The early bird catches the worm, but you have to catch the worm first. Not only had she not caught the worm, but she had also fallen behind.
Hikari seemed to have reached some agreement with Orochimaru.
"Don't just eat rice."
Orochimaru picked up a piece of fish and placed it in Hyuga Mio's bowl.
"Mhm."
Hyuga Mio ate the fish Orochimaru gave her, then scooped up a mouthful of rice.
"What are you thinking about? Something related to the experiment?"
Orochimaru asked with interest. She rarely saw Hyuga Mio so distracted. Suddenly, she remembered what Mio had seen earlier and wanted to slap herself. Wasn't she just bringing up a sore subject?
"No..."
Hyuga Mio saw Orochimaru's annoyance and knew she had guessed why she was like this. A faint smile curved her lips, and her mood improved quite a bit.
"Strange, why are you smiling?"
Orochimaru didn't understand why Hyuga Mio suddenly started smiling.
After dinner, after clearing the dishes, Orochimaru also tidied up the kitchen. She took off her apron, looking at the sky outside that had completely darkened, and removed the chopstick that served as a hairpin, letting her dark, beautiful hair fall over her shoulders.
Orochimaru returned to her room, found a change of clothes, and headed to the bathroom.
In the warm, steamy bathroom, Orochimaru lay in the bathtub, which had apple-scented carbonated bath salts, comfortably narrowing her eyes.
"Tsunade's confession, how should I respond to her?"
"Should I just agree?"
"How do you even date?"
"I've never dated before!"
Orochimaru frowned slightly, thinking about how to date Tsunade after agreeing. After much thought, it seemed like their relationship wouldn't change much from before; their previous interactions were already like dating.
The bathroom door opened, and Hyuga Mio walked in. She looked at Orochimaru, who was soaking in the tub, deep in thought, and after a moment of hesitation, walked over.
"Orochimaru..."
Hyuga Mio hugged Orochimaru from behind. As she lowered her head, her lips brushed against Orochimaru's ear, and her soft, dark hair fell over her shoulders.
"You already know my feelings for you, don't you?"
"You've figured it out..."
Orochimaru looked up at Hyuga Mio's white eyes, which seemed to see through people's hearts.
"Hikari and Tsunade have both taken a step forward. I don't want to stand still... I always thought I could get a head start, but the reality is the opposite of what I imagined. I overestimated myself."
Hyuga Mio cupped Orochimaru's face with both hands, and a tear rolled down from the corner of her eye.
"Don't cry."
Orochimaru raised her hand, and the tear floated in the air, landing in her palm.
Faced with a series of confessions, her heart was in turmoil. She didn't want to run from her feelings, yet she couldn't bring herself to reject them... Could it be... am I a fickle woman...? Orochimaru asked herself. She found it difficult to reject Uchiha Hikari and Hyuga Mio, who she spent every day with, in the same way she had rejected Jiraiya and others.
"I don't want to make things difficult for you. It's okay if you reject me."
Hyuga Mio seemed to see through Orochimaru's inner struggle and smiled with relief. Tears, like jade beads, streamed down her face.
"I've prepared myself mentally. Even if you reject me, I won't leave you. This was a decision I made from the very beginning. I am no longer a Ninja of Konoha, nor a member of the Hyuga Clan. I am just your assistant."
This was the decision Hyuga Mio made after giving up her Ninja identity, her Hyuga Clan identity, and choosing to become Orochimaru's assistant.
Saying such words now might be a bit cunning, but if she didn't say them now, it would be useless to say them later.
"I can't understand why you all like me. Am I really charming? I'm a quiet and boring person, putting all my energy into research. Am I, like this, worthy of your affection?"
Orochimaru looked at the glistening tear in her palm under the light, gently wiped the tears from Mio's face, and looked at her with a hint of bewilderment in her golden eyes.
"You are worthy. You are more outstanding than anyone else... Orochimaru, perhaps I saved the Ninja World in my previous life to have such luck, to meet you."
Hyuga Mio's face pressed against Orochimaru's hand, rubbing gently. Her reddened eyes were more serious than ever.
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