After thinking for a long time, Hakuto still felt that his own life was more important.
So, after hesitating for a moment, he looked at Ginko in front of him and spoke.
"Ginko... did you remove the fish's guts?"
As soon as Hakuto said this, Ginko's face instantly turned red, and she quickly retracted the grilled fish she had extended.
"I... Of course, I knew that. I just... forgot..."
Originally, Ginko hadn't planned on cooking, as she was somewhat self-aware of her own skills.
If a door opens, another must close.
However, the reason she prepared these two grilled fish was entirely because of something Hakuto had said by the river earlier.
Somehow, by the time Ginko came back to her senses, the two fish were already on the grill.
There was no turning back now, so Ginko proceeded with her cooking without hesitation.
As for descaling the fish and removing the guts, Ginko actually knew about those steps—she had just forgotten.
"It's fine. Leave the rest to me."
Hearing this, Ginko, her face still flushed, nodded in agreement with Hakuto's words.
Seeing her nod, Hakuto eagerly disposed of the two glittering grilled fish.
Then he turned and placed the freshly prepared fish onto the grill.
"This is my area of expertise!"
Hakuto muttered confidently to himself. With over ten years of experience taking care of customers, his cooking skills had reached a masterful level!
Even with the simplest ingredients, Hakuto could make them taste extraordinary with his techniques.
For more details, please consult a certain golden-haired loser.
While Hakuto was grilling the fish, Ginko crouched beside him, quietly watching, as if she wanted to learn his technique.
No one knew how much time had passed when Hakuto picked up one of the grilled fish from the rack and handed it to Ginko beside him.
"It's done. Try it?"
"Hmm? Already?"
"Ginko, you were spacing out."
Before Hakuto could finish speaking, Ginko smacked him on the head with her folding fan before taking the grilled fish from his hand.
Hakuto didn't mind the hit. It didn't hurt, and besides, he was already used to it.
He took a bottle of seasoning from his bag and placed it in front of Ginko.
"Do you want some sauce? Though I've already used a lot of seasoning, so it's pretty flavorful."
Ginko's taste preferences were ridiculously strong—her seasoning usage was often measured by the bottle.
"I've told you before, haven't I? If it's your cooking, then that kind of thing isn't necessary."
Saying that, Ginko took a bite of the grilled fish.
"Come to think of it, this is my first time eating grilled fish made by you."
"Is it good? If you ever want more, I can always make some for you."
Hakuto himself didn't particularly like seafood, and his home pantry was devoid of it.
So despite how skilled he seemed at grilling fish, it was all purely experience-based. If he didn't count his past life, this was actually his first time grilling fish.
Hearing his words, Ginko opened her folding fan with one hand, covering half of her face so that Hakuto wouldn't see her expression.
"Is there anything else Ginko wants to eat?"
"You decide."
"Alright."
And just like that, Hakuto fed Ginko at a leisurely pace, almost as if he were feeding a pet.
By this time, the sky had gradually darkened. In the deep mountains, visibility was already low, and now it had become almost nonexistent.
Fortunately, the bonfire Hakuto had built was large enough to illuminate the area around them.
After some time, once they had finished their meal, the two sat around the fire.
"Ginko, do you think there are bears on this mountain?"
Upon hearing this, Ginko thought for a moment and was just about to share her opinion when a beastly roar interrupted her.
Hearing the roar, Ginko instinctively became alert, scanning the surroundings cautiously and unconsciously moving a little closer to Hakuto.
"Oh~ looks like there is one."
Hakuto wasn't scared by the roar—on the contrary, he was a bit excited.
After all, he had never seen any kind of wild beast up close before, and he was curious about such unknown creatures.
Of course, this curiosity was backed by his supercomputing ability—he had no intention of becoming some animal's dinner.
At that moment, Ginko suddenly spoke.
"Hakuto... You'll come to my match next week, right?"
"How could I possibly miss such an important match? I'll be waiting to see you shine, Ginko."
Hakuto's tone was full of confidence in Ginko's match next week, as if victory was already assured.
Though Hakuto had faith in Ginko, she herself frowned slightly.
Noticing this, Hakuto gently smoothed out her furrowed brow with his hand and asked softly.
"What's wrong? Is something on your mind?"
Ginko sighed.
"Hakuto, do you remember what I told you about professional shogi players?"
"Of course. Shogi professionals are divided into nine ranks."
"Players ranked fourth dan and above are considered professionals, while those from first to fourth dan are part of the apprentice league."
Hearing his response, Ginko nodded and continued.
"In the history of shogi, no woman has ever become a professional player..."
"I know. You've told me that before."
"So you're worried about your match next week, Ginko?"
Ginko smiled wryly.
It would be a lie to say she wasn't worried. While she was considered the strongest among female players, that title was only within the women's league.
If she were placed in the broader world of shogi, her ranking would drop significantly.
But that was just the reality of it—men had a natural advantage in this field.
Shogi was, at its core, a game of calculation. The best players could foresee hundreds or even thousands of moves ahead. Ginko knew she couldn't do that.
So while she had confidence in herself, she also felt anxious.
"Ginko, are you afraid of losing? That's not like you. Even when playing against me, you always go in with a mindset of certain victory."
The number of matches Hakuto and Ginko had played against each other could already be counted in the tens of thousands.
But among them, Ginko's win rate was extremely low, almost reaching single digits. Even so, Hakuto had only ever seen the expression of "certain victory" on Ginko's face.
"It's different."
Ginko shook her head. In her eyes, Hakuto was different—special.
"Don't worry. If you lose, Ginko, I'll join the apprentice league and use my talent to open a backdoor for you."
"I don't need a backdoor."
"It was just a metaphor. What I mean is, I'll always have your back."
As he spoke, Hakuto extended his right hand toward Ginko.
"Certain victory?"
Seeing this, Ginko smiled and placed her hand on his, responding.
"Certain victory..."
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