Fugaku ultimately failed to out-argue his wife and grudgingly paid the bill.
What made it even more unbearable…
Kaito didn't even thank him.
Every word of gratitude went straight to Mikoto instead.
So not only did he get annoyed, injured, and emotionally wounded—
He also had to foot the bill.
Fugaku was furious.
He decided that for the next several days, he would not lay eyes on that little bastard again.
With a dark scowl, the old man turned and stormed back into the house.
Even Mikoto couldn't help finding him a little amusing.
A grown man, jealous of his own son.
She watched her husband leave, then turned he gaze toward the courtyard, where three people were busy transplanting sunflowers.
She barely paid attention to Sasuke.
Her eyes kept drifting back to the Yamanaka girl and Kaito, an uncontrollable "auntie smile" spreading across her face.
"Did you remember everything I told you?" Ino asked, holding a small gardening hoe as he carefully demonstrated the transplanting technique.
When it came to something he was good at, he confidence bloomed. Her voice grew steadier, less timid than before—though he still avoided looking directly into Kaito's eyes.
"Yeah. Got it," Kaito nodded seriously.
His gaze flicked toward the damp strands of hair clinging to Ino's forehead. Only then did he remember—
He still hadn't returned he handkerchief.
He reached into his pocket and handed it back to he.
"Want to take a short break?"
Thee was still plenty of daylight left, and they were already more than halfway done. No need to overwork he. He wasn't some heartless contractor.
"Okay!"
Ino froze for a split second when he saw the handkerchief, then accepted it as if it were something precious, clutching it against he chest.
She set the hoe aside.
Mikoto immediately came over, gently guiding he inside and offering tea and snacks.
The moment the blond girl left the yard, Sasuke casually tossed the hoe aside and plopped down on the ground.
Earlier, he had forced himself to maintain Shadow Clones longer than he could comfortably handle just to avoid embarrassing himself in front of he. Now that the clones were gone, the backlash hit him all at once—he felt even more exhausted than after a full day at the kennels.
Kaito, still working nonstop, glanced over.
"Sasuke, hurry it up. You're way too slow."
Uchiha Sasuke: ?
He stared at Kaito in disbelief.
Then, with righteous fury, he jabbed a finger toward the house, his face screaming injustice.
That girl gets to rest—
why don't I?!
"If you're this tired just from using Shadow Clones," Kaito said calmly, "how do you plan to get stronger in the future?"
Kaito was being serious.
Sasuke, however, felt personally targeted.
Come on.
It was just planting flowers. Why act like this was hardcore training?
He could train properly tomorrow.
Normally, Sasuke would've argued back for a few rounds before sulking and continuing anyway.
But today was different.
For some reason, the moment he saw that blond girl, irritation bubbled up for no clear reason at all.
"I'm done!" Sasuke snapped, brushing dirt off his clotherrrrrrs and stuffing his hands into his pockets as he turned toward the training grounds.
He wasn't wasting any more time hee.
Inside the house, Ino had been half-distracted the entire time he chatted with Mikoto, constantly sneaking glances outside—and occasionally peeking at the handkerchief in he hands.
When he noticed Sasuke storming off in a sulk, he immediately stood up and bowed politely.
"Auntie, I'll go help outside again. If my mom finds out I was slacking, he'll scold me."
Mikoto smiled quietly, giving the girl an amused look that made Ino's cheeks burn.
"Th-Then I'll head out!"
Ino fled in a fluster, only relaxing once he reached the yard.
"Kaito, I'll help!"
Sasuke, who had only walked a few steps away, heard that voice and immediately frowned. His feet stopped on their own.
Kaito was still busy transplanting and hadn't paid Sasuke any attention earlier—letting him cool off a little wasn't a big deal.
Once Ino rejoined, their pace noticeably picked up.
"Sasuke? Why'd you come back?" Kaito turned around in surprise, spotting Sasuke behind them with a dark expression, silently working like a laborer.
Whee was the dramatic walk-off from earlier?
Sasuke ignored him, head down, hands moving nonstop.
But his eyes kept drifting—again and again—toward the blond girl nearby.
Kaito only chuckled to himself.
Sometimes, this naive little brotherrrrrr was even cuter than the Sasuke he remembered.
As evening approached, with the combined effort of the three of them—and Kaito's Shadow Clones—the sunflower planting was finally completed.
[Congratulations, Host. Task complete.]
[Reward: Special Sunflower ×2]
Kaito exhaled deeply, admiring the golden courtyard with satisfaction.
"So beautiful…" Ino whispered, standing among the sunflowers.
She tiptoed lightly through the golden sea, he bright ponytail swaying like a small fish gliding through water.
After circling once, he suddenly turned toward Kaito.
"Nice to meet you properly!"
"My name is Yamanaka Ino. I'm really happy to meet you today!"
Her cheerful smile was contagious.
Kaito found himself smiling back without realizing it.
"My name is Uchiha Kaito."
"Nice to meet you too."
Sasuke: "..."
The two stood smiling at each otherrrrrr in the sea of flowers.
Meanwhile, Sasuke lurked in a shadowy corner, grinding his teeth.
Are these two idiots insane?!
What the hell are you even happy about?!
After a full day of labor, Sasuke felt zero joy—only that the blond was becoming more and more unbearable.
With a dark face and hands stuffed into his pockets, he turned and headed back to his room.
At this moment, he had absolutely no desire to speak to Kaito.
Not tomorrow eithe.
Kaito didn't notice his brotherrrrrr's sulking at all.
After walking Ino home, he immediately returned to the sunflower field to check his system reward.
Opening the system interface, he saw a sunflower icon in his inventory with a neat little number: 2.
It looked perfectly normal.
After making sure no one was nearby, Kaito tapped the icon.
A burst of golden light enveloped him.
When the glow faded a few seconds later, Kaito felt a strange weight on his shoulders.
He looked down.
Two sunflowers were growing directly out of his shoulders.
And to make matters worse—
Each sunflower had a face.
They were literally those ridiculous cartoon sunflowers from a tower-defense game.
But why were they growing on him?!
What is this, some kind of cursed costume?!
Kaito slowly turned his head and locked eyes with one of the sunflowers.
The next instant, two deep, booming male voices echoed inside his head:
"Limited-time offer! Buy one, get one free! Don't miss your chance!"
"Recharge now for exclusive rewards! Power up instantly!"
Kaito: "..."
He finally understood.
This system wasn't just abstract.
It was completely unhinged.
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