Haruki spent the whole day hanging around the New Konoha Bookstore, waiting for the sales numbers of the Konoha Daily to come in.
As the sun began to set, Satoshi burst through the door, practically bouncing off the walls with excitement.
He didn't even pause to catch his breath before yelling out loud. "We sold out! Almost 10,000 copies, All of them!"
Haruki blinked, taken aback by the number. It's not like he didn't believe in the newspaper, but new stuff usually gets met with a bunch of skepticism.
He figured it would take people some time to warm up to the idea.
"This is all because of you, Lord Haruki!" Satoshi said with a wide grin, clearly trying to score some points.
"Alright, alright. No need to butter me up." Haruki waved him off. "Did you handle that thing I asked?"
"Yes. After the papers were all sold, I took the kids from the orphanage out for dinner. Just like you said."
"Good. Keep doing that from now on," Haruki nodded approvingly. "But they won't be enough if we keep selling like this. You'll need to bring in some more help."
"Got it." Satoshi gave a firm nod.
"From now on, every issue of the Konoha Daily has to come to me before printing. I'll give it the green light after I've checked everything," Haruki instructed.
He didn't want to accidentally cross any lines with Hiruzen or Danzo. It wasn't that Haruki was scared of them, not even a little. But the way they pulled strings from the shadows was exhausting to deal with.
Sometimes he seriously considered sending both of them to go reunite with their old teacher, Tobirama Senju.
After wandering the streets for a bit and clearing his head, Haruki finally made his way home late into the night.
When Haruki opened the door, the sight that greeted him nearly made him forget how tired he was.
Tsunade stood confidently in the living room and more importantly, it was what she was wearing that caught his full attention.
She had on a sleek red-and-black battle outfit that hugged her curves perfectly. Shining pieces of white-gold armor were strapped to her shoulders, arms, and legs, catching the light with every small movement like she'd just stepped out of a fantasy game cutscene.
At her waist hung a stylish longsword, with a gold-accented hilt and crossguard that gave off a faint, magical glow.
It was unmistakably the same armor that Cha Hae-In, the female lead from Solo Leveling, wore during her dungeon raids.
Well… almost.
Haruki noticed that the chest armor looked like it had gone up two sizes, and chuckled silently.
He didn't say anything though, just leaned against the wall with an amused smile and watched her.
Eventually, Tsunade began fidgeting uncomfortably, and with a wince, she took off the armor and wore a comfy oversized T-shirt with a giant Pikachu print on the front.
Right then, she spotted Haruki silently watching her with a smile on his face. Her expression instantly turned suspicious.
She plopped down in the sofa, crossed one leg over the other, and folded her arms over her chest with a huff.
"Alright, spill it. Which vixen did you buy this for?" she asked, raising a brow.
Haruki's gaze instinctively drifted downward.
He gulped.
The Pikachu's cheeks, bright red circles, were positioned exactly over Tsunade's nipples.
It was like Pikachu was blushing for him.
He fought back the wicked urge to go over and give them a little pinch. Still, he nodded to himself, proud of the decision to get her T-shirts custom-made.
Just as he was about to explain everything to her, a familiar voice rang out in his mind.
[Ding! Host's girlfriend has done cosplay for the first time. Reward: Novel version of Solo Leveling.]
'Wait, what?!' Haruki blinked, stunned. 'You mean I can get Earth stuff too?'
He'd always assumed his system's rewards only covered Naruto-related content.
'Man… if I'd known this earlier, I wouldn't have wasted hours trying to piece together half-remembered storylines from old anime and novels.'
Truthfully, the reason he even had a Cha Hae-In outfit made was because he planned to drop Solo Leveling as his next big release. People could argue about the storyline all they wanted, but the sheer hype around the novel, manhwa, and anime was undeniable.
But now he had a much better idea.
'Looks like I'll need to place more costumes into her wardrobe… strictly for the system rewards, of course.'
"Haruki?" Tsunade narrowed her eyes, her tone low and laced with suspicion as she watched him fall into a brief silence.
