Young man, your fate is to become a sugar baby

Chapter 8: When your thoughts are no longer safe

[Ding!]

[A quest has been successfully completed. Issuing reward: sharingan level up — no side effects.]

The damned voice awoke inside Mikoto's mind and announced its long-awaited completion of the quest, but she paid it no mind. She couldn't.

I apologize, Mikoto-nee. I'm happy to know you feel that way, but I can't accept your feelings. I'm sorry.

. . .

I apologize, Mikoto-nee but . . . I can't accept your feelings. I'm sorry.

. . .

I apologize Mikoto-nee but . . . I don't like you.

. . .

Your feelings are troublesome Mikoto . . . I don't need them.

. . .

I don't like you . . . Mikoto.

. . .

I hate—

. . .

All of her consciousness was occupied by the echo of Akira's words and every time they completed an iteration, they degenerated worse and worse and she felt her heart get stabbed by them deeper and deeper. By now, her chest hurt so much she was having difficulty breathing.

Her breath strained, Mikoto raised a quivering hand and placed it on her budding chest — just like she felt it ringing in her ears, pulsing at her temple and jumping in her throat, her heart was going wild — her pulse, rough, and irregular. The only difference was that she could now feel it through her palm too . . . Her fingers slowly clenched into a tight fist, crumpling her blouse within its confines, but neither this time, she paid it no mind.

. . . She was in pain, she felt like bawling her eyes out, and she wanted to shout, to scream, and to wail at the boy for doing this to her . . . for breaking her heart so nonchalantly, so cruelly.

She didn't, however.

As much as her addled mind screeched and urged her to hurl all the insults in the world at the boy who dared to hurt them . . . her heart, the one who had suffered the most from his betrayal and was still suffering, it . . . couldn't abandon the love it held for him and risk hurting him in the process. All she could do was stare at the weary and troubled-looking boy, her beautiful dark orbs trembling slightly, wet and glittering with tears that threatened to burst.

'. . . Are my feelings truly that burdensome. . .? Just why are you making that face . . .? Why did you reject me? Is it because of that bitch? Why did you choose her over me?'

The gaze the young ravenette was sending her cousin was getting more and more deranged, creepy, and—

'What do you think of me? Do you really hate me or . . .?'

— obsessive.

[. . .]

The Brocon#Uchiha#wwww System had a hunch — if he didn't interfere right now and put an end to its Host dangerous thoughts . . . things would really get out of control.

'. . . I wish I knew what's on your mind . . .'

. . . That's why it would act and give the girl exactly what she wanted. Who cared if it would only make things worse — all was fair in love, war, and gambling. Not to mention that she couldn't, even if she wanted—

[Ding!]

[A bonus quest has been successfully completed. Issuing reward: Mind Reader.]

"!"

The annoying voice, the one that was at fault for all the misery she was going through right now, resounded again in her mind and interrupted Mikoto's spiraling thoughts. She barely held herself back from snapping at it. It was enough that the boy had turned her down in favour of some hussy — she didn't want to give him the chance to justify his action by acting like a looney.

Mikoto wrathfully decided to leave the System alone until later when she would deal with it once and for all. She took a deep breath in order to calm herself down and . . . froze — her mind had unknowingly processed its words and—

'Did you say . . . Mind Reader . . .?'

[Yes, Host.]

'And does it do exactly what it says?'

[Of course, Host. Every day, for five seconds per person, you can listen to their thoughts.]

"!"

Mikoto's breath hitched as she let out a mute exclamation. Her eyes, open wide and with her Sharingan activated ever since she had received the quest reward that raised the number of tomoe to two in each, were shining with an intensity that had Akira fear for his life — he believed he was the reason the girl's eyes got a power up this abruptly. He quite understood now the woes of the poor souls who somehow managed to anger an Uchiha — being glared at by a pair of bloody red eyes with their tomoe spinning wildly . . . was one hell of a hair-raising experience!

