"Oh."
Qingxue Uchiha parted her lips but did not argue.
She knew that being an obedient girl was the best way to win his affection.
"Yemu, I'll head back, then."
"Okay."
After Yemu Hyuga said that,
he formed hand seals and summoned a Shadow Clone to wash the dishes.
He himself followed Qingxue Uchiha.
Previously, Yemu Hyuga had paid little attention to her because he had no interest in her.
But after spending this past month together,
his impression of Qingxue had changed somewhat.
At least, from Yemu Hyuga's perspective, Qingxue Uchiha was a rare and valuable friend.
After all, Qingxue Uchiha might have been the only person in this world who shared a connection with his previous life.
Moreover, Qingxue Uchiha had shown no impulsive behavior that crossed the line during this past month, making Yemu Hyuga feel that she might have changed somewhat from her previous life.
A person's personality could change depending on their circumstances, after all.
"Let's see what position you hold in the Uchiha Clan."
Yemu Hyuga followed Qingxue Uchiha.
If Qingxue Uchiha was the child of an elder or someone similar, the Konoha High Command would certainly be keeping a close eye on her.
According to Yemu Hyuga's estimates,
the Uchiha Clan's extermination at the hands of that ever-so-filial son, Uchiha Itachi, should happen during his second year at the Ninja Academy.
Since Konoha had recently experienced the Nine-Tails' Rampage,
the Konoha High Command believed the Uchiha Clan was involved and began targeting them.
As a result, the Uchiha Clan's compound had already been moved away from the central district.
However,
to Yemu Hyuga's surprise,
Qingxue Uchiha did not return to the Uchiha Clan's compound. Instead, she walked into a Konoha Restaurant.
"Oh?"
"Good afternoon, little Qingxue. Here to work again today? You're working far too hard." The female manager's eyes held a hint of sympathy.
Qingxue Uchiha entered the restaurant and shook her head. "It's no trouble. Thank you for giving me this opportunity, ma'am."
As she spoke, Qingxue Uchiha made her way into the kitchen with practiced ease.
After changing into her waitress uniform,
she got to work.
Qingxue's duties were fairly simple: carrying dishes, washing plates, and the like.
However, as the daughter of a crime boss in her previous life, she had naturally never done anything like this.
So she had run into a few problems at first.
Fortunately, after a month of practice, she had gotten the hang of it.
But what Yemu Hyuga saw from outside the restaurant, using his Byakugan to observe from a distance, left him with mixed feelings.
Wasn't she a member of the Uchiha Clan?
Why did she need a part-time job?
Wasn't the Uchiha Clan a major clan?
Well, with Konoha targeting them now, their situation might indeed be pretty bad.
But surely it wasn't so bad that she had to work through lunch.
Soon,
about two hours later,
Yemu Hyuga spotted Qingxue Uchiha sitting in a corner of the restaurant, holding two steamed buns and nibbling away like a little hamster.
Strangely, though,
even though she looked a little tired, she still wore a faint smile, as if her life was full of hope.
"Little Qingxue, you cut ties with your parents and still haven't gone back. Are you sure that's all right?"
After finishing her work, the female manager came over to Qingxue Uchiha. It was apparent that she was probably a member of the Uchiha Clan as well.
"It's fine. They don't care about me anyway."
Qingxue Uchiha shook her head.
She had been born into an ordinary family in the Uchiha Clan.
She had an older brother.
Compared with the ability her brother had shown, however, she seemed rather mediocre.
In fact, because she had slacked off and refused to train, she could be called a bottom-ranker.
Because of the matter involving Yemu Hyuga,
Qingxue Uchiha had argued with her parents, and things had ended very badly. She had practically severed all ties with them.
Now, she lived alone.
"Ah, I can't interfere in your family affairs, either. Here's the braised pork I prepared today."
The Uchiha manager sighed.
That was indeed the case. A whole month had passed, yet her family had still made no move. Clearly, her parents thought little of her.
But faced with a fellow clan member, the female manager could not bear to turn a blind eye.
"Have some meat. I made enough for two. Don't just eat steamed buns."
Looking at Qingxue Uchiha, who had visibly lost some weight, the female manager patted her head and could not help urging her.
"Okay, I'll eat it when I get home tonight. Thank you for looking out for me."
After quickly finishing her two steamed buns, Qingxue Uchiha took the lunch box, said goodbye to the manager, and left the restaurant.
As for why she did not stay with the manager for a while, Qingxue Uchiha had her own pride. She could not casually impose on someone else's hospitality.
Yet she felt a little happy inside.
Tomorrow, she could eat braised pork with Yemu.
At that thought, Qingxue Uchiha could not help swallowing.
"So this is how you've been getting the food you've cooked for the past month?"
As she passed a breakfast stall,
Qingxue Uchiha heard a familiar voice.
She turned in a panic and saw Yemu Hyuga sitting on a wooden chair, then hid the braised pork behind her back.
"Yemu, what are you doing here? Weren't you washing the dishes?"
Qingxue Uchiha's eyes filled with confusion.
"Tell me. What happened with your family?"
Yemu Hyuga walked up to Qingxue Uchiha and took her hand, pulling her over to the breakfast stall.
Feeling the warmth of Yemu Hyuga's palm,
Qingxue Uchiha's long hair swayed, and a ripple of emotion stirred in her dark eyes.
"My family? Nothing happened with my family," Qingxue Uchiha said, not quite understanding.
"Nothing happened? If nothing happened, why would someone from a major clan need to work a part-time job?" Yemu Hyuga's expression was serious.
Though he had always hoped a rich woman would support him,
this was absolutely not the kind of arrangement he had wanted.
Yemu Hyuga had always assumed that Qingxue Uchiha came from a fairly wealthy family.
After all, she prepared a different lunch every day.
In this war-torn world, that was unthinkable unless her family was well-off.
But now, Yemu Hyuga discovered that every lunch he had eaten over the past month had been paid for with someone else's hard-earned wages.
And she had even washed the dishes every time.
No matter how thick-skinned Yemu Hyuga was, he could not help feeling a little embarrassed.
Qingxue Uchiha pressed her pink lips together.
In the end, she told Yemu the whole story.
"You cut ties with your family?"
"Yes." Qingxue Uchiha nodded, her delicate face looking calm, as though she felt little emotional turmoil.
"Then where are you living?"
Yemu Hyuga raised an eyebrow.
He had inherited his parents' assets.
So he still had a house.
As for Qingxue Uchiha,
Yemu Hyuga hardly dared imagine it. After all, the Uchiha Clan was different from the Hyuga Clan. The Hyuga Clan was more diplomatic and naturally thrived in Konoha.
The Uchiha Clan, on the other hand, was cold and aloof, leaving the village with a poor impression of them.
The police force's work involved punishing others, which had even made many villagers resent the Uchiha Clan.
Soon,
Yemu Hyuga arrived at the house where Qingxue Uchiha lived.
It could not even be called a house.
It was merely a shelter built from a few cardboard boxes.
Even Bear Grylls probably hadn't stayed anywhere this crude on Man vs. Wild.
"This... you can get used to this?"
Yemu Hyuga's gaze trembled.
Qingxue Uchiha had been a pampered young lady in her previous life, yet now she slept somewhere like this, with nothing more than a quilt to make do with.
Could she really adapt to this?
"Hmph, you're seriously underestimating me. During a vacation in my previous life, I specifically went to a tropical rainforest and survived there for a month."
Qingxue Uchiha planted her hands on her hips and lifted her little head. Rather than looking embarrassed, she seemed rather proud.
Qingxue Uchiha
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