"Tonight…"
"Hmm? What?" Naruto didn't catch what she said and stopped, turning to look at her.
"I don't have to work late tonight." She mumbled quietly.
Her voice was so soft that Naruto had to hold his breath just to barely hear her. His mind raced for a moment, then his pupils dilated slightly as realization hit him.
"Really?" He asked excitedly.
"Mm." Ino turned her head, her ears turning red.
"Then let's go!" Naruto said, pulling her along at a quicker pace.
"Aren't we going to eat?" Ino jogged a couple of steps to keep up, panting slightly, "If you keep this up, I'm not talking to you anymore."
They ate dinner quietly and then took a walk while holding hands. By around 8 PM, they arrived at Naruto's place. Ino felt something was wrong the moment she stepped into the entrance. She quickly changed her shoes and rushed into the bathroom.
Naruto was left standing there, bewildered, but there wasn't much he could do.
Ino had timed everything too perfectly, dinner, the walk, and arriving at exactly 8 PM. If she claimed it wasn't intentional, Naruto wouldn't believe it even if he was beaten.
With Ino in the bathroom, Naruto had nothing to do. He leaned back on the sofa, flipping through a book. The sound of running water from the bathroom distracted him, and he couldn't focus on reading even a single line.
The more he flipped through the book, the more restless he became. Ino's figure kept popping into his mind, like a little person constantly tapping on his nerves.
He tried to read and barely managed to get through a sentence, "And Kazuko raised one leg…"
The line startled Naruto so much he nearly jumped. He realized he had forgotten to put away his copy of Icha Icha Paradise.
If Ino found it, it would be social suicide. He could already imagine her reaction: "You like those pervy characters in the book more, don't you? Then why don't you just go with them!"
Naruto hurriedly and carefully hid the book, and just as he was about to rest on the sofa, he heard the bathroom door open. Feeling a bit guilty, he pretended to be resting with his eyes closed.
"Stop pretending. Go take a shower," Ino approached him from behind the sofa and playfully pinched his face, scolding him lightly.
"Okay!" Naruto awkwardly stood up from the sofa, only then realizing that something seemed different about Ino.
She was wearing a nightgown that she had left there long ago, her golden hair draped over her shoulders, and her slightly exposed collarbone was visible. Her face was flushed red from the heat of the bathroom.
His gaze shifted downward, and he caught a glimpse of something black under the nightgown, 'Stockings!!!'
Naruto immediately perked up, staring at Ino intently wishing he could take her to the bedroom right there and then. He had hinted to her before about wearing something like this, but she had angrily refused.
He had already given up on the idea, but now, here she was, waiting for him!
'Sure enough, hard work will pay off. If you work hard in the details, you will naturally get rewards in the details.' Naruto clenched his fists, calming the excitement that was building inside him.
"Well, I'll go then." Naruto circled around and quickly headed to the bathroom.
Ino stood in the living room for a while, half-heartedly browsing the bookshelf, but her mind was elsewhere. She couldn't help but feel frustrated with herself, 'Why had I given in so easily?'
She thought about how she'd indulged him with these playful antics. Honestly, that kind of thing was rather boring to her. Yet, after spending so much time in the steamy bathroom, her heart had been racing for no reason, pounding away in confusion.
She could have been working late tonight. From the afternoon until now, she hadn't gotten much work done. She was supposed to finish the communications project ahead of schedule, but here she was, slacking off.
Even though she was pretending to look at the books, she didn't really see any of the titles on the shelf. She felt tired and her legs were growing weak.
Ino had always been a bit of a tsundere. She loved sweets but always acted like she didn't.
She knew he had been thinking about this for a long time, and after going back and forth in her mind, she finally made the decision.
She glanced down at herself and touched her legs. They felt smooth and comfortable, but she couldn't see what was so special about them, and she didn't know why he liked them so much.
When Naruto came out of the bathroom, he saw Ino standing by the bookshelf, looking a bit sheepish. Naruto panicked for a moment, realizing that his Icha Icha Paradise was hidden in there.
For some reason, he thought hiding it in plain sight would be the safest option. He figured Ino would never look through such books, so it seemed secure.
Yet as luck would have it, as soon as he came out of the shower, there she was, standing right by the bookshelf.
"Uh... were you reading something?" Naruto asked nervously.
"Yeah, just for a bit," Ino replied, also a little flustered.
"Oh." Naruto felt relieved, 'It seemed she hadn't come across it. If she had, her reaction would have been very different.'
With the potential crisis averted, they sat side by side on the sofa. The TV was on, playing some random boring program. Naruto never watched those shows anyway, as there was nothing racy or deep, just a mind-numbing soap opera.
He leaned back on the sofa and turned off the lamp with one hand. Both of them were at his place, and Ino had even changed into... well, the message couldn't be clearer.
But Naruto still managed to keep his cool, as jumping into things too quickly would only ruin the mood. He didn't want every encounter with Ino to feel like he was begging for it.
'The timing had to be just right, and if it was, Ino would get hooked on the moment herself.'
They leaned into each other in the dark, the old TV casting a dim light that only illuminated part of the room. In the shifting light and shadows, they embraced.
The living room felt like a dark ocean, with the sofa as a lonely island. Ino lifted her head during a pause, her eyes filled with boldness and passion, glowing as if they reflected the light.
The moment of connection was brief yet electric.
"Where were you this afternoon?" She asked, her tone slightly unreasonable.
The flickering images from the TV danced in their eyes, while the background noise from the show grew fainter. Both of them felt the warmth inside them intensifying.
Suddenly, the restraint they had held all day melted away. The midday restraint, the dinner, the walk, the shower… all of it dissolved in the heat of the moment.
"It doesn't matter," Naruto said, because by now, words were irrelevant. The answer was secondary. His eyes locked onto Ino's, sparks flying between them.
He gently leaned in, and Ino cupped his face, planting a soft kiss on his lips.
"I am very happy you walked with me tonight." She whispered.
"Me too." Naruto wasn't entirely sure what part of it made Ino happy, but he guessed it had something to do with giving her space to process her emotions.
Those things were too complicated, and he didn't actually understand much about them. He only knew roughly what to do and what not to do at the right time.
"Mm." Ino tilted her head slightly, and they kissed again, more deeply this time.
The moon hung high, its light faint and yellow. In the midst of these little daily moments, the uncertainty and confusion in the young girl's heart were soothed. Their intertwined youth, bold and full of heat, lingered in the night.