The boy tried to make himself smaller and less conspicuous by burrowing closer into Mayumi's side. This way, he could feel more or less at ease.

Unaware of her crush's distress, Mikoto went on questioning her System, 'On anyone, you say? With no restrictions?'

[Were you not paying attention, stupid Host?]

". . ."

[I said 5 seconds a day per each person, stupid Host]

Ignoring the new symphony of 'stupids' that came her way, Mikoto pressed on, 'And can I leaf through their thoughts to search for whatever I need?'

[Ha ha ha, no. You wish, stupid Host. You can only listen to their surface thoughts.]

"?"

[. . . What they are thinking at the moment.]

Mikoto nodded. Although the ability was not as powerful as she had expected, it was still more than useful. Since she could only read those surface thoughts, she only had to induce them to think about what she wanted to find out.

She pondered for a moment the morality of what she was about to do. Her mind — the one of an already seasoned kunoichi — continuously urged her to go ahead and just read Akira's thoughts and satisfy her morbid curiosity but . . . her heart — which still retained much of her maidenly innocence — kept overruling the decision, saying that there was no bigger breach of privacy and trust than spying on someone's mind without permission. That only doubled should the target be Akira, her beloved.

. . . This fragile balance only lasted until she met the boy's watery eyes, which were trembling in disgust (fear) as they peeked warily at her from the gap between his mother's chest and right arm where he had intimately snuggled in — her mind squashed the weak protests of her heart. Whatever the truth was, she was better off finding out. Deepening the painful ache hammering at her heart felt like it was still a preferable option to the maddening uncertainty gnawing at her mind and spirit.

Thus, the desperate Mikoto locked her eyes on Akira's and activated her newfound ability without even remembering that she was supposed to first lead his thoughts in the direction she needed.

[Just why is she glaring at me like that?!]

When those words resounded loud and clear and yet the boy had made no attempt to open his pursued mouth, Mikoto's gaze widened slightly. The System hadn't lied to her. If she hadn't gone completely mad and this was just her mind's attempt to satisfy her desire, she was really reading Akira's thoughts.

[It's because I turned her down, right?! It has to be!]

Mikoto found herself nodding, despite herself. She regretted it, though, when she realized her action was the one responsible for her cousin's startled flinch. Although she had agreed with his statement, for Akira, who was aware that he had not voiced his thoughts, it probably looked exactly as it was.

. . . She hoped she hadn't exposed herself just like that. Her remorse deepened further and a new kind of anxiety, different from the one that had been already tormenting her insides, reared its ugly head as the guilt born from her despicable deed gripped at her heart. She didn't know how to explain this to the boy without spooking him into never again wanting to deal with her . . . she continued to peek.

[Had she finally made up her mind to kill me . . .?! No, no, no! Even if she wished to, she wouldn't be able to get past mom . . . I hope!]

. . . It seemed she had thought too much into it, fortunately. Mikoto let loose the breath she didn't know she was holding. Sadly, her relief was not one destined to last.

[Just what's going on today?! First, that idiot Kushina confessed out of nowhere and now Mikoto-nee has gone crazy too. Someone help me! If things keep on like this, the world's really gonna end!]

'. . .Idiot . . . Kushi . . . na . . .?'

Mikoto froze as she picked up that unknowing name.

'Kushina . . .?'

Did he say that this Kushina was the one who had confessed to him?

'Kushina . . . Kushina!'

Was this the filthy name of the thieving cat who dared to corrupt her innocent angel with her depravity? Mikoto felt hot anger rising inside her veins, and, for the first time today, both her mind and her heart fell into an agreement.

'KUSHINA.'

There were no more disagreements as she locked her gaze anew on the boy's, her stare so intense it looked like she was trying to peer into his very soul. Nothing could stop her from finding who that bitch was!

"?"

