>16< Hinata Gokou

Chapter 16: Hinata Gokou

Fumino and Rizu hugged each other joyfully after receiving Yukino's positive response.

"But don't celebrate just yet," Zaimokuza said ominously.

The two girls looked at him in confusion.

With a serious demeanor, Zaimokuza leaned in and added, "With Yukinoshita-san, if you can't meet her standards or reach your goals, you might face her harsh criticism, which could shatter your confidence. If you're a bit sensitive, you might end up questioning your life!"

Hearing this, the girls glanced nervously at Yukino, clutching each other's hands for comfort.

Yukino's face darkened upon hearing Zaimokuza's assessment of her. She coolly retorted, "No, I'm quite lenient with others. It's only you who gets my sharp tongue."

Fumino and Rizu both sighed with relief.

"Why?" Zaimokuza looked at Yukino with innocent inquiry.

Yukino turned away, dismissing his pitiful gaze completely.

Amused, Zaimokuza continued teasing, "You only treat me specially? Is it some kind of special care for me, Yukino-chan?"

Yukino's cheeks tinted with a hint of redness as she maintained her composure. "Huh? What meaningless nonsense are you spouting? Did you get hit on the head by a mule? Also, we're not close enough for you to call me by my first name, you dried fish."

Zaimokuza shrugged at Fumino and Rizu, as if to say, "See, I told you so."

Their earlier relief gave way to anxiety once more.

"Honestly, Kuza, there you go again saying weird things. Yukinon is actually very kind," Yui interjected.

Warmth filled Yukino upon hearing Yui's words.

"Oh dear, I apologize. In that case, I'll treat you to a drink too, Yukino," Zaimokuza offered with a smile.

Yukino rolled her eyes at his forwardness but chose to ignore it.

Suddenly, a small girl appeared before them, shouting in distress, "Help!"

The group turned to see the panicked expression on the little girl's face.

"What's the matter? Take your time and tell us," Zaimokuza gently reassured, his calm voice seemingly magical as it soothed the girls' panic.

The leading girl, trembling, said, "I... I was with my friends playing by the nearby river, and one of my friends accidentally fell in. None of us know how to swim. Please help us, Onii-chan."

Hearing this, the others panicked as well, but Zaimokuza calmly shouted, "Calm down! Let's head there immediately. One of you go inform Hiratsuka-sensei and have them bring blankets and towels. Let's move!"

Following Zaimokuza's guidance, the girls found their anchor and immediately sprang into action. Rizu and Fumino went to inform the teachers, while Yukino and Yui chose to accompany Zaimokuza to the river.

Upon reaching the riverbank, they saw a small girl with twin pigtails struggling in the water as the current pulled her downstream. Her cries for help had already attracted Yumiko, Hachiman, and Komachi.

Without hesitation, Zaimokuza dove into the water and swam toward the struggling girl.

Everyone watched in amazement at Zaimokuza's prompt action.

As he reached the young girl, he wrapped his arm around her and softly said, "It's alright. Don't worry, I'll get you out of here."

The girl stopped trembling, looking at Zaimokuza. He flashed a gentle smile to reassure her, causing her to blush and cling to him more tightly.

The surrounding girls couldn't help but blush at Zaimokuza's gentle demeanor, some even feeling a bit envious of the little girl.

Thanks to his strong physique, Zaimokuza easily ignored the water's resistance and safely brought the girl to shore. As they arrived, Fumino and Rizu arrived with Shizuka and Mafuyu, who brought blankets.

Zaimokuza took a blanket and wrapped it around the shivering girl, using a towel to wipe her hair and face. He gently asked, "Are you hurt anywhere? If you feel unwell, let us know."

Feeling the warmth of the blanket and the comforting towel, the girl relaxed and replied, "I feel much better now. Thank you, Onii-chan. What's your name? I'm Hinata Gokou. Nice to meet you."

