"Good morning, Ruri."
Like usual, he greeted Ruri, but Ruri turned her head to glance at him, nodded, and that was her response.
Hakushi was slightly taken aback; he assumed Ruri would, as usual, ignore his greeting...
Being able to get a response from her meant his strength was acknowledged, right?
After all, when Ruri first introduced herself, she said she had no intention of sharing things with weaklings... This means she only acknowledges strong people and probably doesn't bother with greetings from the weak.
Such a straightforward and brutal code of conduct.
"About last night, could you please..."
With a somewhat awkward expression, Hakushi spoke to Ruri with a flattering smile.
Ruri glanced at Hakushi and said, "I know, I won't tell anyone. I'll keep this secret for you. But in return, if I have training requests, you mustn't delay."
Only then did Hakushi breathe a sigh of relief, smiling, "Of course, I'd be happy to."
Soon, his seatmate, Hyuga Ayane, arrived, greeted Hakushi, took her seat, and started talking with the girl in front of her.
The class bell rang, and today's first class was a brainwashing session on 'promoting the Will of Fire.'
Pulling out the book "First Hokage and the Will of Fire," Hakushi felt this course was pure torture for him, but he had to pretend to listen attentively.
He really needed to maintain the facade of political correctness.
Not long after, Hakushi felt a poke on his right arm with a finger.
Turning his head, he saw Ruri pretending to listen earnestly to the lecture.
Then, he looked down and saw a piece of paper with the words 'Do you really dislike this course?' written on it.
Quickly, Hakushi took out a piece of paper and thought for a moment, then replied to Ruri with one sentence—
—No, I think Teacher Fujimura's lecture is excellent. I also want to inherit the Will of Fire of the First Hokage in the future and become a remarkable Konoha Ninja.
Ruri turned her head and gave Hakushi a dissatisfied glare, instantly realizing he was lying.
—On the first day of class when you opened the book "First Hokage and the Will of Fire," I noticed something was off with your expression. Were you scared or worried about something?
—I had a stomachache from eating expired bread that day, so my face looked bad.
—Liar. Remember at the start of school, you told Ayane that you had a stomachache from expired milk?
"..."
Hakushi felt embarrassed.
He had completely forgotten about that, but Ruri remembered.
—It's true, I never lie.
—You're a man I've acknowledged; I will keep your secret.
The two passed notes back and forth, and Hakushi found chatting with Ruri was far more interesting than listening to the brainwashing class.
Just then, a gentle poke came from his left arm.
Hakushi turned his head and found Ayane, like Ruri, was pretending to listen attentively and handed him a small note.
—What are you two discussing?
She seemed quite interested in joining Hakushi and Ruri's conversation.
Women and their gossip.
Hakushi paused in thought, tore off a slip of paper, and replied—
—We're talking about the new Ichiraku Ramen shop that just opened in the village. Their ramen is delicious.
After receiving the note, Ayane wrote something back.
—Ichiraku Ramen? I know it too. Even though it's just opened, the ramen there is indeed very tasty. Shall we go there together after school, Hakushi-kun?
—Sure.
Without much thought, Hakushi wrote a response on a note and passed it to Ruri.
—Ruri, let's go to Ichiraku Ramen after school; the ramen there is delicious, and Ayane will be joining us too.
—Whatever.
'Whatever' meant she agreed.
Hakushi nodded.
From the podium, class teacher Fujimura Daiga looked at them slightly helplessly.
Do you all think your teacher is blind?
Seeing the three happily exchanging notes and whispering secrets, Fujimura Daiga realized he had reached his limit.
"Hey, you three, stop passing notes in class and stand outside to listen!"
Just because you're top students doesn't mean you can do whatever in class. Fujimura Daiga felt he had to act like a class teacher should.
This bunch of brats is too unruly; it's essential to put them in their place.
Hakushi and the other two didn't resist and went outside to stand as punishment.
"I thought I was discreet, and Teacher Fujimura wouldn't notice. I didn't expect to get caught," Ayane said with a helpless smile of resignation.
Ruri lightly commented, "I thought even if he saw it, he wouldn't bother us. At twenty-something years old, still a Chunin? With a Chunin of that level teaching us about ninja skills, I'm genuinely worried about the quality of education at the Ninja School."
In Ruri's eyes, the three of them, 'geniuses', could do as they pleased in class.
This is a privilege unique to geniuses.
Hakushi: "..."
Hey, hey, you two geniuses, enough already.
Do you really think Teacher Fujimura can't hear you outside?
He never imagined the usually quiet and well-behaved Ayane had a mischievous side.
◎
Ichiraku Ramen Shop.
This is a new ramen shop opened in Konoha Village.
Although business doesn't seem to be booming yet, after Hakushi tried it once, he was deeply hooked on the delicious ramen. The popularity was only a matter of time.
"I'll treat you tonight, eat as much as you want."
After school in the afternoon, he brought Ayane and Ruri to Ichiraku Ramen, sat down, and said boldly.
The main question was: how much could these two little sprouts eat?
The three of them might only manage four or five bowls of large ramen at most.
This much, Hakushi could afford.
Ruri didn't comment, but Ayane hesitated and said, "Um, Hakushi-kun, maybe we should each pay for ourselves."
"No worries, Ayane. Don't worry about my wallet; I can afford a few bowls of ramen."
Hakushi said with a nonchalant smile.
Hearing Hakushi say that, Ayane couldn't refuse anymore.
"Alright then, if you find your wallet can't handle it, just let me know, and I'll stop eating so much."
"?"
Hakushi looked at Ayane a bit puzzled, not understanding what she meant.
"Anyway, just open up and eat; I'll cover all the ramen tonight."
After saying this, Hakushi started to order food, urging the owner to serve the ramen quickly.
The owner of Ichiraku Ramen was a man in his thirties, and with him was his son, a delicate-looking boy named Teuchi.
Indeed, the ramen at Ichiraku Ramen was very good. Hakushi quickly polished off two large bowls.
Then he looked over at Ruri, noticing she only ordered one bowl; after all, she was a girl with a small appetite.
Next, Hakushi turned his gaze to Ayane.
He opened his mouth but couldn't utter a word.
What were those towering stacks?
How much had Ayane eaten?
One... Four... Seven... Nine... Thirteen...
The number of bowls continued to rise.
Hakushi felt an intense heartache.
My poor wallet!
Ayane noticed both Hakushi and Ruri were looking at her in bewilderment. She blushed shyly and stopped eating, murmuring softly:
"Actually, my appetite is just a tad larger than others..."
If it weren't for the towering stacks of bowls in front of Ayane, Hakushi and Ruri might have believed her.
If she's like this now, what will she be like when she grows up?
Hakushi couldn't help but worry about Ayane's future husband.
If she ate like this at every meal, most people simply couldn't afford it.