Urokodaki Sakonji nodded. He said nothing, and asked nothing.
He only said, "Let's have something good to eat today."
He went down to the cellar and brought up a leg of wild boar.
Smoked wild boar was easy to preserve. Sliced thin, it was a great choice for hot pot or sukiyaki.
Too bad... conditions in the mountains were rough, and there wasn't even a wok in the wooden house. Otherwise, stir-frying the smoked meat with some wild greens dug up from the mountain would have been exquisite.
"Grrr..."
A hot pot simmered over the sunken hearth as master and disciple sat across from each other, eating quietly... while a ring of hungry ghosts surrounded them.
"Slurp~" Makomo squatted right beside Urokodaki Sakonji, watching him leisurely enjoy one bite after another. Before she knew it, she was drooling...
"That smells so good, Sabito. Hurry up and think of something. I want to eat."
"I know it's good. You don't have to say it every single time." Sabito spread his hands helplessly. There was little they could do when they had no physical bodies.
"If you ask me, Master's playing favorites." Shinsuke leaned against a beam, legs dangling, and shot Roy a jealous glance. "Eiichiro just says he wants time off, and Master actually agrees—and even makes him something special to eat... Is he worried Eiichiro will sneak home and never come back?"
What "overbearing father" was there?
When that honest kid Tanjiro was still here, he'd nearly spilled everything about the family's circumstances.
The Kamado brothers had started selling charcoal because Tanjuro was frail and often ill, and now... Eiichiro had used fighting his father as an excuse?
Was he worried his father wasn't going to die soon enough?
"You're just jealous." Fukuda made no effort to hide his contempt for Shinsuke, sneering, "Let the man go home for a visit. He's still so young. It's only natural to miss home."
"I didn't say he couldn't go back. I just think his excuse is ridiculous."
"Even if he'd just said so outright, nobody would've minded. After all, who hasn't missed home?"
"I don't have a home," Sabito said suddenly. "This is my home."
"Me neither," Makomo added. "I was adopted."
"Me too..."
"And me..."
"Same here..."
Roy shoveled in a mouthful of rice, listening quietly... and cast a sidelong glance across the table.
Urokodaki Sakonji was focused on his meal, as if nothing else mattered and all he could see was the food.
But after they finished eating, he brewed a pot of tea, poured Roy a cup, and asked, "Are you confident?"
Steam curled up from the teacup...
Roy looked solemn. He rubbed the cup between his hands, saying nothing at first and offering no definite answer.
There was no such thing as a guaranteed outcome in a test of skill, especially when his father himself would be the one testing him...
"Your father sounds like quite the handful."
Seeing Roy fall silent, Urokodaki Sakonji sighed in understanding. "That makes sense. There are no born geniuses in this world... only formidable fathers can raise formidable sons."
"Aren't you curious, Master?" Roy made no further comment on that. He took a sip of tea and looked meaningfully at Urokodaki Sakonji. "You must've heard about my family from Tanjiro... Aren't you worried I might accidentally beat my gravely ill father to death?"
"Would you?"
"No."
"Then what's there to be curious about?" Urokodaki Sakonji rose to his feet, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked to the window. Gazing out over the endless Snow Country, he said softly, "People can lie. Swords can't. Your Asauchi has already told me everything you said is true."
"Your fight, too—and your overbearing father."
The old Water Hashira turned and looked at Roy with hopeful eyes. "Stand tall, Eiichiro!"
"Even if he's your father, treat him as an enemy and defeat him fair and square!"
"I will!" Roy picked up his teacup and drained it in one gulp.
The next day, with those hopes weighing on his mind, he swung his legs out of bed and got up.
"Dong~" At four in the morning, the clock chimed.
The boy stroked Snow Walk beside his pillow, pulled on a tank top and shorts, and set out for his morning run.
At 4:20, he finished running. At 4:25, he stretched. At 4:30, he showered. Then he sat down at the dining table and ate breakfast at an unhurried pace.
"Knowing you had a test today, Young Master, the kitchen made you a strawberry cake to wish you success."
Sandwiches with milk and salad, followed by cake... "Gotoh, you've all been very thoughtful."
"You're too kind, Young Master. It's our duty." Gotoh placed his right hand over his chest and bowed.
Roy nodded and accepted their kindness. He didn't waste a bite, cleaning his plate before wiping his mouth, grabbing Snow Walk, and heading out beneath the open sky.
It was a brilliantly sunny day. The morning glow chased after the boy, stretching his shadow long behind him. Passing the dim little room, Roy stopped and bowed.
The old man lay in his rocking chair, listening to a cartoon, apparently oblivious. After Roy left, he rolled over to face the corner and grunted, "What are you standing around for? Come massage my back."
The shadows rippled, revealing Zeno's figure... A man in his sixties, still summoned and dismissed like a grandson...
There wasn't the slightest hint of displeasure on Zeno's face. He ambled over behind Maha and began massaging his back. "I heard from the kitchen that Grandpa didn't want breakfast, so I came to check on you."
"I'm not dead yet..." the old man grumbled. "You raised a fine son. Up in the middle of the night instead of sleeping—what, is he tearing the house apart?"
"His wife's squealing louder than a pig. He might as well find her a pig to mate with!"
A crude Enhancement-type brawler... Zeno suddenly recalled his grandfather's old remark about Netero running off with his father. It seemed to apply just as well to Maha himself...
He could only grit his teeth and defend him. "You know they've been waiting a long time with no results. Silva and Kikyo are anxious, too."
"If he was anxious, would he run away? The old man isn't deaf or blind. I say he's just all talk." Maha tapped his hands behind his back with two fingers and drawled, "Why not hand the family head position to Roy? That kid's diligent and practical. He looks better than you two."
Roy cooked a few dishes and now he had you wrapped around his finger?
"You jest, Grandpa. Let's wait until he gets past Silva first." Zeno turned his head to glance out the window. Just beyond a long corridor, the boy approached at an easy pace, Snow Walk in hand, his earrings depicting the sun and mountains...
He stopped ten meters from the training room.
"Vmmm..." Killing intent solidified, nearly twisting the space around him.
The boy tightened his grip on the sword and looked up, gauging the training room through the door...
The man sat astride a stone stool, one hand toying with a soft whip and the other propping up his chin. He watched with leisurely interest as an overwhelming [Ren] surged wildly around him, almost blasting Illumi, who stood nearby leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, off his feet.
The foolish little brother flashed a hand blade and slammed it into the wall. Digging his fingers in with a forceful grip, he stopped himself from being blown away. Then he took another look...
The door stood wide open!
Roy stood in the doorway, his face calm.
Before you continue