"Ryōto, wake up, Ryōto."
The sun was already shining brightly, but Ryōto still felt the pull of sleep. Through the haze of his drowsiness, he heard his mother calling him. It was so strange. Usually, his mother was incredibly busy with work and left early, never waking him in the mornings. And on weekends and holidays, she slept even more soundly than he did.
Which could only mean... Ryōto jolted, snapping fully awake. Mom's calling me for school! Aaargh! I'm awake! But my eyes are closed! I'm still asleep!
"Get up!" Noticing her son's ploy, Rin grew cross and, in one swift motion, yanked the blanket off him.
Curled up in a ball on the bed, Ryōto lay motionless. Behind him, Smarty lifted her head. She looked at Rin, stuck out her tongue in a fawning smile, then leaped up and began to bounce on the bed, her tail wagging furiously.
"Woof-woof-woof!" Good morning, Mama Rin! I'm awake, don't hit me!
"Don't you try to jest with me. I'm counting to three."
Such pressure! It looks like she's going to personally escort me to school! That's why I'm not getting up!
"Three... two... one!"
Truthfully, Ryōto wasn't afraid of a spanking. His mother's hits were light, and she would be the one to apply ointment to the bruises later. Besides, he was thick-skinned. What was there to fear?
"So you've decided to play these games with me, have you?!"
Rin turned and stormed out, her footsteps deliberately heavy on the floor to show just how angry she was. She soon returned with a spray bottle in her hands. Without a word, she raised it and drenched Ryōto with water.
You can never wake a Ryōto who is pretending to be asleep. These were Ryōto's own words.
"Oh, you little rascal!" Seeing this, Rin wearily rubbed her forehead and glanced at the clock. If she started beating him now, they would be late for class. Besides, she feared that after a thrashing, the boy would feign injury to avoid going to school. She ground her teeth in frustration. Who on earth gave birth to this little scoundrel! It's infuriating! Ever since she had brought this "treasure" into the world, her state of mind had steadily deteriorated.
Grabbing Ryōto, Rin tucked him under her arm. There was no time to change; besides, he would be the one facing embarrassment at school, not her. Smarty scampered to her feet. With Ryōto under her arm, Rin dashed down the stairs, snatched breakfast from the table—a slice of bread for her own mouth, another shoved into Ryōto's, not forgetting to toss a piece to the little dog. Smarty leaped joyfully and caught it in mid-air. Ryōto clamped his lips shut.
"Eat, I said!" Rin forcefully pushed the bread into his mouth.
The previous night, Rin had been in high spirits and had a little too much to drink. Which meant time was of the essence! With a powerful kick, she threw open the front door and, with Ryōto still clamped under her arm, leaped into the air, quickly bounding across the rooftops of the neighboring houses. Rin glanced back and saw Smarty pattering along on her short legs right behind her. Not a bad ninja walk. But if I use the Body Flicker Technique, can she keep up? With that thought, Rin surged forward, and Smarty followed with almost no delay. So, she knows the Body Flicker Technique too, Rin thought with a smirk.
…
At the Ninja Academy, a lesson was in progress. The teacher was explaining the basics of literacy, but Nohara Rin had already learned all of it with her mother and had no trouble with reading. So, she sat there, slightly distracted. Noticing her friend's state, Kurenai shielded her face with a book and whispered softly:
"Did something happen yesterday? You've been out of it all day."
Yesterday... A blush crept onto Rin's cheeks. Pressing her lips together, she hurriedly whispered:
"What are you talking about?! Nothing happened!"
"Really?" Kurenai eyed her doubtfully. "You're acting strange."
"I'm not strange at all!" Rin denied desperately. "Everything's normal!" As she said this, she stole a glance at an empty seat.
Noticing Rin's flustered gaze, Kurenai followed it, nodded knowingly, and drawled:
"Mmm, yes, everything is indeed normal."
It was Ryōto's seat.
"See, I told you nothing's strange," Rin said. "You're just imagining things, Kurenai!"
"You're so cute," Kurenai, a year older and more sophisticated in her thinking, remarked. She looked thoughtfully at the three empty seats in the classroom: Ryōto's, Obito's, and someone else's. Then again, being late on the second day of school was just like them.
"Um..." Blushing and lowering her head, Rin asked quietly, "Kurenai, am I really cute?"
