Naruto: We Agreed on a Simulation, But They Actually Came to Life?

Terumi Mei stood frozen in the living room.

A towel draped beside her, and droplets of water slid one by one from the damp ends of her hair. She didn’t wipe them away; she didn’t move at all. The lingering feelings of loss and grievance had yet to fade from her heart, but at that exact moment, her stomach let out an ill-timed growl.

*Gurgle...*

Coming back to her senses, she let out a self-deprecating sigh. It was impossible to cook with one hand, and she didn’t have much of an appetite anyway.

*Forget it,* she thought, too exhausted to bother. With heavy steps, she turned around, intending to go upstairs and sleep.

"...So, you left, huh."

Just as the words left her lips—*click.*

The front door was pushed open from the outside.

Terumi Mei whipped her head around. Kitahara Kaede was standing in the doorway, carrying two bulging grocery bags. He set the bags on the floor and began slipping off his shoes, asking without looking up, "Done with your bath?"

Terumi Mei stared at him, completely stunned, unable to react for a long moment.

"...You?" she stammered, her voice trembling slightly. "You... didn’t you already leave?"

Kaede finished changing his shoes and looked up at her, a look of genuine confusion in his eyes. "Leave for what?"

He picked up the bags and walked into the living room, setting them casually on the dining table. He tilted his head, eyeing her. "You haven’t eaten yet, right? I saw you were still in the shower, and the fridge was completely empty." He pointed to the bags. "So, I went nearby to pick up some groceries."

Terumi Mei opened her mouth, speechless.

He hadn’t left. He had simply noticed the empty refrigerator and, fearing she would go hungry, had run out to buy food.

"I... I’ve been too busy lately," she said, her voice softening. She hurried to the table, reaching out to help take the food out of the bags. "I forgot to shop."

Kaede frowned and reacted quickly, sliding the bags out of her reach. He used his arm to block her shoulder, gently nudging her back toward the sofa.

"Enough. Dry your hair first," he said. His tone was flat, but his movements were firm and brooked no argument. "Don’t lift anything heavy. Did you forget what the doctor said? If you tear your stitches, you’re the one who’ll suffer."

He pressed her down onto the sofa, grabbed the towel, and draped it over her head with a certain roughness, scrubbing her hair haphazardly. "Just sit still. By the time I finish cooking, your hair will be mostly dry."

With that, he turned and disappeared into the kitchen.

Terumi Mei sat obediently on the sofa. Soon, the sound of running water filled the room, followed by the steady, rhythmic *thud-thud-thud* of a knife on a cutting board. She pulled the towel from her head and tilted it to watch the silhouette of the man busy at the sink, his back to her.

Watching Kaede move back and forth in the kitchen, an indescribable emotion filled her chest. This feeling... it was sheer contentment.

*If only he could be like this every day, staying by my side,* she thought. Terumi Mei buried her face in the soft towel and smiled silently.

Before long, the meal was served. Braised fish, green vegetables, and a bowl of egg drop soup. Kaede pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down.

Mei joined him, picking up a piece of fish and chewing it slowly before looking up. "...I really troubled you too much today." Having said this, she looked away bashfully. "Kaede."

Kaede’s chopsticks paused mid-air.

*My first name...*

He decided against correcting her. To do so now would only make it seem like he cared too much.

"Stop saying thank you every five seconds," he said nonchalantly, taking a mouthful of rice. "Just eat. Hurry up, or the food will get cold."

For a while, the only sound in the air was the occasional light clink of bowls and chopsticks. After a moment, the silence began to make Kaede feel uneasy. He cleared his throat and brought up a random topic.

"By the way, didn’t you mention before that you have a cat?"

Terumi Mei’s hand paused. "Yes."

"How come I’ve never seen it?"

She looked up with a natural smile. "It’s upstairs. It’s usually quite timid and shy around strangers. It probably heard the noise in the house and was too scared to come down."

Kaede nodded and didn’t press further. The two of them chatted about inconsequential trifles until the meal was finished. Kaede set down his chopsticks and stood up to clear the dishes.

"I’ll wash the dishes and then head back. It’s getting late."

Just as he spoke, a faint meow echoed from the stairs.

*"Meow~"*

A calico cat poked its fluffy head around the corner of the staircase. Its amber eyes scanned the room warily before locking straight onto Kaede at the dining table. With an elegant feline gait, the cat trotted over and wound itself directly around Kaede’s legs. Its tail stood high, rubbing affectionately against his trousers, while a contented purr vibrated in its throat.

Kaede, who was holding a bowl, froze instantly.

A shock jolted through his mind.

*This cat... it’s identical to the stray that he and Terumi Mei had fed under the tree by the river in the simulation!*

How on earth was it here?

"Oh my," Terumi Mei said, lightly covering her mouth in mock surprise. "This little one usually scratches anyone who tries to get close..." She tilted her head, watching the cat rub vigorously against Kaede’s legs. "How is it so fond of you? How strange."

Kaede felt like his entire world was tilting. He slowly crouched down and reached out a stiff finger to tentatively scratch the cat’s chin. The cat, in pure bliss, flopped over, exposing its white belly and allowing him to pet it.

Terumi Mei stood beside him, watching with a beaming smile. "Isn’t it cute?" She paused, adding a finishing touch: "It’s never been this friendly with an outsider."

Kaede forced himself to speak. "It... it is cute. You’ve taken good care of it."

Terumi Mei tilted her chin up proudly. "Of course, of course."

After letting Kaede pet the cat for a while longer, she clapped her hands lightly. "Alright, come here."

The cat seemed reluctant, slowly climbing up and walking to her feet, casting a lingering look back at Kaede with one final, longing *"Meow."*

Kaede didn’t look at the cat again. At nearly the fastest speed of his life, he rushed into the kitchen, washed the dishes, and bolted out to put on his shoes.

"It’s too late, I’m heading back! Get some rest!"

Before she could respond, he had already vanished through the door.

Terumi Mei stood in the entryway, watching the door of the small house opposite her fly open and then slam shut with a loud *bang.* She looked down at the calico cat licking its paws at her feet.

"He seems to like you very much," she whispered.

The cat simply flicked its tail.

***

Inside the darkened house across the way, Kaede’s mind was a chaotic mess.

From the very first day he arrived in Kirigakure... the house specifically arranged directly opposite hers... the seat right next to him at the office desk... her uncharacteristic behavior after being injured... the invitations and physical contact that crossed boundaries...

And finally... this cat, identical to the one in his simulated memories.

Terumi Mei wasn’t "uninterested" in him at all.

She was pretending to be nonchalant, using a "slow-boil frog" strategy to gradually erode his defenses through the minutiae of daily life, making him grow accustomed to her presence bit by bit!

Kaede felt his rhythm completely disrupted.

"...I’m doomed."

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