At the Nohara house—
"I'm back!" Shin-chan pushed open the door, kicked off his shoes, and ran inside barefoot.
Kakashi paused at the entrance, neatly set his shoes in place, and only then stepped in.
"Excuse me for intruding."
Misae poked her head out from the kitchen, and her eyes lit up when she saw Kakashi.
"Oh my, so this is Kakashi? Shin-chan talks about you all the time."
Standing at the doorway, Kakashi gave a small bow. "Hello. Sorry to intrude."
"Oh, not at all, not at all. Come in and sit down." Misae wiped her hands on her apron. "I just finished making some snacks, so you boys eat a little first."
Shin-chan's ears perked up instantly.
"Snacks? What kind of snacks?"
"Dorayaki. Freshly made."
"Waaah!"
With a shout, Shin-chan dashed into the living room, pounced on the table, and reached out to grab one.
"Nohara Shinnosuke." Right on cue, Misae's spatula landed on his head. "Did you wash your hands?"
Holding his head, Shin-chan slunk off to wash them.
Kakashi watched the whole thing, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly, then quietly went to wash his hands too.
When they came back, Shin-chan was already sitting at the table. Two plates had been set out, with two dorayaki on each.
Shin-chan grabbed one and took a huge bite, his cheeks puffing out like a hamster's.
"Mmm, so good."
Kakashi sat across from him, picked up a dorayaki, raised one hand, tugged his mask down a little, and took a small bite.
Then the mask went right back up.
Misae brought over two glasses of milk and set them in front of them.
"Eat slowly, don't rush." She looked at Kakashi, smiling gently.
Kakashi paused, set down the dorayaki, and said, "Thank you, ma'am."
At the side, Shin-chan had already finished his first dorayaki and was reaching for the second.
Misae looked at Kakashi's neat, well-mannered way of eating, then at her own son stuffing his face like a fool, and couldn't help sighing.
How could the difference between them be this huge?
After finishing the snack, Shin-chan suddenly remembered something and dragged Kakashi out into the yard.
"Kakashi, come see our Shiro!"
In the yard, a white puppy was lying beside its doghouse in the sun.
The moment it saw Shin-chan, it came bouncing over, tail wagging like a little windmill.
"Shiro!" Shin-chan pounced and hugged it. "This is Kakashi, my good friend."
Shiro looked at Kakashi and let out a soft bark.
"Woof."
Kakashi crouched down and looked at Shiro.
Shiro looked back at him, and there seemed to be something different in those shiny black eyes.
Kakashi held out a hand.
Shiro came closer, sniffed it, then stuck out its tongue and licked his fingers.
The visible part of Kakashi's eyes curved slightly.
"He's really well-behaved."
"Of course." Shin-chan puffed out his chest proudly. "Shiro, marshmallow."
"Woof!"
Shiro immediately curled himself into a ball.
"Very smart." Looking at him, Kakashi suddenly thought that when he was home alone, having a dog like this around might actually be nice.
If he ever got a summoning animal in the future, choosing a dog might not be bad at all.
Smart, loyal, and easy to understand.
And pretty cute too.
"Kakashi." Shin-chan tilted his head at him. "What are you thinking about?"
Kakashi pulled his hand back and stood up. "Nothing."
A little while later, the yard gate opened.
When Hiroshi saw the two boys in the yard, he froze for a second.
"Oh, Kakashi's here?"
Kakashi gave a slight bow. "Hello. Sorry to intrude."
"No, no, not at all." Hiroshi walked over. "What are you boys doing?"
"Looking at Shiro," Shin-chan said.
Hiroshi looked at the sky, then at the two kids.
"It's still early. Want me to get you moving a little?"
Shin-chan's face immediately fell. "Huh? More training?"
"Just for a bit." Hiroshi took off his jacket and rolled his shoulders. "I want to move around too. How about you run a few laps with me?"
Kakashi glanced at Shin-chan and nodded.
Shin-chan sighed and got to his feet too.
Hiroshi took the two boys out to run a few laps near the house.
After two laps, Shin-chan started slacking off, his steps getting slower and slower.
Kakashi, on the other hand, ran seriously, with an even pace and steady breathing.
As he ran, Hiroshi kept observing the silver-haired boy.
No matter how he looked at him, this child didn't seem like an ordinary kid.
After a few laps, Hiroshi stopped.
"Alright, let's take a break."
Shin-chan immediately dropped to the ground by Hiroshi's feet.
Kakashi only adjusted his breathing a little and remained standing at the side, without a bead of sweat on his face.
