Just Dinner and Maybe Even Desert

After their impromtu match in the AFW showers Natasha had spent a couple of days soothing the nerves of upper management over her loss, convincing them that there was nothing to worry about and that she had everything under control. Just as she had predicted they were more concerned with how she had set up the match on her own and without anyone there to film it, a champion shouldn't be involved in unfilmed matches they argued, especially when they lost them and the company had to explain or lie about a new loss on her official record. She could see where they were coming from but she truly was her father's daughter and was able to bring enough of them over to her side to quell any further complaints from them. They just had to sit back, relax, and let her do all the work leading up to Summer Splash.

Her cousin Luna had helped on that front by playing devil's advocate, helping her develop the approach that ultimately proved successful in swaying the board. Though that had come with quite a bit of teasing from her cousin once she learned about the match in the showers, constantly asking when she was going to ask out this Lucky woman who had bested her so!

As annoying as Luna could be Natasha eventually realized she was right. She had Lucky's cell phone number along with a few other rookies of the hentai division, there was no reason to send messages and invitations through the league when she could go right to the source, speeding the process along considerably and making it more personal at the same time. Lucky would appreciate that and Luna had also given her the perfect excuse to meet up with her again. She would ask Lucky out on a date, surely Lucky wouldn't say no to that, giving the two of them plenty of time to talk and get to know one another a little better.

Natasha did have an ulterior motive however. Yes she did want to learn more about the young woman who had handed her a loss last they met, but she also had a proposition for Lucky and there was no better time to ask her than over a delicious meal with even better company.Picking up her phone Natasha spent a minute think of what to say then sent Lucky a short but friendly text.

Hope this finds you well Lucky, its me Natasha from the other day. I had a lot of fun with you but it occurred to me we never really got to talking, I know very little about you personally and I'd like to change that. So if you are of the same mind how about we go out for dinner together? I know this great French place downtown, what do you think, meet me there tomorrow at 7pm?

The answer was what she had expected and so the date was set. Over the next day she called the restaurant to make a reservation and with Luna's help picked out a lovely outfit to wear, settling on an older number from her closet but it had remained one of her favorite dress over the years. Lucky had already seen her without any clothing so she hoped she found her just as enticing in the dress, if not more so.

The

dress:

was every bit as tight and short as she remembered, the unimaginably soft fabric hugging her like a lover while reaching barely past her thighs. Natasha wore long black leggings to go with her short boots of the same color, as well as a warm hat her mother had given her several birthdays back to keep her from catching a cold when they visited her mother's birthplace in Russia. She had arrived early just to make sure she was already sitting at the table when Lucky arrived.

It had been  a few days since the encounter with Natasha in the showers and the Cheerleader was happier than she had been in... like... MONTHS! ALL of her social media-thingies had completely exploded with Sakura's claims of their unseen match, how she had gotten in a room with the hentai-champion, talked with her.... and had match on the same day! She had texted ALLLLL her friends, family, and all that fun stuff, leaving out the details for... ya know... obvious reasons! All that mattered was that she got her attention! Reception was GOOD... for the most part! Of course, there were those doubters but SHE knew it happened! She didn't have to persuade them of NOTHIN'!... Unless it was a very... VERY detailed dream...

...but then she got a text... and Sakura's eyes lit up like fireworks!

OMG! Yeah! Sure! Name and place and I'll be there! She texted.... followed by every color of heart emoji she could text on her phone! The rest of her day, she felt like she had died and gone to heaven, the whole world feeling SO BRIGHT AND COLORFUL AND NICE! She felt as if absolutely nothing could go wrong EVER, as if all of her dreams were coming true all at once! Magic had to be real... because there's no way this would all come about for her without it!

_____

The very next night, Sakura dawned her newest outfit:

Spoiler:

, a black tanktop with a short-red jacket with a yellow skirt and black leggings! She wore brown boots and a pair of fingerless black gloves, all of which reflecting the warm and bubbly emotions that flooded her ALL this week! Everything felt like it was going her way, that Luck had it's eye out of Sakura, infusing her with it's generous gifts... Grateful wasn't a strong enough word to express towards the fortune she had been gifted with...