. . . Except nothing happened. As she overlooked Akira with eyes that would not have been out of place on a mother tiger willing to give up her life in order to protect her sole cub . . . nothing happened. The only response she had got from the boy was the fearful averting of his beautiful orbs and his attempt to become one with his mother as he snuggled hard into her side, looking to go beyond the already inexistent distance separating them. As it should have normally been, her mind could no longer pick up his thoughts.

That terrified her.

'System! What's going on?! The ability stopped working!'

[That's only natural, stupid Host. You've exceeded the five seconds allocated today for this person.]

'But I haven't finished looking for what I want— . . . need to know!'

[Not my problem, stupid Host. For more, wait 'til tomorrow.]

'I can't wait that long! Who knows what's going to happen by tomorrow? I need to know now — quit gloating and do something about it!'

[Once again, stupid Host, it is not my problem. If you don't have the patience necessary to wait, stop yappin' at me and ask the boy instead.]

". . ."

Mikoto bit her lips hard enough to draw a tinge of crimson from them. Of course, she knew she could just ask Akira but . . . there was no way she would get an honest answer that way. Humans were creatures who wouldn't admit their wrongs just because they were asked and, as much as an angel Akira was, he was still human at the base — he wouldn't tell her.

'Please . . . just a few more seconds, please . . .' Mikoto swallowed her pride and begged the System. She had to know right away or she would go crazy working her mind over the matter. Tomorrow was too far away to be accepted as a viable option.

[The answer is still no, stupid Host. Don't ask again.]

'But—'

[No.]

". . ."

Mikoto sighed resignedly. It seemed she wouldn't achieve much by pleading her heart out to this heartless entity that was the System, and, unlike it, she didn't have the luxury of time to pester it for months like it had done to her until she had given in just earlier.

". . . Who's Kushina?" Mikoto eventually asked, her words gaining a sharp edge to them as they got past her chapped lips. Her Sharingan also glowed with an eerie reddish light as she glowered at the boy in an attempt to pick up any possible signs of dishonesty.

At the sudden question, Akira flinched hard, almost headbutting his mother's chin as he jumped. Their only saving grace had been Mayumi's keen reflexes who managed to place a hand in between their heads before they could collide. After directing an apologetic look to the woman, the boy swallowed thickly before gaining the courage to stutter a question on his own.

"W-Why are you a-asking?"

As afraid as he was right now, he still refrained from answering directly. The murderous look in the girl's eyes hinted to him that something bad would happen to either Kushina or himself should he give a wrong answer.

. . . Pity that was a wrong answer in itself. Mikoto's eyes got even fiercer as she saw the boy attempt to 'defend' the thieving cat. Not answering that, she repeated herself through gritted teeth, stressing each word coldly, "Who. Is. Kushina."

". . . Not telling you."

Akira resisted the fear and anxiety taking his heart hostage and refused to cow under the pressure his more and more unrecognizable cousin exerted over him. Something was wrong with her right now. Something was very wrong. Where usually — while they were together at least — she was the incarnation of kindness and gentleness and never missed the occasion to fawn over him or spoil him rotten . . . she was now completely unrecognizable.

Just what happened to her that it overwrote so harshly the innate sweetness and tenderness that should have been her most definitive characteristics? To be honest, the self Mikoto was currently displaying . . . reminded him more of the old relics left from Madara's oh-so-glorious era.

While most of the time those old veterans felt contented to haunt the core reaches of their clan's land, compete in Mahjong or Shogi tournaments that only starred their group of ten or so people, and smile benevolently to the occasional junior who was unfortunate enough to cross their paths before waylaying them into endless stories that deified Madara to the moon and back yet denigrated the First and his ilk to the point they turned them into oni who lived solely to torment their clan . . . they couldn't mislead Akira's sharp senses. Just because they put a grandfatherly smile on and shared his opinions on the Third didn't mean he hadn't noticed the occasional burst of madness that took over their muddy eyes. Nor did that make them any less terrifying for him, who, for all intents and purposes, was an outsider playing the role of a child. He shuddered at the thought of what would happen to him should those crazies catch news of who he really was and just what kind of knowledge he had stored in his mind — there was no doubt they would change faces before he could even attempt to open his mouth to bullshit his way out . . .

