Capítulo 27: Humanoid Black Hole.
That's an inside joke.
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As they sat around the table, Sumire glanced at Boruto, steeling herself. She had a goal, after all, and despite Arsene's unexpected appearance, she wasn't about to let him distract her. Today was about her and Boruto… if only he'd notice.
"So, Boruto," she began, a bright smile on her face, "what's been going on with you since the invasion? You must've gotten even stronger, right?"
Boruto's eyes lit up as he sat up a little straighter, clearly energized by the topic. "Oh, that? Definitely! I've been training with Sasuke-sensei non-stop. I'm even getting better with Chakra Control," he said proudly, his gaze momentarily distracted by his own hands as if he could see the chakra he'd been mastering.
Sumire bit back a sigh but kept her smile. "That's great, Boruto! But… haven't you ever thought about, well, other things besides training?" She gave him a meaningful look, hoping he'd catch her hint.
Boruto blinked, tilting his head as he processed the question. "You mean… like hobbies?" He frowned thoughtfully. "I guess I used to play games and stuff, but that feels kinda boring now."
Sumire inwardly groaned. It was going to take more than this to get through to him.
"Actually… I meant something a bit different. You know… relationships?" She trailed off, her cheeks growing warm as she dared to give him a hopeful look.
Boruto shrugged, looking vaguely amused. "Relationships? Eh… sounds boring."
Sumire felt her spirits deflate, and she cast a sidelong glance at Arsene, who was smirking quietly to himself, clearly amused by Boruto's complete obliviousness. She decided she needed reinforcements.
She leaned over, poking Arsene's arm. "Come on! Help me out here?" she whispered, hoping to recruit him as an ally.
"What? It's not my fault his density could rival steel," Arsene muttered, though his smirk hinted that he was secretly enjoying the spectacle. After all, seeing Sumire squirm and Boruto remain completely oblivious was highly entertaining.
"Please?" she whispered, trying to ignore her deepening blush.
Arsene rolled his eyes, but with a sigh, he gave in. Leaning back, he addressed Boruto directly. "Hey, idiot," he said bluntly, snapping Boruto out of his focus on his phone game.
"What's up?" Boruto asked, barely glancing up.
"Hypothetically, if someone sitting at this table, maybe right next to me, asked you out, what would you say?" Arsene asked, a hint of irony in his voice as he raised an eyebrow, looking directly at Boruto.
Boruto's brows lifted, and he considered the question seriously for a moment. "Hmm… well, if it was hypothetical, I guess I'd agree," he said casually, his attention already drifting back to his game.
Sumire's face lit up with excitement. So he'd agree! She could hardly believe her luck—she was that close! Trying to keep her voice steady, she leaned forward, clasping her hands nervously. "So… you'd agree to go on a date if someone asked you?" she asked, feeling a rush of both hope and embarrassment.
But before she could savor the moment, Boruto blinked, giving her a mildly confused look. "Agree? No way!"
Sumire's face fell, confusion and disappointment battling in her expression. "B-but… you just said you'd agree!" she managed, her voice faltering.
"Yeah, but that was hypothetical," Boruto said matter-of-factly, barely looking up from his phone. "In real life, as Sasuke-sensei's disciple, I don't have time for mushy stuff like dates."
Sumire's hopeful smile faded into a small, defeated one as she slumped back in her chair. "I… I see…" she murmured, feeling her chances slip further out of reach.
Arsene leaned back in his seat, chuckling as he took in Sumire's crestfallen expression. "I told you," he muttered, his voice low and smug.
"Arsene," she whispered, feeling the weight of defeat.
"What?" he replied, his eyes glinting with playful mischief.
"You're the worst wingman ever," she grumbled, crossing her arms in frustration.
But even as she pouted, Arsene simply shrugged, his smirk widening. "Don't take it personally," he said, casting a glance at Boruto's oblivious expression. "You'd need a hammer to break through that level of cluelessness."
