Visiting

"Qianyu." She called out, her voice echoing through the empty gate.

Qianyu turned around and looked at her.

She took a breath, walked forward a few steps, and stopped two or three meters away from him. "Mom... Mom made a lot of food today." She paused, her eyes settling on him.

The evening breeze passed by, lifting the loose strands before her forehead before letting them fall again. A faint scent of stew drifted from the cloth bag.

Qianyu said nothing. He dusted the dirt off himself. What he wore was nothing special—a plain dark navy robe.

Ino watched him do this, her throat bobbing. "So..." Her voice dropped, then rose again. "Will you come?"

The distant clamor of students from other classes being dismissed drifted over, vague and indistinct.

"Yeah."

The Yamanaka family's door stood slightly ajar, and the charred fragrance of grilled fish slipped out from within. When Ino pulled it open, the scent grew stronger, mingling with the smells of rice and miso soup as warmth poured over them.

"You're back?" Sanae's voice came from inside, accompanied by the sizzle of oil in a pan. "Qianyu came too? Come in, dinner's just about ready."

The entryway was small. As Ino bent down to look for slippers, her shoulder nearly brushed Qianyu's arm.

The low table in the living room had already been set. Inoichi Yamanaka sat at the head, flipping through a document. Hearing them, he looked up. His gaze rested on Qianyu's face for a moment before he nodded. "Sit."

His tone was no different from when they met in the school hallway, but here, in a room with food spread across the table, its formality felt somewhat out of place.

Qianyu took a seat reserved for guests, his back ramrod straight. There were quite a few dishes on the table: grilled horse mackerel gleaming with oil, soft stewed pumpkin, and miso soup with tofu and seaweed floating in it. They were all ordinary home-cooked dishes, but they had been arranged neatly.

Ino's mother brought over the last plate, wiped her hands on her apron, and sat beside Inoichi. Smiling at Qianyu, she said, "Don't be shy, eat plenty. Children need to grow."

Ino sat beside Qianyu. Her knee accidentally bumped his, and she immediately shifted away. "Mom—" Her ears were a little red.

Inoichi closed the document and picked up his chopsticks. "Eat."

The meal was quiet. There was only the sound of bowls and chopsticks touching, and the sound of chewing.

Inoichi ate quickly, but silently. Her mother occasionally placed food into Qianyu's bowl, saying things like, "This pumpkin is very sweet," and, "The fish was bought at the market this morning."

Ino kept her head down and ate earnestly, but every so often, she stole a glance at Qianyu.

Qianyu ate slowly. He chewed every bite carefully. The fish skin was crisp and charred, while the flesh was fresh and sweet; the pumpkin melted in his mouth; the spinach carried a rich sesame fragrance. They were solid flavors, the flavors of home cooking.

"I heard from Iruka," Inoichi suddenly said. His voice was low, but the air around the table seemed to tighten, "that your performance in taijutsu class has been very consistent."

Qianyu put down his chopsticks and swallowed the rice in his mouth. "The teachers taught well."

"A solid foundation is important." Inoichi picked up a piece of fish. "The academy's courses are meant to build that foundation. Whether it's theory or practical combat, if the foundation isn't firm, you won't get far afterward."

"Yes," Qianyu said.

Ino's mother spooned some stewed pumpkin into his bowl. "Don't just talk. The food's getting cold." She turned to Inoichi, her tone softening. "We're eating. Don't talk about work."

Inoichi said nothing more. The table once again held only the sounds of chewing.

Ino poured Qianyu a cup of barley tea. It was warm, with a faint roasted aroma. When Qianyu took it, his fingers brushed hers. It lasted only a moment, but her fingers were warm.

After dinner, they cleared the dishes. Inoichi rose and said to Qianyu, "Come with me for a moment."

Ino opened her mouth but made no sound. Qianyu stood and followed Inoichi to the veranda.

The night breeze was cooler than the air indoors. With his back to Qianyu, Inoichi looked out at the dark flowerbeds in the yard. "Ino has improved noticeably lately," he said, his voice somewhat blurred by the wind. "She says you've helped her quite a bit."

"Classmates should help each other," Qianyu said. "It's only right."

Inoichi turned around and looked at him. The veranda light was too dim to make out his expression clearly. Only his eyes appeared especially bright in the shadows.

As Inoichi looked at Qianyu's face, a chill crept over him.

"Ino is straightforward. She doesn't have much guile," he said. "There are some things she doesn't understand."

Qianyu stood there without speaking. The wind passed through the veranda, stirring the hair over his forehead.

"But you understand," Inoichi continued, his tone even. "Right?"

Insects chirped in the yard, soft and scattered. Somewhere in the distance, the muffled sound of someone's television drifted over.

"I understand," Qianyu said.

Inoichi watched him for a few seconds, then nodded. "Good." He turned and headed back inside. After taking two steps, he stopped again. "If you liked the tea, you can have another cup."

When they returned to the living room, Ino sat by the table, staring blankly at the empty rice bowls. Hearing their footsteps, she looked up, and her eyes brightened for a moment.

"What did Dad say?" she asked quietly.

"Nothing." Qianyu sat down, picked up the cup of barley tea that had already gone cold, and took a sip. It slid down his throat, slightly bitter.

Ino's mother came out while wiping her hands and asked with a smile, "Qianyu, would you like some fruit? We bought peaches today."

"No, thank you." Qianyu stood. "Thank you for the meal. I should go home."

Ino stood with him. "I'll walk you to the intersection."

The alley was very dark, with only the windows of a few houses shining with light. The two walked one behind the other, their footsteps clear on the stone path.

At the intersection, Ino stopped. "Today..." she began, then stopped. Streetlight fell across her from the side, casting half her face in light and half in shadow. "The food... was it okay?"

"It was delicious," Qianyu said.

She looked at him. Her lips moved as though she wanted to say something, but in the end, she said nothing. She merely nodded. "Then... be careful on your way home."

"Mm."

Qianyu turned and walked into the darkness. After going a long way, he looked back and saw her still standing within the halo of light at the intersection, a small silhouette.

The night wind was chilly. He wrapped his training jacket tighter around himself, his fingers brushing the ninja tool pouch. The metal edges of the kunai inside were ice-cold.

His stomach was full, heavy with the meal. The faint astringency of barley tea still lingered in his mouth.

He slowly walked back to the cabin. Moonlight cast a desolate chill over the road.

The moment he pushed open the door, the hollow cold air inside rushed out, scattering the last trace of warmth from the food clinging to him.

Abin poked half its head out of the floor.

"Did you eat well?" it asked, its bean-like eyes gleaming in the dark. "It smelled... pretty lavish."

Qianyu did not answer. He walked to the table, took out the kunai from his ninja tool pouch, and began wiping them down. Their metal blades glinted with a cold, pale light beneath the moon.

Today, he had seen a warm family.

Qianyu did not know how Naruto could remain cheerful and happy when his circumstances were a hundred times worse than Qianyu's own.

Outside, the cicadas continued to chirp. Once, then again.