expression just like he excepted changed. His bright smile dissappeared and it was enough to scare some of the fangirls still hiding behind the lockers.

"It's fine if Sumire will know the truth, ya know? I figured out it would've come up sooner or later." Bortuo voice slightly cracked and he looked down on the floor. That's why Shikadai was avoiding talking about it until now.

"Is it really?" Shikadai raised his left eyebrow, not believing in what Boruto said at all. His childhood friend was really good actor, but this time it was easy to notice that he was lying.

"It is, ya now? Personally I don't feel comfortable talking about it, but if you do... Feel free to tell Sumire whatever you want." Although the conversation itself was unpleasant, at least Shikadai got a permission to talk about it with Sumire. It was rare for young Nara to see his friend that depressed just by mentioning someone else's name. Winter sucked.

"Please, go out with me!" The gloomy mood was broken by the shout of the girl standing behind the locker, while other fangirls looked at her with a mix of anger and jealousy. The girl ignored them and hugged Boruto when she noticed he let his guard down.

Shikadai found the way she throwed herself onto Boruto really distrubing, but decided to leave them alone.

"Shikadai, help me!" Young Nara ignored the words of his friend and decided to go to the classroom. He had lot of things to think about, especially how he wasn't the biggest fan of the snow for example.

It was strange like things changed during last year. Asami wasn't here anymore, but it helped him to form a better contact with Sumire. On the other Boruto started to be more distant from him as friend. However the fact Shikadai disliked winter didn't change at all.

"Traitor!" Boruto scream echoed throughout the whole school.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

Chō-Chō during the past two weeks was avoiding Sumire as well Mitsuki. She wanted to rewind time and never realise her own feelings in that matter. It seemed Sumire knew something was off with Chō-Chō behaviour, but decided not to mention it to anyone.

"Good morining, Chō-Chō." Sumire appeared behind her like a ghost, so Chō-Chō jumped from being startled.

"S-Sumire! Don't scare me like that. I know everybody loves me, but scaring isn't a good way to win me over!" Sumire probably found her words funny, but decided to ignore them for the time being.

"I didn't see you in a while, but it seems you're the same old Chō-Chō. That's a relief." Chō-Chō started to wonder when Sumire learned to use sarcasm.

"I don't know if you're insulting or praising me, but I will take it as compliment." Chō-Chō answer lacked her usual positivity and she was cursing herself for not being composed. She wished in that moment to turn into Sarada and stay composed, even if her feelings were currently a one big mess.

"Chō-Chō, can I ask you something?" Sumire asked in a serious tone of voice.

"S-sure, you can always ask me anything!" Chō-Chō replied, but she knew that she will regret her words soon. After all she suspected why Sumire wanted to talk with her.

"Good. I will be really straightfoward. Do you love Mitsuki?" Sumire violet eyes as well posture didn't show any hestitation. Chō-Chō always thought about her as timid girl, but in this precise moment was admiring Sumire confidence in expressing her feelings.

"Y-yeah, I probably do." Chō-Chō stuttered. Her words lacked the same confidence, which Sumire had when she asked this question.

However Sumire instead of laughing or mocking her insecurity fell silent. After a minute her friend just nodded like the answer she heard was something completely natural.

"I see, so you already know that you have feelings for Mitsuki. It took you longer thant I thought it would." Sumire comment made Chō-Chō really surprised.

"Do you love Mitsuki too, Sumire?" Chō-Chō gulped. She should know the answer. After all she overheard Shikadai talking with Sumire about her crush on Mitsuki. But hearing the direct answer from Sumire was much more important to Chō-Chō than making blind guesses, or false assumptions.

"Yes, I do. That's why I asked if you love him. I thought it would be unfair to confess my feelings to Mitsuki without knowing yours feelings. I wouldn't care if some other girl had feelings for him, but unlike the other girls you're my friend, Chō-Chō. And that makes you special, you know?" Sumire words reached her heart. It was the first time where other girl her age called Chō-Chō friend and it wasn't Sarada.

"Heh. That's very nice of you, but why bother talking with me? I thought you think of me as rival in love, correction awesome rival in love!" Chō-Chō words started to be cheerful again. It was like a huge boulder in her heart was lifted after hearing out how Sumire feels.

"It seems you're better at reading my intentions than I thought, Chō-Chō. I still plan to confess my feeling to Mitsuki during the winter break, you know?!" Sumire sighed seeing overly happy reaction of her friend.

"So I will confess my feelings for Mitsuki during the winter break too! No hard feelings if he chooses me, kay?" Sumire couldn't bring herself to hate Chō-Chō, even if her words annoyed her.

"Uwahwahwah! Not so fast miss Akimichi! There is a chance he will choose me or reject both of us. In the scenrio where he rejects us we should date each other!" Sumire joked and Chō-Chō laughed.

"I know, I know captain, Sumire! You tried to tell me that no matter what happens we will still be friends, right?! It's such a roundabout way, but I'm used to it thanks to Sarada."

The laughter and joking accompanied them on their way to the school.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

Sarada was walking alone through the crowd of students and met by accident Boruto who tried to escape from hugging him girl. She decided to ignore the fact that Mitsuki was hiding behind the school lockers together with other Boruto's fangirls. It was too much for her to deal with at morning.

"Y-Yo, Sarada, how are you doing?!" Boruto tried to use his puppy dog eyes on Sarada, but it didn't have any effect on her.

"..." Silence was the only answer Sarada could come up with. She decided to look at the girl, which was hugging Boruto.

"Waaah! Ice queen of our school is here!" The girl shouted, stopped holding Boruto and ran to the classroom.

Boruto whistled impressed with how just one stare could have this sort of effect on others.

"You're really annoying." Sarada said feeling upset that other students ran away from her too. She only looked at them!

"I know. By the look of it you aren't really a sociable person, ya know?" Boruto gave Sarada an amused look.

"Hnn." Sarada decided to ignore annoying blond and don't tell Boruto about Mitsuki stalking him behind the lockers to have her small revenge. She was perfectly sociable person and was able to talk with people! Probably.

"Hey, where are you going?!" Boruto asked when she directed her footsteps to the classroom.

"To the classroom." It was all she said before school bell started to ring.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

Lessons ended, so Sarada headed to the clubroom. It seemed Sumire was the only other person here.

"Good afternoon, Sarada." Sumire answer was really energetic.

"Good afternoon, where are the other members?" Sarada considered this question as part of her daily routine. She still didn't believed how past few weeks changed her life.

"Boruto is talking with a teacher, Chō-Chō said she will be late, Shikadai is currently at the director office and Mitsuki should be here soon." Sumire explained why the other club members were currently absent.

"Thank you." Sarada blurted out those words by accident.

"For what?" Sumire asked really confused by the sudden expression of gratitude coming from Sarada.

"For not judging me due to the rumours and my surname." Sarada thought she would die from embarassment, while saying it out loud.

"You're so cute, Sarada! Hey, hey, do you like adventures?" Sumire smirked in a teasing manner.

"My dream involves travelling, so yes I really like adventures." Talking about her dreams with a person that wasn't her mother or Chō-Chō was really refreshing feeling for Sarada.

Different. Refreshing. To be honest Sarada kind of liked how her school life turned out to be different than she expected.

"Huh, really?! I really like adventures too, so I thought about being an actress, singer or having a job that involves travelling. Up until now I never told anyone about my dream." Sumire admitted to her seriously.

"It's really amazing dream. I hope you make it true!" Sarada always wanted to hear these words from her mother, since she secretly seeked her approval. Sumire eyes lit up and her smile seemed to sparkle more than before.

"In that case I wish for yours dreams to come true as well!" Sumire words were really helpful in making Sarada feel better about her future dreams and goals. She never realised she will meet someone who shares her love for travelling.

"Huufff, hufff! Sorry for being late!" Chō-Chō shouted, while entering the clubroom.

"Chō-Chō, you're actually really early." Sarada whispered rather to herself than to Chō-Chō that walked over and sat on the chair.

"Ehh?! Guys aren't here yet! It makes me question why I was running to the clubroom like a crazy!" Chō-Chō complained to them.

"Because you're Chō-Chō." Sumire chimed in.

"Guys aren't here, so let's talk about them!" Chō-Chō proposed and Sumire agreed with her leaving Sarada without any choice, but accepting to talk about boys.

"I will start! What's yours type of guy, Sarada?" Sarada coughed hearing the question Sumire asked.

"I don't have a type, but if I had to choose one it would be a guy, which would support my dreams." It was the best answer Sarada could give them.

"Sumire and me have a similar taste in guys, so our type is Mitsuki." Chō-Chō claimed without any hestitation.

Sarada brain froze with the knowledge that Sumire and Chō-Chō liked a guy that during this morning was hiding behind the lockers from Boruto.

"Chō-Chō, I think it was too much for Sarada to take in. After all Mitsuki has... Interesting hobbies to say at least." Sumire didn't sound surprised seeing how Sarada reacted in comparision to Chō-Chō.

"We must probably change the subject, since Sarada will really start to be the frozen ice queen. Maybe talking about how great I am will help?!" Chō-Chō realisation was completely out of place.

"Chō-Chō, I don't think talking about you will stop her from being shocked." Sumire chuckled.

"I'm not shocked!" Sarada defended herself.

"By the way I didn't asked, but what's your dream, Sarada?" Sumire decided to change the topic to stop Chō-Chō from talking about her delusions.

"I want to be the owner of a travelling casino." Exposing her dream to Sumire was really hard for Sarada. Chō-Chō on the other hand knew Sarada dream from the start.

"That's really awesome dream, ya know!" Boruto suddenly appeared and the girls wondered how long he was in the clubroom.

"You think it's amazing?" Sarada asked Boruto and ignored for a moment that he could overhear theirs entire conversation.

"I do, ya know! You should talk with us more often, Sarada!" Boruto words left Sarada speechless.

"I'm not really talkative person." Sarada stared down on the floor. Chō-Chō and Sumire winked to Boruto in a meaningful way, but the blond was too focused on Sarada to notice it.

"Ya know, did I by accident hurt yours feelings by saying you aren't really a sociable person, Sarada? If I did I'm really sorry about that." Boruto voice sounded really calm. Sarada always thought his voice was soothing and is similar to the sound of the sea waves. Sarada liked that sound, since it helped her to calm down when she felt frustrated, angry, or sad.

"Apologies accepted." Sarada whispered, but Boruto didn't looked satisfied with her response.

"Hey, hey look at me, Sarada! I can't hear you or see yours expression." Boruto walked over and was standing in front of her. Sarada lifted her head and looked into his blue eyes.

"Apologies accepted!" The words were the same, but this time she shouted them looking directly at Boruto. Sarada was surprised how loud her voice could sound and her eyes widened by seeing Boruto grin. Did he did it on purpose?!

"See! You can do it if you try, Sarada. I'm so proud of you, ya know." Boruto patted Sarada's head in a caring manner.

"You're really annoying."

"I know and you're lady, meow, meow, ya know?" Boruto responded and laughed seeing how shocked Sarada was by his words.

"They should get a separate room. I feel like a third wheel." Chō-Chō complained.

"Welcome to the third wheeling club, Chō-Chō" Sumire smiled and felt happy, since third-wheeling with a friend was a much more enjoyable, than third wheeling alone.

Winter break will come soon and with it a love confessions to Mitsuki from both of them. Sumire knew that theirs relationships depending on Mitsuki answer can change too.

Notes:

AN:

Hello, everyone! This chapter too0k me a while to write and I hope ya all enjoyed reading it just like I enjoyed to write fluffy scenes. Just like usual sorry for my potential mistakes in my writing etc. I can't believe we reach soon the plot climax and I want to thank everyone that is supporting this fic.

Thank You everyone!

Yours clumsy author Karinrumi ;)

Chapter 15: Chapter Fourteen

Dedicated to the whole BoruSara discord community!

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

Sumire took a few deep breaths out and in. She felt nervous, extremely nervous. But who can blame her? She waited two years to confess her feelings to Mitsuki, but something always was getting in her way. If it wasn't, Mitsuki past girlfriends at some points were a convenient excuse for her not to confess.

After the conversation with Chō-Chō before the winter break, Sumire realised her personality was the source of all her problems. Loving someone for so long, but at the same time not being able to confess fearing rejection. Longing for a love she didn't get during her childhood. Pretending to be selfless while in reality, she was really the selfish, horrible monster.

Sumire Kakei wasn't ready for love, but at the same time desperately tried to be loved. She knew it, yet she felt a need to confess to Mitsuki. Why? Why she confronted Chō-Chō about her love for Mitsuki? Wouldn't it be easier not to tell Chō-Chō at all?

Starving for feeling to be loved. Fearing to be loved. Sumire felt like a hypocrite.

"What the hell I was doing during these past few weeks?" Sumire whispered this question to herself. To be honest, the whole mess in her head started when Sarada joined their club. Sumire always thought she was overshadowed by Chō-Chō in many ways. Sarada changed that by pointing out how club members didn't treat her seriously.

Sarada changed many things if it came to Sumire relationships with all of the club members.

Mitsuki was giving her his attention, Boruto paid less attention to everyone in Sarada's presence for comparison. Chō-Chō started to be her rival in love. However, her relationship with Shikadai changed the most to the point where they both respected each other.

All those events lead to the moment when everything started to change a little bit too soon.

With this line of thinking, Sumire arrived at the place she's supposed to meet up with Mitsuki. "Lunatera Café" was her favourite coffeehouse, so it was her idea to meet with Mitsuki here.

Comfortable black sofas, purple walls, nicely decorated tables and friendly atmosphere were the main factors why she liked to spend her time here a lot. It's a perfect place for the love confessions, right?

Sumire noticed that Mitsuki was sitting already at the table near the window. She walked over and tried to relax.

"Hi, did I make you wait?" Sumire asked avoiding eye-contact with him. Mitsuki seemed to notice she was nervous, but not knowing why.

"Yeah, you did. But I don't mind waiting, I'm used to it." Mitsuki being honest with her counted as a reason why she loved him. However, no matter how many reasons she could've love was unreasonable. That's why it was one and only chance to confess her love.

"Uwawawah! I'm so sorry that I made you wait." Mitsuki let out a chuckle hearing her apology. He liked to spend time with both Sumire and Chō-Chō because he considered them one of his closest friends after Boruto.

"Apology accepted." After this short exchange, they ordered their drinks and discussed over what they were doing during this winter break. Sumire thought it looked almost like a date. Almost.

"Mitsuki, can you hear me out?" Mitsuki noded, while she tried to think how to put her feelings into the words. She was wearing a black dress with long sleeves just for this occasion.

"Truth to be told I always admired your honesty. At first, I found your antics in stalking Boruto annoying but soon understood that you're just worried about him a lot. I know underneath that stalker mask you just want for all your friends to be happy. But you have a lot of other good qualities! You're a soft-hearted and handsome as well. I could mention a lot of reasons why I do feel or think about you in that way. But I blame me loving you as main factor. I love you, Mitsuki."

She did it! Sumire couldn't believe how all these words flew out of her mouth and she managed to maintain eye contact with Mitsuki. The same Mitsuki who had shocked expression right now. Are her feelings mutual or not? Time seemed to flow like an eternity.

"I'm happy to know how you feel about me, Sumire. In fact, I think it's the first time where I heard so genuine love confession directed to me. However, I'm not ready to be in a relationship, yet. I'm really sorry, but I don't love you." Mitsuki looked down on the floor after he rejected her.

"I-I s-see. That's fine, y-you know? I can't force you to love me after all. Excuse me, I must go to the bathroom." Sumire responded and very quickly disappeared from Mitsuki's field of vision.

In the back of her mind, she knew that rejection was a possibility. She thought that she was prepared to hear it. However, it didn't matter how many times she convinced herself that everything is alright, she wasn't feeling alright at all.

Reaching to the bathroom, she noticed Chō-Chō walking over to Mitsuki. Did she plan to confess today as well? It wasn't important. She already got the answer and was rejected. Sumire closed the bathroom door and tears appeared in the corners of her eyes. She started to cry feeling awful. Was it selfish of her to want for Mitsuki feel the same way as she does? Sumire didn't know the answer. But she did know that she doesn't want anyone to see her tears.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

Chō-Chō happened to be at the same café and overheard Sumire's confession towards Mitsuki. How she's supposed to beat that confession now? But hearing Sumire confession gave her the courage to confess to Mitsuki today as well.

That's why Chō-Chō walked over to Mitsuki that had currently a sad smile, while drinking his coffee.

"Yo, it must be rough for you as well. I mean rejecting Sumire." She didn't try to hide the fact she overheard their conversation.

"Were you spying on my conversation with Sumire, Chō-Chō?" Mitsuki rolled his eyes in annoyance. Chō-Chō regretted her words at this moment. Hurting Sumire's feelings was hard for Mitsuki as well. Chō-Chō felt a pang of jealousy. Does Mitsuki really loves Sumire, but rejected her for some other reason than he mentioned? Impossible, right? No, it wasn't. Mitsuki lied to Sumire about his own feelings.

"I just was enjoying my coffee and overheard everything by accident. It isn't my fault you were too much distracted by Sumire's chest to notice I was here the entire time." Chō-Chō snorted. She was the best sarcasm master among all her friends.

"Thank you for your unnecessary commenting skills, Chō-Chō. It helps me realise a lot of things I didn't have an idea about." Mitsuki smiled feeling a little bit better.

"And with my unnecessary commenting skills I will make your situation more complicated because I love you in the same way Sumire is loving you." She blurted out accidentally. It wasn't how she wanted to confess her feelings! Chō-Chō felt like she made a mistake. It wasn't the right time to declare her own feelings.

Unlike Sumire confession, Chō-Chō confession was way more casual. That's how Mitsuki knew Chō-Chō seriously loved him as well.

"I'm sorry, but I must turn you down for similar reasons I turned down Sumire. I'm happy about your feelings towards me, even if I don't love you." Mitsuki seemed more conflicted than before after seeing Chō-Chō looking more depressed than usual.

"It's okay. I admit it hurts me a lot, but being rejected isn't the end of the world for me. Besides, I know you lied about not loving Sumire. You could fool her with your words since she was too nervous, but your act didn't convince me at all." Chō-Chō stated with confidence. The only thing that stopped her from running to the bathroom and starting to cry together with Sumire was her urge to know why Mitsuki lied about his own feelings.

"I'm sorry. I can't tell you my reasons about turning Sumire down, but it's true that I lied about not loving her." Mitsuki words stabbed Chō-Chō heart more than the packet of her favourite potato chips being sold out.

"I'm going to check up on her. I think that lying about your own feelings will cost you more than you're expecting to. I'm telling you this because I love you and care about you as well." Chō-Chō walked away leaving Mitsuki with a lot of unpleasant thoughts. Mitsuki in the depths of his heart knew that Chō-Chō was right for calling him out on that little lie of his.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

The door to the bathroom opened. It alarmed Sumire that she lost track of time and she tried to wipe the tears with a sleeve of her dress.

"Sumire?" Chō-Chō said softly knowing that although Mitsuki loved her, Sumire thought he didn't.

"Chō-Chō..." It was all she had the strength to say after exhausting herself with crying when Chō-Chō walked over to her.

"I confessed to Mitsuki after witnessing your confession. Thanks to you I had gathered the courage to do it." Chō-Chō admitted to her, but she just felt out of place.

"So Mitsuki loves you?" Sumire couldn't hide the bitterness in her voice.

"Nah, I got rejected as well!" Chō-Chō shook her head like something funny just happened.

"Y-you were rejected?" Chō-Chō being so calm about Mitsuki rejecting her was surprising for Sumire.

"Yeah, I was. It's not the first time when I was rejected, so I'm more immune to rejection than you, Sumire." Chō-Chō smiled in her direction warmly. "I guess that means we should date each other, right?"

Sumire couldn't help but smile a little when Chō-Chō used their little inside joke to lift her spirits up.

"Yes, we probably should." Sumire nodded, but she knew deep down that her feelings for Mitsuki will not fade away so quickly. Perhaps both her and Chō-Chō needed some time alone. It was blessing in disguise that they confessed their feelings to Mitsuki during the winter break.

Sarada was spending the majority of her time reading books and sleeping in the bed. It was her form of relaxing during her free time, but she couldn't help feeling a little lonely by herself. That's why when she heard a doorbell, she opened the door to see Boruto came to visit her without the other club members. Sarada invited him to sit with her in a living room.

"Should I visit you at another time? I think it can be awkward sitting just with me here, ya know?" Boruto tried to confirm if Sarada felt okay being just with him in the same room.

"It's alright. I doubt you can do anything to me." Sarada sighed. She was really bored, so it didn't matter who would help her cure her loneliness.

"Are you looking forward to the school sport festival? This question had an obvious answer. Their entire club put a lot of effort into creating games for that event.

"I do. Though, I can't say I'm looking forward to passing through the large crowds of people." Just like she said the large crowds of students would probably annoy her too much, but nobody could annoy her more than Boruto. He patted her head last time when they talked with each other. She wasn't a freaking animal, but a human being! Wait a minute... Does that mean Boruto thinks she's a domestic pet?!

"You can always stick to me, ya know! I mean to stick with all club members, hehe." Boruto let out an awkward laugh completely unaware of Sarada inner struggle if he thinks she's a pet.

"I don't know if it helps me. I'm not feeling at ease talking with other students, they're too loud." Sarada admitted to him not knowing why she felt the need to explain it to Boruto.

"Is that the reason you called me an idiot during our first meeting? Because I was too loud and made you feel uncomfortable?" Boruto was asking her many questions today, even if she was distracted by how handsome he is. No wonder he had fangirls pinning all over him. He wasn't just handsome but considerate as well.

"No, I was angry because of my destroyed phone due to me bumping into you." Sarada felt it was a really pathetic reason to call someone an idiot while having a bad day. Looking back it was very petty and immature behaviour.

Her phone got destroyed by bumping into him?! That explained her overreaction at the time. Boruto was pretty sure he would've reacted a lot worse than Sarada if his phone would be the one that got destroyed.

"I'm really sorry, ya know! As recompensation, you should go out with me to buy a new phone after the festival. If you want, I won't force you." Boruto proposal was nerve-wracking for him. He wanted to have a positive relationship with Sarada.

"I gladly accept this offer. Chō-Chō complains too much about me not having a phone." Sarada genuinely smiled in his presence. Boruto noticed she looked much more beautiful with this smile. Realising he finds Sarada more attractive than two months ago, Boruto blushed and almost passed out. He needed to stop having such embarrassing thoughts!

"So, you will give me a chance to be your friend?" Yeah, that question should make his imagination stop running wild.

"Only if your intentions about being my friend are honest and you won't use that friendship to win in our bet." Sarada answer was enough to make him happy for now.

"That means a lot coming from you, ya know? I plan to be a great friend then!" Boruto's declaration made Sarada feel a warm, comfortable sensation. Now she could feel completely at ease in Boruto's presence. It's like all remaining doubts within her heart went away.

"It does, so do not take this lightly!" Sarada wanted for him to take her seriously.

"I'm not planning to lady meow, meow!" Boruto shouted and pulled her into a friendly hug which she accepted without protesting too much.

"I'm not lady meow, meow." Sarada started to think that maybe Boruto's is taking her for a cat.

"Your hair smells nice, ya know? Like strawberries." It was after those words when Sarada break out from their friendly hug, feeling that she must be blushing. Boruto coughed and decided that admiring the walls in the living room is more interesting at the moment. When he stared at the walls, she went to prepare black tea for them to drink.

They spend the rest of the day looking for clues around her house to have sort of lead for their bet. In the end, they didn't find anything useful. Maybe it's better they didn't.

"See you after the winter break!" After Boruto visit at her house ended Sarada couldn't help but look forward to meeting him after winter break will end. Sport festival should be more enjoyable with Boruto around, even if she still had a problem in expressing her feelings to other people.

Chapter 16: Chapter Fifteen

Sports Festival served as an opportunity to unite students of Konoha High School. However, what made this occasion special for them was the amount of the work they placed in designing entertaining games. Sarada hated the large crowds, but as the extremely competitive person, she enjoyed participating in various contests during this event every year.

"Sarada, we're over here!" shouted Boruto when she noticed him jumping up and down in the middle of the large crowd of students. She ran in the direction of the club members passing through other students feeling relieved that they were here.

"Hnn..." she groaned trying to catch her breath. Running seemed like a stupid thing to do, but a minute ago was a logical option for her. She should add the fifth rule to her mini-book that forbids running in general.

"Hahaha! Look at our stoic Sarada Uchiha running to us like we're experiencing the end of the world. It's priceless seeing her like that, ya know?" Boruto couldn't stop his fit of laughter after seeing Sarada chicken like running.

"Very funny, Boruto! I just didn't want to lose the sight of everyone in this large crowd." Sarada grimaced at his words more than his reaction. "Glad you made it out alive, Sarada!" First to interrupt their bickering was Mitsuki that tried to ignore Sumire and Chō-Chō staring at him.

"Now as the most amazing person in this group, I propose to check out food booths!" Chō-Chō ignored disappointed looks of her friends because she indeed felt like the most amazing in the entire group.

"I'm getting kind of hungry as well so count me in." Sumire supported Chō-Chō's idea since she still was grateful for what she did for her during the winter break.

"What a drag." Shikadai yawned and was less lively compared to others.

The whole club was walking around food booths with Sarada and Boruto bickering about everything, while Mitsuki felt uncomfortable with the presence of two girls he rejected. Meanwhile, Shikadai regretted he can't eat popcorn because observing his friends was more entertaining than a drama movie.

"Mitsuki, come here for a moment." Shikadai sighed being fed up with watching Mitsuki reaction to the whole love triangle happening around him.

"What do you want from me, Shikadai?" Mitsuki whispered a little bit irritated but glad he could get away from Sumire and Chō-Chō for a moment.

"Are you trying to avoid talking with Chō-Chō and Sumire forever?" Shikadai tried to solve at least part of the drama for the sake of his new friendship with Sumire.

"..." A silent response from Mitsuki meant more than any remark.

"You caught yourself in a complicated situation you can't resolve with using your snakes to scare the girls that love you because they're your friends and that puts you in a delicate position. Am I right?" Of course, Shikadai based it on his assumptions.

"For your information, both Sumire and Chō-Chō received a rejection from me. It's normal we're going through awkward talking phase." Mitsuki looked calm on the outside, but Shikadai knew him well enough to know when he's angry.

"Scaring people with snakes isn't a valid strategy for you right know, Mitsuki." Shikadai decided to back down giving his silver-haired friend a warning.

"Thank you for your awesome troublesome sarcasm. Besides you're the one who hides a lot more than me, Shikadai." Mitsuki at this point felt extremely annoyed. He rejected both Sumire and Chō-Chō for personal reasons. His love-life had nothing to do with Shikadai at all.

"Shikadai, Mitsuki you both know me and Sumire can hear everything right?!" Chō-Chō made her and Sumire presence know to the boys.

It wasn't too long before the tense atmosphere between Shikadai and Mitsuki escalated with Sumire and Chō-Chō joining in their quarrel. Sarada stood paralysed while watching Boruto playing a mediator in the group.

"Sarada, can you help me?! At this rate, their arguing will destroy our chances during the games, ya know?" It went to the point Boruto had the problem to deal with his mad at each other friends.

"H-hnn... I-I am not a person you should ask for help. " Sarada averted her gaze trying not to look into Boruto's eyes.

"Why?!" Boruto questioned bitterly. Was he disappointed in her reaction?

"I'm terrible with dealing with my own feelings, not to mention in understanding how other people feel!" Sarada shouted. The whole group fell silent at her outburst of anger. The only person that remained with a sour look in his eyes was Boruto.

"Y-yeah! We should enjoy the Sports Festival instead of arguing with each other." Sumire words stopped the club members from arguing further. They continued visiting the next food booths with an awkward atmosphere.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

"Brother!", yelled from candy apple booth Boruto's little sister, Himawari.

"Hima, what are you doing here?!" Boruto expressed his surprise, and his younger sister went into a fit of giggles.

"Did you forgot, bro? Sports Festival is the event where visitors not going to your school can enter freely." Himawari sounded disappointed with Boruto not remembering she announced to him her visit during family breakfast.

"Oh, now when you mention it I remember you saying you would come during breakfast. I didn't forget, ya know?" Boruto obviously lied gaining a disapproving look of the club members standing behind him.

"Hehehe! Unfortunately for you, I know you too well, big bro!" Himawari couldn't stop her smile.

"Ehh, I should know you of all people could see through me, Hima." Boruto scratched his nose trying to hide embarrassment. His younger sister was sharp, really sharp when the subject involved his love life.

"I'm a psychic after all! Anyway, I will be rooting for you to win in the next contest and trying to sweep off her feet this beautiful lady next to you." Himawari pointed out towards surprised Sarada.

"Yeah, yeah... I would win even without your suggestive manner of speech, Hima." Sending his sister off to the spot where other visitors were gathering Boruto sighed heavily. This day was meant to be fun for a whole group, but it turned out into a one, big mess. He was thinking about Sarada response to his request for help. Maybe it was too soon for her to open up to him so he should back down?

After all, he decided to befriend Sarada because of his injured ego.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

" I wanna team up with you, Sarada, ya know?" Boruto stated boldly.

"Sure." Wasn't Boruto still mad at her? With this question in her mind, Sarada agreed to pair up with him.

"Glad you agreed!" Boruto pumped his fist in the air feeling overwhelming joy.

"Idiot..." Sarada mumbled, but Boruto in his joy wasn't worried about this word directed at him in comparison to their first meeting.

The next contest was a three-legged race, so naturally, everyone picked a person to pair-up with. In that way, Mitsuki ended up with Shikadai, since Sumire and Chō-Chō paired up running together towards the goal Sarada decided to initiate a conversation with Boruto.

"Umm... Boruto?" She started being unsure if it's a good idea to ask him this question. However, she promised Chō-Chō to discover why the club president lost passion for gaming.

"Ya know, you can just ask me anything in a straightforward manner, Sarada! Formalities are boring." Boruto answered in the middle of running. Does this guy isn't feeling tired at all? Sarada felt like all her energy was absorbed by this long-distance running and it was hard for her to keep-up with Boruto.

"How you got into gaming? I mean the idea of being president of our club to be precise?" Sarada was really confused about why Boruto wanted to be the club president. He seemed like a guy that was naturally talented but avoided these type of responsibilities.

"Well, ya know... How did you get into gaming? " Boruto decided to respond with his own set of questions.

"It's a long story." Sarada thought that she wasn't ready to tell anyone about her past. At least not now.

"Good, because my story is long too." Was Boruto more upset than before? But why? Did she do something wrong? Sarada couldn't stop feeling worried.

"My bad! I'm not angry at you or anything it's just... ya know... Nevermind! Are you still planning to go buy a new phone with me?" Boruto noticing Sarada's gloomy look started to think of himself as an awful person. That's right he needed to remember she was socially awkward around people.

"Yes, I-I d-do!" Why did she stutter? From what she remembered, she never had a problem with speaking in her life before. What's worse it was always happening when she was together with Boruto. Was he an alien from an unknown planet? Maybe she was ill? It was these sort of excuses that were popping out in her head. In reality, she knew what could this phenomenon mean. She was just too much stubborn to admit it herself.

"Sarada, are you feeling well?" Boruto smirked knowing she went into the state of her chicken-like-running. He held back his urge to explode from laughing at her stoic face during the race.

"I'm a-alright." Sarada pretended that her stuttering comes from her being tired. "I just was thinking a person like you is similar to an alien in our current society." She added after calming down a little and said something crazy by accident.

After her words, Boruto couldn't hold his laughter in anymore and fell down together with Sarada on the ground.

"Hahahahaha! An alien! I'm not handsome, the popular guy in your eyes, but an alien! It's the first time a girl thinks I'm coming from another planet, ya know? It's hilarious!" Boruto's reaction made Sarada forming a pout. What's wrong in suspecting such a cheerful person as Boruto is an alien?! Oh, no! Is she the reason why they lost in the three-legged race?

"I'm sorry, Boruto!" She suddenly shouted.

"Huh? Why?" Sarada sudden apology confused him greatly.

"I'm the reason we lost the race, right? So I'm sorry I dragged you down with me." Boruto didn't know how exactly he should react when Sarada showed little signs of opening up towards him. This strange apology counted into one of these situations where he wasn't confident how he should behave afterwards. He experienced this feeling just with one person in the past. Although, Sarada wasn't fundamentally the same girl... No, it was just his imagination.

"Don't apologise to me! I had a lot of fun, and that's what matters the most, ya know." He petted Sarada's head, untied the rope tying up their legs and helped her to stand up.

"You're right. I h-had a lot of fun as well!" The smile she showed on her face looked a little forced. She probably still blamed herself. Boruto sighed heavily, he has a limited time for making Sarada being more comfortable around him. Time is flowing soon, so that little string of connection between them that is a bet will vanish sooner or later, right? Will, he ever gets to know why Sarada takes winning and losing so seriously? Those dark thoughts started to spin in his head, but he still decided to smile.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

In the end, Chō-Chō and Sumire were unbeatable pair during all contests and the entire Sports Festival. Sarada really felt foolish about being worked up with winning or losing. Maybe it seemed stupid, but Boruto words saved her from feeling anxious during the entire festival.

If you're Uchiha, you must always win.

If you're Uchiha, you can't associate with idiots.

Those rules that she always blindly followed were like chains, but at the same time helped her a lot during the difficult times in her life. Were those rules destroying some parts of her life? She never will know the answers to all her questions.
Why Boruto was so mad about her questioning how he got into gaming? Remembering why she wanted to join a club in the first place, Sarada started questioning her own motives.

"H-how it ended up like this... I never wanted to..." It wasn't a good idea to say it after all. Sarada never wanted to admit she had a crush on Boruto Uzumaki this entire time.

Notes:

AN: Here it is the chapter 15 of this multi-chap story! Like usual sorry for any mistakes etc. This chapter took me a while to write. It's hard to believe that in this story has already 15 chapters and just couple more will make a finale of the story,
Hope ya all enjoyed reading it!

Your clumsy author - Karinrumi ;)

Chapter 17: Chapter Sixteen

Summary:

AN:
Uff, Chapter sixteen of GoF is finished! I mean published. I read something angsty and needed to heal from it, so this chapter has a lot of fluff! I will try to at least update one chapter of GoF every month. Maybe two, depending on how fast I polish up the next upcoming chapter. Anyway, like usual hope, the chapter doesn't contain too many mistakes and ya all enjoyed reading it!
Your clumsy Author Karinrumi:D

After the events of Sports Festival ended, Sarada had a lot of stuff on her mind. The first question that she asked herself was when her crush on Boruto started?

