9
The Reasons for Choosing Kimono
As Luke and the other finished their noodles and prepared to leave, Ayame hurriedly asked her father for time off.
“Dad, I’m going out for a bit. I’ll be back before dinner.”
“Wait, if you go out, what about the shop’s business?” Teuchi Ichiraku noticed her eyes had been fixed on the Chuan brothers the whole time, and his face turned pale.
Though he knew this day would come eventually, seeing his daughter about to be taken away still felt terrible!
“Closing for one day won’t hurt anything.”
“I’ve never closed the shop once in thirty years of business!”
“Then hire some help.” Ayame puffed her cheeks in slight anger. “You don’t expect me to help in the shop forever, do you?”
“What’s wrong with that?”
Ichiraku indicated that the family business was doing well and could easily support both father and daughter.
That’s exactly the problem, Ayame couldn’t help rolling her eyes. Your daughter is in the prime of her youth, why should she stay confined here with you?
“Don’t try to persuade me, or I won’t come home for dinner either.”
Teuchi Ichiraku: …
He had to admit he felt threatened.
Seeing that Luke had already walked out, Ayame immediately abandoned her miserable-looking father and chased after him.
“Luke, wait up!”
Luke, who had been aware of the situation all along, stopped and put on a clueless expression.
As they stood facing each other, the slightly blushing girl’s intentions were completely obvious.
“Luke, I…”
Considering the girl might be shy, Luke took the initiative and said with a smile: “I haven’t decided on a birthday gift for my brother yet. Would you like to come with me to look around town for something suitable?”
Ayame nodded hastily, “O-of course I’m free.”
Luke waved to Chuan Guang, “Xiao Guang, you can head back first.”
Chuan Guang was clearly unhappy with his brother prioritizing romance over family, but he didn’t spoil Luke’s plans, just obediently nodded.
After shaking off his little shadow, Luke and Ayame walked side by side along the street.
“So, what do you want to buy as a gift for Xiao Guang?”
Luke thought for a moment, “How about an Exploding Tag?”
If possible, he wanted to buy one to test whether his current physique could withstand the explosion.
Ayame: “…Isn’t that a bit dangerous? Besides, only Ninja can purchase Exploding Tags.”
Is that really something you should get for a child?
“Just kidding. I plan to buy a wooden sword in a child’s size.”
Luke smiled, brushing past the previous topic.
Ayame thought carefully, “A wooden sword? Do children really like that sort of thing?”
“Ha, not just children. Even adults – we men can hardly resist such things. If we see a nicely shaped branch on the ground, we’ll play with it for quite a while.”
Are boys really that childish? She thought Luke usually seemed quite mature.
Ayame was somewhat surprised when she suddenly noticed Luke stopping in front of a clothing store.
“We’re here.”
“I thought we were buying a wooden sword?” Ayame was slightly taken aback. When she realized it was a store specializing in women’s clothing, her expression turned strange. Could it be that Luke wanted to buy a dress for his brother?
Although Xiao Guang is indeed very cute, wouldn’t that be a bit too mischievous?
Luke naturally took her hand and winked at her, “I’m not so clueless as to take a girl on our first date to buy children’s toys.”
Feeling the warmth of another person’s hand holding hers, Ayame blushed and allowed Luke to lead her into the shop.
Help, he’s so smooth!
Just as Ayame was feeling shy, her gaze suddenly sharpened.
Yes, how is he so experienced?
She’d never seen any other women around him before.
“My mother gave me some advice. She said when you’re unsure about a girl’s preferences, taking her to buy pretty clothes and eat sweets is never wrong.”
Sensing Ayame’s change in mood, Luke offered a timely explanation. Though it wasn’t actually his mother’s guidance – in his previous life, he had been a top-tier romance theory master.
“I see.”
Ayame lowered her head in embarrassment.
As the two entered the store, a shop assistant immediately approached.
“Miss, is there anything you’re looking for?”
“We’re just browsing.”
“We just received a new shipment with 30% off. If you buy two items at once, you’ll also qualify for additional discounts.” The shop assistant remained persistent, blocking their path with a practiced smile.
“Pfft.”
Ayame suddenly chuckled, casting a teasing look at Luke. These strange yet highly effective sales strategies all originated from him.
Luke shrugged. It wasn’t his fault – he hadn’t even complained about being copied, though these ideas weren’t originally his to begin with.
Ignoring the chattering shop assistant, Luke led Ayame straight to the kimono section. After looking around, he picked up a deep red kimono with gold-threaded edges and embroidered maple leaves.
“Try this on.”
Ayame accepted the clothing Luke had chosen. The kimono was beautiful, and since it was picked by someone she liked, she loved it too, but…
“Why did Luke-kun choose a kimono?”
It certainly wasn’t because kimonos looked good, were easy to take off, could double as bedsheets, and their obi belts could be used for bondage play.
It was purely because he thought Ayame would look beautiful in it!
Luke looked at her innocently. “Summer is coming soon, and I want to attend the Summer Festival with you.”
“I have my own, you know.” Despite saying this, Ayame still took the kimono to the changing room.
Luke glanced at the price tag – 100,000 ryo.
Tch, it’s so easy to make money from girls.
Fortunately, he had Kakashi’s sponsorship.
Luke silently thanked Kakashi in his heart – Kakashi was truly his eternal best friend.
…
“Achoo!”
Kakashi couldn’t help but sneeze, drawing concerned looks from the Third Hokage beside him.
“What’s wrong, Kakashi? Not resting well? You have been working hard lately.”
“It’s nothing, Lord Third. This is my duty.” Kakashi handed over the documents in his hand.
The Third Hokage examined them carefully before falling silent for a moment. “Is this intelligence reliable? Has the Uchiha clan really started voicing rebellion?”
Ever since the Nine-Tails incident six years ago, because of the Sharingan seen in the Nine-Tails’ eyes, the Uchiha clan had faced serious suspicion, and their territory had been relocated to the village outskirts.
Since then, fleeting voices of resistance had emerged within the Uchiha clan. Brewing until now, the war faction had become a force that couldn’t be ignored.
“This combines my recent observations with information collected by the ninja you previously dispatched.” Kakashi carefully avoided stating his personal opinion.
“…Fortunately, the situation hasn’t reached uncontrollable levels yet. Please call Shisui for me. I need to discuss our next steps with him.”
After a long while, the Third Hokage let out a sigh. Unless absolutely necessary, he truly didn’t want to cause turmoil within the village.
“Yes.”
Kakashi silently withdrew.
…
When Ayame stood gracefully before Luke in her red maple-leaf kimono, the dark-colored garment lent her demeanor a touch of maturity, giving her the appearance of an elegant lady who had stepped across time at first glance.
“Very beautiful.”
Luke gave a thumbs-up.