Address in hand (which was surprisingly close to where she lived as far as down-town goes), the cheerleader caught taxi and sped all the way down there... all the while practically assaulting Natasha's phone with more hearts and smiley-face emojies! She couldn't help it... SHE BLAMED MADDIE! All she could do now was text when she was this happy, okay!?

Sakura let out a soft whistle of awe as she stepped out of the cab (tipping very generously as always) as she took in the sight of the restaurant, the place practically OOZING fancy! Now, Lucky never really had anything outside the typical Japanese-person's diet and knew nothing of French food... let alone the language! She knew... like... baguettes and snails and stuff they eat but... like... That was just a stereotype right?

She stepped into the restaurant, asked if there was a table for Natasha Loclear.... and to that table she was lead... lead right up to the bluenette who looked somehow even MORE beautiful in such a... suggestive dress than out of it! instantly, Sakura blushed... hard, her cheeks steaming hotter than fresh-baked french-bread! Instantly, her eyes flicked down, almost embarassed to gaze upon the angel that sat before her... or perhaps she was just humbled!

"U-um.... H-hi Natasha-sama..." Lucky stammered, her emerald eyes flicking up to meet Natasha's... if only for a moment before flicking back down! Her hands were held tightly in front of her, fingers intertwined with one another anxiously, shifting from foot to foot.

"...Y-you... um... look really good..."

Natasha wasn't the biggest texter, she usually preferred to call others when they couldn't meet face to face for while the written word could be vague there was no mistaking the tells in a person's voice or the small tells that gave one away. However with Lucky there was no mistaking how the girl was feeling if the long string of hearts in every color of the rainbow, plus some more, were anything to go by. She sat at her table reading through the constant updates being sent to her from the cheerleader, taking small sips from her wine glass so as not to get too far ahead of her date for the evening while chuckling at some of the funnier messages. The girl sure was entertaining, no doubt about that at all.

It wasn't more than fifteen minutes before she received a text telling her that Lucky had arrived at the restaurant. It gave her just long enough to pass her half empty glass off to a passing waitress so Lucky wouldn't know she had already been drinking and to switch between several different poses before finally settling on crossing her right leg over her left and resting her hands on the table in front of her.

Cool, calm, serene...Natasha repeated this mantra in her head a dozen times in the handful of seconds it took for Lucky to spot her and make her way past the other tables to where she was seated by the window. While this was technically their third meeting it felt like she was making a first impression and one only ever got a single chance at that. Natasha would not disappoint.

She waved at the woman and then turned her head to gaze out the window, both to take in the lovely view of a nearby park with Sakura Blossom Trees from this fourth floor window and so she could play the seductress with a quick head turn, letting her flowing blue hair sway to the side while she smiled softly and blinked up at Lucky. "A pleasure to see you again so soon but please Lucky, call me Natasha. You've seen me...well, lets just say the sama feels unnecessary after the other night." Natasha chuckled at that, gesturing for Lucky to take a seat at the small table they were to share.

"I do try my best but look at you! You're ravishing tonight Lucky, I might have to borrow that look sometime." Natasha leaned forward, resting her elbows upon the table while the waitress came back over and placed two wine glasses, a basket of bread, and a pair of menus on the table before introducing herself as Helena in both french and japanese, the accent making Natasha feel right at home though she wondered how Lucky felt. "I hope you don't mind the locale, its a little taste of home for me you see. Where I go when I'm getting a little homesick."

