Under Konoha’s Shadow

Chapter 22: The Cat Ear Outfit

Yamamoto Ryusei was in the courtyard chatting with Uchiha Kagami, Yamashita So, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, and Hyuga Natsuki when he suddenly felt the hair on his body stand on end and a chill run down his spine.

He turned around to find all the girls staring at him. Ryusei forced a formulaic smile onto his face. "Uh... is there something you all need?"

The girls swarmed forward, pushing So and the others aside and surrounding Ryusei. Yamanaka Seisen stepped forward and asked, "Ryusei, where did you get that dress?"

Ryusei asked back, looking completely baffled, "What dress?"

"That one!" Seisen grabbed Ryusei by the collar and pointed at Komiya Yuki, who was still wearing the Gothic Lolita outfit. "The black dress you gave to Yuki! Where did you buy it? Are there any more?"

Ryusei looked at the round-faced loli in her black dress and cat ears. The dark fabric made her skin look even paler, and with her hair tied up high, she looked exceptionally cute. He couldn't help but nod. "Yuki, you look really cute in this dress. I have great taste."

Hearing Ryusei's praise, Yuki's face instantly turned red. She covered her face and ran back inside the house.

For some reason, seeing this scene made everyone's heart feel a little heavy.

"Hurry up and tell us where you bought that dress!" Yamanaka Seisen demanded, shaking Ryusei vigorously.

Dizzy from the shaking, Ryusei's hand trembled as he pointed at Yamashita So. "I bought it at his family's shop."

The girls' heads snapped towards So with a swoosh. The look in their eyes was more ferocious and hungry than a dog seeing meat, and it made So break out in a cold sweat.

"No, no!" So denied frantically. "My family's shop doesn't sell clothes in that style at all!"

The girls' heads swooshed back to Ryusei, who was still in Seisen's clutches.

"They do sell it," Ryusei said weakly. "I had it custom-made at his house. They should be selling them by now. But the quantity might be a little limited."

Hearing that the quantity was limited, the girls immediately seized Yamashita So and rushed off towards his house to buy the clothes.

Yamanaka Seisen let go of Ryusei, poured him a cup of tea with a gentle expression, and acted with the perfect demeanor of a gentle lady, a complete one-eighty from a moment ago.

"Ryusei, I was a bit hasty just now, and my attitude wasn't very good. Please accept this cup of tea as my apology."

Ryusei looked at Seisen's overly dramatic expression and then at Utatane Koharu, who was sitting quietly nearby and hadn't gone to fight for the clothes. He asked warily, "Aren't you two going to fight for... I mean, buy the clothes? They'll be gone if you wait any longer."

Yamanaka Seisen leaned forward, looking at Ryusei with a gentle gaze that made his scalp tingle. "There's no rush for that. Ryusei, you said just now that you had it custom-made at So's house? That means you designed the dress yourself."

Ryusei involuntarily leaned back. "Yeah, what about it?"

"So, Ryusei likes to see Yuki wear that kind of clothing," Seisen said, pulling back and covering her mouth as she giggled.

"What a pervert," Utatane Koharu said, rolling her eyes at Ryusei. "To think you even designed cat ears."

Ryusei couldn't refute Koharu's words. It was true that the fashion in the ninja world right now wasn't as open as it would be in Naruto's era. He just felt that the dress suited Yuki, so he had it made for her.

Seisen continued in her gentle tone, "Ryusei, can you design a one-of-a-kind dress for me? I can pay you for it."

So that was their plan! No wonder they didn't go fight for the clothes! Girls are so smart when it comes to pursuing these things.

"I want one too," Koharu said, her tone still stiff, showing no hint that she was asking for a favor.

Ryusei looked at Koharu in surprise. She had just called him a pervert, hadn't she? He had no idea how she could say that with such a straight face.

He ignored Koharu and replied directly to Seisen. "One-of-a-kind? The moment a dress is made, there will surely be many imitations."

"I'm not afraid of that. As long as mine is the first one. So, can you do it?" Seisen asked, full of expectation.

