"I smell the scent of a lie!"
No one knew when Aoba had appeared behind Yugito.
But he wasn't perverted enough to lick the sweat off her face. He just blew a light breath against her ear, and before Yugito's attack could land, he quickly stepped back.
The moment he blew into her ear, the shock and battle instinct in Yugito's heart exploded almost instantly.
Her chakra-coated cat claws slashed out automatically, but when she saw it was Aoba, she stopped her attack midway and clutched her burning ears.
A teasing look appeared on Aoba's face as he smiled and said, "Just like last time, Yugito, you really have a strong startle reflex."
Yugito's face turned red, "That's only because you always pop up out of nowhere like some ghost and scare people!"
"That's because your surprised expression is just too cute," Aoba said it bluntly, without hesitation.
"What?"
Yugito's face reddened even more, "You-you've got no shame at all!"
Before he could respond, she turned and fled in embarrassment, rushing straight back into her room.
"Ahem!"
Konan, who had been watching coldly from the side, gave a small cough, drawing Aoba's gaze to her.
"Yugito really is cute," she said.
"!"
Her tone was perfectly calm and serious, but Aoba could clearly hear the sarcastic undertone.
"I think Konan-nee is cuter."
He bent down and dropped a kiss on Konan's slightly pursed lips, then lifted the shopping bag in his hand.
"Konan-nee, I bought quite a bit of fish. I'll grill some for you later."
"Heh!"
Konan just gave a soft chuckle, "Right now, I feel like eating something else first."
As she said that, she reached out and wrapped her arms around Aoba's neck.
"Ah!"
A short distance away, Karin, who had been spacing out, suddenly yelped in pain, clutching her head.
"Don't get distracted while practicing."
Uzuki Yugao withdrew her hand, her expression stern.
"Okay!"
Karin stuck out her tongue, thinking silently to herself, 'I'm eating too later!'
———
When Aoba went into the kitchen to start preparing dinner, Kin had already finished chopping and preparing all the ingredients.
He only needed to get the main dishes ready before they could start cooking.
For Aoba, this kind of work came easily.
Before long, the sizzling sounds of stir-frying filled the kitchen, and the heat and firelight made both his and Kin's faces glow red.
Not long after, Yugito walked in wearing her maid outfit.
According to their agreement, Yugito could wear whatever she wanted when going out, but at home, she still had to wear her maid uniform.
"Do you need any help?"
Aoba glanced at her in mild surprise but still shook his head, "No, you'll only make more work for me."
"Mm!"
Even though what he said was true, Yugito still felt irritated.
Especially when she noticed Kin smirking at her smugly while chopping vegetables, that only made her angrier.
Seeing her still standing across the kitchen counter, Aoba easily guessed what was on her mind. Smiling, he asked, "Do you need something from me?"
Yugito froze for a moment, pouting slightly, "Ugh, you saw through me again."
Aoba chuckled, "Go on then, what is it?"
"It's just…"
Yugito pursed her lips, hesitating before saying, "Can I take missions… and earn commission pay?"
"Commission pay?"
Aoba raised his brows, then suddenly understood, "Ah, right. You can go out freely now. But without money, you can only window-shop, can't you?"
"Mhm!"
Yugito nodded hard, her eyes full of hope.
"But you're my maid now. If you go on missions and disappear for days at a time, that wouldn't look good."
"Then… then being a maid should have a salary too, right? Kin has one, doesn't she?"
Aoba rolled his eyes.
"That's because Kin actually works hard every day. You just sweep and mop a little. I haven't even charged you for food and lodging, and now you're asking for pay?"
"This…"
Yugito didn't know how to respond. She could only puff out her cheeks again.
"Alright, how about this," Aoba said, "Train under Kin for a while. Later, I'll give you some tasks you can handle. If you do well, I'll pay you wages then."
He wasn't heartless, he still gave her a chance.
Yugito's eyes lit up instantly, "I'll do my best!"
"Good. Then go set up the tables and chairs for dinner."
"Okay."
Now that she knew she might get paid, Yugito was suddenly full of energy.
As night fell completely, Tsunade, Shizune, and Uzumaki Kasui also returned home.
Dinner went by pleasantly, Aoba's cooking needed no explanation.
After spending so much time together, everyone had grown quite close.
Even Yugito had mostly fit in now.
Watching the girls lean back, rubbing their full bellies and hiccuping one after another, Aoba couldn't help but smile softly.
Compared to all the fighting and bloodshed of the shinobi world, he preferred this kind of peaceful life.
———
The next morning, Aoba spent his time at home researching Edo Tensei.
By noon, he took Uzuki Yugao, Tenten, and Karin for a trip to Roran.
Seramu had no complaints, she'd already prepared himself mentally. Sara, however, was once again questioning her life, seeing her master change companions twice in two days.
By evening, Aoba brought Hinata, Yakumo, and the others back from their stay in Roran, they'd been there for quite a while already.
Sara had wanted to visit Konoha too, but Seramu convinced her to stay.
After all, they hadn't seen each other in twenty years; she wanted to spend some quality time with her mother.
As for Aoba, he was just some annoying man. Seeing him occasionally was enough; any more and her body might not be able to handle it.
Near dusk, after dropping the girls home, Aoba headed toward the Hokage building.
By coincidence, he ran into Yugito again.
"Y-you… what are you doing here?"
When Yugito saw Aoba, she looked clearly nervous.
"Why do you look like you'd rather not see me?", Aoba asked suspiciously.
"N-no, it's not that. I was just… curious, that's all."
Yugito's gaze flickered away.
She couldn't help thinking about yesterday, 'What if Samui really has told him something?'
"Is that so?", Of course, Aoba didn't believe her excuse, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Just as he was about to question her further, Samui and Mabui happened to walk out of the building.
When they saw the two standing together, both looked surprised.
"Aoba-sama, are you joining us for dinner too?", Samui asked curiously.