A Date

Yuya descended from the sky,

landing before Princess Kaguya's great hall.

He was just about to go inside,

when Princess Kaguya came out to meet him.

Her expression was as indifferent (gentle) as ever.

Looking at him, she suddenly said,

"Come shopping with me!"

Yuya froze for a moment.

She had never liked interacting with outsiders,

and this was the first time she had ever suggested going out shopping.

It was simply unbelievable.

Back in his previous life, she would have been a textbook shut-in with social anxiety.

"Didn't you hear me?"

Princess Kaguya gave a cold chuckle.

"I... I heard you."

Yuya swallowed.

Then... did this count as a date?

Ripples stirred in his heart once again.

He had assumed that if Princess Kaguya let her imagination run wild,

and thought he might have seen her in that state yesterday,

she would refuse to face him for quite a long time afterward.

But now, was she ready to throw caution to the wind?

Or perhaps, from her perspective,

she wanted to spend this final year

experiencing a different way of life...

Or... spending more time with me?

At that thought, Yuya's heart tightened.

"Ye'er understands. But today happens to be the Fireworks Festival, so we'll need to wear masks tonight."

After a little thought, Yuya spoke.

"What a hassle."

Princess Kaguya frowned (muttered).

"It's no trouble. Ye'er will go get them right now~"

With that, his figure flickered, and he vanished from the spot.

He had used the Body Flicker Technique.

"Has his control over chakra already reached this level?"

Princess Kaguya murmured to herself, relief and complicated emotions flickering through her eyes.

"He should... be able to protect himself now..."

She stood there for a while, lost in unknown thoughts.

"Perhaps I should change my clothes too?"

Princess Kaguya glanced down at her heavy sage robes.

She kept feeling that they no longer belonged in this era.

Especially in this nation, where the Starlight Pavilion was vigorously developing public welfare and entertainment.

"Ye'er kept asking me to wear those things before. What did he call them, JK uniforms?"

"I don't have much time left. I might as well indulge him."

Princess Kaguya murmured.

The next instant, space rippled, and a pitch-black opening appeared.

Princess Kaguya stepped inside.

The Body Flicker Technique could not be used as Space-Time Ninjutsu.

At its core, it was merely an extremely fast way of moving over short distances.

Yuya had only vanished from Princess Kaguya's field of vision.

After that, he still had to rely on Wind Release chakra to fly and pick up speed.

It was worth mentioning that Yuya did not need hand seals to use his various ninjutsu.

With his absolute control over his body and chakra,

he did not need specific hand gestures

to help draw chakra out through his major meridians.

Besides, hand seals had originally been created by their descendant, Indra,

for ordinary people who could not draw out their chakra.

Yuya naturally did not fall into that category.

He flew high into the sky

and reached the nearest Starlight Pavilion Branch shop.

After revealing his identity, under the branch manager's shocked, fervent, and instantly understanding gaze,

he picked out the finest masks and left.

When he returned to the great hall,

and saw the lovely woman waiting there,

Yuya stumbled and nearly lost his footing.

Long silver hair danced in the breeze.

At some point, Princess Kaguya had changed into a light, airy white gauze dress.

Now, Princess Kaguya tugged at its hem, still feeling a little unaccustomed to it.

A faint blush colored her exquisite cheeks.

Clearly, she was still a little embarrassed.

The pure white pleated hem fluttered gently in the wind,

covering her thighs,

but leaving her slender calves, clad in white stockings, on display.

In the end, she had not chosen the more daring JK uniform from the wardrobe Yuya had set out earlier.

Instead, she had settled for a light gauze dress.

Even so, she was beautiful enough to look like a girl who had stepped straight out of a manga.

Then again, that was exactly what she was.

The white stockings and silvery-white gauze made Princess Kaguya look like a goddess beneath the moonlight.

Yuya swallowed. The sight before him was so visually stunning

that he could not recover for a long time.

