Pulled along by Shizune, Kakashi felt as though his entire body had stiffened to the point of rusting.
He had no idea how he ended up following her into another private room.
"Kakashi-senpai, please, have a seat!"
Shizune sat down gracefully, watching the dazed Kakashi across from her before suddenly bursting into laughter.
"Pfft!"
"Kakashi-senpai, you donât have to be so tense!"
Kakashi awkwardly scratched his head. Normally, he could handle situations like this with ease, but sitting alone with Shizune in a roomâespecially for something like a matchmaking meetingâmade him feel completely out of sorts.
"Uh, I think weâre the same age. You donât need to call me senpai."
"Then what should I call you? Kakashi-kun? Or Kakashi-san?" Hearing him dismiss formalities, Shizune grinned playfully.
She didnât mention that she called him senpai based on the age they became shinobi after graduating.
Back then, aside from Rin and Obito, his relationships with others were rather distant. Even people like Asuma and Kurenai only grew closer to him later.
"...Never mind. Just call me senpai." After a moment of consideration, Kakashi decided that the title felt more familiar.
"So, Kakashi-senpai, what do you think about todayâs arrangement?" Shizune poured him a cup of water before posing her question.
"I..." Seeing her gentle smile, the words caught in his throat.
Did he truly want to get married?
Could he really bring happiness to the woman in front of him for the rest of her life?
"Letâs just treat today as two old friends catching up. Thereâs no need to be so nervous, senpai." Judging by his expression, Shizune had already drawn her own conclusions.
"The Kakashi-senpai I remember was always confident, never one to be defeated by hardship. Yet now, meeting me seems to be more daunting than all the trials youâve faced combined."
"Honestly, if I had been assigned to your team after graduation, things might have been different."
"Maybe if I had asked Tsunade-sama back then, it couldâve happened."
Kakashiâs gaze drifted upward to the ceiling.
Such a distant memory...
So distant that even now, Shizuneâs words barely stirred any emotion in him.
What had his feelings for Rin truly been?
Comradeship? Or love?
If both Rin and Obito had survived, maybe he wouldnât be struggling like this now. Perhaps Rin herself would have made the choiceâwhether it was Obito or him, he would have accepted it.
But...
In the end, he had lost them both.
And in this world, there were no what-ifs.
Lowering his head, Kakashi met Shizuneâs eyes and smiled.
"Sorry for making you see me like this."
"Not at all. The fact that Kakashi-senpai acts differently around me means I must hold some place in your heart, right?"
As Kakashi regained his composure, a faint trace of sorrow flickered deep within Shizuneâs eyes.
âJust as I thought... In Kakashi-senpaiâs heart, I still canât compare to Rin.â
Still, she wasnât too surprised by the outcome.
Even before Tsunade had called her here, Shizune hadnât held much hope for this meeting.
After all, Kakashi was one of Konohaâs most eligible bachelorsâa man countless kunoichi admired. The fact that he remained unattached could only mean one thing: someone still occupied his thoughts, someone he couldnât forget.
(Maito Gai swaggers by!)
(Uchiha Obito struts past with unrivaled confidence!)
(Nohara Rin tiptoes away, leaving not a single cloud behind!)
"Kakashi-senpai, how have you been adjusting to your recent duties?" Shizune tactfully shifted the topic to work.
Kakashi leaned back, his posture becoming noticeably more relaxed.
"Too much hassle. Leading a team was way easier. Now Iâm constantly dragged into meetings by Shikaku or buried under paperwork. Being the Hokageâs advisor is not what I signed up for."
"If Tsunade-sama heard you say that, sheâd probably pile even more work on you!" Shizune chuckled. "Someone as capable as you shouldnât be wasted."
"Iâd rather be talentless and laze around all day."
"That attitude sounds a lot like Hikari!" Seeing Kakashi drop his guard and return to their usual dynamic, Shizune felt a flicker of relief.
If this meeting had pushed them apart, ruining even their friendship, she would have been heartbroken.
Not just because of her feelings for Kakashi, but also because there were so few of their old classmates left.
"That guy... I have to admit, I envy him sometimes." After all these years, Kakashi had finally learned the joys of slacking off.
Just thinkâHikari had spent years guarding the village gates, casually dropping by the hospital whenever he pleased.
Meanwhile, Kakashi had toiled away in ANBU, doing the dirtiest, most dangerous jobs for a basic salaryâno side income, no perks. After over a decade of hard work, his savings still couldnât compare to Kamizuki Hikari, the esteemed author of certain literature.
Where was the justice in this world?
If he had Hikariâs artistic skills and imagination, heâd fill his entire house with waifu posters and drown in a sea of 2D happiness.
"Hikari has been assigned to mentor the Ino-Shika-ChÅ team. If youâre free, Kakashi-senpai, perhaps you could go help him out. His abilities might not be quite enough to provide proper guidance."
Kakashiâs hand twitched slightly around his cup as he gave Shizune a puzzled look.
From what heâd observed, Hikariâs strength was at least jÅnin-level, possibly even elite jÅnin. The Ino-Shika-ChÅ team was undoubtedly one of Konohaâs finest, but until they matured, any jÅninâor even a special jÅnin skilled at teachingâcould guide their training.
For Shizune to say this could only mean one thing.
Hikari was hiding his true strength.
"Hmm, if I have time, Iâll drop by."
(And maybe pester him about his next book while Iâm at it...)
If Kakashi knew Hikariâs next book had a protagonist modeled after him, he might cry tears of joy.
The immersion while reading would be off the charts.
(Kakashi: Holy Light-sensei, if you want me dead, just say it outrightâno need to be so subtle about it.)
"Seeing Kakashi-senpai take things so seriously makes me think Tsunade-sama can relax a bit. A lot of the tasks lately were specifically assigned to you by Shikaku-senpai under her orders."
Kakashi: âWait, what? No wonder my workload is been piling up lately. So itâs the Hokageâs doing! But why? Itâs not like sheâs trying to push me and Shizune togetherâwait, no, I havenât even seen Shizune much lately. So whatâs the real reason here?!â
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