"Anna, watch carefully. One of these two will become either your opponent or mine. And both of them will be very strong."
Watching the two in the arena seemingly begin their pre-fight exchange, with Neji Hyuga clearly holding the absolute advantage, Hada Ryuhiko leaned closer to the railing, tilting forward as if he were about to stick his head out.
"Mmgh!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a soft shoulder bumped into his. A slightly fluffy head from the earlier fight tilted onto his shoulder.
At the same time came a muffled response from someone whose mouth was stuffed with food.
"Too close! Anna, move away!"
A helpless look immediately spread across Hada Ryuhiko's face as he hurriedly spoke.
"Anna is tired."
The little head on his shoulder replied matter-of-factly.
"You two really are close, aren't you?"
At that moment, Hada Ichiba smiled faintly as he watched the two children before him.
Yet for some reason, there was no joy in that faint smile. Instead, it carried a trace of gloom.
"Hmph! Don't distract me, idiot Ichiba! This is the crucial moment!"
Hada Ryuhiko still had no fondness for him, giving him neither a pleasant expression nor a pleasant tone.
"Yeah, yeah! Don't disturb Ryuhiko, Brother Ichiba!"
Having found a familiar, comfortable shoulder, Anna chimed in as well. Her voice was crisp and bright, clearly without any dislike in it. If anything, there was a hint of coquettishness.
These two children...
Hearing that, the smile on Hada Ichiba's lips widened slightly, and the gloom on his face quietly faded away.
Fine, then.
Let's watch.
It was also time to consider how to plan for tomorrow's official third round of the test...
With that thought, Hada Ichiba made a decision.
After making up his mind, he stepped forward as well, leaning