Looking back on it she always observed him from the shadows before their first meeting. At first, she recognised Boruto Uzumaki as someone with similar family problems, but for some reason more optimistic than her. He was honestly annoying her, Sarada even wrote in her diary special instructions to avoid him. Later learning that Boruto was known as 'troublemaker, she followed those instructions because of his reputation for creating problems.

However, Sarada's actions were the result of her secret admiration for him. She admired his optimism, social skills, positive popularity, everything she didn't have. Maybe that's why Sarada avoided Boruto like the plague, even if his class was just a few steps away from her own class.

Boruto Uzumaki was a person Sarada Uchiha wanted to be, but couldn't due to her stuck-up personality. And now the same Sarada Uchiha tried to think how she ended up with such mixed feelings towards the same Bortuo Uzumaki she successfully avoided before.

In that case, wasn't it normal for her to have such contradictory feelings about Boruto as a person? Sarada before realising it until now from an 'idiot' that she's jealous of, somehow started to see him as a good friend.

"No, not just friend..." she muttered in a daze to the empty air. 'Friend' meant the person she could trust wholeheartedly like Chō-Chō. Sarada knew why she shouldn't doubt the intentions of other people so much, but being suspicious was her most natural reaction.

Being betrayed once was enough but due to that Sarada was scared to trust people that weren't Chō-Chō. Even though she interacted with Mitsuki, Sumire and Shikadai as a fellow club member, Sarada was unable to trust them completely.

When did she start to trust Boruto and developed feelings that weren't something which Sarada would label as friendship? Sarada till this day could recall stuff Boruto said to her during these past few months.

"Are you sure about that? No matter how strong you are it is nice to have someone worrying about your well being."

"That's a really awesome dream, ya know!"

"You can always stick to me, ya know! I mean to stick with all club members, hehe."

"Hahahahaha! An alien! I'm not a handsome and popular guy in your eyes, but an alien! It's the first time a girl thinks I'm coming from another planet, ya know? It's hilarious!"

Boruto is quite a smooth talker, isn't he? Out of context, those lines sound strange. No wonder she ended up loving him. It's this annoying idiot fault, not hers.

Suddenly, a light tap on her shoulder interrupted her thoughts. She couldn't help but jump slightly.

"Are you alright, Sarada? You seem kind of absent right now, ya know?" It was Boruto. He's the person that is responsible for all her mixed up emotions

"B-Boruto! Don't scare me like that ever again. Please." Sarada came back to her usual composure. The more nervous she was, the calmer she appeared in front of others.

"Did I scare you? Sorry, I can't tell because you don't look scared at all." Boruto almost looked like an angel with that relaxed smile.

"Yes, I was startled. Besides, it doesn't matter how I look." She hoped this answer was good enough. Sarada knew her judgement towards Boruto behaviour is clouded. Especially, after realising how handsome he is in this moment.

"What a waste, ya know..." Boruto muttered averting his blue eyes.

"Eh, a waste?!" Sarada didn't know why he made this comment. Was he trying to make her misunderstand something?

"I mean I think you should care more about how you look, ya know? I'm not talking about something extreme, but it would be nice if you sometimes dressed up. I really know you would be pretty if you smile more, Sarada."

Sarada eyes widened. Boruto's words really struck her heart, so she looked into his eyes and smiled. It wasn't sarcastic smirk, it wasn't a forced happy expression, it was her most real and sincere smile.

"Thank you, Boruto. It doesn't change the fact you're annoying." Sarada said, ignoring a small blush forming on Boruto's cheeks.

"Y-yeah... By the way, I realised that I forgot to give you an address to my house. We still need to know when we should meet to buy you a new phone, ya know?" Boruto spoke as fast as possible throwing in her direction the small paper. And after that, he disappeared from her like flash of lightning.

Sarada took this little scrap of paper in her hand and decided to read it. Boruto's house was really close to the cat alley she liked to go. Oh, whatever she'll pretend she's not jealous of Boruto running skills at all and forgives him now for deserting her.

 

 ・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

At home, Sarada was like usual alone. She decided to read her favourite mystery novel that she got into. Though, her plans were quickly disturbed by her mom coming back. Did something happen?

"Mom?! I thought you had a shift today?" Sarada questioned her beautiful mother, Sakura.

"Did I surprise you, Sarada? I took the day off today." Sakura responded with a kind smile.

"A little bit. Last time when you suddenly came back we didn't have a pleasant conversation." Sarada remembered her mom was against her being a member of a club she participated in.

"Sarada. I'm still against you being in a club that involves gambling." Sakura sighed silently wishing this issue could finish fast. She wanted to spend time with her daughter in the same way as before. Without this tense atmosphere.

"I know." Sarada covered her face with a book just not to show her sadness. Her mom was stressed enough, even without her causing problems.

"You should quit." Sakura walked over and took a book from her daughter's hands. Honestly speaking she should have this conversation with her one month ago.

"I'm sorry, but I don't plan on quitting anytime soon, mom. I know you think this club can bring for me painful memories. However, being a member of this club made me more happy than sad." Sarada started to tell mom her reasons. She should speak sooner about her feelings. Maybe if she explained her reasons calmly before, her mother would be less stressed.

"Happy? Grandma Tsunade was happy too, but look like she ended up. Dear, I don't want for you to end up hurt. Can't you see I'm doing it for your sake?" Sakura mentioned Tsunade. It was painful for her to use the name of her mentor in this sort of way. Tsunade died pursuing her dream, the dream Sarada wanted to fulfil.

"Yes, happy. I moved on, mom. Of course, thinking about the past is painful, but that's it. It's the past." Sarada looked into her mother's emerald eyes. Her mom looked exhausted but still decided to have this honest heart-to-heart talk. It made Sarada incredibly happy.

"Are you sure you're okay, Sarada? I don't want to see you looking lifeless again." Sakura patted Sarada head lightly. Why people close to Sarada have the urge to pat her head?!

"I'm sure. I moved on and you should too, mom. Oh, and I don't know if I want to be definitely the owner of a travelling casino. Dreams can change, ya know?" Sarada imitated Boruto speaking habit. His influence on her was one of the reasons she used it.

"Is that so? I think you resemble someone I know a lot right now." Sakura teased confused at her words, Sarada.

"I do?" Sarada asked trying to get her mystery novel book back from her mom's hands.

"Yes, you do. Did you meet some new friends in the club perhaps?" Sakura smirked realising why her daughter didn't want to quit the club right now.

"I did. To be honest, joining this club made me feel less lonely. Boruto is really a great friend." Sarada decided not to mention Boruto was the person she had a crush on. Her mom was too much eager to listen about teenage romance stories.

"Boruto, you mean Boruto Uzumaki? Naruto Uzumaki son?" Sakura mouth formed a little 'o' in her surprise.

"Yes? He's the president of our club." Her causal answer made her mother laugh.

"Who would have thought Naruto son is more responsible than him. That's hilarious." Sakura had small tears in the corner of her eyes from this apparently funny situation.

"You know Boruto's father?" Maybe it seems like she pried too much into her mom private life, but the rumours in the school were making Sarada nervous.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. However, if Boruto Uzumaki is the club president half of my worries can disappear." Sakura concluded having a little bit of joy seeing confused expression on her daughter's face.

"So I don't need to quit the club and can still be Boruto's friend?" Sarada asked quite unsure how Sakura will answer.

"Yes, but I'm still against you gambling in any way." And with those words, Sakura started to talk about her work as well plan of spending her day off with Sarada.

Sarada was glad the heavy air between her and Sakura has lifted. It was quite a while when she enjoyed spending time with her mother just like today. It was one of the best days of her life.

 

 ・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

Boruto felt strange since yesterday. Seeing Sarada smile was really rare. He didn't know what caused this reaction, but now was seating next to Mitsuki and Shikadai in the clubroom.

"Girls are complicated and scary." Mitsuki started the topic with a heavy sigh.

"You just say it right now because of Sumire and Chō-Chō avoiding you, don't you? What a drag." Shikadai said while closing his eyes.

"No, not really I sorted it out with them yesterday. All three of us decided to be friends after I explained my circumstances. I was talking about Sarada completely charming her way into Boruto's heart." Damn you Mitsuki! It was the only words Boruto could think as an answer to his friend that changed the subject to Sarada.

Sarada smile popped into his head. She looked beautiful when she smiled. Any reasonable guy would want to put her in the cage and protect her seeing how awesome she looks when she smiles. Being this cute should be forbidden.

"Sarada? I'm her friend right now, ya know?" Boruto forced himself saying those words. For some reason, they didn't feel right to him.

"Troublesome. Every member of this club knew you wanted to be Sarada's friend. It was obvious. But what do you think about Sarada now?" For the sake of their friendship from childhood, Shikadai wanted to help Boruto in any way he can. He owes it for hurting him that day, after all.

"She's cute, I guess?" Boruto had a big grin when he told them his opinion. Mitsuki and Shikadai sighed in the mutual understanding of the hopeless case of Boruto’s denial. It wasn't surprising for Shikadai. Boruto probably didn't want to get hurt by a girl again.

"Why do you think she's cute? A lot of students think it's hard to deal with Sarada and calls her Ice Queen, you know?" Shikadai wondered. Sarada looked more like the girl that would murder you with one stare than looking cute.

"She's cute when she smiles? And Sarada isn't that hard to deal with when you get to know her a little bit better, ya know!" Boruto tone was very cheerful like he told them something they didn't know.

"Ahh, it's troublesome. If your fangirls heard you right now, Sarada would be probably killed." Shikadai wanted to sleep but helping Boruto was now his priority. It's not like his friend wasn't aware of his own feelings, he was just too stubborn to admit how he feels.

"Eh?! But my fangirls are afraid of Sarada, ya know? They ran away in fear after seeing her." Boruto statement made Shikadai sigh much more than before. Mitsuki just stared at the clubroom wall with a creepy smile showing on his face.

"I think you and Sarada would make a nice couple." Mitsuki chimed in after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence. Boruto started to fake coughing and cursing Mitsuki brutal honesty.

"No way! Not to mention the fact I don't know if I can trust any girl in terms of dating." Like Shikadai thought that was the main root of Boruto denying the possibility of having feelings for Sarada.

At that moment door to the clubroom opened and Sarada entered the room. That was kind of awkward since they were still talking about her.

"So why you don't trust any girls in terms of dating, Boruto?" Sarada question made them really uncomfortable. Did she hear everything?

"Oh, Sarada how long you were here?" Boruto let out a nervous chuckle.

"I just came here and heard something about you having problems to get a girlfriend." Was it Shikadai imagination or did Sarada is jealous? Oh boy, they screwed up in talking about it in the clubroom.

"Kind of, ya know? It's tied more to my own personal problem than wanting to get into the relationship." Boruto answered truthfully.

"Is it tied to the question I asked you during the Sports Festival?" After some thought, Sarada whispered not being sure if she's ready to hear Boruto response.

"It is, ya know. Bringing up Asami Kinoshita and how I got into the gaming is always hard." Boruto averted his gaze from Sarada. It was a stupid move to mention his ex-girlfriend. However, Sarada eyes widened in surprise like she discovered something unusual.

"Asami Kinoshita?! That Asami Kinoshita?! Is she the root of the problems happening in our club?" Sarada outburst was really out of place. She spoke like if she knew Asami too.

"Sarada... You know Asami?" Boruto complexion looked pale. If Sarada knows Asami was she a participant in that game tournament year ago? Shikadai looked like he ate something unpleasant hearing Asami name. Mitsuki, on the other hand, was confused.

"I do, though I can say I wish I didn't know her at all." Sarada words could make anyone shiver in fear.

"Really? That's a surprise, ya know? Want to hear how I got into the gaming from the start?" Boruto voice lacked his usual energy, but Sarada nodded. She was curious about it not too long ago.

"Yes." It was the only answer she could give.

"Are you alright with it Shikadai?" Boruto looked at Shikadai before he got a thumbs up it's okay from him. Mitsuki at the same time thought him fading into the background was a great idea for now.

"You can start. I will listen." Sarada tried to process this unexpected situation calmly.

"Asami was my girlfriend and at that time was the person I cherished, ya know?" Boruto smile was warm, but his eyes looked like he was in pain.

What was this feeling of uneasiness in Sarada's heart? Sarada hated the smile that appeared on Boruto's face every time he mentioned Asami name. However, it didn't matter how she felt. She needed to hear this story. Especially, if it involved Asami.

Sarada promised Chō-Chō to discover the truth. Listening to this story will lead her to this discovery. No more excuses! She just needed to prepare her heart to hear everything from Boruto personally. She needed to know the truth from him and not anyone else.

Because she loved him.  

Chapter 18: Chapter Seventeen

Konoha High, One Year ago:

This is the story about the four people that made a mistake. First was too much naive in seeking a place to belong to, the second couldn't pick between love or friendship, the third blinded by their pride and the fourth that was the cause of it all.

Now when they think about it, it was just a mere coincidence that all three of them ended up in the same classroom. Whether it could be a fortunate one, or not is up to debate.

Boruto's assigned class was the class "C". He could feel the sense of dread about his upcoming high school life. As the principal son, he for sure will face prejudice or people approaching him with nasty intentions.

Walking towards the classroom assigned for the class "C", a faint scent of vanilla made the trip through bland hallway much more bearable. Decorations along the way were tasteless just like his dad.

Surprisingly the classroom he entered looked approximately normal. Empty desks, blackboard stained with charcoal and pleasant view through the seats next to windows. What brought his attention were two familiar figures writing something on the blackboard.

"Sumire and Shikadai…" he whispered in his state of shock. Boruto had a conviction they chose a different school, so why they were here? Deep in his thoughts about their reasons, he stopped paying attention to his surroundings.

"B-Boruto? I didn't know you were in the same class!" Class rep sudden shout startled him. He missed the moment when both she and Shikadai recognised his presence.

"Shouldn't I be more surprised you're both here, ya know?" he asked. Boruto's suspicions about them being here had a valid reason. Both Sumire and Shikadai supposedly planned to go to 'Suna High.'

"What a drag… Sumire should give you an explanation, not me." Shikadai couldn't stop his yawn. Yup, his childhood friend was talkative like no one ever was.

"Konoha High was our second pick on the list, can't you remember?" The sigh class rep let out started to hurt his personal pride.

"Now that you mention it I remember something like that, ya know! So Sumire do you plan to be a class rep in high school too?" What with that unimpressed gaze from Shikadai?! 'Class Rep' nickname was in danger if Sumire won't want to be one! It would be convenient if she is because she's used in dealing with his mischief.

"I don't know if I will. Maybe?" Sumire tilted her head in an overly-cute way. Damn, she saw through him like he was some sort of open book. 'Class Rep' could be really scary sometimes.

"Please, be class rep this year too! Without you being class rep when you're here everything can feel off, ya know?" How awkward of him to spell this out loud. It's too much big of favour since the 'class rep' didn't have any obligation to listen to his plea.

"My close friend from Suna was nervous about transferring to the city, so I ended up here. Though, it's troublesome," mumbled Shikadai. That was the nice life-saver! As expected from his childhood bro that could tell how ridiculous his conversation with 'class rep' was.

"Oh, really? Introduce me to your friend someday, ya know!" Pretending to be excited, Boruto jumped as high he could. Crashing onto the floor wasn't the best first impression he did on the rest of slowly coming into the classroom his future classmates. But the thought that two of his friends being here was reassuring.

At that time feigning ignorance to his naivety and still seeking out for a place that he belongs to. He hurt just his own feelings in the end.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

Sumire considered Shikadai just as a mere acquaintance. Of course, she was astonished when she met him nearby the school building. After all, didn't he plan to enter Suna High just like her?

Setting aside the small chat that she had with her old friends and hiding her 'real' reason to be a student here, she spaced out during class rep election. Boruto's begging from before apparently had an effect of the promotional school election campaign. She won the votes from her classmates without doing anything. That irritated her to no end.

It's true that she always was 'class rep.' However, being one this year sounded boring. Even a small change in her position would be nice. At this point, she was stuck to the stigma of a 'class rep' forever.'

Echo of the school bell annoyed her more. But it was a sign that the time to meet Shikadai's friend is coming soon. During their talk, the guy asked her to accompany him because 'Asami' didn't have a lot of female friends. Sumire agreed for the old times' sake.

Walking into cafeteria filled with the smell of freshly baked bread, Sumire somehow noticed Shikadai waving towards her to join the table. Next to him was sitting slender looking girl that had green eyes and the long wavy platinum-blonde hair. Was it Asami? She looked similar to a doll with a bubbly personality than the real human. Maybe she shouldn't judge her based on the first impression?

"Hi, Shikadai! I g-guess that's the friend you talked about, right?" Sure, she stammered a little bit because she's nervous around meeting new people. But gathering the courage to join the table where both Shikadai and the doll-like person were sitting wasn't easy for Sumire Kakei. At least not now.

"Oh, it's a person I talked about to you, Asami. That's Sumire Kakei, Sumire the person sitting next to me is Asami Kinoshita." Shikadai eyes seemed to sparkle when introducing his 'friend' from Suna. Friend, right? For Sumire, it looked more like a one-sided crush. Nara wagging his puppy tail for that girl wasn't something she expected.

"Nice to meet you, Lisa! Do you have speech problems?" Asami spoke up. The whole doll-like image Sumire had of her suddenly shattered to pieces.

"I'm Sumire, not Lisa. And my speech shouldn't concern you," she responded. All her willpower went into stopping herself in saying something ruder.

Sumire disliked Asami thinking of her as the person that had the sweet, innocent facade that went completely unnoticed by no one in school. Oh, stupid comments about her upbringing coming from Asami's mouth played a large part in it too.

Due to her too much prideful personality and an open-dislike for the girl, Sumire's warnings were not considered. If something else happened that day…

Maybe the warning she gave would have more meaning. And everything could change. But Sumire's personal pride got in the way.

The only thing Sumire Kakei wanted to know till this day is the entire truth. The truth about the girl that hurt her close friend.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

Boruto ran away from his fangirls. Those girls were crazy and dedicated to tail him that far.

"They're just after me cause of my parents, aren't they? Being in the centre of attention sucks," he whispered. He was sure nobody will hear him here. After all, that's his favourite hiding place.

"Oh, you're the guy… Boruto Uzumaki!" Boruto recognised the owner of this voice. Was he so out of it he didn't notice the girl sitting in front of him?!

"Asami, what are you doing here?" he inquired. Maybe it was the stupid thing to do, but at this moment he didn't care about it.

"Sitting as you can see! Is there something wrong? You look really like a beaten puppy right now." Asami shook her head in worry. How pathetic. Being an optimist was his speciality, not this girl.

"I just feel overwhelmed by the other people putting high expectations around me, ya know? It doesn't help I don't know what to do either," his small confession and feelings he hid until now came out.

"Oh, I mean every person feels down sometimes. You're just a human like me! Aren't you good at gaming?" Asami started to spin as if some idea popped into her head. What is she? A ballerina? And when she got into a position to be his personal counsellor?!

"I like to play in games, but I wouldn't call myself a professional gamer." For a moment he forgot how bad he's feeling.

"Why do you not to try to take part in the upcoming gaming tournament? I feel you have a knack for it!" she clenched her hands into fists. Did he really give an image of a professional gamer? The idea itself wasn't that bad.

"If you think I have a knack for it, why not? I can even be the president of the club for people that enjoy playing games, ya know!" Maybe he acted too hasty, but for some reason need to impress this girl won over his any remaining doubts.

"See? You still have reason to live for the future." Asami made a peace sign. He really appreciated the gesture she did to try to improve his bad mood. It was the first time when he let someone see him in this state.

After their first real conversation, they started meeting up in Boruto's hiding spot. Talking about various things and the future plans involving gaming was in his daily routine now. It's no wonder he fell in love. He even successfully could be called Asami's boyfriend.

That's how they all met her. And that's how Boruto love for her was the cause of everything that happened.

"Did you hear, Shikadai? Boruto started to date Asami!" Sumire felt an obligation to inform him about this shocking news.

Shikadai shrugged. "It's a drag… I'm happy for them, really."

That was obviously a lie, but Sumire didn't plan to give up. Something was wrong with that 'Asami' girl.

"I'm telling you something is wrong with your so-called friend! Can you at least listen to my warnings?" It's the only hope she had for Shikadai to take action and warn Boruto too. But her words weren't enough.

Because Shikadai couldn't pick either love or friendship. Both were a precious gem for him. His inability in choosing sides hurt every party.

"Can you stop, Sumire? I know you dislike Asami, but it's not really your business. Stick your nose into something else, okay?" Due to mixed up emotions welling up inside of him, Shikadai got unreasonably mad.

That day friendship that could form between them came to a halt. Sumire stopped her usual mornings' greetings directed at Shikadai, and he started to ignore her as well.

All three of them were just fools back then.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

Boruto was really nervous that day. He somehow managed to convince both Sumire and Shikadai to join his club and the gaming tournament.

All those cameras around made him extremely nervous. There was a lot of the clubs competing and gathering at different gaming tables, or sometimes even fancy platforms. A place where the audience could watch his matches from a safe distance, for sure didn't make him feel calm

Maybe that's why he bumped into a girl with short jet-black hair and red glasses. He shouted out his apology, but it seems she completely ignored him.

The feeling of anxiety passed when Boruto started to play with his competition. His club destroyed all the others on various games. It was so humiliating for those losers that a break was announced due to some complication about some 'cheater'. Well, that so-called cheater wasn't a person he took an interest in.

Walking towards the backstage when the short break started, suddenly he froze. He couldn't believe what was transpiring in front of him.

Asami kissed flustered Shikadai that pushed her away. They were screaming. At some point, she cried. Boruto stopped to care, his mind went blank. All the things he believed in his best friend, girlfriend and future shattered. And the sudden realisation struck. Asami was using him, she wanted to get closer to Shikadai, not him.

His personal feelings, the fear of being used were now true. And that hurt like someone cut his heart in half. That pain was so real he'll never forget it.

"A-Asami, S-Shikadai…" Boruto cried out to them. His friend and girlfriend expressions were terrified. Like he's some kind of monster. Why? Was he really that selfish? Naive? So incompetent in love that his friend and person he loved betrayed his trust?

Asami knew about his fear of being used. And she took advantage of that knowledge. He couldn't forgive her, even if he could try. Never. In the end, he broke up with her for Shikadai's sake too. Because it doesn't matter if Shikadai betrays his trust, he was still his childhood friend.

Running away from them and giving up in the tournament was the main action he took afterwards. Even if losing meant he'd never announce to everyone Asami was his girlfriend, or give her a surprise he planned. Everything he did had no meaning. Eh? Were those tears that are falling on his cheeks?

Feelings can be indeed cruel sometimes. That's the conclusion Boruto Uzumaki arrived at after some time passed and he received a letter from Asami.

Dear Boruto and Dai!

I owe an honest apology to you both. I didn't want to hurt anyone, but I guess it couldn't be helped in the end.

The president of Boruto's Fanclub learned about me having a crush on Shikadai and the secret talks I had with Boruto. At first, it was nothing major, but later I got dangerous threats telling me what to do.

I was so scared that I did everything I was instructed to do. Terrible things. Like accusing that one poor girl as a cheater and leading you all on.

I'm really sorry! Please forgive me… I won't show up in your lives anymore too, so let's all move on.

PS - Don't show this letter to Sumire. She already disliked me, so what's the point?

From wishing you good luck, Asami.

The content of the letter helped him and Shikadai to move on. They didn't tell Sumire about what happened between them. Later on, their old friend Chō-Chō and a completely new member joined the club. But the pain and the past grudges remained till this day.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

Back to the Present Day:

"That's the whole story." Boruto summed everything up being grateful Sarada, Mitsuki and Sumire were patient listeners.

"Uwawa! You should tell me about the letter, even if you knew about my dislike towards the girl." Sumire couldn't help but comment bitterly. Instead of being secretive, everything would get resolved if they talked to her from the start.

"You're quite scary when you mad. It's a drag," Shikadai put his input about events that happened in the past. But he sensed Boruto wanted to ask Sarada something important right now.

"Hey, Sarada… You said you know Asami. How exactly you're connected to her?" Boruto tried to calm down. Telling a story about his emotional scars wasn't easy for him.

"I'm the accused cheater. Asami approached me under the guise of friendship and framed for cheating during the tournament. We were… close friends." That's all Sarada had to say about the girl. She forgave Asami Kinoshita long ago. Holding a grudge now was pointless. But the feeling of betrayal would always linger.

"I see… I'm sorry," said Boruto with a warm smile. He even walked up to her and stroked her hair to show he's really sorry. It made Sarada incredibly embarrassed. At this point she suspected patting her was the new hobby that he desperately looked for in the past.

"I-It's not your fault." This situation was bad for her heart. Every time Asami name was mentioned, Boruto smiled.

Sarada hated it. She wanted to be the person that makes him smile in that way. Not some another girl! At the same time, she hated herself for being jealous too. God, she needs help. Boruto was just too kind and handsome.

"Thank you." Boruto response pulled at her heartstrings more. She needed to change the subject. Think Sarada, think! Before your cheeks will turn as red like tomatoes.

"So what about the game tournament this year? Do you want to participate?" Sumire question was a life-saver. She needs to say 'thank you' to her later.

"I have nothing against it, but my mom will." It was the truth.

"That's okay. This day is exhausting. Let's meet up tomorrow. You can flirt with Boruto later," she winked in her direction. Wha-What? Wasn't Sumire on her side?! Not being able to look any club member in the eye Sarada exited the clubroom.

And that's when she remembered about the bet. The bet that didn't have any progress. Eh, she promised to buy a new phone together with Boruto tomorrow before she got engaged in a story he was telling!

Was it a date?

That type of delusions flew into her thoughts. It's official if it continues she'll turn into Chō-Chō. But if that's possible… She wanted to help Boruto to heal from his pain.

Chapter 19: Chapter Eighteen

It had to stop. Those hallucinations and dreams about Boruto had to stop! In Sarada's mind, it suddenly made sense why her friend behaves over-the-top when she thinks she's in love. Sarada had no responsibility to heal Boruto from his emotional scars just because of him helping her feel better.

Love was scary. That's the thought that appears when her expectations and stupid things invade her mind. Sarada managed to avoid Boruto just for one day. Not that it mattered, since she would go to buy a new mobile phone with him today. As much as her inner feelings were a total mess, there's no way for her to avoid him without appearing fickle. Not to mention, right after they both talked it out and agreed to be friends.

"Pull yourself together, Sarada! You started like Boruto for Boruto not a dream version of him." Yes, that's right. In the moments of confusion about what's happening with her usual stoic behaviour, Sarada used these words to remind herself why she's head-over-heels for the guy in the first place. 

Taking the fancy red shirt, knee-length black skirt and espadrilles in her hands was natural for Sarada. She wasn't over-thinking what to wear. At least tried not to, since her meeting with Boruto wasn't supposed to be a date. But the two friends casually meeting with each other. Just friends. 

Sarada always tried to plan how to use her time to prepare. Maybe that's why she was ready to go out relatively quickly, so her appearing first in the school as well clubroom wasn't anything new. With a stoic expression on her face, no-one could guess how nervous she's feeling.

Boruto arrived early to Sarada's surprise. He wore the same clothes he wears every day. She felt relief that she didn't overdo it while picking what to wear this morning. 

"Good afternoon, Boruto," she greeted him first. Usually, he was the one initiating conversations with her. A small change in their daily interaction wouldn't hurt. Her dying on the inside after discovering her feelings towards him was a different issue.

Boruto couldn't hide his stupid grin, "Hey, Sarada. It's a different atmosphere you're displaying today. Did something good happen?" 

Sarada only response was silence. Different atmosphere? What he's trying to imply here? Did she appear that snobbish to him? Why she's caring how Boruto views her a lot recently? Before she didn't care about this kind of things. 

"No. I just wanted to greet you in a friendly manner first. That's all. Thank you for telling me what happened between you and Asami yesterday." At first, she felt jealous Boruto talked about this girl so highly considering she was the reason why Sarada got labelled as 'cheater'. Nevertheless, the past was the past. Holding a grudge was quite childish on her part after all.

"I see! Ya know, it's feeling quite refreshing to me too." Right? Sarada noded in an understanding. It's not only her greeting him that was refreshing, but more relaxed atmosphere between them too. Considering all the elements of their relationship and the strange tension every time they had a conversation with each other, feeling relaxed felt good.

"I indeed feel our relationship improved a lot in comparison to how we were treating each other when we met," she laughed at the memory of anger she displayed because of her destroyed smartphone. Laughing wasn't something she did often. That cosy, comfortable feeling in Boruto’s presence was probably the cause of it all. This feeling of safety overwhelmed her like a fire truck. It almost felt too awesome to be real. And at the same time scary. Just like love.

"We're better friends, but our bet never got solved. The lack of progress on either side is disappointing somehow, ya know?" Boruto shook his head. The lack of progress was indeed disappointing for her too. Four months of trying to discover something without any result was tiring her out.

"True. Are you sure we should investigate this case separately? It amounted to nothing so far," she sighed.

"Oh, I have an amazing idea!" Sarada covered her ears. She might have a soft spot for Boruto, but it doesn't mean her ears didn't hurt from him raising the volume of his voice.

"You do?" She accidentally winked in his direction. She couldn't help it. That reaction was subconscious! Her brain and strange dreams messed up her natural self. She's Sarada Uchiha! The girl that natural expression was serious resting bitch face. Even the person she likes was confused by her action.

"I do! Why won't we meet with our respective family members to figure this out, ya know? Like a joint lunch, or something like that?!" Boruto clapped excitedly 'praising' his genius. Sarada suspected he was weak to compliments quite a while ago. Joint lunch, eh? It would be possible. Mom mentioned that dad should come back home not too long ago to her. She was just occupied by her feelings towards Boruto, so it slipped out from her memory.

"That's quite the quacksome idea!" Sarada replied. Messing up the word awesome was one thing due to her nervousness. Not realising she did it after the deed was done and Boruto was lying on the floor with uncontrollable laughter was another.

"Ahem!" Boruto stood up. "Sorry, I shouldn't laugh that long," he corrected himself.

"Don't apologise. It makes me feel worse for messing up basic vocabulary." Ahh, what a terrible way to look cool in front of her crush.

"When I can come over to your house?" she asked. Her conversational skills are lacking, but being near Boruto give her sensation of hugging her favourite pillow. Was it the feeling of being on the cloud nine that happens when you're in love? That one phase Chō-Chō always says she has while being in 'love' with someone? Sarada was confused about so many conflicted emotions passing through her head during these past few weeks.

"Today should be okay. Ya know, my mom doesn't mind that much when my friends visit without invitation. I think it's different for your parents?" Boruto jolted out from his seat and packed all documents into his small bag. All of the papers couldn't fit in, so he faced a terrible struggle when those papers landed on the floor. Why he's avoiding to look at her? Perhaps, he's just too busy with picking up these documents.

"Hold on a minute. What about us going to the store to buy the new phone for me?" Even if she's in love, she preferred to buy a new phone sooner rather than later. Being love-struck does not equal to being an unreasonable person. Perhaps. It could always be part of her personality to be level-headed and remembering the anger she felt when her phone crashed while meeting Boruto did make her come back to her senses.

"I forgot about that! Why don't we change our plans and go buy it on Thursday? Thursdays are great, ya know? They have promotions on Thursdays!" Promotions? Was he trying to save money for something? It's the first time she heard his voice crack. 

"Alright. That plan seems good to me." To not pressure him on why he's acting so weird she agreed to his proposition. Eh? Doesn't that mean she's visiting his house today? That's too sudden! And exciting in some way. Sarada was curious about his personal interests. 

"I'll call mom, ya know? Enjoy the tasty food made by her for me, kay Sarada?!" Boruto said. At least he somehow packed all of his school paperwork inside his bag. Now he struggled with closing it. Sarada started to understand why Mitsuki is watching Boruto so much. Even while doing boring stuff he's doing it entertainingly. 

"I know it's a great plan, but my mom thinks I'm going out to buy a new phone today. I need to ask her for permission before coming over. And I for one cannot inform her by using my own phone." At least if he’d not borrow to her his own to make a call. That's what she wanted to suggest in a friendly manner. Tried to. Maybe she gives him too much arrogant impression? Or worse? She's not the type the girl he would date?! No! Behaving like Chō-Chō now is a bad idea. Stop illusions in her brain. Just stop. Dating Boruto is like an invitation to a big package with a bold font that has the word 'trouble' written all over it. Well, she's just starting to accepting it to some degree.  

"I see. So you just need to make a quick call, right? There ya go!" Boruto took out a phone from his pocket and handed it to her without questioning any ulterior motives she could possibly have. That means he trusts her not to throw it on the floor in the act of revenge? Anyway, Sarada quickly made a call. After resolving issues with her mom, receiving permission from her felt strange.

"My mom gave me the thumbs up. Saying something about wishing me good luck, or something like that?" Sarada was confused by her mom cheerful tone on the other side of the phone. Giving back phone to Boruto before he accuses her of going through his personal messages, this issue was settled.

"That's cool! Are you ready to taste food from heaven?" he asked. 

She was ready! Time to go pay visit and see where Boruto lives.  

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・  

 

On the way to visit Boruto in his house, he was strangely quiet. Sarada then settled to walk next to him in comfortable silence. Besides, he looked very nervous for some reason. She decided to ask about what bothers him later since now she was hungry.

Arriving at the place of their destination, she observed Boruto's house looks similar to her own from the outside. How was it possible she never bumped into him, when he lived nearby?

"Mom, I'm home! My friend came over today too.”

The doors to Uzumaki household was opened by his mom, Hinata. Sarada needed to admit that Boruto's mom had an impressive hearing if she could hear him shouting from the spot they were currently standing in.

"Oh, you should tell me before that you invited a young girl, Boruto!" Hinata looked at her son with worry. Was she thinking she's Boruto... Girlfriend, or something? The inner panic-struck Sarada's heart, she wasn't ready to face overprotective mothers, the lack of training in that aspect was the wall she needed to overcome now. Her social skills were terrible and dealing with moms of the friends she had, was the last thing on Sarada's list to do.

