Chapter 112: Naruko, Give Up
Seeing their serious expressions, Yu shifted to a relaxed smile: "But even if we really encounter someone I can't defeat, I'm still confident I can get you both out safely. Just think of it as a protective charm."
Sasuko and Naruko's expressions eased slightly, though their eyes still carried traces of contemplation.
Sasuko's beautiful eyes shifted, and she suddenly spoke: "It doesn't matter. I'll stay by Yu's side anyway, not going anywhere."
Those words made Naruko feel a bit sour.
She knew she couldn't say such things as naturally as Sasuko could right now—no matter how Sasuko expressed her feelings, she and Yu still shared that inseparable bond as "adoptive siblings."
But Naruko also understood Yu's warning. He hoped they would stay away from danger.
She gathered her thoughts and showed a bright smile: "I'll be careful and stay safe. Don't worry, Yu."
Seeing both understood his meaning, Yu nodded with satisfaction.
"Good. I need to handle some matters first. You two can go out and enjoy yourselves together." As he spoke, he retrieved two stacks of bills from the Kamui dimension, handing them to Sasuko and Naruko respectively.
The moment they received them, his figure had already vanished from where he stood.
He needed to find a secluded place to properly consolidate his recently achieved breakthrough, and test how much the Earth's magnetic field suppressed his current power level.
The courtyard returned to silence, leaving only Sasuko and Naruko holding their stacks of bills.
The smile on Sasuko's face dissipated, returning to cold indifference.
She'd thought victory was assured—Yu had not only personally erased Naruko's Flying Thunder God mark, but had even been so intimate with her... Though they hadn't taken the final step, that excitement couldn't be faked.
She understood clearly what stood between them was merely that ridiculous "adoptive siblings" designation.
They shared no blood relation whatsoever, yet Yu acted like an old-fashioned fool, forever unable to cross that boundary in his heart.
At his age in this era, he should have started a family long ago. She truly didn't know what he was still hesitating about.
Sometimes Sasuko really wanted to take the initiative regardless of everything, except this person was completely impervious.
Since that night, he'd become increasingly restrained. Even sharing the same bed, he was as rigid as a wooden post.
Yu, that idiot...
She raised her eyes toward Naruko across from her. The barely concealed joy in those features made her heart surge with unease again.
She'd been waiting with growing impatience, a dark gleam quietly passing through her eyes.
At this moment, Naruko felt like she was floating with lightness.
To Yu, this might just be pocket money given to juniors before going out, but to her it held extraordinary significance—this was something Yu had personally handed her, a connection between them.
She carefully rubbed the edge of the bills, secretly deciding to treasure them properly, unwilling to spend even a single coin.
"Naruko, what's making you so happy?"
The small Nine-Tails inside her body sensed her joyful emotions and asked softly.
Naruko didn't answer, just kept smiling foolishly with pursed lips, her cheeks flushing with a faint red.
"Naruko, there's something you should understand clearly."
Sasuko's voice pulled Naruko back from her joy.
She was rarely addressed so formally by the other—not "little blonde," not "dead-last."
"What is it, Sasuko?"
"About Yu erasing your Flying Thunder God mark." Sasuko's tone was calm, yet made Naruko's heart clench.
"What are you trying to say?"
"Give up." Sasuko looked directly into her eyes. "Yu protects you only out of care for a junior. He won't develop other feelings for you. Rather than getting hurt in the end, better to let go now. With your qualities, you won't lack people who like you."
She paused, her voice slowing: "Besides, you have so many friends. Why insist on competing with me? As long as you're willing to give up, I can also become your friend."
Naruko listened silently, her fingers clutching the bills unconsciously tightening.
"I've said it before—my world only has Yu." Sasuko's tone carried finality. "You've never seen anyone else around me, have you? Whether teachers or classmates, none of them matter to me. But you're the first person I've considered a friend... I don't want to watch you get hurt in the end."
Each sentence fell like heavy stones into Naruko's heart. She didn't refute because she knew Sasuko spoke the truth.
Watching Naruko's lowered head, a trace of reluctance passed through Sasuko's heart.
She understood this feeling of yearning for the unattainable, but she had to make things clear—not only out of possessiveness toward Yu, but also to preserve their rare friendship.
She understood Naruko.
This girl who seemed to show smiles to everyone rarely truly placed anyone in her heart. But once she recognized someone, she'd stubbornly persist.
But she herself was different.
No matter who Yu ultimately chose, she would remain by his side—unless she died.
This obsession ran so deep it had even awakened her Mangekyo Sharingan.
She couldn't imagine the scene of Yu choosing someone else. Just the thought was enough to make her lose control.
Sasuko stepped forward, her voice low but clear: "Besides, can you imagine yourself getting together with Yu while bypassing me?"
That sentence struck precisely at the most vulnerable place in Naruko's heart.
Sasuko's meaning couldn't be clearer—she would never let go, would even force Yu to make a choice.
And Naruko truly couldn't imagine Yu abandoning Sasuko.
From the very beginning, Yu's gaze had always first fallen on Sasuko.
Sasuko slowly paced beside Naruko, continuing: "Perhaps Yu is still trapped in habits formed over a decade, perhaps he still worries about how others view me... but I've never thought that way. We share no blood relation, aren't truly siblings. He was adopted by my parents."
Her tone gradually firmed: "All these years, he may have always seen himself as an older brother, but I'm different. From a very long time ago, my feelings for him have been more than just a sister's toward her brother. This adoration—I've silently carried it for so many years, worked so hard for so many years."
Sasuko stopped walking, her gaze burning into Naruko: "I believe that someday, I'll make him completely accept me. Naruko, you should understand my meaning."
Her words fell like cold raindrops, each one striking Naruko's heart.
She listened and listened, her eyes unconsciously reddening.
Each attempt to dissuade her, she couldn't refute.
From a realistic perspective, everything Sasuko said was right—her own chances were truly slim.
But... but...
A powerful unwillingness surged from the depths of her heart.
Why? She also deeply loved Yu just the same.
Since childhood, she'd always lived in loneliness. At first, everyone around her had detested her. It was Yu's appearance that brought the first ray of light to her gray world.
She'd worked so hard trying to approach that light, yearned so desperately to grasp it tightly.
Why should she give up now? Why wouldn't they leave even the tiniest bit of hope for her?
She bit her lower lip, her nails digging into her palms.
She understood all those rational analyses, but if feelings could be easily controlled, how would they cause such pain?
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