Chapter 246 Special
The dark night contrasted sharply with the warm, lively sounds inside the shop, casting a shadow of loneliness over passersby.
I thought that since I left early, I would definitely have to take the test again. But when I returned to the Dark Division, I was told that I had been given special permission to pass because of my talent.
Although he still had to undergo evaluation within the team, it didn't stop Kakashi Hatake from arriving at the party with indescribable joy.
After traveling non-stop through the streets, we finally arrived at the store entrance.
He still carried a chilling aura about him. Kakashi Hatake calmed his breathing and scanned the shop until he spotted the only girl sitting quietly among the bustling crowd. His deep eyes stopped moving.
She lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought, her silent posture creating an invisible barrier around her, isolating her from the joy around her.
Gazing at her like this, Kakashi Hatake gradually calmed down.
After leaving the battlefield, Haruko became more composed and mature. She stopped making jokes, stopped trying to slack off, and stopped fooling around with Obito Uchiha.
She became gentler, stronger, and also lonelier.
No matter how many people surround her, she always seems to exist outside of this world, carrying an imperceptible loneliness and desolation.
He had confidently told her, "You are the Haruko I know," but in the end, he seemed unsure. She was both the Haruko he knew and the Haruko he didn't know.
The joy of passing the test faded, and with each breath, a faint loneliness emanating from her seeped into his body, transcending the noisy crowd.
Two lonely souls, one inside and one outside the shop, silently intertwine their melancholy.
Kakashi Hatake unconsciously took a step closer to her. On this night, when all the hustle and bustle had vanished and only solitude enveloped him, what were you thinking about...?
Sensing a distant gaze, Haruko turned her head, ignoring Obito Uchiha's flustered disguise, and looked at the upright figure outside the shop.
Kakashi?
Meeting her gaze, Kakashi Hatake raised his hand and waved, signaling her to come out.
Not knowing why he wouldn't come in and instead told her to leave, Haruko got up and left while everyone was playing around and not paying attention to her.
The summer night was also hot and dry, with the sound of the wind occasionally entering my ears.
Kakashi Hatake spoke first, "I passed the Anbu test. Although there's still a probationary period, it should be fine."
Upon hearing this news, Haruko was slightly stunned, unsure whether to be happy for him or feel unexpected trouble.
Originally, the bet was only proposed in the hope that he would back down, but unexpectedly, he actually entered the Dark Division on his own merits. It's no wonder that he has been called a genius since his student days.
Pretending not to see her hesitation, Kakashi Hatake continued, "It was Minato-sensei who introduced me, which is why it happened so quickly."
"Kakashi, I don't want you involved in my plans."
She picked up almost immediately after he finished speaking, because even though it would break her promise to him, Haruko didn't want to drag him into pain that could have been avoided.
Therefore, she looked directly at him with clear eyes, wanting to convey her feelings to him completely.
It was precisely because her eyes were so honest and clear that Kakashi Hatake was forced to lower his eyelashes, unwilling to accept her good intentions in not letting him participate.
Silence stretched endlessly between the two.
A childish voice inside him accused him of sneaking out at night to tell her first about his infiltration of the Dark Division, hoping to gain her approval and become the only person involved in her plan.
But she gently denied all of this.
"Why?"
Kakashi Hatake heard his own voice and blurted it out.
"Because you will become in pain, and if you know everything and forget everything... the pain will be even more intense."
"Forgotten?"
He couldn't quite understand what she meant, but judging from her attitude, she didn't seem like she would explain, so Kakashi Hatake fell silent.
Without the drive of anticipation, the fatigue from days of endless tests finally overwhelmed my senses.
Life in the shadows was a chaotic and dreary existence. Only for her sake could he grit his teeth and stand up on the edge of his limit. Only by thinking of her could he find a moment of respite amidst the repeated pain.
Suddenly, Kakashi Hatake remembered her question from before, "What exactly is your purpose in trying to get involved in my plan?"
He also wanted to know why.
Why go to such lengths? Why must I participate in her plan? Why is it that just thinking about her allows me to persevere?
The closed-door testing over the past few days gave him space to talk to himself. At first, he couldn't figure it out, but gradually he seemed to find some clues. Later, he stopped exploring.
As one dissects their own subtle emotions layer by layer, the deeper they go, the more intense and powerful the emotions that burst forth become.
In the end, he could only panic and tightly wrap all his feelings up, but no matter how hard he tried to suppress them, he couldn't stop the palpitations he felt because of her.
He wanted to be part of her plan, meaning he wanted to be special to her.
Kakashi Hatake's thick, dark eyelashes trembled slightly as he pursed his lips, restraining himself from showing his emotions.
Taking in his expression, thinking he was sulking, Haruko took a step closer, shortening the distance between them. When she looked up at him, she could even smell his cold aura.
"Kakashi, I don't want you to suffer."
These seemingly nonsensical words inexplicably comforted Kakashi Hatake; at least, the reason for rejecting him was that she was worried about him.
Perhaps fatigue disrupted his thoughts, or perhaps the sweet fragrance lingering in his nose was too overwhelming, so Kakashi Hatake moved even closer to her, which was already quite short.
He pulled Haruko back instinctively, his slender, pale fingers encircling her wrist.
After confirming that she had stopped, Kakashi Hatake slowly lowered his head, resting his forehead on her slender shoulder, feeling the softness of her body.
He parted his lips slightly, his tone revealing weariness and pleading.
"Haruko, I kept my promise."
His slightly prickly silver hair clung to Haruko's neck, and his breath, which wasn't her own, sprayed onto her clothes, as if she had been tainted by his scent.
This was a Kakashi Hatake she had never seen before. He had always presented himself as a solitary cat, always watching all sorts of people pass by with a cold and aloof demeanor.
If someone stops, whether praising or belittling it, it will ignore them.
If someone crouches down to touch it, it will jump away sharply, rejecting all closeness and kindness.
It always keeps to itself, and even if you see it every day and get used to it, it's hard for it to react to you in any other way, so you think it will always be aloof.
It only begins to tentatively approach you when you get busy and realize that it's not taking up your time.
From initially disguising itself to later going to great lengths to catch up with you, it was only then that you belatedly realized you should squat down and talk to it.
Unexpectedly, it took the initiative to come up and ask to be petted, but its every move showed how tired it was from the journey.
"Haruko."
His deliberately soft voice inexplicably evoked a sense of pity in people.
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I'll resume daily updates starting in July, still two chapters a day. I hope you all won't let it get too long and will come check on Haruko every day; the author will be very happy!
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