"Since this grilled pork chop is pretty good, I'll spare your life, old man."
Hidan sat cross-legged on the floor, devouring the pork chop with both hands.
"I'm glad you like it, sir."
Despite Hidan's arrogant tone, the grandfather forced a polite smile.
Watching this, Shiraishi Mori clenched his fists in secret, while Shiraishi Rin timidly observed the two strangers.
One had a slicked-back silver undercut—rude, eating their family's piglet and still talking trash!
The other, however, seemed much more pleasant—wearing black square-framed glasses, with neatly combed black hair, looking refined and polite!
Of course, Rin only dared to think these things in her heart.
Speaking them out loud might bring disaster upon their family.
Shiki tore into his own pork chop as well.
Though the seasoning and cooking methods weren't particularly sophisticated, the suckling pig's meat was tender, and the old man had put great care into roasting it.
As a result, the pork chop was crispy on the outside yet juicy inside, with the fat on the surface perfectly complementing the lean meat near the ribs.
The slightly charred, crispy skin paired with the soft, delicate pork created a wonderful contrast in texture.
The rich aroma made Shiraishi Mori and Shiraishi Rin, still inside the house, swallow hard.
"Here, have some too."
Shiki handed them three pork ribs.
Mori glanced at his grandfather and, after receiving a nod, carefully accepted them.
"Thank you, sir."
Shiki waved his hand. "This was yours to begin with. No need to thank me."
Without another word, Mori and his sister immediately dug in, devouring the meat ravenously.
Ever since the Sakamoto Trading Company arrived and took their parents away, the two children hadn't tasted meat in a long time!
Wiping his mouth, Shiki turned to the grandfather, who hadn't eaten a single bite.
"Old man, why are there so few young people in this village?"
With his crows scouting the area, nothing in this small village—or even the nearby waters—escaped Shiki's notice.
The old man's face twisted with bitterness, hesitating to speak.
After all, who knew if these two Jashin cultists had ties to the Sakamoto Trading Company? One wrong word could bring death upon them!
"Say what you want. We have no connection to Sakamoto Trading."
Hidan, impatient with the old man's hesitation, barked, "Spit it out, or I'll kill you!"
In an instant, a terrifying killing intent filled the room, freezing the three Shiraishi family members in place like they'd been plunged into ice.
Hidan really might kill them.
"Hm?"
Shiki gave Hidan a sidelong glance.
The silver-haired man clicked his tongue.
"Tch. Boring."
Turning back, Shiki's face resumed its gentle smile.
"Don't worry, old man. Speak freely. If this guy causes trouble, I'll cut his head off."
Hearing Shiki casually mention decapitation made the Shiraishi family turn even paler.
Hidan just scoffed.
This only made the grandfather more deferential toward Shiki.
From their dynamic, it was clear that Shiki was the one in charge—likely a higher-ranking member of the Jashin cult.
Under their combined intimidation, the old man finally spoke.
"Mori, take your sister outside for a bit."
"Yes, Grandfather."
Mori held Rin's hand and left the house.
Only after the children were gone did the grandfather continue.
"It's all because of the Sakamoto Trading Company."
He paused, carefully studying Shiki and Hidan's expressions, trying to gauge whether they truly had no connection to the company.
But Shiki remained smiling, and Hidan was still licking grease off his fingers.
Sighing, the old man went on.
"Originally, Mizuo Village was just a small fishing village on the border of the Land of Rivers."
"But when the Sakamoto Trading Company came, they said they were building a floating casino city and that our fishing would interfere with their business. So they banned us from fishing at sea."
As he spoke, the grandfather's already hunched frame seemed to shrink further.
"But… our village has been fishing for generations. If we can't fish, what else can we do?"
"The land here isn't suitable for farming. Without fishing, we'd starve."
"So, Mori's parents and the other fishermen went to negotiate with Sakamoto Trading. But the company accused them of causing trouble and arrested them all."
"It's been over half a month now… and we don't even know if they're alive."
Shiki rubbed his chin, nodding slightly.
Indeed, his crows had spotted a massive cruise ship nearby—likely Sakamoto Trading's base.
And the very client who had commissioned this mission from the Jashin cult.
After listening, Shiki silently sipped his water, offering no response.
After sitting for a while longer, he finally stood up.
"We won't trouble you further, old man. Farewell."
The fisherman quickly rose. "Sirs, it's already late. Why not stay the night?"
Of course, he wasn't genuinely inviting them—just afraid of offending them.
Offering their only suckling pig was already the Shiraishi family's greatest show of hospitality.
In fact, because of this, they might go months without meat again.
Adjusting his glasses, Shiki replied flatly, "No need. We have some business with Mr. Sakamoto."
With that, he picked up his briefcase and headed toward the sea.
"See ya, old man!"
Hidan waved and followed Shiki.
"Damn it, Shiki, wait for me!"
The old fisherman watched their retreating figures, finally allowing himself to relax.
He didn't know what business Shiki and Hidan had with Sakamoto Trading, but at least they wouldn't be causing trouble here for now.
He returned inside, blew out the candle, and closed the door.
Late that night, Mori got up to use the outhouse.
As he passed the table, he noticed something—a crimson-red necklace lying near the leg of a chair.
"This is…"
He glanced back to confirm his grandfather was still asleep, then quietly picked it up.
Inside the outhouse, he examined the necklace closely.
A circle with a triangle inside!
"This is definitely the Jashin cult's symbol… Did those two drop it by accident?"
If he'd heard right, those two were heading to Sakamoto Trading.
If he took this necklace, could he sneak in and find his parents?
Mori leaned against the wall, his heart pounding.
"Brother… when will Mom and Dad come back?"
Rin's voice echoed in his mind.
Taking a deep breath, he clenched the necklace and slipped out of the house.