(Lose your mind—happiness is the most important thing.)(No conspiracy theories, multiple heroines, mostly slice-of-life.)
Dusk.
The sun was already sinking toward the horizon. The faint wind still cut through the air like a blade, slicing across faces in sharp, stinging bursts.
Under last night's heavy, goose-feather snowfall, the entire village had been draped in thick silver. Snowflakes still danced in the air, falling gently in a quiet flurry.
It was the season of the White Album again.
Under the sunset—
"Aoba… I… I like you!"
On the towering Hokage Rock, nearly a hundred meters tall, two tiny figures stood side by side, looking down over Konoha's snowy scenery.
No building in the village could surpass the height of Hokage Rock, so from here, the entire village lay spread out like a glittering tapestry.
Such a view naturally made one feel peaceful, almost serene.
It was in this kind of setting that the girl's clear, bright voice drifted into the boy's ears.
Even though he had experienced this kind of moment many times already, Shirakumo Aoba still felt a sudden daze wash over him.
How could this be happening? They were only six years old. Why was he already dealing with something like this?
He was once again witnessing the explosive chaos of the ninja world.
Aoba pulled his gaze away from the snowy village below and turned to look at the girl beside him—she was half a year older, but somehow a little shorter than him.
Her black hair was tied into two cute buns. Her cheeks still held baby fat, and her thick red winter jacket made her look even rounder.
Her face was flushed, either from her earlier confession or from the glow of the sunset. Her cheeks were rosy, almost painfully so.
TenTen.
Aoba thought to himself: if one day he found out his daughter confessed to another boy at the age of six, he would make that boy eat a huge plate of stir-fried bamboo shoots and shredded pork—covered in chili powder, just to vent his anger.
But since he was the one being confessed to now… he would pretend he never said it.
Faced with TenTen's innocent yet practiced confession, Aoba didn't even think. He opened his mouth, assuming it was like before—
But TenTen quickly covered his mouth with her hand. Her face turned even redder, and she shyly whispered:
"Th-this time… it's not pretend play…"
Looking into the boy's clear, pure eyes, TenTen loosened her grip and withdrew her hand from his mouth.
Then her gaze flickered away, shifting awkwardly elsewhere. Her hands twisted together in front of her chest, trembling with nervousness.
"U-um…"
Now it was Aoba's turn to be at a loss for words. Everything had been going smoothly, and now this emotional complication had shown up out of nowhere.
It wasn't that he didn't like TenTen. It was just that if he agreed, then what if he went home one day and heard the kettle boiling?
Maybe it was better to stall for now.
"Why don't we just… play pretend again?"
"Or I could give you today's lesson for free… how about that?"
He hadn't finished his sentence before TenTen's eyes widened. She stared at him with a gaze so intense it made his breath catch.
Her breathing became sharp and rapid. A small "hashtag" stress mark appeared on her forehead. Her cheeks puffed slightly, making her face look even rounder.
"You're not agreeing because you like Ino more?"
"Or Sakura?"
Aoba's head began to hurt. At only five years old, he had assumed this was just a simple training relationship. He hadn't expected to be thrown into a high-level psychological battlefield so early in life.
Weren't they supposed to be having fun together?
"Who do you like more?"
TenTen couldn't hold back anymore, seeing Aoba remain silent.
Aoba swallowed hard.
Among the three girls—
He made a decisive choice.
"I like… money more!"
…
Silence.
"You little—!"
Finally, TenTen gritted her teeth and stomped her foot hard onto the top of Aoba's foot.
"Ugh!"
Aoba sucked in a sharp breath.
"Hmph!"
"You're so greedy for money, you might as well spend your whole life with it!"
TenTen pulled a detonating tag from her pocket and slapped it onto Aoba's face, then stormed off in a huff.
Watching her retreating figure, Aoba could only sigh inwardly.
Ninja kids really did mature too early.
Although TenTen seemed furious, Aoba didn't chase after her. Until he could give an answer, it was better to let things cool down for now.
When he went to see her tomorrow, her anger would likely have faded. After all, despite their early maturity, they were still children. They rarely held grudges overnight.
Aoba picked up the detonating tag that had fallen to the ground. He had been a little scared earlier—if TenTen really got angry enough, this thing could've seriously hurt him.
But a detonating tag wasn't cheap. One cost two thousand ryo.
That was part of his payment. After all, their relationship had started as a mutual arrangement.
Over the past year, Aoba had often taught TenTen advanced shuriken throwing techniques, and this money was partially her tuition.
And Aoba was very, very, very short on money right now.
Not because his family was poor—though he was an orphan, he had an elite jonin uncle, so food and clothing were never an issue.
The main reason was his suddenly awakened annoying system.
After TenTen's figure completely disappeared, Aoba opened his system panel.
［Ninja Gacha System lv1］ (Upgrade cost: 35,000,000 ryo)
Hmm. One Asuma would be enough to upgrade it.
［The host can spend items of corresponding value to draw cards and obtain desired abilities.］［Current draws: 89］［Each draw costs 1,000 ryo. Every 100 draws guarantees an SR, every 300 guarantees an SSR, and every 1,000 guarantees a UR.］［21 draws until next guaranteed SR, 211 draws until next guaranteed SSR, 911 draws until next guaranteed UR.］［Current draw history:SR: Advanced Shuriken Throwing TechniqueR: Small Chakra ×6; Shuriken ×48; Kunai ×30; Detonating Tag ×4］
Detonating tags and small chakra were guaranteed at least once every ten draws.
Still, the small chakra was very useful. He was only five years old, but his chakra reserves were already similar to a normal genin.
If he ever drew tens of thousands of times, he'd basically become a human tailed beast.
But the gacha rates were truly pitiful.
Besides the SR from the system's initial ten-draw bonus, he hadn't pulled another SR. He'd been forced to rely on guarantees.
Still, the advanced shuriken throwing technique was a decent skill for its value. It had plenty of use in the early stages.
And it gave him a stable income. Right now, he was TenTen's shuriken teacher.
A private tutor and a female student.
It had that distinct island-nation vibe.
And Aoba was just going with the flow.