"By the way, uncle, you said you're a writer. What kind of books do you write?"
Mei Terumi blinked her big eyes, looking curiously at Hayato Ren.
Hayato Ren pondered for a moment, his gaze profound as he looked up at the ceiling.
"My works are still too profound for someone your age. It would be better for you to read them after you've grown up."
"Really? You're not writing Liu Bei, are you?"
Mei Terumi stared suspiciously at Hayato Ren's face as she retorted.
Under Mei Terumi's intense gaze, Hayato Ren's expression remained completely unchanged as he calmly responded:
"What Liu Bei? That's called art. How does a child like you know so many things? And weren't you suspecting me of being a spy? Why are you asking about my writing now?"
Mei Terumi sat on the chair, swinging her short legs.
"Hehe, uncle, you're just outdated. Kids these days know quite a lot. Forget it, there's no point explaining to an old fossil like you. Being a writer and a ninja aren't mutually exclusive, right? I've heard that Jiraiya from the Leaf is a ninja who writes Liu Bei, and he often peeps into women's bathhouses."
Hayato Ren never expected that Jiraiya's notorious reputation had actually reached the Hidden Mist Village.
Before he could figure out how to respond, there was suddenly a knock at the door.
A waiter brought in the ingredients - some beef and vegetables.
From the steam rising from the beef, it was clear that the ingredients here were extremely fresh.
"Why are you looking at me? Hurry up and grill the meat."
Hayato Ren looked at Mei Terumi across from him and said impatiently.
Hearing this, Mei Terumi showed an incredulous expression.
"You have the nerve to ask me to grill the meat? I'm just a child, you're really a cold and heartless person."
However, Hayato Ren's next sentence immediately subdued Mei Terumi.
"If I'm the one grilling, then you can pay for it."
Upon hearing this, Mei Terumi immediately picked up the tongs and started working busily.
Just kidding, this was the most expensive barbecue restaurant in the Hidden Mist Village. If Mei Terumi had to pay for this meal herself, it would cost her half a year's allowance.
There was also some intention of taking advantage of a rich person behind why Mei Terumi had brought Hayato Ren here.
Under the scorching charcoal fire, the beef began to glisten with a layer of oil, dripping from the grill onto the charcoal below, making a series of crackling sounds.
Under the Maillard reaction, the beef emitted an enticing aroma.
This made Mei Terumi unconsciously swallow deeply.
Although Mei Terumi's family inn was relatively large, in recent years, due to the Hidden Mist Village's increasingly isolationist policies, the flow of customers had been declining year by year.
While Mei Terumi never went hungry, having barbecue was still quite difficult.
After all, the Hidden Mist Village was located on a small island, and livestock like pigs and cattle had to be transported from outside.
Naturally, the price was much more expensive than fish.
After waiting for quite a while, Mei Terumi eagerly picked up the grilled meat with her chopsticks and placed it onto her plate.
She then lifted a piece with her chopsticks, about to put it into her mouth.
Just then, Hayato Ren sitting opposite her suddenly let out a questioning "Hmm?" through his nose.
Mei Terumi's face fell, and she promptly swapped her plate with Hayato Ren's.
Hayato Ren nodded in satisfaction, wearing an expression that said, "You know what's good for you."
Then, under Mei Terumi's longing gaze, he picked up a piece of meat and ate it.
Although the flavor was decent, Hayato Ren wasn't fully satisfied.
Compared to the grilled meat in Leaf, the quality of the meat and the marinade sauce here fell short by quite a margin.
Coupled with Mei Terumi's less-than-skilled control of the heat, Hayato Ren could only give it a seven out of ten.
Since it didn't meet his expectations, Hayato Ren only ate a small portion, barely filling himself halfway.
As for the remaining ingredients, they all ended up in Mei Terumi's stomach. She ate until her face was glossy and her belly nearly stretched to its limit.
After eating and drinking their fill, Mei Terumi led Hayato Ren through the bustling crowd and plunged straight into the dense forest.
They trekked through the forest for quite some time before a crystal-clear lake appeared before Hayato Ren.
"Since you treated me to a meal, I'll make an exception and bring you to my secret base. You should be grateful—you're only the second person to ever come here."
Looking at Mei Terumi's proud expression, Hayato Ren responded gloomily:
"Is that really something to be proud of? If an outsider like me is the second person to come here, doesn't that just mean you have no friends?"
Mei Terumi's expression instantly stiffened, as Hayato Ren's words had struck a nerve.
Lies don't hurt; the truth is the sharp blade.
Although Mei Terumi possessed strong ninja talent, her commoner background meant she was never respected by her classmates from prestigious clans.
Moreover, the other ordinary students felt she was out of their league.
Thus, Mei Terumi truly had no close friends in Hidden Mist Village—only a few acquaintances she would exchange greetings with.
Seeing her expression, Hayato Ren continued to rub salt in the wound.
"Seems I hit the mark. You really are a failure. With social skills like that, I doubt you'll ever manage to get married."
That remark finally pushed Mei Terumi over the edge.
With a running start, she shoved Hayato Ren to the ground and sat on his stomach.
"You... someone like you could never understand how I feel."
Although Mei Terumi was much stronger than the average person, knocking Hayato Ren over should have been impossible.
However, since Hayato Ren's current identity was that of a feeble writer, he had no choice but to let himself fall backward.
"Hey, old man. Shouldn't you be comforting me right now?"
Mei Terumi looked down at Hayato Ren with a dissatisfied expression.
"Get off me first. I can't even feel my waist anymore. It's like I was just knocked over by an angry wild boar."
"Hmph, have you ever seen a wild boar as naturally beautiful as me? And mister, you look so tall but seem all show and no substance—could you be some rich lady's pretty boy?"
A sly smile spread across Mei Terumi's face.
If not for maintaining his disguise, Hayato Ren would have loved to grab Mei right then and put on a traditional Ansai waist drum performance to show her exactly who was "all show and no substance."
Then, Mei helped Ren lean against a large tree.
After that, she picked up a stone and threw it toward the lake surface.
The stone skipped five or six times across the water before sinking with a "plop."