The Self-Deluded Little Hinata

Not long after the class bell rang, while the teacher had his back turned to write on the board, Shikamaru crumpled up a note he had written and tossed it onto Hinata's desk with a whoosh.

Hinata: "..."

Passing notes in class had been Hinata's favorite thing in her past life.

But now, Hinata hated passing notes in class. She did not even need to open it to roughly guess what was written inside.

It was nothing more than some little boy whose heart had begun to stir, setting his sights on Hinata as the target of his pursuit.

Sasuke was also seated in the front row with Hinata. Seeing someone pass her a note, he glanced at her with great interest.

Hinata opened the note. Huh? It was signed by Shikamaru?

After reading it carefully, Hinata finally understood what Shikamaru meant.

Shikamaru had explained it very clearly. He simply did not want Choji to suffer in the future, so he wanted to nip some of Choji's unrealistic thoughts in the bud while he was still young.

He had even made some guesses about Hinata and Choji's future relationship.

At first, things between Hinata and Choji might be rather awkward. But as they grew older and gradually matured, these matters would slowly be forgotten, and in the end, they would still become good friends.

Hinata understood. Shikamaru was trying to break up a pair of lovebirds... Pah, pah! That was wrong! He was helping Choji cut off his tangled feelings with a sword!

Mm! Truly great wisdom.

Hinata put the note into her schoolbag. Without turning around, she simply made an "OK" gesture.

After school, Hinata arrived as promised.

Shikamaru had truly spent a fortune to help Choji. He had specially reserved a private room at the dumpling shop and promised that Hinata and Choji could eat their fill.

How generous.

With that kind of boldness... Hinata could only say that Shikamaru truly deserved to be Konoha's future strategist.

Shikamaru seemed to have saved up a lot of pocket money over the past year. It looked like she needed to find an opportunity to fleece him properly!

Once the three of them were seated, Hinata unceremoniously ordered twenty skewers of Three-Color Dumplings and five bowls of red bean soup.

Choji's behavior, however, made both Hinata and Shikamaru look at him in a new light. He had actually ordered just as much as Shikamaru: five dumplings and one bowl of red bean soup.

Hinata and Shikamaru exchanged a glance.

Sure enough! Was he trying not to embarrass himself in front of the girl he loved?

The three chatted and laughed, and before long, more than half the food on the table was gone.

Hinata ate the most, but after Choji finished his own portion, he did not eat another bite.

Seeing that the time was about right, Shikamaru turned to Choji and said, "Choji, Hinata's here. Just say whatever you want to say! Don't be nervous, I'm right here with you!"

How could Choji not be nervous? His hands were clenched into fists, his face flushed red, and he did not dare look at Hinata even once.

Shikamaru kept encouraging him from the side. After hesitating for a long time, Choji finally raised his head to look at Hinata and asked softly, "Hinata, can you tell me why you never gain weight?"

"Ah?"

Having gotten started, Choji finally grew bolder. His voice rose considerably as he stared at Hinata and asked earnestly, "Hinata, you usually eat as much as I do, but you're still so skinny, while I... I..."

Choji was so aggrieved that he was nearly crying.

Damn it!

Hinata's anger flared. It was great that she did not gain weight, but he actually said she ate as much as he did. Was he calling her a pig?

After a moment of silence, Choji suddenly stood up and bowed solemnly. "Hinata, please tell me the secret to not gaining weight! I'm begging you, please, you have to tell me!"

Hinata and Shikamaru: "..."

Since it was not a confession, Hinata could still be friends with Choji in the future. That was actually a good thing.

But...

Hinata suddenly realized how self-deluded she had been!

Little fatty Choji was clearly so innocent. He only wanted to ask about the secret to not gaining weight. It was not a confession at all!

Hinata wanted nothing more than to find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.

Fortunately, no one knew that Hinata usually loved overthinking things, so she avoided becoming too embarrassed.

But if she had to choose between "self-deluded" and "eating as much as Choji," Hinata truly did not know which one she would choose.

Hinata exchanged a glance with Shikamaru. After thinking it over, she said with some difficulty, "Choji, not gaining weight might be related to one's constitution. My constitution is probably rather special. I just happen to be the type who never gains weight no matter how much I eat."

Shikamaru comforted him, saying, "Choji, your Akimichi Clan's secret techniques store chakra through fat. It's fine. Don't focus so much on appearances. You're a very kind person."

"Exactly, exactly!" Hinata chimed in. "Look, I don't even play with other people. I only play with you because you're so kind."

Tears welled up in Choji's eyes as he said miserably, "Thank you, both of you. Thank you!"

What a pitiful child.

Because ninjas trained frequently, they usually had excellent figures. Fat people were truly one in a million among ninjas.

Yet the Akimichi Clan was an exception.

That was a whole clan of fat people!

Choji usually felt inferior because of his weight. When he played games as a child, he always lost, and no one was willing to play with him.

Before starting at the Academy, Choji had only one friend: Shikamaru.

Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru were family friends, but that was all they were—family friends who were merely more familiar with one another. Ino did not usually play with them either.

Hinata patted Choji on the shoulder and persuaded him, "I once read a secret from the ninja world. It said that as long as your Akimichi Clan undergoes Butterfly Transformation, you can instantly slim down and become very handsome too! Choji, as long as you train hard, you'll definitely change all this in the future!"

Choji asked uncertainly, "Is that true?"

Shikamaru said firmly, "Of course it's true. I've heard my dad mention it too. You can go home and ask your dad! Choji, believe that as long as you train hard, the day you break out of your cocoon and become a butterfly will come!"

"Mm! Thank you both."

As they spoke, Hinata had already finished twenty skewers of dumplings, yet she did not feel full in the slightest.

It was truly strange. Hinata's body was tiny, yet she could eat an enormous amount. No one knew where all the food went after she ate it, and her stomach never even bulged.

If they were comparing stomach capacity, Choji might not even be Hinata's match.

Hinata shouted, "Boss, another twenty skewers of dumplings and five servings of red bean soup!"

"Me too!"

With his mood bright once more, Choji no longer had any reservations. He shouted, "Boss, twenty... no, thirty skewers of dumplings, and red bean soup too!"

Shikamaru: "..."

The reason Shikamaru had dared to boast that Hinata and Choji could eat their fill was because he knew that once Choji confessed, the two of them would soon part on bad terms.

But Shikamaru had never imagined that Choji only wanted to ask about the secret to "not gaining weight."

And after Hinata and Shikamaru comforted him, Choji's mood quickly brightened. He actually intended to eat dumplings until he was full.

I'm going bankrupt, and my pocket money isn't even enough...

Shikamaru's eyes darted around as he smiled. "You two eat slowly. I'll go to the bathroom first!"

Smack!

Hinata slammed her little hand heavily onto the table and snapped, "You're not going anywhere. You're not skipping out on the bill!"