Chapter 322: Life Is Good — Final Remarks

One month later, early in the morning.

The bedroom of Kitahara Kaede’s apartment was dim.

A peculiar scent lingered in the air, a mixture of lingering warmth and cool fragrance.

Mei slowly woke amid the softness around her. She shifted unconsciously, then frowned slightly at the soreness in her waist.

Turning her head, her gaze naturally fell on the person beside her.

Tsunade was lying casually on her side, still deeply asleep. Her pale golden hair spilled across the pillow like a waterfall.

The thin silk nightgown she wore had slipped down to her elbows, leaving a large expanse of fair skin and her striking curves exposed to the air.

Mei’s eyes traveled over the outrageous silhouette before glancing down beside the bed.

Several torn scraps of fabric lay scattered miserably across the carpet, while the bedsheets were an absolute disaster.

Memories of last night’s absurd chaos surfaced uncontrollably in her mind.

Mei felt her cheeks heat up.

That bastard… just how ridiculous was his stamina?!

She and Tsunade together… and somehow they had still lost in the end.

Thinking about it, Mei bit her lower lip, somewhat unwilling to accept defeat, then glanced down at herself.

She had always been confident in her figure, but compared with Tsunade, a powerful sense of frustration rose inside her.

That was just… way too much. How had Tsunade even grown like that?

An irresistible curiosity scratched at Mei’s heart like a cat’s paw.

After everything that had happened last night… surely touching her once now wasn’t that big a deal.

A mischievous glint flashed through Mei’s eyes.

Holding her breath, she carefully leaned closer, moving as quietly as possible.

Her gaze locked firmly on Tsunade’s most famous feature.

Mei swallowed and slowly raised one hand, cautiously placing it over the soft curve.

The instant her palm made contact, the unbelievable softness made her draw in a sharp breath.

‘No way… that’s ridiculous!’

She stared in silent amazement, realizing one hand couldn’t even cover half of it.

The sensation was almost magical. Unable to resist, she gave it another very light squeeze or two.

No wonder Kaede had been so reluctant to let go last night. If it were her… she probably wouldn’t be much different.

The tiny movements eventually disturbed Tsunade, who was a light sleeper to begin with.

After everything she had endured last night, her entire body still felt as though it had been taken apart and put back together.

Half asleep, Tsunade assumed Kaede was already misbehaving again first thing in the morning.

Her brows furrowed and a lazy, drowsy hum escaped her throat.

“Kaede… stop…”

She rolled over, her voice heavy with exhaustion and carrying an unmistakable plea.

“I’m so tired… let me sleep a little longer…”

Still barely awake, she raised one hand to push the offending hand away.

Mei panicked and froze completely.

Tsunade caught her wrist.

But the instant she touched it, Tsunade sensed something was wrong.

This wrist… was too slender. The skin was far too smooth and soft. It was nothing like Kaede’s hand.

The air froze.

Tsunade’s eyes snapped open and focused.

A second later, she found herself staring straight into Mei’s awkward face, which practically screamed, ‘I’m done for.’

Tsunade stared blankly for a second.

Then she reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She snatched the crumpled blanket and wrapped herself up completely.

“Terumi Mei?!”

Her face turned bright red as she raised her voice in embarrassment.

“What are you doing first thing in the morning?!”

Mei awkwardly pulled her hand back, eyes darting everywhere.

She scratched her cheek with one finger and forced herself to cough calmly.

“Ahem… nothing. I was just curious.”

That excuse wouldn’t fool a ghost.

“If it was nothing, why were you groping me?!” Tsunade ground her teeth. Remembering the sensation from a moment ago, she felt as though she had suffered a massive loss. She lunged forward. “Oh, so that’s how it is! If you dare take advantage of me, then I’m taking it back today!”

“Ah! Stay away from me!”

The two women rolled around on the wide bed, their protests and laughter mixing together in the room.

…

At the same time, in the kitchen outside, Pakura stood at the stove in an apron, quietly preparing breakfast.

At some point, Kaede silently entered and approached her from behind.

He didn’t say anything. He simply wrapped both arms around her slender waist and pulled her into his embrace.

Kaede lowered his head until his nose brushed the smooth skin along the side of her neck. With each breath, his warm lips grazed her almost imperceptibly.

Then, mischievously, he lightly sucked at the spot.

(っ-‸-ς)

Pakura’s body trembled, and the ladle in her hand nearly slipped free.

That familiar tingling sensation raced up her spine and into her head, blanking her thoughts for an instant.

She instinctively shrank her neck, but her body honestly relaxed backward until she was resting fully against his solid, warm chest.

Pakura reached back and found Kaede’s head, gently running her fingers through his slightly messy hair.

Kaede raised his head along with the motion and met her gaze. A teasing smile tugged at his lips.

“Did you sleep well last night? Are you sore anywhere?”

At the teasing question, Pakura’s usually cool face instantly ripened red, the blush spreading all the way to her collar.

She turned her head away in embarrassed irritation, voice quiet and full of shyness she couldn’t hide.

“You still have the nerve to ask… I don’t know what got into you. You just wouldn’t stop.”

Kaede chuckled softly.

He leaned in closer, his warm breath brushing directly against her ear as he answered in a more dangerous tone.

