SS023

After recovering from his initial stupefaction, Seikun's smile turned wry as he remarked, "I might have to retract what I said previously. As incredible as this gift is, I don't think I can accept it..."

Raising her head, confusion colored Hinata's expression and tone as she asked, "Why not...?"

Following an explanation of the prerequisites for land ownership, Seikun expected Hinata to apologize and accept the deed back. Instead, it was his turn to be confused as she adopted a smile and asserted, "Oh, if that's all you're worried about, it shouldn't be a problem. Because of their role in founding and funding the village, the land and properties tied to Konoha's four noble clans were given a tax exemption for nine generations. I'm not entirely sure how all of that works just yet, but even if you did have to pay taxes, it would be to us..."

'Does that mean Hiashi is trying to indebt me to his clan...?' Seikun asked himself, sporting a reluctant look as he rubbed the back of his head. First, he was given a set of scrolls he shouldn't have been. Now, a few months later, he was being given a piece of tax-exempt property. If he didn't think Hiashi was trying to bribe him before, he most certainly did now...

"I'll at least check it out..." assured Seikun, choosing to compromise as, at least since the incident during the winter break, Hiashi and the Hyuga had treated him remarkably well.

"That's wonderful~!" exclaimed Hinata, her smile nearly as radiant as the sun as she brought her hands together above her chest and clapped them a few times, clearly delighted. Seikun couldn't help but be affected by her infectious glee, so despite feeling like he was gradually being lured into a trap, an appreciative smile adorned his face...

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Heading to the address listed on the deed, Seikun found himself outside a surprisingly large and prestigious-looking building with an outer wall, two floors, and a traditional, slope-tiled roof with a white facade and dark blue tiles. Its square-shaped base was an even 15x15m, and due to a series of eight Torii lining the path from the front gate to the main entrance, it gave the impression it was some kind of shrine.

'This place is a palace compared to my apartment...' thought Seikun, his expression a variation of a deadpan as he couldn't believe he had been given such a large property. And then there was the land itself. The outer wall was at least twenty-five meters wide, and since there was a second building behind the main structure, its depth was nearer to fifty.

"Should we head inside...?" proposed Hinata, smiling from ear to ear. She had previously visited the property to familiarize herself with its layout and facilities, so she was there to show Seikun around and answer any questions he might have. At least, that was the justification she had given to accompany and spend more time with him.

"Sure..." responded Seikun, feeling a little tense as he and Hinata made their way through the building's front entrance. Beyond that was a 5x7m space that served as a staging area for shoes and umbrellas. A slightly raised area of wood denoted where the outside and the interior of the building proper began, so Seikun and Hinata swapped their sandals for house slippers before making their way through an archway connecting to a cross-shaped hall.

Gesturing to the forward section of the hall they were in, Hinata dutifully explained, "The two doors this way connect to the kitchen and a lounge area for greeting and entertaining guests. Most of the other rooms on this level are...well, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised, so I won't say."

"Let's check out the kitchen and lounge," said Seikun, taking the initiative to head to the door at the further end of the hall. The kitchen within was somewhat cramped, being only two meters wide, but it had two stoves, a sink, a prep table, a larder, several cabinets, and a refrigerator with an ice box for storing food and ingredients.

Leaving the kitchen, Seikun was surprised when he and Hinata entered the lounge to find what looked like a receptionist's desk to the right of the entrance. A curtain divided the 5x5m room at its center, and there was a long, expensive-looking table accessible to anyone who might sit on the l-shaped, cushioned seating area. Even at a glance, Seikun could tell it was a waiting area and not a traditional dining room/lounge.

"Did this place used to be some kind of business...?" asked Seikun, the fact that the property was located along the periphery of Konoha's red light district once again appearing in his mind.

"That's right," affirmed Hinata, smiling playfully as she added, "As for what kind of business, I think you'll understand once you enter one of the other rooms."

Since it was clear Hinata wasn't going to tell him, Seikun exited the room through a separate door and followed the hallway to its intersection. From there, he took a left and entered one of five doors, the nearest one on his left. What he found within caused his eyes to widen and his jaw to drop as the room's interior had soft lighting, relaxing decor, and smelled faintly of sandalwood. However, what really caught Seikun's attention and revealed what kind of business had previously operated in the refurbished building was the massage table at its center.

Seeing the look on Seikun's face, Hinata couldn't but cover her mouth to stifle an amused giggle before staring at him with a gentle expression and explaining, "You revealed on our first day at the Academy that one of your dreams was to open a massage therapy clinic. I told my father, and since this property has gone unused since the attack of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, it's now yours. Congratulations, Seikun. You're now one step closer to making your dream a reality."

"I...genuinely don't know what to say..." muttered Seikun, reaching up with his right hand to rub the back of his head. He found it suspicious that the parlor was located along the periphery of Konoha's red-light district, but it was unmistakably a boon. Just acquiring the materials necessary to open his own clinic would have cost a fortune, so to be given them freely...even if he were being lured into a trap, it was probably worth it.

