At this time, the sky had fully darkened, and the fire crackled as it licked the branches.
Mai was almost finished telling her story. She fell silent for a moment, shifting her gaze from the flames to the man across from her. In his eyes, she saw the reflection of the burning fire.
Summoning her courage, she said: "Uncle... Hattori-nii."
Logan nodded in approval, "What is it?"
"Well… when I first came to Konoha, I wanted to find you. I didn't know anyone at first, but then I went to the Ninja Academy and became a Ninja... then I started asking around..."
Seeing that Logan was just listening quietly, Mai continued, but now her question was obvious, "After the Chunin Exam... why did you defect from the village?"
"..."
It feels like this is not the first time that Logan has been asked this question.
There was a brief silence, though the night in such a place was always quiet, but Mai became nervous. She pulled out a branch from the fire, and made a few gestures.
"I just wanted to... look for you, but I couldn't find you." Her voice was very weak, almost covered by the flames if one didn't listen carefully.
But what followed wasn't the long, painful silence she had imagined. Nor was there bitterness, sorrow, or hidden pain. There was no dramatic reveal of dark secrets, no confessions of crimes, no grand narrative of betrayal and redemption. She wouldn't even get to play the understanding little sister, which is kind of shame.
Because Logan simply chuckled, then said with light and easy tone, "That, huh? I'm not telling you."
"W-why?" Mai stammered, caught off guard.
"It's quite complicated. And honestly? I don't think it's worth talking about." Logan shrugged, his expression was so casual, so matter-of-fact, "So let's just drop it, yeah?"
'Drop it?'
"…Drop it?" Mai repeated, dumbfounded.
Logan nodded. "Yep. But you… since you're fine now, you should head back tomorrow. No need to make your teacher and teammates worry. Otherwise, I'll have to take the blame for."
The branch in her hand broke, and Mai reflexively said: "No way!"
This time, it was Logan's turn to be surprised, "Why?"
Countless reasons surged through Mai's mind, but she immediately rejected them one by one. She couldn't think of a proper excuse in such a short time. In her panic, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "I'm sleeping with you tomorrow too!"
"Sleep... huh?"
The abrupt and out-of-place sentence barged in with no regard for context, leaving Logan momentarily bewildered.
The air grew even quieter, both of them forgetting to speak for a moment. The fire crackled, the only sound filling the silence, as if it were gradually roasting a palpable awkwardness into the atmosphere.
"Ah, no, that's not what I meant!" Mai was the first to react, hastily waving her hands in frantic denial.
"Oh, I get it," Logan reassured her, maintaining a steady composure. He was an adult, after all, and had to stay calm.
However, Mai wasn't letting it go so easily. She was still flailing her hands, her face flushed red from the firelight, clearly flustered, "What I meant was, tomorrow I… Hattori-nii, we..."
Just as she seemed about to combust from sheer embarrassment, Logan reached out and patted her head, then said with a smile: "Got it, no need to rush and explain."
Mai fell silent.
"We are so familiar with each other, so no need to get worked up over clarifying things." Logan added lightly.
The half-snapped branch she had been holding was long lost somewhere in the dirt. Looking down at the remaining stub in her hand, Mai's lips pursed, and she dejectedly tossed it into the fire.
"It was just a slip of the tongue, yet your reaction was so intense." Logan teased.
The firelight stretched over the grass at their feet, casting a warm red glow. The illuminated patch formed a small, enclosed world beneath the sheltering tree.
Beyond the canopy, the deep red hues of the evening faded into the dark night. The sounds of insects chirping came and went, eventually swallowed by the silence.
"I wasn't that bad." Mai muttered, taking a deep breath to calm herself. She lowered her gaze to the side, her voice small and indignant. But as she replayed the scene in her head, she couldn't help but realize, compared to her own flustered reaction, Logan had remained absolutely steady, completely unfazed.
A quiet 'hmph' escaped her lips.
'Hmph?' Logan blinked in confusion but decided against asking. Some instinct told him it was better to let it slide.
Mai, seemingly done with the conversation, cleared a small patch of grass and made a makeshift sleeping area, looking like she was settling in for the night without another word.
Logan scratched his head, feeling that they had left something unfinished.
"You said you're coming with me tomorrow?"
Mai lay on her back, with her hands neatly resting on her stomach. She then said a straight expression, "...Yeah."
"I'm heading north. Might have to cross the border. What are you going for?"
"..."
Logan observed her closely, and his tone became slightly more serious, "As I said before, when I had a conflict with your teacher and teammates... they should have been fine. They are definitely looking for you now, and there is a good chance the village knows too."
He continued, "You're going to be in trouble if you stay with me for too long."
Running into Mai had been a pleasant surprise, but Logan didn't want Mai to have anything to do with him now, especially after knowing her current life.
The risks were obvious, as even if the Third Hokage's faction took a lenient stance, there were always people with ulterior motives.
It wasn't a complicated issue, and Logan was certain Mai understood this too.
"I have my own reasons." Mai said, "Our team was already planning to head to a town up north. I'll just meet them there."
"… Really?"
"Really."
"Okay then." Logan relented with a sigh. He wasn't oblivious to Mai's attachment to him, as memories of their time in the fishing village lingered. But he had to set an example, to remain rational and make the right decisions.
He extinguished the fire, watching as the embers scattered and faded into the air. Then, he lay down to rest.
In the darkness, Mai listened to his steady breathing for a while before finally breaking the silence, "Hattori-nii… why are you heading north?"
There was no movement. After waiting for a few seconds, only a piece of weed landed on her face.
"Go to sleep."
She had expected as much. In fact, she had already given up on asking the real questions burning in her mind, 'Why did you show up in the Land of Fire? What were you doing all that time you were gone?'
But...
Grabbing a handful of grass from the ground, Mai tossed it back at him, "You go to sleep!"