The Pendant

The next morning, Uchiha Ao stretched and rose from his bed early.

"I'm exhausted."

Ever since Sister Izumi had brought him home yesterday, he had been busy until late into the night.

Even now, his hands felt incredibly sore, his knuckles slightly swollen, and he found it difficult even to clench his fists.

"Bro... brother, more."

Uchiha Ao was staring blankly at his trembling fingers when he suddenly heard Izumi murmuring in her sleep, her voice thick with nasal congestion.

He turned his head to see her curled up in the bedding, eyelashes fluttering as she mumbled unconsciously.

Uchiha Ao was covered in black lines upon hearing Sister Izumi's sleep-talking.

More!!?

Sister Izumi, have mercy on me.

Uchiha Ao swore that he would definitely invent an automatic massage machine in the future.

As he was complaining to himself, Sister Izumi suddenly rolled over, her arm landing straight across his legs, the warmth of her palm seeping through the fabric.

Just then, the wooden door creaked open. Izumi's Mother appeared in the doorway, carrying a ceramic bowl filled with red bean porridge, a morning smile in the corners of her eyes: "Ao, Auntie brought you..."

Her words came to an abrupt halt.

Izumi's Mother saw her daughter—Izumi was lying on Ao's bed, one hand domineeringly pressed against his legs, the quilt slipped down to her waist.

Uchiha Ao noticed Izumi's Mother's gaze and wanted to pull his leg back, but Izumi was gripping it even tighter in her sleep.

The smile on Izumi's Mother's face froze instantly, her brows knitting into a deep frown. She slammed the ceramic bowl onto the low table, causing a few drops of red bean porridge to splash out and leave dark marks on the wood grain: "Uchiha Izumi!"

The thunderous roar exploded, and Izumi woke up with a start, sitting up in a daze: "Mom? Why are you..." Before she could finish, she was grabbed by the back of her collar and dragged to the edge of the bed.

Watching Sister Izumi being lectured by Auntie, unable to talk back, Uchiha Ao couldn't help but wear a smile.

This feels so good.

Uchiha Izumi noticed her brother's expression and bared her teeth at him in a fierce grimace. Her almond-shaped eyes were wide and round, and a few stubborn strands of hair stood up on her head, making her look exactly like a cat that had had its tail stepped on.

Taking advantage of her mother turning to look at her brother, she silently mouthed, "I'll deal with you later."

"Ao, come and drink your porridge." Auntie pushed the rearranged ceramic bowl toward him, the steam carrying the sweet fragrance of red beans.

"Thank you, Auntie." Uchiha Ao picked up the bowl, and through the swirling steam, he caught a glimpse of Izumi glaring at him.

Uchiha Ao sighed, set the bowl down, and looked at Auntie: "Auntie, actually, I couldn't sleep last night, so I asked Sister Izumi to come keep me company."

Izumi's Mother narrowed her eyes slightly, scrutinizing the mix of genuine and feigned helplessness on Ao's face before turning back to her daughter.

Seeing her mother look at her, Uchiha Izumi nodded frantically.

Izumi's Mother didn't say anything more, only sighed softly.

As she left, she patted Izumi on the shoulder and whispered: "Ao is still young..."

The corner of Uchiha Ao's mouth on the bed couldn't help but twitch.

Auntie, I can hear you.

After Izumi's Mother left, the room fell into a brief silence, broken only by the sound of Izumi tidying up the bedding.

"Sister Izumi, did Auntie misunderstand something..." Uchiha Ao got up to help her clean.

Sister Izumi let out a soft "hmph" and said nothing.

Soon, the two of them had finished tidying the room.

"Brother, take me to see that Hinata," Uchiha Izumi said out of the blue.

"Ah." Uchiha Ao thought to himself that this was bad.

"What, is your sister not fit to be seen?" Uchiha Izumi raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms with an air that brooked no refusal.

Cold sweat broke out on Uchiha Ao's forehead; he knew full well that Sister Izumi wasn't just going to "see" Hinata.

"Of course not, Sister Izumi! Hinata is soft-natured; you'll definitely scare her if you go!" Uchiha Ao waved his hands in a panic, cold sweat from his temples sliding down his neck and into his collar.