Inwardly, her thoughts were spiraling.
'Why the hell is he taking so long to answer? No way… don't tell me he actually bought this for some other woman…' The idea alone made her blood boil.
Thankfully, Haruki snapped out of his daze just in time to see the anger building in her eyes.
"Wait, I can explain," he said quickly, stepping over and plopping down beside her on the sofa. She didn't say anything, just crossed her arms tighter and turned her face away with a pout.
Haruki sighed and gently reached for her hand. "I know I took too long to reply. Let me make it up to you, with a massage."
Before she could protest, he smoothly pulled her onto his lap, her thighs straddling his as he guided her into place. Tsunade blinked in surprise at the sudden move, but kept up her front.
"Don't think you can distract me with your hands," she muttered, trying to stay stern, but her voice already sounded a bit softer.
"Distract you?" Haruki raised a brow, hands already working magic on her tense shoulders. "I'm just being a good boyfriend."
He leaned in, his lips brushing against her ear, his voice dropping low. "Remember that New Konoha Bookstore you agreed to invest in?"
"I remember," she said, trying not to shiver at the feeling of his warm breath. "But what does that have to do with this...outfit?"
Haruki chuckled and continued massaging her shoulders, fingers pressing into just the right spots. "That outfit belongs to the main heroine of a new novel we're planning to publish. I had it made ahead of time. We're planning to throw a release party."
Tsunade blinked. "Wait… seriously?"
She wasn't the type to understand cosplay or convention culture, but the idea of bringing fictional characters to life suddenly felt kind of exciting.
"That's… actually pretty cool."
Tsunade closed her eyes, leaning back into his touch. "You really do come up with the strangest ideas," she murmured, her tone mellowing.
"Is the pressure okay?" he asked softly, his thumbs kneading circles into her back.
"Mmh… that's perfect," she said, her voice already starting to melt under his touch.
Her breathing steadied as she relaxed, enjoying the feeling of being pampered. Haruki smiled at the sight, her face flushed slightly, golden hair falling messily over her shoulders, her skin warm under his hands.
"What about you?" she asked without opening her eyes. "How was your day?"
"Busy. But it paid off. The newspaper sold out, nearly ten thousand copies." He kept his tone casual as his hands slowly slid lower, moving from her shoulders to her waist, his fingertips tracing the outline of her curves.
Tsunade kept talking, but her breath hitched slightly. She could feel something hard pressing up against her back. Her cheeks turned read as she realized exactly what it was.
Haruki's hands slid up again, this time, a little bolder. His thumbs brushed under her shirt, grazing the soft swell of her breasts through the thin fabric.
Then, his fingers found her nipples, and he gave them a teasing squeeze, right where Pikachu's cheeks printed on her shirt.
"A-Ah!" Tsunade let out a high-pitched yelp, her body tensing as she quickly scrambled off his lap and moved to the far end of the couch.
"Haruki!" she scolded, breathless and red-faced. "I brought food. Go eat before it gets cold…"
But her words trailed off when her eyes dipped to the thick bulge tenting the front of his pants.
She gulped. The shape of it was clear, even through the fabric, and it looked heavy, demanding.
Worse, his eyes… those hungry eyes of his were locked on her like she was the only thing on the menu.
"Why would I eat fast food," Haruki said with a slow, wicked grin, "when the most mouthwatering dish is sitting right in front of me?"
He stood up and walked toward her. "It's time for you to keep your promise again, Tsuna."
Her breath hitched again. "W-Wait! just give me a second!" she stammered, arms crossed over her chest. "Let me at least prepare myself..."
"What's there to prepare?" Haruki chuckled darkly.
In one smooth motion, he bent down and picked her up in a princess hug.
"H-Hey!" she gasped, arms wrapping around his neck. "What are you doing?! Put me down!"
Haruki didn't answer. He simply walked toward the bedroom with steady, deliberate steps.
"Where are you taking me?" she asked, even though she already knew.
He turned his head, his lips brushing her forehead as he whispered, "To our bedroom, of course."
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