Chapter 108: True Extra: Gender-Swap Arc Part Three
OMFG!!! ...SKIP IF YOU WANT!!
Night, at Yuuna's house.
The clock hand already pointed to eleven.
Usually at this time, Sasuke would have long been asleep, but tonight he had no sleepiness whatsoever, tossing and turning on his bed.
The embarrassing incident at the noodle shop during the day replayed repeatedly in his mind—the Sharingan activated from losing control, and that absurd-to-the-extreme excuse.
Although Yuuna-nee hadn't asked anything more in the end, only looking at him with her usual gentle gaze, this silent tolerance made him feel even more awkward inside.
Especially since it was in front of that dead-last!
This thought made Sasuke even more irritated. He suddenly pulled the blanket over and buried his face in it.
After a good while, Sasuke still hadn't fallen asleep. He simply threw on an outer garment, thinking he might as well get some air in the courtyard.
Passing through the corridor, however, he noticed light still seeping from under the study door.
So late, and Yuuna-nee still hasn't rested?
He hesitated, but still walked softly to the study door and raised his hand to knock.
"Yuuna-nee, you're still not asleep?"
"It's Sasuke—come in."
Yuuna's response came from inside, her gentle voice carrying a trace of fatigue.
Sasuke's hand pushing the door paused slightly, heart inexplicably clenching.
Ever since the family suffered that upheaval, Yuuna-nee had seemed like a different person, burying almost all her time in these mountains of scrolls, researching day and night.
He'd wanted to ask about it several times, but she always brushed it off with something light like "just interested in ninjutsu."
The more she did this, the more unsettled Sasuke felt.
Sasuke pushed open the door to see Yuuna leaning by the window, holding a scroll in her hands. In the teacup beside her, steam was gently rising.
Though her brow carried some weariness and several strands of hair loosely fell before her forehead, it didn't diminish her breathtaking beauty in the slightest.
Moonlight filtered through the window, softly falling on her fair face, instead adding a rare languid quality to her usual demeanor.
Seeing her lift her eyes to look over, Sasuke momentarily forgot his words.
Seeing his dazed appearance, Yuuna couldn't help smiling.
That smile was like spring water rippling with waves, flowing eyes carrying unconscious soft charm.
"Why are you just standing there stupidly?" Her voice was softer than usual. "So late—why aren't you sleeping?"
Sasuke suddenly snapped back to awareness, immediately somewhat embarrassed, instinctively raising his hand to scratch the back of his head.
He felt his just-now dazed appearance was just as foolish as those girls in class who secretly stared at him.
"N-nothing," he averted his gaze, replying dryly. "Just couldn't sleep, came out to look around randomly."
Yuuna gently set down the scroll in her hands, lifted the teacup to sip, gaze gently falling on Sasuke. "Still thinking about what happened during the day?"
Sasuke's body stiffened slightly, instinctively about to deny it. "Of course not!"
"Sasuke," Yuuna said gently, "when you activated your Sharingan, your emotions were very turbulent."
"Can you tell me about it? What made you care so much?"
Sasuke opened his mouth, but the words stuck in his throat.
How should he explain? Could he say it was because seeing Naruto talking with her made him unable to control his anger? He couldn't say such words.
"I... just had a nightmare."
"About that night?" Yuuna seemed to think of something, voice becoming even softer, carrying some tender affection.
Sasuke remained silent, neither confirming nor denying—perhaps this misunderstanding was better.
Yuuna sighed softly, stood up and walked before him, a faint pleasant fragrance drifting over.
She reached out to gently ruffle his hair. "Don't overthink it—it's all in the past. I promised I'd stay with you, didn't I?"
This sudden closeness made Sasuke's entire body stiffen, heartbeat involuntarily quickening.
"Mm." He responded quietly, ear tips slightly warming.
"Since you can't sleep, want to help me organize some scrolls?" Yuuna suggested with a smile. "I'm actually a bit tired myself and want company."
Sasuke looked up, meeting her gentle gaze. In this moment, all of the day's irritation and unease seemed to gradually settle.
"Okay." He agreed softly, following Yuuna to the desk.
In truth, these scrolls in the study didn't need Yuuna to personally organize. Each time after reading, she only needed to activate her Mangekyo to store them all back in Kamui dimension.
But at this moment, seeing Sasuke with lowered eyes and weighing heavily on his mind, she deliberately left this task undone.
She could see this child had something bottled up inside. If left alone, he'd probably get stuck in a mental rut again, dwelling on past shadows.
Better to give him something simple to do and divert his attention.
Sasuke was always focused and earnest in his tasks, especially when helping Yuuna-nee.
Before long, the originally messy study had been organized by him in perfect order, scrolls categorized and neatly arranged.
Yuuna looked at the fruits of his labor, eyes revealing approval. She walked before Sasuke, lips curving. "Thank you for your hard work, Sasuke."
Speaking thus, she naturally leaned down and lightly kissed the boy's slightly flushed cheek. The soft sensation swept past in an instant, carrying her body's faint pleasant fragrance.
"This is a reward." She straightened up and ruffled Sasuke's black hair again, tone carrying some coaxing. "Alright, go sleep quickly—you still have school tomorrow."
Finishing, she lazily stretched her body, turned to push open the door, figure disappearing at the corridor's end—probably going to bathe.
Only Sasuke remained frozen in place in the study.
He was completely stunned, as if under a paralysis jutsu.
That gentle sensation like a feather brushing across his cheek seemed to still retain warm traces. He instinctively raised his hand to touch that spot.
Not an illusion!
His heart beat violently in his chest, speed so fast it made him somewhat panicked.
His head was a complete mess—sometimes Yuuna-nee's gentle features as she approached, sometimes her pleasant scent, sometimes that fleeting soft sensation.
After a long while, he slowly came back to his senses, yet that sudden kiss had already carved an indelible mark in his heart.
Sasuke returned to his room somewhat dazed, mechanically completing the series of actions: getting into bed, covering himself with the blanket, closing his eyes.
However, two hours passed and not only did he have no sleepiness, his mind was actually more awake than before.
In the darkness, all senses seemed infinitely amplified. What replayed repeatedly in his mind was only that momentarily soft and slightly cool sensation on his cheek, and Yuuna-nee's gentle features as she approached.
He suddenly covered his head with the blanket, trying to dispel this image, but the result was counterproductive—that feeling only became clearer.
Sasuke finally realized tonight would probably be a sleepless night.
(OG author -Gender-swap extra ends here for now. Will continue when inspiration strikes. Next chapter returns to the main storyline)
....omg I hate translating these "filler" arc shit!
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