Helena left them alone to look over the menus which were also written in both languages. Natasha suspected the french part of the menu was mostly for show, to drive home the theme, but she appreciated it regardless. "You're practically glowing Lucky, I take it you've quite enjoyed the last few days since you upstaged me in the match I requested." She stressed the "I" as she spoke, her tone light and playful to make sure Lucky didn't mistake her for having taken offense.

it was a mistake the cheerleader kept making, using that particular honorific when referring to Natasha... It was a reflex more than a conscious choice seeing that the blue-haired beauty was in a position that demanded respect AS WELL as being someone she looked up to greatly! The French-woman was as beautiful as she was generous and kind, two traits that garnered nothing but affection and respect from the humble cheer-leading wrestler!

"S-sorry..." She mumbled, the two girls almost the complete opposites of one another in this moment! Here Natasha was, sitting at the table as cool as could be, her generous and wondrous form wrapped in a cool, revealing manner which suggested her lack of self-consciousness when it came to showing it off! She smiled like her lips expressed the cool mists of the ocean, pleasurable, calm, cool and refreshing... Absolutely no signs of stress fluttered about her what-so-ever and perhaps that added to her appeal!

Sakura, on the other hand, was practically shaking with nervousness, her own generous form covered up quite well with only a bit of her leg showing beneath her skirt and maybe a tad of her cleavage above her tank-top! Her cheeks were ablaze warmly as if tiny flames were stoked beneath the surface of her skin. She was practically bursting with the emotions she felt... and that honesty was also something others found attractive!

At Natasha's invitation, Sakura sat down across from the champion, Lucky only blushing harder as the champ voiced her approval over her outfit! She couldn't help but giggle a bit and smile across the way at her hostess, but words of a reciprocal nature simply wouldn't do Natasha justice... Instead of potentially insulting the Champ with a meager "you too" sentiment, Lucky only looked over Natasha more intently, observing her in detail... especially the curves of her chest and her full, perfect lips...

Sakura opened her mouth to say something, to negate any potential awkward silence but before she could speak a word, their waitress had appeared to them, brandishing a pair of wine glasses!

"Ā! Kon'nichiwa! Hajimemashite, Helena!" She greeted with a smile, a grin that would melt the frowns off even the most depressed of individuals! The waitress, with her task complete, would leave the two alone once more with their menus, Lucky... honestly completely lost as to what any of these french-words mean... Thankfully, the ingredients were translated below but when it came time to order... What was she going to SAY? Sweat began to form on Lucky's brow and her emerald eyes narrowed at these strange characters, comparing them to Japanese in an effort to make sense of them... It was only when Natasha spoke... Did Lucky SNAP back into reality!

"O-Oh! I don't mind or anything!" Lucky assured her, setting down her Menu again! "i just... have never been to a place like this before! It's nice, but weird!" She giggled nervously, glancing off to the side JUST in case Natasha didn't approve of her assessment. Like the little fires her blush represented, Natasha's words only fueled them to burn brighter and brighter, Sakura's full face ALIGHT with a glowing pink blush, the cheerleader practically lighting their table!

"...Was I that obvious......?" She asked meekly, her eyes barely meeting Natasha's. "..A-And I didn't mean to upstage you!... I just... wanted to prove myself..."

Being able to tell when someone was staring at them was a sort of sixth sense most women developed fairly early on in life and Natasha's had been going off since Lucky sat down across from her. For her part Natasha kept her eyes looking out the window at the wonderful view of the park across the street but she kept Lucky just within her field of vision, taking great pleasure from how bright red the woman's cheeks were turning as Lucky's eyes drifted ever lower down Natasha's body. Her dress didn't expose any cleavage but her breasts were full and the bra she had on was one of her favorites for how perfectly shaped her breasts appeared in it. Now add in a tight dress such as the one she was wearing and Natasha knew every eye in this place had been on her at one time or another, though there was only one gaze she desired and she certainly had it.

Now she just had to help the woman relax otherwise their entire date might become the quiet game. The arrival of their menu's was the perfect icebreaker though and Natasha could see Lucky relax now that her mind was on more than just the woman sitting across from her. She already knew what she was going to order so while Lucky was deciphering it to find something she might enjoy Natasha was watching her, peeking over the top of her menu while hiding her smile behind it. Lucky looked absolutely fetching with her face all pink.

