Hinata had been feeling troubled lately.
Her former followers had proactively clarified the rumors about Toneri to outsiders, but she still felt guilty and wanted to make it up to him.
She thought Ino and Sakura were both good girls.
Unlike others, they didn't try to flatter her, and they were genuinely loyal to their friends.
Since there was already some chemistry between Sakura and Sasuke, Hinata figured she might as well introduce Ino to Toneri.
As for other girls, she really couldn't think of anyone else who would be a good match for him.
Unfortunately, now that Ino had figured out her intentions, Hinata's plan had fallen through.
Toneri was a gentle person and probably wouldn't blame her for this whole mess.
But the more he let it slide, the guiltier Hinata felt.
After thinking it over, she decided that if a direct introduction wouldn't work, she could at least create an opportunity for them to meet naturally.
She took Sakura and Ino to a bubble tea shop, knowing that they often ran into Neji and the others there.
As expected, when she spotted Kensuke and Daito walking in to buy drinks, she also saw Neji, Toneri, and Jugo standing outside the shop.
Without hesitation, Hinata called out to them.
"Neji!"
Neji turned his gaze toward her without much surprise.
He was already used to her calling his name so directly.
Clearing her throat, Hinata said, "Let me introduce you. This is Hyuga Neji, this is Hyuga Toneri, and this is Jugo."
Sakura and Ino politely greeted them.
They knew all three of them, of course—after all, who at the academy didn't recognize Prince Neji?
Hinata then introduced the girls at her side. "This is Haruno Sakura, and this is Yamanaka Ino."
Neji glanced at the two girls thoughtfully.
It was the first time Hinata had ever introduced people to him.
In the past, she never even mentioned the names of those so-called followers of hers.
"Hello, I'm Hyuga Neji." He gave his sister some respect by nodding politely toward the two girls.
Sakura was immediately flattered. "Prince Neji, hello!"
Hinata, however, said, "No need to be so formal. Just call him Neji like I do."
Neji sighed helplessly but, seeing Hinata's attitude, he understood that his sister must truly consider these two as friends.
He thought for a moment before saying, "You don't need to call me 'prince.' I'm just a year ahead of you. If you don't want to call me by name, 'senpai' is fine."
"Neji-senpai!" Ino suddenly spoke up with a bright smile.
She then turned to Toneri and Jugo, greeting them as well.
Toneri responded with a polite smile, while Jugo remained indifferent, as if he had no interest in the conversation at all.
Then, in front of Sakura and Ino, Hinata suddenly began praising Toneri, talking about how popular he was in class and how excellent his grades were.
This made Toneri feel a little embarrassed.
Neji glanced at Hinata but didn't say anything.
However, Ino's gaze was focused on Neji instead. "But Neji-senpai is the top student, right?"
Neji let out a simple "Ah" in acknowledgment, though he knew that his position as the top student wasn't entirely solid—Toneri often let him have the spot.
Hinata then went on to praise Ino in front of Neji and Toneri, emphasizing how great she was.
Everyone present, except Jugo, quickly realized what she was trying to do.
But the smile on Ino's face faded, and her attention remained on Neji the whole time.
Hinata sensed that something was off, and her own smile stiffened slightly.
At that moment, Kensuke and Daito, who had gone inside to buy bubble tea, came back out.
When they saw Hinata, they greeted her respectfully. "Princess Hinata."
"We'll be heading off now."
Neji left with his group, and Ino waved at him with a bright smile as she said goodbye.
Hinata finally couldn't hold back and questioned her, "Why are you being so attentive to Neji?"
Ino turned the question back on her. "Then who should I be attentive to?"
That single sentence left Hinata speechless.
But Ino didn't stop there. "To you? Or to that Toneri?"
She crossed her arms over her chest, looking at Hinata with a cold smirk.
"You say you see us as friends, but that high-and-mighty attitude of yours hasn't changed one bit. You just think that compared to those people who used to follow you around, Sakura and I are more 'worthy' of being your friends, don't you?"
Hinata's face darkened, and she remained silent.
But Ino pressed on. "Who I like and who I want to be with—is that any of your business? If you really want to set me up with someone, why not introduce me to your brother? I wouldn't mind becoming your future sister-in-law."
"Ino!"
Sakura finally couldn't take it anymore and stepped in to stop her.
She turned to Hinata and quickly said, "Hinata, don't misunderstand. That's not what Ino means."