Fighting against them and taking them down before they could do the same to him . . .? The very thought made Akira snort in contempt . . . for himself. While those guys were certainly ancient and he was left wondering just how they could still use those decomposing bodies of theirs, a glance from any of their very much potent Sharingan would be enough to turn him into a drooling mess, incapable to resist anything they would do to him.

While the physical 'component' of a ninja only deteriorated with time and aged very much the same as it was the case with ordinary humans — or much quicker and worse if the plethora of hidden wounds left behind from their active days sped up the process — the spiritual one only thrived with the passage of time, getting stronger by day until, finally, they would one day go to the Pure Land and shake hands with Rikudō. Long story short, that only meant that, for an Uchiha, their eyes got more powerful with age, and, although rare to the point it was almost considered a myth, the chances for one's Sharingan to evolve into its Mangekyō form simply by accumulation were not completely zero.

. . . Who knew just how many of those 'kind' elders of his decided to take the same approach the current young and arrogant Fugaku would in the future and hide the fact his Sharingan passed the three tomoe mark. Akira may be a bit alarmist in his assumption, but he very much preferred to heave a sigh of relief at the discovery that he had been wrong all the time than to not even realize he had turned into a mindless slave like Yakura after underestimating them. Those old men were just as dangerous and posed just as much of a threat to him as the happy couple in Konoha's Fantastic Four did.

". . . Why are you defending her?"

—though it seemed that worrying over the possible threat of some currently fictional Mangekyō was quite the brainless thing to do when there was a pair of two tomoe Sharingan to worry about. They may be much backward on the evolutionary scale compared to the Mangekyō, but they were still well outside the range of what his academy student self, equipped with but a lousy pair of one tomoe and some measly skills he had inherited from Mayumi, could do. Although Mikoto had just made the upgrade herself and there shouldn't have been much of a difference between them on this front, he could not forget the fact he was the one behind this fortuitous event — an irate Uchiha's strength always skyrocketed when confronted with the ones responsible for angering them.

. . . Not that the girl needed the bonus, though. She was already a strong kunoichi, one capable to trash the ground with him without relying on their clan's kekkei genkai. And he couldn't use his either since he had concealed the fact he had opened them — it would have bought too much attention to himself if the news that he had opened them at four got out. The life-preserving policies he had drawn up were completely against basking in that kind of lethal ego-stroking foolishness that was fanfare'ing his non-existent genius.

". . . Are you so infatuated with that bitch that you would abandon me for her!? After all the love we've shared!?"

Akira sighed in great sadness at seeing how much people could change if you took your eyes off them even for a second and . . . grabbed Mayumi's other, free hand and had it draped over him for good measure. With how much his Mikoto-nee had changed for the worse in the month he had not seen her, he didn't know what to expect of her so every bit of extra defense he could provide for himself was very welcome. His chances for surviving the day were non-existent if he didn't employ the help of the only real absolute shield in the universe — the mother's embrace!

"Answer me!"

Mikoto once again raged from the side, her lovely face blushing in anger at having her inquiries repeatedly disregarded but Akira paid her no mind, emboldened after activating this trump card of his. His fears and his worries, they all seemed redundant now that he was safe. He even had the courage now to direct the thundering girl a self-satisfied smirk, shaking his head and tsk'ing at her like an adult would do when witnessing the idiotic tantrums of a child.

. . . This conceited behavior of his only lasted until a few seconds later, though, when he felt the safe protection of the arms cradling him disentangle gently from his form. He looked up in alarm and yet he was met with Mayumi's amused smile and fair fingers that parted the veil of silky tresses covering his left ear and . . . grabbed a hold of it before twisting harshly.

