Chapter 14: An Unexpected Morning
Kamikawa Hiraoka took a slow, deliberate breath, his gaze sweeping over the two girls sitting on his bed. The moonlight streaming through the window illuminated Hinata's face, and he couldn't help but note, with a flicker of internal surprise, how much she had matured. She was no longer just a shy little girl.
Patience, he reminded himself, a strategic calm settling over him. A master hunter knows when to strike. For now, nurturing the bond is more important than claiming the prize.
"Ahem," he began, clearing his throat to break the tense silence. "As you can see, I only have the one bed. It's not ideal, but we'll have to make do and share for the night."
The air in the room grew thicker. Both girls' hearts hammered against their ribs, a mixture of apprehension and a strange, thrilling nervousness.
"Hiraoka-kun," Hinata whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "Are you... are you sure about this?" Unlike Ino, she knew with absolute certainty that her father, Hiashi, would never have consented to this. She didn't call out Hiraoka's lie directly, but her question was laden with doubt.
"Of course I'm sure," Hiraoka replied, his voice a model of reassuring calm. He offered them a disarming smile. "You can trust me. I'm a gentleman."
With that, he moved to the center of the bed. He patted the space on his left and then his right. "Come on. One on each side. It's a cool night—we can share warmth."
Yamanaka Ino and Hinata Hyuga exchanged a long, hesitant look. A silent conversation passed between them, filled with shared embarrassment and a sliver of curiosity. Slowly, cautiously, they moved to their designated spots and lay down on the very edges of the mattress, putting as much distance between themselves and the boy in the middle as possible.
"See? Perfect," Hiraoka said, his voice soft in the darkness. He made no move to touch them, simply lying between them, a barrier and a presence. The night passed in a state of heightened, breathless awareness for the two girls, while Hiraoka eventually fell into a peaceful sleep, his plan progressing exactly as intended.
The next morning, a sharp, startled gasp ripped through the quiet room.
Hinata was sitting bolt upright, her face a brilliant shade of crimson, her hands clutching the blanket to her chest. Her wide eyes were fixed on Hiraoka's sleeping form.
The sound woke both Hiraoka and Ino. Hiraoka blinked his eyes open, groggy and confused. "Hmm? What's all the noise?"
Ino propped herself up on an elbow, rubbing her eyes and looking at Hinata in confusion.
"Y-Your... your hand!" Hinata stammered, her voice barely a squeak, too flustered to form a complete sentence.
Hiraoka glanced down. At some point in the night, he had rolled over, and his arm had draped itself across Hinata's waist. He withdrew it slowly, not with shame, but with a casual, unapologetic grace.
"My apologies," he said, a faint, roguish smile touching his lips. "It seems I was seeking a comfortable pillow in my sleep."
Both girls' faces flushed deeply at his brazen non-apology.
"Well," Hiraoka continued, smoothly changing the subject as he stretched, "we should get ready. Big day today—the graduation exam." His calm demeanor helped to diffuse the tension, and the two girls nodded, the bizarre normalcy of the statement pulling them back from the cliff of their embarrassment.
After they had washed and prepared to leave, Hiraoka opened his front door. Standing on his doorstep, their arms crossed and expressions grim, were two men he had hoped to avoid: Yamanaka Inoichi and Hyuga Hiashi.
Ino's heart sank. So, Hiraoka-kun had lied.
"Ino," Inoichi said, his voice a low, controlled thunder. "Care to explain why you didn't come home last night?" His sharp eyes then shifted to Hiraoka, scrutinizing him. "Did this boy do anything to you?"
"No! Nothing at all!" Ino replied a little too quickly, stepping slightly in front of Hiraoka as if to shield him.
Inoichi's eyebrow twitched. "You think I wouldn't find you? Intelligence is my business, girl."
Hiraoka mentally kicked himself. Of course. I kidnapped the daughter of the head of the Intelligence Division. Rookie mistake. I'll need a much more secure location next time.
Inoichi had, in fact, been frantic when Ino didn't return. It hadn't taken long for his network to identify Kamikawa Hiraoka as the culprit. His initial rage, however, had been tempered by the subsequent intelligence report on the boy himself: top of his class, skilled, and until this incident, of good character. Part of this confrontation was paternal anger; another part was a father's assessment of a potential suitor.
"And you," a cold, authoritative voice cut in. Hyuga Hiashi's gaze was like ice. "You have audacity, boy, to involve a member of the Hyuga clan in your... escapades."
Hiraoka met Hiashi's gaze, his own expression carefully neutral. He knew of this man's coldness towards Hinata, and he felt no obligation to be overly respectful.
"Merely seeing the young ladies home safely after a late study session," Hiraoka replied, his tone polite but devoid of apology. "The hour grew late, and I prioritized their safety over protocol. My apologies if this caused any... concern."
His confident deflection, while not fooling anyone, showed a spine that both fathers noted. The situation was tense, awkward, and far from over, but the first moves in a much more complicated game had just been made.
BLESS ME WITH STONES