"First you do this, then that, and finally this. Got it?"
"Yeah!" Naruto nodded like a bobblehead, grinning from ear to ear. Who knows what kind of daydream he was having about success, but he couldn't stop smiling.
"Ha~" Arata yawned, waving him off. "Good. Then go home. It's late. Bring me good news tomorrow."
"I'll definitely succeed! I'm gonna be Hokage!" Naruto hyped himself up as he left.
"Yeah, yeah, good luck with that." Arata's reply was perfunctory at best. It's not like he had any real advice—his "love lessons" were all secondhand internet junk. If he actually knew the art of romance, he wouldn't have crossed into another world without ever having had a girlfriend.
Truth was, he'd only dragged Naruto into this "love seminar" to trick him into the store and sign the employee contract. And the brat fell for it hook, line, and sinker.
Case in point: the very next day, Naruto showed up with a bruise on his head and complained.
Once Naruto signed the contract, Arata's life finally returned to "normal." He could leave the store again, though honestly… he couldn't be bothered. Unless it was for food or opening shop, he rarely went out.
Why would he? Wandering around Naruto's world as an ordinary civilian was basically asking for trouble.
And besides, Arata had always been a homebody. The only reason he'd panicked earlier was because he thought he might be trapped forever. Being lazy by choice and being locked up are two very different things.
Now, with Naruto bound by contract, the store's dormant functions started lighting up one by one.
TV? Functional. Game console? Playable.
The TV even had internet access. INTERNET. In the Naruto world.
Arata stared at the oversized screen in disbelief. "What the hell is this, some kind of all-in-one computer?!"
Wireless keyboard and mouse included, neatly stored in the utility room. Speaking of which, the "utility room" was its own weird dimension—about a hundred square meters of extra storage space, shelves along the walls, and in the back… a door.
Behind that door? Nothing but rolling white mist. Arata wasn't dumb enough to walk into it. Everyone knows curiosity kills protagonists. He'd worked too hard to get his NEET life back to throw it away on suicide mist.
Naruto, meanwhile, took the "romance tips" to heart and actually tried them on Sakura.
At first? Shockingly effective. People noticed the change. Even Sakura softened a little.
But then Naruto got cocky, dropped the act, and promptly pissed her off. The next day he stormed into the store, whining that Arata's methods were useless and showing off fresh bruises.
Arata, unbothered, claimed Naruto had just rushed things. Then he casually mentioned the store had staff dorms.
Big mistake. Naruto moved in immediately.
Arata hadn't expected it to be that easy. According to anime canon, Naruto was supposed to be under tight surveillance until he graduated. Anyone who got too close would be investigated by the Hokage's men. Arata could already imagine himself breaking under interrogation like wet paper.
But strangely, nothing happened. No masked men. No midnight abductions. Villagers just treated him the same way they treated Naruto—polite indifference.
Later, Arata discovered why. The store itself had given him a fake identity, weaving him seamlessly into Konoha's world. During that one-hour "trial" window before Naruto signed, no one had been able to see him—explaining why even Ichiraku had ignored him. From Teuchi's perspective, Naruto had been sitting there eating ramen alone.
With the Hokage not kicking down his door, Arata relaxed. He still barely left the store, but he happily leeched meals off Naruto's wallet and started keeping a "debt log."
The shop was open whenever he felt like it. He slept in, opened late, and closed at sundown. Unsurprisingly, business sucked—but since there were no quotas, Arata couldn't care less.
At least nights were livelier with Naruto around. They gamed until dawn, to the point Iruka once showed up furious about Naruto's grades.
Then came the drunken night when Arata decided Hokage Rock was "too plain" and suggested Naruto add color. One thing led to another, and the two idiots ended up cleaning paint until midnight.
"Uncle shopkeeper! Uncle shopkeeper! UNCLE SHOPKEEPER!"
Arata's head throbbed as Naruto's voice drilled into his brain. He shoved the kid away. "I hear you, damn it! Stop yelling in my ear!"
"You ignored me forever!" Naruto snapped back, puffing his cheeks. "I told you this morning—today's my graduation exam! You promised to come watch!"
"…Did I?" Arata blinked. Honestly, he half-remembered someone mumbling something while he was still asleep. Which, in his mind, meant it didn't count. "Well, what if I don't go?"
Naruto didn't argue. He just held out his hand.
"…Naruto," Arata laughed awkwardly, "look, business has been rough. Give me a few more days, okay? I swear I'll pay you back."
"It's your fault business sucks! You wake up at noon every day!" Naruto withdrew his hand, sulking.
Ever since ramen, he'd developed a new hobby: taste-testing the store's snacks.
Speaking of food—
"Ahhh! This is all your fault, shopkeeper!"
"…What did I do this time?"
Naruto turned and gestured proudly. "I brought my friends! This guy's Sasuke. And this beautiful, kind, smart, perfect girl is Sakura!"
Arata tuned out the string of adjectives. He was the one who'd taught Naruto half those lines, but applied to Sakura they felt… off. On Hinata, sure. On Sakura? Eh.
Sakura, embarrassed, held her smile. She clearly wanted to scold Naruto but forced herself to play the "good girl" in front of strangers.
"Hello, shopkeeper," she said sweetly. "We're Naruto's classmates. I'm Haruno Sakura, and this is Uchiha Sasuke. We—"