Chapter 61: Ch.60. An Image Change

Hii rushed to his Grandpa and gave him a big hug!

"Yes! Thank you, Grandpa!"

"Hahaha! Don't thank me yet! It's gonna take a lot of data to get a good sword right. You better be ready!"

Hii nodded his head and ran to hug his father as well!

"Thanks, Dad!"

"*Sniff* My son is thanking me! I'm so happy!"

"Agh! Dad!"

Everyone started laughing at the two until Riku sighed.

"Alright then. It's time to see who won, ladies."

Riku stood up and headed towards Di.

She stood right in front of him and looked him right in his eyes.

"How many?"

"..."

Di looked at her and slowly looked away as the family started to chuckle.

"Hey, what's going on?"

Maka came close to Hii and asked him.

"Grandma is asking how many blades did he make before he decided to let me help him make it."

"Is it 10? Or 15?"

Di slowly shifted his eyes away from Riku as she called out her guesses.

"...20?"

Di still didn't say anything as when she gave that number. Riku's eyebrows arched as heat started to rise from her fists.

".....30?"

"....Umu."

*Smack*

"You old stubborn mule! Isn't that more than 2 full orders of kunais?! You had to waste it?! Wait! You didn't try to make them for all three of the kids, did you?!"

"........"

"You! Come with me!"

"Ugh!"

Riku started dragging Di into side room and started to yell at him.

Everyone was shocked, except for Moya who was snickering up a storm.

"Pfft! Grandpa got in trouble~!"

""Pfftt!!""

The other two siblings couldn't hold it in as well.

Everyone else started to laugh as well, bringing the tense atmosphere down.

The two came back into the room with Riku dragging Di with an angry expression.

"It was 30."

"Tch!"

"So close!"

"I'll bet smarter next time."

"Thank you, ladies~."

Kushina, Haruka, and Mikoto gave their bet money to Kaya before she stood up and went to Hii.

"Come on Hii! You have to blow out the candles on your cake!"

Kaya pushed Hii over to the table where the cake was as everyone began to crowd around.

"Everyone ready!?"

"""Yeah!!"""

Kaya started to clap her hands.

"3,2,1! Go!"

""Happy Birthday to You!!""

Everyone started to sing together with Hii in the middle.

Hii's face became slightly red from embarrassment, but he was equally as happy.

"""Happy Birthday, dear Hii~! Happy Birthday to You!!!!"""

*Woosh*

Hii blew out his candles and everyone started to clap and cheer.

"Hehe! I want a birthday party like this too!"

"Who'd wish you a happy birthday?"

"You wouldn't?! I'd wish you one!"

"Hmph!"

Naruto and Sasuke still bickered with each other while Shizuka and Maka just watched with plates of food.

"Those two really can argue over nothing."

"Yep~! It reminds me of us when we first met."

"Don't remind me of that, please."

"Hehehe~. By the way..."

Shizuka leaned close to Maka's ear.

"When are you going to give Hii his gift~?"

Maka leaned away from her in shock.

"H-How did?!"

"Ehehe! I heard Auntie Mikoto say she and Fugaku-san got him some cash, but I know you aren't going to let this opportunity go by without trying something. What did you get him~?"

"D-Don't worry about it. Eat your cake!"

Maka's face started to get red as she at some cake. 

Her face beamed as she ate a piece.

"~!! It's so good."

Shizuka smiled at her reaction.

"Well, I'm glad you like the cake. Oh! Hinata-chan! Come over here~!"

Shizuka flagged Hinata down as she made her way towards the two.

"Y-Yes?"

"I wanted to talk to you. You know those two will definitely want a birthday party after they've seen something like this. The thing I'm interested in is what you'll get Naruto for his birthday~?"

"W-What?!"

Hinata's face became bright red as she fidgeted with her hands.

"I-I don't know what he would like..."

"I thought so. Don't worry! This big sister here will help you pick something good."

