So Many Things I Don't Need to Guess

It was impossible for him to freeze to death; ninjas possessed exceptionally resilient constitutions. However, he couldn't possibly refute this at this moment.

The room was brightly lit, as clear as a young girl's heart.

But even under the bright lights, there are unseen shadows. Even though Ino was bundled up in layers of clothing, she harbored some ulterior motives. It was almost like trying to hide something obvious; the more she tried to conceal it, the more it was there.

Compared to the conflicted Ino, he was much calmer.

"Aren't you hot?" He looked at Ino in surprise.

"It's not hot." Ino shook her head, wearing only a few layers of clothing, and stood close to the wardrobe.

"Oh, can I sleep there?" He pointed to the inside of the pink bed. "Or the other side, it's up to you."

Ino ultimately chose the inside side, so Naruto slowly walked around to the side near the door and began to take off his clothes.

"What are you doing?" she asked nervously.

"Do you wear clothes to bed?"

"That's true." Ino nodded, then took off her clothes as if removing armor, until she was wearing normal thin pajamas.

After turning off the lights, the two quietly slipped into bed, separated by an insurmountable chasm.

Ino pulled the blanket up to the edge of the bed, her head buried in it, her face flushed. She thought about how this was the blanket she slept in, and then she remembered sleeping in the same bed in his cold room during the New Year Festival.

The scents of the blankets are always different, but now they all came to mind. Ino's cheeks flushed slightly, and her thoughts curled up like delicate lotus leaves.

A girl in love can think of many things in an instant, her attention even more focused than when she's practicing her exercises. But her thoughts can also become contradictory; for example, she can't understand why Naruto hasn't made a move yet.

Her lack of movement was understandable; she wasn't prepared for anything to happen. But her complete silence, as if she were asleep, didn't exactly cheer her up.

That guy, he's not really here to sleep, is he?

At the very least, shouldn't we have a heart-to-heart talk? Putting aside the matter of opening up, we should at least chat for a few minutes to break the ice, even if it seems like only we ourselves feel awkward.

After hesitating for a moment, Ino quietly turned over. Because she was so guilty, her movements were so slow, like she was turning over naturally, little by little.

Even in the darkness, he could still see. Turning around, in the dim light, Naruto stared at her with his eyes open, a slight smile on his face.

It's as if it's asking, "What are you doing?"

Ino's body stiffened abruptly; her little secret had been discovered, and her neck instantly flushed red.

"You!!"

"What about me?"

"You've been looking at me the whole time?" she stammered, her cheeks burning like dewdrops reflecting the red light of sunrise.

"No, I was just woken up by the noise of you turning over." Naruto said with a completely matter-of-fact expression. "You couldn't sleep either?"

How could a normal person possibly sleep! Ino avoided his gaze and angrily pulled the blanket over her head.

"Sleep!"

She tossed and turned all night, unable to fall asleep, only to find the other person sleeping soundly with their eyes closed. Ino felt a surge of resentment and gritted her teeth in anger.

She found Naruto increasingly annoying; he always seemed to enjoy teasing her. Like now, she'd been looking forward to chatting for ages, but he'd conveniently fallen asleep!

Doesn't he feel anything at all being alone in a room with me? Shouldn't there be some flirtatious or heart-fluttering feeling? Does he not even see me as a girl?

Ugh!!! That's exactly the kind of thing that guy would do! Damn it! I don't know why, but the more I think about it, the angrier I get. It's not because I like him, it's just because I'm simply indignant!

After feeling resentful, she started to overthink things. Could it be that they hadn't been in contact much lately, or that he and Hinata had gotten closer? It wasn't impossible.

Hinata is beautiful, gentle, and has such a great figure; she has absolutely no chance. Ino was a little depressed and couldn't sleep at all.

As dawn broke, Ino was awakened by the rustling sounds of people getting up. She was a light sleeper, and because she was so preoccupied with what happened at home, she would wake up at the slightest sound.

"You're awake?" Naruto put on his coat and turned to look at the somewhat dazed Ino.

"Hmm~? Where are you going?" Ino hugged the blanket tighter, her mind a little muddled, and mumbled.

She didn't realize that her voice sounded just like she was being coquettish. It was just that she had been depressed all night and hadn't slept well due to high tension, which had made her reactions sluggish.

"I'm going home, where else would I go?" Naruto squatted down by her bedside, amused, and poked her cheek, which was covered by a few strands of golden hair. The bouncy texture made him feel a little amused.

"Hmm?" Ino didn't seem to have turned around. She rubbed her cheek against his hand like a kitten, her expression unusually cute.

"Go home? Isn't this your home?" Ino's eyelids were completely closed, and she seemed to be in a completely relaxed state. Her dazed and confused appearance made her seem a bit childish.

