"Enju-sama! I see you have already arri- Cho-! Chōjirō-dono?!"
Gekkamaru was absolutely stunned to see his teacher at an occasion like this, just like all the others.
"Chounii?"
Kyara walked closer to the two and looked at Chōjirō with surprise.
"Chounii?! What are you doing here?"
Ennosuke asked, with Kasumi next to him.
Chōjirō immediately hid the purple furoshiki Enju gave him inside his haori in a swift motion, along with the bouquet of flowers and moon cakes inside.
"I will be joining all of you for moon-viewing tonight."
They all dropped their jaws, mouth agape, seemed to be extremely surprised about his reply.
Well, of course they were astonished.
That was because normally, their teacher wouldn't join them in their leisure, "trivial" activities, especially when they weren't related to shinobi missions. He had that image of "not having fun", so they thought it was meaningless to invite him anyway and didn't tell him about the plan.
"..."
Seeing all of their shocked faces, Chōjirō didn't say anything more.
"Y-yes, niisama is joining us everyone. I invited him to come, so let's have fun together!"
Enju explained to everyone as she smiled sheepishly.
"Oh I see! Let's have a lot of fun together then, Enju-neesama! Chou-niisama!"
Kasumi replied as she jogged next to Enju, holding her hand with enthusiasm.
"Ooh!"
Ennosuke turned smiley and revealed his sparkly teeth.
Kyara's gaze turned to Enju, who was smiling softly at her teacher.
"Hm~"
She hummed and turned her head towards the river.
Kasumi walked over to Ennosuke and Kyara, who were sitting next to the river, they seemed to be looking at the fishes swimming peacefully in the water.
"Enju-sama, I knew you must have arrived here ahead before us. I couldn't find you after I woke up and I got worried."
"I am sorry for making you worry, but I'm safe Gekkamaru."
She turned to him as she replied and flicked him a small smile.
Seeing that she smiled at him, he couldn't help but also did the same.
"Enju-sama, you look pretty today."
Gekkamaru complimented.
"...!"
Gekkamaru always says that.
Always. Since we were small...
"T-thank you Gekkamaru."
But I've learnt not to make a fuss about it anymore. It is somehow usual even, for him to say that to me. Though I have no idea whether I actually look pretty or-
"Aa, I think the same. I didn't get a chance to say it earlier, but you look pretty today. The cyan kimono and yellow obi suit you a lot with the moon-shaped hairpin in your hair."
"...!!!"
Enju shyly took a glimpse at Chōjirō, she tilted her head slightly to look up at his facial features more, her mouth agape, just a little, but then quickly closed her lips. He was looking at her with his usual expression, emotionless.
Strangely though, his stoic, blank face without any emotions made her feel embarrassed, so she quickly looked away from him as her cheeks got hotter and redder.
"Thank you... niisama."
"Hm."
He walked away from them and headed towards a robust tree, one of the few trees in the area. He laid his back against the tree and looked at the bright sky aimlessly. Maybe it was too bright though, so his gaze turned to Ennosuke, Kyara and Kasumi, who seemed to be trying to catch a fish near the river.
They were giggling, laughing, exchanging words between one another, all very happily.
He didn't look back at Enju and Gekkamaru's direction. He figured that they should have been having fun just like Ennosuke and the others.
He didn't need to know how happy she was when staying with her bodyguard. He didn't want to see, didn't want to know, for some reason. But of course he was glad that they were all very happy.
Such peaceful atmosphere.
Maybe due to the lack of sleep yesterday, he decided to rest his eyes by closing his eyelids, crossing his arms as he rested against the tree.
"Enju-sama, what would you like to to do? Kyara and the others seem to be trying to hunt down a fish, do you want to join them too?"
Gekkamaru asked, seeking her needs.
"Maybe."
She replied softly.
"Maybe? What else would you like to do?"
Enju shook her head and flicked him another smile.
"Nothing really, just chill and relax. But since we have nothing to do, I think we should join them, Gekkamaru."
"Hai. Let's go then."
They walked side by side.
Unlike... she and her cousin. That she always walked behind him, and him in front of her.
Why am I thinking about niisama again?
"Oh! Enju-neesama! Gekka-niisama!"
The youngest amongst them greeted them with a huge smile as she saw them coming towards her direction.
"Kyara-neesama was trying to catch a fish with En-niisama by using these rods!"
"You're wrong Kasumi. I am NOT catching a fish WITH him, but I am trying to win AGAINST him!"
"Yea! The one who successfully catches the fish first wins! The person who loses cannot retort to the other for an entire week! When having any argumentative conversations!"
Ennosuke followed the fish with his eyes by observing it cautiously, moving his rod.
"Kyara-neesama and En-niisama are always like that, hehe."
Kasumi giggled.
"W-what's so funny about it Kasumi? There's nothing to be happy about when speaking to this guy!"
Kyara pouted.
