Chapter 159: Naruko's Confession
After dinner.
Seeing how late it had gotten, Mikoto gently suggested, "Little Yu, why don't you walk Naruko home?"
Naruko hastily waved her hands. "No need to trouble yourself! I'm a jonin now—I can protect myself, and it's just within the village..."
"How impressive." Mikoto praised with a smile before still calling Yu to her side, lowering her voice to give him a few instructions.
Yu sighed inwardly yet didn't wish to refuse his adoptive mother's goodwill.
He walked to Naruko's side, tone gentle. "Let me walk you home after all."
Naruko's cheeks immediately flushed crimson. She could no longer voice any refusal, only nodding lightly.
Mikoto watched from the side, unable to suppress a light laugh. "Be careful on the road. No need to rush back." This hint made even Naruko's ears turn completely red.
Yu nodded slightly without saying more.
Yet Naruko couldn't help thinking—he must have caught Auntie's implication.
Sasuko, standing aside watching this scene, already looked somewhat grim.
Mikoto watched Yu and Naruko walk shoulder to shoulder out the door until their figures vanished into the night before withdrawing her gaze.
Just then, she felt someone gently tug her sleeve.
Turning, she saw Sasuko's expression was exceptionally serious. "Mother, I want to tell you and Father something."
Mikoto felt somewhat surprised.
Her younger daughter rarely used such formal address.
"What's wrong, Sasuko?"
---
Street lamps flickered bright and dim in the night, stretching and shortening their shadows.
Naruko walked beside Yu step by step, her heartbeat so loud it nearly drowned out the surrounding insect chirping.
She quietly clenched her hem, racking her brain to find topics yet too nervous to say a single word.
"Thank you for today, Naruko." Yu's gentle voice broke the silence. "My adoptive mother was very happy."
"It's only natural!" Naruko quickly shook her head. "Auntie is truly so gentle..."
Another long stretch of silence.
Yu sighed lightly before finally speaking. "My adoptive mother just woke from dormancy this morning. She doesn't understand many things yet. Those words she said... you don't need to take them too seriously."
Naruko only felt her heart sink sharply, as though someone had squeezed it, the pain making her panic.
She hastily lowered her head, azure eyes instantly misting over, yet she stubbornly wouldn't let tears fall.
"I-I know..." She tried to make her voice sound light. "I didn't think in that direction..."
Yu could sense her sadness yet could only steel himself to pretend ignorance—long pain was better than short.
He couldn't delay them.
For the remainder of the journey, Naruko kept her head lowered, desperately biting her lip to keep tears from falling.
Over a decade of admiration, rejected tactfully before even being spoken—this bitterness made every step extraordinarily difficult.
This stretch of road felt as long as a century to her.
When Yu walked her to the apartment entrance and turned to leave, that "goodbye" sounded like a final judgment.
Watching his back, Naruko suddenly felt a wave of panic.
That door leading to light was about to close on her completely.
Naruko almost instinctively reached out, tightly grasping his hand.
"Yu..."
Naruko choked out that name.
Hearing this, Yu turned around to see her trying hard to smile at him, yet tears continuously rolled from her eyes.
She raised her face. Those usually bright blue eyes now brimmed with tears, long lashes wetly stuck to her eyelids.
Her nose tip was red, lips bitten white, yet she still stubbornly tried maintaining a smile.
"Yu..."
She called again, voice carrying suppressed crying.
Her lips parted as though wanting to say something to make him stay, but she didn't know what she should say, what she was qualified to say.
Ultimately she only lowered her head, shoulders lightly trembling.
Tears continuously fell. She used the back of her hand to wipe them yet they only increased. But she still clutched Yu's hand without releasing it.
Naruko frantically turned her face away, forcefully wiping her cheeks with her sleeve.
"S-sorry..." Her voice carried obvious trembling. "I'll be fine in a moment..."
Yet tears continued flowing uncontrollably. The more she wiped, the more her shoulders shook.
Yu stood silently in place, allowing her to tightly grip his hand.
After a long while, Naruko still couldn't calm her emotions. She tried to squeeze out a smile, wanting to act carefree as usual, but her lips had barely curved upward when they collapsed.
Right now, she simply couldn't manage it.
She could clearly feel—if she released this hand now, there would never be a next time.
She took a deep breath as though gathering all her strength before finally raising her tear-blurred face.
"Yu..." She choked out, "Would you like to... come in for a bit?"
The moment these words left her mouth, new tears surged forth. She hastily used the back of her hand to wipe them, only growing more disheveled.
"Just for a moment..." She added softly, carrying humble pleading. "Just for some tea..."
Those azure eyes gazed at him unblinkingly, filled with too much unspoken expectation and trepidation.
Yu gazed at Naruko's tear-filled appearance, remaining silent momentarily before his gaze swept over her slightly trembling shoulders.
"Alright."
This simple word made Naruko's head snap up sharply, hope flashing through her eyes.
She hastily wiped her face with her sleeve, fingers trembling as she rummaged through her bag for keys.
"I-I'll open the door right away..."
The keychain jingled. She tried several times before successfully unlocking the door.
The instant she pushed open the door, she turned back to look at Yu, a timid smile blooming on her tear-stained face.
Yu stepped into the entryway, smelling faint jasmine fragrance in the air. This small apartment was kept very tidy yet conveyed a trace of coldness.
Naruko followed awkwardly behind him, gaze unconsciously sweeping every corner, worried something wasn't tidy enough or the furnishings weren't proper.
"Please-please sit!" She hastily indicated the sofa's position, voice still carrying uncalmed choking. "I'll make tea right away..."
Only after seeing Yu sit on the sofa did Naruko fumble with preparing tea implements.
When opening the cabinet, she accidentally knocked over the tea canister beside it. Her movements steadying it appeared especially clumsy. She kept involuntarily turning back to confirm Yu remained in place.
"Take your time." Yu said softly.
Naruko nodded with her back to him, yet her movements remained flustered. The sound of hot water pouring into the teacup was especially clear in the quiet room.
When she turned with the teacup, Yu noticed her eyes had reddened again. She carefully placed the teacup before him, the amber tea swaying slightly from her trembling hands.
"This is... tea leaves I brought back from my last mission." She said softly, sitting beside him yet deliberately maintaining some distance.
This was the most expensive tea she'd ever bought, nearly exhausting two months' salary.
Yu lifted the teacup. Jasmine's clear fragrance met his face. He took a sip—the temperature was perfect.
"Very good."
Naruko's fingers twisted her hem, gaze occasionally glancing at him before quickly shifting away.
"Yu..." She finally mustered courage to speak. "Actually I..."
The words stopped at her lips. She lowered her head, golden hair falling to conceal her profile.
Yu set down the teacup, quietly waiting.
Naruko took a deep breath. When she raised her head, tears glimmered in her eyes yet carried unprecedented determination.
"I like you. I've liked you since long ago..."
***
20+advance chapters at patreon.com/Eatinpieces