"This is your home," he said with a smile, then gently pinched Ino's cheek a few times. "If you don't leave now, will Lord Yamanaka see this when he comes back?"

"Lord Yamanaka ... my father... he won't be back so soon." Ino rubbed his hand again and muttered, "Stay a little longer."

After a moment's thought, Naruto agreed.

This side of Ino is quite rare; she can even escape through the window after being discovered, but when have you ever seen Ino act cute? If she were to come to her senses, she'd probably be so embarrassed that she'd grab him and shake him wildly.

In short, he wanted to see just how far Ino could go with her cuteness in this state. She was still rubbing her cheek against his fingers, making unreadable sounds.

Listen closely, it sounds like someone is swearing, huh? Swearing? Who's so unlucky?

He thought about it carefully for a moment, first ruling out himself. After all, he had expended a lot of energy last night, which was why he hadn't put the ideas in his mind into practice.

A few years ago, it would have been fine; he could still control the level of teasing her. But now, the girl is growing up, and her figure is no longer that of a tender lotus, with her body still showing signs of budding beauty.

The days of delicate beauty are long gone. New trees grow in the Konohagakure year after year, and each mountain rises higher than the last. He, too, couldn't maintain the good character of a law-abiding villager, knowing what to do and what not to do, in front of the girl he liked.

Of course, he couldn't voice this thought; he tried to remain silent, and his nonchalant demeanor was merely an act.

Anyway, it's only been two years, and he plans to avoid sharing a bed next time, lest things escalate and fall into a state of disharmony.

"Naruto?" Ino finally woke up, slowly opened her eyes, stared blankly at Naruto, and then suddenly her whole body stiffened.

"You... you..." She suddenly sat up in bed, pulled the blanket up tightly to cover half her face, leaving only her eyes to secretly look at him.

She glanced at it, then quickly turned away, her ears as red as lingzhi mushrooms.

What's wrong with me?

"You touched my face," she stammered. "Pervert!!"

"It's been a long time since I've heard that word," Naruto said with a smile, speaking sincerely.

"Thank you for the compliment."

"This isn't a compliment! You pervert! You're a huge pervert who secretly touches people's faces while they're sleeping!!" Ino said angrily.

"So you've been awake the whole time?" he said with a smile as he got up.

"No!!" Ino denied loudly, "I thought it was... a dream."

Her voice trailed off towards the end, and she seemed guilty. After all, even in a dream, she had done that kind of thing; wouldn't that be tantamount to admitting she liked him?

But I really like him, how could this person be so annoying!

Ino stared at him with her deep blue eyes. Naruto smiled, thinking to himself how adorable she could be. So he simply leaned down and reached out to hug her through her thin nightgown.

The snow outside the window had stopped, and the glass was covered with white condensation. The heavy snow enveloped Konohagakure, this prosperous yet decaying village, and also covered up all the sins and ugliness.

On the morning of the first day after the New Year Festival, in the dimly lit room, young bodies embraced. Their vibrant life force was like a tender sprout continuing to grow.

Even though the room wasn't very brightly lit, Ino still managed to hug Naruto's broad, strong back perfectly. Their warm breaths mingled, and all her grievances vanished instantly.

Naruto hugged Ino tightly, the faint scent of her milk lingering around his Ino, a sweet and alluring aroma emanating from her hormones. Unlike perfume, it smelled very pleasant.

He stroked the back of her neck with one hand until Ino's body went limp like cotton, then he released the girl and laughed.

"I'm going back now."

Perhaps it was because of the room's heating, but Ino's eyes were misty. Her face was flushed, and she turned away somewhat awkwardly.

"Mmm," she managed to squeeze out a single word in response.

The sound of a door closing downstairs echoed in her heart. Ino pulled the blanket over her face, her heart pounding wildly.

My emotions were quite volatile throughout the night, and all I could hear was the white noise of my own heartbeat. My face felt hot, and my mind was completely blank.

But after he left like that, I still felt a little empty inside.

She clutched the blanket somewhat awkwardly, taking several deep breaths to calm her agitated emotions. Her gaze wandered aimlessly across the room, her thoughts a jumbled mess.

Suddenly, she vaguely spotted a small box on the dressing table. She paused for a moment, startled; she had a habit of keeping all her belongings organized.

When did it appear there? Was I too nervous yesterday and forgot to put it away? But I don't seem to remember having such a box.

She loosened the blanket, slowly got out of bed, put on her cotton shoes, and walked to the dressing table. Inside was a bracelet that wasn't particularly expensive.

A note fell down, and it read:

"I don't need to guess, the expression on your face right now must be adorable. Happy New Year, Ino."

Besides