Hiroshi looked at him.
Why did this child keep wearing that mask?
From the moment he came in until now, he still hadn't taken it off.
It felt like a cat was scratching away at Hiroshi's curiosity.
What did he actually look like?
Did he have scars or something?
Or was he just unbelievably handsome?
"Kakashi, you run really well." Hiroshi tried to ease into it. "Do you train a lot?"
Kakashi nodded. "Yeah, every day."
"What do you train?"
"Swordsmanship, physical conditioning, and some basic drills."
Hiroshi nodded, but his gaze kept drifting toward Kakashi's face.
The mask covered most of it, leaving only his eyes exposed.
Those eyes were beautiful—clear and bright—but he still couldn't see what the rest of his face looked like.
"Dad." Shin-chan's voice suddenly came from the side. "What are you looking at?"
Hiroshi jumped and snapped out of it.
"N-Nothing."
Shin-chan leaned closer, followed his gaze toward Kakashi, then looked back at Hiroshi and whispered, "Dad, do you want to see what Kakashi looks like?"
Without thinking, Hiroshi nodded.
"He's really handsome and really cute." Shin-chan leaned toward his ear and whispered back.
Hiroshi's curiosity was hooked at once, and he whispered, "You've seen him?"
"Yeah." Shin-chan nodded. "Yesterday, when I ate at his house. But I was too busy eating, so I didn't really look carefully."
"I see..." Hiroshi thought for a second, then cleared his throat. "So, Kakashi, are you thirsty? I'll go pour you boys some water."
Then he turned and headed inside, walking a little too quickly.
Shin-chan watched his back and giggled.
Kakashi walked over and looked at him. "What are you laughing about?"
"Nothing." Shin-chan shook his head. "Kakashi, are you hot?"
Kakashi blinked.
"Not really."
"You're not hot?" Shin-chan blinked. "We just ran a bunch of laps. Doesn't it feel stuffy? Isn't wearing the mask uncomfortable?"
Kakashi looked at him in silence for two seconds.
"What are you trying to say?"
"Nothing." Shin-chan looked utterly innocent. "I'm just worried about you."
Kakashi didn't say anything, just kept looking at him.
That look clearly said: Who do you think you're fooling?
"Oh right, Dad said he was getting us water. Let's go drink it." Shin-chan grabbed Kakashi and pulled him inside.
In the living room, Hiroshi was standing there holding two cups of water, staring blankly into space. When he saw them come in, he quickly handed the cups over.
"Here, drink up, drink up."
Kakashi took the cup and thanked him.
Then...
Hiroshi stared at him without blinking.
Holding the cup, Kakashi could feel the gaze on him. He paused, then looked up at Hiroshi.
Hiroshi immediately looked away and pretended to stare at the ceiling. But when the corner of his eye flicked back, Kakashi had already finished drinking.
Watching all this from the side, Shin-chan nearly burst out laughing.
Hiroshi cleared his throat and came up with another idea.
"So... Kakashi, you boys worked up a sweat just now, didn't you? Want to wash your face?"
Kakashi set the cup down.
"No, thank you, sir."
"But when you sweat, if you don't wash up, it's easy to catch cold." Hiroshi tried very hard to sound natural. "I can get you a towel and you can wipe your face?"
Kakashi looked at him and was silent for two seconds. "Thank you, but really, there's no need."
Hiroshi's mouth twitched.
This kid really was hard to deal with.
At the side, Shin-chan finally couldn't hold it in anymore. Clutching his stomach, he bent over laughing.
"Dad, you're way too obvious."
Hiroshi's face turned a little red. "I... I'm not. I'm just worried about you boys."
Watching the father and son, Kakashi suddenly had a better idea of where Shin-chan got the way he was from. He sighed softly.
"Mr. Nohara."
Hiroshi stiffened. "Y-Yes?"
Kakashi looked at him, his tone calm.
"I wear the mask because I'm used to it, not because there's something wrong with my face. You don't need to be curious."
Hiroshi's face got even redder, and he stubbornly said, "I'm not curious. Really."
Kakashi nodded and didn't call him out on it.
Beside them, Shin-chan was laughing so hard he was rolling on the floor.
Misae poked her head out of the kitchen.
"What's going on? Why is it so noisy?"
"Nothing." Shin-chan climbed back up and wiped away the tears from laughing. "Dad just really wants to see what Kakashi looks like, and he's tried all kinds of tricks but still failed."
Misae froze for a second, then turned to Hiroshi. "Nohara Hiroshi, how old are you, exactly?"
"I was just a little curious..."
