In the slightly empty room,
Only the crackling of the fire occasionally broke the silence.
Rin was sitting cross-legged on the bedding, tightly wrapped in a large coat, quietly staring at the burning fire nearby.
He was contemplating his next steps.
Although he had inexplicably arrived in what seemed like Japan's Sengoku period, he did not want to live his life as a mere commoner.
Even though he had not experienced much hardship in his previous life,
Living in an information-rich era, he knew very well that wherever people existed, social hierarchies would form.
No matter the scarcity of resources, they were always distributed in an inverted pyramid.
The people at the top of the pyramid undoubtedly held most of the resources.
Rin did not have the ambition to overthrow this social structure.
He wanted to do everything he could to become one of the top of the pyramid.
"Sigh, no matter how I think about it, I don't seem to have any advantages!"
After pondering for a while, Rin couldn't help but sigh heavily, lying down on the wooden floor in a star shape.
He couldn't come up with any good ideas despite racking his brains.
After all, in his previous life, he was just an ordinary person. In this new world, he couldn't suddenly become a genius in both literature and martial arts.
Moreover, his current body was just that of a six-year-old child.
"If it weren't for Kuroro, I'd probably have starved to death by now..."
Lying on the floor, Rin muttered dejectedly to himself.
Suddenly,
His childish face lit up, his black and white eyes gleaming, as he sat up abruptly, exclaiming in surprise.
"That's right, there's still Kuroro. If I could learn Nen..."
"Clack—"
At that moment, the door outside suddenly opened, startling Rin.
Rin quickly turned his head to look.
"Kuroro...."
Seeing Kuroro carrying many things, Rin couldn't help but widen his eyes in surprise.
Kuroro moved those things into the house, his gaze casually glancing at Rin, as he said calmly.
"Rin... do you want to learn Nen?"
Originally staring at Kuroro with a strange expression, Rin quickly sat up straight.
He hesitated, scratched his head, and then nodded firmly.
"Yes, although I don't know if I have the talent, if you're willing to teach me, I want to learn Nen!"
After saying that, he looked at Kuroro with eyes full of expectation, like a child longing for a toy.
Kuroro turned his head away, his hands not stopping their movement.
He placed a large amount of ginseng, deer antler, and a handful of herbs into a small pot of water, then turned to look at Rin.
Seeing his expectant gaze,
Kuroro nodded slightly and said calmly,
"Currently, I don't have enough ability to protect you. If you learn Nen, it would indeed be a good thing."
Hearing this, Rin could barely contain his excitement.
After all, Nen was a very interesting power.
However, at that moment,
"But, let's wait until your body fully recovers."
"Your body is too weak now. Trying to use Nen in this state would only lead to your death."
"Eh...!?"
Although he was a bit unwilling,
He remembered the terrible feeling of his body being drained when he fainted yesterday.
Rin finally agreed.
After all, Kuroro was right.
Nen might be interesting, but it was also very dangerous. If he wasn't careful, it could lead to his death.
After brewing the tonic and herbs, Kuroro quietly came to Rin's side and handed him a roasted chicken he had brought back.
Smelling the rich aroma from the roasted chicken, Rin, who had just had porridge, felt hungry again, his stomach growling.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, he glanced at Kuroro and quickly said,
"You eat first, Kuroro. You haven't had anything to eat yet!"
Since yesterday, Kuroro had been caring for him, making Rin feel a bit guilty.
Kuroro didn't refuse, placing the roasted chicken in front of Rin and taking another one for himself. He sat in a corner and quietly began eating.
Rin also grabbed the roasted chicken, not caring about the grease.
Having had nothing greasy for a long time, he eagerly wanted to taste the roasted chicken.
As the rich flavor filled his mouth, Rin couldn't hide his hunger any longer and started devouring the chicken.
In no time, his thin stomach was round and full, leaving only chicken bones scattered on the ground.
"Burp!"
He couldn't help but burp, lying back with a satisfied expression on his young face.
