Two in the afternoon.
According to the arrangement, Hakushi went to meet Ayane.
The so-called 'old place' refers to Hakushi's original home, the house cleaned only a few times a year.
"Very punctual, Hakushi-kun."
At the entrance downstairs of the apartment building, Ayane, who saw Hakushi arriving on time, smiled slightly as she stood there.
"You did say to meet at two, didn't you?"
"That's correct."
"So why did you ask to meet me? I don't recall giving you any important observation tasks recently. So for you to deceive Ruri just to call me out, is something going on?"
Ayane could use the reason of an observation task to fool Ruri, but she couldn't hide it from him.
Because whether any important observation tasks were given to Ayane, Hakushi was most aware of it.
Although many observation tasks were arranged for Ayane in the past, that was because the experiment was just starting and many things indeed needed the Byakugan to observe.
Now the research has already gotten on track, general experiments don't require the Byakugan, and even for things he doesn't understand, he doesn't know how to utilize the Byakugan for observation.
So he thought Ayane must have some other matter to discuss rather than the so-called observation task.
"Can't I call you out even if there's nothing?"
"It's not that, it just seemed strange suddenly."
"I happen to have lots of free time today, so I wanted to invite you to go shopping with me."
"Are you two timing this together or something?"
Hakushi quipped.
Just went out shopping with Ruri yesterday afternoon, and now doing it again today.
If they have any shopping plans again someday, the three of them might as well go together to save time.
"What?"
Ayane glanced at Hakushi with confusion.
"No, nothing, I'm just complaining."
"If I'm disturbing you, Hakushi-kun can just leave me here alone. Work does come first, after all."
Ayane blinked at Hakushi with an understanding smile.
"No need, work has been going smoothly lately. And I'm not that busy. No issue on my end."
Leaving because of work at this moment would be quite hurtful indeed.
Besides, while there are temporary assistants at the lab, as long as they follow the experiment steps he provided strictly and proceed slowly, there won't be any major issues.
"Really? Then that's good."
"But, is there something you need to buy?"
"Yes, recently for some reason, I always feel tightness in my chest as if the clothes inside would suddenly burst open."
Ayane tugged at her collar, unconcerned about saying this in front of Hakushi.
"Don't say things like that suddenly in front of me, be careful, I might take it seriously, you know."
Honestly, none of them truly let him relax.
Hakushi sighed helplessly.
"So, do you want me to thoroughly check inside and out here, Dr. Hakushi?"
Ayane gently brushed aside the bangs on her forehead, her smile was pure and charming.
When she said this, she didn't seem to realize how shocking her words were to a guy.
In some ways, Hakushi considered Ayane more dangerous than Ruri.
All because a poor example was set for her during childhood.
Now she's learned it perfectly.
When first meeting Ayane, she was a pure and inside-out sweet girl.
But after that incident, although she still appeared pure and harmless on the outside, her inner essence was... probably utterly rotten by now.
If he had known, he should have instructed her differently.
Now it's too late for regret.
"No."
Hakushi felt his heart skip a beat uncontrollably, momentarily looking away from Ayane, gently adjusting his breath.
Assuming she's frivolous and easy based on her words alone would be a big mistake.
This woman, quite like himself, is skilled in deception and camouflaging.
Unlike traditional Hyuga Clan ninjas' personalities at all.
Seeing Hakushi decline, Ayane merely smiled, saying nothing further.
Then, Hakushi followed Ayane's lead, wandering leisurely around Konoha Village.
For Hakushi, this was equivalent to taking a relaxing stroll outside, even though he couldn't understand why women suddenly get enthusiastic about shopping...
However, from the physiological and psychological perspectives of men and women, there are significant differences, so let's just assume this too is a meaningful activity.
The weather in late August was always so sultry, even if it had past the hottest time of the day, the afternoon sun remained glaring.
The Land of Fire is a country with relatively distinct seasons, Konoha Village, situated in this country, naturally mirrored this trait.
Due to the wartime period, hardly any active ninjas could be seen on Konoha's streets.
Aside from ninjas like them staying in the village for special reasons, some indeed had to remain to protect the village's security.
In Hakushi's view, while Konoha Village's prosperity was actually quite low, compared to the broader context of the Ninja Realm, having internal peace was fortunate enough.
Ayane didn't want to buy much, mostly decorations that didn't particularly interest Hakushi.
Watching Ayane sift through the items in the shop, she still looked adorable even from the side.