At dusk, Mizuki, who rarely had the leisure to personally prepare dinner, finished setting everything up and waited for Tsubaki to return home so they could eat together.
During this idle time, Mizuki did consider stepping out for a bit. How was business at Four Seasons (Shiji) Flower Shop? Was Karin adjusting well to life in Konoha? Also, it looked like his teaching career at the Ninja Academy was coming to an end—maybe he should stop by and greet his former colleagues. In the end, though, Mizuki didn't go anywhere. He did have occasional free time, but moments of true relaxation were rare. Since arriving in this world, he had constantly been running around, dealing with various issues, pushed forward by all kinds of pressure. So why not indulge himself just once today? This was the first time since his rebirth that Mizuki—who had never cooked before—had prepared such a lavish dinner.
Ninjas were known to be versatile, skilled in many areas—including cooking. On missions, ninjas often encountered various environments, making survival skills extremely important. Especially among Konoha ninjas, who received traditional training, culinary abilities were also essential. Although Mizuki had never cooked before, he followed some recipes from past memories and, relying on his precise control techniques, managed to make quite decent dishes.
When the streetlights came on outside, finally there was a sound at the door. Soon after, Tsubaki, wearing her ninja vest, returned home.
"Oh, Mizuki, you're back," Tsubaki said happily upon seeing her husband after several days apart. "Why didn't you turn on the lights? It's already dark."
"Yeah, I was waiting for you. I wanted to surprise you!"
The real reason, though, was simply because Mizuki forgot. Lately, he clearly felt something had changed with his body—for example, his eyesight kept improving. Even in dim lighting like this, thanks to his superior sensor ability, he barely noticed the environmental shift. He even overlooked the fact that normal people would struggle to see clearly under these conditions.
Tsubaki closed the door behind her with a backward motion and walked in.
"Then let me turn on the light," she said, instantly illuminating the room. "Is dinner ready? If you're hungry, go ahead and eat."
"Eat with me. I put a lot of effort into making all these dishes today."
Mizuki should feel fortunate that this world lacked certain luxurious notions like candlelit dinners. Among ninjas, who emphasized efficiency, pointless displays of romance weren't popular—they were basically seen as a waste of time. That doesn't mean romance had no market at all, though. For instance, Asuma had sent flowers to Kurenai Yuhi for three years before Mirai Sarutobi, the posthumous child he never got to meet, was born.
The couple sat down together for dinner, but chatting interested them more than eating itself. The two hadn't seen each other in a few days and seemed to have endless things to talk about.
"Hey, Mizuki, what do you think of Karin? Do you really think there's a chance?"
"Hmm? What?" Mizuki smiled apologetically. "Sorry, I spaced out just now."
He hadn't realized before just how much Tsubaki enjoyed chatting—outside she stayed quiet as usual, but once home, she couldn't stop talking, always eager to share random rumors with Mizuki and ask for his opinion. As expected, Mizuki drifted off mid-conversation again.
Tsubaki glared at Mizuki discontentedly. "You're just going to ignore Karin after bringing her here? An exceptional kunoichi being reduced to a mere artisan's role? That's such a waste!"
"Did Tsunade-sama assign any tasks?"
"Not really. But Shizune, Tsunade-sama's assistant, came by twice suggesting Karin try out for the Medical Team. If Karin really has that talent, it could turn out pretty well."
"Shizune...the Medical Team?"
Now that's an interesting combination. Could it be that Tsunade actually valued this distant, impoverished relative so highly? No wonder she hesitated about taking Sakura Haruno as a disciple—either she had no intention of accepting apprentices, or already had someone in mind and didn't want complications. Still, what harm would another apprentice bring?
Mizuki didn't pretend to understand these strange perspectives typical of native Konoha ninjas, but he had no intention of interfering either. Letting things take their natural course seemed best. After all, there was no need to make baseless speculations about events that hadn't even happened yet. He'd prepare countermeasures once everything settled down.
"What's wrong? Something on your mind?" Tsubaki, who knew Mizuki quite well, immediately noticed his unusual demeanor.
Mizuki shook his head. "Nothing serious. Since someone suggested it, we might as well give it a shot. I'll teach her something when I have time. It wouldn't be good if she knew absolutely nothing about Medical Ninjutsu—she should at least grasp the basics."
"That works," Tsubaki agreed. "I'm not very skilled in that area myself. I could help with Sealing Techniques or some fundamentals in other areas, but Medical Ninjutsu is completely beyond me."
"That's enough. Leave the rest to me."
Although Mizuki suspected Tsunade might have harbored such intentions, mere speculation wasn't evidence. He decided to proceed step-by-step teaching Karin, leaving her future path ultimately to her own choice.
"That's great news," Tsubaki said happily. She genuinely liked this gentle red-haired girl, so finding a suitable position for her felt like lifting a burden off her heart. "Too bad we'll need another shop assistant soon. Talented girls like her don't come around often."
"Don't worry, there will be more where she came from! There's no shortage of girls willing to work at the flower shop in Konoha."
After finishing dinner in pleasant company, Mizuki rolled up his sleeves to help Tsubaki clean up the dishes.
"Tsubaki, do you know what you did with the money in my drawer?"
"The petty cash? I put it away. Came in handy at the flower shop too."
"What if I need some money then?"
"Just get it from the flower shop. It's not far."
"Alright then!" Mizuki sighed in relief—things weren't that bad yet. Tsubaki didn't seem to have complete control over finances.
"Why are some books missing from my shelf?"
"Those outdated fashion magazines? I threw them away."
"Outdated? They still looked fine to me."
At Mizuki's comment, Tsubaki froze in place. "Hmm, Mizuki—are you trying to say you're unhappy with me? Those beautiful models—you really liked them, didn't you?"
"Eh?" So this was the trap waiting for him. Mizuki let out a helpless chuckle. "They were just gathering dust anyway. Forget them."
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