Chapter 4: The Hyuga Compound and the Soup Catapult part-2
[SHOP HIGHLIGHTS]
Iron Skirt Technique: Prevents your skirt from flipping up during combat. (Cost: 2,000 Points)The Dignity Saver: A passive aura that makes people forget your embarrassment after 24 hours. (Cost: 5,000 Points)Skill: Trip Immunity (Level 1): Reduces the chance of falling by 10 percent. (Cost: 1,500 Points)Item: Super Glue: For keeping clothes attached. (Cost: 100 Points)
I groaned. "Everything useful is too expensive. I only have 1,050 points."
[Suggestion: You could buy the Super Glue. It might have helped with Ko's trousers.]
(Do not mention Ko's trousers. I am trying to repress that memory.)
"Hinata-sama."
A voice called from outside my sliding door. It was a servant. "Lord Hiashi requests your presence for dinner."
My stomach did a somersault. Dinner with Father. This was the boss battle. Hiashi Hyuga was terrifying in the anime. In person, he was like a walking iceberg. If I embarrassed myself in front of him...
(Deep breaths, Hinata. Just walk in, sit down, eat quietly, and do not touch anyone. The table is large. There is no way I can accidentally grope my father. That is impossible. Even this System has limits, right?)
[System: ...]
The silence from the System was not reassuring.
.....................….
The dining hall was vast and dimly lit. Hiashi sat at the head of the low table, his posture perfect. My younger sister, Hanabi, sat to his left. She was looking at me with curious eyes.
"Sit," Hiashi commanded.
I walked to my designated cushion on the right side of the table and sat down in seiza style. I kept my eyes lowered.
"You were late returning from the Academy," Hiashi said. His voice was flat and emotionless. "Ko reported an... incident in the garden."
I choked on my own spit. (Oh no. He knows. He knows I pantsed Ko.)
"He said he suffered a wardrobe malfunction," Hiashi continued, picking up his chopsticks. "Ensure you are not distracting the guards with your clumsiness, Hinata."
"Y-Yes, Father," I whispered.
The meal began in silence. The only sounds were the clicking of chopsticks and the soft slurping of miso soup. I moved with the speed of a sloth. I picked up a piece of tofu. I ate it. Safe. I picked up some rice. I ate it. Safe.
(I can do this. I am doing it. I am winning.)
"Hinata," Hiashi said suddenly.
I jumped. "Yes!"
"I heard reports that you caused a commotion in class today with the Uzumaki boy." Hiashi turned his pale eyes toward me. "Explain."
My hands started to tremble. Explain? How could I explain that the laws of physics hate me?
"I... we... it was an accident," I stammered. "He fell."
"A ninja does not fall," Hiashi stated. "A ninja is aware of their surroundings at all times."
He held out his empty tea cup toward me. "More tea."
This was a test. A test of my composure. I had to pour the tea perfectly.
I picked up the ceramic teapot. It felt heavy in my shaking hands. I shuffled forward on my knees toward the head of the table.
(Steady. Steady. Just pour the liquid into the cup.)
I reached out. The spout hovered over his cup.
[Ding!]
[Tension Detected. System Boredom Level: High. Activating Rito Effect Level 2: The Treacherous Utensil.]
(No! Please, not now!)
As I tilted the pot, the lid—which I was sure was secure—decided to defy gravity. It did not just fall off; it popped off as if it was spring-loaded.
The lid bounced off the rim of the teacup.
Clink.
The impact caused the cup to flip into the air.
The hot tea, which should have spilled on the table, instead launched upward in a perfect arc.
Time slowed down. I watched in horror as a stream of steaming green tea flew through the air. It bypassed the table. It bypassed the empty space. It landed, with sniper-like precision, directly onto Hiashi Hyuga's crotch.
Hiashi did not scream. He did not yell.
He simply froze. His eyes widened a fraction of an inch. A vein bulged on his forehead.
"..."
"..."
Hanabi dropped her chopsticks.
I was still holding the teapot, frozen in a pouring motion.
(I am dead. I am absolutely dead. I have scalded the Clan Head's... legacy.)
[Ding!]
[Critical Hit! "The Patriarch's Pain." You have assaulted the Clan Head in a sensitive area.]
[Reward: 1,000 Shy Points.]
[Bonus: 200 Points for accuracy.]
Hiashi slowly placed his hands on the table. He took a deep breath, his knuckles turning white. He stood up very, very slowly.
"Hinata," he said, his voice an octave higher than usual.
"Y-Y-Yes, F-Father?" I squeaked.
"Go to your room," he whispered, his voice trembling with suppressed rage and pain. "Immediately."
"Yes, Father!"
I did not wait. I scrambled backward, bowed so fast my head hit the floor, and then scrambled out of the room on my hands and knees.
As I fled down the hallway, I heard Hanabi ask, "Father, why are you walking like a cowboy?"
I slammed my bedroom door shut and collapsed against it, sliding down to the floor. I buried my face in my hands.
(I poured boiling tea on my father's crotch. I pantsed my bodyguard. And I was fondled by Naruto. All in one day.)
[System Summary: A very productive day, Host. You have earned a total of 2,250 Shy Points. You can now afford the "Iron Skirt" technique.]
"I do not want an Iron Skirt!" I cried into my hands. "I want a hole to crawl into and die!"
[Request denied. Get some sleep, Host. Tomorrow is team placement day. Imagine the possibilities! Three-man cells! Cramped spaces! Joint training!]
I let out a long, despairing groan.
Tomorrow was going to be a nightmare. I could feel it.
...........
Status End of Day 1:
Name: Hinata HyugaShy Points: 2,250Mental State: CriticalReputation: The clumsy girl who attacks groins.
Next Step: Team Seven, Eight, and Ten formation.