Light Questions Everything

No seasoning, no thought for cooking time.

Light simply tossed whatever meat he had into a pot and boiled it.

That was how he always ate.

But to Menchi, it was a waste of good ingredients.

Beside the stream.

Light sat watching the pot, completely unaware of Menchi's presence.

"My original plan was to get my One-Star first, then visit you at the Temple..."

Watching the water bubble in the pot, Light sighed. "But plans never keep up with changes."

"..."

Moyu said nothing.

Light glanced at Moyu's profile and smiled. "It's been two months, and you've grown a lot stronger. You must have trained hard."

"Yeah. I haven't let up for a moment."

Moyu watched the flames roaring around the firewood.

Perhaps only Biscuit knew just how hard he had pushed himself during that time.

Light looked away and said no more.

Back when they had trained together at the Temple, he had sensed Moyu's urgency to grow stronger, along with a resolve worthy of a true martial artist.

To go far on the path to strength, nothing mattered more than an unyielding will.

Water churned in the pot, and the aroma of meat drifted toward the stream.

A slow simmer would have brought out the best in it, but Light couldn't wait. As soon as the meat was cooked, he fished it out and dug in.

He wasn't in such a hurry because he was hungry. He wanted to see how much Moyu had grown.

Half an hour later.

Moyu and Light stood twenty meters apart in the clearing.

Neither spoke. The aura flowing around them swelled from faint to strong, from calm to turbulent.

In the bushes.

Menchi, who seemed to blend into the surroundings, kept holding herself back.

She had wanted to come out and meet