Trouble

Days passed by, one after another, and Ning Xue's school life seemed to have entered a fixed cycle of repetition.

He would leave the house in the morning amidst his mother's exhortations, then build a quiet fortress in the corner of the noisy classroom using earplugs and his notebook.

During theory classes, he would immerse himself in an ocean of his own ninjutsu concepts, and at noon, he would share a brief moment of solitude with Neji on the rooftop.

In the afternoon, he would precisely control his performance during physical or basic training, maintaining a position in the upper-middle tier—an inconspicuous spot.

Finally, after school, he would meet up with Neji and head to the training ground for a real, exhilarating sparring session.

This life had become thoroughly regular, even rigid.

Under this daily repetition, Ning Xue was gradually marginalized, much like a small fish in the deep sea, carefully controlling its movements so as not to cause too great a ripple, fearing it might attract the attention of the predators lurking in the depths.

However, there are always undercurrents beneath a calm surface, and a regular rhythm will eventually be broken one day.

"Hey, Hyuga."

Ning Xue looked up to see Nara Shikamaru standing by his desk with his hands in his pockets, wearing an expression that screamed how troublesome he found everything.

"Something up?"

Ning Xue's tone remained flat, though his heart stirred slightly.

Shikamaru was one of the few people he paid a little attention to, because the boy's eyes always carried a sharpness that seemed to see through too much.

Shikamaru scratched his signature pineapple-shaped hair and let out a yawn.

"Ah... nothing special. I just thought, aren't you tired of acting like this every day?" (There was no other reason; he was genuinely curious, and he was also letting him know in advance that he was aware of what he was hiding, perhaps so it could be used if trouble arose in the future.)

Ning Xue's movements as he packed his books paused imperceptibly, but his face remained devoid of any change in expression.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"If you don't know, then forget it." Shikamaru pursed his lips, though his gaze swept pointedly over Ning Xue's arms, which showed almost no signs of fatigue despite the high-intensity physical training he had just completed.

"During taijutsu sparring, when throwing shuriken, and even during your daily runs... your movements are a bit too efficient.

You could clearly do better, yet you insist on stopping at just 'pretty good.' Once or twice might be a coincidence, but every single day..."

He drew out his tone and didn't continue, but his eyes clearly said, you can't fool me.

Ning Xue looked at Shikamaru in silence. He knew that this guy who hated trouble wasn't here to expose him or pick a fight; it was more like a confirmation based on observation, or perhaps simply a question of why someone would go through the trouble of pretending to be weak when they clearly had the strength.

"I just don't like standing out." Ning Xue offered an explanation that wasn't really an explanation.

"Ah—understand, understand."

Shikamaru let out another big yawn, looking as if he had expected as much.

Having confirmed his inner suspicions, he seemed to have completed some sort of task; he turned, waved his hand, and sauntered slowly out of the classroom.

Ning Xue was left alone in the room.

He stood where he was, watching the doorway where Shikamaru had disappeared.

After a moment, he murmured to himself.

"Hate trouble? But if I don't invite trouble, even greater trouble will follow, and that would be very bothersome for me."

After saying this, he packed up his things, turned, and headed toward the path where he usually met Neji.