Waking up, I looked around my dim room, the lingering smell of last night filling my nose. Sighing, I looked down at myself, quickly realizing I needed to at the very least wipe myself down.
Throwing on my clothes, I moved downstairs. Seeing a woman leaning on the counter, yawning, I tossed her a coin before asking where I could go to wash up. Seeing her point towards a door in the back, I quickly entered, seeing a long row of stalls. Entering one, I striped down and quickly went about washing myself, allowing the water from the shower to trickle down my body.
Sighing again, I hung my head, thinking about the previous day. I had multiple chances early on to tell Ryuka that I wasn't available that way; that I was in a relationship. However, I never did, reveling in the fact that she found me so desirable. Gently leaning my head on the wall, I grit my teeth. Did I really need that validation? Wasn't Anko's and Kurenai's gazes enough?
Finishing up, I quickly threw on my clothes again, my determination to leave this village reaching a new peak. I wanted to be home, to be back in a place where I was comfortable.
Taking a nutrient pellet out and swallowing it, I rushed through the village, making my way towards the gate. Sadly, the Sage had other things in store for me, as I saw Ryuka's figure leaning against one of the gate posts. Sighing, I slowed down.
Looking towards me with a sad smile, Ryuka moved closer.
"Miss Kanei... I wish you had a pleasant experience in our village. Please, if you ever find yourself in the area, drop by for a visit..."
Hearing her low tone, I stiffly nodded. Times like this were hard for me; when people were feeling down because of me, I had no idea what to do. Especially not in this situation. Knowing that she held romantic feelings for me, no matter how fleeting, made me overthink every little thing.
"Ryuka... again, I'm sorry. Really. I should have said something much sooner."
She shook her head, before sighing. Looking back at me, her normally serious expression had returned. "Thank you for everything, Miss Kanei."
Bowing slightly, she turned, leaving. Watching her depart, I sighed again, before I too turned around.
Slowly picking up my pace, I started my trek home; my journey back to Konoha.
~~~
The journey took me just under eight hours. I stopped at Sagen Harbor for an hour to rest, before making my way north to Konoha.
The gate was again manned by Yuga Inuzuka and her ninken, Shuiro. When she saw me, she smiled, standing up. Giving her a wave, she started doing the paperwork. When she turned to me, handing me the piece I was to sign, her nose scrunched up slightly, before giving me a knowing grin.
"Mission was too long, huh? Needed to give yourself a 'confidence' boost?"
Glaring at her, I signed the paper. Sliding it over to her, she chuckled again, before leaning towards my ear.
"Y'know, your 'smell' is quite intoxicating, Koko~ Quite strong too... you might want to go home and fix that, yeah?"
Moving back a step, I could see her gazing over my body, licking her lips slightly. Sighing, I made my way through the gate, beelining for the Mitarashi Compound.
Seeing the decrepit gate had been patched up, I smiled before quickly entering the compound.
Looking towards the Main House, I noticed the grass had been cut, tree's pruned, and the house was currently being worked on. Slowly walking the path, I saw one of the workers turn towards me.
"Hey! This is private property; what are you doing here?"
Smiling, I replied "I hired your boss, Arata Inu, for a three month contract on the Mitarashi Compound, which would be paid over five months. Is that proof enough I belong here?"
Hearing that, the man nodded. Pointing towards the front door, he said "We finished the main bedroom and bathroom, and are currently finishing the kitchen. After that, we will slowly make our way through the rest of the rooms, as well as the land surrounding the property. Sorry about that..."
Chuckling, I nodded to the man before walking inside. Moving towards the kitchen, I looked for the most important person on there. Finding him, I said "Hey, just letting you know that I'm here now, and I'm going to be taking a bath. If I catch anyone peeping..."
The men in the kitchen nodded quickly, paling when I gave them a chilling smile.
Satisfied, I made my way to the bedroom, enjoying the general improvements to the house.
Sliding the door open, I smiled when I saw the previously decrepit room had been restored. The long, brown planks of wood for floor, the grey paper walls contrasting not only the floor but also the support beams.
Although empty, I could already see the room taking shape. A large bed on the far wall, with a different dresser for each of us on the right wall. Shelves on the left, holding our gear and general knickknacks, while a few carpets and couches finished the room off. I always preferred simple over gaudy, and that was the way I wanted to decorate the house; simple, elegant, and useful.
Sighing, I realized that the most expensive thing other than the house itself would need to be the bed; Anko alone could break a normal bed, but adding Kurenai...
Feeling the familiar clench, I growled slightly. When they get back...
