After receiving his Chunin certificate, Hayato made his way home beneath the warm sunshine. He was in an especially pleasant mood, and his steps were light.
But the moment he pushed open the front door, he was surprised to find the house eerily quiet, as if even the air had frozen in place.
A hint of confusion rose in his mind. Did everyone go out?
Just then, there was a bang, and colorful confetti burst from a hand-cranked party popper.
Shota, Misaki, the Kazama brothers, and the others, who had been hiding, all rushed out, their faces beaming with excitement and joy.
"Hayato, congratulations on becoming a Chunin!" Misaki exclaimed, her eyes shining with pride.
As it turned out, after Hayato had left, they had gathered to carefully plan this surprise celebration.
Life needed a sense of occasion. They wanted to congratulate Hayato from the bottom of their hearts in the most special way they could.
Hayato felt a warm rush inside as he took in the scene, but he played it cool and said, "I'm only a Chunin. You didn't have to make such a big deal out of it."
At that, Shota pretended to get angry and shook his fist. "What do you mean, 'only a Chunin'? Don't get carried away, kid!" As he spoke, he tried to land an "Iron Fist of Love" on Hayato, but Hayato nimbly dodged.
"Dad, I'm all grown up now. That trick doesn't work on me anymore." Hayato tilted his head, a mischievous smile on his lips.
"Hmph! No matter where you go in life, I'll always be your old man!" Shota shot back, launching another "attack" at Hayato.
But he failed again, and Hayato deftly dodged once more.
Misaki watched the father and son goofing around and couldn't help covering her