The next day, the Canopy Screen began playing right on time.
The next morning, Boruto slung on his schoolbag and headed for the Ninja Academy, with Hanabi Hyuga's reminder ringing in his ears: "Remember to go home and apologize properly!"
Dinner the night before and his grandfather's advice had done much to settle his nerves.
The moment he entered the classroom, Shikadai Nara came over, concern plain on his face. "Hey, you ran off all of a sudden yesterday. Are you okay? Chocho told me Shino contacted Aunt Hinata afterward."
Boruto set down his bag and waved a hand. "I'm fine, I'm fine! What could be wrong? I just missed my grandpa and went to spend some time with him."
His voice dropped, carrying a hint of relief and resignation. "Shikadai, you were right. I probably was so tired yesterday that I started seeing things. I spent the day at Grandpa's and stopped thinking about all that weird stuff. I feel a lot better."
Seeing that he seemed back to normal, Denki, Iwabe, and the others gathered around too, all voicing their concern at once.
Denki spoke first. "Boruto, you gave us a real scare yesterday!"
Iwabe chimed in. "Yeah. You suddenly ran out, and we thought something had happened to you."
Boruto answered them all with a smile, bright as sunshine, as though the agitated boy they had seen yesterday had been a figment of their imaginations.
The bell rang, and Shino Aburame entered the classroom. His gaze passed over Boruto, who sat up straight. Shino gave a slight nod, and his expression softened a little.
Class began quietly, and the morning's lessons passed without incident.
At lunch, Boruto, Shikadai, and Mitsuki headed to the cafeteria together, discussing the menu.
"I wonder if they've got the mackerel simmered in