Chapter 65

The crowd was a mix of seasoned ninjas who, by daylight, played the roles of shopkeeper, chef, and jack-of-all-trades. Now, they were all chuckling and whooping it up, clapping their hands and dancing around in pure glee.

Their ringleader, Yoshiko, chided them with a chuckle, "Come on, you rascals, get up! Don't squash Master Rinz flat!"

A gaggle of girls, still eager for more fun, sassily shot back, "As if! Master Rinz isn't some clay figurine—we cannot squish him!"

"Let's just bunk down like this tonight. With Master Rinz as our mattress, we're in for some sweet dreams, teehee..."

Lucky for Elio, these ninja gals were light as feathers, each barely tipping the scales at a hundred pounds. Otherwise, he would be pancaked by now.

As they giggled, they got to their feet, untied Elio, and could not resist sneaking in a few playful pinches. After all, it wasn't every day they got to be this up close and personal with Master Rinz.

Elio rose, his cheeks tinged with pink, thinking these