Ye Ning's departure immediately took the wind out of Pakura's sails.
She stopped the jutsu and movements she'd been about to perform, and sighed dejectedly.
She'd already done everything she could to show off her strength and catch Ye Ning's attention.
Unfortunately, Ye Ning didn't seem very interested.
"Pakura! Wow! Why did you use Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder right off the bat today? You have no idea how startled I was when I saw that jutsu! If I hadn't reacted quickly, I'd almost be dead!"
Pakura gave her an apologetic smile.
"Sorry I didn't explain beforehand. I won't do that again."
As she spoke, Pakura patted Shika on the head.
After spending so much time together, she'd grown quite fond of Shika.
Shika was always bouncing around, full of energy, and gave off a youthful vibe—though it would've been even better if strange noises didn't come from her room every night.
Pakura felt deeply apologetic for using Shika to get Ye Ning's attention.
But Shika, who was naturally easygoing, didn't mind. Her eyes darted around, and she quickly guessed what Pakura was thinking.
"Huh? Were you trying to get Ye Ning's attention, Pakura?"
At that, Pakura's calm expression instantly crumpled, and she was thrown into a panic.
"Huh?"
"Hehe, I guessed it, didn't I?"
Shika tipped up her slightly rounded chin, showing off a row of white teeth.
"I'm telling you, I'm not dumb at all!"
"Pakura's thoughts are actually easy to guess... You've always held back during our sparring matches, but as soon as Ye Ning came to watch, you used a jutsu I'd never even seen before. It's pretty obvious you wanted to catch his attention!"
Shika thought it over seriously.
"I think Ye Ning probably noticed, too, right? So don't be discouraged, Pakura. Hehe!"
"..."
Pakura