Cat Ears Were Ordinary, but She Was Pretty

After Kanami and Hinata finished lunch, Kurenai Yuhi did not arrive. Instead, Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi from Team 10 showed up.

Shikamaru raised a hand and greeted them with a smile. "Yo, Hinata, Kanami."

"What are you two doing here?"

Kanami glanced at them, somewhat disappointed.

"Why are you here? We're waiting for Kurenai-sensei."

Although Kanami always slept through classes at the Ninja Academy, it was precisely because of that that he had formed a deep revolutionary friendship with Naruto, Shikamaru, and Choji, who were often punished by being made to stand.

Shikamaru said, "We happened to be passing by. You looked familiar from a distance, so we came over to take a look."

Choji casually said while eating chips.

"Kurenai-sensei? Wasn't she on a date with Asuma-sensei today?"

At those words, Kanami abruptly stood up.

"What did you say? She went on a date?"

"Yeah. Asuma-sensei said he had an important date today, so he gave us the day off."

"You didn't know?"

Hinata shook her head, indicating that she did not.

Kanami's face darkened. His fists clenched, then relaxed.

She had actually gone on a date. No wonder she suddenly told us to get some proper rest.

So Kurenai Yuhi herself wanted a break.

Shikamaru looked at him and asked, "By the way, Kanami, how did you end up on Kurenai-sensei's team?"

"It's a long story."

Kanami vividly told Shikamaru how Kurenai Yuhi had once hugged his leg and begged him to join Team 8.

Shikamaru rested one hand on his chin, maintaining the appearance of listening attentively and nodding from time to time.

Yet Kanami's story grew more and more outrageous.

Like how he had used a ten-meter-diameter ninjutsu that utterly shocked Kurenai Yuhi, and how she would go on a hunger strike if he did not join.

Choji leaned toward Shikamaru's ear. "Do you really believe him? He's bragging, right?"

Shikamaru covered his mouth and whispered.

"Be confident. Drop the 'right.' He's definitely bragging."

One look at Hinata, who stood nearby with her head lowered and said nothing, told them Kanami was spouting nonsense.

Besides, there was no way they believed Kurenai Yuhi would beg him to join Team 8.

While delivering his speech, Kanami had also noticed the little gestures between Shikamaru and Choji.

He cleared his throat twice. "Ahem, ahem. And so, out of the kindness of my heart, I joined Team 8."

"I see."

Shikamaru forced a professional fake smile onto his face.

After that, the four went their separate ways.

Shikamaru and Choji headed for the convenience store to stock up on snacks while they had time off.

After learning that Kurenai Yuhi was on a date with Asuma, Kanami and Hinata set off for another shopping street packed with couples.

Only after arriving at the shopping street did he realize just how crowded it really was.

Compared to the little alley near his home, the difference in the number of people was enormous.

"Hinata, do you see Kurenai?"

He could only have Hinata activate her Byakugan and scan the area, locking onto Kurenai Yuhi's location.

The Hyuga Clan's unique Byakugan could see everything within a one-kilometer radius. It could also clearly observe a target's meridians, acupoints, and chakra flow.

Suddenly, Hinata's eyes lit up.

"Over there!"

"Yosh!"

Kanami grabbed Hinata's little hand and rushed in the direction she pointed.

Kurenai-sensei, your nightmare is here. You stood us up and still want to enjoy your date?

Keep dreaming.

Yet just as his fighting spirit rose, it was ground away amid the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd.

Five minutes passed, and they had said "excuse me" dozens of times.

With so many people around, he could not exactly hop across rooftops with Hinata. After all, people's gossip was a frightening thing.

Hinata blinked and asked, "A-are we still going?"

"We are. Today, I have to ruin her good time."

Since they already knew Kurenai Yuhi's location, Kanami had Hinata deactivate her Byakugan. She could activate it again when the time came.

"Cat ears! Cat ears for sale!"

A shop displayed all kinds of headbands, while the shifty-eyed owner loudly called out.

Without the slightest embarrassment, he grinned as he promoted his wares to every young person passing by.

"Handsome guy, the beautiful lady beside you is so pretty. She'll definitely turn even more heads with these pink cat ears!"

The young man and woman walking arm in arm stopped in front of the shop.

The man asked, "Do you want them?"

"Let's go! I don't want them! Only kids wear things like that."

The woman tugged the man's hand and dragged him away.

"Don't leave! We have products for mature women too!"

Yet the two left without even looking back.

When Kanami and Hinata approached and saw the man's shifty-eyed appearance, they could not help mocking him inwardly.

Why did shady merchants all over the world look like this? You could tell he was shady at a glance.

When he had stocked up on cat ears, he had thought lots of people would like them and that he would make a fortune.

He had not expected most of his buyers to be little girls.

That was what happened when you failed to research the market.

When the owner saw Kanami and Hinata, his eyes suddenly lit up.

He hurriedly called out, "Little handsome guy~ Little beauty~ Come take a look at these cute cat-ear headbands."

Kanami glanced sideways at him in disdain.

What era was this? Who would still like wearing cat-ear headbands?

What a joke.

Just as he was about to keep walking, he noticed Hinata standing still and staring at the cat-ear headband in the owner's hand.

Huh?

Kanami hesitantly asked, "Do you like it?"

Hinata looked a little embarrassed and nodded shyly.

Kanami wore a strange expression.

He truly had not expected Hinata to like cat-ear headbands.

"Boss, how much for one?"

The owner immediately smiled.

"Our shop treats young and old alike. Fixed price, ninety-eight ryo."

Ninety-eight ryo? Why not just rob me? A bowl of Ichiraku Ramen only costs sixty ryo.

Just as expected. From now on, he would never buy things from a shop run by a shifty-looking owner again. The words "shady merchant" were practically stamped on his face.

But complaints aside, Kanami still had to buy it.

The cost of two bowls of ramen was a drop in the bucket for someone with a bit of savings like him.

He handed the money to the owner and told Hinata to choose whichever headband she liked.

Hinata spent a long time choosing, but in the end, she still pointed to the pink cat-ear headband.

Kanami took the headband and examined it from every angle, but he still thought it looked awful.

He sighed inwardly.

It was normal for a twelve-year-old girl to like something like this.

Then he pulled apart the sides of the headband and placed it on Hinata's head.

Once it was on, before he could say anything.

The owner beside them suddenly spoke up.

"Wow! A little beauty wearing a cat-ear headband is like a fairy descending to earth—so beautiful she puts the moon to shame and makes flowers wilt, stunning enough to topple kingdoms, blessed with peerless beauty, lovely as an immortal..."

Kanami shot him a vicious glare.

If you keep going, you'll use up every compliment. What am I supposed to say?

The owner smiled and wisely fell silent.

Hinata raised her head and looked at Kanami shyly.

"Does it look good?"

Seeing how adorable Hinata looked with the cat ears, Kanami was struck dumb, left speechless with his mouth hanging open.

"She's like a fairy descending to earth—so beautiful she puts the moon to shame and makes flowers wilt, stunning enough to topple kingdoms, blessed with peerless beauty, lovely as an immortal."

The shifty-eyed owner glanced at him.

That was outright plagiarism.