Chapter 11 She really sacrificed too much.
However, only Sasuke Uchiha himself probably knows what he was really thinking.
In the past, there were always some presumptuous people who came up to him, saying they wanted to be his friends, clearly trying to show off. And those people who chattered around him also annoyed him.
It's no wonder he's arrogant. Growing up with the pride of the Uchiha clan, he completely disregarded his peers.
After enrolling in school, he was assigned to the same class as Haruko Hayama. At first, he didn't pay much attention to it. When he heard others talking about her, who was just as good as him, Sasuke Uchiha found it laughable.
Until one assessment, he was completely surpassed and ended up in second place, a position he never expected.
Sasuke Uchiha was furious. He stormed home, even skipping a few bites of his favorite tomatoes, and practiced relentlessly, determined to win back his first place.
Although he later regained his rightful first place, that annoying girl Haruko Hayama was always pushing him harder, while maintaining a humble attitude, which made Sasuke Uchiha pretend to be a genius during the day and stay up all night practicing furiously.
In the end, he realized that he was the only one who cared about first place. His rival, Haruko Hayama, whom he considered a must-defeat opponent, didn't take their competition seriously at all.
They even praised him with a smile, which is an utter disgrace!
For the first time in his life, Uchiha Sasuke felt anger at being challenged, but after this close encounter, he discovered that she wasn't so unpleasant after all.
Haruko Hayama was indeed different from those who tried every means to befriend him; her strength was only slightly inferior to his, so she wasn't overestimating herself.
It's that idiot Naruto Uzumaki is always hanging around her. If she were to beg and plead to be friends with her...
Thinking of his unfinished thoughts, Uchiha Sasuke awkwardly turned his face away.
"Too noisy?" Haruko Hayama tried to analyze his comment.
After thinking for a few seconds, under their gazes, Haruko raised her right hand, clenched it slightly, ran it across her mouth, and then gave a thumbs up, meaning that she would stop arguing if she kept her mouth shut.
Then Haruko patted Naruto Uzumaki, who was still throwing a tantrum. Under her persistent gaze, Naruto pouted and glared at Sasuke Uchiha.
He first pointed at Uchiha Sasuke, then placed his index fingers on his head as decoration, then bit his lower lip with all his upper teeth, squinted his eyes and bounced up and down a few times.
What a ridiculous sight! But after Haruko realized he was calling Uchiha Sasuke a demon, she slowly raised her hand and covered her eyes.
You're really great...
Sasuke Uchiha, who was watching their series of actions, thought: ...For some reason, he actually understood it.
Did they start using sign language just because I said it was noisy?
Sasuke Uchiha felt an inexplicable pleasure watching them continue their conversation.
"Two idiots." Sasuke Uchiha raised his head, striking a pose amidst Naruto Uzumaki's boisterous gestures. "I'm going back."
Naruto Uzumaki, whose anger was quickly suppressed by Haruko Hayama, remembered something, and shouted with a wicked smile: "Rude tomato head."
“What…?!” Sasuke Uchiha’s eyes widened in disbelief.
"Haha... Well, it's getting late." Haruko quickly took Naruto's hand and waved to Sasuke. "We'll come find Sasuke more quietly next time. Bye-bye!"
"..."
Gazing at their noisy departure, Sasuke Uchiha felt a strange sense of frustration and regretted his answer.
*
"Didn't Naruto say he'd help me make friends? I want to be friends with Sasuke, and Naruto will be friends with him too, right?"
In order to correct Naruto's view of Sasuke Uchiha, Haruko Hayama decides to use magic to defeat magic.
"But……"
Naruto Uzumaki scratched his hair in frustration, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the back of Sasuke Uchiha sitting in front of him.
He had no desire to become close to that pretentious guy, let alone get Haruko to be his friend, but... he was the one who said he would help Haruko make friends, so he couldn't go back on his word.
This is driving the golden retriever crazy!
Naruto Uzumaki racked his brains but couldn't come up with a good way to refuse. Then, as he looked around, he caught sight of Shikamaru Nara, who was watching the show with his face propped up on his hand, and his eyes lit up.
"That's right! Shikamaru, Shikamaru can be our friend, right?" Naruto finally remembered him at this crucial moment.
"Huh?" Nara Shikamaru, whose name was called, slipped his hand that was supporting his face.
"That's right, that's right!"
Naruto clicked his tongue in admiration at his own cleverness, jogged up the steps, and pulled Shikamaru Nara to Haruko Hayama.
That bright, lively little face—if he really had a tail, it would be wagging wildly right now.
"What does this have to do with me?" Nara Shikamaru said, annoyed, as he pulled his hand back.
"Because I can't take care of Haruko's illness, I need a good friend who is of lower status than me to join me!"
Nara Shikamaru was somewhat taken aback. "She's sick?"
"And it's a really terrifying disease, something like the 'If you don't see your friends after you make them' disease, you'll die a horrible death' disease!" Naruto Uzumaki blurted out without thinking, only to see Haruko Hayashi frantically waving her hands to stop him after he finished speaking.
Oh no... He seems to have accidentally revealed Haruko's illness!
Naruto immediately covered his mouth with his hand and gestured to Shikamaru Nara with his eyes to forget what he had just said, which seemed to imply that he was trying to cover up his mistake.
"Make friends? You'll die a horrible death?" Nara Shikamaru looked meaningfully at Hayama Haruko, who was closing her eyes in pain.
When it comes to magical attacks, the golden retriever is definitely superior, and she admires it immensely!
Haruko Hayama tried to appear serious; she hadn't achieved her goal yet, and at least she couldn't give herself away in front of Naruto Uzumaki.
“That’s it!” Haruko Hayama suppressed her shame and tried her best to make herself seem believable.
But Nara Shikamaru clearly didn't believe her nonsense and pressed her for an answer: "So what kind of illness is this?"
"...a mental breakdown due to stress from making friends, followed by a traumatic illness that will lead to a terrible death." Haruko Hayama uttered the name she had previously made up, her heart filled with despair.
Nara Shikamaru also remained silent, just like her.
Naruto Uzumaki, who was observing their expressions from the side, realized he couldn't understand them and whispered, "So besides me, Haruko needs another friend."
Nara Shikamaru wiped his face, and after convincing himself that they were just strange people, he felt a little better. "I understand."
No! You know nothing! Haruko Hayama roared inwardly.
She sacrificed so much to become the protagonist's best friend, so Naruto Uzumaki, you have to become friends with Sasuke Uchiha!
Haruko grabbed Naruto's sleeve with a desperate urge, her eyes blazing, "Naruto, Sasuke!"
Although she only mentioned a name, Naruto immediately understood her meaning. He didn't dare to meet her gaze and turned to Shikamaru, hoping for his answer. "Shikamaru is Haruko's friend, right?"
Stared at by two pairs of eyes, Nara Shikamaru's mind raced with "This is so troublesome!"
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