Konohamaru paid no attention to their surprise; his gaze remained fixed on the injured fawn.
It wasn't until he saw it blend into the surrounding deer herd that he snapped back to reality, ran a few steps forward, and eagerly asked,
"Are all these deer your friends?"
Shikamaru gently stroked the fawn that was approaching him and replied,
"You could say they're family, as we've lived together for generations."
It was then that he noticed the bandage on the fawn's front leg, and the entire sequence of events had already been deduced in his mind, causing him to smile faintly.
"So that's it, you rescued it. Thank you so much."
No sooner had he spoken than the deer herd beside Shikamaru slowly surrounded the three children, interacting intimately with them as a sign of gratitude.
"Hahaha, that tickles!"
Under the enthusiastic welcome of the deer, Konohamaru and the other two children ran and played among them, having a wonderful time.
"So, when did you get back?"
Chizhao withdrew her gaze from them and saw Shikamaru walking slowly towards her, hands in his pockets, with his usual lifeless, dead-fish eyes.
"Just the day before yesterday..." She paused, then suddenly chuckled mischievously, "What? Are you lonely without anyone to play shogi with?"
Standing face to face with her, meeting her bright green eyes, Shikamaru felt as if his inner thoughts had been seen through, and he even felt a hint of embarrassment, but he quickly recovered, a smile playing on his lips as he said,
"What? Has no one reminded you about your debt, so you forgot so quickly?"
Stung by Shikamaru's merciless retort, Chizhao feigned displeasure and pouted,
"With a big creditor like you around, I can't forget even if I wanted to."
A gentle breeze, carrying the freshness of grass, wafted between them, bringing a subtle, almost imperceptible warmth.
Shikamaru's gaze swept over the children, finally settling on Chizhao beside him.
He suddenly remembered the department she was currently in and, with his hands clasped behind his head, seemingly casually asked,
"I heard you joined a special department?"
"Mhm. That's right."
This was the third time Chizhao had been asked, and she answered reflexively, without any intention of hiding anything.
Shikamaru felt a slight dissatisfaction with her nonchalance and silently muttered to himself, "What a drag."
Then he lowered his hands into his pockets, his expression becoming a little more serious:
"Are you hiding something from us?"
"Eh?"
The girl, who had been unresponsive before, suddenly reacted, and Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.
It seemed he had guessed correctly.
Facing the exceptionally intelligent Shikamaru, Chizhao knew that any slight unusual movement would arouse his suspicion, so she quickly regained her composure and said, feigning calmness,
"How could I be hiding anything from you...?"
Shikamaru sighed softly, his brows furrowed as if in pain:
"What kind of existence do you think a special department is?"
He looked at the deer leisurely strolling across the grassland, his eyes slightly shifting:
"That place is almost exclusively for elite Ninja. And you're so specialized, you hardly know any Ninjutsu, yet you still graduated smoothly from the Ninja Academy, and immediately after graduation, you joined a place where elite Ninja stay."
"I don't believe you haven't hidden anything from us. At the very least, you're definitely not as ordinary as you seem to us right now."
Shikamaru's well-reasoned analysis made cold sweat break out on Chizhao's back.
Sure enough, the future strategist's mind was brilliant; his guesses were almost all correct.
But she had no intention of revealing everything about herself and could only laugh awkwardly, saying,
"As expected of Shikamaru, but I have my reasons for doing this. Besides hiding my own combat power, I haven't hidden anything else!"
Chizhao's earnest defense played right into Shikamaru's hands. He looked at her with suspicion and slowly began,
"Really? Then why don't you tell me, what about what those kids just said yesterday about me eating barbecue and wearing a skirt?"
Unexpectedly, Shikamaru had set a trap for her here. Chizhao gasped, feeling a slight apprehension towards the person in front of her who had accurately cornered her.
Sorry, Choji, it's not that I don't want to keep your secret, it's because the opponent is Shikamaru with an IQ of 200.
Finally, under Shikamaru's patient listening, Chizhao recounted everything that had happened yesterday.
Perhaps because he hadn't witnessed the explosive scene firsthand, his emotions were still relatively stable.
But he couldn't help but frown, scratching his head a little irritably:
"That Choji actually turned into me, what a pain in the neck."
"Pfft!"
"Huh? What are you laughing at?"
The thought of Choji disguised as Shikamaru overlapping in her mind made Chizhao burst out laughing.
"Oh, nothing..."
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes suspiciously, leaning closer to her:
"You wouldn't... be thinking about me in a skirt, would you?"
"No... no I'm not... ah.."
Suddenly, a force from behind pushed Chizhao forward, and Shikamaru's wide-eyed face in front of her grew larger and larger, their distance instantly closing.
During a brief moment of weightlessness, accompanied by the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground, Shikamaru involuntarily cried out in pain:
"Ouch!"
The mischievous fawn's ears twitched, and it proudly circled the two of them twice before happily running back into the herd.
This mischievous fellow.....
Shikamaru withdrew his gaze and looked at Chizhao, who was sprawled in his arms. Their bodies pressed together made his heart involuntarily quicken, but he still feigned composure and asked,
"Hey, are you alright?"
Disoriented by the sudden collision, Chizhao lifted her head from Shikamaru's neck.
Her gaze met his, usually lazy but now filled with complex emotions, for a stunned moment.
"Shikamaru..."
She called out softly, instantly bringing the dazed Shikamaru back to his senses, and the blush on his cheeks deepened noticeably.
He nervously placed his hand between them, averting his gaze, not daring to look at her.
"Wh-what?"
"Your eyes... they were glowing just now." Her voice was soft, with a hint of novelty.
Her moist breath brushed against Shikamaru's arm, and such close proximity made even the usually calm him start to panic.
"Wh-what are you talking about, get up!"
Chizhao finally reacted and quickly propped herself up from the grass:
"Sorry, I think I was bumped by the fawn just now. Are you okay?"
Shikamaru's ear tips were flushed crimson by the sunlight. He propped himself up but didn't immediately stand, instead sitting cross-legged on the ground, covering his cheeks with his hands.
That scene still flashed before his eyes; he seemed to be trying his best to calm himself, to let the heat on his face subside and regain his composure.
"I'm fine... This is... such a drag..."
Hiding behind the lying fawn, Konohamaru and the other two children watched their every move with wide, curious eyes.
"Ah... were they hugging just now...?"
Moegi covered her mouth in surprise, a little at a loss:
"What about Sasuke?"
Konohamaru turned to her, puzzled:
"What about Sasuke? You don't still think that was Sasuke yesterday, do you? That was clearly Naruto. If anyone needs worrying about, it's Naruto."
Moegi, feeling indignant, frowned and retorted, "But Sasuke came later! I could feel that Sasuke cared about Chizhao too!"
"But I think they're pretty good together..."
Konohamaru and Moegi turned to Ise Udon, who rarely spoke, only to see his small eyes filled with amusement, thoroughly enjoying Shikamaru and Chizhao's interaction.
"No way, it would be better if she was with Naruto!" Konohamaru, standing up for Naruto, clenched his fists.
"I choose Sasuke! Sasuke is the coolest!" Moegi indignantly pushed Konohamaru away.
"Then I'll support Shikamaru..." Ise Udon calmly announced from the side, not competing.
The fawn, which had been shielding them, could no longer tolerate their argument. It stood up from the ground and walked forward, fully exposing the three children on the grassland.
Their argument finally caught the attention of Chizhao and Shikamaru.
Although they couldn't hear the specific content of the argument, looking from a distance, the intense scene made them exchange confused glances.
Chizhao sighed helplessly to herself:
The world of children truly is simply beautiful.