The Qixi Festival, also known as the Qiqiao Festival, is a traditional Chinese festival. Feitao knew that long ago this festival had already influenced the entire Chinese character cultural sphere, so it was nothing strange for it to appear in the world of AB. In fact, she knew quite a lot of things, such as AB's inclination toward puppy love.
At noon on the day before Qixi, Obito dragged Feitao over to Uncle Ichiraku and generously treated her to a lot of good food. From the very first time she saw him, Feitao knew this guy was up to something—he definitely had a huge conspiracy brewing.
With a burp, Feitao put down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth, and asked, "What on earth does Brother Tu want?"
"Momoko, you figured it out?" Obito looked like his secrets had been exposed. He glanced around to make sure there was no one suspicious nearby before leaning in closer to Feitao. "Well, you see... Momoko... tomorrow is Qixi, right? So... how about I treat you to some ice cream?"
"What are you really getting at?" Feitao saw right through him. This was definitely for Sister Rin; he was probably treating her to food so he could go on a date with her, even though Obito was usually very nice to her and always buying her treats.
"Hey, Momoko, how about helping me ask Rin out tomorrow? You don't have anything else to do anyway, and tomorrow night there's going to be a lantern festival. It'll be super lively, and... and I figure if I'm with Rin, I can... oh... discuss the meaning of life or something. Of course, make sure you don't tell Kakashi, and you'd better hold him back so he doesn't follow us. Momoko, I'm begging you, please!" Obito pressed his palms together above his head with an expression of utmost sincerity.
Feitao sighed. She was bored anyway, so she might as well do him a favor. Besides, Obito was the dark horse she had her eyes on; she would have to ride his coattails to get by in the future. If she offended him now, how would she survive later? As for Kakashi, it should be fine—he was destined to be cannon fodder anyway.
Moreover, this Obito really was a blockhead. Although Rin showed signs of "adulation" toward Kakashi, that look in her eyes was more about worship and respect, feeling more like an idol or a role model. But when she was with Obito, she would care for him and scold him, and the gentleness in her eyes was completely different from when she was with Kakashi. Based on her years of experience watching cheesy Korean dramas with her mom, Rin clearly liked Obito.
Sigh, the people involved are blind while the onlookers see clear. She would just have to act as the ultimate wingman, solve his major emotional crisis, and then hold tight to his coattails to become wealthy and successful and marry a gorgeous—wait, wrong script!
"Alright, but what do you want me to do?"
"You're really agreeing? Momoko, I knew you were the best." Obito smiled. "Look, it's very simple. Just invite Rin to July Bridge to float some flower lanterns, and then get her to meet me there. I can handle the rest myself."
"Are you sure? Do you want me to help you prepare anything, like roses?" Girls probably liked flowers, right? Wait, what about Kakashi, that 1.8-million-watt light bulb? Ah, it's fine. Based on her years of experience, that kid usually didn't show up in public when nothing was going on.
"Then I'll leave it to you. But make sure you watch out for Kakashi—you absolutely must hold him back."
"Hehe, I know."
The two smiled at each other.
At the entrance of Ichiraku Ramen, a young boy stopped in his tracks, turned around, and walked away with a soft sigh. I'm not going to get in your way, okay? There's no need to guard against me like I'm a thief.
Therefore, that same night, Feitao dug deep into her bed to retrieve her pocket money saved up over many years (not really), went to the Yamanaka flower shop with tears in her eyes, and ordered a bouquet of roses.
Feitao wept inwardly: Brother Tu, I've placed all my bets on you, you'd better not let me down!
On the night of Qixi, the whole of Konoha was lively, showing no trace of war. The ninjas in the shadows remained on high alert, ready to respond to any sudden situation at a moment's notice. Feitao finally managed to pacify the two people at home, especially her dear old dad, who was standing there in tears.
"Is Momoko going out on a date with Rin? No way, how can my little Momoko go out on a date with someone else? Sob, sob, sob. Does Momoko not love Daddy anymore? Didn't you say you were going to marry Daddy when you grew up?"
"Momoko loves Daddy the most! When Momoko grows up, she's going to marry Daddy!"
