>>6009699
During the lunch break you fish out your lacquered bento box – fresh orange slices in one compartment, rice with an umeboshi at the center and three slices of yubeshi, a small tray of various pickles, a larger tray with grilled eel, and a small tray with pink and blue nerikiri shaped like ajisai and filled with either sweetened matcha or lemon flavor.

“Wow, looks like your mom went all-out for your first day!” a vaguely familiar voice addresses you from one side as the pink-haired girl from before sits on top of the desk next to yours. Many of the class have either filed out of the room or gathered elsewhere, while this girl is the only one who deliberately approached you here. You set aside your hashi. “I’m Kamakura Osuka, by the way. You were Kagerō-kun, right?”

“Osuka-kun,” you return her greeting politely. “You aren’t eating?”

“I will in a moment…”

Another girl with mousy brown hair and half-rim glasses, both of which absolutely disappear next to Osuka-kun’s fluffy pink perm and expensive outfit, returns with food from the cafeteria. “I’m back, Osuka-kun.”

“Thanks, Neon-kun,” she answers, taking her cut along with a few coins – change, you’d assume.

Neon-kun bows to you politely. “That’s… quite a traditional bento. Did your mother make it for you?”

“Not all of it,” you lie effortlessly. “I made the wagashi.” Technically that part’s not a lie – in fact you made all of it. But despite the fact that none of it is actually that difficult, a child making a bento like this for themselves on the first day of school would be suspicious.

“You even made the yubeshi?” Neon-kun asks curiously.

You nod.

“Isn’t that supposed to be super hard?” Osuka-kun asks.

You shrug. “It’s mostly just time consuming. But things that are worth doing often are.”

Kae-hime peers across from the side opposite Osuka-kun, examining your work. “Those… actually seem quite good.”

“Thank you, Kae-hime,” you reply, not entirely sure where this is going.

“I was going to have a tea party this weekend,” Kae-hime declares. “As an opportunity for our class to spend time together. I hope that you will be there, and if you could make wagashi that would be delightful.”

>Of course I will be there. Just name the time and place.
>I can do one better and show you all how they’re made.
>[Use the wave transmission to chide her for not consulting you]
>Other?

>>6009700
>Of course I will be there. Just name the time and place.
>Would you like to try making some with me?

File: nervous.jpg (29 KB, 415x415)

29 KB JPG

> Hana-sensei replies. “Good job, Shiki-kun.”
> Shiki-kun
Uh...

>>6010223
SHE IS ON TO US!
MISSION FAILED, I REPEAT MISSION FAILED!

>>6009700
>Of course I will be there. Just name the time and place.

>>6010223
In case anyone actually WAS looking to deep into this, this was a mistake on my end.

>>6009700
>>Of course I will be there. Just name the time and place.

>>6009700
>1d6, best three of four

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>6010558

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>6010558

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>6010558

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>6010558

>>6010558
“I’ll be there,” you assure her – though that’s not so much an answer as an admission, because you know what this is. This is her way of testing her control in this situation, springing a decision on you to make you scramble to adjust to her plans rather than letting you control what she does and when. “If you’d like I can even show people how to make wagashi.”

“That would be nice,” she replies. “This Saturday, then?”

“Just let me know where,” you remind her that nobody here knows that you know where she’s staying already.

…

The rest of the short, three-day first week of classes passes unremarkably, with just a pop quiz on basic mathematics. Noticeable however is that there’s some drama surrounding yourself, Kae-hime, Osuka-kun, and Hima-chan.

As “Kagerō-kun” you’ve become a standout for managing to be close to the three most popular girls in their year as much as for your undeniable skills in every subject, while Hima-chan is similarly skilled and is the daughter of the Hokage. Kae-hime is of course still a princess. But Osuka-kun isn’t any of those things – she’s the daughter of two famous actors and so she probably expected to be the center of attention. But at least she can try to get you ‘on her side’, which in some weird social butterfly sort of way probably makes her feel less overlooked.

The day of the party is lovely, and you meet with your classmates outside the rather reasonably-sized estate Kae-hime and her small entourage has been staying at since coming to Konohagakure. Kae-hime seems a little tired, but you learn that it’s for good reason. Evidently she was working hard last night to make a truly fantastic cake, on her own.

