Qingyu: Kurenai, Let Me Touch Your Face (Third Update)

"It's Wasabi Octopus!"

"Yūhi Kurenai parted her lips slightly and said..."

The spiciness of wasabi mixed with the unique umami of octopus filled her nostrils, Yūhi Kurenai felt half of her fatigue being dispelled by this aroma.

"How could this be—how did you get this?"

Yūhi Kurenai looked up at Qingyu.

"I had my Shadow Clone buy it."

Qingyu answered casually and sat down next to her.

"The round trip isn't far; Shadow Clone make the trip in one go."

Yūhi Kurenai held the food box in her hands, looked at the Wasabi Octopus inside, and swallowed hard.

She had just finished her afternoon of meditation and was feeling both hungry and thirsty.

If I could have a bite of Wasabi Octopus right now, that would be incredibly pleasant.

"Want some?"

Qingyu turned her head to look at her.

Yūhi Kurenai nodded without hesitation.

Seeing this, Qingyu's smile deepened.

"Then let me rub your cheeks, and I'll give them to you."

Yūhi Kurenai stared wide-eyed at Qingyu, as if trying to confirm whether he was joking about what he had just said.

Qingyu's expression was serious, but there was a hint of mischievous amusement hidden in her dark eyes.

"What—what did you say?"

Yūhi Kurenai cheeks were slightly flushed pink.

Let me rub your cheeks.

Qingyu repeated it.

I still have a little baby fat now, but it will be gone in two years. Take advantage of this time to rub and touch it; it feels just right.

So Qingyu wanted to try it out.

Upon hearing Qingyu's words, Yūhi Kurenai instinctively raised her hand to cover her cheek.

"How could such a thing be allowed?"

Is it really not possible?

Qingyu asked again.

"Of course not, I'd be shy too."

Yūhi Kurenai spoke her mind frankly.

No matter what, she is still a girl.

"Don't you want to eat this anymore?"

According to the official guidebook, Yūhi Kurenai's favorite food is Wasabi Octopus.

As expected, Yūhi Kurenai swallowed hard, then looked at Qingyu.

In the end, after hesitating for a while, she succumbed to the temptation of the food and agreed to let Qingyu massage her.

Qingyu reached out and pinched both of Yūhi Kurenai's cheeks at the same time.

It felt exactly as he had imagined.

Soft and fluffy, like two freshly steamed glutinous rice balls, with the delicate smoothness and warmth unique to a young girl's skin.

Yūhi Kurenai closed her eyes tightly, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

She could feel Qingyu's fingers kneading her cheeks, making her heart race.

After a while, Qingyu withdrew her hand.

"Alright."

Yūhi Kurenai opened her eyes, quickly hugged the food box to her chest, and shrank back as if protecting some precious treasure.

Her face was even redder than before, like a ripe apple.

"Qingyu is really awful."

She mumbled something, her voice muffled.

Looking at her expression, Qingyu's smile deepened.

"Angry red is also beautiful."

Yūhi Kurenai paused in her act of opening the food box, her head bowed.

She looked up at Qingyu, opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she didn't say anything. She just lowered her head, picked up an octopus, and put it in her mouth.

She chewed slowly, her cheeks puffing out slightly.

Qingyu handed the water bottle over.

Yūhi Kurenai took the water bottle, took a small sip, and the cool water diluted the spiciness in her mouth.

After finishing her meal, Yūhi Kurenai packed up the food box and empty water bottle, and asked Qingyu if she had any other plans.

"I still need to go see Kosuke."

Qingyu said.

"I'll be going now, see you tomorrow."

Seeing this, Yūhi Kurenai had no choice but to wave goodbye to Qingyu.

Qingyu nodded, bid farewell to Yūhi Kurenai, and arrived at Maruboshi Kosuke's house.

"Oh? It's Qingyu."

When Maruboshi Kosuke saw Qingyu, the wrinkles on his face smoothed out, and he smiled.

"Come in, I just cooked a pot of rice."

Qingyu followed Maruboshi Kosuke into the house.

Maruboshi Kosuke served two bowls of rice, then took a few grilled fish from the pot, placed them on a plate, and put them on the low table.

"You've come at the right time. I just bought some new rice a few days ago. Try some."

Qingyu sat cross-legged at the low table, put her hands together and said, "I'm starting to eat," then picked up her chopsticks, took a bite of rice, and put it in her mouth.

Although she had just eaten some at Yūhi Kurenai's place, Qingyu possessed the [Small Stomach] she obtained from Mitarashi Anko.

This trait increases digestive capacity by 20%.

It wouldn't hurt to eat a little more now.

"Tasty."

Qingyu said.

Maruboshi Kosuke chuckled twice and sat down opposite him.

"You little rascal, you came to see me today, there must be something you want again, right?"

Qingyu put down her chopsticks.

"Kosuke, I'd like to learn 'Leaf Village Style: Willow'."

Maruboshi Kosuke paused for a moment while pinching the fish between his fingers.

He looked up at Qingyu, a glint of light flashing in his cloudy eyes, before he quickly returned to his usual smiling demeanor.

That technique...

Maruboshi Kosuke put the grilled fish in his mouth and chewed it slowly.

"It's not that I'm holding back, it's just that the conditions for learning this technique are indeed quite demanding."

"It is a technique that combines swordsmanship and Genjutsu. The user must have a high level of proficiency in both swordsmanship and Genjutsu. A weakness in either area will greatly reduce the effectiveness of this technique."

Maruboshi Kosuke.

He feared that Qingyu might be too ambitious and end up discouraging him.

"Senior, I understand everything you've said."

Qingyu spoke.

Seeing that Qingyu was determined, Maruboshi Kosuke nodded.

"Okay."

He stood up and found two Samurai Swords in the house.

He handed one to Qingyu, and kept the other in his own hand.

"This is a knife I used when I was young, and I haven't really used it for many years."

Qingyu took the Samurai Sword and drew it from its sheath.

The blade was in excellent condition, with a thin layer of oil on its surface.

[Collectible trait detected: Sword Affinity]

[D-Rank Trait: Sword Affinity]

[Effect: Increases the power of sword-type weapons by an additional 30%.]

[Crafting: Carefully maintain your weapon thirty times to upgrade it to a higher-level trait.]

Qingyu looked at the words that appeared before her eyes.

Qingyu was surprised that the [Sword Affinity] that she needed to synthesize had dropped directly.

Moreover, the crafting conditions this time are simple; you only need to carefully maintain your weapon to trigger it.

He already possesses Sword of the Thunder God, and maintaining it is an essential task for him; this condition presents him with virtually no difficulty.

Are you ready?

Maruboshi Kosuke's voice pulled Qingyu back to reality.

"Ready."

Maruboshi Kosuke narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Qingyu's grip on the sword.

He had lived most of his life and had seen countless people wielding knives.

Whether it was a misperception or not, Maruboshi Kosuke felt that Qingyu's aura became even more formidable after he grasped that old sword.

It's like a well-sharpened knife finally finding its perfect master, achieving a subtle harmony in that instant.

Maruboshi Kosuke didn't say much, he just assumed a fighting stance.

"Come on, no need for Ninjutsu, just swordsmanship."

Qingyu nodded and transformed into a blur as she rushed forward.