The Distance Between Hearts

"What of it? Didn't the other me almost take your life, too? Let's just call it even and wipe the slate clean!" The young girl said with an indifferent expression.

"Besides, you know, this space is my ability. I can make illusions reality, so naturally, I can also keep illusions as mere illusions. Hehe, although you were run through with a giant hole, well, it's fine! Everything is fake if I want it to be!"

Ueno Kei froze. Fake? Wasn't he actually stabbed? Huh? But that made sense, right? She could make illusions real, but that didn't mean she had to make them reality, did it?

Thinking of this, Ueno Kei felt an inexplicable sense of relief.

Wait, no!

Even? Could things really be calculated that way? Ueno Kei had to admit that, for a moment, he truly couldn't keep up with the girl's train of thought.

Ueno Kei opened his mouth, then closed it again; he didn't even know what he should say.

Could it be that people in this world took life-and-death grudges so lightly? Even if it was fake, he had still been stabbed for real! The pain transmitted through his nerves hadn't been an illusion.

That wasn't right either. Ueno Kei had lived in this world for ten years and in Konoha for over three; the hostility within Konoha Village toward ninjas from other villages was palpable.

The hatred ignited by the previous Great Ninja Wars and the skirmishes during missions was bone-deep. Ueno Kei couldn't forget the lessons from the academy, where instructors taught them that once they became ninjas, they had to remain fully vigilant when facing enemy shinobi.

Was this girl's brain broken? Ueno Kei scanned Kurama Yakumo with suspicion. Hmm? It did seem like she was a bit abnormal, perhaps?

Ueno Kei guessed uncertainly.

After all, the whole situation was riddled with strangeness, and Ueno Kei felt an indescribable sense of agitation in his heart.

His unease led Ueno Kei to choose silence; he wanted to see what the princess of the Kurama Clan actually intended.

Kurama Yakumo frowned in dissatisfaction. She could feel the vigilance and resistance from the boy before her; he hadn't relaxed in the slightest.

She felt she had already laid it all out.

She was trying to ease the tension, so why couldn't this guy read the room at all?

Hmph, Kurama Yakumo felt extremely angry and aggrieved.

In truth, she didn't want to think about the relationship they had previously—just as Ueno Kei said, they were mortal enemies, or at the very least, they were people who had nearly slaughtered one another.

How could they possibly chat harmoniously like good friends?

The girl's personality, her special state, and the preceding circumstances might have led to some skewed thinking on her part regarding this matter.

After all, she hadn't been the "real" her at that time, and even in the past, there hadn't been a single moment where the girl truly belonged to herself.

Therefore, it was possible for her to have such a reaction.

But from Ueno Kei's perspective, he didn't see it that way. They were strangers with no ties—not old acquaintances, not kin—and they had just engaged in a fierce conflict not long ago.

Moreover, the Konoha Anbu had clearly stated that the girl was a high-level secret and a target for surveillance.

From any angle, Ueno Kei had sufficient reason to remain vigilant toward the girl before him.

You couldn't just have someone almost kill you, only for them to come up smiling and say, "Oh, I was just joking earlier, and you cut me once too, so let's call it even and be friends."

Would you just foolishly agree?

Kurama Yakumo had gotten stuck in a rut, entering a blind spot, which was why she was so incredibly annoyed by such a simple, even childish, matter.

Yet, Kurama Yakumo had something very important to discuss with Ueno Kei; otherwise, given her personality, she would have long since huffed and kicked Ueno Kei to the ends of the earth.

Out of sight, out of mind.

The girl bit her silver teeth in secret resentment, calmed the raging fire in her heart, and was just about to say something.

Suddenly, the girl's expression changed, revealing an look of extreme agony.

She clutched her head, curled her body, and fell to her knees on the ground. Beads of sweat dripped onto the floor. Ueno Kei watched the girl, whose breathing was becoming increasingly ragged, a flash of hesitation crossing his eyes before being masked by suspicion.

The step he had taken forward was retracted.

At this moment, the girl's expression gradually calmed.

Supporting herself with her hands, gasping for air, Kurama Yakumo slowly stood up.

Ueno Kei could clearly see that the girl's complexion had become increasingly pale—not the healthy white of human skin, but a sickly, ghastly pallor.

A complex look flashed in Kurama Yakumo's eyes.

"Kei-kun, may I call you that?" At this moment, the girl's words revealed a faint sense of sorrow and loneliness.

Ueno Kei remained silent, only giving a faint nod.

A faint smile appeared on the girl's face. At this moment, she lacked her previous mischievous demeanor, and even more so, the cruel state from earlier.

All that remained was a sense of coldness.

It was just like the feeling Ueno Kei had when he caught a glimpse of her from afar by the river when they first met.

The cruel, bloodthirsty Ido-girl, the mischievous, innocent Kurama princess, and the lonely, sorrowful Kurama Yakumo—the girl in Ueno Kei's eyes possessed these three distinct personas.

"Kei-kun, whether you believe it or not, I never had the intention to kill you or Kurenai-sensei, even though I did indeed attack and nearly kill you both," the girl said softly.

Ueno Kei's eyes were clear as water, his expression unchanged, as if he hadn't heard the girl's words. Yet, unexpectedly, as the girl spoke, Ueno Kei felt no sense of dissonance in his heart.

Contradiction, self-conflict—Ueno Kei admitted that he was a bit broken.

Facing this girl named Kurama Yakumo, Ueno Kei couldn't figure out what mindset he should use to face her.

It sounded like a truly ridiculous thing to say. An enemy—even if she was a girl—what was there to hesitate about? If others knew of Ueno Kei's current thoughts, they would undoubtedly point out his childish and laughable mindset without hesitation.

However, Ueno Kei was not ignorant of these obvious truths; it was simply that, when faced with her, he faltered.

Enemy? It seemed so. Companion? That sounded ridiculous. If not those, then what else could it be? Ueno Kei was lost. His experience, totaling a mere thirty years across two lifetimes, truly could not offer him much enlightenment.

In this moment, the only thing Ueno Kei could do was remain silent and act as a listener. He did not know why, but he simply knew that for now, all he had to do was quietly listen to the young girl's explanation.

Perhaps the girl did not even expect an answer from him? Vaguely, the boy wondered if, when this girl stood before him, she felt the same complicated emotions that he did.

Perhaps she did. Probably.

"Kei-kun, do you believe in fate? When I first saw you two years ago, I had a faint feeling that you would be my final destination."

"Hey, Kei-kun, I've known for a long time, everything... everything..." The girl's words were laced with the faint sound of weeping.

"Teacher Kurenai has always been so gentle with me. Uncle has always been thinking of me. Third Uncle is terrifying, but I know he is strict with his juniors because he wants us to succeed... Mom... Dad... they have always been... always..."

The girl's voice gradually lowered, becoming intermittent and choked with sobs.

"Ah, Kei-kun, what do you think? What is the purpose of living?"

Ueno Kei looked at the tear-streaked girl before him, his heart growing heavy. He reached out his hand, grasping gently at the empty air.

It was as if he wanted to catch something, yet he only felt a heavy weight. Still, he slowly lowered his hand.

Faced with the girl's sorrowful expression, the boy did not know what to say.

In that moment, the boy felt as though his heart had drawn a little closer to hers.

PS: It has been a month. Before this, Ye thought that reaching a certain number of favorites would be easy, but facts have proven that Ye was overthinking it. A tragedy.