12: Senju Tobirama
"Well, I finally found it."
Looking at the brightly lit sign that read "Flower Shop," Masahiro was so excited he almost cried. He had been searching since lunch, and the sun was about to set!
So, the distance Takashi casually pointed out was actually this far!
Not caring if anyone was inside, Masahiro pushed the door open, radiating confidence, and waved his hand grandly: "Boss, I'll take all the lily of the valley in your shop."
Since Fujiwara was paying anyway, it would be foolish not to take advantage.
"Huh?! Huh—" The boss thought he had misheard and confirmed again: "Are you sure you want me to pack up all the lily of the valley in the shop?"
He scrutinized Masahiro's attire. Judging by the fabric and style, this young man, despite his excellent appearance, didn't seem like the noble son of a prominent family.
But adhering to the principle of not easily offending customers, the boss quickly organized his thoughts: "Customer, although our shop isn't large, our daily flower turnover is substantial. We have a lot of lily of the valley in stock..."
The unspoken words were clear: he was questioning whether Masahiro truly had the financial means to buy everything! He hoped it wasn't just some young punk trying to mess with him.
Seeing the worry in the boss's eyes, Masahiro didn't mind: "Don't worry, Mr. Fujiwara is paying."
"Fujiwara?"
There were many people named Fujiwara in Urakawa Town, but very few who could casually buy out an entire species of flower from his shop.
Could it be that Fujiwara from the Fujiwara Merchant Guild?
The boss had a guess, and fearing he might offend someone, he tentatively asked, "May I ask who you are?"
"Who I am isn't important," Masahiro said, fearing the boss wouldn't believe him, and handed the boss a gilded business card: "He said you'll understand when you see this."
Fujiwara had given them these that morning, one for each person. He had said that anyone in Urakawa Town who saw the card would allow them to charge the purchase.
Seeing the gilded business card printed with the words "Fujiwara Merchant Guild," the boss immediately stopped hesitating. He respectfully accepted the card with both hands and then joyfully went to prepare the order.
Masahiro clicked his tongue inwardly. Fujiwara's reputation was this huge? Why was he so stingy when handing out the mission?
Was this the legendary phenomenon where the richer a person was, the stingier they became? Masahiro, who had been poor for two lifetimes, didn't understand and couldn't comprehend it.
Once the boss's delighted figure disappeared, Masahiro finally had time to deal with the gaze that had been fixed on him since he walked in.
The flower shop was indeed small. The narrow space was lined on both sides with long flower racks, where various flowers, both known and unknown, bloomed in competition, creating a beautiful, colorful sight.
The boss had gone to the storeroom to prepare the stock, so now, besides Masahiro, the only person left in the shop was a silver-haired youth holding a bouquet in each hand.
The youth looked about the same age as Masahiro, with silver-white short hair, slender, slightly upturned phoenix eyes, and crimson pupils currently fixed on him.
He actually had red eyes, just like himself.
Masahiro openly scrutinized the other party. Seeing the two different kinds of flowers in his hands, he understood. Because his breakthrough material was flowers, he was quite familiar with various types of flowers now.
"If you're giving them to a close friend, you can choose narcissus. If it's for a secret crush, daisies are more suitable."
Masahiro slowly walked up to the silver-haired youth, his eyes twinkling with a smile: "Which one is it? I can help you decide!"
Senju Tobirama was a little dazed.
He had originally been on a mission with his younger brother, Senju Itama, today. Passing by this flower shop, he remembered his mother, who had been bedridden with illness for a long time.
In Tobirama's memory, his mother was always happy for a long time whenever she received flowers from his father.
But now his father was busy with clan affairs and had no time for household matters, and his mother hadn't received flowers in a long time.
If he brought his mother a bouquet, and she became happy, would her illness get better faster? Thinking this, Senju Tobirama subconsciously walked into the flower shop.
He vaguely remembered that there were rules about giving flowers; you couldn't just pick anything.
But having been constantly focused on training, he had no idea what kind of flowers to choose for his mother. After agonizing for a long time, he picked up two bouquets that looked pleasant. Just as he was debating whether to ask a staff member, the door suddenly opened.
Young Senju Tobirama believed he had seen countless beautiful Uchiha, but none of them were as good-looking as the person in front of him.
Silky black hair was simply tied into a high ponytail and loosely draped. His features were delicate, like a porcelain doll, and his fair skin seemed to emit a soft glow under the setting sun outside the door.
"Hmm? So young, could he be an idiot?"
Seeing the silver-haired youth frozen in place, Masahiro curiously stepped closer, examining the youth's eyes.
He heard that fools didn't have a sparkle in their eyes. Was that true?
Snapping back to reality, Senju Tobirama saw Masahiro's delicate face suddenly right next to his. In an instant, his face flushed crimson. He could even feel the warmth of the other person's breath.
How rude!
Tobirama quickly took a step back, slightly averting his gaze from the youth's, and stammered nervously, "T-to my mother."
For his mother? What a good kid.
Masahiro chuckled twice, stepped past Tobirama, and picked up a bouquet of reddish-orange flowers behind him: "Although everyone gives carnations, I personally prefer daylilies."
"Take it," Masahiro said, seeing Tobirama standing still, and directly placed the flowers in his arms: "Trust me, when giving flowers to your mother, daylilies are the perfect choice."
Tobirama only snapped out of his daze when Itama came to call him.
"Was that person just now your friend, Second Brother?" Itama asked curiously, watching his older brother stare blankly at the retreating figure.
"No."
"I see. I was wondering how Second Brother could be friends with someone from the Hagoromo Clan."
So he was from the Hagoromo Clan? He hadn't noticed earlier. Does that mean he's a Ninja too? Senju Tobirama thought silently.
"Hey, Second Brother, are you buying flowers for Mother?" Itama asked in surprise, looking at the three bouquets in his hands: "Three bouquets?"
Hearing this, Tobirama quietly put down the two bouquets he had chosen himself, keeping only the reddish-orange daylilies: "I'm giving her this one."
"Huh? Second Brother, the color of your eyes and that person's eyes look like the color of this flower. They're all so beautiful."
"Is that so?"
Tobirama recalled the youth gazing into his eyes; that crimson shade was exceptionally bright and brilliant.
Yes, Tobirama was certain those eyes were even more beautiful.
Itama scratched his head, feeling like his Second Brother was acting strange.
On the other side, Masahiro was being "interrogated" by Takashi and Zensuke.
"Why did you take so long?" Takashi glanced at Masahiro's empty hands and adjusted his glasses: "Couldn't find the flower shop?"
Masahiro followed Takashi's gaze and then remembered that he had put all the flowers into his backpack as soon as he left the shop, so he wasn't holding any bouquets now.
Facing Takashi's confused look, Masahiro could only scratch his head awkwardly: "Oh, I got lost for a bit and arrived late. Unfortunately, the lily of the valley at that shop was sold out."
As if afraid they wouldn't believe him, Masahiro repeated with certainty: "Yes, they really were sold out."
"That's a shame. We'll buy them next time if we get the chance," Zensuke said, readily accepting the excuse: "Let's hurry and meet up with Yoshizawa-senpai and the others. It's time to go back."
"Mhm, let's meet up quickly, meet up quickly." Masahiro, terrified of exposing his system's secret, once again wholeheartedly thanked the simple-minded Zensuke.
.
.
.