The Shopkeeper of Konoha

"Grandma... Is this what I think it is?" Edward exclaimed as he stumbled upon the adult section. Horror filled his voice as he struggled to process the situation. As a young man, he had a vague understanding of what these items were, but he couldn't fathom the idea that his Grandma was ready to sell such things.

"It's probably exactly what you think," Pinako replied nonchalantly, seemingly unaffected by Edward's shock.

"What the hell are you selling, you pint-sized Grandma?" Edward yelled, his anger and embarrassment evident.

"What do you care, you miniature engineer? This is an adult store. What do you expect to find here? It's clearly marked 18+ outside."

"You must be joking. Then what are these tongue-shaped things?" Edward pointed to another shelf, beneath which a sign read 'Gluck Gluck 3000' in bold letters.

"Those are for the boys... if you catch my drift," Pinako remarked, winking at Edward and then glancing toward his crotch. Edward cringed visibly, his discomfort written all over his face. Meanwhile, Winry took her time to comprehend what she was seeing, and when the realization struck, she was overcome with horror.

She felt an urge to flee from this place due to the overwhelming embarrassment, but it was her grandmother's shop, so running away would be rude.

"I've seen my fair share of peculiarities, coming from a different world, learning magic, but this... this is a whole new level of strange," John commented, observing the surroundings. Sex was not as taboo to him as it was to others. He had experienced and witnessed his fair share of it in Winterfell and the Wall.

"Ah, the marvels of human ingenuity never cease to amaze," Corazon chuckled. The shop boasted a wide array of adult toys, ranging from dildos, straps, vibrators, sleeves, harnesses, and even sex dolls. The more they looked, the more amused they became.

Arya, always quick-witted and unfiltered, couldn't resist joining in. "So, Grandma, is this where you've been hiding all your secrets? No wonder you and Aoto didn't want to talk about it."

"There's more to life than automail and engineering. A woman has her secrets, after all," Pinako replied, a hint of mischief in her tone.

"What secrets? I'll beat the living daylights out of Aoto for filling your head with all this stuff," Edward threatened. Pinako looked at him with wide eyes and said sternly, "You've done nothing but bury your face in books nonstop at the library. But he has responsibilities that you know very little about. So, shut up." Pinako's reprimand silenced everyone.

Pinako was right, they had been reading books and and enjoying life, but they did have the feeling that Aoto carried responsibilities too. He had already tasked them with work so they knew that Aoto too had some obligations of some kind but since their shop hadn't been put up, they were just freeloading at this point.

"But this is embarrassing..." Winry expressed, her eyes becoming slightly watery.

"It doesn't matter. I won't be here for long. Aoto will find someone to replace me eventually, and the people here will get used to it," Pinako reassured her. Edward let out a sigh and reluctantly accepted the situation. They spent a little more time looking around before leaving, with Edward leaving a note on the cash counter.

"Make sure you don't get any ideas for my automail, chibi grandma. I don't need any...enhancements."

He didn't say it out loud, but the note conveyed his feelings. After their visit, they returned to Aoto's home. Aoto had been busy acquiring shops and land in the nearby areas, so he couldn't be present for the inauguration.

Later that evening, Aoto entered the library, as was his usual routine, and noticed Edward and Winry looking at him with a mix of anger and shame.

"I'm sorry. I didn't have any other choice," Aoto apologized, anticipating their reaction. Edward and Winry gazed into Aoto's eyes, sensing his own remorse and understanding the difficult position he had been in.

"I hope the people here buy those things," Edward muttered.

"I hope so too, or else it will be even harder for us," Aoto admitted. Winry remained silent, focusing on her studies. In the initial days, there were no customers at the new shop due to the deterrent effect of the 16+ sign displayed outside. However, one night, Pinako informed them that a customer had finally arrived.

"Who was it?" Aoto asked.

"It was an adult woman wearing the Konoha headband and stockings from Victoria's Secret," Pinako replied. Aoto and Corazon had accompanied Pinako back to the shop.

"Stockings? Tell me more," Aoto inquired. Pinako proceeded to describe the first customer who had come and purchased an item. Initially amused, the woman's curiosity had led her to make a purchase.

Based on the description, Aoto deduced that the customer was Anko Mitarashi. She seemed quite outgoing, which worked to their advantage. At least they had made a sale and weren't sitting idle all day.

"By the way, how is your relationship with the Hokage?" Aoto suddenly asked, recalling the numerous interactions between Pinako and the elderly leader. Pinako didn't mind the question. At their age, they cared little about what others thought.

"Oh, he's an old man. Still a bit sad about his deceased wife and the betrayal of his student," Pinako shared.

"He mentioned his student?" Aoto was surprised that Hiruzen had mentioned him.

"No, I just know that his student betrayed his trust and left. Why do you ask? What did he do?" Pinako inquired.

"Well...his student became obsessed with immortality and turned into a psychopath, similar to the Crimson Alchemist," Aoto explained. Crimson Alchemist was quite the psychopath as he went so mad during the Ishval Uprising that even the military had to lock him up.

And now there was another person of the same level, if not more. Pinako sighed thinking how someone's student could turn up like that.

"War changes people grandma." Aoto said.