By his fifth day at the Daimyo's residence, Shin-chan had finally familiarized himself with every corner of the estate.
He recruited the fish-stealing cat as the "Deputy Minister of the Temporary Security Department" and regularly fed it dried fish obtained from the kitchen. The cat performed its duties faithfully. Aside from patrolling around the pond, it also claimed a permanent spot on the windowsill of the princess's study.
"It seems to like you very much." Ai looked at the cat curled up and purring on the windowsill.
"That's because I gave it a good name." Shin-chan sat cross-legged on the floor of the study, with a pile of snacks he had raided from the kitchen spread out before him. "Its name is Chashu because its fur is exactly the same color as chashu."
Ai looked at the gray-and-white cat but could not connect it with chashu no matter how hard she tried.
Still, since Shin-chan had named it, Chashu it was.
"Ai, what do you have to study today?"
"I have flower-arrangement lessons this morning." Ai returned to the writing desk, where several freshly cut camellia branches had been placed. "My teacher says my arrangements are always too rigid and lack naturalness."
Shin-chan looked at the flowers, then at Ai's slightly furrowed brows.
"What does naturalness look like?"
"My teacher says they should resemble flowers and trees growing freely in the mountains. I shouldn't deliberately pursue symmetry."
"Oh." Shin-chan stood and walked over to the desk. "Then arrange them the way they want to grow."
"Flowers don't have a way they want to grow."
"They do." Shin-chan picked up a camellia branch. "This one wants to lean left, that one wants to stretch right, and this one..."
He selected the branch with the smallest bud and placed it at the very front.
"This one is still a baby, so it should stand in front and let the flowers behind it protect it."
Ai looked at the vase of camellias Shin-chan had arranged crookedly yet somehow full of life. The corners of her lips rose slightly.
"Young Master Shin-chan's flower arrangement is more interesting than my teacher's."
"This is the Nohara School of Flower Arrangement. Its core principle is 'Let the Flowers Decide for Themselves.'" Shin-chan brushed the pollen from his hands. "Do you want to give it a score?"
"Out of ten..."
Ai deliberately paused.
"Nine."
"Why not ten?"
"One point is deducted because..." Ai pointed at the small bud in front. "You put this 'baby' in backward."
Shin-chan lowered his head and looked.
It really was backward.
He reached out and turned the flower around. "There. Now it's a ten."
Ai laughed.
Standing outside the door, the maids exchanged glances.
Since this ninja lord from Konoha arrived, Her Highness had laughed more times than she had in the previous several months combined.
At lunchtime, the steward personally appeared at the entrance to the study carrying a meal box.
"Your Highness, Lord Nohara, lunch is ready."
"What are we having today?" Shin-chan immediately sprang up from the floor.
"Grilled sea bream, chawanmushi, and freshly delivered melon from the capital."
Shin-chan's eyes lit up. "Melon?"
"Yes. His Lordship specially ordered it to be transported here from another region."
Shin-chan had already accepted the meal box and lifted the lid. A fresh, sweet melon fragrance immediately filled the room.
"Ai, you eat first."
"Young Master Shin-chan should eat first."
"No." Shin-chan shook his head. "Those are the rules."
"What rules?"
"The rules of Melon Diplomacy. The first person to eat the melon is the party proposing a friendship agreement, while the second person is the party accepting it. If you eat first, it means you accept my friendship agreement."
"What are the terms of this agreement?"
"We eat snacks together every afternoon at three."
Ai picked up a slice of melon and took a small bite.
It was very sweet.
"The agreement is now in effect."
At three in the afternoon, the Daimyo suddenly appeared at the end of the corridor.
"Father." Ai stood and bowed slightly.
"There's no need for formalities." The Daimyo waved his hand, his gaze falling on Shin-chan. "Have you grown accustomed to living at the Daimyo's residence?"
"Very accustomed." Shin-chan nodded. "The kitchen's food is delicious, the snacks are delicious, and yesterday I even had a super-delicious bowl of mochi soup."
A satisfied smile appeared on the Daimyo's face. "That's good. I heard Konoha ninja enjoy training. If you grow bored, you may practice throwing shuriken in the courtyard."
"I'm not bored. Chashu takes me to patrol different places every day."
"Chashu?"
"The cat," Ai softly explained. "Young Master Shin-chan gave it that name."
"Chashu. A fine name."
After saying that, he seemed to remember something.
"By the way, Shin-chan."
"Mm?"
"Ai has lived in the capital since childhood and has rarely spent time with anyone her age. During your stay, I'll leave it to you to keep her company."
"Is that part of the mission?"
The Daimyo glanced at Shin-chan, an unreadable smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.
"You could say that."
After nightfall, only a single candle remained lit inside the Daimyo's study.
The steward stood respectfully before the desk, awaiting the Daimyo's instructions.
"Has Konoha replied?"
"They have." The steward took a confidential letter from his sleeve and presented it with both hands. "Lord Third Hokage said Nohara Shinnosuke is one of Konoha's finest young ninja and asked Your Lordship to rest assured."
"One of Konoha's finest young ninja." The Daimyo lightly rubbed the letter's seal with his finger.
"It is said that Lord Nohara has an exceptional combat record in Konoha. He has even mastered the Second Hokage's Flying Thunder God Technique."
"I know." The Daimyo placed the confidential letter on the desk. "But his fighting ability is not what I want."
The steward lowered his head slightly and waited for him to continue.
"Have you noticed that Ai has been smiling more often since Lord Nohara arrived?"
"I have."
"That child is different." The Daimyo looked out the window. "Ai has grown up in the capital, surrounded by people who treat her with the utmost reverence."
The steward was silent for a moment.
"But Your Lordship, why arrange this under the terms of an S-rank mission?"
"Because without the title of an S-rank mission, he would not have come." The Daimyo picked up his folding fan again. "Konoha is currently short on personnel. For an ordinary commission, they would never send a ninja who has mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique."
He opened the folding fan, revealing a painting of continuous mountains and rivers across its surface.
"The S-rank reward, free food and lodging, and unlimited chocolate sticks—none of those conditions were meant to bring him here to protect Ai."
"Then what were they for?"
"To make him remain at the Daimyo's residence long enough." The Daimyo's gaze became distant. "Long enough for him and Ai to form a genuine bond."
The steward raised his head, surprise flashing through his eyes.
"Your Lordship, are you saying...?"
"Do not tell anyone about this." The Daimyo waved his hand. "Not even Ai."
"Yes, Your Lordship."
After the steward withdrew from the study, the Daimyo stood alone by the window, gently waving the folding fan in his hand.
Moonlight fell across the distant courtyard, making the surface of the pond shimmer.
"Nohara Shinnosuke," he quietly repeated the name. "I hope you do not disappoint me."
~~~
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