Hyuga Hiashi frowned as he listened, even wondering if he'd heard his daughter correctly.
That dead-last who'd caused a ruckus at the Estate before had helped his daughter grow stronger?
It sounded ridiculous!
"Hinata, lift your head and look me in the eye."
Hinata lifted her head and met Hyuga Hiashi's gaze.
Hyuga Hiashi asked again, "Who did you say helped you grow stronger?"
"It was Takasaki," Hinata answered truthfully, her voice a little timid.
She really wasn't lying.
She'd grown stronger through the Diary, and Takasaki had written what was in it. That meant Takasaki had helped her grow stronger, didn't it?
There was nothing wrong with that.
But to Hyuga Hiashi, it sounded absurd. "How could Takasaki help you grow stronger? Isn't he the dead-last in your class?"
"Takasaki isn't a dead-last. He's always been hiding his strength and working hard. I was influenced by him, so I worked especially hard this month and got stronger."
If she wasn't going to lie, Hinata couldn't think of a better explanation.
So this time, she said it with a flushed face.
"Is that so?"
Hyuga Hiashi began to understand. It sounded as if Takasaki had been encouraging his daughter to work hard throughout the month.
There didn't seem to be a better explanation.
Still, he found it hard to believe.
Could encouragement from a classmate really help someone improve so much in just one month?
It wasn't until Hinata finished telling him what Takasaki had done at the Estate that day that he came around a little.
Earlier, his clan members had only given him a rough account of what happened. He knew Takasaki had caused a ruckus at the Estate, but not the details.
Now, his opinion had shifted somewhat.
It seemed Neji had provoked Takasaki first, and Neji had been the one to strike first. Takasaki had only acted in self-defense.
At that moment, Hyuga Hiashi understood why Neji had apologized: the fault really had been Neji's.
More importantly,
Hyuga Hiashi seemed to understand why Takasaki's encouragement alone had helped Hinata improve so much in a month.
When Hinata heard Takasaki had been stopped outside the Estate, she'd gone out of her way to bring him in.
She'd arranged for someone to pack up Takasaki's favorite grilled skewers and had welcomed him in the Guest Reception Room.
She'd even offered to teach Takasaki the Three Body Technique.
But if Takasaki had already learned the Three Body Technique, why had he asked Hinata to teach him?
Hyuga Hiashi had been around the block. Could he really fail to see what was going on between Hinata and Takasaki? Especially when he saw her flushed cheeks, everything clicked. He asked tentatively, "Hinata, are you in love?"
"N-no! How could I be? I'm not! I'm not in love!" Hinata shook her head over and over, her face growing even redder.
She understood what her father meant.
He suspected she liked Takasaki.
How could that be?
How could she possibly like that womanizer?
But the way she kept denying it only made Hyuga Hiashi more certain.
His daughter was probably in love.
Even if she wasn't, she might have an unrequited crush.
After all, only love could inspire someone to grow so fiercely.
Actually, when he thought about it, it made perfect sense. Takasaki wasn't bad-looking, and he worked hard. It was only natural for girls to like him. Girls that age were rather simple and didn't care about a boy's family background.
Unlike people his age. When it came to love, they had to consider practical matters: whether the other person had a job with Konoha, what their parents did for a living, whether their family had enough money, and whether they could afford the betrothal gifts...
So Hyuga Hiashi wasn't opposed to his daughter's romance.
She was still young, after all.
When she grew older, she'd start caring about material conditions.
And Takasaki's family was dirt poor.
The two of them would naturally split up.
Besides, by then, Takasaki should have helped Hinata enough. He'd have no more value to offer, so it would be just as well for them to part ways.
"There's nothing wrong with being in love, especially if the other person helps you grow. But remember, you mustn't be intimate with him. A girl should save her first time for after marriage, or a man won't cherish her," Hyuga Hiashi instructed patiently.
"I won't, Father. I'm not in love. How could I like Takasaki? I don't like him." Hinata kept shaking her head, her face still red, while her heart pounded faster and faster.
As she spoke, she lowered her head and ran out.
Hyuga Hiashi's hearty laughter rang out from the Training Room.
After leaving the Training Room, Hinata ran straight to her room, her heart still racing.
Her heart was racing not only because her father had teased her about being in love. More importantly, while they'd been talking, she'd suddenly sensed something.
Takasaki was writing his second diary entry!
Had he written her name in this entry?
And if he had, what kind of reward would she get?
The reward she'd received last time had clearly made her stronger—strong enough to hold out for three minutes while sparring with Neji.
Would this reward be even better?
Hinata felt both nervous and excited.
She went to her bedroom, locked the door, and waited until she'd calmed down and her heartbeat had steadied. Then she took the Diary out of her mental space and carefully opened it. What she saw made her heart race all over again.
The first line of this entry was about her!
[I'm falling more and more in love with Hinata...]
Hinata read on in silence, her whole body tense, her cheeks as red as the sunset clouds on the horizon.
Meanwhile,
inside the Training Room at the Hyuga Estate,
Neji and Hyuga Hiashi had not left.
Neji had grown up in the Hyuga Clan and had picked up a thorough understanding of how people interacted.
This was especially true when he dealt with the clan elders. What they said to him often had two meanings.
Sometimes they praised him when they were really warning him.
Sometimes they criticized him when they were really putting on a show for others.
The more prestigious the clan, the more complicated its inner workings.
For example, just now, when he'd told the Clan Head he planned to apologize to Takasaki tomorrow, the Clan Head hadn't responded. Instead, he'd changed the subject and started talking with Hinata.
Neji had immediately understood what was going on.
Something he'd said must have displeased the Clan Head, who was giving him time to come up with a better explanation.
And now the Clan Head still hadn't left. He was waiting for Neji's answer.
"Clan Head, I've thought it over. I know what I should do about Takasaki," Neji said first.
"What are you planning to do?" Hyuga Hiashi asked with a smile.
He had always been pleased with Neji's discernment.
Neji knew how to show his elders respect and look after Hinata. He studied hard, was ambitious, and had a gift for it.
It was just a shame that such a promising child had been born into the Hyuga Branch Family.
If only Neji had been his child.
If he hadn't had no other choice back then, he never would have marked Neji with the Caged Bird.
"Takasaki can encourage Hinata to grow stronger, which means he's useful to the Hyuga Clan. We need to maintain a good relationship with him."
Neji spoke sincerely. "I was out of line to drive Takasaki away today, and that was my fault. You taught me that I shouldn't hold a grudge against a friend overnight, and that sincerity is always the best weapon. So I plan to go apologize to Takasaki tonight. I can't wait until tomorrow."
Seeing how sensible Neji was, Hyuga Hiashi admired him even more. At the same time, he felt even more regretful about the circumstances of Neji's birth.
He gently patted Neji's shoulder. "Good lad. Do as you say. I'm sure you'll handle it well."
"Yes, Clan Head!"
Neji nodded and left.
He had two reasons for going to apologize to Takasaki.
What he'd told the Clan Head was only the surface reason.
The real reason was that he kept feeling Takasaki might know how to remove the Caged Bird mark, and he wanted Takasaki to help him.
Of course, he couldn't tell Hyuga Hiashi about this little thought of his. It would be considered treason.
Before you continue