"Oh, right—tomorrow I'll take you with me. Tonight, don't stay up sneaking peeks at my ninja academy books. Get a good rest. Tomorrow, the clan's strong ones will be teaching you in detail."
"When you're done eating, wash out the lunch box. I have to return it tomorrow."
Without waiting for Shisui's reply, Ryosuke wiped his mouth, got up, and went to his room.
"Yes!"
Shisui looked at his brother's closed door, warmth in his heart.
His big brother might talk in a teasing way sometimes, but his care was always genuine.
Time passed quickly, and the night was uneventful.
The next morning, before dawn, Ryosuke dragged a still-sleepy Shisui out of the house and headed toward Fugaku's home.
In the past, Ryosuke had never been an early riser. Even for classes at the academy, he'd cut it as close as possible.
Today was just about accompanying Shisui to report to the Clan Head—nothing major. Yet here he was, up at the crack of dawn.
Shisui couldn't make sense of it.
Seeing his puzzled look, Ryosuke cleared his throat.
"The plan for the day starts in the morning. From now on, when you're learning from the clan's experts, you need to be diligent."
Shisui knew his brother was just making excuses and gave a helpless nod.
"Yes, I understand, big brother."
Ryosuke turned toward Fugaku's front gate and took a deep breath.
"Uchiha Ryosuke brings his younger brother, Uchiha Shisui, to greet the Clan Head!"
Before long, the door opened from inside.
"Ryosuke, you're here so early!"
Mikoto's face was still youthful and radiant, her figure and beauty impossible to hide even in casual house clothes. Since giving birth to Itachi, she'd only grown more alluring.
After all, she was one of the Uchiha's renowned beauties.
Ding. Uchiha Sasuke Card Points +2.
Ding. Uchiha Sasuke Card Points +1.
Hearing the system chime, Ryosuke's heart settled.
"Yes—how could I treat the Clan Head's orders carelessly? I barely slept last night just thinking about it."
He scratched his head with a grin toward Mikoto.
"With a member of the clan like you, I feel proud to be Clan Head," came Fugaku's voice from the courtyard.
As he spoke, he walked up to the entrance.
His gaze swept over Ryosuke and finally landed on Shisui. He gave a barely noticeable nod.
"Clan Head, I've already spoken to Shisui about what you told me."
As Ryosuke finished, Shisui stepped forward politely.
"Uchiha Shisui will follow all the clan's arrangements."
A flicker of satisfaction passed through Fugaku's eyes.
Ding. Uchiha Sasuke Card Points +5.
"Mikoto, I'll be taking Shisui to the shrine. I'll leave Itachi in your care today."
Mikoto's expression stayed calm as she gave a small nod.
Fugaku then departed with Shisui.
Watching them go, Mikoto's face softened.
"Ryosuke, you came so early—you probably haven't eaten yet. How about joining me?"
Ding. Uchiha Sasuke Card Points +5.
Ding. Uchiha Sasuke Card Points +2.
"Sure, Mikoto-neesan. What's on the menu today?"
"How about tri-colored dango?"
As she spoke, Mikoto opened the door wide.
"If it's made by you, Mikoto-neesan, then I'm definitely eating my fill!"
Her gentle expression deepened as she led him inside.
Ding. Uchiha Sasuke Card Points +1.
"Mikoto-neesan, let me help you."
After Mikoto served him some morning tea and headed toward the kitchen, Ryosuke took a sip, then—without even wiping his mouth—followed her in.
Ding. Uchiha Sasuke Card Points +1.
"..."
"Fifty-three points… really not easy."
That morning, on the way to the ninja academy, Ryosuke ate a rice ball while checking his point total.
It had been nearly a week since he'd last gone to school.
The Uchiha clansman who had called him away earlier had gotten him two days off.
Ryosuke had then gone to the academy to extend it to half a month.
The purpose of all that time off, of course, was to farm as many card points as possible.
This past week, he hadn't gone anywhere else.
Any excuse he had, he'd go to Fugaku's house to build rapport.
In Fugaku's eyes, he was a steadfast supporter of the Uchiha.
In Mikoto's eyes, he was the younger brother who could talk about anything and was diligent with chores.
In Itachi's eyes, he was a kind older brother in the clan.
The only pity was that Itachi was still too small to even speak.
Still, because of his frequent visits, some clansmen who disliked him could no longer do anything openly, though they still whispered and mocked behind his back.
For the sake of points, Ryosuke didn't care—just the barking of a few dogs.
But in the past two days, the points had dropped sharply.
Just yesterday, not a single one.
When he asked the system, it replied that from the same person, the number of points dropped for a given card was limited.
To get more points from the same person for the same card, there was a cooldown period.
The cooldown time depended on the card's rank and its advancement level—at minimum, a full year.
Ryosuke understood. Staying in front of Fugaku's family wouldn't yield more now.
So, he decided to end his leave early and return to the academy.
"Ryosuke? Where have you been lately? Haven't seen you at school."
A voice called out.
Ryosuke turned and saw a brash Uchiha youth with goggles rushing over…
[End of Chapter]