Boruto, still absorbed in his game, barely noticed their exchange, leaving Sumire to stew in both her embarrassment and Arsene's unhelpful but oddly charming sarcasm.
...
Sumire glanced at her phone, her face brightening as a notification chimed, signaling that her backup plan had arrived. Feeling a surge of new hope, she leaned over and whispered to Arsene, "Hey, mind distracting Himawari for a few seconds?"
Arsene sighed deeply, his expression a mixture of irritation and resignation. "Fine, but that's 143 favors left for you, woman," he muttered, crossing his arms.
"Oh, you're counting now? Anyway, get on with it!" Sumire replied with a smirk. Their silent agreement stretched back to their academy days, where Arsene's disregard for classroom attendance had often led to Sumire, as Class President, bailing him out repeatedly. Over the years, her "favors" for him had piled up, and she wasn't above occasionally cashing them in now, either.
With a grumble, Arsene shuffled over to Himawari, who was busy sipping on a bottle of soda, something he'd bought her to keep her occupied on a previous errand. She looked up from her drink, her large eyes narrowing with a mix of curiosity and irritation as she noticed him.
Arsene, who rarely made an effort to understand people's emotions, found himself hesitating. Usually, he'd brush off someone's annoyance with him—after all, he didn't particularly care if they liked him. But after the recent events, and the advice from Naruto to try to be a bit more human, he thought maybe he should… apologize. Not that he felt he'd done anything wrong.
Taking a cautious breath, he decided to go with the direct approach. "Are you gonna say what I did wrong, or am I supposed to guess?" he asked, leaning forward.
Himawari pouted and turned her head away. "No. You have to guess," she replied firmly, her voice slightly huffy.
Arsene sighed, quickly feeling his patience wearing thin. He reached under the table, pulling out a large chocolate bar he'd kept in his pouch. Bribery usually worked. "That's a shame. I was going to give you this, but if you're so set on hating me, guess I'll keep it."
Himawari's eyes flicked over to the chocolate bar, but she held her ground. "Nope! I'm not a little kid, you know. You can't just trick me with candy!" she declared defiantly.
Arsene raised an eyebrow and pulled out another chocolate bar, then another… and another. Soon, there was a small pile of chocolates in front of her, each more tempting than the last.
Three minutes later, Himawari was munching on her prize, her lips and fingers sticky with melted chocolate as she glared at him with the angriest expression she could muster, though her face was covered in smudges. She looked more cute than intimidating.
"So… wanna talk about it now?" Arsene asked, raising an eyebrow as he took in her chocolate-stained face. Spending money on luxuries wasn't really his thing, so he had no qualms about buying chocolate to coax her cooperation.
Himawari paused, her expression softening into one of disappointment as she finally spoke up. "You weren't at my party," she said, her voice barely a whisper. She looked down, her shoulders slumping.
Arsene recalled the events of her birthday. He'd stopped by just long enough to drop her off and then disappeared, uninterested in lingering for the festivities. "And? I have better things to do than cater to—" He paused mid-sentence as he saw Himawari's face fall, tears welling up in her large eyes. She looked crushed, her tiny hands still clutching her half-eaten chocolate.
It was almost enough to make him reconsider. Almost. He didn't care about things like this, right? But… he did owe Sumire 143 favors, and he needed to keep Himawari distracted a little longer.
Still, he couldn't just give in to her demands without feeling like he'd lost some small battle of pride. So, instead, he took a middle ground.
"Look, stop crying," he said, rolling his eyes. "Since you're so determined to bother me about it, how about this: I'll give you one favor, no strings attached. Fair?"
As if a switch had flipped, Himawari's tears stopped instantly, her sad expression replaced by something brighter as she wiped her face with her sleeve. "A favor?" she repeated, considering it thoughtfully. Then, she shook her head. "No… I don't want a favor."
