Chapter 68

It was around two in the afternoon.

Shiraishi, as agreed, went to meet Ayane.

The so-called "old place" referred to Shiraishi's original home, a house that was only cleaned a few times a year.

"You're right on time, Shiraishi-kun."

At the entrance of the apartment building, Ayane, who saw Shiraishi arrive on time, stood there and smiled slightly.

"Didn't you say we would meet at two?"

"That's right."

"Then what do you need me for? I don't remember giving you any important observation tasks recently. So, did you specifically deceive Ruri to call me out because something happened?"

Ayane could deceive Ruri with the reason of an observation task, but she couldn't fool him.

Because Shiraishi knew very well whether he had given Ayane any important observation tasks.

Although he had assigned Ayane many observation tasks in the past, that was because the experiment was just starting, and many things indeed needed to be observed with the Byakugan.

Now that the research was well underway, ordinary experiments didn't require the Byakugan, and he didn't know how to use it to observe things he didn't understand.

So he thought Ayane must have come to him for something else, not for an observation task.

"Can't I call you out if there's nothing?"

"Not really, it just feels strange all of a sudden."

"I happen to be free today, so I thought I'd invite you to go shopping."

"Are you two planning to do this together?"

Shiraishi commented.

He had just gone shopping with Ruri yesterday afternoon, and now he was doing it again today.

If they had any more shopping needs in the future, they might as well go together to save time.

"What?"

Ayane looked at Shiraishi with a puzzled expression.

"No, nothing, I'm just complaining."

"If it's a bother, Shiraishi-kun, you can leave me here. After all, work is important."

Ayane winked at Shiraishi and smiled understandingly.

"No need, things are going smoothly at work lately. And it's not that busy. I'm fine."

If he really went back to work at this moment, it would be too heartless.

Besides, there were a few temporary assistants in the lab who could follow the experimental steps he provided and conduct the experiments slowly, so there wouldn't be any major issues.

"Is that so? That's great."

"But do you need to buy something?"

"Yes, recently, for some reason, I always feel a tightness in my chest, as if the clothes inside are about to burst open."

Ayane tugged at the collar of her shirt, speaking these words without any concern in front of Shiraishi.

"Don't say things like that in front of me, or I might take you seriously."

Really, none of them let him have a moment's peace.

Shiraishi sighed helplessly.

"Then, are you going to thoroughly examine me from head to toe, Dr. Shiraishi?"

Ayane lightly brushed the bangs from her forehead, her smile very pure and charming.

When she said this, she didn't seem to realize how explosive her words were for a boy.

In a certain sense, Shiraishi thought Ayane was more dangerous than Ruri.

It was all because he had set a bad example for her when they were young.

Now she had learned to act badly in a way that was quite convincing.

When they first met, Ayane was a simple and innocent girl.

But after that incident, although she still looked pure and harmless on the outside, her true nature... had already become thoroughly corrupt.

If he had known this, he should have educated her differently.

Now it was too late to regret it.

"No."

Shiraishi felt his heart beat fiercely for a moment, then he averted his gaze from Ayane and adjusted his breathing.

If he judged her to be a frivolous and casual person based on her words, he would surely be at a disadvantage.

She was, after all, just like him, skilled at pretending and deceiving.

Completely different from the traditional Hyuga clan ninja.

Seeing Shiraishi refuse, Ayane just smiled and said nothing.

Then, Shiraishi followed Ayane's footsteps, strolling around the village of Konoha.

For Shiraishi, this was just like taking a walk to relax, although he didn't understand why women suddenly became so enthusiastic about shopping...

But from a physiological and psychological perspective, there were significant differences between men and women, so he considered this to be a meaningful activity.

The weather in late August was always so stiflingly hot, even though the hottest part of the day had passed, the afternoon sun was still very glaring.

The Land of Fire was a country with distinct seasons, and the village of Konoha, located in this country, was no exception.

