Naruto: Freeloading is Great! [9]

At the same time Itachi returned home, Naruto—who’d sat dazed on a swing for ages in the cold wind—also went back to his “new” home.

“Hoshino…? Hey… Hoshino, did you fall asleep?”

Carefully unlocking the shabby wooden door with the spare key, Naruto softly called to the house’s owner.

“What the hell are you skulking there for? Shut the door already, the draft’s freezing me to death!”

“You… you worked so, so long, and you’re not even tired enough to just crash…?”

Naruto blinked at Hoshino, confused—wasn’t it supposed to be like in the books, exhausted afterward? His eyes strayed to the window, where Hoshino’s pajama pants hung drying. The sight made him so flustered, so thrilled, that he nearly soiled them again just from excitement. Hoshino… just how long have you been repressing yourself…

Having just finished cleaning away Naruto’s junk furniture, Hoshino snapped:

“If not for you, would I be this worn out!?”

“T-t-that’s my fault too!? That’s unreasonable! I-I never begged you to do those… those indecent things to my stuff…!”

“Hehh~~ you really are a white-eyed wolf of a brat, ungrateful to the bone! I try to be nice, and this is my thanks? From now on you deal with your own mess. I’m going to sleep—don’t bother me!”

Fuming at Naruto’s thankless attitude, Hoshino hurled Naruto’s blanket to the floor. He’d even been planning to be kind enough to lay it out for the poor brat. Now? Screw that!

“Y-you’re making me clean up!?”

Naruto cried out in shock. Never in his life had he imagined there’d be a man so shameless—using a woman’s pantsu for that, then dumping it back for her to wash. Utterly, utterly unreasonable!

In a fit of outrage, he yelled toward the bundled-up Hoshino:

“I refuse! That disgusting, ruined thing—you throw it out yourself!”

Hearing Naruto shout that he wouldn’t even clean up his own filthy cloth, Hoshino’s anger shot up again.

Seriously? Won’t even spread your own damn blanket!

Enraged, he turned, ready to actually chuck Naruto’s “blanket” out and let him freeze to death right here—only to see Naruto puffing his cheeks and spreading it himself.

…This brat’s already mastered the art of saying no while secretly giving in at such a young age?

Under Hoshino’s gaze, Naruto quickly laid out the bedding, crawled inside, and buried his head deep, sulking in silence. After being stripped, humiliated, and treated “cruelly,” he felt like he was about to die from sheer injustice.

Thinking it over calmly, Hoshino decided not to be too petty with a clueless kid. He stretched his leg and tapped Naruto’s blanket twice.

“Oi, oi, oi… brat.”

Naruto, thinking Hoshino was about to apologize, instantly perked up—but still puffed his cheeks and popped his head out, pretending to stay mad.

“What do you want? I’m going to sleep. If it’s nothing, don’t talk to me.”

“Idiot, who the hell wants to chat with some clueless little brat in the middle of the night?”

“If not to chat, then what? Are you… apologizing? Ugh, honestly, you’re such a pain. Since you’re apologizing, I’ll… I’ll reluctantly—”

“Enough yammering already. Go turn off the light.”

“H-huh? The light?”

“What’s confusing? You sleep, you turn off the light. Need me to spell it out? What, you think you’re rich? If you leave it on, you’re paying the damn bill!”

“I… I… hmph—!!!”

No matter what Hoshino said, the brat sulked in his blanket, refusing to get up. With no choice, Hoshino left his own warm bed, turned off the light himself, and on the way back—

“Brat!”

He gave the lump pretending to be dead a sharp kick. With that, the frustration in his chest eased. He dove back into his blanket, ready to sleep.

But Naruto, stung by the harder kick, popped his head out again.

“Why’d you kick me so hard this time!?”

“’Cause I felt like it. What’s it to you?”

“You kick me and I can’t complain? You demon!?”

“Shut it. Don’t disturb my sleep. Good night~”

The moment Hoshino said he was going to sleep, Naruto’s eyes went wide. Instantly, all his anger vanished.

S-someone told me good night…!?

“Hoshino… Hoshino, say it again, won’t you?”

“Tch! Don’t you know how tired I am today? Quit bugging me.”

“I know, I know—your hands must be exhausted from all that… but my standards aren’t high! Just once, one more time, that’s all. Please, please, pleaseeee~~”

Though Hoshino kept brushing him off, Naruto clung like he was on drugs—pestering for fifteen whole minutes, even bursting into tears. Finally, Hoshino exploded, storming up from his bed.

Why? Why the hell does a brat like Naruto exist? Why does he need me to kick him before he’ll finally sleep? He’s rotten down to the bone——!!

This time Hoshino didn’t hold back. With all his strength, he booted Naruto straight back into his blanket.

“Happy now, brat? If you’re satisfied, then shut up. Otherwise…!”

Hoshino pulled a kunai from under his pillow. In the darkness of the shabby little room, his crimson eyes glowed like a demon’s.

“Y-yes! I’m super satisfied… Hoshino-sama, good night~!”

Naruto squeaked in terror, clutching his “injured” backside, gazing pitifully at Hoshino—who still refused to say good night again.

“Mm. Good. Good night.”

“…!!”

It was only a perfunctory reply out of courtesy. But to Naruto, it was everything. Beaming, he shrank under his blanket, hands pressed over his mouth, afraid his laughter might disturb the “exhausted” Hoshino’s rest.

The floor trembled faintly. Frowning, kunai still in hand, Hoshino yanked Naruto’s blanket open—ready to cut down whatever new nonsense the brat was pulling.

“…Br—Naruto, why are you crying?”

At his words, Naruto quickly shifted his hands from his mouth to his eyes. Ah… really. Tears had snuck out without him noticing.

“It’s nothing. I just… feel especially happy, that’s all. Hee~”

Smiling, Naruto snatched back his blanket, curled up again with a face full of bliss.

Hoshino was speechless.

Maybe someday he’d understand—that for some people, even the simplest “good night” could be overwhelming happiness. Or maybe he’d never understand. Because right now, Hoshino only thought—

To actually cry from being kicked? On top of being gay he awakened full-blown masochist tendencies… and at such an extreme level from the start? Uzumaki Naruto, just how far down the road of perversion are you planning to go before you’re satisfied…

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T/N: lmaooo

This is a fan translation of 火影之软饭真好吃 by 肾亏能力者 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!