At that moment, Kuroro handed him a bowl of greenish-yellow broth, saying calmly,
"Drink this; it will help your recovery."
Rin quickly sat up, politely taking the bowl and saying softly,
"Thank you, Kuroro."
Just as he was about to drink, he glanced at the pot hanging over the fire.
Seeing the large amount of ginseng inside, he froze.
His eyebrows furrowed involuntarily.
Kuroro, who had been quietly observing Rin, noticed this detail, his face remaining expressionless as he asked casually,
"What's wrong, Rin?"
Hearing Kuroro's question, Rin's expression froze.
He looked up at Kuroro, who was calmly watching him.
Rin's eyes showed a bit of discomfort, and he didn't drink the tonic.
The house he was in, the valuable ginseng, and other unknown herbs, as well as the pile of meat in the corner,
If he couldn't figure out how they were obtained, he'd be an idiot.
But he was also enjoying the "fruits" of this.
Even though he hadn't done anything, by enjoying this "loot," he lost the right to criticize.
At this moment, Rin's face changed several times.
After much hesitation, he finally asked awkwardly,
"Kuroro... what happened to the owner of this house...."
After asking, Rin held his breath slightly, mustering the courage to look directly at Kuroro.
Hearing Rin's question, Kuroro's expression remained unchanged. He looked at him calmly and said softly,
"I killed him. The body is buried in the deep snow outside, not far from the house. I don't think anyone will find it before we leave."
Rin had prepared for Kuroro to lie to him.
But unexpectedly, Kuroro didn't seem to have any intention of hiding the truth.
The room fell into a moment of silence!
Then, Rin's breathing became slightly rapid. He struggled to find the right words, his face slightly red with frustration, and said in a low voice,
"If... it's not... with your strength, Kuroro!"
"Even if you wanted to take over this house, you didn't need to kill, right!"
As a weak patient being cared for by Kuroro, Rin knew he had no right to criticize his actions.
But he desperately hoped Kuroro wasn't someone who killed indiscriminately.
It wasn't about enjoying killing, but rather not valuing others' lives at all.
This disregard made Kuroro even more dangerous.
Hearing Rin's words, Kuroro nodded.
He turned to look at the burning fire, his tone calm.
"It was to prevent unnecessary trouble."
"If that person escaped, it might have caused problems."
"With your condition at the time, it was unreasonable to let him live and increase the risk."
Rin was taken aback by Kuroro's response.
Although his momentum faltered, he glanced at the valuable herbs and said in a dejected voice,
"And those things over there... how did you get them..."
He seemed to realize something and looked at Kuroro with hopeful eyes.
"You stole them, right?"
"If it's you, Kuroro, stealing these things should be easy, right?"
At that moment, Kuroro seemed to understand Rin's thoughts, but he didn't hide the truth. He turned back to the fire and said calmly,
"I killed the owner of the pharmacy..."
Hearing this, Rin's face fell.
He almost wanted to yell.
But he knew Kuroro did it for him, so he had no reason to blame him.
Moreover, Kuroro was the leader of the Phantom Troupe; such actions were expected.
Of course, Rin wouldn't admit that he feared Kuroro might beat him up if he complained. His small body couldn't resist at all.
Maybe it was the ordinary people who were killed, eliciting a sense of empathy.
Rin mocked himself internally.
"Sigh...."
He sighed heavily, lowering his head, rubbing his temples, and muttering in frustration.
"Could you avoid killing people so easily in the future..."
"Would you even consider killing me someday... after all, I'm just an ordinary person..."
It was just a casual complaint.
Unexpectedly, Kuroro's expression finally changed slightly upon hearing this.
His pupils contracted slightly, and he looked strangely at Rin, who was rubbing his head in distress.
Rin, lost in his own frustration, didn't notice Kuroro's gaze.
"I understand..."
When he looked up in confusion, Kuroro had already turned his gaze away, speaking calmly.
Noticing Rin looking at him, Kuroro's expression remained unchanged, staring at the fire, and said softly,
"Rin... you're different..."