Chapter 46: The First Check-Skip
Uzui immediately reverted to his signature "flashy" posture, gesturing grandly toward the three newcomers as he introduced them to Natsuya and Kanae.
"Behold! My wives!"
They were three young women, each with a distinct look and aura, appearing to be around the same age as Kanae.
One was a gentle beauty with a high ponytail and a teardrop mole. One was a spunky, athletic girl with golden-blonde tips and eyes full of fire. And finally, standing timidly behind the other two, was a short-haired girl with a perpetually worried expression.
The one thing they all had in common? Figures that were... highly impressive for their age.
[Tanizaki Hinatsuru (Power Level: 27)] — Ninjutsu LV.3
[Isagami Makio (Power Level: 22)] — Ninjutsu LV.2
[Higashiyama Suma (Power Level: 16)] — Ninjutsu LV.1
Natsuya: "..."
I get that their stats are higher than average humans. I get that they have unique class skills.
What I don't get is... why are these ninjas dressed so skimpy?!
Why is your ninja wearing black stockings? Why is that one wearing thigh-highs? Why are there FISHNETS?!!
Natsuya strongly suspected that their tactical gear was designed purely to satisfy Uzui's personal fetishes.
"Well? Aren't my three wives flashy?!" The God of Festivals gave Natsuya a sparkling grin and a thumbs-up.
Natsuya sighed. "Uzui, let's just go start the Hidden Leaf Village together."
"I'll be the Hokage. You can be the head of Root."
Uzui blinked, looking confused. What is this brat talking about now?
He downed his sake in one go and stood up. "In any case, this flashy banquet ends here! I have a mission to execute."
"See you later, you two!"
With a cool wave to Natsuya and Kanae, Uzui's fingers flew into a series of rapid hand signs.
POOF!
A cloud of white smoke erupted. In the next second, he transformed into a blur, leaping upward and vanishing from sight.
"Incredible! Actual Ninjutsu!" Kanae gasped, covering her mouth in awe.
Natsuya simply clicked his tongue, not falling for it. Because his Power Level was significantly higher than Uzui's, he had clearly seen the "Ninja" perform a series of misdirection feints, toss a literal smoke bomb to disrupt their vision, and then dump his entire Stamina bar into a high-speed sprint in the opposite direction.
He's just kiting us, Natsuya thought.
"Lord Tengen has caused you trouble!" The three wives bowed deeply to them before scurrying off in the direction Uzui had fled.
Natsuya sighed. "What an enviable bastard."
Kanae squinted at him, a playful yet slightly sharp smile on her face. "Natsuya-kun, do you really envy Mr. Uzui that much?"
Natsuya felt a subtle shift in the atmospheric pressure. A "Danger Warning" pinged in his brain. He decided to be honest—honest enough that Kanae wouldn't sense a shred of deception.
"As a man? Sure, I envy him."
"But if it were me? I'll pass."
I don't want to deal with the paperwork for a triple marriage. Besides, living in a city is hard enough; where would I get the energy to manage three partners?
Don't dates cost money? Doesn't the 'Gamer' logic say that maintaining three NPCs requires triple the 'Emotional Value' resources? Do you have any idea how much time goes into considering the feelings of three different halves?
Kanae, of course, couldn't read his internal spreadsheet. She just saw his blunt sincerity and blinked. The heavy atmosphere around her vanished instantly.
"I'll take that as the truth for now, Natsuya-kun..." she whispered softly.
Natsuya turned his attention back to the table, looking at the mountain of empty plates. Then, his expression froze.
"Wait."
"THAT BASTARD UZUI! He invited us for late-night snacks and then ran off without paying the bill?!"
A dine-and-dash?!
Does he not know how poor a Kanoe-rank Slayer is? That's my blood money! Money I earned by fighting for my life! Every Yen was earmarked for a down payment on a house in Tokyo's Minato District!
Seeing Natsuya's look of genuine betrayal, Kanae burst into giggles. She reached for her small coin purse, intending to cover the bill.
But Natsuya stood up abruptly.
"Owner!" he shouted toward the counter. "You're tight with Uzui Tengen, right? Put my share and this lady's share on the table—we're paying for ourselves."
