"Stop spacing out!" Tahm interrupted Naruto's thoughts once again. "Since you're here, come help me clean these fish. I'll treat you to my grilled fish later!"
Naruto immediately leaned in and enthusiastically helped Tahm deal with the fish they had just caught. Hinata wanted to help too, but Tahm did not want her doing such dirty chores and only let her watch from the side.
Though Naruto was young, he had developed solid life skills. He skillfully helped Tahm gut and scale the fish, quickly finishing several of them. Tahm set up the large fish, then placed several small fish skewered on sticks over the freshly lit fire and began grilling them attentively.
Watching the changes in the heat, Tahm carefully brushed on various seasonings. Before long, waves of rich fragrance burst forth and filled the air, stirring Hinata and Naruto's appetites.
Several small fish were already done. Naruto impatiently reached for one, only for Tahm to block him with one hand. Then, under Naruto's resentful gaze, Tahm carefully selected the best-grilled fish and handed it to Hinata, not forgetting to act the gentleman. "Ladies first."
Hinata took a small bite, and an extraordinary flavor blossomed in her mouth. She could not help narrowing her eyes blissfully. Naruto finally got a fish too and took a huge, utterly unrefined bite. He was instantly conquered by the delicious taste as well.
"Tahm's cooking is so good..." Hinata was amazed by his skill.
"If you like it, I'll cook for you every day." Tahm smiled. "I can make lots of other dishes too!"
Naruto was the first to lose patience and cried out, "Boss Tahm, I want some too!"
Tahm's face darkened. He finally understood what it meant to be a third wheel. "You, eat properly and stop talking!"
While dealing with Naruto, Tahm turned over the big fish that had nearly finished off Kurama, continuously sprinkling it with all kinds of seasonings. A big fish really was different. Its oil gradually roasted out, blending with the fragrance of the spices and releasing an irresistibly powerful aroma.
At that moment, Tahm suddenly noticed something moving slightly among the flowers in the woods. Then a crisp, pleasant voice called out, "Something over there smells so good! Let's go take a look, Sakura!"
"Wait for me... Ino!" The other voice sounded nervous, carrying an introverted quality somewhat like Hinata's.
Before long, two small figures emerged from the flowerbeds. One was a little blonde girl with a high ponytail. Despite her young age, she was far taller than her peers, and her face held a confident smile. At a glance, she was clearly a lively, energetic girl. The other had striking long pink hair adorned with beautiful flowers. Her forehead was a little broad, yet it did not detract from her overall beauty. Instead, those emerald-green eyes made her even more charming. They were two living, breathing little beauties.
Tahm recognized them at once. Weren't they Sakura and Ino? They were even targets whose favor he had planned to raise in the future. How had he run into them here?
Before Tahm could say anything, Sakura let out a frightened cry. "Ah! Th-there's a monster frog over there!" Her slim little legs tensed as she turned to flee.
Ino, however, was far more perceptive. She grabbed Sakura and pointed toward Tahm. "Idiot, Sakura, that's someone else's summon! Can't you see there are people beside that frog?"
Only then did Sakura calm down and look carefully in that direction. Suddenly, she cried out in surprise, "Naruto?"
Naruto finally got a clear look at the girl too. "Sakura!"
"You know each other?" Tahm had not known that the two of them had met before attending the Ninja Academy.
When asked that, the normally carefree Naruto suddenly became shy. He awkwardly muttered, "We've... met a few times before." It was as though the words I like her were practically written across his face.
"Hinata?" Ino suddenly called out too.
"Ino?" The scene instantly turned into a reunion. Noticing Tahm's questioning look, Hinata explained, "She's the Yamanaka family's eldest daughter. We've known each other for a long time."
Tahm understood. The usual social circles of aristocratic girls.
After some fussing around, everyone sat together around the campfire. Tahm ignored the curious looks the two girls gave him and handed each of the newcomers two grilled fish. Four people and one frog sat together and began eating.
"So delicious!" The two girls were immediately conquered by the flavor as well.
"Is Tahm your summon? His cooking is so delicious—he's amazing!" Ino asked Hinata with a hint of envy.
Hinata froze for a moment at the question, then revealed a warm smile. "Tahm... is important family to me." Tahm was moved by Hinata's words as well. "That's right. We're family."
Naruto, however, jumped in to interrupt. "What about me? What about me?"
Tahm irritably flicked his forehead. "You're my little brother. You're in charge of serving tea and water."
"Hahaha..." Everyone burst into laughter. In that harmonious atmosphere, Sakura and Ino's impression of Tahm changed from "a somewhat scary fat frog" into "a good companion who was great at cooking and, on closer inspection, kind of cute."
"By the way, Ino, why are you here too?" Hinata suddenly asked.
"Because we were taking Flower Arrangement Class nearby just now..." Ino seemed to remember something and frowned her delicate, lovely brows.
Sakura added with a worried expression, "There were some awful people over there... so we left early." Her voice carried hesitant pauses, making Tahm sigh inwardly. So the assertive Sakura had been such a soft, adorable child when she was young.
"You probably ran into a few little bastards who like picking on people again." Tahm spoke up. He had seen enough troubled kids deeply hurt by bullying to recognize the pattern.
"Yes..." Sakura said, then looked at Ino. "But Ino already taught them a lesson before." Ino immediately gave a proud, confident smile, as though even the sunlight had become brighter.
"Teaching people like that a lesson isn't nearly enough." Tahm explained in the manner of some expert surnamed Yang from his previous life. "They need a proper education in love." None of them understood what he meant, yet they vaguely felt the air grow a little colder.
As though to prove Tahm's words true, a sharp, venomous voice suddenly rang out. "So big-forehead Sakura and ugly Ino were hiding here! Last time, you actually used poisonous flowers to hurt me. Don't think you'll get off easy this time!"
Everyone looked over to find five or six girls around their age standing there. The girl at the front wore a look of utter disdain, with all the bearing of a textbook delinquent.
One of the girls standing behind her noticed Tahm and nervously tugged at her leader's clothes. "Boss, th-there seems to be a monster over there! Let's get out of here!"
"What are you scared of?" The bossy girl looked utterly arrogant. "Haven't you ever seen a summon before? It's not like it can eat us."
Tahm sneered inwardly. This child must have been used to throwing her weight around. Even faced with such an obvious disadvantage, she still acted so high and mighty.
Perfect. It looked like it was time for him to step up and earn some favorability!
Before you continue