Nawaki, still rubbing the spot where Tsunade had kicked him, continued to complain about Takuya's "betrayal."
Wiping the tears from laughing so hard, Takuya leaned back, clutching his stomach and said, "How was I supposed to know your sister would support you like that? I thought she'd talk you out of it."
"I don't care! You set me up, so now you've got to help me."
"Help with what? Giving you tips on how to date? I'm not sure I can help, honestly. Girls have always been the ones chasing me."
"..."
And with that, Nawaki stormed off in a huff.
Barely two minutes after he left, Tsunade swung over the balcony again, effortlessly jumping from her side to Takuya's place. She headed straight for the fridge.
"That dumb kid finally left. I have no idea what he's thinking, trying to pursue a girl from the Hyūga clan…"
"Hey, where's the bottle of sake I left in here last time?"
"Drinking at night isn't good for your health, so I put it away," Takuya replied without even looking up from his spot.
Honestly, he couldn't figure out why Nawaki was so fixated on this. That's why he hadn't agreed to help.
If it had been any other girl, Takuya would've been on board, but Hyūga Meiko? It was better to just forget it, go to bed, and dream about something else.
With her sake gone, Tsunade wasn't thrilled. Left with no choice, she poured herself a glass of water instead.
"You think Nawaki's really going to give up on this?"
"Who knows? It's not like it's set in stone yet."
Even if Nawaki didn't give up, who was to say Meiko would even like him back? Besides, the Hyūga clan had notoriously strict traditions, and they were known for being uptight.
Takuya leaned his chin on his hand, casually kicking the couch where Tsunade was sprawled out without a care in the world.
"Knowing how stubborn Nawaki is, I'd say you'll have a hard time staying out of it, whether you like it or not."
"Damn it…" Tsunade shot up from the couch, slapping the cushion in frustration. "Why do I have to clean up his mess just because he wants to chase some girl?"
"Because you're his sister!" Takuya burst into laughter.
Tsunade clenched her fists, her teeth grinding. She was itching to hit something.
"Don't give me that look like you're about to punch someone. My head hurts just thinking about how Nawaki's going to keep pestering me to help him arrange dates."
Honestly, why did Nawaki have to drag him into this? The kid's plan was absurd.
He didn't want Takuya to give him advice. Instead, Nawaki wanted Takuya to arrange for Suzune to come out, and then naturally Meiko would follow. Nawaki figured that would give him a chance to spend time with Meiko.
Takuya seriously considered cracking open Nawaki's skull to see what was going on in there. The plan was ludicrous.
Speaking of which, Tsunade's anger dissipated as her curiosity piqued. Her wide eyes blinked as she asked, "So, are you going to help him?"
"Pfft! Cough!" Takuya nearly choked at the question.
"You two are crazy. I'm not that insane yet. Do you even realize how strict the Hyūga are? Trying to arrange for one of them to marry outside the clan is like slapping their whole family in the face!"
"But what if Nawaki really does like this Meiko girl?" Tsunade asked, tilting her head.
"Then I—" Takuya started to say I'm not helping with that! but found the words wouldn't come out.
As frustrating as it was, he couldn't deny how close he felt to both Tsunade and Nawaki. They were his friends, his family in a way. If Nawaki needed his help arranging a meeting, Takuya knew deep down he wouldn't be able to say no.
So, instead, he waved Tsunade off, muttering, "Go home and get some sleep. Stop bothering me."
"No way! I'm sleeping here. Not only am I staying, but I'm taking your bed! If you've got the guts, go steal mine!"
"..."
Takuya stared up at the ceiling, utterly speechless as Tsunade marched straight into his bedroom.
If it were any other girl, he might have been amused. But Tsunade? Forget it. Her room was a disaster zone—so messy even Nawaki avoided it. There was no way Takuya was sleeping in that pigsty.
Takuya often said Tsunade was lazy enough to neglect her own personal space, and it wasn't slander. It was the truth. When it came to day-to-day life, she was a total slob.
Oh well, he figured. He'd just have to make do with the couch for tonight.
"Is he serious?" Minato was dumbfounded when he heard the news the next day.
He, like Takuya, had assumed Nawaki's crush was just a fleeting thing, a passing fancy that would go away with time.
But no—Nawaki was dead serious about it.
"The Hyūga don't marry outside the clan. This is going to be next to impossible, right?"
"Impossible doesn't even begin to cover it. It's like declaring open war on the entire Hyūga clan. It's the same as trampling all over their traditions and honor."
"I'm thinking... maybe after some time, Nawaki will forget all about it. How about we take a mission, go out for a while?"
Takuya honestly had no idea how to help with this, so his best option was to leave the village for a bit.
He figured if they went on a mission and stayed away for ten days or so, Nawaki might have already moved on by the time they got back.
"Sounds good to me," Minato grinned.
The Third Hokage had been hounding both him and Nawaki to become jōnin instructors, but Minato wasn't too keen on the idea. Taking on a mission seemed like the perfect way to dodge it.
"If we can find the right mission, that is."
The problem was finding a mission that suited three jōnin, one of whom was as overpowered as Takuya. Regular missions weren't challenging enough for them, and they had no interest in assassination or intel-gathering tasks.
That really narrowed their options.
After all, S-rank missions weren't exactly growing on trees.
"That's easy. Leave it to me." Takuya stood up and walked to his bedroom door, knocking loudly.
"Get out here. We need you for something. If you're not out in five minutes, Nawaki's problem is all yours to deal with!"
Thud!
Barely three seconds later, there was a loud crash from inside the room, like someone had fallen out of bed.
Hearing the commotion, Minato couldn't help but laugh.
By now, he was completely used to Tsunade crashing at Takuya's place—and even more used to her taking over his bedroom.
In fact, Minato casually strolled over to the balcony, knowing what was coming next.
"What's the big deal? It's so early..." Tsunade grumbled as she emerged from the room, her hair a mess.
Her clothes were practically falling off her shoulders, leaving very little to the imagination.
Good grief...
Takuya slapped a hand to his forehead.
"Can't you at least tidy yourself up before coming out here? You're not at home, you know."
"Your place is way more comfortable than mine. Your room is so clean; it's great for sleeping," Tsunade replied nonchalantly, pulling at her clothes without a care in the world.
"..."
Fine. You win. From now on, I'm locking my bedroom door every night. I'll only open it when I'm ready to sleep. Let's see you try to crash here then!
Sighing, Takuya rubbed his temples, watching as Tsunade flopped onto the couch.
"So, what's so urgent that you had to wake me up?" she yawned, still half-asleep.
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Next Bonus 4100
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(P)(S): If you're interested, you can read up to chapter 300+ at patreon.com/ Emik01. Don't forget to give a power stone for many bonus chapters