The atmosphere was quiet. Kaguya could feel his body pressed against hers, yet he remained silent.
"Is it because of Moryo..." Kaguya whispered softly. After thinking for a while, she decided to find an excuse first.
She didn't have an answer, and didn't want to hurt him either.
"No!" Hiroki's voice carried irritation as he pulled her closer.
They leaned into each other. Kaguya could even clearly feel the most supple parts of her body being compressed.
A strange feeling stirred within her, and suddenly her strength seemed to drain slightly. She turned her head slightly sideways, taking a deep breath to steady her breathing.
"Tsk..." A mocking male voice filled with disdain reached their ears.
It was Hidan, who had been dodging Might Guy all over the place. He'd stopped now, standing on a rooftop watching the scene unfold.
His expression showed mild contempt as he looked at the embracing pair and said, "Turns out even the strongest woman still needs a man, huh? How cliché!"
Kaguya and Hiroki turned their gazes toward him simultaneously, eyes cold.
Hiroki silently cursed in his mind: Damn it, Hidan, ruining my moment!
Under their stares, Hidan—who knew his power wasn't enough—felt somewhat flustered but deliberately raised his chin arrogantly, intentionally snorting through his nose before vanishing from sight and escaping their view.
The green-clad figure quickly followed after him.
After withdrawing her gaze, Kaguya instantly became much calmer, actually taking Hidan's words to heart.
He was right. Now wasn't the time to get caught up in these matters...
Her hand pushed against his chest, trying to pull herself free. Sensing this, Hiroki felt disappointed but refused to cooperate.
"Let me go already," Kaguya sighed in his ear.
"..."
"I won't consider anything like this."
"Hikaru, you could pretend to be gentle toward Izumi Uchiha. Why not just play along with me?"
"Because you'd take it seriously, wouldn't you?"
Hiroki didn't quite understand her logic.
Izumi Uchiha had taken it seriously too, which was why she listened to Kaguya. So why could others act seriously, yet he couldn't?
He was really hurt inside, "Is it because the seal can't hold you anymore? Do I not matter as much now?"
Finally, he loosened his hands, letting her go. He stepped back a few paces, still keeping his eyes fixed on her.
"No," Kaguya immediately denied that question. Thinking carefully for a long time, seeing his dejected expression, she slowly replied, "Human lives are fleeting, so they rush into everything. That's why there's selfishness, greed..."
As he listened to her words, Hiroki frowned, instantly feeling gloomy. Was Kaguya trying to deny his feelings for her?
Yet she continued, "...and also moments of brief but intense passion, like yours..."
While saying this, Kaguya wore a faint smile across her face.
"It's not a passing phase, nor just a moment of desire," Hiroki couldn't help but interrupt.
Her tone remained calm.
"Following me means living a life like this—a peaceful one—but it's only a temporary moment. Danger will always be something you can't escape from, like a shadow that clings to you no matter how hard you try to shake it off."
"Would you... feel the same way?"
"I..."
Before he could finish speaking, Kaguya had already placed a finger against his lips, emphasizing firmly, "Not just words."
"I can help you." Hiroki glanced at her finger, resisting the sudden urge to kiss it, then gently pushed her hand away.
"Hmm." Kaguya nodded indifferently and dropped the topic.
The two fell silent again.
Hiroki felt complicated, lost in random thoughts.
Does this count as a rejected confession? Would it affect our future interactions...
"Hiroki, hold me again, like earlier. Hold me tighter."
Suddenly Kaguya spoke. Although still with a commanding tone, for some unknown reason, he sensed hesitation in her voice.
Looking closely, he noticed her eyes were evasive.
Without thinking much, he embraced her.
Tightly wrapped together, their intimate contact felt like trying to merge her into his body.
Thump... Thump... Thump...
Besides his own heartbeat, Hiroki could hear another heartbeat.
Even in this moment, I still have the mind to think about these things—he couldn't help but reflect inwardly.
As time passed, Kaguya's heartbeat gradually shifted from steady to increasingly rapid, instantly freezing Hiroki.
Meanwhile, Kaguya, in his arms, felt a mix of nervousness and self-reproach.
No, I mustn't get addicted...
Though thinking this, Kaguya didn't pull away first.
Physical closeness felt too good, especially since he wasn't someone she disliked or resisted.
So wonderful, truly amazing!
She buried her head, cherishing this fleeting warmth.
At this moment, Hiroki suddenly understood many things.
What she said before about Shion—actually, she was speaking through Shion about her own feelings.
Even if she didn't fully understand what liking or loving meant, at least she held special feelings toward him.
His hand unconsciously clenched around Kaguya's robe as he whispered firmly by her ear, "Kaguya, don't do this with others. Don't let anyone else hold you like this."
"...Do you think I'm that kind of person?" Leaning against him, Kaguya's voice had become softer.
[Seriously, lately I've been using the Huanyuan App to read and follow updates. It supports multiple sources and offers various reading voices, compatible with both Android and iOS.]
"In any case, only I am allowed! Only me."
"Okay." Kaguya murmured softly, her voice laced with lazy sensuality that made one lose oneself in it. "Hiroki, stop pulling my clothes."
It turned out he had unconsciously pulled too hard—her originally loose robe now clung tightly to Kaguya's body.
Hiroki immediately let go of her clothes—and then gently released her.
For that brief moment, the white robe clung tightly to Kaguya's body, revealing her perfect curves.
But that was literally just an instant.
When Hiroki blinked again, air rushed into her clothing, sleeves swayed—the gorgeous figure disappeared once more beneath the oversized white robe.
Damn it, he hadn't even gotten a good look. Blinking rapidly, Hiroki cursed under his breath for not having Sharingan eyes.
He couldn't help but speak up, "Kaguya, you could wear something a bit tighter. It would be much more comfortable."
Kaguya smirked slightly, seeing right through his ploy, but said nothing. She simply lifted one finger and jabbed him hard on the forehead.
On the way back, Hiroki broke the awkward silence by asking how they should deal with Moryo.
After thinking it over, Kaguya replied, "Have you forgotten that you possess Yin-Yang Release jutsu? You can create a container to lock it inside, then slowly devour it. If anything goes wrong, just find that miko again."
Moryo caught every word they said and, unable to hold back its fury, began cursing furiously, "You damn lovebirds, can't you give me even a sliver of a chance to live?"
Damn lovebirds?
Kaguya and Hiroki both turned cold at the same time.
Great. You're dead.
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