My Brother's a Jinchūriki! EXTRAS

2021 Valentine's Special Part Three

Sasuke ignored the flowery, red-and-pink, sickeningly-sweet chaos of the state the village was in around him- including all of the eye-roll-inducing hand-holding of the couples he passed. He rolled his eyes as a couple fed each other bites of heart-shaped chocolates and stuck his hands into his pockets. Already today he had been confessed to by nearly two dozen girls and already rejected all of their cards, gifts, and other tokens of affection. He walked by a new girl who held out chocolates, not even meeting her eye. Her eyes watered as he passed, and she broke into a cry and ran away.

"Why do they have to be so annoying? I never asked for their attention."

"So harsh, Sasuke."

Sasuke looked up at the dark-haired man and narrowed his eyes slightly in recognition. "...The gate guard."

Kotetsu grimaced and rubbed his head. "M-My name's Kotetsu, actually." He lowered his arm and looked at the boy. "You could have at least turned her down nicely."

"I don't care."

Kotetsu sighed. "Look, kid, I'm not a fan of Valentine's, either, but there's a right way to reject a girl."

"They'll just whine more if I acknowledge them."

"Yikes. He's even more of a Valentine's miser than I am."  Kotetsu held up his hand. "E-Even so, you should try to be more considerate, don't you think? Girls your age are so delicate and you don't want to harden their hearts."

"Not my concern." 

"So harsh."   Kotetsu sighed again, continuing to walk beside the boy absentmindedly. "Well, I guess that's not my business. You'll figure it out eventually." He turned to walk away, though stopped beside tall potted flowers. The balloons staked in their pot blew into his face and he waved irritably to clear his vision. "AH-! Ugh no!" He held one of the balloons away from him as the static drew the points of his hair to it, and he grumbled. "I'm being assaulted by commercialism."

"GAH!" 

Kotetsu looked down at Sasuke, who was glaring with his jaw clenched and eyes shut tightly. He was now suddenly dripping wet, with the remnants of a water balloon on the ground around him. Sasuke rubbed his eyes to get the liquid out of his eyes.

"What the hell?!" Sasuke groaned and then sniffed himself as his vision remained blurred. "What is this?! Who...?! I'll kill them!"

Kotetsu sniffed the air. "Huh. Light, floral-herb scent. It's actually really nice."

"Speak for yourself." Sasuke wiped his hands on his pants to dry them, then rubbed his eyes again. The mystery liquid absorbed into his skin in only a minute, and he was dry again.

Sasuke looked up and blinked slowly as his vision cleared and he froze in place, mesmerized by the back of the figure that walked in the opposite direction. His heartbeat quickened at the elegant, but casual deep red dress, and the way her red hair cascaded over her shoulders.

"Hey, sorry, kid. Maybe one of those girls is taking out their revenge or something--"

Sasuke clutched at his heart, then grabbed Kotetsu to pull him down to meet his eyes. "Tell me, how do I win over a girl?!"

"W-What...?!" Kotetsu blinked and looked between Sasuke's hand that firmly gripped his collar and the boy's suddenly bright, intense eyes. Sasuke's face was flushed and Kotetsu cleared his throat. "Are you... feeling alright?"

"How do I confess to a girl? Tell me now!"

"What's gotten into him all of a sudden?!" Kotetsu rubbed his head. "I'm not really the right guy to ask about that, b-but, you could try flowers? Some people try poetry and chocolates, though just being open about your feelings also is supposed to work."