Hayato Ren simply smiled at Ameyuri Ringo's "explanation," refraining from further teasing.
After a moment of silence, Ameyuri Ringo suddenly stood up and looked at Hayato Ren.
"Hey, are you hungry?"
Although Hayato Ren had already eaten dinner earlier, he wouldn't mind having another meal. Moreover, he was quite curious about Ameyuri Ringo's cooking skills.
So, Hayato Ren nodded and replied, "Now that you mention it, I am a bit hungry. Thank you for the trouble."
"Hmph, I was just asking. Who said anything about treating you to a meal?" Ameyuri Ringo retorted sharply, then retrieved two fish from a basin in the corner.
She then picked up a small stool, barely allowing herself to reach the countertop.
Ameyuri Ringo took up a kitchen knife, twirled it with a stylish flourish, and swiftly chopped off the heads of the two still-wriggling fish.
What followed was a rhythmic sound of chopping.
From her skilled knife work, it was clear that her culinary skills were far from mediocre.
As Hayato Ren had expected, the dinner was above average. Who would have thought that Ameyuri Ringo possessed the qualities of a capable homemaker?
After the meal, Hayato Ren prepared to take his leave.
Just as he stood up to speak, a flash of white light suddenly burst through the window.
Soon after, a deep rumble of thunder echoed throughout the Hidden Mist Village.
Ameyuri Ringo moved swiftly. The moment the lightning flashed, she dashed outside to retrieve all the drying clothes.
No sooner had she stepped back inside than a downpour began.
"That was close. The clothes almost got soaked for nothing," Ameyuri Ringo said, wiping the fine beads of sweat from her forehead as she gazed warily at the heavy rain outside.
At that moment, the lights in the room flickered a few times before abruptly going out.
A series of rustling sounds followed.
A short while later, a warm, yellow candle flame pierced through the boundless darkness.
Ameyuri Ringo held a candleholder, its light illuminating Hayato Ren, who was shrouded in shadows.
"The power supply here has always been unreliable. It goes out every time it rains."
Hayato Ren thought of a rather particular issue. "If the power goes out so often, wouldn't the food in your fridge spoil easily?"
"It's fine. I only keep drinks in the fridge. They'll cool down again once the power comes back."
That was a great answer. In his previous life, Hayato Ren's fridge had also been reserved solely for drinks and ice cream.
This couldn't help but evoke a sense of kinship between him and Ameyuri Ringo.
However, it was getting late. As a "considerate" person, Hayato Ren naturally wouldn't overstay his welcome at Ameyuri Ringo's place.
At worst, he could walk a bit and then use the Flying Thunder God technique to return to his inn.
After all, he had long since left a Flying Thunder God mark in his room.
"It's getting late, I should head back. Do you have an umbrella here?"
Ameyuri Ringo stood up, retrieved an umbrella from the corner, and handed it to Hayato Ren.
"Be careful on your way back, stay safe."
Hayato Ren nodded, took the umbrella, and stepped into the dark, rainy night.
After walking for about three minutes, Hayato Ren glanced around and confirmed there was no one else nearby.
He immediately used the Flying Thunder God technique to return to his inn.
The room was still pitch black—apparently, the power outage wasn't just limited to Ameyuri Ringo's neighborhood but had affected the entire Hidden Mist Village.
To be honest, the infrastructure in Hidden Mist Village was far inferior to that of the Leaf.
Groping his way into the bathroom, Hayato Ren took a quick shower.
He wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped out.
Then, he turned on a flashlight.
Only then did he realize there was an extra person in his room.
Hayato Ren slapped his forehead hard—he had really let his guard down lately.
He hadn't noticed immediately; if an enemy had tried to ambush him, they might have already succeeded.
Even though Hayato Ren hadn't encountered any danger in Hidden Mist Village, this was still "enemy territory," and such carelessness was inexcusable.
After mentally chastising himself, Hayato Ren looked toward his bed.
There lay an uninvited guest, fast asleep and snoring softly.
Gazing at Mei Terumi's peaceful sleeping face, he walked to the bedside and raised his right hand.
Without hesitation, he gave her rounded buttocks a few firm smacks.
Smack, smack—after the sounds, Mei Terumi's eyes flew open.
Her body sprang up as if propelled by a spring.
Mei Terumi crouched with her knees bent, back against the corner of the wall, adopting a defensive posture.
It wasn't until she recognized Hayato Ren's face that her tense body gradually relaxed.
"Uncle, what are you doing? Don't you know you shouldn't disturb a lady while she's sleeping?"
"Lady? What lady? All I see is a lazy pig hogging my bed. Why are you here? Did you climb through the window again?"
"This inn is owned by my family, so I can go wherever I want. Huh? Uncle, you actually have abs? Your figure is pretty nice."
Mei Terumi exclaimed in surprise while reaching out a small hand to stroke Hayato Ren's abdominal muscles.
Seeing the somewhat lecherous expression on Mei Terumi's face, Hayato Ren felt a chill run down his spine.
How could anyone combine cuteness and creepiness so seamlessly?
Feeling taken advantage of, Hayato Ren quickly put some distance between them.
After he moved away, Mei Terumi showed a faintly disappointed expression.
This was her first time having such intimate contact with the opposite sex, and Hayato Ren's abs felt even more pleasant to touch than she had imagined.
"Hey, hey, hey, what's going through that little head of yours? So young and already picking up bad habits—you're practically drooling."
Hayato Ren looked at Mei Terumi with a helpless expression.
After all, he was the renowned Darkness of the Ninja World, an author hailed as the King of Liu Bei.
Never thought I'd be taken advantage of by that little girl Mei Terumi today. Truly, I've been flying hawks all my life only to have my eyes pecked out by one in the end.
"Tch, who wants your worthless stuff? I was just curious because I'd never seen it before. Now that you're offering it up, I won't even bother touching it."
Mei Terumi rolled her eyes and retorted irritably.