"Ah? No! No!"
Realizing she'd been caught peeking, Fu hurriedly shook her head, but after a moment of shaking she then nodded, *Actually, there's a small question…"
"What question?", Aoba looked at her with curiosity.
Fu pursed her lips, showing a hesitation completely unlike her earlier liveliness, "It's… why are you so nice to me?"
Although Fu was rather simple and a bit careless by nature, she understood some things.
One person wouldn't be that nice to another for no reason. Aoba was clearly a bit too good to her. More than someone she'd only just met ought to be.
She hadn't thought much of it originally, but after hearing Hanabi this afternoon she realized something might be off.
Aoba raised an eyebrow and asked in return, "What do you think?"
He didn't think his behavior was a problem; for characters he liked in the original he tended to take special care of them.
Even now, he could clearly see a little flush on her wheat-colored face.
Fu fidgeted with the hem of her clothes and, hesitating, said, "Do… do you like me?"
No matter how cheerful her personality, facing this topic made her very embarrassed.
This was something she'd never experienced.
Although she seemed optimistic and got along with everyone now, as a jinchuriki her childhood couldn't have been good.
Not being disliked was already a miracle, let alone being liked.
So even with a bright personality, in Takigakure the only person who usually looked after her was the village chief, Shibuki.
Fu really had no experience with being liked.
"Did Hanabi tell you something?", Aoba asked.
Fu said nothing; she absolutely wouldn't betray a friend.
Seeing that, Aoba didn't press, but he still didn't answer directly. Instead he asked, "If I really am nice to you because I like you, how would you feel?"
"Feel?", Fu hadn't expected him to ask her back like that. Facing this situation for the first time, she was at a loss and didn't know how to answer.
"That's not like you, just answer directly. Even if you don't like it, that's fine," Aoba said again.
Fu pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and then said plainly, "I wouldn't dislike it. For me, someone liking me is even happier than making friends, but I would definitely refuse you."
She spoke earnestly, this was the truth.
"Is that so?", Aoba smiled, ruffling her hair, "If it makes you happy, then just consider everything I do for you as because I like you."
At his height, his hand perfectly reached to ruffle her hair.
Fu shook her head in mild displeasure. Being patted on the head made her feel treated like a child.
"And what if I'm not happy about that?", She asked back.
His answer clearly had two possibilities.
Aoba said, "Well, if it would make you dislike me, then just think of it as a sugar-coated shelling shot fired for the Seven-Tails of Takigakure."
Fu pouted in displeasure, "If you answer like that, it's even more annoying."
She had actually been pretty happy.
"Well, you were the one who asked," Aoba said innocently.
Fu was suddenly speechless, "After all that, you still didn't answer my question."
Aoba shrugged helplessly, "We only met for the first time last night. I just think you're cute. Whether I like you or not, I don't really know myself."
'Cute?'
"Cu… cute?"
It was the first time Fu had heard someone praise her like that. Her face reddened more, and she replied in turn, "You… you're pretty handsome too."
Aoba neither confirmed nor denied, then changed the subject, "Since you're in Konoha, experience Konoha life properly. There's another jinchuriki at home, maybe you two would get along well."
He suddenly felt like he was filming one of those makeover shows.
A girl who experienced the bustling city, could she really go back to her old mountain hole afterward?
"Really? A Nine-Tails' jinchuriki?"
Fu's shyness faded quite a bit at that, and she returned to her friend-making mode.
"It's the Two-Tails. Her name is 'Yugito Nii'."
Aoba answered.
"Huh? But isn't the Two-Tails from Kumogakure?", As a Takigakure jinchuriki, Fu was clear about the distribution of tailed beasts among the villages.
'Why would the Two-Tails' jinchuriki be in his home?'
"Because the Two-Tails' jinchuriki has now joined Konoha. By the way, she's also my girlfriend," Aoba spoke frankly.
Fu's expression changed slightly. She jumped aside, crossed her arms, and watched Aoba warily, 'You wouldn't be using your looks to seduce jinchuriki from other villages to join you, would you?" [T/N: WOULD!]
Aoba raised an eyebrow and played along in a sly tone, "I didn't expect you'd see through me. Looks like I can't let you off easily."
"Damn it, am I your target too?", Fu looked annoyed.
"Then you should watch out for my sugar-coated shelling shots,"
Aoba beamed.
"Hmph! Then watch how I eat that sugar coating and send the shelling shot right back at you!", Fu crossed her arms, her face full of confidence.
"Hmm?", Aoba paused slightly, "Where did you hear that line?"
"In books. Today at school I read through all the Ninja Academy textbooks. I didn't understand a lot, but some things were pretty interesting," Fu snapped out of the earlier mood.
"That's impressive."
"Heh! Heh! Of course."
Fu lifted her little face proudly.
Although she still didn't know whether this guy really liked her, at least he was a good person and willing to play with her.
They bickered for a while longer, and then Fu suddenly asked, "Aoba, how many girlfriends do you actually have?"
"How many?"
Aoba looked troubled, "Too many to count. Anyway, you'll meet them all later."
"Oh."
———
"I'm back… huh?"
After Aoba brought Fu a pair of clean slippers and then walked into the living room, he was a little stunned at the lively scene inside.
"Aoba's back! Nee-chan is here to freeload dinner again."
Kushina greeted the returning Aoba cheerfully.
Although she didn't need to eat, she still liked the word "freeload dinner."
Next to her sat Uchiha Mikoto and Uzumaki Kasui.
Tsunade and Shizune were seated on the other side.
"Sorry to bother you, Aoba."
Uchiha Mikoto said apologetically. She hadn't wanted to come, but Kushina had pulled her along.
Fu peeked her little head around from behind.
*Dizzy~*
'One, two, three, four, five, six, seven…'
She stopped being able to count.
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