At lunchtime, they finally managed to eat wild game as they had wished.
However, when Hanjiro, who was sweating profusely, came over excitedly carrying a bunch of things, many people felt overwhelmed internally.
Hanjiro was quite lucky. With the help of his colleagues, he successfully caught a lone rabbit. Unfortunately... the rabbit was cut in half. When asked about the reason, Hanjiro casually explained that the prey was leaping swiftly through the air, and he, with swift eyes and hands, supposedly executed his clan's secret technique, 'Tsubame Gaesi', successfully proving his ability.
The smooth cut indeed showcased Hanjiro's excellent swordsmanship, but the smell of blood was so strong that Sumika couldn't help but frown.
"Raiden Hattori, this is yours. The rabbit was too small, so there's only rabbit soup left." The meal delivery guy, Hanjiro, said cheerfully, feeling good about himself. And after putting down Logan's lunch, he left, even swaying his katana as he walked, looking like an expert.
Logan could only shake his head at this, feeling that this Samurai captain was quite cute. After taking a sip of the soup, seemingly made by Sumika herself, he sighed in admiration, 'Her cooking skills were so good...'. Then Logan subconsciously looked towards the center of the camp. Sumika was holding a bowl and sipping it slowly, her gaze piercing through the long distance, staring at him sadly.
'What happened to you going to catch them?'
Feeling embarrassed, Logan turned around and pretended to survey the terrain. He had casually told Hanjiro to catch some rabbits when he saw him approaching earlier. Since Hanjiro seemed very eager, Logan felt he couldn't be blamed.
During the afternoon journey, Logan felt that there seemed to be a vague gaze watching him. With his perception, he couldn't be mistaken... Reluctantly, when they camped at night, Logan had to take matters into his own hands and slipped into the forest.
In less than half an hour, he emerged, each hand carrying a large deer. Letting Jonin to catch wild animals was indeed overkill. With Logan's speed, he could easily overtake them directly. If the animal was smarter and played with the terrain, he would just use Shadow Clone Technique directly.
When Logan threw threw the two intact deer in front of everyone, the atmosphere quieted down for a moment. Hanjiro, who had been solemnly cleaning his blade, almost dropped it when he heard the noise. Sumika's eyes lit up with excitement, her red agate eyes sparkling.
"Cough, let's have these for dinner tonight." Logan said when he saw everyone looking at him. This seemed to be the first time he had received such attention since he started escorting them. It was kind of bittersweet.
The atmosphere suddenly became lively, and many Samurai even started whistling. At noon, everyone was not satisfied with the meal at all. But this time, the portion would be enough to satisfy everyone.
As the bonfire rose, amidst laughter and cheers, the tourist group made the most of the value of these two deer. Many people started greeting Logan.
The reputation of the Konoha's Ninja was well deserved; he was indeed impressive to catch them so quickly, and they weren't even cut in half…
Logan's relationship with the group became closer in a way that made him smile wryly.
"Well, you're quite skilled." Hanjiro said reluctantly as he delivered the food.
"Thank you." Logan thanked him. He had a good impression of this talented young Samurai. The fact that he had been delivering food to him for so many days already indicated something. He was loyal and principled. As for his pride sometimes, it was also part of human nature.
However, while Logan was sitting by the fire and halfway through his meal, a figure in a red and white kimono sat down next to him.
"Hattori-san, I didn't expect you to really catch them, and it seems quite effortless." The soft and melodious voice flowed into his ears like a clear spring. Sumika sat beside him, holding a bowl, and curled her legs, looking at him.
Sumika's actions initially attracted a lot of attention, but after everyone's impressions of Logan changed a lot, they didn't pay much attention after watching it for a while, probably assuming that their Lady Envoy went to thank him.
"Well, I wouldn't lie to you for no reason." Logan replied casually, not daring to look into those clear eyes. Of course, the vigilant eyes of Hanjiro not far away also made him uncomfortable.
"If only every day could be like this." Sumika sighed as the firelight reflected the surrounding area in orange.
"Huh?" The artistic conception was nice, but Logan keenly sensed an underlying implication in her words, 'Eating meat every day?'
"My main responsibility is still to ensure everyone's safety. I really don't have the extra energy to go out hunting." Logan said with a forced smile, almost giving himself away.
There was a mischievous glint in Sumika's eyes, making her seem like a lively young girl, "Ah, you caught me."
"You can let Brother Hanjiro do it instead. Although his technique at noon was a bit rough, practice makes perfect, and besides..." Logan said with a teasing tone, "I noticed that Brother Hanjiro seems to have a crush on the Lady Envoy.
"What? N-No way." Logan's words caught Sumika off guard. She was still a little blank in terms of emotions, so she was at a loss, "Hanjiro-san is just fulfilling his duty, right?"
"Right…" Logan chuckled and said, "If you don't believe it, just look at how serious he looks right now. With his serious gaze and that sword in his hand, he might use his clan's secret technique, 'Tsubame Gaesi' and slice me in half any moment now..."
"Ah?" Sumika looked over after hearing this and found that it was true, but Logan's words were too funny. Her face was already blushing, but now, she couldn't help but laugh. Her beauty shining exceptionally under the firelight.
Seeing this, Hanjiro couldn't bear to watch anymore, and with a serious expression, he walked over stiffly, "Lady Envoy, it's getting late, it's time for you to go to rest."
"Cough…" Logan cleared his throat lightly and turned away without saying a word.
Sumika didn't want to believe Logan's words just like that, but she couldn't find a rebuttal for a moment, so she didn't dare to meet Hanjiro's gaze. She got up in a hurry, forgetting to take her bowl with her.
'Why is she so shy? Isn't it said that Anime Girl is very open-minded, even more so than high school girls...?' Logan looked at the half-empty bowl on the ground, ignoring Hanjiro's glare. After finishing the remaining dinner, he prepared to jump up to a tree with a wide view to keep watch as usual.
Unexpectedly, there was a clattering sound of wooden clogs, and Sumika, with her flowing black hair, ran up to him, looking annoyed. In Logan's surprised gaze, she quickly said, "Hattori-san, I almost forgot what I really wanted to say because of what you just said."
Sumika extended her hand, a coin lying in her palm, "What you wanted to tell me this morning is that although the coin in the air has not fallen, the coin in my heart has already landed, and the answer had already appeared in my mind when you tossed the coin, so there was no need to look at the final result, right?"
Hearing this, Logan was at a loss for words, feeling embarrassed, "Uh, yeah, but you said it in such an artistic way..."
"Hmph." Sumika put away the coin. Remembering something, she lowered her body and picked up something else, "And here's the bowl, too. You didn't return it!"
With that, Sumika turned and left quickly, leaving Logan scratching his head.
"But." Sumika's footsteps suddenly stopped, "I still don't understand why Hattori-san keeps tossing the coin."
'Of course you don't...' Logan muttered in his heart, 'who would know that a coin could become a deadly weapon.'
"Since the coin has such a philosophy, is Yuubai-san struggling with a difficult decision as you throw up the coin, or are you still hesitant even though you know the answer?"
Sumika's final words struck Logan's soul in a way that he had not expected.