"Who gave you the courage to mock her like that, hmm, sweetie?" she asked with a beaming smile but didn't release the poor appendage. "Even more so after ruffling her up to the point her eyes changed. I didn't think you had it in you."

"But I—"

"Hm?"

". . . Nothing."

Akira felt betrayed. He was privy to the saying that stated that no one could wreck you out worse than a relative could but he hadn't expected the betrayal to be this sudden and coming from the only person in this world he trusted almost unconditionally . . . or not. Exactly because he trusted Mayumi and knew what she was capable of . . . he couldn't put it past her to sabotage him in critical moments like this. He felt like crying, though, when he thought that she had playfully watched all along when Mikoto was busy murdering him through her eyes yet immediately reacted to his little taunt.

. . . Was he really her son . . . or was Mikoto her daughter? Right now, if someone told him that the two sisters had secretly swapped their children, he wouldn't scoff at them.

"Fu fu," giving her boy a quick, loud peck on the cheek, Mayumi amusedly took her gaze off her his expression of doubting life and stood up from the sofa. Arms crossed beneath her breasts, she made her way towards the fidgety Mikoto, the girl seemingly having regained an ounce of her sanity, the black pools peeking timidly at her the best proof of that. "Now, missy," she drawled out as she came to a stop just two steps away from the young girl, "just what got your panties in a twist this badly, hmm?"

Mikoto's pale face regained a bit of colour in the form of a blush at her aunt's choice of words but stubbornly kept her mouth shut.

Mayumi raised an eyebrow at that, "Are you going to tell me by yourself or do I have to make you talk? It doesn't matter which way you choose but I recommend the latter. It's been a while since the two of us had some . . . fun together."

"I'll talk!"

Barely had the woman finished making her offer and Mikoto shrieked in horror, her resolve crumbling instantly when she heard her talk about having fun together.

The last time something similar had happened, she had been hanging out around their place, too pissed at her mom to even stomach the thought of sharing the same roof with her. Much like she had done earlier, Mayumi, annoyed by her constant brooding, asked her a very similar question — whether she would talk by herself or if she was in need of a helping hand.

At that time, her young and ignorant self, had chosen to . . . snort at her aunt and proceed to ignore her.

Mikoto shuddered at the memory. If she had to make a top of the most idiotic decisions she had taken in her life . . . that one was easily a top three one.

The reason?

The reason was that Mayumi's thought patterns worked very differently from a normal person's. Where a normal aunt — worried for her niece and eager to turn her frown into a smile — would have probably taken her to the side, embraced her into a loving hug, and then slowly tried to coax her into sharing the matters causing her distress, Mayumi had taken quite the . . . different approach.

With a toothy smile that had reminded the young Mikoto of a wolf ready to jump at their prey's neck and tear it apart, Mayumi had hefted the girl up, and, regardless of her screams and struggles, she had flickered away, the young body firmly secured on her shoulder.

When Mikoto had come to her senses, after generously emptying her stomach and her head stopped behaving like it had been forgotten inside a running washing machine for the better part of a week — enjoying a free ride from a kunoichi who was nothing but a monster in human skin, one easily capable of reaching hypersonic speeds could do that to people — the girl had found herself in a dark place. In a very dark, humid, and teeming with the bloodthirsty howls of unknown creatures . . . horror forest-like place.

She would only later come to learn of this, but that creepy forest was none other than the infamous Forest of Death.

Poor Mikoto, only six years old at that time, instantly burst into tears when she realized her aunt had brought her to such a scary place. She still remembered that, her face full of tears and snot, she had begged the woman through choked sobs to take her away and bring her back home. She had even promised to never again be a bad girl and then proceeded to confess the reason behind her previous sour mood.

Mayumi, however . . . had just smiled gently and placed a finger on her younger self's lips, effectively stopping her incoherent babbling. Then, when the girl's eyes lit up, believing that her plea had been heard and listened to, the woman dropped a bombshell she even now, years later, had nightmares about.

