The luxurious lights in the Royal Palace Secretary's office provided just the right amount of brightness.
Yūgao sat on a deep yellow leather office chair, her fingertips toying with a silver pen, screwing and unscrewing the cap repeatedly.
The documents had been organized half an hour ago. Her peripheral vision kept darting towards the slightly ajar door, her heart thumping like a trapped rabbit.
She knew that at this time, Shun would come to see her after finishing his official duties.
As soon as the thought emerged, she couldn't help but pinch her palm. 'Yūgao, what are you expecting?'
Outside, the sky had long turned dark, and the palace's night lights came on.
She opened her photo album, the first picture was a graduation photo from six years ago. In the photo, she had a high ponytail and stood smiling brightly beside Hayate.
Hayate wore a black training uniform, his eyes gentle, and his right hand secretly made a 'cheer up' gesture.
She remembered that cherry blossom-filled afternoon before graduation, when they practiced the Three Basic Jutsus side-by-side on the training ground.
Hayate's hand sign speed was always a little faster than hers, but he would deliberately slow down and wait for her.
"Yūgao, don't rush, keep your breathing steady, you've already made great progress."
When they were tired from training, they would sit under the cherry blossom tree, sharing the same bento box.
Hayate would pick out the carrots she didn't like, and he'd laugh and say, "When I cook in the future, I definitely won't put in carrots."
He also said that after graduating and becoming a full-fledged ninja, he wanted to team up with her and protect every inch of Konoha's land together.
The wind was warm then, the cherry blossoms were sweet, and even the future seemed clear, almost within reach.
But as soon as the graduation ceremony ended, a transfer order shattered everything.
Hayate was urgently dispatched to the border for a long-term reconnaissance mission, with the reason being "the border urgently needs experienced reconnaissance ninjas."
That day, she chased after him, tears streaming down her face.
"Hayate, when are you coming back? Didn't we say we'd be partners?"
He just stroked her head, his eyes complex. "When the mission is over, I'll come back for you."
That departure lasted six years.
Initially, there were sporadic letters. In them, he would write about how bright the border's starry sky was and ask her how she was doing in Konoha.
But from the third year onwards, the letters suddenly stopped, and when she asked around, she only received the reply, "It's confidential."
It wasn't until last year that she accidentally learned that these so-called urgent missions might have been because of her.
The pen dropped onto the desk with a "clack," the crisp sound pulling her back to reality.
She hurriedly picked up the pen, and just as she was about to put her pen away, a deep male voice sounded from behind her.
"Yūgao, what are you thinking about? So engrossed."
Yūgao froze in fright, then stood up abruptly, her movements so quick that she almost bumped into him.
When she steadied herself and looked up, she met Shun's eyes.
Shun wore noble black casual clothes, his fringe falling across his forehead, and the depth in his eyes was like a whirlpool, carrying an irresistible sense of oppression, yet strangely, it made her involuntarily fall into it.
"N-nothing, Shun-sama." Yūgao hurriedly lowered her head, her voice trembling.
The office was quiet, so quiet that she could hear her own heart thumping.
Shun had a faint masculine scent about him, a smell that inexplicably made her feel at ease.
Over the years, he had been very good to her. He was so meticulous that she couldn't refuse.
Once, during an intel gathering mission, she was ambushed by an enemy and injured her arm. Shun rushed over with a medicine box, personally bandaging her, his movements extremely gentle as if he feared breaking her.
When she casually mentioned wanting cherry blossom mochi in the pantry, a whole box was delivered from the kitchen, with a special note saying, "Added brown sugar, suitable for girls."
This tenderness, like a frog boiled in warm water, gradually made her forget Hayate's image.
But whenever night fell and she lay alone in her luxurious apartment bed, she would fall into deep confusion.
Was Shun's kindness to her genuine, or merely to obtain her body?
Shun looked at her flustered appearance, a faint, hidden hint of triumph in his eyes as he bent down to pick up the pen that had fallen on the desk.
He handed the pen back to her, his voice slow and gentle, like a feather lightly tickling her heart. "You've worked hard recently. This document isn't urgent, you should go back and rest. Tomorrow, I'll have the kitchen make your favorite osmanthus mochi, with a little honey, I think you'll really like it."
"Th-thank you, Shun-sama."
Yūgao took the pen, gripping it so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
She almost fled, turning abruptly and walking quickly towards the door, even forgetting to say goodbye.
It wasn't until she was out of the office, leaning against the cold wall of the corridor, that she dared to gasp for air, her heart pounding as if it would burst from her chest.
She knew his feelings, and she also knew that she wasn't entirely indifferent to him. His power, his tenderness, both moved her.
But there was that six-year blank, and Hayate, far away at the border, his fate unknown. Like a sharp thorn, it pricked her heart, making her hesitate to take that step.
Inside the office, Shun's smile gradually faded as he watched Yūgao's hurried escape.
At the same time, in a luxurious mansion near the Royal Palace, the warm kitchen lights were still on.
Mabui, wearing oven mitts, took the heated Kumogakure specialty rice cakes out of the microwave. The rice cakes in the porcelain plate were steaming, emitting a faint aroma of rice.
She placed the rice cakes on the dining table, her tone a little uncertain. "Tomorrow, I'll deliberately tell him that you made his favorite red bean rice cakes and want to invite him to try them, he should come."
Yugito stood at the kitchen door, wearing an off-white loungewear, her hair loosely tied back.
She walked to the dining table, picked up a piece of red bean rice cake, and took a small bite. The sweet stickiness of the red bean filling spread on her tongue, but it didn't dispel the bitterness in her heart.
Her eyes were full of anticipation, yet tinged with unease. "Will he really come?"
Mabui held her hand and said, "He will. Although he's a lecher, he's also very nostalgic."
Yugito nodded, her fingertips gently tracing the edge of the porcelain plate. "Mabui, I'm so glad you're here. If I were alone, I really wouldn't know what to do."
She thought of what Mabui had said about the Land of Water's strength during the day, and of Kumogakure's future, a pang of sadness rose in her heart.
She used to be Kumogakure's pride, a capable Two-Tails Jinchuriki, but now she had to rely on pleasing the enemy and having children to secure a glimmer of hope for her homeland. How tragic.
Mabui patted her shoulder and sighed, "We're in this together now. Tomorrow, put on some light makeup to look more spirited. He likes a gentle and considerate demeanor, so don't be too nervous, just talk to him like you normally would."
Yugito softly agreed, placing the remaining rice cakes back on the porcelain plate, "Mm, I understand. For the future of Kumogakure, I will try my best to please him."