With Sister Izumi's posture—ready to draw her blade for a spar at any moment—let alone the shy Hinata, even the hot-headed guys from the Hidden Cloud Village would be intimidated.

Izumi narrowed her eyes, her fingertips tapping the tabletop rhythmically: "So you're saying I'm scary?"

Before he could answer, she suddenly leaned in, bracing one hand against the wall behind him, and stared down at her brother.

Hinata, I'm sorry! Uchiha Ao apologized silently, while forcing a flattering smile: "Sister Izumi, I'll take you to see Hinata right now."

"That's more like it." Uchiha Izumi flashed a satisfied smile.

Realizing there was no way to avoid it, Uchiha Ao had no choice but to take Sister Izumi to the abandoned training ground.

"Where is Hinata?" Uchiha Izumi scanned the surroundings quickly, not seeing the young lady of the Hyuga clan anywhere.

"Hinata is..." Before Uchiha Ao could finish, he heard the sound of faint footsteps coming from behind a tree.

The two of them quickly looked toward the source of the sound, where a person dressed in the traditional attire of the Hyuga clan emerged from behind a tree, the Eight Trigrams seal at their waist glinting in the sunlight.

"Greetings to you both. My young mistress has matters to attend to today and is unable to come."

Uchiha Izumi raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at her younger brother.

That look seemed to ask: Did you notify Hinata in advance and tell her not to come?

Uchiha Ao gave her a helpless look in return.

Sister Izumi, how would I dare? Besides, I've been right under your nose the whole time; what could I possibly have done?

Uchiha Izumi understood her brother's gaze, and after a moment of thought, she agreed.

That was true; her brother had been under her constant supervision, and given her strength, it was impossible for him to pull any tricks without her noticing.

"Fine then, let's head back, little brother."

On the way back, the wind in Konoha swept withered leaves across the stone path. Uchiha Izumi walked in front with her arms crossed, while Uchiha Ao followed at a leisurely pace.

"Come here." Uchiha Izumi suddenly stopped and turned to stare at the dawdling Uchiha Ao. With one hand in her pocket, she used the other to point at the space beside her.

Uchiha Ao understood Sister Izumi's meaning instantly.

He trotted over to her side and took her hand.

Sister Izumi's hand was not smooth; her palms were covered in thin calluses, the marks left by years of gripping kunai and practicing shurikenjutsu.

"Sister Izumi, let me take you to get some three-color dango." Uchiha Ao knew that this was her favorite treat.

Sister Izumi raised an eyebrow, the corners of her mouth curling upward involuntarily, though she feigned annoyance and said, "You only know how to bribe me with food." Despite her words, her feet had already turned toward the direction of the dango shop, following her brother.

As the two walked side by side along the bustling street, Ao snuck a glance at Sister Izumi and noticed that her gaze had long been drawn to the colorful trinkets at the roadside stalls, even though she kept a straight face, pretending not to care.

Passing by an accessory stall, Ao suddenly stopped and picked up a hair tie adorned with a bell, dangling it in front of Sister Izumi: "Sister Izumi, this would look great on you."

Uchiha Izumi took a look, but her attention was quickly captured by another pair of exquisite accessories.

They were a pair of silver pendants shaped like forehead protectors, with small red agates hanging from the ends of the chains and the base engraved with intricate flame patterns—it was clearly the style of the Uchiha clan.

"Shopkeeper, I'll take this pair." No sooner had the words left Uchiha Izumi's lips than she had already pulled out her wallet and slapped the banknotes onto the stall.

The shopkeeper took the money with delight and nimbly wrapped the pendants in red silk, all the while showering them with praise: "The young lady has a keen eye! This is the only couple's set in our entire shop!"

Ao's eyes widened as he looked at Izumi in disbelief: "Sister Izumi, didn't you always say these things were gaudy and flashy?"

The tips of Izumi's ears turned a shade of red instantly. She snatched the wrapped pendants and turned to walk away: "Stop nagging! Can't I do what I want?" She walked with hurried steps, but as she turned, she quietly slipped one of the pendants into Ao's hand.