• MAY THE BEST GIRL WIN •

It had become a normal thing to hangout with Naruto in the home economics lab every lunch break. The blond was great company and he was a great taste tester. The fact that he provided the ingredients for her many culinary experiments was a great plus too.

Today, Hinata was making taiyaki from her mother's recipe book for Hanabi, her younger sister. She was too little when their mother died to remember what her favourite snack tasted like following their mother's recipe.

Naruto and Hinata engaged in small talk as they waited for the sweet multi flavoured snack to be well done. The conversation somehow steered towards the direction and they suddenly found themselves talking about their families.

"Nani?! You and Sakura-chan are sisters?!" Naruto exclaimed loudly. How come he missed this tiny detail about his classmates? He whistled in awe. No wonder they were so hot.

"Yup-p." Hinata popped her p.

"You have different last names though." He pointed out.

"I also didn't know that you were the President's son. Your last names are different." Hinata threw back at him albeit softly. Naruto chuckled at her wittiness.

That detail about him was not something everyone knew because he took his mother's last name instead of his father's for protection against the press and potential kidnappers. Doing that and staying away from public events worked to an extent.

They couldn't protect him from the press because he became friends with Sasuke who so happened to be a paparazzi magnet. There were theories about who he could be. He remembered those days where people brought up different reasons why he was always hanging out with the Uchiha.

From being his boyfriend (which earned him a lot of crazy Sasuke fan girls haunting him) to being a business associate (which earned him a lot of stalker presses trying to get a new business scoop), Naruto's identity was hit with different conspiracy theories until the most accepted one rose up.

Naruto was, in the eyes of the public, the son of a household servant who had grown up to be Sasuke's servant boy. Heh! He didn't mind it as long as he was free from stiffening expectations and presidential meetings.

"Hmmmoh!" Naruto moaned as the rich custard flavour of the taiyaki burst in his mouth. "Zhish ish sho sho goood! You should open your own reshtaurant!" He babbled.

"Glad you like it." Hinata giggled. She wrapped up the taiyaki in papers to deliver it.

"Ne, Sasuke is hosting a party for his birthday come July. A potlatch kind of masquerade ball party. He's going to taste different foods and decide whose is best, it's a competition of the sort...heh. Point is, the Teme could promote your cooking if you win this. You definitely would dattebayo!"

Naruto sounded excited for the party even though he wasn't the one hosting it. It made Hinata chuckle. What she didn't understand was, as a dedicated foodie like Naruto is, you have to be excited for a party because it means free food. Dieters can't relate.

-

Hinata should have known that if she, an oblivious social noob, knew about Sasuke's upcoming potluck masquerade ball, Sakura (Sasuke's biggest fan girl) would know. The moment she got home she was attacked by her half sister.

"Hinata! Hinata!! Hinataaa!!!"

"What? What?! Whaaat?!!"

"Sasuke-kun is hosting a party! Yiiii! This could be my one opportunity to get closer to him!" Sakura giggled madly as she spun Hinata around and jumped on her bouncy bed.

"T-that's nice. What are you going to cook for the party?" She asked.

"Uh?" Sakura stopped smiling, stopped bouncing, stopped everything.

"Uh?" Hinata asked dumbly.

"UH?!" The words just registered in Sakura's head. "We have to COOK?!"

Unaware of her sister's rapidly depreciating thoughts, Hinata set to explain the meaning of a potlatch party to her. "Yes. It is a potlatch/masquerade party. The guests bring different foods to share. Sasuke-kun wants to taste everything and decide whose food tastes best. He's going to dance with the winner and promote their food...eh, Sakura?"

Sakura had already passed out from brain overload. Okay, Hinata had to admit she did that on purpose. Sakura sometimes deserved it. Sometimes.

"I can't cook." The rosette whispered devastatingly. "I can't cook." She repeated. "I can't cook. I CAN'T COOK!"

"That's okay, you could learn." Hinata encouraged her. She sat down Indian style beside Sakura's head and smiled down at her.

"I guess." Sakura moaned. "Do you plan on attending the party?" She asked.

"Still deciding." Hinata responded. Sakura hummed.

"If you are, then may the best girl win...even though you have a clear advantage over me."

Hinata giggled at Sakura's pout. She loved moments like this, when the both of them would just chill and talk about silly stuff like the sisters they really were. In these moments who their mothers or fathers were didn't matter. It was just them both being the teenage girls they were.

"May the best girl win...even though I have a clear advantage over you."

And so the competition between the sisters for the prince's heart started. Who will win?

***

Hope you liked it despite how short it is. Vote and comment. Thank you!

-Star.