"Saiki-kun, go on a date with me after school!"
"Back off, I asked first—"
"As if, I'm the one he's going with—"
I walked through the classroom door and immediately into the wall of noise that had become my daily welcome.
Every morning. Without fail.
I smiled, raised a hand, and delivered the standard line.
"Sorry, training takes up most of my time. I appreciate it though."
Yamanaka Ino was on her feet before I'd finished the sentence, stepping between me and the crowd with the energy of someone who had decided this was her job.
"You heard him. He trains. Move."
The Yamanaka clan name did the rest. Most of them drifted back. A couple lingered on principle, but the point was made.
I slid into my seat.
Shikamaru was already in his, chin resting on one hand, watching the whole thing with the detached amusement of someone watching a mildly interesting cloud formation.
"You know," he said, not really directing it at anyone, "Sasuke would've just stared at them until they left."
"We're classmates. Seems rude not to answer."
"That's exactly why they keep coming back." He yawned. "You've created an infinite loop through basic politeness. Impressive, in a troublesome way."
On my other side, Chouji was working through a bag of chips with the focused dedication of a professional.
I glanced between them.
The Ino-Shika-Cho formation. Three clans that have been allied since before Konoha existed. Combined, they can make life very difficult for anyone who gets on their bad side — including Hyuga-level bloodline clans who should theoretically know better.
Having them friendly toward me is not a small thing.
"Shikamaru." I turned to him. "Do you have anyone you like?"
He looked at me like I'd just suggested we run laps.
"Girls are the most troublesome thing in existence."
"You'll have to get married eventually."
"I know." He put his head down on the desk. "So troublesome."
I laughed.
Ino dropped back into her chair, slightly out of breath from crowd dispersal. She pushed her hair back and looked at the retreating girls with an expression that communicated, clearly, that she found their ambitions unrealistic.
"Some people really don't know their place."
Shikamaru looked sideways at her.
Something in his expression shifted — the lazy look replaced briefly by something more calculated. He'd gotten that look a few times over the years. It was the face he made when he was about to enjoy himself at someone else's expense.
"Speaking of which," he said, "didn't you have something you wanted to say to Saiki-kun, Ino?"
Dead silence.
Ino's head turned toward him with the slow, dangerous rotation of someone deciding whether to commit a crime.
"...What?"
"You had something to say. Didn't you?"
I looked over. Ino's composure — the same composure that had just cleared half the classroom — was doing something interesting. It was dissolving, visibly, at a rate of about ten percent per second.
"I— no— I'm fine— I don't—"
Chouji looked up from his chips.
"Huh? But Ino, you said you wanted to invite Saiki to the fireworks festival tonight."
Direct hit.
Chouji went back to his chips immediately, expression placid, utterly unaware that he had just detonated something.
Shikamaru gave him a silent thumbs up.
Ino's face was doing a full color transition. She stared at the desk.
"I— Saiki-kun trains constantly, I wouldn't want to— it wouldn't be right to interrupt his— I shouldn't ask him to—"
Her voice trailed off.
The Konoha Fireworks Festival. Annual event. The kind of thing that's genuinely good for social capital — showing up, being seen, maintaining relationships outside the training ground context.
Also, the Ino-Shika-Cho clans are worth investing in. Ino's goodwill has practical value. Shikamaru's is going to be worth even more in a few years.
And I've been grinding stats for three years straight. One evening off isn't going to kill me.
"Sure."
Ino's head snapped up.
She stared at me like I'd said something in a language she didn't recognise.
"I said sure. One evening off won't hurt. I probably needed a break anyway."
"...You— really?"
"Yeah."
One second of total stillness.
Then she jumped out of her chair.
"Yes!"
Half the class turned to look. Heads from three rows back.
Iruka-sensei chose that exact moment to walk through the door.
He stopped. Looked at Ino, standing on her tiptoes with both fists in the air, the entire classroom staring at her.
He cleared his throat.
"I don't know what's happening, but it's class time. Save it."
"Y-yes sensei—"
Ino sat down so fast her chair scraped. She was staring very intently at her desk, ears red, apparently hoping the floor would offer her an exit.
Shikamaru was looking at the ceiling with the expression of a man who was deeply satisfied with himself.
Chouji was eating chips.
I opened my notebook.
One evening. Fireworks. Done.
Back to grinding tomorrow.
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~ Every 100 PS = Bonus Chapter!