"I gained a lot. Thank you."
With that, he walked toward his seat. Where Obito Uchiha couldn't see him, he curled his lips into a faint smile.
Maybe you've learned how to retreat in order to advance.
But what I know is how to destroy someone body and soul.
"Grind, grind..." The sound of gritted teeth was rather grating in the classroom.
Obito Uchiha stood frozen in place, staring at Nebula Kotetsu, who had slumped over his desk and fallen asleep in three seconds. His eyes were starting to redden again.
"Calm down! Calm down! Obito, you have to stay calm! Don't disappoint Rin!" Obito told himself over and over.
But he couldn't calm the hell down!
As he watched Nebula Kotetsu sleeping soundly, the latter's words echoed in his mind again and again.
"You worked hard last night."
Worked hard at what!?
Explain yourself!! What exactly did I work hard at!!?
Obito Uchiha fought the urge to pull out a kunai and stick the guy with it, then turned toward his last hope.
"Rin, did that guy bother you again yesterday?" he asked cautiously, afraid of hearing the answer he least wanted from Rin Nohara.
"I told you already, Nebula didn't bother me," Rin Nohara replied unhappily. "He just asked me some questions about Medical Ninjutsu yesterday."
Obito Uchiha: "Really?"
Rin rolled her eyes at him.
Obito felt a little relieved.
Thank goodness. Thank goodness.
Rin wouldn't lie to me.
That despicable Nebula Kotetsu must have been messing with my head on purpose.
His resentment and anger toward Nebula Kotetsu grew even stronger.
At that moment, he tossed aside everything about advancing through retreat and being classmates.
He couldn't believe everything the old lady had told him, either.
After all, times had changed.
When it came to a despicable guy like Nebula Kotetsu, a shameless man born with a face that could beguile women, there was only one way to deal with him.
Fight!
He would use his strength to show Nebula that only a good boy like him, with excellent grades and conduct, deserved a wonderful girl like Rin.
Nebula Kotetsu, I challenge you!
You and I are destined to be sworn enemies. I absolutely won't let you hurt Rin!
I stake the Uchiha name on it!
Nebula Kotetsu, slumped over his desk: zzzZZZ~
He didn't sense Obito Uchiha's resentment in the slightest.
In his dream, he and Might Guy had hit it off at first sight, fallen for each other at second sight, and become close friends who talked about everything that very day.
The system showered him with rewards, gave him chakra by the ton, handed out ninjutsu for free, and packed his skill panel so full he couldn't keep count.
He had no worries about graduating and no pressure from the impending Third Shinobi World War.
One girlfriend after another broke up with him, until only seven or eight beautiful and kindhearted ones remained to console him.
In the end, he lay on the God Tree he'd broken, savoring fine wine served by Kaguya Otsutsuki, and lamented the dullness of life in the Shinobi World as he grew tipsy.
Then the grating school bell rang.
The wine wore off, and so did the dream.
Squinting, Nebula Kotetsu savored the carefree ease of his dream for a few seconds, then stretched luxuriously.
It was great to be young.
No matter how late he stayed up, a good night's sleep brought him back to full strength.
After one class, Nebula Kotetsu finally felt recharged from getting up early.
He patted his cheeks to wake himself up a little more.
Time to go!
Complete missions and keep getting stronger! He'd do his best to make that wonderful life from his dream come true as soon as possible.
He stood up. Under Obito Uchiha's suddenly wary gaze, he... walked right past Rin Nohara and out of the classroom.
Obito breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness. He wasn't going to bother his Rin.
It was school, after all. If the guy really shamelessly pestered Rin, Obito didn't know whether he could actually throw a punch.
Meanwhile.
Nebula Kotetsu went to find Might Guy.
He wanted to ask why Guy had suddenly vanished that morning.
On the way, boys and girls turned to look at him. One girl even abruptly turned around after passing him, pretending she'd gone the wrong way and following along as if they were headed in the same direction. Her only goal was to get another look at "the Sprite with the Hand of God."
Some people followed him for a couple of steps before leaving, while others kept trailing him. Even when he reached the entrance to Might Guy's classroom, quite a few "tails" were still behind him.
Nebula Kotetsu didn't mind.
Once he reached Might Guy's classroom, he was searching for that flash of green when a familiar voice suddenly sounded in front of him.
"Nebula?"
"What are you doing here?"
A bright, beautiful face appeared before him. It was Muto Ayaka.
She was in the same class as Might Guy. At that moment, she stood in front of Nebula Kotetsu with books in her arms, her gaze complicated.
There was confusion, excitement, and just a hint of delight.
She put on a troubled expression.
"Nebula, didn't we agree?"
"What are you here for?"
"This is school. Whatever you want to say, can't it wait until after class..."
"Excuse me, could you move?" Nebula Kotetsu interrupted Muto Ayaka.
Muto Ayaka: "?"
"W-what did you say?"
Muto Ayaka's beautiful eyes widened.
She wondered if she'd heard him wrong.
Move?
Was Nebula Kotetsu not here to see her?
Over the past two days, she'd imagined countless times that Nebula Kotetsu might miss her after their breakup and come back.
Although she was determined to break up with him, if Nebula Kotetsu begged her earnestly, then for the sake of their past relationship, his face, and those Hands of God, she wouldn't mind giving in and dating him for a few more days.
Of course, they were definitely breaking up, but they could wait until after graduation.
But she hadn't expected their next meeting to bring coldness instead of warmth.
"I said, could you move? I'm looking for someone," Nebula Kotetsu replied politely.
Yet his politeness cut Muto Ayaka to the heart.
How could he be so cold? she thought.
As one of the prettiest girls at school and unquestionably the class beauty, she drew admiring gazes wherever she went. No boy had ever acted coldly when she spoke to him first.
It was disrespectful!
Even though Nebula Kotetsu was so handsome he didn't seem human, he'd never treated her so disrespectfully when they were together... No! He'd never disrespected her like this when other people were around.
She was furious.
Especially when she saw the teasing looks from the girls watching. That made her even angrier.
"Nebula Kotetsu!"
"Are you doing this on purpose?"
He had to be!
He was definitely angry because she'd dumped him.
But faced with Muto Ayaka's question, Nebula Kotetsu grew impatient.
He was a man of principle!
Although his dozens of girlfriends had left him a little overwhelmed, and there were no system rewards to come, so they were a waste of his energy,
as long as they didn't break up with him, he'd rather be stretched thin and sacrifice his rest than dump them himself.
He never skipped their dates, either, meeting them once every three days.
Every time, he made sure they arrived delighted and left satisfied.
But someone who'd broken up with him?
Sorry, he was busy. He really didn't have the energy to deal with outsiders.
So what if you're pretty? No matter how pretty you are, you're still not as pretty as me.
Before you continue