"Fufu, Mikoto dear, you don't have to say anything right now~ I'll listen to it in two days, when I come to pick you up~"

After that, under her horror-filled eyes, Mayumi disappeared in place, leaving her all alone in that dangerous place, and, true to her words, it had been only two days later when she came back to pick up her starved, dehydrated, dead tired, and terrified to the point the fear turned into numbness younger self.

. . . Even today, it was still a wonder to Mikoto that she hadn't kicked the bucket during that ordeal.

"I'm willing to talk!" Fighting the shudder that swept over her body at the mere remembrance of her trauma, Mikoto repeated herself louder, lest her aunt pretended she hadn't heard her for the first time.

Mayumi nodded in satisfaction — it was always a joy dealing with well-behaved children. "Out with it, then," she said.

"W-Well, it's . . . just t-that . . ."

"Speak clearly. And louder."

"Y-Yes, mam!"

Mikoto hurriedly acquiesced to the order before shutting her eyes tightly and taking a deep, calming breath. A few moments later, when she opened her mouth to speak again, she had indeed become more composed.

"I-I-I heard that A-Akkun got confessed to and I p-panicked."

Nevertheless, her stutter was still present.

". . ."

Mayumi cocked an eyebrow, the triviality of the girl's response enough to surprise her. She wanted to retort to that but decided to keep her mouth shut for now and wait for her niece to continue. There had to be something more to it — having someone confess their feelings to one's cousin was not a matter that could raise negative emotions strong enough to evolve a Sharingan, the low level of the girl's eyes notwithstanding.

Convinced of her reasoning, Mayumi put on a smile she thought to be understanding and stared at the girl, waiting for her to continue.

". . ."

". . ."

. . . Though no matter how long she waited, Mikoto didn't speak up again, their already flawed conversation turning into an awkward staring contest where one party was sweating bullets due to having a predatory smile directed at her from almost point blank and the other felt her arterial blood pressure rise steadily as her opponent kept worrying over the hem of her blouse while shifting in place and said nothing.

". . ."

"That's all?"

Mayumi was the first to break the silence, her niece seemingly having no intention to do so anytime soon.

"Y-Yes," came the startled response.

". . . Okay," the young woman sighed and rubbed her aching temples, "let me get this straight. You put on that . . . act, because you've heard that a girl had confessed to my son?"

". . . Yes."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Just for that . . .?" Mayumi still felt doubtful. "Sorry, but it's hard for me to believe that an insignificant reason such as that could generate a powerful enough emotional condition to straight-up upgrade your Sharingan."

"!"

Snap.

Mikoto felt a vein burst inside her head — was having none of that.

"It's not insignificant to me!" she cried out, and, in her fury-addled mood, she went as far as to grab hold of the woman's shirt and pull her down to stare her in the eyes . . . or at least tried, because the older kunoichi didn't budge an inch and her back remained straight as a javelin. "Something that has to do with Akira . . . I could never regard it as insignificant!"

"Ohh~? And why is that so~?"

If Mayumi felt slighted by the girl's angry outburst, she didn't show it outwardly. She instead grinned and then said something that had the little spitfire freeze.

"Let me guess . . . ah!" Her smile slowly widened and under her niece's now panicked eyes, she drawled out teasingly, "Maybe, just maybe, does it have something to do with the fact you've asked my boy how many kids does he want . . .?"

Those words turned the girl's face crimson, the tint a few levels deeper than the one her previous anger had managed to achieve, "Aunty!" she hissed like an angry little kitten and directed a panicked glance in her cousin's direction. Fortunately, he didn't seem to have heard his mother, still lost in his own world of doubt. "Don't say that with him here!" She added just as irately but lowered her voice to a whisper so as to not draw Akira's attention.

Mayumi giggled.

"Is there any point stopping me, though? After you've so passionately declared your feelings, me saying it again won't make any difference."

"But still!"

