Chapter 42: Picnic

A few quiet days passed.

No new quests appeared. The System stayed silent, and for once Kael did not mind. He spent the time training on the outskirts of the village—shadow clones, Rasengan practice, basic taijutsu drills—then returned to the apartment to rest. Ino came over twice. Once they simply ate take-out and talked. The second time she stayed the night. Neither of them brought up the close call at his parents’ house.

On the fourth morning Kiba showed up at his door with Akamaru on his head and a grin that already looked like trouble.

"We’re doing a picnic. Mountain peak. Shikamaru’s team, my team, your team. Neji’s group is still out on a mission, so they’re out. You in?"

Kael leaned against the doorframe. "Yeah. I’m in."

"Good. Midday. Don’t be late."

By the time Kael reached the mountain peak the others were already there. A wide, flat clearing offered a clear view of the village below. Someone had spread out several large blankets. A few low folding chairs and a couple of coolers sat nearby. Sakura and Ino were unpacking food. Shikamaru lay on his back with his hands behind his head, already looking like he regretted the climb. Chōji sat beside him, happily opening a bag of chips. Kiba and Shino stood near the edge of the clearing while Akamaru chased a butterfly. Sasuke leaned against a tree with his arms crossed, quiet as usual.

Hinata stood a little apart from the main group, hands clasped in front of her, eyes lowered.

Kael took it all in and felt a strange sense of normalcy. This kind of gathering had almost never happened in the stories he remembered.

Kiba spotted him first. "Finally! We were about to start without you."

"I said I wouldn’t be late," Kael answered, walking over.

Ino looked up from the food and gave him a small private smile. Sakura glanced between them, then looked away without comment. The air still carried a faint awkwardness between her and Kael, but neither of them forced a conversation.

They settled into the easy rhythm of a group that had known each other for years. Shikamaru complained about the climb. Chōji offered everyone snacks. Kiba launched into a story about a recent mission where Akamaru had chased a wild boar into a river. Shino corrected two details in a flat voice that somehow made the story funnier. Sasuke listened without saying much, but he did not look bored.

Kael found himself drawn into a short conversation with Shikamaru about training schedules. The conversation stayed light. No one asked about the Cloud mission in any real detail. For a while it almost felt like a normal afternoon.

Hinata remained quiet. She answered when spoken to, smiled politely when Chōji offered her food, but she kept a careful distance from Kael. Every time he looked in her direction she seemed to find something fascinating about the ground or the view.

They ate. The food was simple—onigiri, grilled meat, fruit, the kind of picnic spread that disappeared quickly when Chōji was present. Conversation continued between bites. Kiba tried to challenge Sasuke to a spar and was shut down with a single unimpressed look. Ino teased Shikamaru about how much effort he put into looking like he was not enjoying himself. Sakura and Hinata spoke quietly about a medical technique Sakura had been practicing.

After the food was mostly gone they drifted toward the chairs. There were not enough. Someone had miscounted.

Ino stood holding a half-empty bottle of water, looking around for a free seat. Kael, already sitting, simply reached out, caught her wrist, and pulled her down onto his lap in one smooth motion.

The clearing went silent.

Ino’s entire face turned bright red. She froze, bottle still in her hand, clearly not expecting the move in front of everyone.

Kiba’s mouth fell open. "You... you two... together...?"

Kael looked at him and gave a short, calm nod. "Yes."

The word landed like a stone.

Shikamaru’s eyebrows rose. Chōji stopped mid-chew. Sakura stared. Even Sasuke’s expression shifted for half a second. Shino tilted his head slightly, insects buzzing faintly under his collar.

Ino stayed on Kael’s lap, too embarrassed to move or speak. Kael kept one hand loosely at her waist, as if the whole thing were completely ordinary.

The disbelief hung in the air for several long seconds.

Hinata felt it hardest.

She sat perfectly still, hands clenched in her lap, eyes fixed on the blanket in front of her. Every quiet hope she had kept buried for years cracked open at once. She had never taken a real chance. She had watched from a distance, waited, told herself there would be time. And now Naruto had chosen someone else. The pain was sharp and private. She could not stay.

Hinata stood up carefully.

"I... I need to go," she said in a voice so soft most of them almost missed it. "Please excuse me."

She turned and walked toward the path that led back down the mountain. Her shoulders were rigid. She did not look back.

Kael watched her leave. The pieces clicked together with uncomfortable clarity. Even in this peaceful timeline, even without the tragic backstory that had originally drawn her to him, Hinata still felt the same way. The realization settled heavily in his chest.

A familiar blue screen appeared in the corner of his vision.

[Quest 6/100 : Make Hinata your bitch]

[Time limit : 1 week]

Kael stared at the wording.

So you really can’t read the situation, he told the System silently. All you want is sex. You lustful system.

Ino shifted slightly on his lap, still red-faced, still silent. The others remained quiet, the picnic atmosphere completely broken. Kiba kept glancing between Kael and the path Hinata had taken, as if trying to decide whether to say something else.

Kael did not move. The quest timer had already started ticking.

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Give me power!!!