Inside a classical and luxurious Japanese-style mansion, the moment the servant's voice rang out, young Hinata opened her eyes. In those clear, awake eyes, there was none of the reluctance toward the warm bed typical for a child of her age.
"I'm already awake."
Taking her cue, the servant opened the door and entered with a basin of hot water and a white towel. Hinata, like a doll, was carefully attended to, becoming more refined with each gesture.
"Miss, today is the first day of ninja school."
Hinata nodded slightly. "And Father?"
"The head of the family has important matters to attend to," the servant replied.
Upon hearing this, a slight dimness clouded Hinata's bright eyes. "I see..."
The servant, seemingly unaware of the change in Hinata's expression, continued tidying the room while speaking.
"However, there's another child in the family who is also of school age. The head of the family has arranged for him to be in the same class as you. He will take care of you."
"Take care of me?" Hinata murmured softly.
Sensing the subtle emotion in Hinata's tone, the servant took a deep breath and solemnly said, "Miss, this is the duty of every branch family member."
Duty...
Young Hinata didn't really understand what that word meant. She only knew that her father and her cousin Neji often spoke of it. The reason she felt sad just now was because she thought, "I'm not a little kid anymore, I can take care of myself."
After breakfast, the servant escorted her to the door. There, a boy about her age had been waiting for quite some time.
The boy was handsome, but Hinata's gaze wasn't on his face; instead, she focused on his forehead.
On his smooth forehead was a green crossed symbol with two hooks facing opposite directions.
She remembered that when she was younger, her cousin Neji used to show his forehead like this too. Back then, there were no marks on his forehead. But one day, Neji started covering it with a cloth, and he never smiled at her again.
She didn't dare ask why, and much later, her father explained the meaning of the "Caged Bird" seal.
In the Hyuga clan, except for her father and herself, almost everyone covered their foreheads. Sometimes with headbands, sometimes with bandages, or hats...
But this child was different from everyone else Hinata had met. He wore the Hyuga clan's usual white robe, bowed slightly in front of her, and behaved in perfect alignment with Hyuga etiquette.
"Nice to meet you, Lady Hinata. I am Hyuga Seiji."
His voice was soft, not particularly pleasant, but comforting to hear.
"Mm."
Hinata nodded slightly, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, but Seiji could hear her.
The two children walked side by side toward the school. Unlike the noisy children on the same path, they were quiet, their eyes focused straight ahead, never looking around.
Many people on the street were surprised to see such calm children, but once they noticed their pale white eyes, the surprise quickly turned into understanding.
"The Hyuga clan, of course. They're always like that."
Strict adherence to ancient traditions and etiquette, though not very likable, was still better than those Uchihas.
There were only a few people in the classroom—besides Hinata and Seiji, there was also Kiba Inuzuka, who had a white dog on his head.
Unlike the ever-proper and refined Hinata, Seiji's demeanor became more casual and relaxed once they left the Hyuga compound and especially upon entering the ninja academy. He no longer displayed the Hyuga clan's usual rigid formality.
He leaned lazily on his desk, resting his chin on his hand, his white eyes staring aimlessly out the window, giving no indication of whether he was daydreaming or not.
"Oh?"
At that moment, he noticed Hinata's gaze shifting between the little white dog and the empty blackboard.
Does she like that white dog?
Well, it makes sense. Girls her age have a hard time resisting cute creatures like that.
After thinking for a moment, Seiji stood up and walked over to Kiba.
"Hello, my name is Hyuga Seiji. May I get to know you and your companion?"
Kiba was a little startled, seemingly not expecting someone to approach him so warmly on the first day of school.
"Hello, I'm Kiba Inuzuka."
Kiba cleared his throat twice and then, more seriously than when introducing himself, said, "This is my partner, Akamaru."
"Woof, woof!" Akamaru happily barked twice in response.
Seiji wasn't particularly experienced at interacting with kids, but for someone like Kiba, who wore his heart on his sleeve, a few compliments for Akamaru could easily increase his favorability—and it was a two-for-one deal.
Hinata, following the etiquette instilled by her father, Hiashi, remained composed. But when Seiji's voice reached her ears, she couldn't help but glance over, her eyes showing a hint of unspoken envy.
It was her first time seeing a Hyuga clan member act so freely.
As one of the two great noble families of Konoha, the Hyuga clan often came across as rigid and polite, while the Uchiha clan appeared arrogant and impolite.
But in truth, those who knew them well would say that the Uchihas were only hard to approach on the surface, and the Hyugas were only easy to approach on the surface.
In Hinata's eyes—perhaps in the eyes of every Hyuga clan member—what Seiji had just done was akin to a noble lowering his status to befriend a commoner.
She didn't understand. Wouldn't Seiji be scolded for doing this?
If only I could be as brave as Seiji, I might have learned his name that winter night...
"Lady Hinata."
Seiji's voice suddenly broke her train of thought.
"I'm here," she instinctively replied.
Only after speaking did she realize, and she quickly looked at Seiji.
In the next moment, Seiji placed the little white dog on her desk.
"Lady Hinata, Akamaru seems to like you too."
The girl's pale eyes met Akamaru's dark ones. The little dog barked happily and then leaned forward slightly.
Hinata hesitated for a moment, glancing at Seiji, then at Kiba.
Slowly, she reached out her hand and gently stroked the warm fur on Akamaru's head with her thumb.
[Hinata Hyuga feels happy because of your actions. +1 free attribute point]