Chapter 15: The Ramen Shop's New Employee
By the time they returned to the town's inn, the sky was already beginning to brighten.
Seeing Haruko return with a little girl, the three of them were stunned.
"Haruko! Where... where did you kidnap this little girl from?"
"I picked her up on the way to the Daimyos Estate to collect the bounty. She was homeless and quite pitiful, so I just brought her back." Haruko's reply was nonchalant, as if he had simply picked up a stray cat by the side of the road.
He pulled a stack of money from his robe, took out a portion, and handed it to Anko. "Anko-sensei, these are the spoils from this mission. We made some money selling the bandits' weapons and equipment, plus their bounties—it's all here."
Anko took the money and nodded without asking further questions.
Under Haruko's influence, Anko had also become more open-minded.
The money in her hand was clean, and the little girl was clearly not a Ninja. She had asked what needed to be asked; even if Haruko was hiding something, it had nothing to do with her.
Haruko then distributed another portion to Ichi and Makire. "Here, your shares."
Ichi and Makire looked at each other, both feeling a bit embarrassed.
"This... you basically handled everything yourself. We didn't do much, so how can we feel right taking this money..." Makire said softly.
"What do you mean you didn't do anything? You protected the caravan and held back the bandits. Without you, I wouldn't have had the chance to deal with them." Haruko stuffed the money into their hands. "Take it; you've earned it."
The two of them solemnly accepted the money. Watching the happy scene, Haruko felt no ripples of emotion in his heart.
'Done."
The money was in hand, he had an assistant, and his teammates were pacified.
Next up is returning to Konoha to continue enjoying my leisurely and comfortable life of lying flat!
...
Hokage Office.
"Anko, I've read the mission report." The Third Hokage sat behind his desk, his cloudy eyes as calm as a deep well. "You're requesting to have Haruko transferred out of the team to officially begin accepting mission assignments?"
"Yes. Haruko has consistently performed excellently in missions, and his abilities fully meet the requirements for graduation."
"Hmm... aside from his abilities, what is your opinion of Haruko himself?"
Anko hesitated, her tone somewhat complex. "That kid... I can't see through him. He's very talented, but he uses it all for pleasure and has absolutely no interest in anything else."
The Third Hokage didn't reply after hearing this; he just took another deep drag of his pipe and fell into thought.
This Haruko had been completely obscure until now.
The report showed he was a stray child adopted by a Ramen Shop, and his grades at the Ninja Academy were mediocre. He had invented some Ninjutsu for laziness and fun, but they were all very basic...
"What an interesting little fellow."
...
Meanwhile, Haruko had already returned to the Ichiraku Ramen Shop with Kin.
Ever since entering Konoha Village, Kin had clearly become more restrained, curiously observing everything around her.
Inside the shop, Uncle Teuchi was busy while Ayame helped prepare ingredients on the side.
Seeing Haruko return, Ayame's eyes lit up. "Brother Haruko, you're back!"
Teuchi also looked up, a kind smile on his face. "Haruko, good work on the mission."
Before Haruko could respond, Teuchi's gaze fell on the little girl timidly hiding by his side.
"Eh? Who is this child?"
"Oh, her name is Kin Tsuchi." Haruko scratched his head. "I picked her up on the road. She looked pitiful, so I brought her back. Old Man Teuchi, can she help out in the shop?"
"Teuchi-sama, Ayame-sama, I can do anything! Please let me stay!"
Kin nervously gripped the corner of his clothes, afraid of being sent away.
Teuchi looked at the thin little girl with determined eyes, then at Haruko.
He knew there must be a story behind this, but he didn't press for details. He just smiled kindly and said, "Now that you're here, don't call us'Sama' anymore; we're all family here. I'll go cook a bowl of ramen for you."
Ayame enthusiastically pulled Kin toward the backyard. "Come with me first to take a bath and change your clothes. You must be tired after walking for so long."
Teuchi, meanwhile, pulled Haruko into the kitchen.
"Haruko! You rascal, what do you take that child for?" Teuchi's tone was uncharacteristically stern. "What do you mean 'picked her up'? After all these days, you didn't even think to tidy her up."
"Old man, I..."
"No need to explain, don't I know you well enough?" Teuchi interrupted him, speaking earnestly. "Regardless of what you plan to do, you must remember that the child is a person, not a tool. Since you brought her back, you must take full responsibility for her. You cannot have the mindset of using her as a tool."
"I understand, old man." Haruko sighed.
He knew that Teuchi truly cared for him and was genuinely considering Kin's well-being.
"Besides the regular payment for this mission, I also made some extra cash." Haruko changed the subject, pulling a cloth bag from his robe and placing it in front of Teuchi.
"So much? Haruko, you didn't..." He looked at Haruko with some concern.
"What are you thinking, old man?" Haruko said righteously. "I wiped out a group of Mountain Bandits. Besides the bounty from the Daimyos Estate, someone gave me a private reward."
He spun a bunch of nonsense, mixing in a portion of the money he had plundered.
Teuchi was still a bit hesitant. "You earned this yourself; I can't take it."
"Old man, this money is an extra bonus. Besides, I've been eating, drinking, and living in your shop for free, so consider this a small way of paying you back."
Seeing the persistence in Haruko's eyes, Teuchi knew the boy truly wanted to do something for the shop.
He pondered for a moment and finally accepted the money. "Alright, I'll take it. I'll put this money to good use; think of it as your investment in the shop. When the shop makes a profit, I'll give you a share."
Hearing this, Haruko was overjoyed. The material foundation for his future life of lying flat had been significantly bolstered.
Teuchi picked up a steaming bowl of ramen from the stove and handed it to Haruko.
"This bowl of ramen is for Kin. Take it to her. Tell her that from now on, this place is her home."
...
And so, the Ichiraku Ramen Shop returned to its daily routine, becoming even livelier and warmer than before.
Kin quickly adapted to the work in the shop. Though she was young, her shrewdness as a merchant's daughter and her talent for bookkeeping soon became apparent.
In her spare time, she would even help Haruko handle some daily chores, making his life of lying flat even more comfortable.
Only—
'What a pain. I'm not very good at teaching people."
Under Teuchi's urging, Kin's education was also entrusted to Haruko.
He had intended to train Kin himself, but he realized he didn't know how to teach.
He knew the material himself but didn't know how to explain it. He also couldn't understand why things he learned instantly were so difficult for others to grasp.
'Whatever, there's no rush. If it really doesn't work out, I'll just send her to the Ninja Academy."
Then there was that money; although he had distributed some, quite a bit remained.
Such a large sum of money from an unknown source would inevitably draw attention if exposed.
Haruko hid it away, but that wasn't a long-term solution; he had to find a way to launder it.
'What a pain... forget it, this can't be rushed. I won't be needing the money urgently anytime soon, so I'll deal with it when the opportunity arises."
Ultimately, Haruko chose to leave all the problems to his future self.
For now, he just wanted to fully enjoy this peaceful daily life.