Urokodaki Sakonji nodded, saying nothing and asking nothing.
He simply said, "Let's treat ourselves to something good today."
He went to the cellar and brought out a wild boar leg.
After being smoked, wild boar leg is easy to preserve. Sliced up, it's a great choice whether for hot pot or sukiyaki.
Unfortunately... with the tough conditions in the mountains, there isn't a pan in the cabin. Otherwise, smoked meat stir-fried with wild vegetables dug from the mountains would be a delicacy.
"Gululu...."
The hot pot simmered on the brazier, with the master and disciple sitting quietly eating... surrounded by a circle of hungry ghosts.
"Slurp~" Makomo squatted beside Urokodaki Sakonji, watching him enjoy his food slowly and steadily, drooling helplessly...
"It smells so good, Sabito, think of something fast, I want to eat."
'I know it's delicious; no need to keep saying it every time.' Sabito shrugged helplessly, unable to help since they had no physical form.
"If you ask me, Master is too partial." Shinsuke leaned against the beam with his legs dangling, glancing enviously at Roy, saying, "Eiichiro Oda talks about taking a vacation and Master not only agreed but also made sure he had something good to eat... Is he afraid that he might sneak back home and not return?"
How could there be an "unbearable father"?
Back when that earnest kid Tanjiro was here, he almost revealed all the family's secrets.
It's only because Tanjuro is frail and sickly that the Kamado Brothers went out to sell charcoal for a living. Now... Eiichiro Oda claims he wants to fight his father?
Is he afraid his father won't die fast enough?
"You're just jealous." Fukuda mockingly expressed his contempt for Shinsuke, sneering, "Why can't he go home for a visit? He's so young, missing home is normal."
"I'm not saying he shouldn't go back, just that his excuse is too absurd."
"Even if he says it outright, no one would blame him. After all, who hasn't missed home sometimes?"
"I don't have a home," Sabito suddenly said, "This is my home."
"Same here," Makomo added, "I was adopted."
"Me too..."
"And me..."
"Same here....."
Roy shoveled in a bite of rice, listening silently... his peripheral vision flitting across to the other side.
Urokodaki Sakonji was deeply engrossed in his meal, as if uninterested in anything else, his eyes on nothing but the food.
Then after finishing, he brewed a pot of tea, handed a cup to Roy, and asked, "Do you feel confident?"
Steam rose from the tea cup.....
Roy's expression was serious as he rubbed the tea cup, not speaking immediately and giving no definite answer.
Ultimately, there's no such certainty as a guaranteed pass, especially when it's his father personally standing in the way....
"Seems like your father is quite difficult,"
Seeing Roy's silence, Urokodaki Sakonji sighed emphatically and said, "Though, there are no prodigies in this world... only exceptional fathers can raise exceptional sons."
"Aren't you curious, Master?" Roy didn't comment much on this statement, taking a sip of tea, and looked at Urokodaki Sakonji with profound meaning, "You must have heard from Tanjiro about my family situation... Aren't you worried that I might accidentally kill my ailing father?"
"Would you?"
"I wouldn't."
"Then what is there to be curious about?" Urokodaki Sakonji stood up, walked to the window with his hands behind his back, gazing out at the boundless Snow Country, and said faintly, "Humans can lie, but swords cannot. Your Shallow Strike has already told me that everything you said is true."
"Including the battle, and your unbearable father."
Old Water Hashira turned back, hopefully looking at Roy: "Raise your chest, Eiichiro!
"Even if it's your father, treat him as the enemy and defeat him honorably!"
"I will!" Roy lifted his tea cup and drained the tea in one gulp.
The next day, full of expectation, he rose from bed.
"Dang~" The clock struck four in the morning.
The young man gently stroked the Yubashiri at his pillow, donned his vest and shorts, and started his morning jog.
At four twenty, running finished, by four twenty-five, stretching, by four-thirty, showering, and afterward, leisurely sat down to breakfast.
"Knowing young master has a test today, the kitchen specially made a strawberry cake, wishing young master great success."
Sandwiches with milk, salad, and cake... "Wutong, you are thoughtful."
"Young master is too kind, it's simply our duty." Wutong placed a hand over his chest and bowed.
Roy nodded, accepting the kindness without reservation. Not wasting a single bite, he cleaned his plate, then wiped his mouth, grabbed Yubashiri, and went out with his head held high.
It's a sunny day today, and the morning glow chased the young man, elongating his shadow as he passed by the dim yellow room, bowed in respect.
The old man lay in the rocking chair, listening to cartoons, seemingly oblivious. After he left, he turned over, facing the wall corner with a mumble: "Why are you standing there, come here and massage my back."
A shadow shifted, revealing Zeno's figure... seventy-something years old and still beckoned and dispatched like a grandson...
Zeno's face showed no displeasure. He leisurely walked behind Maha, helping massage his back: "I heard from the kitchen that Grandpa wasn't willing to eat breakfast, so I came to check."
"Won't die from it..." the old man grumbled, "You've raised a fine son, staying up all night without sleep, what's he doing, tearing down the house?"
"His wife squeals more than a pig, might as well pair with pigs!"
That crude Enhancement brute... Zeno suddenly thought of how Grandfather once evaluated Netero for taking away Father, and amusingly, it seemed applicable to Grandfather himself...
All he could do was stiffen his face and retort, "As you know, there's been no result yet, Silva and Killua are also anxious."
"Anxious enough to hide away? The old man isn't deaf or blind; I look at it as cowardice." Maha tapped the armrest with two fingers, speaking slowly, "Might as well let Roy be the Patriarch, that kid is diligent and practical, seemed better than both of you."
That Roy kid winning you over by just cooking a few dishes?
"Grandfather jests, let's wait for him to first get past Silva." Zeno turned his head to glance outside the window, separated by a corridor, the young man gripping Yubashiri, with the sun and mountains as his earrings, walked relaxedly towards him....
Ten meters from the training room, he halted.
"Buzz..." Killing intent materialized, nearly distorting space.
The young man tightened his grip on the blade, "measuring" with his eyes, just a door away from the training room....
The man sat on a stone stool, playfully handling a whip in one hand, and supporting his chin with the other, looking over leisurely, his dominating Nen spreading freely, nearly blowing Illumi, who was standing against the wall with crossed arms, away.
The foolish Mamen Beans revealed a Hand Blade, thrusting it into the wall fiercely, scraping with fingers to steady himself, taking another look...
The door opened wide!
Revealing Roy's calm face.