Lu Zeming cut through the chains on Kimimaro and lifted him out of the water as though he were carrying a child.
Kimimaro said again, "Kill me."
Lu Zeming did not get angry. Instead, he used spiritual power to steam Kimimaro's soaking hair dry, his voice as gentle as an older brother from next door.
"Don't make rash decisions when you're feeling down. Have you eaten? Even if you want to die, you can wait until after a meal."
There was no lavish spread of meat and fish, just a pot of dough-flake soup that did not look particularly appetizing.
Supple flakes of dough and assorted seasonal vegetables bubbled away in milky-white lamb broth.
Lu Zeming and Rin squatted on the ground without a care, each holding a bowl larger than their head, shoveling dough flakes into their mouths and occasionally slurping broth from the rim.
They did not have a shred of an expert's lofty air.
Haku sat properly on a chair, eating far more delicately and sneaking glances at the others now and then. He looked just like a newlywed bride, cautious and reserved in everything he did.
Kimimaro remained dazed until he swallowed a mouthful of soup. Warmth spread through his entire body, and he could feel his cold numbness slowly melting away, the feeling of being alive taking root and sprouting within him.
After the meal, Lu Zeming winked and made faces at Haku, until his gaze finally turned downright threatening.
With extreme reluctance, Haku took a bouquet of flowers and walked up to Kimimaro.
"These are for you!"
Kimimaro accepted them in a daze.
Haku began his utterly idiotic performance.
He tucked his hair behind his ear, folded his hands together, and tilted his head up at a forty-five-degree angle to gaze softly at the