Misae sighed, shook her head, and went back into the kitchen to keep cooking.
Looking at the whole family, Kakashi suddenly felt something strange.
They were loud and chaotic, but somehow...
it felt warm.
Shin-chan nudged his arm. "Kakashi, don't mind them. My dad's just like this."
Kakashi shook his head. "It's fine."
Hiroshi smiled awkwardly at the side and scratched his head. "Um... Kakashi, I didn't mean anything by it. Don't take it to heart, okay?"
Kakashi nodded. "I know."
Soon enough, it was time for dinner.
Misae brought dish after dish to the table—shrimp tempura, braised pork, miso soup, hamburger steak, plus several small side dishes—until the whole table was packed.
"Come on, come on, dinner's ready!"
Shin-chan had already been sitting at the table for ages, staring at the hamburger steak so hard he was practically drooling.
Kakashi sat on the cushion properly and looked at the full spread in front of him, feeling a little guilty. "Auntie, this is too much trouble."
Misae waved a hand with a smile. "What trouble? It's not every day we have a guest, so of course I had to make something good. Come on, eat, eat. Don't be shy."
Kakashi nodded and picked up his chopsticks.
Hiroshi still hadn't given up. His attention remained fixed on him.
He's going to do it, he's going to do it.
Kakashi raised his chopsticks toward a piece of braised pork, then lifted his other hand, pulled the mask down a little, and popped it into his mouth.
Hiroshi saw half of a nose and a bit of cheek.
Then the mask went right back up.
Hiroshi: "..."
Misae jabbed him from the side.
"What are you doing, staring at the poor child like that?"
Hiroshi coughed and looked away. "Nothing, nothing. Eat, eat."
He picked up a piece of tempura shrimp and just put it into his mouth when his eyes drifted back toward Kakashi again.
Kakashi picked up some vegetables this time.
This time, he lowered the mask a little more, revealing his whole side profile.
Hiroshi's eyes instantly widened.
That face—
Fair, clean skin. A straight nose. Thin lips. A neat, well-shaped jawline. Paired with those slightly lazy-looking eyes and that fluffy silver hair.
This kid was way too good-looking.
Hiroshi couldn't help turning to Misae. She happened to be looking over too, and their eyes met in the air.
"So cute." Misae's eyes were full of amazement, and her voice sounded almost dazed. "He's really so cute."
It wasn't just plain cute, or just plain handsome.
It was the kind of face that made people unable to look away.
And he was only five.
If he already looked like this at five, what would happen when he grew up?
Looking at Kakashi, Misae's gaze softened more and more. "Kakashi, come over and play anytime. Auntie will make you good food."
Kakashi blinked, then politely nodded.
"Thank you, Auntie."
Misae's heart nearly melted.
This child was polite, adorable, and so well-behaved.
If only he were her son.
Unable to help herself, she glanced at Shin-chan.
Shin-chan was bent over his food, stuffing rice into his mouth, cheeks puffed out like a hamster, with grains of rice stuck at the corner of his mouth, completely unaware of his mother's gaze.
Misae sighed.
Well, this one might be a mess, but at least he was hers.
After eating for a while, Misae looked at Kakashi, then suddenly leaned close to Shin-chan and whispered, "Shin-chan, why don't you seem surprised at all?"
Shin-chan looked up with his mouth stuffed full.
"Mmm?"
"Don't you think Kakashi looks really handsome?"
"Oh, that?" Shin-chan swallowed and blinked. "I already saw what he looked like yesterday when I ate at his house."
Misae froze. "Then why didn't you say anything yesterday?"
"Because..." Shin-chan scratched his head. "Kakashi's face just can't compete with his cooking."
"His cooking?"
"Yeah." Shin-chan nodded, eyes sparkling. "The fried fish he made was even better than yours, Mom. I was too busy eating to spend any time looking at his face."
Misae and Hiroshi both went silent. Looking at the bright shine in their son's eyes, they suddenly didn't know what to say.
This child...
the things he focused on really were different from everyone else's, weren't they?
Hearing that exchange, Kakashi glanced at Shin-chan, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
Then he lowered his head and kept eating.
Misae suddenly recovered and turned a kindly dangerous gaze on her son. "Shin-chan, are you complimenting Kakashi's cooking, or are you saying my cooking isn't good?"
Shin-chan froze, realizing he'd said the wrong thing.
"Um... yours is good too, Mom! They're both good!"
Misae huffed. "You'd better say that."
Hiroshi watched the scene and couldn't help laughing.
Life like this really wasn't bad at all.