"There's no helping it."
Youchuan let out a sigh. He didn't really buy into that whole "with great power comes great responsibility" thing.
But when something like this happened right in front of him, he couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
Plus, he figured he'd saved those three kids too.
The young lady of the Hyuga Clan—if she went home all bruised and battered, someone was bound to lose sleep over it.
In just that short time, the three boys were already reaching out to shove her.
Youchuan picked up a few stones from the snow.
He weighed them in his hand, feeling their heft.
Yeah, this weight would stun them without causing real harm.
"You three are being a bit too noisy."
Youchuan's calm voice rang out, making all three boys freeze in place.
They turned toward the sound.
A boy about their age stood not far away, tossing a stone up and down in his hand.
Hinata, who had been covering her face and crying, lifted her head too.
"You think you can just butt in like that?"
The chubby leader of the group relied on his size and their numbers.
He wasn't intimidated by the stone in Youchuan's hand at all, and his voice was full of confidence.
"Heh."
Youchuan let out a flat, mocking chuckle.
Then, just as the three were about to get angry, he hurled the stones right at them.
With his Advanced Shuriken Throwing Technique, he hit exactly where he aimed, and the force wasn't light.
The three boys immediately yelped in pain as big lumps swelled up on their foreheads.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
The boys clutched their foreheads and wailed.
But as soon as they looked up, they saw Youchuan bending down to pick up more stones.
Their faces twisted in terror. They backed away while shouting.
"Don't come any closer!"
They scrambled and tumbled as they fled the scene as fast as they could.
Youchuan walked over to Hinata.
He looked at her slightly red eyes from crying and her chubby, babyish face.
He felt like he'd gone too easy on those kids.
The Hyuga Clan's guards were really useless.
"Th-thank you..."
Hinata mumbled a quiet thank you, her head bowed.
"Do you know the way home?"
Youchuan asked.
"I..."
"Gurgle..."
Under Youchuan's surprised gaze, Hinata's stomach answered for her.
Hinata's head had dropped so low it was practically buried in the snow below.
Youchuan couldn't see her face, but from her flushed ear tips, he could tell how embarrassed she felt.
He could almost see steam rising from her head.
Was it that embarrassing?
Thinking about Hinata's personality, yeah, it probably was.
"Gurgle..."
After a while, Youchuan still hadn't seen any Hyuga Clan guards show up.
Instead, he heard Hinata's stomach growl again.
"Sigh..."
Youchuan let out another sigh.
"S-sorry..."
Hinata thought he was upset because of her.
"Do you have any money?"
"Y-yes, I do!"
Hinata answered quickly. She even started fumbling through her little bag in a hurry, ready to pull out some cash.
"Stop, stop, stop! I'm not asking for your money."
Youchuan quickly stopped her. It was clear she'd misunderstood.
He did want her money, sure, but not right now.
"Let's go get some ramen together."
Youchuan had originally thought about inviting her back to his place for food—his house was nearby.
But considering Hinata's appetite, he decided against it. There weren't enough ingredients at home to satisfy her.
Besides, the young lady of the Hyuga Clan wasn't short on cash.
"Huh?"
Hinata paused her search and looked up in confusion, but all she saw was Youchuan's back as he turned away.
"Follow me."
"Oh, okay."
The Hinata who didn't know how to say no just carefully trailed behind Youchuan.
"Um, that... may I ask..."
"Hm?"
Youchuan thought he heard a mosquito buzzing. He glanced around.
Everything was a blanket of white—there was no way a mosquito was out here.
Finally, he stopped and turned back to Hinata, who was moving her mouth. He asked curiously, "Were you the one talking?"
Hinata instinctively wanted to look away, but she forced herself to stay calm and meet Youchuan's eyes.
"M-my name is Hyuga Hinata..."
Hinata's voice was soft and sticky-sweet, the kind that made you want to tease her a little.
"I'm Youchuan."
With that, he turned and led the way again.
But after just a few steps, he asked another question.
"You're from the Hyuga Clan, so you must be pretty strong. How come those three guys were able to bully you?"
Hinata hadn't expected Youchuan to talk to her so suddenly. She blurted out what was on her mind.
"My father taught me to be kind to everyone in the village."
"But they're not kind to you."
"That's because... because..."
"Because you're an easy target?" Youchuan cut in directly.
Hinata's face flushed red again.
"Your father told you to be kind to others, not to let them walk all over you without fighting back.
If you keep this up, I might have helped you this time...
But next time you run into them, they'll just bully you again. And then who are you going to wait for to save you?"
"I think even your father...
Would be even more disappointed if he knew you wouldn't fight back even when someone was bullying you."
That last line hit her right in the heart.
Hinata immediately thought of the disappointed looks Hyuga Hiashi often gave her.
Her small hands clenched a little tighter.
After a long pause, Hinata's soft voice came out, still halting and uneven.
"I-I won't let it happen next time."
"Hope so."
Youchuan had only mentioned it offhand. Whether she took it to heart was up to her.
As they talked, they arrived at a ramen shop.
Seeing the sign that read "Ichiraku Ramen," Youchuan led Hinata inside.
"Welcome..."
As soon as they stepped in, they heard Calamus's clear, lively voice.
By the time they sat down in the corner, Calamus was already at their table.
"Oh, it's little Youchuan. Huh! And who's this cute little girlfriend I've never seen before?"
Calamus clearly knew Youchuan.
Hearing her tease him right as they walked in, Youchuan couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"I've told you before, she's not my little girlfriend. We're just normal friends—pure friendship."
Hinata didn't even know what "little girlfriend" meant yet.
She just felt like the big sister across from her was looking at her strangely, so she shyly kept her head down.
"Youchuan, your big sis is just worried you'll get stabbed one day if you're not careful. In the novels I read, guys who play the field always end up with tragic fates..."
Calamus put on a serious, well-meaning expression as she advised him.
But Youchuan didn't want to engage with the topic. He said directly, "I'll have the signature tonkotsu ramen."
"Hinata, what do you want?"
"Huh? I-I'll have the same as Youchuan-kun."
Hinata, who had been quietly listening, jumped a little.
Her voice was all soft and sticky as she spoke. It was her first time eating dinner out like this....