The night was growing colder.
And the strong wind slowly began to pierce his skin.
Now, Naruto was walking leisurely, enjoying the night in his solitude. After finishing his business, he had no intention of stopping anywhere. The only thing on his mind was going home.
As he walked, Naruto glanced around.
The shops lined up along the street were slowly closing. Even the street vendors had vanished. This made him feel a silence that stabbed deep into his chest.
Empty. It felt so empty—he didn't know why, but he could feel it.
His pace slowly quickened, and at last, he arrived.
Naruto looked ahead at the row of rooms on the first floor, then tilted his head upward toward the second floor—where his room was.
Silence. There wasn't a single sound. More accurately, there wasn't a single soul in the apartment besides himself.
After taking it all in, Naruto walked toward the stairs. His feet stepped up one by one, slowly. But he stopped on the fourth step.
His gaze fell toward his feet—or more precisely, toward the staircase itself. It was made of concrete, but it looked so worn.
"What exactly am I trying to do?" Naruto murmured softly.
He thought about it again. What was his purpose in this world? To become strong? To protect the ones he loved? Or even to rule the world?
But somehow, all of it felt so heavy.
Even so, his feet began moving again—quiet and slow—until he had climbed all the way up.
His gaze was straight ahead, but his mind wasn't, until Naruto saw—
A figure standing in front of his apartment door.
Ino.
She was twirling her hair, folding and playing with it, as if showing her boredom.
Her hair was the same as ever, but she wore a knitted sweater that revealed her white shoulder.
Her lips were pouting—she was clearly annoyed after waiting for someone, who was none other than Naruto, for so long.
"Ugh, why hasn't that bastard shown up yet?" she grumbled in her mind.
Her heart was filled with irritation, torn between staying or leaving.
But at that moment, she saw Naruto slowly approaching, his face expressionless.
She was about to scold him, but—
Puff.
Naruto hugged her. A tight, firm embrace.
Ino was about to ask something, but Naruto spoke first.
"No… please, just let it be like this for now."
His words were unclear, almost inaudible. Ino didn't fully understand, but she chose to remain silent.
Somehow, her heart told her that this was what she needed to do.
Slowly, in silence, Ino's hands began to stroke Naruto's shoulders, gently wrapping around his broad frame.
Then finally, she buried her face into his chest.
In that embrace, they shared warmth.
They could feel each other's breath. Naruto felt Ino's breath against his skin through the fabric.
It tickled him slightly, but instead of loosening his grip, he pulled her in tighter.
The sudden movement startled Ino slightly, but she said nothing.
As for Naruto, he wanted to feel it—to feel everything Ino had, just for himself.
Her breath, her body's warmth, even her heart.
After a few minutes, a voice came from against his chest.
"Na-Naruto, what's wrong…?" It was so small, soft, and almost powerless.
"Hm?" Naruto loosened his embrace and looked at Ino's flushed face.
With a faint smile, he said, "What? Can't I hug my own girlfriend?"
The disappointment in his tone made Ino drop her guard.
"No… I mean, that's fine, but it's just…" Ino spoke quickly, afraid he'd misunderstand.
But she stopped when she realized.
"Wait, what do you mean by that?!" Ino shouted and pushed Naruto away. Unfortunately for her, Naruto didn't let her.
He pulled her soft hand and hugged her again, even tighter.
"Let go!" Ino yelled.
Naruto didn't answer.
Her body began to struggle, but soon, she stopped.
It felt pointless—this man always did whatever he wanted without caring what others thought.
Seeing her quiet, Naruto felt a little guilty. He released her and looked at her with a smile, but Ino quickly turned her face away.
Naruto chuckled lightly.
His eyes then landed on a fairly large package on the floor.
"What's this?" Naruto asked.
He glanced at Ino, but she didn't answer. So, he decided to open it. Inside was food—beautifully packed in containers with transparent lids.
"You made this?" Naruto asked, lifting one of the containers.
Ino finally glanced at him and nodded slowly.