"Well now you have and I imagine it feels as strange to you as Japan in general felt to me at first, hopefully the food will hook you in the same way Japan has endeared itself to me." She laid down her menu and took a drink of water Helena had left behind, turning her head to the side and tilting her head back ever so slightly so that Lucky could see her neck as she drank down the water as well as the faint remains of a hickey left by Lucky's own lips.

Sitting the glass back down Natasha nodded her head in answer to the other's question, letting there be a moment of silence between them while she leaned forward to rest her elbows upon the table. Her bust sat upon the table as well, getting pushed up even further as she reached a hand across in an offer to take Lucky's hand in her own. "You're an open book Lucky and thats a good thing for the most part." Speaking softly Natasha ran a finger over top of the others hand. "You certainly impressed me and I'd like to come clean about something if that is alright?" She paused for a second but didn't wait for an answer, pressing right ahead. "That match was a test, one you passed with flying colors by the way. I had thought to test the other women whose names you gave me as well but I lucked out, pun intended, with testing you first as you made the grade."


Natasha smiled warmly at the woman then pulled back, having to straighten out the white table cloth from where her breasts had pushed it up. "But as to what I was testing for, well thats a topic to be broached over food and speaking of..." As if on cue Helena reappeared with a bottle of wine, the same Natasha had been drinking earlier, and filled both their glasses before asking if they had decided on food.

"Well I will have the pike quenelles with the lobster sauce, with a side of mushroom risotta if I may. Would you like to share mine Lucky or did you see something that struck your fancy?"

Similarly to how Natasha had taken note of Lucky looking her over, the cheerleader had been watching Natasha too from her peripheral vision. While she couldn't see the curl of the champion's lips as they were hidden behind her menu, she could see it in her eyes, how her bottom-lids curled slightly up with genuine pleasure or happiness, how a subtle but noticeable change in the older woman's features! Lucky tended to notice these things when she was lip-locking beautiful girls, how their upper-features changed in relation to their lower features...

...And knowing this only made Sakura blush all the more!

"I hear France is really pretty!" Lucky offered, trying to return the praise of Natasha's home country as she had to her own! "It's a huge tourist destination in Europe, right? I gotta go there sometime..... If I can get enough together, heehee!" ...Boy, did that feel underwhelming coming from her own lips... While she WANTED to say more, to show that she knew WHY France was a great and wonderful place... She literally knew nothing beyond the classic "wee-wee, baguette" stereotypes everyone knows!

...Natasha had her at a disadvantage for sure!

Frustrated with trying to read the French-named food, Lucky huffed softly and set down the Menu... only to witness the champion adjust her neck a bit... revealing the small hicky-marks she had left there... Images washed over the cheerleader, memories of how the two of them had come together... how Lucky had embodied her name enough to had left those marks... Boy! Was it hot in here...? Because something was making her brow all sweaty and her her body feel all hot!

Natasha extended a hand out to her, something Lucky gladly offered back, the two them gently holding hands as Sakura smiled... her palms were so soft... angel soft... It was like touching the skin of a divine being... Considering the company she was with, the cheerleader couldn't imagine she was far off!

"I try to be!" Sakura giggled as Natasha commented on her openness! "I don't want anyone to see my any way except how i am!" However, the cheerleader's giggles soon faded as the bluenette asked for Lucky to listen to a small secret she had tucked away, something she had to get off her.... her chest... Instantly, her eyes flicked down to them as they rested upon the table... flicking back up as Natasha began to speak again!

"A.... A test...?" Lucky asked, tilting her head. While she was HAPPY she passed... What was she being tested for? Her capability with hentai? Her cuteness in a match? Her luck? And for what end...? A small, curious smile danced upon her lips... contemplating the other girls she had offered to Natasha. She intended on testing them too... Was she planning something...? It sounded like it but... what could it be...?

