Chapter 79: Hinata's Soul Ascends to Heaven
Akiyama Makoto wasn't surprised that the girls knew he was moving. He had already informed the construction workers at his house that if the girls came by, they would naturally be told the news.
He had originally planned to invite them to the hot spring to bring their relationship closer anyway, so this was a welcome development. However, for the sake of the atmosphere, he still covered his face and feigned a pained expression.
"Alright, but only because you're my good friends. Today's on me, Akiyama Makoto."
Ino and Sakura cheered. Hinata finally had a chance to breathe. Her cheeks were still flushed from the lack of oxygen, and she really wanted to say that she didn't want to waste his money. But she had just heard him call her his friend, and she couldn't bear to ruin the current atmosphere.
Hinata didn't have many friends in her life; she didn't even have a single peer who understood her current situation and could empathize with her emotional needs. This was why she had projected all of her spiritual needs onto Naruto. His struggle against loneliness, his protection of the weak, and his refusal to ever give up had made him a role model she could only aspire to.
But now, a small deviation had occurred in her life.
Ino and Sakura had become her friends. Although their relationship was still shallow, they now dragged her along for shopping and training every day. It was a feeling she had never experienced before. Therefore, when faced with Makoto, who also considered her a friend, she couldn't bear to refuse.
"What should we do? Should we go home first to get a change of clothes? Do we need to bring bathrobes and toiletries?"
"No, no, I've been to the Kazematsuri Bathhouse. They'll prepare everything for us. We just need to bring a change of clothes."
Ino and Sakura quickly made a plan. Then, Ino turned to Hinata. "Hinata, will you be able to come out again after you go home? If not, we can help you pick out some temporary clothes."
Hinata quickly waved her hands. "That's not necessary. The clothes Makoto-kun bought for me before, I've sealed them in a scroll and have them with me."
"Why would you carry something like that around?" Sakura looked at her suspiciously.
"I-I wanted to return them to Makoto-kun," Hinata replied immediately.
Sakura and Ino were dumbfounded. They then stood between Makoto and Hinata, separating them. Each placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder and began to whisper in her ear, giving her a crash course in common sense.
"Hinata, oh, Hinata, you're such an idiot! You can return other things to Makoto-kun, but how can you give back clothes you've already worn? Aren't you afraid he'll do bad things with your clothes at night?!" Sakura's expression was grave.
Ino, on the other hand, was more comforting. "Alright, Sakura, Hinata just doesn't have any experience. Hinata, you listen to us. Later, find a chance to give Mako some other small gift, and that will count as returning the favor."
"Remember, the one thing you can't give him is something you've already used. Understand?"
Hinata's face was completely red. She had realized she had almost done something incredibly foolish. Although she had already washed the clothes, what if they ended up in his hands and he picked them up and sniffed them... At this thought, Hinata felt her soul was about to ascend to heaven.
"Hinata? Hinata!"
Seeing that she was about to faint, Makoto walked over. "Let me," he said.
He placed his hand on her wrist and input some Yang chakra. Hinata immediately recovered. But seeing him "massaging" her, her shyness, instead of decreasing, actually increased. At the same time, because of the infusion of his Yang chakra, she was unable to faint.
"You're really a shy one, aren't you?" Sakura said with a hint of worry. "Makoto-kun, you should probably take care of her here. Otherwise, I'm worried she'll faint on the side of the road."
Ino also nodded. They had only known Hinata for a short time, but they had already seen this happen many times. It seemed that, just as he had said, Hinata's body had a serious weakness.
"Leave her to me. I guarantee I'll get her to the bathhouse safely."
With his assurance, Sakura and Ino felt at ease enough to go home and get their clothes. As they walked, Sakura frowned slightly. "I feel like something's not quite right."
Ino nodded thoughtfully, as if she had thought of something, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. The two of them quickly put this slight doubt behind them. After all, a happy hot spring time awaited them. They even started discussing whether they should bring toys.
On Hinata's end, she really wanted to say she was fine, but she couldn't get the words out. Alone with Makoto, why was she being subjected to such a trial?
Seeing that she showed no signs of recovering, Makoto shook his head helplessly. Her habit of fainting from shyness was truly one of a kind. He hadn't planned on doing anything to her, and he hadn't even thought about simulating with her.
Oh, well. I'd better just take her to the bathhouse.
"How about this? I'll hold your wrist and you follow me. Okay?"
Hinata nodded blankly and, with a red face and lowered head, followed him.
As they walked, he suddenly realized something was wrong. People on the street kept casting puzzled glances at them, especially when he was seen leading a shy, blushing Hinata explicitly towards the Kazematsuri Bathhouse. Some of the astonished or gossipy whispers were no longer being concealed.
"So that's where the problem is..."
He didn't think their behavior was ambiguous, and he had never thought of doing anything while the girls were in the hot spring. But there was no getting around the fact that a bathhouse was a private place with implications of deep communication.
He didn't mind people knowing he was close with Tenten, that they were more than friends but not yet lovers. However, he didn't want any such misunderstandings with Hinata. Otherwise, he might wake up one day to find a hundred or so people with white eyes, murderously intending to beat him into a quadriplegic. The Hyūga clan may have given up on Hinata's strength, but they had absolutely not thought of abandoning her as the clan's young lady. They would never allow her to just walk into a bathhouse with a boy. This was a matter of the Hyūga's honor.
"Makoto-kun, what's wrong?" Hinata didn't dare to look up and hadn't activated her Byakugan, so she naturally didn't notice the surrounding stares.
"You don't have to worry about me. I've brought all my clothes."
It would have been better if she hadn't said anything. After she finished speaking in her shy, soft voice, many people were so scared they ran away, afraid that when he was killed in a moment, his blood would splash on them.
He even felt as if a group of ferocious, white-eyed monsters were already charging towards them.
Just then, his eyes lit up.
In a rare display, he shouted out, "Moegi!"
"What's wrong, who's calling me?!"
Kazematsuri Moegi ran out from the street corner, her face full of a child's innocent vitality. However, this time, she was not his focus. What he was interested in was another white-eyed girl following behind her.
Her name was Hyūga Hanabi.
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