A warm sensation washed over her. At such close proximity, all Kaguya could see were Hiroki's eyelashes and his prominent nose. Her entire body stiffened.
The kiss left her mind blank.
By the time she came to her senses, she could clearly hear Hiroki's urgent and heavy breathing in her ears.
Deeply embarrassed and furious, Kaguya shoved him away with all her strength.
Because their lips had been so deeply entangled, she even felt a slight tremble when they parted.
Her lips still moist, Kaguya quickly covered her mouth and nose with her hand, her face turning faintly red.
She was angry—truly angry!
What was this guy thinking? Satisfying his own malice before death?
Such an immoral creep!
Standing before her, Hiroki wiped his lips with his fingers, absorbing the moment.
He silently got rid of any evidence on his lips, and Kaguya no longer blocked half her face.
Furious, she rushed forward, pushing and shoving him, then pinched his neck. "Don't you dare test me! Do you really think I won't kill you?"
The impact seemed to reopen his wounds. Fresh blood once again covered the previously dark, hardened clots. Remaining expressionless, Hiroki raised both hands. "Kill me? Then go ahead."
Kaguya glared at him fiercely, yet beneath it all, her frustration turned inward.
She hated how familiar he felt to her.
This guy was probably some emotional expert who had played with countless women and naturally knew how to exude charm.
Yet she, for some reason, had wavered.
"Why are you still pretending?" she accused.
"Pretending? I wasn't pretending at all."
Inhaling deeply, Kaguya absorbed nearly all the chakra from his body and dragged him toward a certain cave.
Standing alone at the entrance, Kaguya quietly pondered what to do with him next.
Inside the cave, Hiroki sat on the ground, silently tending to his wounds.
He focused chakra on the pressure points around his injuries to stop the bleeding.
Without medical gauze, he could only take off his upper garment and use it to wipe the surrounding bloodstains.
Within moments, the shirt was soaked in blood.
Kaguya cast a calm glance, then quickly looked away.
Next, [Medical Ninjutsu] stimulated cell division around the wound area, accelerating the formation of scabs.
With no needle or thread available to stitch the wound, this was all that could be done.
As his palm covered the injury, Hiroki suddenly realized—he had practically no chakra left. If he forcefully drew upon more chakra now, it would mean draining his very life force.
Trading life for survival—like pulling from one wall to patch another, much like robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Sighing, he walked out from the less than one-meter-high cave entrance, bare-chested, holding his bloodied clothes, hunched over.
"You've already alerted your comrades," Kaguya said coldly from near the cave entrance. "You're just waiting for them to arrive, aren't you?"
Hiroki sighed again. "I'm not a member of the Otsutsuki Clan, but I could become one if you're willing to help me. We might even be able to gain control over some members of the clan…"
Initially, he had considered whether it would be possible to infiltrate an Otsutsuki's spiritual world, seize control of their body and identity, and then infiltrate the Otsutsuki Clan itself.
By the time the Otsutsuki Clan sent people to hunt Kaguya, he could stop them at the source.
Then, he could return to his original timeline to offer assistance.
Moreover, those life sciences technologies of the Otsutsuki Clan—he might also be able to obtain copies of them.
Unfortunately, the scroll containing information about the Otsutsuki personnel was something only Kaguya had seen so far, meaning her cooperation would be required.
Kaguya remained silent, recalling everything he had done in these past few days, unsure of what she should believe.
Hiroki continued walking forward without pause.
"Stop," Kaguya called out. "Where are you going?"
He turned his head slightly and replied blandly, "Have a meal, relieve myself, wash up—were you planning to follow me through all of that?"
Kaguya grew visibly annoyed, pressing her lips together before deciding to maintain a moderate distance behind him.
Arriving at a riverside, Hiroki completely stripped off his clothes, exposing his entire body to the open air.
Due to his remaining wounds, he didn't go into the water, but instead used a piece of clean cloth soaked in water to wipe himself down.
Glancing back, he looked toward where Kaguya stood.
Her gaze stayed fixed on the river surface, though he couldn't tell whether she had been watching him from the corner of her eye.
Noticing his stare, Kaguya blinked quickly and pretended not to notice, staring blankly at the water ahead.
Amused by this, he grabbed a clean piece of cloth and modestly covered himself.
