...
Splash!
Water splashed everywhere.
The casually thrown pebble skipped across the river surface in a series of ripples, flying from one side to the other before finally hitting straight into a tree trunk.
"Kiri?"
Uchiha Sayuri seemed to notice something slightly unusual about the young man beside her and turned her head to look in his direction.
Then, she saw Sawara Kiri casually dusting off his hands, smiling easily as he said "It's nothing."
"Just wanted to vent a little."
"Sorry, was the wait boring?"
"Mm-mm."
Uchiha Sayuri shook her head, hands behind her back, her high ponytail swaying slightly with her movement.
She just quietly watched his profile.
Although they had known each other for a long time, Uchiha Sayuri realized that she rarely had the chance to be alone with Sawara Kiri since their time at the Shinobi Academy.
Moreover, she didn't know as much about him as she thought she did.
The young woman thought to herself as she took steps to follow beside the young man, saying in a joking tone "I really couldn't believe it. That good-tempered Kiri-kun, getting angry for the first time, and in front of the Hokage no less."
"To be honest, I was so shocked my jaw nearly dropped."
"I was so scared my legs went weak," Sawara Kiri laughed self-deprecatingly, not minding at all. "At first, I was just standing up for the neighbor's kid, but by the time I realized it, I had already said everything I wanted to say."
"That's true, especially given that past."
Uchiha Sayuri turned to look at him, as if remembering their time at the Shinobi Academy "Back then, when I saw Kiri-kun having plum rice balls for lunch every day, I felt something wasn't quite right. I didn't expect the situation was that difficult."
"It was even more difficult than you imagine, Sayuri."
"The old clothes and shoes were donations from the street. We used cheap soapberry powder to wash clothes, occasionally bought some vegetables for dinner, and meat was only for New Year's." Sawara Kiri counted on his fingers, recalling those years in detail.
"This was actually not bad, since we were carefully budgeting everything."
"Fortunately, we managed until graduation."
Uchiha Sayuri's smile faded as she walked slowly.
Just hearing him describe his childhood living conditions, she could imagine how hard life must have been for a child with such burdens.
"No wonder..."
"Kiri has always been strong, since back then."
"Really?" Sawara Kiri seemed somewhat surprised.
"Of course! I've always paid attention to your affairs," Uchiha Sayuri said with a hint of pride. "When we were at the Shinobi Academy, you would secretly go to the training ground by the Sanbongi River after school every day, right? The next day when you came to class, even the bandages on your hands were torn."
"And when we first started teaming up after graduation too, Kiri was the first to react when we encountered other shinobi, right?"
The young woman was equally familiar with his affairs "I was almost crying in fear at that time. As soon as we engaged, Team Captain Megure had such a big cut on his shoulder."
"If Kiri hadn't rushed in front of me, I really thought I was going to die."
"And after every mission, I never saw you waste money, you only really cared about shinobi tools..."
Sawara Kiri listened quietly.
These young man and woman walked slowly under the dim dawn sky.
In Sawara Kiri's peripheral vision, the pale white halo above the young woman's head became increasingly clear.
[Sawara's Friend Notebook]
[Uchiha Sayuri's Heart Knot (Surface Level)]
[Inner Thoughts: I want Kiri to understand more about my feelings.]
This was the second [Surface Level Heart Knot] Sawara Kiri had encountered.
Young love, a maiden's feelings.
It was actually very easy to understand, and even during the Shinobi Academy period, Sawara Kiri had rejected two or three girls.
Being good-looking was indeed quite advantageous.
However, what Sawara Kiri cared about now wasn't this point.
Currently, his 'Limitless' had reached the 'Level 2', and to advance further, he needed to consume at least two heart knot points.
But until now, Sawara Kiri had only encountered two characters with [Heart Knots] in his vision: Yukie and Sayuri.
During the time he was luring Sen'gao and others to take the bait, he had been thinking about how to possibly extract more heart knot points from them.
Until finally, he noticed the word 'Surface' in [Surface Level Heart Knot].
If heart knots had 'Surface' levels, then surely there must be different levels as well?
Therefore, how to turn surface into next level became a question Sawara Kiri had to consider.
Just like Miss Sayuri's wish.
'Understanding the maiden's feelings'
For an entire relationship, this was merely a beginning.
However, how could he make Miss Sayuri develop stronger desires after this stage of 'understanding feelings'?
A more advanced... heart knot?
Suddenly, as if thinking of something, Sawara Kiri seemingly casually opened his mouth "Sayuri..."
"You've been paying attention to me since way back."
"..."
Uchiha Sayuri's words abruptly stopped.
It wasn't until this moment that she realized she might have revealed a bit too much today.
