So, Are You Still Leaving?

He sat blankly on the sofa for a while, thinking about the wind chime, feeling a little depressed. He didn't know what to say for a moment, and felt uneasy.

Fortunately, this unease didn't last long; the door opened from the outside.

A cold wind rushed in, Tayuya, wrapped in a thick white cotton-padded coat, carried some food in her hand. The light in the entryway was on, casting a shadow on the half-open door.

Perhaps because it was still broad daylight, she was slightly taken aback when she suddenly saw a pair of unfamiliar shoes in the light. After looking around, she subconsciously hid the food in her hand.

The entryway forms a 90-degree angle with the living room, obscuring the view of the living room. Tayuya stood there blankly for a moment, then quietly turned around and closed the door.

After quickly changing her shoes, she hid the food behind her back and quietly walked into the living room.

The moment Naruto heard the sound, he immediately lay down on the sofa on the first floor, pretending to be asleep while listening to TV. He didn't open his eyes until he felt a dark shadow looming over him and the aroma of barbecue filled the air.

Tayuya's long, fiery red hair cascaded down as she leaned forward, seemingly scrutinizing him. Her golden pupils gleamed faintly, as if they were about to materialize into Cursed Seal.

She didn't react when she met Naruto's gaze.

The two stared at each other for about ten seconds, the atmosphere almost frozen. Tayuya reached out and touched Naruto's face before revealing a faint smile.

With a whoosh, a large bag of barbecue was pulled out from behind her, and because of the force, a few drops of hot oil splashed onto his face.

Naruto: "Huh?"

"Here, have some!" she said.

He wiped the few drops of oil off his face, put the food aside for the time being, pointed to the room on the second floor, and asked.

When did you buy the wind chimes?

"Four years ago, I bought it because it looked a lot like yours." Tayuya, and stared at him for a few more moments. "How did you escape that day?"

She was probably referring to the Amegakure, when Naruto told her to escape immediately. Pain was indeed powerful, Tayuya naturally assumed that he must have put in considerable effort to escape as well.

"Oh, so you managed to escape." He continued, "After you escaped, did you go straight home?"

"Well..." Tayuya somewhat guiltily, "You've been looking for me, haven't you?"

He was about to say no, but then swallowed the words back. "No Time to Come Back," he frowned and asked, "Why didn't you just go home? Didn't I tell you to go straight home?"

"I never thought you would come looking for me," Tayuya, bowing her head and bringing her legs together.

"Never mind." Naruto stood up, pulled her down, and pressed her onto the sofa. "Let's eat something first. The trouble with Amegakure has been resolved."

"Oh, you escaped smoothly?" She understood "solution" as a smooth escape, never imagining that Pain had already been completely dealt with.

Pain's oppressive aura was indeed terrifying; all the people they brought with them died there. Tayuya had no doubt that if Naruto hadn't appeared, she probably wouldn't have survived either.

She was already very content to have survived.

Although she didn't understand the meaning of life, she felt that living was better than dying. The thought of being all alone after death made her realize that living was better.

Joining a wandering ninja organization and traveling around is quite fun. There are many things she doesn't understand, so she kills wave after wave of people who want to harm her.

"Not really, 'solved' means those guys were completely wrecked." Naruto made a throat-slitting gesture, took a bite of food, and said in a greasy tone.

"In short Amegakure has changed a lot, and it may have been taken over by a different group of people. The situation is a bit complicated and it's hard to say for sure right now."

"That sounds impressive." Tayuya nodded. She was actually quite smart, but she knew that sometimes it wasn't necessary to delve too deeply into a single issue.

Others told her that boys, though they may not say it outright, also really enjoy being praised. When a boy is sharing something with you, a few well-chosen compliments can easily win him over.

"Indeed, I'm pretty good." Naruto said with a smile.

This was different from what she had learned, and for a moment she didn't know how to continue the conversation. Thinking back carefully to what the older women had said, she realized that these shameless guys were probably not easy to deal with.

"Yes, impressive." She nodded seriously.

The food was quickly finished. Naruto clapped his hands, got up, and slowly went upstairs. He simply said he was a little sleepy from the journey and was going to wash up and go to bed. Tayuya's eyes flickered, she said "oh" and then walked away.

"That's weird." Naruto muttered to himself as he stood on the stairs, but he didn't take it to heart. The last bit of guilt in his heart vanished.

