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Teizawa did not explain.
He merely withdrew his hand and asked casually,
"Ino?"
Sen's expression instantly turned a little strange.
She tilted her head slightly and gestured with her chin toward the door at the end of the hallway, a trace of disdain in her voice.
"She's already taking care of herself."
"Oh?"
Teizawa's brow lifted faintly, and an amused smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"I'll go take a look."
With that, he started toward the door.
Sen remained where she was.
Watching his back, she bit her lip.
Something flickered across that cool, beautiful face.
But in the end, she said nothing.
She simply followed in silence and resumed her place guarding the corridor.
...
Ino's room.
The door was not fully shut, leaving a narrow crack.
Teizawa stood at the entrance.
Through that gap, he saw what was happening inside.
Ino was lying on the massage bed, her whole body limp.
Her massage outfit was even more disheveled than Sakura's had been.
One shoulder strap had slipped down, the front hanging loose enough to reveal a broad expanse of pale skin.
Her cheeks were flushed red, her eyes half-closed.
Faint, unsteady sounds escaped her lips.
One hand clutched at the sheets in a restless haze.
Teizawa's mouth curved upward slightly.
As expected.
Compared to Sakura, Ino was more emotional, more easily affected by her surroundings.
The incense was clearly having an even stronger effect on her.
He gently pushed the door open and walked in.
Hearing the sound, Ino drowsily opened her eyes.
Her vision blurred for a moment.
Then...
"Kaze... Kazekage?"
she murmured, her voice soft and unsteady.
"Hm?"
Teizawa paused, surprised. This girl actually saw him as himself?
That was unexpected.
The doctored incense was not only meant to stir desire. It also had a hallucinatory effect.
Whoever the target saw would be unconsciously overlaid with the person they most wanted to see.
And yet Ino was seeing him as he was.
Could it be...
Did this girl actually like him?
So you really are all about looks, huh?
The thought amused him.
He walked directly to the bedside and looked down at her.
Ino reached up, caught hold of the edge of his clothes, and tugged downward.
"Tei... Teizawa... why did you take so long..."
she mumbled, with the unmistakable note of a spoiled complaint.
"I've been waiting forever..."
Teizawa bent down with the pull of her hand.
Those half-lidded eyes
were full of haze and longing.
He reached out and lightly brushed her burning cheek.
Ino rubbed against his palm with a contented little motion, like a pampered cat.
"A-Aze..."
she called softly, using a more intimate nickname.
Teizawa looked down at her, the smile in his eyes deepening.
From Kazekage to Teizawa, from Teizawa to that...
This girl really was...
He lowered himself and whispered softly into her ear,
"Be good."
"Let's rest together."
Ino's body stiffened for a moment.
But Teizawa gave her no time to react.
...
After a long while, Ino lay in his arms, limp and exhausted.
She was like a lazy cat, nestled against him.
Her whole face was buried against his chest.
Only her flushed cheeks and ears, still pink with heat, were left exposed.
Her golden hair was spread in disarray across the pillow.
A few damp strands clung to her neck and shoulders,
making her fair skin look even more delicate.
The room was heavy with a suggestive atmosphere.
The scent of incense had long since been overtaken by something warmer and thicker.
Ino's fingers traced absentminded circles against Teizawa's chest.
Her heartbeat had not fully calmed.
With every breath, she could feel the steady rise and fall of the man beside her, strong and assured.
After a long time...
she finally gathered the courage to speak.
"W-what... are we now?"
Her voice was so soft it was barely louder than a mosquito's hum, carrying a trace of shyness and unease she could not conceal.
Teizawa lowered his head and looked at her.
That small face was bright red. Her long lashes trembled lightly.
Her eyes darted upward to steal a look at him, then hurriedly shifted away.
She looked exactly like a girl in love.
A faint smile rose to Teizawa's lips.
There was none of the mockery he had used with Sakura. None of that cold, superior amusement.
Instead, his expression held just the right amount of warmth.
A gentle warmth.
"My fault," he said.
He reached out and lightly stroked her smooth back.
The movement was so careful it was like touching a precious porcelain vessel.
Ino shivered slightly.
Then she tucked herself even deeper into his arms.
"It's because I like you too much."
Teizawa's voice was low and tender, with just the right amount of apology woven into it.
"The moment I saw you at the door, I couldn't hold back..."
He paused, then pressed a light kiss to her forehead.
So light it felt like the brush of a feather.
Ino's face reddened even more.
But she did not dodge.
She only buried her face more deeply against him, though the corners of her mouth could not help curving upward.
