"Aren't you going to make soup, Young Master?"
The girl stood in front of the stove, turning back to look at him with a bewildered expression.
Hyuga Arima looked at the fish swimming around in the pot and said speechlessly, "Are you trying to boil fish in warm water?"
"Th-then how do I do it?" the girl asked timidly.
Hyuga Arima said expressionlessly, "Kill the fish, scale it, gut it, and then put it in the pot. Don't you know any of this?"
The girl lowered her head, too ashamed to speak.
"Go wipe the floor."
Hyuga Arima didn't make things difficult for her. He rolled up his sleeves and waved his hand.
"Yes."
The girl responded and stepped aside. As she reached the kitchen doorway, she subconsciously looked back.
She saw the young man standing in front of the stove, scooping out the fish, hitting it with the back of a knife, then scaling and gutting it in one smooth motion, making the girl's eyes sparkle.
"So amazing…" she couldn't help but say.
Hyuga Arima looked back, expressionless: "Still not wiping the floor?"
"Oh, oh, I'm going now."
The girl scampered out again.
Hyuga Arima smiled as he watched her retreating figure, then turned to get a wooden basket, wash rice, and start cooking.
When he finished and returned to the living room, he didn't see the classic scene of the girl in a kimono with her rear end sticking out, pushing a rag.
What a shame…
"How did you turn the living room into a puddle?" he asked, leaning against the door with a headache.
The girl stood shamefaced in the middle of the water stain: "Th-the bucket spilled…"
Hyuga Arima put his hands on his hips and sighed, then could only find a dry rag and kneel on the floor, wiping little by little.
When it got wet, he wrung it out over the bucket and continued wiping.
Seeing this, the girl quickly followed suit, wrung out a rag, and knelt down to help.
"Ah!"
As a result, in her bent-over position, with the slippery floor beneath her, she lost her balance and bumped into Hyuga Arima .
Hyuga Arima , who was focused on wiping the water, didn't expect it at all, and his head had an intimate encounter with hers.
"Ugh…"
With a thud, he felt his whole head buzzing.
Sure enough, all those stories about falling and landing perfectly mouth-to-mouth are just lies in books… only a fool would believe them!
"Sorry, sorry…"
The girl didn't care about her red forehead and apologized repeatedly.
"Don't make things worse," Hyuga Arima said, clutching his forehead and pointing to the kitchen, "Go turn off the stove, serve the rice, and bring the fish soup to the table."
"Yes!"
Seeing that he wasn't blaming her, the girl visibly relaxed, scrambling up and rushing into the kitchen.
"Be careful, don't burn yourself," Hyuga Arima suddenly called out.
"Yes."
The girl's voice came from afar.
Hyuga Arima shook his head and continued wiping the floor.
Fortunately, the girl didn't make any mistakes with serving the rice and bowls. By the time she had the bowls and chopsticks arranged on the table, he had finished drying the floor.
"Add another set of chopsticks and serve the rice," Hyuga Arima glanced at the low table and said.
Seeing the girl with her red forehead running into the kitchen again, he thought for a moment, then walked over to the freezer to get some ice and found a towel in the bathroom to wrap it in.
"Come here."
Returning to the dining room, he sat down and beckoned to the girl.
"Is there anything else you need, Young Master?"
The girl leaned close to him, not understanding.
Hyuga Arima , however, placed the cold towel on her forehead: "Hold this and cold compress it for a while."
"Ah, yes, thank you, Young Master!"
The girl, her face flushed, held the towel in place.
Hyuga Arima withdrew his hand, lifted the lid of the clay pot, and a rich aroma of fish wafted out.
The girl subconsciously twitched her small nose.
Hyuga Arima divided the fish soup into two bowls and said, "Alright, put it down. Let's eat first."
"Ah, is there some for me too?" the girl asked in surprise.
Hyuga Arima glanced at her: "I can't abuse child labor, can I?"
"Oh."
