Leo

Bitter & Sweet

"Mama, I'm out!" Chouchou exclaimed before leaving her household, but a bigger figure stood protectively at the front of the doorstep

"...And where are you going?"

Choji, despite his somewhat serious tone, displayed a worried face while he ate his consomé flavored chips

"Ah... To meet my friend."

Choji narrowed eyes

"Which friend?"

And Chouchou narrowed her eyes too. How much she wished her father would stop with the unnecessary jealous act and trust her judgment now that she was older, but she had to face it, the moment he knew it was a boy, Choji would never allow her to leave the house in her free days

"Sarada! Stop asking already... It's not cool."

"Not cool," was something Konoha's parents didn't like to be labeled as so taking advantage of the momentary shock Choji felt, Chouchou ran past through him

"C-Chouchou!"

"See ya, Papa!"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Moments later

Chouchou stood in front of the door while playing impatiently with a strand of her long auburn hair. It was 3 pm when she arrived at Mitsuki's apartment as they accorded some days before. The reason was something very mundane but shocking for her; the candies she gifted him back on her birthday were left untouched and that was inconceivable, so she demanded to eat them as soon as possible. She just felt a little restless because of three reasons. First, her conversation with Sarada the day of the movies and what she implied made her feel way more self-conscious around Mitsuki. Second, the point of meeting. And even if this was actually her second time at his place, she couldn't shake the feeling something very romantic could happen. Perhaps it was all these dramas she watched that it was so easy for her to imagine many possible scenarios where...

"It's just Mitsu," Chouchou reassured in her mind despite her reddened cheeks.

The third reason was way more concerning, but she would need to be upfront and brave about it. Could she?

She then heard his footsteps approaching the door and a strange sensation pooled in her stomach

"Sorry, I didn't think you would come this early."

Mitsuki received her with a towel on his head, scrubbing his wet hair as if he just had a shower, and that sole sight made Chouchou even more nervous. She shook her head quickly and said

"Even I can be early sometimes, dummy."

And she bolted inside as nothing while Mitsuki smiled after he closed the door.

"...."

With her hands on her waist, Chouchou remained still at the entrance of his apartment. There was this warm, soapy scent in the air which made her realize how close they were now that she was able to see this side of Mitsuki she would never imagine before. A faint blush colored her cheeks when she said, looking away

"Uhm, where can I sit?"

Mitsuki, who was scrubbing his hair with a towel, froze for a moment. With a low paused voice, he said

"I actually don't have chairs or a table so you can sit on my bed if you like."

Chouchou's mind was going 1000% for a minute but she decided to turn it off and did as he said. She liked the soft blue bedsheet that covered his bed and wondered if he had bought it recently since it looked kinda new. Curiously, she started to look around his apartment. This time of the day allowed her to see better than the last time. A tall metal rack full of flasks, boxes of medicine, and pills were the thing that caught her attention first. Mitsuki noticed, feeling somewhat self-conscious