"Honestly!"
"If you didn't want to say it, you could've just said so!"
"Why did you have to lie?!"
Kaoru stormed along the road, tugging Kyusei by the hand, her cheeks puffed up in anger.
Kyusei looked at the girl beside him—so furious she looked like a little steamed bun—and fell briefly silent.
The person beside him was Namikaze Kaoru, not Namikaze Minato.
If it were Minato, he might've simply smiled, brushed it off, and waited until Jiraiya was ready to tell the truth.
But Kaoru wasn't Minato.
She might resemble him in many ways—but she was a girl.
A twelve-year-old girl.
Even though she was usually gentle, soft-spoken, and obedient, like the girl next door everyone adored—
She was still a girl.
And Kaoru had her own small temper.
After venting for a while, she finally noticed that the boy beside her hadn't said a word.
Only then did she realize she'd been caught up in her own frustration, completely ignoring his feelings.
"Kyusei… was I embarrassing just now?"
She looked at him uneasily.
Even after two years, Kaoru still clearly remembered the early days after they first met.
Back then, Kyusei seemed hostile toward everyone.
And he hadn't hesitated to throw her over his shoulder.
But Kaoru could feel it.
If Kyusei treated others badly to prove his existence or amuse himself—
Then she was someone he desperately tried to avoid.
With others, he picked fights.
With her, he looked like a mouse seeing a cat—violent on the surface, but clearly bluffing, even itching to run away.
She never understood it.
And she never asked.
Later, not long after Hiruzen arranged for her to stay by Kyusei's side, his attitude suddenly changed.
He became friendly.
Abruptly. Unreasonably.
If he disliked her from the start, why accept her so quickly?
If he didn't dislike her, then why avoid her so thoroughly before?
Because of those four years of coldness, Kaoru had always treated Kyusei carefully.
In the past two years, after finally earning his goodwill, she had done her best to protect his emotions.
Because she liked him.
She had already understood her own heart.
Very, very, very much.
But she was also afraid.
Afraid that for some unknown reason, Kyusei would suddenly become distant again.
So she cherished this hard-won relationship with extreme care.
There was something she had never told Kyusei.
Once, in private, she had asked Minato and Kushina how they had been at the beginning, in their world.
Minato said that at first, he thought Kushina was a very special girl.
That matched Kaoru's own feelings—she had also thought Kyusei was special from the start.
But then the differences appeared.
Kyusei resembled Kushina in personality, but Kyusei was a boy.
Kushina had never recruited classmates as underlings and gone around fighting.
Kushina had even said she initially thought Minato was kind of girly—but he'd never been this cold.
So what was it, exactly, that made Kyusei distance himself from her at the beginning?
And then suddenly become kind?
Because of that uncertainty, Kaoru had always been cautious.
Because she was afraid.
Afraid of losing him again.
"No, not at all."
Kyusei smiled.
"Actually… Kaoru with a bit of a temper is really cute."
He didn't know what was going on in her heart.
He just thought the girl who was angrily complaining about Jiraiya was adorable.
"…Eh?"
Kaoru looked at him, her slightly chubby cheeks instantly tinged with red.
"If this is the real you," Kyusei continued cheerfully,
"then you should stay like this. Always."
She froze.
Her intuition told her he wasn't lying.
And even if he was lying—
She didn't care.
Why didn't he lie to others?
Why lie only to her?
Wasn't that because she was special to him?
Far behind them, Jiraiya followed quietly, covering his face in agony.
As a ninja, he could clearly hear their conversation.
His precious disciple—who usually seemed brilliant and composed—
Was, apparently, a hopeless romantic.
"…It's over. It's really over…"
"What am I supposed to do now…"
Jiraiya muttered weakly.
"What do you mean 'over'?"
A figure appeared beside him, also watching the two youngsters ahead.
"I think those two are doing just fine."
Jiraiya turned his head, forcing a bitter smile.
"Tsunade… long time no see."
After three years, she seemed even more radiant, overflowing with youth.
"Mm."
Tsunade glanced at him coolly.
She had always known his feelings.
But not liking someone meant not liking them.
What woman would like a man who spent all day peeping at bathhouses?
"I'm warning you," she said sharply.
"Don't interfere with those two."
"Or I'll beat you up."
Unexpectedly, Jiraiya simply nodded.
"…Okay."
That caught Tsunade off guard.
Something's wrong with this guy…
Did her relationship really hit him that hard?
Watching Jiraiya disappear alone into the darkness, Tsunade clicked her tongue.
She had almost softened.
After all, they'd grown up together.
And despite being unreliable most of the time, Jiraiya could be surprisingly dependable.
But when she thought of the silver-haired man in her heart, her resolve hardened again.
Sorry, Jiraiya…
Feelings can't be forced.
—
Watching the blonde girl smile and say good night before closing her door, Kyusei returned the smile and went back to his own room.
He felt she had changed a little.
But he had no idea how—or why.
As Kaoru's room lit up, Kyusei turned to leave—
Then froze.
"…Is Hiruzen sick or something?"
Our relationship is already like this, and he's still pulling this kind of stunt?
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