Liuyun and Kushina were close to bumping into each other at the classroom door. Just as he was about to enter, she suddenly appeared in front of him.
"What's with you? You look so irritated..." He asked, tilting his head. "Ah... I heard from our classmates that you got into a fight outside. Are you hurt?"
She anxiously looked him up and down, her concern making Liuyun chuckle.
"Are you worried about me? Afraid I got beaten up?" he teased.
"Eh? W-Well... No!" Kushina was about to nod and admit it, but realizing how embarrassing that sounded, she quickly shook her head in denial.
"Oh... So you're not worried about me? I see, I was just being sentimental..." Liuyun sighed dramatically, putting on a lonely expression before slowly walking toward his seat. His slouched posture and empty gaze made him look like a wandering soul, completely devoid of life.
"!!!"
Kushina panicked. She wanted to rush up and explain herself, but she was too shy to admit her concern outright. Just as she was hesitating, the teacher entered the classroom, forcing her to return to her seat.
She blushed as she stole glances at Liuyun, only to see him sitting with his head lowered, his long hair covering his expression. He looked... sad.
"Did my words really upset him?"
"Am I really that important to him?"
As soon as that thought crossed her mind, her nervousness faded and was replaced by a warm, happy feeling. She couldn't help but smile unconsciously.
"Wait... Why is she smiling???"
Originally, Liuyun had been enjoying his act, hoping to fluster her even more. But when he sneakily glanced at her and saw her blushing and smiling, he was thrown off.
"Was I just being sentimental this whole time?"
Realizing this possibility, he suddenly felt drained of all energy.
"So hard to find a cute little girl to tease, and now it's over before it even began..."
"Turns out, the clown was me all along..."
With a deep sigh, Liuyun slumped over his desk like a pile of mud.
But in truth, he wasn't just acting pitiful—he was also exhausted. His morning run had left his legs aching, and he needed to stretch them out under the desk.
However, from Kushina's perspective, all she saw was him lying there, looking soft and vulnerable.
Feeling a twinge of guilt, she tore a small piece of paper, scribbled something on it, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it at him.
Liuyun felt something hit his head. He glanced at the paper ball, then at Kushina—who was now sitting perfectly still, staring straight ahead as if she had nothing to do with it.
"Not even looking at me? Fine, I won't bother reading it then..."
He let the paper ball sit beside him, deliberately ignoring it.
Kushina, watching from the corner of her eye, immediately grew anxious.
"Is he... mad at me?"
Panicked, she threw another one. This time, it landed directly in front of him.
Liuyun held back a laugh. Instead of picking it up, he casually blew it away with his breath.
Kushina clenched her fists, her face turning red with frustration.
"Damn you, Liuyun! I only denied my concern because I was embarrassed! Don't you understand that girls are shy? You meanie...!"
Still unwilling to give up, she balled up a third note—this time much bigger—and threw it straight at his head.
Smack!
Liuyun barely reacted. Instead, he absentmindedly scratched the spot where the paper hit, as if he hadn't noticed at all.
Seeing this, Kushina was furious.
Suddenly, a cold wind blew past Liuyun's ears. A strange cracking sound reached him, sending a shiver down his spine.
Curious, he cautiously glanced at Kushina—only to freeze.
She was staring at him coldly, her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles cracked. Two strands of her red hair had lifted, standing on end as if responding to her anger.
Liuyun broke out in a cold sweat.
"An angry Kushina... is terrifying!"
His body had an instinctive fear of her—most likely from past experiences. The "Red Hot-Blooded Habanero" reputation was well-deserved.
Quickly, he picked up the paper balls.
"Why do I always push my luck? I just had to make her mad..."
Opening the first one, he saw:
"Are you looking for death? Do you believe I won't beat you up?"
His forehead immediately became drenched in sweat.
He then read the first note he had ignored earlier:
"I ran out of the classroom just now to help you, but you guys finished so quickly… You're not hurt, right?"
Her words were full of concern.
Liuyun suddenly felt a warm sensation in his chest. The sweat on his forehead dried up, and he had to fight the urge to grin.
"So she was worried about me, huh?"
Unable to hide his amusement, he wrote a reply and tossed it back.
Kushina hesitated for a moment before picking it up.
"How could I be hurt? Didn't you already know that I was hiding my strength? Your brother is actually very strong, so there's no need to worry about me..."
As her eyes landed on the word brother, her face turned crimson, and her heart began pounding wildly.
"W-What the heck is this?! Why does this sound so embarrassing?!"
Feeling overwhelmed, she quickly stuffed the note into her bag, making sure no one else could see it.
Determined, she tore off another piece of paper and passed it to him.
"I've never seen you fight before, so how do I know you're strong? Why don't we spar after school?"
Liuyun stared at the note, speechless.
"She's cute, but her personality is way too wild... Does she always want to fight?"
Before he could respond, another paper ball hit his head.
"What's wrong? Are you scared? Coward..."
Liuyun turned and rolled his eyes at her.
"This girl is way too arrogant. Does she still think I'm the pushover Uchiha Liuyun from before?"
With a smirk, he grabbed his pen and wrote in bold strokes:
"Don't run after school if you've got the guts!"
When Kushina read it, she couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Unfortunately, her sudden outburst caught the attention of their teacher.
"Kushina, what's so funny? Am I teaching a comedy class?" The math teacher scowled.
Kushina froze.
"Oh no...!"
Her face turned pale as a drop of sweat slid down her cheek. Σ(っﾟДﾟ;)っ