Around noon, Haruka returned from buying groceries and saw her younger sister lying on the sofa reading a book.
Natsu was becoming more and more beautiful, with shoulder-length brown-green hair and a sweet, serene appearance.
She was casually swinging her long, slender white legs as she read.
"I'm back," Haruka announced.
"Welcome home," Natsu replied without lifting her head, her gaze fixed on the pages of her book.
"You've been quite idle lately," Haruka remarked.
"Neji is at school, and Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata don't need me to take care of them anymore. There's not much for me to do," Natsu said.
Haruka thought for a moment, placed the groceries in the kitchen, then returned to sit beside Natsu on the sofa.
She suddenly snatched the book from Natsu's hands.
"What are you doing?" Natsu asked, looking helpless.
"Sit up, I have something to ask you," Haruka said, closing the book and placing it on the coffee table.
Natsu let out a heavy sigh and simply flipped over, lying face down on the sofa.
"Go ahead," she said.
Haruka looked at her, feeling a bit exasperated.
After carefully choosing her words, she finally asked, "That Hokage— I mean, His Majesty the Emperor—does he really not have any feelings for you?"
"How would I know?" Natsu mumbled, burying her face in a cushion.
Haruka frowned in frustration. "That doesn't make sense."
She had heard that His Majesty was a man who indulged in his desires… yet her younger sister was so beautiful and spent time around him every day.
Was it really possible that he felt nothing at all?
Natsu also felt a bit lost about her future.
When she was at Makoto's house, she got along well with everyone.
Sometimes, Makoto would even tease her with playful jokes that made her blush.
But as the children grew older, she suddenly started feeling like she was becoming unnecessary.
When the other women gathered to chat, she couldn't help but wonder—what was her place among them?
What would her role be in the future?
Back when Makoto had just become clan leader, many people had told Natsu that she was likely to become his fiancée.
At that time, she was the most suitable choice in terms of age and other factors.
But no one had expected that Makoto would end up marrying Ayari-nee, who was much older than him.
This made Natsu's heart soar with hope, only to come crashing down again.
At that moment, Haruka suddenly spoke again.
"Natsu... I think you need to start making plans for yourself."
Natsu glanced at her. "What kind of plans?"
Haruka hesitated for a moment before saying, "I mean… if His Majesty really has no interest in you, maybe you should consider someone else in the clan who's around your age. For example…"
Natsu immediately responded irritably, "Enough already, stop worrying about my business."
Haruka instantly put on a stern face. "I'm your sister! If I don't worry about you, who will? You're not a kid anymore!"
Natsu shot back, "Then what about you? It's been so many years, and I still don't see you finding me a brother-in-law."
Haruka was momentarily speechless, unable to refute that.
She let out an awkward laugh and softened her tone. "I'm serious, Natsu. I'm only saying this for your own good."
"That… Hakumen. You two were pretty close when you were kids, weren't you? How's your relationship now? Do you still keep in touch? Maybe you should go out together sometime."
Her sister sure had a well-calculated plan—if she couldn't climb up to the emperor, then she'd set her sights on the emperor right's hand.
Hakumen was not only the emperor's personal guard but also the leader of the Seven Crown Guards.
A rising star, young and accomplished.
It was true that Natsu and Hakumen had been close when they were little.
Back then, Iroha was also part of their small circle…
But ever since the rumors started about her possibly becoming Makoto's fiancée, Hakumen had begun keeping his distance from her, almost as if he was avoiding trouble.
That had left Natsu feeling a little frustrated—after all, she had always just seen him as a friend.
As time passed, their childhood friendship faded, and now, whenever they crossed paths, it was nothing more than a polite nod in greeting.
Losing a childhood friend… Natsu sometimes thought it was a pity, but beyond that, she didn't feel much about it anymore.
Meanwhile, Haruka was still going on, earnestly trying to persuade her, saying that choosing Hakumen would be a good idea.
If Natsu really ended up as one of the emperor's women but wasn't favored, things could get troublesome—she'd have to deal with all sorts of scheming and rivalry.
Natsu found herself growing increasingly impatient.
She scoffed internally—scheming and rivalry?
The women in Makoto's household wouldn't do that.
Not only did they not fight among themselves, but they even…
Natsu suddenly thought of something, and her face flushed slightly.
Not wanting to listen to her sister's endless chatter anymore, she got up, intending to return to her room.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
Natsu quickly walked over to open it, only to find Ayari standing outside.
"Ayari-nee?"
"Good, you're home. I have something to talk to you about," Ayari said with a smile.
..............
Evening.
As dinner time approached, Makoto noticed that Natsu was also there, busy helping out in the kitchen.
This wasn't anything unusual—everyone had long been accustomed to Natsu's presence.
However, Makoto couldn't help but recall what Ayari had told him earlier that day.
His gaze kept drifting toward Natsu from time to time, and his thoughts began to wander in a certain direction.
Ayari noticed and shot him a sharp glare.
During dinner, Natsu sat at the table and ate with everyone as usual.
She remained quiet throughout the meal, rarely speaking.
What surprised Makoto was that Natsu seemed to be avoiding his gaze—whether intentionally or not, she kept looking away from him.
After dinner, Makoto played with the children for a while, while Natsu and Kushina tidied up the dishes together.
Later, after putting the children to bed, Makoto was on his way to take a bath when Ayari suddenly blocked him at the bathroom door.
"What is it?" Makoto asked in confusion.
"What were you sneaking glances at earlier?" Ayari questioned him directly.
"Huh? Who was I looking at?" Makoto replied, feigning innocence.
"Still pretending?" Ayari immediately pinned him against the wall and reached out to pinch him.
"Hey, stop messing around! The kids are about to sleep," Makoto quickly pleaded.
Ayari was still fuming, glaring at him as she coldly snorted, "Don't think I don't know what you're planning."
Makoto chuckled mischievously. "Relax, I won't do anything without your permission."
Ayari shot him another fierce glare. "Then you can keep dreaming!"
Makoto leaned in to kiss her, but she dodged him in disdain.
She then turned and walked away, while Makoto headed into the bathroom to take a shower.
When he came out, the living room was empty, with only the lights still on.
He casually turned them off and then made his way to the master bedroom.
However, when he pushed open the door, he froze in place.
With his vision, the darkness hardly affected him at all—he could see everything clearly.
Someone was lying in bed, covered up to their neck with the blanket, leaving only their head exposed.
It wasn't Ayari.
Hiss—
Makoto's scalp tingled slightly as he took in the sight of the person's chestnut-green hair.
It was impossible that he had walked into the wrong room.
And Natsu rarely stayed overnight in the house anymore.
Ayari…
Makoto stood at the doorway, silent for a long time.
No wonder Ayari had suddenly brought up Natsu earlier—so this was what she had meant all along…
Thinking back to Ayari's attitude throughout the day, how she had barely given him a good look, Makoto suddenly understood.
Was she feeling wronged again?
At this moment, even Makoto himself wasn't sure what he was feeling inside.
Seeing that he hadn't made a move for some time, the person in bed shifted slightly, turning over.
In the darkness, a pair of eyes gazed at him.
Makoto's lips curled into a small smile as he stepped forward.
"Makoto..." she called his name softly, with a hint of hesitation.
Makoto gently caressed her cheek with affection.
"Don't be afraid. Let's truly become a family."
--------------
Exclusive access : All novel on paetron
Genshin impact Complete novel, Naruto birdcage Complete novel, Overlord Complete novel
From the apocalypse 100+ch, Fairy tail Destiny Complete novel, Genshin Impact Eerie Teyvat 300+ch
Join now : patreon*com/DeCakraWnloverz