“I refuse!”
Before Aoba Hayashi could even answer, Tenten flatly rejected the idea.
She puffed up her cheeks in anger until her little face looked just like a steamed bun.
Watching Tenten stubbornly refuse to back down, Hayashi felt a headache coming on.
Who said children didn’t get jealous?
Who said kids couldn’t keep score?
He looked at the money in his hands.
In one hand were several explosive tags Tenten had stuffed into it.
In the other was the allowance Ino had painstakingly earned by studying flower arranging.
In the end, he gritted his teeth and gave up on this “ten-pull.”
He had always earned money honestly, through fair trades.
He couldn’t let a little money break the hearts of three little girls.
If he chose Tenten just because of the money, Ino and Sakura would definitely be hurt.
But if he accepted Tenten’s money and still spent time with Ino and Sakura, that would be unfair to Tenten.
He had to treat everyone equally.
If he couldn’t keep the balance, what if one of them ran away?
It might be a little scummy, but he’d transmigrated into another world and even had a cheat.
Of course he wanted all of them.
That was the only ambition he had.
Taking the initiative, Aoba Hayashi grabbed Tenten’s and Ino’s hands and returned the money to each of them.
“Hayashi …”
Seeing him return what they’d given him, both girls panicked.
They all knew that, for some reason, Hayashi loved money.
If he was refusing even that now…
…Was he about to chase them away?
Ignoring their anxious expressions, Hayashi spoke seriously.
“Since we’re at my house, then how many people play and what we play will be decided by me.”
“No objections?”
“No objections!”
Before Tenten or Ino could even react, Sakura had already answered first.
Everyone turned to look at her in surprise.
Especially Uzuki Yugao.
The caution in her eyes deepened considerably.
She hadn’t expected that this quiet little girl was actually the highest-level player among the three.
“As long as I get to play with Hayashi …
I’m fine with anything…”
Being stared at by everyone again, Sakura mumbled shyly.
Hayashi smiled.
Although Sakura usually had the weakest presence, she was by far the one who put him most at ease.
She was considerate, often helped him out of awkward situations, and never forced him into the kinds of predicaments Tenten and Ino constantly created.
What kind of angelic little girlfriend was this?
She was nothing like the ill-mannered image she had in the original story.
Walking over, Hayashi gently rubbed Sakura’s short pink hair.
“Sakura really is the sensible one.”
“Hehe…
As long as Hayashi’s happy.”
Sakura lowered her head shyly under his touch.
Meanwhile, her inner personality was already grinning like an obsessed fangirl.
‘What terrifying skill…’
As the only bystander, Yugao saw everything most clearly.
Watching Sakura lower her head and affectionately rub against Hayashi’s little hand like an obedient puppy, she couldn’t help but feel relieved.
Thankfully she’d witnessed this today.
Otherwise, one day someone might steal her home before she even realized it.
Seeing this scene, the already anxious Tenten and Ino became even more flustered.
They hurried over and grabbed Hayashi’s hands again.
“We’re willing to play together too!”
Looking at the two girls’ desperate expressions, Hayashi couldn’t help smiling.
People always said triangles were the most stable shape.
Right now, Tenten, Ino, and Sakura had formed a perfectly stable triangle.
What Hayashi didn’t know…
…was that this triangle would soon become a quadrilateral.
His smile quickly faded, replaced by a serious expression.
“So…
you’re done arguing?”
“We’re done!”
Tenten and Ino shook their heads so vigorously they looked like little bobbleheads.
If Hayashi was willing to refuse even money, then they really had no other options.
Seeing this, his expression finally softened.
“That’s more like it.
We’re all friends.
Fighting over things is pointless.
It’s livelier with more people, and we can play more games too.”
“Mhm!”
All three girls nodded enthusiastically.
“In that case, today we’ll start with a story, then we’ll build snowmen.
And if there’s still time afterward, I’ll practice shuriken with you, Tenten.”
“How does that sound?”
“Great!”
The three girls answered in perfect unison.
Only then did Hayashi secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
In the future, he’d better avoid letting all three meet at the same time.
Right now they were still young enough to be fooled like this.
Once they grew older and became more mature…
…it probably wouldn’t work anymore.
Still, girls in the ninja world seemed to be hopeless romantics.
If they truly fell in love with someone, it was often for a lifetime.
