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Granted, there was a much easier solution to this predicament than to ask one of her oldest and closest friends to pose as her boyfriend. Especially when it was Naruto. Or if it had been Kiba for that matter. -- Theirs was a delicate balance that, more often than not, stood on the sharp point of a knife. Any sort of jolt could send their trifecta of a friendship over the edge. -- But hitting a customer was number one on the 'do not, under any circumstances' list. And, unfortunately, knocking some sense into Norio's obviously thick skull fell under that category. Tochiro had already reprimanded her several times for neglecting that rule on a number of occasions while the cafe had undergone reconstruction last Spring. Loyal employee or not, as many years as Tenten had been working there, she could not simply get away with breaking the rules again. Even if the bastard deserved it.

"No, I'm still not on the menu," the young woman replied, laughing nervously at the thought of what he would do if she were, "And I'd really wish you'd stop asking that..."

Norio responded, as per usual. Probably with a charming quip or a flattering remark. And she was prepared to rebuttle his attempts with her usual game plan. But the words became muffled and ignored when a familiar voice caught her attention. His as well, probably, as Tenten turned to greet the newcomer with a bright smile.

...And fought the urge to frown, just a little.

Casual would have been fine. A little bit of effort to impress would have been good as well. Hell, she would have accepted it if Naruto had simply showed up in his work uniform. Because what he wore did matter -- although the ensemble was rather flattering and did well to accentuate his 'eye candy' vibe -- not as much as how they would act around each other. It needed to be convincing. And it needed to look natural. So the fact that she could tell that he was faking -- forcing -- the smile became a concern. "Naruto! Hey, handsome~"

Pressing her cheek against his with a purse of her lips, she gave the customary 'kiss' greeting. Nothing out of the ordinary, right? Not between friends, and certainly not between two people who were supposed to be in a relationship. "What're you doing here? I thought you'd be working."