Hyuga Mikoto

"Brother Dongyi, why are you walking so fast? I can't keep up with your pace."

"My apologies, Xia. I think I caught the scent of your family's cooking, and it's making me famished."

Hyuga Gen lied without a blush or a skip in his step.

"Is that so? Didn't you just eat, Brother Dongyi? How can you still be that hungry?"

Hyuga Natsu looked at Hyuga Gen with a skeptical expression.

"Er, I didn't quite get my fill earlier."

As expected, one lie led to countless more. Hyuga Gen certainly wasn't about to tell her he had ulterior motives.

"Well, that's not quite right either. It's not really an ulterior motive; I just enjoy looking at beautiful women."

Hyuga Gen made excuses for himself in his heart.

An appreciation for beauty is only natural. Yes, that's exactly it.

He would die before admitting he was a lecher—no, that wasn't right either. For now, he was just a little tyke.

As Hyuga Gen thought this, a lecherous grin crept onto his face before he realized it.

"Brother Dongyi, your smile is so..." Hyuga Natsu couldn't find the right word; she only felt that his smile looked incredibly strange.

Hyuga Mikoto was Hyuga Natsu's mother. The first time Hyuga Gen saw her at the hospital, he had been utterly stunned.

Beautiful. She was truly, breathtakingly beautiful!

Her snow-white skin, her bright, charming eyes, and a temperament that felt like a gentle spring breeze—she put every celebrity and beauty he had seen on television in his previous world to shame.

"Mother, Brother Dongyi is here."

Once inside the small courtyard, Hyuga Natsu called out toward the house.

As the door opened, Hyuga Mikoto was waiting in the entryway. Hyuga Gen greeted her with a smile, then dashed over, wrapped his arms around her leg, and rubbed his small face against her.

"You child, really now..."

Hyuga Mikoto didn't know what to say to such enthusiasm from the little one.

Of course, she was quite happy inside. She could tell that Hyuga Gen genuinely liked her and wanted to be close to her. How could a child's affection have any bad intentions?

Hyuga Natsu, however, watched Hyuga Gen with a hint of disdain, as if she were looking at a lapdog wagging its tail at its master.

"Alright, you two go wash your hands and come eat."

As she spoke, Hyuga Mikoto crouched down to tidy Hyuga Gen's hair and clothes.

Currently, Hyuga Gen wasn't even as tall as her leg; his head only reached her thigh, and his arms could only wrap around her knee.

Looking at Hyuga Mikoto as she carefully tidied him up—she was still so beautiful today, and a faint, pleasant fragrance lingered at the tip of his nose. Gazing at her lovely face, he truly wanted to kiss her.

"Aunt Mikoto, thank you."

If he wanted to, he would. He was just a child, after all, so it wouldn't be a big deal. With that, Hyuga Gen quickly planted a kiss on Hyuga Mikoto's cheek before darting away.

Hyuga Mikoto froze, caught completely off guard by the sudden kiss.

"This child."

She didn't know what to say, but she didn't take it to heart; he was, after all, just a five-year-old boy.

Hyuga Mikoto was quite fond of Hyuga Gen, too, because he had protected Hyuga Natsu during a time of crisis. Xia had told her that if it hadn't been for him, she might have been the one injured.

That was why she had invited Hyuga Gen over today—to thank him for saving her daughter and to reward the little one with a good meal.

"Brother Dongyi, I want a kiss too!"

Hyuga Natsu had witnessed the scene and wanted one as well.

It seems my daughter won't be able to escape this brat's clutches in the future.

Watching her daughter ask for a kiss, this thought couldn't help but pop into Hyuga Mikoto's mind.

Perhaps that wouldn't be so bad.

Thinking of how Hyuga Gen had protected her daughter without regard for his own life during the Nine-Tails Incident at such a young age, it might actually be quite good for her daughter to be with him later on.

"What is it? Is Auntie's cooking not to your taste? Why do you keep staring at me?"

Seeing Hyuga Gen staring at her in a daze, Hyuga Mikoto asked with a touch of confusion.

"No, I just think Aunt Mikoto is so beautiful that I can't help but want to look a few more times."

Hyuga Gen said honestly; these were his true feelings.

"You, you're a little old man in a child's body. Auntie is getting old; you won't say things like that when you grow up."

Being complimented on her beauty by a child still made Hyuga Mikoto quite happy.

"No, Auntie Qin doesn't look old at all."

Hyuga Gen spoke the truth. Indeed, she looked like an eighteen-year-old girl from the outside; one would never guess she had ever given birth.

"Alright, hurry up and eat, or the food will get cold."

Hyuga Mikoto urged, wanting to plug the mouth of this little devil.

Hyuga Gen stopped speaking and began to eat in silence. Truth be told, the meal was quite well-prepared; despite already being full, he managed to finish two more bowls.

"Brother Dongyi, what were you doing out so early this morning?" Hyuga Natsu asked with a hint of curiosity.

"I went for a run when I woke up. Xia, would you like to join me?" Hyuga Gen's heart stirred as he spoke with a smile; he hoped Hyuga Natsu could become stronger as well.

"Running? Is it fun?" Hyuga Natsu seemed to have taken an interest.

"It's not fun, and it's very tiring. But if you can stick with it, you can become much more capable."

"Really? I can become stronger? Then, Brother Dongyi, take me with you starting tomorrow. I want to become strong so that next time, it will be my turn to protect you."

Listening to Hyuga Natsu's earnest and sincere words, Hyuga Gen was, in all honesty, moved.

"Alright, alright, alright. I'll come by to wake you up tomorrow morning, but you aren't allowed to sleep in."

Running alone was quite boring, and having someone to join him would be much better. He had wanted to ask Hyuga Natsu before, but he had been afraid of tiring her out, so he hadn't brought it up.

"Aunt Mikoto, is that alright?" Hyuga Gen asked Hyuga Mikoto, seeking her opinion.

"That's fine, just be sure to stay safe."

"Yes, I will be careful. It shouldn't be a problem; we will just be running within the clan grounds and won't go outside."

Hyuga Mikoto nodded slowly. She didn't demand that her daughter become exceptionally powerful; she only hoped she would grow up happy and healthy.

"Yay! Then Brother Dongyi, you must come and take me with you tomorrow. I'm going to get stronger!" Seeing that her mother had agreed, Hyuga Natsu was clearly overjoyed.

The matter was settled, though what Hyuga Gen did not expect was that the running group would grow from the original two people, eventually sparking a "running craze" among the children of the Hyuga clan.

Hyuga Gen had also underestimated Hyuga Natsu's persistence. Long after he himself had stopped keeping up with the runs, Hyuga Natsu continued to persist with her morning jogs—though that is a story for another time.

"Oh, that's right, Brother Dongyi. Has that egg of yours hatched into a chick yet?" Hyuga Natsu looked at Hyuga Gen curiously.

"I've never seen such a beautiful egg. If it doesn't hatch, let's just eat it. Something that beautiful must taste delicious."

After saying this, Hyuga Natsu's eyes began to sparkle.

So your obsession with it was just about eating it, after all? Hyuga Gen couldn't help but widen his eyes in disbelief.