Chapter 106: Confession
The Land of Lightning was a truly magical country.
Unlike the Land of Rivers, with its continuous mountain ranges where villages and cities could be built on the mountainsides and at the foot of the mountains,
The Land of Lightning was established atop towering, cloud-piercing peaks, where mist lingered during the day, occasionally echoing with deafening thunder.
Military bases were hidden within the clouds, hence the name Cloud Hidden Village.
However, at night, especially on rare cloudless nights, this country would become exceptionally beautiful.
"Izayoi-kun, look, look! The starry sky is so close, so beautiful!"
At nine o'clock in the evening, Izayoi and Hinata climbed from the foot of a large mountain to its summit.
Hinata, unaware that she had already left the country, thought Izayoi was taking her for some after-dinner exercise, so she enthusiastically started climbing.
Now that they had finally reached the top, the girl, filled with a sense of accomplishment, mistakenly believed she had discovered the surprise Izayoi had prepared, and couldn't help but grab his hand, pointing at the starry sky and cheering.
"No matter how beautiful the starry sky is, it can't compare to even a fraction of Hinata's beauty," Izayoi's sweet words came out naturally, making the girl's cheeks flush red.
However, the joy of the moment had already overshadowed her fleeting shyness.
Hinata proactively linked her arm with Izayoi's, leaned her head on his shoulder, and said softly while gazing at the starry sky, "Izayoi-kun, thank you for the surprise. This is the first time I've admired the starry sky from such a high place."
Hearing this, Izayoi was slightly taken aback.
Looking down at the girl with a radiant smile, a face full of happiness, so easily satisfied, Izayoi couldn't help but lean in and kiss her cheek, smiling, "This is just the beginning. I have many more surprises prepared for you."
Then, holding the girl's small hand, whose temperature was rapidly rising due to the sudden attack of emotions, Izayoi led Hinata to the edge of a cliff.
There, surprisingly, was a long stone bench, clearly prepared in advance.
Hinata's heart warmed instantly, as if she could see Izayoi coming to scout the location beforehand, then finding the best spot, making the stone bench, or moving it there.
Clearly, Izayoi had been preparing for her birthday for several days, or even longer.
Just like how she had started worrying about what gift to prepare for Izayoi at the beginning of the year, and after deciding on a scarf and clothes, she spent a long time choosing the materials, learning how to knit a scarf from the clan elders, weaving it stitch by stitch.
She kept a close eye on the clothes, not only ensuring the size was perfect but also remaking them directly if the appearance wasn't good or the material wasn't right.
Now that her care had received a response, Hinata felt a sense of mutual happiness.
Even if this year's birthday gift was just this, she would be very satisfied.
After all, the birthday gifts in previous years had always had some regrets.
Because back then, Izayoi hadn't yet gained her father and the clan's approval, and her father didn't allow her to go out alone for her birthday.
Every year, the birthday gifts were given by Izayoi during the day.
But starting this year, everything was completely different.
From now on, Izayoi could freely enter and leave the Hyuga clan, just like she went to his house.
For every year to come, Izayoi wouldn't miss her and Hanabi's birthdays.
Thinking of this, a happy smile bloomed on Hinata's face again. She proactively placed Izayoi's arm on her shoulder, then gently leaned into his embrace, sitting on the stone bench with the person she admired, admiring the starry sky that dotted the silent and romantic night.
Just then, a red box appeared before Hinata's eyes, and then she heard Izayoi's gentle voice.
"Hinata, happy birthday."
"This is..."
Hinata looked up at Izayoi, her eyes filled with surprise.
Izayoi couldn't resist flicking her nose and smiling, "Although I know you're very easily satisfied, you wouldn't think that coming to see the starry sky is my birthday gift, would you? Do I look like such a stingy person?"
"Of course Izayoi-kun isn't stingy, it's just..."
Hinata took the box, caressing it lovingly, then as if remembering something, she couldn't help but laugh, "Izayoi-kun used to be too poor, the gifts you gave were all so interesting."
"What do you mean 'so interesting'? You should call it full of heart, after all, it was all handmade by me!" Izayoi's hand resting on Hinata's shoulder suddenly cupped her chin, pinching her small face, and he threatened with a fierce expression, "I'll give you one chance to rephrase that, otherwise I'll punish you by making you my grip strength tester!"
"Iz... Izayoi-kun's gifts are very... very heartfelt, I... I like them very much," Hinata said obediently, her voice muffled because her small face was being pinched.
"Hmph, I'll let you off the hook since it's your birthday today."
Izayoi finally released her hand with satisfaction and urged, "Open it and see if you like it."
"Mmm!"
Hinata opened the box with anticipation.
In the next second, the girl's beautiful eyes widened slightly, and she exclaimed subconsciously, "What a beautiful necklace..."
However, after she clearly saw the necklace's appearance, she immediately looked up at Izayoi, saying with some heartache, "Izayoi-kun, this necklace is too expensive, there was no need to spend so much money."
"It didn't cost any money. This necklace is also handmade by me, and the materials were given by a kind person," Izayoi pinched Hinata's small face and smiled. "Quickly take it out and see if you like it."
"Mmm!"
Hearing that it was also handmade by Izayoi, the happiness in Hinata's heart immediately overshadowed the heartache of the expense.
Taking the necklace out of the box, Hinata's beautiful eyes sparkled, as if reflecting several colors.
The necklace in front of her looked very simple on the outside. The chain was made of natural pearls strung together, and under the moonlight, each pearl emitted a unique luster.
Looking closely, one would also notice that the chain wasn't entirely made of pearls; there were also a few diamonds.
