After the Third finished his long-winded speech, the graduation ceremony drew to a close. Once the Forehead Protectors and graduation certificates had been handed out, the students dispersed, waiting to find out their team assignments the next day.
Hyuga Hiashi also took Hinata home. As soon as they stepped outside, he noticed the bracelet on Hinata's left wrist and felt secretly displeased.
"That brat's quite thoughtful. Oh, well. It's good for Hinata to have more friends, as long as he doesn't go too far."
"But I'll remember you!"
His expression remained stern, and he said nothing the whole way home. Hinata could only follow along obediently beside him.
Meanwhile, Zeyu was nearly home when Meiling finally arrived, late as usual.
"Hey, Zeyu, sorry I'm late. Something came up."
"Oh, it's okay, Auntie. It's no big deal. Go ahead and take care of your things." Zeyu was too busy wondering what gift Hinata had prepared for him to care that Meiling was late. He walked right past her.
He was grinning from ear to ear, like he'd just swallowed a bee.
Seeing how happy the boy was, Meiling grew curious.
She strode over, tucked Zeyu under her arm, and pinched his cheek.
"You're acting strange, kid. What mischief have you been up to? Why are you so happy?"
The sudden attack startled Zeyu, but Aunt Meiling had always been so boisterous, so he didn't think much of it.
"You've got it all wrong, Auntie. I'm the best-behaved kid there is. How could I be up to mischief?" As he spoke, he grabbed the hand pinching him, signaling for her to ease up.
But Meiling had no intention of letting him go. She squeezed him even tighter. Zeyu felt as if his face were about to get pressed against those two peaks, and he couldn't stop himself from blushing.
"Spill it, or you'll be sorry!"
"Oh, I get it. You're dating someone, aren't you? Tell me!" Meiling released Zeyu, then grabbed him by the back of his collar.
"Hehe, take a guess." Zeyu blinked mischievously, making Meiling laugh.
"You little rascal, look at you! Which girl is it? That little girl with the white eyes?" Meiling poked his cheek again, refusing to let the matter go.
Zeyu's cheek was starting to hurt from all the poking, so he used the Substitution Technique and vanished on the spot.
Meiling stared blankly at the thick log in her hand. Then she realized what had happened and cursed.
"You brat! You dare use ninjutsu on me? You're asking for a beating!"
Just then, Zeyu darted out from the side, laughing as he ran.
"If you want to know more, come catch me, Auntie! Catch me and I'll tell you! Hahaha!"
"When I was a ninja, you weren't even born yet, you little brat!" Meiling snapped, then chased after him.
In the glow of the setting sun, the two of them chased each other down the road.
The next day, at the Ninja Academy.
The students walking into the academy wore their Forehead Protectors and smiled happily. Starting today, they were all ninjas.
At the entrance, a black-haired, pale-eyed girl clutched a small box to her chest as she watched the passing crowd, hoping to spot a familiar figure among them.
Although the crowd made her shy, she wanted to be by the side of the person she missed as soon as possible and give him the gift from her heart—the gift she had meant to give him yesterday.
"Will Zeyu-kun be upset with me?" As she watched the crowd pass by, the girl grew more and more uneasy when the one she longed for failed to appear. She lowered her head to look at the box in her arms, as if lost in thought.
"Hey, Hinata-chan. Sorry I'm late."
As she pondered, a familiar voice reached her ears. Her eyes lit up, and she softly murmured his name.
"Zeyu-kun."
The girl looked up and saw a handsome red-haired boy wearing a Forehead Protector. He was smiling brightly, looking sunny and dashing. In his hands, he held purple violets wrapped in silk cloth. With the morning sun at his back, he strode toward her.
It was as if the boy were glowing.
The girl was captivated. Her anxiety and unease vanished.
She froze. He had come to stand right in front of her.
"Hey? Hinata? What's wrong?" Zeyu was a little confused. What was going on with Hinata? He bent down and waved a hand in front of her eyes.
Hinata's face turned bright red in an instant. She snapped out of it and realized Zeyu had already arrived.
"Th-that, Zeyu-kun, I prepared a gi-gi-gi-gift for you." The way Zeyu had arrived had made her heart flutter. Now she could barely speak, overwhelmed with shyness.
She held out the box she had been clutching to her chest, warmed by her body heat.
