Kurenai Yuhi

"Uh..." Ye Yuexin froze instantly.

He felt incredibly awkward, yet he didn't know what to say.

This was his first time feeling this way; he couldn't tell if it was because his resistance had weakened or because Kurenai Yuhi had changed so much.

Watching Ye Yuexin's awkward expression, Kurenai Yuhi slowly straightened up.

"Forget it, you can answer that question later." In an instant, she reverted to her mature, older-sister temperament.

Acting as if nothing had happened, she continued, "I was actually planning to go look for you, but since I ran into you now, let's go. My treat."

With that, Kurenai Yuhi walked ahead, leading the way.

She left a deeply embarrassed Ye Yuexin behind.

Come to think of it, he really had once promised to marry Kurenai Yuhi.

However, back then, she was still just a little girl, and he had only said it to coax her.

He never imagined that Kurenai Yuhi would have kept that promise in her heart all this time.

She had even brought it up almost every single time they met.

But this time, Kurenai Yuhi's sudden change in appearance and makeup had truly stunned Ye Yuexin.

An eight-year-old Kurenai Yuhi was truly striking when she put effort into her appearance.

This little girl has changed quite a bit, he muttered to himself before catching up to her.

Speaking of how he and Kurenai Yuhi first met, it was all thanks to Anko.

There was no need to describe Anko's personality back then; even after Ye Yuexin adopted her, she remained incredibly mischievous.

She spent her days fighting and even formed "sworn brotherhoods" with other little boys.

One day, she ended up cornered by a group of brats.

After running for a long time, she was finally caught.

At that time, Kurenai Yuhi had just started school.

She happened to run into Anko on her way home and ended up saving her.

She even helped her all the way back to Ye Yuexin's house.

The specific details of that meeting were too far in the past for Ye Yuexin to remember clearly.

Back then, both of them were just little kids, nothing worth noting.

Moreover, Ye Yuexin didn't even know that the little girl who brought Anko home was named Kurenai Yuhi.

He only found out later when Anko mentioned it.

Regardless, once Anko's injuries healed, Ye Yuexin gave her a sound spanking on her little bottom.

He had discovered by chance that Anko was playing "gangster boss" in the alleys and had even started recruiting underlings.

At the time, he felt he had spoiled her too much.

If things continued like this, there would be no telling what she might become. Although Anko changed slightly after that, her true nature was hard to alter.

However, from that point on, Anko and Kurenai Yuhi became the best of friends.

It was also during that period that Ye Yuexin heard Anko mention Kurenai Yuhi's name.

Since she was a character from the main plot, Ye Yuexin supported Anko's friendship with her.

As for Kurenai Yuhi, Ye Yuexin had always felt a sense of regret for her when he watched the anime in his past life.

And so, with Ye Yuexin's support, their friendship grew even closer.

Kurenai Yuhi would often come over to Ye Yuexin's house to play games with Anko.

Back then, Ye Yuexin really couldn't fathom how Anko, who never played with dolls, managed to get along with someone like Kurenai Yuhi, who loved flowers.

Then, an accident occurred.

It was just after a rainstorm, and for some reason, while the two were playing in the woods next to Ye Yuexin's house, Kurenai Yuhi accidentally fell into a mud pit.

Anko brought her home to wash her clothes.

It was already noon by then.

Ye Yuexin had intended to go home to cook for Anko.

When he returned home and went to the bathroom, he saw Kurenai Yuhi bathing, completely naked, without any warning.

And so, amidst earth-shattering screams, Ye Yuexin ended up in a miserable state.

Anko, thinking the situation wasn't chaotic enough, seized the opportunity to teach him a lesson.

But Kurenai Yuhi just kept crying the whole time.

That day, Ye Yuexin spent until nightfall trying to coax her, but it had absolutely no effect.

He just hadn't expected that such a small child would place such immense importance on the traditional concept of chastity.

It was true, after all, they were from a noble family. Even if they had fallen from grace, the upbringing remained.

It was only when he was truly out of options that Ye Yuexin said he would take responsibility for her.

A five-year-old brat telling a seven-year-old brat that he would take responsibility—no matter how you looked at it, it was a joke.

Therefore, Ye Yuexin hadn't taken it seriously at the time, thinking only of how to get through the situation as quickly as possible.

That was how he had managed to coax Kurenai Yuhi. But in the days that followed, Ye Yuexin never imagined that Kurenai Yuhi wouldn't treat the matter as child's play in the slightest.

Almost every time they met, she would ask when Ye Yuexin was going to marry her.

You could never imagine the peculiar feeling of a little brat asking you when you were going to marry her.

In his past life, that would have been a life sentence at the very least, and more likely the death penalty.

Helpless, Ye Yuexin had spun another lie, saying he would do it once he became a Kage-level powerhouse.

That was why Kurenai Yuhi had said what she did just a moment ago.

Watching Kurenai Yuhi walking briskly ahead, Ye Yuexin felt a bit awkward, but he followed her nonetheless.

Although Kurenai Yuhi was walking in front, her eyes were constantly darting toward the back.

In truth, she had been highly curious about Ye Yuexin ever since she first met him.

Of course, that initial curiosity had come from Anko.

It was from Anko's lips that Kurenai Yuhi learned she had been constantly looked after by someone a year younger than her.

Moreover, that care was incredibly generous.

This little boy, a year younger than Anko, was secretly likened by her best friend to a father-like figure.

Indeed, in Anko's eyes, Ye Yuexin was almost a perfect person.

He lacked any of the traits a child should have; instead, he was more like a mature and steady adult.

So, through subtle influence, Kurenai Yuhi had begun to pay attention to Ye Yuexin from that time on.

As for that accident, Kurenai Yuhi didn't even know what she had been thinking.

She still strictly adhered to the traditional concepts of her upbringing.

It wasn't until that evening when Ye Yuexin proposed taking responsibility for her that she had been stunned. Yet, in the end, influenced by her feelings, she had agreed and committed herself to him.

She couldn't quite put it into words, but back then, Ye Yuexin gave her a faint sense of security.

"Let's go eat dango." Ye Yuexin had arrived at Kurenai Yuhi's side at some point and pointed toward a shop ahead.

Having her memories interrupted, Kurenai Yuhi curled the corners of her lips slightly. "Alright, Yuexin-kun. But since you chose the location this time, does that mean you took the initiative to ask me out, or did I ask you?"

It was another one of those topics that left Ye Yuexin speechless, yet Kurenai Yuhi never tired of it.

It felt like the pouting of an ordinary couple, though Kurenai Yuhi's mature, older-sister style of pouting was far more pleasing to watch.

Ye Yuexin laughed. "Of course, it was me taking the initiative to ask out the beautiful Miss Kurenai." Having received the answer she wanted, Kurenai Yuhi seemed to love it when Ye Yuexin complimented her.

With a delicate laugh, she walked into the shop with Ye Yuexin.

[New book is out... I suggest adding it to your library first... let it grow before you binge. I need your support... Thank you, everyone.]