Sakura opened her mouth to ask WHAT it was she was being tested for, Natasha shut it down quickly, insisting that it was a topic best discussed over fine dining... Slowly, Lucky closed her mouth... and smiled warmly, happy to wait! After all, she was having dinner with the APEX hentai-wrestler! She could wait for as long as it took! Helena appeared once again with a bottle of wine, filling both Sakura's and Natasha's... the smell of it leaving Lucky's mouth watering and her stomach growling! She didn't realize JUST how hungry she was... until the scent touched her nose! When she was asked what she wanted... Lucky was left completely speechless! She still couldn't read the menu and she didn't just wanna look like doofus, pointing at the menu!

LUCKILY, She had an out!

"Um.... I'll share what she's having!" Lucky responded quickly, flashing Natasha a nervous wink and a smile! "If you don't mind, that is!"

It had been just a hunch but it turned out to be a correct one, glancing back down at the menu Natasha could see where Lucky would have some trouble for while the menu was translated into japanese it was still a list of dishes that Lucky had likely never even heard of before. She gently shook her head with a warm smile. "Oh I don't mind at all, I just hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Its one of my favorites. As is this wine!" She giggled, taking a long drink from her glass until what was full a moment before was now down to half. While it was a cliche Natasha loved wine and preferred to drink it over mixed drinks or beer any day of the week, the only other alcoholic drink she ever really touched was vodka...maybe it was just in her genetics?

The waitress refilled her glass before taking her leave of the table to put in their order, leaving behind a small desert menu for them to look through while their dinner was prepared. Natasha left it closed for now though as she didn't want to get hungry for desert before the main course. "I don't know what year that bottle is but I do know I like it." Natasha said with a laugh, setting aside her glass to focus on Lucky once more.

"Oh yes France is beautiful, especially if you can get out into the French countryside. Though one simply must see Paris at night, the tower is lit up after dark now so the cityscape is truly breath taking if you can get a good viewpoint, the higher the better." Natasha loved talking about home and it showed from the enthusiasm in her voice, a soft expression on her face as her thoughts turned to the home where she had grown up just outside Paris, the green hills going as far as she could see from her bedroom balcony. "If you ever do intend to go I could give you some great places to visit, theres the usual tourist spots of course but theres plenty of secret spots where you can sight see or get a delicious bite to eat. Or if wine is your interest my family may or may not have a vineyard."

"Oh yeah! The wine!" Lucky gasped, remembering that was there to drink and not just sniff with allure! Lucky scooped up her glass between her forefinger and thumb, gently wiggling it around and watching as the alcohol inside swirled in conjunction with it's momentum. To be honest, she never drank! Well... Sometimes she did but that was on RARE occasions and with HARDLY anything really... potent! She had learned well from her parent's teachings to AVOID getting drunk... and she had so far been smart about that!

...She supposed it was one of those times where it was okay! After all, she was with a friend! While Natasha took a NICE long swig from her cup, Sakura was a bit more... cautious! Not because she didn't think it was GOOD but because... ya know... They were gonna eat and she didn't want to have TOO much... She took a tiny sip, the alcoholic drink burning her throat lightly as it went down... and setting up a soft little warm campfire in her stomach... For Lucky, it was never much the taste of a drink that attracted her to it, for lack of a better word. It was the gentle warmth it left behind, something that made her feel all snuggley and safe...

"Mm... Good wine!" She complimented, letting out a sigh of contentment! "Really... warm..." She blushed... but smiled widely and innocently, speaking to what she approved about it! "Eheh... To be honest... I never really drink wine or anything so... this is really special..." She looked up at Natasha and grinned a little wider, before glancing down into her drink... "Whatever year it is... its a good one... Kinda want a bottle of it myself! Ya know... for guests and stuffs..."

