"...", The two were both slightly taken aback.
'Wouldn't the possibility of leaked information be considered extremely serious in any shinobi village?'
'Why does he seem to take it as if it is nothing at all?'
Aoba saw their thoughts and explained helplessly.
"Since you handed this letter to me, it means you trust me enough and have no intention of leaking information. Naturally I am willing to give you my trust."
"Besides, we are all on the same side. You do not need to be so guarded every time. When Yugito watches over me at home, she often looks rather disdainful."
"Ah! This..."
The feelings Samui and Mabui had felt from Aoba's trust were instantly undermined by that last remark.
Both of them really did not understand why Aoba had chosen Yugito.
They could not even understand how the two of them could actually be together.
Most people facing Yugito would probably find it troublesome in a day or two.
"All right, that is all I have to say. As for this letter, reply and then treat it as if it never existed."
Aoba stood up as he spoke, "Keep the reward in mind for now. Decide after you have thought it through. I have a few things to do, so I will leave first."
"Okay."
The two obediently stepped aside to make way.
When Aoba walked up to them, he saw Mabui looking obedient, legs together, head bowed.
He could not resist reaching out and patting her on the head.
Perhaps it was because her face looked so easy to bully, and combined with that sexy secretary outfit, the contrast made one impulsive.
"?"
His sudden action left both Samui and Mabui stunned.
Mabui in particular went a little rigid.
Aoba felt the warmth in his palm rising and withdrew his hand.
"Ahem! I said do not be so reserved. Next time raise your head a little."
After saying that, Aoba left the office.
Only the two who looked at each other remained.
After a long moment, Samui recovered first, after all it had not been her head that was touched, "It seems his next target is you."
"Huh?", Mabui still had a faint blush on her face. Such a sudden surprise attack had indeed caught her off guard.
More importantly, Aoba was so handsome that she found herself unable to resist.
"T-That should not be possible. Maybe... maybe he really just thought I was too stiff and wanted me to act more natural," Mabui thought for a long time and could only follow the explanation Aoba had given earlier.
"Then why did he only touch you and not me?", Samui said quietly.
"How would I know!", Mabui turned her head away.
Although she often teased Yugito, when it came to her own head being patted, Mabui's reaction was not much better.
After all, it was the first time for both of them; no one had the advantage.
"..."
Samui was speechless, "Didn't you say before that if Aoba wanted to make a move on you, you would just agree?"
"T-That was a joke, and besides, obviously your charm is greater than mine."
"That is not certain. Maybe he just likes your type."
Samui then remembered something and continued, "Didn't Yugito say that Aoba brought back a girl who looks a bit like you?"
"...", Mabui had no snappy retort now. She returned to her workstation and began to zone out.
How to put it, although she had been arguing earlier, inside she was actually a little happy.
Undeniably, Aoba was a very outstanding young man.
But that happiness did not come solely from being liked by Aoba. It was also tied to a little competitive streak with Samui.
After all these years, wherever she went Samui seemed to attract attention like two giant magnets, always drawing eyes first.
Although Mabui did not care much, there was still a bit of frustration.
If she could be chosen before Samui, she would not be able to help feeling secretly pleased.
Samui's thoughts were not very different.
She often felt Aoba's gaze fall on her, 'Fine, he chose Yugito first, but why choose Mabui over me?'
Whether Aoba liked her or not was not that important, she just did not understand.
After all, the three of them had grown up together. Compared with Mabui and Yugito, she believed only her looks were better than theirs.
She had not expected to encounter such a setback here.
'Could it be because of Tsunade?'
'Come to think of it, my figure does overlap a bit with Tsunade's...'
———
[Roran]
Inside the office of the Queen of Roran.
"Mmm! Sensei has not come in a long time. I do not even have the motivation to train lately," Sara lay on the sofa, sticking up her two pristine little feet, sulking in great dissatisfaction.
Seramu, who was sitting at her desk handling work, could not help but glare at Sara.
"Sara, this is an office. You cannot be so casual."
"Mmm."
Sara puckered her lips even higher, "It is all mom's fault. If not for you, mom, I would have moved to the Leaf to live with sensei already."
Seramu's face turned serious and the work in his hands stopped, "What did you say?"
"N-Nothing," Sara's expression drooped and she dared not say more.
Because this version of mom might actually be truly angry.
Seramu's expression relaxed again and she began to speak earnestly, "Sara, you are the future Queen of Roran. You should put more energy into training and studying, not pester Aoba every day."
"But I am only thirte*n!"
Sara was very unhappy. She felt being the Queen of Roran was a waste of her time.
"You must train from a young age, otherwise when you ascend, how will you take on so much work?"
"But mom, you are still so young. Even if you reign for decades it should be fine. How about you give me a little sister?", A flash of cleverness lit Sara's eyes as she suddenly proposed a bold idea.
Seramu looked at her silly daughter and could not help the corner of her mouth twitch.
Yet a small stir arose in her heart. She was not that young anymore, but with a shinobi body she could still have a child if she wished.
However... Seramu's gaze turned suspicious as she looked at Sara.
'This girl, has she already seen something and is testing me with this?'
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