She barely was being on good terms with her own mom. Their honest talk happened not too long ago, and Sarada still felt distant from her.

"Umm... Hello, Mrs Hinata. I'm Sarada, it's pleasant to meet you," she said to avoid announcing herself as Boruto's girlfriend.

"Yeah, yeah. Now that my friend introduced herself, can we come in?" Boruto interrupted them.

Feeling grateful he wanted to make her comfortable around his mom, Sarada smiled. Just one of the many things she loved about him.

After entering the house, Boruto's mom turned into a great host, showing her around various rooms and telling where are all the things she can use. Surprisingly, they had a small chat with each other, so in exchange, Sarada found out she had a lot in common with Mrs Hinata.

Meanwhile, Boruto was sulking saying something about 'life not being fair', as well 'starting to get along too fast.' 

Sarada pretended not to hear these comments.  

 

"Forgive me if it's rude to ask," Mrs Hinata looked at her in a deep thought. "Do you have feelings for my son?"

Sarada went quiet. How she should answer this question?! She didn't want to insult someone by accident, because of her poor way of using words.

Hinata just nodded seeing her reaction as if it told her everything. Were her feelings that easy to notice?! At this point, Sarada wouldn't be surprised if she saw her face was red like tomatoes she hates.

"I doll, I mean I do, I mean..." her ability to speak vanished.

"Don't worry, I won't tell him." Hinata laughed. "Besides, he's clearly jealous I'm stealing your attention. Go talk to Boruto before he starts to complain his friend ignores him." 

"Alright." 

Feeling relived Sarada bowed to Hinata and went over to Boruto. She needed to admit that she liked the interior of the house. Setting a lot of plants aside, the rest of the house looked cleaner than her own room. 

 

"Boruto." 

"Who's speaking?" 

"Me. You invited me here, or is your memory that flawed?" Sarada wanted to scream at how petty he was right now. She didn't have a choice but to talk with his mom. Avoiding misunderstandings about their current relationship was important.  

"My memory is perfect, ya know. Thank you very much."

"Stop being so petty. You're my friend, aren't you?" She started to grow frustrated with his sulking. It wasn't the typical frustration she usually felt. That was on another whole level. New, unknown, thrilling. Sarada had no idea how to deal with these new, sometimes overwhelming whirlwind of feelings. Experiencing them took a toll on her everyday life. 

"I'm not petty!" he objected.

"Yes, you are!" she raised her voice. What the hell happened with his good mood from before? 

"Oh, so even you can get upset, ya know?" Did he try to test her patience? That's so underhanded. 

"That wasn't funny," she whispered. Boruto gaze always gave her impression as if he could read her mind. The deepest thoughts she hides from this world and even herself. Once, it went to the point she suspected he could see her feelings towards him.

 

Friends?

 

This was a lie she was telling to herself. There's no way she can be just a friend to him. Especially with all those feelings flooding her mind.

"I'm sorry. I actually am worried about you, ya know?" Worried? Why? She's in perfect health today.

"Worried? Why?" Her words echoed her thoughts. 

"Well, you see... I'm worried about how you express yourself." he let out a nervous chuckle. "You are keeping to yourself too much. It's not a bad thing, believe me! It's just I feel you hold back on expressing yourself. That's not healthy in the long run, ya know? 

Sarada paused to think about what was said by him. Three to four months ago, for sure she would ignore his words. Not now. Now, when she had all these feelings confusing her, and without outlet she can rely on. Talking about her problems with someone else about not knowing how to express emotions, never crossed her mind. 

"I don't know how to." Yes, she didn't know how to make herself clear. 

"You don't know how to do what?" Boruto was waiting for her answer. 

"How to act around overprotective mothers, or talk to people without scaring them. I don't know how to show my feelings! I just don't!" To be honest, she nearly cried but stopped herself. She didn't want to make a scene in front of Boruto's family. 

"Hey, Sarada. Look at me." Boruto gently placed his hands on her shoulders. The sense of familiarity washed over her. She looked up. His beautiful blue eyes were oddly calming and his soft-looking lips... Was it wrong  wanting to try to kiss him right now? 

Startled by what she intended to do, she promptly backed away. 

"Let's talk about it later. I don't think the time and place is right." She nervously tried to run away from this confrontation. That wasn't the time to unleash her repressed emotions on him and to think she was thinking about kissing him in front of his mother! 

"Fine, let's go eat. Lunch should be ready." Boruto shook his head, he seemed disappointed. 

Ah, instead of asking what was bothering him, she ended up making him worried. 

Stupid teenage hormones. 

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

Boruto feeling nervous while sitting next to Sarada was the understatement of the year.  This entire morning he tried to not overreact to Sarada's sudden change in behaviour.

At the same time, he liked this change. Sarada looked more relaxed around him. For a while, he thought she needs someone to call her out on holding her feelings back. He had no idea why. It was just important for him to confront her about it himself. There were moments where he really enjoyed being around her too.

Back then, when Sarada nearly embraced him that closeness wasn't something he disliked.  He liked the warm look in her black eyes, the smell of her strawberry shampoo and caring banter they had before the moment died down.  

Boruto asked himself the question of what would happen if he and Sarada were there alone. His little "what if?" question.  

He scowled in displeasure about not ever learning the answer.

"Mrs Hinata the food is delicious. Boruto was right about it tasting like heaven!" He noted down in his mind that Sarada had good contact with his mom. It was better to avoid trouble from these two getting along.

"Oh, thank you, dear. My son here pretends to be very picky about complimenting my cooking, you know?" Oh, boy. He hoped it wouldn’t turn into 'time to embarrass Boruto' afternoon.  

Who's kidding? It totally would. Both mom and Sarada could be really fierce. At least, when they want to. Good thing Himawari still didn't come back from her art lessons. Boruto wasn't sure if he could survive all three of them being in one room and ganging up on him.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

Despite emotional turmoil, Sarada faced it was fun to spend lunch with Boruto and his mom. Coming back to her own house, made this happy feeling slowly fade. Generally speaking, she had a good day. 

So why she was feeling like she wasted her chance? 

Nevermind, she just needs to open the door to her own house and rest. Dreams about Boruto were enabling her to sleep properly. However, instead of hallucinations, she’d dream about that she tried to kiss him in front of his mom. No biggie. 

"Hn.." 

Wait, that voice coming from the inside of an house…  was not her mom. Did she forget about something?  

That's right! Dad was supposed to come back soon, but she never expected this one to be the day he returned. In a frenzy, Sarada quickly unlocked door to see her dad sit on the couch in the living room.  

"Papa, welcome home!" she shouted from excitement and pulled him into an affectionate hug. Some things never change. 

"I missed you too, Sarada." As always her papa was a man that would choose silence over speaking. She didn't mind, who knows when she has a chance to see him again?  

"Mom should say you'll come back today! I wouldn't go over to eat lunch with Boruto then!" Sarada complained while a small smile appeared on the face of the middle-aged man.  

Sasuke Uchiha, even though older still was quite handsome at his age. The only thing betraying him were glimpses of grey hair strands or torn up clothes. 

"Who's Boruto?" Sasuke questioned.  

"He's a good friend and president of the club I'm a member of. You know Naruto Uzumaki, the principal of our school? Boruto is his son." Sarada wasn't sure why she was telling all these little details. Perhaps, she wanted for papa to see Boruto in a more positive light, or her crush went above being 'crush' long ago?  

"Naruto’s son? Invite him over for lunch at our house this week."  

"Eh, why, papa?" The request coming from her papa was strange.  Well, she should just agree to do that for now. It's not like her dad wants to kill Boruto after all, he just wants to meet him.  

Sarada didn't understand why her papa showed interest in inviting Boruto over after she told him he's the principal son. But it can be the piece of the puzzle they need to learn the truth about messages between her mom and Boruto's dad.  

In her distraction, she slammed her body onto the cupboard. Nicely decorated green box, suddenly fallen on her feet. Ouch. The box for sure belonged to her mother, but it was a letter that stuck out that caught her attention. 

What was it? Should she call Boruto to come over? Maybe it contains the truth they need to decide the winner of their bet?

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・ 

 

One day later, Boruto and his entire family came over to  Uchiha household. Adults started to exchange polite greetings with each other. Meanwhile, Sarada concocted a plan to pull Boruto into her room to talk about their bet in private. 

Luckily, it looked like the excuse she'd provide was easy to deduce. Boruto parents and her own seemed to know each other and maybe wanted to talk without the presence of children.

Blurting out the excuse about catching up with Boruto, she landed with him in her room. She regretted not pulling with her Himawari too, but she needed talk to the blond without interruptions.  

"Your room looks like a library, ya know!" Boruto eyes focused on every bookshelf she had in the room. Sarada tried not to scream in annoyance. They had more urgent matters right now.

"Were you aware our parents knew each other?" She needed to know the answer. Because if he did it meant he was lying to her from the start. She would hate it. Hate it so much that he was lying in front of her. Especially after she decided to put trust in him and his offer of friendship.

"Nope, I had no clue up until now."

Sarada felt relief. He wasn't lying! She just suspected the worst and was overthinking the entire situation.

"Good to know, since I had no idea either.  Papa decided to invite your family over so suddenly without explaining himself," she pondered the strange situation when it was dad's idea to invite someone over. He usually preferred a small company of people.

"Is the reason you called me still actual?" Boruto eyed her with this 'I'm worried about you' expression he always had when he was thinking she's sad.

"Yes. I found a pretty blue box behind a cupboard in the living room. I hid it in my room for us to look inside the content." Sarada hoped the bad feeling she had about what is inside, disappear.

"Are you sure you want to do that? We can always forfeit our bet if it's too much for you, ya know?" She could sense Boruto was feeling nervous too.

"Yes."

As much guilt she felt by going through her mom personal belongings, Sarada wanted to know what's inside. Taking the few deep breaths and reassured by Boruto presence, Sarada decided to open this Pandora Box.

It was too late to regret her actions.

Notes:

Hello, everyone!

I admit I overestimated how many scenes I could fit into this chapter. It came out longer than I excepted and I had to move some of the planned scenes to the chapter nineteen. I made minor changes for those scenes to suit the story more, so that's all. I was surprised to see I would reach nearly 4k words with this chapter.

I am doing better after the treadmill accident too. I didn't want to finish on such cliffhanger, but life. Rest is the same as usual.

Your clumsy author, Karinrumi :)

Chapter 20: Chapter Nineteen

With trembling hands, she opened the blue box that belonged to her mom to look into what's inside. Pretty stationery was sticking out. 

Multiple letters.  

Some of them were empty, some of them were scribbled all over with her mom's favourite black pen. But that meant the note Boruto found three months ago was real. Sarada couldn't deny evidence she held in her hands. No, she should calm down. It's not like she knows what's written in them, right? For all, she knows the rumours she heard could be baseless, and her mom is a friend of Boruto's father. Their parents seemed to know each other for some reason. All of that could be just her being unnecessarily paranoid.

Dear Naruto

Meet me today at our usual place. Don't let Hinata or anybody know about it, you know what I mean, right? Anyway, I'm counting on you!

Sakura Uchiha

 

Sarada recognised the words written in the first letter she took out. That was the same one Boruto pulled out three months ago and based their bet on it. She decided to ignore Boruto was peeking out from behind her shoulder since he was an involved party just like her.

 

Dear Sakura 

 

Got it! I promise to arrive on time, believe it! Are you sure you're alright without Sasuke around? I can always call him to come back for you, ya know. 

Naruto 

 

"Call back for dad? What for?" Sarada wondered out aloud.

"Maybe my dad, your mom and dad formed the love triangle in the past? Wouldn't surprise me, really." Boruto chimed in jokingly. 

"Shush. There's more," she said, curious to see the entire exchange. 

 

Dear Naruto 

I am sorry Hinata heard those stupid rumours. I went to explain to her everything personally.  I cannot blame her for that considering all three of us were in an open-relationship before because I wanted to make my current husband jealous. We all did stupid things when we were teenagers, right?

Thank you for keeping your promise. And no. You don't need to call Sasuke. We're not teenagers anymore focus on your family, okay? 

Sakura

 

"I was right, ya know! In some way. The love triangle part happened with your mom and my parents. Isn't that awkward?" 

Sarada was too shocked by obtaining this information behind her mom's back. She expected many things. That maybe her mom had a secret romance with Boruto's father, that maybe there's the hidden reason why she's so upset when she hears about the dream Sarada and her grandma shared. Not that Boruto's parents and her mom were in the poly-relationship as teenagers! 

"It is awkward," she responded, still shocked by the things she recently learned about her mother. 

Sarada felt incredibly bad for not asking her mom about everything in person and snooping around her stuff. But who could blame her? It wasn't Sarada's fault that her mom had a bad habit of hiding the family past.  

It hurts she always needed to discover events hidden from her by herself.  Sarada hated her family was so-secretive sometimes. Both mama and papa supposedly did it to spare her feelings, but it had an opposite effect. 

Dear Sakura 

Guilt-tripping again, eh? We all did stupid things as a teenagers, but I don't think the whole experience was negative. We are where we are because of it, right? Besides, it looks like my son is getting along with your daughter well. Both you and Hinata should meet up and explain everything to each other. I have a feeling we all meet soon considering our children are friends, ya know? We can talk about granny death in detail in person later, got it? I feel bad hiding our small letter exchange from Hinata. I don't want to make her angry.

Naruto

 

Sarada slid the letters to their respective envelopes and looked at Boruto to relax. "Let's stop reading these letters. I am feeling bad about reading our parents' private correspondence." 

"I am shocked about some things written in here too. Mom never mentioned to me anything she did as a teenager, even if I asked her a few times." Boruto added still staring at her small collection of books

"Are you interested in borrowing a book from me?" she questioned him.

"Ahh, no. I just like how neatly those books are put." That was the weakest excuse Sarada heard coming from Boruto. Something was up, and she never had a chance to ask what was bothering him. Consumed by her own feelings, she decided to move that subject for later. However,  they were alone in her room now, so that's her only chance to ask him what's up straight up. 

"Hey, what's wrong? You space out a lot lately. Are you feeling alright?" She didn't try to sound incredibly worried, but lack-of-communication with other people for so long made it an impossible task.  

"It's nothing serious," he paused and directed his gaze at her. "Sarada, you have something you want to do in the future, right? Why you want to pursue that dream?"  

"To make my grandma's wish come true. It's the only thing that was left to me after she died. You can think it's stupid, but I've never moved on after her death. I feel like making our dream come true can give me a sense of closure." Granny death has shaken her pretty hard. When Sarada thought about this, it was around that time she stopped talking to other people besides Chō-Chō.  She only spoke with her club members and teachers afterwards. Rest of the students were afraid of her, or just not noticed she exist.  

"That's an awesome dream, ya know! Personally, I don't know what to do in the future, or with myself after I graduate. All the talks about plans for the future just makes me feel pressured, and in the end, I am unable to choose the path I want to walk on. The whole too-cool-for school act just paints me as a popular troublemaker, " he sighed, sharing his worries with her as if it was the most natural thing to do.

Sarada wanted to embrace him, tell him it's alright, and she'd help him find the dream he wanted to pursue. That people would stop seeing him as a troublemaker sooner or later. Like she did and had fallen in love with him.

Would he like to hear it from her? Boruto was popular at school, a lot of girls confessed to him daily. There's no way she could compare to them. Although, he's kind Boruto was way out of her league. 

"There's some time for you to think before we graduate, or you can always accept the position of my future assistant! I need a lot of help if I want to pursue my dream too," she said. It wasn't what she really wanted to do, but Sarada hoped her words cheered him up. Just like he always did it for her, even without knowing about it. 

"Thank you, Sarada," his smile came back, and she drowned in his beautiful blue eyes again. She needed to redo the Uchiha family training from the scratch. Staying composed around Boruto was starting to get harder for her as of lately.  

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・  

 

Boruto felt like a heavy burden left him. He spent so much on creating his 'cool'  persona, so he rarely talked about his worries. Most of the time, people didn't take him for the type that would be serious about the future.  That's why being near Sarada was like the breath of the fresh air. 

"Glad to help you," Sarada said, the concern still visible on her face. It's probably the first time he was cheered up by a person that wasn't his family member nowadays. 

"By the way... Are you sure it's okay for me to be in your room for so long?"  Boruto pointed out, feeling suddenly self-conscious of what he was implying. 

"Yes? Is there something wrong with my room?" she tilted her head in the way she always did when he said something that was confusing to her.  

Sarada was the type of girl that interacted more with books than people. He shouldn't be surprised she didn't catch on his implications, or that he enjoyed teasing her so much to see how dense she could be.  Her reddening cheeks every time he called her 'Lady, Meow, Meow'  were adorable to see.   

"Not at all, ya know! I like how neatly you lined up the books, but I think I've told you that already?"  He needed to distract her somehow and just have fun. Having a fun time with Sarada helped him a lot recently. 

"Oh, no, no, no, no! This is a disaster!" she shouted, pointing at the box where the letters they read were inside. They weren't allowed to take this box, not to mention see the content inside.  

"Don't panic, Sarada! I have a great idea about what to do with this small issue. You don't have to worry about anything, ya know," he reassured her. His idea wasn't that dangerous.   

"I don't like how smug you look right now. I think you came up with the idea I won't like."   

"Where is your sense of adventure? Jumping out from the window in your room and hiding the box outside isn't that bad. I'll catch you, kay?" Boruto had too much fun seeing how an expression on Sarada face turned from annoyed to terrified.  

"Are you crazy?! There's no way I am jumping out of my window!" she shrieked out. Was he that much of a bully when he liked spending time with his friends? The answer was a resounding 'yes'.   

"Don't worry, I am reasonably crazy," he decided to smile, hoping that he can put his plan into action. 

Before Sarada had a chance, he ran up to her and snatched her into his arms. He gave her the box with the letters too when he was close to the window. Luckily for him, it was open, so climbing up on the windowsill wasn't that big of a problem. Faster than lighting, he jumped through the window still securely holding Sarada that let out the loudest scream in the entire history of their friendship. Just like Boruto predicted they landed safely nearby some trees. He decided to hold Sarada in his arms longer, considering how pale she was after the sudden jumping. 

"See? I told you I am reasonably crazy." Boruto knew he played with fire here. However, it was so amusing to see the new expressions Sarada showed to him lately.  

"You are a moron! I thought I will die and you'll drop me down at the last minute!" The tears streamed down her cheeks. Damn. He didn't intend to make her cry.  

"I am sorry. But isn't this whole experience valuable? Now we know that when we're jumping through the windows, I won't ever let you down!" he said, gently putting Sarada on the ground and giving her a head pat to calm her down.  

"Let's hide the box somewhere. I didn't survive this whole ordeal for it to turn out to be useless!" Uh-oh, he made her angry, or maybe not? Maybe she likes him more than she admits and his words made her embarrassed. Ha! In his dreams.  

"Yeah, let's hide it."   

And so they did, the box that gained the nickname of 'I cannot believe we jumped through my window'  from pretty shook Sarada because of Boruto executing his crazy idea.  

"I don't understand why you have fangirls with that type of character," Sarada muttered, the night sky reflecting her beauty.  

"Because I am great. Though, I don't care about fangirls opinions that much." Boruto cared just about the opinion of people that were close to him, he just left it unsaid unable to tell her such cheesy words.    

"I thought so before too. That I don't care about the opinion of strangers, but by meeting you, I very soon discovered I lied to myself." Sarada's confessing something so personal wasn't an usual occurrence. 

Boruto strangely didn't feel surprised by her sudden talkative mood. They both put it aside but were equally shocked by their parents hiding so many things written in those letters.  Sliding into friendship mode they had, delayed the matters they had eventually face head-on. Like having an honest conversation with the family members, finding something he wants to do in the future, supporting Sarada, overcoming his fears towards the commitments in romantic relationships... All of this was honestly overwhelming and tiring.  

Maybe that's why he wanted for Sarada to open-up to him so badly. He needed a person he can freely open up to without consuming him fear that his trust will be betrayed. Boruto knew his friends had his back, but his friendship with Shikadai and the rest of the group didn't feel the same after his break-up with Asami. Well, an exception was Mitsuki that joined the club after those events.  

He was hopeless, wasn't he? Allowing for this irrational fear to get in the way of his friendship with Sarada. How could she open-up and trust him when he couldn't do it in return? Running away from his problems by jumping through the window together with Sarada cannot solve anything. She was right, he really was a moron.  

"You lied to yourself? Really? What made you realise you were lying to yourself?" he asked, hiding his own inner struggle.  

"Boruto, you know? Once I asked myself about the meaning of feelings." Sarada hands were shaking when she averted her eyes from him. "I was thinking it wasn't worth it. Acting on something unreliable as emotions... But I-I...," her sudden outburst didn't finish yet.  

She looked preoccupied to convey what she means to him without lying. Boruto couldn't help but feel glad about it. That she wanted to be honest with him of all people in her life.  

At the same time, a pang of guilt hit him when listening to her words. Wasn’t that something he wanted? For her to open up to him and not holding any punches? But what if she bottled so many things inside he wasn't aware of until now? What if she hates him for being a bad friend? Does Sarada really think her personal feelings wouldn’t matter to him, or anyone else?  

His heart ached.  

"I was taught by you to be honest with how I really feel and to act based on those emotions. Stop lying to myself I don't feel them. Being straightforward is something I admire about you." Her smile was like a wave that washed away all of his worries.   

"Hey, Sarada?" Boruto longed to say these words to her for a long time. His cheeks heated up, hearing she admired him for being reckless. Gathering the courage to say something so cheesy wasn't like him at all! 

"Yes?" 

"Can we stand next to each other a little longer? I am glad out of all the people I've met you're my friend." Just a little while longer he wanted to savour the moment, where the feeling of peacefulness, remained in his heart. 

"Sure, I am glad out of all the people I've met you ended up as my friend too."  

Sarada's answer filled him with an unknown source of happiness. He didn't mind they would probably get a solid scolding from everything they did today from their parents.   He wanted to stay here with her just a little longer, since having her by his side felt like he could face anything he worried about head-on.  That feeling of blissfulness was the reason he realised he wanted to protect her. 

This realisation made that peaceful moment more special to him. God, he really was an idiot. But that's a secret he doesn't plan to tell anyone anytime soon.

Notes:

Hello, everyone!

This chapter is dedicated to all of my readers. ;) I cannot believe we're on the chapter nineteen. Soon we enter the round number of twenty! Thank you for your support now and in the future.

Your Clumsy Author - Karinrumi ;)

Chapter 21: Chapter Twenty

Blissful silence accompanied them outside the house.

She had never felt the need to open up to anyone. The new friendships she made were the result of her annoyance with Boruto. It wasn't a bad feeling, putting trust in someone else.

Past months made her realise a lot of things. Her parent's secrets, the bet, the hardships of liking someone else, everything influenced her greatly.

Even what they discovered today didn't stop a feeling of euphoria, the euphoria Boruto's opening up to her to the point they can stand next to each other without a single word.

"Let's go back inside," she decided to destroy this moment, despite her overflowing emotions. Sarada didn't want to waste time she could use to spend with her papa since she didn't see him for so long.

"Yeah... We're jumping into the trouble, ya know? I'm not sure your mom will be happy with what we did," Boruto let out a sigh and followed her inside the Uchiha's residence.

They were already in boiling water for jumping out of the window from her room. Her mom is terrifying when anything related to her safety was concerned.

"I do," she nodded.

"Are you sure it doesn't make you uncomfortable?"

"Why would it? It's not like I'm the only one in trouble." Sarada considered her answer lacked something, so she added, "Well, I can always pin the blame on you. It's not like your reputation will suffer from you causing mischief. You already have a proven track record for bringing problems."

"Hey, you wound my heart, ya know!"

"Get used to it. You'll develop enough tolerance now when you're my friend."

"Best friend?"

"No, that's Chō-Chō's privilege. I sincerely doubt you can provide me with the same level of entertainment."

"Ouch. My heart is in pieces, my soul utterly shattered with realisation Sarada is heartless," Boruto acted with a few dramatic poses along the way.

"..."

"I'm joking, joking! Don't give me the silent treatment."

"Pftt... You're funny. Let's hide the box and go inside."

Sarada made sure the box is well hidden. She'd try to put it back when she's sure her parents won't be home. Trailing behind Boruto, she also entered the living room from outside.

The scene she saw was surreal. She has considered it strange that Boruto's parents were getting along with her family. She wouldn't believe it if she didn't see it with her own eyes.

It made her feel uneasy.

If mom and papa hid from her something so simple, what else did they hide from her? Not only her but Boruto too.

The adults in the room didn't even notice their presence. Maybe they were worrying for nothing since all of them were too immersed in conversation.

There's also something else that worried her. Why it's so hard to open up to Boruto? She feels at ease around him, trusts him, even changed her initial impression after seeing his kindness.

So why?

Why she's unable to honestly tell him about Asami, Uncle Itachi, or even grandma Tsunade?

Boruto was nothing but honest to her, while she's unable to be. Should she reach out to him more? Maybe she doesn't do enough.

What should she cling to before it's too late? Was it the sign she wants to change or need the change?

She had no idea, but she knew that pursuing the path that will lead her to that change wasn't blocked by anyone except her own pride.

"Mom, papa, it's pretty late," she said, pushing her anxiety aside at the moment.

"Oh, that's what happens when you have over a decade to catch up on!" Her mom was hugging papa, appearing a lot more cheerful.

Sarada dismissed her smile would diminish the moment papa starts his travels again. The sudden shift in her stance on her attending the club was alarming too. She did it only after learning Boruto's the club president.

Weird.

Papa was in a good mood and wanted to invite Boruto over too when she mentioned him.

That's not that surprising when you accept their families know each other. However, why their demeanour changed so much during these moments?

Something was off, perhaps another secret she and Boruto had no idea about. Figures.

When it comes to family secrets, they're always hidden from her. Because she's too young to know anything since she wouldn’t  be able to take it well. That’s the official excuse she always received. Sarada overheard plenty of conversations that mentioned secrets, but what hurt her the most wasn't the truth - it was that these things were hidden in the first place.

"Hnn... Your son is way smarter than you were at this age," her papa commented towards Boruto's father.

"Hey! Your daughter is also kinder than you ever were!" Naruto shouted back, and Sarada flinched hearing his raised voice.

"Naruto!"

"Sasuke!"

Both of them shouted at the same time. The argument stopped after Mrs. Hinata whispered something quietly to her husband that made him stop.

Boruto's expression looked resigned and surprised at the childish behaviours of their dads. Sarada came to the conclusion that explained why they weren't scolded for jumping out of the window. They all were either too busy arguing, talking or gushing about how Himawari was a cute little angel.

Hmm... Was it just her or Bortuo's younger sister winked in her direction? It's like she knows something she doesn't. Her mom and papa talked for a while with Boruto about something as well.

Sarada sighed. She had enough of secrets and secretive people for today.

"Boruto!" she called out to him.

"Yes?" he smiled while his body trembled.

"Was my dad saying something to you?" she asked.

"Nah, he's a cool person. We're getting along just fine. Reminds me of you, Sarada. Grumpy on the outside but a softie on the inside." Boruto let out an awkward laugh. "It's your mom that's scary, ya know?" he added after making sure her mom wasn’t able to hear him.

"What do you mean?" she pressed him on further.

"Well, I have a gut feeling she's not too happy we're friends."

Sarada could guess why that's the case but nodded and thanked him for his opinion. She needed to confront mom about her attending the club soon. Her mom was fine with her attending club now, but it doesn't mean she wouldn’t change her stance later.

After all, it wasn't the first time when her mom shifted her attitude without any warning signs. She already did it a lot before their fight.

When she yawned more than three times, everyone decided it's time for the entire dinner to end.

"Don't worry about it, see you tomorrow!" she said to Boruto, feeling extremely sleepy.  

Despite all of the secrets and her mini-adventure with Boruto, she decided to push any negative thoughts she had for later. 

Notes:

Hey everyone!

GoF is ending... Not ending! Hahh, I'll try to explain everything. I decided to update the shortened chapter 20 after some serious thoughts. I'm very thankful for all of your comments, messages etc. they really made my day and kept me going. :) I edited Prologue-Chapter 2 in silence, while trying my best to take into consideration feedback I've got.

I was at low-point thinking I should stop writing GoF, or put it into adoption since my worries overwhelemed me. I did get out of this mindset and try to get better with positive outlooks. This chapter comes out shorter than intended for one reason, the second part fits into chapter 21 a lot nicer.

As for my personal wellbeing — it sucks.

My dad had passed away from a heart attack 1-2 months ago, I got over it now. I try not to bring my irl problems in ANs, but I admit they contributed greatly with everything. The amount of stress I've felt resurfaced my problems with health again, although my main worries are about someone's else safety due to private circumstances. When I distance yourself from them, it can probably turn into a story with plenty of trigger warnings like gaslighting etc., hah.

To end on a positive note, I'm coming back with weekly update schedule! Woo-hoo. Stay tuned for chapters during Fridays-Saturdays. :)

Sincerely Yours - Karinrumi :)

Chapter 22: Twenty One

The latest family dinner and private conversation with Boruto left Sarada alone with her thoughts. She was dying to tell someone about her recent surge of emotions. On her way to the club, she noticed Mitsuki spacing off for an unknown reason. What's he doing? He should enter the clubroom instead of blocking the entrance.

"Why are you blocking the door and not entering inside?" she asked.

"Shh!" Mitsuki put an index finger on his lips. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to talk with you. Let's go somewhere else."

Sarada nodded in confusion, curious about where they were heading. She remembered her promise to Chō-Chō. Her focus ended up on Boruto, but she still had to help resolve the problems between other club members. A wave of regret hit her. She neglected to help sort out their conflicts, as she initially pledged. Hearing Mitsuki out now should count as the first step towards fulfilling it.

They ended up in the courtyard behind the school building. Mitsuki grabbed her hand and led her to sit on the first bench they found. Sarada used her hand to play with her hair, fidgeting slightly. She wished Boruto or Chō-Chō were with her here. In their presence, she avoids slipping into her old habits. It was like her past social-interaction track record stopped mattering.

How long does Mitsuki plans to stay silent?

The conversations always flow naturally with Chō-Chō.

The subject moves to their hobbies with Sumire.

She felt at ease with Boruto. He was the club president. Regardless of her early attitude towards him, he often included her in group activities.

None of the above applied to Mitsuki. They're  bound to have some common ground, right?

"Do you wish to talk now or what?" Sarada broke the silence.

"Yes. I have a question for you."

"Go ahead, Mitsuki."

"You love Boruto, right?"

At first, Sarada thought she had misheard him. He threw this line out of the blue, as if he was talking about the weather instead of saying she loves someone in that situation.

"Why you're asking?" She fired the question back at him.

Sarada needed to know if her mind was playing a trick on her.

"You're a girl unlike me. Your insight is something I need in my situation."

"Aren't you closer to Chō-Chō or Sumire? If you need a girl's opinion, they're a good choice."

"It makes little sense to consult them when they're the ones involved." Mitsuki smiled.

"Ah," she gasped, hit with a sudden understanding. "Is it related to the fight at Sports Festival? The one Boruto tried to intervene in?"

Sarada tried not to scowl at the memory. She remembered her panic when Boruto asked her to help him and the way she let him down in her bout of anxiety. That she made him potentially upset, then realised her growing feelings. The worst part of the day was the group fight.

"Yes. I knew you'd be the best person to reach out for this case."

"Alright, I'll listen to what bothers you." Sarada smiled to reassure him.

"I was confessed to," he said while she nodded, allowing him to continue. "I rejected them both too, but..."

"But?" Sarada's curiosity piqued.

"They're my close friends, unlike people I rejected before."

That's what bothers him? Sarada wasn't an expert in the subject of romance, but wasn’t  rejecting them both better than leading them on? Giving them false hope would be cruel, more so than the pain of rejection. At least that's what she thinks.

"What's the difference? In both scenarios, you either hurt someone else's feelings or give them the needed closure to move on. Why does it bother you?" Sarada pried further.

She either missed something, or her approach to giving him advice had a blind spot.

"That might be the case, but you risk more responding to feelings of someone you consider a friend, compared to someone you consider a stranger."

Ah, that was what she missed. She shouldn't focus too much on the perspective of the rejected party.

The person, which perspective she'd need to focus on, was the one that rejected their feelings instead. It wasn't a realisation she felt proud of, considering that should be her approach from the start.

"Are you afraid your rejection made a rift in your friendship with them?" she asked, wondering if it hurt Mitsuki to reject the love of his close friends.

How would Boruto feel if he rejected her feelings? Not that she'd confess. She was too afraid to make any move. Sarada wasn't even sure if it was love or fleeting fascination. She thinks it's love, but maybe she misidentified it for love instead?

"You're right, I'm afraid they'll stop seeing me as their friend, now that things soured between us," Mitsuki sighed.

"Let it rest for a while, and your friendship won't feel awkward anymore."

Sarada wasn't sure if she tried to convince him or herself that everything could turn back to normal.

"You think so?" Mitsuki sounded hopeful, and Sarada would hate to crush that hope.

"Yes. As long as you all put in the effort to maintain your friendship, even feelings that are fresh and hurt them now can turn into fond memories in the future." Sarada paused, realising the weight of her words.

If she'd put in enough effort to express herself and talk to others, perhaps... She'd have more fond memories in life.

"I think I understand. Kinda. Human emotions are so complicated." Mitsuki smiled while mouthing 'thank you,' and walked away.

Her first conversation with Mitsuki outside of the clubroom was exhausting. It helped reevaluate her own feelings, too.

Perhaps she should put more effort into expressing herself to everyone close to her. She moved on from the past, right?

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

Sarada retraced her steps back to the clubroom, but earlier meeting with Mitsuki weighed on her mind. She wasn't aware Chō-Chō saw him in a romantic light. Warning signs appeared. Silly jokes fired off at her the other day about her friend's attraction to him made sense. Hell, she's sure they were direct, too. She focused too much on herself to notice.

She sighed. There were people she required to speak to, setting aside her personal turmoil. Chō-Chō was first on that list. She desired to hear the girls out before deciding what to do next.

Sarada was grateful for Chō-Chō's request a few months ago. They needed to clear things up on her side. Back then, despite her biased judgement, she accepted to join the club to fulfil the initial favour.

Was it viable her friend knew everything? Impossible, right? She ought to ask her a lot of questions now.