"You don't need to say anything," assured Hinata, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly as she added, "I just hope that when you open, I can be one of your regular customers..."

Not expecting Hinata, of all people, to say such a thing, Seikun's cheeks warmed, his body becoming as rigid as a statute. This earned him another amused giggle from Hinata, but as they still had other rooms and facilities to inspect, she quickly composed herself and proposed heading up to the second floor to check the living area. It had six rooms in total, including a spacious living room, a surprisingly modern bathroom, a master bedroom, and four guest rooms. The first floor was also equipped with two showers, but as they were primarily intended for customers, the real crown jewel of the property was the building at the back, an open-air bathhouse with an attached steam room and sauna...

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With Hinata invariably having to return home, Seikun eventually found himself alone, lost in thought atop the master bedroom's nearly three-meter-wide bed. Reason told him there was no way in hell he would be given such a premium property without a bevy of strings attached, but since it was too late for him to visit the Center for Foreign and Domestic Affairs to touch up on Konoha's land and property laws, he could only lie in silence, feeling strangely...isolated.

'This place is too big for a single person to live in...' concluded Seikun. Even if he excluded the rooms on the first floor, which were reserved for massages, he felt like the second floor could comfortably accommodate more than a dozen people. With that in mind, one of Hiashi's motivations could be to give him a place to serve as his future clan residence. He had been given a limited protected status on the assumption his ability was a never-before-seen Bloodline Limit, so there was a real possibility that Hiashi was getting ahead of the game by forming ties with his clan before it even came to be...

'Well, as long as he doesn't try to offer me Hanabi to seal our alliance, it shouldn't matter too much...' thought Seikun, absentmindedly drumming his stomach. He had suspected on several occasions that Hiashi might be trying to bring him and Hanabi closer together, but since Hinata had made it clear she liked him, Seikun doubted that Hiashi would antagonize her by offering him her younger sister's hand in a political union.

Thinking of marriage, Seikun felt somewhat disjointed thinking about the logistics of his marriage with Ino and Sakura, assuming their relationship went the distance. Wedding ceremonies in the world of Naruto were quite a bit different from those of his past life, but the thought of being flanked by two brides made Seikun feel...anxious. After all, he could only kiss one of them at a time, leaving whoever he picked second to forever wonder if they were the third wheel in the relationship...

'It's crazy how drastically different things are this time around...' thought Seikun, reflecting on the past year. When he was a talentless nobody with little more than a handsome face, just getting through each month was a challenge. Now, because those around him believed he possessed talent, intellect, and a Bloodline Limit, opportunities were practically forced upon him. All because he might be a big deal in the future...

Breathing a sigh, Seikun got up from his bed with the intention of taking a bath and grabbing a bite to eat. He was tempted to give the open-air bath a try, but as it apparently took between 18 and 24 hours to fill the tub and heat the water to a comfortable level, he settled on using the comparably modest but still sizeable tub in the second-floor shared bathroom. It was only around thirty centimeters deep, but with dimensions of 4x2m, it was large enough to accommodate several people at once.

'Everything in this place is excessive...' thought Seikun, taking his time to wash and rinse his body outside the bath before getting into the tub and lying down with his arms and legs spread. At his current height of 137cm, it was impossible for him to touch both sides of the tub at once, even with his arms stretched to their limits. As such, it felt more like a small, heated pool than a proper bath. It was incredibly comfortable, but after living on the edge of poverty for nearly twenty years, Seikun couldn't help feeling it was a little outrageous that anyone could need such a large tub. However, as he had already accepted and safely stowed away the deed, Seikun had no intention of not enjoying his new amenities...

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"And you actually accepted it...?" questioned Ino, her expression visibly conflicted after learning Seikun had basically been gifted a mansion. She wanted to be happy for him, but as the gift came from the greatest threat to her and Sakura's happiness, not to mention it was far beyond anything they could gift him, she couldn't help feeling...threatened.

"I did..." confirmed Seikun, nodding. "But, if it would make you feel better if I returned-"

Before Seikun could finish, Ino's frown deepened as she said, "No way in hell are you returning it. If that place is what you described, it would be a perfect family home. What do you think, Sakura...?"

As she was still dumbfounded after hearing that Seikun had been gifted a mansion for free, Sakura startled slightly at Ino's question, her confusion written clearly across her face as she tilted her head and asked, "What do I think about what...?"

"I was saying that if the two of us marry Seikun in the future, the mansion would be the perfect place to start and raise a family," clarified Ino. "What do you think?"

Hearing that the subject had abruptly shifted to marriage and starting a family, Sakura's eyes became as round as saucers, a prominent pink hue suffusing her cheeks as she met Seikun's gaze without turning her head. She didn't know who had broached the subject, but as she had invested a significant amount of time thinking about their shared future, she forced down the knot in her throat and responded, "I think it sounds amazing..."

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