If evaluating Karura, Hii Kōri's judgment might have been slightly off.
Even unaware herself, she was actually quite perceptive—able to instinctively sense others' true nature.
This unconscious "talent," combined with her kind personality that emphasized others' strengths, explained her habit of elevating those around her.
Perhaps Hii Kōri would realize his error later.
"Ah!"
Snapping out of that inexplicable throb, Karura realized she'd been too focused on her transfer student—completely missed the entire lesson.
Staring at her textbook with not a single note written, the girl let out a short, blank exclamation.
"Relax. Anything you don't get, I'll tutor you later."
Physical training, shuriken throwing, drills—those aside, first-year theory was predictable. Stretching, Hii Kōri sat back down, lazily sprawling across his desk while soothing Karura's confusion.
"Or look through this first. An elder's old school notes."
Thinking he should ask Chiyo for small research topics to pass tomorrow's time, he pulled Mataza's old textbooks from his bag. Useless to him, but plenty sufficient for tutoring first-years.
Thanks, Big Brother.
This silent gratitude was utterly sincere—not a trace of falsehood.
"Eh? Th-Thanks..."
Instinctively accepting the old textbooks, Karura paused. "These are from your family, right? Is it okay for me to see them?"
"Don't worry about it, Rabbit Girl. I don't need them anyway."
Still playing dead on the desk, Hii Kōri mumbled his philosophy: "Useful things should be utilized to the maximum extent. You looking at them isn't waste."
"Oh..."
Recalling Hii Kōri's classroom performance, Karura couldn't deny it. Figuring he'd already previewed everything, she stopped refusing his kindness.
But... Rabbit Girl?
Pouting, blinking, cheeks flushed, she never actually asked.
Yawning boredly, Hii Kōri raised his right hand slightly. A tiny hexagonal light screen condensed at his fingertip, slowly rotating.
Pure chakra construction, with no additional effects—simply exists to block inside from outside. A barrier. In other words, the foundation of all barrier techniques.
Massive copying and splicing of these tiny barriers yielded flexible manipulation barriers with various traps. Enlarging one yielded integrated barriers characterized by solidity and stability.
Ultimately, however complex, barriers extended from these two theoretical directions. Of course, advanced barrier techniques blurred these boundaries.
Achieving more complex functions with simpler means—that was the essence of barrier techniques.
However complex the final effect, unraveling it starting point revealed as just this tiny screen. From Hii Kōri's perspective, barrier techniques were quite understandable.
"Speaking of which, what's next class?"
Clenching his fist, crushing the casually constructed barrier, Hii Kōri realized he hadn't checked the schedule.
"PE."
Buried in copying textbook notes, eager to return the books quickly, Karura answered without looking up.
"Good. Moving around beats sitting in class spacing out."
"Ehh~ so Hii-kun really was spacing out. I thought you were thinking something incredible."
Hearing his slip, Karura looked up and laughed cheerfully.
Even whispering in class, Hii Kōri's knowing demeanor had made her feel distant—as if they inhabited different worlds.
But now, Karura felt no distance between them.
As famous villain, prestige maintainer, and philosophical theorist Sōsuke Aizen once said: admiration is the furthest emotion from understanding. Not without reason.
"Yeah, I'm thinking about things a thousand years from now."
Not quite grasping her humor, Hii Kōri nonetheless didn't want to spoil her mood.
"That's way too far."
"That far lets imagination run free, unbound."
"Hii-kun's saying incomprehensible things again."
Pen cap against her chin, Karura tilted her head and "complained."
"Too slow gets you caught by hawks, Rabbit Girl."
"Seriously, what's with 'Rabbit Girl'?!"
"Because you look like one." "How?!" "Just like this."
"Ehh~"
...
In another corner of the classroom, a boy watched Hii Kōri and Karura's interaction through gritted teeth.
That damn transfer student—first day and already lovey-dovey with the cutest girl in class! What's next—unthinkable!
Though silent, his eyes clearly conveyed this meaning.
With her cute appearance and temperament, Karura had been popular since school started. This boy was among those harboring feelings.
Normally, boys this age still attracted attention by dropping caterpillars in girls' desks—childish pranks. But ninja children matured earlier. At least so far, Karura hadn't encountered such things.
Perhaps another literally "strong and powerful" girl in the class served as deterrence.
Pakura—the girl Hii Kōri noted for highly distinguishable chakra—was one of two students already mastering nature transformations.
When some kid bullied a girl in class, one Fireball Technique from Pakura left him without even underwear.
With that cautionary tale, even the most mischievous kids wouldn't risk public humiliation by acting stupid.
"It's fine—next PE, I'll beat him senseless in front of Karura. Then she'll definitely like me, mutter mutter mutter..."
Though jokes were out, other means remained?
Thus fantasizing about future bliss, the boy unconsciously wore an embarrassingly foolish grin.