Naruko's blue eyes darted around. She set down her empty skewer, clapped her hands, then crooked a finger at Sasuke. Her expression was equal parts mischief and command.
"Open your mouth."
Sasuke's back stiffened. "What are you going to do?"
Ever since they'd met, Naruko Uzumaki had refused to do anything the way he expected.
"To make you like sweets, obviously!" Naruko said as if it were the most reasonable thing in the world. "After all..." She drew out the words, her smile turning wicked. "I love sweets. I might come over to play a lot from now on, or make you treat me. Where's the fun if you won't eat any?"
What kind of logic was that? Sasuke frowned, unable to tell what she was up to. His instincts told him not to give in.
"No need. Eat them yourself."
"Are you sure?" Naruko tilted her head, still smiling. She brushed off her skirt and made as if to stand. "Then I'll go. I've tried the Three-Color Dango anyway. Thank Auntie Mikoto and Itachi for me."
She said it so casually, as though she really had just dropped by for a snack.
Leave? Sasuke's heart tightened.
She couldn't leave. Not yet.
The looks from his clan, his mother's hopes, and the urgent need for a "bond between the Uchiha and the Hokage" that he refused to admit even to himself—
All of it made it impossible to let Naruko walk away. Her childish demand that he "eat sweets" had somehow become another unspoken test, or perhaps a bargain.
He stared into her blue eyes. They looked innocent, but they plainly said, Let's see what you do now. He wavered.
The pride in Sasuke Uchiha's soul rebelled against such a ridiculous demand, but the shadow of the Night of the