Natasha then shifted back to France, assuring Lucky that of the main different places of interest that dotted that country... but most important being the city of Paris at night! ...Instantly images of her and Natasha standing hand in hand among the streets flashed through her mind, music playing in the background as they were surrounded with city lights that glowed in the dark like a swarm of stagnate fireflies... When she mentioned HIGHER places, the scene in Sakura's mind shifted to instead the two to of them standing atop a balcony, Sakura leaning over the edge with the champion behind her, the two of them overlooking the lit-up city from above... with it's trademark tower in the center.  

...Needless to say, Sakura was practically as steamy-red as the lobster Natasha ordered surely was, her emerald gaze falling off to the side, embarrassed as to what Natasha might think she was thinking if their gazes met!

"Oh! I'd like to go to your... I mean... the may-or-may-not  vineyard!" Instantly, the cheerleader seemed to pop up, excited by the idea! It was like a field-trip she used to take back in grade-school! EXCITEMENT! "I might not drink all that much... But I'd kinda like to have a bottle in store for the people that do! Gotta be a good host, right?" She giggled softly... then sighed, leaning her elbows on the tables before her, resting her chin in her palms.

"Ya know... I feel like I've known you for a while, Natasha-sama-... Natasha." Lucky admitted, her steamed blush growing darker and darker! "Like... I know we only officially met a few days ago but... Like... You make me feel good around you... like you care about someone like me.... It makes me happy!"

The first thought that went through Natasha's mind as Lucky sampled the wine was how would Lucky know it was good wine if she never drank anything? The second was whether or not Lucky truly enjoyed the taste of it or if she was just telling her that so as not to hurt her feelings. But then she was reminded of just who she was talking to. Perhaps a white lie to spare another's feelings wasn't out of the question for the younger woman but Natasha suspected even that kind of lie never occured to her, she really was honest to a fault and Natasha found herself just watching her from across the table and pondering about what it was like to go through life that way.

Could she herself be so honest? Probably not considering her family business, truth was a lovely way to live one's life, admirable really, but it would bankrupt her father's company within the year. Natasha did her best to be straight forward and honest when she could but when dealing with the sharks of the business world one had to be a shark themselves to win...that or an orca, Natasha liked to think of herself as an orca in this metaphor. But she could still admire someone who was an open book like Lucky.

She could also reward them too. "Well then consider yourself the new owner of one of those bottles. Just make sure you don't drink it all yourself, wine is best when shared with pleasant company." Natasha winked at Lucky then waved Helena over to place the order before Lucky had a chance to say no. Natasha had money but tried to resist flaunting it in front of people as best she could, but she couldn't help wanting to give Lucky a gift and hoped it wouldn't seem too much. "Just consider it a gift to celebrate what it is you won from passing my test." Natasha added, raising up her glass to clink it against Lucky's and then taking a smaller sip than before.

What Lucky said next took Natasha by surprise, she was quite used to people showering her with compliments, not only did it come with the territory of being an heiress but being a two time champion of the AFW also meant a lot of praise, genuine or otherwise, coming from fans and fellow wrestlers alike. But what Lucky told her was heartfelt and it made Natasha take a moment to reflect on it before she said anything in return.

"Being charming is what I do Lucky, making others feel better in my presence is a skill my mother taught me to help me succeed in life and its worked whether that be at my father's copany or here in the AFW. But don't misunderstand, I do like you Lucky. You live your life in a way I wish I could to be honest, people don't have to work to get to know you they just have to look at you and they will see everything you are in an instant. Not that your shallow or anything just...you don't hide anything and its refreshing." Natasha needed a moment then as she felt her own cheeks beginning to turn crimson, taking another drink. "Though I wonder how much about me you really know?"

Natasha leaned forward until her breasts once again rested upon the table, clasping her hands together and laying them down in front of her as she stared in Lucky's eyes. "For right now consider me an open book Lucky, you feel like you've known me for a long time then let me help you know as much about me as one who has."