"Yes and no…" she replied softly.
Naruto tilted his head.
"What do you mean?"
Seeing his reaction, Ino cleared her throat and stepped closer. With quick hands, she took the container and the package away.
"I cooked it," she said firmly. But before Naruto could respond, she added, "But my mom helped me…"
Her voice, which was firm at first, slowly softened.
She might not have realized it, but Naruto caught the faint blush on her cheeks.
"Ehh—really? I didn't expect my girlfriend to care so much that she started learning to cook…"
"I don't know why, but I'm really happy to hear that," Naruto teased gently.
Ino's eyes sharpened, narrowing at him.
"Idiot! I told you, don't call me that!"
"Why not? Don't you like it?" Naruto replied casually.
Ino fell silent, now genuinely annoyed.
The more she talked, the more irritating his answers got. So this time, she chose silence.
Seeing her reaction, Naruto just smiled faintly, then took out his key to open the door.
But as he was about to turn it, Ino kicked his shin and snatched the key from his hand.
"Ughh…"
Naruto groaned softly, rubbing his shin as he looked at her. But Ino didn't even glance his way—she preferred to open the door herself.
Click.
Once the door opened, she took off her shoes and went straight inside, leaving Naruto behind.
Inside, she dropped onto the sofa, letting go of all her weariness.
As she leaned back, she muttered loudly, "Hmm, good… at least you didn't mess up my hard work…"
Ino looked around, noting the neatness and cleanliness of the place.
From behind, Naruto approached.
"Correction—not your hard work, our hard work…" he said in return.
Naruto began setting the table and arranging the food from the package.
"Curry, huh? It's been a while since I've had it," he said, glancing at Ino.
Ino, who had been staring at him, stood up when their eyes finally met. She stepped closer.
"Don't you like it?" Ino asked softly.
"Why do you ask?" Naruto countered, his gaze locked onto hers.
"Haah… can't I ask?" Ino replied, starting to lose patience. Her voice rose.
"No, it's not that… of course you can," Naruto answered playfully.
"Then what?!" Ino shouted now, her eyes sharp. She hoped for an answer, but Naruto kept toying with her.
"Well then…" Naruto set down the last container and slowly closed the distance between them until they were just a finger's breadth apart.
His hand reached out, taking Ino's fingers.
He noticed a small cut that looked like it had once bled.
Then, he lifted that finger and gave it a gentle kiss.
"Ino…" he said softly.
Ino froze. She had been swept up in the moment, but now she realized.
Her face turned red as she repeatedly glanced between his face and the finger he'd kissed.
"I like it… I like food made by your hands. I like anything you do for me, and I like everything about you—" his words halted.
Ino's lips parted and trembled. She seemed about to speak, but Naruto silenced her with a finger against her lips.
"So… stop being foolish by asking if I like it, if I'm happy… Because of course I will be."
Naruto ended his words, his tone soft and tender.
Ino stayed silent, unable to respond.
Their eyes met, locking onto each other without anything in between.
Silence and warmth filled the air.
Slowly, Naruto's face drew closer. Ino wanted to push him away, but for some reason, she couldn't find the strength.
His face was expressionless, showing how serious he was—completely different from her own nervous expression.
Until finally, Ino felt the warmth and slight roughness of his lips.
Their tongues intertwined slowly.
They savored each other—the warmth and the dampness.
Sweet.
That was what Naruto felt. His hand now rested on Ino's shoulder, caressing it gently, feeling the shiver she gave.
"Mmmh…"
Seeing her breath grow short, he decided to let go.
A thin thread connected them.
Naruto looked at her face—a mess of emotions, flushed and unfocused.
In front of him, Ino tried to take a slow breath, but seeing that shameless face only made her breath catch again.
"So? Do you believe me this time?"
And with that, Ino… that girl lost her first kiss, while Naruto broke his own restraint.
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"I'm not sure I can upload a chapter every day since it's been a long time since I last wrote, but I'll do my best."
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