Hinata's face turned a bit redder, but she nodded her head regardless.

"Thank you."

"Your welcome~! Now let me tell you some ideas."

The three continued to chat while Hii watched Naruto and Sasuke with a wry smile.

'Now how did this happen?'

The two were devouring food while staring at each other. 

This wasn't the worse part of the situation.

"Go Naruto! You can beat him!"

"You can do it, Sasuke!"

""Go! Go!""

Kushina and Mikoto were both cheering their sons on with Moya and Yozora.

'Should... I stop them?'

Hii turned over to see if his Mom knew about this, only to see her and Haruka watching the "fight" intensely.

"I think Naruto is going to last longer. He is Kushina's boy after all. That stomach is probably passed down."

"Hmmm. I feel like Sasuke has better  pacing though. He might come out on top if he's careful. He can still win if Naruto goes past his limit."

The two seemed to be commentating on their progress as the competition began to heat up.

''....I saw nothing.'

Hii decided it was better to just ignore it after all.

*******

"Ugh! I'm so stuffed~..."

"Pfft! I can't believe you decided to have a match like that. Hehehe."

Shizuka was helping Naruto get through the door as Kushina was waving to Kaya.

"Thanks for inviting us, Kaya! I'll be sure to bring you for Naruto's and Shizuka's parties."

"Please do! I can't wait to see this champion eat again!"

"Auuuuh...."

With that, the Uzumaki clan left the party. The Hyuga clan had retired earlier on, leaving the Uchiha clan as the last family to leave.

Mikoto grabbed ahold of Sasuke, who was also reeling from overeating.

"Ugh...Mom."

"Good try, Sasuke. You'll get him next time, dear."

Hii watched them leave with a wry smile.

'I didn't think they could eat that much.'

Hii felt a pat on his shoulder and turned his head.

"What is it Mom?"

"I need you to escort your friend partway home."

Hii turned to see Maka standing by the front door.

"Sure. Let me get my shoes."

Hii went to grab his shoes and missed the thumbs up his mother gave Maka.

Maka blushed and nodded her head meekly.

"Let's go, Maka."

"R-Right."

The two headed after Mikoto and Sasuke at a somewhat slower pace.

Hii could hear Mikoto giggling in front of him, but he didn't hear why she was giggling.

They came towards the border of the Uchiha district before Maka stopped him.

"H-Hii?"

"Hmm?"

Hii stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Maka.

"Are you okay? Your face is pretty red."

"I-I'm fine! Really!"

Maka shook her head and came close to him.

Hii watched her approach and saw a cute package in her hands.

"H-Happy birthday! T-This is something I thought you could use! Feel free to throw it away if you don't like it! Ah! I mean! Ahh!! I'm so stupid! Just take it! I'll see you tomorrow!!"

Maka hurriedly put her present in Hii's hands and dashed after Mikoto and Sasuke at high speed!

'........'

Hii blanked out a bit as he looked down at the present.

"...Thanks."

Hii turned around and slowly headed back home. 

He came back inside and noticed Kaya and Riku both sitting at the table, waiting for him.

"Did you enjoy your birthday party?"

"Yeah! It was really great! I completely forgot it was today."

"Haaaa. You only have swords and lightning in your head nowadays! It looks like I'll have to bring you back on the path of Water Jutsus!"

"Oh please don't, Mom! We'll just start a giant water fight again like last time."

"I can control myself!"

Riku snorted at the thought.

"Anyway, where did you get that cute little present from?"

Riku brought the conversation towards the present in his hands, making Hii's face grow a bit hot.

"Well...I got it from Maka."

"Ooh~! Maka-chan, eh? What did you get?"

"I don't know yet. I'm gonna open it in my room."

His response made both Riku and Kaya smile brightly as they couldn't help, but look at him tenderly.

"You should do that. Make sure to tell her thank you tomorrow at school."

"I will!"

Hii quickly fled to his room, away from the teasing eyes of his Mom and Grandma.

