You call this a chance encounter?

The figure didn't leave him wondering for long.

The sickly Jonin soon finished choosing his flowers and pushed open the shop door, carrying a small bouquet inside.

"Oh, a customer!"

Ino Yamanaka perked up and forgot everything else. Taking Uzumaki Hayashi in one hand and Sakura Haruno in the other, she pulled them into the shop. "Quick, quick, quick! Come in and sit down!"

The floral fragrance was even stronger inside, with buckets of fresh flowers filling the shop. Ino Yamanaka pressed the two of them onto stools beside the counter, briskly poured each of them a cup of water, then went back behind the counter.

From the looks of it, she helped out at the shop quite often.

Uzumaki Hayashi held his cup, his eyes still glued to the figure by the entrance. Unable to resist, he lowered his voice and asked a question.

"Ino, who's that man?"

"Who? Oh, him."

Ino Yamanaka glanced back, tilted her head, and thought for a moment.

"His name's Gekko Hayate. I think he's a Special Jōnin in the village. He's a regular here. He comes to buy flowers every few days, always for his girlfriend. He's really nice, just quiet."

Gekko Hayate?

Something clicked in Uzumaki Hayashi's mind.

Well, damn. It all fit.

No wonder he hadn't recognized him. In the original story, this guy had been assassinated during the Chunin Ninja Exams. Any appearances after that had come only after Impure World Reincarnation, and even counting those, he'd barely had a handful of scenes. With so little screen time, remembering his name at all was already a credit to his memory.

Besides, the man was buying flowers for his girlfriend. That had absolutely nothing to do with him.

Whatever.

Still, it was a shame. He clearly had the skills of a Jonin, yet he'd been handed a script that wrote him out so early.

Over at the counter, Ino Yamanaka had already gone to greet him.

"Mr. Gekko, the usual?"

"Mm."

This Jonin really was a man of few words. That single sound was all he said from beginning to end. Ino Yamanaka seemed long accustomed to it, though. She selected the flowers, trimmed the stems, and wrapped them in one smooth sequence, then took his money and gave him his change. Her practiced efficiency made it clear she'd done this plenty of times.

"Come again!"

Uzumaki Hayashi and Sakura Haruno sat side by side, finding it rather novel to watch her conduct business so professionally.

"Ino's family flower shop is really famous in the village," Sakura Haruno told him quietly, holding her cup. "Lots of people come here especially to buy flowers."

Gekko Hayate turned toward the exit with the wrapped bouquet in his arms.

At the doorway, his steps slowed. He turned his gaze toward Uzumaki Hayashi and let it linger on his face.

Uzumaki Hayashi: "..."

What are you looking at me for? Never seen red hair before?

He let none of that show on his face, simply giving the man a polite smile and nod.

Gekko Hayate looked away without saying anything, pushed open the door, and left.

Once the customer was gone, Ino Yamanaka jogged back over, pressed her palms together, and waved them at the two of them.

"Sorry, sorry! I promised to take you out for some fun, and instead I made you sit here and watch me work."

"It's no big deal."

Uzumaki Hayashi waved it off, meaning every word. "It's nice here too. Your family's flowers are really beautiful."

The moment he said that, Ino Yamanaka's eyes curved into crescents.

"Really?"

She leaned right in, threw her arms around Uzumaki Hayashi's arm, and brought her face almost against his. "No wonder so many people like you so much!"

A floral scent drifted from her hair and enveloped Uzumaki Hayashi.

"You're making me start to like you too!"

As she spoke, she gave his arm a pleased little shake.

Uzumaki Hayashi froze on the spot.

No, no, this wouldn't do.

You girls might think of me as one of you, but I'm not! Between a boy and a girl, getting this close and doing this sort of thing could lead to trouble!

He couldn't pull his arm away, but he couldn't leave it there either. Across both his lives, when had a pretty young girl ever snuggled up to him like this? If she kept it up, his thoroughly masculine heart was going to pound loud enough to hear.

Just as he was squirming with discomfort, a hand reached over from beside him and rescued him from Ino Yamanaka's grasp.

It was Sakura Haruno.

Sakura Haruno pulled Uzumaki Hayashi to her side, keeping him close.

Only after pulling him over did she realize-wait, why had she done that?

She didn't know what had come over her either. Just now, the moment she'd seen Ino hugging Hayashi's arm, her heart had lurched, and her hand had reached out before she could think.

Now that she had him beside her, she even felt a little burst of joy, as though she'd reclaimed something she cared about.

...What exactly was she so happy about?!

Sakura Haruno fiercely berated herself inwardly for getting excited over nothing and acting so inexplicably. Then she had to pretend nothing was wrong as she spoke in an unhurried tone.

"Ino, you were getting too close just now."

"Ohhh."

Ino Yamanaka drew out the sound, looking utterly unconcerned. "Okay, okay. Honestly. I'll keep my distance, all right?"

Chatting and laughing, the three of them stepped out of the shop again.

Their chatter stopped dead.

At some point, several boys had gathered outside the shop-some from their class, others from the class next door. They were huddled together, whispering.

"As soon as they come out, go up and say, 'What a coincidence.' Make it sound natural, got it?"

"I know, I know! We've been rehearsing the whole way here!"

"Shh-the door's opening!"

The moment they saw the three emerge, the boys scattered, then swarmed over, each trying to squeeze in front of Uzumaki Hayashi.

"Hayashi!"

"What a coincidence! Are you here to buy flowers too?"

"We just happened to be passing by. Just passing by, heh-heh."

"Do you like flowers too, Hayashi? My neighbors grow some... no, I mean, my family does too!"

One boy even tried to hide the flowers he was holding behind his back. Unfortunately, he was a beat too slow, and everyone had already seen them.

One leaned toward him, another squeezed closer, and all of them talked at once until his head hurt.

What was all this nonsense?

Surrounded in the middle, Uzumaki Hayashi tried to back away, but couldn't get out.

What coincidence?

A bunch of boys lying in wait outside a flower shop counted as a chance encounter? Their acting was downright awful.

"What are you doing?!"

Sakura Haruno stepped forward, shielding Uzumaki Hayashi behind her. "Stop crowding around here! You're bothering Hayashi!"

"Oh, come on, Forehead Girl-"

The boy at the front waved a hand with a flippant grin, not even sparing her a glance.

"None of us came here for you. Move aside."

Sakura Haruno's face went white.

She stood rooted to the spot, her lips moving, but not another word came out. The fingers of the hand gripping Uzumaki Hayashi's sleeve slowly tightened.

Uzumaki Hayashi was just about to frown-

Well, well, you little punks. You're really pulling this right in front of me?

[Ding-]

That familiar sound instantly rang out in his mind, as though it had detected something.