Shizuka decided she would forcefully stay at the Village Chief’s mansion until the day Onibara finally gets fed up and vaporizes her.

Rei and Benimaru ended up staying at the village orphanage. They sometimes act as teachers to the young shinobis training there.

And apparently, they now work under one of the twelve elders of our village as fashion models.

Well, figures. They really were sexy enough to pull it off.

The rest of the Death Troupe was just me and Tanaka-nii-san.

He still lived under the Great Arakawa Bridge and actually loved it there. Still as freaky as ever.

…Well, that was all of us…

Hm? What about me, you say?

Isn’t it obvious by now? I’m homeless.

Tanaka-nii-san offered me a tiny room about ten feet wide, slapped together with planks under the bridge.

But honestly, if it comes down to that, I would rather go crawling back to my parents’ house and apologize for cursing them.

Which leaves me with no other choice!

"Hey, Kiyoshi," I said casually, "you better get rid of those porn mags in OUR room. And make sure you always leave the door open, because I might stay out late every day."

"Hm? Understood… Wait, wait, wait!!" He finally realized what I meant. "I’m just hearing about this now?!"

"What? I told you some days ago, right?" I snapped back.

"No, no! You said you were joking!"

"Well, I’m serious now." I folded my arms in finality. "Or do you want a fragile gem like me to sleep in public toilets and on park benches? Because honestly, that’s all I see in my future right now."

"You could always join us at the orphanage," Benimaru added flatly. "You’d get to clean the place, feed the animals, go on free patrols, and put up with noisy brats. But it is the definition of comfy, I swear."

"So, Kiyoshi," I ignored the bullying idiot, "is it here, or the slums?"

With enough guilt-tripping and well-placed manipulation, he caved.

I didn’t study seduction and human psychology for seven years just for fun.

As soon as Kiyoshi finished giving in, Shizuka suggested we all go out and do some sightseeing in Kyoto.

We agreed, and that meant I had to wear the ridiculous, suggestive dress Kiyoshi brought for me.

I could swear he just wanted to spite me with it.

Tsk.

Rei, on the other hand, was dressed in something stylish.

She wore a fitted yellow top that hugged her figure, a pair of earrings that glittered with each movement, and a coat of bright red lipstick.

She had on slim blue jeans that sat snug against her legs, and a pair of heels that made her look taller and sharper.

Her brother was also looking annoyingly fashionable.

He had a silver necklace dangling around his neck, a red hoodie layered over a clean white shirt, and fitted black pants with a chain hanging at the side.

On his feet were a pair of fresh red sneakers, which made him look like he just walked out of some trendy magazine.

Tanaka-nii-san, as always, kept things plain and simple. Just a gray shirt and black pants. Period.

Shizuka wore really short denim shorts and a light purple crop top that showed just enough skin to make one understand she’s trouble.

Together, with me standing beside her, it felt like we were the gyarus of the group.

Kiyoshi, on the other hand, was dressed like an overworked salaryman—looking like he had accidentally wandered into cosplay.

He still had that lab coat on, which only made him look more like a nerd who got lost outside his lab.

I turned to him as my white skin shifted into a more natural tone, blending seamlessly with the complexion of my face.

"What are you doing just sitting there on your butt?" I grabbed his hand. "Come on, you’re joining us… And ditch that lab coat already, you geek!"

It was almost noon now, and being Sunday made the day feel lighter somehow. The weather was lovely too.

It was autumn, so every time our feet pressed against the ground, I could hear the crisp crunch of dried leaves, and it stirred a small wave of nostalgia in me.

The underground lab we had crawled out of was hidden somewhere in the forested outskirts of Kyoto, far enough to stay secret but not so far that we couldn’t reach the city.

From there, it was less than an hour by Kiyoshi’s car to Kimpatsu Seijo Park, one of those wide, busy city parks that had everything from food stalls to low-cost attractions.

It was one of a kind, considering Kyoto mainly involved ancient temples and such. So, according to the information, couples love that place.

However, for the sake of peace in the vehicle, Shizuka was forced to sit on the top of the car, instead of bothering us.

Once we arrived, she wasted no time throwing herself at every hot guy she laid eyes on, which, of course, earned her the wrath of their jealous girlfriends.

Benimaru and Rei, meanwhile, disappeared together on what was clearly their own private, romantic little excursion.

That left only the three of us: Tanaka-nii-san, Kiyoshi, and me. The awkward trio. The unfunny group with no charisma to speak of.

We had already decided to regroup at the main gate by five o’clock, but… yikes. Did that mean I had to be the extrovert here?

Kiyoshi looked painfully out of place, shifting around like he wanted to evaporate. And Tanaka-nii-san, of course, was glued to his book, not lifting his eyes for a second.

"Hey, both of you!" I grabbed their hands firmly. "If we’re already here, it won’t kill us to have a little fun."

The two of them exchanged glances.

"Fine," Tanaka-nii-san finally said as he closed his book. "What do you have in mind?"

Tsk. That was the problem: I was basically just like them, except I couldn’t stand letting awkward silence drag on.

So I pulled them toward anything that even slightly caught our attention (I kept an eye on Kiyoshi's wallet. And as for Tanaka-nii-san, I had to remember that he needed to save money for food. So I spared him.)

First, we tried out a maze… and it was boring as hell.

Even without cheating by using our heightened senses, we were still shinobi. There was no way a cheap park attraction could trip us up.

If anything, it would have been actually terrifying if this little park had the power to make a maze that confused us.

Maybe something built by the Saints could offer that kind of challenge.

Thinking about it carefully... About this particular park; “Kimpatsu Seijo” kind of meant “Blonde Saint,” or “Blonde Holy Woman,” I think…

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Author's note:

Hello fellas. Uhm... That thing about me stopping this story is a real threat--or at least, is quickly becoming one.

Apart from the fact I'll soon get in trouble from all my debts, I now have a sort of benign tumor on my left hand. And it's irritating as hell, and damn painful. Not to mention, it has something to do with the nerves on my hand, so moving it is kinda hard. Thus, writing is literally a pain in the ass.

Anyway, you'll hear from my proxy if I don't survive ?

But this story, I believe, is kinda great. And it WILL be great, trust me... If I don't get crushed under real life's weight, then it might even become an anime in a few years time ? (a guy can dream!)