Chapter 181 Candy-Flavored Longing

As she ate the candy in her mouth and looked at the large bag of candy that Jiraiya was carrying, Haruko felt that her life was complete.

"Haruko, is there anywhere you'd like to go?" Jiraiya leaned forward slightly to ask.

Haruko shook her head, revealing a sweet smile, "Wherever Jiraiya goes, I'll go!"

Overwhelmed by her cuteness, Jiraiya covered his mouth and wept tears of happiness.

Deciding to satisfy his own desires, Jiraiya led her to a bookstore. Ignoring the dazzling array of books, Jiraiya went straight to the most eye-catching display area in the bookstore.

"See this?" Jiraiya crouched down, pointed ahead, and said with a touch of pride, "When my book is published, it will be placed here where everyone can see it at a glance!"

"Jiraiya's book?" Haruko exclaimed in agreement. "Jiraiya is an author?"

"Hmm!" Jiraiya nodded smugly, unable to resist chuckling to himself.

Haruko felt her eyes had been opened; she never expected that the spiky-haired uncle would have such a talent.

"What's the name of the book Jiraiya wrote?" Haruko asked, leaning closer with great interest.

"Call it 'The Story of Strong Willpower and Perseverance'!"

Jiraiya proclaimed the book's title to the world, only to be met with a chorus of boos from the bookstore owner. Jiraiya quickly apologized and greeted the owner.

Haruko sighed dejectedly, "That sounds so boring."

This was undoubtedly a sharp blade piercing Jiraiya's heart. Jiraiya hurriedly added, trying to pique her interest, "The name sounds like that, but the content is very interesting! It's based on the true experiences of my disciple!"

Well, after listening to his explanation, Haruko felt even more bored, but seeing the white-haired hedgehog's pitiful and expectant look, Haruko still showed some kindness and pretended to be interested.

"Oh, that sounds great!"

Haruko silently told herself, "This is a powerful figure, a powerful figure who will pay me."

"Haha, it's alright~" Jiraiya suddenly became arrogant again.

Unable to bear it any longer, Qingzi dragged him out of the bookstore. It turned out he came to the bookstore just to show off that he had written a book. At first, Qingzi thought this white-haired, spiky-haired guy was quite cultured.

They strolled around for a while longer and came across a movie theater. Haruko suggested that she go see that melodramatic love story, and Jiraiya happily led her inside.

But after actually sitting down and reading it, Jiraiya redefined what Haruko liked as a "melodramatic love story".

Finally emerging from the movie theater, Jiraiya stiffly twisted his neck, having slept through the latter half of the film, as the theater seats were far from comfortable.

Haruko was still in a state of excitement, "I never imagined that the younger brother of the heroine's mother's brother's son would actually be the male lead! Their love entanglement is just too amazing!"

"What kind of complicated relationships are these..." Even as Jiraiya listened to her explanation, he still couldn't understand this melodramatic plot.

"That's all because Jiraiya was sleeping the whole time! That's why he couldn't enjoy the movie!" Haruko said, hands on her hips.

Jiraiya, unconvinced, squatted down to meet her gaze. "I read the first half, but I didn't find it particularly enjoyable."

“As expected…” Haruko shook her head.

"What do you mean, 'as expected'?" Jiraiya was also puzzled.

Haruko patted his thick white hair affectionately. "In the movies, Jiraiya can only play that clueless little white dog, the kind with intellectual disabilities."

Having not heard this concept for a long time, Jiraiya was stunned for a moment, then found it amusing and raised the corners of his mouth.

Even if he had another chance, would he still get the role of the little white dog?

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Unexpectedly, Jiraiya suddenly burst into laughter. Haruko was startled and withdrew her hand, cautiously observing whether he was truly mentally deficient.

Was he hurt by her words?

Is the spiky-haired uncle really such a fragile person?

Haruko forced herself to believe it and softened her voice to comfort him, "Actually, if Jiraiya doesn't like it, he can be a pet hedgehog."

Hedgehogs are much cuter, aren't they? And they don't have any intellectual disabilities!

Haruko felt that she was too kind.

Unexpectedly, Jiraiya laughed even harder when he heard her additional words. As Haruko's expression grew increasingly wary, Jiraiya wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes.

"I don't want to be a pet, I want to be the dad!"

Afraid of upsetting him again, Haruko went along with his words and replied, "Well... it's not impossible."

Jiraiya was in high spirits after childishly securing a role for his younger self, and stood up to extend his hand to her.

After holding Haruko's soft, small hand again, Jiraiya finally felt a real connection to her existence.

Strolling along ordinary streets, he gently felt the breeze caress his cheeks, and the warm sunlight shimmered. In his hand, he held the hand of someone he had longed to see for so long.

Those hidden feelings, which had never been expressed before, were now growing in Jiraiya's heart.

But when he looked down at the fluffy head, Jiraiya secretly chuckled to himself.

What impossible things are you thinking about again...?

"Who is Jiraiya thinking about?" Haruko suddenly asked.

Jiraiya was slightly surprised. "How did you know?"

Haruko's eyes crinkled into a smile. "Because I can feel Jiraiya's longing, a longing that is incredibly vast and even has a sweet taste!"

"How could there be candy-flavored longing? You're talking nonsense, aren't you?" Jiraiya curled his lips into a smile.

Haruko, caught off guard, stopped and earnestly defended herself, "I'm not talking nonsense! The person Jiraiya misses must be candy-flavored!"

That's true. Jiraiya softened his gaze and raised his large hand to touch her head. "Oh~ how did Haruko figure that out?"

Avoiding his pat on the head, Haruko instead took his large hand and looked steadily at him.

"Because the longing reflected in Jiraiya's eyes is sweet."

His clasped hands were suddenly gripped tightly, and fear and unease gradually spread to Jiraiya's eyes. It was as if her clear eyes had seen through the emotions he had been trying to hide, and Jiraiya pursed his lips.

As Haruko expressed her doubt, Jiraiya crouched down and slowly asked, "If... if Haruko and I were the same age, would Haruko like me more?"

The meaning of this sentence is vague. It does not clearly compare people or specify what kind of liking it is. It seems to be just a desire for approval in order to satisfy all the delusions in one's heart.

“Of course I would love Jiraiya!” Haruko replied without pausing.

She really likes this rich and carefree friend!

Her words struck a chord with Jiraiya, who was both laughing and crying. He couldn't suppress the joy in his heart, so he simply stopped suppressing it and let it grow wildly.

It's about seeking answers for his stubborn younger self, telling him that he should have had the courage to tell the world his feelings back then.

Or perhaps it was through her young self that she saw the graceful and gentle Haruko Hayama, telling herself, who was silently standing beside her, that she should also be courageous.

After all, opportunities don't wait for anyone; this is something he's experienced firsthand...

I knew it! I'm no worse than Orochimaru!

Orochimaru, that pretentious guy, should come and listen to Haruko's words in person!

Compared to Orochimaru... I still have a chance...

As he thought about it, Jiraiya covered his face and cried silently, seemingly proud of the affirmation he had received as a child, and also seemingly relieved that Haruko had returned to their world.

"Is Jiraiya unhappy too?" Haruko leaned closer and wiped away his tears with her small hand.

"No, no..." Jiraiya gently raised his hand and grasped her wrist, but not with force, answering in a choked voice, "I'm just too happy..."

Haruko stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding the tall man who was crying like a child in her arms. "Then give Jiraiya a comforting hug!"

He tentatively hugged the young girl back, no longer suppressing his sobs, and held his longing tightly in his arms.

******

Thank you so much, K, for the inspiration capsule! Your bonus chapter has arrived! φ(￣￣o)