"Ugh! They're so cute!"

"I know. Reminds me of you and Henda."

"I-It wasn't that bad, right?!"

"Hahahaha!"

"Mom!"

Hii went into his room and jumped on his bed. His hands were shaking slightly as he looked at the cute brown box with a red bow.

'I wonder what's inside? Only one way to find out.'

Hii opened the box and a big smile came onto his face.

"Huh. I never thought I could actually use something like this."

*********

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"Ahhhhhhh!!!!"

Maka yelled into her pillow with an anguished scream.

'That was so stupid! "Throw it away if you don't like it!" I threw a kunai at my own foot!'

Maka stretched out on her bed and stared at her ceiling with teary eyes.

"I screwed it up."

She whacked her pillow a few times before hearing knocks on her door.

*Knock Knock*

"Y-Yes?!"

Maka quickly wiped her tears and sat up straight, trying to appear normal with puffy eyes.

The door opened slowly, revealing Mikoto peeking in to her room.

"Hey there. How did it go with giving the gift?"

"Terrible."

Mikoto came into the room and sat down on her bed. She tapped the space beside her, making Maka come towards her.

"Tell me all about it. I might be able to help you."

"Ok."

Maka explained what happened and Mikoto folded her arms and nodded her head.

"You really did screw it up saying that."

"Uuuugh!!"

Maka threw herself back to her pillow and started to punch it again.

"Calm down. I think you're still okay."

"How can I be okay after that?!"

"Do you think Hii is the kind of boy who would throw it away?"

Maka settled down after hearing her question.

"...No."

"Then your present should still be fine. Did you give him something he could use?"

"Yes! Well, no. I mean, he could use it. I'd really like him to use it."

Maka couldn't seem to make up her mind, making Mikoto giggle at her antics.

 "I'm sure Hii will appreciate your gift either way."

"....I hope so."

Mikoto gave Maka a hug as they sat on the bed.

"Just trust me. He'll love it."

Outside, Fugaku and Sasuke were both looking at the moon in silence near Maka's room.

Her silent cries weren't exactly silent at all.

"Father?"

"Hmm?"

"Do all girls go through something like that?"

Sasuke looked over at Maka's door and back at the moon.

"Hmmmm."

Fugaku thought about Sasuke's question.

"It depends on the girl."

"....I don't get it."

"Honestly, you probably won't ever really understand them, son. Just do your best to understand the one you end up liking. That's all you can do."

The two stood staring at the moon for a while longer, each in their own thoughts.

*********

The next morning, Hii woke up and decided to use his new gift.

He headed out of his room and sat at the table for breakfast.

Riku came forward with his breakfast with a bright smile on her face.

"Morning Hii. Is that the gift Maka-chan gave you?"

"Y-Yeah. I never knew I needed something like this until I got it."

Hii now wore a black and white headband over his bangs. He always had long hair, so he had grown used to looking through his bangs. The headband now kept his bangs at bay, allowing his full face to be seen.

He had a strange feeling in his chest of elation and embarrassment that he couldn't quite name after putting it on.

Kaya came into the room with the twins and Henda shortly after he started to eat.

"Ooooh~! Looking good today, Hii."

"T-Thanks."

""Morning!""

"Morning, you two. Morning, Dad."

"Huuaaaah! Morning."

Henda yawned deeply and rubbed his son's head.

"Hmm? Oh! You have a headband now? Where'd you get that from?"

"F-From a friend."

Henda looked at his son's slightly red face and started to smile.

"Oh? Girl or guy friend."

"...Girl."

Hii didn't have to look at his Dad to know his smile was widening by the second.

"Oh! Did she come yesterday?!"

"Stop bugging Hii and eat your breakfast! It's embarrassing him!"

"Okay! I'll back off...for now."

Hii was grateful for his mom's cover, but he quickly took it back when he heard her say she'd tell him about it later.

The three kids quickly ate their breakfast and headed out to the Academy.