Hinata clenched her fists, her eyes locked onto Ino, while Ino stared right back at her without backing down.
"S-Stop it, both of you! Please, just calm down!"
Sakura was getting anxious, desperately trying to mediate between them, but the two ignored her.
Overwhelmed with frustration, Sakura suddenly squatted down and burst into tears.
Her crying immediately flustered Ino, who quickly crouched beside her. "Sakura, don't cry!"
Hinata also calmed down, her tense posture loosening.
She watched silently as Sakura sat there sobbing.
At that moment, Ino lifted her head and shot Hinata a fierce glare.
A lot of passersby had started watching the commotion.
Hinata remained silent for a long time before suddenly speaking to the squatting Sakura.
"Sakura… I… I'm sorry."
After saying this, her gaze wavered slightly, as if avoiding eye contact.
It was the first time she had ever apologized to someone.
Sakura wiped her tears and stood up, looking at Hinata. "Hinata… you don't have to apologize to me."
Hinata felt her thoughts growing chaotic.
Without responding, she simply turned around and left.
After she was gone, Ino finally spoke up, complaining to Sakura, "I really can't stand her!"
Sakura sighed. "She didn't mean any harm."
Ino scoffed. "Then what gives her the right to make decisions for me?"
Sakura's voice softened. "I think… Toneri-senpai is actually pretty nice. A lot of girls in class like him."
"That's not the point. It's the way she just decides things on her own, acting all high and mighty—like introducing me to some guy should be an honor for me, and I should be grateful for it?"
"I don't think Hinata meant it that way."
"She totally did!"
"...Then, Ino, do you really like Neji?"
Ino shrugged. "He's not bad—handsome, a prince, definitely worth considering. But honestly, I was just doing that to mess with Hinata."
"Ino…"
That afternoon, Hinata didn't show up to class.
This made Sakura feel a little worried.
During the break, the group of girls who used to follow Hinata around suddenly approached Sakura and Ino.
"Hey, Yamanaka Ino, where's the big sis?" one of the girls asked unceremoniously.
Ino frowned. "How would I know?"
Another girl pointed at her and said, "You definitely know! You must have made her angry!"
Ino scoffed. "If she's skipping class just because I made her mad, then she's way too petty."
These words instantly enraged the group. "How dare you talk bad about the big sis!"
Sakura wanted to step in and mediate, but seeing how aggressive they looked, she couldn't find a chance to speak.
"Shut up already! You're all so noisy!"
At that moment, an impatient voice suddenly echoed through the classroom.
Everyone turned toward the source of the voice and saw that it was Sasuke who had spoken.
Immediately, the group lost their temper and fell silent.
They shot one last glare at Ino before turning back to their seats.
Meanwhile, Hinata was at the palace, lying on the reclining chair that her father often used, gazing calmly at the scenery outside.
But her father wasn't here—he was probably in the inner hall, keeping her mother company.
Samui was nearby, quietly handling official affairs.
Neither of them disturbed the other.
When Hinata turned her head toward Samui, she found that Samui was already watching her.
"What is it?" she asked.
Samui smiled faintly. "It's nothing. I just think that you resemble His Majesty a lot."
"How so?"
"When His Majesty lies there, he also likes to rest his chin on his hand while admiring the scenery outside."
Hinata paused in thought upon hearing this and suddenly realized that she did have this habit.
Now that she thought about it, her father seemed to do the same.
She asked, "Is my father usually very busy?"
Samui replied, "His Majesty is always occupied with the empire's affairs."
Hinata continued resting her chin on her hand, gazing out the window.
The towering buildings stretched before her—Konoha always changed so quickly.
Every few months, a new skyscraper would rise at the city's edges.
Her mother had once told her that everything in Konoha, everything in this world, belonged to their family.
But in front of outsiders, she still needed to behave properly and carry herself like a princess.
But that was something her mother had told her in private, completely different from what her father and others had taught her.
Since childhood, she had been surrounded by people showering her with admiration, and over time, she had come to believe that what her mother said was true.
If her mother was right, then what gave Yamanaka Ino the audacity to treat her that way?
"Is something troubling you, Your Highness?" Samui's gentle voice interrupted her thoughts.
Hinata glanced at her and gave a soft "Mm."
Samui smiled. "If Your Highness doesn't mind, you can share your troubles with me. Perhaps I can help clear up some of your doubts."