"Oh, you think I always want to argue with you? It can't be helped! You are always so heated up whenever I say something! Guess what! That isn't my fault! You are just being mean!"
Ennosuke exclaimed.
"Oh that's because you're always being ridiculous! You say things so insensitively and you don't consider other people's feelings! Speaking to you always makes me so irritated!"
Kyara glared at him as she spoke loudly.
"Oh well! I will win the game anyway and you won't be able to talk back to me afterwards!"
Ennosuke said, also pouting.
Enju and Kasumi listened to their quarrel and watched them by sitting on the grass while hugging their knees. Gekkamaru on the other hand, was simply watching over Enju, he would protect her whenever she needed his protection. He was standing obediently next to them.
"Gekkamaru, you should come sit with us too."
Enju looked up at him, patted her side to gesture him to sit with her and Kasumi.
"Oh, if you say so."
He slowly walked next to her side and sat down.
"Here I go!"
Kyara held her wooden rod up high, ready to strike the fish.
"H-hey! Don't target the same fish as I do! I've been eyeing it since the very beginning!"
Ennosuke yelled.
Maybe due to their loud voices, all the fishes suddenly swam away, disappearing from their sights.
"Ah! Look! Now you scared all the fishes away!!"
Kyara exclaimed, disappointed.
Watching Kyara and Ennosuke is always fun. Although they would never admit it, they are always such good friends.
"Enju-sama, are you hungry? I brought the meals I cooked this morning, we can eat now if you would like to."
Gekkamaru asked as he showed her five wooden bento boxes inside his large basket.
"Wa! Gekka-niisama! Thank you!"
Kasumi cheered, grateful for his thoughtfulness towards them.
"I figured we might not be able to hunt down the fishes, so I did some preparation beforehand just in case, hehe."
Gekkamaru smiled sheepishly.
"Since it's a little bit past noon already, I guess we can all eat together. I think everyone else is hungry. Thank you for preparing the meals for us Gekkamaru."
Enju replied and smiled.
"Okay then. Oh... since I didn't know Chōjirō-dono would come, I only made five of them..."
"Oh, I'm not that hungry actually. You can give my bento to niisama."
"I can't do that! I will give mine to Chōjirō-dono instead, Enju-sama."
"But I'm really not starving, I think you are quite hungry though Gekkamaru! You've prepared meals for us since morning after all, so you must be tired too, you need more energy yourself."
Enju said.
"B-"
"Don't be concerned about my meal. I'm not hungry. Allocate them to the five of you, just like how you originally planned to."
A stoic voice spoke behind them suddenly, which startled them a little, of course.
"Niisama."
"I'm sorry Chōjirō-dono... but I can really give mine to you."
"Don't worry about it. I'm really not hungry. I don't quite have an appetite recently. Also Gekkamaru, you seem much more hungrier than I do."
A growl could be heard faintly from Gekkamaru's stomach in the middle of Chōjirō's sentence.
"A-ah, that's...!"
Kasumi and Enju laughed.
"A..ahaha... excuse me..."
Enju then turned to her cousin.
"Niisama, are you really not hungry? You remember I gave you two moon cakes before? You can eat that to fill up your stomach a little if you are hungry. Everyone can only get two mooncakes, but I managed to get two more from the villagers, so now niisama has two too."
Enju gave him a small smile.
Chōjiro softened his emerald eyes at her.
"I see. Thank you. But I guess I'll save it for later when we view the moon."
"Oh, you can have mine if you want to eat more. So you can eat two now and the other two for later when we view the moon. I'm worried that you're hungry."
"It's fine Enju, I'm not hungry."
He smiled faintly.
"If niisama says so..."
He walked back to the tree and laid his back against it.
...
Are you alright?
That was what she wanted to ask him. But she already asked him the same question before the others arrived this morning, and he replied to her that he was fine and told her not to worry about anything.
So she pursed her lips and swallowed the question down to her throat, not wanted to be annoying by asking him over and over the same question.
But...
Enju couldn't bear the sight of seeing Chōjirō not having any food though. So she decided to hand an onigiri to him.
She walked towards the tree he was laying his back against to.
"Niisama."
Gekkamaru saw that she was going to share her meal with his teacher, he wanted to stop her and share his meal to him instead, but-
"Gekka-nii, leave them be."
Kyara said.
"Kyara...?"
"Enju is worried about Chounii. You know that feeling too right? It's just like how you are always worried about Enju."
"But just the thought of Enju-sama might not have enough food, I...!"
"Gekka-nii, Enju's fine. You put too much food in her bento anyway!"
"..."
It was true that Gekkamaru had prepared way too much food for her, so he didn't say anything more to Kyara.
...
"Hm? Enju?"
He watched her coming to him in her cyan kimono, the yellow obi surely suited her clothes well, he thought.
"Even if niisama is not hungry, please keep this."
She forcibly opened his right palm with her slender fingers and put the onigiri inside.
