Chapter 071: Do you really want him to marry into the Hyuga family?

Chapter 071: Do you really want him to marry into the Hyuga family?

At dusk, aside from the occasional patter of rain on grass and leaves, sweet childish voices drifted from the inner courtyard of the Hyuga clan compound, shrouded in misty rain.

It was the cheerful voice of a little girl, yet she sang a chillingly eerie nursery rhyme.

Moreover, various birds perched beneath the buildings, seemingly sheltering from the rain, but chirping syllables similar to the song, like a grand chorus composed of different fowl.

The courtyard was awash in the colors of mid-autumn.

And the entire Hyuga clan had fallen into a strange state.

Within the clan grounds, men and women, old and young, all exhibited abnormal conditions. Some had collapsed into deep slumber, while others wandered the courtyard with eyes tightly shut, weeping one moment and laughing the next.

At the same time, the entire Hyuga clan's buildings and courtyards were piled high with fresh droppings from all kinds of birds.

Before the autumn rain began to fall, the whole Hyuga clan had been submerged in an ocean of droppings, and everyone had started acting abnormally.

At this very moment.

The few who remained conscious were mostly those who had been indoors before the sky rained droppings – primarily children and adolescents. If they couldn't resist opening a door to the outside, the overwhelming stench would cause them to collapse.

Many survivors could only hope that this autumn rain would save them from this unwarranted disaster.

Deep within the main house of the Hyuga clan's inner courtyard.

The sound of the nursery rhyme was exceptionally clear.

Hyuga Miyu knelt in the center of an inner room as spacious as a dojo. Dressed in a white yukata, her long black hair unbound, her Byakugan eyes, tinged slightly purple, stared intently at the unnaturally beautiful girl before her.

The girl possessed world-stunning beauty, with silver hair and red eyes. She reclined casually before Hyuga Miyu, leaning on her right elbow, cheek resting in her hand, smiling as she gazed at Miyu.

"...Tsukuyo, what exactly have you..." Hyuga Miyu's heart hammered with apprehension.

Having met secretly with Senju Wakama many times, Hyuga Miyu had often heard from him about the exploits of his invincible younger sister, Tsukuyo.

For such a terrifying girl to barge into the Hyuga clan grounds alone, and drive all its members into a frenzy... If Tsukuyo wanted to annihilate their clan, Hyuga Miyu knew she couldn't stop her. Neither she nor her father could.

The Hyuga guards who had been closely monitoring the courtyard were now either collapsed asleep or wandering outside the compound walls, weeping and laughing hysterically. Hyuga Miyu knew with certainty in her heart: Tsukuyo must have done something to cause this situation.

Hyuga Miyu's question interrupted Tsukuyo's singing.

A smile playing on her lips, Tsukuyo seemed to drift like the wind, floating gracefully upright from her reclining position.

No matter how many times Miyu saw her, she couldn't help but marvel inwardly at Tsukuyo's beauty. It was truly rare in this world, an unearthly sort of loveliness.

"Do you want Wakama to marry into your family that badly?" Tsukuyo's lips, seemingly stained with flower nectar, held a smile. "See? If you just do this, you can escape, you know? Tricking the other Hyuga members is quite simple."

Hearing this, Hyuga Miyu's hands, resting on her knees, suddenly clenched tight.

She couldn't leave the Hyuga clan. Nor had she ever stated in her letters to Senju Wakama that she wanted to leave the Hyuga clan. She merely kept hinting to Senju Wakama how much she was suffering. But at the same time, not wanting to give him any leverage or cause gossip, she repeatedly insisted she could still endure.

She was waiting...

But she waited and waited, and months passed. Senju Wakama maintained correspondence with her, even continuing the habit of sending gifts, but he never once appeared in person.

Faced with this situation, Hyuga Miyu felt deeply uneasy. She had never explicitly demanded anything. But neither had she ever given up hope regarding Senju Wakama. Her scheme was to use her clan's influence to force Senju Wakama's hand. To lose neither her status within the Hyuga clan nor Senju Wakama – that was Hyuga Miyu's desire.

They say you can't have your cake and eat it too? Nonsense. She would have both!

But after so much time, Hyuga Miyu had begun to suspect that Senju Wakama likely knew about her little scheme; he knew, but he had no intention of playing along. This pained Hyuga Miyu deeply, yet she refused to accept it.

And now, with Tsukuyo appearing at her door in person, an ominous premonition surged through Hyuga Miyu's heart.

"Just give the whole clan those 'little umbrellas', make them fall asleep or have hallucinations – nothing lethal – and you'll be free to act." Tsukuyo beamed, her sweet voice laced with temptation. "Since you're suffering so much, why not just leave the Hyuga clan? Go straight to the Senju clan and spend the rest of your days with Wakama. With me around... no one would dare bully you. What do you think?"

"I... never place my fate in the hands of others," Hyuga Miyu stated with a serious expression. Rely on a mountain, and it might crumble; rely on people, and they might leave. Many things, you can only rely on yourself for.

Hyuga Miyu didn't believe Senju Wakama would love her forever. Hyuga Miyu simply wanted to be with the person she liked. Whether Senju Wakama liked her back... wasn't that important. As long as Senju Wakama didn't actively dislike her and was still willing to interact with her, it was fine.

Hyuga Miyu probably never imagined that her actions had been observed by Tsukuyo all along.

Tsukuyo was no ordinary little sister.

Tsukuyo seemed unsurprised by Hyuga Miyu's choice. Smiling brightly, she said, "Is that so... Well then, you just keep relying on yourself. I'm rooting for you~ Hope you get everything you wish for."

Having said that, Tsukuyo didn't press further, acting as if she had just dropped by to visit Hyuga Miyu. She took out a newly produced Senju clan skincare set and made a waving gesture for goodbye.

Hyuga Miyu's eyes widened. "Wait..."

Tsukuyo raised an eyebrow, still smiling. "Yes?"

"Wakama... is he alright?" Hyuga Miyu's heart pounded. What she really wanted to ask was, 'The person I've been corresponding with these past few months... it was Senju Wakama himself, right? Not Tsukuyo writing for him?' But facing the eerie Tsukuyo, Hyuga Miyu changed her words. She had intended to probe indirectly to find out about Senju Wakama's situation.

Unexpectedly, Tsukuyo beamed amiably. "Of course! He went to the Royal Capital and completed two quite valuable mission contracts. Father gave him an extended break, and oh~ he's been having a grand time with the young ladies."

Hyuga Miyu stared blankly at Tsukuyo. "What did you say?"

"I... said..." Tsukuyo adopted a reminiscent expression. "I said he completed his missions well, so Father gave him a break..."

"No, the sentence after that!" Hyuga Miyu shot to her feet.

"The one after?" Tsukuyo looked utterly innocent. "Wakama's been having lots of fun with the girls."

"Who?!" Hyuga Miyu shrieked angrily.

"Just some young ladies you wouldn't know, sister."

Tsukuyo's smile was so gentle, yet in Hyuga Miyu's eyes, it looked like the smile of a demon.

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