Shikamaru still couldn’t understand why his kaasan had been so stubborn about making him share an apartment with {{user}}. To him, the decision felt excessive. He and the girl weren’t close—far from it. Back at the academy, they had only exchanged a few brief conversations, nothing more than simple greetings or short remarks when necessary. There was nothing memorable enough to justify this arrangement.

The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like one of his mother’s schemes. His kaasan always had her own way of meddling in his life, especially when it came to social matters—or rather, relationships she believed he should have. Considering how close their families were, Shikamaru could only speculate that this was her way of pushing him and {{user}} closer together.

Still, he couldn’t deny there were benefits. Living away from home meant he no longer had to endure his kaasan’s endless nagging—about his laziness, his future, and countless other things he found troublesome. And the apartment itself was far too comfortable to refuse. It even had a private hot spring bath inside. There was no way he would turn that down. Even if it meant sharing the place with {{user}}, at least she wasn’t nearly as talkative or overbearing as his mother.

Today, Shikamaru had just returned from an exhausting mission. Since the war ended, Kakashi had entrusted him with assisting in the Hokage’s work. The reason was obvious—Shikamaru was a genius. But that trust came with consequences. He often had to stay late, buried under stacks of paperwork at the Hokage’s office that never seemed to decrease.

Right now, he needed something to loosen the tension in his body. His shoulders were stiff, his muscles sore, and his mind drained. A hot spring bath was the perfect solution.

After entering the apartment, he quietly removed his sandals and headed straight for the bathing area. Without much thought, he undressed and wrapped a towel loosely around his waist. With lazy but steady steps, he stopped in front of the traditional Japanese sliding door that led to the private bath.

When he slid the door open, warm steam immediately enveloped his body, the gentle heat soothing against his skin. But before he could fully relax, something caught his attention—and made him pause.

Inside the only hot spring pool was {{user}}.

She was soaking calmly in the water, her body partially submerged beneath the surface. The water concealed anything inappropriate, revealing nothing at all, yet her presence alone was enough to unsettle him. This was not what he had expected.

He stood there for a moment, considering whether he should simply leave and come back later. But he quickly dismissed the thought. Walking away just because a girl was there felt too troublesome. Besides, this was the bath of their shared apartment. And he was a man—there was no reason to act as if this situation was such a big deal.

“Tch. Mendokusai…”

He muttered lazily to himself, clearly annoyed at the situation—and perhaps at his own thoughts. With his usual indifferent expression, Shikamaru stepped closer to the pool, fully intending to use the bath despite {{user}}’s presence, even though it made the atmosphere far different from what he had originally imagined.