"Hayate-sensei!"
"Grandma Keiko!!"
"Karin!!!"
Early in the morning, Naruto came dashing over to the Gekko Mansion and BAM BAM BAM pounded on the iron gate.
Unfortunately, even after knocking for a long while, nobody came to open the door. Naruto, with two perfectly good hands and feet, decisively climbed over the wall.
The mansion was quiet, not a sound to be heard.
"Is everyone out?"
Naruto scratched his head in confusion, then made his way to Hayate's bedroom like he knew it by heart and pushed the door open.
"Hayate-sensei?" Naruto ran to the tatami and lifted the blanket, but there was nothing underneath.
What was going on?
Where was Hayate-sensei?
Naruto hurriedly began searching every nook and cranny for Hayate.
"Hayate-sensei, you can stop hiding! I saw your clothes!"
"Hayate-sensei, come out! I saw your hair!"
After ransacking every box and cabinet in the bedroom that could possibly hide someone, Naruto left with a worried frown—and saw Hayate coming around the corner of the Wooden Corridor, sporting two dark circles under his eyes.
After Hayate and Mei Terumi had gone into the bedroom last night, the two of them had chatted while eating spicy crawfish and oden stew. Once Mei Terumi had eaten her fill, she'd turned on Hayate and tried to kick him out. Hayate had been ready to leave, too, but the shameless, one-eyed Ao had stayed outside the bedroom drinking. Hayate was a proud man; he'd rather die than lose face. How could he leave before Ao did?
Ao felt the same way, for Mei Terumi's safety. So the two of them had sat in silence all night, separated by a wooden sliding door. Neither was willing to leave first, and neither was willing to sleep. It wasn't until Mei Terumi woke at dawn and drove