Due to the war, there were almost no active ninja visible on the streets of Konoha.

Except for those like Shiraishi, who were temporarily staying in the village for special reasons, and some who were indeed needed to remain in the village to protect its safety.

From Shiraishi's perspective, the prosperity of Konoha was actually quite low, but compared to the overall environment of the ninja world, internal peace was a blessing.

Ayane didn't need to buy much, mostly just some accessories that Shiraishi wasn't very interested in.

Watching Ayane pick and choose at the shop, even from the side, she looked like a very cute girl.

Her skin was as white as snow, and her long, straight black hair, shining with a black luster under the sunlight.

Shiraishi looked around and saw a gray and white cat lazily lying on the opposite wall, its posture as if it had just woken up from a sweet dream, lifting a front paw to lick itself.

It looked completely normal.

Shiraishi scratched his head and was about to take a step forward when Ayane's voice came from behind: "What's wrong?"

"Ah, I was looking at the cat."

Shiraishi turned his head and replied.

"Cat?"

Ayane followed Shiraishi's gaze, but there was nothing on the opposite wall, no cat at all.

"It's gone."

This was bad.

"Really, what's so interesting about a cat?"

Ayane's tone was somewhat dissatisfied.

"What, do you hate cats?"

"Not really, but I don't like them either. If I were to have a pet, a dog would be better."

Shiraishi nodded, indeed, from a statistical perspective, he also preferred dogs.

The Inuzuka clan had a ninja dog shop in the village. Because the price of ninja dogs was much higher than ordinary pet dogs, and the food for ninja dogs was very luxurious, few ninja bought and raised them.

He could go and take a look some day.

Ninja dogs... sounded cool.

Most importantly, dogs had a keen sense of smell, which could be very useful when needed.

"Because dog meat is very tasty, but cat meat has a poor texture."

Ayane added, as if she had done a lot of research on this.

Hearing this, Shiraishi immediately gave up the idea of raising a ninja dog.

He felt that it would end up in Ayane's stomach on the day he bought it.

"Where else do you want to go?"

Shiraishi asked.

"I want to buy some new clothes. I feel like I really need to change every month, they're too tight. During the last mission, I also felt a tightness in my chest."

Ayane smiled bitterly and patted her chest, which had good development potential.

"..."

Shiraishi didn't know how to respond.

He could only follow Ayane's wishes and go shopping for new clothes with her.

As they walked, Shiraishi realized something was off. This road... seemed familiar.

Sure enough, the clothing store he had visited with Ruri yesterday was right in front of them.

However, the one serving them in the store was not Mr. Fujimura, but an unfamiliar young woman.

She was petite, with shoulder-length brown hair, and had a good figure and face.

Shiraishi remembered Mr. Fujimura saying yesterday that this was his current girlfriend's store. Was this woman Mr. Fujimura's girlfriend?

Shiraishi glanced at her but didn't pay much attention.

"Welcome, please take your time."

The female shop owner smiled warmly.

"Thank you."

Ayane nodded to the shop owner and began to browse the clothes in the store.

"By the way, Shiraishi-kun, what color of underwear do you think would suit me?"

"What do you ask me for? Just buy what you like."

Shiraishi turned his head.

"Then, which is better, white or black?"

Ayane stopped and looked as if she was seriously thinking.

"I already said, just buy what you like, no need to ask for my opinion."

"Does that mean, Shiraishi-kun likes other colors? Light pink? Or a more vibrant purple?"

"Where did you get the idea that I was giving an opinion?"

Shiraishi looked at Ayane speechlessly.

Ayane then said with a troubled expression: "But, we girls don't always choose clothes for ourselves."

Then, her smile became more meaningful.

"Then, white it is."

Shiraishi gave his opinion straightforwardly.

"Okay, then white it is."

Ayane asked the shop owner to take down the set of underwear she liked and pack it in a fancy bag.

