I'll Raise My Own Wife

"So you were mocked because of your Byakugan? What a ridiculous reason."

It seemed Hyuga Hiashi had instructed her to listen to Ryosuke.

So Hinata had no intention of hiding anything about herself. After Ryosuke roughly guessed what had happened, she lowered her head and quietly told him everything.

The Hyuga Clan possessed the Byakugan, which made their appearance somewhat different from ordinary people.

Because of this, some children her age in the village liked to bully her.

Though they never laid a hand on her, quite a few of them mocked her appearance and refused to play with her.

Clearly, verbal abuse and ostracism hurt her just as much.

After listening carefully to Hinata's account, Ryosuke did not seem angry. The gentle smile on his face remained unchanged. "So because of this, you're... afraid of those children?"

"You, the future head of the Hyuga Clan, are afraid of ordinary children like them?"

It sounded a little absurd, but it had indeed happened.

Newborn calves fear no tigers. It was like a news story he had seen in his previous life, where even the Japanese emperor's daughter could be bullied at school.

Most children in Konoha who had not yet entered the ninja academy did not know what the Hyuga name meant, nor what those eyes represented.

And adults generally did not interfere in matters between children from the same village, especially in this world where strength was paramount.

Few children who were bullied went home crying for their mothers.

Under such circumstances, it had become only natural for Hinata—already timid, poor at socializing, and often alone—to be bullied.

With her head lowered, Hinata did not answer.

She knew very well that she had disappointed Ryosuke. She had disappointed her father as well.

"Your father is a proud and rigid man. The eldest daughter of the Hyuga Clan being reduced to tears by a few ordinary children—he definitely wouldn't stand up for you. He couldn't afford that humiliation. Besides, this is a matter between children."

Looking at the downcast Hinata, Ryosuke continued, his voice calm and unhurried.

With her eyes closed, Hinata silently endured the pressure.

But unlike her father's rigid, indifferent voice, Ryosuke's voice was gentle, making her feel a little better.

"Come here."

Ryosuke beckoned to Hinata across from him, signaling for her to sit beside him.

Hinata obediently stood up and moved from across the table to sit at Ryosuke's side.

"No matter who they are, no matter their age or status, anyone who mocks another person's appearance is the most childish kind of person."

As he spoke, Ryosuke picked up a piece of vegetable tempura with his chopsticks. "Because a person's appearance at the start of their life is decided at birth. It is given by their parents, not something he or she can choose for themselves."

Hinata obediently ate the vegetable Ryosuke offered her, looking as though she only half understood.

"But people can change, and time does not stand still."

He continued, "Even someone who isn't good-looking can make up for their shortcomings in all kinds of ways as long as they are outstanding enough and work hard enough. Not to mention..."

"You're so cute. They simply don't know how to appreciate it."

Compared to others, the Hyuga Clan had much fairer skin. Those like Ryosuke, whose bloodline had undergone Ancestral Regression, were even so pale that their skin carried a bluish tint.

As for their eyes, it was as if they wore natural white contact lenses.

That made them look different from ordinary people—strange, even.

But it was like how, in ancient times, people from Eastern countries often found Westerners' appearances strange and therefore categorized them as unattractive.

It was really only a difference in aesthetics. Ryosuke understood that, but this world had no distinction between East and West, so he had no way to explain it to Hinata like that.

Across from him, Hinata's originally gloomy expression turned shy at his words.

Watching the adorable girl whose cheeks had flushed slightly, Ryosuke chuckled softly. "So, Hinata, would you rather believe them, or believe me?"

"I..."

Biting her lower lip lightly, Hinata held back for a long while before finally squeezing out a few quiet words. "I believe you, Ryosuke-kun."

"Very good."

Ryosuke nodded in satisfaction and gently stroked her hair. "Since you are not the one at fault, then in a while, I'll take you to find them. You can make them apologize to you yourself."

"Huh?"

Hinata, who had still been blushing, raised her head in alarm...

"Are those three the children who always bully you?"

The summer sun was rather scorching, but it did nothing to dampen the energetic children's enthusiasm for playing.

The park in the center of Konoha was a place where children often gathered.

Ryosuke stood with Hinata outside the park, observing the situation inside through gaps in the treetops.

Instead of answering his question, Hinata whispered, "R-Ryosuke-kun, let's go back."

Because she was gripping his hand so tightly, Ryosuke could easily feel her fear and nervousness.

"Do you remember what I told you earlier?"

Ryosuke gently soothed Hinata, leaning close to whisper in her ear, "A person's appearance can be changed through effort after they're born. And not just appearance—many things can be changed through hard work."

"Being submissive and timid may be part of your natural disposition. I'm sure you know that yourself. But you can change that too, and make Father see you in a new light."

Hinata had looked rather nervous, but the moment she heard the word "Father," she froze.

Walking around behind her, Ryosuke reached out from behind and pressed his palms against her cheeks, straightening her head so that she no longer hung it low, but looked directly at the children in the distance.

"Those three children down there often mock your appearance, don't they?"

He whispered softly and gently into Hinata's ear, "Since you believe me—since you believe that you're not ugly, that they simply don't know how to appreciate you, that they're just talking nonsense—then... shouldn't you go down there and make them apologize?"

"But..."

At the mention of it, Hinata grew nervous again. Her head unconsciously tried to lower, but Ryosuke held it in place, leaving her unable to bow it.

"As the future clan head of the Hyuga Clan, if you want to satisfy Father, you absolutely cannot keep lowering your head like this."

There seemed to be some kind of magic in Ryosuke's voice, making her temporarily forget her anxiety. "Do as I say. Walk over there with your chest out and your head held high, and openly demand that they apologize."

"You only need to explain things clearly, then stare at them expressionlessly and wait for their apology. Souji and Seisai will handle the rest."

With that, he gently reached out and gave her a push from behind.

As Hinata was pushed forward, she felt a force seemingly travel from Ryosuke's palm into her body.

Unconsciously, she followed his instructions, beginning to walk forward while keeping her head high and chest out.

Watching Hinata walk toward the park, Ryosuke instructed the two guards behind him, "Follow her. Put on fierce expressions and scare those three brats a little. That's all."

"Yes."

Souji Hyuga and Seisai Hyuga nodded and hurried after Hinata.

Ryosuke did not follow them. He remained where he was, hands clasped behind his back as he watched the park, the smile on his face never fading.

A delicious shrimp tempura required careful control of the heat and frying time to produce the best result.

He had never had a particularly complete understanding of what a wife was, in either this life or his previous one, but that did not stop him from raising for himself... the best possible partner.

If possible, he also hoped that this partner could serve as his shield, becoming the Hyuga Clan's future figurehead before he had fully grown strong.

As for that, the timid and incapable person from the manga could never accomplish it. Nor did he want his partner to be someone like that.

Hinata needed to grow.

Hyuga Hiashi's misguided way of educating her would be corrected by him. He would raise his own wife.