"Fufu, alright, alright," the woman gave in generously, Mikoto seemingly ready to cry should she not. "Then, for our jealous little kitten, I have some good news to deliver."

". . . Good news?" Mikoto scrunched her brow in doubt. How could there be any news good news for her at this point . . .? She felt another wave of sadness wash over her and something seemed to start squeezing her painfully once more. She sighed mournfully, ". . . And I am not jealous."

Mayumi snorted at that, but let the girl be, "Then should I rather not tell you?"

". . . Just say it already."

Mikoto sighed again. She was feeling tired from all the ups and— . . . no. She was feeling tired from all the downs she had gone through since the System had told her about the existence of the thieving cat.

. . . Just how was she supposed to win back the boy's heart when he was so eager to protect the other party? Had she already lost?

"Tsk," Mayumi clicked her tongue, not liking the despair and decadence oozing from the girl, "you're no fun. I hope this brings back to you some of the fine fighting spirit you showed earlier."

"?"

"Akira turned that girl down."

". . . Ha?"

What was this woman saying now . . .? Had she heard it right . . .? Mikoto's eyes widened in disbelief as a hint of hope rekindled inside the confines of her chest.

Mayumi repeated herself.

"I said, Akira turned her down."

She had heard it right!

"Really?!" Mikoto cried out excitedly and almost started dancing a merry jig around the woman. Only her sharp glare when she was about to take the first step had managed to stop her. "Are you not lying to me just to make me feel better?!"

"Pft. Do you think I'm someone who would do something as redundant as that?"

". . . No, you're not."

Mayumi flicked the girl's forehead, "Although I've said it myself, don't you think it's rude if you agree to it this readily?"

"Ehehe."

"Well, it's fine, for now," the older woman shook her head and then looped a hand around Mikoto's shoulders. "Let's go."

"?" The girl looked up doubtfully. She met a pair of glittering eyes that instantly gave her a bad premonition. She put up her guard. ". . . Where to?"

"To the backyard, of course."

The ominous feeling was getting stronger. Mikoto tried to disengage from the one-armed hug and take her leave before the feeling turned into reality but she couldn't shake the woman's firm grip at all. She had been trapped.

"You should know already that the enhancement in perception that comes with the level-up of the Sharingan puts a big strain on the body due to it trying to keep up with the increased reaction time. I'll help you with that."

She knew it! Another kind of despair than the one she had been feeling when she thought her Akkun had been stolen engulfed Mikoto's lithe body. ". . .Do we have to?" she asked pitifully.

"Of course! It's very important to put you into shape as soon as possible."

"But . . . why right away? I still have to set some things straight with Akkun!"

Mayumi shook her head, quick to deny her niece's wishful thinking, "You can do that later; he's not going anywhere." She began to drag the girl towards the door.

"But . . . but . . ."

"Stop complaining and just come honestly or else—"

Mikoto gulped thickly, kind of knowing already what the woman was about to say.

"—I may take into consideration your earlier behavior while training." The older ravenette shook her head in mock disappointment, "Goodness gracious . . . How rude are kids nowadays! To grab her aunt's chest that wildly and to scream in her face . . . Tsk, tsk."

Mikoto slumped her shoulders and let herself get dragged away. She had lost this round. If she didn't want to experience hell — literally — she couldn't escape this 'training'.

. . . Just who was that stupid girl who had decided that coming to her aunt for love advice would be a good idea?

. . . Unfortunately, she was that stupid girl.

"Ah," Mayumi paused just as she was about to close the door behind them. She cast a glance at her still 'lost in his own world' son and said, "I hope I do find you here when I'm done helping your cousin. Don't turn your mom into a liar by disappearing on her. It seems Mikoto still wishes to have a word with you."

". . ."

"There's also the matter of you skipping school. I haven't finished talking to you about that."

"!"

"Bye, sweetie."

Click.

". . ."

