"A gamble?"
Faced with the simple word Shikamaru had offered after much thought, Naruto blinked in surprise. Then, as if realizing something, he raised one hand to his forehead, partially covering his complex expression. A helpless smile slowly crept across his face.
'I didn't take you for someone with guts like this, you bastard...'
Seeing that Naruto, despite his helpless expression, didn't seem angry in the slightest, Shikamaru finally let out a breath of relief. He knew he'd passed this round—barely. Blinking innocently and holding back a laugh, he continued, "Same to you… I didn't expect the proctor who came up with such weird rules to actually be so easygoing and approachable."
"Alright, alright. That's enough brown-nosing. I've got goosebumps all over. Don't you feel gross saying stuff like that?"
Hearing Shikamaru's comment, Naruto's grin widened. Then, pretending to get serious, he deliberately shivered and played up a faux-fearful expression.
"You see Hinata in my arms? I'll have you know I'm a taken man. No matter how much you flatter me, you won't get even a tiny bit of 'affection' from me!"
"Huh? What are you even—"
"N-Naruto-kun! Wh-What are you saying?! Wh-What do you mean, taken…? Waaaah!"
Before Shikamaru could process what was happening, Hinata—who had been silently nestled in Naruto's arms—turned beet red at his teasing. Being more sensitive when it came to emotions, she buried her face deeper into his chest, steam practically rising from her head. She rubbed her cheeks against his chest, trying to hide the uncontrollable, genuine smile that had formed on her face.
'N-Naruto-kun is… is such an idiot!'
"Ah, whoops. Forgot the person in question was right here."
Seeing that Hinata wasn't rejecting his bold words, Naruto secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Suppressing a laugh, he gently placed a hand on her silky hair, stroking it as he softly responded to her muffled grumble.
"Hehe… alright, alright. I'm an idiot, I'm an idiot… there, there."
Caught off guard by the public display of affection, Shikamaru was suddenly struck by a familiar wave of sour powerlessness. He finally understood what kind of 'affection' Naruto was referring to. Twitching slightly, Shikamaru glanced at the smug look on Naruto's face, who was silently raising his brows as if taunting him. Under the pressure of his single status, Shikamaru couldn't stand it anymore and turned his head to look away, as if the scene in front of him was so saccharine it could blind dogs.
"...Allow me to take back everything I said about you earlier."
He lifted a hand to shield his eyes and turned his back to Naruto. Having realized that Naruto's personality wasn't as temperamental as he'd feared, he relaxed a bit and stopped holding back so much. Twitching facial muscles and all, he feigned outrage as he lamented Naruto's merciless attack on single people.
"This is easygoing?! You're downright awful!"
"Huh? Am I?"
Naruto's grin widened at Shikamaru's pained retort. He gave a few fake coughs and responded seriously, even as he adjusted his grip to hold the now-flustered Hinata more securely.
"Ahem. That's slander, you know? I was just telling the truth~"
Shikamaru wasn't the only one overwhelmed by Naruto's behavior. Even Ino, who had been silently observing from the side, couldn't help but turn into full-on white-bead-eyed disbelief before yelling out her protest.
"Before you say that—take your gross hands off her already, you bastard!"
Looking around with growing frustration and nowhere to vent, Ino slowly clenched her fists. Under Chōji's increasingly horrified gaze, she began mercilessly squeezing the bag of chips in her hand like a stress toy.
"With that smug face and shameless flirting, you've lost any—! Freaking! Trace! Of credibility!!"
"Uuuugh… m-my poor chips…"
Hearing the heartbreaking crunch of the crushed chips, images of crispy, golden slices turning to dust under Ino's wrath flashed through Chōji's mind. Whimpering quietly, he missed out on the perfect chance to join the others in feeling single and left out.
"Huh? Got something to say?"
Noticing the noise beside her, Ino turned her head sharply. Her irritation vanished, replaced by a sweet smile. She asked softly and slowly:
"No-no-no… nothing. As long as you're happy. All good."
As part of the long-standing Ino-Shika-Chō trio, Chōji knew that smile didn't mean things were fine. Still, he forced out a weak smile and waved his hand as if it didn't matter. Then, turning his back, he squatted down and buried his head in his knees, softly sobbing.
'Uuu… fine, be mad if you want. But why take it out on my chips… my poor, poor chips…'
"Pfft—hahaha! Alright, alright. That's enough drama."
Seeing everyone's exaggerated reactions, Naruto finally couldn't hold back his laughter. As Shikamaru and Ino glared silently at him, he bent down and gently slid his hand under Hinata's knees, lifting the completely-red girl into a princess carry. Then, without rushing, he began walking ahead, expression serious once more.
"Ahem. It's about time. I think we should get moving."
Just then, Ino suddenly remembered something. She hadn't gotten a clear answer about what Naruto and Shikamaru had been talking about earlier, the conversation that had piqued her curiosity.
"Wait!"
She turned toward Shikamaru and asked, eyes full of curiosity,
"That conversation you two had earlier… what was that all about? Something about a bet and being gutsy? I didn't get any of it!"
"Pfft, that's what you wanted to ask?"
Naruto, who had stopped walking again, chuckled as he heard the question. Without turning around, he resumed walking, teasing as he answered.
"Shikamaru figured out I was the proctor for more reasons than I realized. But I'm not a mind reader, so I can't explain it all. If you want the details, ask him. Still, I think I can guess the main reason why he knew his gamble had paid off."
"Huh? The main reason? What was it?"
"It's simple. Unlike the other candidates who followed the guide signs and turned right—you guys, like us..."
Naruto paused, then slightly turned so Ino could see the grin on his face. He tapped the ground with his toe.
"...chose to go completely against the signs, and walked this 'wrong' path instead."