Kanako cried out anxiously, "Nebula."
"I really know I was wrong. I wasn't unhappy. Every minute and every second I spent with you made me happy."
"I won't make unreasonable demands of you anymore."
Nebula Kotetsu patted her on the head. "That's more like it."
"Good girl. Let's get back to class."
He started to leave, but Kanako tugged on his sleeve.
Nebula turned back in confusion and saw that Kanako's cheeks were flushed. She looked a little bashful as she said,
"Could we... hold hands?"
Nebula thought it over. "No."
"Tonight, I have to eat some dango at the new Three-Color Dango Shop with Yomi, stroll along the Naka River with Caixiang, and watch the stars with big sister Ririko."
"Kanako, you'll have to wait until the day after tomorrow."
Kanako: "..."
"But I'm so sad right now."
"Can't we do it here?"
"Here?" Nebula glanced around. There was no one nearby, but they were still at school.
"No, someone might hear us."
But Kanako had come prepared. Smiling, she pulled a white handkerchief from her clothes and folded it into a pad.
"Don't worry. I won't make a sound."
As she spoke, she put the handkerchief between her teeth.
Nebula froze for a moment.
Well, look at that. She'd come prepared.
Since she was his girlfriend, and given the special circumstances today, he hesitated before finally reaching out his hand.
He gently took hers, and the Hand of the Succubus activated passively.
Kanako's body trembled slightly. Then, like a cat being scratched in just the right spot, she closed her eyes blissfully.
Ah~
That familiar feeling.
Like a current of happiness ran from her hand straight into her heart.
In an instant, she forgot everything her boyfriend had done.
Nebula had long since gotten used to this reaction.
Any girl whose hands he touched reacted in an exceedingly strange way. He'd heard that his former girlfriends had even given his hands a name in private: something like the Hand of God.
The girl's breathing beside him gradually grew uneven.
Kanako's hand was soft. Though she didn't have an ounce of excess fat, it still felt plump in his grasp.
Nebula figured class would be starting again soon and tightened his hold on her hand. The girl's breathing grew more and more ragged. Her eyes, narrowed in bliss, even began to show the whites...
[Host: Nebula Kotetsu] [Charm: 99] [Equipped Title: Hand of the Succubus (Your hands possess miraculous power. Be cautious when girls touch them.)] [Chakra: Less than 0.01 card, Status: Weak] [Taijutsu: Big Slap Lv. 1 (Can inflict minor psychological damage)] [Ninjutsu: Transformation Technique Lv. 0, Basic Chakra Extraction Lv. 0] [Genjutsu: None] [Inventory: None] [Currently Available Binding Target: Rin Nohara (Obito Uchiha's one true love, whose life was so full of tears that even the Kamui couldn't hide them; the woman who indirectly brought devastation to the Shinobi World and became a key spark of the Fourth Shinobi World War. Change her fate and bring peace to the Shinobi World!)] [Bind?]
In class.
Teacher Kato was still droning on about how to practice the techniques for Hand Seals, but Nebula hadn't taken in a single word.
Paying attention?
Paying attention wouldn't make him stronger.
Hand Seals couldn't save the Shinobi World, either.
He focused on the system panel, visible only to him. When he saw the prompt about an available binding target, he turned to his front right.
Two rows of seats away, the girl with purple face paint was also distracted, her gaze wandering toward the door from time to time.
"Is she worried about Obito?" Nebula wondered.
To be honest, aside from her lovely appearance, Rin Nohara had a wonderful personality, too. She was well-liked by all her classmates: kind, warm, sunny, and caring.
No wonder Obito was infatuated with her.
If they lived in a peaceful, stable world, Nebula would certainly wish Obito and Rin well.
But right now, he needed to get stronger.
So, sorry, Obito.
"System, bind."
As soon as he gave the command in his mind, the panel before him changed rapidly.
[Binding Target: Rin Nohara (Instance: Obito Uchiha).]
[Current Mission: Ice-Breaking.]
[The girl was caught off guard by your sudden confession. Choose your own approach to talk to Rin Nohara and break the ice between you.]
[Time Remaining: 2 days]
[Mission Reward (choose one): 1. A pair of goggles like Obito Uchiha's; 2. Increase Shuriken Throwing by 50%; 3. 0.3 card of chakra.]
Nebula quickly checked the details.
Good. No penalty for failing the mission.
This was a good system.
But a moment later, a question occurred to him.
What did it mean that the binding target had an instance?
Before he could figure it out, two knocks interrupted Teacher Kato's lecture, and the classroom door opened.
Obito Uchiha entered, holding an ice pack to his face.
"Teacher, I'm ba—" He started to speak, but then met Rin's concerned gaze, and warmth welled up in his heart.
"Rin really cares about me the most."
That warm feeling lasted only half a second. Then he saw Nebula Kotetsu behind Rin, staring fixedly at her.
Obito Uchiha: (╬￣皿￣)!!!
Obito Uchiha swore that if the teacher hadn't still been standing at the lectern, he would've charged over and beaten that detestable guy black and blue!
"What are you staring at? Get back to your seat and pay attention!"
At the teacher's scolding, Obito could only return to his seat in frustration.
Then he fixed his gaze on Nebula. As for the teacher's lecture, he didn't hear a single word.
If looks could kill, Nebula would have been riddled with holes by now.
But Nebula merely smiled at Obito's glare, making Obito's eye twitch with anger.
"...All right, that's it for today's lesson."
The dull class came to an end, and the students had just begun to look relieved when the teacher continued, "One more thing."
"You'll be graduating in three days."
"Pass the exam, become Genin, and take on missions."
"Be careful about what you eat during this time. You don't want to get diarrhea on exam day. And when sparring with your classmates, be careful not to get injured and jeopardize your graduation."
After emphasizing this for quite a while, the teacher finally left, apparently satisfied. As soon as he stepped out the door, Obito stormed over to Nebula.
"Don't go anywhere after school!"
"I wasn't prepared earlier. We'll have another match after school!"
"Sure." To Obito's surprise, Nebula readily agreed. "How about you wait for me by the back gate after school?"
Obito was at a loss for words.
He hadn't expected Nebula, a dead-last student, to agree so quickly. The whole string of excuses he'd prepared was useless now.
"Th-then fine. See you there."
"See you there."
After school.
Nebula left through the school's main gate and headed straight for the Three-Color Dango Shop on Konoha's commercial street.
Senpai Yomi was probably getting impatient already.
Before you continue