Navy Headquarters Residential Area.
Walking side by side with Gion down the street, Kaito glanced around curiously at the surrounding environment.
Shops lined both sides of the road, most of them selling daily necessities. It reminded him of a commercial street back on Blue Star, though it had a more modern flair than Konoha. Since they were in a Marine base, the signage and decor were mostly in blue and white.
"You can come here and walk around when you're free," Gion said casually. "Buy some fruit or snacks for yourself—little indulgences like that will help you grow taller, you know."
Kaito was speechless. He was already almost 190 cm tall at just sixteen—how was that still not tall enough in her eyes?
But then he looked at Gion, who was clearly over two meters tall, and let it go. Must be a regional thing.
When Kaito didn't respond, Gion seemed to think he was bothered by the height comment and quickly corrected herself.
"Actually, you don't have to be that tall. You're already tall enough for your age. After all, you're only sixteen."
"Yeah, I'm not worried about it. There's some guy over there who's been staring at you."
Kaito nodded toward a tavern nearby, where a sleazy-looking man in a brown casual outfit was standing outside, eyeing them intently. He'd been doing it for a while, so Kaito decided to point it out.
"Huh?" Gion turned her head and immediately spotted the man Kaito had mentioned.
There was no avoiding it. The guy stood out—but not in the way Kaito did with his looks. No, this man stood out because of how ugly he was.
Hands stuffed into his pockets, a cigarette dangling from his crooked lips, squinty little eyes barely visible on his large, round face. Even if he opened them all the way, they wouldn't be that big.
"Oh, I know him. His name's Tokikake. He's really annoying. You should probably stay away from him."
Tokikake? Kaito rubbed his chin. Wasn't that the same Chaton who, like Gion, eventually became a candidate for Admiral?
Just then, Tokikake noticed Gion looking his way and immediately shuffled over with his creepy gait.
"Miss Gion! It's been a whole month since I last saw you, and you're as beautiful as ever! Please accept my eighty-eighth confession of love!"
Tokikake stopped in front of them and—who knows where he pulled it from—presented a bouquet of flowers, delivering his "confession" with an expression of deep sincerity.
Gion, however, didn't even glance at him. She just reached out, grabbed Kaito's hand, and prepared to leave.
"Hey hey, Miss Gion, don't go! You haven't rejected me yet this time!" Tokikake hurried after them, desperate to get his eighty-eighth rejection.
"I'm sick of rejecting you. Just give it up already!" Gion said, looking thoroughly disgusted.
"Why?! Is it because I'm not handsome enough? Or not good enough?" Tokikake asked, his voice filled with disbelief as he voiced the question that had been buried deep in his heart.
Kaito quietly observed from the side, thinking,
With your looks and behavior, where exactly do you get the confidence to ask something like that?
Tokikake lowered his head in defeat, finally noticing the bystander next to Gion—Kaito.
"Huh? And who's this guy?"
Seeing that Tokikake had finally noticed him, Kaito stopped spectating and stepped forward to introduce himself.
"Hello, I'm a new recruit who just joined the Marines. My name is Uchiha Kaito."
"Oh, oh, nice to meet you! I'm Tokikake." Tokikake gave a brief introduction, but his mind was spinning.
Who is this new guy? Why is Gion personally showing him around? And why is he so damn handsome?
Suddenly, a bolt of realization struck him like lightning.
No way… Could it be?! Gion's into him?!
Remembering how the two of them had been walking side by side earlier, Tokikake visibly shivered and froze in place. Kaito, startled by his sudden "struck by lightning" reaction, was about to check on him when Tokikake suddenly raised his head with a jolt, nearly scaring Kaito out of his wits.
Tokikake stared intensely at Kaito's face for a long time—so long that Kaito almost thought the guy was going to challenge him to a duel over losing his love.
Then, after glancing between Kaito and Gion a few times, Tokikake let out a deep breath. In a tone that sounded like he'd seen through everything, he said:
"Alright, I get it now. I wish you happiness, Gion!"
With that, he turned and walked away without looking back, oddly dramatic.
"…Is it raining?" Kaito asked, confused, noticing a patch of moisture on the ground where Tokikake had stood.
"Just ignore him. He's had another 'enlightenment moment.'" Gion had long since grown immune to Tokikake's antics and didn't take it to heart at all.
"Oh." Kaito shrugged and followed after her.
...
They arrived at a residential area. Gion pointed to a small building and said:
"That's where you'll be staying for the next few days. Once you graduate, you'll be assigned a permanent residence."
Then she pointed to a nearby villa with a garden.
"That one's where I live with Tsuru-san. If you need anything, feel free to come find me. I'll be stationed at Headquarters for the next few days."
Kaito nodded to show he understood.
Seeing that Kaito had no objections to his lodging, Gion gave a few final instructions before leaving.
Kaito entered his temporary home to rest and recover, waiting for news from the training camp.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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