Just after Feng An and the others had finished lunch, Kurenai Yūhi still hadn't shown up. Instead, Shikamaru Nara and Chōji Akimichi from Team 10 appeared.
Shikamaru raised a hand and greeted them with a smile, "Yo, Hinata, Feng An."
"What are you guys doing here?" Feng An glanced at them, feeling somewhat disappointed.
"Why are you here? We're waiting for Kurenai-sensei."
Although Feng An often slept during classes at the Ninja Academy, it was precisely this habit that had forged a deep, rebellious camaraderie with Naruto, Shikamaru, and Chōji, who were also frequently punished to stand outside.
Shikamaru: "We were just passing by and thought you looked familiar, so we came over to check it out."
"Akimichi Chōji," he said casually while munching on potato chips.
"Kurenai-sensei? Didn't she go on a date with Asuma-sensei today?"
Hearing this, Feng An shot to his feet.
"What did you say? She went on a date?"
"Yeah, Asuma-sensei said he had an important appointment today, so he gave us the day off."
"Didn't you know?"
Hinata shook her head, indicating she didn't know.
Feng An's face darkened, and he clenched his fists at his sides.
So she went on a date; no wonder she suddenly told us to take the day off to rest.
Turns out Kurenai Yūhi wanted the day off for herself.
Shikamaru looked at him and asked, "By the way, Feng An, why are you even on Kurenai-sensei's team?"
"That's a long story."
Feng An launched into a vivid tale about how Kurenai had clung to him and begged him to join Team 8.
Shikamaru rested a hand on his chin, pretending to listen attentively and nodding from time to time.
However, Feng An's story grew more and more outrageous.
He claimed he'd used a ten-meter diameter ninjutsu that had shocked Kurenai Yūhi, and that if he didn't join, she would go on a hunger strike.
Akimichi Chōji turned his head and whispered into Shikamaru's ear, "Do you actually believe any of that? Is he bragging?"
Shikamaru covered his mouth and whispered back, "Be more confident. Remove the 'is he.' He's definitely bragging."
The two of them glanced at Hinata, who was standing there with her head bowed and saying nothing, and knew Feng An was spouting nonsense.
Besides, they didn't believe for a second that Kurenai Yūhi would beg him to join Team 8.
In the middle of his grand speech, Feng An caught sight of Shikamaru and Chōji's little exchange.
He coughed twice and said, "Ahem. And so, out of the goodness of my heart, I mercifully agreed to join Team 8."
"I see."
Shikamaru forced a professional-looking smirk onto his face.
Then the four of them parted ways.
Shikamaru and Chōji headed to a store to stock up on snacks during their break.
After learning that Kurenai Yūhi was on a date with Asuma, Feng An and Hinata set off for another commercial street, one that was notoriously full of couples.
Upon arriving, he realized the place was absolutely packed.
The crowd was a stark contrast to the quiet alleys near his home.
"Hinata, do you see Kurenai?"
He had no choice but to ask Hinata to scan the area with her Byakugan, trying to lock onto Kurenai Yūhi's figure.
The Byakugan, unique to the Hyūga clan, can see things within a one-kilometer radius and clearly observe a target's chakra pathways, tenketsu points, and chakra flow.
Suddenly, Hinata's eyes lit up.
"Over there!"
"Alright!"
Feng An grabbed Hinata's hand and rushed in the direction she pointed.
Teacher Kurenai, your nightmare is here. You stood me up and still think you're going to have a nice date?
Dream on.
However, his fighting spirit was quickly doused by the sheer density of the crowd.
Five minutes passed, and they'd said "excuse me" dozens of times.
With so many people around, it was impossible for him and Hinata to just jump across the rooftops. As the saying goes, fear the gossip of others.
Hinata blinked and asked, "Are we still going?"
"Going. I have to ruin her good time today."
Since they already knew Kurenai Yūhi's general location, Feng An asked Hinata to deactivate her Byakugan for now and reactivate it when they got closer.
"Cat ears! Get your cat ears here!"
A shop displayed all kinds of headbands, and the shifty-looking owner was shouting loudly.
He didn't seem the least bit embarrassed, smiling as he promoted his wares to every young person who passed by.
"Handsome young man, the beauty next to you is so pretty! With these pink cat ears, she'd be absolutely dazzling!"
A young couple, arm in arm, stopped in front of the store.
The man asked, "Do you want it?"
"Let's go! I don't want it! That's something only kids wear," the woman said, pulling the man's hand and walking away.
"Don't go! We have products for mature women too!" the vendor called out.
But the couple left without looking back.
As Feng An and Hinata approached, he couldn't help but complain inwardly at the vendor's shifty look.
Why do all unscrupulous merchants in the world look like this? You can tell they're shady just by looking at them.
The vendor had originally thought many people would like the cat ear headbands he bought and that he could make a killing, but he hadn't expected most buyers would be little girls.
This is what happens when you don't do market research.
When the vendor saw Feng An and Hinata, his eyes suddenly lit up.
He hurriedly called out, "Handsome boy, pretty girl, take a look at these adorable cat ear headbands."
Feng An glanced sideways, his expression full of disdain.
What era is this? Who still likes wearing cat ear headbands?
So lame.
Just as he was about to move on, he noticed Hinata had stopped and was looking at the cat ear headband in the vendor's hand.
Huh?
Feng An asked hesitantly, "Do you like it?"
Hinata felt a little embarrassed and nodded hesitantly.
Feng An looked surprised.
He really hadn't expected Hinata to like cat ear headbands.
"Boss, how much for one?"
The vendor quickly smiled.
"Our shop is honest and fair. The price is ninety-eight ryō."
Ninety-eight ryō? Why don't you just go rob someone? A bowl of Ichiraku Ramen is only sixty ryō.
As expected, I should never buy things from a shop run by a shifty-looking vendor again. This is a classic case of an unscrupulous merchant.
But even though Feng An complained internally, he still had to buy it.
The cost of two bowls of ramen was a drop in the bucket for him, given his modest savings.
He handed the money to the vendor and let Hinata choose the headband she preferred.
Hinata took a long time choosing and finally pointed to the pink cat ear headband.
Feng An took the headband, looked it over from all angles, and felt it wasn't particularly pretty.
He sighed inwardly.
It's normal for a twelve-year-old girl to like this sort of thing.
Then he pulled the sides of the headband apart and placed it on Hinata's head.
Before he could say anything after putting it on, the vendor beside them suddenly spoke up.
"Wow! The little beauty wearing the cat ear headband looks like a fairy descended to earth, stunning as the moon and flowers, breathtakingly beautiful, a vision of celestial elegance..."
Feng An shot him a fierce glare.
If you use up all the compliments, what am I supposed to say?
The vendor smiled tactfully and fell silent.
Hinata raised her head and looked at Feng An shyly.
"Does it look good?"
Feng An was stunned speechless by Hinata's adorable appearance with the cat ears.
"She is simply a fairy descended to earth, as beautiful as the moon and flowers, stunningly beautiful, with a beauty as captivating as a celestial being."
The shifty vendor glanced at him.
That's blatant plagiarism.
*****
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