Chapter 2: Could She Have Done It on Purpose?
At noon, Uzumaki Naruto sat alone on a bench, holding a cup of instant noodles in his hands and eating with great relish.
"Slurp—ah, this is still the right flavor."
Naruto let out a satisfied breath, but in his mind, he was rapidly calculating something.
At the same time, behind a large tree a few meters away.
A pale little hand gripped the bark tightly, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force. Hyuga Hinata hid in the shadow of the tree trunk, her breathing a bit ragged. Her pure white eyes were full of shock, tinged with a hint of bashfulness.
This wasn't a dream.
It really wasn't a dream.
The Sensory Enhancement she had gained in the previous class allowed her to hear even the sound of a beetle's wings flapping twenty meters away. This tangible sense of power filled her with deep awe for the thing in her mind called the ninja world sky screen, as well as a hard-to-admit longing.
At this moment, the heavenly curtain lit up again, and golden characters emerged:
[Tip: Waiting passively will only let opportunities slip away.]
[Current Suggestion: Initiate physical contact.]
[Expected Return: High.]
Physical... contact?
Hinata felt her cheeks start to burn again, her palms drenched in sweat. As the eldest daughter of the Hyuga Clan, the strict upbringing she had received since childhood meant she didn't even dare to speak loudly, let alone take the initiative to touch a boy.
But...
Her father's disappointed gaze, Brother Neji's resentful taunts, and those evaluations of "useless" echoed repeatedly in her mind.
"I don't want to be useless either..."
Hinata bit her lower lip. She looked down at the warm red bean soup in her hand, which she had specifically gone to the canteen to buy.
Let's do this!
If she didn't take this step, she would always be that coward who only knew how to hide in a corner and cry!
She took a deep breath and steeled her resolve. Clutching the can of red bean soup, she stepped out from behind the tree with stiff footsteps.
One step, two steps.
She drew closer and closer to that blond-haired back.
"Um... Nar-Naruto-kun..."
Her voice was so quiet it was almost inaudible.
Naruto, who was drinking the last sip of soup, paused. His ears twitched, and he turned his head in surprise.
At that very instant.
Hinata didn't even know how she did it, but even though her legs felt as soft as noodles, she precisely controlled her left foot to trip over her right.
"Ah!"
With a short cry of alarm, her whole body pitched forward with momentum.
The can of red bean soup flew from her hand, tracing a parabola through the air.
Splash!
The red bean soup splattered solidly onto Naruto's orange tracksuit jacket, with a few drops even splashing onto his face. Hinata herself couldn't stop her momentum and crashed heavily into Naruto's shoulder.
A warm, cloyingly sweet scent instantly spread.
"Holy crap!"
Naruto was hit so hard he almost slammed the instant noodles into his own face, but he managed to stabilize himself with quick reflexes.
"S-Sorry! Sorry, Naruto-kun! I didn't mean to... I'll wipe it for you right now!"
Flustered, Hinata pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and rushed forward to frantically wipe the stain on his chest.
Because she was so nervous, she didn't even realize how close they had become. Her breath fanned across Naruto's neck, and the faint milky scent on her body mixed with the sweetness of the red bean soup, making the atmosphere a bit awkward.
"It's—it's okay, Hinata, don't..."
Naruto was about to say something polite, but the words turned into a mental whistle in his heart.
[Whoa! Is this a gift pack? Tsk tsk, why are Hinata's little hands shaking? Is she that nervous?]
It's here!
Hinata, who was wiping Naruto's clothes, froze. The familiar mechanical voice of the heavenly curtain once again ignored her sense of shame and broadcast Naruto's inner thoughts at maximum volume.
[Hiss... this feeling. Even through the clothes, these little hands are so soft. The eldest miss of the Hyuga Clan is like a little kitten.]
[But then again, this red bean scent paired with her body fragrance is absolutely amazing. Watching the anime, I only knew she was a blue-chip stock with a big chest, but I didn't expect this body fragrance to be SSR-level too. If this red bean soup hadn't spilled on my clothes but on... ahem, Li Yi, stay steady. This is still a pure romance series; don't think about it like an adult one.]
