In the slightly empty room,
Only the crackling of the fire occasionally broke the silence.
Although he was still a bit upset, Rin didn't stubbornly reject Kuroro's kindness.
Though Kuroro didn't explain in detail, Rin had his suspicions.
At this moment, Kuroro was restricted by Kurapika's Judgment Chain, making him unable to use any Nen abilities.
Even though his physical combat skills were still impressive,
Without the enhancement of Nen, his overall strength was far from what it used to be.
However, this also proved something.
Since Kurapika's Nen ability was still in effect, it meant that Nen could indeed be used in this world.
And if Nen could be used here,
This world likely wasn't as simple as it seemed on the surface; there might be some extraordinary and troublesome existences.
Kuroro probably had already noticed this.
That's also why he agreed to teach Rin how to use Nen.
After all, without Nen abilities, Kuroro didn't have enough strength to ensure Rin's safety, thus requiring more caution in their actions.
After gulping down the nourishing herbal soup, Rin stood up, still wrapped in the large coat.
Initially, he wanted to return the coat to Kuroro, but Kuroro refused, so he had no choice but to wear it.
His small frame was engulfed by the oversized dark purple coat, with his feet visible from the hem. This made him look like a child wearing an adult's clothes, which was quite adorable.
"Kuroro, I want to personally bury that man. Tell me where he is."
Rin frowned, then sighed, looking at Kuroro with a tone that left no room for refusal.
Hearing this, Kuroro remained silent for a moment.
He then stood up and led Rin outside to a snow-covered forest not far from the house.
Rin noticed an unusual patch of snow under a tree adorned in a white blanket. He slowly walked over.
Kuroro wanted to follow, but Rin raised his hand to stop him, speaking with a slightly stiff tone.
"Wouldn't the deceased be angrier if they saw you?"
After saying this, his tone softened with a sigh.
"Let me handle this. Let's consider it atonement for both of us."
With that, he jogged over, squatted down, and began digging in the snow with his small hands. Soon, he uncovered the corpse of a middle-aged man with a terrified expression.
Rin frowned, clasped his frostbitten hands together, and bowed sincerely to the man.
He then moved to another spot and began digging again.
Kuroro stood silently, his expression calm.
His black and white eyes only focused on the small figure of Rin in the white snow.
He seemed to understand something.
However, to him, the significance of such actions was incomprehensible.
The frozen ground beneath the snow was very hard, and Rin's thin hands couldn't dig through it. Soon, his frostbitten fingertips started bleeding.
Sweat dotted his forehead from the exertion.
Rin gritted his teeth, determined to continue digging.
At some point, Kuroro squatted beside him and started helping to dig the hard soil.
Rin knew he couldn't do it alone, so he remained silent.
With Kuroro's help, the work went much faster.
In less than an hour, they had dug a hole large enough to bury a person.
After burying the middle-aged man, Rin took a few steps back, stood in front of the makeshift grave, and bowed deeply again with his bloody hands clasped together.
Kuroro watched silently as Rin performed these rituals.
After fulfilling his task, Rin and Kuroro returned to the house.
Although his hands were frostbitten, Rin's spirits were surprisingly high, possibly due to the exercise or the nourishing herbs.
"Let's leave this place."
Standing in the room, Rin turned to Kuroro and said.
Kuroro glanced at Rin's bandaged hands and said calmly.
"Your body is still very weak. We should wait until you've fully recovered before..."
He didn't finish his sentence, watching Rin.
Rin had already squatted down, packing the food and herbs Kuroro had brought.
After packing everything, Rin looked at Kuroro calmly and said.
"I remembered that I have a relative who once helped me in a nearby village."
"We shouldn't waste these things. Let's leave them for him."
"Then let's leave this place."
Kuroro didn't oppose Rin's decision.
He felt that Rin had changed subtly.
Nevertheless, regardless of how Rin changed, he remained the most special person to Kuroro.
Everything revolved around Rin's wishes!
With a nonchalant swing, Rin slung the large pack over his shoulder and turned around, his heart pounding.
His previously calm face immediately showed tension as he let out a long breath, his eyes gleaming excitedly.
Whew... That was scary...
It seems this is the best way to deal with Kuroro!
Although he was very grateful for Kuroro's care, if he allowed him to continue being 'reckless,' Kuroro might do something even more dangerous!
Sigh... To prevent more unnecessary deaths...