"Fu."
He let out an uneasy laugh.
"Fine then. I'll eat."
He then looked at her with tired eyes.
"I never knew you were this stubborn."
He added.
"I-I'm not stubborn. Niisama is, though."
Enju frowned a little as she pouted. She also got closer to him and sat down.
"Oh. Are you going to eat with me?"
She replied by nodding her head quietly.
To know you would rather be with a person who is as boring as me, how strange.
No words were exchanged between the both of them. There were only sounds of laughter from the other side, and their peaceful food-chewing sounds.
The air between them was a little bit awkward, Enju thought. She didn't know what to say to her cousin. After all, ever since they had grown up, their conversations were always solely on ninjutsu. They rarely spent their times in idle chit-chat.
Enju took a quick glance over him. He was peacefully eating his onigiri. However, her glance had turned into a stare gradually as she was mesmerised by the sight, by her beloved cousin.
"Hm? What's the matter?"
His lower purple pony tail swayed a little. His long fringes also moved as he turned his head to her slowly while holding the onigiri. Since he didn't get changed, he was still in his shinobi outfit. His very well-built physique, his well-toned chest and well-defined features were therefore all being exposed to her big blue eyes in a bold manner.
She felt her cheeks sizzled.
It's so hot here.
"Oh. I, i-it's nothing."
She quickly averted her eyes from him as if she just saw something indecent and sinful. She focused back on finishing her meal, her heart beating rapidly.
"..."
Niisama is really... so beautiful.
"..."
"You really look pretty today."
"?!"
It was the first proper sentence came out of his mouth since they sat down together and ate.
Astonishment was filled all over Enju's face.
Niisama said something like that again... it doesn't look likehe's in his usual self.
"What's wrong? You seem surprised."
"Y-yes. That's because niisama doesn't usually chat with me like this..."
She averted her eyes.
"You're right. Indeed... that might be true."
Enju didn't say anything. She seemed to be trying to hide her face from him.
"Enju? Oh..."
His voice turned quiet.
"...Do you hate it?"
He asked her slowly.
"Of! Of course I don't! I would rather niisama chat with me more, I would be happy if I could hear more words come out from niisama...!"
Enju immediately retorted and looked at him in the eye, but averted her eyes again quickly as she revealed an embarrassed expression, she felt shy. She overreacted after all.
How adorable.
He thought and smiled, faintly.
"I'm glad."
...
After the others had eaten and chatted for quite a while, the sun finally started to set, revealing an orange-pinkish sky. The light filled with warmth spread over their smiley faces.
"It's almost night soon."
"Yes."
Enju gazed up at the colourful sky and anticipated for the moon to arrive.
"It feels unusual for me to spend time like this."
Chōjirō said as he observed the sky in an idle manner.
"You would be worn out if you attend to missions without a break niisama. I think spending more time like this might be good for your health."
Enju told him.
"Well, I guess it's nice to do so once a while."
"Yes."
"Thank you Enju."
"That's not something niisama should thank me about. I didn't really do anything..."
"That's not true Enju. You've done a lot for me. I appreciate it."
His gaze turned to her figure from the sky.
She really did grow up. She looks so pretty now. Not that she wasn't pretty when she was small, but she has become more... mature. I bet she would be even more beautiful when she has truly become an adult.
Noticing his gaze, Enju looked back at him.
"Niisama...?"
"Aa, you just seem that you're really looking forward to seeing the moon today."
"Of course, it's not that I get to spend time with niisama and see a full moon together every year! But this year you are here with us."
"Is that so? Fufu."
"Hehe. Thank you for coming niisama. Oh the sky turned dark already!"
Enju pointed at the sky and the both of them could see that stars were starting to sparkle in the sky.
"Wa..."
Enju let out a sigh of appreciation.
"Oh! Let's return to the others niisama, we should observe the moon together!"
"Aa."
...
She grabbed his sleeves again, but released them quickly before she happily walked towards the crowd.
"Enju-sama, the moon seems to be coming out soon."
"Yes, it seems so!"
All of them lied down on the grass and observed the sky in appreciation.
"Oh! Here it comes!"
Kasumi said with excitement as she pointed her forefinger towards the moon. It was shimmering in white, revealing itself to the crowd gradually.
"A full moon!"
"Yes it is!"
"I'm so glad all of us get to celebrate it today! Niisama is here too! Fufu!"
Chōjirō smiled.
"Oh! We should eat the moon cakes now."
Enju said.
"Yes!"
Kyara agreed.
Enju's eyes wandered to her cousin as he took the moon cakes out from his haori, ready to have a bite.
"Do you like moon cakes, niisama?"
Enju asked after he had his first bite.
"Aa. It tastes nice."
"I'm glad you think so!"
Enju laughed happily and also took a bite.
Looking at her smiley face made both Chōjirō and Gekkamaru very happy, and everyone was smiling in this very day.