Ino stood before the Ramen Shop's back door, her shadow stretched long in the moonlight. She had lost count of how many times she had raised her hand, only to let it fall helplessly again.
The breeze brought a slight chill and tousled her blond hair.
Reason screamed frantically in her mind, telling her that if she turned back now, there was still time. Tomorrow, she would still be the proud young lady of the Yamanaka Clan.
Yet the image of Sakura Haruno leaning against Goten's shoulder at Yakiniku Q, as though she belonged there, kept surfacing in her mind unbidden.
Why did that forehead girl get to feel so entitled?
Ino bit her lower lip hard. A rush of heat, mingled with alcohol and jealousy, surged to her head, burning away her last shred of reason.
She pushed open the half-closed back door.
Ino's footsteps were light as she climbed the wooden stairs to the second floor, her heart pounding like a drum.
There were no lights in the hallway. Only the moonlight spilling through the window at the far end outlined her slender figure.
The air smelled of ramen broth, along with that man's distinctive masculine scent, which unsettled her yet drew her closer despite herself.
As she passed Temari's room, all was quiet beyond the gap in the door, save for the sound of steady breathing.
The light in Ayame's room was already out as well.
Ino clenched her fists and walked, step by step, toward the room at the very end of the hallway.
A scoundrel lived there. A bastard. A man who had stolen every last one of her thoughts.
She stood before Goten's door, her fingertips trembling uncontrollably.
Pressing her ear against the door, she heard the faint sound of someone turning over inside.