In Uchiha Ran's eyes—no, in his mind—it felt as if something enormous had been stuffed inside all at once.For a brief moment, he almost couldn't breathe.
"A-ah—Mikoto-nee! I didn't see anything! I'll go out right now!"
His eyes were wide open, as if trying to take in the entire scene in one glance, while his brain felt forcefully flooded by an overwhelming stimulus, leaving him dizzy and suffocating.
"Really! Mikoto-nee, I honestly didn't see anything!" Ran hurriedly lifted his head, his face flushing with awkward panic.
An indescribable sense of chaos surged in his chest. He had never experienced anything this stimulating before.In the limited memories of his previous life, there had only been a bland college routine and dusty construction sites—nothing that made his heart pound like this.
"Damn it… my body feels like it's acting on its own."
Ran could clearly sense the subtle changes in himself, a youthful impulse rising uninvited.
Seeing Ran bent slightly forward, Uchiha Mikoto's cheeks also tinged red. Still, she forced herself to remain calm, quickly pulling that vast expanse of snowy white back into her clothes. The entire scene was steeped in tension and embarrassment.
"Um… c-cough… What's wrong with you…?"Her voice was barely above a whisper. She didn't dare say more.
"I—I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! Mikoto-nee, just now… just now I really didn't see anything…"
Ran wanted to explain, but his lips were so dry he could barely form coherent words.
This wasn't something driven by his will at all—it was simply the reaction of a young body overflowing with hormones.
Hearing Ran's apology only made Mikoto feel more bashful. After tucking everything away, she lifted baby Uchiha Itachi into her arms.
"Ran… dinner's ready. Let's go," she said softly, fully aware that what just happened might leave the two of them awkward around each other for quite some time.
"Mm… mm."Ran nodded repeatedly and followed her outside.
Just like that, the incident seemed to pass.
Then, suddenly, the orange cat spoke up:
"You humans are really strange. My mom once told me that years ago, a gray mama cat disappeared, and her kittens were all nursed by my mom instead. Mikoto, don't be shy—Ran seeing it isn't a big deal. He didn't even drink any, did he?"
Hearing the cat's utterly outrageous comment, Ran felt his mouth go even drier. Without thinking, he glanced at Mikoto's chest and lightly licked his cracked lips.
"Shut up!"Mikoto snapped instantly, her face burning red."Say one more word and I'll stew you into soup!"
She had finally managed to change the subject by announcing dinner—only for this orange menace to ruin everything with its absurd remarks.
The cat froze for a moment, unsure whether Mikoto was truly angry or not. Then it hurriedly meowed,
"Mikoto, don't do anything rash! Haven't you heard—orange cats can't be stewed! I'm very sour, totally inedible!"
Mikoto shot it a fierce glare, decided it wasn't worth her time, and walked straight out.
Ran quickly followed after her. As for the orange cat—they left it behind without a second thought.Anyway, once it got hungry, it would come on its own.
The dining table was soon filled with all kinds of delicious dishes, their aromas rich and inviting.
Ran and Mikoto sat facing each other. Their gazes met briefly, but both chose silence, focusing on the food instead.
On the surface, Ran appeared calm—but inside, his thoughts were in complete turmoil.His mind was filled with that snowy whiteness… and that vivid hint of red.
"Ahhh—what's wrong with me?! Am I really this kind of person? How am I supposed to face my future self like this?! Damn it—don't tell me I'm turning into someone like Wei Xiaobao?!"
Ran seriously began doubting himself.His carefully built character image felt like it was on the verge of collapsing.
Meanwhile, Mikoto, holding baby Itachi, couldn't stop recalling Ran's aggressive gaze—and that unconscious lick of his lips. Her heart raced, her cheeks warming again.
The atmosphere between them was tense yet strangely exhilarating, as if the air itself carried a faint electric charge.
Both of them were secretly pondering the other's reactions, unconsciously sketching the other's image in their minds.
"Mikoto-nee… where's Fugaku-niisan?"Ran finally spoke up. He realized he hadn't seen Uchiha Fugaku at all.
"He should still be busy at the Police Force," Mikoto replied with a gentle smile."Maybe he'll be back soon."
Yet there was a trace of worry beneath her words.
"He hasn't been home much lately. I don't even know why the Police Force is so busy…"
Ran caught the faint resentment in her tone and quickly helped explain.
"The Police Force is responsible for security across almost all of Konoha, and Fugaku-niisan is also the clan head. It makes sense he'd be busy."
"…I hope that's all it is," Mikoto murmured, though her thoughts drifted elsewhere.
The other day, when I took Itachi out… the one the Third Hokage dragged off to drink at Miyajiting was Fugaku, wasn't it…
Seeing her brows knit tighter, Ran decided to lighten the mood.
"Mikoto-nee, did you know? Orochimaru-sensei just accepted another disciple—a seven- or eight-year-old girl named Mitarashi Anko. Who would've thought a kid that young would be obsessed with snakes? Looks like Orochimaru-sensei's most favored student has finally appeared."
"Eh? Snakes?"Mikoto blinked in surprise."There are really little girls who like snakes? Mitarashi… ah, I see. So that's it. I didn't realize Senior Mitarashi's daughter had grown that much already."
The effect was immediate.
Just like that, Ran smoothly changed the topic.
Naturally, both he and Mikoto seemed to forget the earlier embarrassment. They chatted about Ran's experiences at the border, and upon learning that war wouldn't break out anytime soon, Mikoto finally let out a sigh of relief.
War meant death.And separation.
Kind-hearted as she was, she truly hoped war would never come.
Ran stayed for tea afterward. By the time it was nine o'clock, Fugaku still hadn't returned.
Just then, baby Itachi suddenly burst into loud crying.
He was hungry.
…Damn it.For some reason, Ran felt a little jealous.
Instinctively, his gaze flicked toward Mikoto's chest. Only then did he realize himself and hurriedly looked away.
"Mikoto-nee, it's getting late. Fugaku-niisan still isn't back, so I'll head home. Take good care of Itachi."
With that, Ran stepped out the door.
"Meow~ Want me to walk you out~?"
The orange cat sat at the entrance, licking its paw. It claimed to be seeing him off—but didn't move an inch.
"No need!"Ran waved and left Mikoto's house.
Only after Ran was gone did Mikoto finally loosen her clothes and feed the crying Itachi until he was full.(He is her biological son—of course she wouldn't let him go hungry. What are you all thinking?)
Watching everything unfold, the orange cat had only one thought:
"Humans… really are strange creatures."