Youyu's home.
"Mm… I'm thirsty."
Youyu groggily opened his eyes and felt his lips were dry.
"Youyu-kun, water."
"Thanks."
Without even thinking, Youyu took the cup of water offered by a slender hand and downed it in one go.
Gulp—gulp—
The cool water slid into his stomach, instantly clearing his head a little.
"Kurenai? Rin? Why are you two here?"
He stared at the two girls before him in surprise, then quickly looked around the room.
Yes. This was definitely his house.
"Um… Youyu-kun, you got drunk, so Lin and I brought you home together."
Kurenai lowered her voice, her pretty face faintly flushed.
"I see. Hahaha, thanks. That must've been a hassle."
Youyu scratched his head and laughed.
"W-Well, now that you're awake, we should head home."
Rin pointed toward the window.
Outside, it was already pitch black.
"I'll walk you back."
Seeing how dark it was, Youyu immediately stood up.
"No, no, no need!"
"We'll be fine. Youyu-kun, you should get some rest."
Kurenai and Rin both shook their heads so quickly it was almost comical. Then they hurriedly put on their shoes and rushed out the door as if fleeing the scene.
Bang!
The sound of the door shutting echoed behind them.
Youyu blinked, puzzled.
"If the wine's good enough, why bother trying to understand the hearts of little girls?"
After less than three seconds of serious reflection, he sharply criticized himself in his own mind.
"Still… feels like I forgot something."
As he thought back, his eyes wandered around the room.
Then—
"Oh, there it is."
His gaze landed on a katana leaning against the wall, and delight flashed in his eyes.
He walked over and slowly drew the blade from its sheath.
Shing—
A suffocating flash of cold light burst forth.
The blade was a deep black-purple, its edge wild and beautiful, with jagged crimson patterns like teeth along the steel.
"It's heavy."
Youyu gave it a test swing and felt the weight immediately. It was much heavier than a blade of that slim length should have been.
Swish—swish—clang—
As he moved it, the sword let out a sharp, resonant hum.
"Black Blade… Shusui."
Joy appeared in Youyu's eyes.
As he swung it again, fragments of memory surfaced in his mind.
This Black Blade, Shusui, was the reward he had received for stunning the entire class earlier by crushing Asuma's spirit while drunk.
It was one of the Twenty-One Great Grade Swords from the world of One Piece.
And not just that—
It was the only known Black Blade among the Twenty-One Great Grade Swords, revered as a national treasure in Wano Country.
It was absurdly durable. Even a giant dragon standing on it wouldn't be able to bend it in the slightest.
Its wielder, Ryuma, had once slain a dragon with Shusui and became famous throughout the world.
Later, Ryuma had left Shusui to Zoro, making it the strongest of Zoro's three swords.
The only other Black Blade was Yoru, the black sword wielded by Mihawk, one of the Twelve Supreme Grade Swords.
A Black Blade was a sword forged through countless battles, tempered again and again by its wielder's Busoshoku Haki until it reached perfection.
Without exaggeration, Shusui stood at the very peak among the Twenty-One Great Grade Swords.
Some people even speculated that a Black Blade like Shusui was no weaker than a Supreme Grade Sword.
It was a dream weapon for countless swordsmen.
And as for its appearance?
Youyu loved that too.
"What a fine sword."
The more he looked at Shusui, the more he liked it. He immediately fetched a special cloth for polishing blades and began carefully wiping it down.
…
Meanwhile, somewhere on the streets of Konoha—
"Lin, you…"
After leaving Youyu's house, Kurenai and Rin had walked in silence for a long while.
Finally, Kurenai stopped and looked at Rin with complicated eyes.
"Yes. I like Youyu."
Rin halted too and answered with complete seriousness.
"Can I ask why? You and Youyu-kun haven't even interacted that much."
Kurenai looked at her earnestly.
"Because Youyu is the best."
A look of admiration rose in Rin's eyes.
Yes, Youyu loved alcohol.
But that didn't change the fact that he was unbelievably handsome.
More importantly, he was publicly acknowledged as one of the most monstrous geniuses Konoha Ninja Academy had ever produced.
Even Kakashi Hatake—the son of the White Fang, and one of the most closely watched prodigies of their generation—had lost to him.
And at the age of eight, he had already seriously wounded a Chunin teacher with a single strike.
Graduation was still some time away, yet he was already recognized as the strongest genius in the entire Academy.
And Rin?
The people she admired most were the strong.
"I see…"
Kurenai's gaze grew complicated.
But in the next instant, it turned firm.
"I'm not giving Youyu-kun up that easily."
Her eyes were unwavering.
"Then why do you like him?"
Rin looked at Kurenai in confusion.
She had known Kurenai for some time now. Even if they weren't especially close, Rin could tell that Kurenai wasn't the type to fall for someone just because they were dazzlingly talented.
So then why…?
"Enough questions. From now on, we're rivals."
Unexpectedly, Kurenai's face flushed bright red. She gave a sharp little shout and then turned and ran off as if in full retreat.
"What was that about…"
Rin watched Kurenai's retreating back and muttered to herself.
"Hmph. No matter what, I'm not giving Youyu up."
She clenched her little fists and silently cheered herself on before continuing home.
…
Huff… huff…
After running for quite a while, Kurenai finally slowed to a stop, supporting herself on her knees as she caught her breath.
"Youyu-kun…"
She wrinkled her nose slightly, as if she could still smell that intoxicating fragrance clinging to her.
Her eyes became unfocused.
Unlike Rin, Kurenai's feelings weren't merely admiration.
No—
"Obsession" was closer.
The reason she was so drawn to Youyu was because she had a natural love for the scent of alcohol.
Of course, Kurenai was still too young to drink.
But what made her realize just how much she liked alcohol was Youyu drinking during class.
Every time she caught the scent of it, she found herself deeply attracted to it.
But even that wasn't the most important part.
The most important thing was that, for some reason, Youyu's entire body carried a unique fragrance of wine.
It was completely different from the stale, unpleasant stench of ordinary drunks.
There was no sourness, no heaviness.
Only a smooth, mellow, intoxicating aroma.
And Kurenai was utterly entranced by it.
"Youyu-kun… I won't lose."
She clenched her little fists, her gaze firm and determined.
…
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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