A Perfect Score in Girlish Charm

Even so, Kushina earned more from rent alone than the vast majority of Ninja.

Eiji swapped lunchboxes with Kushina without a second thought. If a pretty girl was willing to make him lunch, of course he would accept. He had never enjoyed that kind of treatment in his previous life.

When he opened the lunchbox, the food inside stunned him.

Lobster, abalone, caviar, and premium Beef.

Eiji's eye twitched. Now he understood how the wealthy lived. This was ridiculously lavish!

The money his parents had left him would only last until he graduated from the Ninja Academy. He spent most of it on training, which meant cutting back on food.

His ability to hunt and fish kept things from getting too bleak, but today's lunch was a little thrown together.

"Are you sure you want to trade? My lunch is a bit... plain."

Calling it plain was generous. If Kushina's lunch was a Daimyo, his was a farmer.

"It's fine! I made it for you, Eiji. Think of it as thanks for yesterday!"

Kushina could have prepared two lunches, but her instincts told her this would bring them closer faster, so she had made only one.

Tsunade hadn't formally taken Eiji as a student yet, but Kushina was sure his abilities would win her approval.

Besides, Tsunade had told Kushina last night what the Village intended. It wanted that Sissy Minato to get close to her so she would settle into Konoha.

Kushina was no fool. In fact, she was clever, and the fall of the Land of Whirlpools had forced her to grow up fast. She understood at once.

The Village seemed to want to choose her Future... partner.

Kushina didn't care why the Village considered her so important.

What gave anyone the right to choose her Future partner for her?

Especially that Sissy!

Rather than let someone else decide her fate, she would fight back!

Kushina had never lacked the spirit to rebel. She would find her own partner!

And Eiji was her first choice!

He was handsome and strong, but most importantly, he had never made fun of her hair.

Grandma Mito seemed to support her too, which only made Kushina more determined.

Girls matured faster than boys, especially in the Shinobi World.

She had noticed that the boys around her talked about nothing but where to play next or which restaurant had the best food. Was Eiji just as childish?

But that could work in her favor. She would win him over in one fell swoop before he knew what was happening!

Watching Eiji eat the lunch she had made, bite by bite, filled Kushina with a sense of accomplishment she couldn't quite explain.

He was taking her feelings into himself with every mouthful. That meant she had played a part in helping him grow stronger, didn't it?

Kushina opened Eiji's lunchbox. Inside was plain white rice with tomatoes and eggs.

Truthfully, she didn't much like tomatoes. She might even have hated them.

But Eiji had made it, so she decided to try some.

She picked up rice, tomato, and egg together with her chopsticks, then carefully put the bite in her mouth. She didn't want Eiji to think she was uncouth.

Her eyes widened. Sweetness and tang burst across her tongue, balanced perfectly by the rice.

Could ordinary ingredients really taste this good?

All I did was pile on expensive ingredients, and what I made wasn't even as tasty as Eiji's simple lunch...?

A moment ago, Kushina had felt like she was floating. Now it was as though a huge rock had struck her head and sent her crashing to the ground.

In reality, Kushina hung her head as frustration washed over her.

No. I can't lose like this!

After yesterday, Kushina knew she might not be able to beat Eiji in a fight. But she couldn't lose to him in girlish charm too!

Just watch. I'll win you over!

"I—I'll make you something even tastier next time!"

Kushina clenched her small fists and fixed Eiji with a solemn stare. He was still devouring his food.

Damn it! How could I lose to Eiji at being girly?

"Sure. I'm looking forward to it."

Eiji looked up and answered calmly before going right back to eating. It infuriated Kushina.

"You don't believe my cooking can surpass yours at all, do you?"

"No, I really am looking forward to it."

As far as Eiji was concerned, getting a meal this fancy for free was already a win.

If he could eat ingredients of this quality every day, his physical condition might improve even further.

Mm, this Beef is delicious! And this lobster...!

Eiji made up his mind. He would stick close to Kushina. With a rich girl like her around, why wouldn't he?

Sorry, Minato!

"Damn it! I'll beat you one day! Just you wait!"

Today's match ended in Kushina Uzumaki's complete defeat.

That night at the Senju Ancestral Home.

"Waaah! I lost completely! I'm such an idiot!"

Kushina wailed like a sore loser as she cooked batch after batch of Tomato and Egg Stir-Fry, the dish she had eaten at lunch.

Seven or eight small plates of it already sat beside her. They were all failures in Kushina's eyes, at least.

She couldn't recreate the taste of Eiji's dish. What was his secret?

Kushina regretted not asking him, but doing so would have made her defeat feel even worse.

Was there nothing I could do better than Eiji?

The novels made it clear: girls who started out close to the protagonist often parted ways with him when they could no longer help him.

"What's going on? Is it Kushina's turn to make dinner? Whoa, were the tomatoes and eggs about to go bad?"

Nawaki came in through the entryway, and his eye twitched at the sight of a table covered in Tomato and Egg Stir-Fry.

"Don't worry about it. She's just at that age." Tsunade sat at the table eating dinner and waved a lazy hand. "She lost to the boy she likes at cooking, so now she's sulking. Honestly, it tastes good. Why does she keep calling it a failure?"

At Tsunade's words, Nawaki sat down and tried a bite. It had a nice balance of sweet and tangy.

"Seems fine to me. Does she really need to take it so seriously?"

"That's how girls in love are. If they can't beat a man at something, their pride as women takes a hit."

Mito Uzumaki smiled faintly. Hashirama Senju had been so great that he had almost single-handedly persuaded the other great nations to sign a peace treaty. As his woman, she had faced far more pressure.

"Huh? Then where's your girlish side, Tsunade—owww!"

Tsunade stamped hard on Nawaki's toes beneath the table, making him howl.

"Eat your dinner and stop talking nonsense!"