The girl knelt down, seemingly understanding, and carefully picked up a spoon to drink the soup.
"Wait."
Hyuga Arima suddenly grabbed her wrist and sighed, "You should blow on it, aren't you afraid of burning yourself?"
The girl's face flushed again.
She usually didn't cause so much trouble, but facing Arima , she always couldn't stay calm.
Seeing her puff out her cheeks and blow, then sip the soup in small mouthfuls, Hyuga Arima couldn't help but glance at her a few more times.
He had never seen this person so ladylike before; it was very novel.
The fish was neither too big nor too small, and the fish soup was just right. The two quickly finished sharing it.
"Young Master, I'll clean up."
Seeing Hyuga Arima collecting the bowls and chopsticks, the girl quickly stood up to help.
"No need," Hyuga Arima said without raising his head, "You can go back."
"Go back?"
The girl was stunned: "As your maid, I'm supposed to live with you, aren't I?"
"Go back quickly," Hyuga Arima smiled and looked up, "…Kushina."
"Uh…"
The girl looked as if she had been electrocuted, dumbfounded.
"Wh-what Kushina?"
She was still struggling.
Hyuga Arima put down the bowls and chopsticks and smiled at her: "Kushina, when you do something wrong, you always reach out and touch your earlobe. Every time you blush, the bottom half of your ears turn red, and many more things…"
"Although the Transformation Technique is hard to see through, I'm too familiar with you," he stated with certainty, "You are Kushina. Stop pretending."
"Boom!"
White smoke rose, the girl's appearance vanished, and Kushina appeared before him, her head bowed low.
"Uzumaki Kushina's Transformation Technique detected. Can be analyzed."
Hyuga Arima 's expression changed.
Kushina's long hair in front of him was still as red as ever, like a fiery flame draped behind her, and like her fervent heart, she wouldn't easily back down from his rejection.
"Arima , I know there's a reason you broke up with me," Kushina looked up, her eyes blazing, "But I don't want to be dominated. I just want to be with you."
Hyuga Arima averted his gaze, avoiding the fervent look that seemed to burn him away, and said, "I've already told you the reason. I'm just that kind of person; I only enjoy ambiguity and don't take responsibility."
"That's not it!"
Kushina suddenly grabbed his wrist, squeezing it very, very tightly: "It's Old Man Third, isn't it?! He's stopping us from being together!"
Hyuga Arima 's hand was pinched painfully, but he didn't pull it back.
"Theoretically, I've already awakened the single-tomoe Sharingan, so I should be able to get back together with Kushina, right?" he thought.
"Sharingan, the eye that reflects the heart, awakened by unrequited love. If you get back together now, the ocular power will disappear."
"You need to wait for the next tomoe to appear before this one can stabilize."
Sure enough, there are no loopholes to exploit. Besides, isn't love all about that sweet, painful torment? The entanglement, the discomfort, tormenting the little girl… just thinking about it is incredibly satisfying…
So satisfying he almost cried.
Hyuga Arima slowly exhaled and gently pried her hand open: "Kushina, I didn't lie to you."
But no matter how the process goes, the final outcome will definitely be good, I promise.
He didn't say this aloud, only secretly swore in his heart… to bring a happy ending to the girl who truly loved him!
Kushina's hands dropped powerlessly, her gaze fixed on her toes: "Can… can I make one last request?"
Hyuga Arima took a deep breath, and without even asking what the request was, he said, "Okay."
"The day after tomorrow is a holiday. Can you…" Kushina clenched her fists, "Can you spend a day with me? Just like a real couple?"
Hyuga Arima stood up, and seeing her eyes empty, blank, and spiritless, his heart twitched, and he blurted out, "No matter how long…"
Kushina suddenly looked up.
Hyuga Arima , however, suddenly paused: "I promise you."
Kushina rushed out the door before her tears could fall, leaving only a faint voice echoing: "Thank you…"
Hyuga Arima stood at the doorway, watching her figure disappear into the night.
He remained unmoving for a long time.