7 7
"Lets see. First question.
8 X 4 = ?" Naruto read the maths question on the paper in front of him and scratched his head in confusion.
"How do I do this? Wait, didn't Hiroki san tell me a trick to this?
Lets say, Teuchi-san has eight customers, and each order 4 bowls, how many bowls of ramen will he have to make. Easy, 32 bowls of ramen." Thinking out loud, Naruto went through the multiplication process and wrote the answer on the paper.
One by one, Naruto wet through the questions on the paper in front of him, while a huge digital timer ticked away, counting down to zero.
"Times up. Pens Down!" Suddenly, Hiroki called out from the lounge area of the mindscape, prompting Naruto to put down his pen and fold his arms.
"Lets see. First one is correct. Second, third, fourth, twentieth, ooh, almost. You got 19 correct out of the twenty questions. Good job, naruto, well done. You get 19 points.
Now, do you want a chance to earn some bonus points?" Hiroki commented after checking the weekly test naruto completed.
"Yes sensei." Naruto perked up from his downcast appearance after hearing he got one point off.
"What percent marks did you get?" Hiroki asked with a smile.
"Eto, percentage. If 20 is 100, then what is 19? Is it 95?" After thinking for a while Naruto gave out the answer.
"Are you asking me, or telling me?" Hiroki asked with a smile.
"Telling you?" Naruto replied unsurely.
"Again, asking me or telling me?" Hiroki continued.
"Telling you!!" Realizing his mistake, naruto firmly gave out the answer.
"Your answer is …. CORRECT. You get 5 bonus points. Congratulations Naruto. You now only have 19 points away from getting to hear another story about your parents. Do you think you can get those points in the next test?" Naruto firmly nodded, showing his determination.
"Very well. Here is the History Test. Time limit is 30 minutes. And it starts, NOW"
.
"Very well-done Naruto. Now tell me, what would you like to hear today?" After all the weekly tests for the week had been done, Hiroki asked naruto as the kid laid his head in his lap, as they sat on the sofa.
Naruto was thrilled that he had someone who would take care of him like this. He had seen children his age do this with their parents through their windows when he was running away from angry villagers and ninjas.
And now, he realised it was just as heavenly as he thought it was. The warmth of another human being, an emotion other than hate and annoyance directed at him, it felt magical. Even if this was not the real world and was all taking place in his head, Naruto wanted to stay like this forever.
"I want to hear the story of how mom met dad." With that, Hiroki started to narrate the story of his parents first meetings, memories of the past Hiroki who watched the show, and memories of Minato weaved together to form an intricate story, as Hiroki conjured images and props aiding his storytelling in the mindscape.
A few hours after, it was time for Naruto to head back. After all, if Naruto spent too much time in here when he was supposed to be sleeping, it would be bad for his mental and physical development.
.
A year passed by, and now it was time for Naruto to enter the Academy.
Waking up in the morning, Naruto washed his face with the cold water that was supplied to the building, looking at the second-hand rusted mirror, and cleaned himself up.
While the equipment in the apartment along with the apartment itself were pretty shit, Hiroki drilled into Naruto's mind the importance of cleanliness.
No longer was the house a dump that could be confused with a dumpster. It was now a quaint and cosy little apartment with a single bedroom, a decent bed with a mattress that didn't have clumps and mould, a fully stacked kitchen with all the essential equipment, and a small dinning area with a small table enough to fit three people.
Wearing a pair of black shorts and a white shirt with a black strip down the middle, naruto prepped some eggs and toast along with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and got ready for the first day of the Academy.
"Have you got all your books. What about your water bottle? Did you pack your lunch? And an extra pair of clothes. Always keep an extra set, what if these gets dirty and you don't have anything to wear later?" In his mind, Hiroki nagged like a mother sending off her kid to school for the first time.
"Yes, Yes, yes, and yes. I have everything in my bag. Also, I stored an extra bag with a pair of fresh clothes in the bushes near the school, just in case of emergencies. Don't worry, I will be fine. I have you in my head all the time, don't I ni-San." Naruto chuckled at the worrisome elder brother of his.
Over the past few weeks, Naruto had tried to call Hiroki Dad, but the result was a depressed and shaking Hiroki, who looked like he was about to pass away from depression.
Turns out, an 8-year-old calling a 20-year-old Dad was depressing on many levels.
Thus, Naruto got Hiroki's permission to call him elder brother, which seemed fitting, and Hiroki also took over the role as his elder brother when he wasn't teaching him stuff.
"So, this is the Famous Academy, huh? I think these guys didn't have you design sense brother." Naruto thought to himself, getting a chuckle from Hiroki.
"Yeah, you can say that again. The entrance is so flashy, but the immediate structures after the entrance are so bland. They should have gradually toned down the flashiness as they went inside. Good eye, Naruto. This gains you one point. Good sense of Fashion and Architecture." Hiroki smiled seeing his protégé developing nicely.
.
.
.