Opening the door, she found Chō-Chō was already sitting on a chair in the clubroom. Her friend held a teenage magazine in her hands, seemingly absorbed in reading it. Sarada silently crept up on her, taking the magazine away.

"Hey!" Chō-Chō pouted, crossing her arms off. "I got to the interesting part!"

"Hello to you too."

"Stop with that smug grin, Sarada!"

"What grin? Are you sure you're paying attention to me?"

"I do! Ugh, what do you want, you devil?!"

"Serious conversation with you. Right now. I'll give you your magazine back once we're finished."

Sarada knew she reeled Chō-Chō in like a fish on a hook. Her friend groaned, in the end sighing in defeat.

"Fine. You're no fun, Uchiha!"

Well, while she hooked her in, Chō-Chō was in a grumpy mood today. Perfect. That should speed up the matter.

"My pleasure, Akimichi. Are we alone now?" Sarada asked.

"Yes. Boruto messaged me he'll be late today. Shikadai and Sumire are stuck helping the club supervisor at the moment. No idea where Mitsuki is."

That cleared up everyone's whereabouts for Sarada.

"Ah. I bumped into him earlier. We split off in opposite directions. It's unlikely he'll attend today."

Chō-Chō avoided eye contact with her at the mention of Mitsuki. His rejection hit her hard, huh?

"Anyway," Sarada picked up from where she left off. "Let us move on to the subject."

"Hurry up, Sarada. I want to continue what I was doing one minute ago." Chō-Chō began tapping the desk with her thumb.

"Impatient much?" she teased her, then moved to the point. "When you requested for me to help our club, did you know Boruto knew Asami too?"

Sarada wanted to know the answer. Chō-Chō widened her eyes in surprise at the question.

"Why you want to know?"

"Just give me an answer."

"Yes, I knew. That's why I asked you for help. Are you satisfied now?"

"No." Sarada was far from satisfied. It left her with more questions than answers about Chō-Chō's motives.

"Figures. Are you mad at me for hiding it from you?"

"Of course I am! You know what happened in the past!"

"I know what happened, but not the full details, Sarada. You weren't keen on sharing them, remember?" Chō-Chō snorted.

"That's a fair point, but if I knew Boruto dated her in the past, then I- "

"Then you'd avoid him more than you already did. Admit it, Sarada. You're only confronting me about this now because you've changed."

It was a hard pill to swallow, but Chō-Chō was right. Sarada would avoid Boruto with more vigilance if she knew his past involved Asami. She did attempt to avoid meeting him since the Game Tournament. He didn't remember seeing her there, but she knew he was the participant there back then... No. She shouldn't dwell on the past any longer than necessary.

"Is it bad I've changed?"

"Not really. I think it's a change in a good direction."

"I see, then there's no problem, even if I'd prefer to know your real motives for asking me to help."

"Well, aside from telling you small white lies here and there, I was honest about everything else. I omitted certain details too. I didn't tell you about Boruto being the club president or Asami being involved, but can you blame me? You'd interrogate me like you're doing now."

"I cannot deny your claims." Sarada looked away. Aside from her being a bit upset, it cleared up some of her doubts. "You can have your magazine back."

Sarada gave back the magazine to Chō-Chō, the girl was evidently happy this conversation ended. Asking her friend about her crush on Mitsuki needs to wait until they're both in a better mood.

"Do you plan to wait for Boruto?" Chō-Chō lifted her gaze away from the magazine she got back.

"Yes. That's obvious I will." Sarada responded. A giggle escaped her friend's lips.

"Confess to him before you get friend zoned!"

"W-WHAT?!" However, before Sarada had any other appropriate response, Chō-Chō dashed off outside of the clubroom.

"This girl is unbelievable!" Sarada screamed, left alone frustrated.

You cannot get friend-zoned if you don't plan on confessing, anyway! She answered in her mind, while waiting for Boruto.

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

Honestly, how long was she supposed to wait? What makes him so busy? That idiot!

Sarada walked in circles, not knowing what to do with herself. She fell for him, didn't she? Her past self would laugh at her. Judged her even for interacting with someone she tried to avoid.

"I am hopeless! It's not that I like him or anything. Totally. I'm not in love, not in love..." Her voice got lower with every word.

Sarada buried her head in the palms of her hands. She really was hopeless. Why does she keep on denying what she feels? It's not like Boruto was cruel. He was the opposite of that.

"It's all because of them! All those talks about love problems!" Sarada lifted her head to slap her cheeks. "Get a grip, Sarada. It's not like you at all."

She stopped pacing around the room. Yes, she admitted her feelings to herself. What happens when she says them out loud? There would be no escape route for her to turn to, right? Net of safety, she often clings to, called rules that wouldn’t  be there to help her from getting hurt, like the last time when Asami framed her.

Was abandoning that safety net the correct course of action?

Boruto's not Asami. What was she afraid of? She wants to know him better.

"I love Boruto. I can't deny it now out loud, can I?" she whispered to herself. Her attempt to bury her feelings for him failed.

She couldn’t hold back anymore. Getting it out in the open was weirdly liberating. Chō-Chō was right all along. She changed.

Sarada Uchiha was a mess. Lucky that Boruto didn't walk on her when she was talking to herself. She'd die from embarrassment. Huh, he really was late today, like Chō-Chō warned her. Should she stay or go home?

Boruto entered the clubroom holding a gift bag. Was it his reason for being late? Who does he plan to give it to? He put the bag carefully on the table and then noticed her presence.

Sarada, like a fool, waited for him longer than she planned. She perked up when she saw the person she was staying here for.

"Yo, Sarada, sorry I am late," he greeted her.

"No need to apologise," she answered. "I was waiting for you, knowing that you'll come late today." 

"Oh. That's nice, ya know! You're much more of a softie compared to my first impression of you."

"Hmph. What's that supposed to mean?!" Sarada frowned.

"Nothing bad, I swear! You're just more approachable compared to before." Boruto smiled sheepishly.

"If you say so." Sarada looked at the gift bag. "What's inside? I hope you don't mind me asking."

Boruto followed her gaze to the bag. He mumbled about forgetting to do something. Sarada had a fun time observing him jumping towards the object and taking something out of it.

A phone case and a box?

"Here for you!" Boruto inched closer to her, making her blush. He's too close!

"Thank you! Is that why you were late?"

"Yeah! Do you remember we were supposed to buy you a new phone? Well, we didn't do that, so I wanted to surprise you, ya know?"

"I completely forgot! Thank you so much!" Sarada was happy, so happy that she pulled him into a hug.

"L-let go, Sarada! You're killing me!"

"Ah, I'm sorry!" she said, pulling herself away from him.

"What's up with you today? You're usually calmer." Boruto raised his eyebrow.

"I just got excited. Won't happen again." She didn't intend to have a similar outburst of happiness anytime soon.

"Too bad. It's fun to see you smile." Boruto teased her, but she brushed it off.

"Before you ask, we're alone. The others already went home after they learned you'll be late."

"Aww. That's too bad. Let's just wrap up the meeting for today. Thank you for staying."

"No problem... Do you plan to give me your number?"

Right. Boruto bought her a phone. All the things like a charger were in the gift bag too. She'll take care of the rest and unpack everything at home.

"Oh, yeah. Here." He gave her a piece of paper with his contact info. Sarada thought he was adorable right now. Not that she'd tell him this.

"Well, with that settled, we had overcomed major roadblock between us, right?" She sighed. It felt like yesterday when they were at each other's throats.

"Looks like it." Boruto gave her a thumbs out. "Friends?"

"No," she answered, surprising herself. "Why don't we try to be more than friends? Would you like to go out on a date?"

Yes, Sarada Uchiha was a mess. Why did she say it? Stupid idea. She didn't even confess! Stupid love talks got her in a specific mood!

"EHHH?!" Boruto yelled while turning into a statue. "You're asking me out?!"

It looks like he didn't fully realise what was happening.

"Yes, I just invited you to date. Are you in or not?"

Once Sarada stepped down on her pride by fully accepting her feelings, there was no longer any brakes. Everything else depended on how Boruto will answer her.

Sarada Uchiha was officially a mess. It only occurred to her now she might've acted on her feelings for him too fast.

What she should do if he says no?!

Notes:

Hello, everyone!

During the last chapter update I wasn't in my best state of mind, but I did recover! Grieving process took me just longer than I anticipated. I did want to make this chapter longer than former one too, so we get a lot of (I hope) quality interactions with Sarada at the front!

If I predicted this right, GoF has a bunch of chapters to go to wrap stuff up, then the story should end up being completed this year! Woo-hoo! We're approaching the moments I am very excited for too.

I also did some stuff before posting the current update. Like making Carrd page with my update schedule. It's barebones for now, but here's the link:

 

Update Schedule

 

Check it out!

I do cross-post, but I took a lot of liking to A03, haha. Certain works of mine didn't even end up being cross-posted here either, since I'll get to it later. Eventually, I hope.

Before you ask me, I estimated the next chapter should be updated on July 1st or 4th. Same time, same day, same timezone.

As for this chapter. Upon proofreading/editing I realised this chapter has many fishing metaphors. 😂

Well, at least they're fun. With that said, thank you for supporting me this far!

Yours sincerely, Karinrumi :)

Chapter 23: Twenty Two

"Yes, I just invited you to date. Are you in or not?"

Boruto didn't recover from the initial shock at those words. Sarada invited him on a date?! Sure, they got closer, but he never imagined she'd see him in that light.

"S-sure, why not? A date with you sounds fun, ya know! You're not joking, right?" He blabbered, flustered.

"Hah?! I'm deadly serious! Why would I be joking?"

"Serious, yeah... I see."

"Hmph. I already said I am! It took half of my courage to ask you out. Don't brush it off as a joke." Sarada glared at him.

This entire conversation didn't happen in his imagination, but why him? Sarada could pick anyone to go on a date with in their club. Why ask him out of everyone? He should calm down. She didn't say she liked him, just invited him for a date.

What if she led him on? He'd not be able to deal with another person cheating on him. Was it fair to Sarada to make such an assumption? He didn't think so.

Until now, he denied he was her friend. Not to mention, the idea of dating her sounded abstract to him. No matter how abstract, it was his current reality, though.

"I get it's no joke! It's just why you picked me?" he asked.

"Simple. I'm only interested in you in this way. Process it." Sarada's determination could make anyone blush. He wasn't immune to her charm, either.

"I know I agreed, but where would we go?" he asked.

Boruto wondered where his date with Sarada would take place. What type of place she'd pick? Theatre seemed like an activity she'd enjoy, but there's a lot he didn't know about her.

It felt unfair. Sarada learned about his painful past. Everything he knew about her was on a surface level in comparison. That's why he agreed to go on this date. Part of him desired to know her better, too.

"Before I answer you. There's something I want to be sure of. Do you want to date me? I don't want you to feel pressured."

"Listen, Sarada. This is fine with me. I at least want to give it a shot, ya know? I'd not give you this answer if I didn't move on from Asami."

Sarada's reaction to Asami's name was weird. She bit her lip and opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, then stopped herself. Boruto sighed. He knew that girl was a touchy subject.

"Does that mean you like me? No, perhaps it's an opportunity for you to see me in a romantic light. Which one is it?" She sounded very hopeful.

Boruto didn't want to half-ass his answer. Was he ready to love someone else again? He couldn’t lie to her.

"The latter. You know how my last relationship ended, right? I'm sure I'll be able to return your feelings. I just need time. Can we take it slow? I hope you're alright with this."

"I guess that's not a surprise. It's decided then, Boruto Uzumaki. I need to show you how much I like you from now on." Her sudden boldness towards his response took him off guard. Well, this whole situation did.

Boruto knew he was definitely blushing. At least, he was happy she was alright with taking things at a slow pace. He did like Sarada a lot. But his paranoia of being cheated on again held him back.

Having a bit more trust in Sarada should be his priority right now. That was why he needed to know her better.

"I see. Coming back to the initial question, where are we going?"

"To the park! Let's go skating."

Skating? What type? Ice skating, roller skating, skateboarding, longboarding, or another type? He didn't take her for the one to enjoy this type of activity.

"Skating on what?"

"Roller blades, of course. Do you own a pair?"

"I tried a lot of skating related things. I own a pair of roller blades, but like my skateboard more. You're the roller blade type, huh?" He tapped her with his elbow to tease her.

Wasn't it an opportunity to get to know her better, anyway? He might as well try to continue his goal.

"Well, if you wanted to chill and enjoy the ride, you'd pick a longboard. Skateboarding means you enjoy the challenge of doing tricks, don't you? Suits a troublemaker like you."

"Hey, don't drag my troublemaker reputation into this! Roller blades suit your personality too, ya know? The in-line-straight-A student. Like the roller blade wheels."

"What?! Where did you get that impression?!"

"I don't know! From the same place where you got yours?!"

"Pfft..."

"Hahaha..."

"I thought asking you out would create the tense atmosphere. It seems we can be ourselves with no problems despite the tension. I am glad, Boruto."

"Yeah, so... see you tomorrow at the park!" he said.

"Yes, see you tomorrow! Don't forget to come. I'll call you."

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

To say she wasn't dying of embarrassment was an understatement. She was happy Boruto agreed to a date with her.

Does this mean she avoided the danger of the friendzone Chō-Chō mentioned?! She didn't think so. Sarada was nervous. Just because Boruto agreed on one date doesn't mean he'd agree to the next one.

"I'll need to show you how much I like you! Just watch me, I said. Ugh, I am such an idiot!" she muffled her scream while grabbing her pillow.

The only shimmering light in this whole date invitation event was that Boruto didn't outright reject her invitation while witnessing her saying everything with her resting bitch face.

She'd never live it down if she ended up calling Chō-Chō for dating advice after today.

Sarada set up everything on her new phone. She only had one saved contact at the moment. Her new phone worked properly. Should she call Boruto? She displayed too much bravado with him in person. Texting him was the safer option.

"Let's see... Don't forget to come to the park!" she sighed, deleting the message. She came across as too stiff.

Maybe something like:

It occurred to me that our families are both well off. Skating equipment of any type is pretty expensive.

The second idea sounded like she only cared about money. She didn't end up sending this one either.

In the end, that's what she wasted her send button on;

From: Sarada
To: Boruto

[Are you ready for tomorrow? Let's have fun! How about we race with each other to settle our initial bet and change the winning conditions?]

Why was she so bad at this?! She just wanted to be casual, not competitive. What if everything today was a dream? Well, it's too late when it already happened. Nervously waiting for a reply, Sarada stared intensely at her phone screen.

From: Boruto
To: Sarada

[I am ready. We're going to the park after school, right? What's your favourite colour? Oh, and I'll win that race, ya know! ]

From: Sarada
To: Boruto

[ Yes, after school. Red's my favourite one, yours? Ugh, you're so full of yourself. Ever considered I might be better?]

From: Boruto
To: Sarada

[ Gotcha! And pink is superior to red. Also to answer your last question—Did you ever consider I am even better than you? ]

From: Sarada
To: Boruto

[ LIES! Red is cooler. Favourite meal and dessert? And no, the possibility you're better than me never crossed my mind. How could it be? Perhaps the only thing I took into consideration is your incredibly high ego. ]

From: Boruto
To: Sarada

[ TRUTH! I'll defend pink as being cooler for eternity. Burgers. I'm fine with every dessert. You're just afraid to admit the truth that I am better. Hey, Sarada? There's something important I want to ask you tomorrow...]

From: Sarada
To: Boruto

[Tch. I will stand by red for eternity too! You probably already know, but I do like black tea-flavoured snacks. I am not admitting the truth because in your case, it's non-existent.

Oh. I've a hunch I know what you want to ask me. Don't worry, I'll answer anything serious to the best of my abilities in person. Let's continue messaging random things to each other for now...]

They did continue texting each other till 2 AM. Sarada couldn't help but giggle every time their conversation got more absurd. It gave her hope, hope that everything would work out in the end.

She'd show Boruto how much she loves him. The only issue was how she'd express it?

With worries like this, it's no wonder she overslept during the morning and went to school in a rush, but ended up being late.

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

This day passed so fast that their date was starting soon.

Boruto waited for Sarada in front of her house. His hands were shaking, and he questioned himself and his decision-making process.

Texting with Sarada was undeniably fun. Too much fun. That's what scared him. The last time he got seriously invested in it didn't end well.

All his nerves disappeared when he noticed Sarada going through the door and approaching him like usual.

"Boruto!" she shouted, wearing her skating gear. "Are you ready to lose?"

"I don't intend to, Sarada."

"If you say so... Before we start, let's talk about our bet."

Right, she mentioned changing the winning and losing conditions of it.

"Why do you want to change it? It's not like we discovered the truth yet, ya know?" he asked, sure the situation between them now vs before undergone change.

It meant she's too obvious now! Even the densest person in the world would pick up on her feelings when she's direct. It's just... He was too shy to face her directly in person, so text messages were better for his heart, at least at the moment. Boruto knew he'd not be able to avoid direct meetings with Sarada.

"The situation changed. I feel like we should discover the truth without bet being involved now."

"Makes sense. Winner of the race wins our initial bet, then?"

"Yes!" Sarada cheered and winked in his direction. He pretended he didn't notice it.

"Ready, set, go!"

After the signal, he went ahead, riding as fast as possible to the park. He intended to win this race. Fortunately, he knew a shortcut Sarada wasn't aware of. Roller blades weren't his preferred method of transport, but he still had an advantage.

Boruto arrived at their goal destination before Sarada. Her face at the sight of him when she got here was priceless.

"I won, Sarada!" he said with a triumphant grin.

"Boo! Impossible!" she pouted. He stopped himself from patting her head.

Today, he was weirdly self-conscious about it.

"I told you before, ya know? That I am better than you." Boruto said with a certain pride.

"And I told you it's just your high ego." she sighed. "You won, so what do you want as a prize?"

"That's easy! You need to answer anything I ask you for the entire month. Oh, and you can speak only the truth. Is that clear?" Boruto was happy to win because of the questions he intended to ask her.

"Fine. I settled our bet, so ask me anything," she answered.

"Glad you agree, Lady meow-meow."

"I agree to answer anything as long as you drop this pet name."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go sit down somewhere." He declared while gently taking her hand.

He let go of her hand right after he realised it was a bad idea. Boruto didn't want to have any accidents on their date.

It didn't take long to find a nice sitting spot. Great, now he could ask her everything he wanted to know.

"Sarada... Why did you get accused of cheating in the last Konoha's Gaming Tournament?" She knew his past directly from him. Now it's his turn.

"Hnn. I knew it'd come up, eventually. It's a long story." She laughed, but something was amiss. It didn't sound sincere at all.

"I've time to listen to a story of any length." Boruto tried to encourage her to open up to him.

"Back in the past, I loved games since they were replacing my feeling of loneliness with excitement and adrenaline. I was famous enough to be called Gambling Queen." she began while avoiding his gaze.

Was her past that painful? Boruto felt a bit of guilt for digging everything up now. Regardless, he wanted to know the truth from Sarada compared to an unreliable third party.

"Don't force yourself if you don't want to continue."

"No, it's fine. I am fine. Let's continue."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Where did I end up again? Everything went downhill when my granny died. Rumours about my mom cheating on dad started. Unable to bear with it, I dived deeper into gaming."

"You're feeling better now?" he questioned.

"Better than I did during that time, for sure."

"Please, continue."

"Sure. Anyway, when everything felt bleak, I met Asami."

He knew she met his ex, but something always shrouded circumstances in mystery.

"You weren't friends before?"

"No, didn't I tell you? She was the one responsible for me being framed. Do you know the worst part? I knew from the start what she was doing."

"You knew?"

"Yes, I let her do it to clear my mom's name. Do you really want to hear the rest?"

That entire story was completely unexpected. Boruto nodded. Having a feeling of what they would say next could influence where their relationship goes, depending on the truth.

Only... Why did that make him so uneasy?

Notes:

Hello, everyone!

I'm very sorry for the delay. I got a nasty cold and am still in middle of recovering from it. Anyway, here's the chapter. BoruSara Date part 1. We're diving into Sarada's past pretty soon too.

I hope that all of you enjoyed this chapter.

Sincerely yours, Karinrumi :)

Chapter 24: Chapter Twenty Three

It happened after the granny Tsunade died. That was a major blow for Sarada, who was spending most of her time with her. Life was like going through a hazy motion. Her parents were busy as ever, but it was the first time in a long while she felt lonely. Because of granny, she almost forgot about this feeling. Sarada made her meals alone, ate them in complete silence, went to school, or stayed at home either reading or studying by herself. She was going out only for necessities, helping her take care of the house.

Chō-Chō tried her best to cheer her up too, even if she was sometimes insensitive. Sarada appreciated the gesture, but it wasn't something that filled the void in her daily life.

Going through these motions didn't take long to become her regular daily routine. Occasionally, her mom appeared at home to talk with her. It was rare and never lasted long.

Sarada lived on an autopilot with no sense of joy. Even hobbies she used to enjoy filled her with emptiness.

Everyone seemed to move on from granny's death, except her. They told her it's time to move on, but it was happening too fast for her liking. She already cried her eyes out, yet her heart felt so empty it hurt.

That change in her didn't get unnoticed amongst her peers. Sarada was difficult to approach before, however the maintained distance made her completely unapproachable now. Only Chō-Chō bothered talking to her. It was limited, because of her friend's family going on a lot of trips.

Like the silence before the storm, Sarada was bound to snap if that continued, so her dad visited during her birthday and gave her a notebook with following rules to help her out.

Rule number one:

Always maintain your poker face. In any situation, you find yourself in. Especially facing rumours, or being confronted by them. If you're Uchiha — you don't care about them.

Rule number two:

Idiots are idiots, but since you're the Uchiha, you can't be one.

Rule number 3:

When you have a goal to reach, you reach it, despite what others may think. Ah, and never lose to someone else. No matter what.

Rule number 4:

Looking for a boyfriend is prohibited. Focus on your dreams. Guys are just an unnecessary waste of space, as well as your time.

Those rules became her safety blanket, something constant and adopted to her new routine. Occupied her mind in a way of easing some of her pain. Sarada slowly functioned better, yet the void in her heart remained.

However, the change came when she looked into her granny's things along with a dairy. Suddenly Sarada had a goal to fulfil the dream of her deceased family member. She found herself enjoying a lot of games in a variety of genres. Cards, tabletop games, video games, name it all. The thrill of betting suddenly filled in the missing void she felt for so long.

Sarada loved the rush of adrenaline she felt while betting with others. She got so good she was nominated as the 'Gambling Queen' and attended Konoha's Gaming Tournament frequently.

It was becoming an important part of her life. More than anything else happening in it. Looking back, that was where her relationship with her mom deteriorated further. Sarada stopped spending time cooped inside at home, having enough of waiting for someone to come back. That meant not bumping into her mom when she was there at home.

Her parents were worried when she was going out late at night, but didn't have a heart to forbid her from doing so, considering the circumstances. Sarada messaged them when she was out and said she was doing alright in return. Part of her knew it was because they saw it as a sign of her feeling better after isolating herself from the world in the past couple of months.

Anyway, it happened on a day Sarada was out to take part in one of the smaller local card tournaments. On her way, she met a girl that was reading something tearing up inside of the building they held the tournament in. Her green eyes and wavy platinum blond hair stood out to her. It reminded Sarada of the forest, calm, yet in certain places dangerous to approach.

Despite her better judgement, Sarada walked towards the girl.

"Hey, are you alright?" she asked, a hint of worry appearing on her face.

The girl looked up, now facing her directly, then hid the paper she was reading in her bag.

"Umm, yes I'm fine." She let out a nervous giggle, while her gaze occasionally drifted towards the bag she hid the crumpled paper in.

"You don't look fine. Do you want to lend my ear for a moment? I'll listen." Sarada said, and took a seat next to hers. She was curious why the girl desperately tried to hide the paper in her presence. It wasn't like she'd peek at what she had written inside. Even if the curiosity she felt was overwhelming. It was likely she'd attempt to do so if she'd throw away her restraints from doing it.

"I'm dating someone very nice, but they're also very popular. Their fan club is..." The girl sighed.

"Hmm. Dealing with that must be a pain. Is that person worth it?" Sarada patted the girl on her back in a reassuring gesture, since she was slouching a bit, almost like she'd given up on something.

"Yes, I'm afraid he's too good for me." She shoved her hand inside of her bag and hesitantly passed up the crumpled paper to her. She was shaking.

Sarada nodded, taking it as permission to read the content.

That was the message inside of it:

Break up with him or we'll make your life hell.

"Ugh. That's nasty. Receiving it just because you date someone they like? Pitiful. How do you deal with this?" When she uttered those words, she put the paper in her pocket.

"I don't. It's not their first message, so some of this stuff has already happened."

"What's your name? Do you go to the same school by any chance? I'm Sarada."

"My name's Asami." Asami attempted to smile, but it was obvious the smile was forced. "Yes, I think we go to the same school. I recognise the uniform."

"Cool. Want me to chase off your bullies? Who are they, anyway?" Sarada suggested. It'd not be the first time she did it, either. After all, she dealt with people being cruel to Chō-Chō daily. Sometimes she made sure certain incidents that she dealt with wouldn't reach her ears, despite knowing her best friend could handle it herself.

"Girls belonging to Boruto's Uzumaki fan-club." Asami bit the lower part of her lips.

"Our school has a fan club dedicated to someone else? Talk about creepy. I assume Boruto is your boyfriend then. Does he know about this?" She gave it a serious thought before making an assumption and asking those questions. Sarada didn't know Boruto Uzumaki, but anyone could've made the connection with their school principal, solely based on the surname. It'd not be that surprising if he was famous, just like her, for both good and bad reasons.

"No... I've never told him and don't intend to," she muttered.

"Are you sure? Keeping it to yourself might not be the best idea. You don't want to do something you regret later." Sarada bitterly thought about the irony of her own advice. Wasn't that something she was doing herself? Who was she to judge anyone else for doing the same thing?

"Yes, I'm sure! I'll bear through it. Sarada, was it? Talking to you was actually refreshing. Would you mind if we did it again sometime?" Asami got up, her smile looking more genuine now compared to before. As if it lifted a weight from her shoulders.

"I don't mind at all. I guess I'll see you here very often from now on." She nodded in understanding and waved towards her to say goodbye once the blonde was approaching the exit.

Sarada didn't want to admit it, but she admired Asami's courage to keep her smile on, regardless of the pain she felt. She wasn't able to bring herself to smile for a long time now. In fact, this conversation was refreshing for her too, despite her not being that open about it as the girl she talked with.

That was her first meeting with Asami and just how she predicted it wasn't the last time they talked. The girl and Sarada met often to complain about their daily struggles, or the strategy Sarada was preparing for the upcoming Konoha's Game Tournament. In hindsight, she shouldn't mention the latter at all.

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

It happened a week before the Konoha’s Gaming tournament was supposed to take place. Sarada met Asami at their usual place. Her new friend had visible bags under her eyes and dishevelled hair.

“You look like a scarecrow. Are you sure you’re fine?” Sarada greeted her.

“Thank you for complimenting my appearance, Sarada. You’re as chipper as usual this morning,” she bit back with sarcasm. “I’m fine, by the way.”

“You don’t look fine to me.”

“Same goes for you, doesn’t it? Let’s just drop it.”

“If you say so.”

Sarada tactfully dropped the subject. It was the usual ongoing conversation starter between them that always ended up like this. By this point in her life, Sarada saw and met up with Asami a lot more compared with Chō-Chō. Because her mom wasn’t too happy about her indulging in the same hobby as granny, Sarada spent less time at home avoiding her.

“How’s it going with those girls? Did you put them in their place already?” Sarada inquired.

“Yeah… You can say we settled on the compromise.” Asami responded, looking up at the brightly lit lamp in the hallway. It was weird. Sarada should probably realise something was off with her right from the start — she didn’t.

“That’s great! Want to hear about my strategy for the Konoha’s Gaming Tournament Contract Bridge Competition?” she asked her, knowing it was something Asami was very curious about.

“Contract Bridge? Isn’t that the card game where you need to pair up with someone to play it? I heard it usually involves four players split into teams of two.”

Sarada nodded in affirmation. Obviously, since it was a competition that required a partner to play with, the organisers made sure they signed an even number of people up for it. For this one, they’d randomly pair up the participants with each other once the tournament starts. It added an unknown element about who’d she be paired with for the rest of the tournament, though. That was their prevention method to reduce the possibility of cheating.

“Yeah. We’re supposed to learn who’ll we be paired up with during the tournament. After all, we can’t send signals or talk with each other before the actual tournament, or establishing a pre-arranged method of communication with one another. I’ve no way to know if the person I’m partnered with will be good at the game, either.” Sarada explained.

Contract Bridge was fun to play, largely because of the excitement in leaving everything to luck, besides using a solid strategy while bidding. A lot also depended on how well the person they pair you with was, but that was an unknown factor for everyone involved.

“Huh? You can’t strategize with your partner beforehand?” Asami tilted her head in confusion.

Sarada shook her head. “The signalling and communication with your partner during the game is considered cheating, so is viewing the opponent’s cards on their side of a board, or marking them.”

“Oh. I didn’t know that was the case.”

“I’m not surprised you didn’t know.” Sarada paused for a moment, taking a sip from her water bottle she brought today for their meeting. “After all, it always takes time to learn rules for beginners. Your team takes part in the Shogi Tournament section, right? I’m pretty sure the rules of Contract Bridge are the last thing on your mind.”

“Yeah, they do. My boyfriend is confident that with the help of my best friend we’ll have victory in the bag, at least with Shogi, but I’m not so sure about it. We’re signed up to take part in other sections too. It could be too many for them to handle.” Asami ran her fingers through her hair, while trying to appear focused on their conversation. Sarada knew she was nervous, but couldn’t pinpoint why.

“I see. What’s the real issue then? I doubt the Shogi tournament is what you’re really worried about.” The best tactic to know the problem was cutting through the pleasantries and addressing it head on.

“Some girl from Boruto’s fan club discovered we talk to each other. Apparently, you made one member upset.”

Sarada tried to recall any incidents that would make her directly involved with those fangirls, but couldn’t remember any significant encounter at all. She didn’t pay any attention to most of her classmates, let alone some random girl that wasn’t affecting her life at all. Many people claimed she made them upset just by existing, whatever that meant. It’s no wonder they just blended for her together into a forgettable blur. However, she didn’t bump into anyone significant lately. Her memory wasn’t that bad. That meant the girl Asami mentioned held a long-lasting grudge, probably over something stupid.

“I’ve no recollection of that at all.” She shrugged it off.

“Really?” Asami raised her eyebrow, completely still.

“Yes. You worry too much. I can handle anything with enough willpower.”

“Only by yourself?”

“Of course. It’s the way I always do things, anyway. What’s the point of changing it now?” That was the truth. Aside from occasionally bumping into her mom at home, Sarada lived and handled most of the important matters by herself. Sometimes she even did the tasks her mom was too busy to do because of her work.

“If you say so… Hey, Sarada?” Asami’s voice trembled slightly.

“Yeah?”

“About the tournament…”

“What about it?” As far as Sarada was concerned, they’ve already discussed most of their worries about it with each other.

“Whatever happens during it, no hard feelings, okay?”

There were signs something was wrong, but Sarada brushed them off. After all, it was just Asami, she always was nervous in front of her.

“Sure, but what do you mean by that?”

“Haha… It’s just my pessimism getting to me. Don’t worry about it. Let’s talk again sometime, okay?”

They talked with each other for a while longer and then bid their farewells. Sarada had her suspicions, but let them slide in favour of her own agenda.

“No hard feelings, huh? I don’t know if that’ll be possible.”

It was the last time they talked with each other on friendly terms.

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

 

The buzz of the crowd and high adrenaline tension was one of the main things Sarada remembered fondly during the Konoha’s Gaming tournament. They escorted her out to the hallway that had various monitors recording what’s happening inside of the main building hanging on the walls. She herself was about to enter the main building and bumped into someone with blond hair and light blue eyes eerily looking similar to Naruto Uzumaki — their school principal. The boy muttered a quick apology towards her. It was clear he didn’t pay any attention to her presence. Sarada wouldn’t normally pay him any attention either, but he matched the description of Asami’s boyfriend and the girl itself was on her mind because of their last conversation.

Everything else was hazy. That was, until the moment they accused her of cheating during  the tournament.

“I swear I saw her marking her cards and peeking at the cards opposite players had!” The group of the girls with Asami in lead pointed at her to the tournament supervisor. 

“I didn’t cheat!” Sarada weakly protested. She doesn’t remember how the entire day led to that moment, but it did. 

The crowd of people booed at her.

“Cheater!”

“She stained the honour of her partner in the tournament!”

“Gambling Queen? More like a dirty cheater! I bet all her wins were because she cheated.”

“Disqualify her, disqualify her!”

Sarada could only stand frozen in place. The supervisor inspected her cards and one of them was marked! But she didn’t mark any of her cards. How’s that possible?! In a moment of clarity, she looked directly at someone she considered a friend just a mere week ago. 

“I see. She wasn’t my friend. She betrayed me just because of a stupid grudge one of those fangirls had. But how did she know which card deck would be mine?” Sarada thought bitterly.

The worst part? She knew Asami had planned to do it after their last conversation, but she let her, hoping that this incident would override nasty rumours about her mom she heard recently. 

She only didn’t expect it’d hurt her so badly. 

The booing was getting worse with time. She could barely breathe. It wasn’t happening; it wasn’t happening…

“Sarada Uchiha and her partner are disqualified for cheating!” An announcement she had never planned to hear at all. Then a continuation of it rang. “Because of certain complications, there’ll be a twenty-minute break before we resume the specific tournament sections.”

Sarada was out in the hallway again, in a daze. The reality of the situation that happened sinking inside of her mind. That betrayal from Asami stung, and she felt like she was living like a machine.  

Then she witnessed something peculiar. The same guy she bumped into cried and was running away from her former friend. They weren’t friends anymore, right?

“B-Boruto wait, I can explain!” Asami was just behind him trying to catch up.  

“Don’t bother! It’s over between us,” he shouted back in anger. 

Sarada wanted to grab Asami and call her a traitor to her face, but after witnessing what was happening, she lost her remaining strength to do so. What was even the point? 

“Boruto Uzumaki, huh? I see I’m not the only one that had it rough today.” She whispered and came back home.