“I’m young and healthy, that’s all. What, don’t you like it?”

(˃⤙˂)

Pakura was utterly defenseless against such blunt teasing. Her usual aloof composure melted instantly.

She turned her face farther away, unable to look him in the eyes.

Several seconds passed before she finally squeezed out a tiny reply, barely louder than a mosquito.

“I… I like it.”

The amusement in Kaede’s eyes deepened. He was just about to turn her around and continue teasing her when—

Ding-dong.

The doorbell rang from the entryway, shattering the dangerously intimate atmosphere in the kitchen.

Kaede reluctantly let her go, sighed, and went to answer the door.

When he opened it, Minato Namikaze stood outside in casual clothes with a smile on his face.

Beside him, Kushina was holding little Naruto, who was happily blowing spit bubbles.

“Lord Minato, Kushina, good morning.” Kaede welcomed them inside with a smile. He reached out to pinch Naruto’s chubby cheek and teased him as well. “Morning to you too, little guy.”

Kushina carried Naruto into the living room. With a swing of her fiery red hair, her eyes swept over the room and immediately landed on Pakura in the kitchen, whose cheeks were flushed as she hurriedly straightened her collar.

She instantly turned toward Kaede and rolled her eyes dramatically.

“I always thought you were such a proper guy. Who knew you were secretly this much of a playboy!”

Kaede scratched his head awkwardly, unsure how he was supposed to explain.

Kushina sighed at his embarrassed expression and waved a hand.

“Forget it. If even Lady Tsunade can accept it with that temper of hers, I don’t have much to say. Speaking of her, where is she?”

Kaede’s eyes shifted a few times. Silently, he pointed toward the bedroom.

“In there.”

“Oh.”

Without another thought, Kushina carried Naruto over.

It never even occurred to her to knock. She casually twisted the doorknob and pushed the bedroom door open.

Kushina was just about to greet them when the words died in her throat.

Tsunade and Mei, dressed in extremely light silk nightgowns, were tangled together on the wrecked bed in the middle of their playful struggle.

Large expanses of dazzling fair skin were left completely exposed, their poses intimate and provocative.

The two women inside heard the door and froze at the same time, turning their heads in unison.

Three people. Six eyes.

They stared at one another.

The scene fell into absolute silence.

Kushina stood frozen in the doorway for a full three seconds, staring at the astonishing sight before her.

Then she nodded expressionlessly, wearing the look of someone who had seen through everything in life.

“You two really know how to have fun.”

Bang!

With that, she decisively shut the door again, leaving the world-ending embarrassment to the two women inside.

In the living room, Kaede and Minato exchanged a perfectly synchronized glance.

Then, without a word, the two men walked out onto the balcony for some fresh air.

The morning sun shone warmly over them.

Minato looked out over the prosperous, peaceful Konoha Village and smiled gently.

“The transfer of defensive responsibilities between the villages has been completed. The Shinobi World… has finally entered a true era of peace under Konoha’s leadership.”

“And Orochimaru’s technological experiments are progressing smoothly as well. Everything is proceeding according to your plans.”

Hearing the good news, a genuine smile appeared on Kaede’s face.

The new world was taking shape, little by little, exactly as he had envisioned.

A gentle breeze crossed the balcony.

From inside came Kushina’s bright laughter as she played with Naruto.

From the bedroom came the faint sound of Tsunade and Mei, now properly dressed, bickering in hushed and embarrassed voices.

From the kitchen, Pakura carried out a warm breakfast whose delicious aroma filled the apartment and softly called everyone to eat.

Kaede leaned against the balcony railing, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath of the warm air filled with the ordinary scent of everyday life.

Life like this was truly wonderful.

…

And that’s a wrap!

Thank you to everyone who followed this story from beginning to end. I still remember some of the readers who kept sending me free gifts along the way.

This was my first time writing a novel, and I never imagined it would achieve results like this. It made both the New Book Ranking and the Reading Ranking once.

Truthfully, without all of you, I probably wouldn’t have finished this book.

Back when the story was around two hundred thousand to three hundred thousand Chinese characters, during the second simulation, there were two separate times when I seriously considered dropping it. But while walking outside to clear my head, I saw the encouraging comments people had left. So I wracked my brain and kept going because I didn’t want to disappoint everyone.

Now all the romantic storylines have been completed, and every heroine has received an ending. I think this is about the best conclusion I could give them.

I had also planted some ideas involving Kurenai Yuhi and a third simulation, but there was one major problem: I wouldn’t have been able to end the story as cleanly as I have now.

Once there are too many heroines, the meaning of the story starts to change.

At first, I actually wanted to write something closer to a harem story. But the more I thought about it, the more I felt that writing it that way wouldn’t be interesting. So it gradually turned into something closer to an urban slice-of-life romance, with more emphasis on developing the characters themselves.

I had already spent so much space establishing their personalities earlier on. If I didn’t handle them properly at the end, wouldn’t all of that work have been wasted? That’s why I ultimately decided not to write the third simulation.

Once again, thank you to everyone who stayed with the story until the very end. No rushed ending, no abandonment. Hehe.

That’s all for now. I hope that when I write my next book, I’ll meet all of you again.

May you all live forever!