I'm Truly Sorry (Please Keep Reading)

[Detected guilt from Nohara Rin!]

[Received 15 points, Defense increased by 3%!]

Uchiha Chi looked at the system's new message in surprise.

So doing decent things could trigger the system too?

"Waaah..."

Hearing the sobbing, Uchiha Chi finally came back to his senses and lowered his gaze at Nohara Rin.

She clutched the blanket he had handed her and sobbed quietly. Perhaps because she could barely catch her breath, her petite body trembled slightly, like a pitiful injured kitten drenched in the rain.

Uchiha Chi felt an unexpected pang in his heart.

His blanket was dirty.

"Why are you crying?" he asked, sitting down beside Nohara Rin.

Nohara Rin did not answer, only sobbing softly.

Uchiha Chi tilted his head and looked closer, trying to see more clearly. "You really are crying?"

Nohara Rin said nothing. She buried her face deeper into the blanket, her back shuddering now and then.

Uchiha Chi sat back and scratched his cheek. He really was not very good at comforting girls.

After pondering for a moment, he asked quietly, "Have you eaten breakfast?"

She had stood waiting at his door early in the morning and remained there until now. Nohara Rin probably had not eaten anything.

Sure enough, Nohara Rin shook her head.

"Are you hungry?" Uchiha Chi continued.

Nohara Rin hesitated slightly, then nodded softly.

She had not slept last night. Today, she had left early and come to the Uchiha clan grounds, asking for directions many times before finally finding Uchiha Chi's house.

Seeing her nod, Uchiha Chi touched the last remaining sesame flatbread in his pocket, his expression turning a little strange.

He struggled with himself for a moment, but still reached out and poked the back of the hand clutching the blanket.

Nohara Rin looked over through misty tears.

Uchiha Chi handed her the paper bag containing the flatbread. "This... I can only give you half."

Nohara Rin froze at once, staring blankly at Uchiha Chi.

Morning sunlight streamed through the glass window and fell upon the floor between them. Its cool glow reflected onto Uchiha Chi's profile, making him look like part of a painting.

Nohara Rin simply stared at the youth before her, feeling that this scene was incomparably beautiful.

Of course, that was only how Nohara Rin saw it.

From Uchiha Chi's perspective, it was different. He only felt that holding his hand up was making it a little sore.

Damn it, eat it already. Why aren't you eating?

Uchiha Chi was getting impatient. With black lines appearing across his forehead, he said, "Do you think half isn't enough?"

"Ah?"

What kind of logic was that?

Nohara Rin shook her head in confusion.

"N-No..."

"Then forget it if you don't want to eat it."

With that, Uchiha Chi withdrew his hand, preparing to stuff the flatbread back into his pocket.

At that moment, Nohara Rin, who had finally reacted, hurriedly grabbed the hem of his clothes.

"What are you doing?" Uchiha Chi asked as he looked at her. He lightly twisted his arm, but failed to shake her off.

Her knuckles turned white as Nohara Rin tightly gripped his clothes. Looking at him pleadingly, she said, "I want to eat!"

Uchiha Chi raised a brow. "Didn't you say you didn't want to?"

The tips of Nohara Rin's ears heated up. Avoiding his eyes, she said quietly, "P-Please, let me eat it!"

A few minutes later.

Uchiha Chi emerged from the kitchen and brought over the reheated flatbread.

"We agreed, half each."

He pushed a bowl toward Nohara Rin. Inside was half a serving of beef sesame flatbread.

After doing that, he sat down holding the paper bag containing the other half and began eating in big bites.

"Thanks for the meal..."

Nohara Rin said softly. Then she picked up a piece with her chopsticks and gently took a small bite.

"It's so good..."

She looked at the beef flatbread in the bowl in surprise, her face full of amazement.

The outer crust was crisp, carrying the unique fragrance of charcoal grilling, while the dough beneath was soft and springy. It was filling too, and every bite was incredibly satisfying.

The beef inside was fragrant as well, perfectly juicy, and the portion was generous.

Nohara Rin started with small bites, but soon began eating faster and faster.

A few minutes later, she leaned back against her chair with a satisfied expression.

"Burp~"

Nohara Rin covered her mouth as she burped, and her face instantly turned red.

"Was it good?" Uchiha Chi asked, glancing over after hearing the sound.

"It was." Nohara Rin nodded vigorously, then asked curiously, "Chi-kun, did you leave so early just to buy this breakfast?"

Uchiha Chi hesitated, then nodded.

At his response, a mist rose in Nohara Rin's clear, watery eyes.

"I did something so awful to Chi-kun, but Chi-kun is still so kind to me..."

"Waaah..."

Since she had cried not long ago, the tip of her nose was tinged with faint pink. Her voice carried a slight nasal tone, making her sound adorably pitiful.

Uchiha Chi blinked, sensing that Nohara Rin had misunderstood something.

How should he put it? He had indeed gone out to buy breakfast.

But he had not bought only this one.

This was simply the only one left after he ate the others...

Just as Uchiha Chi considered whether to tell her the truth, the system let out a ding.

[Detected gratitude from Nohara Rin!]

[Received 15 points, Defense increased by 3%!]

Uchiha Chi silently shut his mouth.

That was right. That was exactly it. He was just such a gentle person.

After a while.

Nohara Rin wiped away her tears, seemingly having calmed down.

The little hand beneath the table slowly clenched into a fist. As though gathering her courage, she looked at Uchiha Chi.

"Chi-kun, I want to apologize to you."

Her voice was uneasy, and her eyes held fear, guilt, and determination.

Uchiha Chi watched her quietly without speaking.

"I shouldn't have hurt your sincere feelings. I shouldn't have denied your affection. And I especially shouldn't have... waited until now to apologize to you."

Her voice carried a trace of tears, sounding utterly heartbroken.

"These past few days, I've felt anxious and guilty the entire time. But actually... the pain Chi-kun endured was clearly far greater than mine."

"Being rejected by the person you liked, being doubted by the person you liked..."

Her voice gradually choked up, and her delicate shoulders trembled.

"The reason I didn't come apologize these past few days was because I kept making excuses for myself. I told myself that I couldn't find you, so it would be fine to apologize later... but I was only running away from it.

"If I really wanted to find you, there would always have been a way."

"So..."

She rose from her chair and bowed deeply to Uchiha Chi.

"Chi-kun, I'm truly sorry. Please forgive me for only saying this to you now..."

Watching Nohara Rin's tears patter onto the floor, Uchiha Chi could not help blinking.

Compared to saying "I'm truly sorry" and bowing, he actually preferred seeing someone kneel and prostrate themselves.

Come to think of it...

He had just promised Obito yesterday that he would apologize to Nohara Rin.

Yet Nohara Rin had apologized first.

So... did that mean he did not need to apologize anymore?

Of course not!

Uchiha Chi was not the kind of man who broke his promises!

He closed his eyes and gathered his emotions. When he opened them again, his face was already full of unease.

"Actually, I have something to apologize for too."

"...Huh?"