The two ends of the chain were connected to a round-cut blue gemstone, and a pear-shaped purple diamond hung below it.
Izayoi reached out and held the purple diamond, which was over eight carats, and smiled, "Originally, I wanted to set a light purple diamond on it, so these two gemstones would represent our eye colors, but light purple was too ugly, this dark color looks better."
Muah!
The girl was speechless, only excitedly kissing Izayoi's cheek, then holding the meaningful necklace with both hands, pressing it to her chest, and looking up with a face full of happiness, she asked, "Izayoi-kun, does this necklace have a name?"
"It's called the Marguerite Necklace," Izayoi smiled.
"Marguerite? Does that name have any meaning?" Hinata asked curiously.
"It does. It's another name for a flower..."
Izayoi lowered his head and leaned close to Hinata's ear, whispering the other name of Marguerite to her.
After listening, the pure and innocent Hinata nodded in understanding. "So it's a daisy. That's true, Marguerite sounds much better."
"..."
Izayoi was speechless, feeling a rare sense of shame in his heart.
Once someone becomes tainted, they can never truly be clean again.
"Hinata, let me put it on for you."
"Mmm-hmm..."
Izayoi took the necklace from Hinata's hand, stood up, came behind the stone bench, and put the necklace around her neck.
After putting it on, Izayoi hugged Hinata from behind, resting his chin on her fragrant shoulder, and smiled, "Do you like it?"
"Mmm-hmm..."
Hinata nodded repeatedly again, her voice trembling slightly with excitement. "This is the best birthday present I've ever received... Izayoi-kun, thank you."
Muah!
The girl proactively kissed Izayoi's cheek again.
"I'm glad you like it, but the surprise isn't over yet."
Izayoi turned his body, sat back down next to Hinata, pulled the girl into his arms, but didn't say what the next surprise was. Instead, he changed the subject, saying, "Hinata, there's always been a doubt I can't understand. Can you help me solve it?"
"What doubt?" Hinata's attention was instantly diverted, and she looked up curiously.
Izayoi looked down at the girl's beautiful eyes and smiled, "How did you dare to run away from home alone and wander the empty streets back then?"
Hearing this, Hinata's memory, which hadn't faded with time, immediately resurfaced.
A mixture of guilt, sadness, happiness, and lingering fear gradually appeared on her face, a very contradictory expression.
If today, nine years ago, was an extremely significant day for Izayoi,
Then for Hinata, that snowy night nine years ago was the most significant day.
Hinata leaned into Izayoi's embrace and said softly, "That day was actually the funeral of my uncle, Father's twin brother, Neji-niisan's father. The reason I ran away from home was because... Uncle died because of me."
Izayoi didn't speak but tightened his embrace around the girl.
Hinata continued, "Nine years ago today, I was sleeping at home when someone suddenly broke into my room and kidnapped me. Fortunately, when we were climbing over the wall to leave, Father, who was returning from outside, discovered it and rescued me. But two days later, I heard the news of Uncle's death."
"I didn't know why Uncle died back then. I just vaguely heard Father and Mother's conversation and learned that Uncle died in Father's place. The reason was probably that Father accidentally killed the intruder. Back then, I didn't know I was also a victim. I thought I had caused Uncle's death, so I sadly ran away from the clan's territory."
After speaking, Hinata's low mood suddenly lifted, and the sadness in her eyes was replaced by happiness. She looked up at Izayoi with a smile, "But I'm very glad I sneaked out back then, otherwise I wouldn't have met Izayoi-kun, and maybe we wouldn't have had any interaction."
Thinking of that possibility, a trace of lingering fear flashed in Hinata's eyes. Many nights, she had been awakened by such nightmares.
That snowy night was a turning point in Hinata's fate.
Little did she know that a child wearing a snowman costume had been circling the streets outside the Hyuga clan's territory, waiting in the snowy night for several hours, his face frozen red.
However, on the surface, Izayoi lowered his head and rubbed his forehead against Hinata's, smiling gently, "I'm also very glad I couldn't sleep that night and on a whim wanted to go out for some cold air, otherwise I wouldn't have met the runaway princess."
Looking into Izayoi's smiling blue eyes, the familiar emotion welled up in Hinata's heart again. She finally mustered the courage once more to say the words she couldn't say last time, "Izayoi-kun, I... I like you."
Izayoi was slightly stunned, staring blankly at the girl whose cheeks were flushed red, but who wasn't avoiding his gaze, instead looking at him shyly.
Then, Izayoi also raised the corners of his mouth, giving his response, "I like you too, Hinata."
"Then... then shall we be together?"
Hinata lowered her head and extended her small hand, her heart pounding.
Even though it was a cold winter, she was so hot that sweat was already breaking out.
Fortunately, Izayoi knew the girl's limit and didn't dawdle at such an important moment.
"Aren't we already together?"
Izayoi placed his palm on Hinata's, and then the two very tacitly flipped their hands, clasping them together, their fingers interlocked, and they smiled at each other.
Immediately after, before Hinata could throw herself into Izayoi's arms, embracing her boyfriend openly for the first time, Izayoi suddenly turned his head to look at the starry sky and pointed, "Look, the surprise is here!"
Hinata followed the direction Izayoi pointed, her beautiful eyes widening slightly, orange-red flames reflecting in them, and she exclaimed, "So beautiful!"
In the distant starry night sky, a patch of orange-red flames suddenly appeared, and red meteors flew out from within, streaking across the sky, but not disappearing in a flash.
But if Hinata activated her Byakugan and looked over, she would find that these weren't meteors at all. This was clearly... a meteor shower!
(End of this chapter)
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