What Looked Good Wasn't Just the Necklace

Kitahara Kaede froze for a moment.

Tsunade was twenty-five. Her long blond hair was tied in a high ponytail, and she wore a loose-fitting white V-neck T-shirt, its neckline casually open to reveal the line of her neck and collarbones.

She had on a wine-red miniskirt that reached mid-thigh, paired with black fishnet tights.

She looked capable and sharp—the same woman who could shatter stone with one punch on the battlefield.

And yet, she was a little different.

Kitahara Kaede's gaze slipped down for an instant before he could stop it.

The loose fabric covered most of the curve of her chest, but it couldn't hide her figure.

The white fabric was stretched slightly over her chest, its curve almost imperceptible as it rose and fell with her breathing.

Farther down, where the hem of her wine-red skirt met her black fishnet tights, a stretch of thigh showed—

His gaze lingered there for less than half a second.

Holy thunder.

She wasn't yet as ridiculously curvaceous as she'd be at her peak in the original story, but she was already quite buxom.

Compared to the flat-chested girl who'd chased him all over the village as a teenager, she was like a completely different person.

He suddenly remembered something from a long time ago: when Tsunade was fourteen, she'd asked him whether he preferred big or small fruit.

She really had worried too much back then.

There was absolutely no need to worry about that.

Tsunade's eyebrows twitched.

She'd noticed.

The way his gaze had traveled—first her chest, then her legs.

He'd quickly looked away, but she wasn't blind.

Heat rushed from the base of her neck to the tips of her ears.

She really was angry.

They'd been partners for over a decade, and he'd always been so steady and proper, never letting his eyes wander. But today—

At the same time, something she couldn't quite explain stirred inside her.

It was faint and small, like a bubble that would pop at the slightest touch.

So he wasn't actually incapable of looking.

He just hadn't looked before.

Tsunade drew in her chin, her gaze cooling by a fraction as her lips pressed into a thin line.

Kitahara Kaede immediately realized something was wrong.

He'd been careless.

He'd forgotten the most basic rule: when looking at a woman, the first thing you should do was look her in the eyes and check whether she was looking back.

Only if she wasn't could you admire anything else.

He'd skipped the first step entirely.

She'd caught him red-handed.

Kitahara Kaede calmly brought his gaze back to her face, his voice as steady as if nothing had happened.

"Did you need something?"

Tsunade stared at him for two seconds.

During those two seconds, she was trying to decide whether he was pretending to be clueless or was genuinely clueless.

In the end, she let it go—not because she didn't want to pursue it, but because she didn't know what she'd do once she had.

She folded her arms and lifted her chin slightly.

"Nawaki's birthday is coming up. Come with me today to pick out a gift."

It wasn't a question. It was an announcement.

Kitahara Kaede leaned against the doorframe.

"Isn't it still a few days away?"

"You know what he's like. Last time, he complained the kunai I gave him were too light, and the time before that, he said the wrist guards were ugly. If we don't pick something out ahead of time, just wait until you see what he says."

Konoha's shopping district.

Tsunade walked ahead, her steps brisk and purposeful.

Kitahara Kaede followed behind with his hands in his pockets.

At the first weapons shop, she searched through an entire wall of kunai without finding a single one she liked.

At the second, she picked up a set of shuriken, weighed them in her hand, then put them down with a frown.

At the third, she held up a short sword and turned to ask him what he thought.

Kitahara Kaede glanced at it. "Nawaki can't even throw a shuriken straight, and you're giving him a short sword?"

Tsunade glared at him and slapped the short sword back onto the rack.

After leaving the weapons shop, they ducked into a general ninja supplies store. She touched every Forehead Protector, wrist guard, and ninja tool pouch, shaking her head at each one.

Kitahara Kaede folded his arms and leaned against a shelf, watching her pace back and forth in the aisle as he silently counted how many times they'd come up empty today.

Seven.

Just as he'd expected.

Shopping with a woman was more exhausting than an S-Rank mission.

"Let's go. There's nothing good here, either." Tsunade flicked her ponytail as she walked out.

Kitahara Kaede followed her. "What exactly are you trying to get him?"

"If I knew, do you think I'd still be shopping?!"

"...All right."

The two of them turned into a narrow alley.

At its entrance stood a small jewelry shop. Necklaces, earrings, and bracelets filled the display window, glittering in the afternoon sunlight shining through the glass.

