Just as Daigan was blissfully fantasizing about a bright future, the doorbell rang. He got up, grumbling, and went to open the door.
"Who the hell is it at this hour? If it's not important… huh? If it isn't the esteemed Miss Saya. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"It's too noisy over here. You're disturbing my rest." As she spoke, Saya peered through the crack in the door and saw the puppet materials scattered all over the floor. "Are you… out of your mind? Why did you bring all this junk back?"
"Miss Saya, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't just say whatever you want!" These children of wealthy families were so out of touch with reality. How could the precious materials Daigan had worked so hard to obtain be called junk?
"I didn't know you had such a hobby."
Saya was quite pretty, but unfortunately, she was a puppet master. Although there were no official rules, puppet masters of different ranks would paint various patterns on their faces. Saya's exaggerated eyeshadow and ridiculous lipstick weren't because she liked that style of makeup, but to inform her peers of her status as a puppet master.
***
Of course, another purpose was to conceal her true identity for protection. A puppet master's primary combat strength lay in their puppets; the fragility of their own body was a common weakness in the profession. Therefore, disguising oneself was crucial. Confusing the enemy by mixing up the user and the puppet had always been a common tactic. In the upcoming Chunin Exam, Tsurugi Misumi would misidentify Kankuro's main body, failing to leverage his soft-body modification as all his attacks landed on a puppet, ultimately leading to his defeat.
The facial markings were highly personalized. Aside from a few conventional styles, they were mostly whimsical. Even if one chose not to use them, no one would say anything. As long as you were strong enough, you could ignore all rules, both explicit and implicit.
As for Saya, Daigan had no idea what her aesthetic sense was. Besides the decoy puppet designed to look like her, every single one of her creations was uglier than the last. Kankuro was one thing—he'd take anything he could get. But Saya? Even the small doll she carried in her arms looked like a monster straight out of a horror film. It regularly made children cry, and even adults felt a shiver down their spine upon seeing it.
"You don't need to concern yourself with my hobbies, Miss Saya. If you have nothing else, please leave." If he weren't trying to avoid offending a potential future client, Daigan would have ignored her long ago.
With that, he turned to close the door, only to be blocked by a slender, pale arm.
"Hey, what's your problem? Looking for a fight?" She shows up out of nowhere to complain, and now she won't leave when I tell her to.
"I heard you were abandoned by your old team. Is it true?"
"It is. You here to laugh at me too?"
"Like I care about your stupid problems! I was just asking. Since no one wants you now, I'll be kind enough to take you in. My team is short one person for this year's Chunin Exam. If you obey my orders, I'll give you the spot." After she finished, Saya wore an expression that clearly expected Daigan to start groveling.
"This…" Daigan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Just how bad were this young lady's social skills? He had been on his new team for over a month, completed three or four missions, and even made a trip to the border of the Land of Grass. How had no one told her in all that time that he already had a team?
"May I ask, besides you, who is the other person?"
"Why do you care? As long as I'm here, everyone else is just for show."
Just as Saya was getting impatient, the door to the apartment next door suddenly opened. A girl with light purple hair in twin tails tied with green ribbons came out, dragging a large pile of trash.
"Sana, here to clean up for your sister again?"
"Yes, Daigan-senpai. My sister shouldn't have to do chores like this. I can handle it," the little girl said with a sweet smile. Daigan had seen her a few times.
Sana appeared much more amiable than her sister Saya, but in reality, she was a sister-complex case with a terrible personality, far more vicious than her older sister, though she rarely showed it in front of others. Her light-blue-haired sister, on the other hand, might look fierce, but she was just a clueless rich girl with few life skills and no idea how to interact with people normally. This resulted in her being extremely unpopular. Her words were venomous, but her heart wasn't necessarily so bad.
"Miss Saya, the other teammate you mentioned… it wouldn't happen to be your sister Sana, would it?" Other than her, probably no one else would want to be on a team with Saya.
Saya said nothing, tacitly confirming Daigan's guess.
"Thank you for your invitation, my lady, but I'm afraid I already have new teammates."
"What? How is that possible?" Saya's face changed dramatically. "Are you lying to me just to reject me? Even someone like you wants to humiliate me? I curse you!"
"Sister, don't…" Sana quickly grabbed the frantic Saya. "If Daigan-senpai is really a liar, let's punish him by making him clean your toilet for ten years."
"Whoa, that's terrifying!" Daigan recoiled. "It's not my fault, no need to be so cruel, right?"
"Anyone who makes my sister angry is unforgivable!"
"It's just one Genin to fill a spot." Daigan paid no mind to the vicious girl's curses. "If you're not too picky, I could recommend someone to you."
"How could there still be a lone Genin at this point?" Miss Saya was skeptical. "You're being that kind?" Even if there were Genin without a team, many would rather wait for an assignment than team up with the likes of Saya and Sana.
"Now what's that supposed to mean?" Daigan said with a patient smile, befitting a potential future customer. "We're neighbors, after all. It's fate. A little helping hand is no trouble."
"Who are you talking about? As long as they obey me, I suppose I could agree." Still putting on a brave face even now. This girl's pride was something else.
"A taijutsu specialist. He knows zero ninjutsu or genjutsu."
"Can you even call that a ninja?"
"That's because he's not officially a ninja yet."
"I knew you were messing with me! Sana, don't stop me! This time I'm really going to curse him!"