Encouragement and confidence

Hinata nervously raised her eyes, stealing a glance at Luo Mang's back as he cooked.

"Mmm~"

Once she was certain he would not turn around, she grew bolder and lifted her head fully to look at him.

Her eyes brimmed with anticipation, like a girlfriend waiting for a lavish dinner date.

Watching Luo Mang bustle about, Hinata's eyes practically sparkled.

She wanted to go over and help, to make breakfast together while they chatted and laughed. Her lips slowly curved upward. This was the scene she had dreamed of last night, waking up with a smile.

But she did not seem to know how to cook.

Even if she went over now, she would only get in the way. What she had longed for in her dream was right before her, yet she could not make it happen. Hinata felt miserable. Her hands, resting on the table, unconsciously clenched, a little frustration stirring in her heart.

Perhaps even if she knew how to cook, little Hinata would only stay where she was, too shy to approach him. But there was no point in imagining what-ifs. At least right now, she wanted to bring that scene from her dream to life. She wanted to, but did not know how.

Clatter, clatter!

Breakfast was simply some stir-fried bok choy and rice porridge, a very Chinese-style meal.

"Here, give it a try."

Luo Mang served up Hinata's portion and set it before her with a smile.

"Mm."

Hinata Hyuga looked curiously at the food he had served her, though not with any distrust.

People here mostly ate cooked rice. Rice porridge did not seem particularly popular, if it was served at all.

Luo Mang sat down and began eating. Although he did not know why little Hinata had come, they could always talk after breakfast.

Just as she had yesterday, she followed his example, picking up her chopsticks and eating the vegetables with the porridge. Her eyes instantly lit up.

Then she immediately revealed her enormous appetite, joining Luo Mang in polishing off all the food.

Luo Mang looked up at Hinata, who shyly covered her little belly across from him. He could tell she definitely had not eaten her fill. When she grew up, she could eat over thirty bowls of ramen. She could not manage that much now, but five bowls would be the bare minimum. A little rice porridge hardly provided enough calories; it certainly would not fill her up.

But there was nothing Luo Mang could do. He had no ingredients left at home. He had intended to take on a mission today and buy some things along the way, but that plan had been interrupted.

Then a thought struck him: should he rob the rich to help the poor?

After all, being broke was a serious problem. Running around for money every day really was a little...

"Thank you-for the meal."

Hinata spoke in a soft, gentle voice.

"Mm, you're welcome. You don't look full. Next time, I'll treat you to something delicious and make sure you get enough to eat."

Luo Mang had already decided to find an opportunity to rob the rich and help the poor. He was not about to raid a bandit stronghold, though. Enough people could overwhelm him.

To be cautious, he would use the Transformation Technique to disguise himself as one of the local bandits and rob a wealthy traveler.

Even if he failed, he could escape into the pocket world, right?

"No need. Sorry for the trouble."

She was still as shy as ever. The moment he saw through her, her little face turned scarlet.

It even made Luo Mang want to pinch her cheeks.

"Hehe, let's get to the point. Hinata, was there something you wanted to see me about today?"

With a chuckle, he restrained that impulse and asked why she had come.

"I-I came to invite you to a meal."

Indeed, Hinata Hyuga's plan was to treat him to another meal and bring them closer together. She had already given him her heart, and she needed to take another step forward. Shyness was no reason to retreat.

Hinata Hyuga was also forcing herself to change. Otherwise, another woman would steal Luo Mang away. Her first change, for instance, was growing out her hair.

Her father, Hyuga Hiashi, had actually suggested her short haircut. Long hair could obstruct her vision in a fight, while short hair was more convenient.

So this could also be considered Hinata's first act of defiance against her father.

Since it was nothing serious, letting his daughter defy him and change her personality was a good thing. Hyuga Hiashi therefore said nothing.

"Well..."

Luo Mang fell silent. Letting her treat him once was one thing, but what would it look like if she kept paying for him?

He might want to live off a woman, but he could not actually do it!

They looked at each other for another while. When Hinata said nothing more, Luo Mang gathered the bowls and chopsticks to wash them. But Hinata stood up on her own.

"Let me."

Her voice was quiet this time, but she neither stammered nor drew out her words.

"All right."

Luo Mang had been about to refuse, but when she raised her eyes to look at him, he could not bring himself to do it. She had come to his home to invite him out for a meal, only to be treated instead. She probably felt something was not quite right and had decided to ease that feeling by washing the dishes.

"All right."

He took off his sleeve protectors and put them on Hinata to keep her clothes clean, then fetched a small stool for her to stand on. She began washing the dishes.

Sitting on a stool beside the dining table with his chin propped on his hand, he listened to the splashing water and watched Hinata's hesitant movements, feeling amused.

It seemed this was her first time washing dishes.

That made sense. As the eldest daughter of a clan, why would she ever have to do something like this?

"Hinata, when you talk to me, make sure you lift your head and look me in the eyes. Your eyes are lovely, very beautiful. Don't be afraid."

Even now, Luo Mang could not understand it. She was the eldest daughter of a clan.

Under normal circumstances, even if she were hideously ugly, she should never have been bullied. Yet this absurd situation had happened in the Shinobi World, and more than once or twice. The guards assigned to her seemed to have some kind of dispersal talisman stuck to them, vanishing whenever it mattered.

The bullies were even more absurd. If they had belonged to the Uchiha Clan or the two great clans, Sarutobi and Shimura, that would have been understandable. Their status spoke for itself.

But the bullies were just nobodies.

That left only one explanation: either this Shinobi World was sick, or someone had deliberately arranged it. The Hyuga Clan itself had staged these incidents, using such situations to pressure Hinata into changing her timid personality.

Clang~

At those words, the bowl in Hinata's hands slipped straight into the sink.

"R-really?"

When he had said it last time, Hinata had thought he was merely comforting her, so she had remained a little timid. Hearing it again, she felt no shyness, only excitement.

"That's right. Your eyes are what make you most special. I think they're the most beautiful thing about you, followed by your little face."

Luo Mang stood nearby, answering her with praise.

Clang.

Under that praise, the bowl and chopsticks she had just picked up fell again.

Hearing the sound, Luo Mang pressed a hand to his forehead. Maybe you should stop washing for now. Don't break my bowls.

"If you become more confident, people won't pick on your eyes. Look at the other members of your clan. Nobody ever calls their eyes ugly, because those eyes are a symbol of their strength."

It was harsh motivational advice, but not entirely, since it was all true. What mattered was that it could give Hinata confidence. That made it good, right?