No one knew what had happened in the men's bath that day.
All they knew was that from then on, Demon Zabuza never again said things like "I refuse to accept this" or "Lin Qing is nothing special."
Konan faintly heard a string of curses and screams from the other side of the wall. Before long, everything fell quiet again.
When she came out of the bath in her yukata, drying her hair, she happened to run into Lin Qing, who had just come out too.
"Want one?"
Lin Qing held out a bottle of cold milk.
"Thanks."
Konan took it, twisted off the cap, and gulped down most of the bottle. A drop of milk slid from the corner of her mouth and kept trickling down until it disappeared into the deep shadow of her collar.
Only when she felt a slight chill on her chest did Konan realize what had happened. She wiped away the spilled milk, tightened her collar, and warily glanced at Lin Qing.
But Lin Qing had already stepped aside, without even looking.
He was sipping his cold milk as the cool, mist-laden night breeze brushed his face and stirred his hair. Against the hazy moonlight...
He was strikingly handsome.
Konan had to admit that Mei Terumi had been right: Lin Qing could make money in Kabukicho.
Still, Konan could tell something was bothering him.
She walked over and asked, "You told Mei Terumi today, 'If you're in doubt, don't pull the trigger.' So what are you doubting now?"
Lin Qing looked at Konan in surprise.
He hadn't expected her to strike up a conversation out of nowhere, much less to see through what was on his mind.
"What's with that look?"
Konan clicked her tongue softly. "I've run the Akatsuki for years. I know