Tenten found herself leaning against a tree, lost in her thoughts, when she was startled by Neji's presence approaching her. He asked what was wrong, and Tenten almost jumped at the sound of his voice.
"It's nothing," she replied, attempting to hide her true feelings. "I hate that you did my work. You were just going to gloat at me for needing your help."
Neji smirked, brushing off her irritation. "You needed my help, and Hinata was worried about you. You should take care of yourself; you're clearly sick."
Tenten scoffed, blaming her allergic rhinitis on the dusty area they had to clean. "Can't a medical student get sick?" she added, rolling her eyes.
Neji, undeterred, shared that he had requested to finish their library duty by the end of the week. "Shizune-san agreed," he said, almost casually.
Tenten couldn't help but sarcastically comment, "Of course, people will cave in to the great Neji Hyuga's desires."
Annoyed by her attitude, Neji asked, "What's your problem? Why do you seem to hate me so much?"
Tenten hesitated but eventually replied, "Why don't you ask Shion? You too sure have great conversations."
Neji smirked and took a step closer, trapping her against the tree trunk with his tall frame. Tenten blushed, feeling their breaths mingle as he whispered against her ear, "Now I get it. Were you jealous of Shion?"
Tenten snapped back, crossing her arms defensively, "Of course not! Why would I be jealous of her making advances to you?"
Neji chuckled, teasingly saying, "If you say so," before slipping something into Tenten's scrub uniform pocket.
Before leaving, he added, "Take care of yourself, Ten."
Tenten remained frozen in place, reaching into her pocket to find antihistamines. Her heart pounded, and the realization of Neji's genuine concern hit her like a gentle wave.