[Aoba's home]
All of them had already taken their seats around the dining table, with Aoba and Uzuki Yugao sitting on one side, and the other three each sitting on a different side.
At this moment, the five of them were performing a strange pre-meal ritual.
Aoba was also forced to join in.
"I'm starting!"
This was the first time the five of them had sat down together for a meal, yet the atmosphere at the table was extremely lively. They were chatting away, completely forgetting the good habit of eating in silence.
The smile on Aoba's face never faded.
It was also the first time for the three little girls to eat dishes personally cooked by Aoba. Every now and then, they would let out an exclamation of surprise or give a word of praise, each of them smiling brightly.
After a satisfying meal, the sky had completely darkened. After the clouds passed, the night sky was filled with countless stars, with silver starlight shining down, reflecting off the snow-covered courtyard.
Now, in the small kitchen, five people were squeezed together.
Since Tenten, Ino, and Sakura hadn't helped with cooking at all earlier, they voluntarily came over to assist now.
And so, they ended up all crowded together.
A single small plate, what had it done to deserve being cleaned by five people as if on a production line?
After washing the dishes, they all flopped onto the sofa, looking completely content.
"Aoba, how about telling us another story?", Ino couldn't help but suggest. This was the perfect time to listen to a story.
Tenten and Sakura also chimed in to agree.
But they were immediately rejected by Uzuki Yugao, "It's already late. You all should go home now..."
"Just a little longer," Tenten's eyes carried a hopeful look, and her voice was lowered, as if pleading, "Sister Yugao, we won't be able to play together for a long time after this, I don't want to go home so early."
"That's right, Sister Yugao, just let us stay a little longer."
Watching the three little girls pleading with Uzuki Yugao, Aoba couldn't help but feel a little speechless.
'This was my home, okay? Shouldn't you all be asking me instead?'
"If you're not going home, are you planning to stay over for the night?", Aoba couldn't help but blurt out.
"That... actually doesn't sound like a bad idea," Ino's eyes sparkled, "I've never spent the night outside before."
"Yeah, same here," Tenten's eyes also lit up.
"M-Me too," Sakura timidly raised her hand.
Then, the three of them turned in unison to look at Aoba, expectantly waiting for his answer.
Uzuki Yugao frowned slightly. It wasn't her first time staying over.
In the past, because she had to take care of Aoba, she often stayed overnight. Whether she stayed or not was naturally not something Aoba needed to approve.
Her frown was just because she felt these three little girls were a bit too precocious. They hadn't even entered the Ninja Academy yet, and they were already thinking about staying overnight at a boy's house?
"Well...", This question caught Aoba off guard.
After hesitating for a moment, he responded with a question of his own.
"I don't mind letting you stay over, but what about your mothers? How are you going to explain it to them?"
"If you stay out all night, you might end up getting grounded."
"Ah!", As expected, the moment Tenten heard this, she let out a startled cry, and her expression turned a bit downcast, "I told my dad I was going out to practice throwing techniques..."
"Pfft!", Ino absolutely wouldn't pass up any chance to mock Tenten. After all, Tenten was always monopolizing Aoba.
Tenten, of course, couldn't stand being laughed at by Ino. She pouted unhappily and said, "And what, you think you can stay overnight?"
"Hmph, I told my mom that I was going to play with Sakura. As long as I tell her I'm staying at Sakura's house, there won't be a problem."
Ino's voice carried a hint of excitement, this was her victory.
"Me too, I'll just say I'm staying at Ino's house," The two best friends exchanged a glance, their joy obvious.
"You... you guys...", Tenten was so frustrated that she couldn't even speak. She had just realized that she had to go home now. But looking at Ino's smug face, she felt unwilling to back down.
As bystanders, Aoba and Uzuki Yugao both felt a headache coming on.
They realized that whenever Tenten, Ino, and Sakura got together, their IQ seemed to drop significantly.
This obviously flimsy excuse. if Ino's mother, Yamanaka Rino, and Sakura's mother, Haruno Mebuki, just checked with each other, wouldn't they be exposed immediately?
And they didn't even need to wait for that confrontation.
"Ino!", From outside the courtyard, an angry voice suddenly rang out.
Ino, who had been arguing with Tenten, shuddered and jumped up from the sofa, "That... that sounds like my mom..."
Ino's voice carried a hint of fear. Her mother was usually quite strict. Though she maintained a dignified demeanor outside, at home, she was quite fierce, "Ino, do you want me to come in and drag you out?"
"Mom, I'm coming out right now!", Ino hurriedly shouted back.
She gave Aoba a pitiful look, then grabbed Sakura's hand and ran outside.
Sakura: …
At first, Sakura felt a little speechless. But as soon as she was pulled outside and saw Haruno Mebuki standing at the courtyard entrance, she didn't dare feel speechless anymore.
"Mom...", After stepping outside, both Ino and Sakura greeted their mothers in small voices.
Yamanaka Rino didn't respond right away. She first gave Aoba, who had come out with them, a fierce glare, before turning her attention to her daughter.
Ino instinctively shrank her neck, but the expected flick to her forehead didn't come. Yamanaka Rino simply grabbed Ino's hand and led her away.
"I'll give you some face in public, but wait until we get home. I'll deal with you then!", Yamanaka Rino said angrily.
This girl wasn't even that old yet, and she was already staying out overnight?
On the other side, Sakura was met with the same treatment. The only difference was that Haruno Mebuki was dragging her away by the ear.
The two of them could only look at Aoba with reluctant eyes as their mothers pulled them away.
"Hmph, those two were so arrogant just now, serves them right," Inside the courtyard, Tenten stood with her hands on her hips, a satisfied expression on her face.
Aoba couldn't help but smile and rub his forehead.
"Well then, Tenten, shouldn't you be heading home too? Otherwise, your mom might be on her way as well."
"No worries, no worries. Hey, Aoba, how about we go out and walk around the night market? By the time we get tired, I can just go straight home,".Now that no one was interfering, of course, she had to seize the opportunity.
"Uh… what if you get home too late? Aren't you afraid of getting punished?", Aoba couldn't help but worry for her.
"Not at all! I'm not afraid," Tenten proudly patted her small chest.
"Really? Then why aren't you afraid?"
"Not afraid, not—uh…", Tenten was about to keep up her bravado when she suddenly realized that voice didn't belong to Aoba.
Stiffly, she turned her head, only to see her mother looking at her with a warm, friendly smile.
'Oh no.'
"Aoba, I have to go! After training is over, you must come find me!", Tenten spoke at lightning speed, then dashed toward the gate. Only to be caught by her mother, who grabbed her ear.
"You little brat, didn't you just say you weren't afraid? You've got too much free time. Tomorrow, you're in charge of organizing all the shuriken in the storage!"
"Ah? No way, Mom! There are so many…", As Tenten's voice faded into the distance, Aoba let out a wry smile.
At the same time, he felt a little relieved. Thankfully, their fathers didn't come instead. Otherwise…
'Those old men might have wanted to kill me.'
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