"Well…"
Aoba hadn't expected that what Yamanaka Rino wanted to say after asking him to stay behind alone would be this.
She had probably seen that her daughter could barely even move and felt a bit heartbroken.
Only, last night he had been the passive one.
But since Yamanaka Rino was an elder, and this was such a private matter, Aoba couldn't exactly explain it in detail.
"Ahem! I'll be more careful in the future."
"Mm…"
Yamanaka Rino nodded, then pressed her lips together before speaking again.
"In that case, Aoba, you probably have other matters to attend to, so I won't keep you any longer."
"Alright."
Aoba didn't stay any longer. After taking a sip of tea, he stood up and left.
Staying any longer would have just been awkward.
To be honest, he wasn't very used to interacting with elders.
After all, his own elders… like Tsunade, 'Better not mention Tsunade.'
As for Shirakumo Hayama, he was also a man of few words.
Every time he returned from missions in the past, it wasn't like he asked much anyway.
So when she gave him an excuse to leave, he slipped away quickly.
After Aoba left, Yamanaka Rino let out a sigh.
She had originally wanted to ask about marriage.
After all, since her daughter had already given herself to him, he should take responsibility.
But then she thought of Sakura, Tenten, Hinata, and the other girls. Not to mention that Aoba also had several fiancees publicly known.
If she brought it up now, she probably wouldn't get a clear answer.
It might be better not to mention it at all.
She had watched Aoba grow up step by step.
With his character, even if he was a bit of a flirt, he wouldn't treat Ino badly.
The main thing was that Ino had set her heart on Aoba since she was little.
As a mother, she simply couldn't pull her back.
When she was a child, every time Ino received pocket money from her, the first thing she thought of was giving it to Aoba.
Later on, she had grounded her more than once and even smacked her bottom a few times.
But it was useless.
She had no idea what kind of charm Aoba had.
Now, not only had he become Hokage of Konoha, he was even the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
In comparison, it almost felt like their family was reaching up.
Thinking about it, Yamanaka Rino sighed again. After cleaning up the tea set, she went to Ino's room.
This kind of matter couldn't just be told to one person.
For a young girl like Ino who had just tasted forbidden fruit, she would surely crave more.
She was worried that without restraint, she might hurt her body.
———
After leaving Ino's house, Aoba went straight to the Hokage Tower.
Inside the office, Shizune and Sakura were talking.
It looked like Sakura was reporting on yesterday's work.
"Anything major happen these past two days?"
Aoba asked casually, also letting them know he had returned.
"Hmm? Aoba, you're back?"
Sakura turned around and immediately smiled brightly.
But soon she started looking around, clearly searching for Ino.
Aoba walked over and rubbed her hair, calming her down.
"Ino didn't come back with you?"
Shizune asked the question for Sakura.
"Well… Ino's not feeling very well, so I sent her home first. She might need to rest for a couple of days," Aoba explained.
Shizune couldn't help twitching her mouth, and her gaze at him gained a strange meaning.
As someone experienced, Shizune naturally knew why Ino wasn't feeling well.
The two of them reaching this step had long been expected. From childhood until now, it was only natural.
She just hadn't expected it to require two days of rest.
That was a bit too reckless.
But she also knew that the other person present didn't understand the inside story.
Although Sakura was a little upset about Ino sneaking off, when she heard Ino wasn't feeling well, she became worried.
"Was she injured on the mission?"
"Go visit her after work and you'll understand."
Aoba didn't explain directly. If Sakura found out and then went to tell Tenten and the others, what if they all went on strike?
Wouldn't all the work fall onto him, the one who started it?
"Alright. Then Aoba, are you hurt?"
Sakura looked at him worriedly and even reached out to touch him, as if checking his body.
"Ahem!"
Before Aoba could say anything, Shizune coughed lightly.
"Sakura, it's working hours."
"Oh."
Sakura reluctantly pulled her hand back.
Seeing that, Aoba patted her head again to comfort her.
"Keep up the good work."
"Mm."
Sakura smiled brightly again, then kissed Aoba on the lips before quickly leaving the office.
"..."
Shizune watched the scene with amusement, then asked,
"So Ino really needs two days of rest?"
Aoba nodded, "About that. Two days should be enough."
"How long did you go at it last night? It was her first time. That's way too careless."
Shizune couldn't imagine it. Last time when Aoba came back from Loulan after three years, she and Konan only lay in bed for two days.
"...", Aoba coughed awkwardly.
"This was actually Ino's self-inflicted trick."
"Self-inflicted trick?"
Shizune froze for a moment, then quickly understood.
She was afraid of getting into trouble with Sakura and the others.
Ino really could come up with ideas.
Though honestly, only those younger girls cared so much.
When Yugao beat her to it back then, had she said anything?
Didn't she just bring Aoba home directly and then… After so much time had passed, Shizune had clearly forgotten the details.
She had forgotten that if not for Tsunade, she might not even have found out about Aoba and Uzuki Yugao for a long time.
And after finding out, who knew where she would have hidden to sulk alone.
Now that she was on the other side, she had forgotten her roots.
"So Ino isn't planning to hide it. Looks like you're going to be busy," Shizune understood.
Now that Ino had successfully gotten ahead, Sakura, Tenten, Hinata, Yakumo, and Karin would probably rush in all at once.
It felt like there might not be enough rooms at home.
Seeing her lost in thought, Aoba walked over and hugged her.
"Will Shizune-nee be jealous?"
Shizune rolled her eyes at him, "If you bring another girl back from outside, I might be a little jealous. As for Ino and the others, forget it."
After all, if they were talking about the title of girlfriend, no one had come earlier than Ino and the rest.
"Shizune-nee, you're the best."
Aoba leaned in and kissed her.
Shizune didn't resist and even responded.
At that moment, she, herself, seemed to forget that it was still working hours.
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