The Secret Discovered

"Brother Dongyi, why have you been looking at me like that lately? It feels strange. Is something the matter?"

Ever since he rescued Xiaojin, Hyuga Natsu had noticed that her Brother Dongyi's gaze toward her had become rather peculiar over the past few days.

"Ah, haha, nothing at all."

Hyuga Gen replied with some embarrassment. He withdrew his scrutinizing gaze; whether it was true or not, it didn't really matter—the issue wasn't significant.

Come to think of it, he hadn't expected that Xia, who usually appeared so dazed and cute, would be so reliable when it counted. It was fortunate that she hadn't just waited there, but had instead gone to fetch Hyuga Hiashi; otherwise, the consequences would have been truly unpredictable.

Hyuga Gen was also curious about how Hyuga Natsu had managed to summon the busy Clan Head, but according to her, it was pure coincidence—the Clan Head had simply called out to her after seeing her in such a flustered state.

And so, the subsequent events unfolded.

She had stepped up at the critical moment, scaring off the giant boar and the python with two palms, and everything that followed had naturally gone smoothly.

Xiaojin had finally been pulled back from the brink of death. With its astonishing recovery rate and Hyuga Gen's meticulous care, it would be a lively, jumping bird again before long.

Of course, what was even more shocking was that Hyuga Gen had discovered Hyuga Hiashi could actually smile. Although that smile was directed only at Hyuga Natsu, to Hyuga Gen, it was like discovering a new continent.

One had to remember that throughout the entire Shippuden series, Hyuga Hiashi only seemed to have smiled when Hinata got married. Yet, he had shown such a gentle smile to Hyuga Natsu; Hyuga Gen had thought his eyes were playing tricks on him at the time.

Through his observations over the past few days, Hyuga Gen found that Hyuga Natsu actually resembled Hyuga Hiashi quite a bit. Coupled with the fact that her mother was the head maid of the main house, this was entirely possible.

In fact, it would be more abnormal if it weren't the case. If you had such a beautiful head maid by your side and didn't feel a thing, could you even call yourself a man?

Come to think of it, the first time he saw Hyuga Natsu's mother, he had been truly stunned. Even though he had seen plenty of celebrity beauties, he still felt they couldn't compare to her. Hyuga Gen didn't know how to describe it, but it was simply unforgettable.

Actually, Hyuga Gen had previously speculated that Hyuga Natsu's father might be Hyuga Hiashi, but he had quickly dismissed the thought. In his view, someone as serious, rigid, and dogmatic as Hyuga Hiashi shouldn't be capable of such a thing.

Now, however, it seemed highly probable that Hyuga Hiashi was indeed Hyuga Natsu's father. Although there was no concrete evidence yet, he couldn't be far off; Hyuga Gen trusted his intuition and judgment.

But was Hyuga Hiashi's wife really that easygoing? Did she not manage him? Or had she simply not discovered it? That seemed unlikely.

He suddenly recalled what Hanabi had said in Shippuden—that she wanted to become a gentle person like her mother. So, was Hiashi's wife really that considerate and ungrudging? Judging by the beauty of Hyuga Hinata and Hyuga Hanabi, their mother must have been very beautiful as well.

It was a pity that he hadn't seen her mother when Hinata was born; it seemed she had fallen ill after giving birth to Hinata and was not in a condition to see outsiders.

Hyuga Gen also wanted to meet this beauty, if only to know what kind of person could give birth to two little princesses like Hinata and Hanabi.

At this thought, Hyuga Gen felt a strange sourness in his heart. Hyuga Hiashi was truly a dog; playing both sides, it was simply...

Forget it. If he is Xia's father, he might be my future father-in-law. I won't make things difficult for you.

Hyuga Gen thought to himself. If he really was Xia's father, wouldn't he be his future father-in-law?

"Brother Dongyi? Brother Dongyi?"

"What is it, Xia?"

"Brother Dongyi, what are you thinking about? Zhihui is trying to greet you."

Hyuga Natsu tugged at Hyuga Gen's arm, looking a bit pouty.

"I was thinking about Xiaojin."

Hyuga Gen said without batting an eye.

"Sorry, Zhihui, I was lost in thought just now and didn't notice you."

Hyuga Gen looked toward Yu Zhihui, who was standing in the corner, and greeted her with a smile.

"It's been a few days; you're looking more and more beautiful."

Hyuga Gen continued. Of course, this wasn't just empty flattery; Yu Zhihui had started growing out her long hair, and the outfit she was wearing was new and suited her very well.

"N-no, I'm not."

Yu Zhihui seemed a little shy, but one could tell from her expression that she was quite happy.

Hyuga Gen always felt that the impression Yu Zhihui gave him when they first met was different from how she behaved later on; it seemed first impressions weren't always reliable.

"Unh-huh, Brother Dongyi is biased! You complimented Zhihui on being beautiful, but you've never complimented me."

At this, Yu Zhihui's face turned even redder, and hearing Hyuga Natsu say this, she became quite flustered.

"Alright, Xia, stop teasing Zhihui. Don't I compliment you on looking pretty every single day?"

Hyuga Gen looked at Hyuga Natsu with a helpless expression.

"By the way, Zhihui, how is the ice cream shop doing?"

"It's doing quite well. We were too busy a few days ago, so we hired a few more people. But summer is coming to an end, so there probably won't be as many customers afterward."

"That's true, summer is ending. But don't worry, we'll come up with other things to sell later."

"Things? What kind of things? Are they like the ice cream?"

Both of them looked at him with sparkling eyes.

"Not exactly. I haven't decided yet, but you'll know once I make them."

Hyuga Gen kept them in suspense, though in truth, he really hadn't decided yet.

Barbecue, skewers, roasted meat, hot pot, hamburgers—he felt any of these could work and should be profitable. He also wanted to open a restaurant or something similar.

The food in this world was truly mediocre; it was mainly rice-based, followed by noodles. The dishes leaned toward a Japanese style, which was fine, and most of it was acceptable.

However, Hyuga Gen still missed the food from his hometown. It was a pity he wasn't very good at cooking; anything he made turned into a "dark cuisine," and the only dish he could actually present was scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

Hyuga Gen planned to find a master chef in the future and use his own memories to recreate those dishes, though of course, that was a matter for another time.

"Brother Dongyi, you just said you were thinking about Xiaojin? What is it?"

"I intend to sign a summoning contract with Xiaojin once it recovers. Xia, why don't you sign the contract with it instead? That way, you'll be able to summon it anytime, anywhere, and avoid what happened last time."

"Brother Dongyi, do you know how to sign a summoning contract?"

"Not yet, I'll ask the old man when I go back today."

"Mm-hmm, then please take me along with you and Xiaojin, Brother Dongyi. I'm a bit curious about how the contract is signed."

As for the "old man" Hyuga Gen mentioned, Hyuga Natsu knew he was referring to Grandpa Kamen.

Before they knew it, they had nearly reached the school gate. At that moment, Hyuga Gen spotted Uchiha Itachi, along with his, um, two newly acquired lackeys?

Had he seen this scene somewhere before? Hyuga Gen slowly recalled—yes, Uchiha Itachi was not far from graduation.

He wondered if Itachi would regret graduating early in the future; after all, the world outside was truly cruel. Times like these, where one could study leisurely and happily for the sake of youth and dreams, were rare and precious.

Perhaps he wouldn't regret it; perhaps he would rather become someone who silently protected all of this.