Obito, Don't Get the Wrong Idea

[Nohara Rin: Initial capture complete, ambiguous relationship established.]

[Host has received the first tier of point rewards: 3,000 points.]

[Bond relationship not yet confirmed. Please proceed with the advancement to finalize the bond and obtain the second tier of rewards.]

Shinji looked at the latest notification that had just popped up in the system's message bar.

"So I've already obtained the first tier of point rewards?"

"I thought it would take a bit more effort!"

He couldn't help but glance at Rin to his right. Although they were walking side by side, Rin was half a step behind him.

Staring at the "Ambiguous relationship established" notification in the system, Shinji frowned and fell into deep thought.

He felt that this "ambiguous relationship" was essentially a form of recognition.

Once the sense of recognition reached a certain threshold, the first stage was unlocked; if the recognition continued to increase, the second stage could be unlocked.

Shinji then recited a silent command in his heart, and the Personal Info Panels for Uchiha Mikoto and Rin unfolded in the corner of the light screen.

The capture difficulty for Uchiha Mikoto was marked as "Extremely High," while Rin's was "Low."

Seeing this, Shinji felt as if he had some guesses.

"I've known Rin for many years, and we've kept in touch since graduation, so Rin's sense of recognition toward me was already quite high to begin with."

"On the other hand, Uchiha Mikoto and I only have a standard clan member relationship, so the recognition value is very low."

Humans are social animals.

There are three great ways to build a bond in life: attending school together, serving in the military together, and sharing the spoils of a crime together.

"In other words, it's not just Rin; those students from my year should all be quite easy to capture, right?"

Shinji's heart suddenly became active. But then he thought, if this True Love System forced him to capture men as well, he felt a sudden sense of conflict.

[Capture targets include all things in the world, not limited to humans. Please explore for yourself.]

Seeing this message, Shinji swallowed hard and muttered to himself:

"This True Love System is too crude. If I really establish a bond with a man, won't we both end up turning gay?"

Thinking of this, Shinji, who had just obtained the system, felt his mouth corners droop uncontrollably before he could even enjoy it for long.

Shinji pulled Rin along and soon arrived at the residential district of the Uchiha Clan.

Not to mention Shinji, Nohara Rin was also very familiar with this area; she often had to come here to find Obito, who was always late.

The two soon stood before the slightly weathered wooden door of Obito's house.

"Shinji, we can't do this."

"Do what? What do you mean?"

"I mean... my hand, can, can you let go?"

Nohara Rin turned her head away, biting her lower lip gently, not daring to look Shinji in the eye.

It had been fine on the way here; she was just being held by him, and they hadn't run into anyone. But now that they were at Obito's doorstep, her heart began to thump wildly.

Shinji smiled, teasing her on purpose: "If I let go, can I hold it again in the future?"

As soon as these words left his mouth, Nohara Rin looked at Shinji with watery eyes, steam seemingly rising from the top of her head. Her lips moved, but she couldn't manage to form a complete sentence.

"I, I..."

Nohara Rin was a gentle person by nature and found it hard to refuse others. Shinji didn't want to make her too embarrassed, so he lightly released her hand, brushing his fingers against the back of her hand one last time. A triumphant smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, and he chuckled.

Some things could wait for another day; a good girl shouldn't be missed. As for Obito, he could be tossed aside for now.

Only then did Nohara Rin realize he had been joking with her. Yet, the moment he let go, a faint, inexplicable sense of reluctance flickered in her heart.

"Huh? Rin? Why are you here?"

In front of the two, the door creaked open. Obito walked out, his gaze landing exactly on the hands they had just pulled apart.

"Wait, hold on! Shinji, why are you here too? What did you just do to Rin!"

"Shinji, did you... hold, hold Rin's hand?"

Obito rubbed his eyes vigorously, as if he had just seen things. He couldn't believe his eyes; he practically lunged out of the doorway, rushing up to Shinji in a few strides.

He first turned to look at Rin, and seeing her cheeks flushed red and her eyes darting away, his heart sank.

"It's not like that, Obito, you, don't misunderstand!" Nohara Rin hurriedly waved her hands, her tone flustered. "I just happened to be over here in the Uchiha Clan district, ran into Shinji on the way, and we came over together."

"But, I clearly saw you being held by Shinji..."

As Obito spoke, he clasped his own hands together to mimic the gesture, his tone filled with agitation and resentment.

Rin had been holding hands with someone, right in front of him. And he—he hadn't even touched Rin's hand once.

Obito snapped his gaze back to Shinji, his eyes turning bloodshot. He pointed a finger at him, his voice trembling: "Hey! Shinji, did you bully Rin!"

People are always willing to believe what they want to believe, and they can always find reasons to comfort themselves.

Take Obito right now, for instance; he couldn't listen to any explanation at all. He subconsciously concluded that Shinji must have forced Rin and bullied her just now, which was why he was questioning him with such righteous indignation.

His lips trembled, and the muscles in his face were somewhat distorted. In his heart, Rin and Shinji shouldn't have had much interaction.

"Impossible, impossible! By what right, by what right could Shinji be with Rin!"

Nohara Rin spread her arms, shielding Shinji behind her, and said sternly, "Obito! You are not allowed to bully Shinji! It's not what you think!"

Seeing Rin still protecting Shinji, Obito's expression collapsed instantly, his tone full of grievance: "Rin, then what were you two just now..."

Rin felt a headache coming on. She didn't know how to explain it for a moment, and in her heart, she even vaguely didn't want to explain. She didn't even understand why Obito's reaction was so intense.

Watching Rin step forward to defend him, Shinji felt a warmth in his heart. Was she subconsciously shielding him behind her?

He shook his head, gently patted Rin's arm, and stepped out from behind her, deciding to help her out of the awkward situation.

He had really hit the jackpot this time.

Shinji gently pulled Rin behind him.

"Hm? Shinji?"

Rin looked at him, puzzled.

Shinji gave her a reassuring look, then turned his head to speak slowly to Obito: "I just happened to run into Rin on the road."

"As for just now, we were chatting and weren't paying attention. Rin almost tripped, and I just caught her."

"If you don't believe me, look here, Obito. The road in front of your house really needs to be repaired."

"Rin felt embarrassed, which is why she didn't say anything!"

Whether it was a coincidence or not, the spot Shinji pointed to was right by their feet. There happened to be a small, uneven hole there; it was indeed easy for someone to trip if they stepped on it!

As he spoke, he deliberately stepped forward and stomped heavily on the hole. The ground let out a dull "thud," as if silently confirming his words.

Nohara Rin and Obito both looked in the direction he pointed, and sure enough, there was a hole!

Obito, in particular, seemed to have grasped a straw of hope. He looked at Shinji and confirmed eagerly:

"So... I misunderstood?"