Lucky's musing about the quality of the wine was met with a surprisingly generous offer from her hostess this evening, Natasha simply calling over Helena to place an order for one! Before Sakura could even open her mouth to assure the champion that this was too much, that she would pay for it herself... the waitress was gone... and the french-woman was offering it to her as a gift! Lucky's emerald eyes fluttered in shock... Genuine. Shock. She never asked for Natasha to be so nice to her... To take her out to dinner like this... to even have her attention that first time they met! From the word "go", Lucky just seemed to be gifted so many different and wonderful kindnesses from Natasha, each one having their own special meaning! First, just TALKING with someone of the champion's status was something no mere hentai-wrestler would have the honor and privilege of doing! It suggested that it wasn't just Lucky who was following her... but the other way around as well! Natasha had an INTEREST in her... and that touched her... Without even trying... without any of the confidence that she could, Sakura had caught the eye of one of the most beautiful and most talented wrestlers in the world...

The second gift Natasha had bestowed upon her was a kiss! It was something Sakura had always considered a priviliage, locking lips with the beauties of the world... It was her fetish, for sure, perhaps even something someone could consider an addiction, kissing... But she tried to never force herself on someone or make them feel uncomfortable. Natasha, without a second thought, bestowed upon her a long, angelic kiss, a smooch that very much resembled their wine: new... and surpassing all expectations... It was as if she had tasted heaven that day... and got to explore it with Natasha's third gift: their match...

Needless to say, Natasha didn't have to do any of this to earn Lucky's DEVOUT loyalty and affection... After all, the cheerleader had been following her from the moment she had gotten into wrestling and merely the champion making an APPEARANCE before her nearly made her pass out! Now...? She was having dinner with her, the two girls actually getting to know each other! NATASHA KNEW HER NAME AND WAS ACTUALLY TALKING WITH HER!

...It was still as much of a shock to her now as it was back then... So many gifts... so much affection and attention... It really made her feel guilty knowing that she couldn't return even a fourth of what she had been given... Especially since she wanted too...  

"...Thank you..." She whispered softly, her head bowing in appreciation.. but seemed to linger in it's lower position longer than one might expect... She... she didn't want Natasha to see her literally about to break down over here... Cry because of every little thing it meant and was to be in the company of the sweet, generous, kind, and teacher-figure Natasha was... It was a moment of weakness, but one Lucky quickly pushed through, lifting her head and flashing a sweet, wide smile at the champion... though her eyes were still quite wet.

...And as if the gifts would never end, Natasha expressed her envy for how Lucky lived, remarking how the cheerleader was an open-book to the world and how she could not live such a way given her business-woman/wrestler double-life. In her own words, Natasha both had to live as and work with people she wouldn't exactly consider open and trust-worthy to maintain her business... and yet, it was a breath of fresh air to be around someone such as her...

...Did Lucky's heart just stop...? Because she felt like she was going to faint.... Maybe that was just because every drop of blood in her body was rushing to her face at the speed of an oncoming bullet-train... She... She didn't know what to say... Sakura's jaw dropped embarrassingly, her heart (thankfully still functioning) fluttering in her chest as her eyes DROPPED to her thighs like a pair of anvils, the poor girl completely and utterly speechless. HOW DID ONE RECOVER FROM BEING TOLD BY YOUR IDOL THAT THEY LIKED YOU... AND LIKED BEING AROUND YOU!?

It's not possible. Only people with wills of iron and confidence more vast than the fault-lines under Japan could truly bounce back...

Finally, Natasha offered one more thing: Information. ANYTHING she wanted to know about the champion... was at her disposal apparently! ...She... She really wanted them to be friends...? Like... Not just friendly but.... friends...? She was willing to open up to her, let Lucky into her life (at least a little bit) and truly get to know her as a person...? Again, Sakura was left completely speechless, her mind going BLANK when it should've been racing with potential questions! Luckily, something flashed across her mind that Natasha had said earlier, something about the business she ran... Surely, she'd be willing to talk about that, right??

"U-u-um..." Sakura mumbled nervously. "S-s-so.... I... am curious about your... um... Father's company... W-what do you do in it...?"