Sakura's heart was pounding very hard at the moment.
She and Aoba were walking side by side along a quiet path, the snow under their feet soft, as if the earth had been covered with a layer of carpet.
Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows on their bodies.
Aoba's face always carried a gentle, faint smile. One of Sakura's hands was held by the other party, and her other hand nervously tugged at the corner of her clothes.
Aside from Naruto and Sasuke who were making a loud fuss in front, at the moment, only the two of them were alone.
Before reaching Hokage Rock, Aoba belonged only to her.
She now felt as if the air around them had become sweet and sticky, but she also worried, 'If I don't say anything, will Aoba find it boring...'
"Aoba... today's weather seems pretty nice," Sakura spoke. Her voice was as light as the rustling of leaves in the breeze. However, the topic did feel like she was just making small talk.
"Yeah, it's been snowing nonstop these past few days, but today we haven't even seen a single cloud,".Aoba looked up at the moon in the sky and suddenly realized that although it wasn't a full moon tonight, it was unusually bright. A saying came to his mind.
"The moon is beautiful, isn't it?" [T/N: I don't think many of you know it's meaning]
Sakura, who had originally been trying to come up with a topic, froze for a moment, and her cheeks instantly became burning hot. Because she was too nervous, she slightly misheard.
"Yes, it is..."
The moon was just right, and the wind was gentle.
She suddenly felt that even if they didn't chat, the atmosphere like this wasn't bad either.
"Aoba, let's have a race!", Just at that moment, Naruto, who had been walking ahead, suddenly ran over toward them, just in time to break the special atmosphere between Aoba and Sakura.
Still immersed in the moment, Sakura was suddenly jolted back to reality. When she looked up at Naruto, the look in her eyes toward someone she liked couldn't be hidden.
If Aoba hadn't been there, she probably would have punched Naruto with her monster strength.
"Race?", Aoba didn't understand.
Naruto nodded excitedly, "That's right, let's see who can reach Hokage Rock first!"
"You and Sakura are one team, Sasuke and I are another. Whoever gets through the 'Ninja Path' first wins, how about that?"
Aoba stayed silent for a moment. He looked at Sasuke, who had also walked over. Although Sasuke's expression was still a bit indifferent, his eyes were full of intense fighting spirit.
'The Uchiha clan has never been inferior to others. They accept any challenge.'
Seeing this, Aoba smiled, "Alright, let's have a match. Whoever loses treats the others to ramen afterward."
"Alright!", Naruto became even more excited, "Then I want Ichiraku Ramen!"
"Sure!"
Getting a response, Naruto's steps became noticeably more cheerful.
"Sasuke, don't drag me down later!"
"Hmph, it's you who better not drag me down!"
Watching Naruto and Sasuke slowly walk farther away, already putting some distance between them, Aoba softly said to Sakura, "Sakura, when the time comes, we'll just go our own way, don't bother with them."
Hearing this, the eagerness in Sakura's eyes immediately disappeared.
She had thought Aoba would take the race with Naruto seriously. If that were the case, the time between the two of them would be greatly shortened.
Looking at it this way, in Aoba's eyes, she was clearly more important than Naruto and Sasuke, those two guys.
Thinking of this, Sakura's lips curved into a slight smile.
"In that case, doesn't that mean you'll lose the race you just agreed to with Naruto and the others?"
Aoba smiled and shook his head, "It's fine, I can afford the cost of two bowls of ramen."
———
The two of them walked a little further.
Sakura's initial happiness gradually calmed down, because not only had the atmosphere from earlier vanished, but it also became even more silent.
Along the way, she kept wanting to say something, but didn't know what to say.
Aoba also noticed Sakura's emotional change, "Sakura, is something on your mind?"
Sakura hesitated for a while, "Aoba, do you think I'm boring? If it were Tenten or Ino, they definitely wouldn't be like me. Unable to even come up with a topic to chat about."
Only then did Aoba understand and couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. So she felt the atmosphere was too silent.
"If we're really talking about being boring, then I'm the same. I'm not great at chatting either."
"Just now I was even worried that you might not be happy being alone with me."
"That's different," Sakura became a bit anxious, "As long as I'm by Aoba's side, I feel really happy. I'm just worried that you'll find me boring and then stop liking me…"
"Then that means we're the same."
Aoba held Sakura's hand even tighter, "Even though we haven't said much along the way and the atmosphere's been quiet, I still feel really happy."
"Because the one walking with me along this path, is you, Sakura."
"Re... really?", Sakura's voice was trembling a bit.
Aoba stopped walking, stood in front of Sakura, and looked into her eyes.
"Of course it's true. Just like how you feel happy being with me, it's exactly because it's you, Sakura, that even if we don't say a word the whole time, I'll still feel happy."
"So don't force yourself to find something to talk about, because I really like you, Sakura."
Looking into Aoba's eyes, Sakura's eyes turned red in an instant. She directly hugged him.
Feeling Sakura's slightly trembling shoulders, Aoba gently patted her back.
After a long time, only when Naruto's shouting voice sounded did the two of them finally separate and walk over to Naruto who was waving at them.
"Why did you suddenly stop?", Naruto asked with some confusion.
"Just now, some sand got into Sakura's eyes, I helped blow it out," Aoba explained.
Sakura also smiled and nodded, even wiping the tears left at the corners of her eyes.
"I see. Then let's hurry up! I already saw a lot of people passing by just now!"
Naruto didn't think much of it and immediately strode forward to lead the way.
Sasuke, who had been watching coldly from the side, just felt that Naruto's IQ was too low, his brain didn't work well, and Aoba was also a guy completely obsessed with women.
He realized his friends were all like this and, for a moment, even felt life had gotten a bit bleak.
He glanced again at Aoba and Sakura walking side by side and ultimately chose to speed up and walk with Naruto.
Aoba, from the change in Sasuke's eyes, instantly saw that this guy definitely hadn't figured things out yet.
But at least he knew when to back off.
Aoba took Sakura's hand again, "By the way, Sakura, you look really pretty today."
Sakura's face turned slightly red, "Aoba looks really handsome today too."
"Oh right, is that hair clip new? I don't think I've seen you wear it before."
Aoba had only noticed it when he hugged Sakura earlier. It was a delicate pink cherry blossom.
"Mm, I bought it today while shopping with my mom," Sakura raised her hand to touch it, "What do you think, Aoba?"
"It suits you very well."
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.
https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y