Chapter 138 Can I Stop Being Your Friend?
"Naruto... is so pitiful."
Haruko couldn't bear to look at Naruto Uzumaki, who was lying on the bed with flushed cheeks and looking at her in a daze.
It's probably because she was too close to him when her cold was at its worst that she unfortunately caught it. Haruko had finally recovered when she learned that Naruto had fallen ill again.
Hearing her voice, Naruto Uzumaki turned his head toward Haruko Hayama's hand resting on the edge of the bed, and rubbed against it contentedly when his face touched the cool touch.
Haruko quickly withdrew her hand, saying, "Naruto, I just came in from outside, my hands are freezing."
But the sick Naruto Uzumaki didn't want to hear any of these grand principles. He blinked his wet, puppy-dog eyes and just stared at her with a pitiful expression.
Finally, unable to resist his pitiful, pouting, teary-eyed look, Haruko reluctantly placed her hand on his burning cheek and let him rub it against it.
"What would you like to eat?" Haruko asked him in a soft voice.
“I like everything Haruko makes…” Naruto Uzumaki replied in a muffled voice.
Naruto Uzumaki usually loves to act cute towards her, but now that he's sick and in a relatively vulnerable state, he's even more clingy, and his words even have a cutesy tone.
Since Naruto didn't specify what he wanted to eat, Haruko cooked his usual pumpkin porridge and fed it to him.
Naruto Uzumaki felt hot all over – the heat of a fever, the heat in his stomach after drinking the porridge, and… the heat from being taken care of by Haruko Hayama.
What is this heat? It's warm and makes my heart itch...
Naruto's mind was blank; he couldn't think straight. He just wished he could stay in this moment forever.
"Naruto, get well soon! When the snow falls even heavier, we can have a snowball fight with Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei."
Hearing that annoying name from Haruko's mouth, Naruto Uzumaki pouted unhappily.
"I don't want to play with Sasuke, Haruko only wants to play with me, okay?" Naruto looked at her hopefully.
Thinking he was being irritable because he was sick, Haruko coaxed him in the morning, saying, "Okay, we won't bring Sasuke. We'll bring him next time."
Although Haruko's compliant words made Naruto feel elated, the joy was quickly followed by bitterness. He knew that this was not the answer he truly wanted.
What does he want Haruko to promise him?
“Haruko…” Naruto’s eyelashes trembled as he refused to be fed.
"Hmm?" Haruko put the spoon away, looking puzzled.
Naruto opened his mouth, but for some reason he was too ashamed to speak. His eyes darted around, but he didn't dare to look at Haruko Hayama.
Haruko found it somewhat amusing; she hadn't expected Naruto, who was sick, to have such an unreasonable side. "What's wrong, Naruto?"
He tightened his grip on the edge of the blanket, and only after feeling his eyes covered did Naruto's blue glass eyes dare to look at her and reveal his selfish thoughts.
"Haruko...can I be your only friend?"
Normally, he wouldn't choose to say such things; instead, he would keep them buried in his heart after tossing and turning all day trying to come up with a solution.
Perhaps it was the anxiety and vulnerability brought on by his illness that overwhelmed his heart, Naruto Uzumaki pleaded with his most important friend.
Haruko smiled as she put the spoon back in the bowl and then gently stroked Naruto's fluffy blond hair with her free hand.
Why?
"...Because I want Haruko to belong to me alone."
Naruto's eyelashes trembled even more violently, and tears welled up in his eyes again, as if he were timidly testing his master's affection.
“But a ‘friend’ is someone who has many friends, that’s why they can be called ‘friends’,” Haruko Hayama patiently explained to him.
Naruto's confused mind kept dissecting her words, and finally he stammered, "Then can I not be Haruko's friend?"
"Huh?" Haruko was taken aback, her hand that was touching his hair froze. "Does Naruto hate me?"
Naruto Uzumaki shook his head emphatically, his eyes flashing with determination and desperation. "I like Haruko, but I don't want to be 'friends' with her!"
Haruko understood what he meant, breathed a sigh of relief, and pinched his ear hidden under his golden hair with a hint of displeasure.
"You scared me to death! So tell me, if you don't want to be friends with me, what kind of relationship can we have?"
Her question seemed a bit difficult for Naruto to answer, and he pondered for a long time without finding a solution.
Haruko smiled slightly in the morning, not taking the little incident to heart. She withdrew her hand and took the bowl to the sink.
After Haruko returned home in the morning, night fell, and the stars dotted the curtain, but could not outshine the moon's brilliance.
Naruto stared blankly at the crescent moon, still pondering Haruko's question.
If they don't become friends, how can he become Haruko's only one?
"Oh."
Kakashi Hatake suddenly jumped out of the window, startling Naruto Uzumaki, and he showed no remorse for frightening the patient.
Naruto Uzumaki looked at him speechlessly, "Kakashi-sensei, what brings you here?"
"I brought you some gifts, freshly made ramen, packed up." Kakashi Hatake lifted the bag he was carrying and shook it.
Upon hearing that it was ramen, Naruto's eyes lit up immediately.
They sat together at the dining table, Kakashi Hatake quietly flipping through the book in his hands, while Naruto Uzumaki's slurping of ramen across from him seemed to be the background music.
"Hmm... Why is Kakashi-sensei suddenly so concerned about me?" Naruto Uzumaki glanced at him curiously.
Kakashi Hatake turned a page of the book in his hand. "Isn't caring about students one of my finest qualities?"
Naruto Uzumaki stopped eating his ramen and looked distressed. "Kakashi-sensei is still so oblivious to his own limitations."
"...Eat your ramen."
After quickly finishing his ramen, Naruto patted his stomach contentedly, but then found himself lost in thought.
If you can't figure it out yourself, maybe you can ask Kakashi-sensei for the answer...
Naruto Uzumaki looked up at Kakashi Hatake's deadpan eyes and said, "Kakashi-sensei."
"explain."
What kind of relationship can make someone the only one for another?
Kakashi Hatake finally looked up from his book, meeting his gaze with some surprise. "Why did you ask that question?"
"Because... Haruko always has a lot of friends around her, I feel like it's hard for me to maintain my most important position in her heart." Naruto Uzumaki started to feel frustrated as he spoke.
"It wasn't necessarily the most important thing before..." Kakashi Hatake thought to himself.
"Let me think about it..." Kakashi Hatake casually closed the book and put it away. "Perhaps you've considered being Haruko's pet?"
"ha?"
"After all, she doesn't have any pets at home right now, you're the only one."
Although Kakashi Hatake's expression was very serious, Naruto Uzumaki knew that he had obviously been tricked.
"Kakashi-sensei!"
******
The list of recipients of gratitude as of March 12, 2024:
grateful--
K, the one who sent the update reminder charm
The bubble tea that Anya from next door gave me.
Lu Jun, who loves yogurt melts, gave this a thumbs up!
Flowers sent by Little Red Riding Hood who loves reading (post #28)
Summer nights and fireworks, red-clad figures on the high frontier, Mo Wentian who loves red bean jelly, early summer starry sky, Wang Haiyong from Little Mouse Island, Tang Xiaoyu from the North, Fisherman's Song, Wang Dawei who likes Grandma Sha, the moon..., Yun Cheyun from Ancient Desert Island, wanting alpacas to travel to all the books they love, Banxia SS, Xuan Chun, Green and Blue Invincible, Qin Bao Yingying, Uchiha Sasuke's wife, Jin Xiula from Nanning, G's cat sending love-powered electricity.
Thank you so much for the gifts! The author is so touched! The golden retriever puppy sends you a magical blessing ( ω )
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