Deep down, I had always known this day would come.
It was inevitable.
No matter how many times I reminded myself to stay away from the important people of this world, no matter how desperately I tried to live the peaceful life of an ordinary civilian, there was one thing I could never erase.
The education I had received in my previous life.
The values that had shaped me from childhood had become part of my soul, carved so deeply into my bones that not even death and reincarnation could wash them away.
I simply couldn't watch an innocent child suffer right in front of me...
...and pretend I hadn't seen it.
Perhaps that made me foolish.
Perhaps it made me weak.
But I couldn't change who I was.
Naruto devoured the instant noodles with astonishing speed.
The empty bowl didn't remain full for even a minute before he was eagerly slurping down the last mouthful of broth.
I quietly watched him.
Even after finishing everything, he continued staring at the empty bowl as though reluctant for the meal to end.
That sight made my heart tighten.
Without saying anything, I stood up.
The stove crackled softly as I lit the fire once more.
A little cooking oil.
Two eggs.
Sizzle...
The fragrance quickly filled the small kitchen.
A few minutes later, I carried a plate of freshly fried eggs to the table and placed it in front of him.
"I'm afraid this isn't much."
"I can't really cook."
"Frying eggs is about the limit of my ability."
Naruto stared blankly at the plate.
His bright blue eyes slowly widened.
It was as though he had never seen fried eggs before.
The excitement on his face was so genuine that I almost wondered whether something this ordinary was truly a luxury to him.
"I'll definitely be full!"
His voice carried a happiness that couldn't be hidden.
Then his attention immediately shifted elsewhere.
"Big Sister..."
He looked around the spacious house with sparkling eyes.
"Do you really live here all by yourself?"
"This house is huge!"
"My apartment isn't even as big as your living room!"
The curiosity in his expression reminded me of a puppy visiting its owner's home for the very first time.
Everything fascinated him.
He wanted to explore.
Yet he restrained himself, afraid of touching something he shouldn't.
I couldn't help smiling.
"It only looks nice."
"Actually, living alone in a house this large is a headache."
He blinked.
"Really?"
"Of course."
"I have to maintain it."
"Cleaning takes forever."
"The repairs cost money."
"It's exhausting."
Naruto tilted his head.
"If it's that troublesome..."
"Why don't you move into a smaller house?"
Such an innocent question.
Such an obvious answer.
I leaned back slightly in my chair.
"Because..."
"This house belonged to my parents."
"They left it to me after they passed away."
"My mortgage is already paid."
"So compared to renting a place and paying every month..."
"It's actually cheaper."
Besides...
Ever since my novels became popular, I'd hired someone to clean the house regularly.
There was absolutely no way someone as physically weak as me could handle this place alone.
Naruto froze.
The chopsticks in his hand stopped halfway to his mouth.
His cheerful expression instantly turned into panic.
"I-I'm sorry!"
"I didn't mean—"
I immediately interrupted him.
"It's alright."
"I don't mind."
His shoulders relaxed slightly.
But my thoughts...
Had already drifted far away.
The truth was...
Those parents had never really been mine.
When I first arrived in this world, I had believed there had been some terrible mistake.
Everyone recognized me.
Everyone knew my name.
No one questioned where I had come from.
It was as though the world itself had rewritten reality to accommodate my existence.
One day...
Several adults had quietly led me to the cemetery.
"My condolences, Al."
That was what they said.
Then they stopped walking.
Before me stood two freshly built gravestones.
"My parents."
Or rather...
The parents this world had assigned to me.
I had never met them.
Never spoken to them.
Never even seen their faces.
Yet according to everyone else...
They had lovingly raised me until the day they died.
I stood there in silence.
A nine-year-old child crying before the graves of two complete strangers.
Everyone believed I was grieving my parents.
Only I knew the truth.
I wasn't crying for them.
I was crying for myself.
Because in that moment...
I realized I had truly lost my old world forever.
Even if I had screamed,
"These aren't my parents!"
No one would have believed me.
If I had collapsed...
People would have gently comforted me.
"Stay strong."
"Your parents would want you to keep living."
Keep living?
Easy for them to say.
They weren't the ones whose entire existence had been rewritten overnight.
Still...
Time moved forward.
Five years passed.
Slowly...
I learned how to survive.
How people spoke.
How civilians behaved.
How this world functioned.
When I watched Naruto back in my previous life...
He had simply been an anime character.
Someone who made me laugh.
Someone whose victories made me cheer.
Someone whose tragedies made me emotional.
After each episode ended...
I'd simply return to my own life.
Go to work.
Eat dinner.
Sleep.
Meet friends.
Anime occupied only a tiny corner of my everyday life.
But now...
Everything had changed.
These weren't drawings anymore.
These weren't voice actors reading scripts.
The people here laughed.
They cried.
They bled.
They suffered.
Everything was painfully real.
Little by little...
I found myself unable to remain a mere spectator.
