8.1 — Time Skip: Two Years Later
At age 8, the world started changing.
Minato was still Minato—bright, bold, kind, and blissfully unaware of the emotional damage he caused daily.
But now, his height had shot up a little. His hair had gotten fluffier. His smile had become sharper. And he'd unknowingly activated the latent romantic instincts in half the student body.
As for Chiharu… she'd become what the boys called "the School's Cool Goddess" and what the girls called "The Queen of Sanity Who Keeps the Idiots in Line."
Together, they were chaos.
And they were royalty.
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8.2 — POV: Random Boy in Class
> "Minato-kun is too cool, bro."
> "He helped that first grader carry her books and said 'Don't worry, heroes help everyone!'—I swear she almost fainted."
> "He held the door open and said 'Ladies first'—and the entire soccer team blushed."
> "I saw him tie Chiharu-sama's shoelaces and smile like a prince…"
> "…Why is he allowed to be this powerful?"
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8.3 — POV: Random Girl in Class
> "Minato-kun complimented my drawing. I'm framing it."
> "I dropped my pencil and he picked it up and said, 'It rolled far—like it's going on a journey.' I almost cried."
> "But it's no use... Chiharu-sama always walks beside him. They breathe together. It's fate."
> "Also, I tried to talk to him once, and she gave me the look."
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8.4 — Chiharu Aizawa: Queen of the Battleground
Chiharu had long since accepted that the battlefield was emotional.
Every day, new love notes appeared in Minato's cubby. Every week, a girl tried to "confess" to him behind the school building. Every time, Minato would tilt his head and reply with something like:
> "That's really nice of you! But I already promised Chii-chan I'd eat lunch with her forever."
He didn't get it.
And somehow, that made him more dangerous.
So Chiharu adapted.
She:
Became the top scorer in every subject.
Silenced class chaos with a single glance.
Deflected half of Minato's fan club using pure logic and a steel smile.
Invented a "no romantic approach" radius around Minato during recess.
> "He doesn't belong to anyone," she said once. "But if you come too close, you better be ready to duel with me."
It was said the girls in class feared her as much as they admired her.
And the boys?
They prayed for her to look their way, even once.
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8.5 — Minato Tachibana: The King Without a Crown
Minato, meanwhile, was living his best life.
> "Chii-chan, did you see? I climbed that tree and didn't fall!"
> "Chii-chan, your braid today looks like a double helix. Science is pretty!"
> "Chii-chan, if we were manga characters, you'd definitely be the genius female lead and I'd be the goofball sidekick who accidentally saves the world."
Chiharu:
> "Could you… maybe stop making my heart explode daily?"
Minato:
> "What?"
He was still dense. Still pure. Still shining. But deeper inside—somewhere still sealed—there was the faint, flickering instinct of someone who used to love her endlessly.
Sometimes, he stared at her when she wasn't looking.
And smiled.
> "Feels like we've been together forever."
> "We have," Chiharu whispered under her breath. "You just don't remember yet…"
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8.6 — The Classroom Royalty
The teachers had unofficially nicknamed them "The Emperor and Empress."
Whenever a classmate acted up, the duo handled it before the teacher even got there.
Minato: "Hey, hey, bullying's uncool. Want to join us instead?"
Chiharu: "And if you ever talk to someone like that again, I will rewrite your reputation from scratch."
They made a terrifyingly balanced team.
Smart and silly. Cute and sharp. Chaos and control.
And no one could break into their bond—not for lack of trying.
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8.7 — A Quiet Moment (Minato's POV)
One afternoon, they sat beneath a sakura tree on the edge of the schoolyard.
Chiharu leaned back against the trunk, reading.
Minato rested beside her, hands behind his head.
> "You're really cool, you know that?" he said suddenly.
> "Eh?"
> "Like... I don't know. When I'm with you, I don't worry about anything. It's like... this is where I'm supposed to be."
> "Th-That's just because I manage your homework and correct your math mistakes."
> "Nah. I think I'd find you no matter what."
Chiharu froze.
> "W-What do you mean?"
He smiled, eyes closed.
> "Nothing. Just feels like… you're important. Like always."
Chiharu turned her face away, heart screaming.
> You're remembering… aren't you? Just a little…