"Hold my hand, I'll protect you, good grief."
Shikamaru felt this was just too awkward.
"Hey, do I have to repeat your catchphrase too?"
"Absolutely, that's the essence of it!"
But indeed, after following what Naruto said, Temari didn't have that difficult-to-get-along-with feeling from yesterday.
The two sat down and bought popcorn along the way. Just sitting there quietly watching the movie was a rare moment of relaxation.
When Temari reached for popcorn, she accidentally brushed against Shikamaru's hand. She pulled her hand back in an instant, her expression turning shy. Then she lowered her head, too embarrassed to look at Shikamaru.
Shikamaru was shocked. Is this still Temari? Why is she so bashful?
In reality, on Temari's end.
"Stop, stop, my face is red enough already."
Actually, it was hard for Temari to feel shy or blush, so Kano had specifically told her super awkward, blush-inducing stories, like the desperate miner or the child possessed by evil spirits, to help her blush.
After they came out of the cinema, Shikamaru spoke first.
"Where should we go next?"
Shikamaru whispered his complaint to Naruto again, "Hey, I feel like this indecisive look is so stupid!"
"Listen to me, it'll definitely work."
"I think it'll definitely be the death of me...!"
"Then let's go eat. I actually know a nice restaurant."
Shikamaru was stunned. Who is actually from Konoha Village? Why is it so easy to hand over the initiative to the other person?
Under Temari's guidance, the two arrived at a restaurant, with Kano following quietly behind.
Why wasn't Naruto following? Because the earpiece was much more useful than the puppet Kankuro had hastily put together, so there was no need to follow along constantly.
"What do you like to eat?"
Shikamaru handed the menu to Temari, and Temari quickly chose two dishes. Although she chose them with a frown.
"Why pick such troublesome dishes? I don't like eating shrimp."
Temari whispered her complaint to the puppet with her head lowered.
"It's supposed to be troublesome! If it were simple, you two would just be stuffing your faces without any interaction; how would you build a relationship that way? Do as I say, it'll work, I guarantee it."
Soon, a plate of shrimp with shells was served. Following Kano's instructions, Temari peeled a shrimp but intentionally mangled it.
"Sorry, I'm not very good at peeling shrimp. Could you help me with this?"
Shikamaru was speechless. This woman can't even handle a small thing like peeling shrimp? Is she here just to mess with me?
"It's peeled. Here."
"Thank you, you're so thoughtful."
Temari picked up a peeled shrimp and fed it to Shikamaru by hand.
This sudden feeding took Shikamaru completely by surprise, and his face instantly turned red.
Temari couldn't help but chuckle when she saw Shikamaru's flustered reaction; his usual dead-fish expression, always afraid of trouble, could actually become this interesting.
On the other side, Shikamaru couldn't believe it. Someone like Temari, who looked like a violent woman at first glance, was actually feeding him so gently.
Following Naruto's instructions really worked!
The day's date was nearing its end, and both sides had seen a different side of the other and had a great time.
Shikamaru felt that Temari had a gentle and cute side; he was starting to understand how his dad felt. Temari also discovered that Shikamaru had reactions other than being stiff and found it quite fun to tease him.
However, what puzzled Kano was why Shikamaru felt a bit like an idiot today; her brother was usually very smart.
Could love really make people stupid?
Kankuro returned right on time to take back his puppet; he couldn't let Temari find out he had hired someone to play for him. He promised Kano some benefits, and Kano immediately made her request: to have him help make five Songle puppets for her to use in future teaching.
Before Temari came back to find Kankuro, Kano slipped away.
Temari walked up to Kankuro and patted him on the shoulder.
"Thanks to your help this time. I didn't expect those methods you mentioned to be so effective. Where did you learn these techniques?"
"Ahaha, it's nothing, just something I figured out in my spare time."
Temari paused internally. Why would her brother spend his free time figuring out how to flirt with men?
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