Arsene blinked in surprise. "Then what do you want?" he asked, genuinely curious.
Himawari's eyes brightened with renewed energy as she thought it over, her mind clearly turning over a plan. She looked him squarely in the eye, her expression suddenly determined. "Dad said you're super strong. So… would you train me?" She grinned, her excitement bubbling over. "I want to be a real shinobi, just like Oni-chan!"
Arsene blinked, taken aback by her request. Someone wanted him to teach them? His mind went blank for a moment as he processed it. He didn't consider himself the "teaching" type, much less someone who would want to teach anyone. His entire life was a personal battle, an unyielding pursuit of power, and he had never considered passing on what he'd learned.
"That's… an annoying request, y'know?" he grumbled, but his voice lacked its usual sharpness. "I have my own training to do, and I don't exactly have a lot of time to spare…" He trailed off as he met her eyes. Something about her eager expression held him there, compelling him in a way he didn't fully understand.
After a long pause, he sighed in defeat, giving her a reluctant nod. "Fine. I'll make you a real shinobi. But only because you won't leave me alone if I say no," he added, trying to keep his tone as indifferent as possible.
Himawari's face lit up, her excitement infectious as she clapped her hands together. "Really? Yay!" she cheered, bouncing in her seat. "Thank you, Mr. Arsene!"
He groaned slightly at the title but let it slide, deciding it wasn't worth correcting her at the moment. As Himawari launched into an excited ramble about all the things she wanted to learn, Arsene felt a faint flicker of something strange—a rare sense of contentment, as if perhaps he was doing something meaningful, however small.
It was… odd, uncomfortable even, but not entirely unwelcome. For the first time, Arsene considered that maybe, just maybe, being a little more human wasn't so terrible after all.
...
As Boruto, who had been lost in his own world, finally remembered he hadn't placed an order yet, he moved to get up—only to be interrupted by a cheerful voice.
"Hello! I'll be serving you today. What's your order?" Cho-Cho Akimichi appeared in a spotless waiter's uniform, her usual bright grin replaced by a professionally neutral expression. She gave a subtle nod of acknowledgment to Sumire, and Arsene noticed the silent exchange between them.
Before Boruto could even open his mouth, Sumire jumped in. "Actually, waiter, we'd like the 'secret menu item,' please," she said quickly, trying to keep her voice steady.
Cho-Cho's face lit up with understanding as she scribbled the request onto her notepad and winked, turning to leave with a flourish. Boruto looked on in mild confusion, but he shrugged it off, assuming Sumire was just ordering a special dish from the restaurant's menu. After all, how bad could it be?
Sumire hid a small, triumphant smile. The secret menu item was, in reality, a special couple's meal. She'd planned this down to the last detail; with Boruto too focused on training and "serious" pursuits to make time for romance, she would bring the romance to him.
"Just a bit more… a little more…" Sumire muttered under her breath, her fingers tapping anxiously against her phone. Cho-Cho, whose family owned Yakiniku Q, wasn't a regular employee, but she had no trouble stepping in today to help Sumire out. Sumire had explained her entire scheme to her over lunch a few days prior, and Cho-Cho, seeing how flustered and determined her friend had been, had been happy to help.
Sumire glanced down at her phone, which held her entire plan for the day. Arsene had once given her a rundown of Boruto's typical daily schedule—a piece of information she wasn't proud to admit had veered into "stalking" territory. Still, she couldn't deny how helpful it had been. The plan was flawless—except for one minor problem: time. According to her notes, in just a few minutes, Boruto's friends were scheduled to call him. And if that happened, her "date" with him would end right then and there.
Her heart raced as she checked the clock on her phone again. She couldn't fail now, not when she was so close.
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[Auther: It's been a while eh? And look at my boy! He's making friends... by the way, Arsene's actual age isn't known, even he doesn't know. And it'd suck if Arsene....regressed because of some wee murdering done in a previous chapter...]
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