“I’m excited to see it,” you admit, before turning your attention to one of the tables where a boy is struggling to make the wagashi as you taught him. “You have to be more careful – overwork the dough and it stiffens, see?”

“Mine is stiff and I’ve barely touched it,” a girl at a different table protests.

“Your dry to wet ratio was off,” you observe. “This is going to have to be nice and thin at the end… I promise, it’ll be worth it.”

[We may have a problem,] Kōshū announces.

[What and where?]

[A drone trying to sneak into the building,] she informs you.

>Keep an eye on it. Follow it into the building if you have to.
>The operator has to be close. You track the drone, I’ll get the operator.
>I’ll find a way to quietly secure Kae-hime and the other students.
>Other?

>>6011675
>The operator has to be close. You track the drone, I’ll get the operator.

>>6011675
>>Keep an eye on it. Follow it into the building if you have to.

>>6011675
[Track the drone,] you tell her after brief consideration. [The operator must be close. I’ll find them.]

[Consider it done.]

[Not yet it’s not,] you caution her, looking over the crowd of students and wondering – where could a shinobi be hiding on the grounds?

>1d6 first three
>DC: 10

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>6012811

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>6012811

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>6012811

>>6012839
>>6012849
>>6012859
>those rolls
Yeah whoever is spying on you is fucked.

File: feelings off rape on.gif (1.21 MB, 255x255)

1.21 MB GIF

>>6012811

>>6012811
There are a few things you look for in situations like this. The first of which is someone here who shouldn’t be, and such a person would likely be hidden. They could be using basic camouflage, using the moisture in the air to wrap light around themselves, or hiding underground. There are other ways they could be hiding beyond that too, though each of them would rely more heavily on more complex and specific chakra manipulations that might not be universally applicable.

The second thing would be behavior, which can fall into two categories. One of those comprises all the things that guilty people do when they’re not trained to avoid doing them – the furtive glances around the environment, the naturally tense body language, and so forth. Then there are the behaviors that trained shinobi exhibit when they’re undertaking the same sorts of behaviors. In this case things tend to veer the opposite direction – conversation feels stilted, and the focus and determination you see in the eyes contrasts with the deliberate lack of tension in the body.

And then there’s whatever the hell Neon-kun thinks she’s doing.

She’s separated from most of the rest of your classmates and tooling around on her phone, using two thumbsticks, and doing the whole glancing around thing that an untrained person would almost always tend to. In fact it’s stunning that you failed to notice it earlier despite being on guard, to a degree. You have to admit, you probably fell into the same trap as you did with Sumire – she doesn’t really strike you as a threat, even more so than anyone from your own graduating class.

Thing is, she still doesn’t seem like a threat even when you’re focused on her. Your strong impression is that she’s not actually trying to hurt anyone right now. There’s just no trace of bloodlust, or any of the sort of grim determination you’re used to from shinobi on their own respective missions.

>Quietly destroy her phone from here, in such a way that nobody will know that you did so.
>Walk over and interrupt her, in such a way that you let her know that you know what she’s doing.
>Push against her with a little bit of bloodlust. Her reaction will reveal whether she has training.
>Other?

>>6013775
>>Walk over and interrupt her, in such a way that you let her know that you know what she’s doing.

>>6013775
>Walk over and interrupt her, in such a way that you let her know that you know what she’s doing.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that this is probably a child playing with her toy, and we probably shouldn't reveal ourselves in any way over it.

>>6013932
I don't think so, she is to suspicious with it, simply playing wouldn't need her to hide whatever she is doing.
No, something fishy is going on.
>Walk over and interrupt her, in such a way that you let her know that you know what she’s doing.

>>6013775
>1d6, best three of four
>DC: 7

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>6014786
Rolling for 1's

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>6014786

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>6014786

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>6014786

>>6014786
You calmly walk over to Neon-kun and greet her cheerfully. “Hi, Neon-kun. Enjoying the party?”

She visibly flinches at the sound of your voice, and her head snaps up. “Kagerō-kun!”

“Hi!” you repeat. “You okay there?”

“I-I, yes,” she stammers awkwardly.