He wasn't a sentimental person; his personality was always somewhat carefree, and he had a conscience, but not much. He wouldn't keep his guilt and unease towards Tayuya to himself.

That's enough. Just apologize when the time is right.

He went upstairs, then found some clean clothes in the Sealing Space and went into the bathroom. With a splash, Naruto turned on the shower and let the hot water soak his body.

Tayuya pressed herself against the wall outside the bathroom door, biting her lower lip as if she was hesitant.

She was too embarrassed to tell Naruto the truth: after escaping from Amegakure, she didn't go straight back to Tanzaku Town in the Land of Fire. Instead, she went to the Land of Hot Water and consulted a group of older women about her teenage anxieties.

Those women seemed quite charming and kind. When they learned she was going to pay for their help, they were all very enthusiastic and none of them accepted her money.

"To win a man's heart, you need to learn some skills."

"Skills aren't important; what's important is that I think my sister's features are just right."

The enthusiastic discussion carried a warm breeze, but listening to the unrestrained Tayuya's mind went completely blank. Her face flushed repeatedly, and she couldn't remember much.

A barrage of suggestions came flooding in, like a cacophony of voices. Even the female manager, who was standing aside preparing to urge them to get to work, made an exception and stood by, watching the spectacle with amusement.

Amidst the group of women wearing rouge, someone suddenly remarked, "Judging from her expression, she probably doesn't even know what a real kiss is."

Another person spoke frankly, "We probably don't understand either."

The lively scene was completely silenced by a single sentence. The women fell silent, their faces momentarily blank, and no one spoke again.

Click! The bathroom door opened, instantly interrupting Tayuya's thoughts.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto was startled. His natural blond hair was wet, and a white towel was hanging around his neck.

"I... I want to take a shower too!" Tayuya blurted out in a panic.

"Why are you taking a shower in broad daylight?" Naruto glared at her. "Are you trying to catch up on sleep too? Didn't you just buy food? Didn't you sleep last night?"

"Yeah, I'm not asleep." With that, Tayuya jogged right past him and into the bathroom.

In the steamy bathroom, Tayuya and exhaled. She skillfully turned on the tub to test the water temperature, her heart gradually warming up as well.

She couldn't remember the last time her heart had been beating so fast; the lingering thoughts in her mind made her heart pound uncontrollably.

With a splash, she plunged into the water, curling up in the bathtub, her mind a jumble of thoughts. Many things remained unanswered, hidden deep within her heart.

She didn't want to live here anymore; for the first time, she felt disgusted with the place. She decided to settle a few things and then leave.

In the room, Naruto hugged his blanket and fell asleep almost immediately.

He doesn't keep things to himself; no matter how big the problem, he can put it aside and eat, drink, and sleep as usual. So he slept soundly, from daytime until midnight.

As night fell and heavy snow began to fall, Naruto groggily opened his eyes and suddenly realized that the bed was a bit cramped. The thought immediately struck him as absurd.

He has no shortage of money, and when he bought the bed, he didn't choose a small bed.

He turned around at the rustling sound and saw a huddled-up ball next to him, seemingly someone asleep. After a slight pause, Naruto reached out and pulled back a corner of the blanket.

Hmm? Tayuya?

Well, it wouldn't matter if it were a daytime attack. He's already an adult, so he's not afraid of the gaze of the Deva Path Beasts, especially since he's wearing clothes.

He was about to pull the blanket back in when Tayuya groggily opened her eyes. Her pale golden pupils seemed unfocused, which startled him.

His hand trembled, and the blanket was pulled down a little.

Tayuya lying on her side facing him, curled up in a ball, with large clumps of white, smooth, semi-circular skin scattered around her, a shocking sight.

Naruto to himself, "Damn it!" His hand trembled again, and he tried to pull the blanket up several times but failed. Instead, he ended up touching the girl's body a few times, creating an extremely awkward situation.

"Um... I didn't mean to, my hands were just shaking," he explained.

She stared at Naruto for a long while, her eyes gradually focusing, as if she were waking from a deep sleep. Looking at Naruto's face, a smile appeared on her lips.

She nuzzled gently, then slowly moved forward, her small body stretching out. Through the only layer of clothing, she hugged him tightly.

In the darkness, only the moonlight reflected off the windowsill shone brightly. There must have been a thick layer of snow outside, which explained the extremely low temperature inside.

The girl in his arms was burning hot, like lava about to boil. Soft light bathed the large bed in the room, Naruto gently returned her embrace.

