The heavy snow had fallen all night, covering the entire land in a silver blanket.
Near a small village buried under white snow,
Under the rays of the rising sun, the pristine snow glistened, adding a unique charm to the withered tree trunks.
However, beneath the snow-covered ground, a trace of crimson could not erase the tragedy that had occurred.
Inside a very simple house, smoke slowly drifted out of the chimney.
"Cough..."
Accompanied by a cough, Rin slowly woke up.
He opened his eyes to see a repaired roof above him, though it bore signs of patchwork, it did not leak or let in the wind.
He couldn't help but recall the roof of his own tattered house, showing a hint of helplessness on his face.
However, the next moment, Rin's face froze as he realized.
Where was he!?
Startled, he tried to get up, but his weak body barely moved before falling back onto the bedding on the floor.
"Cough cough..."
Another bout of violent coughing caused a faded towel to fall from his forehead.
"You're awake."
At this moment, a calm voice came from the corner of the room.
Hearing this, Rin ignored his cough and quickly looked to the side. His face showed surprise as the scenes from last night flashed through his mind, making him stammer.
"You... Kuroro... are you real!?"
"No... cough cough... I mean, what happened yesterday wasn't a dream!?"
In the corner of the room, Kuroro was sitting against the wall, his black-and-white eyes calmly observing Rin's coughing, slightly flushed face.
His previously tied-back black hair now hung forward, with his bangs slightly covering the cross pattern on his forehead.
He wore a faded rough cloth robe, contrasting sharply with his fair skin.
Yet, this did not diminish his charm in the slightest. His slender, perfect figure made it hard to hide his unique temperament even in such simple clothes.
Seeing Kuroro's attire, Rin quickly turned to look at himself.
Sure enough, on top of a thin quilt, he was covered with Kuroro's thick, warm coat.
This realization made Rin feel a bit embarrassed.
Just as he was about to say something,
Kuroro suddenly stood up and walked forward.
A rich aroma of porridge wafted from the iron pot hanging over the fire.
"You woke up just in time. Eat something. I couldn't find any usable medicine in this household, so I could only use a hot towel to warm you up."
As he spoke, he glanced at Rin, paused, and then slowly said,
"Your body is very weak now. Once you're better, I'll find something to help nourish you."
Hearing this, Rin glanced at the towel that had fallen on the floor, feeling a bit embarrassed.
This was the first time he had been taken care of so attentively. Seeing Kuroro seemed to have stayed up all night, he felt a bit guilty and could only whisper.
"Thank you..."
Hearing Rin's words, Kuroro's actions paused slightly.
But then he smoothly handed a steaming bowl of porridge to Rin.
Not knowing how long he had been hungry, Rin took the porridge without hesitation and quickly drank it, ignoring the heat.
Kuroro, silently observing Rin's state, finally breathed a slight sigh of relief seeing his energy.
While Rin drank the porridge, Kuroro quietly left the room.
After a while, he returned with some stored firewood and charcoal, adding them to the fire to maintain a suitable temperature in the room.
After finishing a large bowl of hot porridge, Rin felt his body warm up and gradually regained a bit of vitality. He couldn't help but exclaim.
"It feels so wonderful... to have a full stomach!"
Kuroro glanced at him and nodded in agreement.
After speaking, Rin looked at him, his face hesitant.
He didn't know how to ask.
He was very curious why Kuroro was in his current world, even though he was a character from an anime.
And he didn't understand why Kuroro seemed to be so nice to him...
Could it be because he had transformed from a figure and recognized him?
But his current body was also Rin's, just a six-year-old child...
These strange thoughts made Rin unsure how to ask his questions.
However, at that moment, Kuroro looked at him and said calmly.
"Rin, you should rest here for a while. I'll go find something to help you recover."
Hearing this, Rin, already feeling some pressure from Kuroro, couldn't help but nod.
But then he quickly reacted, waving his hands.
"Ah, no... it's not necessary. I feel much better after eating!"
Kuroro's calm eyes looked at him, making Rin hesitant to meet his gaze.
After all, Kuroro was a leader character from his past life's anime. Being this close to him made Rin, an ordinary person, feel pressured.
Kuroro shook his head slightly, saying softly.
"Sorry, I can't agree to that. Your body is too weak right now..."
"Anyway, I'll be back as soon as possible..."
Leaving these words, Kuroro opened the door and left.
After the footsteps faded, Rin shook his head, feeling puzzled.
What on earth was going on? He was completely in the dark.
First, he inexplicably reincarnated, then somehow summoned Kuroro. The key was, he still didn't know why!
Other people who traveled to different worlds had a main god or system...
Why didn't he get any hints? Was he supposed to figure everything out on his own?
Thinking about these complicated things gave him a headache.
Suddenly, his expression froze.
Hey, I don't think I told Kuroro my name... how does he know I'm called Rin?
With another puzzle added, Rin felt helpless and could only wait for Kuroro to return and ask him.
Meanwhile, outside the village,
Despite the cold winter, many families in the poor village were already preparing to go out and catch some winter prey.
Kuroro, dressed in thin clothes, stood out in the snow.
When he met a villager preparing to hunt, he smiled slightly, his voice gentle.
"Excuse me, do you know where the nearest pharmacy is?"
Seeing the somewhat unusual Kuroro, the heavily wrapped villager was wary at first.
But hearing his friendly question and noticing his evident refined temperament, the villager relaxed and patiently replied.
"Pharmacy? Oh, you mean the medicine shop, right? Walk west for an hour, and you'll find one in the town."
Hearing this, Kuroro smiled warmly.
"Thank you."
With that, he started walking west.
"It's no trouble. But the doctor there charges quite a bit."
"For us villagers, if we catch a cold or fever, we just use some mountain herbs to get by. You wouldn't believe it, but the herbs on this mountain are really effective."
Hearing this, Kuroro's eyes lit up slightly. He stopped and turned to the villager.
"Mountain herbs?"
The villager stopped, pulling a slightly green herb from his basket, proudly showing it.
"Though we're a small village, learning to rely on the mountain god means we don't live worse than those in the town. Here, this is the herb."
Seeing the herb, Kuroro thought of Rin's cough and asked softly.
"Could you give this to me?"
Hearing this, the villager's proud expression faltered slightly, looking a bit embarrassed.
"Although it's not worth much, these herbs are scarce in winter. I'm carrying them in case of emergencies while hunting."
Hearing this, Kuroro's expression showed a hint of regret, speaking softly.
"That's really unfortunate..."
The villager nodded in agreement.
A moment later, the snow was stained with crimson.
Kuroro carefully tucked the rare green herb into his coat, then turned his gaze westward.
His expression remained calm, murmuring softly.
"Too bad I can't use Nen anymore..."
"It seems we're in a different world. If that's the case, finding a solution for that ability will be impossible."
"Moreover... the prophecy made for me will likely diverge..."
"No... perhaps that prophecy is already invalid..."
Shaking his head in frustration, he spoke softly.
"What am I thinking, Rin's health is the priority. His weakness doesn't seem normal. What happened?"
"A two-hour round trip... I need to hurry..."
With these words, his figure swiftly dashed westward.
Meanwhile, inside the house in the village,
Feeling slightly better, Rin wrapped himself in Kuroro's coat, curiously observing the house.
He initially thought they were guests, but he found no other people in the rooms.
Until he saw a trace of remaining crimson.
His expression froze in shock, his emotions stirring, a mix of panic and anger, he muttered.
"Spider..."