After this incident, Sarada stopped taking part in other tournaments and didn’t touch any of her games. She lost contact with Asami and lived on autopilot again.

Something has changed, though. When she arrived at school, she noticed Boruto Uzumaki was in a class next to hers. She saw him a lot from afar and the more she observed him, the more similarities between their situations appeared. Of course, she’d not dared to approach him on purpose. He was there during the tournament in which they announced her to be a dirty cheater and avoiding him was something natural, right? Besides, he possessed qualities that were annoying to her, so she tried to ignore his presence altogether. Keyword — tried to. The common ground she’d found about them made him impossible to ignore. Her gaze drifted towards him whenever it was possible. 

However, it was those exact similarities that made her desperately avoid him in the first place. Especially now, with the rumours swirling around her mom was cheating on her dad and some students saying:

“I’d not be surprised if her mom did cheat. Her daughter did, didn’t she? Her mom would be just like her daughter then.”  

Sarada held herself back from not punching them and was calling Chō-Chō to discuss the rumours. Imagine her surprise when she ran into Boruto Uzumaki — she tried to avoid so hard by accident. She was bitter and upset and the smashed to pieces phone didn’t help with improving her mood, so she lashed out at him and didn’t face him on due to fear he’d remember her.

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

“Does that answer your questions, Boruto?” Sarada asked, trying to avoid his gaze. “That’s how I know Asami and to be clear, I didn’t tell this story to anyone else except for you.”

“Thank you, Sarada.” Boruto smiled at her and used his hand to ruffle her hair. 

“You don’t need to. Like I said before, I knew it’d come up eventually, and I’d need to clear it up.” She stood up to showcase bravery, but was terrified it’d make Boruto reject her in the end, even if he agreed to try dating her. 

“Hey, I wasn’t done yet! Your hair is so soft and fun to touch,” he complained and she stuck out her tongue at him.

“Who ever said I was playing a fair game to win your heart?” She teased him and enjoyed seeing the tips of his ears being red. 

“Stop teasing me! Today we’re using your date idea, but the next one is on me!” He screamed in his embarrassment. 

Sarada’s face lightened up. “Does that mean there’ll be next time?” 

He slowly was riding towards her on his skates, his head nearby her ear:

“No, it means you want the next time to happen, isn’t that right?” he gently whispered and kissed her on her cheek, then distanced himself from her.

“W-wha?” Was he flirting back? Sarada touched her cheek, dumbstruck. She knew he already had prior experience in a relationship, even if it wasn’t the greatest one, but the weight of that knowledge dawned on her with more power. 

Boruto winked at her, and she felt like the burning fire inside of her was melting somehow. 

“Let’s have some fun, Sarada! I’ll make sure you’re safe, while we race each other back home!” Boruto gestured for her to come over with a big grin, and so she did.

It wasn’t how she imagined they’d start dating, but here they were, although whether Boruto would love her back was something that remained unknown. The chance she got was enough for now, but why was her heart so uncertain about her decision?

Notes:

Hello, everyone!

Chapter 23 is here. It was supposed to be the August chapter, but I got busy. I’ve planned for Sarada to know Boruto from the start, even before she bumped into him. I’m pretty sure there are some slight hints in the previous chapters too, haha. My entire schedule + routine changed, so with that change my update schedule needs serious revision, haha.

I was so nervous about this flashback. I’m so proud of this chapter too! GoF isn’t perfect by any means, but it holds a lot of meaning in my heart for me as the story, so I always try my best.

Anyways, with that being said, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter.

Sincerely yours, Karinrumi :)

Chapter 25: Chapter Twenty Four

His first date with Sarada went better than he expected. They texted each other regularly afterwards. Now that they had one date behind them, Boruto wasn't sure what to think of this recent development in his life. One date wasn't enough for him to know if he'd be able to move on and love her. He did like her, but was it love? She said she loves him. Love was a stronger emotion compared to only liking someone. He experienced it before with Asami, right? Was it love or just him liking her? Maybe his relationship with Asami ended in a way it did because he didn't love her enough and only liked her.

If that were the case, wouldn't it be unfair to Sarada to repeat his own mistake by prolonging going out on dates, while being unclear about where he stands decision-wise? It was like a bunch of rocks were falling down on him with no warning and demanded for him to hurry to save his life from meeting its end. And like he was desperate enough to cling onto a lifeline that would make everyone else happy, even if he'd end up crushed underneath the weight of everyone's hopes and dreams.

Boruto hated to let anyone else down. However, when Sarada's name was flashing through his mind, that was amplified to a degree that made him terrified of not meeting her expectations. He could not explain why. She was the person he desired to be noticed by the most. That meant the pressure and fear something could go wrong was an unbearable thought.

Was it even possible without him doubting his life choices? First stages of dating were always fun, but it was what happened after that fun Boruto couldn't help questioning.

What if she was only pretending to be interested in him? It'd be undeniably crushing under the weight of expectations he didn't fulfil, or things he did, asking himself what he did wrong and feeling like a real idiot for giving Sarada hope, while not knowing his full answer. He wanted to trust Sarada, really. It's just every time he makes a step forward, he also makes a step backward, consumed by the negative memories of his past relationship. Deep down, he knew he shouldn't decide anything in that state of being.

Expressing affection even as a friend was hard for him. Sarada was very bold with expressing her emotions lately. It wasn't an unwelcome change for him. He liked it a lot. He did not know how to respond to her boldness. Boruto admired Sarada's courage a lot. Maybe that's why he was so afraid to screw everything up. He admired her too much. His respect for her only grew with time when she admitted she has a hard time conveying her emotions to others, while ending up openly pursuing him.

"I need to clear up my mind," he muttered. Maybe talking about this fresh development with his friends would help? It was the weekend but they can still meet at school. Being the principal's son had its perks sometimes. Boruto didn't like the idea of asking his dad for favours, although there are exceptions. One of those exceptions was making sure to properly consider Sarada being happy in the end.

He speed-dialled Shikadai, who was apparently hanging out with Sumire. They both promised to arrive at Boruto's proposed meeting space to have a private conversation.

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

Sumire, Shikadai and Boruto were inside of the empty school, walking towards the room they were most familiar with — their club room. They closed the door, moving to favourite seating spots each of them had. Once they sat down, it was the time for a private talk Boruto sought.

"Are you okay?" Shikadai asked him, furrowing his brows. He rarely started the conversation first, so that was quite a shock. His gaze focused on Boruto. "You don't look too good."

Sumire turned her head around in both directions her friends sat. "I'd let you speak first, but Shikadai's right. Are you not feeling well? We were pretty worried about your sudden call to discuss something urgent."

Part of him didn't want to show how relieved he was that both of them came to hear him out. A small sigh of relief he let out was liberating.

"Sarada loves me," he said. Another sigh escaped from his lips. "And that's the problem."

"Why is Sarada loving you a problem? Isn't that great?" Sumire inquired, while exchanging confused glances with Shikadai.

"I don't think I measure up to her at all. Sarada's really amazing, brave and kind. A coward like me that can't respond to her love properly doesn't deserve her." Boruto summed up only fraction of what was happening inside his mind. His friends were very perceptive. He was sure they caught onto his insecurities a while ago.

"You don't feel you've done enough to earn her love?" Shikadai started lightly tapping the desk with his thumb.

Boruto vigorously nodded at Shikadai's question. That was it! He didn't know why Sarada had fallen for him. She just asked him to go out on a date out of nowhere after confessing with no explanation!

"I guess that nailed exactly part of it! Sumire, you've fallen in love with Mitsuki, right? What were your reasons?" Boruto would be lying if he didn't say he wasn't curious. Shikadai also curiously looked at her, like he was expecting something. Weird. Thinking of it, when he called them, they were together. Did he interrupt them in the middle of an important task?

Sumire delicately pulled on one of her braids, shaking a bit and looking everywhere, aside from the two people in the room. After that, she ended up taking a few deep breaths and smiled. It sent shivers down to Boruto's spine. Class Rep wasn't someone he wanted to anger. Ever.

"Please, give me a minute," she weakly whispered.

He was lucky her reaction showed she would open up about the subject. Though he needs to proceed with more caution in their future interactions.

Five minutes passed before Sumire's breathing was even, and her shaking stopped. She opened her mouth, then immediately closed it. It's only after she saw Shikadai giving her a thumbs up, Boruto followed up the suit. He was here to sort out his own complicated emotions, so giving an extra encouragement to Sumire to open-up about it was a fair exchange.

"I'm sorry for my overreaction. My reason for falling in love with Mitsuki, huh..." she processed to smooth the wrinkles on her dress. "I grew up in an orphanage after my parents died. That's why I was extremely envious of other students that had parents. When I met Mitsuki, I thought I overcame this jealousy of mine. I was wrong."

Sumire choked a bit, then paused, to better pace her talking speed;

"Back then, everyone picked on him because of his parent, Orochimaru. Mitsuki had outlandish responses to those that did, but I realised his family members were quite affectionate toward him. I told him as much and you know what his response was? He said that instead of wasting my time being jealous, I should focus on building connections with people that might be as precious or even more than the family I currently desire. It shook me to my core. Most of the people in my life just expressed pity when hearing about my background. I hate being pitied. Mitsuki didn't pity me. He openly listened to my problems, then gave me a shocking reality check."

That story was interesting. Hearing it now, Boruto recalled the time when Sumire behaved strangely, learning he included Mitsuki in their circle of friends. Was it because she experienced how he brutally dissected people's emotions? Speaking of which, Shikadai was unusually silent too. Normally, he'd complain mid conversation about needing a break.

"After that moment, I noticed him everywhere. It was small, simple things that made me slowly realise my feelings for him. I confessed, got rejected, and you know the rest." Sumire finished her story with teary eyes.

Boruto suddenly felt bad for asking her about love. However, she was the only one here he was comfortable to ask about former love interests. It'd get messy if he'd questioned Shikadai, considering he loved Asami. Boruto preferred to avoid mentioning his ex-girlfriend. Today's meeting was supposed to be about Sarada and only her.

"Damn," muttered Shikadai. "Were your feelings always that complex?"

"Of course they were! Though, I'm not sure whether it was love or just me falling for the idea of affection and attention romantic love would provide. In that sense, I'm glad I got rejected." Sumire embraced herself.

"Thank you for sharing your story, ya know! I appreciate it."

It was Boruto's words that shifted Sumire's attention again to him. The experience was eye-opening for the blond. Perhaps all those negative thoughts he had, along with positive ones, were proof he loved Sarada. He couldn't find the words to describe what he was experiencing every time he thought about her.

"By the way, Boruto... I don't know the reason you asked me about Mitsuki when your situation is different, but I think you're too hard on yourself. You say you didn't earn Sarada's love and are not deserving of it, yes? I don't think Sarada shares the same opinion. She confessed to you as the person you currently are." Sumire gave her final verdict on his situation.

"Sumire's right. Based on your behaviour, you reciprocate Sarada's love. The only thing holding you back is your own fear." Shikadai added to the conclusion she reached.

Boruto was grateful he had the support of his friends. Perhaps their words were the push that was necessary to pinpoint his emotions. He loved Sarada back. He was just afraid to lose their friendly bond.

"Thanks, Sumire, Shikadai! There's only one other person I want input from."

"Who is it?" They both replied in sync.

"Chō-Chō! Let me quickly call Chō-Chō!"

Boruto took out his phone and found Chō-Chō on his phone contact list, but she didn't pick up. After a minute, she called back, and he never picked up a call as fast as he did at that moment.

It took a while to explain all the details of what was currently happening and his emotional state.

Chō-Chō exploded with laughter on the other end of the line. "You're a moron. I understand your fear of your relationship failing like your last one, but you worry too much. Sarada's loyal to a fault. You should focus more on communicating with her on a regular basis, instead. She might've pushed herself too much because she's still not used to being vulnerable in front of you. You're the first person she opened up to talk to about her past. Own up to it and go tell her you love her too!"

"Will do! You're a God-send, Chō-Chō! I knew you'd have insight we don't have as Sarada's bestie!" he loudly shouted out in his excitement.

Glares from Shikadai and Sumire made him immediately silent and trying to keep a low-indoor voice.

"Yeah, yeah, I am super amazing, I know. Just remember, if you hurt Sarada, you'll have me to deal with." Boruto guessed Chō-Chō wouldn't let him off without warning, but now that he received one, he got hit with the realisation how serious he was about making relationship with Sarada work out. It was very important to him on a personal level.

"Yes, ma'm!" He saluted, and that ended the call.

Sumire and Shikadai respectfully accompanied him in silence during his phone call with Chō-Chō, but Boruto felt bad making them stay inside of an empty school building to give him love advice. He thanked them in his own way.

"Wanna go get ice cream? I'll treat us, since you both ended up staying longer with me than I expected." Boruto said.

Sumire jumped out of her seat in excitement. "I'll never say no to a free dessert!"

"Me neither," yawned Shikadai, while lazily getting up.

"Let's go then, guys!"

With dismay, he needed to do some grunt work for his dad, since he pulled off a few strings to make this meeting in an empty school possible at Boruto's request. However, even that couldn't stop from dampening his mood. He was happy to have such amazing friends and discover what to do next. For the first time in a while, he truly felt he deserved happiness in a new relationship and try again being in a serious relationship. It was his turn to express his feelings for Sarada. He hoped she was prepared for the surprise of her lifetime!

Notes:

Hello everyone!

 

We've reached chapter 24. A few years ago when I started this story — I'd not believe I'm so close to hitting a milestone with chapter 25. It's mind-boggling that the fanfic I practised on to write better came so far.

The first chapters are rough around the edges, but I progressed a lot. Both as the writer and a person. I learned a lot from all of my mistakes too throughout those years.

By the time I post this chapter, I should be ahead of you all and be in the middle of editing either chapter 25 or 26, maybe even an epilogue. That means once we reach the next chapter, I would post the following chapters at least once a week or two times a week to reach my end goal of finishing this story. Unfortunately, my nasty cold and irl stuff slowed down the process more than I thought.

I'm so happy to still accompany you all on this crazy journey along with me and don't worry, despite how my author note sounds, there' are still a few chapters to go through!

Sincerely yours,

 

Karinrumi

Chapter 26: Chapter Twenty Five

Sarada stayed up at night exchanging text messages with Boruto. They texted each other every day after their first date, though she’d preferred to avoid talking about her past on the next one. She had hoped the second date Boruto promised to her wouldn’t be the last. All the romantic movies she watched ended after the happy endings. They didn’t dig deeper into what happens after. 

She was nervous, not knowing what to do with herself now. Boruto gave her a chance, but she felt restless thinking about his eventual response. He didn’t respond to her message during Friday at all and she didn’t know whether that silence was a good or bad omen. She gathered phone numbers of other club members as a distraction, though. 

Ping!

When she heard her phone notification going off, Sarada immediately checked her messages to know if it was a response from Boruto. She let out a sigh of relief after double-checking his response! 

From: Boruto  
To: Sarada

[Hey, I’m sorry for stalling back on my response, ya know? Are you free tomorrow?] 

Maybe she was overreacting, but she always was on edge, anticipating what he’d do next. She read the message over and over, while pacing around her room and thinking about her schedule. Was she free tomorrow? Sarada ran to her desk and grabbed her calendar book. She went through her pages in it with incredible speed. Lunch with mom, quality time with papa, school, brief trip with Chō-Chō… Here it was! The only thing she had planned for tomorrow was going out to try treats that went nicely, along with a blend of black tea she liked, then getting some rest at home. Besides that, she left the rest of tomorrow’s page empty. 

From: Sarada
To: Boruto

[Don’t apologise, it’s fine. I don’t have any plans for tomorrow. Why do you ask?] 

From: Boruto
To: Sarada

[That’s great, ya know! Would you like to go on a second date with me?]

Her heart was beating faster than before. She was sure her cheeks were warm and the thought of a second date actually happening filled her with indescribable joy. She longed to see him. Hear his voice and embrace him. It was scary how her mood was always shifting when Boruto was involved.

She pressed her fingers on her touchscreen keyboard, carefully typing what was weighing on her mind. Pausing, she wondered if it was really the right way to do it. Soon, she backtracked, erasing the text. All of it sounded like something she’d need to tell him in person. Would she be able to endure it, though? 

From: Sarada
To: Boruto

[Of course! Just tell me the time and place.] 

It wasn’t the message she spent six minutes painfully crafting, but she lacked confidence. She’d already used most of it to confess. The rest of it expired after their first date. Regret of her bold statement to win Boruto over washed over her. She wasn’t brave enough to act after such a declaration. How silly of her to do one without knowing how to follow through on it!  

Was it selfish of her to want to be loved by him? Boruto was popular amongst their peers. He was always shining brightly in her eyes. That’s why she envied the way he carried himself. Her envy started before she had fallen in love with him. There’s no denying that she admired him a lot back then. Receiving a chance to be with him was surprising. A miracle of sorts. She hated to admit it, but she understood where his fangirls came from now, even if she was against their behaviour.  

She held her phone like a precious treasure, waiting while her hopes went up. That he reciprocated her love. 

From: Boruto
To: Sarada

[Meet me in front of my house at around 1’pm. Wear something comfortable too.] 

Something comfortable? He mentioned he wanted their next date to be a surprise, so they were going to do something that requires physical strength. Maybe wall climbing? Boruto seemed like he’d enjoy it. 

From: Sarada
To: Boruto

[Alright, see you tomorrow then!]

Sarada put her phone away on her desk. Preparations for their second date took priority, and she’d be too busy sneaking glances at her phone screen instead of getting ready otherwise. She’d found a red oversized hoodie, pairing it up with her butterfly skirt and black leggings. After that, matching the rest of her clothes got progressively easier. Was adding a butterfly themed hairpin a good idea? Maybe she should pick out the cosmos themed hair clips instead? She spent most of her afternoon debating those choices and cleaning up the mess it left behind.

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

The butterfly themed hairpin won in the end to match her skirt once she was out on her way to Boruto’s house the following day. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail. She made sure her outfit was both comfortable and date-like. It didn’t dawn upon her that Boruto invited her out on a second date until she reached his doorstep. Biting her lip, Sarada knocked two to three times on the door. Restlessly waiting for Boruto to appear. 

She spun around, liking the motion of her skirt, three to four times out of boredom, so when Boruto appeared, she wished she didn’t do it at all. Why did he never witness her at her best?! He was often a witness when she did something embarrassing.

“You’re already here?!” Boruto said with his eyes wide open. 

“Of course I am! I was just excited for the surprise you prepared. Where are we going?” she asked.

“To the escape room!” he announced, excited about it. “You are the member of our club. I thought our common interests would match. What do you think?” 

“Hmm…” Sarada corrected her glasses, pretending to be in deep thought. It was fun to see Boruto fidgeting and being the one that was teased. A little payback for calling her Lady-Meow-Meow. “You are correct. I do have an interest in escape rooms.” 

Sarada loved the things that stimulated her mind. Escape room puzzles would do it. That was also a splendid opportunity to see how teamwork with Boruto goes. Challenges like that tested your synergy with others. She’d normally laugh at the idea of doing this sort of activity with the person she barely knew. However, she and Boruto were friends when they went on their first date and still were during this one. It could be a fun way to spend time with him, too. They both like to solve puzzles and competitions. 

“Yeah, yeah, you have a passing interest. But do you like the idea?” He looked at her with puppy dog eyes, and that was unfair. She’d never tell him that’s her weakness.

“I never said I don’t like it. I’d love to try it out! Just a quick question. Will the two of us be enough? They usually design escape rooms for a small group of people.”  

Sarada knew it wasn’t impossible just with the two of them, but it’d be more difficult. She wanted to know if he took it into account.

“We’ll be alright!” he winked at her and she blushed, then he outstretched his hand in her direction. “I made sure we go to the escape room that’s meant for couples! Let’s go!” 

That was all she needed to grab his hand in return. He said he booked the one that was meant for couples! She was happy. When he ran, she ran after him in the same direction, not letting go of any slight gesture offered by him slip out of her reach. He matched her running pace. That meant there was hope their love was mutual. Hope he wouldn’t reject her love. 

In her happiness during the run, she didn’t notice her hairpin falling off until it hit the ground along with her rubber band. It broke the immersion of feeling like she could go anywhere in Boruto’s company. Her hairstyle came undone. She put so much time and effort into it and made it a mess with one careless, vigorous shake of her head. 

Boruto stopped at the sound. He let go of her hand, while carefully picking up her butterfly themed hairpin. She watched him hold it and tinker with it for a certain amount of time.

“Would you let me fix it for you?” 

In a trance, she nodded in affirmation of his question. He went behind her and gently touched strands of her hair with his fingers. She felt the sensation of his breath around her neck. Her cheeks were hot. Sarada liked it a lot, but didn’t know how to handle this revelation. Boruto fixed her hair using her hairpin right after she realised it. Their proximity instantly came back to an appropriate distance when he finished. 

“You’re very good with your hands,” she mumbled, and wanted to hide somewhere. As if she wasn’t dying from second hand embarrassment enough.

Boruto laughed, scratching his cheek. “When she was younger, I used to style Hima’s hair a lot.” 

Sarada turned around to look at his face and that’s when she noticed the tips of his ears were red.  She was relieved she wasn’t the only one affected by this situation. 

“That makes sense. Sometimes I forget you’re her older brother.” She whispered, bringing her palm to her neck, missing Boruto’s closeness. It was silly, in a way. He was still here with her. 

“Hey! What do you mean by that?!”

“Nothing! Come on, let’s go before we’ll be late for the time you booked us for!” Sarada smiled, seeing how dazzling he was from the beginning. Like the light she saw many times, but never got used to. If he was the light itself, she was like a sailor that followed it with unshakeable trust, even in the dark. Sometimes this light dimmed in times of uncertainty, then if that happened, it was her turn to reach out to it and make sure the shine of the light would continue being bright.

“Yeah, yeah.” Boruto shook his head, amused.

They headed to their destination in a pretty good mood overall. That didn’t stop Sarada from occasionally touching her neck or stopping to remember the moment of closeness they’ve shared because of her hairpin. Her mouth went upwards every time Boruto wasn’t looking in her direction on the way to their destination.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・

“Hello, Boruto. Not alone this time?” The receptionist smiled when Boruto handed over the tickets once they arrived. 

Someone slowly guided them to the entrance for their starting point in the game. Along the way, the staff handed to them special watches that had the map of the route that needed to be taken. That watch also included a special screen that showed them a time-limit they were supposed to escape from, from each location under. Every time someone escaped from an allocated location and got to a new one, the time on the watch got reset with a brief warning about a new time-limit taking place to show the progress the players made. Apparently, exceeding the time limit meant you failed your escape and the staff member that monitors how you were doing lets you out of the room you got locked in. Successfully escaping from every room meant you got a special prize for winning the challenge. 

Sarada really liked their guide. His explanations were short and informative without making them boring. At least, she paid attention to him more than Boruto, who was just nodding in acknowledgment, but clearly not listening to the poor guy. 

She casted a curious glance at him. “Do you come here often?” 

“Master Boruto is one of our regular customers.”

Sarada huffed, disappointed Boruto wasn’t the one that answered her question.

“Master Boruto?” She raised her eyebrow. Boruto just shrugged it off and whistled. 

Instead of him, the one to reply was their guide. “That’s the term we use for our more well-off and regular customers.”

“I see,” she replied.

The rest of the way they spend in silence, at least before entering the first room that they needed to escape from.

Click.

With that, the entrance they’ve come through to get here was now sealed off from them. Sarada’s first instinct was to check their time limit for this specific room, then quickly assess how many rooms they need to escape from based on the map. Fifteen minutes was all they had to clear this specific room. There were ten more rooms that needed to be cleared, too.

“They’ve locked the entrance. You know what that means, right, Sarada?” Boruto blinked two times, and she nodded in understanding.

“Let’s look for clues!” She said, proceeding to look around the room with a haughty gaze directed towards various items. A clock, a doll, a bunch of numbers written on a wall and a small basket with a red switch inside of it. Inside of the clock, there was a sheet of paper sticking out.

“There‘s a sheet of paper stuck inside the clock!” she said, while Boruto pressed the red switch inside of the basket. Nothing happened when he pressed it. “What do you think we need to do to get it? It looks like an important clue!” 

“I think so too! Since pressing the switch didn’t work yet, I bet we need to do something that activates the mechanism. Check out the code on the wall, while I inspect the doll!” Boruto responded, and that’s all Sarada needed to run closer to where the code on the wall was. P124 was the code written on the wall upon closer inspection.

“P124 is the code we need! Try inputting it on every item that needs a code, while I try to tinker with the clock hands!” Sarada thought the code needed to be used moving the clock hands, since it was on the wall across from it, though. It made potentially solving the code much easier.

“I am sure you need to mess with the clock hands for that one, Sarada! I already checked out every other item. P might be a stand in for pm, 12 for the clock hand that’s always there when the next hour begins or 12 pm, while 4 for 4 pm!” 

“I figured as much. Let me try the combinations you mentioned now.” Sarada moved the clock hands to 12 O’clock and nothing happened. Then she moved clock hands to 4 pm and the inside of the clock opened.

She quickly took the sheet of paper and read it aloud to make up for the five minutes they’ve wasted figuring everything out. “Take a lock of golden hair and put it in a basket, then something will change.”

Boruto wasted no time in plucking out the strand of hair from the doll and putting it inside of the basket as instructed. The switch changed from red to orange. Sarada walked towards Boruto and halted when he pressed the switch. The doll was the only thing that changed in the room. Golden hair of the doll had slipped off like a wig, revealing a green switch. She ran past Boruto, who didn’t notice it yet, since he was looking in the completely opposite direction and pressed the switch on the doll.

“Let’s proceed to the next room, Boruto!” She screamed out in her excitement, pulling him towards the door that was just opened by them, solving this puzzle in under ten minutes.

It turned out she and Boruto were unexpectedly a great team. They managed non-verbal communication while solving the puzzles in the next few rooms until they faced their last hurdle — the last escape room they needed to clear. Because they were mostly breezing through the puzzle, they got longer duration of time to solve the last puzzle compared to the rest. Although, by this point, both of them were tired, deciding to use the extra time they earned for casual conversation.

“How do you like this date so far, Sarada?” Boruto asked.

“I’ve a lot of fun, though I wish we could have more downtime moments during this activity. Most of our energy went into the game.” 

Honestly speaking, solving the puzzles to escape rooms with Boruto was too easy. It hit her Boruto’s a prodigy of some sort. That’s why he could slack in his studies, while maintaining good grades. She loved him, but it still annoyed her. A lot of her free time went into studying to keep up her grades.

“Heh. You’re not wrong. Let’s use the extra time to unwind, then.” Boruto took something out from the pocket of his jacket and handed it over to her.

“Sure,” she said, while unwrapping the strawberry flavoured candy she received. 

“Were you expecting this? That we’d be here today doing something like this?” He walked in her direction, now standing in front of her, and gave her a wistful look. 

“Not at all. Until this point, I never thought…” That he’d ever notice her in the way she’d noticed him all this time. “Nevermind.”

“C’mon! Don’t leave me hanging like that. I want to know what you were going to say before you brushed it off!” Boruto complained, and Sarada could feel her body temperature rising. 

“It’s a secret!“ She huffed out in annoyance.

“Great. Now I need to know! Spill the tea.” He was getting too close .

“No.” She tried to be unaffected by this closeness, but could feel the scent similar to the ocean coming from Boruto. It enveloped her senses, distracting her from what they were supposed to do here.

“Yes.” Boruto’s voice got deeper at that moment, and Sarada got overwhelmed. She could only focus on him now. The room got blurry. She ignored the rope, matches on the table and a lighter next to a piece of paper that were the last clues for them to achieve their victory. Her eyes were following every move Boruto made.

“No.” She mustered all her remaining strength to resist and win this argument. Tried to. 

“Yes.” He insisted while dragging her into an embrace. She could feel her face warming up, just like it did when she felt his breath on her neck earlier during the day.

“N—mhhmph!” 

Before she protested again, Boruto, who was clasping her in his arms, moved his lips closer to hers. Their lips touched and Sarada got lost in her thoughts, while enjoying the sensation of Boruto’s soft lips. The kiss was quick. It was a very fleeting yet intoxicating moment when they broke out of it. 

Suddenly, she remembered the time she almost kissed him when she visited him at his house. Now that she got a taste of what it feels like, she wanted more. Much more than a single kiss. Without a moment of hesitation, she wrapped her hands around Boruto’s neck and, with slightly trembling lips from her excitement, kissed him again. Boruto gently ruffled her hair, so she responded in kind by doing the same thing, still intoxicated by proximity and the way Boruto was holding her, along with the scent that reminded her of the ocean. Whoever said your first kiss was the best one was a liar. Their second kiss was definitely better than the first one, for sure. She could still feel the sensation of Boruto’s lips touching her own, even after the moment ended with them trying to catch their breaths. This kiss lasted longer, and the world got blurry. Nothing except them two mattered at that moment. The glint in Boruto’s blue eyes was the only answer to her feelings she needed to know. She understood it without him directly saying anything. He reciprocates her love and somehow it was all that matters right now.

“Sarada,” he sweetly whispered. “I lov-“

She put her index finger on his lips, reliving the second kiss in her mind. “Shhh! I know.”

Preparing herself to kiss him for the third time, her euphoria stopped when she heard a loud sound coming from their watches. She forgot they were still in the middle of the game. The game they just failed because they were busy making out. 

“The staff member should be here soon.” Boruto broke out of their embrace and only now she could see his face was as red as hers.

“Yeah.” She didn’t care that they failed their escape. Sarada was too happy that their feelings were mutual. 

“We failed to win the game,” he said and lightly tapped her shoulder to make her focus on what he was saying. 

“Yeah,” she replied, still in a daze.

“So we’re officially together now?” Boruto continued his onslaught of questions. 

“Yeah.” 

“Can I copy your homework?” He winked at her.

“Yeah.”

“Really?” It was only when she noticed he barely was holding his laughter back, she realised something was off.

“Yea — Wait, no! You can’t copy my homework, put an effort into finishing it on your own. I can help you with it, though.” She pouted, upset he caught her off guard. 

“I’ll take you up on that offer soon.” He grinned. 

“Did someone ever tell you you’re annoying?” 

“You did. Plenty of times.” Boruto chuckled at her question.

“Right. That reminds me I lost our bet and need to answer any question you ask with only the truth. Any last question before the staff will pick us up from here?” She preferred for him to ask her now rather than later.

“Do you think we should confront our parents about their secrets soon?”

The letters. With everything else going on, she put that issue on the back burner in her mind. But they couldn’t avoid it forever, right? She delayed it as long as possible, since the last thing she wanted was a next serious confrontation with her mom. Papa was staying at home for a few weeks, so maybe it was the best time to do it. He could play a middleman between her mom and Boruto. That means she should ask about those letters before he leaves to travel again. 

She sighed. “We have no choice, do we? I don’t think we can fully date in peace until we do.”

“You’re right.”

“But let’s forget about it for now and do other things!” Their date wasn’t over yet! She should take Boruto to her favourite place to buy tea.

“Do you admit to having fun with me?” He teased her and this time she was the one that brushed him off.

“Yes! Let’s do other things together!” Sarada turned around, quickly grabbing his hand. “I’ve a lot to work on, but will try not to bottle up my emotions with you.”

“Is that a promise?” he asked with a hopeful look in his eyes.

“Yes, that’s a promise.” Sarada whispered, and that’s when the staff member came to pick them up for them to get out of the room. They spend the rest of their date visiting their favourite tea shops, snack shops and other food joints, while judging products one of them liked, and the other didn’t. It was one of the best days in Sarada’s life, and she hoped she’d have more days like this by Boruto’s side from now on.

Notes:

AN:

Hello everyone!

And that concludes chapter 25 of GoF. A calm before the storm is always nice, huh? For some weird reason, the time limiter I set up on my update-schedule website was on the wrong date and showed there’s 52 days before I’d update this chapter, haha. I’ll quickly fix it after I make this update. A fun fact:

This chapter is one of the longest chapters in this story and is 11 pages long. Crazy, isn’t it? With that, I hit my milestone of reaching chapter 25!

Initially, I meant to include more scenes with Boruto and Sarada solving puzzles during the escape room section, but the chapter wouldn’t flow as smoothly if I did that.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. From chapter 26 onwards, I’ll try to update chapters every week on Friday like I intended.

See you next week!

Sincerely yours,
Karinrumi

Chapter 27: Chapter Twenty Six

Sumire gagged at Boruto’s and Sarada flirting with each other. After they officially got together, they were evidently in the honeymoon phase of their relationship. They didn’t tell them they were dating yet. Everyone noticed that they’re a couple. When they weren’t flirting, they were seriously talking about something without knowing the rest of the club members noticed them doing it. And while she was happy her advice worked out for Boruto and Sarada, she’d prefer for them to take their public displays of affection outside of the clubroom. Sarada's and Boruto’s relationship reminded her too much of the rejection she faced during the winter break. 

She sat in the chair next to Shikadai that was scribbling something down in his black leather notebook.

“What are you doing?” she asked, while trying to ignore the bantering couple in the background.

“I’m writing a list of potential strategies,” he mumbled, swapping the pen he held for another one, and resumed his writing.

“For what?”

“This year’s Konoha Gaming Tournament.” 

She forgot it was this time of the year and thought they’d not join this time. Everyone that knew what happened in the past during the games wouldn’t blame Boruto for completely ignoring the tournament.

“What category do you think we can all agree on picking?” She tilted her head and discreetly tried to peek at strategies Shikadai came up with. 

“No idea. That’s why I imagine different outcomes for each scenario.” Shikadai swatted Sumire’s head away, narrowing his eyes at her. 

“Hey!” she squeaked out, massaging her temples.

“You’re distracting me. Go away.” He gritted his teeth, grasping the pen he held with a stronger grip. 

“No.” 

“Why?”

“If I stop bothering you, I’d end up like a gawking third-wheel right now.” Her gaze wandered to Boruto and Sarada having a very animated discussion. Part of her was jealous. She wanted to experience the feeling of mutual love, too! 

Shikadai sighed and closed his notebook, his work forgotten. “Gawking third-wheel? What are you? A parrot?”

“Definitely not,” she pouted in response. 

His eyes wandered to the scene she was looking at. “So? Your worries are invalid. I don’t think they’d mind.”

It was her turn to sigh. “You’re very smart, but when it involves delicate things like love, you suck, so I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

“I suppose you’re right,” he mumbled quietly.