Hinata hesitated for a moment before finally explaining the entire situation.
Then she voiced her thoughts. "Toneri is so outstanding—so many girls like him. I introduced him to Ino, yet she had the nerve to refuse."
Samui's smile remained unchanged as she asked, "But what was Your Highness's true intention behind doing that?"
Hinata was caught off guard. "..."
Her gaze flickered slightly, and she pursed her lips without responding.
She realized that if she didn't speak the truth, then there was no point in discussing this with Samui.
If she just wanted to hear flattering words, she had plenty of followers who could provide those.
"…I think it's because I hurt Toneri, and I wanted to make it up to him."
After saying that, she felt somewhat dejected.
Samui said, "I believe Your Highness actually understands everything deep down—it's just that you haven't yet decided what you truly want."
"..."
What she truly wanted… She wanted friends like Sakura, and also… like Ino…
The people she had been surrounded by before bored her, yet she had grown accustomed to taking from them without giving anything in return, treating them with an air of entitlement.
At home, her father doted on her; outside, she was constantly admired and indulged.
No one had ever gone against her wishes.
But between friends, there should be mutual give and take.
If she treated Sakura and Ino the same way she had treated those people before, then while the timid Sakura might not say anything, there was no way Ino wouldn't push back.
Hinata leaned against the lounge chair, staring out of the floor-to-ceiling window in a daze.
Before school ended, she returned and went to Neji's class to find Toneri.
Feeling a little awkward, Hinata said, "The rumors about you at school—I was the one who started them. I didn't think much about it at the time, and I didn't expect things to turn out this way… Toneri, I'm sorry."
Toneri responded with a gentle smile. "It's fine. I didn't take it to heart. In fact, these rumors have actually been quite helpful—they've saved me from a lot of trouble."
Hinata was puzzled. "Eh?"
Toneri explained, "Neji's status is prestigious, so many girls who admire him don't dare to confess their feelings directly. But when it comes to me…"
He gave a helpless expression.
"So, people thinking I like boys actually spares me from a lot of unnecessary hassle. I don't really care about the rumors."
Hinata gazed at Toneri thoughtfully, then suddenly asked, "Wait, you don't actually like guys, do you? Is it Neji? Or Jugo? Or maybe Naruto… Sasuke?—Hiss! Don't tell me it's Kensuke, that chubby guy?!"
Toneri's expression immediately darkened.
Seeing his reaction, Hinata burst into laughter. "So, in a way, I actually did you a favor. You owe me one now!"
"You really know how to push your luck," Neji's voice suddenly sounded from the side.
Hinata shrugged. "Toneri already said it's a good thing for him, so how am I pushing my luck? Remember to treat me to a meal sometime!"
She winked at Toneri and then turned to leave.
"This girl is really something…" Neji said helplessly.
Toneri chuckled. "I actually think Hinata is quite cute."
Hearing this, Neji gave him a suspicious look.
"What?" Toneri asked.
"You should go get your eyes checked!"
—
Hinata walked to the entrance of her classroom and waited until the final class was over.
When Sakura and Ino came out, both of them were momentarily stunned to see her.
Ino scowled and turned her head away.
Sakura, however, stepped forward and asked with concern, "Hinata, where did you go this afternoon?"
"I… wasn't feeling well, so I went home," Hinata made up an excuse.
Sakura became even more worried. "Are you okay? Where do you feel unwell? Did you see a doctor?"
Hinata felt a warmth in her heart and replied, "I'm fine now. Thank you, Sakura."
Then, she looked at Ino.
Sakura hesitated for a moment, as if she wanted to say something.
Before she could, Hinata spoke first.
"Ino, I'm sorry!"
The words stunned not only Ino but also the surrounding classmates who had been passing by.
Even Naruto and Sasuke, who had just walked out of the classroom, looked over as if they had seen a ghost.
After saying it, Hinata felt surprisingly calm and continued, "Thinking about it carefully, I really was too much before. I've reflected on it seriously, and I hope you can forgive me. I really want to be friends with you."
Ino was completely stunned, staring blankly at Hinata.
Sakura secretly nudged her, but Ino could only respond with a confused, "Huh?"
"I said, I want to be friends with you, Ino."
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Hinata said this.
Ino snapped back to her senses, her eyes widening as she looked at Hinata.
"Eh?!"
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