Chapter 123: A Complete Reversal, A Bountiful Affection Reward
"O-Okay."
Anko quickly walked out of the room. Although her hopes had been dashed, she still forced a smile. "Does my little brother need something? Are you trying to get me to help you cheer up your Big Sister Kurenai?"
He naturally understood what she was thinking. She probably felt like a complete clown, that no one could possibly like her.
Anko in this state would certainly not harm or betray him, but she could be used by others. He couldn't just let her remain in this depressed state.
It was time to lay his cards on the table.
He grabbed her by the wrist and, to her shocked expression, pulled her back into his own room, locking the door behind him.
"I get it, a secret, right? Don't worry, Kurenai had her eyes closed when I came out."
But he didn't respond to her words. He just stood there, calmly looking at her.
His gaze made her grow flustered. Scenes from the past flashed before her eyes, making her feel that she hadn't atoned for her sins enough. She bit her lip, preparing to apologize to him again.
But he suddenly lowered his head and kissed her on the lips.
A long moment later, they parted.
He took half a step back and looked at her again.
Anko's face was pale. She slowly clasped her hands together, flared her chakra, and shouted, "Dispel!"
But nothing in front of her changed. She confusedly pinched her own cheek. Was she under such a powerful genjutsu?
Him, kissing her? How was that possible? Wasn't she still in the "begging for forgiveness" phase? Besides, he liked gentle, beautiful older women like Kurenai. How could a criminal who had assaulted him when she was drunk possibly be worthy of being liked—
And then, he made her understand that this was not a genjutsu.
After another passionate, wet kiss, Anko lost all her strength and sat down on the floor, her face flushed crimson.
He crouched down, a smile finally appearing on his face. "Big Sister Anko, by sitting down like that at a time like this, are you inviting me?"
"No, no, no, no!"
She scrambled backward, not stopping until the back of her head hit the wall connecting to Kurenai's room.
"Wait, little brother—I mean, Makoto-kun, I don't really understand what's happening."
"If you're trying to get revenge on me this way, I guess I can't stop you, but can you just tell me directly?"
She truly didn't understand. She was completely and utterly confused. Wasn't this supposed to be his and Kurenai's "turn"? How had she suddenly been dragged to center stage to perform the most intense and profound scene?
"Big Sister Anko, you've misunderstood me."
He sat down as well, sighing. "Actually, I was just trying to see how we... felt about each other."
"Felt?"
"That's right. I found that I don't dislike you. I even think your figure is amazing, and that getting close to you would be very... comfortable."
Anko looked down at her own "second-in-the-ninja-world" chest and couldn't help but sit up straighter. It was the first time she had ever felt her figure was an asset in changing her relationship with him, rather than a burden in combat.
"What about you, Big Sister Anko? Do you hate me?"
He already knew the answer. In the simulation, she wouldn't have objected no matter what he did, let alone just a kiss. But what he needed to do now was to pull her out of her "atonement" mindset and twist their relationship into one of "love."
This might be difficult with other people, but with Anko—she was not only an orphan, but had also been betrayed by the person she trusted most. Any small bit of kindness from him would become a life-giving spring that nourished her.
"I... I don't know, and I don't understand..."
Anko stammered, her brain practically overheating.
"Don't you like Kurenai? Why did you suddenly kiss me?"
"Yes, I like Big Sister Kurenai. But she doesn't like me, does she?"
He sat shoulder-to-shoulder with her, then skillfully wrapped an arm around her waist.
"I've said it before: I want to build a big family. If she doesn't like me, I can't force her. I can only turn to those who might like me."
"And that person..." He looked at her.
Only then did Anko understand what his strange gaze had meant. He was asking: Do you like me?
Her body went soft, and she melted against his shoulder. She gasped for air, feeling as if she were under the pressure of a Kage-level powerhouse.
Seeing him lean in again, she quickly gave her answer. "Makoto-kun, I—I don't know either."
Then, as if worried he would misunderstand, she quickly added, "It's not that I don't like you! It's just... I don't know what 'like' is supposed to feel like."
"And between us... can a feeling of 'like' even exist?"
He also knew that her question was hard to answer. He could have used time to mend the rift between them, but by forcing the issue now, he had naturally made her confused.
But he understood that the two of them could "get on the bus first and buy the ticket later." In fact, they could get on the bus dozens of times before buying the ticket, and it would be perfectly fine.
"Then let's just leave it to our feelings, Big Sister Anko."
"Leave it to our feelings... you mean—mmph!"
She quickly understood what he meant.
Time flew. Several hours passed.
A similar story played out again, only this time, the emotions of the participants were completely different.
Anko reached out and gently caressed his cheek, poking his arm from time to time, as if to confirm that the man before her was real. As for all the things she couldn't figure out before, she no longer cared about them. Just as he had said, they could leave it all to their feelings.
And as it turned out, she felt very good. Very happy. In fact, she had never been this happy in her entire life. Was this what it felt like to be completely accepted, embraced, and held by someone? She knew that she could probably never leave this feeling.
On his end, he also felt very good.
Half of this feeling came from her tenderness and cooperation. The other half came from the system's prompts.
[Ding! Deeper contact with the ninja Anko Mitarashi achieved. Simulation Attempts +3.]
[Ding! Confirmed intimate relationship with the ninja Anko Mitarashi. Simulation Attempts +5.]
[Ding! Achieved most intimate contact with the ninja Anko Mitarashi. Simulation Attempts +10.]
[Congratulations, your Affection Level with Anko Mitarashi has reached Level 4.]
The series of prompts also made him surprised at the huge harvest from this adventure. He had originally thought that his affection level with her would reach Level 3, one level higher than Tenten's, and that would be it. He hadn't expected it to jump directly to Level 4.
With this, the affection levels were now very clear.
Level 1 was "Acquaintance."
Level 2 was "Intimate" (Tenten's level).
Level 3 was "Confirmed Relationship."
Level 4 was "Love that penetrates to the bone."
And Level 5... he felt that must be the "Will-die-for-each-other" level.
Although the rewards for that level were visibly great, he decided not to be extravagant for the time being. He knew he was outstanding, and he had enough emotional intelligence to maintain intimate relationships with more girls. But to have a life-and-death emotional experience with each of them... he would have to find that many people who could threaten him in the first place!
He glanced at his simulator. The number of simulation attempts had leaped to 30.
He sat up in excitement, but Anko misunderstood his meaning. "Um, Makoto-kun," she said in a panic, "I can't. I really can't anymore!"
She had no idea why he had such strong stamina. She was a ninja famous for her endurance, and yet she had lost to him. Were all men such terrifying creatures?
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He pulled her up and walked her towards the hot spring. "I just think we should get up. Don't you plan on having lunch with Big Sister Kurenai?"
"Ah—is it that late already?"
She glanced at the clock, which was about to strike 11. For a moment, she was reluctant to leave. How had the intimate time they'd spent together passed so quickly?
"If Big Sister Anko is still reluctant to part with me—"
He supported her as they walked to the hot spring.
"Wait, Makoto-kun, I have no strength left—"
"It's fine. I'll carry you."
In the next room, Kurenai Yūhi opened her eyes, helpless.
She had been awake for a long time. Now, she was leaning against the wall, her face a strange shade of red, but her eyes were filled with a hint of anger. It couldn't be helped. The man who had just confessed to her had, in the blink of an eye, ended up in the arms of her best friend. She hadn't even had time to apologize for "stealing" her friend's crush, and now the situation had been completely reversed.
What made her most furious was, apart from the anger, what was this sour feeling she couldn't stop from bubbling up in her heart?
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