Chapter 170 (Patreon)

Hinata’s room was located inside the main residence of the Hyūga compound.

This was Mihawk’s first time seeing it.

The room was exactly what one would expect from the eldest daughter of the Hyūga clan’s main family. Traditional tatami covered the floor, with a low tea table and matching tea set placed near one wall. Vases and polished wooden furniture decorated the rest of the room, while a large bed and an electric chandelier added a more modern touch.

It was easily two or three times larger than Mihawk’s room.

Mihawk had already removed his white suit and changed into a simple T-shirt.

At that moment, Hanabi was trapped beneath him on Hinata’s bed as his fingers mercilessly attacked her sides.

“Hahaha! Stop! Mihawk-nii, I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

Hanabi twisted from side to side, but Mihawk caught her wrists whenever she tried to push him away. Her hair had fallen across her face, and tears of laughter had formed in the corners of her eyes.

“Mihawk-kun…”

Hinata watched from beside the bed, clearly beginning to feel sorry for her sister.

“Hmph. Let’s see if you try something like that again.”

Mihawk finally released Hanabi.

He had never truly been angry. The tickling had only been a small punishment for tricking him into wearing the suit.

Before stepping away, he pressed two fingers against Hanabi’s forehead and gave her a light flick.

“Ow…”

Hanabi covered her forehead while struggling to catch her breath.

“I won’t do it again,” she promised between breaths. “I really won’t.”

She then pouted and added, “I only wanted to see Mihawk-nii wearing a suit.”

Mihawk pinched her nose.

“If you want to see me wear something, just ask. I wouldn’t refuse a request from you.”

He released her nose and looked her directly in the eyes.

“You don’t need to trick me. Understand?”

“Mm-hm…”

Hanabi nodded several times before collapsing weakly across Hinata’s bed.

Hinata sat beside her and gently wiped the sweat from her forehead and cheeks.

Mihawk looked around the room once more before making a suggestion.

“Why don’t we take a bath together?”

Hinata’s cheeks immediately turned pink.

“Together…?”

Her answer was barely louder than a whisper.

“Yes!”

Hanabi, on the other hand, threw both hands into the air and cheered.

Privacy barriers had been placed throughout the Hyūga compound. They prevented clan members from accidentally seeing into other rooms with the Byakugan while training.

The Hyūga were not the only clan to use such measures, but they had more reason than most. The Byakugan was one of the Three Great Dōjutsu, and its ability to see through walls was known throughout the shinobi world.

Those same barriers also created blind spots within the compound. That may have been how the Kumogakure shinobi managed to slip far enough inside to abduct Hinata when she was a child.

The three soon entered Hinata’s private bathroom.

It was not as large as the one in Mihawk’s villa. His bathroom had been designed from the beginning so that three people could use it comfortably, while this one had been built for Hinata alone.

Even so, the bathtub was easily large enough for all three of them.

The Hyūga were still one of Konoha’s oldest and most influential clans. Even a private bathroom belonging to one member of the main family was far more spacious than what most villagers possessed.

“Mihawk-nii, can we really all fit in there?”

Hanabi’s eyes shone as she looked toward the bathtub.

“Of course.”

Hinata said nothing. Her face only grew redder as the room slowly filled with steam.

Before long, the three settled into the familiar routine they often followed at Mihawk’s villa.

Mihawk sat on a small stool while Hinata washed his hair and Hanabi worked soap across his back.

“Hanabi graduates from the Academy next March, right?” Mihawk asked.

“Yes, Mihawk-nii.”

Hanabi answered seriously as she continued washing his back.

“If you begin taking missions after graduation, be careful,” Mihawk told her.

Hanabi’s hands slowed.

“Actually…”

Her voice lost some of its earlier excitement.

“I don’t really want to become a shinobi.”

Hinata stopped washing Mihawk’s hair.

Hanabi lowered her gaze.

“I don’t want to start leaving the village for missions. I just want to stay with Mihawk-nii and Onee-sama.”

“No.”

Hinata answered before Mihawk could say anything.

Her voice was unusually firm.

“You still need to become a shinobi. You’re the future head of the Hyūga clan.”

Hanabi puffed out her cheeks.

“You don’t need to go on missions to lead the clan!”

She looked back at Hinata.

“Besides, Onee-sama is much stronger than me now. You helped save the entire shinobi world. The clan should let you become its next head.”

Under ordinary circumstances, an old clan like the Hyūga might have demanded that the man marrying one of Hiashi’s daughters take the Hyūga name and enter the clan.

If Mihawk had been an ordinary shinobi, they might have expected him to do exactly that.

But Mihawk was one of the three people who had saved the shinobi world. No one could reasonably demand that Nerona Mihawk abandon his own name.

Once Hinata married him, she would leave the main residence. That meant the responsibility of succeeding Hiashi would naturally fall to Hanabi.

Yet that was not the only reason Hanabi disliked the idea.

She did not want Mihawk and Hinata to marry and leave her behind.

Somewhere along the way, her attachment to Mihawk had become more complicated than the affection she felt for an older brother. Hanabi was still too young to fully understand those feelings, but she knew they could never be acknowledged openly.

Outside the households of certain daimyō, marriage meant one husband and one wife. Even the Hokage was no exception.

No matter how much Hiashi might indulge his daughters, the Hyūga clan would never accept Hanabi standing beside Mihawk in the same way as Hinata.

Hanabi also knew her sister would never hate her for those feelings.

Hinata’s kindness only made them harder to confess.

Mihawk sensed the disappointment behind Hanabi’s words and reached back to rub her head.

“With Hinata and me here, the Hyūga are already Konoha’s strongest clan,” he said. “No one in the shinobi world would dare threaten them.”

He glanced at Hinata before turning back toward Hanabi.

“If Hanabi truly doesn’t want to spend her life taking missions, I’d rather she remain somewhere safe.”

“Mihawk-kun…”

Hinata looked as though she wanted to object, but the words would not come.

“The clan still needs someone to lead it,” Mihawk continued. “But becoming clan head and risking your life on missions are two different things.”

Hanabi stared at him.

“Mihawk-nii… Do you really mean that?”

“I do.”

Mihawk gave her head another gentle pat.

“But you still need to finish the Academy and keep training. Even if you choose not to take missions, you must be strong enough to protect yourself.”

Hanabi studied his face, searching for any sign that he was only trying to comfort her.

When she found none, her entire expression brightened.

She threw her arms around him and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

Mihawk did not push her away. He simply patted her head once more before setting her back down.

“Mm-hm!”

Hanabi nodded happily.

Hinata watched them from behind, her lips parting slightly.

For the first time, she began to understand that Hanabi’s feelings for Mihawk might not be as simple as she had always believed.

Once Hanabi finished rinsing the soap from Mihawk’s back, Mihawk caught her by the shoulders and guided her toward the empty stool.

“Your turn.”

“Huh?”

He sat her down, squeezed shampoo into his palm, and began washing her hair.

Mihawk’s fingers moved gently through Hanabi’s long hair, working the shampoo into a layer of bubbles.

Hanabi closed her eyes and leaned into his hands, clearly enjoying the attention.

“Mihawk-nii, I love you!”

Mihawk smiled faintly.

“If you do start taking missions after graduation, remember what I told you. Don’t take unnecessary risks.”

“I won’t.”

Hanabi answered without opening her eyes.

Behind them, Hinata remained silent as she watched the two.