In the days that followed, Shiraishi often saw Ayane living alone in the school.

Suddenly, she had no friends, no so-called desire for life, and her eyes were hollow, like the walking dead.

This may be the real life posture of a 'slave'.

It is estimated that it is impossible to come out of this shadow in this life.

Shiraishi didn't know what it would be like to be a girl who clearly yearns for the ideal of freedom, but is defined as a 'slave' by her closest clansmen.

But it must be full of despair and pain that ordinary people can hardly imagine.

After that day, Ayane's grades plummeted, and the head teacher, Fujimura Taiga, didn't say anything about her, and could only give her some insignificant comfort and encouragement, so that she could study with peace of mind and not think about anything.

Although he really wants to help his students, the traditions of the Hyuga clan will not be changed by a school teacher like him, who is nothing.

Fujimura Taiga understands this very well, and he also knows that there is no way to solve this kind of thing by looking for the help of the three generations of Hokage.

These wealthy families are like small villages in Konoha Village.

Many of the rules of Konoha Village can't be controlled by them.

Shiraishi saw it very thoroughly.

The comfort of words was of no use to Ayane at all.

She can only be enlightened on another level.

Mental wounds can only be healed with spiritual medicine.

◎

Torturing one's body with pain has always been a good medicine to divert mental numbness.

It is only by taking advantage of this physical pain that Ayane can feel that she is truly alive now.

He is still a person, not a 'livestock' in captivity by the family.

She didn't understand what the meaning of the family's traditional existence was, and she didn't want to figure it out, and she didn't want to figure it out.

Although those adults kept enlightening her, saying that planting the 'caged bird' curse mark on her body was for her good and for the sake of the family's inheritance.

All her sacrifices were not meaningless, but worthwhile.

If so, why didn't the people of the clan sacrifice? Ayane's mind kept thinking about it.

The more she thought about it, the more Ayane felt a dark feeling in her heart that wanted to destroy everything.

Hatred also began to grow.

With this thought of hatred and anger, her white and gentle face also became a little hideous, with a hint of ferocity, and there was no longer the gentle color of the past.

Attacking the stake with the soft fist of the Hyuga clan, gradually, in the swing, her soft fist slowly changed its taste, and there was no rule of soft fist at all, but she simply vented with her fist against the stake, becoming fierce and hard.

Even if the fist is bleeding and the pain does not stop, there is no tendency to stop.

Rather, using this pain to divert her mental numbness is exactly what she wants.

After a while, she stopped venting like self-harm, and crouched down next to the stake, her hands on her knees, her head lowered, her face covered by her long black hair, and only a slight sobbing could be heard.

As the sun set, the woods were covered in darkness.

It's almost dark.

The air in the woods has also become a little cold.

The dark green leaves fell on Ayane's shoulder, and she was still sobbing quietly.

- Suddenly, the sound of slow footsteps came from the dim woods, and she stopped crying abruptly.

"So you're hiding here, but this place is really suitable for a person to lick his wounds alone."

The voice was familiar, and she couldn't help but look up at the person who came.

That's his tablemate, Chiba Shiraishi.

An ordinary person in the true sense of the word.

Civilian, with modest grades, average students.

That's all there is to him.

Although her relationship with him was relatively harmonious before, she was not in the mood to deal with an irrelevant outsider like him now.

"Why are you here?"

Instead of calling out the other party's identity with the gentle title of 'Shiraishi-kun' as before, her voice became stiff and unfamiliar.

Ayane wondered why Shiraishi was here, but she felt like she was being spied on and found a secret, which made her very angry.

"There are many reasons for this, but more so it is drawn to the hatred and anger in your heart. I'm actually just like you. ”

A meaningful smile appeared on Shiraishi's face.

"Same as me?"

Ayane was stunned, not understanding what Shiraishi was talking about.

Shiraishi came out of the darkness with a faint smile in his steady black eyes:

"Yes, like you, I'm part of this twisted and boring village that you don't know yet. Even the insignificant part, commonly known as the despicable thing whose fate is controlled by others. ”

Ayane's breath choked.

Shiraishi's ordinary image suddenly became another stranger in his mind.

It's like getting acquainted with your table mates again.

Is he expressing dissatisfaction and hostility towards the village?

Why did he think this way?

But when Shiraishi said this, Ayane didn't know why, and her heart was suddenly filled with resonant pleasure.

"You're confused, aren't you?"

Shiraishi asked with a smile again.

Doubt?

Wonder what?

Faced with Shiraishi's inexplicable question, Ayane frowned, and there was a hint of vigilance in her pure white eyes.

"Do you already feel inferior?"

As soon as Shiraishi said this, Ayane's chest was suddenly filled with a strong murderous aura.

This sentence has already stabbed her personality and self-esteem.

All the negative emotions welled up in her heart, causing Ayane to lose her mind in an instant, and her figure rushed towards Shiraishi quickly, waving her fist at Shiraishi's body.

Shiraishi smiled slightly, being dominated by anger, thus losing her composure, Ayane's attacks had become weak and unruly.

There is no need to be on guard at all with this level of attack. Shiraishi said in his heart.

So, catch Ayane's fist, and then counteract, pressing her whole body against the tree next to her, not letting her move.

The reversal of the situation was completed in an instant.

It may be that the defeat was too sudden, so Ayane was directly stunned.

I couldn't have predicted this at all.

"Have you been hiding your strength? Why? ”

Ayane replied to God and asked this question.

"What is it? But before we get into that, how about a little bit about you? ”

Shiraishi said unhurriedly in a warm voice.

"Hmph, what do civilians like you know? Stop laughing at the dead. ”

Ayane said in a voice that wanted to bite Shiraishi's throat.

What do such civilians who are nothing know?

She was planted as a 'caged bird', and everything in her future life will be dominated and planned by those high-ranking clansmen.

The so-called freedom and dignity have been ruthlessly deprived from now on.

Whenever she saw the arrogant looks on the faces of those sect families, she had a feeling of wanting to trample on the soles of her feet.

Let them also try what it is to be humiliated and hopeless to be played with with dignity and freedom.