Had I truly accepted living in this world?
...
I wasn't sure.
After dinner, Naruto stood at the entrance, putting on his worn sandals.
"Thank you for the meal!"
He smiled so brightly that it almost hurt to look at.
I smiled back.
"Take care on your way home."
He nodded enthusiastically.
"See you next time, Big Sister!"
The front door slowly closed.
Silence returned.
The house suddenly felt much larger than before.
His cheerful laughter still seemed to echo faintly through the hallway.
For several minutes...
I remained standing without moving.
Then I quietly cleaned the dishes.
Organized the groceries.
Placed everything neatly into the cupboards.
Routine.
Everything returned to normal.
Eventually, I entered my study.
Stacks of manuscripts covered the desk.
I picked up my fountain pen.
"Alright."
I whispered to myself.
"Don't think too much."
"Just write."
"As always."
The scratching of the pen soon became the only sound inside the room.
Naruto didn't see Big Sister again.
One day passed.
Then another.
Then another.
To an adult...
A month wasn't particularly long.
But to a five-year-old child...
A month felt almost endless.
Every single day, Naruto hoped for another chance encounter.
Maybe today.
Maybe tomorrow.
Surely...
They would meet again.
After all...
She had said so herself.
He intentionally changed the route he took home.
Instead of walking directly back to his apartment, he wandered through several extra streets.
Every path eventually brought him to one destination.
Big Sister's house.
The front gate remained closed.
The curtains never moved.
The clothesline in the yard hung empty, swaying gently whenever the wind passed through.
Sometimes...
He slowed his footsteps almost to a crawl.
Perhaps...
If he walked slowly enough...
The door would suddenly open.
Once...
He gathered every ounce of courage he possessed.
Standing before the front gate, he stared at the door for what felt like forever.
Maybe...
He should knock.
Just once.
If she answered...
He could casually say,
"Oh."
"I was just passing by."
He wouldn't admit he'd come looking for her.
That would be embarrassing.
But...
His hand never reached the door.
What if someone else answered?
What if she had moved away?
Or worse...
What if she looked at him with the same disgust everyone else did?
Like he was something filthy.
Something unwanted.
Naruto lowered his hand.
If that happened...
He felt...
His heart might shatter into pieces.
Quietly kicking a pebble across the road, he turned away.
That night...
He lay beneath his blanket.
Unable to sleep.
His tiny apartment felt colder than usual.
Closing his eyes...
He remembered dinner.
The instant noodles.
For some reason...
They had tasted much better than the ones he usually ate.
And those fried eggs...
The edges had been slightly burnt.
Crunchy.
Crispy.
He'd never realized burnt egg whites could taste so good.
Big Sister had apologized for not being good at cooking.
But to Naruto...
They were the most delicious eggs he'd ever eaten.
He quietly pulled the blanket tighter around himself.
Pretending...
Someone was hugging him.
Suddenly...
He sat upright in bed.
"She said..."
"'See you next time.'"
Children didn't understand polite expressions.
They didn't know adults sometimes said things they never truly meant.
To Naruto...
Those words were a promise.
If someone said they'd meet again...
Then they absolutely would.
The next day...
He walked that road again.
The door remained closed.
The third day...
Nothing changed.
On the fourth day...
Rain fell over Konoha.
Naruto held an old umbrella with a small hole near one of the ribs.
Water dripped steadily onto his left shoulder.
He didn't notice.
Standing across the street...
He stared silently at the house.
Maybe...
Big Sister was sick?
Maybe she'd gone somewhere?
Then he suddenly remembered something she'd said.
Cleaning such a large house was exhausting.
The more he thought about it...
The more convinced he became.
She must be tired.
That was definitely it.
Next time...
He'd help her clean.
His face instantly turned bright red.
"What am I thinking?!"
Embarrassed by his own imagination, he kicked a tiny puddle and ran away.
Water splashed behind him.
Days slowly turned into weeks.
Without realizing it...
Visiting that street had become part of his daily routine.
He even began inventing little games.
"If the wind blows today..."
"It means Big Sister is home."
"If the trees sway more than three times..."
"Then she's in a good mood."
That afternoon...
The wind was especially strong.
The branches danced wildly.
Even the empty clothesline swung back and forth.
Naruto smiled.
"Today's definitely the day."
His pace quickened.
His heart beat faster.
But when he reached the house...
The gate remained closed.
No footsteps.
No voices.
No lights.
Only silence greeted him once again.
The smile on his face slowly disappeared.
He stood there for several long moments.
Then lowered his head.
"When..."
He whispered quietly.
"...will 'next time' finally come?"
Far away, inside the silent house...
A pen paused above a sheet of paper.
As though someone had sensed an inexplicable tug at their heart.
Neither of them realized it yet.
But destiny had already begun weaving their paths together, one quiet day at a time.
The next meeting would not be a coincidence—it would become the first step toward changing both of their lonely lives forever.