Takasaki-kun, No Daydreaming

Realizing she had lost her composure, Hinata hurriedly lowered her head.

She couldn't spare the energy to dwell on Takasaki's recent lapse in attention, so she kept her gaze fixed firmly on her lecture notes and continued her explanation.

Only after she had finished explaining the chakra flow points, direction, and velocity required for the Substitution Technique did Hinata feel the heat in her cheeks begin to subside.

The crimson flush on her face must have faded by now, right?

Only then did Hinata look up to see if Takasaki had been distracted.

But the scene that met her eyes left her stunned: "Eh?"

Takasaki was in the same state as before, his eyes unfocused and vacant.

He was zoning out again!

This man, sentimental to his very core, had clearly promised her he would listen attentively, yet only a few minutes had passed.

The real kicker was that while Takasaki was distracted, he was wearing a faint smile, lost in whatever thoughts were running through his mind.

Connecting this to the contents of the Diary she had seen earlier, Hinata couldn't help but wonder if he was daydreaming again about marrying her and other girls off together as his wives.

It was so infuriating, yet so anxiety-inducing—couldn't Takasaki just be serious for once!

While feeling helpless, a sudden thought popped into Hinata's mind.

Perhaps she should just finish the explanation quickly and give Takasaki a perfunctory lesson; that way, not only would it be easier for her, but Takasaki would likely write about her in his Diary, too.

After all, given Takasaki's academic performance and his tendency to zone out, he wouldn't even notice if her explanation was half-hearted.

Much like a teacher who, having no choice with a hopeless student in class, eventually gives up, Hinata felt a similar sentiment rising within her.

In short, she wanted to just slack off.

If this were Sakura Haruno from a commoner family, she might have truly suppressed her anger and slacked off, or if she couldn't hold it in, she would have just beaten Takasaki up first.

Yet, the moment this thought emerged in Hinata's mind, she forced herself to suppress it.

A strong sense of responsibility welled up within her.

It was a sense of duty ingrained in her, a byproduct of being the young lady of the Hyuga Clan and having been nurtured by the words and deeds of her elders for so long.

If one is to do something, one must do it properly.

Since she had set out to help Takasaki, she had to see it through to the end.

If she couldn't even handle this, how would she deal with the other affairs of the clan when she grew up?

Hinata sat up, shifted her kneeling posture, and moved in front of Takasaki. She reached out a finger and gently poked the back of his hand: "Takasaki-kun, please listen carefully."

At that moment, Takasaki was looking at the Control Panel before him, observing the familiar changes in the entry for the Clone Technique.

It had been [Level 1 Substitution Technique (6 points of chakra)].

Now it was [Level 1 Substitution Technique (4 points of chakra)].

Sure enough, after Hinata's explanation and Takasaki's subsequent realization, the effect was immediately reflected in the technique's entry.

The chakra consumption had decreased by a full third!

This meant that the ninjutsu rewarded by the system in the future could also have its chakra consumption reduced through his own comprehension.

How could Takasaki not have a smile on his face after such a pleasant discovery?

Because he had been so engrossed in the Control Panel, it was only after he snapped back to reality that he noticed Hinata kneeling before him, looking at him with a flushed face, silently poking the back of his hand with her finger.

In her white eyes, there was a mix of annoyance and grievance.

"Teacher Hinata, why are you poking me with your finger?" Takasaki asked curiously.

The back of Takasaki's hand didn't hurt at all from Hinata's pokes.

Hinata's touch was very light, and the soft flesh of her fingertip actually made Takasaki feel quite comfortable.

"I..."

This was the first time Hinata had been called "Teacher," and she felt instinctively shy.

Unable to spare the mind to correct his address, she reached out and poked the back of his hand again, trying her best to keep a straight, grumpy face: "I'm hitting you! You bad student, zoning out and not listening in class! You clearly promised me you wouldn't get distracted."

Oh?

Hinata, who was always gentle and had never truly been angry, was now deliberately putting on an act of fury, which, in Takasaki's eyes, appeared quite playful.

Takasaki understood now.

So, he was being "hit."

It must be because his process of checking the Control Panel looked like zoning out to Hinata, so she was trying to teach him a lesson.

In truth, this level of "hitting" felt more like a reward to Takasaki.

It was like a naive little kitten using its paw pads to poke the back of his hand; anyone would enjoy that.

If she could poke his cheek, it would probably feel even better.

"Takasaki-kun, I'm going to explain the Substitution Technique now. If you zone out again, I won't be so polite!"

Hinata continued to feign a fierce expression, warning him: "Remember, the final exam is on Monday. If you zone out again, I'm going to poke your face! It'll be so embarrassing if someone sees!"

Poke my cheek?

There's actually a service like that?

Fine, fine, fine!

"I promise I won't get distracted again," Takasaki assured her once more.

He'll definitely do it again next time!

With Takasaki's promise, Hinata finally felt at ease. As if suddenly remembering something, she glanced back at the wall clock.

It was exactly the time she was supposed to spar with Neji today.

Neji was already quite dissatisfied with her on a daily basis; if she didn't show up on time, he would surely blame her.

The problem was, she hadn't finished explaining the Three Body Technique to Takasaki yet.

Forget it!

Hinata made up her mind; the sparring session with Neji would have to be delayed.

After all, if Takasaki learned the Three Body Technique through her guidance, successfully graduated from the Ninja Academy, and then wrote about it in his diary, she would certainly receive a substantial reward and grow stronger.

From the perspective of the clan, her becoming stronger was beneficial to the entire Hyuga Clan.

Neji would surely understand, right?

Meanwhile.

In the Hyuga Clan Training Room, Neji, dressed in long pants and a shirt with a bandage tied around his forehead to conceal the Caged Bird seal, looked up at the wall clock with a displeased expression. "Fifteen minutes late. What on earth is Hinata doing?"

Whenever he thought about how his father, Hizashi Hyuga, had died to save Hinata, and how he—despite having talent far superior to hers—was relegated to being her sparring partner, the resentment in Neji's heart grew increasingly intense.

Yet, he was helpless.

The moment he was born into the branch family and branded with the Caged Bird seal, his fate had been sealed.

His life experiences had taught him that the moment he resisted, the Caged Bird seal on his forehead would subject him to excruciating agony.

Every time he sparred with Hinata, feeling how she was clearly becoming weaker than him, yet would still go on to become the heir to the Hyuga Clan, Neji couldn't help but roar internally at the injustice of fate.

Since the Caged Bird seal could not be undone, fate could not be defied.

No matter how much resentment Neji held in his heart, he could only accept it with bitterness.

However, Hinata's tardiness today caught Neji by surprise; Hinata had always been very punctual in the past.

Could it be that Hinata has encountered some sort of trouble?