Chapter 126: Sticky Situation
Yoya nervously clutched Kaguya's sleeve. "What happened? Were you hurt, Mother?"
Kaguya shook her head gently, her gaze following where Yu had disappeared. "I lost. He wasn't even fighting seriously."
The words came out calm, but they made Yoya's breath catch in her throat.
"How is that possible..." she murmured. "Even you, Mother..."
"He was merely assessing my capabilities." Kaguya's tone remained neutral. "Like someone weighing the value of a tool."
Yoya's heart sank. She remembered witnessing that light cleaving the sky and earth in the desert, that figure standing above all living things.
"What should we do?" Unease crept into Yoya's voice. "It seems like he can find us whenever he wants..."
Kaguya looked down at her daughter's worried face, gently stroking her silver hair. "He left a mark on me—he can track my movements. However... he seems different from other humans."
Yoya puffed out her cheeks. "Don't let his appearance fool you, Mother. Sometimes I wonder if that guy is even human at all."
She launched into a rambling account of her observations of Yu over the years.
Kaguya listened quietly, gradually noticing something peculiar. Despite possessing the power to control everything, he willingly lived among mortals and followed their mundane rules. This didn't align with her understanding of human nature.
When Yoya mentioned attempting to secretly attack Uchiha Yu in the past, alarm shot through Kaguya. Even she had been defeated by him, yet this child had dared to provoke such an existence.
Fortunately, Yoya had ultimately reconsidered due to his overwhelming strength and never actually followed through.
Kaguya exhaled in relief and gave a solemn warning. "Stay far away from that human from now on. Don't approach him or anything related to him."
Yoya heard the wariness in her mother's tone and nodded obediently.
For her, the entire purpose of her existence had been to secure Mother's freedom. Now, learning that despite escaping confinement, Kaguya remained under someone's control, a pang of sorrow welled up inside her.
Yoya quietly nestled beside Kaguya's knee, appearing docile and well-behaved, yet her mind was already scheming.
How could she free Mother from that monster's grasp?
Kaguya watched her daughter's silent contemplation and couldn't help reminding her. "Shouldn't you change your clothes?"
"Ah?"
Yoya's face turned completely red. She'd been planning to pretend the earlier incident never happened and sweep it under the rug, but Mother had brought it up directly...
---
By the time Yu finished tea with Shisui and made another visit to Kaguya's residence, night had deepened when he returned home.
Silence surrounded him. Sasuko had probably already gone to bed.
He walked to his bedroom door and sensed someone inside. "Sasuko?" he called softly.
The person inside seemed startled. "Yu?!"
"Don't come in!" Her voice carried obvious panic.
Yu couldn't help feeling curious.
He wondered what Sasuko had been doing in his room while he was away. It was so late, yet she still wasn't asleep, and her voice sounded so tense.
Inside the room, Sasuko frantically straightened her clothing, her fingertips trembling slightly. A faint, sweet fragrance still lingered in the air.
Though Yu outside the door sensed something unusual, he still respected her privacy and didn't forcefully investigate.
He asked with concern through the door. "Sasuko, are you alright? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
He keenly noticed that Sasuko's voice today was particularly soft, carrying an unusual tremor.
Inside the room, Sasuko buried her flushed face in Yu's pillow, the fabric still retaining his crisp scent.
She bit her lower lip, her voice barely a whisper. "No... nothing's wrong. I'm fine."
"Yu... sleep in my room tonight."
"I... I don't want to move."
Even she found this excuse clumsy, but her chaotic heartbeat prevented any rational thinking.
The heated waves still coursing through her body hadn't subsided. If she opened the door now, she didn't know how she could face those eyes that always saw through everything.
Sasuko buried her face deeper into the pillow, the familiar scent woven into the fabric making her heart race even faster.
She'd never imagined she would do something like this—right here in Yu's room, holding his pillow, his image floating through her mind as her body responded involuntarily.
At first, she'd simply been holding his frequently used pillow. The lingering scent on it had made her feel secure.
But gradually, an unfamiliar stirring had spread through her body. By the time she'd become aware of it, her fingertips had already uncontrollably traced across her heated skin, making subtle sounds in the silent room.
Yu outside the door didn't overthink it, simply assuming it might be one of those inconvenient times girls sometimes had.
He gently instructed, "Then rest well," and turned toward the study.
With his current physique, going without sleep for a night or two meant nothing.
As Yu's footsteps faded into the distance, Sasuko's taut nerves finally relaxed slightly.
If Yu had seen her in that state just now...
"Mm..."
Sasuko buried her burning face in the pillow, letting out an adorable whimper.
She sat up, looking at the traces inadvertently left on the sheets, and bit her lower lip in frustration.
She couldn't help pouting.
This was all Yu's fault. If he didn't keep her at arm's length all the time, she wouldn't have...
The most important thing now was making sure he didn't find out.
After collecting herself, she carefully cleaned up the evidence.
Water Style formed a gentle stream that softly washed the sheets, then she carefully controlled her chakra to dry the fabric.
Opening the window, the night breeze drifted in, carrying away the last traces of ambiguous atmosphere from the room.
Once everything was restored to normal, she breathed a sigh of relief and lay back on the bed.
The blush on her cheeks still hadn't faded, her heart a complex mix of emotions—both the anxiety of having done something shameful and an indescribable flutter.
Morning sunlight streamed through the study window, falling across Yu's form.
He set down the scroll in his hands and slowly stretched his somewhat stiff body, joints producing crisp sounds.
After washing up, he tied on an apron and entered the kitchen.
As clean water flowed over his fingertips while rinsing rice, he suddenly recalled Sasuko's unusual behavior last night—that panicked voice, and her insistence that he leave the room. Though he didn't understand the specific reason, he could sense the young woman was experiencing some subtle changes.
After putting the rice in the pot, he leaned against the counter, quietly waiting.
Perhaps he should find an opportunity to talk with Sasuko, but he worried that overly direct concern might make her even more flustered.
The aroma of porridge gradually filled the kitchen.
Just then, he heard soft footsteps in the hallway. Looking up, he saw Sasuko standing in the kitchen doorway.
She'd deliberately changed into a high-collared loungewear outfit today. Her long black hair fell somewhat disheveled over her shoulders, and faint shadows showed beneath her eyes.
"Morning," she greeted softly, her gaze remaining downcast as her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes.
In truth, she hadn't slept well all night, repeatedly replaying what she'd done in Yu's room, both worried he'd notice something abnormal and afraid of leaving a bad impression in his heart.
"Morning." Yu pretended not to notice her tension and turned to ladle out the porridge. "Go sit down. It'll be ready in a moment."
Sasuko nodded and quickly walked toward the dining table.
Watching her slightly hurried retreating figure, Yu stirred the pot thoughtfully, rice grains slowly tumbling in the milky white broth.
He noticed Sasuko was especially quiet today, deliberately avoiding his gaze. This keeping-distance attitude was completely different from the girl who always actively sought to be near him.
"Did you sleep well last night?" He carried the porridge bowl to the table, asking with apparent casualness.
Sasuko's fingers trembled slightly, the tips of her ears taking on a faint pink hue. "I... it was fine..."
This reaction confirmed for Yu that something had definitely happened.
But he simply pushed the porridge bowl gently toward her and said warmly, "Careful, it's hot."
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