In the hospital corridor.
The smell of disinfectant was strong. Aburame Shishin kept sneezing—or, to be precise, the kikaichū inside him were adapting to the smell of the disinfectant.
After a while, Aburame Shishin's nose had turned red from rubbing it, and the sneezing finally stopped.
Hayato asked curiously, "Doesn't the Aburame Clan have plenty of medical ninja? You're actually sensitive to the smell of disinfectant?"
The Aburame Clan produced all-around ninja, but most of them were scouts and medical ninja. They were especially skilled at treating poison.
Aburame Shishin curled his lip. "And all the Hyuga Clan are supposed to be respectable people. Take a look in the mirror!"
Hayato was taken aback. "Hey, you're making fun of me. What's not respectable about me?"
Hyuga Neji looked Hayato up and down and chimed in, "You do have a few respectable parts."
The air suddenly fell silent...
Aburame Shishin covered his mouth, incredulous. "Neji, you can make fun of people too?"
Hyuga Neji remained expressionless. "Spend time with vermilion and you'll turn red; spend time with ink and you'll turn black."
"Whoa! Now you're all making fun of me together!"
Suddenly~~~
The door to the room beside them opened. A scruffy, dark-circled man who looked as if he hadn't slept in days said wearily, "Could you keep it down? This is a hospital."
The four of them hurriedly apologized.
Aburame Shishin complained quietly to Hayato, "This is all your fault."
"I'm not the one who was shouting. Wait, shouldn't you be saying that to Neji?" Hayato refused to take the blame. He patted Shishin on the shoulder and comforted him softly, "It's fine. Nobody will remember you anyway."
Aburame Shishin: "...Are you comforting me or insulting me?"
"I'm insulting you and comforting you at the same time, so you don't shut yourself away and I can keep insulting you."
"You win." Aburame Shishin gritted his teeth.
They reached the outside of Room 04. The door was closed.
Aburame Shishin asked, "Is Lee still unconscious?"
Hayato said, "How could he be? I kicked him in the kidneys, not the head."
Aburame Shishin mocked him, "You might as well have kicked him in the head."
Aburame Shishin opened the door a crack and peeked inside, then quickly pulled back. He straightened up and gave a cold laugh. "Heh. I smell something rotten, and the deep malice of this world."
Hayato took a curious peek too and sighed. "They say fools are blessed. That idiot Rock Lee really takes the cake."
Inside the hospital room, Rock Lee was bandaged up like a mummy.
Hayato wondered—had he really hit him that hard?
Of course, that wasn't important.
What mattered was that Rock Lee was lying on the bed, with a girl beside him who had pink hair tied in a single ponytail. She wore a white coat with the character for "medical" on the back. Judging by her appearance, she was probably Morita Tomomi, the girl from last time.
Morita Tomomi held a lunchbox and was feeding Rock Lee.
"Ah, open wide~~~"
"Ah~~~"
Chew, chew...
Hayato stared at Neji and...
Neji asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Hayato said mournfully, "If you two ever act this lovey-dovey, I'll curse your son to turn out just like Shishin."
"What are you talking about, Hayato!" Neji said, his face turning red. "I think I'd prefer a daughter."
Uh...
Was he embarrassed or not?
Neji covered his face and ran off, embarrassed.
Hayato said, "It's dark out, and she's a girl. It's dangerous. What if she runs into some creep? Aren't you going after her?"
Neji stared at Hayato, as if to say, "Dark out? It isn't even dark yet. How can you say something so ridiculous with a straight face?" After hesitating for a moment, Neji eventually ran after her.
Hayato felt that something was off, because Shishin hadn't retaliated or made fun of him.
Meeting Hayato's gaze, Aburame Shishin smiled faintly and said, "The other shore's flowers bloom for a thousand years, then wither for a thousand years. The flower and its leaves never meet. Love knows no cause and effect; fate decides life and death. I feel I've seen through the mortal world. No life, no death, no pain, no sorrow, no desire, no longing. Amitabha, you bastard Hayato, what are you doing with my wallet..."
"If you've seen through the mortal world, what do you need a wallet for? I'm a helpful person, so I spent it for you. No need to thank me—just give me a Good Person Card." Hayato tucked Aburame Shishin's wallet under his arm and took off running.
Aburame Shishin froze for a moment, then realized he was the only one left outside the hospital room.
"Weren't we here to visit Lee? Now I'm the only one left. Should I go in?" Aburame Shishin muttered. "Forget it. If I can't hold back, Lee's kidneys will really be in danger."
Outside the hospital building.
Neji and she hadn't gone far. They walked in silence, one after the other, a meter or two apart.
Even Neji could sense her affection, but at that point, he was consumed by his hatred for the Main Branch. Other emotional bonds—especially love—frightened him more than they tempted him.
He couldn't make any promises.
He couldn't bring himself to respond, either.
So Neji could only follow quietly behind her, not daring to get too close.
Hayato's arrival broke the warm, awkward silence.
Hayato held up the wallet. "Come on, let's go to Yoshimaru BBQ Restaurant. Order whatever you want. It's on me—I've got money to spare."
Showing off in front of a rich woman felt great!
What was the secret to gambling without losing money?
—Spend someone else's money!
What was the secret to treating people without feeling the pinch?
—Spend someone else's money!
Suddenly, she said, "Hayato, your wallet is so pretty!" Women—even kunoichi—couldn't resist pretty bags.
"Oh, really? I hadn't noticed." Her interests were rather unique. Maybe that applied to all women.
She snatched the wallet away. "What's it made of? It feels so soft and smooth."
"Uh..."
Aburame Shishin had somehow caught up. He said mournfully, "It's woven by hand from silk spun by insects unique to the Aburame Clan. It takes more than a hundred steps to make, and it's fireproof, waterproof, and slash-resistant." He glanced at Hayato, then continued, "Just not theft-proof."
Hayato laughed. "What's yours is mine, and what's mine is still mine. Why make such a fuss? Ha, ha."
She held the wallet and blinked at Shishin, acting cute. "Shishin~~~"
Aburame Shishin said helplessly, "There's an Aburame Clan crest inside the wallet. Are you sure you want it?"
She opened the wallet and, sure enough, found the Aburame Clan's insect crest engraved inside. She sighed in disappointment.
Aburame Shishin said, "The Aburame family's bags have always been made in limited quantities. You can't just buy one with money—you need the right connections, and the waiting list already stretches to the middle of next year. But if you want one, I can get you to the front of the line."
When one door closed, another opened.
"Really, Shishin? You're the best!" she said excitedly. She took out her wallet, revealing a thick wad of bills, and said, "I'm treating everyone today. No one's allowed to fight me for the bill." Then she looked at Hayato.
Hayato said, "Uh... I don't know if that's a good idea."
She waved a hand. "It's fine. Next time, you can treat us at the restaurant run by the Hyuga Clan. Just let me have this one."
The Hyuga Clan restaurant served Zen-inspired kaiseki cuisine. The dishes were delicate and bland, the portions were cat-poop-sized, and the prices were enough to make you question your life. Only an idiot would go there.
But since she'd put it that way, Hayato could only shrug and say, "You've got money, so you call the shots."
Aburame Shishin eyed the thick stack of colorful bills in her wallet and swallowed. "You'll need to make your wallet bigger."
Before you continue