Hearing this, Kurenai swept her ruby eyes over Rin, and a spark of mischief flashed in them. I'll tease her a bit; this lesson is so dull.
"Super cute. Boys definitely like that."
"Really?" Unable to hide her joy, Rin blushed and hid her face behind her book.
Kurenai's gaze fell on Kakashi. Her father had said he was the strongest student this year, and the teachers had high hopes for him. The son of the White Fang of Konoha.
"Absolutely true," Kurenai said. "So, what do you think of Obito?"
Obito? Which Obito? Ah, right, that one.
"Obito seems a little... dense," Rin said quietly.
"Oh? What makes you say that?" Kurenai asked.
"His smile," Rin replied. "He smiles just like Might Guy."
"I see," Kurenai glanced at Guy, who was sweating profusely as he tried to keep up with the lesson. "What about Kakashi?"
"Kakashi?" At the mention of his name, Rin looked at the masked boy sitting with an imperturbable expression. "Kakashi is pretty cool."
Kurenai raised an eyebrow. "How can you tell? You can't even see his face."
"It's a feeling, you know, just a feeling. I bet everyone thinks so," Rin said, growing animated. "But Ryōto's coolness—it's tangible, written all over his face. You can tell at a glance that he's handsome!"
"You've got a good eye, Rin," Kurenai chuckled.
"Well, I'm not blind," Rin retorted.
"So who's cooler, Kakashi or Ryōto?" Kurenai asked.
"Ryōto!" Rin declared without hesitation.
"I get it, I get it," Kurenai nodded in agreement, glancing at her friend. "Kakashi's coolness has no proof, but Ryōto's proof is his face. I think Ryōto is better-looking too."
Rin nodded eagerly in agreement. They were friends for a reason; her taste was impeccable.
"Well then," Kurenai laughed softly, "I like Ryōto. You wouldn't mind, would you, Rin?"
"Wha-a-at?!" Rin's eyes widened as she stared at the smiling Kurenai. What are you doing, my friend?!
"You're so easy to read..." Kurenai nudged Rin with her shoulder. "Calm down, I'm not going to take him from you." I like mature, dependable men, like my father. But these boys in our class... no, thank you.
"Kurenai!" Rin flushed, realizing she'd been had. Composing herself, she tried to save face. "If you like him, go ahead. It's none of my business."
"Well..." Kurenai drew out the word, "someone like Ryōto won't be easy." She pursed her lips and nodded toward the other girls in the class. "There will be a lot of rivals."
At that moment, the classroom door burst open with a bang. A hush fell over the room. The teacher at the blackboard pushed his glasses up his nose, staring at the beautiful woman who had stormed in. Nodding to the teacher, Rin strode forward without a word, stopped, pulled Ryōto out from under her arm, and asked with a grim face:
"Where does this little rascal sit?!"
The boys were in no hurry to answer, their eyes glued to the beautiful Rin. The girls in the class, however, all pointed in unison to a single spot. Seeing this, Rin looked at them, and her eyelid twitched. She couldn't help but smirk.
"Well, well, aren't we popular!"
With those words, she forcefully sat the still-feigning-sleep Ryōto in his seat. The adjacent seat was empty. Rin leaned in and whispered in Ryōto's ear:
"You'd better behave."
Ryōto continued his act, lying motionless on the desk.
Once the mother tiger had left, he sat up in his not-quite-dry pajamas and surveyed the classroom. With a radiant and gentle smile, he said:
"My mother has quite a temper; I do apologize for the scene." Then he waved a hand at the teacher. "It's alright, we can continue the lesson."
The good-natured teacher nodded and resumed his lecture. He had seen his fair share of eccentric ninja.
And Ryōto, as if all the bones had been removed from his body, slumped softly onto his desk with an expression of cosmic sorrow on his face and sweetly closed his eyes. I think I'll finish my dream now.
"Today's Ryōto is somehow different," Kurenai observed. It felt strange to her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong.
Rin found it odd too.
"Did Ryōto get a haircut?" His long hair was now short. He was still handsome, though.
"Kurenai..."
"Hm?"
"His smile is so beautiful..." Rin said.
"It certainly is..." Kurenai nodded and mused aloud, "I'm not so sure I want to give him up to you anymore."
"Wha-a-at?!" No, I'm not falling for it this time! Rin nudged Kurenai with her shoulder and, blushing, said, "If you want him, take him."