"Ah, thank you for the gift, Hinata. These flowers are for you. I hope you like them." As he accepted her gift, Zeyu handed her the flowers too, his smile growing even brighter.
"Mm, Zeyu-kun, I really like them. Thank you so much. I hope you'll like the gift I gave you too." Hinata blushed even more and raised the flowers to cover her face, leaving only her eyes visible.
Zeyu didn't waste any time. He opened the box, warmed by Hinata's body heat.
Inside was a pair of black wrist guards, embroidered with two small purple flowers. They were simple, but clearly made with care, and the details were beautifully done. What's more, they perfectly matched the flowers he had given her. Zeyu was delighted.
He eagerly put them on and admired them.
"Wow, thank you so much, Hinata-chan! I love this gift. I'll treasure it for the rest of my life." His eyes sparkled as he took Hinata's hand.
The moment he held her hand, Hinata felt as if she were overheating. Steam seemed to rise from her head, and her cheeks grew even redder as she whispered,
"You don't have to treasure it. If it breaks, I'll mend it for you, Zeyu-kun. Just don't be upset that I'm only giving you the gift today."
Zeyu understood. Hinata was just that kind of girl—unconfident and a little insecure, always afraid people might dislike her. But that would never happen with him. Hinata was the best!
"It's okay, Hinata. I won't be upset over something like this. I really like the gift too, so please don't worry about it." Zeyu knew what Hinata was like, so all he could do was reassure and encourage her as best he could.
"Okay, Hinata-chan, let's head back to the classroom. They'll be assigning teams soon."
"Mm, okay... Eh? Zeyu-kun!"
As soon as he heard Hinata say "okay," Zeyu pulled her along. He held her hand tightly as they made their way through the crowd, not caring at all about the people around them.
Hinata looked at the strong hand wearing the gift she had made and felt overjoyed.
"Zeyu-kun likes my gift. I'm so happy."
Then she noticed the looks from people around them. Shyly, she covered her face with the flowers, letting the boy in front of her lead her along.
However...
The moment they stepped inside, they saw Azhen kissing Aqiang.
It was graduation season. The other classes were all noisy, but at that moment, the classroom Zeyu belonged to was strangely quiet.
Naruto was crouched on the desk in front of Sasuke. Their lips were pressed together, while the people around them stared in shock.
Hinata and Zeyu had just walked in, and they both froze.
"Eh? Eh? A kiss?" Hinata thought.
"Damn, I nearly forgot about this. If I'd arrived a little later, I would've missed it." Zeyu thought.
The next moment, the two boys parted, and the silent crowd suddenly erupted.
The girls wanted to tear Naruto apart. They shot him vicious looks and cursed at him, while Sakura went straight for him and grabbed him.
The boys were laughing so hard they could barely stand, their mouths hanging open.
Hinata and Zeyu, still at the door, snapped out of it. Each had their own thoughts.
"A kiss... Hinata and Zeyu-kun will kiss someday too, right? I wonder what it feels like, Zeyu-kun."
"Ah, kissing Hinata would be wonderful, hehe. I love Hinata the most."
As they thought this, they both turned to look at each other. Their eyes met, and they realized the other was thinking more or less the same thing.
Then both of their faces turned bright red, and they looked down at the floor in unison.
Zeyu was the first to speak.
"Hey, Hinata-chan, let's find a seat."
"Mm," Hinata answered softly.
With that, Zeyu led Hinata around the crowd and toward the back of the classroom.
They found a seat by the window at the back and sat down, with Hinata on the inside and Zeyu beside her. Their hands were still clasped together, neither willing to let go.
Everyone else was still making a racket, and no one noticed them.
Zeyu glanced at Hinata, who had turned her blushing face away. Her cherry-red lips were gently pressed together, and she licked them now and then. He couldn't help blushing.
Hinata was just too cute.
Hinata was thinking too: "Zeyu-kun's hand is so big and warm. I like it."
Zeyu was thinking too: "Hinata's hand is so soft and smooth, and cool to the touch. I love it."
"But—" (Zeyu) (Hinata)
"I want to kiss—" (Zeyu) (Hinata)
At that thought, they both turned to look at each other.
Their eyes met once more.
But this time, neither of them looked away. They gazed at each other tenderly.
"I want to kiss." (Zeyu) (Hinata)