"If it's possible, could you please trouble yourself to design one for my little sister?" Hyuga Natsuki asked with some embarrassment, his bruised face still visible.

"Me too!"

"I have a little sister too."

"I have two, but one design is fine. They're twins, so they'll look great wearing the same thing."

"I only have a little brother, but I could have him wear a dress too. Just thinking about it is so cute."

Did that guy just awaken something incredible? A moment of silence for his little brother.

...The surrounding boys were all asking for dresses for their little sisters. After all, the dress Yuki was wearing was so adorable that it had awakened their "sister-complex" hearts.

In the blink of an eye, the number of design orders for Ryusei exceeded a dozen.

"Wait," Ryusei said, holding up his hands in a 'pause' gesture. "I can't possibly design so many."

"Then just design mine," Seisen said bossily.

"Why should he only design yours?"

"Yeah, we need them too!"

"Seisen, you can't be so selfish!"

The boys unanimously retorted against Seisen.

"Stop! Don't argue!" Ryusei stopped them. "I will slowly design them for all of you. Do you have any requests?"

"No other requests, as long as it's as cute as Yuki's."

"Yes, the cuter the better."

Ryusei looked speechlessly at this group of sister-cons (and maybe one brother-con). "Do you want animal ears?"

"YES!" the boys answered in unison.

Ryusei looked at Utatane Koharu. "So, Koharu, do you want animal ears?"

Koharu's face instantly turned red as she whispered, "Yes."

"Heh heh," Ryusei laughed teasingly, making Koharu's face turn even redder.

He continued, "Write down your own or your sister's height and measurements for me. I will design the clothes for you this time and have So's family make them. I'll give them to you when school starts, and you can just pay So for the clothes."

"Seisen, tell the girls who went to buy clothes that they're included in this too. Have them write down their measurements for me."

Seisen excitedly hugged Ryusei. "Okay, no problem! You're the best, Ryusei! I'll go right now!" She then ran off in a flash.

When Seisen returned, another round of cheers and excitement erupted.

So leaned in and whispered, "Big Brother, I don't have a sister, but can I have a set?"

Ryusei tilted his head at him. "Don't you already have your Sun Wukong armor? Why do you need another one?"

"That armor is too heavy. I'm planning to wear it only on important occasions. I want to wear something lighter usually."

Ryusei rolled his eyes at him. "Then just wear your own clothes. It's only one set per person, so you don't get one. Also, spend more time on your training and stop thinking about random things."

"Oh..." So sat back down, dejected.

Before long, the girls had all written down their measurements and given them to Ryusei. The boys, on the other hand, had all run home to measure their younger siblings.

They only returned to give Ryusei the data right before dinner.

The dinner that evening was even more lavish than the one during the day. The grand finale, the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, nearly stole the souls of all the students.

After dinner, Liu Maoxing pushed out a large, three-tiered cake.

"Everyone, time for cake!"

The first layer was a fruitcake, the second was a fresh cream cake, and the third was a chocolate cake.

Liu Maoxing lit the candles and said to Yuki, "Come on, Yuki. Make a wish and blow out the candles."

Yuki, still in her Gothic Lolita dress, clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and made a wish. After blowing out the candles, she began to cut and distribute the cake.

The students, who had just been too full to eat another bite, were now completely immobile on the floor after having a slice of cake.

Ryusei was also quite full and was walking around in the backyard to digest.

Yuki brought a teapot from the table and went to the backyard to find him.

Uchiha Kagami saw Yamanaka Seisen and the other girls timidly following Yuki. He sidled up to them and asked, "What are you guys doing?"

Seisen and the others were startled by his sudden appearance. "Be quiet! Come with me, there's a good show to watch."

The others saw Kagami follow Seisen and, after exchanging glances, they also quietly followed along.

"Ryusei-nii, come have some tea." Yuki poured a cup of tea on the table and waited for Ryusei.

Ryusei was also feeling a bit thirsty, so he picked up the teacup and drank.

Yuki refilled the empty cup. "Ryusei-nii, thank you. I was so happy today. It's the first time I've been this happy since my parents left."