I have to act more decisively!
Rin kept encouraging himself internally.
At that moment, he felt a lightening of the burden on his back, startling him!
But at the critical moment, he tightened his face, slowly turning his head with a questioning look at Kuroro.
Kuroro, with a calm expression, looked down at him, shouldering the large pack and saying slowly.
"If Rin wants to learn Nen sooner, you need to recover quickly."
"Oh."
Rin turned his head lightly, replying nonchalantly, trying to look calm.
But his steps forward were slightly stiff, almost stumbling.
Darn it, facing Kuroro is really stressful!
Kuroro looked slightly surprised at Rin's odd walking, quietly following behind him.
The two quickly disappeared from the small village, leaving behind two rows of footprints in the snow, one large and one small.
.........
Following Rin's memory, the two headed west through the snow.
Rin knew there was a town to the west.
However, Kuroro didn't mention anything about Shiokko.
Since Rin's body seemed to have recovered a lot,
To Kuroro, Shiokko's presence was now irrelevant.
After less than half an hour,
They arrived at a small snow-covered village beside a winding stream.
The river was already frozen over. Kuroro had passed by it earlier but was in a hurry to get to the town and didn't pay attention.
As they entered the village, some villagers noticed them and eyed them warily.
Rin tightened the coat around him, ignoring the stares.
Following his memory, they arrived at a simple house in the northeast corner of the village.
A weary-looking man was outside, cleaning the guts of some small fish with snow water.
This man was Rin's uncle, Rin Eiji, his father's younger brother. He was a kind and gentle man.
He had once helped Rin's family during hard times.
Unfortunately, both families were poor.
Often, they were powerless to help.
Rin's parents didn't want to trouble him when they fell ill. By now, Eiji still didn't know about his brother's death.
Their arrival naturally caught Eiji's attention.
Seeing Rin, a glimmer of light appeared in his tired eyes, and his face showed a mix of surprise and uncertainty.
"Rin?"
Rin pulled down the coat slightly, revealing his young face, smiling softly.
"It's me, Uncle Eiji."
Confirming this, Eiji quickly put down the fish, wiped his hands, and hurried over, exclaiming in surprise.
"Rin? What brings you here!? And who is this?"
Rin glanced at Kuroro and softly explained to Eiji.
"This is my teacher. I plan to go on a journey with him."
Kuroro's face remained expressionless as he stood there with the pack on his back.
Eiji's expression changed, and he pulled Rin aside, lowering his voice urgently.
"What's going on? How could your father agree to this?"
Rin's eyes darkened slightly as he softly said,
"Father and Mother passed away from illness not long ago."
Hearing this, Eiji's face froze, staring at Rin with a trembling voice.
"Brother... and sister-in-law..."
He quickly stopped himself, not wanting to upset Rin further, though his eyes couldn't hide his sorrow.
"It's alright, Rin, come live with Uncle."
Eiji patted Rin's head, trying to show a strong front despite his sadness.
At that moment,
"Eiji, do we have guests?"
The door opened, and a woman holding a two or three-year-old girl walked out.
The woman had a gentle face.
The little girl, wrapped in thick clothes, shyly peeked from behind her mother, eyeing Kuroro and Rin cautiously.
"Keiko, it's Rin!"
Pushing away his sadness, Eiji called out excitedly to his wife.
The woman's face showed surprise, then joy.
"Rin? You've grown so much!"
Eiji happily led Rin to the house, telling his wife.
"Of course, Rin's becoming a fine young man!"
Then he pointed to the little girl and softly said to Rin.
"Rin, this is your sister, Rin Shiro, she's almost three now."
His voice choked slightly, eyes filled with sadness.
"I regret... never having the chance to show Shiro to my brother... such a shame..."
At this, Rin's eyes stared blankly at the little girl peeking from behind her mother.
Shiro?
Rin Shiro?
No way...
Rin Shiro was a boy... It can't be her...
Could it be this coincidental?
What kind of world is this...
Suddenly, Rin nervously glanced at Kuroro.
Seeing Rin's look, Kuroro frowned, sensing his unease.
Rin turned back, his face pale, forcing a smile, and asked softly,
"Uncle?"
"What's wrong, Rin?"
"The name of our country... what is it?"
"Rin, we are citizens of the Land of Water, remember that. No matter what, always remember!"
"I understand....."