Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle... pfft!
Chinatsu suddenly sat up after dozing off in the hot spring bath. Squinting, she scanned her surroundings, spent one second wondering where she was, another wondering what she was doing there, and a third wondering whether she had forgotten something.
"Oh no, I got too comfortable!"
Realization dawned on Chinatsu's face. She hurriedly dried herself off, tidied up, pulled on her clothes, and strode from the bathhouse toward the living room.
Nearly two hours had passed. Chinatsu had assumed the living room would have descended into chaos without her there to preside over things. Yet when she arrived, she found that not only was it not a complete mess, it was actually unusually quiet and harmonious.
"Miss? You're out?!"
Hidan was the first to spot Chinatsu. He sprang up from the couch in an instant, his attitude and enthusiasm truly something else.
Chinatsu even began to wonder whether she had overdone it when she used Kotoamatsukami on him. Although Hidan had never exactly been a respectable fellow, he was much better like this than as the deranged, murderous cultist he had been before.
Chinatsu slowly turned to look at Kakashi on another couch. His hands were folded together, and not a trace of confusion remained in his eyes. In its place was clarity-utter clarity.
Over those nearly two hours, Kakashi had worked hard to understand exactly what Chinatsu had done and what her intentions were.
As he listened to the chatter of the "colleagues" around him and carefully analyzed it, Kakashi finally understood. He felt he had grasped the "truth," and everything instantly became perfectly clear.
Kakashi raised his head and gave Chinatsu a knowing look. Holding up a finger, he asked, "Chinatsu, can I ask you a question?"
"A question? Of course. Ask away."
Chinatsu