Hearing this, Hancock, whose gaze had never left Ages, looked toward the grassy clearing.
A gleam flashed through Hancock's beautiful eyes, and she murmured,
"What a beautiful clearing."
With that, Hancock walked toward the clearing, and Ages followed her with a smile.
Looking at the lush green grass ahead and the flowers dotting it, Hancock said,
"This grass didn't grow here naturally, did it?"
Hearing Hancock's words, Ages smiled slightly and nodded.
"As expected of my Hancock. You saw it at a glance. This grass was planted by someone."
Hancock raised an eyebrow at his words and asked hesitantly,
"Could it have been..."
Seeing Hancock's expression, Ages grinned and said proudly,
"That's right, your dear husband planted it. Impressive, right?"
"When I was little and training in swordsmanship, I came to this island with Pops and trained here for a while."
"Back then, Pops told me that to master swordsmanship, I needed to get closer to nature. Nature held many wondrous things, and sometimes those very things could help me gain sudden insights into swordsmanship."
"So, while I was training on this island, I planted this clearing."
"I didn't expect that after all these years... I thought the clearing would have gone to ruin, but the grass has survived and kept growing."
With that, Ages looked down at the verdant grass, a smile curling his lips.
Hearing Ages's words, Hancock said,
"Ages, you're amazing. You could plant flowers and grass even as a child."
Ages smiled and said,
"I'll get some wood and make a tent. We'll camp here tonight and watch the night sky."
Hancock nodded.
Ages then went into the island's forest and brought back some wood, using it to put up a simple tent on the grass.
Time always passed; the sun always set; night always fell. And at last, night fell.
Darkness gradually spread across the sky, and the great curtain called night slowly drew across the vast heavens...
Countless stars broke through the curtain of night and peeked out.
Looking up, the autumn night sky was especially clear, and distant stars glittered...
Ages built a campfire on the beach in front of the clearing and roasted the game he had caught over it.
Before long,
A sea breeze swept past, carrying the enticing aroma of the game away on the wind.
"It smells wonderful. Ages, your grilling is getting better and better."
Smelling the aroma rising from the game, Hancock spoke softly.
Hearing her words, Ages flashed a smile that could melt winter snow and said,
"Really? Of course it is. My grilling skills are at the master level."
"Hancock, wait just a little longer. The game will be ready soon."
Hearing this, Hancock gazed at Ages's face as he concentrated on grilling for her.
Just like that,
Ages focused on roasting the game for Hancock, while Hancock watched quietly from the side.
The scene was indescribably warm and sweet, filling one with warmth.
Before long...
The game was ready.
Ages handed Hancock the roasted game in his hand and grinned.
"It's ready. Go on, eat. Have a taste of your husband's cooking."
Taking the game from Ages and hearing his words, Hancock smiled slightly and said,
"Mm."
Hancock breathed in the rich aroma rising from the game and looked at its golden-brown color. A sweet smile appeared on her face as she praised Ages.
"It looks perfectly cooked. Full marks."
With that, Hancock tore off a piece of meat and said,
"Let me see how it tastes."
Then she put the meat in her mouth...
"It's delicious!"
After tasting the meat, Hancock's beautiful eyes lit up, and she spoke.
Hearing Hancock's words, Ages smiled and said,
"I'm glad you like it. Go ahead and eat. If it isn't enough, I'll grill you some more."
A warm current flowed through Hancock's heart at Ages's attentive concern, and she said softly,
"You must be hungry too. This is so big, and I can't eat it all. Let's each have half."
Hearing Hancock's words, Ages knew she had said that because she was concerned about him and worried he would go hungry. He nodded and said,
"Mm, let's eat together."