The NTR warrior collapsed on the battlefield.
Hayashi led the three girls inside.
After all, despite the snow being beautiful, winter outside was still freezing.
“You’ve really planned everything down to the minute.
Hayashi , I didn’t expect you to be such a master of time management.”
Just as Hayashi thought everything had been arranged perfectly…
Yugao, who had been quietly observing the entire time, looked at him with a faintly aggrieved expression.
He immediately understood.
She was complaining that he’d forgotten all about her.
Hurrying over, Hayashi took her hand and led her to a seat.
“Big Sister Yugao, I recently came up with a really interesting story.”
Seeing how thoughtful he was, Yugao let it go and quietly sat beside the three girls.
All four perked up their ears, ready to listen.
“The story I’m telling today is called Romeo of the Senju and Juliet of the Uchiha.
“Long before Konoha was founded, the Senju Clan and the Uchiha Clan were sworn enemies.
“Romeo of the Senju and Juliet of the Uchiha first met beside a river.
At first, neither of them knew the other’s identity…”
Hayashi vividly told the tale.
Tenten, Ino, Sakura, and Yugao all listened quietly, completely forgetting the quarrel from earlier.
“…In the end, for the sake of the village, Romeo had no choice but to kill Juliet with his own hands.
“Not long afterward, overcome with grief, Romeo also passed away.
“Though their deaths marked the end of their lives, they achieved a moral victory.
At last, the two hostile clans reconciled and joined hands to protect Konoha together.”
As the story ended, Hayashi let out a long breath.
Storytelling really was exhausting.
“Sob…
sniff…”
Just as he planned to close his eyes and rest for a while, he suddenly heard someone quietly crying.
Looking over, he discovered that everyone’s mood had sunk.
The sobbing had come from Sakura.
Tenten, Ino, and Yugao all had red-rimmed eyes as well.
Clearly, they had all been deeply moved.
Hayashi was dumbfounded.
No one had ever cried when he told stories before.
Then he remembered…
The stories he’d told in the past had mostly been fairy tales.
He’d never told anything like this.
Still…
All he’d really done was swap the genders of those two famous lovers.
Could people actually ship that?
“You all…”
Just as Hayashi was about to comfort them—
“Hayashi , the Senju and Uchiha clans were awful!
They actually…
Mmff!”
The straightforward Ino had barely begun criticizing Konoha’s two greatest ninja clans before Hayashi slapped a hand over her mouth.
That was absolutely not a topic they could casually discuss.
“Mmm?”
Ino blinked in confusion, staring at Hayashi’s sudden action.
“The story’s over now.
Want to go build snowmen together?” Hayashi asked.
“It’s all your fault for telling that story.”
Tenten lowered her head, her voice muffled.
“Who could possibly be in the mood to build snowmen now?”
The other two girls felt the same.
Only Ino, whose mouth was still covered, had already forgotten all about the story.
Her face had turned completely crimson.
“Then how about we— Ah!”
Hayashi suddenly felt something warm, soft, and wet brush across the center of his palm.
Startled, he instantly pulled his hand back.
He looked at the glistening moisture on his palm…
Then stared at Ino, whose head was lowered so far that steam practically seemed ready to rise from it.
Hayashi’s cry caught the attention of the other three.
“Hayashi , what’s wrong?”
Yugao asked worriedly, her eyes still slightly red.
Hayashi immediately hid his right hand behind his back, looking awkward.
“I…
I was just wondering…
if we’re not building snowmen, what should we play next?”
“…”
The room fell silent again.
After thinking for quite a while and finally collecting herself, Sakura spoke.
“Then tell us another story, Hayashi .
But this time it has to be a happy one.”
“You have to cheer us up.”
As she said it, Sakura pouted adorably, looking thoroughly wronged.
“That’s right!
Another story!”
“It has to make me happy, or…
or you’ll have to keep telling stories tomorrow!”
“…”
Looking at the three girls whose emotions had swung wildly…
…and one little blonde whose face looked ready to start steaming…
Hayashi sighed.
Lowering his voice, he slowly said,
“Listen carefully.
What I’m about to tell you isn’t just another story.”
“It’s a huge secret.”
“A huge secret?”
All four girls were instantly captivated, listening with complete attention.
“That’s right.”
“It’s the secret between the Third Hokage…
and his beloved friend, Shimura Danzo.”