Uchiha Hiko had already made a full circuit of the house. Though he had not found anything obviously out of place, he felt certain something was wrong. Otherwise, he would not have noticed that the old man's expression differed from everyone else's.
"You two young men have already gone through my house twice. I really don't understand what you mean by it. I'm old and can't endure much trouble anymore. Aren't you staying here for the night? Then sleep peacefully!"
Although the old man appeared extremely aged, Uchiha Hiko felt that was merely an outward appearance. The reality was certainly not so simple.
"Old man, to be honest, there's something I really want to ask you. Why is your household the only one here in these deep mountains? Where did all the other families go?"
Since the old man had said as much and had already noticed him inspecting the place several times, Uchiha Hiko saw no harm in asking directly. There was nothing wrong with letting the old man know what he truly thought.
"I've been settled here for decades. As for the others, there are many ferocious wild beasts here, so they often met with misfortune and died."
The old man wore a deeply regretful expression as he spoke, but Uchiha Hiko could tell that he was secretly pleased.
Uchiha Hiko found it terrifying that the old man could feel that way. He was certainly no ordinary person. Having lived in the deep mountains for decades without being devoured by the wild beasts there meant he was no simple figure.
"Then... you..." Uchiha Hiko had intended to probe the old man with that tone. He felt there was definitely something suspicious about the matter, but he did not wish to say it so bluntly.
After all, Uchiha Hiko