Hinata's stomach twisted throughout the entire lesson. She kept stealing glances at Meian, then at Ino, then back at her notes—a nervous cycle that did nothing to ease her anxiety. What if Ino said something? What if she mentioned yesterday? The thought made her palms sweat. Meian had trusted her with his secret, and already she'd failed to keep it completely hidden. The guilt gnawed at her.
Meian, meanwhile, remained utterly unbothered by Ino's relentless chatter around him. She'd been talking non-stop since they sat down—something about the Uchiha clan, a new training technique, whether the Hokage would visit the Academy soon. He turned another page in his book without acknowledging a single word.
When the instructor finally dismissed the class, Hinata mustered her courage and approached him. Her head bowed, her face flushed crimson.
"Meian, I..." She swallowed hard. "I'm sorry. Ino saw what happened yesterday. It's my fault for not being more careful."
Meian looked up from his book, noting the genuine distress in her expression. A slight smile crossed his face. "It's alright. I trust Ino won't cause problems. But Hinata—you need to be braver. You have real talent. There's no reason to carry so much doubt."
She nodded slowly, encouraged by his words but still weighted by worry. A new question formed in her mind. "Meian... what do you do every day after school? You always seem so rushed to leave."
Before he could answer, Ino materialized beside them, her curiosity fully ignited. "Yeah, seriously! Where are you always going? You practically sprint out of here."
Meian glanced at both of them, noting their expectant faces. "It's not your concern. What matters is that I'm not doing anything criminal."
Hinata accepted this with a quiet "Oh," but Ino's eyes narrowed with determination.
"So mysterious," she said, crossing her arms. "You've definitely got something going on. I'm going to find out what."
"I doubt you'll manage it," Meian replied coolly, his tone carrying the weight of certainty. And he was right—his mastery of the Body Flicker Technique meant he could vanish without a trace the moment he left Academy grounds. Ino and Hinata would never keep pace.
Ino's cheeks flushed with indignation. "Don't underestimate me! I'm perfectly capable."
Meian turned to her with an expression that was politely, devastatingly skeptical.
Faced with that look, something flickered in Ino's confidence. She straightened defensively. "What? What are you implying? I just don't show off during regular exams, that's all! I'm holding back, just like you. I have techniques I haven't revealed yet."
A soft chuckle escaped Meian, and he returned his attention to his book.
Ino's hands clenched into fists. The dismissal stung more than she wanted to admit. She, Shikamaru, and Chōji were usually considered the lower tier of the class alongside Naruto—despite their prestigious clan names. Shikamaru was too lazy to care about grades, Chōji only thought about his snacks, and Ino... well, Ino spent most of her time distracted by Sasuke Uchiha's presence in the classroom. They'd learned their family techniques, sure, but their actual combat ability lagged far behind. Even Naruto had started to eclipse them. And now this guy—this unremarkable Meian—was treating her like she was beneath notice.
The indifference cut deeper than any insult.
Hinata stood quietly beside Meian, her lavender eyes fixed on the empty seat to his left. After a long moment, she asked softly, barely above a whisper, "Meian... would it be alright if I... if I sat next to you?"
Her face was already crimson, and the words barely made it out.
Meian glanced at her briefly, then back at his book. "Do as you please."
It wasn't enthusiastic, but it was permission. Hinata felt her heart leap as she carefully settled into the seat beside him. The proximity made her dizzy—she caught the faint scent of him, something clean and focused, and her face burned hotter. For a moment, she felt like she might actually faint.
Ino's jaw dropped. "Hinata, seriously? Show some dignity! Your face looks like a tomato!"
Hinata's blush deepened impossibly, her skin practically steaming at this point.
Meian turned to Ino with visible irritation. "Do you need something else? If not, go back to your seat. You're too loud."
"Why can Hinata sit next to you, but I can't?" Ino's voice rose with frustration.
Hinata felt a warm surge of satisfaction bloom in her chest. In Meian's eyes, they were different. She mattered in a way Ino didn't.
Meian actually plugged his ears with his fingers and pointed deliberately at Ino's original seat.
Ino's face flushed with embarrassment, but she crossed her arms stubbornly. "I don't want to go back. And the teacher never said I have to sit in one specific place anyway."
"Sit wherever you want," Meian said flatly. "Just be quiet."
Ino bit back her retort, unwilling to give him another reason to call her noisy.
So he doesn't like loud girls, Hinata thought, filing this observation away carefully. I'm quiet. That's good.
Meian usually sat alone—he was largely invisible in the classroom, a shadow who took his work seriously and vanished after school. Few students ever approached him, and he made no effort to form friendships with his peers. Most days he simply observed the other students train during breaks.
But now, quite suddenly, the seat next to him was occupied. Not just by one person—by two.
The shift didn't go unnoticed, though not everyone caught it immediately.
Shikamaru had been dozing at his desk when he noticed Ino hovering near Meian. Then Hinata sat down. His eyes widened. What's going on? He and Meian barely knew each other. In fact, he didn't know Meian well at all.
Chōji glanced over, a chip frozen halfway to his mouth, then grinned. "Maybe Ino's got a new crush. She's always going after good-looking guys, remember? Meian's not bad to look at, so it makes sense."
Shikamaru shook his head. That didn't fit. Ino had been fixated on Sasuke for years—not just because he was handsome, but because he was the top student. That second part seemed to matter more to her than she'd ever admit.
Kiba's curiosity was equally piqued. "Hinata never does stuff like that. She barely talks to anyone. Why would she suddenly sit next to him?"
"What do you think, Akamaru?" he asked his dog.
Akamaru barked in agreement, equally baffled.
Meian felt their stares and weighed their significance, but ultimately decided it was a problem to address later. For now, he turned a page and tried to focus on his book.
I need to be more careful, he thought grimly. A few days of showing strength, and I'm already drawing attention from every direction. This could become complicated.
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