Takasaki's sleepy eyes gradually cleared. When he learned that Naruto had ended up in such a sorry state because Sakura Haruno had beaten him, he woke up completely.
What did it mean to be a simp?
Naruto was one.
If Naruto hadn't had such an amazing constitution, getting beaten up by Sakura Haruno like that would have left him unable to recover for at least a week.
Takasaki turned his head toward Sakura Haruno. As usual, she was beside Sasuke's seat, tirelessly trying to chat him up. Even though Sasuke ignored her, a bright smile remained on her face.
Just as Naruto was Sakura Haruno's simp, Sakura Haruno was Sasuke's.
The difference between Sasuke and Sakura Haruno when it came to their simps was that Sasuke never gave his simp false hope, while Sakura Haruno gave Naruto hope again and again. Whenever she ran into trouble, she asked Naruto for help, then kicked him to the curb once the problem was solved.
As a devoted romantic, Naruto had no idea how many times he'd been knocked flat.
That was exactly why Takasaki had such a poor impression of Sakura Haruno. Even though she had a sweet face and long pink hair, he still disliked her.
He disliked her, but Sakura Haruno hadn't done anything to hurt him, so of course he wasn't going to pick a fight with her.
Naruto was a simp of his own free will. Takasaki knew there was no point in interfering, no matter what he did.
When simps fell in love, they were always blind and oblivious. They only came to their senses after they'd been hurt time and time again.
As for Naruto betraying him, Takasaki hadn't taken it too seriously.
After all, at this point in time, Naruto was completely defenseless in front of Sakura Haruno. It wasn't just that Naruto had told her he'd taught him how to persuade girls in class to help him cheat. If Naruto had known that the Nine-Tails was inside him, and Sakura Haruno wanted to know, he would have told her everything without holding back.
That said,
it wouldn't be a big deal even if Sakura Haruno found out Hinata would help him cheat on the upcoming exam.
Unless Sakura Haruno got bored and reported him and Hinata. Then she'd have crossed a line.
But Takasaki didn't think Sakura Haruno would do something that pointless. There was no need.
As he thought about it, Takasaki looked in Sakura Haruno's direction.
To be honest, Sakura Haruno was pretty, and she had a distinctive look. Her only flaw was her poor character. She wasn't as pure-hearted as Hinata.
If he ignored that flaw, then once he grew stronger in the future, he might consider adding Sakura Haruno to his harem.
The problem was, he really couldn't overlook her flaw.
Naruto hadn't noticed that Takasaki was sizing up the girl of his dreams.
In fact, Naruto did have some resentment toward Sakura Haruno at that moment. His injuries hadn't healed, so the pain was constant. He just put up with it without showing anything because Sakura Haruno was the girl he liked.
He was still apologizing to Takasaki.
Takasaki waved it off. "It's fine, Naruto. Don't worry about it. You didn't do it on purpose. Don't let this distract you during the exam. We're all good friends, and I forgive you."
"You forgive me?"
Naruto was stunned.
Betraying a friend was a serious matter, yet Takasaki had forgiven him so easily.
Takasaki was still sizing up Sakura Haruno as he casually brushed Naruto off. "You said you're going to become a big shot like the Hokage someday. I believe you can do it. Big shots make little mistakes sometimes, right? It's their problem if the other students in class don't understand you. But you and I are both class dead last. If even I didn't understand you, that'd be hard to justify."
Hearing this,
Naruto's gaze faltered.
Takasaki's words had hit him right in the heart.
Naruto's apology trailed off.
He'd told lots of people that his dream was to become Hokage, but Takasaki was the only one who remembered.
Whenever he brought it up in front of Sakura Haruno, she scoffed and said he'd never become Hokage in his life. Takasaki was the only one who said he could do it.
Takasaki had discovered a way to get girls to help him cheat and told him without hiding anything.
And even after Naruto accidentally betrayed him, Takasaki didn't mind and forgave him.
Meanwhile, Sakura Haruno had promised to give him her first kiss, but not only had she broken her promise, she'd beaten him to a pulp.
The Sakura Haruno he'd done everything to please didn't care about him at all.
Takasaki, who was just as much of a dead-last as he was, treated him like a true brother.
"Takasaki... you..."
Naruto's voice choked up, and he couldn't get the rest of his words out.
As Takasaki sized up Sakura Haruno, he was wondering whether he could accept her if she fixed her flaws—and, if so, how he should act around her. Then he suddenly noticed something off about Naruto's voice.
He turned his head and saw that Naruto, sitting beside him, was already crying his eyes out. "Wait, Naruto, why are you crying?"
"I... I'm so moved... You're so good to me." Naruto wiped away his tears.
Takasaki couldn't help laughing. "Is it really that big a deal? We're buddies."
"Takasaki, if... if you were a girl, I'd definitely fall for you, after how good you are to me." Naruto choked out the words.
Takasaki didn't know how to respond. He even felt a tightness in his rear.
Good grief. He thought of Naruto as a buddy, and Naruto wanted to sword-fight him.
At least he knew Naruto's sexual orientation.
Come to think of it, was Naruto so moved that he wished Takasaki were a girl just because Takasaki was good to him?
Actually, in the original story, there was a girl who quietly cared for Naruto and treated him well: Hinata Hyuga, the young lady of the Hyuga Clan.
But Hinata was too shy and reserved, and Naruto didn't realize it until late in the story. After that, he stopped being Sakura Haruno's simp, got together with Hinata, and they lived happily ever after.
The key was that now Takasaki had crossed over, and some things had already changed.
"It's okay, Naruto. Don't cry. People will laugh at you."
Takasaki pulled out a tissue and wiped Naruto's tears. As he did, he glanced over toward Hinata.
Hinata finished cleaning the blackboard, obediently set the eraser on the lectern, and lightly brushed her hands together before heading back to her seat.
Suddenly sensing something, she realized someone seemed to be looking at her.
Hinata turned toward Takasaki. Their eyes met. Whatever she was thinking, her face suddenly flushed. She quickly looked away, lowered her head, and returned to her seat.
In private, she would make a point of spending time with Takasaki.
She'd even take him to the reception room at her house and teach him the Three Body Technique one-on-one, like a private tutor.
The problem was that the classroom was full of classmates—all people she knew.
Whenever there were lots of people around, Hinata couldn't help getting timid.
Hinata's shy demeanor made her seem especially adorable to Takasaki.
Naruto, your wife in the original story is great. She's mine now.
We're buddies, so you'll forgive me, right?
As for the bitterness of love, he'd bear it for Naruto from now on.
As for the bitterness inside his body, Hinata would help him bear it.
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