“Want to talk about it? It’s not like those two pay attention to our conversation anyway,” she offered. 

Shikadai wasn’t the type that openly talked about love at all. Sumire pinned him as someone who shows love for others in a more quiet way. It made sense that he’d not ask her or others to advise him on romance in a flashy way Boruto did. Honestly, no-one else would have a privilege to rent out the entire school building just to confirm they loved someone. She liked Uzumaki as a friend, but his perception of common sense terrified her, especially when money was involved. 

“Why not? It’s not like I’ve anything to lose anymore,” he answered with clear signs of exhaustion.

“Listen, I know I wasn’t the most objective person in the past, but things have changed. I’ll be open to anything you want to say.” She smiled in an encouraging manner to let him know she was serious. To be honest, Sumire felt a slight guilt for snapping at Shikadai in the past. In her bias, she never considered his perspective on things at all. Their repaired friendship was very recent too. All things aside, she did like to spend time with him.

“It’s a drag to bring it out now, but I appreciate you care enough to do so,” he opened the notebook he set aside again. Sumire had a hunch why he tried to avoid opening up to her.

“Are you still transferring to Suna High in your last year?” she asked. She wondered if Shikadai was afraid to say anything because of this reason. He was moving out to Suna at the end of their second year. They both initially didn’t intend to attend a high school in Konoha. 

“Yeah, that’s the plan. Uncle Gaara is excited for us to live together for the entire year and to catch up with my mom. He’s very chill. It’s just…” Shikadai trailed off, visibly lost in his thoughts.

“Hard to tell the rest?” 

“Kind of,” he nodded, while resuming jotting his notes down. “I don’t want to disturb them with that news when they just figure themselves out.”

“What about Inojin or Chō-Chō? Did you tell them?” Sumire pondered on his words. From primary to middle school, Inojin, Chō-Chō and Shikadai were a famous trio, since their families were closely knit together. Knowing about Shikadai's transfer wouldn't be unusual for them.

“Not yet. Inojin is busy with important art exhibition at his school and Chō-Chō is distant lately. You’re the only one that knows.” 

Now that he mentioned this, she and Shikadai hung out a lot more frequently than usual. Maybe he was hesitant to tell them, fearing how they’d react to such news? They were very close friends.

“You should tell them. They might be busy, but wouldn’t they be upset if you told them at the last minute?” Sumire knew she’d be upset that it cut the remaining time with her friend short. She’d prefer to know earlier and make time to spend as much as she could with the friend that would move away. 

“Look who’s talking,” Shikadai retorted with a smile. “Didn’t you rush your confession to Mitsuki because you plan to attend the University of Suna and move out, too?” 

Sumire's eyes widened. “How do you know this?! I thought I was discreet enough.” 

“I saw you holding the promotional leaflet that Uncle Kankuro showed to me once. I just assumed that was the case.” 

Sometimes she forgot how smart Shikadai was. His assumption was correct. However, unlike him, she planned to stay until the end of high school. 

“That’s true. I selfishly rushed things, but I am not the one planning to transfer after the second year of high school ends,” she responded calmly. 

“Hah, what a drag. You’re right, tough. I should tell them sooner rather than later, regardless of how busy they are.” Shikadai said, now fully focused on the task she initially distracted him from.

“I guess that means I should settle things down too before my chance goes away,” she whispered and left Nara to his own devices. For all it was worth, she should follow her own advice once in a while.  

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・

Moving away from Konoha, huh? The conversation with Shikadai this morning flashed through Sumire’s mind. She tried to find Mitsuki and Chō-Chō. Even just bumping into one of them would be enough. Before she moves away, she should clear up the awkward atmosphere between the three of them. She’d hate to leave with them on bad terms.

On her way, she asked random students if they saw either of them. One student told her Mitsuki usually ate lunch at the school courtyard. It wasn’t hard to find him once she had this information. His figure was easier to spot, since he stood out amongst the crowd. 

She silently walked up to him. “Can we talk?” 

Mitsuki acknowledged her presence despite being startled. “Sure, wanna sit down?”

“If you don’t mind?” She followed up on his gesture.

“I don’t. What brings you here?” He looked unaffected, but she could hear a hint of interest in his voice.

“I want to clear up the air between us,” she said, trying to think about how to bring up the subject that bothered her for a while. 

“Hmm… I don’t see a problem with that.” Mitsuki took a bite of his sandwich. 

“I am just curious about something…” On second thought, maybe she shouldn’t bring it up at all! The question that she wanted to ask was a touchy subject for her. Not to mention an embarrassing one.

However, Mitsuki’s golden eyes brimmed with curiosity after she cut herself off. “Curious about what?”

Sumire inhaled and exhaled a few times before deciding honesty was the best policy. “Why did you really reject me? I know you said you weren’t ready for a relationship. Once I reflected on myself, I could see my confession wasn’t the best way to get my feelings across.” She got it off her chest. A weird sense of relief washed over her. It felt like a heavy weight that was removed once the question escaped from her lips. 

She could hear an awkward chuckle coming out from him. “It’s true I don’t feel ready to pursue a serious relationship at all, but I think I rejected you and Chō-Chō because I wanted us to remain friends.” 

“Remain friends? What do you mean by that?” 

“How should I put it? You know how after the break up most of my ex-girlfriends don’t talk to me anymore? Normally, if that’s the case, I don’t care when they avoid me. It’s not the same with you and Chō-Chō in the picture.” 

Sumire frowned a bit. “Is it because we were your close friends before we confessed?“

“That’s exactly it. My girlfriends were usually the girls I got to know when I already dated them and weren’t close with by the end of our relationship.” He looked at the clouds above them, reminding her of Shikadai’s dad's mannerism. After that slight pause, Mitsuki continued with his explanation. “It’s exactly the opposite with you and Chō-Chō. We were close friends before romantic feelings played any role in our relationship with each other. I’d not be able to handle the fallout of our friendship in the same way I handle my break ups. I also wouldn’t want to hurt either of you by leading you on, pretending I was ready to commit to a serious relationship either.” 

Her heart felt warm. What he really meant to say was that they were both too important in his life to lose their strong connection as friends. She was happy that his reason for the rejection she faced was something like this all along. Besides, she understood not everyone ended up like Boruto and Sarada in the realm of love. Her world tremendously expanded by slowly coming to terms with everything that had happened. It was like gaining a fresh viewpoint she wouldn’t be able to have otherwise. 

“I see. I am quite happy that’s your reason.” She playfully bumped her fist against his shoulder. 

“You’re happy? That’s weird.” He responded in kind by imitating her gesture.

“Yeah, I am.”  

“Why?”

“Because my friendship with you means a lot to me. Besides, it’s your indirect way of saying that I and Chō-Chō have a special place in your heart already. Just not in the way we wanted.” Maybe that wasn’t something she desired, but something she desperately needed. This reassured Sumire her friendship with Mitsuki would stay strong, even if she moved out to Suna at the end of high school to follow her dreams. 

That moment helped her to close this chapter in her life. What she always longed for wasn’t love, but long-lasting connections with people close to her. Her determination to confess and try to date Mitsuki was born from wanting to be certain they’d still be in contact after she left Konoha. Perhaps Shikadai had similar thoughts to her own? He was leaving Konoha way faster than her. 

“So…” Mitsuki trailed off. “No hard feelings?”

“No hard feelings,” she resolutely answered. 

“Do you think Chō-Chō would respond in the same way?” Mitsuki openly questioned. 

“I am sure she would.” Even if she didn’t understand, Sumire would try her hardest to let Chō-Chō know about the bigger picture soon. The time they could spend with the members of the club gathered together was severely limited. Konoha’s Gaming Tournament could be one of the last activities they’d all be present at. 

“I see.” 

She giggled and winked at him. “You worry too much! Say so and I can help you both to make up!”

From the depths of her heart, she wanted for everyone to get along again. Especially since time passes by quickly. There wasn’t enough of it before Shikadai’s departure, which will be hard enough. Adding hers to the mix would have made this feeling worse when she tells them. She wouldn't want them to force themselves to get along because she shared the information with the group. That’s why she wasn’t able to mention it to anyone just yet. She’ll do it immediately after everything’s sorted out. 

“Are you sure?” He raised his eyebrows.

“I am! How about all three of us go on a picnic tomorrow after school? I’ll message Chō-Chō to come and mediate between you both.” She proposed with newfound enthusiasm and quietly added, “I am happy you were my first love.” 

“Thank you.” Apparently he heard her, since with those words, it was the first time Mitsuki smiled throughout this entire conversation.

Sumire’s lips went upwards when seeing this. Her smile appeared as a sign of the change in her heart. Moving on from her first love meant it’d not hurt to change her image a bit, right? 

In the end, she wasn’t able to tell anyone about either her or Shikadai moving out to Suna at all. Especially not now, when she only patched up things between her and Mitsuki. However, her thoughts were full of excitement about the upcoming future.

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・

After Sumire left, Mitsuki was alone dealing with the aftereffects of their entire exchange. Everything went better than he expected. Sarada was right all along. This whole situation made their friendship stronger than before. He gained a newfound respect for the strength that others displayed after heartbreak. Would he deal with the whole situation gracefully, like Kakei did? He had no clue.

Though, Sumire reaching out to him inspired him enough to talk with Chō-Chō one on one too. Above all, finding the common ground with his other friend before the picnic would make the activity she suggested more pleasant.

Hmm, there was one problem. He had no way of knowing where Chō-Chō was at all. It’s not like she avoided him. But considering the recent development between Sarada and Boruto, she was probably alone, reeling in happiness. Mitsuki knew they tried to hide it, although everyone in their club already knew they were a couple. Deducing that information wasn’t that difficult at all. The rest of the club members only feigned ignorance in front of them. In reality, everyone treated it like an open secret between them out of respect for both Boruto and Sarada. He was happy for them, even if sorting out things with Chō-Chō now was his priority.

What was the most efficient way to find her? It was quite simple, really. Instead of trying to find a needle in a haystack, you direct this needle to come to you. He simply settled with sending to Chō-Chō a quick message that they need to have a serious talk and asked her to meet him in the clubroom this afternoon. Not only does this method save him a lot of time, it also minimises mindlessly walking around trying to find her. Chō-Chō was usually staring at the screen of her phone during the lunch period. Mitsuki didn’t wait long for her response either and after receiving confirmation they’ll meet, he carried on with the rest of his day. 

The flow of time was seriously fast today. Before he did anything of note, the time of the agreed upon meeting came. It was alright. If Sumire could reach out to him on her own, he could reach out to Chō-Chō by himself too, for the sake of this whole mess finally being resolved.

It didn’t take him long to navigate through corridors and end up near the front door of their club. He assumed the person he wanted to talk with was already inside, so he pressed on the doorknob without hesitation.

Chō-Chō was standing near the table, holding a typical teenage girl magazine in her hands. Apparently, it was some series that she got hooked on recently and couldn’t put down lately. She hadn’t noticed he was already there without him speaking up, but Mitsuki enjoyed observing people in their natural element. Majority of people did things they’d not normally do when they were alone and that made them interesting subjects to observe. Unfortunately, he wasn’t here to enjoy one of his favourite pastimes. He was here to reach a resolution between him and Chō-Chō.

“You’re definitely in the phase of chasing the latest trends. Don’t get too swept up in trend-chasing. Be careful to not get bankrupt by paying for the stuff that you’ll stop using after they’re out of fashion. You should only purchase things you’d use in the long-term instead,” he commented, alerting Chō-Chō to his presence.

She scoffed. “Mind your own business! If I want to chase trends, I’ll chase trends. It’s only natural to be as fashionable as possible to let everyone know how awesome I am!”

“You can do that without things you won’t use after one week. Clout chasing is addicting, but is also fleeting. The clout chasers can get what they want, but do they get what they need? They chase for fame only to get burned in the end. You can let everyone know you’re awesome, but it isn’t necessary. People close to you already know how amazing you are.”

Mitsuki liked to go off on tangents like this to see how the person on the receiving end would react. Boruto and Chō-Chō were often dealing with this side of his personality the most. The reason was simple. Both of them had hilarious reactions to his words. Sometimes he caught himself babbling to them a complete nonsense only to see them agreeing or ending up believing in it. Adding to that, they carried a flair for dramatics that didn’t help their case. Teasing them was fun. 

“Or I can simply enjoy fashion trends like any teenage girl, while ignoring your presence. I hope it’s not what you wanted to say to me, did you?” She rolled her eyes and stomped on the floor with her right leg. How amusing.

“I didn’t say you can’t enjoy fashion. I only said you should be careful. You’ve a tendency to get carried away.” He let it go, sensing she’d storm off if he said something more in this direction. “Anyway, it’s not why I asked to meet with you here.”

Chō-Chō snickered. “I figured. Spill what you’ve to say then.”

As on the cue, he summarised to Chō-Chō what he already told Sumire and informed her about the picnic. 

“That about covers it up,” he summed it all up, rendering her speechless. Mitsuki didn’t know if it was the way he cautiously approached the topic, or if she was still processing everything he said. 

After a few minutes of waiting, she laughed with small tears in the corner of her eyes. “Damn, you and Sumire take things way too seriously sometimes.”

“If you say so. Does that mean we’re cool?” he asked.

“Yeah, we are. I don’t mind hanging out with you both tomorrow.” Chō-Chō snorted without her laughter stopping. “Besides, I might’ve jumped on the wrong tree. It happens all the time! I’d not turn down the chance to get to know you better at all and use this opportunity to get closer to you as a friend.”

“Are you sure?” He needed to be certain she was really okay with this. This day was going great for him so far. It made him feel uneasy.

“Yeah, I am! You’re just lucky I am in the good mood and that means enjoying my trendy magazine in peace. Shoo-shoo, go away!” She waved him off like an annoying fly, but Mitsuki didn’t take offence. It didn’t differ that much from their usual interaction. He nodded and went somewhere else to think today’s events through. 

Taking into consideration everything got resolved. The picnic tomorrow should be fun. Maybe he should ask Orochimaru about how to secure an excellent picnic spot. His parent was an avid fan of outdoor activities, despite spending a lot of time being holed up inside of a lab. If that person was too busy, he could ask Suigetsu instead, as he seemed experienced in those matters. 

Suddenly, he looked forward to spending his afternoon on a picnic with both girls. The feeling of dread in his heart was gone.

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・

The next day, Chō-Chō had a split inducing headache. She didn’t know what to do today! She promised Sumire and Mitsuki to come on a picnic with them this afternoon, but she encountered an obstacle. Would they know what brand of crisps she craved?! In the end, she settled on buying a few brands of potato crisps that she’d like to share with them. Some flavours of crisps were underrated, and she’d fight with anyone saying otherwise.

Her day at school wasn’t something revolutionary. What was happening after school was more exciting. She missed having Sumire and Mitsuki around without drama. Shikadai was clearly hiding something from her, and Inojin was extremely busy with preparing for an important art exhibition. There was also Sarada, but she was occupied with something important and worked on it along with Boruto. It made her feel lonely. Everyone seemed to change, too. She was the only one that stayed the same. 

Overthinking things wasn’t in her style, so she cast all of her negative thoughts aside.

She hummed a popular song until she spotted two figures in the distance spreading a blanket on the grass under the sturdy-looking tree. Increasing the speed of her pace, she joined them with a shopping bag that had potato crisps she bought inside.

“Am I late?” she asked, wondering if she missed out on something.

“No, we both just arrived!” Sumire said cheerfully and hugged her in a greeting. It was only after the purple-haired girl let her go, Chō-Chō noticed her appearance changed.

Sumire had her hair down, and she was wearing a light purple headband with ornamental violets. The only thing that remained the same was her dress. Chō-Chō tried to think for any reason this change happened. 

“You look great!” She opted to compliment her instead.

Sumire shyly tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Thank you! I wasn’t sure the headband was looking good on me, but I like it a lot.”

“It suits her.” Mitsuki chimed in and Chō-Chō greeted him with a hug, too. 

“So, what were the two of you doing? Can I help in any way?” She was ready to have some fun!

Sumire and Mitsuki glanced at each other in some sort of understanding and burst out with laughter.

“We were just spreading the blanket on the ground,” Mitsuki said.

“You didn’t miss anything exciting,” Sumire added, smoothing out the corners of said blanket. “Before you came, Mitsuki just headed out to buy us the drinks to accompany the food we brought. Once we knew where we wanted to set up, we took out the blanket.”

“Makes sense,” Chō-Chō nodded along. “I’ll help now too.” 

All three of them worked on the set-up and coordinated where things should go and created seating arrangements. Sunny weather helped with uplifting their mood. Honestly, it wasn’t so bad doing something like this once in a while. It felt nice. After completing the preparations, they quickly seated themselves in their assigned seats. Main dishes included a variety of sandwiches, fruit salads, snacks each of them liked and a cheesecake. Only thing that they needed to fix is including something to chat about. 

“So what do you think about Boruto and Sarada?” Chō-Chõ took a good looking chicken mayo sandwich.

Mitsuki raised an eyebrow, holding a potato crisp packet with cheese and onion flavour that she recommended to him. “Do you mean individually or as a couple?”

At those words, Sumire almost dropped the plate with a slice of her cheesecake. Mitsuki heroically saved it by catching the plate before it was too late, while Chō-Chō was soaking in the chaos she caused with a single question. 

“I thought they don’t want us to know they’re dating. Is it okay with us talking about it?” Sumire cleared her throat, while neatly eating her food.

“Totally! As long as it’s not in front of them, I don’t see the problem. Everyone here knows they’re officially dating by now, right?!” Sarada and Boruto’s whirlwind romance was still a big mystery to Chō-Chō. She planned to grill Sarada for all the juicy details later, but it was frustrating to only know minor details. 

“You have a point. It’d be weirder not to notice anything with how glued to each other they are.” Mitsuki nodded in agreement. 

“See? Even Mitsuki noticed, and he’s an emotionally constipated person!” Chō-Chō couldn’t wait to learn what they think about their friends hooking up. That was an opportunity to learn  additional information she missed out on. 

Mitsuki glared at Chō-Chō. “I’m fine in the emotional department. Thank you very much.”

Sumire let out a sigh. “Fine, you’re right. They’re very obvious. I just wish they held back a little in front of me. It’s painful to be a third-wheel.”

“You think so? I think they’re fun to observe.” The crisp packet in Mitsuki’s hand was already empty, and he reached for a bottle of water. 

“I don’t doubt they are.” Sumire agreed with him. “I just feel tired whenever I think of how excessive Boruto can be.”

Chō-Chō put down her sandwich. “Excessive how?!” 

“He borrowed an entire school building on the weekend just for romantic advice. Isn’t it excessive?” After finishing her cheesecake, Sumire grabbed one of the fruit salads. 

“Damn, that is excessive.” Chō-Chō let out a whistle. “Perks of being the principal's son, I bet.” 

“I don’t think so. Boruto doesn’t strike me as the type that would use his connections just for that.” Cleaning up empty crisps packets, Mitsuki disagreed with the notion. 

“Well… He did, so maybe you should reconsider your opinion on this front, Mitsuki.” As someone who was a witness to the whole thing, Sumire offered a solid counterpoint. She got up and helped him sort out the trash from leftover food.

“Point taken.” He conceded defeat. 

Chō-Chō wasn’t sure why, but their exchanges were refreshing to see after the effort she put to ask Sarada for a favour to help with the club’s affairs. The respect those two showed towards each other was a considerable improvement. Hell, a lot of things improved thanks to her genius plan, and everything right now was how it should be from the start. 

“Do you think we find someone special we can love, too?” Chō-Chō was close to spitting out her juice when Sumire hit them with this question. 

“Beats me.” A curt reply from Mitsuki, as usual. It’d not hurt him to share a more detailed response, would it? 

“Obviously, we can! Of course, they won’t be as special as I am, but that’s the case for the most people,” she declared proudly. Chō-Chō wouldn’t let them leave until she hears what they seek from a partner. It didn’t matter she wasn’t one that initially asked the question.

“Personally, what I find special is how your ego is too high.” A necessary intervention from Sumire to stop Chō-Chō from strangling Mitsuki transpired when he uttered those words. 

“Haha, what are you looking for in a partner then? I am kind of curious to hear your answers.” With her nimble movement, Sumire cleaned up the remaining area and came back to her seating spot. Mitsuki gave her a thumbs up, while mimicking her actions. 

Their ideal partners, huh? Chō-Chō needed to tidy up her list of ideal qualities for a future partner before she’ll be ready to answer Sumire’s question about the search for one. 

Unfortunately, it was Mitsuki that was first to respond. “Hmm, I guess they’d need to be open-minded and a little crazy. They’d also need to survive meeting my family.”

“Seriously, what’s up with your family? Why do your future partners need a high survivability rate?!” she exclaimed. Mitsuki’s family was still a mystery to her. She swore on Akimichi’s name that someday she’ll learn his secrets just to have some ammunition against him! 

“Because it’s fun,” he said with an irritating smugness that got on Chō-Chō’s nerves, then pointed at her. “I already answered. It’s your turn now.”

Irritating bastard. Why did she think she was in love with him again? She already forgot. 

“Ugh, fine! I want to meet someone amazing, handsome, capable and knowing what I think before I even tell them. That person should also be a romantic, just like I am!” Chō-Chō was sure it was only a matter of time before she found someone like that.

Mitsuki shook his head at her with a hint of resignation, like she was a lost cause. “As expected, your standards are unrealistic. What you want is a mind-reader and not a partner.”

Another intervention from Sumire this day to stop Chō-Chō from strangling Mitsuki a second time happened. Calming down, she glanced at the girl that was holding her back. “I am sure this version of my destined partner exists somewhere! What about you, Sumire?”

Letting her go, Sumire answered. “Ugh… Someone I relate to and am comfortable with? I didn’t give it that much thought.” 

“That doesn’t sound too hard.” Why did Mitsuki have valid points only when Sumire was concerned?! He wasn’t like that towards her at all. Chō-Chō felt less bad about her attempts to get back at him. 

“Believe me, it’s harder to find someone you’d be comfortable with than you think,” Sumire said with a frown. 

Chō-Chō closed her eyes in contemplation. “That’s fine, isn’t it? We still have some time to figure this stuff out.” 

“Yeah, you’re right. I hope we’ll still be friends when we do.” With a strained smile, Sumire urged them to stand up and folded the blanket for it to fit inside of her bag.

“Of course! Why wouldn’t we? We all live in Konoha, so we’re bound to meet again soon, anyway.” Joining to help, Chō-Chō opened up the bag and rearranged scattered items to free up the space. 

“…yeah, you’re right,” whispered Sumire. 

“What’s with that frown on your face? Let’s hang out again soon, okay? Just the three of us. I had my doubts, but today turned out to be quite fun, don’t you think?” Aside from her wanting to strangle Mitsuki, Chō-Chō considered today a gigantic success. They all communicated without lingering anger or regret. 

“I agree. That was a pleasant change of pace.” Mitsuki took the folded blanket, threw it skilfully into the bag, closed it, and handed it over to Sumire. 

Accepting the bag from Mitsuki, Sumire hesitantly asked; “See you tomorrow at school, then?”

“Yeah!” Chō-Chō and Mitsuki replied in sync. 

The three of them said their goodbyes with a wave of their hands and looked forward to the next time they’d spend having fun together.

Notes:

Hello everyone!

Good news, I passed all of my hellish exams and assessments, so I was in a super good mood when I was handling this chapter.

I hope you all enjoyed reading what I wrote! Moving on, I had a lot of fun with character interactions in this one. It’s the chapter with the more prominent focus on the other club members. Especially since the rest of the chapters will heavily focus on Boruto and Sarada.

Let me know which interactions in this chapter you found the most fun!

a) Sumire with Shikadai

b) Sumire with Mitsuki

c) Mitsuki with Chō-Chō

d) Chō-Chõ, Mitsuki and Sumire interactions during the picnic

Personally, I loved writing all of them, haha. That’s why this chapter turned out to be pretty long. What happens next?

I’m juggling between GoF and Toy’s Maker Wish (my other, short BoruSara fic) to avoid burnout. So I’ll be updating the chapter 27 of GoF after I’ll post chapter 5 of Toy Maker's Wish and so on. I hope it makes sense. Both fics will be completed by the end of August 2023, so I hope that answers potential questions. I also am active on Twitter concerning my writing/editing progress if anyone’s curious. Still need to fix the time-limiter on my update schedule website. I’ll take care of this as soon as possible.

Sincerely yours,
Karinrumi 

Chapter 28: Chapter Twenty Seven

She was happy papa came back. However, with Boruto’s presence, Sarada outgrew the loneliness suffered because of her parents’ absence. Spending time on obligatory family dinners felt out of place, too. It seemed silly, but she missed the times her parents were absent. A glaring contradiction to this thought was until now, she yearned for them to be an active part of her life. 

In uncertain moments like this, she desired for Boruto to be here with her. She was aware it wasn’t possible. The one who should try to put in work to reconnect with her parents was her. A date with Boruto would have made this entire ordeal enjoyable, though. Without his presence, the atmosphere around the table was stifling. 

The noise of the cutlery snapped Sarada back to reality. “Papa, how lo—can you pass me the salt, please?”

He handed the salt over to her and resumed eating his soup. Sarada wanted to know how long he’d be here, but held her tongue. She already asked him this before. Papa’s visits were infrequent, and he never knew the time-length of his stay at home. 

“Thank you,” she said and was happy he acknowledged her presence. 

“How’s school?” Sakura asked, and Sarada groaned. That was the worst question amidst this awkward atmosphere. 

“Not too bad. My grades are decent enough,” she replied. “My club activities are more interesting.”

Sarada found the following silence suffocating. It wasn’t like the quiet moments she had with Boruto without minding it at all. This wasn’t even the type of awkward silence like during her conversation with Mitsuki. That was the silence anyone would want to break and replace it with loud noises instead. Even a screaming match between crowing roosters at five am would be less painful. At least they’d respond with their crowing.

Mom seemed to notice the shift in the mood she was in, but ignored it in favour of looking fondly at papa instead. In the past, Sarada didn’t fully understand how much papa’s visits brightened mom’s mood. Not until she fell in love, herself. Seeing her parents wordlessly flirting with each other made her immensely miss Boruto. She wanted to see him or at least hear his voice! Ugh, why was she stuck at this table in the first place? There were so many other things she could do instead, while leaving them alone to their own devices. 

Would leaving make her happy? Sarada sincerely doubted it. She discussed certain things with Boruto after they officially got together. One of those discussions involved a mysterious correspondence between their parents. Fed up with all the things their families were hiding, both of them agreed to ask the involved people about the truth. They only needed to set up an opportunity to do so.

“We’re preparing for this year’s Konoha Gaming Tournament, so things are quite hectic,” she mentioned, gauging their reaction. 

As expected, papa didn’t mind. His habitual absence meant he’d support anything Sarada desired to do. His support wasn’t vocal, but she didn’t mind it at all. 

Mom’s lips pressed together to form a thin, tight line. “Did you already forget what happened last time? I don’t approve of you signing up for that tournament.”

Sarada put down the spoon she held, leaving her soup unfinished. She didn’t like where this was going. “I didn’t forget. Just because the last time ended badly doesn’t mean I’ll skip club activities.” 

Sakura furrowed her brows to put a further emphasis on her disapproval. Of course she did. Her mom often changed her mind on things as often as the weather did. “Then resign from the club. You don’t need to engage in the club activities if you’re not a member.” 

Sarada slammed her hands onto the table, the contents of soup spilling out slightly from the impact. “I’m not resigning!” She thought mom would understand by now and that they were getting along better. “Besides, I am the one that should be angry. You always hide important things from me using watered down excuses!”

“Listen, I’m not hiding anything from you, Sa—“

“Lies. You exchanged letters with Boruto’s dad in secret and you never mentioned that our families knew each other! What else do you hide?! Even though I'm clueless, I can handle the truth better than you give me credit for."

A loud noise that Sarada craved before echoed. It was her mom punching the dining table. That it didn’t break was a miracle. “You shouldn’t know about those letters unless you went through my things and disrespected my privacy! Don’t act like you’re not hiding things from me too, Sarada!”

“Calm down, Sakura.” Her papa’s voice rendered them both speechless. He rarely involved himself in their family squabbles. “Sarada, you too.’

“Sorry darling,” her mom said, backing off from the argument first. When she did so, Sarada followed her example. Why was papa intervening? Did his portion of the soup spill or something?

“Sakura, why are you so against Sarada taking part in the tournament?” Papa asked calmly. If he didn’t speak up at all, anyone would think he was just a beautiful sculpture placed on a chair.

“Dear, you know very well what happened last time. I just wish Sarada wouldn’t end up hurt again.” Mom’s explanation made sense, but Sarada knew her overprotectiveness wouldn’t spare her from the pain. 

Sasuke raised his eyebrow slightly. “Sarada?” The quiet ‘tell me your side of story’ from papa went unspoken. 

“I wish to be in the tournament this year. I refuse to let the past hurt hinder me. Is it wrong to enjoy club activities? This time, I won’t be alone. Boruto, Chō-Chō, Shikadai, Sumire and Mitsuki will be there in case anything serious happens. Mom’s overprotective. I’m stronger than she thinks.” Now that she and mom weren’t in the middle of a screaming match with one another, Sarada felt they heard her wishes.

Papa let out a sigh. “What’s the harm in letting her do it, honey? Sarada’s friends seem reliable enough to keep an eye out for her. Have more faith in our daughter.” The trust he put in her friends felt nice, even if he didn’t know any of them, except for Boruto. 

“I suppose you’re right,” mom conceded. “There’s one issue that remains, though. Why do you know about the letters, Sarada?”

“Coincidence.” That, technically, wasn’t a lie. Sarada wouldn’t even know about those letters without Boruto showing her the one he had in his possession. “Kind of. Boruto got and read one by accident that was addressed to his dad, then showed it to me. He hoped I’d be able to explain the situation neither of us knew anything about.”

“What a mess,” commented mom. “I guess it means I owe you both an explanation.”

Did it mean she’d get answers they tried so hard to uncover? Just like that? It felt anticlimactic, but Sarada just nodded in affirmation. “You sure do.”

“Sarada, please talk to Boruto to invite him to lunch at our house this week. I’ll talk with his parents to ask them to come over too,” mom said.

“Sure thing,” Sarada responded, and their remaining time during family dinner ended up being peaceful, despite the horrible start it had.

Soon… Soon Sarada will get all the answers she sought from the moment she saw the letter Boruto showed her that day.

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・

Being Sarada’s boyfriend turned out to be fun. Meeting up with her and getting to know things they had in common was always a blast. They didn’t tell their friends they were dating yet. Telling their families first took the priority. There were things both of them desired to discover before announcing they were a couple.

He wanted to be with Sarada today, but promised Hima to be there for her and support the art she made displayed in an art school exhibition. On his way, he bumped into Shikadai. Apparently, Inojin was the primary star of the event. There was an anonymous voting poll to pick the best artwork on display. The choice was obvious. Between Inojin and his sister, Boruto didn’t hesitate at all and voted for the work created by Hima. Inojin still ended up in first place anyway, so the rest of the event was predictable and dull. 

“Thank you, big bro!” Himawari’s wide smile when she learned he voted for her was worth enduring said dullness. 

“Yeah! I’m proud of you, Hima!” he said, gently ruffling her hair. Boruto automatically thought of how Sarada’s hair was smooth to touch, too.

“I know. Inojin ended up as the winner again,” she sighed.

“They should ban him from participating again after this,” he joked. “I admit his painting was amazing, even if I like yours more.”

“What do you want, Boruto?” Hima asked, giving him an apprehensive look.

Boruto chuckled nervously, while being scrutinised by her. “Nothing! Can’t I just be supportive of my little sis?” 

“Mhm. Last time you tried to butter me up was when you wanted to borrow my art supplies for a prank.” True. He rarely gave out compliments unless he wanted to bribe her. That was a two-way-street. There were plenty of occasions where she was overly nice to him to get her way, too. 

He winked at her. “This time, I don’t want a thing from you. Just telling my honest thoughts.”

“Figures.” She shrugged, then jumped, a little startled by the sound of a ringtone coming from his phone. “You should pick it up. I’ll go to say hello to Inojin and congratulate him on his victory.” 

Boruto took his phone out of his pocket, relieved his sister didn’t comment on the song he picked for his ringtone. “Thanks, Hima. I’ll wait for you outside after I finish!”

He looked at the caller’s ID. It was Sarada. Must be something important, since they both had other plans for today. Boruto quickly went outside to be alone while picking up the call.

“Hi, Boruto!” she said, and he wanted to see her when he heard her voice.

“Hey, what’s up?” He was curious about what brought this on. 

“Remember the letters?” Sarada whispered the question to him. Was she afraid someone could spy or disturb their conversation on her end?

It was an emergency then. “Yeah, I do! I found the first one I showed you.”

“Well…” she trailed off for a moment. “I got into a fight with mom about those letters.”

Eh?!

“Are you okay?” Boruto had a million questions, but in the end, this was the one he asked first. 

“Yes, I am,” she said, while letting out a small giggle. “Things on my end somehow got resolved, but my mom stubbornly insisted on inviting you and your entire family to our house.”

“I don’t mind coming over to your house at all!” If that meant getting answers to everything they were uncertain about, then he’d attend, even if he minded. “No idea if my entire family could show up. I’ll talk to them once I’m back home with Hima.” 

“That’s great! Let me know how it goes once you pass on the news.” Sarada’s voice softened, and she sounded much more relaxed compared to when she initially called.

“Will do. Wanna go on a date before confronting the truth?” He asked, secretly hoping it’d ease his nerves too.

“That would be lovely. I’ll see you then!” 

“Yeah,” he replied. It was a shame he couldn’t find a subject to prolong their conversation, but at least he heard Sarada’s voice today. 

He should continue accompanying Himawari for the rest of the day, at least until they get home. Boruto hoped he’d bump into both his parents there, even if it was unlikely dad would be home. 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・

Sarada bit her lip slightly. She was looking forward to her date with Boruto. The idea of confronting the truth during today’s family dinner was exciting, in a distinct sense. 

“You came!” She went full speed ahead and embraced Boruto tightly. 

“I did,” he nodded, and freed up his right arm just to ruffle her hair with his hand. 

“Will you ever be tired of this?” she asked, while fixing the headband Boruto almost knocked over. It was challenging when he had no intention of stopping what he was doing.

