Chapter 23 Stupid Couple
Out of selfishness, Sasuke Uchiha childishly didn't say "we," but instead attributed all the misplacement to him.
"That's not true! Haruko just... just..." Naruto's eyes darted around, trying to find a reasonable explanation for her behavior.
"I must have made her angry. You wait, I'll apologize to her as soon as Haruko gets back!"
Even after being so clearly pointed out, he was still deceiving himself. Uchiha Sasuke felt that he couldn't even be called an idiot; he was simply naively stupid.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, ignoring the glass window, dappling their bodies but offering no warmth.
A tense atmosphere filled the air, and their gazes met like sharp swords. Strangely, Uchiha Sasuke couldn't tear his eyes away from the confrontation for a long time.
Naruto's usually obedient sapphire eyes were now filled with a surging undercurrent of emotion, pure and unwavering, a complete and unconditional trust in Haruko Hayama.
Even when faced with his own sarcasm, he was able to suppress his impulse because of Haruko's instructions.
This pure and unwavering determination was a feeling that Sasuke Uchiha had never experienced or possessed before—a feeling of giving his all for someone without reservation.
Unconsciously, he fell into a psychological vortex called "comparison," and what kept swirling in his mind was his own reaction when he was standing next to Haruko Hayama.
He silently withdrew his heart, which no one knew longed to get closer, in response to Haruko's retreat.
Stung by this discovery, Uchiha Sasuke averted his gaze, but the turmoil in his heart intensified. He tightened his grip on the book and gave a dismissive snort.
"idiot."
...
Haruko Hayama was still a little worried about Naruto Uzumaki, the child left behind by his parents, so before leaving she planned out his three meals a day, for example:
She had breakfast at a ramen shop, having already spoken to the owner of Ichiraku Ramen and told him to eat as much as he wanted; lunch was with her teacher, Iruka Umino, and she explained the situation to him and asked him to bring an extra bento box; dinner was at Nara's house, where she was warmly welcomed.
Haruko Hayama originally intended to entrust everything to Sasuke Uchiha, but Naruto Uzumaki, being temperamental, insisted on not being with her, so Haruko Hayama had to come up with another solution.
Since the whole thing was handled by Morning Mom and Nara Mom, Nara Shikamaru knew nothing about it.
So, that evening, Shikamaru Nara saw Naruto Uzumaki at the dinner table: ...
"You bastard, if you're coming to my house tonight, you should at least tell me!" Nara Shikamaru was momentarily unsure whether to first appreciate Hayama Haruko's thoughtfulness or express his speechlessness towards Uzumaki Naruto.
"I thought you knew." Naruto Uzumaki genuinely believed he knew.
"I have no idea where that idiot went, so how could I possibly know what she planned for you... Ouch!" Nara Shikamaru clutched his head where he had been hit.
Nara's mother, holding a spatula, looked furious. "You brat! What do you mean, 'idiot'? Try calling Haruko that again!"
"Okay..." Nara Shikamaru pouted dejectedly, feeling that Hayama Haruko had completely bewitched his mother.
Naruto Uzumaki sat next to him, secretly mocking him.
Under the streetlights, the stone pavement was bathed in a dim light, and there were few pedestrians on the street, most of whom hurried by.
"Ah, I'm full! I'm so full!"
Naruto and Shikamaru were strolling together on the street. Naruto was originally going to go home by himself, but since Shikamaru had asked Nara's mother to run an errand, the two of them decided to go out together.
"That troublesome woman!" Nara Shikamaru said, hands in his pockets and a long face. "Hey, Naruto."
"Huh?" Naruto Uzumaki looked at him in surprise.
Meeting his innocent gaze, Nara Shikamaru silently vented his hidden displeasure, "Don't you think Haruko is treating you like a puppy?"
Before he could answer, Nara Shikamaru continued speaking on his own.
"I found you as a stray, cleaned you up, provided you with three meals a day, accompanied you to and from school, and even took time off work to foster you... Hahaha, it's just like raising a puppy!"
Nara Shikamaru started laughing as he spoke.
Naruto Uzumaki, however, did not understand the metaphor and thought about it carefully. He then realized that the description of the puppy was surprisingly similar to himself.
"Now that you mention it, it does seem to make sense!" Naruto exclaimed with delight, his hands behind his head.
"Hmm...it's probably because..."
“Haruko always cares about me. She notices everything, whether I notice it or not. Since becoming friends with Haruko, I feel like I’ve forgotten what it was like to live alone before.”
"She's like my mood detector, you know, I mean she can always tell whether I'm happy or sad, and she's always been very patient in listening to me."
“I know what people are saying about me behind my back, and I’m used to it so I don’t get angry anymore. But Haruko heard it and gave all those people a piece of her mind. It was the first time I’d ever seen Haruko angry. She was radiating light, like a hero!”
"She would hold my hand and patiently tell me that it wasn't my fault, but that those people just liked to gossip. And, and oh! Haruko once said that I'm even more powerful than a fox spirit, and that even fox spirits are afraid of me!"
"When I heard those words, I cried so hard, my nose was running... It was so embarrassing, you're not allowed to tell anyone."
With a cheerful tone, Naruto Uzumaki stretched out his hand towards the shimmering night sky, letting the evening breeze caress the gaps between his fingers, then clenched his fist and tightly captured that glimmer of starlight in his hand.
"Haruko... is like the brightest star in the dark night of Konoha, twinkling and illuminating my whole world, making me want to keep chasing after her!"
Naruto Uzumaki concluded, "If I had an owner like Haruko, I would definitely be the happiest dog in the world!"
Seeing Naruto's blissful, idiotic expression, Shikamaru gradually fell silent.
When he said those words, he was actually feeling a mix of inexplicable jealousy.
However, when Naruto saw that he was completely unaffected by the malice hidden within and even naively agreed that Haruko was wonderful, Shikamaru suddenly understood why Haruko had chosen to stay by his side.
Nara Shikamaru sighed deeply, exhaling all the pent-up frustration in his heart, before raising his voice in a nonchalant tone.
"As expected, it's a case of idiots with idiots."
"You! You're not allowed to call Haruko an idiot!"
Nara Shikamaru stopped and suddenly smiled, raising his hand to flick Naruto's forehead. "Naruto, wait for me after school tomorrow, my mom is probably going to make tempura."
Naruto Uzumaki, who was inexplicably flicked on the head, was about to lash out, but after hearing what he said, he suddenly became agitated.
"Yay! Tempura!"
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