"Ha? Ten thousand ryo? Why don't you just rob me?" Mochizuki Megumi sneered at Zeyu when she realized what he meant.
"Do you have money on the brain?" Megumi asked.
"If you think it's too expensive, you can haggle. I'm a pretty nice guy."
"Are you saying... you want to go back and repeat the year?" Zeyu said, shaking the bells in his hand again.
"You!" Megumi was instantly enraged. She clenched both fists, but there was nothing she could do.
Shimizu Nana, who was standing off to the side, was speechless too. She took a pair of glasses out of her bag, put them on, and walked over to address the two.
"Zeyu, stop messing around. You've all passed, so you don't need to repeat the year. Megumi, go see how your brother Shota is doing."
Megumi turned and went to find her brother, Shota. Before leaving, she shot Zeyu a fierce glare.
Hmph, there goes my money, Zeyu thought.
After Megumi walked away, Nana looked at Zeyu and stepped closer, speaking softly.
"You brat, why are you hiding your strength?"
"With your skills, you could easily be top of the class. You might even make it into the Anbu."
Hearing Nana's words, Zeyu's brows relaxed and he smiled.
"Don't say that, sensei. I still have a long way to go."
Looking at Zeyu, Nana understood. He didn't want to explain why, so she wouldn't press him. Perhaps he had his reasons.
After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Would you like to take the Chunin Ninja Exams next time? I think you're all ready."
Nana wasn't just making a wild guess. The siblings worked well together, and with a little training, they could definitely compete with the top students in their year. And then there was someone like Zeyu.
Zeyu was a little surprised. He'd been planning to bring it up himself.
"Sure, Nana-sensei. I'll do my best." Zeyu looked at Nana, the corners of his mouth lifting.
Nana looked at Zeyu and thought, This guy's pretending to be weak while hiding his real strength. He's clearly powerful, yet he's so humble.
Much later,
Shota had recovered and was sitting on the grass with Zeyu and Megumi. Nana stood in front of the three of them.
"That concludes the bell-stealing game. You've all passed."
"Now, I declare—"
"Team 11 is formed!"
Shimizu Nana's eyes had returned to their usual expression, and the sharp edge was gone.
"Let's all work hard together from now on!"
But the three of them weren't very enthusiastic.
Zeyu looked at Nana with a speechless expression.
What's with this woman? Where'd that sharp look from earlier go? Zeyu wondered.
Zeyu really is like the Zhao Yun Zilong my sister told me about. Red hair, greedy for money. I have to ask him about it later, Megumi thought, turning her face toward an empty patch of ground.
I'm still too weak. I have to get stronger, Shota thought, lowering his head.
Seeing that none of the three was paying her any attention, Nana's mouth twitched.
"Um, I think you're all ready to take the Chunin Ninja Exams next time, so I signed you up."
"If anyone has a problem with that, you can say so now."
At the mention of a fight, Shota perked up. He clenched his fists and said, "All right! I'll train hard, get stronger, and become number one!"
"I don't mind," Zeyu said.
Megumi glanced at the excited Shota and said helplessly, "I don't mind either."
Seeing that no one objected, Nana smiled in relief.
After giving them a few casual instructions about where to meet tomorrow, she left.
Once their teacher was gone, Zeyu figured he should leave too. He had just stood up when Megumi called out to him.
"Hey, are you Zhao Yun Zilong?"
Zeyu had been planning to leave and see how Hinata was doing, then spend a little more time with little Hinata. Now that Megumi had interrupted him, he was in a bad mood.
A little impatiently, he said, "Is there something else, Miss Megumi? If it's nothing important, I'm leaving."
"I'm asking you a question! Are you or aren't you?" Megumi stood up, hands on her hips, and snapped.
Looking at the pushy little brat in front of him, Zeyu felt even more annoyed. He glared at Megumi and said,
"First, my name isn't 'Hey.'"
"Second, show some respect. I don't like your tone. I'm not your servant, and I won't take orders from you."
"Third, I can answer your question, but at the very least, explain what you want. What's the point of demanding an answer out of nowhere?"
"Is that how you treat someone you need a favor from?"
Zeyu fired off a string of rebukes, leaving Megumi stunned. He usually hardly said a word, and when he did, he was always polite. But now, as soon as he opened his mouth, he'd torn her to shreds.
Her face flushed with embarrassment. She thought of all sorts of things to say in response, but the words caught in her throat. All she could do was point at Zeyu over and over, as if she could point him to death.
Seeing his younger sister get the upper hand taken away from her, Shota immediately stood up and shouted at Zeyu,
"Zeyu, that's enough! Don't bully my sister!"
Zeyu chuckled at that and said,
"You've got it wrong. I'm not bullying her. I'm teaching her how to be polite to people. For example, pointing at someone like that is very rude."
Megumi snorted, lowered her hand, crossed her arms over her chest, and said, "Mind your own business. Do I need you to teach me how to act? You're just a commoner. Who do you think you are?"
Zeyu froze at those words.
Who do you think you are?
He furrowed his brow and lowered his head, lost in thought.
Right. Who am I? Why do I care so much? Why am I wasting my time here with them?
They're not even paying me.
Wouldn't it be better to spend this time with Hinata? Or train and get stronger?
Why am I bothering with these two ill-mannered brats?
The other two watched Zeyu bow his head in silence, growing a little nervous.
Megumi already knew Zeyu was strong, and now she sensed that something was wrong. She had a bad feeling, so she edged closer to Shota, who stood between them.
Shota didn't understand why Megumi looked afraid behind him, but Zeyu in front of him definitely seemed dangerous.
His brow furrowed, and cold sweat slid down his face.
Without thinking, he spread his arms to shield Megumi behind him.
Just then, Zeyu chuckled, having figured it out.
"Right, I'm just a commoner. I'm Zhao Yun Zilong. That was just a name I made up on the spot. Now you know, so don't bother me again."
With that, Zeyu used the Body Flicker Technique and disappeared.
The siblings were left behind.
When they realized Zeyu had already left, the two of them breathed a sigh of relief. Their bodies relaxed, and they both plopped down on the ground.
When Zeyu had lowered his head to think, it had felt as if the air around them had frozen.
"So Zeyu really is Zhao Yun Zilong. He seemed even stronger than my sister said. I could barely breathe just now," Shota said, clutching his chest.
"Yeah, so he really is," Megumi said, rubbing her chest. She could feel her heart racing; the tense atmosphere had made her feel awful.
"I really want to fight him and see how strong he is." Shota rolled his shoulders, looking excited.
"Don't be stupid, brother. You're no match for him," Megumi said coolly.
"Zeyu just beat Nana-sensei and took two bells at once. Besides, could you tame a five-meter-tall giant bear?" Megumi didn't hold back, not even with her own brother.
"Uh..." Shota was at a loss for words. He could only smile and scratch his head awkwardly.
Megumi looked up at the sky again and sighed.
"Brother, do you think we made him angry? Our sister told us to get along with Zhao Yun Zilong."
"Am I really that annoying?"
"No, I don't think it's your fault, Megumi," Shota said, looking at her.
Megumi sighed again, but she didn't feel any better.
"I hope so."