Hyouga was dangerous. That's no secret. The strongest spearman wasn't without intelligence. You'd seen his strength back when you were in Tsukasa Empire. You knew he had no compassion or team spirit; he didn't care about his allies and thought only of his own gain.

So now that your former leader, Tsukasa, had sided with Senku, you, like everyone else, disapproved of Hyouga's presence in the Kingdom of Science.

What if he betrayed everyone at every opportunity?

It was a surprise to you when the two of you were assigned to the same team. You as a researcher, and Hyouga for brute force and defense. Would he protect you in times of danger? You weren't sure.

The two of you were silently walking through the forest south, searching for minerals, when suddenly you were attacked by wild lions. Wait, lions in Japan?

You seem to recall Senku saying something about them reviving Tsukasa during an encounter with lions. They probably escaped from a zoo and managed to thrive in the forests of Japan.

You were too frightened to move, but suddenly Hyōga pushed you behind him and thrust his spear forward to kill the lion.

Towards nightfall, you decided to make camp to roast the lion meat and compare the map of the area that Senku and Ryusui had recently created.

After a long silence, you finally decided to thank Hyōga for saving you.

"You shouldn't have. I didn't do it for you, but for my own safety." Hyouga replied sharply, adjusting the collar that covered the lower part of his face. Although his answer was reserved and cold, it was typical of him. Behind the simple gesture of tugging at his collar, he was flattered by the gratitude.*