"Eh? Aoba, wasn't your squad out on a mission?", Just as Aoba was driven out of the Hokage building, he heard the voice of a deep-throated uncle as soon as he stepped outside.
Aoba turned his head and replied politely, "Asuma-sensei, you guys just came back from a mission?"
"We came back several days ago. It's just that you went out on another mission right after. Ino has been thinking about you constantly, you know."
Asuma's attitude was quite warm, but clearly not directed at him, "By the way, since you're in Konoha, then what about Kurenai?"
Aoba shook his head, "I went out with Anko-nee on a special mission. As for Kurenai-sis, I don't know."
"I see."
A look of disappointment flashed across Asuma's face, but it suddenly shifted again as he said unhappily, "Why do you call Kurenai 'nee,' but call me 'sensei'?"
"..."
Aoba didn't say anything, but his eyes fell on Asuma's face. Everything was clear without words.
Asuma couldn't help the twitch at the corner of his mouth.
"Asuma-sensei, then I'll go see Ino," Aoba said.
Since he had brought back Hidan, didn't that count as saving Asuma's life too?
Then he owed nothing anymore, his conscience was clear.
"Mm," Asuma waved a hand at him. He was now considering whether to shave his beard.
———
When Aoba arrived at the Yamanaka flower shop, it was afternoon.
At this hour there were hardly any customers, and no one was at the door.
Ino was lying across the counter, seemingly taking a nap.
Aoba thought of quietly stepping closer to check.
But the wind chime's sound betrayed his presence.
"Welcome," Still sprawled on the table, Ino sleepily lifted her head, rubbing her eyes as she spoke.
"Aoba?"
"If you're sleepy, go back to sleep a while longer. I'll stay here with you."
Aoba pulled up a stool and sat down beside her.
"Not sleeping anymore."
Ino, now fully awake, suddenly jumped from her seat and pounced into Aoba's arms, clinging, rubbing, nestling.
Aoba simply spread his arms to hug her, letting Ino sit on his lap, not saying anything.
Maybe because they hadn't seen each other for a while, Ino felt even clingier today.
Her golden ponytail swayed slightly with her movements.
Because she wore a sleeveless top, her snow-white arms were exposed, still bearing a faint sheen of sleep's dew and a red imprint.
Aoba's eyes moved downward, and he saw her smooth, slim stomach and cute little navel.
Probably because she was at home, she hadn't wrapped on her bandages.
Only when Ino's movements stilled did Aoba ask, "Feeling better now?"
"Mm."
Sitting on his lap, Ino lay against his chest, secretly delighted that he had noticed her mood.
"How was your mission this time? I heard it had something to do with other countries' daimyo. You didn't run into any danger, did you?"
"Hold on."
Ino ran to the shop door, shut it, and flipped the sign from "Open" to "Temporarily Closed."
Then she ran back and perched once more on his lap, "No danger, really. We were helping a princess go on a blind date."
"Helping a princess date?"
Aoba looked surprised, though in his heart a vague impression began to form.
Ino, of course, had no idea what he was thinking, and continued, "That princess thought I looked like her, so she wanted me to disguise myself as her and meet the prince she liked."
At this, her face sank into despair, "But we weren't alike at all. That princess… that princess weighed over two hundred pounds…"
"So what did you do?", Aoba pinched her wrinkled little nose.
Ino puffed her cheeks, "Of course I refused. She's over two hundred pounds, and something like that, how could I agree?"
Did she look like two hundred pounds?
"Pfft—HAHAHA!"
Seeing Ino's expression, Aoba couldn't hold back his laughter.
Hearing him laugh, Ino grew annoyed, hands on her hips as she glared at him, "Do you think I look like I'm over two hundred pounds?"
Aoba couldn't resist poking her cute navel, "Even if Ino were over two hundred pounds, she'd definitely still be cute."
Ino, blushing, pulled his hand away from her belly, her lips still stubbornly protesting, "I don't believe that."
Without her navel to play with, Aoba felt a bit regretful, and shifted the topic back.
"So what happened after? You refused the client's request, how was the mission completed?"
"In the end, Shikamaru figured out that the prince actually liked chubby girls. After we told the client, the two of them naturally got together."
Ino's face was full of relief, "Lucky I refused. That prince was also a two-hundred-pound fatty, even more exaggerated than Choji."
"That… really is a perfect match."
Aoba didn't know how else to put it. Everyone's tastes are different, after all.
He was tolerant enough.
After all, some people even liked lizards.
"Haha!"
Hearing Aoba's reply, Ino couldn't help but laugh out loud in his arms, only stopping once she was tired from laughing.
"Aoba, what about you? I heard from Konan-nee that you went out alone with Anko-nee on a commission."
Ino said, full of sour jealousy.
Aoba didn't mention Anko at this time and instead said, "Our mission was to destroy an evil scientist's experimental base. Of course, it went smoothly."
As he spoke, he pulled out a scroll, "I also brought you a gift."
"A gift?"
Ino's eyes lit up. The jealousy vanished instantly, replaced by eager expectation as she looked at the scroll in his hands.
"What kind of gift?"
Aoba didn't bother with suspense. He opened it directly and took out a beautifully wrapped gift box.
Ino couldn't wait to take it, "Can I open it now?"
"Of course."
Aoba nodded.
Carefully, layer by layer, Ino unwrapped the paper box, her slow and precise movements as cautious as if she were defusing a bomb.
Finally, all the wrapping was removed.
Before her was a light purple kimono, embroidered with cosmos flower patterns.
"A kimono?", As Ino carefully lifted the kimono into her arms, her eyes suddenly widened, staring in disbelief as she looked again and again.
"This…"
Aoba was a little stunned, 'Why is this reaction so similar to Tsunade and Shizune's earlier?'
'Could there be some issue with giving kimonos?'
Aoba finally realized where the problem lay.
Ino, however, covered her mouth, tears of joy bursting from her eyes.
"Damn it, why did you have to spring this on me so suddenly?"
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