"My god... so handsome!!!"
Uzuki Yugao stood rooted to the spot, stunned.
Her gaze fixed on a figure in the middle of the field. A look of unprecedented amazement flashed in her eyes.
Handsome!
So handsome!
Before coming here, she had wondered what sort of person Nebula Kotetsu was, the one all the girls raved about.
A delicate, feminine pretty boy?
A handsome upperclassman with chiseled features?
But no matter what she had imagined, none of it compared to the shock of seeing him in person.
Unparalleled handsomeness!
A sight that struck her to the core!
He was like an exquisitely strange and captivating flower, like sunlight falling on her shoulders at noon, like the vibrant youth she yearned for most.
He merely stood there, not even looking at her, a faint smile on his face, yet she had unconsciously sunk into his charm.
Nebula Kotetsu.
Uzuki Yugao kept repeating his name in her heart.
Only after a long while did she recover from the overwhelming shock. She unclenched her hands, which she had balled up without realizing it, and forced herself to turn away from him.
Fortunately, Mitaraishi Anko's eyes never left him, so she hadn't noticed Yugao's odd behavior.
But Yugao realized that even after looking away for only a moment, she was already aching to turn back.
Impossible!
No one could be that handsome!
As she wrestled with the thought, a doubt crept into Uzuki Yugao's mind.
Could it be that he wasn't actually that handsome? Maybe the sunlight had been just right, the angle perfect, and she had found him especially dazzling because her recent training had been so dull. Maybe it was all just a fleeting impression?
So she took a deep breath, prepared herself, and looked back toward the field.
Like a smooth pebble falling into still water.
With a soft plunk, Nebula Kotetsu's profile dropped into her heart like a pebble, sending ripples across it.
All right.
After checking again and again, she had to admit Anko hadn't lied. He was flawless from every angle.
Uzuki Yugao realized she really had seen too little of the world. It was her first time seeing someone so breathtaking, and for a moment she couldn't keep her composure.
To make up for her lack of experience, she decided... to look at him more! That way, she'd get used to him as quickly as possible!
A moment later, Mitaraishi Anko nudged Uzuki Yugao's shoulder with hers.
"Yugao, what do you think?"
Yugao's heart tightened. With great effort, she tore her gaze away from Nebula Kotetsu and looked at Anko, pretending to be nonchalant as she asked, "What do I think about what?"
"What else? I'm asking if he's handsome!"
Uzuki Yugao watched the sparring match, her expression unreadable.
"He's all right. When are you going to win him over?"
"Shh!" Mitaraishi Anko's expression changed. She looked around to make sure nobody was paying attention, then lowered her voice.
"Yugao, be careful! Don't let anyone hear you."
Uzuki Yugao said, "Look at you. And you still talk about winning him over? He's about to graduate. I think all you'll be able to do is watch from afar."
"You don't understand." Mitaraishi Anko grinned.
"This is all part of my plan! I have to get closer to him little by little and let him lower his guard."
"Then, when I get the chance, I'll strike and hit the mark!"
Uzuki Yugao raised an eyebrow as she watched her friend get lost in her fantasies.
"Are you sure you're not just scared? It doesn't sound very convincing."
"This is a plan I came up with after careful research. It's definitely going to work!"
At that, Uzuki Yugao turned to look at Nebula Kotetsu on the field.
She reminded Anko, "Isn't everyone saying that aside from his looks, he has average talent and is useless in every other way?"
"You like pretty boys like that?"
Mitaraishi Anko snorted. "What's wrong with being a pretty boy?"
"Even if he's a pretty boy, he's the best-looking one in the world!"
"He's a masterpiece of God. If you meet someone like that and don't get to have him at least once, then what was the point of living?"
Uzuki Yugao said, "In the Shinobi World, the weak have no say. Have you thought this through?"
Mitaraishi Anko nodded. "Of course! After I graduate, I'll find a good teacher and become a powerful kunoichi."
"I'll protect him!"
"I'll keep him at home, and every day..."
"Hehe, just thinking about it fills me with energy!"
Uzuki Yugao rolled her eyes.
Then she watched as Nebula Kotetsu began to move on the field.
A thought suddenly popped into her head.
She does have a point.
She said no more and focused on the increasingly intense match. But as she watched, Uzuki Yugao's expression gradually turned serious.
"Anko."
Mitaraishi Anko kept her eyes fixed on the match. "What is it?"
"Something doesn't seem right!"
"What doesn't seem right? Slurp~"
Uzuki Yugao's gaze sharpened. "His skill doesn't seem to match what people say about him."
"However you look at it, he doesn't seem like the dead last."
Prompted by Uzuki Yugao, Mitaraishi Anko, too, began to notice something was off.
On the field, Nebula Kotetsu and Mizuki were fighting at close quarters.
The dull thuds of punches and kicks rang out.
The two were evenly matched.
Mizuki was only average among the graduating students, but Nebula Kotetsu's speed and strength were enough to hold their own against him, far surpassing his previous performance.
"Wait, what? Wasn't he supposed to run out of strength and concede by now?" Mitaraishi Anko murmured. As Nebula Kotetsu's fiercely devoted fan, who followed him around in secret, she knew his abilities very well.
He had always been the undisputed dead last. His health had been poor for years. By all rights, he should have admitted defeat after only a few exchanges at this level.
"Come on, Mizuki! Hit him hard!" a boy in the crowd shouted.
"Yeah! Don't screw up like Obito! Give him a good beating! I want to see blood everywhere!"
"Who wants to see blood everywhere?!" the referee, Kaede Hyuga, barked. Her Byakugan swept over them with a piercing gaze, and the crowd fell silent at once.
Then she turned back to Nebula Kotetsu, who was holding his own, and a look of surprise appeared in her eyes, just like the one on the other teachers' faces.
On the field, Mizuki's expression darkened as he failed to land a decisive blow.
Damn it!
How could this be?!
How could Nebula Kotetsu, that annoying dead last, possibly be a match for him?!
He grew more and more furious, his rather handsome features twisting slightly.
Across from him, Nebula Kotetsu saw the change in his expression. Knowing what he was like, he wasn't surprised.
When Mizuki left an opening, Nebula seized his chance and launched Lv. 1 Big Slap.
"Smack!"
With a sharp crack, Nebula Kotetsu's palm landed hard against Mizuki's neck.
The move Might Guy had barely considered worth noticing proved effective against Mizuki. Caught off guard, Mizuki didn't even have time to react before he collapsed quietly to the ground.
A flicker of surprise crossed Kaede Hyuga's eyes.
"The winner is Nebula Kotetsu."
"Next match, Shiranui Genma..."
Down below,
As the boys stared in astonishment and the girls' eyes lit up, Nebula Kotetsu walked into the crowd.
Before you continue