Heartbroken Hinata

Night fell, and the streets of Konoha lit up with scattered points of light.

The two of them sat down on a bench by the street, each holding a warm skewer of Three-Color Dango.

Their masks had long since been set aside.

"Little brother, let's take these home to eat." Uchiha Izumi glanced at the crowd, then turned to her younger brother, who was staring off into space.

Hmph, I'm the one who gets to spend time alone with my little brother today!

"Huh? Whatever you say, Sister Izumi." Uchiha Ao snapped out of it and nodded.

Uchiha Ao got to his feet briskly. The fragrance of the Three-Color Dango mingled with the winter chill in the air.

He reached for the masks on the bench and hung one from his waist, but Sister Izumi snatched it away.

"Little brother, put your mask on. You'll look even more handsome." Uchiha Izumi's eyes curved into crescents. Before Uchiha Ao could react, she gently set the Spiral Mask on his face.

She quickly put on the Raccoon Mask herself.

Uchiha Ao stared at Sister Izumi, dumbfounded.

He looked more handsome with the mask on?

"Sister Izumi, are you saying I'm ugly?" Uchiha Ao lowered his gaze to meet Sister Izumi's eyes, his expression a little aggrieved.

"Hmph, little brother, you're the ugliest." Uchiha Izumi lifted her chin, her amber eyes twinkling slyly behind the Raccoon Mask.

The uglier he is, the less likely anyone is to steal my little brother from me.

"Fine, fine. I'm the ugliest." Uchiha Ao could only go along with what Sister Izumi said.

The two walked hand in hand along the snow-covered street, their footsteps crunching with every step.

Uchiha Izumi occasionally swung their joined hands as she hummed an off-key tune. The Raccoon Mask swayed gently with her movements, as if dancing along merrily.

They soon arrived home.

As soon as they entered, Uchiha Tekka appeared before them.

"Clan Head, didn't Miss Hinata come back with you?" Uchiha Tekka's first question made his CPU overheat.

Seeing the Clan Head's bewildered expression, Uchiha Tekka couldn't help frowning.

Something was off. The Clan Head and the others hadn't been out for long, and given Miss Hinata's circumstances, she should definitely have caught up with them.

His gaze drifted to Uchiha Izumi beside him.

He didn't know much about the Clan Head's older sister.

All he knew was that she liked spending time with the Clan Head.

Damn, what am I thinking? I actually suspected the Clan Head's older sister.

I deserve to die!

"Ahem." Uchiha Tekka cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure. "Maybe I got the date wrong. Miss Hinata said earlier that she wanted to visit the Clan Head, and I thought she meant today."

Uchiha Ao furrowed his brow, suspicion clear in his eyes beneath the mask.

Why did he feel like Tekka was lying?

Uchiha Izumi suddenly tugged at his hand, her amber eyes curving into a sly smile. "Little brother, you know how absentminded Tekka can be. Last time, he even delivered an important clan letter late!"

She glanced at Tekka, then turned to Ao and winked. "Maybe he got the date wrong this time, too."

Uchiha Ao thought about it. That did seem possible.

"Then go notify the Hyuga Clan tomorrow. I'll pay them a personal visit then."

As the head of his clan, Uchiha Ao couldn't come and go as freely as Hinata could.

The Hyuga Clan probably wouldn't say anything, but in the end, they were only allies.

Meanwhile.

Hyuga Hinata had been walking for a long time, a carefully knitted light-purple sweater clutched to her chest. Snowflakes had long since gathered in her hair.

She clutched the letter she had written for Uchiha Ao and wandered through Konoha's streets and alleys. She passed the same bench several times, but all she saw was an empty seat covered in snow.

The cold wind tugged at her clothes, but she stubbornly kept searching the crowd for that familiar Uchiha clan uniform.

"Lady Hinata! We've finally found you!" A Hyuga Clan guard, panting heavily, stopped her. Sweat still glistened on his forehead.

Normally, Hyuga Hinata would have greeted him politely, but this time she didn't respond.

"Lady Hinata, please come back with us. The Clan Head is very worried because you haven't returned so late."

Hyuga Hinata paid him no heed. Her fingers tightened around the letter until they turned white, and her stubborn gaze remained fixed on the direction of the Uchiha Clan Compound.

Seeing this, the guard clenched his jaw and reached out to grab her by force. "Lady Hinata, please don't be stubborn!"

Just then, a gust of bitterly cold wind swept by, carrying the letter in Hinata's hand into the air. The paper fluttered through the night.

She instinctively tried to run after it, but the guard swept her up in his arms.

"Forgive me, Lady Hinata." The Hyuga guard hoisted Hinata onto his shoulder and hurried toward the compound, ignoring her struggles.

It was far better to offend the young lady than to face the Clan Head's wrath.

Grimacing, the Hyuga guard ran with Hinata slung over his shoulder. The lights of the compound drew closer and closer, and Hinata suddenly began struggling violently. The pearl ornament in her hair came loose and rolled across the snow, leaving a trail of tiny flashes of silver.

"Put me down!" Hinata's voice was choked with tears, but her fists thudding against the guard's back were weak.

The Hyuga guard endured Hinata's struggles and finally carried her into the Hyuga Clan Compound.

The moment they entered the gate, they ran into Hyuga Hiashi.

"Take her to her room." Seeing Hinata in such a disheveled state, Hyuga Hiashi frowned and stopped the guard. "Find a female clan member to help her clean up."

The guard obeyed and left. Hinata was settled in her room. Warm water steamed in the air, but it couldn't warm her chilled heart.

Soft footsteps sounded outside the door. A maid entered with clean clothes, her gaze inadvertently falling on Hinata's tightly clenched hand. A cut from the edge of the letter still marked her palm.

"Lady Hinata, please change your clothes." The maid placed a neatly folded, pale-colored kimono beside the bed and spoke gently.

Hinata curled up behind the screen, letting the hot water rise over her shoulders. Steam blurred her reddened eyes.

Her fingers absently rubbed the wound in her palm. Salty tears suddenly fell into the tub, sending ripples across the water.

When the maid brought her a towel, she caught Hinata trembling as she reached for the light-purple sweater lying on the floor. It was stained with snowmelt and mud, and the finely stitched Uchiha Clan Crest showed faintly through the folds.

"Lady Hinata, this is dirty..." Before the maid could finish, Hinata hugged the sweater tightly and shook her head, sobbing. "No... Don't take it away..."

The maid sighed.

She was only a branch-family member and didn't dare go against the young lady's wishes, so she silently fetched a dry cloth and gently dried Hinata's long hair.

Hyuga Hinata buried her face in the sweater. The familiar stitches pressed against her cheek, and the chill of the snowmelt, mingled with the warmth still clinging to the fabric, made her nose sting.

Does Ao-kun hate me now?

Does he not want to see me anymore?

Hyuga Hinata slowly drifted off to sleep, still troubled by those questions.

She was already exhausted after spending nearly two hours searching outside that day.

Seeing that Hinata had fallen asleep, the maid gently laid her in bed. She tried to pull the sweater from Hinata's grasp, only to find the girl's fingers clamped around the fabric like iron.