Silence spread under the night sky, only the crackling of the fire occasionally sounded.
After a long time - the roasted rabbit meat, charred on the outside and tender on the inside, was handed to Shion.
"Yours."
"... Thank you" Shion took it and thanked him, then held the branch with his hand, felt the temperature, and smelled the tangy aroma.
She blew on it and ate it in small bites. The outside was crispy and tender, and the inside was tender and juicy. The simple seasoning just brought out the deliciousness of the ingredients.
After running around all day, she gained an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
"... delicious."
She commented honestly, with a hint of subtle surprise in her tone.
She originally thought that people like Ning Xue didn't have much research on ingredients.
"Hmm."
Ning Xue responded, picked up a bunch, took off the lower part of the mask, and started eating.
Seeing that the other person eats quietly and neatly, it can be seen that this is a person who is used to this kind of life.
"Have you... always been this kind of person?"
Shion couldn't help but ask again, this time more carefully.
"I mean, like right now, out in the wild... dealing with everything alone."
"Almost." Ning Xue swallowed the food in his mouth and responded succinctly.
"Almost..." Shion repeated in a low voice, feeling a little mixed.
From the other party's oral description, we can learn that all of his family and friends are dead, and they have been active in the wild for a long time.
She raised her eyes and looked at the other person's mask.
And it's very hidden--
When I think about myself, I don't have to worry about food and clothing, and there are all kinds of attendants, priests and guards around me to take care of all my daily life, and I don't need to do anything.
She was also lonely, but it was hard for her to imagine being in the wild for a long time and needing to do it herself.
But looking at that mask, another question came to mind.
"Then... is your name, Fujiwara, real?"
She raised her eyes, her purple eyes looking particularly clear under the Kakkō, with strong curiosity.
Is this always okay?
When he heard the other party ask his name, Ning Xue did not stop chewing, but spoke after swallowing it.
"Fujiwara... This is both true and false."
Ning Xue's answer was a little vague, but it also completely aroused the other party's interest in asking further.
Shion's chewing movement slowed down, and she listened to the other party's vague answer and asked.
"What do you mean?"
"It doesn't mean anything. As long as someone has called me that, then Fujiwara is me." Ning Xue's voice was calm and he continued to talk.
"For me now, the name is just a label, there is not much difference."
This answer was both frank and evasive. After hearing that the other party would not answer too much on this question, she changed the topic.
"So... how old are you?" is probably a safer question.
"... Fourteen." Ning Xue was silent for a moment, but still gave the answer.
But this answer made Shion open his eyes slightly.
Fourteen years old? One year younger than her?
She couldn't help but glance at the other person up and down. This height and temperament were completely unlike him!
"Fourteen?" She couldn't help but repeat, with unconcealable surprise in her tone, "You don't look... like."
She originally thought that the other person would be a little older than herself.
"It comes from experience." Ning Xue answered simply as usual, keeping his eyes fixed on the flame in front of him.
After a long time, he suddenly spoke.
"What about you?"
This is the first time Ning Xue has taken the initiative to ask her.
"Me? Fifteen..." Shion replied, stirring his fingers unconsciously, giving a somewhat awkward answer.
"One year older than you!" He tried to make his tone more relaxed, even with a little pride that belonged to his age.
But she thought that the other person was smaller than her and so powerful, and she instantly fainted again.
Ning Xue just said "hmm" lightly, as if he didn't care about the answer and had no intention of continuing to ask.
"You just... have nothing else to ask?" Shion saw that his reaction was dull, but he couldn't sit still.
"I'm a miko, a miko! The kind that most people can't even see."
"Aren't you curious?"
"Not curious" Ning Xue's answer was straightforward.
Shion's attempt to arouse curiosity obviously failed. She suddenly shrank.
Ning Xue said helplessly when he saw her appearance.
"Whatever you want to say, you can say it yourself." The meaning of this sentence is very obvious. I have to listen to you even if I don't want to hear it.
"I don't want to talk anymore." After hearing this, Shion folded his arms and turned his head, humming softly.
Faced with her awkward look, Ning Xue just said "Oh" lightly and said nothing more.
When Shion saw that Ning Xue really didn't want to continue asking, he got angry, but his rebellious mentality also came up.
You don't want to hear it, but I still want to say it.
She lowered her head, brewing her emotions for a while, and her voice lowered unconsciously.
"I... grew up in a shrine. I have no memory of my father. My mother also died in the seal Mōryō. I am always surrounded by priests and guards... They are very respectful to me, but they are also far away." She paused.
"Because of this prophetic ability, when I was young, my peers thought I was a monster, but when I grew up, they were replaced by Jingyuan. I can see death, and I am also afraid of the future that I speak of... even if it is to protect them."
She rarely said this to outsiders, but when she said it now, she felt strange and somewhat relieved.
"Sometimes I feel that this shrine is like a gorgeous cage. And I am the canary enshrined here."
Ning Xue listened quietly without interrupting or comforting her. He didn't speak lightly until she finished speaking.
"At least, you have a place to live, a distinguished status, and the freedom from being manipulated by others."
He raised his head, and under his dark sunglasses, the stars in the sky were reflected.
"Some people have long been confused about who they are and where they should go."
"What... are you going to do in the future?" She changed the question, "After I finish getting rid of Cursed Seal on you."
"Kill a person." Ning Xue's answer was short and direct, and the murderous intention of this sentence was undisguised.
Shion was shocked by these words. This was the first time she had seen the other party look like this.
After saying this, he suddenly realized that his tone was a little inappropriate, and he just didn't want to talk anymore.
"It's time to rest." He stood up and patted the grass clippings on his body. "We have to travel tomorrow. You sleep in a tent."
"What about you?" Shion came to his senses and stood up too.
"I'll keep watch."
Ning Xue pointed to a flat stone next to the fire, "This will do."
"This...?"
"I'm a ninja, I'm used to it. Besides," he added, his tone returning to a businesslike calm.
"I am your escort now. This is my duty and part of the deal."
Shion opened her mouth, but finally said nothing. She walked towards the small tent, opened the curtain and got in.
After lying down, I felt no sleep for a while.
Outside the tent, Ning Xue extinguished the campfire, leaving only scattered sparks flickering in the darkness.
He sat cross-legged on a stone beside him and looked at the stars in the sky, wondering what he was thinking.