Shi Xiu smiled as he watched Haku's embarrassed expression with interest for a moment. Then he shifted his gaze to the table and saw that only a little of the dessert remained.
Shi Xiu's lips curved slightly as he asked softly, "So, Haku, how are the desserts? Pretty good, right?"
Haku had been shyly lowering his head and eating cake when Shi Xiu's voice suddenly rang out. Startled, he gave a little jolt.
Haku looked up, his eyes showing a hint of embarrassment and fluster. He glanced at Shi Xiu awkwardly, nodded lightly, and replied in a quiet voice, "It's... really good. Thank you, sir."
Perhaps because Haku had been eating with his head down the whole time, he hadn't noticed that he had gotten quite a bit of cream around his mouth.
Now, the white cream dotted Haku's cheeks like little blossoms.
Shi Xiu couldn't help bursting into laughter at the sight. He pointed to his own cheek and kindly reminded him, "Haku, you've got cream all over your face. You look like an adorable little kitten, hahaha!"
Hearing that, Haku's already flushed face turned as red as a ripe apple.
He lowered his head awkwardly and fumbled around, trying to find something to wipe himself with.
Just then, Shi Xiu took a tissue from his pocket and handed it to Haku, saying with a helpless smile, "Don't panic. Use this to wipe your face. I'll go pay the bill, and then we can head home together."
"Okay," Haku replied softly as he took the tissue.
Only after Shi Xiu turned and walked to the cashier to pay did Haku cautiously begin wiping the cream from his face.
Before long, Shi Xiu finished paying and came back. Haku quickly stood up and followed close behind him.
However, just as Shi Xiu and Haku were about to step outside, a store employee suddenly called out from behind them, "Sir, please wait a moment!"
Hearing hurried footsteps behind them, Shi Xiu and Haku turned around in unison. An employee was hurrying toward them.
Shi Xiu looked at the employee with suspicion and asked, "What's going on? Is there a problem?"
The employee quickly waved her hand, beaming warmly. Then she took a card from her pocket and carefully offered it to Shi Xiu.
"Sir, we're currently running a special promotion. If you spend at least five hundred taels, you can get this points card. The next time you shop here, you can earn points, and once you've collected enough, you can exchange them for some lovely little prizes."
A flash of delight crossed Shi Xiu's eyes. He accepted the points card and smiled as he thanked her. "Thank you so much. I'll definitely come back next time."
The employee's smile grew even brighter. She looked at Shi Xiu expectantly and said, "That's wonderful! We'll be delighted to welcome you back."
Then the employee turned her gaze to Haku, who was standing beside Shi Xiu, and couldn't help praising him. "Oh my, sir, your daughter is such a sweet and adorable child."
Haku froze at those words. His cheeks instantly turned crimson, and he lowered his head shyly. His lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, no sound came out.
Seeing this, Shi Xiu gave an awkward chuckle and hurriedly explained, "Heh... thank you for the compliment!"
With that, Shi Xiu gently took Haku's hand and hurried out of the shop with him.
The bustling street was crowded and lively, but the atmosphere between Shi Xiu and Haku felt rather heavy and subdued.
Haku kept his head lowered, lost in thought. He looked as if he had shut himself off from the world around him.
From time to time, Shi Xiu stole a glance at the silent Haku. Remembering what had just happened, he felt his face grow hot with embarrassment.
At last, Shi Xiu worked up the courage to break the silence. "Um... Haku, maybe you shouldn't wear women's clothes anymore."
The moment he heard this, Haku, who had been lost in his thoughts, froze.
Haku slowly raised his head and looked straight at Shi Xiu with his clear, watery eyes. He asked softly, confusion filling his voice, "Why? Sir... don't you like it?"
Faced with Haku's direct question, Shi Xiu awkwardly scratched his head. He forced a faint smile and explained, "I... it's not that I don't like it. It's just that when you go out dressed as a girl, it's too easy for people to misunderstand. I'm sorry, Haku."
After hearing Shi Xiu's explanation, Haku silently lowered his head again.
A moment later, he murmured so softly that his words were almost inaudible, "As long as you're happy, sir..."
Shi Xiu let out a deep sigh. Thinking of those JK uniforms, he wondered to himself, Looks like Haku won't be wearing those JK uniforms after all.
Shi Xiu shook his head helplessly, then a thought suddenly crossed his mind: How about asking the shopkeeper to alter the clothes to fit, then giving them to Reina as a present?
At the thought of Reina's sweet smile and gentle nature, Shi Xiu felt his heart stir slightly, but then he couldn't help letting out another heavy sigh.
Perhaps he should visit Reina at the border in a few days. He wondered how she would feel about him when they met.
At that moment, Shi Xiu stood quietly by the bustling street, surrounded by the noise of chatter and laughter.
But the lively scene did nothing to dispel the gloom in his heart.
Shi Xiu unconsciously let out another long sigh, his thoughts drifting beyond the Shinobi World to the dangers that lay there.
Although Obito had turned over a new leaf, the threats facing the Shinobi World had not come to an end.
There was Kaguya Otsutsuki, sealed on the moon—and beyond her, far away in the stars, the mysterious Ōtsutsuki Clan.
Based on the brief appearances of the Ōtsutsuki in Boruto, they didn't seem especially powerful.
But the problem was that Shi Xiu had no idea how many members the clan had, let alone how terrifyingly powerful its leader might be.
If a full-scale conflict really broke out, how many innocent lives would be lost in the war? The thought weighed even more heavily on Shi Xiu's heart.
It could be said that Shi Xiu was worrying too much, but this was something he couldn't afford to ignore. His arrival in this world had already changed a great many things, and the butterfly effect was no small matter.
Thinking of this, Shi Xiu couldn't help complaining about how often Naruto changed its own story and rewrote its established lore.
When Kaguya Otsutsuki first appeared, she was portrayed as the noble princess of the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
However, after Shippuden ended, the officially published Book of Formation suddenly claimed that Kaguya Otsutsuki was the leader of the Ōtsutsuki Clan...
The change had truly caught people off guard, as if all the previous details about her identity had vanished into thin air.
But who could have expected that Boruto would bring another astonishing twist to the story, turning Kaguya into Isshiki's servant?
These contradictory changes in the story were truly baffling.
Even more absurdly, Kaguya had been unwilling to become a seed for the God Tree, so she had ambushed Isshiki, nearly leaving him mortally wounded.
Going from princess to clan leader and finally to servant was enough to leave Shi Xiu utterly speechless.
Just then, Haku, who had been walking with his head lowered, heard Shi Xiu let out a sigh.
Haku lifted his head and looked at Shi Xiu in confusion. "Sir, what's wrong?"
Shi Xiu turned at the sound of his voice and saw the concern in Haku's eyes.
He smiled faintly, reached out to gently stroke Haku's smooth hair, and said slowly, "It's nothing serious. I was just thinking about a few 'old acquaintances'..."
Haku nodded as if he understood. Shi Xiu took his hand and led him toward home.
But Shi Xiu hadn't expected to find someone waiting outside his house—someone both unexpected and, in hindsight, entirely unsurprising: Nara Luling.