The school day passed quickly.
Mirai looked as though he were listening with complete seriousness, but in reality, he had already mastered a new technique: the Art of Serious Daydreaming.
The principle was simple.
To everyone else, he appeared incredibly focused and attentive.
In truth, his mind was somewhere else entirely.
It was basically an illusion technique that no one could see through.
When classes finally ended, Mirai and Kushina left the school together and prepared to head back toward the Senju compound.
At the Academy gate, however, they spotted a familiar figure waiting for them.
Long black hair, a dark kimono embroidered with the Uchiha fan, and a warm smile that looked especially beautiful beneath the evening sunlight.
“Big Sis Mikoto?”
Mirai paused.
Mikoto Uchiha waved to him, then gave Kushina a polite smile.
“Hello.
I came to speak with Mirai-kun for a moment.
Is that all right?
I won’t keep him long.”
Kushina’s face immediately turned red.
Why was this woman reporting to her when she wanted to talk to Mirai?
Still, seeing another beautiful Uchiha girl – one noticeably more mature than Naori – Kushina’s guard rose at once.
She looked from Mikoto to Mirai, lips moving slightly before she finally muttered, “…I’ll wait over there.”
She went to stand beneath a nearby tree.
Her eyes never left them.
She looked less like a waiting classmate and more like a bodyguard on duty.
Mirai and Mikoto moved to the other side of the gate.
“Big Sis Mikoto, did you need something?”
Mikoto lifted her brows slightly, uncertain how to begin.
Naori had acted far too strangely after coming home yesterday.
The stubborn little girl had spent the entire evening distracted.
At dinner, she missed her bowl with her chopsticks three times while smiling to herself.
In the bath, she confused shampoo for body wash.
Before bed, she hugged her pillow and rolled around for ages, occasionally letting out strange little frustrated noises.
Whenever Mikoto asked what was wrong, Naori simply shook her red face and refused to say a word.
Mikoto herself had been shaken by the engagement proposal from her parents, but she had certainly noticed her younger sister’s strange behavior.
And she strongly suspected Mirai had something to do with it.
“What exactly happened during class yesterday?” Mikoto asked with concern.
“Naori has been acting strange ever since she came home.”
“She won’t tell me anything.
She just sits there daydreaming, and every now and then her face suddenly turns red.”
Mirai blinked and scratched his head awkwardly.
“Uh…
she challenged me again yesterday.
And I won again.”
Mikoto tilted her head.
“She has lost to you before.
That alone wouldn’t make her act like this.”
“The problem is…” Mirai coughed.
“The way it happened was maybe a little…
awkward.”
He described the match – the Clone Jutsu, the leg sweep, and the final pin – while omitting a few details and phrasing everything as delicately as possible.
Mikoto fell silent for a moment after hearing the story.
The corner of her mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
“So…
you pinned her to the ground and accidentally put your hand on her chest.
In front of the entire class.”
“I really wasn’t paying attention!” Mirai raised both hands in surrender.
“We’re seven!
I didn’t even think about something like that!”
Mikoto looked at his completely innocent expression and finally couldn’t stop herself from laughing softly.
She shook her head.
“I understand.
You probably startled her badly.
Naori has never been physically that close to a boy before.”
“…It really was an accident.”
“I know.” Mikoto smiled gently.
“Just be more careful in the future.
Girls care about things like that no matter how old they are.”
“Right, right.
I’ll remember.”
Mikoto looked at him, hesitated for a moment, then decided not to mention the engagement proposal.
She had already refused it, and she intended to keep her six-year promise.
There was no reason to make the situation more complicated than necessary.
“Then I’ll head home.” She waved lightly.
“I’ll talk to Naori.
You…
try to be a little gentler with her from now on.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Mikoto turned and left, her long black hair drawing a soft arc through the sunset.
Mirai watched her go.
He had the strange feeling there had been something else she wanted to say, but he didn’t chase after her.
“Mirai, why do you call that woman ‘Big Sis’?” Kushina asked the moment she returned, cheeks puffed out like a small pufferfish.
Mirai laughed.
“Because she’s older than me.
Isn’t that normal?”
“I’m older than you too!
Why don’t you call me Big Sis?
Go on—say ‘Big Sis Kushina’ just once.”
Mirai answered her with a flat look.
“Waaah!
Mirai!
I’m going to bite you!”
Kushina lunged at him with both hands, only for Mirai to stop her easily with one arm.
Holding her furious red head at a safe distance, Mirai suddenly felt a strange impulse.
She really was unexpectedly cute when she got angry.
Before he thought better of it, he leaned in and gave Kushina a quick peck on the lips.
It was only an instant.
The furious Kushina immediately froze.
Her face turned red all the way to her ears, and she looked as though steam might actually start rising from the top of her head.
Mirai coughed awkwardly.
“Well…
you tried to bite me.
I just bit back.
That’s all.
Come on, let’s go home.”
He took the still-dazed Kushina by the hand and led her back toward the Senju compound.
There wasn’t much else he could do.
She looked as though her brain had completely stopped working, and he couldn’t exactly leave her standing at the Academy gate.