After an unknown amount of time, the girl in his arms raised her head and struggled softly. Completely unconcerned by the force of her gentle rubbing against him, she nestled against his shoulder.

Her skin was smooth and milky white, and her collarbones were the color of jade.

Her pale golden eyes stared at him quietly, then she lowered her head and, like a kitten, gave him a light bite on the shoulder.

"I'm so hungry."

In the kitchen, Naruto skillfully prepared some simple food.

Tayuya was wrapped up in a blanket like a dumpling and thrown on the sofa. For some reason, neither of them suggested putting on some clothes.

The older women told her that clothes are sometimes armor, and sometimes a burden.

The living room was dimly lit. Naruto kept the food warm in the pot. He turned and walked to the sofa, picked up Tayuya and went to brush their teeth together, ignoring the blankets that were dragging on the floor.

At 3:30 a. m., the entire town fell silent.

Standing in the bathroom with the heater on, the two brushed their teeth in front of the mirror, one at a higher position than the other, their mouths full of foam. After quickly rinsing their mouths, Naruto took Tayuya back to the living room.

After quickly finishing his food, Naruto lay down on the sofa on the other side to rest. Tayuya, wrapped in a blanket, huddled on the sofa, with only one light on above them.

As the light dimmed, the entire living room gradually fell silent.

She looked up, the faint light above her flickering in her pupils, while most of the ceiling remained shrouded in darkness. The only light flickered, seemingly ready to go out at any moment.

Tayuya glanced at him, said nothing, and ran to him in small steps, still wrapped in her blanket. Naruto opened his eyes and looked at her a few times; she was also observing Naruto's gaze.

If Naruto frowns, she'll wrap herself in her blanket and go upstairs to her room. Perhaps he'll leave again tomorrow, and then she'll leave too.

I won't leave any message anyway, so it doesn't matter where I go. I don't want to stay here anymore.

Fortunately, Naruto showed no expression, just staring at her. It was as if he were asking, "What are you doing?" He was calm, leisurely, and completely unconcerned.

She threw back the covers, clumsily throwing herself at him, clutching the edges. Their two burning bodies awkwardly pressed together on the sofa, their hearts pressed close.

With a snap, the only lamp on the ceiling finally reached the end of its life and shattered with a cracking sound. The living room was plunged into darkness, and Naruto reached out and hugged Tayuya from behind.

My back felt a little slippery, and the touch from my fingertips was as soft as a wad of cotton.

"What's wrong with you?"

"I'm leaving," Tayuya said in a low voice after hesitating for a while.

Where to?

Upon hearing this, Tayuya's mood suddenly became strange, and she uncontrollably sank down. How come he didn't seem nervous or care at all?

She hoped Naruto would ask her more questions, even if it was an angry interrogation. Anyway... anyway, once a decision is made, it can't be changed.

But at least she'll feel a little better when she leaves.

"I don't know, but I just don't want to stay here anymore," Tayuya said. "The TV in the living room has broken down several times in the past few years. I've bought three of them, and they were so expensive."

"There are two broken ones in the storeroom. I don't know how to fix them, so I was hoping you could fix them when you get back to save some money. But now they probably can't be fixed, and even if they are, I don't know which one to look at."

"Although I don't usually check it, I just leave it on all day long. I asked them, and they said you can't leave it on all day long, otherwise it's easy to break down and you can't fix it."

"I had one in the bathroom, it got a little water in it and broke, so I put it away again."

She talked on and on, recounting each event as if it were her most precious possession. Every corner of the house bore traces of her life, a lonely little thing.

"I don't want them anymore. I'll give you all four TVs, and I'll take some money with me," Tayuya said in a low voice, as if she had already made up her mind.

How much money did you make?

"Eighty million taels," she replied. "It should have been more than that, but I accidentally spent it all. I'll leave you forty million taels, and then I'll keep forty million taels for myself."

"You've calculated it so clearly? You've thought it through all along?" he asked with a smile.

"Yes, I don't want to stay here anymore." She repeated, her voice firm. "You wait, I'll give you the money back."

As she spoke, Tayuya struggled to get up. But her hand was pulled back, and she was pulled back down again.

"I want all eighty million taels."

"No," she said, her voice trembling with tears. "That's my money."

Are you still leaving?

"Let's go!" she repeated.

"I like you."

"Then I won't go." She blurted out in a panic.

Something came up and I was delayed.