Chapter 26: A Taste of Home
Just as Tsunade was about to tease Kiyoshi, a voice interrupted.
"We're here," Shigeru announced, stepping forward with a grin.
Kiyoshi looked up to see a modest yet spacious home, large enough to house five or six people comfortably. The wooden exterior gave it a welcoming aura, and the faint scent of home-cooked food drifted through the air.
Before Kiyoshi or Tsunade could step inside, a warm yet firm voice rang out.
"Shigeru! What took you so long to bring Kiyoshi for lunch?"
A woman with black hair stepped out of the gate, her sharp eyes narrowing at her husband. Despite her scolding tone, there was a distinct warmth in her voice.
Kiyoshi barely had time to react before she turned to him, her expression softening into a playful pout.
"Kiyoshi, how could you forget your dear aunt?" she demanded dramatically, placing a hand over her chest. "I always treat you like my own son, and yet you never come to eat! Do you know how much my heart aches because of you?"
Kiyoshi blinked, caught off guard by her sudden emotional outburst. A twinge of guilt crept up his spine. Had he really neglected visiting her that much?
Before he could respond, Tsunade let out a quiet chuckle.
Shigeru, standing beside him, merely smiled wryly.
Kiyoshi, however, remained oblivious.
Shigeru knew better. His wife's dramatic complaints weren't entirely serious—it was just her way of showing affection. He had long grown used to it, and Tsunade, perceptive as always, had instantly seen through the act as well.
Kiyoshi, however, was completely missing the point.
Just as he was about to stammer out an apology, his aunt's gaze suddenly flickered behind him. Her eyes widened in shock.
"Tsunade-san?"
Kiyoshi turned slightly to glance at the Sannin, who stood casually behind him with her arms crossed, watching the interaction with mild amusement.
"Why are you standing outside?" his aunt exclaimed, completely forgetting about her scolding as she rushed forward. "Come in, come in! You're always welcome here!"
Kiyoshi and Shigeru exchanged a wry smile. Just like that, they had been completely sidelined.
Yet, as Kiyoshi observed the interaction, he felt something stir within him—an unfamiliar warmth settling in his chest.
He had experienced many things since coming to this world—danger, power, strategy—but this… this was different.
It was a simple moment. A casual, everyday occurrence. And yet, as he stood at the threshold of the home, watching this family banter with him so naturally, he realized something.
They truly cared for him.
Not as a warrior, not as a tool, not because of what he could do—just as Kiyoshi.
A warmth he hadn't felt even in his previous life wrapped around him, soft yet undeniable.
And for the first time in a long while, he felt like he belonged.
---
As they stepped inside after Aunt Sayaka and Tsunade, Kiyoshi immediately noticed a girl, almost a year younger than him, standing near the dining area. She had blonde hair and striking grey eyes, which were currently locked onto Tsunade with an almost comical intensity.
Her hands were clasped together, and her expression was one of pure admiration—like a die-hard K-pop fan from his previous life seeing their idol up close for the first time. Cute.
Kiyoshi couldn't help but let out a small chuckle—a little too loud for his own good.
The girl snapped out of her daze at the sound and turned toward him. She stared at him for a moment, her grey eyes narrowing slightly before she puffed up her cheeks and let out an exaggerated hmph! before dramatically turning away.
Kiyoshi blinked, completely confused. What just happened?
Beside him, Shigeru leaned down slightly, a smirk on his face as he whispered, "Well, Emiko has been waiting for you to come play with her for a long time, you know? But you ignored her because you were too caught up with graduation and training."
Kiyoshi stiffened slightly. Damn it, previous Kiyoshi! Of all the things to leave me with, why this?
He turned his gaze back toward Emiko, and sure enough, she was still sneaking glances at him while maintaining her little pout.
This was bad.
Sure, he could fight shinobi, strategize under pressure, and navigate dangerous missions. But handling puppy love? That was an entirely different battlefield.
How was he even supposed to move forward from here?
---
Kiyoshi shifted uncomfortably, his mind scrambling for a way to salvage the situation.
What the hell do I do now?
The pout on Emiko's face remained firm, her grey eyes still flickering toward him between exaggerated hmphs. She clearly wanted him to say something.
Tsunade, catching on to the awkward tension, smirked. "Wow, Kiyoshi, didn't know you were the heartbreaker type."
Kiyoshi nearly choked. "I—what? No, it's not—"
"Oh?" Tsunade's smirk widened. "Then why does she look like you abandoned her in the middle of a battlefield?"
Kiyoshi glanced at Emiko again, and to his horror, she really did look like she had just been wronged. Her arms were crossed, cheeks puffed out, but there was a distinct shimmer in her eyes—the kind that screamed, Aren't you even a little sorry?
Shigeru chuckled, shaking his head. "You better say something, kid. Emiko's got a long memory. She won't let you off easy."
Great, Kiyoshi thought. Just what I needed. A vengeful childhood friend with an elephant's memory.
Sighing, he decided to take the safest approach. He rubbed the back of his neck, offering a small, sheepish smile. "Uh… Sorry, Emiko. I didn't mean to ignore you. I was just… busy."
For a second, she didn't respond. Then, with a dramatic turn of her head, she scoffed. "Hmph! That's what they all say!"
Kiyoshi blinked. What does that even mean?
"But," she added, peeking at him from the corner of her eye, "I suppose I can forgive you… if you make it up to me."
Kiyoshi's instincts screamed that this was a trap. "Make it up to you… how?"
Emiko's pout shifted into a sly grin. "By playing with me, of course! You owe me, Kiyoshi."
Kiyoshi groaned internally. Just when I thought I escaped one battlefield, I get dragged into another.
Shigeru laughed heartily at the exchange, while Tsunade looked thoroughly entertained. Sayaka, on the other hand, clapped her hands together with a satisfied smile. "Good! That settles it. Kiyoshi, you'll stay for dinner too."
"Wait, I never—"
"It's decided!" Sayaka declared, cutting off his protest. "Now, everyone, sit down! Lunch is ready!"
And just like that, Kiyoshi was swept into a whirlwind of family warmth, childhood antics, and one particularly persistent girl who clearly wasn't going to let him off the hook anytime soon.
As he sat down at the table, feeling the buzz of lively conversation around him, he couldn't help but smile to himself.