"No way, Sarada," Boruto says. "Why should I show you?"

But already Sarada has slid past Boruto and seized the papers. She is impatient to see if she has won the bet against Mitsuki. Boruto fights back, but Mitsuki steps in between them and locks him up with his extended arms.

"Mitsuki, even you -!"

A quick glance was all it took to draw a cheeky grin on Sarada's face. Her long lashes cast a shadow on her cheeks as the sun sets.

"Pfft!" She pans the papers in Mitsuki's face. "I won!"

Mitsuki retracts his arm from a dumbfounded Boruto.

"You guys bet on my history scores?!"

Mitsuki shrugged innocently. "She said you weren't gonna get anything over 40; I thought there's no way that could happen, right? After all, you're the Seventh's son and the Fourth's grandson – soon enough you too will become Hoka – "

"I'm the one who's gonna become Hokage!" Sarada throws the papers at Mitsuki but he evaded them with ease.

With a sly grin on his face, the silver-haired boy attempted to calm a boiling Boruto with his hands lifted in surrender. A word of apology was about to escape his lips when he heard footsteps approaching the classroom. The other two had their eyes locked on the doorway and instinctively went on guard. They began to notice the light scent of chalk, the sound of the birds chirping, and struggled to figure out the approaching stranger. But the door slid open before they could recognise the footsteps, and in the doorway stood their team leader, hiding a smile behind his fist.

"I can't help but overhear your conversation." Konohamaru scratches his head. "But I have a feeling you three kids are missing an important point here."

The trio exchanged glances as if to find answers in each other's eyes.

"Your test scores, they get averaged out across the semester, as a team."

Sarada's widened in surprise while Boruto, visibly stifling a chuckle, took a step back. What does that mean? Sarada has worked so hard this time that she could finally recite all the names of the Kages across the villages, present and past, including their aides and family members. She could finally beat Mitsuki at the war strategy component, and she would top the class. Mom is going to praise her, and dad may even send her a congratulatory letter. Boruto? He slacked off the entire term, preferring to practice combat skills and neglect theoretical studies.

"No way! That makes no sense." She waves her hands up and down, demanding an explanation. "That's simply not fair!"

Mitsuki, who has been observing quietly in the corner finally speaks up, "Does it mean that – since Sarada scored 90, I scored 85, and Boruto a pathetic 32, our scores will be recorded as 207/3 = 69 each?"

"Yes, Mitsuki. The Seventh has just introduced this system to encourage teamwork in our meetings earlier, so I guess Iruka-sensei must've not announced it yet."

The sun has now fully set. It is time for the Uzumaki ladies to prepare dinner for their weary men. Usually, Boruto helps out, but he has a guest to entertain today. Or rather, the guest is entertaining him in a way.

"How can you not remember?!" Sarada spoke loudly, holding back a yell in the house of a family friend. "Kankuro is Uncle Gaara and Aunt Temari's sibling!"

"But I rarely see him!" Boruto protests. The smell of curry chicken triggers a deafening growl from Boruto's insides, drowning out the sound of simmering pots and chopping from the kitchen. There was a moment of silence, before the entire house erupts into a frenzied laugh. But Sarada was dead serious.

Hinata walks over to the dining table with two bowls of curry on rice. "Here, have this. I'll be cooking a second batch for Naruto and Himawari so you two can have dinner first."

"Thanks, mom," Boruto rubs the back of his head in embarrassment.

As Hinata returns to the kitchen, Sarada pulls Boruto's bowl away from him. "There are three more tests coming up, and you're going to score at least an 80 for each of them." She scoops a spoon of curry with rice and holds it in front of Boruto. "Now, you concentrate."

Seeing this, Boruto turns bright red and quickly snatches the spoon away from Sarada. "I'll feed myself!" He chugs the food in his mouth. "We need a break anyway."

Hands on the table and quick on her feet, Sarada was ready to object when she noticed Hinata's concerned stare coming from the kitchen. "Fine, a break it is."

As Boruto gobbles up his dinner, Sarada walks to the kitchen to thank Hinata and Himawari to the food. She comes back to the table and enjoys her food silently, until she noticed a pair of blue sapphire eyes set on her.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Just wondering."

"Wondering what?"

"Y'know, you, and your stubborn behaviour towards studying."

Sarada could feel a vein pop in her head. "Why do you study?" Boruto asks while stuffing his cheeks with his dinner.

"Why? So I can get good scores, of course. Get ahead in life."

"And?"

"And I get recognised; I become Hokage. I'll connect with all the villagers, I'll protect everyone."

"Pfft!"

Sarada drops her cutleries, clearly annoyed by Boruto's response to her committed declaration. She stretched her hands forward and pinches his cheeks full of food. "What's so funny, ninja-boy?"

"Aaa-aaa-aahhhh! Stop that!"

Boruto tries to pull Sarada's hands apart, but he was no match to Sarada's strength with her chakra boost. Himawari giggles in the corner as she turns on the tap in the sink.

"I was just laughing at myself! Really!"

"At what?"

"I don't know why I'd bother asking you why you are working so hard. You've been repeating the Hokage thing like a broken record anyway…"

Sarada releases him, but not without a final glare. "What about you?"

"What about what?"

"What do you want to be when you grow up? Why is it just me talking about mine?"

"Haha…" Boruto glanced sideways and smiled, pretending to look at his mother sweating away in the kitchen. With eyes back on Sarada, he tilted his head sideways. "I've told you already. I'll support you with your dreams."

Sarada's cheeks flushed red as she recalls his bold declaration after the battle with Momoshiki. Is he for real? What does my dream have to do with him anyway? She stiffens up in her chair and grabs her cutleries.

"T-There's no way…" Sarada clears her throat. She couldn't hold eye contact with Boruto. With her hands shaking, she points her fork at Boruto.

"There's no way someone who does this b-bad in exams c-can be H-Hokage's aide…"

Seeming completely oblivious to her odd behaviour, Boruto pouts in response. The night felt chillier than usual, and Boruto started rubbing his hands together. Must be warmer on Sarada's side – she's closer to the stove. Fumes of delicious cooking vanish into the ventilator, and rushing water in the sink fills the silence.

Sarada shoves her face into the food in attempt to forget Boruto's words. Why did they make her feel so happy? Maybe she shouldn't take him so seriously. He is, after all, the number one prankster in town who prefers fun over studying. He probably manned up a little and stopped seeking attention from his dad as much as he used to, but Boruto will forever be Boruto, right?

"Fine," Boruto relents. "I'll study hard."

Did she hear that right? Boruto? Saying he'll study? Maybe she did. Maybe he's just making empty promises.

"Time for dinner, Naruto, Himawari."

She would soon find out that even the little prankster has a serious side to him…