Sae was almost knocked senseless.
No, seriously.
She was brand-new.
Couldn't he be a little more careful?
Couldn't he be a little gentler?
Couldn't he show her a little mercy?
Instead, it was pedal to the floor, full-speed ahead…
She was starting to suspect she wasn't being kept as a wife or a mistress at all, but as some kind of dedicated sex slave.
She'd always thought only men were the ones who ended up hobbling along, one hand on the wall.
Now she had a very vivid impression that women needed the wall too.
Her long legs in black stockings were shaking so badly she could barely stand.
Every step she took, she had to stop, then squeeze her thighs together for a second.
Just in case.
Of course.
She didn't have any objection to how obsessed her man seemed to be with her.
It was just that she was sore and swollen to the point of misery, and she wanted a break.
Kangetsu immediately looked displeased.
Either you can, or you can't.
What did "a break" even mean?
This was his entertainment after daily training.
Was she trying to take away his only joy in life?
But Sae really couldn't take any more, so in the end, Kangetsu could only stroke her smooth back with obvious regret.
The novelty hadn't worn off yet. Kangetsu still wanted to keep using her.
Still, she'd only just arrived. He had to give her a little time to recover.
Not everyone could be like Haruno, happily throwing herself into it again and again.
That made Sae quietly let out a breath of relief.
One more round and she was pretty sure her brain would get cooked.
At the same time.
...
Konoha Hospital.
Hyuga Tokuma crept up to the place, tiptoeing like a thief, his expression conflicted. He wanted to go in, but couldn't bring himself to. He wanted to leave, but his feet wouldn't move.
Tokuma was a chūnin of the Hyuga clan.
Once upon a time, he'd been one of the many who took pride in the clan crest.
Now?
He understood perfectly how the Hyuga clan was "puffing up its cheeks to pretend it wasn't starving."
The branch family didn't even need mentioning. They lived worse than servants.
The main family wasn't doing much better.
In Kangetsu's view, they were more twisted up than fallen nobles at the end of an era.
Outwardly, they had to present the Hyuga as grand and dignified.
Inwardly, they had to tighten their belts until they could barely breathe.
There was no way around it.
Two years ago, the Hyuga clan had drifted away from Konoha's political center.
Still want to take missions and make money?
Eat your old savings instead.
And after two full years of living off old reserves, even the deepest foundation gets hollowed out.
Yesterday, Tokuma had gone out with his ninja squad.
Teammate One said, "Captain, drinks today? My treat!"
Teammate Two said, "Why would you pay? I've got it, I've got it. Captain, don't mind us. The two of us together. We'll treat you to barbecue."
Barbecue?
Tokuma swallowed without meaning to.
It had been a long time since he'd eaten anything good.
But something felt off.
His two teammates were just genin. They had money to treat him to barbecue?
At the barbecue place, over drinks, the two finally told him the truth.
"Captain, don't blame us. It's not that we don't want to stay with you. It's just… sticking with you, we can't get missions at all!"
"Captain, a Nara clan official said if we go over there, the cushy welfare missions will all be ours."
"Don't be mad, Captain, just look. My clothes are patched. I haven't replaced them in years."
"Yeah, Captain. Consider today a farewell meal. You were a good captain. Please, you have to understand."
That rare barbecue, Tokuma ate like a starving man, mouth greasy, devouring everything in sight.
But even with his cheeks full, his teammates' words left him silent for a long time.
Right then, a bunch of Konoha Hospital staff ninjas came in, swaggering like they owned the place, there to "grind barbecue" as if it were a daily quest.
"Boss! You got stock left? Bring it all out!"
"Get the grill set up first! Don't worry, you'll get paid!"
"Hey, you! Come help out! Here's your tip!"
"What? This little bit feeds who? If the Hyuga next door sees it, they'll think Konoha Hospital can't afford a meal!
Come on. One platter per person. Put it straight on!"
Tokuma looked left, looked right—then suddenly realized.
Oh.
I'm the Hyuga next door…
He'd just been mocked.
Tokuma thought about snapping back.
But the other side looked rich, loud, and shamelessly flush.
Then he looked at the sorry, cheap cuts on his own table.
Tokuma covered his face with one hand.
Let people see a Hyuga living this shabby?
He couldn't afford that kind of humiliation…
Inside, he let out a bitter sigh.
His two teammates sighed too, then patted their captain on the shoulder.
"Captain, take what's left and pack it to bring home. We know things are hard for you."
That sentence made Tokuma's face burn.
He was a man of dignity.
Could he really do something as undignified as packing leftovers?
Yes.
Yes, he could.
Under the genin's baffled looks, he packed the barbecue in complete embarrassment.
He didn't waste even the last bit of grease.
Before leaving, he glanced back into the restaurant, at the hospital people eating good meat and drinking good alcohol like it was nothing.
A sharp, nameless sense of disparity rose up.
He wanted a comfortable life too.
He wanted to be able to say to his teammates:
"Pack that and take it home. I don't even want it."
"You think you need to treat me? Tell me what you want to eat. I'm not short on money."
"Nara clan? The Nara clan are a bunch of idiots. Compared to the Hyuga? Do they even have the strength?"
But unfortunately.
He didn't have that kind of confidence.
He had a few coins in his pocket, that was it.
He simply didn't have the courage to say those kinds of lines.
Because if he did, he'd probably need his grandfather to come fish him out of the restaurant.
Otherwise, he'd be stuck washing dishes to pay his debt.
He went home to a cold, quiet house—after selling off plenty of ancestral property.
The place was so empty that even a rat would come in, spit twice, and leave.
Tokuma sat there, numb, staring into space.
What now?
The squad was gone. From here on out, he had no way to make money at all.
Was his whole family supposed to just starve like this?
He scratched his head, then lay on his side with his eyes closed, anxious and restless.
But wait…
At the barbecue place, didn't those hospital nouveau riche say Konoha Hospital was hiring?
Once that thought took root, it clung to him like a curse. He couldn't shake it no matter how hard he tried.
Maybe…
Maybe he should talk it over with Grandpa?
No.
Tokuma's heart hardened, his teeth clenched.
He knew his grandfather was a stubborn old man. He probably wouldn't approve of a Hyuga chūnin "lowering himself" to work under others.
So Tokuma decided he'd try first, on his own.
He knew exactly how good the hospital's pay and benefits were.
Every day, he ran into hospital people slipping out to show off.
The smug way they strutted around—anyone would feel their chest tighten from frustration.
It made you want to plant two fists right into those rich faces.
But then again…
If he could become one of them, become one of those "nouveau riche" himself…
Tokuma couldn't sit still anymore.
The more he thought about it, the more certain he became that he belonged there.
He could be hospital staff too.
He could be a medic too.
He could serve Kangetsu-sama too…
(End of Chapter)
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