Tsunade had only glanced at the window casually at first, but then her steps slowed.

She stopped in front of the display.

A delicate silver chain held a pale-blue teardrop-shaped piece of Blue Fluorite. It wasn't particularly valuable, but it was simple and pretty, with a cool, gentle hue in the light.

"Want to go inside and have a look?" Kitahara Kaede asked.

Tsunade hesitated for a second, then pushed the door open.

Kitahara Kaede followed a step behind.

The shop was small, but tastefully decorated.

A woman in her thirties sat behind the counter. She had a round face, and her eyes curved into crescents when she smiled.

As soon as she looked up and saw Tsunade walk in, she stood at once. Who in Konoha didn't know her? She was the First's granddaughter and one of the youngest Jonin in the village.

"Lady Tsunade!" the shopkeeper greeted her warmly.

Tsunade pointed to the necklace in the display window.

The shopkeeper promptly took it out and held it out in her palm. "You have a wonderful eye, Lady Tsunade. This one just came in. The pendant is natural fluorite, and it really suits your complexion."

Tsunade took it and turned it over, her fingertip tracing the teardrop-shaped stone.

It felt nice.

The shopkeeper was about to say more when she caught sight of movement by the door from the corner of her eye. A tall young man had just stepped inside and was standing quietly to one side, his gaze fixed on Tsunade.

The shopkeeper's pupils contracted slightly.

She recognized him.

Hagoromo Kaede.

Lady Tsunade's longtime partner.

For years, rumors had circulated around the village that there was something more between the two of them.

She'd always thought it was just gossip, but now that she was seeing them with her own eyes—

Well, well.

One was choosing jewelry, and the other was watching her from the side.

He wasn't rushing her or leaving.

The way he stood, the distance between them, that look in his eyes—

These two weren't just partners.

The shopkeeper let out a silent scream in her heart, while keeping a polite smile on her face.

"Why don't you try it on and see how it looks?" she said to Tsunade. Then, as if it were just an offhand suggestion, she added, "The clasp can be hard to fasten by yourself... Perhaps you could let him help you?"

She said it lightly, as though she were simply offering a service.

Tsunade's fingers stiffened.

She instinctively glanced to the side.

Kitahara Kaede met her gaze and was already moving closer.

It seemed natural.

As if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Tsunade was about to say there was no need—

But he'd already reached out.

Naturally, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

He took the necklace from her palm, his fingers brushing against it.

His fingers grazed her palm, whether by accident or on purpose.

Tsunade's words caught in her throat. She couldn't get them out.

He stepped in front of her.

He was half a head taller than she was.

He held the clasp of the silver chain between the fingers of one hand and raised the other, his fingertips skimming past her ear as he swept the few loose strands of blond hair back over her shoulder.

The moment his fingertip touched her earlobe—

Tsunade's mind went blank with a buzz.

She had to tilt her face up slightly.

They were so close she couldn't look away, and her gaze met his lowered eyes.

He wasn't looking at her.

His gaze was fixed on the side of her neck.

Both his hands reached around behind her neck as he carefully fastened the clasp.

The warmth of his fingers touched the back of her neck, and a small patch of skin felt as if it had been branded.

Tsunade went completely rigid.

Her heart pounded like a drum, each beat heavier than the last.

She didn't know what to do with her hands. She clenched them, relaxed them, then finally left them stiff at her sides.

She could feel his breath brush the wisps of hair on her forehead.

Behind the counter, the shopkeeper pressed her lips together again and again.

She desperately looked away and pretended to tidy up a jewelry box, but her ears were perked up like a rabbit's.

Click.

The clasp snapped shut.

His fingers pulled away.

But the warmth didn't leave that small patch of skin on the back of her neck. Instead, the heat rushed up her spine.

The silver chain draped over her collarbones, and the blue teardrop pendant rested high on her chest, swaying gently with each breath.

Kitahara Kaede stepped back half a pace.

His gaze traveled up from the necklace to her face.

Tsunade felt awkward under his gaze.

Her heart was beating embarrassingly fast, but she forced herself not to look away and lowered her voice to ask,

"...Does it look good?"

She regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth.

Her voice had sounded so soft she wanted to slap herself.

Kitahara Kaede looked at her.

Long blond hair, a blue pendant, a white neckline.

And a face that had turned red from her neck to the tips of her ears.

He spoke.

His tone was calm, but his words were anything but.

"What looks good isn't just the necklace."