As for the other bloodied garments, he could only toss them into the water and endure the process of cleaning them thoroughly.
Bloodstained water trickled downstream.
Spreading the cleaned clothes across large rocks to dry in the wind, Hiroki closed his eyes and lay down on the grass.
A gentle breeze passed by, carrying the fresh scent of earth.
Hiroki sincerely marveled at the environment here.
This world was brimming with energy, making it extremely suitable for practicing Sage Arts.
Unfortunately, he had previously aimed for immediate results and hadn't asked Kaguya to teach him the training methods for Sage Art.
Nearby, Kaguya slightly furrowed her brow.
She stepped closer, leaning in slightly to listen to his steady breathing, realizing he seemed genuinely asleep. Kaguya first canceled her Shadow Clone Jutsu, retrieving the chakra and memories scattered outside.
Then, she created another Shadow Clone and instructed it to remain here.
As for her actual body, she returned directly to the palace where the Emperor resided.
"Kaguya-sama—did you just leave?" A maid named Ayano looked puzzled as she entered from outdoors.
Kaguya ignored her, entering the room assigned to her by the Emperor. Standing by the window, she gazed at the distant God Tree.
Ayano walked beside her, following her gaze with a smile. "They say the God Tree suddenly sprouted a thousand years ago and instantly grew thick and dense. But no one dares to approach it—there's a legend that says anyone who gets near it will have their soul sucked away and die like a withered tree..."
Kaguya remained silent as she mentally calculated how much time remained until the God Tree bore fruit.
She decided to temporarily settle here before the God Tree bore fruit.
...
At night, Kaguya stood in the courtyard, gazing at the dazzling starry sky above.
Ayano waited not far away from her.
The Emperor emerged from the meeting chamber, heading back to his room when he happened to meet Ayano, who was waiting there.
"Your Highness..." Ayano respectfully greeted him.
"What is Kaguya doing...?" The Emperor asked, his eyes fixed on Kaguya's back.
"Kaguya-sama seems to really love gazing at the sky like this... It's almost like she's waiting for someone to come down and take her away."
The Emperor slightly rubbed his temples with a hint of fatigue, feeling as if there were some chaotic fog inside his head.
He seemed to have forgotten how *he* had met Kaguya in the first place, yet still held affection for her.
Glancing at Kaguya's thin clothing and Ayano's pale yellow coat, the Emperor said, "Can I borrow this?"
"Eh?"
Before she could even agree, the Emperor removed Ayano's coat and walked forward, gently draping it over Kaguya's shoulders.
"You're barely wearing anything — you'll catch a cold."
Hearing this, Kaguya turned her head toward him, then glanced down at the coat now covering her. Her mind briefly flashed to the memory of a man lying there stark naked in the grass. She softly parted her lips and said, "I want your clothes."
The Emperor, originally intending to make a poetic remark about the stars, froze mid-thought. Seeing the serious look in Kaguya's eyes, he asked with slight amusement, "You prefer wearing my clothes instead?"
Kaguya's expression remained calm. "...Give me a set of your clothes—in new condition."
A faint smile bloomed across the Emperor's face as his imagination ran wild, assuming hidden meanings behind Kaguya's words.
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He turned to Ayano and said, "Ayano, go get me a fresh set of clothes."
After Ayano left, he looked up at the sky again and resumed speaking. "Even in the endless darkness, those beautiful lights remain afloat. What are they? Will the day ever come when I can reach them too?"
Turning to look at her afterward, he asked, "Kaguya, are you waiting for someone then? Even if you are, it's fine. When you feel lonely, I'm willing to stay here with you, gazing at the stars together."
"Other than that, do you have any other wishes?"
"...No," Kaguya replied flatly, thinking this person was somewhat strange.
This man, trapped in a corner of his world, wouldn't understand anything she might say—even if she spoke more.
Right now, Kaguya had absolutely no interest in deep conversation with him.
Noticing that she didn't change her expression at all, Tenzoh awkwardly scratched his nose. He realized he had been a bit too hasty. After casually reminding her to take care of herself, he chose to leave.
After a while, Ayano came back here again. "Where is Lord Tenzoh?"
Kaguya approached, reached out to take the bundle of clothes Ayano was holding, and then turned to walk away in another direction.
"Kaguya-sama..." Ayano called loudly behind her.
"Don't tail me."
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