"I didn't plan on it," she says, settling herself onto the couch beside him, one leg folded over the other. She turns a smile of amusement and easy fondness on him. "If I did anything, I'd rather work as, what do they call them? Traffic cops. I don't mind having to meet quotas. Or surprises."

Reaching out, she folds a hand over one of Shikamaru's knees. "If you get fired, you could try to start working as a private detective. But that would lose about half the benefit you get from the other job. And figuring out if people's husbands are cheating just seems so damn banal."