"Engagement?"
The moment those words left his mouth, everyone except Hyuga Hiashi himself gasped in surprise.
Naruto Uzumaki, hiding in the back, widened his eyes instinctively. He had been completely unprepared for this—no, rather, even now, he was still completely unprepared.
"Naruto... what does engagement mean?" A timid voice sounded beside Naruto. Turning to look at the utterly bewildered Hinata, Naruto covered his forehead.
Clearly, three-year-old Hinata had absolutely no concept of things like engagement, marriage, or relationships between men and women.
"Engagement means we'll get married when we grow up."
"What is marriage?"
"...It means being together, like my dad and mom."
"Like my dad and mom too?"
"Yes."
Naruto sighed, suddenly feeling exhausted. What was with this development? Had Hyuga Hiashi suddenly lost his mind?
But he clearly failed to notice the starlike gleam that appeared in Hinata's eyes after his explanation.
She fiddled with her fingers, her head completely lowered, her entire face red like a ripe apple.
Being with Naruto forever... I'm so excited. Dad is so good to me. Of course, she could never say such thoughts aloud.
Naruto glanced at Hinata, then withdrew his gaze and continued looking toward Hyuga Hiashi. He did not dislike Hinata; on the contrary, he had a faint fondness for her. But suddenly being told, after transmigrating, that they were getting engaged—under an agreement between their parents, no less—felt strange to him.
In his previous life, because Hyuga Tamamo existed, Hinata's personality had already diverged from what it should have been. From beginning to end, she had never shown Naruto any closeness.
Yet Naruto had to admit that the Hinata of his previous life had been very beautiful. Her unique temperament naturally drew people's attention. Unlike the timid and shy Hinata of this world, hers was a beauty that