Chapter 5 Like-minded
Although he often heard his classmates mention Haruko Hayama, Nara Shikamaru's first contact with her was during a previous visit to the Hayama family.
Morning Mom and Nara Mom formed a friendship when they were ninjas, but they lost touch after getting married. Yesterday, when they bumped into each other while grocery shopping, they thought they should find some time to catch up.
So, on a free morning, Haruko went with her mother to visit Nara's family.
"Shikamaru! Come out here right now!"
Nara's mother yelled into the inner room, then turned back to them with a gentle smile, "Haruko should be about the same age as our Shikamaru now, right?"
Haruko Hayama patiently replied, "Auntie, Nara and I are in the same class."
"Really? I've never heard that boy mention it before. He never told me about such a pretty girl in the class, and Meiling and I almost missed out!" Nara's mother slammed her fist on the table in anger.
The sound startled Haruko. She glanced cautiously at her mother beside her, and after receiving a "you'll get used to it" look in her mother's eyes, she swallowed hard.
However, Nara Shikamaru should be innocent... after all, they haven't spoken at all.
Haruko struggled to maintain her smile.
"So much nagging so early in the morning..." Nara Shikamaru yawned as he walked out of his room.
"What?!"
Seeing that Nara's mother was about to lose her temper again, the mother quickly changed the subject in the morning, "Oh my, Yoshino, your son is so handsome, he'll definitely be a great man in the future!"
"Good morning, Nara-kun," Haruko Hayama greeted him.
Nara Shikamaru then noticed her, paused in his steps as he approached, stopped halfway through his yawn, and looked her over with surprise. He was clearly surprised that the daughter of his mother's old friend was actually his classmate.
And she's a very popular girl in the class... Nara Shikamaru's deadpan expression returned, and the word "troublesome" popped into his head.
"Good morning..." Nara Shikamaru replied weakly, "Hello, Auntie."
Nara's mother clearly found fault with everything her son did, saying, "He's just like his father, always listless..."
Seeing his mother and his morning mom start chatting about him as if no one else was around, Nara Shikamaru lazily picked at his ear.
Haruko Hayama was secretly observing Shikamaru Nara. He seemed rather lazy and didn't quite fit the image of a main character from a shonen manga...
However, it would be troublesome if the protagonist actually had such a personality.
Take one look, and then another...
"Hello."
Nara Shikamaru simply couldn't stand being looked at like an object of observation.
Snap!
Nara's mother slapped him on the head. "How rude of you! What do you mean 'hey'? Call her Haruko!"
"Ouch!" Nara Shikamaru clutched his head, tears welling in his eyes from the pain.
But upon looking up and seeing his mother's pent-up anger, Nara Shikamaru wisely changed how he addressed her.
"...Haruko."
"Shikamaru, how about we go out and have some fun?" Haruko Hayama suppressed a laugh and changed her form of address accordingly.
Unexpectedly, Aunt Nara was chatting so enthusiastically that she noticed them. Haruko was getting a little bored sitting there, so she decided to find an excuse to go out and play.
"ah?"
As soon as Nara Shikamaru asked the question, Nara's mother pretended to hit him again. Nara Shikamaru quickly jumped aside and replied, "Okay, let's go."
So, Haruko Hayama, who was secretly laughing, and Shikamaru Nara, who had a dark expression on his face, went out.
Meanwhile, Nara's mother, who took the opportunity to get closer to them and facilitate their date, kept her good deeds hidden.
Nara's mother murmured, "I wonder if that boy can bring Haruko back for me, then Mirei and I will be in-laws!"
...
"What a troublesome woman."
Even after walking for so long, Nara Shikamaru was still calling out for his mother.
"Is Shikamaru afraid of trouble?" Haruko Hayama couldn't help but ask.
Well, more or less.
"What wouldn't be troublesome for Shikamaru?"
“Hmm…” Nara Shikamaru thought about it seriously for a moment, “Sleeping? Thinking about it this way, living really is full of troubles.”
Huh? It's actually gotten to the point where "living is a hassle"!
Although I can't fully understand this level of understanding, these words sound impressive, especially coming from a child my own age.
Nara Shikamaru's status in Haruko Hayama's heart has risen significantly.
"Shikamaru seems so mature, like an adult."
"Really? It's alright."
Thinking of the other boys in the class who had ended up in messes, Haruko Hayama asserted, "Shikamaru is very mature!"
Under her admiring gaze, Nara Shikamaru turned his head away somewhat embarrassed, straightening his previously casual posture with his hands in his pockets.
Maturity... it really doesn't match my aversion to trouble.
"Does Shikamaru have dreams?"
"I think so."
"Really?" Haruko Hayama's almond-shaped eyes widened. "Shikamaru is such averse to trouble!"
"Hey... don't say things like that with such admiration." Nara Shikamaru stopped in his tracks, staring at her with deadpan eyes.
Haruko, however, was remarkably quick to admit her mistake and immediately adopted a serious expression, saying, "Okay, Shikamaru, please speak."
"..."
It was rare for Nara Shikamaru to be speechless, so he quickly finished speaking to get it over with.
"My dream... is to just be a ninja, make some money, and marry an ordinary woman who is neither beautiful nor ugly."
"I'll have two kids at random. The first one will be a girl, and the second one a boy. Once my eldest daughter gets married and my son is old enough to stand on his own, I'll retire from the ninja world."
"After that, I'll take it one day at a time, play chess, live a leisurely and secluded life, and then die of old age before my wife."
After saying that, Nara Shikamaru looked at her with a puzzled expression as her admiration gradually became evident.
"It's so profound! The words are full of philosophical meaning. 'Whatever'—what an enviable word!"
Staring into her bright eyes, even Nara Shikamaru himself had the absurd thought that "could it be that I'm really that amazing?"
Haruko was still marveling, "What an amazing life dream!"
Although she didn't quite understand some of it, she accurately extracted the core meaning of the whole passage—to survive in the ninja world.
We're totally on the same page!
This also indirectly confirms that Nara Shikamaru is definitely not a member of the main characters, since what protagonist's dream is to retire and enjoy a peaceful life?
Since arriving in this world, she has been extremely wary, fearing that becoming friends with the main characters would put her in danger, to the point that she doesn't have any close friends yet.
However, the days of having no friends among the indigenous people are over!
She's definitely made this friend with peace of mind!
Haruko leaned closer happily. "Shikamaru, let's be friends! I love your personality!"
"ha?"
Nara Shikamaru was completely bewildered, never expecting her to react this way, and took a step back in confusion.
Haruko pressed her advantage, leaning closer again, "But I really like Shikamaru! Can't we be friends?"
"You...you like it?!" Nara Shikamaru's usually narrow eyes widened in surprise, and his face flushed with panic. "What strange things are you saying?!"
"I'm telling the truth!"
Seeing that Haruko was about to come closer to prove her sincere desire to make friends, Shikamaru quickly stopped her and made her stop in place.
"Okay, okay, just stay away!"
This was perhaps the most embarrassing moment of Nara Shikamaru's life, especially seeing the culprit still calmly expressing his doubts.
He deeply engraved in his mind that "women are all troublesome beings".
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