“Never! Your hair is very soft to touch,” he pouted slightly. Sarada didn’t know whether he was doing it on purpose to calm her down or if it was his usual flair for drama over mundane situations.

“Sure, sure… Let’s go watch the movie now!” Without hesitation, she linked their arms together. Arriving at their destination, they scanned their tickets and sat in the back row of empty seats. There weren’t many people at this hour to watch the movie they picked. 

The movie they watched was about two people bound by fate that hated each other. Connection between their souls resulted in the disruption of their daily life. Learning that fate was forcing them together, the pair tried to sever the link tying them together. It led them on an adventure to find their respective Guardian Angels. The Guardian Angels agreed to sever the link tying the souls of the main characters under the condition they’d pass necessary trials. Each trial made the leads grow closer. So close they fell in love and accepted their fate. In the end, the pair didn’t sever the link that tied their souls. This ending wasn’t bad, but it was a disappointing one for Sarada. She preferred the chemistry the female lead had with an actor playing one of the Guardian Angels instead.  

As she was tearing up during the confession scene when her ship sank, Boruto's amused gaze focused on her rather than the big screen. How annoying. He probably had more fun watching her reactions over the movie. 

“Such a shame Belial and Selene didn’t get together!” That was the first thing she had to say about the movie, while on the edge of her seat waiting for Boruto’s opinion.

“I think Selene should get with Astaroth instead.”

The calmness of his statement made Sarada sit there in silence for a good minute. “What? Did we watch the same movie?!” 

“We did.” Boruto nodded. “The point is, we both agree Selene and Cassiel had no chemistry.”

No chemistry? Selene and Cassiel didn’t even fall under the ‘No chemistry’ category. That’s how bad their romance was. When thinking about it this way… Seltaroth  wasn’t that bad of a ship. “Valid.”

Boruto smiled, accepting her response, and his attention seemed to turn somewhere else. “You know what that movie made me think?”

Despite not having the ability to read minds, Sarada's natural curiosity drove her. Boruto asking her these sorts of questions just fuelled the turning gears in her mind. “No idea. Care to share?”

“We are meant to be together.”

The gears in her mind stopped. She expected a very detailed discussion of the movie’s plot. Definitely not this. 

“As in destined to be?” she asked, trying to deflect his attention from the fact she misread his initial intention. 

What Boruto implied sounded incredibly romantic to her, but something felt amiss. As if her heart wanted to scream out in protest. 

“Nah. I dislike the idea of destiny. Even if we weren’t destined to be together… I’d defy this fate to end up with you.” Boruto seemed to put into words the reason his initial statement felt off to her. Sarada put in a lot of effort for Boruto to go out with her. Chalking it up to destiny felt like undervaluing said effort. Their relationship only thrived after she told she loved him and overcame her fears. 

That being said, she found the idea of them fighting destiny to stay together quite endearing. “You’re quite the romantic. I don’t dislike it, though.” At least, to Sarada, it was more romantic compared to staying with someone just because fate dictated them to be like in the movie. “Maybe I’m a fool, but I’d support you the best I can to defy destiny.”

Boruto’s wide smile was enough to leave her without regrets. Regardless of whether she was foolish.

Time flies too fast when you spend it in the company of someone you like. Now the only thing remaining was her nerves. Boruto held her shaking hand while they were exiting the cinema. Sarada hoped learning the truth would be beneficial to their relationship. 

“We’ve got this, Sarada.” She barely heard Boruto say this, but his supportive tone made her confident there was nothing to worry about. 

“You’re right,” she answered, while they were closely approaching the lion’s den that was her home.

“Heh. Glad you agree with me,” he joked. Sarada was painfully aware that her boyfriend was right at that moment. It didn’t mean he was always right, and the thought made her more nervous before facing her parents.

“Mhm. Let’s go inside.”

It was time to conclude the case of mysterious letters once and for all. That might be their only chance to learn the truth, and Sarada wouldn’t lose this chance for anything else. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door to her house open.

Was it like opening a gate to hell or to heaven? She didn’t know yet. The only thing she knew was to face whatever truth came her way head on.

Notes:

Hello everyone,

I set this chapter up as a build-up to chapter 28 of GoF! It still has some of my favourite BoruSara moments. Baffling to think, I started this story before the time skip in the manga, right? I have a few ideas about fics that would fit the actual time skip version of the characters better, but GoF for obvious reasons wouldn’t include them.

I’m still committed to finishing this story, though.

Only 2 more chapters and an Epilogue to go through! Let’s hope you’ll all enjoy my November/December upload spree.

Sincerely yours, Karinrumi 

Chapter 29: Chapter Twenty Eight

It turned out Boruto’s family showed up at the dreaded discussion. He was sitting between her and Himawari. Her mom and papa, along with Boruto’s parents, were all seated on the opposite side of the table. Once everyone gathered, it was clear to Sarada it was pointless to mask her nerves. 

In an unexpected show of courage, she looked straight at her mom with her gaze occasionally drifting to Boruto’s dad. “Everyone’s here already. Will you explain everything now?” The calmness in which she executed this question surprised her.

Her mom let out a sigh, then put the same blue box Sarada once peeked inside onto the table. She exchanged a silent nod with Boruto, who also recognised it. There was no doubt in their minds it contained the same letters they stopped reading midway through.

“Oh, I’m sure both of you recognise this, right?” That was more like a snide remark than a question. Sarada guessed mom still felt upset about their argument yesterday. Holding a grudge longer than it was necessary was a tradition in her family.

“I like this shade of blue!” Himawari blurted out. Sarada had no clue whether she tried to ignore the tension or was blissfully unaware of it.

“So do I,” mom smiled at the compliment. That was the first time Sarada saw her being happy in a while during a conversation with someone who wasn’t papa. Speaking of papa, Sarada knew he’d be quiet for most of this conversation, but that didn’t explain why Boruto’s parents were too.

“Hima’s right. This shade of blue is pretty,” Boruto chimed in. Sarada almost gave in to the urge to smile when he spoke up. Of course, he’d agree with Hima about the bright shade of blue she wasn’t the fan of. If there was one subject, they never brought up again in their relationship, it was this one. They never seemed to agree whenever it came up. Boruto loved bright colours, while Sarada preferred darker ones. “It’s very calming too, ya know! I’d love to know where you bought this!” 

“Thank you, Boruto,” mom laughed. “Just because you have a wonderful taste doesn’t mean you or Sarada are off the hook.”

“Yes, ma’am!” His shoulders slightly slumped. Sarada applauded him for the attempt to improve her mom’s mood, even if it wasn’t as effective as he hoped to be.

“Oi, Naruto. You’re one of the responsible parties in this, too. Why won’t you explain everything to me?” The smile of her mom directed at the principal of their school sent shivers down Sarada’s spine. Scary. 

Boruto’s dad coughed a bit and went to stand next to her mom. “If you put it like this, Sakura, I have no choice but to do so.” It was obvious the man was equally scared, or maybe terrified, more than Sarada was.

“You’re the one who started this mess by not being careful enough!” After mom snapped, Sarada frowned a bit. She didn’t like the way mom was releasing her frustration on the school principal, out of all people. It didn’t help Mrs Hinata looked incredibly upset to the point papa said something Sarada couldn’t hear from this distance to calm her down.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t know Boruto would read a message addressed to me.” 

After Mr Naruto apologised, mom eased up and sighed in resignation. “I suppose we wouldn’t be able to hide it from our children forever. I just never expected it’d come so soon.”

“Yeah… So, are we showing them our letters in the right order?” Boruto’s dad asked, and her mom nodded in response.

“Here’s the correct order of our correspondence. Read those before asking questions, got it?!” Mom's irritation was obvious, but Sarada imitated her and nodded.

Sarada took out the first letter. Boruto whispered to her, he was fine if she read them first and handed them to him in the same order she took them out.

 

Dear Sakura,

I write to you, since I heard the upsetting news of Granny’s Tsunade passing and thought we could talk about the past incident between us. As for how I learned where to send this letter, Kakashi filled me in on that matter.

I’m aware you never wanted to see me ever again, but I thought after a few years you’d change your mind.

Naruto Uzumaki

 

Sarada’s chest tightened. So it was granny’s death that made them get in contact with one another? She wordlessly passed the letter and grabbed the second one from the pile, squashing down a wave of unpleasant memories. 

“Past incident?” Boruto muttered, lightly holding his chin. He did that sometimes when trying to solve a complicated riddle from magazines Chō-Chō brought to school. “If I am too nosy, you can tell me, ya know? But will you tell us what that past incident was about?”

“It refers to the falling out your dad and Sarada’s mom had in high school,” Mrs Hinata explained with a gentle smile, even though her eyes weren’t smiling at all. “Let’s just say they had a big fight over how to handle their mutual friend.”

“Who was their mutual friend?” Sarada asked, encouraged after Boruto’s question received an answer.

“That would be me,” papa said and the party that was involved in the past incident mentioned in the letter sheepishly avoided the gaze of their children. “By the way, it was Naruto who was right back then.” 

Mr Naruto celebrated this knowledge with a loud cheer, earning a look of disappointment from his son. Mom crossed her arms and pouted, fishing for affection from papa. “Is that so?”

“Don’t sulk, I still married you,” he teased mom, while Sarada tried to ignore Boruto’s ‘Are they really flirting in front of us right now?’ puzzled look without bursting into laughter. The silence returned when she began reading the next letter she was currently holding. 

 

Dear Naruto,

At first, I didn’t consider responding to you at all. However, things changed enough that I wouldn’t mind catching up.

Do you want to meet me in person? Tsunade’s death really took a heavy toll on my daughter. I’d really appreciate your advice. Past aside, you were always more in-tune with understanding other people.

Sakura Uchiha

She wasn’t aware mom was so worried about how to interact with her. Especially after granny’s death. Sarada knew herself how unresponsive she was back then, at least until she found her solace in playing games.

 

Dear Sakura,

I’m happy to see you responded! 

The expectations you would have were already low, but I’m glad you want to catch up. I’d love to give you advice! In exchange, give me some tips concerning my son too. 

Wanna go meet at Ichiraku Ramen? Is Thursday evening free for you? Respond to me when you’ll be available.

Naruto Uzumaki

Tips concerning his son? If he wanted to get along with him more, she was sure mom wouldn’t give him good advice. In fact, asking Sarada would be more productive. There was no way Mr Naruto would know that, though.

 

Dear Naruto,

Ichiraku Ramen on Thursday at 9 pm is fine. Let’s meet there this week.

Sakura Uchiha

 

Ichiraku Ramen? It was the second time this place was mentioned. Wasn’t this the spot Boruto always wanted to avoid during their dates every time Sarada suggested checking it out? Now it made sense why he was so hell-bent on avoiding it. It’d be awkward to bump into his dad there when they wanted to have privacy.

 

Dear Naruto,

I know we met at Ichiraku Ramen not that long ago… It was fun. We exchanged our numbers in person, so technically we didn’t need to send letters anymore. 

There’s one issue. Things I want to talk about could be easily tracked down online, especially at these trying times. Why won’t we stick to sending letters to each other instead?

Sakura Uchiha

 

“Why were you so worried about being tracked online, mom? Was what you talked about really that important?” What Sarada truthfully wanted to ask was whether those talks her mom kept ‘secret’ took priority over spending time with her. She wasn't disappointed, yet she found it hard to stop sounding bitter.  

Mom let out an annoyed sigh. “Yes. I wanted to avoid unnecessary attention. It’s quite ironic wanting to keep others away from my private life resulted in them doing so.”

Sarada bit her lip. Her mom answered her question, which was a considerable improvement, but in a way, it was irritating. Would she always need to quarrel with her just to get honest answers? Perhaps, she worried too much and after this, her relationship with mom would improve? Boruto secretly held her hand under the table in a silent gesture of support. He was like her personal magician, making her feel better with a light touch. Sarada would walk away from this conversation long ago if she were by herself. Chō-Chō had a point when she mentioned she changed. Swiftly, Sarada grabbed the next letter with the remaining free hand.

 

Dear Sakura,

We should definitely hang out together soon. How about a reunion between me, you, Sasuke and Hinata? 

I don’t mind communicating with letters instead. It has its own charm; you know? You can stop with formalities too. Let’s make those letters more casual. What do ya think?

Naruto

 

“Does it mean you got the reunion you wanted today, dad?” Boruto had a teasing grin. His dad awkwardly scratched his chin with a strained laugh. Sarada read that as a sign, the current situation wasn’t the ideal reunion their parents hoped for. 

“You can say that.” That was the most flat response from Boruto’s dad this entire evening.

Dear Naruto,

I’m not sure Hinata would want to see me after everything that happened, although spending time together with our old friend group for sure would be a blast. I’m glad you’re fine with continuing our communication via letters.

I won’t be more casual unless you finish the favour I asked of you. Meet me at Ichiraku Ramen next week. I’ll provide the time and the date on a postcard I’ll include along with this letter.

Sakura Uchiha

 

“A favour? What did you ask him to do, mom?” An inevitable question or one of many questions this evening that needed to be voiced out loud.  

“Curious in the same way my husband was at this age, aren’t you, Sarada?” Mom nonchalantly commented. “The favour I asked for was for him to talk to you in person, but he was so busy that said favour never got fulfilled. Another one was to bring a bottle of Sake and dice to Granny's Tsunade grave. Naruto only finished the second one.” 

Sarada creased her brows in disbelief. Did mom consider how much stress it would cause for her if their school principal wanted to talk with her out of nowhere?! “That’s probably for the best,” she muttered under her breath.

 

Dear Sakura,

I’ll try to work around my schedule to be there on time. Is it the same favour you discussed with me before? Speaking of favours — did you already  find the book I mentioned at Ichiraku? It’s an important keepsake I’d love to have back.

Naruto

“Oh! It’s that book dad brought home when big bro wasn’t home!” Himawari announced with a melodious cheer, while evidently covering up the fact she peeked at the letters from behind Boruto’s shoulder. “The same one I was forbidden to read.”

“Really dad? Hima’s more mature than you think. She can handle herself.” Boruto deadpanned.

Mrs Hinata took a sip of her tea and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter how mature Hima is, I won’t allow either of you to read that book for now.” 

Boruto sunk deep into his chair. “Ah, that makes sense. As you wish, mom.” From the looks of it, he should have figured it wasn’t Mr Naruto that enforced this rule. Sarada snickered. It was clear as the sky that her boyfriend was mommy’s boy. She’d not hesitate to use it for the future advantages it might bring, though.

 

Dear Naruto,

Yes, I managed to find it. I’ll bring it for our next meeting.

Sakura Uchiha

 

Sarada quickly grabbed the next letter, while she saw Boruto quickly skimming through this one. She resolved the matter of the book, so she understood why his attention focused on the letter she held. 

Dear Sakura,

I need to thank you. It’s such a relief to have something so important to me back on my bookshelf. 

I don’t mean to worry ya, Sakura, but a group of students saw us together on our way back from Ichiraku. Unfortunately, that caused a rumour that I’m cheating on Hinata. Hinata confronted me about it today and I explained we got back in contact with one another, but it’d be great if you could talk to her too to reassure her nothing’s going on between us.

Will you still help me pick the gift for my and Hinata’s wedding anniversary?

Naruto

Boruto and Sarada exchanged meaningful looks. Wedding anniversary? Asking about it could ruin the surprise if the day in question didn’t happen yet. Passing the ball in the court to Boruto seemed like the best course of action.

“So…” Boruto trailed off and the ensuing minute of silence followed. “Are you telling me that the rumours I’ve heard were caused by you two simply hanging out at Ichiraku?” 

“That would be correct,” her mom nodded. 

“That doesn’t explain the rumours I’ve heard about Sarada.” Her boyfriend frowned and her heart skipped a beat. It was obvious he was worried.

“Oh. Those are because of what happened between me and Asami. Mostly. Your fan club caused some of them, since I didn’t get along with certain girls in that circle.” Sarada hoped this explanation had cleared it up for him. He already knew this story, so it should speed things up. 

“Makes sense,” he said and dropped the subject completely.

 

Dear Naruto,

Of course! A promise is a promise, and you are already helping me with a delicate matter. We need to be very discreet about that, too. Rumours? I’ll try to learn about those and get in contact with Hinata too to clear everything up..

I miss Sasuke in moments like this. My taste in picking gifts is impeccable, but he has more connections and knowledge about good shopping spots. Please, try not to be late, alright?

Sakura Uchiha

 

Well, based on Boruto’s question not too long ago, asking about wedding anniversaries was off-limits. Maybe mom would miss papa less if she spent more time with her and went unsaid by Sarada.

Dear Sakura  

Got it! I promise to arrive on time, believe it! Are you sure you’re alright without Sasuke around? I can always call him to come back for you, ya know? 

Naruto

Sarada’s eyes widened. It was the letters both she and Boruto were painfully familiar with, the ones that started everything. That wasn’t important. What was important was that the order they initially read them was incorrect.

Dear Naruto,

I am sorry Hinata heard those stupid rumours. I went to explain to her everything personally.

I cannot blame her for that, considering all three of us were in an open-relationship before because I wanted to make my current husband jealous. We all did stupid things when we were teenagers, right?

Thank you for keeping your promise. And no. You don’t need to call Sasuke. We’re not teenagers anymore. Focus on your family, okay? 

Sakura

 

The only reason neither of them was shocked was that they had already seen those specific letters. Otherwise, the shock factor would be greater. Sarada was grateful they read this content earlier. She’d not be able to handle it as well at this moment if she didn’t. “Open relationship to make papa jealous, huh? You were more wild as a teenager than I ever was, mom.” Or attempting to tease her mom like this.

Her mom flushed. “Please, watch what you say, Sarada. You’re wilder than I ever was at this age.”

“I disagree,” papa, Mr Naruto and Mrs Hinata said in unison, which caused mom to bury her face in her hands. 

Himawari, Sarada, and Boruto stopped themselves from making any other comments. They wanted to spare Sarada’s mom from further teasing by the other three adults in the room. 

 

Dear Sakura,

Guilt-tripping again, eh? We all did stupid things as teenagers, but I don’t think the whole experience was negative. We are where we are because of it, right? Besides, it looks like my son is getting along with your daughter well. Both you and Hinata should meet up and explain everything to each other. I have a feeling we all meet soon considering our children are friends; ya know? We can talk about granny's death in person later, got it? I feel bad hiding our small letter exchange from Hinata. I don’t want to make her angry.

Naruto

“Certainly we’re getting along now, but that wasn’t the case at first,” Sarada smiled wistfully when remembering how upset she was during her first interaction with Boruto back then. “Well, I’d say it worked out for the best.”

“Eh, weren’t you both friends from the start?” The perplexity on Mr Naruto’s face was hilarious and this time Sarada really couldn’t hold her laughter back.

“May I ask what gave you the impression we got along at that point in time?” She knew very well her question served as a method to regain a semblance of composure.

“I dunno. Your interaction reminded me of my friendship with Sasuke back in the day, since you both had this rivalry going on according to other teachers.” Was that how others perceived her arguments with Boruto? “They also mentioned Sarada glared pretty intensely at Boruto during breaks, so I assumed you were close.”

“Dad… That goes without saying, but you should learn how to read the mood.” It might have looked as if Boruto was scolding him, but his posture was very relaxed. "At the time you wrote this letter, we weren't getting along at all." In a way, Mr Naruto predicted they would be friends. This level of perception could be scary if somebody else had it.

“Didn’t you ask me for a favour to lend you a school building during a weekend last month because you were trying to have a competition with Sarada?” What? That was the first time Sarada had heard about something like this. She was sure Mr Naruto was bluffing, right? Who’d do something like ask their dad to lend a school building on a weekend?!

“Pff… There wasn’t any competition between us as of recently. If anything, we’re teammates during an upcoming Konoha’s Gaming Tournament.” Sarada let go of Boruto’s hand and grabbed an ornate teapot to pour herself some of her favourite black tea. “Though we ended up getting along as you predicted, even more so than anyone could imagine. After all, Boruto is my boyfriend.” She put the teapot back in its place, then took a sip of her tea, calmly breaking the news. 

“Yeah, you were quite close to the truth, dad,” Boruto said while blushing. “I don’t know how I feel about you exposing the school building bit to Sarada, ya know? She won’t let me live it down now.”

“He’s not wrong,” she added and was expecting everyone to digest the news by now.

“I knew it! Congrats, you two,” Himawari squealed joyfully. “I was afraid my bro would end up with some hussy,” an offended ‘hey’ at the same time said by Boruto didn’t stop Himawari’s speech,” instead of someone cool like Sarada! Her being my future sister-in-law is the best outcome possible.”

“Language, Hima. Congratulations to you two.” First to recover amongst the adults was Mrs Hinata, who already suspected Sarada had feelings for Boruto way before they got together. “As long as my son is happy, I don’t see the issue with you two being together. Sarada’s a lovely person and always welcome to come over to our place.”

“Thank you. You’re a lovely person as well,” Sarada responded to Boruto’s mom. She was happy to have her approval. 

“Congratulations,” Papa seemed rather unfazed. Sarada guessed the only reason he didn’t oppose their relationship was because he secretly ADORED Boruto. He’d never admit he did to the person in question, but he had a soft spot for her boyfriend. If she brought anyone else, they’d not be as lucky.

“C-congratulations,” her mom was stunned, although she quickly got out of this state. “That goes without saying, but Boruto, if you hurt my daughter, I’ll deal with you without leaving a trace of evidence, got it?!” Whoa. Who’d have thought that out of all the adults, her mom had it in her for shovel talk? That was something Sarada more expected from her papa rather than mom.

“Yes, ma’am!” Boruto saluted with a serious expression, though maybe the seriousness served as a cover for the way his shoulders slightly trembled. Sarada sulked quietly. The last thing she wanted was her mom scaring Boruto from being her boyfriend! 

The most delayed reaction came from Mr Naruto himself. “EHH?! You two are together?!” 

“Yeah? We told you we are like five minutes ago, dad,” Boruto stared at him, unimpressed with his dad’s reaction. What a poser. Sarada knew Boruto wanted his dad to approve of the relationship between them the most. 

“What did I miss?” Mr Naruto mumbled. “I mean, congrats! I’m super happy for you two!”

“Idiot,” papa said with a smug smile. “You were perceptive enough to know they’re getting along, but not enough to realise they liked each other romantically? You’re really slow on the uptake. Hmph.” 

“Sasuke, you jerk! Care to repeat that?!” Mr Naruto readied himself into a boxing stance.

 He only stopped when Mrs Hinata leaped and forcefully put his hand on his shoulder. “Honey, you wouldn’t fight with Sasuke during a joyous occasion like this, right?” Her smile looked like that of an angel, while the expression itself was hiding the devil underneath. Her mom was scary, but Sarada shuddered at the thought of ever angering Boruto’s mom.

“Ahem,” she exclaimed loudly. “With that news out of the way, let’s get back to reading the letters.”

After all, Boruto being her boyfriend might not be the only news this evening.

Dear Naruto,

For the old times’ sake, we probably should stop our letter exchanges soon. I’ll come back to addressing you formally too. 

However, before that happens, could I ask you for one last favour? It’s very important that nobody knows about it.

Sakura Uchiha

 

“What’s the last favour, mom?” Sarada examined her mom’s body language.

Her mom sighed, definitely tired of this day’s revelations. “Nothing much. I just took up Naruto’s offer to call Sasuke to come back home, after all.”

“Really? You were the one responsible for papa’s surprise visit?!”

“She was,” papa nodded. 

“I thought his visit might cheer you up and ease the tense atmosphere between us, Sarada.” This admittance from mom made Sarada’s earlier anger at her evaporate. Mama was just trying to cope after granny’s death in her own way too. Their way of personal coping clashed, but she tried her best to cheer her up.

“Thank you. I think I owe you an apology for yesterday too,” Sarada whispered and went back to sped-read the last two letters.

 

Dear Sakura,

You better believe it when I say that I’m fine with helping you out. It’s sad our letter exchanges would be over soon, but hey! There's no rule against us hanging out ever again.

Let’s finish the task you wanted my help with soon. When are you free?

Naruto Uzumaki

 

Dear Naruto, 

Meet me today at our usual place. Don't let Hinata or anybody know about it, you know what I mean, right? Anyway, I'm counting on you!

Sakura Uchiha

 

“Um, I know you told us to ask questions after we read every letter and we kind of asked them in the middle of reading, ya know? We got our answers, so I’m satisfied,” Boruto declared, and Sarada silently agreed with him. This evening was an exhausting affair, all things considered.

Their families playfully teased and made light jokes about them dating, creating a peaceful atmosphere for the rest of the dinner. They discovered the rule book Sarada religiously followed to have a safety net was written by mama and Mrs Hinata to prank papa. Papa, being an awkward person he was, thought it was a good idea to give it to her to move on from granny’s Tsunade’s death and the thought his daughter would take the contents so seriously never crossed his mind. Sarada never felt lighter in her life than in this moment. She felt safer than ever without following rules that shielded her from forming genuine connections.

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・  

After the mentally draining dinner at Sarada’s house this weekend, classes felt like a chore to Boruto. They broke the news about them dating to their parents, but they still didn’t tell their friends yet. He had a hunch Sumire and Shikadai already knew about their relationship. Well... if they didn't, it would surprise Boruto. Those two gave him love advice and a final push to confess his feelings to Sarada.

Sighing mentally at the preparations needed for Konoha’s Gaming Tournament and fulfilling his duty as the club president made him walk at turtle's pace towards their club room. 

Repeating everyday motion, he opened the door only to see Shikadai, Sumire and Mitsuki jotting down notes and throwing the crumpled pieces of paper to the bin that got moved under the desk they were occupying.

“What are you guys doing?” he announced his presence and raised his eyebrow.

“Trying to pick the team game we will send in during the Konoha’s Gaming Tournament,” Mitsuki greeted him with a short and concise explanation. “All three of us have different ideas.”

“Postpone this discussion for a moment and try to relax, guys. We should discuss what to pick when everyone’s here. It’d be rude to pick something without Chō-Chō and Sarada giving their input,” Boruto ordered like a bona fide club leader he was. He knew that sometimes his friends forgot his position, but without his approval of the idea, it didn’t matter what they picked. 

“I guess without the club president pitching the idea to our club supervisor and registering us for the game we’re getting nowhere,” Sumire concurred and lightly tapped Mitsuki on his back. “Can I grab you to help me with snacks?” Mitsuki blinked in confusion at Sumire’s question, but followed her to help make snacks without fuss, leaving Boruto and Shikadai alone.

“What a drag,” Shikadai yawned, then slowly stretched his body, “at least your suggestion to take a break was great. Lord knows we need it right now.”

Boruto plopped himself down on the chair next to Shikadai. “Glad to help. Once everyone’s here, we will make more progress, since we’ll take everyone’s opinions into account.”

“Right you are… by the way, how long are you gonna pretend you’re not dating Sarada?” That wasn’t the question Boruto minded, yet Shikadai’s words surprised him.

“We already told our parents, so if our friends know, it isn’t a big deal,” Boruto shrugged. “It’s not like we planned to keep it a secret forever.”

“Figured,” Shikadai answered. “Does that mean you completely moved on from what happened with Asami?” 

“Yeah. I wasn’t even thinking about her until you spoke her name.” Boruto had an idea why Shikadai asked this question. “If anything, I think you’re the one that didn’t move on from her, ya know? Sumire and Chō-Chō gathered courage to confess to Mitsuki, got rejected, moved on, and now their friendship is stronger than ever. Sarada and I disliked each other at first and now we’re dating. Everyone else moved on because they embraced those changes including me.” ‘Aren’t you one stuck in the past the most, Shikadai?’ wasn’t spoken aloud by Boruto, but he knew his friend was smart enough to figure out what he was getting at.

“I admit defeat. Because you act like an idiot most of the time, I often forget how smart you are,” Shikadai shook his head in amusement. “I’d not say I didn’t change.”

“Oh?” Boruto waited for Shikadai to expand the implication of his last statement.

“My strained relationship with Sumire isn’t as strained as it used to be, for example.”

“It was a significant change, fair enough.” Boruto looked at the fancy lamp on the ceiling in thought. “But you know what the difference is? Most of us changed and moved on because of love, while your past love only drags you down. I’ve already forgiven you. It’s time for you to seek your own happiness and move on, too.”

“Hah, you all really are troublesome, always making me work the hardest I can,” Shikadai laughed, while Boruto joined him.

“That’s what friends are for!”

Before they had a chance to continue their conversation, the door to the club room creaked open. “Did we miss something?” Sarada asked with Chō-Chō who held a packet of crisps at her side.

“You’re both late,” Boruto chided them in a friendly manner. “Under normal circumstances I’d not mind, but we need to decide as a group the category we’ll take part in.”

Chō-Chō snorted. “From the guy who’s usually late, this type of scolding sounds hollow.” Boruto rolled his eyes at her jab.

“Makes sense. The registration and paperwork was already a headache when I was signing last year,” Sarada grimaced. Her being aware of how the entire procedure worked saved them a significant amount of time for their preparations. “Where’s Mitsuki and Sumire?” 

“They went to get some snacks, while we had a break waiting for you two and should be back soon,” Shikadai rubbed his eyes. 

Speaking of the devil, both Mitsuki and Sumire came back holding the plates with a bunch of of snacks and tea. They were carefully navigating around the club room until they spread everything out on the desks. Without a word, they sat in the chairs they occupied before Boruto arrived. “Great! Everyone’s here, so we can officially start the meeting!” Boruto gestured for Sarada to come over and patted the chair next to him. She sat down in the chair he pointed at and Chō-Chō just shook her head, opting to sit next to Sumire.

“Shikadai, Mitsuki and I couldn’t agree on what category to pick for our team. The only thing we did was writing  down some strategies for different games,” Sumire summed up the current situation.

“Shikadai wants us to pick Shogi, just like last year. Sumire prefers Othello and I want us to play Scrabble.” Mitsuki put an additional emphasis on the game he chose.

“Chō-Chō, Sarada, any input?” Boruto already felt the effects of his eventual headache. He didn’t sleep well after such an emotional rollercoaster during the past weekend.

“I’d love to be properly in a Contract Bridge tournament again,” Sarada added a fourth category to the pile that was already diverse. “After some thought, that’s a bad idea. I’d prefer to be in any other category you guys mentioned.” 

“We can cross out the Contract Bridge then,” Boruto crossed it off the list. He was sure everybody else would agree with this decision. 

“Skat could be interesting to play,” Chō-Chō chimed in and Boruto stopped himself from groaning. “I’ve heard it’s an ideal game for the team of six players this year. You normally need a dealer, forehand and middle hand for the game.”

“What do you think, Boruto?” Sarada asked softly. “We have Shogi, Othello, Scrabble and Skat as proposed games. I feel like adding more options would be counterproductive.”

“Skat involves bidding, right?” Boruto tried to confirm, and everyone nodded in affirmation. “It’s out then. The last thing I want is getting Sarada’s mom upset.” 

“That leaves us with Scrabble, Shogi and Othello, which was our starting point in the first place,” Mitsuki took a cookie and bit into it, frustrated. Boruto remained calm. Shikadai, Sumire and Mitsuki discussed those options the longest, so for them to be on edge was to be expected. That was why he initially suggested that break when he realised what they were doing.

“I think this solves the issue for what we should go for,” Sarada browsed the snacks carefully before picking to eat a strawberry chocolate. “To avoid another fight between Shikadai and Sumire, we should just go with Mitsuki’s suggestion.”

Progress! Boruto could now see the light at the end of this dark, dark tunnel. “Scrabble also has my vote in this case.”

“You’re already whipped,” Sumire snickered. “It only took you dating Sarada for one month.”

“Hey that’s not tru—wait we didn’t tell everyone yet we’re dating!”

Chō-Chō, Mitsuki and Sumire looked at him as if he grew a second head. “Was that supposed to be a secret? You guys are obvious.” Them saying that in unison seemed as if they practiced those words for this type of scenario.

Boruto changed the subject. “Moving on, that’s three votes for Scrabble, one for Othello and Shogi. Chō-Chō’s vote at this point wouldn’t change the result.”

“Does anyone know this year’s rules for the Scrabble category for the team of six players?” Chō-Chō stuffed her face with the crisps, then threw the crisps packet into the bin.

As usual, the member of the group that looked into the tournament the most would know the answer. That meant it was Shikadai’s time to shine. “Each member of the team will take at least one turn against the other player on the opposing team. The team that has the most points by the end of each round will move to the next one until the finals.”

“So teams like ours will have the limit of six turns in total during the single round, then the judges will count our points,” Sarada concluded, and her focus was absolutely adorable. 

“Exactly. I heard that’s the only rule that’s different from a normal game of Scrabble to save the time of organisers. The rest of the rules just follow the regular convention of the game.” Mitsuki followed up on Shikadai’s explanation. 

Boruto was very proud of the teamwork they displayed today. That was a good sign they’d be in sync during the tournament itself. “That’s settled then! Phew, now I only need to stay behind to fill in the paperwork. If you guys want, you can go home.”

“Um…” Sumire seemed hesitant. Was something wrong with sending them home now? “Before we go, isn’t there something you should say, Shikadai?”

“What a dr—“ he began, then stopped, seeing everyone circling around him. “It’s not a big deal, okay? Sumire just wants me to tell everyone I’ll be transferring to Suna High after this school year is over for the last year of high school.”

What? 

“You’re joking, right?” The only one who said what was on Boruto’s mind was Chō-Chō. “Neither I nor Inojin heard about you moving out so soon!”

“It’s no joke. I plan to live with my uncle, then go to university in Suna.” This felt like a fever dream. Not that long ago, Boruto thought Shikadai would be the last one in their group to figure out what to do in the future. Now he was telling them he’d be gone after this year's ends?! 

“And while I’m not planning to move out from Konoha during high school, university in Suna is also my top choice. Either way, my plans involve studying abroad.” Shikadai’s revelation was gob smacking enough, but Sumire’s news added additional shock to the rest of the group.

“Congratulations, you two!” Sarada said, overly cheerful, making Boruto narrow his eyes. She was acting too calm. “I wish you both success during your future studies abroad.”

Mitsuki smiled. “Yeah, congrats, you two. Personally, I plan to attend Konoha’s university, so don’t forget to keep in touch.” It makes sense. Mitsuki moved to Konoha at the start of high school. In a way, he was already studying abroad.