Relieved that she had calmed down, Zaimokuza replied, "I'm Yoshiteru Zaimokuza, nice to meet you too." He extended his hand, which she shook. Zaimokuza recalled where he had heard the name Hinata Gokou before—one of the sisters of the character Ruri Gokou from "Oreimo."

Shizuka then instructed everyone, "Alright, now that she's safe, stop crowding around and keep an eye on the rest of the kids. We'll handle everything here, and make sure something like this doesn't happen again."

With that directive, everyone dispersed to continue supervising the children.

After bringing Hinata Gokou to a gathering point on the mountain and handing her over to the teacher, Zaimokuza returned to report to Shizuka.

"You should change out of those wet clothes, or you'll catch a cold," Shizuka said with concern.

Feeling uncomfortable in his damp clothes, Zaimokuza simply took off his shirt and began wringing it out in front of everyone.

The girls couldn't help but stare at his well-defined abs, their faces turning red with embarrassment.

Shizuka also blushed slightly and remarked irritably, "Can't you find a private place to do that? Taking off your clothes in front of everyone, honestly." She then glanced away.

"Alright, alright, I got it, Sensei," Zaimokuza responded, waving dismissively as he headed into the nearby woods to deal with his wet clothes.

While Zaimokuza thought about using his newfound white stallion power to dry his clothes with fire, he recalled that he hadn't yet mastered controlling small flames precisely. So, he resorted to wringing them out by hand instead.

........

By noon, the elementary school students had all gathered together, and the principal began guiding them on how to make curry.

Shizuka also instructed the volunteers, including Zaimokuza and the others, to make their own curry.

"Wow, Yukinoshita-san, your knife skills are impressive," Fumino said, watching Yukino adeptly slice carrots, potatoes, and other ingredients.

"Right? Yukinon is really skilled at cooking," Yui boasted, though her words unintentionally sounded like she was talking about herself, which Yukino noted wryly.

"Oh, speaking of which, Yui, how did those cookies turn out? Did you give them to the friend who helped you?" Zaimokuza asked Yui.

Yui nodded and replied, "Yeah, I gave him some cookies and thanked him."

"That's good. Wait, how is he doing now? He didn't end up in the hospital, did he?" Zaimokuza teased.

Yui puffed up her cheeks in protest, "Of course not! I've improved my skills!"

Zaimokuza then picked up a knife and performed an impressive twirl, surprising everyone.

Yui was the first to clap, "Wow, Kuza, you're good at juggling too!"

Zaimokuza nearly choked, "Please, that was to show my knife skills, not a circus act. I'm not a monkey!"

Yui stuck out her tongue playfully and changed the subject.

With Zaimokuza's help, they quickly cooked up a fragrant batch of curry.

As everyone settled down for the meal, Zaimokuza felt someone tug at his sleeve. He looked over to see Hinata Gokou approaching with a bowl of curry. She smiled and said, "Onii-chan, I made this curry myself. Please try it. Thank you for saving me."

Zaimokuza patted her head and said, "Thank you, Hinata-chan."

Hinata blushed but was clearly pleased at being called by her name.

"Would you like to try some of the curry I made?" Zaimokuza offered.

He scooped a spoonful and held it out to Hinata. Seeing that it was the same spoon Zaimokuza had just used, Hinata swallowed nervously, thinking about the "indirect kiss," and blushed even more deeply.

Zaimokuza, noticing her hesitation, asked, "Is something wrong? Are you still feeling off from the water earlier?" He began to withdraw the spoon.

Hinata quickly leaned in and ate the offered curry, savoring its rich flavor as she blushed happily.

Zaimokuza chuckled, amused at her reaction, thinking how mature kids seemed these days.

During the meal, Shizuka asked everyone, "Has anyone noticed any unusual behavior among the students, such as exclusion or bullying?"

Everyone paused their eating, glanced around at each other.

Hachiman raised his hand and spoke up, "I noticed a girl being ostracized by her classmates."

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Give me your power stone, and I might upload another chapter.