Being Dumped, Kanako's Comfort

At first, Nebula Kotetsu had approached her on the off chance that something might come of it.

To his surprise, although she seemed cold and aloof, she was actually quite open-minded. She just had a limited range of expressions.

He explained, "I just had a spar with someone."

"A spar?" Honjo Aya snorted. "You got cornered by another girl's boyfriend, didn't you?"

Before Nebula Kotetsu could explain, she continued, "I told you ages ago to dump those random girls, but you just wouldn't listen."

Nebula Kotetsu gave a bitter smile. "Didn't we agree not to bring that up anymore?"

"Besides, they're not random girls. They're all girlfriends I love."

"I don't want to hear any of that." Honjo Aya walked up to Nebula Kotetsu. She was half a head taller than him, and she looked down at him slightly.

"Today, I'm asking you one last time."

"Be mine."

"Do you agree or not?"

Nebula Kotetsu froze.

Looking at Honjo Aya, who had a hint of menace about her, he finally realized she probably hadn't come today just to go on a date with him.

Realizing she was serious, he replied earnestly, "I don't agree."

"No matter how many times you ask, my answer will be the same."

"Hmph." Honjo Aya gave a soft snort.

This time, Nebula Kotetsu heard the contempt in her voice.

Honjo Aya said, "You don't have a shred of skill, and you rely on that face of yours to flirt with girls everywhere. Nebula Kotetsu, one day you'll regret it."

"Since you don't agree, then forget it."

"Forget it?" Nebula Kotetsu stared at her in surprise, then asked to confirm, "You mean you want to break up?"

"Break up?" Honjo Aya sneered. "I'm dumping you."

"A boy who can't even graduate thinks he can break up with me?"

She looked at Nebula Kotetsu, who was bruised and battered, his appearance a mess, and secretly shook her head.

Too weak.

A man like that could never be her boyfriend.

She thought very highly of herself. Her relationship with him had only been a way to pass the time. After all, a boy so handsome he seemed unreal, with those amazing hands of his, was pretty interesting.

But in the end, he was still too weak.

She had come today intending to "force" him to end things with the others and become hers alone. But seeing him in such a sorry state had greatly dampened her interest.

Forget it.

A pretty vase with nothing beneath the surface didn't seem all that fun after all.

"Our squad is being sent to the front lines."

"There are many excellent ninja there, including plenty of well-known experts. I'll become a Chunin as soon as I can, then keep pushing forward."

"I don't have time to waste on you."

"So, Nebula Kotetsu. Since you rejected me, go on playing your little romance games with that gaggle of girlfriends. One day, you'll realize you made the wrong choice."

"Heh." Under Honjo Aya's startled gaze, Nebula Kotetsu suddenly gave a bitter laugh.

She frowned. "What are you laughing at?"

Nebula Kotetsu said, "I'm laughing at myself. Turns out I've only ever relied on my face to date people. I don't have any real ability at all."

"I couldn't even see what was in the heart of someone right beside me."

He had thought she was only cold on the outside, while warm on the inside.

After all, the passion they had once shared still lingered in his memory.

But he hadn't expected that she had never thought much of him at all, and that all her sweet words in the past had been an act. What was this?

A scumbag meeting a scumbag?

Honjo Aya gave him a contemptuous look. "So what if you see through it?"

"A weakling is still a weakling, even if he can see through people."

With that, Honjo Aya turned and strode away on her long legs.

"Think carefully about what you'll do from now on. If we meet again someday and I see you entertaining customers at an izakaya, Nebula Kotetsu, I'll kill you."

Nebula Kotetsu watched Honjo Aya's figure grow smaller and smaller in the distance until she disappeared. He murmured,

"Next time we meet..."

"Who knows what things will be like then..."

Although having one fewer girlfriend fit Nebula Kotetsu's expectations, he realized he didn't seem happy about it.

Once again, he understood that in the Shinobi World, strength was what mattered most. Without strength, a woman who had been moaning in ecstasy one moment might kick you aside the next.

Without strength, even life and dignity were nothing but pipe dreams.

He buried his desperate desire to grow stronger deep in his heart and kept telling himself over and over: She may have looked down on me, but I once bowed and scraped for her and treated my enemy like a father. No loss, no loss. If she wants to break up, then so be it.

She would continue along her path to strength, and he would carry on with his romances. Whatever happened next could wait.

With a heavy heart, he headed to the location of his next date.

His first date had ended so abruptly that he was much earlier than expected. To his surprise, the other person had already been waiting there for quite a while.

Inside a bamboo shelter open on all four sides by the river, a girl sat on a bamboo stool with her hands propping up her chin and her elbows on her knees. She stared listlessly at the water, her mood weighed down.

Kanako.

Not wanting to startle her, Nebula Kotetsu made no effort to hide the sound of his footsteps. When he was only about ten meters away, Kanako turned around.

The moment she saw Nebula Kotetsu looking a little worse for wear, surprise appeared on the girl's face, followed by deep concern.

"Nebula!!"

"What happened? What's wrong!!?"

As she spoke, she quickly stood up from the bamboo stool and came running over, her steps thudding loudly.

Nebula Kotetsu couldn't help feeling a little warmth in his heart.

Honjo Aya's attitude had left him feeling down. Before coming here, he had wondered if Kanako might also be disgusted by how battered he looked.

He had come just as he was.

And Kanako's attitude toward him hadn't changed either.

"Nebula, don't scare me! How are you? Do you need to go to Konoha Hospital?" Kanako hurried over. When she saw the bruises scattered across Nebula Kotetsu's body, she looked so upset she nearly cried.

Nebula Kotetsu quickly said, "Don't worry."

"Kanako, I got these sparring with a friend. Don't worry, I just look battered. I'll be fine in a little while."

But Kanako didn't believe him. She stomped her foot and pouted. "Oh, Nebula! You don't have to lie to me."

"You just got beaten up by some guy, didn't you? It's okay, it's okay."

"I'll take you to the hospital right now."

"Which girl's boyfriend was it this time? One or several? Those guys are the worst. They're ugly, smelly, and uncouth, and they're just jealous of you."

"Nebula, once I get stronger, I'll deal with them one by one."

Nebula Kotetsu could only smile bitterly.

That was the impression everyone had of him.

It seemed everyone thought that the reason this dead-last student was so battered was because the boyfriends or admirers of the girls he dated had chased him down and beaten him up.

Not a soul considered there might be another explanation.

"Come on, Kanako."

"I'm really fine."

"No need to go to the hospital. Let's just continue our date."

Kanako thought it over, then asked, "Really?"

"Nebula, are you sure you're all right?"

Nebula Kotetsu said, "Of course. I know my own body best. They're just a few bruises. I'll be fine after I rest."

Kanako saw that he didn't seem to be pretending, and only then did she agree, though she still seemed doubtful.

"All right, then."

"Nebula, since you got hurt today, I'll take charge of our date."

"I'll give you a proper hug and make you feel better."