[It’s heading for the kitchen?] Kōshū reports, seemingly surprised.

“Whatcha up to over here all quiet-like?” you ask curiously, peeking over the top of her phone. She tries to hide it from you.

“Kagerō-kun, w-what do you…” she begins. “I-I’m not… that is… this is just…”

“I’ve seen the drone,” you add quietly, your cheerful facade lowering slightly to reveal a more serious expression. “Why the kitchen though?”

Neon-kun looks like she’s about ready to faint on the spot.

“I won’t be mad,” you insist. “But I’d like for you to answer me, okay?”

“I-It’s… that is, Osuka-kun… she wanted to…”

“Take a deep breath,” you tell her calmly. “What did Osuka-kun tell you to do?”

“Mustard… in the cake…”

[Shikkun, the drone was carrying…]

[Mustard?]

[Spicy, yeah. How’d you know?]

[It’s a prank by a jealous classmate. You grab the drone… I’ll handle things here.]

[Ah, I get it.]

>Quietly inform Osuka-kun that you caught Neon-kun in the midst of their mischief.
>Let Neon-kun off for now and just make sure things go smoothly from here.
>Make sure Neon-kun knows she owes a debt for your silence, and you intend to collect at some point.
>Other?

>>6015989
>Make sure Neon-kun knows she owes a debt for your silence, and you intend to collect at some point.
Wooo, blackmail!

>>6015989
>>Let Neon-kun off for now and just make sure things go smoothly from here.

>>6015989
>Make sure Neon-kun knows she owes a debt for your silence, and you intend to collect at some point.

>>6015989
>>Make sure Neon-kun knows she owes a debt for your silence, and you intend to collect at some point.

>>6015989
>1d6 best three of four

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>6017993

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>6017993

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>6017993

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>6017993

>>6017993
“I see,” you muse, your voice quiet but your tone filled with a deliberately-menacing cheer. “Well then, I’ll keep quiet about this for now, Neon-kun.”

“… oh,” she gasps quietly in relief. “Oh, thank goodness.”

“That having been said,” you continue in the same tone, “don’t expect it to be free. You owe me, and I plan to collect.”

[Got the drone, on my way out now.]

[Nicely done.]

“W-what do you mean?” she asks, laughing slightly with an obvious nervousness.

“My intentions are good,” you insist. “You’re just going to have to trust me, okay?”

After a moment, she nods in agreement.

“Now, let’s go back to the party,” you suggest, gesturing towards the tables in the middle of the yard. “And try to have fun, okay?”

Neon-kun nods in agreement, eager to put this episode behind her… for the time being.

…

“May I ask what that was about?” Kae-hime asks you with a slight frown.

“I wanted to make sure Neon-kun wasn’t feeling left out,” you lie as easily as you breathe.

“I see,” Kae-hime replies. “Well, welcome back to the party then, Neon-kun. Are you okay?”

“Y-yes!” Neon-kun answers, sounding somewhat startled. “I-I mean, yes. I am, thank you.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Kae-hime moves on to the next topic. “Because Kagerō-kun was not the only one to make preparations.”

A domestic servant (whom you have previously vetted) wheels out the cake that Neon-kun and Osuka-kun were trying to ruin, which you now see for the first time. And honestly? It’s quite impressive by any standards – if she weren’t already a princess she might have a promising career as a maitre patissier. It makes use of both layered chocolate cake and fruit jam ‘locked in’ around the edges with a thin layer of chocolate buttercream, but instead of being topped with plain icing or even ganache, it’s covered in a layer of chocolate mousse with little swirls of white buttercream around the edges. Those swirls are in turn topped with little strawberries.

It would have been an absolute crime to ruin this thing. Even the most sugar-numbed brats in your class have to take a moment to appreciate what they’re seeing.

“I do hope you enjoy it,” Kae-hime offers politely.
>1/2

>>6019229
You can tell even at a glance that Osuka-kun doesn’t know that Neon-kun’s mission to spike the cake with spicy mustard failed – and that she clearly still expects to see the dramatic results of the prank play out. So when she doesn’t see those results, you watch the realization dawn on her that Neon-kun didn’t do what she was told. Neon-kun, for her part, fidgets nervously while everyone else enjoys their slices of the cake. Osuka-kun doesn’t miss the cue of course, quickly confirming that Neon-kun knows full well what she hasn’t done.

