And so, an entire year passed. Snow covered all of Konohagakure like an overwhelming wave of winter. The entire village looked so white and pure, and in the middle of it all, the boy who had just turned six walked casually with his hands in his pockets.
'It's quite relaxing.'
For some reason, snow had always made Toru feel nostalgic, but deep within his heart, a heartbreaking sensation would rise and strike him. He felt nostalgic, yet depressed at the same time. However, he didn't understand why this feeling lingered so deeply within his heart.
He looked up at the sky and let out a long sigh.
'It's been ten minutes since that girl started following me...'
Although it was only for a second, he glanced over his shoulder and saw someone behind a corner. She had dark blue hair and those unmistakable eyes. He looked forward again with his hands in his pockets.
"It's been a while. Why are you following me?"
A weak, surprised voice could be heard. The girl behind the wall stumbled backward and looked around, searching for an escape route. However, she quickly found herself cornered as Toru approached her.
"How did you know...?"
"You didn't hide very well. I could see your head."
"So that's why..."
After hearing the girl's answer, Toru loosened his scarf and looked the girl in the eyes.
"I don't know why you're following me, but I don't like it. If you want to talk to me, stand in front of me and do it. It's not that difficult."
"I... I... well..."
She looked around, trying not to make eye contact with Toru. She played with the sleeves of her sweater for a moment and tried to speak, but it was more difficult than it seemed.
"I shouldn't have to repeat myself. Talking to people is easier than it seems."
Although finding the right words to say wasn't always that easy. His harsh words caused tears to well up at the corners of the girl's eyes.
'Hm... She's going to cry. What should I do?'
He tilted his head curiously and thought. Then, some advice Kyoko had given him a few months ago came to mind.
"It's getting late, and it's cold. Do you want to get some ramen? My treat."
That's right. The advice Kyoko had given her son was simple. When a girl is sad, take her out to eat. When it's cold, something hot or warm is perfect, and ramen was one of the options.
"Uh... me?"
"I'll take that as a yes."
Without thinking twice, Toru took the girl's hand and led her toward the small ramen stand owned by the man who had once been a shinobi. In response, the girl froze when she felt her hand touch Toru's. Her face was slightly flushed from the cold, so she lowered her gaze.
'His hand is cold.'
She gently squeezed Toru's hand and shook her head.
'I don't understand. Everyone treats me badly because of my eyes. Nobody likes me, but with him, it seems different...'
She raised her gaze and looked at the boy's back.
"You're really strange."
Even though the girl said it quietly, Toru heard her.
"I've lost count of how many times I've been called that..."
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to offend you..."
"Don't worry. It doesn't bother me in the slightest."
***
A few minutes later, bowls of ramen had already been served on the table in front of the children. Toru picked up his chopsticks and brought his hands together.
"Thanks for the meal."
Then, he picked up a piece of meat from the bowl and took a bite. As expected, the meat was delicious to him. The seasoning had been used perfectly. Surely, that was because the owner of this small restaurant already had plenty of experience in his craft.
"I forgot... What's your name? Judging by your eyes, you're from the Hyūga clan. Even so, you never mentioned your name."
The girl became a little nervous at this. It was true that she had never mentioned her name, but the reason she had remained silent was because she didn't know the name of the boy she had been watching for such a long time. Toru easily noticed this.
"Asahi Toru. That's my name. What's yours?"
She hesitated for a few seconds before answering.
"Hinata... Hyūga Hinata..."
"I see. It's good to know. It'll make it easier for me to talk to you."
With that said, he continued eating his ramen casually. There was a certain delicacy to his movements despite the fact that he was only eating a bowl of soup. It was, in a way, rather elegant.
"...You really like ramen... don't you?"
She said this quietly.
"My mother buys ramen from time to time. She usually shares it with me, so I suppose I do..."
"I see..."
An awkward silence took over the scene. Hinata thought she had managed to start a good conversation with Toru, but she soon realized that wasn't the case. Neither of them had very good social skills, so it was difficult for either of them to choose something to talk about.
And so, ten whole minutes passed until they finished their food. Toru had already paid for everything, but he couldn't find a good moment to leave, and it was starting to make him a little uncomfortable. He had thought he would simply eat ramen with this girl and that would be the end of it. They would each go home, and the day would be over, but no. Everything was going rather badly.
Well, Toru was quite an intelligent boy, but thinking about something that didn't involve electrical mechanisms was challenging. In the end, he had no choice but to solve the problem in an unconventional way.
"It's getting colder. Do you want me to walk you home, Hinata-san?"
Hinata was startled by the sudden interaction, but quietly accepted the offer.
"Okay. Then let's go before the evening mist gets any thicker."
"Yes..."
***
Hinata told Toru which direction her house was in, so now the two of them were on their way there. But, just like at the restaurant, the silence was awkward.
Toru walked two steps ahead of Hinata. The girl kept wondering why this boy acted so strangely. She couldn't get the matter out of her mind, because whenever she tried to forget about it, she found herself thinking about it again.
"Can I ask you something...?"
"Go ahead..."
"You... Why are you like this with me?"
"What do you mean?"
The question left him confused. He hadn't done anything to confuse Hinata, so if something bad had happened, it wasn't his fault. However, he wasn't expecting what came next.
"Everyone looks at me badly... Everyone is afraid or disgusted when they see my eyes... but you're kind... You didn't treat me that way, and you never said anything that made me feel bad."
She stopped behind Toru and looked at the ground, trying to hide her embarrassed face. Her face was no longer flushed from the cold. Now, she was simply embarrassed by herself.
"Why are you like this...? Why do you make me feel this way...?"
She raised her gaze, and her moon-white eyes met the silver eyes of the boy in front of her.
"Please... answer me."
She remembered how everyone treated her, and inevitably, tears began to roll down her cheeks. She tried to bury her sobs deep within her heart and lowered her gaze so he wouldn't see her crying. However, she felt something warm on top of her head. She raised her gaze, and their eyes met once again.
"I'll take you home, okay?"
His face, as always, was completely expressionless, but somehow, his silver eyes seemed to show something more. He took Hinata's hand and continued walking.
'Looks like my mother is going to scold me for coming home late tonight.'