Little Hinata Treats Him to a Meal

After he rested with his eyes closed for a while, the sky grew fully light.

Luo Mang got up, quickly washed, grabbed two pieces of bread, and headed outside.

"What mission should I take today?"

As he walked, he thought about what mission to take that day.

Whoosh~

Thinking + bread + a corner = an inevitable collision!

Thump!

"Oww~"

Something slammed into his chest, and a soft, girlish voice sounded beside him.

He looked up and found little Hinata. She had just sat up on the ground, one hand covering her face and the other rubbing her backside where she had landed.

Fortunately, she was bundled up for winter, so the pain soon faded.

Her long blue-black hair hung down her back in a fishtail braid. The bandages she wore around her legs in summer were no longer visible, hidden beneath her thick trousers.

"Huh? Little Hinata, what brings you here?"

The only reason those bullies hadn't taken his home was that it was too remote, tucked away in a corner where nobody paid attention and nobody came.

He was on his way to the mission assignment point beneath the Hokage Building.

He was heading toward the village center, but Hinata's home wasn't out here either. There could only be one reason she had come!

"Ah, u-um, Mang, Mang-kun, I-I wanted to come see you during the break."

Hinata brushed the dust off her backside, then answered shyly.

Hinata had wanted to visit as soon as she heard Luo Mang had dropped out, but she had never had time. Her days at the academy were exhausting enough, with tests and exams, and once she got home, her father would test and train her too.

Even when she managed to find the time to come here, her timing was unlucky: he wasn't home, having gone out to take missions.

This was their first meeting in the months since Luo Mang had left the Ninja Academy.

"Oh, did you need something from me?"

Looking at the adorable little Hinata, who had grown her hair out, Luo Mang felt his heart stir.

"Mang-kun, I, I wanted to ask why you dropped out? We're graduating so soon,"

Hinata raised her eyes slightly and asked with great care.

She had heard the rumors too. After someone as inconspicuous as him dropped out, their homeroom teacher, Iruka, had specifically mentioned it, sparking quite a bit of discussion.

As the gossip spread, people began making things up.

Some said he simply didn't want to study anymore.

Others said he didn't want to become a ninja.

There was even an absurd rumor that some wealthy lady had taken a fancy to him and was keeping him!

In short, the rumors were as outrageous as could be-enough to make a couple of teeth drop out in shock!

But the news soon faded from the classroom. Once it stopped being entertaining, everyone went back to discussing their own affairs. Still, Hinata had heard all of it.

She had carefully remembered every rumor. She couldn't help with the second or third, but perhaps she could with the first and fourth. Being kept by someone surely had something to do with needing money. If he was desperately short of money, she had a little allowance she rarely used. Could she give it to Luo Mang to tide him over?

Hearing Hinata's well-meaning question, Luo Mang shook his head with a helpless smile.

"Ah, well, I really am short of money, so I don't have time to attend the Ninja Academy. But you don't need to help me like that. I'll earn money myself. I'm going to take a mission right now."

"If you haven't become a ninja, the highest-ranked missions you can take are only C-rank. They might even turn their noses up at you or dock your pay."

Hinata might have been quiet, but she wasn't foolish. She still picked up things people said. Since this mattered so much, she pushed aside her nerves and explained quickly, her little face flushed red.

That was perfectly normal. After all, anyone paying for a mission wouldn't want to hire someone unreliable. They might even be picky about ninjas, let alone an ordinary person who hadn't become one.

Seeing Hinata speak in a tone so unlike her usual one, Luo Mang was a little stunned. She didn't give him a chance to respond, however, and kept talking.

"The assessments and team assignments won't happen until classes start again. How about I help you return to the Ninja Academy, Mang-kun? You could graduate, get your Forehead Protector, become a Genin, and then take missions. Would that be okay?"

After speaking, Hinata lifted her pure white eyes and stared straight at Luo Mang.

Because people had called her eyes hideous and ugly, Hinata had never dared look directly at the person she liked, afraid he would dislike them too.

Yet now, she had finally worked up the courage to meet his gaze...

But she barely lasted a moment. Under Luo Mang's puzzled gaze, a blush visibly spread from her delicate neck to her face and then her ears.

Her little hand unconsciously reached for her braided hair to ease her embarrassment.

"No need. Wouldn't people laugh at me if I went back? Besides, there's no point. I couldn't handle the higher-ranked missions anyway. I'll just do everyday jobs. There are plenty of those."

Recovering from the sight of Hinata's bashful expression, Luo Mang explained with a smile.

Naturally, he didn't want to draw their attention. Once he became a ninja, even a Genin, he could be deployed. He might end up as cannon fodder sent to probe for intelligence.

Luo Mang didn't want to die. He had only just obtained something good from the diary, and his future was finally looking promising.

"Ah, all right, then."

Turned down again, Hinata didn't press him. The little hands that had been stroking her hair came together, her fingertips tapping against one another as she stammered out a question.

"I-I'd like... like to treat you to a meal."

Luo Mang was baffled. Hadn't he just made himself perfectly clear? He was going to take a mission. Why was she asking him to eat?

"Well..."

Hinata lowered her head nervously. This is my first time inviting someone to eat. He won't turn me down, will he? Please don't turn me down!

Wait, no!

Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly remembered: wasn't he going out to take missions so he could earn money for food? If little Hinata wanted to treat him, that saved him the trouble.

Once he figured that out, Luo Mang looked down at little Hinata with even greater warmth in his eyes.

Little rich girl, please support me!

"Sure. I'll let you treat me, then."

Hearing Luo Mang agree, Hinata's eyes instantly lit up. She raised her head and gave a firm nod.

As for what they would eat?

Naturally, it had to be the ramen shop every transmigrator was obliged to visit!

When they arrived at Ichiraku Ramen, he even spotted someone he had been trying and failing to run into!

Naruto Uzumaki was eating his noodles with a satisfied expression. Hearing footsteps beside him, he paused briefly, then turned to look with noodles still dangling from his mouth.

Luo Mang was speechless at the sight. Couldn't he bite them off first?

"Huh? Oh, it's you!"

With noodles still in his mouth, Naruto narrowed his eyes, quickly searched his memory, and then recognized him.

"You're the one Iruka-sensei said dropped out, right?"

"Yeah."

Luo Mang nodded.

He took a seat beside little Hinata. After all, she was paying, so he couldn't very well sit far away from her.

"Are you sure ramen is enough?"

Hinata hesitated. She had thought they would have something like barbecue, never expecting him to choose such ordinary noodles.