“Hmph,” she pouts slightly. “Showoff.”

It’s not your job to deal with that sort of nonsense.

“Is something wrong, Neon-kun?” Himawari asks curiously. “Do you not like chocolate?”

“T-that’s not it,” Neon insists. “It’s fine, thanks for asking.”

The rest of the party seems to go smoothly, until people start to go home – starting, predictably, with Osuka-kun.

“Well, I think that went nicely,” Kae-hime muses.

“Is that what you saw?” you wonder aloud.

She seems slightly indignant. “Yes, why?”

>Because you’re too stiff. It makes people a little uncomfortable.
>So you had no idea your cake almost got spiked with spicy mustard?
>It’s not my place to manage your social life. Forget I said anything about it.
>Other?

>>6020411
>Osuka was forcing Neon-kun to try and ruin your cake with spicy mustard. I foiled the attempt, and now she's likely worried about Osuka's retaliation. Look at her face.

>>6020411
>Because you’re too stiff. It makes people a little uncomfortable

>>6020411
>>6020418
Should we not snitch and instead push Neon-kun to reveal what she did and why?
Teach a lesson or something, make her a better person by learning.

>>6020411
>>Because you’re too stiff. It makes people a little uncomfortable.

Nothing wrong with helping her adapt and make friends. Or at least be better in informal social settings.

>>6020411
>Because you’re too stiff. It makes people a little uncomfortable

No snitching yet, it has to be a bit more natural.

>>6020411
“Because you’re too stiff,” you admit, crossing your arms. “It may have a time and place, but you’ve gotta remember nobody else here is a noble. So it mostly just makes people nervous around you.”

“… oh,” Kae-hime replies, dejected. “Is that really how it is?”

You nod. “See, when you look upset like that it humanizes you. Let yourself be upset, and let yourself communicate that. Let yourself be happy, and let yourself communicate that.”

“I see…”

“It lets people in,” you continue, “and shows trust. And for other people to let you in, and to trust you, it has to be mutual.”

“That seems odd, coming from you,” Kae-hime retorts.

“I’m completely open with my teammates and my family, less so with many of my former classmates,” you admit. “And I made it a point to explain the situation to you. I even told Himawari-chan, trusting her to keep my secret.”

“You told Hima-kun?” she asks curiously.

You shrug. “She’s not exactly Boruto-kun, so yeah. I trust her to keep her mouth shut.”

“Family drama?” she asks, cocking an eyebrow.

“You can say that,” you sigh.

She giggles a little at that. “I guess you could say that humanizes you… at least a little bit.”

You pause for a moment. “… did you just…”

By now she’s already heading back for the door to the estate house. “Keep up the good work, Kagerō-kun~”

>1d6, best three of four

Rolled 5 (1d6)

>>6020901

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>6020901

>>6020901
Rizzing another princess today, are we shiki?

>>6021065
Not if you're not voting, come on mate.

>>6021072
I am an idiot, i obviously meant rolling ...

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>6020901

Rolled 1 (1d6)

>>6020901

>>6020901
A full week goes by without any real drama at all, though on a friday you hear that your class will have a trio of ‘special instructors’ on monday. There’s a lot of talk among the class in anticipation that monday morning, only for Hana-sensei to introduce Sarada, Mitsuki, and Boruto.

… how exhausting.

[You could have warned me.]

The tone actually manages to come across even despite not being able to hear it. [Could have.]

[Thanks.]

Boruto proceeds to show off with the rasengan, of course… silly. It’s not like any of these kids, aside from Hima-chan, even know what that technique is, let alone the fact that none of them are likely to ever be able to use it.

Sarada demonstrates something a little more accessible, creating a small ball of fire that floats above her palm, while Mitsuki runs lightning release through a rope, making it slither across Hana-sensei’s desk like a snake.

When a few students get too close for her comfort, Hana-sensei gently nudges them away with her own wind release, showing remarkable precision and control if not impressive power.

