At the front gates of the Ninja Academy
A blurred figure surged forward at incredible speed, kicking up dust and wind in its wake.
Everywhere it passed, skirts flew, robes billowed, and chaos unfolded in glorious disarray.
Even the wigs of certain cross-dressing "elites" were snatched away by the force of the wind.
"Eek! You perv, what are you staring at?!"
"Wait, what? You're a guy?! Then last night… Damn, just thinking about it gets me fired up! Bro, poker night again tonight, yeah?"
"..."
Boom!
With a loud crash and under the stunned gazes of everyone present, the figure finally came to a stop.
It was none other than Ye Wudi.
The moment he halted, a handful of explosive tags were flung into the air above him.
In an instant, thunderous blasts erupted overhead, drawing every eye toward him.
"I am who I am a spark unlike the rest. Good morning, everyone."
Ding! Congratulations, Host! You've received 666 points of negative emotion from Student XXX!
Ding! Congratulations, Host! You've received 999 points of negative emotion from the cross-dressing elite!
Ding! Congratulations, Host! You've received…
As the system's mechanical voice echoed in his head, Ye Wudi's lips curled into a faint, satisfied smile.
But soon, something felt off.
Strange. After that kind of entrance, the system should be going ding ding ding nonstop. So why was it suddenly going quiet?
Wait a second...
"Oh, I get it now…"
Ye Wudi glanced at the expressions of the female students whose skirts had been lifted by his stunt and let out a resigned sigh.
None of them looked angry. Not even close.
"Ah~ Wudi, it's you~ If you wanted to look, just say so! No need for all this drama. And if you want more than a look... I can give you monkeys~"
"'Monkeys' again? How crude! Wudi dear~ My twin tails are feeling a little loose… Can you tighten them for me~?"
"Wudi~ Me too! My skirt tore a little. Can you come by my room tonight and help me patch it up~?"
Watching the crowd of Ninja Academy girls practically drooling over him, Ye Wudi could only shake his head.
So that's why.
The moment they knew it was him, never mind a gust of wind flipping their skirts he could probably flip them, use their skincare, and drink their first autumn milk tea at their place… and they'd say yes without blinking.
"Sigh. This damn charm of mine…"
Duang-Duang!
Just as Ye Wudi finished lamenting, a blonde girl launched herself at him from the side, slamming into him with a full-bodied impact.
"Heehee~ Wudi~ Stirring hearts everywhere again? You never disappoint."
"Ino! Wudi is mine!"
Just as Ino was about to complete her "chest tackle," Hinata suddenly mustered her courage and charged in to intercept.
In an instant, two well-endowed girls collided midair with forceful energy.
Duang-Duang!
Ye Wudi made no move to intervene.
In fact, he quite enjoyed the view.
Very pleasing to the eye.
Moments later, as more and more students began gathering, Ye Wudi turned to Hinata and spoke.
"Alright, Hinata, let's head to class."
He'd already harvested enough negative emotion points here.
No need to linger. Better to head to the classroom and see if he could bump into his ultimate source of negativity:
Sasuke.
As for Sakura?
If she's around, that's fine too. But not essential.
"Okay~ Wudi~"
Hinata quickly trotted after him, cheerful and eager.
Watching her leave, Ino couldn't help but sigh, her eyes full of envy.
"Hinata… I'm really jealous. You actually get to be Wudi's girl."
"G-Girl…?"
The meaning behind Ino's words hit Hinata all at once, and her face flushed a deep crimson.
Not only her face her entire body began trembling, as if her legs couldn't hold her weight.
If not for Ye Wudi reaching out to steady her, she might have toppled over then and there.
"Ah?"
Seeing this, Ino's expression turned sly. She leaned in behind Hinata, wrapped her arms around her waist, and whispered hot breath into her ear.
"Hinata… Don't tell me you guys haven't… you know… done it yet?"
She spoke while forming a symbolic "1" and "O" with her fingers, her eyes sparkling mischievously.
Hinata turned redder and redder, clearly trying to avoid her gaze.
"I… We…"
"Knew it~ You haven't!"
Ino gave Wudi a knowing hand sign, then slowly licked her lips with a sultry smile.
"With how much equipment Wudi's packing, and you still haven't taken advantage? What a waste."
"Wudi~ If you let me be your girlfriend, I'd pamper you like crazy. I'd make sure every night you fall asleep smiling…"
Hinata pouted in protest, clearly not willing to back down.
Ye Wudi, meanwhile, said nothing.
Because his side character of interest had just arrived.
Step. Step. Step.
As Ye Wudi had that thought and as Ino was swaying around with starry eyes a cold snort and a crisp set of footsteps echoed behind them.
"Ino-pig. You're acting like a thirsty dog again. Falling for anyone and everyone. Not like me I only care about my Sasuke~"
The one who appeared, of course, was Sakura.
And just like that, the two girls launched straight into their daily rivalry.
After speaking, Sakura's eyes darted not so subtly toward a certain part of Ye Wudi's anatomy.
"Hmph. Not even that impressive."
Ding! Congratulations, Host! You've received 999 points of negative emotion from Sakura!
"Big forehead! Mind your own business! I love Wudi's looks, his charm, and yes, his massive potential!"
"Sasuke? What's that got to do with you? He's never even noticed your feelings. And let's not forget he gave his first kiss to Naruto!"
Ino wasn't about to let Sakura win.
She went straight for the nuclear option blasting out the legendary Naruto x Sasuke love story.
Boom.
Sakura exploded.
"You pig! You really want to die today?!"
"Come at me, forehead freak! You think I'm scared of you?!"
"Ahhhh!"
The two of them immediately lunged at each other.
And Ye Wudi?
He didn't bother trying to stop them.
He just popped open a snack pack and started munching.
Ding! Congratulations, Host! You've received 66 points of negative emotion from Ino!
Ding! Congratulations, Host! You've received 999 points of negative emotion from Sakura!
…
As the system rang joyfully in his ears, Ye Wudi continued snacking away, waving Hinata over to join him.
Sigh. This is the life.
Watching drama, snacking, and harvesting negative energy all in a day's work.
This was how life should be.