Akira stared in a daze at the closed door for a few moments before quickly scrambling to his feet and making a break for the window. With practiced ease, he opened it and jumped out of the house, landing on the soft grass of their garden. Without a moment of hesitation, he outrightly ignored Mayumi's 'kind advice' and took the way of the roofs, rushing away from home with the do-or-die mentality of a death row convict presented with an opportunity to keep his meager life just moments before his sentence was to be enforced.

Running away would only worsen the nature of the punishment that his mother had in mind for him but . . . he decided to let that be a worry for his future self. A tougher punishment later seemed like a better choice than a lighter one right away, after he had already gone through so much today.

It was his policy that breaks should be taken with regularity and be faithfully respected . . . this was by no means Akira hoping against hope that the woman would change her mind and let him off the hook.

Yes, by no means.

Having convinced himself of the justness of his decision, Akira altered his course by kicking the pole he happened to leap by at the moment and scurried towards the edge of the village where the training grounds were located.

After all, was there any better way to clear one's mind of troubles than letting off some sweat?

Mikoto's quests

1. Completed (1):

[Subquest: Confess the burning feelings you've been secretly harbouring for Uchiha Akira to the person himself]

[Reward upon completion: Sharingan level up — no side effects.]

[Failure penalty: None.]

[Time limit: None.]

[Bonus: While Uchiha Mayumi is present, ask her son (Uchiha Akira) how many kids he wishes to have with you and you'll get a mysterious reward.]

2. Pending (1):

[Main quest: Within twenty-five years, become the wife of Uchiha Akira.]

[Reward upon completion: Happiness.]

[Failure penalty: Untimely death or a life filled with desolation.]

3. New (2):

[Quest: Before Uchiha Akira graduates from the academy, become his girlfriend.]

[Reward upon completion: Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan — it would be cool to reach the same level as that Uchiha Madara, right~?]

[Failure penalty: Witness Uchiha Akira climb the stairs to adulthood together with a woman that is not you.]

[Subquest: The way to a man's heart is through his stomach; although you're quite the good cook and Uchiha Akira enjoys the meals you prepare, you've been quite slack lately and have failed to improve yourself — within a month, develop a dish that Uchiha Akira would like to taste again and get his honest praise.]

[Reward upon completion: Elementary knowledge of the Dance Master's — Uchiha Madara — unique dance steps.]

[Failure penalty: How about having to witness Uchiha Akira lovingly hold hands with another girl?]

AN: Greetings!

A bit of a longer chapter, this one is. I didn't want to cut off parts of the scene and I didn't feel particularly in favour of dragging it into the next chapter, so you'll have to waste more of your precious time reading my story. Feel the horror . . .!

I can't say I've intended from the start for Mikoto to turn out this . . . yandere-ish. Like it's always the case with my writing, it just happened.

What do you think of this System-earned ability of hers? I tried to give her something more or less comparable to Kushina's in terms of 'rarity' but I kind of feel that mind reading, as restricted as it already is in this case, may be a bit over the top.

Oh! Before you ask! I do intend for her to find out about some of Akira's secrets at some point, though she'll keep it to herself. Not everything, of course. There are still some restrictions her System's failed to mention for various reasons.

Alrighty.

I've finished what I've had to say about this chapter, so I'll answer a couple of your questions. Though without spoiling the story. Much.

First freedomringer. I have to say that your review came out of the left field for me. Not even once had it come to my mind to go that way; it really surprised me. Fortunately for Akira, he won't have to experience the horror of finding that Danzō is his biological father — there's another reason Mayumi is out for his blood, and it has something to do with the shenanigans he's so generous to employ for the 'sake' of Konoha.

Next is, Gerden360. Although not exactly the way you've supposed, he will get some perks from the girls — just not that many. His fate is, after all, to become a sugar baby. And sugar babies have to be kept!

That's it for now!

Thank you all for taking the time to read my story! I'm also grateful that you are willing to interact with me through PMs and reviews — it's nice to see there are people out there who enjoy my story! It makes me feel appreciated!

I wish you all a good day~