[Option one: meet her gaze and praise her beauty with infatuation in your eyes. Reward: growth +1]

[Option two: act nonchalant and pretend not to notice her change. Reward: mental power +1]

[Option three: frown slightly and mock her: "Is that all?" Reward: Wood Release]

Three options appeared before his eyes at just the right moment.

Yuya merely glanced at them, then looked away.

Wood Release was only a type of kekkei genkai.

Although it could be called the strongest in the First Hokage's hands,

what truly mattered was the combination of Wood Release and a sage body.

As it happened, he lacked neither.

Wood Release was also his next main area of research.

Growth attribute points, on the other hand,

had not appeared for a long time.

At present, his body still looked fourteen years old,

with quite a bit of boyishness remaining.

But his features were so exquisitely perfect,

and his innate bearing, along with the charm attribute granted by the system,

often made people automatically overlook that fact.

More importantly,

right now, he only wanted to answer from his heart.

Yuya did not hesitate for long.

He walked straight up to Princess Kaguya.

"Her Majesty the Empress just keeps getting more beautiful."

Just the right touch of enchantment showed in his eyes.

"Tsk, such a smooth talker."

Princess Kaguya's voice remained indifferent, but her rosy lips curled up slightly.

[You selected option one: praise her beauty. Mission complete. Reward: growth +1]

A warm current flowed through Yuya's body.

However, the actual growth would have to wait until he fell asleep.

Yuya had already dismissed all the maids and guards.

He finally had a chance to go on a date. Why would he bring any third wheels?

So when Yuya and Princess Kaguya left,

they attracted no one's attention.

By the time they reached the streets, lights shone everywhere.

Lanterns glowed along all the main streets.

An endless stream of people passed by, every one of them wearing a mask.

Yuya and Princess Kaguya were no different.

Standing on the nighttime street, they did not stand out.

Just like countless young couples,

they walked side by side.

The evening breeze brushed gently past, lifting Princess Kaguya's hair.

Silver strands danced in the air and swept over the tip of Yuya's nose.

Breathing in the familiar scent of the woman beside him,

Yuya felt that this moment was beautiful and serene.

They had not walked far when Princess Kaguya suddenly stopped.

Her eyes brightened a little as she looked toward a certain spot.

It was a shop called Rescue the Dolls!

Its decor was decidedly girlish.

A row of dolls hung on the pink wall,

and inside stood a row of strange machines.

"Oh, Her Majesty the Empress, that looks interesting. Shall we go take a look?"

Yuya offered the suggestion at just the right moment.

"Mm."

Princess Kaguya gave an almost imperceptible nod, looking perfectly composed.

When they entered Rescue the Dolls,

a shop assistant wearing a rabbit-eared mask greeted them.

"Are you here to rescue the dolls too?"

"If you successfully rescue a doll, not only will all your game tokens be refunded,"

"but you'll also receive a lovely gift."

Only then did they notice that inside those rows of machines,

many cute dolls seemed to be imprisoned as well.

They could see them through the machines' glass covers.

A claw hung overhead, while an escape hatch sat at the lower left.

Apparently, as long as they used the claw to bring a doll over there,

they could help it escape.

As a reward, they could keep the doll.

These imprisoned dolls were finely made and adorable.

Even Princess Kaguya could not help taking a second look.

"Mommy, look! Those poor dolls are trapped inside. Let's hurry and get them out with the claw."

A little girl passing nearby wheedled to the woman holding her hand.

The woman reluctantly agreed.

Then they put coins into the machine and tried to grab a plush toy.

But no matter how the little girl tried, she just couldn't get one out.

Some made it halfway up before dropping back down.

The little girl grew so upset that she burst into tears.

More people tried their hands at the claw machine, but the result was always the same.

Not a single person managed to get a toy out, and they all looked dejected.

Princess Kaguya gave a disdainful smile at the sight.

Yuya exchanged some money for coins as well and invited Princess Kaguya to try.

Princess Kaguya shook her head. Though she was itching to try, she couldn't bring herself to swallow her pride.

Left with no other choice, Yuya began trying it himself.