"Really? My little Momoko is the best, sob, sob, sob..."
"..."
Feitao leaned against the wall and sighed. Shouldn't her dad be worried about a child going out to play at a time like this? She never expected her dad's focus to always be so bizarre.
Obito looked very handsome today—Feitao swore on all her pocket money that he looked genuinely handsome. Clothes really do make the man; outfits are important. She handed him the bouquet of roses. "You're on your own now, figure it out. Sister Rin will be here soon."
"Don't worry, I'll definitely succeed in my confession today, trust me." Without the restriction of his goggles and headband, his slightly longer hair fell down, giving him a genuine Korean drama male lead vibe. He looked pretty dashing.
With an expression that said "this student is finally teachable," Feitao looked at him and said, "Then I'll get going."
"Yup, go ahead, I'll do my best."
"Do your best!"
Feitao turned and ran off, but before she had gone a few steps, she stopped again. No matter what, she was really curious to see how it played out; after all, this was a major event, and besides, just in case Kakashi suddenly showed up, she still had a chance to drag him away. After thinking for a moment, Feitao stopped, turned around, and went back.
At that moment, Obito was standing on the bridge holding a bouquet of roses. Today he was also wearing a dark blue yukata with silver patterns, which suited him very well. This yukata was given to him by his grandmother, who said it was something his father had worn when he was a boy. Obito liked this garment very much, which was why he wore it to confess to Rin.
Feitao hid behind a wall, watching the person on the bridge with great excitement. Sister Rin should be arriving soon; the good show was about to begin.
"Feitao?"
"Ah!"
Without any warning, a hand rested on Feitao's shoulder, startling her into a gasp. The person on the bridge glanced over in their direction, and Feitao hurriedly pulled the person beside her into an alley.
"Huh? Just now it sounded like I heard Momoko's voice. Did I hear wrong? Whatever, Rin will be here in a moment, I should practice a bit more."
Feitao finally breathed a sigh of relief. If Obito knew she was following him to watch his confession, he might not be able to get a single word out, and that would be a huge waste—especially since she had spent so much money on that bouquet of roses.
"What's wrong?" Itachi looked at Feitao with curiosity. What was wrong with her? Was she not happy to see him? But he felt very happy; ever since his father's incident, he hadn't seen much of Feitao.
"It's nothing, long time no see, KAMISAMA." Feitao only then remembered to say that she hadn't seen him in a long time. He was as elusive as a dragon, and she had no idea what this kid was up to day in and day out. Wait, he wouldn't have gone back to the battlefield again, would he? If so, his dad really was...
No matter what, watching Obito confess to Rin was the priority. Feitao turned her head and peeked out from behind the wall, her eyes searching everywhere for that figure, but they seemed to have vanished into thin air. Not only were the two people gone from the bridge, but Obito was nowhere to be seen either. So fast? Where did they go? She hadn't even gotten to observe and learn from it yet.
"Damn it, seriously." Turning her head back, Feitao sighed. "KAMISAMA, you really have impeccable timing."
"Is that so? Thanks for the compliment." Itachi nodded slightly at Feitao, the corners of his mouth curving upward. Hearing Feitao's praise made him quite happy, as if he had received validation.
Feitao slapped her forehead. This kid was just too naive. Oh well, since Obito and Rin had no idea where they ran off to for their date, she might as well head home early so her idiot dad wouldn't sit around worrying and imagining things all day.
"Feitao, are you heading back?" Itachi asked, unable to help himself when he saw Feitao preparing to walk toward the riverside.
"Uh..." Feitao actually wanted to tell him straight out, but seeing the bright gleam in Itachi's eyes, she swallowed her words back down. Why did she suddenly feel like she was bullying a child? The kid was already under a lot of pressure at home; since he came out to play on Qixi, she shouldn't make him unhappy.
Feitao patted his shoulder. "Come on, I'll take you for a walk."
"A walk? Where to?"
"To the crowded streets. Right, how about I take you to release a sky lantern?"
"Okay."
"Let's go, let's go. Sigh, I guess I'm destined to miss the show."
"What show?"
"Nothing."