Shiraishi continued to look outside, but this time he didn't see the cat.

Then, he felt someone patting his shoulder, it was Ayane.

"Shiraishi-kun, are you daydreaming again?"

"I was looking at the cat."

"What about my suggestion just now?"

Ayane looked at him with a pure gaze.

"Suggestion? What suggestion?"

Shiraishi looked puzzled, possibly missing something while he was watching the cat.

"The clothes I wore during the New Year are a bit small now. I want you to help me choose a new style."

New Year? Another kimono?

Shiraishi felt a headache coming on.

The Hyuga clan, like the Uchiha, was a very traditional ninja clan.

During the New Year, women would wear very formal kimonos, symbolizing the welcoming of the new and the farewell to the old, and participating in the clan's annual festival.

"Just pick one."

"But it's an important annual festival, how can I just pick one? But I did like one, that one."

Shiraishi looked in the direction Ayane pointed, it was a white kimono with pink cherry blossom patterns. Just at first glance, Shiraishi thought it would look very good on Ayane.

Shiraishi nodded and said, "It's nice, let's go with this one."

This time, he wouldn't say anything about buying such clothes for a girl.

"Ayane, you think this one is nice too? Then let's go with this one."

Ayane happily asked the shop owner to take down the kimono, but suddenly she clutched her stomach, looking uncomfortable.

"What's wrong?"

"I ate too much at noon, and now my stomach hurts. Can you wait here for a moment, Shiraishi-kun? I'll be back soon."

Shiraishi nodded without much thought.

However, after Ayane left for half an hour, she still hadn't returned, and Shiraishi frowned.

The shop owner had already packed the kimono Ayane chose, along with the underwear, waiting for her to come back and pay.

But... why did the shop owner's expression look increasingly strange?

Was she worried about not getting paid?

While Shiraishi was wondering why Ayane hadn't returned, a passerby walked in and handed him a note, saying, "A young girl asked me to give this to you."

The passerby left after saying that.

"..."

Shiraishi suddenly had a bad feeling.

He opened the note and read a message:

Sorry, Shiraishi-kun, someone from the clan suddenly called me, and I have to go back. Can you pay for the clothes for me? I'll pay you back later. If you can, please give me the clothes during the New Year. I'll wear them for you then.

...I was tricked?

This was Shiraishi's first thought.

When did Ayane's tricks become so hard to see through?

He shouldn't have used that method to train her from the beginning.

Now, the problem has arisen.

Under the shop owner's somewhat impatient gaze, Shiraishi reluctantly paid for the two pieces of clothing.

This made the shop owner's expression clear up: "Thank you for coming, you can get a 10% discount next time."

Shiraishi held the bag with the clothes, feeling the weight of the clothes inside.

He wasn't unaware of Ayane's or Ruri's feelings.

For girls of this age, it was normal to be at the stage of budding affection, to care about things that boys wouldn't.

Their feelings were very pure and direct.

But Shiraishi believed that matters of the heart should not be forced, they should be allowed to develop naturally, and one should not be frivolous, but should be cautious from the beginning to the end.

The current fondness might not be love, but something else.

This might seem a bit arrogant, but that's how Shiraishi viewed love.

Everyone thinks their love is unique, but it's just a repetition of vulgar stories.

Feeling this way, Shiraishi considered himself a vulgar person.

He had been troubled by such things before, which was a bit embarrassing. Shiraishi sighed.

He was not a normal twelve-year-old child.

He had a mature soul, his own plans, and a deep understanding of his life.

These values might not align with Ruri's or Ayane's in the future.

Shiraishi didn't want to let down anyone who was good to him.

Most importantly, they were too young...

He couldn't bring himself to do it.

Copper refining cannot enrich the country or strengthen the army, it can only lead to imprisonment.

That sinful value deeply bound him.

Adapting to local customs only applied to certain things.

The feelings of those he cherished were the last things he should play with or trample.