He slapped his limited cash onto the table. Then, he leaned over and whispered to Kanae, "Hey. We need to move."
Before Kanae could process the plan, her wrist was enveloped by Natsuya's warm, dry palm. She let out a soft gasp.
[Total Concentration!]
[Thunder Breathing!]
No blade was drawn. He simply circulated the breathing rhythm to its peak and triggered an explosive burst of footwork.
Pulling the girl along, the two of them became a streak of lightning that hugged the ground, vanishing from the stall owner's sight in a heartbeat.
"EH?! Wait! Lord Uzui's tab—!" the owner cried out.
"JUST PUT IT ON HIS ACCOUNT!" Natsuya's voice drifted back from the distance.
The other diners stared in shock at the "ninja" speed, then erupted into laughter. Tengen's friends are just as eccentric as he is! What a character!
A few minutes later, after escaping to a quiet back alley, Natsuya finally let go of her hand.
Kanae was panting slightly from the high-speed transit, her cheeks flushed a deep rose. Her violet eyes shimmered with a mix of excitement and disbelief. She looked at Natsuya, her expression one of "I can't believe you just did that" amusement.
He had "skipped" the bill, yet paid his fair share. But he had intentionally left Uzui's massive debt for Uzui to settle later.
"Natsuya-kun... you really..."
"It's for his own good," Natsuya said righteously. "He needs to learn that skipping the check is a bad habit."
Kanae brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "The next time he sees you, Mr. Uzui is going to complain very loudly."
Let him complain. Natsuya shrugged. There's no reason for a Player to get scammed by an NPC. I haven't even charged him for the lecture fee yet.
"Anyway, where are you headed? Back to HQ? Or taking a rest?"
"Not yet," she shook her head. "I have to finish the follow-up reports for this mission. I'll be on standby nearby for a few days. What about you, Natsuya-kun?"
Natsuya had originally planned to head straight for the Rengoku estate in northern Tokyo. But after recalling the notes Master Kazami had given him, he thought for a moment.
"I'm heading to Yokohama first to visit my Senior Brother."
"His experience creating Storm Breathing should be perfect reference material. After that, I'll head to the Rengokus. Apparently, that's where all the Flame Breathing masters congregate."
"Eh?" Kanae blinked. "Who is your Senior Brother, Natsuya-kun?"
"Igarashi... Igarashi Uzen."
Kanae smiled, correcting him gently. "You mean the Storm Hashira, Lord Igarashi Uzen?"
"I didn't know that gentle Senior was from the same dojo as you. He's a formidable swordsman. I'm sure he'll give you excellent guidance."
The night was soft, and a cool breeze blew through the alleyway.
Kanae looked at the boy beside her. "Natsuya-kun... please, make sure to create the most amazing Breathing Style in the world."
"It sounds difficult, but I know... you'll become a Hashira. Your name will be known across the entire world."
She had made a promise to her sister to eliminate as many demons as possible, to prevent the tragedy that befell them from happening to anyone else. She knew she and Shinobu couldn't do it alone.
But looking at the boy in front of her... she felt that with him, that dream might actually be possible. She wanted to work toward that goal alongside him.
Natsuya was taken aback by her sudden, earnest blessing. He instinctively touched the three hilts at his waist.
"Yeah, of course," he nodded confidently. "I plan to beat the game in a few years anyway. Obviously, I have to be stronger than everyone else."
Then, he added a casual response. "You too, Kanae."
"Your Flower Breathing is strong. You'll probably become a Hashira before me or Uzui."
He didn't use formal honorifics. He just used her name naturally.
Kanae's heart skipped a beat. Her smile turned tender, blooming like a summer flower.
"Yes! Then... Natsuya-kun. It's a promise."
"We'll both get stronger, and we'll both become Hashira together."
Natsuya nodded. "Deal. It's a promise."
Wait.
A sudden, sharp sense of déjà vu hit Natsuya.
His face stiffened as he remembered something.
Wait... didn't I forget something important?
I promised Seiko we'd go eat BBQ...
Crap. I totally stood her up.
The next time I see her, I'm definitely going to have to buy her a massive bowl of Udon just to survive the encounter...
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