The snow had stopped in early evening, the clouds had cleared, and a crescent moon was floating in the night sky. Next to a foggy window in a room warmed by a heater, Hinata continued to knit a scarf.
“It’s done!”
Hinata held the long scarf that she had completed over her head, and was greatly please. Having put all of her feelings into relentlessly knitting, the scarf had ended up becoming quite long.
“Maybe it’s a little too long…”
No, this is the result of knitting with all my heart! I’m sure my feelings will reach Naruto-kun…!
Hinata changed her clothes and left the room.
I wonder if I’ll really get through to him… it’s late today… tomorrow would be better… no, I’ll give it to him tonight… tomorrow’s better… no, tonight… tomorrow’s better…
“Going to go confess already?”
As she was going back and forth down the corridor, a voice called to her from the garden.
“Hanabi… how long have you been there…?”
“How long have you been there, Onee-chan?”
“…If you’re there, at least come greet me.”
In an awkward manner, Hinata turned her eyes to Hanabi.
“The appearance of a girl worrying about love is amusing.”
“Don’t say things too mature for children.”
“I’m not a child. Even the insight of my byakugan is no match for adults.”
Hanabi ran over to Hinata, confidently throwing out her chest.
“Anyway, look! Isn’t it cute?”
Hanabi was staring at her older sister and skillfully twirling a kunai. From the kunai, there hung a small, pink shinobi doll. She had put a cute strap on a kunai, which was a weapon. In the past, Hanabi had been an ultra-serious girl who boasted “my hobby is training” as her nindou. However, since the death of her cousin Neji, who had been esteemed in the previous war, something inside of her had changed. The former Hanabi never would have thought of hanging a doll on a kunai. To Hinata, having her younger sister behave with the innocence of a young girl was surely welcome, but a pink doll was overdoing it a bit. To start with, it would be hard to use.
“Turning ninja tools into toys again… You’ll be scolded when Father returns.”
“Speaking of Father, he hasn’t contacted us, has he?” Hanabi muttered.
There were times when their father, Hiashi, would be absent on missions for long periods, but even in those cases, there was some form of communication. The mission might have needed to be kept classified this time.
Just then, Hinata’s stomach growled.
“…….Ah”
“Did you spend all your time knitting and not eat dinner? You’ll get laughed at if your stomach growls when you confess.”
“I’m not going to confess!”
Aside from whether or not Hinata was going to confess, Hanabi had hit the nail on the head. During her last stride over the past few days, Hinata hadn’t put anything in her stomach aside from some dried candies.
“Sheesh, you’ve got some nerve! ….I’m going out for a bit.”
“To confess?”
“I’m not!”
To avoid her embarrassment, she left the house half-running.
