On the day of team assignments, Yui woke up especially early.
She hadn't slept well last night. Makoto's words kept circling in her mind… "They're not my women."
She didn't know why, but those words stuck in her heart like a thorn, and the more she thought about it, the more unsettled she felt.
'Never mind, time to cook.'
After four years, under the guidance of Kayoko and Chizuru, her cooking had finally evolved from 'dark cuisine' to 'barely edible'.
Although it was still far from 'delicious', at least it wouldn't send anyone to the hospital anymore.
As she passed by the Aizono sisters' room, she suddenly stopped.
The sound of rustling came from inside, along with voices—
"Sister, go away, this one is mine! (sucking sound)～"
"Airi, you can't be that bossy. We agreed on one side each! (kissing sound)～"
Through the door, the sisters' voices were sticky and sweet, mixed with sounds like someone eating a popsicle.
'Eating breakfast this early?'
Yui thought subconsciously, but as she listened, she felt something was off.
The sounds seemed to have a magic quality that made her stand there transfixed.
"Makoto, between me and my sister, who does it better?"
Airi's voice sounded again. Yui's heart skipped a beat, 'Was Nishikawa Makoto inside?'
Then came Nishikawa Makoto's review: "Marina is more business-like, Airi is more athletic."
'What nonsense was that?'
Before she could figure it out, the sound of clothes being removed came from the room.
"Squeeze you, squeeze you, squeeze you!"
Airi's voice sounded playfully. "See? Isn't it about the same size as in the real world?"
"M-Makoto, I-I'm not bad either!" Marina was equally unwilling to be outdone.
Yui's face instantly burned red.
Even if she was slow, she should know what was going on inside now.
She looked down at her own front… that area already covered the tops of her feet, but there was still a gap from reaching the point in the real world where it could cover her feet a bit more.
'I had been in this world for four years now.'
'This body in another world was also twelve years old.'
'And Makoto was too...' No one knew what images were running through her mind, but Yui's face grew even redder.
...
"Yui, why is your face so red?"
On the way to the Academy, Yumiko stared at her suspiciously.
Everyone was wearing their forehead protectors today. Some tied them on their foreheads, some hung them around their necks like Hinata, and others tied on their arms.
Yui had put her forehead protector on properly, but it couldn't hide the suspicious red patches on her face.
"N-Nothing, I'm j-just a little hot." She waved her hand vigorously, but the corner of her eye couldn't help but glance at the Aizono sisters ahead… the two were chewing gum as if nothing had happened.
"Is that so?"
Yumiko was skeptical. "It's only just spring. It's not that hot, is it?"
Before she finished speaking, Hina, walking ahead, suddenly let out a "Wah" scream, blood spraying from her nose, and she fell straight backward.
"Hina!"
Yumiko quickly caught her. She looked up towards the classroom and was instantly speechless.
In the classroom, Naruto and Sasuke were having their 'first kiss' scene.
"..."
Yumiko looked at her good friend twitching and trembling on the ground, her nosebleed unstoppable, and silently sighed.
Alright, not surprising.
After all, what this young lady loved most to read were boys' love novels. To actually encounter such a scene in reality and not immediately ascend to heaven was already restraint.
"Ugh! So disgusting."
Eriri, already seated in the classroom, rolled her eyes.
Utaha beside her chimed in leisurely: "It's not that bad, is it? After all, Auntie Sayuri writes exactly this kind of thing, doesn't she?"
She and Megumi had lived in Eriri's house for four years, and the three of them had long become close.
Although she and Eriri still acted like bickering rivals, bickering whenever they met, anyone could see that it was just another way of interacting.
Naruto had two more bruises around his eyes.
Compared to the original, this beating was much lighter.
After all, many of the original background characters in the classroom had now been replaced by Transmigrators.
The female players were far less interested in Sasuke than the lovesick girls in the original work.
It wasn't that they didn't appreciate his looks, but subconsciously, they still treated the natives as NPCs.
Who knew when they would return to the real world? It wasn't worth developing real feelings.
Before long, Iruka walked into the classroom, a smile on his face: "Congratulations, everyone. From today onward, you are officially Ninjas. However, you are still Genin. You will be formed into teams of three, and learn and carry out missions under the guidance of an Jonin Instructor."
He raised the list in his hand: "Next, I will announce the team assignments."
The classroom immediately became lively.
Yumiko looked at Yui and Hina, and the three exchanged a tacit agreement glance.
Over there, Eriri, Megumi, and Utaha also gathered together whispering.
Ran didn't really care. Sonoko had dropped out two years ago. She was fine with anyone.
"Team 1—" Iruka's voice sounded. "Hayama Hayato, Tobe Kakeru, Yukinoshita Haruno."
Whoosh—
Everyone's gaze turned to them.
Haruno, the oldest student in the class, fifteen years old this year.
With her skills at being smooth and slick, she had always been at the top of the class food chain.
"Ah… It's such a shame I can't be in the same team as Yukino~" Haruno looked at her younger sister with a longing expression, her voice drawling.
Yukino turned her head expressionlessly, pretending not to see.
In the same team as her sister? She'd never have a peaceful day again.
Kakeru couldn't help but look at Hina, his face full of regret. Hayato secretly clenched his fist, a flicker of complex emotion in his eyes.
The list was read out one by one.
"Team 6… Ichinose Chizuru, Miura Yumiko, Sawamura Eriri."
As soon as this came out, their expressions changed.
This meant that the two 'iron triangles' in the class had been broken apart.
Next were Team 7, Team 8, Team 10… same as the original.
"Team 11… Totsuka Saika, Aizono Marina, Hikigaya Hachiman."
Saika and Hachiman nearly jumped out of their chairs, their excitement obvious.
Marina, sitting in the front row, inexplicably felt a bit redundant.
"Team 12… Yuigahama Yui, Aizono Airi, Yukinoshita Yukino."
Yukino frowned slightly.
Both of her teammates... lived in that man's house.
Airi immediately shot a disgusted look: "I have to be in a team with that girl?"
"Airi, calm down, calm down." Yui quickly tried to mediate.
She could already foresee that she would often have to play peacemaker in the future.
"Team 13—" Iruka finally announced. "Kasumigaoka Utaha, Kato Megumi, Mouri Ran."
After the list was read, the classroom erupted in noise. Iruka patted the podium: "Quiet. Everyone wait in the classroom. A Jonin Instructor will come to pick you up soon."
With that, he left with the list.
Soon, one Jonin after another walked in through the door, taking away the students they are responsible for.
The Aizono sisters put their hands together, muttering: "Makoto, Makoto, Makoto, Makoto..."
Others couldn't help but be curious… wondering if that that man would really come.
"Team 12, follow me!"
Mitarashi Anko appeared at the door in her usual unceremonious manner.
Airi seemed to have lost all her strength, slumping over the desk, her voice carrying a hint of tears: "Boo hoo hoo, my Makoto..."
Team after team left.
Time slowly crept towards noon, with only Team 7 and Team 13 remaining in the classroom.
Just then, another figure walked in through the door.
Nishikawa Makoto.
Naruto's eyes lit up.
He and Makoto had a good relationship. If he were his Jonin Instructor—
"Makoto, are you our—"
Before he could finish, Makoto interrupted him.
"Team 13, follow me."