Shinta Uchiha was never good at interacting with people.
Or rather... as a cold, aloof guy who was used to having no friends, his lack of experience made him misjudge people approaching him.
Like right now, when he saw Nikaidou Shiro walking over, his first reaction wasn't that she wanted to talk to him.
It was that she was here to fight him.
So Shinta Uchiha frantically set down his lunch, opened his mouth, deliberately lowered his voice, and put on an aggressive tone, saying: "You wanna dance? Nikaidou!"
Bring it on!
Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're a girl!
I won't lose!
"?"
After hearing Shinta Uchiha's words, Nikaidou Shiro froze in place for a moment.
But thankfully... from their previous two encounters, she'd built up some resistance to Uchiha-kun's erratic outbursts.
"Uchiha-kun, I want to talk to you about something."
"Sorry, I don't talk to evil."
Having composed herself, Nikaidou Shiro tried to start a conversation.
Shinta Uchiha chose to snub her, refusing to talk.
Looks like the only options left were **[Attack]** or **[Kill]**!
"...I need to handle study abroad procedures during this time, so I want to talk to you about Yuki."
Nikaidou Shiro took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to snap back at the evil Uchiha-kun with a righteous argument, and gritted her teeth as she stated her purpose bluntly.
"...Huh, wait, Nikaidou-kun, you're leaving the country?"
Shinta Uchiha, who'd been snubbing her, froze in place the second he heard the keyword.
The coldness he'd been faking instantly vanished, his eyes clearing up like a puppy smelling its owner.
Wait, Nikaidou-kun was planning to go abroad?
Didn't that mean... this person, just like him, was going to break away from the inherently evil Yuki Tsukishiro's plan?
There was no reason to keep snubbing her anymore!
"That's right."
After hesitating for a moment, Nikaidou Shiro nodded firmly.
She felt that after hearing her words, Shinta Uchiha had suddenly gotten weird.
"Then, you also want to discuss what happens to Tsukishiro-san after you leave?" Shinta Uchiha's eyes lit up, continuing to confirm.
In his line of sight, Nikaidou Shiro's figure instantly grew taller, and she reached out a hand to him.
——Uchiha, do you dare take on the responsibility of supervising the Otsutsuki?
"Yes."
Even though it felt strange, Nikaidou Shiro nodded seriously, acknowledging this statement.
"How dare I not! Ahem... please rest assured, Nikaidou-kun, who has walked the path of righteousness."
Shinta Uchiha patted his chest, delivering a cool, heroic line that he thought would absolutely put people at ease.
"You can trust me completely. With just one rise of my fist, I can sweep away all evil!"
Nikaidou Shiro: "?"
What was going on with this guy?
Suddenly declaring himself right, then spouting all kinds of nonsense.
His attitude shift was way too fast!
"Without a doubt... Nikaidou-kun, your choice is correct. I was wrong before; I shouldn't have mistaken you for evil."
"Great job going abroad! You should study foreign languages!"
Shinta Uchiha heaped praise on Nikaidou Shiro without holding back.
When a person is right, you praise them.
Hurry up! Go be a Nijikou soldier! The inherently evil Yuki is no match for you!
"..."
Nikaidou Shiro folded her hands in front of her chest, looking at Shinta Uchiha in confusion, her mood turning even more subtle.
So...
Did this guy hate her, or did he approve of her?
Judging by how he seemed eager to get her to leave, it was clearly hate.
——Logically, when someone you're close to and approve of is leaving far away, your first reaction should be reluctance, not encouragement.
But... Shinta Uchiha had stopped snubbing her, his attitude had turned friendly, and he'd even approved of her.
This was something she'd been craving a little because of her past experiences.
"Alright, that's enough about my business... Uchiha-kun, I want to ask you a question."
After thinking it over, Nikaidou Shiro decided to put this matter aside for now and not dwell on it.
She was here to confirm whether Shinta Uchiha was someone worth entrusting Yuki to.
This wasn't the time to get hung up on Shinta Uchiha's attitude.
"Alright! Ask me anything, Nikaidou-kun. I believe your current eyes can see as far into the future as mine can."
Shinta Uchiha nodded with great enthusiasm, signaling that Nikaidou Shiro shouldn't stand on ceremony with him.
"..."
Nikaidou Shiro fell silent once again.
This guy who'd been snubbing her not long ago, now suddenly acting friendly, was only getting weirder and weirder.
Pushing past her discomfort, Nikaidou Shiro continued: "Uchiha-kun, I want to ask how you see Yuki."
"Do you treat Yuki as a friend, like Emma and I do?"
"Or, like I did before I became friends with her, do you only act out of a sense of justice, can't stand bullying, can't tolerate evil, and want to protect the weak?"
"Or is it..."
"How do I see Tsukishiro-san? That question, well... to be honest, I care about Tsukishiro-san deeply."
"No, to be precise, I care about her more than anyone else in this world, Nikaidou-kun. Can you imagine? From the moment I first laid eyes on Tsukishiro-san, my eyes told me that my fate would be tightly intertwined with hers."
"Now, just thinking about her makes my heart pound with nervousness."
Shinta Uchiha took a deep look at Nikaidou Shiro, then glanced at Sakuraba Emma and Yuki eating in the distance, before opening his mouth in a cryptic way, voicing the fear he felt toward Yuki.
This wasn't a **fake reason**. It was the truth.
Shinta Uchiha was the person in this world who knew best just how dangerous the inherently evil Otsutsuki was.
Therefore... he paid more attention to Yuki than anyone else, and cared about Yuki more than anyone else.
"What do you mean?"
In the distance, the great witch, who'd been eavesdropping with magic, tilted her head in confusion.