"Ah, sorry!"
The young woman slightly turned her face, tucking her long sideburns behind her ear, accidentally revealing her reddening ears. Her previously smooth tone suddenly became unnatural.
Her usually cool voice, when uttered from her dry throat, sounded somewhat hoarse, yet still trying hard to explain something "Actually, what I meant was..."
However, Sawara Kiri's voice suddenly sounded at an extremely close distance, interrupting her explanation.
Even his warm breath was gently blowing on the young woman's increasingly hot ears.
"I understand all of Sayuri's feelings."
Almost at the instant the voice sounded, after a confused translation in her brain, Uchiha Sayuri's footsteps suddenly stopped.
She didn't dare look up at Sawara Kiri's eyes, only lowering her head to look at her shoes... and the toes showing from her shinobi sandals.
Unconsciously, her heartbeat grew faster and faster, yet her mind was blank.
Those impulses constantly bursting from the bottom of her heart made her almost instinctively want to pour out all her naive feelings.
However, before she could speak, she heard an extremely sharp and abrupt word.
"But..."
Just one word made Uchiha Sayuri's form completely stiff.
The young woman's rising body temperature from a moment ago, which had turned her face and earlobes red, cooled rapidly as if ice had been applied. The short transition word followed by that eternal silence that seemed to petrify people made Uchiha Sayuri's originally rapidly beating heart skip half a beat.
Until it was ice cold.
Confused thoughts instantly filled her entire brain, making her unable to make a sound.
What exactly did this mean?
Re..jection?
Was the first romance that hadn't even begun going to end like this?
He was the first boy I liked, the first person I wanted to confess to, two happy things overlapping. And these two pieces of happiness brought me even more happiness. What I should have gotten was a dream-like happy time... but why did it turn out like this...
Uchiha Sayuri's Sharingan spun rapidly, and faintly, even the third tomoe seemed to appear and disappear.
The gloomy chakra seemed about to overflow from the young woman's body.
Until.
Sawara Kiri suddenly grabbed her hand.
Uchiha Sayuri couldn't help but be startled, slowly raising her head to meet those curved azure eyes.
Kiri's voice was clear and bright "I'm very happy."
Thump!
At that moment, her heart started beating, and sunlight had warmth again.
The black and white world before Miss Sayuri's eyes suddenly turned into a brilliant array of colors, everything became clear.
The previous gloomy emotions were completely dispelled in an instant.
Poor Miss Sayuri, being played like a fiddle by that damned scumbag.
However, the young woman still maintained some rationality.
Did this mean yes or no?
She instinctively thought of this question.
"Kiri?"
The young woman seemed to want to ask something more.
But Sawara Kiri glanced towards the courtyard not far ahead, where a lonely small figure was standing at the door, staring intently in their direction.
The young man seemed to sigh helplessly, smiling as gently as usual "Sorry, let's leave the rest of the conversation for tomorrow."
"It seems Yukie hasn't slept all night."
"Oh right, if you have time tomorrow night... would you like to go for barbecue? My treat."
The suddenly interrupted question was immediately bitten back.
But Sawara Kiri's abrupt change of topic made hope rise again in the young woman's heart.
Uchiha Sayuri first glanced in Sawara Yukie's direction, then immediately nodded vigorously.
"Yes!"
Seeing her looking somewhat happy yet slightly pouty expression, Sawara Kiri amusedly said "Then see you tomorrow?"
Facing Sawara Kiri's gentle smile, although Uchiha Sayuri felt something was off, she still put on a soft smile and waved at him.
However, watching Sawara Kiri's gradually retreating figure, the young woman's mood was inexplicably very complicated.
She felt like something wasn't quite right.
In that situation just now, it should count as a confession, right?
And if the answer was 'very happy'...
It should mean he accepted... right?
But why did she feel something was strange.
...
Meanwhile.
Sawara Kiri turned around, his expression already turning calm.
On the panel before his eyes.
[Uchiha Sayuri's Surface Heart Knot (Completed)]
[Heart Knot Points +1]
[Sawara's Friend Notebook: Character 'Uchiha Sayuri' Collected]
[Bond Level Increased ↑]
[Uchiha Sayuri Bond Level: Three → Four]
However, besides these regular heart knot completion prompts, at the bottom of the panel, there was a new blue prompt.
[Medium Level Heart Knot (Locked)]
The moment he saw this prompt, Sawara Kiri's heart suddenly shook.
As expected! Still need to string her along.
As for dating?
When you're playing undercover spy, who has time for dating? Just be a scumbag and be done with it.
At this moment, Mr. Sawara was completely unaware of what kind of disastrous consequences his future self would face.
...