Nightfall draped over Konoha as Senya and Hikari spoke quietly about everyday things.
Which Konoha snack shops were the best, how Kisame had joined Konoha back then, and what kind of shinobi Maruboshi Kosuke was.
At last, after more than an hour, Senya suddenly said,
"Miss Chiori of Amegakure, how much longer are you planning to hide?"
"Pretending not to notice all the time is exhausting, you know."
"If you have something to say, just say it. All this pretending is tiring for everyone, isn't it?"
There was weariness and helplessness in Senya's voice.
Only then did Konan realize that he had noticed her long ago.
But when had he noticed her...? Could it have been when she instinctively covered her eyes?
There had only been that brief instant when her gaze was not on him. If that was really it, then...
Konan thought for a moment, but still decided to pretend she knew nothing. At that moment, the paper dove broke apart into pristine white square sheets, then reassembled behind Senya and Hikari.
Senya and Hikari rose from the cliff's edge, dusted off their clothes, and turned to look at Konan.
Senya looked at Konan's black hair and her somewhat unfamiliar appearance. Even her signature purple lipstick and eyeshadow had been removed, along with her lip piercing, giving her an entirely different air.
It seemed Konan looked quite pretty without makeup too, with a charm all her own.
"So, what is Amegakure's leading shinobi doing following me, Konoha's Hokage's Assistant, in the middle of the night?"
"Could it be that you want to get close to me and deepen our relationship?"
Senya looked at Konan teasingly, eagerly awaiting her reaction.
Under normal circumstances, if someone dared speak to Konan like that, she might have attacked them outright. But facing