…

After the break but just before lunch, Boruto explains to your class what he wants them to do. He’s brought enough Lightning Burger combo meals and rubber balls for half the class – anyone who has a ball when the lunch hour starts gets a combo meal, and anyone who doesn’t gets to skip lunch. The way their team presents it, the point of the exercise is to simulate a mission with limited resources, where a shinobi may have to do their job without adequate food. They may work together or separately, Boruto tells you.

Which is stupid, because the whole exercise is meant to make a point about teamwork – but they haven’t given the class a shared goal over which they can realize the need to work together.

>Point that out before things escalate past the point where they can be managed.
>You have a ball. Kae-hime doesn’t. Cut a burger and split it with her to give the rest of the class the right idea.
>Just let it play out. Hold onto your ball and subtly give some lessons to some of the various students.
>Other?

>>6022561
>>You have a ball. Kae-hime doesn’t. Cut a burger and split it with her to give the rest of the class the right idea.

>>6022561
>Point that out before things escalate past the point where they can be managed.

>>6022561
>You have a ball. Kae-hime doesn’t. Cut a burger and split it with her to give the rest of the class the right idea.

>>6022561
>>You have a ball. Kae-hime doesn’t. Cut a burger and split it with her to give the rest of the class the right idea.

>>6022561
You decide not to let this mistake continue to unfold until it turns into a shouting match between Kae-hime’s classmates – part of you thinks it’s not really your problem, and you’re definitely not here just to make sure that Kae-hime’s time at school is pleasant or anything. But there’s too much of your parents in you (one hundred percent, in fact) to ignore the fact that some of the kids in this room may be your future genin and chūnin subordinates, or the fact that you know for a fact that Himawari-chan has the kind of potential that makes you want to nurture it.

So even as the students in your class make their first bids for hanging onto the objectives Boruto and Sarada set for them, you draw a kunai from a holster on the back of your belt and grab a bag off Hana-sensei’s desk with a burger and a smaller bag of fries inside. Then you take the burger out, unwrap it, and slice it in half cleanly while the stunned academy students around you watch in complete non-comprehension.

“Kagerō-kun,” Himawari-chan asks you curiously. “What’re you doing?”

“Skipping ahead,” you sigh, handing half the burger to Kae-hime and dumping out fries from the smaller bag into the big one until they’re about equal. Then you hand that to her too. “Here.”

“… thanks?” she replies, glancing at Boruto, Sarada, and Mitsuki, who have yet to say or do anything in response. “Why, though?”

“Nobody said we couldn’t,” you reply calmly, glancing over at Himawari – who also has a ball still. “You can do the same, you know.”

She glances at her brother and other cousin, before doing the exact same thing you did with similar results. “Huh.”

“I still don’t get it,” Osuka-kun admits with a frown. “I thought the point was we were supposed to fight over these ball things?”

For her part, Neon-kun seems to be figuring out what you’ve done, but you speak up for everyone else. “The point of the exercise was for us to find a way for everyone to eat.”

“How do you figure that from a free-for-all?” Osuka-kun asks.

“We’re comrades,” you insist curtly. “Even if we’re not all from this village we’re still classmates, and that makes us comrades – even if some of us disagree on other stuff, you don’t let your comrades down.”

Boruto claps once. “Wow, you catch on pretty quick…”

“Kagerō,” you supply the name.

>Inform Sarada-kun and Mitsuki-kun of who you really are using the wave transmission method.
>Point out to Boruto that in not giving your class a common goal he accidentally stacked the deck against you.
>Leave it be for now, but keep an eye on how things go for the rest of the week just in case.
>Other?

>>6023350
>>Leave it be for now, but keep an eye on how things go for the rest of the week just in case.

Let's see where this goes. Gotta let this baby birds fly on their own.

>>6023350
>let boruto know about his mistake privately and anonymously, sometime later

>>6023350
>>Point out to Boruto that in not giving your class a common goal he accidentally stacked the deck against you.
Can we do this privately?
Its not expected from a kid our age and might blow our cover, but its still important to point out the flaw in their Setup.

>>6023350
>1d6 taking the first three

Rolled 2 (1d6)

>>6024157

Rolled 3 (1d6)

>>6024157

Rolled 4 (1d6)

>>6024157