"My… my name is Konan," the girl said to Shiratori, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
Shiratori looked at them with a gentle expression, a kind and warm smile on his face.
"My name is Nagato."
The red-haired boy's voice was very quiet and weak.
By the time Shiratori's clothes had been dried by the fire, deep night had already fallen outside the cave.
Suddenly, the sound of a growling stomach reached his ears.
"Grrr…"
The not-so-loud sound was especially clear in the quiet cave.
"..."
He glanced at Yahiko and the others. Yahiko's face flushed red, and he couldn't even lift his head.
Such pitiful children.
They were so hungry their bones were sticking out.
What a tragedy.
Shiratori mentally accessed the system interface.
[Status: OFFLINE]
Useless, as expected.
He sighed inwardly.
"Are you hungry?" he asked knowingly.
Yahiko swallowed and shook his head, as if trying to convince himself he wasn't hungry: "I'm not hungry!"
After answering, he asked, "Are you hungry?"
Shiratori nodded honestly, "I am. Let's go get something to eat."
Yahiko's eyes widened, and he stammered, "But… we don't have any money."
Right in front of them, Shiratori pulled out a bulging money pouch. "I have money."
Yahiko looked at him nervously, "Where did you get that money?"
Konan also looked at Shiratori in surprise.
Nagato's eyes were hidden behind his long bangs, so his expression couldn't be seen clearly, but from his body language and facial reaction, his shock was no less than the two.
Shiratori explained calmly, "I took it from some dead ninjas I found."
"But… aren't you afraid of those ninjas taking revenge?" Yahiko asked worriedly.
"They were already dead when I found them. Someone else killed them, I just took what they didn't need anymore."
The matter-of-fact way he said it made the moral ambiguity seem perfectly reasonable.
He rubbed his stomach and, seeing the hesitation on the kids' faces, spoke, "We're all alone in this world. We have to look out for each other, right? Money's no use if we starve before we spend it. If I die, some other ninja will just loot it off my body anyway. So let's go, let's get something to eat."
Children were mostly pure at heart. Offering warmth and belonging was the most effective way to win loyalty. After all, who could refuse companionship in such a cold, and hostile world?
Yahiko swallowed hard. He looked at Konan and Nagato, none of them had had a proper meal in a long time.
He gritted his teeth and said, "Okay."
Under Yahiko and the others' guidance, Shiratori followed them into town.
As soon as they arrived, he caught the plain and hearty scent of steamed buns.
The two dead ninjas weren't particularly wealthy, but the money in his pouch was more than enough to buy whatever Yahiko and the others wanted.
He stood in front of the stall, waved his hand generously, and bought a whole bag of steamed buns. He also bought two boxes of meatballs.
The two boxes of meatballs cost almost half of the money. Meat really was expensive during wartime.
But they couldn't skip meat either. They were still growing, after all. And meat was delicious...
By the time they had spent most of the money in his pouch, they finally left the street.
Yahiko looked around cautiously, sneaking back to the cave like they were carrying stolen goods. He had added extra firewood before they left, so when they returned, the fire was still burning.
They all sat around the fire. Shiratori handed out the buns to Yahiko and the others. Then he opened the box full of meatballs, still steaming hot.
His mouth watered, he hadn't eaten in so long, he was really starving.
After he ate one meatball, he realized that Yahiko and the others were only biting into their buns and hadn't touched the meatballs.
"Why aren't you eating the meat?" he asked, looking from the meatballs to the three children.
Were they not appealing enough?
Konan swallowed and opened her eyes wide, holding back her cravings. In a small, hesitant voice, she said, "You bought these with your money."
Such strong principles?
But the purer they were, the more he could work with them.
Hearing her words, he immediately set down his chopsticks.
He swept a serious gaze over them and spoke solemnly, "When Yahiko said I could stay with you, something changed for me. I've been alone since my family died, wondering if I'd ever belong anywhere again."
His voice faltered slightly at the end. He looked away for a moment, brows drawn, jaw clenched like someone trying not to let too much show.
Konan's pupils reflected his expression.
"Finding people who understand what it's like to lose everything... that's worth more than money. We're not just sharing a meal, we're choosing to trust each other."
He looked sincerely at each of them with honest eyes.
"Besides," he added with a small smile, "what's the point of having something good to eat if you've got no one to share it with? I'd rather eat plain rice with friends than feast alone."
When Yahiko and the others still hesitated, Shiratori's expression grew more serious. "But if this makes you uncomfortable, I understand. I'll just eat the buns too."
He reached for a plain steamed bun, and began eating it in small bites.
This was psychology 101, not the clumsy emotional manipulation that adults would see through, but the kind of sincere gesture that would resonate with children who had experienced genuine hardship.
A total one-hit KO!
How could kids, with their fresh, unguarded hearts, understand the complexity of adult games?
And the beauty was that it wasn't entirely false. Creating bonds with these kids was valuable, yes, but he could accomplish that while also treating them well.
In this war-torn world, having tasted the cold indifference of life, Yahiko and the others were immediately moved.
[System Alert: ONLINE]
[Affection values detected]
[Konan: +1000 points]
[Yahiko: +1000 points]
[Nagato: +1000 points]
[Total accumulated: 3000 points]
[Feeding Function: Available]
[Feed cursed spirit Rika?]
[Yes/No]
Such responsive children!
He felt a burst of satisfaction and mentally confirmed the energy transfer.
[Energy transferred to Rika]
[Status: Hunger eliminated]
[Development progress: 13%]
[Rika manifestation strength increased]
[Rika's feedback: Yuuuta, so delicious~]
How clingy is this girl?
The corner of his mouth twitched.
Under his insistence, Yahiko and the others finally gave in and picked up their chopsticks to eat the meatballs. After not having meat for so long, the kids' eyes grew bright as they tasted the fresh, delicious food.
Shiratori pretended not to notice and just focused on eating.
The four of them ate until they were full, their bellies satisfied.
The children looked at one another, as if coming to a firm decision, and stood up.
Yahiko said, "Come with us. There's something we want to show you."
Shiratori was confused but followed them anyway.
What he didn't expect was that the cave held a secret. Behind a rocky wall deep inside the cave, there was actually a smaller hidden chamber.
He followed them inside and saw that it was filled with wooden crates, each larger than a child.
Not only that, but there were even several lit candles for illumination.
Yahiko led him over and opened one of the crates to show him the contents.
"..."
Shiratori stared at the crate full of bread, then looked down at the bun still in his hand.
I treated you like innocent children... and you were running a whole operation here?
These little hustlers had completely played him!