Kuroya and Kushina arrived at the restaurant where his sister worked. As expected, the pce was somewhat crowded; most of the people there had the characteristic bck hair of the Uchiha cn, though there were also civilians and members of other cns who had come simply for the good food.

  —Sit over there, I’m going to say hi to my sister —Kuroya said, pointing to an empty table before heading toward the back. His sister worked as a cook, so of course, she was in the kitchen.

  The staff greeted him as he passed by, already used to seeing him around, and finally, Kuroya entered the kitchen.

  —Hey, sis.

  —Kuroya? Css is over already? —she asked without taking her eyes off the sizzling pans.

  —Yeah, I came with a few friends.

  —I’m gd. I’ll make you something tasty, just give me a moment, okay?

  —Okay, thanks —he replied, stepping out so he wouldn’t get in the way while she kept cooking.

  He returned to the dining area looking for his friends, but couldn’t find them.

  —Did they go somewhere else or get into trouble? —he wondered, though he didn’t really feel like going after them.

  He went back to Kushina, who was nervously standing in a corner, looking around with a hint of unease.

  —Why so nervous? —he asked curiously.

  Kushina looked at him hesitantly. She couldn’t exactly tell him that she felt uncomfortable with the number of Uchiha around. The cn’s reputation was well known in the ninja world—for better or worse. And as an Uzumaki, she knew better than anyone the things that cn had done over the years.

  Was this a bad idea? —she wondered— But now that she was already here, she couldn’t leave without making things awkward for the one who had invited her.

  —Nothing, but—

  —Kuroya! —a voice yelled, cutting Kushina off.

  Kuroya turned just in time for something —or someone— to sm into him and knock him to the floor. His vision went blurry for a second.

  Did my senses just go to hell?He wondered, dazed.

  —Hi, Mikoto. Can you get off me? —he said ftly.

  He’d only known her for a week, and it still surprised him how different the Mikoto he knew —lively and pyful— was from her future version, who was much calmer and more serious.

  When they say people change after having kids, he didn’t expect it to be this drastic.

  —Did you say something? —Mikoto asked, raising an eyebrow.

  —Nothing. What are you doing here? —he replied, getting up.

  —I was hungry and had nothing else to do. I’ve already learned everything useful they teach at the academy, so there’s no point in sticking around —she said as she sat down, then noticed Kushina beside him— Hey there, little one. You have beautiful hair.

  Kushina blushed at the unexpected compliment and replied with a shy smile:

  —Thank you. You have beautiful hair too.

  Mikoto smiled.

  —Are you a friend of my brother’s? This is the first time I see you.

  —She’s new, just got admitted today. I invited her because the other kids were picking on her —Kuroya expined.

  Mikoto frowned.

  —Picking on her? Someone this adorable? Your cssmates really are a bunch of idiots.

  Kushina, remembering what had happened earlier that morning, also got upset and muttered with barely contained anger:

  —Just because my hair looks a little unusual, they started bothering me… I couldn’t even have a proper conversation with them. It’s amazing how fast people judge you without knowing anything. —She spoke with deep grievance.

  Mikoto gently pced a hand on her shoulder.

  —Don’t worry. People like that aren’t worth your time. If you ever need someone to have your back, I’m here.

  Kushina looked at her, surprised by the unexpected warmth, then smiled with tears in her eyes.

  —Thank you. Really… thank you.

  Kuroya watched in silence, slightly bewildered by how quickly they seemed to get along. Then he sighed.

  I guess fate tends to bring them together. In the original story, I think they were good friends… so it’ll be the same here, he thought.

  —Oh, and you can count on my little brother too. He’s kind of an idiot, but not a bad person —Mikoto joked— Plus, you can use him as a shield. You never know when you’ll need someone to take the first hit.

  Kuroya frowned, clearly not thrilled about the idea of being a human shield. First of all, Kushina was the st person who’d need protection… especially not from an Uchiha.

  I didn’t expect to run into Kushina this soon, but… it’s an unexpectedly nice outcome, he thought, as he spent time with them, feeling for the first time that day, comfortably out of pce.