Nonō sighed softly, her anger fading. As the orphanage director, she had always been a gentle person.
But ever since meeting Yūto, she often found herself unable to keep her temper.
This guy was far too reckless. She could understand wanting to protect his comrades, but if he risked his life every single time, one day he would leave his friends and family with regrets.
Just like the children at the orphanage, many of whom had parents who were shinobi.
These children should never have had to live in this world as orphans. They could have grown up happily.
It was only because their parents had died in battle that they were forced to live in this world as orphans.
No matter how hard she tried, even if the children regarded her as family, she could never give them true familial love.
"Yūto, don't do this again. You need to protect yourself, too."
"The children all miss you. Just yesterday, they were asking me why their big brother Yūto still hadn't come to visit."
Whenever the children at the orphanage came up, Yūto felt conflicted.
Yūto had been an orphan in his previous life, too. He didn't know why he did it; perhaps he saw his former self in them.
Since coming to this world, he had donated most of his mission earnings to the orphanage.
Otherwise, with how frequently Yūto took missions, he wouldn't still be living in a cramped, rundown old home in the clan compound.
Every time he visited the children and saw their smiling faces, his desire to commit insurance fraud faded a little.
To avoid giving up on getting himself killed one day, he hadn't visited the orphanage in over a month.
"Nonō, I understand. Once my injuries heal, I'll go see them."
Nonō opened her mouth, then shook her head helplessly. No matter how many times she told him, this guy wouldn't listen anyway.
Seeing how her lecture had failed, Yūto thought for a moment and tossed out stock evasion line number seventy-five.
"Even an eagle soaring through the skies is bound to get its feathers wet. Isn't that right, Nonō?"
"You always have some twisted excuse." Nonō rolled her eyes at him. "I have other patients to see. Get some rest. I'm leaving."
After watching Nonō leave, Tsukimi held the insulated lunch box, ready to continue feeding Yūto.
Yūto immediately clamped his mouth shut. He had no idea where Nonō had learned to cook. Even plain rice tasted bitter.
For the sake of his tongue, Yūto refused to eat another bite.
He had failed to die, and his body was in agony. He didn't want his mouth to keep suffering, too.
"Tsukimi, didn't you say you haven't eaten? I'm not hungry right now. Why don't you eat it?"
Hope filled Yūto's eyes. I saved your life on the battlefield before. Now it's your turn to help me. Tsukimi, you won't refuse, will you?
Tsukimi looked at the insulated lunch box in her hands, then at Yūto's expectant gaze. In the end, she gave in.
"O-okay..."
To Tsukimi, the insulated lunch box in her hands was now like a savage beast.
Even though she had experienced it more than once already, Tsukimi was still extraordinarily afraid of Nonō's cooking.
With the resolve of someone facing death, she picked up her chopsticks, took a bite of food, closed her eyes, and stuffed it straight into her mouth.
The bizarrely seasoned food rampaged through her mouth, making her gasp for breath.
By the time she had eaten the entire portion, Tsukimi was nearly spent.
Seeing Tsukimi drenched in sweat, Yūto guiltily averted his gaze. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had forced her to do something strange.
After finishing, Tsukimi immediately picked up a glass of water and poured it straight into her mouth.
Only after she felt that bizarre seasoning wash away did she feel much better.
"Yūto, I should go buy you something to eat. You were unconscious for so long. Are you really not hungry?"
Of course, not being hungry was an excuse. Yūto simply didn't want to eat any more of Nonō's cooking.
"Sorry for the trouble, Tsukimi."
Tsukimi puffed out her cheeks. Sure enough, this guy had deliberately made her embarrass herself.
After Tsukimi left the ward, once the door closed, Yūto immediately struggled to get up.
He didn't know how long he had been unconscious. His bladder was about to burst.
Yūto moved with difficulty, the corner of his eye twitching. Almost every step sent intense pain through his wounds.
Fortunately, Konoha's hospital rooms were quite modern and had private bathrooms. Otherwise, Yūto feared he wouldn't be able to walk that far.
He had only just let his little brother breathe some fresh air when someone suddenly pushed open the ward door. Yūto nearly dribbled onto his pants.
"Yūto, what would you like to eat... Ah, why did you get out of bed? Hurry up and..."
Halfway through, Tsukimi abruptly shut her mouth.
"S-sorry!"
"I wasn't trying to peek!"
Yūto had assumed no one would come, so he hadn't closed the bathroom door. He hadn't expected Tsukimi to double back.
Only after walking out of the hospital had Tsukimi remembered that she hadn't asked what Yūto wanted to eat, so she had immediately run back.
An eerie silence settled over the ward.
Yūto could sense that Tsukimi hadn't left.
With someone watching, he was just like Madara Uchiha: too embarrassed to take the next step.
Tsukimi waited for a long time, but Yūto still didn't emerge from the bathroom. She couldn't help growing uneasy.
Was Yūto having trouble because of his injuries?
Remembering the scene in the valley when Yūto had used his body to shield her from a fatal blow, Tsukimi suddenly, inexplicably made up her mind.
"Yūto, I'll help you!"
Yūto's eyes widened. Wait, you'll help me?
What exactly do you want to help me do?
Lady, I appreciate the thought, but please just get out!
Before Yūto could refuse, Tsukimi walked into the bathroom.
"Yūto, don't be embarrassed. You're a patient right now."
"I've seen the lady next door take care of her little, little..."
Before she finished, Tsukimi suddenly stopped. Why was this different from what I'd seen?
Yūto wanted to die of embarrassment, his toes nearly digging a three-bedroom apartment into the floor. You pervert, stop staring!
"This should be how it's done... Yūto, hurry up and start!"
Looking at Tsukimi's flushed cheeks beside him, Yūto sighed softly. Ah, puberty.
Several days passed in a flash, and the Shinobi World seemed to be growing increasingly unsettled.
Yūto finally made it to the day of his discharge. Tsukimi had attended to him closely throughout this time, leaving him unable to sleep well at night.
After completing his discharge paperwork, Yūto received another lecture from Nonō before he was finally allowed to leave the hospital.
"Nonō, are you going back to the orphanage later?"
Nonō didn't look up. Pen in hand, she leaned over the desk, writing something that seemed to be a patient's medical record.
"Yes. Why?"
Yūto nodded. It had been a long time since he had visited those children, and he planned to go see them.
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