Sad Hinata

Night fell, and the streets of Konoha began to twinkle with scattered lights.

The two of them held warm Three-Color Dango as they sat down on a bench by the roadside.

Their masks had long since been set aside.

"Little brother, let's take these home to eat," Sister Izumi said, glancing at the crowd before turning to her brother, who was lost in thought beside her.

Hmph, today's chance to be alone with my little brother is mine!

"Ah? I'll listen to whatever Sister Izumi says." Uchiha Ao snapped back to reality and nodded.

Uchiha Ao stood up nimbly, the fragrance of the Three-Color Dango mingling with the winter chill lingering at the tip of his nose.

He reached out to grab the mask from the bench to hang it at his waist, but Sister Izumi snatched it away.

"Little brother, put your mask on; it makes you look even more handsome." Uchiha Izumi's eyes curved into crescent moons, and before Uchiha Ao could react, she gently pressed the Spiral Mask onto his face.

She quickly donned her own raccoon-shaped mask as well.

Uchiha Ao looked at Sister Izumi, completely bewildered.

He looked more handsome with the mask on?

"Sister Izumi, are you saying I'm ugly?" Uchiha Ao lowered his gaze to look into her eyes, his expression somewhat aggrieved.

"Hmph, little brother is the ugliest." Uchiha Izumi tilted her chin up, her amber eyes blinking slyly behind the Raccoon Mask.

If he's a little ugly, no one will fight me for my little brother.

"Fine, fine, I'm the ugliest." Uchiha Ao had no choice but to go along with her.

The two walked hand in hand along the snow-covered street, their footsteps making a "crunching" sound.

Uchiha Izumi swung their joined hands from time to time, humming a tuneless melody, while the Raccoon Mask swayed gently with her movements, as if it were dancing happily as well.

They soon returned home.

As soon as they stepped through the door, the figure of Uchiha Tekka appeared before them.

"Lord Clan Leader, did Miss Hyuga Hinata not return with you?" Uchiha Tekka's first sentence caused his CPU to overheat.

Seeing the blank look on the Clan Leader's face, Uchiha Tekka couldn't help but frown.

This isn't right. The Clan Leader hasn't been out long, and given Miss Hinata's situation, she definitely should have caught up.

His gaze involuntarily swept over Uchiha Izumi, who stood to the side.

They didn't know much about this older sister of the Clan Leader.

They only knew that she loved being with the Clan Leader.

Damn it, what am I thinking? I'm actually suspecting the Clan Leader's sister.

I'm truly wretched!

"Ahem." Uchiha Tekka cleared his throat, struggling to return his expression to normal. "Perhaps I got the time wrong. Miss Hinata mentioned earlier that she wanted to find the Clan Leader, and I assumed it was today."

Uchiha Ao's brows locked together, his eyes behind the mask filled with doubt.

Why do I feel like Tekka is lying?

Uchiha Izumi suddenly tugged on his hand, her amber eyes curving into a sly arc. "Little brother, you know how scatterbrained Tekka always is. Last time, he even delivered the clan's secret letters late!"

She glanced at Tekka, then turned back to wink at Ao. "Maybe he just remembered the day wrong this time, too."

Uchiha Ao thought about it, and it seemed plausible.

"In that case, go notify the Hyuga Clan tomorrow; I will pay a visit in person then."

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

Although the Hyuga Clan wouldn't say anything, they were, after all, only allies.

Elsewhere.

Hyuga Hinata had been walking for a long time, clutching a carefully knitted light purple sweater to her chest, her hair already dusted with snowflakes.

She gripped the letter intended for Uchiha Ao, weaving back and forth through the alleys of Konoha. She passed a certain bench several times, only to see the empty, snow-covered seat.

The cold wind whipped at her hem, yet she stubbornly sought that familiar Uchiha clan uniform among the crowd.

"Young Mistress! We finally found you!" A guard from the Hyuga Clan blocked Hinata's path, panting, beads of sweat still un-wiped from his forehead.

Under normal circumstances, Hyuga Hinata might have greeted him politely, but this time, she ignored him.

"Young Mistress, please come back with us. The Clan Leader is very worried that you haven't returned so late."

Hyuga Hinata turned a deaf ear, her fingers gripping the letter turning white from the pressure, her eyes stubbornly fixed on the direction of the Uchiha district.

Seeing this, the guard gritted his teeth and reached out to pull her away by force. "Young Mistress, please don't be willful!"

Just then, a biting cold wind blew, and the letter in Hinata's hand was swept into the air, the paper fluttering in the night.

She instinctively tried to run after the letter, but the guard scooped her up.

"Forgive me, Young Mistress." The Hyuga guard hoisted Hinata onto his shoulder and, ignoring her struggles, sprinted toward the clan district.

It was far better to offend the young mistress than to endure the wrath of the clan head.

The Hyuga guard gritted his teeth and sprinted while carrying Hyuga Hinata. As the lights of the clan compound drew closer in his vision, Hinata suddenly began to struggle violently. A pearl pendant from her hair snapped off, rolling across the snow in a trail of fragmented silver light.

"Put me down!" Hinata's voice was choked with tears, yet the fists she beat against the guard's back were weak and powerless.

Ignoring her struggles, the Hyuga guard finally carried her into the Hyuga compound.

The moment they stepped through the gate, they ran straight into Hiashi Hyuga.

"Take her back to her room." Seeing Hinata's disheveled and wretched appearance, Hiashi Hyuga frowned and stopped the guard. "Find a female clansman to clean her up."

The guard acknowledged the order and left. Hinata was settled into her room, where the steam from the warm water rose into the air, yet it could not warm her chilled heart.

Soft footsteps sounded outside the door as a maid entered with clean clothes. Her gaze inadvertently swept over Hinata's tightly clenched palms—where bloodstains from the edges of a letter still remained.

"Young Mistress, please change your clothes." The maid placed the folded light-colored kimono by the tatami, her voice gentle.

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

Her fingertips unconsciously rubbed the wound in her palm, and salty tears suddenly splashed into the tub, sending ripples outward.

When the maid reached for a towel, she happened to see Hinata trembling as she reached for the light purple sweater scattered on the floor. The fabric was stained with snow and mud, and the finely stitched Uchiha Clan crest was faintly visible within the folds.

"Young Mistress, this is dirty..." Before she could finish, Hinata had already clutched the sweater tightly, shaking her head with a sob: "No... don't take it away..."

The maid sighed.

She was merely a member of the branch family and dared not defy the young mistress's wishes. She could only silently fetch a dry cloth and gently wipe Hinata's long hair.

Hyuga Hinata buried her face in the sweater. The familiar stitching pressed against her cheek, and the mix of the cold snow-water and the residual warmth of the fabric made her nose sting.

Does Ao-kun hate me?

Does he not wish to see Hinata ever again?

Carrying these questions, Hyuga Hinata slowly drifted off to sleep.

She was already exhausted after searching outside for nearly two hours today.

Seeing that Hinata had fallen asleep, the maid gently settled her onto the bed. She tried to pull the sweater from Hinata's grasp, only to find the young girl's fingers locked onto the fabric like iron pincers.