The next day, Orion went to the Ninja Academy.
As soon as he entered the classroom, he saw that Naruto Uzumaki had already arrived. After yesterday, Naruto finally remembered who Orion was.
Orion was different from Shino Aburame. He didn't hide himself behind a high collar or dark glasses. People simply never noticed him because he never joined in activities with the class. As soon as class ended, he went straight home.
When Naruto saw Orion, he stood up and waved enthusiastically.
"Yo, Orion!"
Orion was a bit surprised, but still smiled faintly and nodded. He found an empty seat and sat down.
Naruto's greeting attracted the attention of many students. Even though he was always the dead-last, Naruto still drew attention.
Some of the girls looked toward Orion.
They froze for a moment.
They hadn't realized there was such a good-looking boy in their class.
"He's just as handsome as Sasuke Uchiha… I never noticed him before."
"Still, Sasuke is the best. No one compares to him—but that guy is really handsome too."
The girls began debating whether Orion or Sasuke was better-looking. Many still preferred Sasuke, not just for his looks, but for his overall strength.
Some girls didn't waste time and immediately went to Orion.
For example—Ino Yamanaka.
She had always been attracted to good-looking boys. She liked Sasuke mainly because he was handsome. Now that she discovered a boy who matched him in appearance, she wasn't about to miss the chance.
Ino walked over, blushing.
"H-hello. I'm Ino Yamanaka. Why haven't I ever seen you before?"
Orion frowned slightly.
Was I really that invisible before?
He didn't want to attract trouble, but it felt absurd that someone in his own class didn't even remember him after six years.
Looking at the embarrassed Ino, Orion smiled gently.
"I'm Orion. Nice to meet you."
His slightly teasing tone made Ino even more flustered.
"I'm sorry, Orion…"
He wasn't actually upset. In truth, it was partly his own fault for keeping to himself.
"It's fine. Let's just treat this as our first meeting."
When Ino saw his smile, her heart started racing. She almost fainted.
Just then, Shikamaru Nara walked over, looking bored.
"Your attention was always on Sasuke. It's no surprise you never noticed Orion."
He sat down next to Orion.
"Hey. I always saw you leave right after class, so I never got a chance to talk to you. I'm Shikamaru."
He held out a hand.
Orion hadn't expected Shikamaru to have been aware of him.
"I'm Orion."
They shook hands briefly.
It made sense that Shikamaru had noticed him. With Shikamaru's sharp mind, it was impossible not to notice someone—even if only because of his appearance. In this class, only Sasuke rivaled Orion in looks.
After chatting for a while, Sasuke arrived.
The moment he stepped into the classroom, all the girls' eyes locked onto him.
"Sasuke! So cool!"
The girls swarmed toward him.
Shikamaru laid his head on the desk and muttered weakly, "Girls are so troublesome."
The moment he said that, Ino shot him a glare from beside Orion.
"What did you say?"
"N-nothing," Shikamaru quickly replied.
Ino rolled her eyes at him.
Though she did glance at Sasuke, most of her attention stayed on Orion.
Before, Sasuke had completely monopolized her attention. But now, she realized there had been someone equally good-looking right next to her all along.
She quickly made a decision.
Sasuke was great—but too many girls surrounded him. And Sakura Haruno was strong competition.
So Ino made her choice in an instant.
On the other side, Naruto was watching Sakura cling to Sasuke, eyes full of adoration.
His teeth clenched in frustration.
"Damn it… Sakura only looks at Sasuke! Sasuke, I'm not giving her to you!"
He stormed toward Sasuke.
This caught everyone's attention—including Orion.
Naruto jumped onto Sasuke's desk, crouching on top of it and glaring down.
Sasuke glared right back.
The girls around them were furious.
"Stupid Naruto! Stop glaring at Sasuke!"
"Get down! How dare you stare at Sasuke like that?!"
Orion watched the scene closely. It felt strangely familiar. His memories were fuzzy, but he knew something ridiculous was about to happen.
Sure enough—
Someone behind Naruto accidentally bumped into him.
Naruto lost his balance and fell forward.
And then—
It happened.
A scene Orion would never forget.
The girls around them screamed.
"Ah! Naruto, what are you doing?! How dare you do that to Sasuke?!"
"Sasuke's first kiss… gone!"
The entire class erupted in shock.
Orion stared, stunned. His mouth twitched.
"Those two… have a very special relationship."
Shikamaru sighed. "Naruto's such an idiot."
Ino looked just as shocked as Orion.
"Those two… that was their first kiss, wasn't it?"
If this had happened earlier, Ino would have been furious. But now, she didn't feel the same.
Unlike Sakura, who truly loved Sasuke, Ino liked Sasuke mostly for his looks—and for competition with Sakura. That also meant she could move on quickly.
As for Orion—
He knew he would remember this moment for the rest of his life.
He couldn't help thinking darkly:
Maybe Naruto chasing Sasuke for so long… had some deeper meaning?
He immediately shook his head.
No, no. That's too much. Best not think about it.
Sasuke and Naruto both looked like they were going to vomit.
Sasuke glared furiously. "Naruto, you idiot! What are you doing?!"
Naruto snapped back just as loudly. "I should be asking you that, bastard!"
They immediately started arguing.
Sakura hurriedly pulled them apart. To stop them from fighting again, she sat between them.
And from that moment on, Sakura became the one who balanced their relationship.