The Ninja Academy's Incredible Legends (32) No Matter How Much of a Salted Fish a Ninja Is, They Are Still a Ninja, Not a Salted Fish

All afternoon, Miyuki had been distracted, the rare occasion when she zoned out in class.

The moment school let out, she said goodbye to her friends and hurried home.

She ran all the way, ignoring the curious looks from passersby.

It was still some time before sunset when Miyuki pushed open the front door.

As usual, her mother was still at work, too busy to come home yet, while her father was doing the housework and making dinner.

"I'm home!"

"You're not going out to play with your classmates today?"

Mizuki poked his head out from the kitchen, wearing a simple apron.

"Dinner isn't ready yet. Go rest for a while first."

"Okay."

Miyuki answered, returned to her small room, took off her schoolbag and coat, then dug a thick photo album out from the corner of her bookshelf and quietly flipped through it.

"Nothing looks out of the ordinary at all!"

Since she was little, Miyuki had collected quite a few photographs of her family. They looked like an entirely ordinary family of three: a quiet, gentle mother, a father who was always smiling, and herself as she steadily grew up.

Most of the photos had been taken at home, at the Four Seasons Flower Shop, or in the flower fields on the hill behind the house. All kinds of little animals often appeared in the shots, and the big fellow Bota-kun showed up several times as well.

"Huh, is this the Sea Monk? Just as I thought—I used to play with it all the time."

She had never noticed before, but in several photos, there was a glowing, translucent shape. She had assumed it was a problem with the camera exposure, but now it seemed that this childhood companion had been with her for quite a long time.