This Girl... Was a Little Emotional...

A pair of Single Tomoe Sharingan had appeared at some point. Mikoto clenched both fists and strode toward Hyuga Shuji.

The two tomoe spun wildly within her eyes, faintly showing signs of splitting apart.

Seeing this, Hyuga Hiashi rose to his feet almost instinctively. Hizashi, Hinagiku, and Senju Nawaki followed suit, all staring warily at Uchiha Mikoto.

There might have been some competition within this small group, but if someone in their group was bullied by an outsider—

Then this small group would definitely stand united against them.

At least, that was what Hyuga Hiashi thought.

Hizashi's thoughts were much simpler: blindly following every decision of the Main Family could never be wrong.

What else was he supposed to do?

Watch Hiashi get beaten up?

That was the Sharingan!

As for Hinagiku, as a member of the Branch Family, protecting the Main Family was only natural.

Nawaki's thoughts were even simpler. From the looks of things, Shuji might get beaten up.

As his friend, how could Nawaki watch Shuji get beaten up right in front of him?

As for why this Uchiha held such hostility toward Shuji—

Did it matter?

Perhaps it did, but it did not matter to Nawaki.

Yet Uchiha Mikoto did not even spare Nawaki and the others a glance. She simply walked straight toward Hyuga Shuji with a clear purpose.

"Uchiha... Mikoto!"

At last, Shuji remembered the clear-eyed girl he had met once before. He stood up and looked at Uchiha Mikoto with a smile.

At the same time, he reached out and tugged Senju Nawaki and Hyuga Hinagiku.

There was no need for a physical conflict. If one broke out today, then regardless of the reason, Shuji and Mikoto would become unequivocal enemies.

Compared to gaining another enemy, gaining another friend was naturally better.

Though he did not know why Uchiha Mikoto was so angry, Shuji still wanted to try turning an enemy into a friend.

When making one's way in the world, one had to make lots of friends and few enemies.

Hinagiku and Nawaki glanced at Shuji in surprise, but they sat back down.

Seeing this, Hyuga Hiashi frowned slightly and instinctively looked at Shuji's hand, which was waving at him beneath the table.

Pursing his lips, Hiashi pulled Hizashi down to sit with him.

Whoosh!

At that moment, Uchiha Mikoto arrived before Shuji.

At the same time, the sound of something slicing through the air rang out.

A hard fist had already torn through the air, hurtling fiercely toward Shuji's face.

Bang!

Of course, Shuji would not stand there and take a beating. One hand intercepted Mikoto at the joint to redirect her force, while the other seized her wrist.

"I think we should talk before we start fighting."

Pursing his lips, Shuji spoke to Mikoto before him.

Was he afraid?

No.

Whether it was Mikoto with her Sharingan activated or the Uchiha clan behind her.

The Hyuga might not match the Uchiha in terms of foundation, but what if the Hyuga joined forces with the Senju?

And what if the Sarutobi, Shimura, Mitokado, and Utatane clans were added to the mix, with their overt and covert suppression of the Uchiha?

The Single Tomoe Sharingan was indeed impressive, but the Byakugan was not far inferior.

Besides, Shuji had four of his own people sitting beside him right now.

But as he had said, Shuji could beat Uchiha Mikoto up today, perhaps even badly enough to make her switch classes.

But there was no need.

"Talk about what?"

Uchiha Mikoto's little face was taut as she replied coldly.

Her other fist was already gathering force, ready to strike.

"Perhaps there's some misunderstanding between us."

Shuji replied to Uchiha Mikoto.

"A misunderstanding?"

Mikoto gritted her teeth and spoke each word slowly.

"After that day, I thought you would come, but you didn't. I trained there for two whole months, but you never came. Were you... avoiding me?"

Closing her eyes briefly, Uchiha Mikoto asked Hyuga Shuji.

In the end, Mikoto chose to ask Hyuga Shuji the question that had been bottled up inside her for half a year.

"Am I that unpleasant?"

So unpleasant that, just to avoid her, he had refused to set foot in that place again for half an entire year.

As the words buried in her heart came out, Mikoto immediately felt much better.

Perhaps Mikoto did not harbor any particular feelings for Shuji.

But Shuji's actions had made her doubt herself.

"Uh..."

Mikoto might have felt better now, but as her words fell, Shuji was stunned, Nawaki went blank, and Hinagiku covered her mouth with one hand and lowered her head. For some unknown reason, her shoulders began trembling rapidly.

Hyuga Hiashi froze, raised a hand to his forehead, and silently turned to look at Hyuga Hizashi.

Hizashi simply dropped onto the table.

Yet pairs of ears quietly perked up, listening for Shuji's answer.

"I don't dislike you. You're great—pretty and very polite."

Shuji swallowed and spoke to Mikoto.

At the same time, his mind raced as he tried to recall. Did I promise her that we would meet again?

No, right?

I, Hyuga Shuji, never speak too absolutely.

"The reason I didn't come see you the next day was because I was hospitalized."

After a pause, Shuji continued.

"Hospitalized?"

Mikoto froze and looked at Hyuga Shuji before her in confusion.

"Yeah, I can testify to that. A Genin sent him flying, and he was hurt really badly. My sister was the one who treated him. Later, she even said that in all her years as a doctor, she had never seen anyone recover so quickly. He was discharged after just over two months."

Nawaki blinked as he spoke to Mikoto.

Nawaki did not know what he was thinking. Those words had practically come out on instinct.

It just... felt like saying that could not possibly be wrong.

But when Nawaki's long speech reached Mikoto's ears, only a few key phrases remained.

Sent flying by a Genin, badly injured, hospitalized for two months...

In that instant, an indescribable wave of embarrassment surged from Mikoto's heart straight to her head.

At that moment, Mikoto wanted nothing more than to move to a village where no one knew her.

Click.

A sound only Mikoto could hear rang out. At that moment, she felt as though she had flipped some kind of switch, and the world before her became clearer.

This girl... was a little emotional...

Silently watching Mikoto's Sharingan evolve from single tomoe to double tomoe, Shuji pursed his lips and thought to himself.

"Was that Genin punished?"

Pursing her lips, closing her eyes, then opening them again, the Sharingan in Mikoto's eyes had vanished.

Mikoto's expression was completely normal, as though nothing had happened, when she asked Shuji.