Tch!
After standing him up for so long, that guy would probably make an issue of it. Even though he had asked Kushina to tell him why he had stood him up.
But whether that guy would accept that excuse was another question.
What if he made an issue of it...
Damn it!
He had given him something to hold over him!
After deciding when to give Yukina a gift to make it up to her, Chiba began to face the problem at hand.
They had agreed that he would go after dinner that day, but he had not asked about the code until now. Although he had someone pass along a message, given his relationship with Hyuga Yukyō, if the other man insisted on finding an excuse to pick a fight with him, he seemed to have no grounds to argue back. After all, they had made an appointment, and he was the one who had stood him up.
If Hyuga Yukyō had stood him up for this long instead, Chiba probably would not have shown him a pleasant face either. He might have spent the whole time throwing sarcastic remarks at him.
Putting himself in the other man's shoes, that guy would definitely have something to say.
"Creak..."
With that thought, Chiba unconsciously pushed open the wooden door.
What was wrong with this guy...
Yet when he pushed open the door and everything under the white light came into view, Chiba's expression changed abruptly, taking on a trace of astonishment.
"You're here."
Then, a slightly hoarse voice came from within the secret room.
"You... what happened to you?"
At the same time, looking at Hyuga Yukyō sitting at the table before him, Chiba muttered the question. His words carried concern—concern that Chiba himself could hardly believe would exist