"What... what happened to me?"
"Where am I?"
Hinata Hyuga slowly opened her eyes and immediately saw a face that was almost too handsome.
"Future-sama?"
Her thoughts gradually became clear.
Just moments ago, she had been speaking with Future-sama when her stomach chose the worst possible time to growl loudly.
And it had been so loud!
So embarrassing!
Just thinking about it made Hinata blush all over again.
Worried she might faint, Mirai Uchiha quickly reassured her, "Hinata, it's nothing serious. Don't worry about it."
With that, he handed her the Three Colored Pills he had bought. "Eat something first."
Hinata felt a little embarrassed.
Seeing this, Mirai Uchiha insisted firmly, "That's an order."
Only then did Hinata accept the Three Colored Pills and eat them in just a few bites.
Mirai Uchiha asked curiously, "Hinata, you're still hungry, aren't you?"
Hinata shyly stuck out her tongue slightly and blushed as she spoke, "Future-sama, actually I snuck out today."
"So I haven't eaten anything since this morning."
Looking at the sun nearing the horizon, Mirai Uchiha softly said to Hinata, "Come on, let me treat you to dinner."
Hinata felt flattered by his offer.
She quickly shook her hands. "Future-sama, how could I possibly let you treat me?"
"I-I'm not really that hungry."
Seeing her reaction, Mirai Uchiha smiled. "Don't be polite. Back when we overthrew Hiruzen Sarutobi's rule, your father helped a lot."
Without waiting for a reply, he turned around and started leading the way.
Hinata could only quicken her pace to follow closely behind.
Under Mirai Uchiha's lead, the two arrived at Ichiraku Ramen.
The restaurant was lavishly decorated.
Even though Konoha had long undergone dramatic changes, offering countless delicacies, Ichiraku Ramen still remained one of the most popular restaurants in the village.
However, since it wasn't mealtime yet, there were only a few customers inside.
As soon as Mirai Uchiha entered, a girl wearing a white headscarf and looking full of energy immediately ran over. "Future-sama, we have a private room prepared. Please follow me."
Mirai Uchiha nodded and led Hinata Hyuga behind.
Stepping into the private room, the girl immediately introduced herself: "Mirai Uchiha, my name is Ayame. I wonder if you still remember me..."
"When I was a child, Might Duy treated you to a meal here. I was the one who brought you the ramen, and you even ran your hand through my hair..."
Looking at the lively Ayame, Mirai Uchiha smiled lightly. "Of course I remember. I never would've imagined that the little girl from back then would grow up to be this beautiful."
Ayame's face turned slightly red, and she shyly said, "Mirai Uchiha, feel free to order whatever you'd like. This meal is on me."
"Oh?" Mirai Uchiha raised an eyebrow. "That's unnecessary, isn't it? Paying for your meal is only natural. How could I let you treat me?"
Ayame quickly explained, "It's not like that. Your mere presence here at Ichiraku Ramen already brings us tremendous foot traffic."
"Ichiraku Ramen will be proud to be known as 'the ramen shop that once hosted Emperor Mirai,' talked about with great interest by people from the village and even across the ninja world."
"Serving you a single bowl of ramen is just a small gesture of our gratitude."
Mirai tried to object, "But I'm not alone. There's also a young girl with me..."
Ayame smiled, "I'll treat this little girl too. I can definitely afford a meal for one small child."
With that, Ayame didn't give Mirai a chance to say anything else and left the room directly.
———
The kitchen.
Teuchi picked up a towel and wiped the sweat from his forehead, chuckling, "Ayame, today must have brought in a lot of customers. It's not even mealtime yet, and I've already been overwhelmed with work."
"I'm exhausted already."
"But being tired means we'll earn more money. It's worth it."
Hearing this, Ayame twitched her lips and whispered, "Hehehe... Actually, there aren't that many people in the shop right now."
Teuchi looked puzzled, "Not that many people? What do you mean?"
He hadn't stopped working for a moment, and he'd already prepared fifty large portions of ramen!
With business this busy, how could there not be many customers?
Seeing her father's confused gaze, Ayame could only explain, "Actually, all those bowls of ramen were ordered by just two people."
"They've each already eaten over twenty servings..."
"What?!" Teuchi exclaimed with wide eyes, "Twenty servings of large portion ramen per person?!"
"These must be two big eaters together!"
Ayame nodded, "Exactly, Father. You've worked hard."
Waving his hand, Teuchi laughed, "Not hard at all. Whether it's many people or few, we still get paid the same."
Hearing this, Ayame hesitated, "Well... Well..."
Seeing Ayame's expression, Teuchi's heart dropped.
Ever since she was little, whenever Ayame had that look, trouble was sure to follow.
"What are you trying to say?"
"Actually, before they started eating, I went ahead and waived the bill for those two bottomless pits..."
"What?!" Teuchi gasped, feeling like his heart had stopped.
So all his hard work this whole time didn't earn him a dime and even wasted so many assets?!"
Seeing Teuchi about to fly into a rage, Ayame quickly ran outside.
She hadn't expected it either!
How could such an innocent little girl wolf down so much ramen?!?
---
Walking along the streets of Konoha, Hinata gently patted her full belly and secretly let out a small burp.
She looked up at Mirai Uchiha walking ahead with deep gratitude in her eyes.
Back at Ichiraku Ramen, she had stopped after just two bowls, feeling too shy to continue eating.
As the heir of the Hyūga clan, she always had to uphold her etiquette, even at home.
Even more so when she was out in public.
That's why during meals outside, Hinata would always merely taste the food and stop.
But this time, Mirai Uchiha seemed to realize she wasn't full yet. Just to allow her to eat freely, he actually chose to accompany her.
Whatever amount she ate, Mirai ate the same.
Hinata had never felt anything like this before.
It was also the first time in her memory that she felt so completely satisfied after a meal.
Feeling Hinata's gaze, Mirai Uchiha looked down and asked, "What's wrong?"
Hinata smiled and shook her head. "Nothing."
Mirai truly was such a kind person, completely different from what Father had described.
If only Mirai could always be her dining partner...
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