Ino slipped into the bathroom in a flash.
Aoba was left outside with nothing to do, so he could only lie on the bed. Listening to the light splashing sound of water coming from the bathroom, it was hard for him to calm down and rest quietly.
He could only stare blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling, lost in thought.
To be honest, the Land of Demons was indeed a very traditional and conservative country.
Of course, he was not talking about its system. After all, the entire ninja world was more or less the same in that regard.
What he meant was the way of life in the Land of Demons.
The technology tree of the ninja world was really crooked.
Not to mention the ordinary people living below the shrine of the shrine maiden, even the shrine maiden herself lived a very simple and old fashioned life.
Completely working at sunrise and resting at sunset.
When he was in the shrine hall just now, Aoba did not even see a single light bulb.
They were still using lanterns.
Once it got dark, the only thing left to do was go back to eat and sleep.
When the samurai patrolled outside the shrine, they were holding torches as well.
As for the place arranged for them to stay, it was probably specially prepared by the Land of Demons to receive guests from other countries, so it leaned more toward modern style.
At least the electric lights and bathroom were complete.
But even so, it still had almost nothing.
Forget television. There were not even a few novels to pass the time.
So now he could only sit there in a daze, listening to the sound of Ino taking a bath.
Thinking about Ino's behavior just now, his mood was a little complicated.
If it were just a massage, Aoba would have long gotten used to it.
It had even been Ino paired with Sakura, the best friends combo.
But now that they had finally found a chance to be alone together, Ino had probably already made up her mind.
But if that was the case, then Tenten, Sakura, Hinata and the others would surely follow soon after.
With nothing to do, Aoba's thoughts began to drift.
His mood could not help but grow complicated.
From the year he met Ino and the others at five years old until now, more than ten years had already passed.
He felt like he was not that old, yet he suddenly found himself sighing about how fast time had gone by.
Thinking back to when they first met, he had only been thinking about the daily pocket money in Tenten and Ino's wallets.
He even needed a "friend fee" to play with the two of them.
For example, accompanying Tenten to practice shuriken throwing, or telling little stories to Ino and Sakura, all required payment.
At that time, because Tenten, the little rich girl, paid the most, he naturally spent the most time with her.
Back then Ino did not have much allowance and had no source of income, so she could only drag Sakura along every day to cling to his side and act cute.
Speaking of which, it was because of that that Tenten and Ino's relationship back then could be described as intense.
The kind where they would start pinching each other the moment they met.
But after they started school, the two of them suddenly became more sensible.
And now, as the Daimyo of the Land of Fire and the Hokage of Konoha, money to him was just a number.
Yet when he recalled that period of time, he still could not help but smile knowingly.
"Aoba, what are you thinking about? You're smiling so happily."
Just as he was bored and reminiscing about the past, Ino had already finished her bath and walked out of the bathroom.
She had changed into a spaghetti strap nightdress she brought from home. Her original high ponytail had been let down, and her golden hair draped over her shoulders, her fair shoulders slightly exposed.
Her small face was a little flushed from the warmth of the bathroom.
Aoba came back to his senses from his memories and opened his arms to her with a smile, "Come here first."
"Hm?"
Ino's eyes lit up. Without caring about anything else, she climbed onto the bed and slipped into his arms, acting spoiled.
"Did Aoba think of something happy?"
The scent of her body wash had not yet faded. Holding her in his arms felt soft and fragrant.
Aoba hugged her and took in two breaths, "I was just thinking about some things from when we were little. Now that I think about it, it feels pretty nice."
Hearing that, a trace of nostalgia appeared on Ino's face as well. She nodded in agreement, "Back then, Aoba could play with us every day. Now you're busy with all kinds of things every day."
Aoba chuckled, "After all, people can't stay children forever."
"That's true. Even though we have less time now, we can do a lot of things that children can't do," Ino looked completely innocent.
"…"
Aoba felt like there was suddenly a wheel mark pressed across his face.
"Hehe!"
Seeing his expression, Ino could not help but let out a cute laugh.
But soon, a touch of emotion appeared on her face as well.
"Still, time really passes so fast."
"Hm?"
"Aoba, do you know? Shikamaru and Choji have already started thinking about getting married."
Ino suddenly dropped a heavy piece of news.
"What? How come I don't know about this?"
Aoba widened his eyes, clearly stunned by the news.
"Well, I only heard it from my dad. It seems Uncle Shikaku and Uncle Choza have already started urging them to get married. It's normal that you don't know."
"Seriously? They're already being urged to marry this early?", Aoba's mind could hardly keep up.
"From what Uncle Shikaku meant, it seems the current situation in the ninja world means there probably won't be any wars in the next few decades, and there won't be any dangerous missions either. Since everything is stable, it's better to settle lifelong matters early."
At this point, Ino's cheeks turned slightly red, "Actually, my dad also asked about… about our marriage…"
Hearing this, Aoba could not help feeling a little awkward, "But isn't this a bit too early?"
"How is it early!"
Unexpectedly, Ino became a little unhappy as soon as she heard that, "I've already reached the age where I can get married, okay?"
"This…"
Only then did Aoba remember that according to the situation here, Ino had indeed reached marriageable age.
After all, Mei Terumi had long been bringing up the wedding date as well.
Ino also quieted down at this time, but Aoba could feel the temperature against his chest steadily rising.
"Aoba, since Shion already foresaw the scene of our wedding, then let's do what married people should do now, okay?"
"…"
Aoba pressed his lips together and did not answer. He only held her tighter.
"Let's change places."
No matter what, for her first time, he still did not want Ino to be in an unfamiliar environment.
He left behind a Flying Thunder God mark and a sensory barrier at the spot, then held Ino as they disappeared from the bed.
————
[Konoha, the Senju Clan Grounds]
Inside Aoba's bedroom—
Bedsheets and clothes were scattered everywhere.
Accompanied by soft moans of pleasure, the dimly lit room was filled with a strong scent of hormones.
That scent made Ino feel light and dazed, almost intoxicated.
She bit down hard on the bedsheet with her teeth. Her long golden hair was soaked with sweat as if caught in rain, sticking to her delicate skin.
Yet in her blurred eyes, there was intense love and happiness.
So this is what it feels like to be with the person you like?
She had looked forward to it for a long time, and had imagined it in her mind more than once.
Now she had finally gotten her wish, like a tired bird returning to the forest, like a fish swimming into the deep sea.
As for showing off the new massage techniques she had learned, there would be plenty of time for that in the future.
[T/N: Every character is an adult here.]
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
[email protected]/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through P@treon.