Shaking my head, I threw off my clothes, moving towards the door on my left. I had asked Arata to add a door between the bedroom and bathroom; after all, I would rather avoid having to walk out the bedroom to get into the bath, especially after heated nights.
Entering the bath, I was stunned. Like the previous style, the flooring was stone, much like a hot spring. The walls were the same wood planks as the ones in the bedroom, and there were three showers along one wall, a small cubicle in the right corner for the toilet, and a large sink with a mirror that spanned the entire thing. Looking around, I had a wide grin, imagining all the antics the girls will get up to when they return.
Moving towards a shower, I turned it on, letting the sweat from running all day be washed away. Quickly finishing up, I looked towards the large bath, smiling. Quickly hopping in, I turned on the water, putting it on a slightly hot setting.
Moaning slightly as I submerged myself into the water, I sighed in relief as I sat there, feeling the water slowly heating up.
As my muscles slowly relaxed, I sunk deeper into the bath, my nose barely above water.
For a long time I sat there, my mind blank as I dozed off, enjoying the warm water.
Eventually I jolted awake, sending waves throughout the bath. Standing up, I turned off the water before getting out, stretching.
Moving towards the sinks, I looked into the mirror.
Seeing my long auburn hair clinging wetly to my face and body, I sighed. Both Anko and Kurenai where much better looking than me. Anko had a body to kill for, which when paired with her mischievous expression made her look extremely seductive. Conversely, Kurenai also had a great body, but her elegance and reserved style of dressing made her that much more desirable to people.
However, looking at myself, I couldn't find the things that would make people like that fall for me.
Frowning, I wondered what everyone found attractive about me; was it just my body? I had great curves on the lower side, but above... well, I wasn't the largest, nor was I the smallest.
Slapping my cheeks, I glared at my reflection, growling slightly.
"Stop thinking like that, Kokoro! They love you, just like you love them. End of story!"
Saying so, I stormed out of the room, annoyed at myself for that moment of doubt.
Taking one of the scrolls from the vest, I took out a fresh pair of clothes. Putting on my vest, I made my way out of the house, nodding to the workers who were still toiling.
Looking towards the direction of the Academy, I started walking.
Passing various shinobi and civilians, I lost myself to the hubbub of daily life, enjoying the moment.
Gradually, the number of people decreased. Looking at the sky, I saw that the sun had almost descended completely. Thankfully the Mission Desk was open all the time, so I had no need to rush.
Stepping onto Academy grounds, I walked towards the Mission Desk, getting into line.
Pulling out the scroll with the silk and herbs, I took out a bolt, inspecting it.
It was a simple pattern of three colors; a wide red stripe followed by two smaller stripes in grey and then black. It looked decent enough, but I always preferred solid color clothing over patterns. Additionally, the silk felt light and smooth. Smiling, I couldn't wait to find a clothing store tomorrow and see how much this is worth.
Placing it back into the scroll, I withdrew a pouch of herbs next.
Opening the pouch, a fragrant smell wafted out. Looking into the pouch, I could see the leafy like herbs in the pouch, and pulling one out and taking a sniff, I recognized the lemony, almost mint like smell that denoted this as basil.
Smiling again, I couldn't help but feel like the bandits near Sora-Ku had done me a huge favor. After all, basil is a widely used herb, and is worth a decent bit. Additionally, the silk is always worth a good bit, even lower quality bolts.
Placing the scroll back inside my vest, I waited for my turn, which wasn't long.
Handing over the four mission scrolls, the man sitting at the table nodded as he scribbled down each completion. However, when he reached the Sora-Ku bounty, he frowned. Looking up at me, he asked "What happened to the Nukenin that were there?"
I quickly handed over the scroll from Chief Tenro. Reading it, the man nodded his head. Looking back up at me, he handed me a banknote, the total coming out to 205,000 ryo.
Bowing slightly, I made my way out of the Academy, going towards the bank. Upon entering, I found the same teller who helped me a few days back. Handing them the banknotes, as well as 250,000 of the 316,000 loose ryo I made over the last few days, I told them to place it all into the Mitarashi account, while I kept the remaining 66,000 ryo on my person.
Exiting the bank, I made my way to a furniture store, buying a small futon mat for tonight. Since it only cost a few hundred ryo, I shrugged before heading home.
Laying out the mat, I looked around the empty room, gritting my teeth as I realized I was still alone. Burrowing into the futon, I closed my eyes, hoping tomorrow would be the day those two returned.
---
Two in one day! When was the last time that happened...
Oh well, whatever. Lemons soon (YAY~) so there's that to look forwards to.
Anyways, other than some simple life chapters and some minor missions, for now nothing major is going to happen, but I do have a fun idea so stick around~
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