Slowly recovering from this bombshell, Boruto grinned. “Yeah, if you forget to keep in touch, you two, I’ll haunt you in the afterlife.”

“Does that mean it’s possibly the last time we will all be present in the tournament?” Chō-Chō asked, while strongly gripping the edges of the desk. She was the only one that didn’t pretend she wasn’t devastated; their group would split and follow different paths soon.

“Hey, doesn’t it just mean we need to win the upcoming tournament?” Boruto winked playfully. “That’s why you should all go home, rest, and think through today’s events at your own pace. I’ll handle the paperwork now.”

“And I’ll help him,” Sarada announced. “Don’t worry about leaving us alone guys, we want to be.”

All four of them just said goodbye in their own way after Sarada’s words. The two of them cleaned up the club room and handled everything needed for registration of their team to Konoha’s Gaming Tournament this year. He didn’t say that out loud, but Boruto was grateful to have his girlfriend help him. Her being familiar with the procedures significantly sped up the process.

However, the thought of the future haunted him. What was Sarada planning to do after finishing high school? Did she also want to study abroad or attend Konoha’s University like Mitsuki did? They never discussed their future on any of their dates.

“Hey, Sarada…” Unsure of himself, Boruto softly grabbed the hem of her shirt. “Are you up for a surprise date after Konoha’s Gaming Tournament is over?”

“Sure, my schedule’s always open to spend time with you.” Her answer relaxed him enough to let go of the part of the shirt he was holding. 

As long as she was with him, he felt being uneasy about their future together was okay for now.

Notes:

Hello everyone,

It shouldn’t be a surprise by now that I’m bad at estimating chapter updates. However, the longer wait for this chapter paid off because chapter 29 and Epilogue are already finished. I just need to edit them before publication. That will create shorter interval span between the updates for GoF as a whole.

Yes, GoF will be officially a completed fic soon! Haha!

Moving on, let me talk more about the chapter I posted. I’m very happy with the final results and hope the readers that stuck to this story for several years, and the readers that started to read it, enjoy it wholeheartedly without worrying GoF is abandoned!

Yours sincerely,
Karinrumi

Chapter 30: Chapter Twenty Nine

With Konoha’s Gaming Tournament approaching soon, everyone in the club was doing their best during the team practice. Even her mama was more at ease about letting her join the tournament itself and promised to cheer their team on. After the events of that fateful letter reading session, the relationship between them improved a lot.

On a bittersweet note, it was hard to stay strong thinking about Shikadai moving out to Suna when this year ends. Sarada grew attached to the entire group and considered them friends. It was hard thinking what would happen after Shikadai moves out. She wouldn’t dare to imagine how painful it was for Chō-Chō or Boruto, who knew him much longer than her. 

Speaking of departures, Sumire also planned to study abroad. That news hurt Sarada less, since unlike in Shikadai’s case, they still had an entire year to spend time together. Besides, Sarada was happy for her. They both shared a love for travelling, so she was sure Sumire would be happy to share her experiences with her whether she’d end up studying abroad in Suna or somewhere else.

Obviously, friends that were leaving didn’t mean everyone would. Mitsuki intended to stay here in Konoha and even planned to attend Konoha University. Only her, Chō-Chō and Boruto didn’t share their future goals.

Maybe that was why Boruto asked her for a date after the tournament? He might have figured out she was sensitive to change. The thought of reading too much into his intentions passed through her mind, too.

However, there was one person she needed to check up on the most right now. She arrived early to the clubroom to bump into Chō-Chō. Her best friend was taking the practice for the tournament, the most serious amongst them. Sarada had several ideas in her head about what caused this change. 

Soon enough, Sarada’s ambush on Chō-Chō was successful. “I knew you’d be here at this hour.” 

The risk of waiting so early for Chō-Chō to enter their club room paid off when she saw how surprised she was. “Sarada, why are you here?” 

“I was waiting for you,” Sarada said, trying to conceal her concern. She might have been better at expressing emotions, but that didn’t mean her old bad habits had completely died out. It was a work in progress kind of deal. “How are you faring lately? You’ve been acting weird since Shikadai told us he’ll move out to Suna soon.”

Chō-Chō averted her gaze. “What do you mean? I’m acting like I always do!”

“No, you’re not.” The reasoning Chō-Chō acted as she usually did was weak. Sarada knew her for years. She saw through this sheer display of fake confidence many times already and knew the person underneath it. 

Chō-Chō let out a sigh. “Fine, I give in only because you’re stubborn. I feel like I’m left behind by everyone.”

“I’m not a stranger to that feeling either. Was it caused because of information about Shikadai’s departure by any chance?” Pondering on the issue longer than necessary was something past Sarada would do. This time she’d try to help without overthinking it too much.  

“Huh, am I that blatantly obvious?” Chō-Chō asked. 

She was practically waving a neon flag showcasing that she feels down. “Yes. So spill the tea.” 

“Shikadai moving to Suna was like a wake-up call for me to pick my shit together. I’m not sure I like it.” Uncertainty about the future was something everyone struggled with in life to a certain degree. There were people who knew what they wanted from the get-go, but those types of people were very rare. Sarada felt relieved it wasn’t something worse Chō-Chō struggled with. 

Now the only thing Sarada could come up with was asking more questions and slowly conveying to Chō-Chō everything would be fine to the best of her abilities. “I see. No wonder you’re so mopey lately. You didn’t figure out what to do after we graduate high school. Is that correct?”

Chō-Chō narrowed her eyes. “You’re awfully spot on today. Very spot on. And here I thought you wouldn’t notice being busy with your new relationship status.”

“Just because I’m dating someone doesn’t mean my world revolves around them. I’m pretty sure I said that to you before, but my memory may be faulty.” The answer Sarada gave partially came from her high-sense of pride; she maintained a healthy sense of balance in maintaining her current relationships. Maybe it was silly to be so prideful about something like this, but she had problems with connecting with others not too long ago. Her present circle of friends only served as proof she improved socially. 

Chō-Chō dismissively waved her hand, knowing how Sarada’s pride works. “Yeah, yeah, what is it like to be in a serious relationship?” The curiosity in her eyes when asking this question was stronger than expected.

Sarada raised her eyebrow. “Didn’t you date more people than me? Why do you ask?”

“Just because I dated causally doesn’t mean it’s the same. Most of my relationships weren’t that serious and the only time I had serious feelings for someone, I got rejected.” 

Her friend’s explanation cleared up the initial confusion she had heard her question. Sarada adjusted her glasses, taking a few minutes coming up with how to word her response. “To be honest, I didn’t plan to date anyone seriously in high school. That changed when I fell in love and I guess I’m not the type that dates someone casually, so…” Trailing off a bit to correct her footing, she gazed straight at Chō-Chō. “The best way to describe it is that Boruto took my feelings for him equally seriously. When the person you love reciprocates your feelings, it’s amazing!”

“Got it! Way to brag, girl,” Chō-Chō pouted.

“Hmph. What I want to say is that I’m sure you’ll find someone who loves you. If I can see you’re amazing to be around, someone else will too,” Sarada shared her honest opinion.

“You think so?” Chō-Chō reluctantly asked.

Sarada put her hand on her shoulder to be more convincing. “I know so.” 

“When I ran the intervention to make you feel better, I didn’t predict you’d change so much.” Chō-Chō sighed. “Damn, I thought I’d be the one cheering you up and not the other way around.”

“Hey, for all the uncertainty the future might bring, I’ll stick around for you. There are many things we can do to ensure we all stay close to one another.” That was something Sarada had in mind after learning some of her friends would go abroad. She promised herself she’d do everything in her power to strengthen the bond they shared between everyone, even if she was the one reaching out her hand first. 

Because no matter how far away they’d all end up becoming in the future, as long as their bond was strong, the connections they formed would never disappear in their hearts. 

“Thanks, Sarada.” Chō-Chō smiled and Sarada was happy she cheered her up.

“No problem. I love Boruto, but I’ll be there if you ever need me, okay?” Sarada might have accepted more people into her inner circle of friends, but Chō-Chō would always be the one who was her best friend. Even if things changed, that one thing wouldn’t change, regardless of what happens in the future. 

Chō-Chō winked in response with a smug expression that meant she’d start acting as she usually does again. “Ha! Who do you think you talk to? I’m amazing and always give a shoulder for you to cry on as well!”

It was worth waking up so early to check up how Chō-Chō was feeling. By the time of Konoha’s Gaming Tournament with chipper Chō-Chō at everyone’s side, their teamwork would be unstoppable!

 

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・  

They practised in a group playing against each other. The best at scrabbles was Sarada, followed by him and Sumire. Shikadai, Chō-Chō and Mitsuki were doing well, too. Boruto was happy with how their efforts were paying off.

At last they were here at the site of Konoha’s Gaming Tournament and entered the lobby meant for team players. Lobby for the solo players was on the opposite side. Boruto found the minimalistic and simple decorations suffocating. He preferred public spaces that had more things inside, or maximalist decor places like Sarada likes to remind him. 

Others followed him into the lobby in complete silence. Boruto realised the reasons probably differed between all of them. Shikadai, Sarada, and Mitsuki used their silence to focus before the game, while contemplating the strategy they discussed. Sumire was swallowing down her nerves to appear calmer during her turn and Chō-Chō’s mind was something he didn’t want to decipher at all. 

The speaker announced it was their turn to go onto the main stage. Their strategy for the tournament was sending less savvy players out first, then more experienced ones after them to stack up points if things don’t line up too well. 

Boruto could see his family cheering on him from the stands. Chō-Chō’s, Shikadai, Mitsuki and Sarada’s families were also there. 

“Hey, you okay, class pres?” he asked Sumire. She didn’t bring anyone to cheer for her.

“I’m fine. Mitsuki’s parent promised to cheer for me.” Sumire answered, and it was obvious she felt less stressed out. 

“Really? Did he figure out what his parent identify as?” Boruto figured out it’d not hurt to ask a question of his own. 

“Orochimaru’s nonbinary. Mitsuki just didn’t know the proper term for it until recently.” Oh. That actually explained a lot of unanswered questions Boruto had about Mitsuki’s family tree. 

Boruto hummed. “Makes sense.” 

After easing the nerves of one of his teammates, they employed the strategy that was discussed during every round until reaching semi-finals. Their group returned right back to the lobby to watch which team would face off against them in the final round.

“Great job, everyone!” Boruto praised and went to hug Sarada, who huffed, resigning herself to her fate.

“Thank you. I’d say our teamwork was flawless!” She practically beamed with pride, ignoring the amused expressions the rest of the group exchanged between each other.

“I agree with Sarada,” Mitsuki said, while looking at the score boards displayed on the walls. “Our teamwork was great. Let’s hope this will carry through to the final round, too.”

Chō-Chō, who was at Mitsuki’s side, rolled her eyes. “Instead of hoping, we should just be confident we have this in the bag!”

“As long as we follow our strategy, we should be fine.” Shikadai hummed out in agreement.

“Small talks are fine and all, but we need to face off against the last group now,” Boruto reminded them while walking out from the lobby again. 

The final round was very intense, with their opponents scoring more than them during the first two turns. It forced them to send Sarada during the third turn and she caught up with their opponents, making up for the points they lost. Turns that followed were so intense Boruto barely remembered how they went until the speaker announced their victory.

“Hell yes, that’s my son for you!” A loud yell from his dad pumping his fist in the air on the stands was all Boruto needed to come back to reality. 

Their team got the gold medal for winning, and now all six of them were shuffled around for a group photo. 

Shikadai was standing behind a crouching Boruto on the left side of the field. Sumire was standing next to Shikadai along with Mitsuki and both of them were directly behind Boruto in the middle. Sarada was crouching alongside him in the front and held his hand directly, looking at him while ignoring the camera pointed at them. Chō-Chō, like Sumire, was standing next to Mitsuki, but behind Sarada, posing with a peace sign on the right side. Boruto knew everyone was smiling, savouring the victory and enjoying being together as a group.

He was confident it’d be one of the most treasured memories in his life, even if with time it fades away.

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・  

Coming back to the lobby after the thrill that was in the finals during the tournament was like overcoming her past fears. Their group split when Boruto explained he promised to take out Sarada for a surprise date when the tournament was over. 

“Where are you taking me?” Sarada brimmed with curiosity, but Boruto was tight-lipped. It was frustrating and exciting at the same time.

“You’ll see soon!” He promised while leading her out of the Konoha’s Gaming Tournament building. “I’d say you should close your eyes, but you don’t need to.”

It was silly to think of it after knowing the origins of the rule-book papa gave her, however Sarada couldn’t help but think of rule number one.

Always maintain your poker face. In any situation, you find yourself in. Especially facing rumours, or being confronted by them. If you’re Uchiha, — you don’t care about them.

She was sure whatever expression she had was far from a poker face. Her feelings of excitement at the thought of a surprise were too overwhelming to be calm. 

Not to mention, she immediately broke the rule number two;

Idiots are idiots, but since you’re the Uchiha, you can’t be one.

Sarada widened her eyes when she noticed Boruto was leading towards the chubby photographer that was taking their group photo and let out a squeal louder than some of the fan girls from her boyfriend’s fan club. 

Boruto grinned bashfully. “I know it’s not a traditional date spot, but I asked Anko to take us to her shop to process photos from our previous outings, including the one we took today.” He awkwardly averted his eyes. “Surprise?”

Sarada put Boruto to the side out of Anko’s hearing range. “Are you kidding me?! Of course, I’m surprised! She’s one of my favourite photographers and is known worldwide for attending Konoha’s Gaming Tournaments. How did you pull it off?!” It was very hard to book an appointment for photo processing with someone as famous as Anko in the photography world. 

“For as long as I remember, I attended Konoha’s Gaming Tournament and talked with her occasionally when I won or lost.” Boruto admitted. “It helps that she’s a friend of our club’s supervisor.”

“Now that you mention it, I never met our club supervisor. Who is it?” Sarada genuinely wanted to know. She never bumped into the teacher, who was supposedly supervising their club.

“You should never mention that to his face. Mr Shino's feelings will get hurt, ya know. If he realises you didn’t notice him at all during our club meetings,” Boruto laughed, holding his stomach. 

“No way!” Mr Shino was their club supervisor?! That actually explained why Sarada never noticed him during the club meetings. He was an outstanding teacher, but Mr Shino was famous for his invisible presence.

Anyway, it was incredible that their teacher was so closely associated with a famous photographer like Anko. It made her remember rule number three that served as a reminder of the insane feat Boruto achieved, even if he used his connections to make it possible. 

When you have a goal to reach, you reach it, despite what others may think. Ah, and never lose to someone else. No matter what.

No matter how many goals she had in life, Sarada fell into acceptance of the fact that sometimes, to succeed, she’d need to fail. Even if she felt in this moment as someone who won in life.

Both of them followed Anko to her famous shop and waited for her to process the photos Boruto emailed her. The way she carried out her work enchanted Sarada. 

“I still can’t believe you managed for one of the most famous photographers to do photo processing for us,” Sarada began, unsure how to ask him about his plans after high school. She tried to enjoy the moment without worrying about their future as a couple. 

“I can,” Boruto answered, then chuckled nervously. “Hey, what do you plan to do after high school?”

Was this grand surprise date he planned one of his ways to ask her about the future of their relationship? How sneaky of him to do this first. “I’ll attend Konoha’s University just like Mitsuki and Chō-Chō. As for what I’ll be studying, no idea yet. Probably something tied with games. And you? What are your plans?”

“Same as yours. I vowed to move in as Mitsuki’s roommate when we attend university here.” Boruto looked at the ceiling and Sarada felt he was trying to ask a question she herself had. “But hypothetically, if I went abroad like Shikadai or Sumire, would you still want for us to remain in a relationship?”

“To answer your hypothetical question, yes, I would want for us to stay together. I think our relationship is strong enough to last.” Sarada’s words were from the depths of her heart. She truly believed in them, too. “You don’t need to plan surprise dates every time for me to be happy with you. In fact, I can throw this question back at you. Would you still want for us to remain in a relationship?”

“Yeah, I do. I admit my previous relationship would make me insecure in a hypothetical long-distance relationship if you were anyone else,” Boruto whispered gently. “But you’re Sarada, ya know? Our families are so strongly connected, I’m sure we would meet again eventually, regardless of any distance between us. I trust this connection as much as I trust you.”

“I know, Boruto, I know. It’s your way of telling me you love me, right?” Sarada smiled and grabbed the collar of his shirt to kiss him softly. She loved him, too. 

Ironically, the last rule from the gift her papa gave her rang through her head during their short, tender kiss.

Looking for a boyfriend is prohibited. Focus on your dreams. Guys are just an unnecessary waste of space, as well as your time.

Even back then, Sarada thought that rule was an overkill, but it was so funny knowing her papa likes Boruto as her boyfriend and she doesn’t need to look for one. 

All of those rules were protecting her mind, but she was more happy than ever when she broke from restraints of these rules she pressured herself into following. 

The famous photographer coughed to break them away from their small public display of affection in her shop and gave them an envelope full of photos. They apologised by taking the envelope she gave them and moved their location to a local park, sitting on the bench. Both Boruto and Sarada looked through all the photos, then stopped seeing the photo they took today. Everyone had the biggest smile on their face after winning the Konoha’s Gaming Tournament, even if the poses they made were silly. 

“We should frame it and put it on a shelf once we live together.” Sarada couldn’t stop laughing, noticing Boruto crouched lower than her in the photo to make her look taller than she was. 

“Isn’t that too far into the future?” Boruto asked, although it was obvious he had nothing against the idea. She even could bet he liked it.

“Maybe. But who’s saying it won’t come true one day? It’s fun to imagine, isn’t it?” Sarada knew it wouldn’t be the last time she imagined what obstacles or happy moments in life they’d face. She only knew they’d do it together as a couple.

“I can’t argue with that. Besides, living together in the future isn’t that far from reality. After all, I love you.” Boruto’s blue eyes were shining brighter than the sky at this moment.

Sarada once thought hearing I love you a few times from Boruto wouldn’t make her heart race fast in the same way the first time did. She was wrong. Her heart raced faster with every expression of his love and she’d do her best to express it back.

Her love started with a bet… No, it began even before she bumped into Boruto in that school hallway. She only admired him from afar at first. However, it was their bet that kick-started her feelings. Feelings that were unpredictably spinning on a roulette every day. 

“Hey, why did you fall in love with me?” 

“It sounds silly. At first I just wanted to prove to you I wasn’t an idiot, then tried to fix my terrible first impression. You also helped me move on from some of my fears and when you said you loved me, I was in awe of your determination. I guess… it just happened,” Boruto’s response was the one she was satisfied with for now. Sarada was sure there were parts he was too embarrassed to tell her, considering he was blushing. “I just love you. Isn’t that enough of a reason?”

“I suppose it is,” Sarada conceded. “Hey, Boruto?”

“Yeah?”

“Loving you is enough of a reason for me to stay by your side, too.” Their embrace that followed her words comforted her and eased the rest of her fears about their relationship.

One petty bet led to another bet that changed her life and helped her to find love along the way. Boruto stirred up the emotions Sarada long thought she had forgotten that were constantly spinning on a roulette wheel. It was him that made those buried emotions spin and swim to the surface. Facing them led to happiness. In a way, he played the game of love better than she ever did. She wasn’t anxious about their future anymore. Sarada was sure wherever they go they’ll be together. Boruto’s the partner that would bet everything to remain at her side forever.

Her little gambler of feelings. 

Notes:

Hello everyone,

It’s a double update time! I decided to publish chapter 29 and the Epilogue at the same time. That’s a way to express my thanks to every reader that followed this story. Those that commented and those that are ninja readers, too

About chapter 29 itself, I feel like it gives that extra satisfaction to Boruto and Sarada’s relationship I desired!

Poor Shino, though. In my original outline he was more prominent character in GoF. Same could be said about Kakashi, but throughout years in development of this fic their roles were redundant to the story as a whole.

The outline of the fic significantly changed due to original one getting deleted by accident, haha.

I feel like the title drop was a bit cheesy, but ending this chapter with this line was always planned. I had this ending in mind before I even published first chapter of this story. That’s the only thing that hadn’t changed, to be honest.

As usual, I hope you all enjoyed reading chapter 29 of GoF!

Sincerely yours,
Karinrumi

Chapter 31: Epilogue

Sumire had a strange dream. It was rare for her to reminisce about Konoha and the time she spent with everyone. She was now attending university in Suna as the acting major. The only one who she regularly saw nowadays was Shikadai. Hard not to see him when they were roommates. At first, it was terrifying moving to an unfamiliar place. She found comfort in not being alone in her struggles.

“…a drag. Wake up!” 

Spending so much time with Shikadai wired her brain to hear his voice, even if he wasn’t there at all. Frankly, it was annoying. Especially when she wanted to sleep in. “Five more minutes,” she mumbled, while hugging her fluffy pink pillow. 

“This woman… Wake up! We’ll be late for the train.” Shikadai huffed in mild annoyance. Living with him taught Sumire how to read his vocal cues when he spoke, even if she had no desire to do so. 

His words were like a bucket of cold water splashed on her face. She sat down in a hurry with blurry eyes. “What time is it?!” 

“Six thirty am. You only have thirty minutes to get ready before we need to go.” With her vision getting adjusted to the light, Shikadai’s silhouette was more visible. He sported a scowl and had his arms tightly crossed. Right. She overslept. No wonder he wasn’t happy waking her up.

Some things never change, even if they both changed a lot as people. After Shikadai transferred to a different high school and moved out to live with his uncle, they video-called him into the club at least once a month. Chō-Chō initially bawled for hours during his departure, but time eventually solved it. Soon, everyone got used to Shikadai not being physically present in the clubroom.

“Why didn’t you wake me up sooner?” Sumire pointlessly complained, knowing well she’d just annoy him further. 

After graduating from high school and getting into Suna University, Sumire found out Shikadai planned to move out of his uncle’s place and live in the dorms provided by the university and needed a roommate. Knowing that Sumire planned to study abroad in Suna, he suggested she could live with him, since it was better than rooming with a complete stranger.

It was weird at first to live and study in Suna, but Sumire adapted pretty soon to attending her acting classes and having Shikadai as her roommate. Her and Shikadai’s schedules didn’t match, since he was a psychology major, so their main interactions were in the morning such as this one, or when their free time was aligned with one another. 

Sumire contributed the initial weirdness of moving to Suna with the way she and Shikadai changed as a people. His circle of friends differed from her own and it was very awkward to get used to the new habits each of them developed during the last year of high school, away from each other. 

He sighed. “I tried to.”

This awkwardness was replaced now by a frustrating familiarity. Sumire picked one of her nicest dresses and went into the bathroom in a rush. 

They couldn’t miss this train. After all, it wouldn’t be great to miss out on their club reunion in Konoha.

・・・・★・・・・★ ・・・・  

This afternoon, Mitsuki was patiently waiting with Chō-Chõ at the Moonlight Sun in Konoha for others to arrive. Moonlight Sun was a new restaurant in town and quickly gained popularity with Konoha’s university students, since it was situated just across the street from their campus. 

It was Chō-Chō who picked this spot as a suitable place for their club reunion. She also tossed her legs under the table, likely being impatient. “I understand why Shikadai and Sumire might be late, but Boruto and Sarada don’t have an excuse!”

Mitsuki blinked in understanding. Shikadai moving out to Suna had a lasting impact on their group dynamic, but Sumire moving out truly brought lots of changes. For one, he and Chō-Chō spend a lot of time together in lieu of spending time with Boruto and Sarada when the two of them wanted some privacy. It helped that they both picked the same major in Baking and Pastry Arts, so they often held study sessions to help each other out. “Calm down, I’m sure they have a good reason.”

“You mean making out is their reason?! They don’t need to show how happy they are kissing each other. All of us know by now they’re the high school sweetheart couple that lasted past graduation,” Chō-Chō snorted.

Mitsuki stopped the waiter to order a glass of juice. “Are you jealous of them?”

“Nah, I just want to be in a long-lasting relationship too!” So she was jealous. 

The juice he ordered arrived at the table and he took a sip. It had a refreshing taste. “Weren’t you dating Sumire for a while?”

“If you can call a relationship that only lasted one month dating, yeah I did,” Chō-Chō replied and placed an order for the same juice he did. “It was nothing serious. We both wanted to experiment and, by the end, discovered we liked girls too. The reason it lasted this short was Sumire moving to Suna. I dated plenty of girls and guys after that.”

Mitsuki smiled sheepishly. “Did I touch a nerve?”

“Yeah, you kind of did. I have an idea. Why don’t you date me as compensation?” Chō-Chō winked.

“Because I don’t want to be held responsible for saying ‘yes’ to that question when you clearly ask to date me out of frustration,” he answered bluntly. 

“Would you say yes if I asked you seriously? You wouldn’t dare to reject my affections for a second time, right?” Chō-Chō’s order ended up placed on the table, but even that wasn’t enough to distract her from waiting to hear his answer.

“Is that a threat?” Mitsuki responded with a question of his own. It was true their relationship changed significantly from the one they had in high school. Perhaps it was because of their forced proximity to one another due to how things worked out for everyone.

Would his answer be different to the one he gave her in high school? He didn’t know. 

“Right now? No. But it could be.”

Mitsuki prayed that the rest of their friends would arrive soon. It was too early in the afternoon for him to deal with frustrated Chō-Chō. 

He was preparing to say his prayers, but a necessary distraction arrived with a heavily huffing Sumire dragged by Shikadai to the table they were currently occupying. 

“Sorry, we’re late. Sumire overslept and even with arriving early to the train station, our train to Konoha got delayed,” Shikadai greeted them and sat on a chair next to Chō-Chō who was still fuming.

Sumire tried to regain her breath. “Yeah, we’re sorry.” She followed in Shikadai’s footsteps and sat across three of them. 

“You two don’t need to be sorry,” Chō-Chō snorted. “Our favourite lovebirds are late and they don’t study abroad.”

“We arrived before Boruto or Sarada?” Sumire exchanged a surprised look with Shikadai. “How’s that possible?!”

“They distract each other. That’s why they’re late,” Mitsuki summed up. “Well, at least we assume they do. We don’t know why they’re late.”

“In that case, why don’t we catch up while waiting for them to show up?” Sumire pitched and everyone gathered agreed to the idea.

“Who should start?” Mitsuki asked and based on the looks everyone gave him, resigned to the fate of being the first to do so. “Fine, I’ll start. Chō-Chō and I study the same major and information about it will overlap, so I should go with something new that happened in my personal life. I adopted a cat.” He showed them a picture of Mikazuki on his phone. 

“More accurately, the said cat adopted him,” Chō-Chō clarified. She already knew this story. “He found this fur ball on the street, fed him once, and the rest is history.”

“That’s nice,” Sumire smiled. “Our dorms in Suna strictly forbid having animals over.”

Shikadai was silent, but listened attentively to the ongoing conversation before speaking up. “You must either live outside of the dorm or pay a hefty price to own a cat in one.”

“I have my place stationed nearby the university. The initial plan was to live in the dorms with Boruto, but circumstances had changed,” Mitsuki explained.

“I often crash at Mitsuki’s place when I forget to come back to the dorms before the curfew. Sarada constantly chews me out about it too,” Chō-Chō added.

Sumire raised her eyebrows. “If Mitsuki doesn’t live with Boruto and Sarada’s Chō-Chō roommate, who lives with Boruto?”

“Infamous Kagura from the Mist does. I say infamous because he only appears in Boruto’s stories. Nobody met the guy, including Sarada.” Mitsuki raised his voice for a more dramatic flair. “There are some of us who doubted his legitimate existence.”

Shikadai laughed. “He exists. I saw him once on a video call with Boruto.”

“Boo!” Chō-Chō pouted. “It was more fun to think Boruto made him up and not wanting to admit his roommate didn’t exist.”

“Too bad for you, he’s real,” Mitsuki joked in a lighthearted manner.

“Anyway, speaking of roommates, you and Shikadai live together, right? How’s it going?” It was apparent Chō-Chō redirected the subject to escape from reality of knowing Kagura was a real person.

“As fine as it can go,” Sumire said and Shikadai nodded in affirmation. “Our majors and routines are different enough that we barely see each other inside of the dorm. Could be worse.”

“You don’t have any juicy stories about living with each other?” Chō-Chō could put on a love detective hat trying to suspect romance in a relationship that wouldn’t likely end in it.

“If you count Sumire being a total mess during mornings, we do.” Shikadai threw a jab at Sumire. 

“And if you count Shikadai only being awake in the mornings because he has time to nap during evenings.” Sumire bit back.

“I meant juicy, not boring!” Chō-Chō was disappointed, while Mitsuki shrugged.

“What did you expect? Outside of morning hours before going to campus and a free afternoon on Thursdays, our majors have vastly different schedules.” Shikadai probably said it to her as a reality check of sorts.

“We also hang out in different social circles when we can in our free time, unless we spend time with one of our mutual friends,” Sumire mentioned supporting Shikadai’s statement. 

Mitsuki should intervene before Shikadai and Sumire completely dash Chō-Chō’s hope for roommates to lovers’ scenario with their dose of reality. “Hey, why won’t you tell them the exciting news, Chō-Chō?”

Chō-Chō widened her eyes. “Oh yeah, I completely forgot. I got a part-time job here at Moonlight Sun! Isn’t it neat I’ll be working at the place where we have our mini-club reunion?”

“Congratulations!” All three of them cheered.

They were planning to continue their conversation until Sarada and Boruto arrived at the table. Both of them were wearing fancy clothes. Too fancy for their casual get together. Sure, they all dressed nicely, but a suit and red sequin dress they wore were more fit for a date.

“You’re late! Care to explain why, Sarada? For someone who constantly lectures me about curfew, you weren’t punctual for our reunion today,” Chō-Chō smirked.

Sarada had a guilty expression on her face. “I’m so sorry. Boruto and I got engaged this morning, then my mama grilled us for hours!”

Chō-Chō blinked. “You got what?”

“She said she and Boruto got engaged,” Mitsuki repeated the news for everyone and processed this information himself. “Congrats. Can’t say nobody saw it coming because they certainly did.”

Boruto scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. “Well, being late isn’t our finest moment. It doesn’t matter why.”

The pair sat next to Sumire and everyone at the table congratulated them. It took some time to catch them up on what they were discussing themselves not too long ago.

Sarada showed off her ring to the girls, while he and Shikadai asked Boruto about the price of it and the jewellery shop he bought it at. 

Sumire talked a bit about Suna’s culture and showed photos of the nice tourist spots all of them could visit that had Shikadai’s stamp of approval too.

Chō-Chō and he talked about all the adventures she got into when she was missing the curfew to get back to the dorm and crashed at his house.

Boruto told them more about mysterious Kagura and assured everyone he was real, even if most of them still were suspicious he wasn’t. 

“Aside from your engagement, what’s happening in your lives?” Sumire asked.

“Boruto studies fashion, while I major in journalism. We’re busy, but still go on dates and spend time with friends when we can.” Sarada didn’t give any new information to Mitsuki. Shikadai and Sumire were probably the only ones not in the loop since they lived in Suna.

“Yeah, it helps Sarada’s great at planning, and I’m naturally talented! “Boruto added proudly.

“Bragging much?” Sarada teased.

“Not at all!” 

“He’s definitely bragging,” Shikadai yawned. Both Sumire and Chō-Chō snickered at Boruto’s theatrics. With how dramatic Boruto could be, Mitsuki was in shock it was Sumire that was studying acting.

“Well, there’s Boruto’s mystery roommate Kagura I never met. At first, I thought he made him up to make me jealous. It was shocking to learn he was real,” Sarada laughed.

“As much as I love you, I wouldn’t come up with someone like Kagura in my imagination.“ Boruto shook his head, clearly enjoying being the centre of attention. “You should all deal with the fact he’s real. Soon, I will come up with a plan to introduce him to all of you.”

“How about our next club reunion?” Mitsuki offered. “Then Sumire and Shikadai can meet him too.”

“That’s a great idea!” Boruto clapped. “We should pick a date for our next reunion.”

“Aren’t you forgetting something, Boruto?” Sarada gently reminded him. Mitsuki swore she considerably mellowed out towards Boruto. She wasn’t that mellow with anyone else, bar Chō-Chō.

“Oh, the group photo! Thanks for reminding me, Sarada,” he clapped for her in gratitude. “We should totally take one just like during Konoha’s Gaming Tournament.”

“Sure,” Sumire said. “As long as the next club reunion will happen in Suna instead.”

Boruto grinned. “It’s a deal!”

Understanding flashed across everyone’s faces. They made up a tradition to have a group photo taken during every club reunion that happens. Sometimes it was easy to forget, since they came up with this rule during their third year of high school.

Taking into consideration, Sumire and Shikadai needed to come back to Suna soon, it was the most appropriate time to take the photo, so they did.

Although all of them took different paths in life, Mitsuki was sure it wouldn’t be the last club reunion and they all would gather around together in the following years. Besides, he was confident he wasn’t the only one that loved those reunions. Everyone did too.

And that was enough for their connection to last for the rest of their lives. 

FIN

Notes:

Hello everyone,

As you all know by now, this Epilogue is a second part of a double update with chapter 29. Once I post this GoF will be fully completed story, which is crazy to think about. I unfortunately spend years updating it. It doesn’t help those years weren’t the best ones in my life. However, it was a learning experience for me as a writer and the story served its purpose —> getting better at writing in English. I cried when I finished writing the Epilogue, haha.

Considering it’s the end, I’ll answer some potential question that might arise.

Do you plan to write a sequel?

No, I don’t think this story needs one. GoF is a completed story and I am happy to move on to write different fics.

Even if I wrote one, it wouldn’t be about either Boruto or Sarada whose story reached a satisfying conclusion in this universe.

Do you plan to write a prequel?

Also a no.

Will you write more BoruSara fics?

Yes. There’s Toy’s Maker Wish, but I’ve a few ideas for other BoruSara fics. That being said, I won’t post those anytime soon, unless they’re OneShots or have a solid number of backlog chapters.

I plan to go on a short break from writing after I post the last chapter of Toy’s Maker Wish, too.

GoF as a story is far from perfect and I fully realise it. But I believe I improved as a writer and my next fics is will be better the more I write.

I treasure every moment that led to this conclusion.

I think it sums everything I wanted to say. If you have any other questions, let me know in the comments!

Sincerely yours,
Karinrumi