in the same boat

The two of them were very close.

"I... I didn't... You're talking nonsense!" Kameda's face flushed, and he was so angry that he was on the verge of tears.

"Stop pretending to be innocent. You and Sato deliberately caused trouble during lunch break. You insulted me and Liuyun first, and now you have the nerve to act like a victim? Shameless..." Kushina refused to tolerate his antics.

As soon as she spoke, several of the troublemakers lowered their heads, guilt evident in their expressions. Seeing this, their homeroom teacher, Oda, immediately knew that Kushina wasn't lying. It was clear that these little brats had started the trouble.

"You all will go home and write a 200-word self-reflection essay and submit it tomorrow. If it doesn't satisfy me, you'll keep rewriting it until I say it's good enough," Oda announced.

With that, he dismissed the troublemakers.

"Kushina, you should go home too," Oda added.

"Oh..." Kushina responded, but she hesitated. She wanted to wait for Liuyun.

"Liuyun, although they were in the wrong, you hit Kameda too hard. One of his teeth was loosened..." Oda sighed before delivering his punishment. "You will stay after class this afternoon and clean the classroom in Kameda's place."

The troublemakers who had been eavesdropping outside burst into laughter.

"Haha! Serves you right!" they sneered.

"You little brats!" Oda roared in anger, chasing them out. The students scattered in a panic.

From an adult's perspective, Oda's punishment seemed reasonable and fair. But from a child's perspective, it was incredibly unfair—especially to Kushina. Her frustration was palpable, and she clenched her fists in anger as she scolded the troublemakers in her head.

After venting, she picked up a broom and started helping Liuyun clean the classroom. To her, they were comrades in the same boat.

"Hey, Liuyun, aren't you angry?" she asked after noticing how calm he was.

"Why would I be angry?" Liuyun replied without looking up.

"Those jerks started it, and you were just defending yourself. But Teacher Oda still punished you," Kushina huffed. "It's so unfair!"

Liuyun looked up at her and smiled. His calm expression made Kushina momentarily dazed, and somehow, her anger dissipated.

"You almost knocked his teeth out. What more do you want? You can't just kill the guy, right?" Liuyun said nonchalantly.

His words hit Kushina like a realization.

'That's true. As much as I hate them, they don't deserve to die…'

"You're right... But next time, aim better. Knock out the tooth properly so they won't bother you again!" Kushina declared, now completely at ease.

Liuyun stayed silent. You, a bloodthirsty little chili pepper, beat people up daily, and no one dares to mess with you anyway…

Suddenly, Liuyun frowned.

"Huh?"

"What's wrong?" Kushina asked, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

"Why are all the paper balls on the floor gone? I remember throwing them under my seat… Even the scraps of paper I tore earlier are missing.

Hearing this, Kushina immediately checked under her desk.

"Yeah, the paper balls under mine are gone too. There aren't even any paper scraps left... It's cleaner than a dog licking a plate." She was surprised but quickly lost interest.

"It must've been blown away by the wind," she shrugged.

Liuyun nodded. It wasn't worth thinking about.

"This damn weather is too hot," Kushina complained.

Liuyun agreed. He reached up and untied the white cloth that had been wrapped around his forehead all year round. The original owner of this body always had messy hair and a wide forehead, which his peers often mocked him for. So he kept it covered, not caring about how others saw him.

But now, he felt suffocated.

With one swift motion, he removed the cloth and the tight hairband, letting his long, silky hair fall freely over his shoulders.

Kushina was stunned.

His smooth black hair, wide forehead, and deep black eyes—all of it aligned perfectly with her sense of aesthetics. It was the same feeling Naruto had when he was smitten with Sakura. The moment she laid eyes on Liuyun's face, she couldn't look away.

Unconsciously, she took a few steps closer, as if to get a better look.

"...Why are you staring at me like that?" Liuyun asked, puzzled.

Realizing what she was doing, Kushina panicked.

The next moment, Liuyun lowered his head slightly and chuckled. "Do you think my forehead looks ugly too?" His question carried a hint of self-doubt—one inherited from his past experiences.

"No! Not at all!" Kushina waved her hands frantically. "Your forehead is… beautiful. Your hair is beautiful… and your eyes…"

Her voice became softer and softer until it was almost inaudible.

"Thank you," Liuyun said sincerely. He hadn't caught the last two compliments, but the first one was enough.

"You're welcome…" Kushina murmured, her face turning even redder.

Liuyun noticed her flushed face and frowned slightly.

"Why is your face so red? Is it because of the heat?" he asked, reaching out to touch her cheek.

The moment his fingers made contact, he felt the warmth.

"Hiss… You're burning up!"

"Ah—!"

Kushina shrieked, her embarrassment skyrocketing. She instinctively shoved him.

Caught off guard, Liuyun stumbled backward—

THUD!

His head hit the chair hard.

"Hiss…" He sucked in a sharp breath and winced. He reached back and felt the sore spot. No blood, but it hurt like hell.

Good thing I'm tough, he thought bitterly.

"A-Are you okay?" Kushina panicked, all her embarrassment forgotten. She quickly helped him up.

"You're way too violent…" Liuyun groaned.

"Well, whose fault is that?! Why did you touch me?!" Kushina stammered, her face still as red as a tomato.

"Didn't I just touch your face? What's with the overreaction?" Liuyun scowled.

Kushina looked away, pretending to reflect on her mistake. But after a few seconds, she puffed up her cheeks and snapped, "Don't you know girls are sensitive about this kind of thing? You can't just touch a girl's face casually!"

"I saw your face was abnormally red. I thought you were feeling sick, so I was just checking," Liuyun retorted.

"Also, you know you are a girl ? How come you didn't know you were a girl when you hit someone?"

"That's different!" Kushina crossed her arms.

Liuyun gave her a deadpan look.

"What's different?"

"Ugh, just shut up!" Kushina pushed him again—

THUMP!

This time, Liuyun's waist slammed into the corner of the table.

"Ah—!" He winced, inhaling sharply.

"O-Oh no! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Kushina panicked again, rushing to help him.

"Don't… touch me… Stay… away from me…" Liuyun groaned dramatically, making her feel even guiltier.

Kushina was flustered beyond belief.

Today was a complete mess.