Minato froze and looked back at Xin, who was lounging on the couch with his head resting comfortably on Mikoto's lap.
Wait, didn't you tell me yesterday that my place hadn't been cleaned in months? Were you messing with me? And what's with you just lying there on Mikoto-nee's lap?
Kushina and Mikoto clearly liked Xin, and he seemed to return the feeling. But their relationship had never been clearly defined. Minato didn't know the details, and it wasn't his place to ask.
But seriously, to casually rest his head on Mikoto's lap right in front of Kushina? That's bold. He couldn't believe Kushina wasn't angry about it.
Minato felt like a massive third wheel. A very, very obvious one.
"Stop messing around," Mikoto blushed as Xin's breath tickled her stomach. She gently pushed him off, her face red, and handed him a bottle of juice.
The cold juice jolted Xin awake. After downing half of it in one go, he blinked himself back to alertness.
"Why'd you buy so much stuff? Did you hit the jackpot or something?" He asked, pointing at the bags.
"It's all for Nawaki. We got him a bunch of nutritious food," Kushina said, a bit defensive.
Who gave her that idea? Xin thought, exchanging a glance with Mikoto, who looked equally innocent. Apparently, it was all Kushina's doing, and Mikoto had just gotten roped into buying some things too.
"Let me see what you bought," Xin said, opening one of the bags. The smell of raw meat hit him immediately.
"Is this pigeon?" he asked, looking puzzled.
"Yeah! The butcher said pigeon meat is great for restoring energy and blood, so I bought a bunch," Kushina said proudly.
"And what's this for? What kind of 'restoration' does this provide?" Xin raised an eyebrow as he found something else in the bag. This... was definitely a unique item. Sure, it was nutritious-just in a very specific way.
Minato leaned in to look and nearly choked. "Kushina, are you sure Nawaki needs this?"
Who in their right mind buys kidneys as a recovery food for someone injured?
Mikoto, meanwhile, couldn't stop laughing and collapsed onto the couch. "Ahem, I think he might not be ready for that kind of 'recovery,"
Xin coughed, setting the bag aside. "We'll take it to the hospital later. Nawaki can... enjoy it."
After trying to hold it together for a few seconds, Xin and Mikoto both burst out laughing.
Minato, shaking his head with a half-smile, turned to Kushina. "Kushina, who told you this was a good idea?"
"There was this guy at the butcher shop asking for the best stuff for energy, and the butcher recommended it! So, I bought some too!" Kushina replied, still clueless.
"And you guys are laughing at what, exactly?"
"Oh, nothing," Xin wheezed, struggling to stop laughing. "You just bought some really top-notch stuff, that's all."
Barely keeping a straight face, Xin tossed the bag to Minato. "Go clean this up. We're cooking it for lunch."