Chapter 34
"Kushina-san, hello!"
Mikoto turned around and greeted Kushina with a gentle smile.
Having already learned about Kushina's past from Ling Yu, Mikoto immediately approached her after class, hoping to become friends.
For some reason, Kushina found that smile irritating. She turned her head away, refusing to look.
"I'm Uchiha Mikoto. Nice to meet you!"
Mikoto persisted, continuing to speak.
So annoying. Why won't she leave? If she doesn't go, I'll just scare her off.
Kushina thought to herself. She turned back, ready to say something harsh—but when she saw Mikoto still smiling warmly at her, the words caught in her throat.
"What's wrong, Kushina-san? Were you about to say something?"
"Can I call you Kushina? You can call me Mikoto too!"
"If you don't answer, I'll take that as a yes."
"What's your favorite color, Kushina? What do you like to do?"
At first, Mikoto felt a little disappointed when Kushina ignored her. But when Kushina finally looked at her, she thought she'd succeeded and became even more excited, talking nonstop.
"You're so annoying!"
After listening to Mikoto's endless chatter for a while, Kushina finally snapped, shouting in frustration.
"Huh? Kushina, you're finally talking to me!"
Though startled, Mikoto was mostly overjoyed. To her, Kushina finally responding meant they were one step closer to becoming friends.
"I said—what do you even want after talking so much?"
Kushina asked impatiently.
"I want to be friends with you!"
Mikoto, as if channeling Ling Yu's sincerity, looked at her with complete honesty.
"I don't need friends."
Kushina rejected her loudly, stood up, and ran out of the classroom.
Ling Yu could no longer pretend to sleep. He slowly lifted his head from the desk.
"Ling Yu… was I too pushy?"
Mikoto watched Kushina's retreating figure, her face full of self-blame.
"It's not your fault. Kushina just went through something terrible and hasn't let her guard down around people yet. She's probably not used to someone approaching her so warmly."
Ling Yu took her small hand and comforted her.
"Here's what we'll do—I'll go talk to her now. When I come back, Kushina will definitely agree to be friends with you."
Seeing Mikoto still looking guilty, Ling Yu couldn't bear it. After reassuring her, he hurried in the direction Kushina had gone.
Meanwhile…
Clang!
Kushina kicked a discarded can lying annoyingly in her path as she wandered aimlessly down the street.
After running out of the classroom, she'd left the school entirely, ignoring the rest of the morning classes.
She'd picked a random direction and kept walking. Only after a while did she realize—she was lost.
She had only been in Konoha for a little over half a month and had spent most of that time inside the Senju compound. Now on the big streets, she had no idea how to get back.
With no other choice, she started walking toward the iconic Hokage Rock—hoping the high vantage point would let her spot the school.
"Hmph. That stupid Ling Yu—sleeping the second class ends. If I'd known, I never would've agreed to be friends with him."
"And now I'm lost and he still hasn't come to find me. Completely useless."
After walking for a long time without reaching the rock, Kushina finally sat down on a bench to rest—grumbling complaints about Ling Yu under her breath.
Completely unaware, after just a few words from him, she had already started seeing Ling Yu as someone she could rely on. Now, facing trouble, the first person she thought of was him.
"Oh my~ Lady Kushina, why aren't you in class? Sitting here all alone doing what?"
Just as Kushina was stewing in frustration, Ling Yu's voice suddenly came from behind her.
He had just arrived. Long ago, he'd left a space marker on Kushina, allowing him to teleport straight to her side.
"Ling Yu?"
Kushina quickly turned around. Seeing it really was him, joy flashed across her face—but the expression only lasted a moment before she put on her usual proud demeanor.
"Hmph. Why are you following me?"
Arms crossed, Kushina huffed and turned her back to him. But in the direction Ling Yu couldn't see, her eyes sparkled with happiness.
"Of course I'm worried my friend got lost. I came specially to pick you up and take you back."
Ling Yu didn't call out her act. He flipped the bench and sat beside her.
"I'm not lost. I just don't want to go back."
Kushina whipped her head around and fiercely denied it, cheeks puffed out in her usual tsundere way.
"Alright, my mistake then."
Ling Yu shrugged helplessly and fell silent.
Kushina waited a long time without hearing him speak again. Curious, she sneaked a glance at him.
"Kushina, do you dislike Mikoto?"
Out of nowhere, as she looked at him, Ling Yu asked the question.
"Mikoto? The girl sitting in front of me? I don't dislike her. She's pretty, and she smiles gently."
Kushina propped her chin on her hand, thought for a moment, and honestly shared her impression.
"Then why didn't you respond to her? She really wants to be friends with you. You don't know—you left, and she ended up crying at her desk."
Ling Yu spoke with a hint of reproach. While Mikoto hadn't actually cried, she genuinely wanted to befriend Kushina—that part was true.
"Huh? I… I… I didn't know how to respond to her."
Kushina froze, lowered her head, and stayed quiet. After a moment, she finally spoke in a small voice.
"Do you know about Mikoto's past?"
Ling Yu added dramatic flair as he recounted Mikoto's backstory—painting her as a girl who lost her parents young, was unwelcome in her clan, yet still lived strongly and bravely.
He shamelessly used the fact that shared pain between girls creates the strongest empathy, hoping to dissolve Kushina's wariness toward Mikoto.
"I'm… I'm sorry. I'll apologize to Mikoto properly."
After hearing Ling Yu's embellished version of Mikoto's life, Kushina's guilt deepened. She silently resolved to apologize when she got back.
"Then… Kushina, are you willing to be friends with Mikoto?"
Seeing the opening, Ling Yu quickly asked.
"Hmph. Don't underestimate me. As long as Mikoto wants to, of course I'll agree."
Kushina had already mentally categorized Mikoto as someone who'd suffered like her. Because of that, her trust in Mikoto was extremely high—even higher than her trust in Ling Yu.
"Then let's go. Mikoto's still waiting for us in the classroom."
"Oh, and—don't tell her about this. She's very sensitive about her past."
With that, Ling Yu led Kushina back toward the school, reminding her not to mention today's events.
He thought the return trip would be smooth—but on the way, Ling Yu ran into a very troublesome person.
'''REMINDER'''
Chapter 33 is currently unavailable / missing due to a file issue.Please continue reading from Chapter 34, as the story flows directly without any missing plot.
Thank you for your understanding and support
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