Entanglement

Kohaku stood quietly in place, yet a hint of resentment flickered in her eyes.

"In that case, I will leave immediately, but before that, I wonder if I could..."

As he finished speaking, he slowly moved toward Koki's bed, his tone becoming hesitant.

"What is it?" Upon seeing this, Koki suddenly sat up in bed, her eyes flashing with vigilance.

At this moment, he had no idea what this person was trying to do, but a strong intuition deep down told him that this matter was definitely not that simple.

Kohaku's eyes seemed to be struggling with something. He mustered all his courage and said in a slightly trembling voice, "Could I... hug you?"

When he uttered those words, he felt as if he had used up all the strength he had in his life, and at the same time, his eyes, which had been dull and lifeless, shone with a new, fiery light.

A hug? Koki's eyes widened, a sense of rejection rising within her. This person was really going too far.

"No way!" Koki resolutely rejected Kohaku's request; he wouldn't let Kohaku succeed.

Faced with Koki's merciless rejection, Kohaku's face turned even paler. Suddenly, like a maddened beast, he pounced on Koki with such speed that no one could react in time.

However, how could he compare to Koki's speed? As a ninja, Koki was naturally agile, and he had also learned the Body Flicker Technique from Minato a few days ago.

Koki easily dodged his "sudden attack," his body flashing like lightning to the other side of the bed, while Kohaku ended up sprawled on the floor, looking quite comical.

Whew, that scared me to death! Koki is now incredibly grateful that he chose to become a ninja, otherwise his 'innocence' would be in jeopardy.

Kohaku didn't give up; he still wanted to crawl towards Koki, determined not to stop until he succeeded. This action startled Koki, who immediately dodged to the door. His heart was pounding; he hadn't expected Kohaku to be so crazy.

The scene was truly hilarious: Koki was hiding behind the door, vigilantly watching Kohaku, while Kohaku lay on the ground, looking utterly embarrassed.

"Don't come any closer!" Koki's voice was full of warning. He didn't want to get entangled with Kohaku anymore; the daimyo's son's behavior had already annoyed him greatly.

"Koki, are you alright?"

Koki stood in the room, a familiar voice suddenly reached his ears, stirring a slight ripple in his heart. He slowly turned his neck, his gaze passing through the shadows at the doorway, and saw a figure already standing quietly.

Shisui stood outside the threshold, his figure as upright as a pine tree, maintaining a proper distance, without stepping into the house. The night was deep, the corridor was unlit, and darkness dominated the scene, obscuring his expression.

However, those dark eyes still stood out in the darkness, like a deep sea under stormy clouds, so deep that the bottom could not be seen.

Koki was taken aback. He subconsciously wanted to explain the situation to Shisui, but when the words reached his lips, he didn't know how to start. His eyes were somewhat flustered, shifting between Shisui and the scene in the room.

He didn't know where to begin, nor how to explain the appearance of the Kohaku, or everything that had just happened.

Kohaku, still sitting on the ground, had a furrowed brow and a face full of displeasure. Her gaze was fixed on Shisui at the door, her eyes filled with hostility and provocation.

He doesn't have such a good temper with anyone other than Koki.

In his heart, Koki belonged to him and no one else was allowed to touch her. He slowly stood up from the ground, brushed off non-existent dust, and locked his fierce gaze onto Shisui.

"Who are you?" Kohaku's voice was full of hostility, his tone carrying an air of superiority, as if asserting his dominance.

... Koki was speechless. She'd been protecting him for a week, and he still didn't know Shisui's name? Was he doing it on purpose?

Shisui ignored Kohaku's question; his eyes were fixed on Koki, as if everything around him didn't exist. "Are you alright?"

Koki sensed Shisui's concern. "I'm fine," he finally managed to squeeze out, his voice slightly hoarse and revealing a hint of exhaustion.

Normally, he would be sound asleep in his warm bed right now, not facing this 'madman' here.

Seeing Shisui's dismissive attitude, Kohaku felt even more annoyed. He walked up to Koki, deliberately getting close to him, and looked at Shisui provocatively.

"Koki is mine, you can't take him away from me."

Koki was a little embarrassed by Kohaku's words. He quickly pushed Kohaku away and said, "Are you crazy? Don't talk nonsense. I have nothing to do with you."

"Yours?" Shisui scoffed lightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Oh, it's so lively here?" Minato, who had been standing at the Minato for who knows how long, finally spoke up, breaking the tense atmosphere.

Minato's face remained expressionless. He merely glanced at Kohaku with a gaze as sharp as a knife in winter, causing Kohaku to involuntarily shiver.

Then, Minato slowly looked at Koki. For some reason, Koki felt a little guilty under his gaze, and instinctively coughed twice, silently thinking: I didn't do anything!

"As expected..." Minato slowly walked into the room.

The light shone on his face, and his usually gentle blue eyes now radiated a sharp edge, a sharpness that spread from the depths of his eyes like a storm about to erupt.

His voice was extremely soft, devoid of any emotion, "I shouldn't have been so polite to you!"

Upon hearing this, Kohaku snorted coldly, his face full of resentment. He puffed out his chest, attempting to confront Minato.

"What makes you say that? I didn't do anything wrong!"

Minato's gaze was icy, his hostility even more intense. "Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? Even if you're the son of a daimyo, what's so special about you?"

Kohaku was enraged by Minato's words and was about to retort when Koki stopped him. "Kohaku, stop talking!"

He was perhaps consumed by rage and didn't notice the sudden drop in room pressure, but with his ninja-like sensitivity, Koki sensed the tense atmosphere. He secretly glanced at the two men beside him, whose faces were ashen, and couldn't help but feel worried.

Minato-sensei and Shisui were always gentle; at least, Koki had never seen them get angry.

But this calm only made Koki more afraid; if a fight really broke out, it would be difficult to control!

Kohaku looked at Koki, his anger gradually subsiding, and his imposing aura weakened. He said, "I'll do whatever you say."

"Remember, I can let you go this time, but if there's a next time, I won't be so lenient." Minato's voice was still soft, but it was full of warning.

"Say it again?"

"Alright, now get out of here! We need to talk!"

Koki shoved Kohaku out the door and slammed it shut.

Kohaku stared in shock at the closed doorway, his eyes reddening, but he didn't press the matter any further. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he turned and ran back to his room.