Boom!
Hinata felt like steam was rising from her head, yet she couldn't stop wiping. Instead, out of shame, she became even more forceful, and her fingertips accidentally brushed against Naruto's collarbone through the thin undershirt.
The text on the heavenly curtain instantly turned bold and bright red, even gaining a wavy line effect:
[Ooh! That finger graze made my heart itch. Could she have done it on purpose? Looking at it this way, Hinata usually acts all timid, but maybe she's actually a little succubus who wants this kind of play? She looks so pure, yet plays so hard? I like it!]
Don't... don't say any more!
I'm not! I didn't!
Hinata screamed silently in her heart, tears welling up in her eyes. What on earth was in this person's head? What did he mean by "want this kind of play"? What did he mean by "little succubus"?
But just as she was both ashamed and angry, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into, the heavenly curtain before her suddenly erupted in a burst of dazzling golden light.
[High-intensity sensory stimulation detected (Smell, Touch, Imagination).]
[Target Judgment: Upgraded from "Clumsy Passerby" to "Reserve with a bit of Flirtatious Charm."]
[Calculating rewards... Burst!]
[Exclusive Ability Obtained: Gentle Fist · Acupoint X-ray Vision (Activated)]
[Ability Description: Want to "touch" better? These eyes will help you bypass the obstacles of clothing and flesh to look directly at the mysteries of Chakra acupoints. No need for Byakugan; you can see through everything.]
Before Hinata could understand the meaning of these words, a cool energy surged into her eyes.
She subconsciously looked up, gazing at Narutowith eyes full of tears.
In the next second, the world changed.
In her field of vision, the dirty jacket Naruto was wearing became semi-transparent. Beneath his skin, blue points of light began to glow.
Those were meridians! Those were Chakra acupoints!
Without even having to exert effort to activate the Byakugan, she could actually see the most precise distribution of acupoints in the human body with her naked eyes!
This... this was the reward the heavenly curtainmentioned?
Just by letting him have this kind of embarrassing misunderstanding, she could obtain an insight that even her father didn't possess?
"Hinata? Your face is so red it's almost dripping blood. Do you have a fever?"
In reality, Naruto looked at the dazed girl before him and couldn't help but reach out to touch her forehead. An alarming heat came from his fingertips.
Meanwhile, on the heavenly curtain, his voice still carried that lazy, mischievous smirk:
[Tsk, those watery eyes really make one want to tease her. And what was she looking at on my chest just now? With such a sharp gaze, could she be trying to look through my clothes at my abs? This girl really is a closet pervert.]
"Ugh!"
The small spark of joy Hinata felt for her new power was instantly smashed to pieces by the phrase "closet pervert."
She suddenly took two steps back, unable to take it anymore. Covering her face, she turned and ran.
"S-Sorry! I have something to do, I'm leaving!"
Her retreating figure looked exceptionally flustered.
Naruto stood there, looking at the large dark red stain on his chest and then at the girl running away. Instead of being angry, he heartlessly curled his lips into a smirk.
[Ding!]
The light blue system panel belonging to him popped up accordingly.
[Detected target "Hyuga Hinata" having an intimate interaction with the host (accomplice-style physical contact).]
[Current Status: Extremely ashamed but has gained a great sense of satisfaction.]
[Congratulations to the host for obtaining the reward: Weak Awakening of Uzumaki Physique · Increased Self-Healing Speed.]
[Note: She even used such a clumsy excuse as red bean soup. It seems your charm has already made her unable to extricate herself.]
"As expected."
Naruto reached out and touched the red mark accidentally scratched by Hinata's nail. He watched as the mark faded at a speed visible to the naked eye, his skin becoming smooth as before.
A warm current circulated through his body, making him feel comfortable all over.
In a great mood, Naruto gulped down the last sip of cold instant noodle soup and looked playfully in the direction where Hinata had disappeared.
"red bean soup... it's a bit sweet."
He casually pulled off the jacket smelling of sweet red beans, draped it over his shoulder, and whistled as he strolled leisurely toward the classroom.