Teizawa held her while his fingers continued to move lightly over her back.
There was no hunger in the touch now.
Only affection. Only tenderness.
"You... you really like me?"
Ino's voice was muffled, full of disbelief.
Teizawa smiled.
He lifted her face in his hands and made her look at him.
Those deep eyes of his
seemed full of sincerity.
At least, they looked that way.
"Of course."
His tone left no room for doubt.
"The first time I saw you, I was already captivated."
Ino's pupils widened slightly.
"That day in the Kazekage's office, you were standing in the crowd. Sunlight was coming in through the window and falling across you..."
Teizawa's voice was low and gentle, as if he were telling the most beautiful story in the world.
"Golden hair, blue eyes, and that innocent but stubborn expression..."
"At that moment, I was thinking, how could there be a girl this beautiful?"
Ino's face had gone so red it looked ready to drip color.
But her eyes grew brighter and brighter.
"Later, when you went to the square to watch the assembly, I watched you from the rooftop."
"You were standing in the crowd, rising onto your toes to look this way, your eyes shining..."
His fingers lightly brushed her cheek.
"That was the moment I decided."
"Decided what?"
Ino asked in a tiny voice.
"That I was going to keep you by my side."
Teizawa looked straight into her eyes and said each word slowly and clearly.
"No matter what it takes."
Ino's heartbeat skipped.
No matter what it takes.
There was a trace of dominance in that line, something firm and unquestionable.
But to her, it sounded sweet.
"You... you really know how to talk..."
she muttered softly.
Then she buried her face against his chest again.
But there was no hiding the smile tugging at her lips.
Teizawa held her and continued softly,
"Ino, I'll take responsibility for you."
His voice turned even more serious.
"If the Sand Village formally proposes to the Yamanaka clan, your father would have no reason to refuse."
Ino's body stiffened.
She raised her head and stared at him, eyes wide.
"A... a proposal?"
"Mm."
Teizawa nodded, looking so serious that he did not seem to be joking at all.
"You're a ninja of Konoha. I'm the Kazekage of Suna."
"But feelings like this don't care about distance."
"If you're willing, I'll formally approach the Yamanaka clan and make sure you're brought here properly and honorably."
Ino's mind went blank with a hum.
A proposal?
Brought here?
She had only come today to enjoy a sand bath and a massage.
How had it suddenly become this...?
But all that confusion faded when she looked into Teizawa's earnest eyes.
He... was serious?
Did he really want to marry her?
Her heart pounded so hard it felt ready to burst from her chest.
She remembered how striking he had seemed the first time she saw him.
Remembered the way he carried himself at the assembly, commanding the whole scene.
Remembered the sight of his back when he stood in front of her.
Remembered all those moments just now that made her blush and lose herself...
And then she realized something.
She might really...
be falling for him.
"You... you're telling the truth?"
Her voice wavered.
Teizawa smiled faintly and lowered his head to kiss her lightly again.
"Of course I am."
"Once things are settled on Konoha's side, I'll make it official."
Ino stared at him blankly.
Then...
she smiled.
There was shyness in that smile, and sweetness,
and the faint pride unique to a girl in love.
This man is mine now.
That was what she thought to herself.
More handsome than Sasuke. More capable than Sasuke. And far better with words than Sasuke...
I really came out ahead.
Just as she was about to say something, though,
her body suddenly stiffened a little.
The unfamiliar soreness pulled her mind back to everything that had just happened.
She instinctively shrank back, guarding herself with one hand, her face full of caution.
"N-no more..."
There was a pleading note in her voice.
"It hurts..."
Seeing how pitifully wary she looked, Teizawa could not help laughing.
"All right. No more."
He drew her back into his arms, his tone indulgent enough to drown a person.
"That's enough for today. We'll take things slowly from now on."
Ino let out a breath of relief and curled comfortably into his embrace.
But soon, she remembered something else.
"Um... can we keep what's between us a secret for now...?"
she asked softly.
"How come?"
Teizawa feigned confusion.
"It's... it's too fast... and I'm still not old enough yet..."
Ino lowered her head as she spoke, fingers lightly rubbing against the bedsheet.
A faint smile touched Teizawa's lips.
"Of course. This is our secret. Whatever you want, I'll go along with it..."
Ino had never heard words like that before.
And from the Kazekage himself, lying beside her no less...
That kind of destructive sweetness was simply too much.
"Come again tomorrow, all right?"
Teizawa made the request at just the right moment.
Blushing furiously, Ino gave a tiny nod.
"Mm."
(End of Chapter)
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