Hii noticed that a lot of kids seemed to look at him more than usual.

"What happened with them?"

"Don't know."

"Hehe! They're probably surprised to see your full face!"

Hii thought about it and nodded his head.

'I don't really move my bangs much at school. I guess no one has really seen my face since I was younger.'

Hii thought about that as he went to his classroom. 

"See you later, Hii-Nii!"

"Bye, Nii-san."

Hii waved at his siblings and opened the door to his classroom.

He noticed everyone seemed to be looking at him, but paid them no mind.

"Hey! Hii! You moved your hair out of the way?!"

"Yeah. With this new headband I got. Does it look good?"

Naruto gave him a thumbs up with a grin.

"You look different, but in a good way!"

"Thanks, Naruto."

"What do you think, Nee-san?!"

Shizuka had a bright smile as she looked at Hii.

"I think it looks great. It matches your outfit too. I wonder where did you got it from?"

"Ugh, I got it as a birthday gift yesterday."

Shizuka's eyes flashed as a sly grin covered her face. 

The rosy blush on Hii's face only made the smile deeper.

"Oh~! Now who gave you that gift~?"

"W-Well, Maka gave it to me..."

Shizuka's grin couldn't get any wider as Hii answered her in the tiniest voice she'd ever heard from him.

"Hmm~? What was that? I couldn't quite hear you~."

"I-I'll tell you later."

Hii swiftly walked away from her and came in front of Maka.

"Thank you for the gift, Maka. I really liked it."

Hii smiled brightly as he thanked Maka for the gift.

Hii expected her to respond and noticed she was beet red and silent.

"Umm, Maka? Are you okay?"

*Hic*

Maka immediately closed her mouth with her hands as her face seemed to get even more red.

"Hic?"

"Pfft!!!"

Shizuka had a hard time containing her laughter as she covered her mouth tightly with her hands.

Maka quickly recovered and tried to salvage the situation.

"I-I'M GLAD YOU DIDN'T THROW IT AWAY!"

Maka responded with a rather loud voice and immediately covered her face with both hands.

"Hehehehehe!!"

Shizuka leaked out a giggle as she watched Maka slowly sink her own chance.

"I never even thought to throw it away. It's surprisingly helpful to me. Thank you again."

"Y-Y-You're welcome! I hope you use it forever!"

"Hehe! Well, as long as it will allow me to, I will. I better go find my seat. See you later."

"Y-Yeah! Later!"

Hii headed down to his desk and sat down at his usual spot. He noticed Sakura next to him and smiled.

"Morning, Sakura-chan."

"M-Morning, Hii-kun."

Hii nodded his head and brought out his new medical book as he waited for Iruka to come in.

"Ahahahahahaha!!"

He suddenly heard Shizuka cackling in the back, but paid her no attention.

The door suddenly opened as Iruka appeared in the classroom.

"Good morning, class!"

""Good morning, Sensei!""

"Hope you all are ready for today's lesson! Hmm?"

Iruka looked directly at Hii and was surprised.

"An image change, eh? Looking good, Hii-kun!"

"Thanks, Sensei!"

*Bam*

Maka's head hit the desk, red from embarrassment.

*wheeze*

"Hahahaha!!!"

"Hm? Settle down, Shizuka-chan! Class is starting soon."

"S-Sorry, Sensei! Hehehe!"

"And what's wrong with Maka-chan? Is she feeling unwell?"

Sasuke raised his hand and answered for Maka.

"She's fine, Sensei. Just a little under the weather today."

"Oh! I see. Thanks, Sasuke-kun. Please take her to the infirmary if she doesn't start to feel better, okay?"

"Yes, Sensei."

Sasuke shook his head as he patted Maka's shoulder.

"Psst! Hey, Nee-san. Why are you laughing?"

"I-I'll tell you when you're older. Wheeew!"

Shizuka wiped the tears from her eyes as soon as she could catch her breath.

Today was a good day for her to be in class.

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