Chapter 3: An Unforgettable Scene
Adrian arrived at school the next day. As soon as he entered the classroom, he noticed Naruto was already there.
Naruto had remembered Adrian from the day before.
The difference between Adrian and Shino was that Adrian didn't wrap himself up or hide. People hadn't paid much attention to him before simply because he didn't participate in many activities or hang out with his classmates. He always went straight home after class.
When Naruto saw Adrian, he stood up and waved enthusiastically, "Hey, Adrian!"
Adrian was a bit surprised but still smiled and nodded. He found a seat and sat down.
Naruto's actions drew the attention of many students in the class. Though he was often the last person in terms of grades, Naruto always managed to get his classmates' attention.
Many of them looked over at Adrian.
Some of the girls in class were taken aback when they saw him.
"I never noticed there was such a good-looking guy in our class," one of them remarked.
"He's as handsome as Sasuke! How did we miss him before?"
"What? Sasuke is still the best, but yeah, Adrian is definitely good-looking."
Some of the girls began debating who was more handsome, Adrian or Sasuke.
While many favored Sasuke, it wasn't just about his looks—they admired his strength and talent as well. However, some girls quickly took notice of Adrian, including Ino, who had always liked good-looking guys.
She had initially been drawn to Sasuke solely because of his looks, but now that she noticed Adrian, she couldn't let him go unnoticed.
Blushing, Ino approached Adrian and introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Ino Yamanaka. I... why haven't I seen you before?"
Adrian raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised. He thought to himself, "Did I really blend in that much before?"
Though he tried to stay out of the spotlight, it seemed extreme that someone wouldn't even remember seeing him after all this time.
He couldn't help but chuckle softly. "I'm Adrian. Nice to meet you."
Ino blushed even more, realizing how embarrassing her question was. "Sorry about that, Adrian."
Adrian had just been teasing her a bit and wasn't upset at all. In fact, he understood that it was partially his fault for keeping to himself. "It's fine. Let's just say this is the first time we're meeting, then."
Adrian smiled warmly, and Ino felt her heart race. She nearly fainted, overwhelmed by his smile.
Girls in this world could be a bit over-the-top sometimes.
At that moment, Shikamaru walked over. "You're usually focused on Sasuke, so it's not surprising you didn't notice Adrian," he said lazily.
He took a seat beside Adrian. "Hey, I've seen you leave right after class before, so we never really got to talk. I'm Shikamaru, by the way."
Adrian was a little surprised that Shikamaru had paid attention to him. "Nice to meet you, Shikamaru."
It made sense that Shikamaru would notice Adrian. With a sharp mind like his, it was hard for him to miss things. Besides, Adrian's appearance alone made him stand out, especially compared to someone like Sasuke.
As they chatted for a bit, Sasuke entered the classroom.
Immediately, all the girls turned their attention to him.
"Oh, Sasuke! He's so handsome!" they gushed as they rushed towards him.
Shikamaru sighed, lying down on the desk. "Girls are such a hassle," he muttered.
Hearing this, Ino shot him a glare. "What was that, Shikamaru?"
He turned his head and realized that Ino hadn't joined the crowd around Sasuke. "Uh... I didn't mean you!" he said quickly.
Ino rolled her eyes. "Hmph!"
While she did glance at Sasuke a couple of times, her gaze lingered on Adrian far more. Now that she had noticed him, she couldn't unsee how good-looking he was—and without the swarm of admirers that constantly surrounded Sasuke.
She knew how to make her choice.
Although Sasuke was appealing, the competition for his attention—especially with Sakura—was too much. Meanwhile, Adrian seemed much more approachable.
Across the room, Naruto watched as Sakura stood swooning over Sasuke, a scowl forming on his face. He gritted his teeth.
"Dammit, Sakura only has eyes for Sasuke. That bastard! I won't give up on her!"
Naruto marched over to Sasuke's seat.
His bold move caught the attention of the entire class, including Adrian, who felt like this scene was familiar somehow.
Naruto jumped onto the table in front of Sasuke, squatting down and glaring at him. Sasuke glared right back.
The girls around them were outraged. "Naruto, what are you doing? Don't look at Sasuke like that!"
"Get down, Naruto! How dare you stare at Sasuke that way!"
Adrian continued watching the scene unfold, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu.
Sure enough, the next moment, someone accidentally nudged Naruto, causing him to lose his balance.
Naruto toppled forward—right onto Sasuke.
What happened next left Adrian wide-eyed in disbelief.
The entire class gasped in shock as Naruto accidentally kissed Sasuke.
The girls were devastated. "What the hell, Naruto?! How dare you kiss Sasuke? His first kiss is gone!"
Adrian's mouth twitched slightly as he muttered, "Well, looks like these two are closer than I thought."
Shikamaru groaned. "Naruto's such an idiot."
Ino had a similar expression of disbelief. "Did they just share their first kiss?"
Normally, Ino would have been furious, but she wasn't as upset as she thought she'd be. Her feelings for Sasuke had always been a mix of competition with Sakura and an appreciation of his looks.
Now, though, her attention was shifting.
Adrian knew this scene between Naruto and Sasuke was one he'd never forget.
Darkly, he thought to himself, "Maybe the reason Naruto chases after Sasuke later on is because of some... deeper feelings?"
He shuddered. "Nope, nope, nope. I need to get that idea out of my head immediately. That's terrifying to even think about."
Both Sasuke and Naruto, meanwhile, were retching from the accidental kiss.
Sasuke glared at Naruto, disgusted. "You idiot, what are you trying to do?!"
Naruto glared back just as fiercely. "I should be asking you the same thing, you bastard!"
The two boys continued to argue until Sakura stepped in, pulling them apart and sitting between them to keep the peace.
From that point on, Sakura would serve as the balance between Sasuke and Naruto's chaotic relationship.