The next day, Arata arrived at the academy.
The moment he stepped into the classroom, he spotted Naruto already there.
To Arata's surprise, Naruto actually remembered him this time.
Unlike Shino, Arata didn't hide his face — people had simply ignored him before because he never joined class activities, never hung out with others, and went straight home after class.
So when Naruto stood up and waved cheerfully,
"Yo, Arata!"
Arata blinked, a little taken aback. Then he smiled and gave a polite nod before quietly finding a seat.
Naruto's sudden enthusiasm drew attention from the entire class.
Despite being at the bottom of the rankings, Naruto always had a knack for grabbing people's focus.
This time, it was Arata who became the new topic.
A few girls stared at him in surprise.
They had somehow never noticed that their class had someone this… good-looking.
"Wait, he's actually as handsome as Sasuke!"
"No way! Sasuke's still the best—but yeah… this guy's really cute too."
The room filled with whispers and glances.
A mini debate even broke out among the girls over who looked better — Arata or Sasuke.
Most still favored Sasuke, not just for his looks, but for his reputation and power.
But a few decided to take initiative before anyone else could.
Like Yamanaka Ino.
She had always been a self-proclaimed "face-lover." Her crush on Sasuke had started with his looks, not his attitude.
And now, with another boy just as handsome sitting right there? Of course, she wasn't going to miss her chance.
Ino hurried over, cheeks slightly pink.
"H-Hi, I'm Yamanaka Ino! Um… how come I've never seen you before?"
Arata frowned slightly.
Was I really that invisible?
I know I don't like attention, but come on… we've been in the same class for six years.
He sighed inwardly. He wasn't antisocial — he just avoided unnecessary drama.
But to realize that no one even remembered him was another kind of shock.
Still, seeing Ino's nervous smile, he couldn't be rude.
"I'm Arata," he said gently. "Nice to finally meet you."
Ino flushed even deeper.
"I—I'm sorry, Arata."
Arata chuckled softly. "No harm done. Let's just call this our first meeting."
Ino's heart practically skipped a beat at his smile — her face went so red she nearly fainted.
Girls in this world could be… dramatic, to say the least.
Just then, Shikamaru wandered over, scratching the back of his neck lazily.
"Well, to be fair, Ino, your eyes are always glued to Sasuke. Not noticing Arata is normal."
He plopped down next to Arata.
"Hey. I've seen you around, but you always disappear after class. Never had a chance to talk. I'm Shikamaru."
Arata nodded and shook his hand. "Arata."
He wasn't surprised that Shikamaru had noticed him — that guy missed nothing, no matter how lazy he looked.
And if it came down to looks, Arata and Sasuke were probably the only two in class who could cause a stir just by walking in.
They exchanged a few casual words before the classroom door opened again.
Sasuke entered.
Instantly, every girl in the room turned her head.
"Ah, Sasuke's here!"
"He's so cool!"
A wave of squeals filled the air as girls practically mobbed him.
Shikamaru groaned, resting his chin on his desk.
"Women are such a drag."
Before he could yawn, Ino — who was not among the girls crowding Sasuke — shot him a glare across Arata's seat.
"What did you just say, Shikamaru?"
He turned his head, startled. "I-I wasn't talking about you."
Ino huffed, crossing her arms. "Hmph!"
Though she still glanced at Sasuke once or twice, her gaze drifted back to Arata more often.
For years, she had focused entirely on Sasuke, ignoring everyone else.
But now that she noticed Arata — quiet, handsome, and with zero competition around him — her decision came quickly.
Why fight over Sasuke with Sakura when there's someone even better — and available?
Meanwhile, Naruto was grinding his teeth at the sight of Sakura fawning over Sasuke.
"Damn it! Sakura's eyes are always on that jerk Sasuke! I'm not losing to him!"
He stomped over to Sasuke's desk, drawing everyone's attention. Even Arata looked up, curious.
Naruto climbed onto the desk, crouching and glaring straight into Sasuke's eyes.
Sasuke, ever the stoic rival, glared right back.
The tension in the room shot up immediately.
Girls screamed in outrage.
"Idiot Naruto! Don't glare at Sasuke like that!"
"Get down from there! How dare you look him in the eye!"
Arata watched quietly, an amused smile tugging at his lips.
Something about this scene felt familiar.
He couldn't remember clearly, but some instinct told him what was coming next.
And then — it happened.
One careless classmate accidentally bumped into Naruto from behind, hitting his lower back with an elbow.
Naruto lost his balance—
—and fell straight toward Sasuke.
For a moment, time froze.
Their lips met.
The entire classroom went silent. Then chaos erupted.
"AAAAAH! Idiot Naruto! What are you doing?!"
"Sasuke's first kiss! You monster!"
"NOOOOOO!"
Even Arata was stunned.
He stared at the two of them in disbelief, the corners of his mouth twitching.
"…Well," he muttered dryly, "they do seem close."
Beside him, Shikamaru sighed. "What a drag. That idiot actually did it."
Ino just blinked, equally shocked.
"Wait… were they both… each other's first kiss?"
If this had happened a few days ago, Ino might've been furious.
But now? She was more amused than anything.
After all, her "crush" on Sasuke had been mostly surface-level — half looks, half competition with Sakura.
And the other half… well, it was quickly being replaced by curiosity about a quiet boy named Arata.
Arata leaned back, shaking his head.
"This is definitely going to stick in my memory forever."
Then, with a grimace, another thought crept in.
"Wait… could Naruto's obsession with Sasuke later on actually come from this incident? No way… that's way too dark."
He shuddered slightly.
"Nope. Not going there. Forget it."
Meanwhile, both Naruto and Sasuke were gagging and wiping their mouths.
Sasuke glared furiously. "Naruto, you idiot! What the hell was that?!"
Naruto shot back, "I should be asking you, you bastard!"
Their shouting match escalated instantly until Sakura hurried over to separate them, her face red with embarrassment.
"Stop it, both of you! Geez…"
She pushed them apart and sat down right between them — effectively becoming the "peacekeeper" from that day forward.
And just like that, the classroom slowly returned to chaos —
but for Arata, that unforgettable scene was burned into his mind forever.