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Chapter 278: The Dumbfounded Gold Miner
The bedroom was perfectly quiet.
Hinata leaned against the headboard, her Byakugan fully engaged as she studied with singular, unwavering focus.
"Amazing…" Hinata's cheeks burned with an excited flush as she unconsciously let out a soft gasp. She never imagined one could move with such wild elegance. Using one's own power to jump and ride was certainly vastly superior to taking a horse or using any other mount for transportation.
Minutes and seconds ticked by. The room remained completely silent. Hanabi slept peacefully beside her, a small smile curving her lips as if she were having a wonderful dream.
Creak— The bedroom door was suddenly pushed open with a soft squeak. But Hinata, completely engrossed in her busy "learning," didn't hear a thing. She didn't even notice the figure slipping into the room.
It was Shion, the Shrine Maiden. She had pale blonde hair and wore a light purple nightgown that perfectly accentuated her curves. Her facial features were strikingly similar to Hinata's; if it weren't for the different hair and eye colors, one might easily mistake her for the Hyuga heiress.
Shion had been tossing and turning in her own room, unable to sleep. She was used to sleeping in the same bed as Hinata, but since Hanabi had arrived, she had graciously left the room to the two sisters and taken a different one. Yet, after lying awake for half the night, she decided she'd rather just sleep with Hinata anyway. The bed was more than large enough for all three of them. Hugging her pillow, she had snuck into the room.
Upon entering and seeing that Hinata was still awake, Shion felt a surge of relief. But then, she noticed something was terribly wrong. Hinata's face was terrifyingly red, and the blanket draped over her lap seemed to be trembling slightly.
"Hinata?" Shion called out softly as she approached the bed.
The sound snapped Hinata out of her trance. Her gaze finally ripped away from the opposite wall. Then, her head rigidly turned inch by inch, like the stiff gears of a mechanical clock, looking at Shion standing right next to her.
Hinata's eyes were completely unfocused. Her face went from flushed to an explosive shade of scarlet, practically steaming like a boiling kettle.
"Ah—!" Hinata let out a sharp, panicked squeak before immediately slapping both hands over her mouth, remembering the sleeping Hanabi.
Having absolutely no idea how to face Shion, Hinata shrank down rapidly, sliding entirely under the covers until even her head was completely buried.
What the hell was Hinata playing at?? Shion's head was filled with question marks as she watched Hinata's bizarre series of actions. What on earth was she doing? Why was she acting so incredibly guilty and embarrassed?
Shion frowned, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu. Back when she was the Shrine Maiden of the Land of Demons, she had gone to inspect the local mines on a whim. There, she had personally caught a shifty-looking gold miner trying to hide a stolen nugget inside his shoe. She had called him out on the spot, and the miner had frozen, looking exactly as dumbfounded and horrified as Hinata did right now.
A desperate gold miner? Shion shook her head, dismissing the absurd thought. There were no mines in the Sky Fortress. What could Hinata possibly be digging for?
"Hinata." Shion tried to pull back the blanket covering Hinata's head, but the girl was gripping it with an iron fist. It was obvious she had no intention of coming out. "What are you doing in the middle of the night? Aren't you afraid of suffocating in there?"
"You… you saw?" Hinata's muffled, weak voice drifted out from under the heavy fabric.
"Saw what?" Shion paused, then huffed in exasperation. "I just saw you leaning against the headboard, not sleeping in the middle of the night."
"Really?"
"Yes, really! Seriously, what are you doing?!"
"Oh."
Hinata went silent for a moment. Then, she slowly lowered the blanket and casually leaned back against the headboard, trying to look completely unbothered. Her expression smoothed out, and the furious blush rapidly faded from her cheeks, restoring the cool, detached demeanor she had developed over the past few weeks.
Shion stared at her, narrowing her eyes. "What exactly were you doing just now?"
A flash of panic crossed the depths of Hinata's eyes, but she quickly hid it from Shion, waving her hand dismissively. "It's nothing. My eyes just suddenly felt a bit sensitive, so I needed to cover my head with the blanket to avoid the light."
? More question marks popped into Shion's head. She stared at Hinata with blatant suspicion. But seeing the girl looking so calm, without a single blush or stutter, Shion decided not to press the issue of that spectacularly terrible excuse.
The Byakugan needing to avoid light? I can't believe you said that with a straight face. Do you really think I'm just some naive, gullible Shrine Maiden?
"What are you doing here?" Hinata quickly changed the subject, maintaining her facade of cool indifference.
"To sleep, obviously," Shion said, unceremoniously climbing onto the bed. "Scoot over. It's way easier to fall asleep when I'm with you. I've been awake for half the night."
"Alright." Feigning mild annoyance, Hinata gently wrapped her arms around the sleeping Hanabi and shimmied further toward the inside of the bed.
"Hmm?" Shion frowned as she touched the sheets where Hinata had been sitting. "We should probably take these blankets out to air dry in the sun tomorrow."
Hinata froze imperceptibly, but seeing that Shion didn't ask any further questions, she finally let out a silent breath of relief.
"Hmm?" Shion suddenly sat up straight just as she had laid down. Her eyes widened as she met Hinata's gaze; the Hyuga girl had also turned to look at her.
"You… you heard it too?" Shion asked hesitantly.
Hinata nodded gravely. "Yes. Lord Alex is calling us over."
Even though her voice was steady, her heart had instantly begun pounding wildly against her ribs. She knew exactly what it meant to be called over to that room at this hour.
Shion clearly understood the implications as well. Her voice trembled with a mix of intense anticipation, anxiety, and pure nerves. "Then… are we… going over now?"
"Yes. Let's go."
Hinata slid out of bed with remarkable agility. The way she moved made her look almost… eager.
"Then help me up! My legs feel like jelly, and I can't stop shaking," Shion whined. Her breathing had grown ragged, and the more she thought about it, the more her entire body trembled.
Hinata couldn't help but chuckle. "For someone who usually acts like she isn't afraid of anything in the world, you're certainly falling apart at the final hurdle."
"SHUT UP!" Shion snapped in impotent rage. Supported by Hinata, she shakily left the room, heading toward Lord Alex with a violently pounding heart.
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