Chapter—The Blanket Barbecue
The dense forest surrounding the Village was a labyrinth of ancient greenery, but to Auron, it had become a temple of focus. He stood beneath the roaring waterfall, the silver and indigo aura of his shield flickering against the crushing weight of the cascade. He was just reaching the peak of his concentration when the world outside the waterfall shifted.
The rustling of the parched grass at the edge of the grotto began as a whisper but quickly grew into a rhythmic, clumsy thrashing. Auron's eyes snapped toward the brush. What is it? A forest beast? He dropped into a defensive stance, his hands glowing with a condensed silver light, ready to strike anything that emerged from the shadows.
The shaking reached a crescendo, and then, with a frustrated grunt, a figure tumbled out of the foliage. It was Liod, with tangled leaves stuck in his hair and several thorny branches hooked into his clothing. Behind him, one by one, the rest emerged: Uno, Kael, Chika, and
Shuri,Marin all looking dusty, tired, and thoroughly out of their element.
Auron froze. The "Unique Auramaster" stood in speechless disappointment. He had come here for a vacuum of silence, yet the very people he had run from were now standing in his secret training ground.
"Auramaster Auron!" Uno exclaimed, his eyes bulging as he took in the majestic figure standing beneath the falls. "You... you're here? In this forest?"
Auron (with Luke's weary soul inside) let out a sigh that vibrated through his mask. "Yes. I am here. But the real question is—how on earth did you find this place? "
"We were at Marketplace!" Marin said, stepping forward while brushing dirt from her skirt. "But the market was right next to the forest line. We saw how dense and beautiful the woods looked, so we decided to explore. And, well... as you can see, we got completely lost."
Of course they did, Auron thought. They stumbled into a forest because they were bored. "Why aren't you wearing your guild gear? If you're exploring unknown territory, you should be prepared."
"We're on vacation!" Liod said with a grin, plucking a leaf from his ear. "Who would've thought we'd find a secret waterfall? We thought we didn't need the heavy stuff today."
Auron shook his head. "Fine. I'll show you the way out of the forest. It's not safe for civilians—even guilde—to wander here without a guide and guilde equipment."
"Wait!" Chika shouted, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the grotto. "Look at this place! It's amazing! Shuri, look at that waterfall! Can we stay here, Auron? Just for a little while?"
Auron opened his mouth to say a firm no, but the collective puppy-dog stares of the group hit him with the force of a tidal wave. "I... I suppose I cannot force you to leave a public forest. What were you planning to do?"
"Barbecue!" Chika chirped, patting her backpack. "We bought all the grilled meats and veggies at the market. Now that we found this paradise, why not have it here? What do you guys think?"
A chorus of "Yes!" and "Great idea!" echoed through the trees. Auron stood like a statue as his friends began to unpack charcoal and skewers.
"What about Luke?" Marin asked suddenly, her voice dropping into a softer tone. "He's all alone back at the mansion."
"Oh, poor Marin," Shuri teased, giving her a sharp nudge. "Missing her boyfriend already?"
Auron's heart skipped a beat behind the armor. Boyfriend? They're actually calling me that now?
"He's not my boyfriend!" Marin shouted, though she started curling her hair around her finger in a shy, rhythmic motion. "Besides... he still hasn't even officially accepted my proposal."
"Well," Kael said, clapping his hands together. "If we're doing this, let's get the fire started."
Auron watched them, his dreams of training evaporating like mist.
*"I think even God wants you to take a day off,"* Auru whispered in his mind.
"I think you're right," Auron replied internally, leaning against a tree with a heavy sigh.
Liod looked up from the grill a few minutes later. "Sorry to interrupt, Auron, but we forgot to ask... what brings the World's Strongest Master to a waterfall in the middle of nowhere?"
"I was practicing," Auron said simply.
"Practicing?" Shuri exclaimed. "But you're the strongest! You're like a legend! Why are you still working so hard?"
Auron looked at his hands. "You think I'm the strongest? No. No one is truly the strongest. If I stop practicing, a regular, average person who works every day will eventually surpass me. Strength is a lease you pay for every day with sweat."
Marin looked at him with newfound respect. "So we are interrupting your training. We should go."
Auron felt a pang of guilt. "No. No, it's fine. I can adjust for today. It's your holiday, after all."
He disappeared into the dense brush for a few minutes while the grill heated up.
Liod asled after heating up the grill, "Where Is Auramaster Auron."
Shuri said , "I dont know but I seen him going inside dense forest."
Auron said from back,"Here I am",
he was carrying a cluster of large, brown-capped mushrooms.
"Masutake mushrooms!" Chika screamed. "Those are incredibly expensive! Where did you buy them?"
"I didn't buy them," Auron said, his voice holding a hint of pride. "I picked them. I thought they would make your barbecue much better."
The group cheered, inviting Auron to sit with them. The scent of grilling meat and the earthy, spicy aroma of the Masutake mushrooms began to fill the grotto. Liod handled the grill with surgical precision, handing out perfectly charred skewers to everyone.
Auron sat on the grass, a skewer in his hand, looking at the steaming piece of mushroom. His stomach growled. The Masutake smelled heavenly. But then, he froze.
*My mask.*
He looked at the others, who were happily munching away. Liod noticed him hesitating. "Is something wrong, Auron? Is the barbecue not to your taste?"
"No, it's not that," Auron said, his voice muffled. "It's just... as you can see, I cannot exactly eat through a silver faceplate."
The group went quiet. A wave of sadness washed over them. Marin looked distressed. "Oh... I didn't think about that. You're always so perfect, we forgot you're human."
Then, Marin's eyes lit up. "Shuri! Didn't you buy that high-quality bedsheet from the market? The one you were so shy about?"
Shuri turned bright red. "W-what? No! Why would we use that?"
"Give it to Auron!" Chika agreed. "He can wrap himself in it like a tent and eat in peace. We won't see his face, and he won't starve!"
Shuri groaned, reaching into her bag and pulling out a folded blanket. "Fine! But don't you dare judge me!"
She handed it to Auron. As he unfolded it, the entire group went silent. The blanket was covered in vibrant, loud prints of **shonen anime characters** striking battle poses.
"Shuri... you like shonen anime?" Liod asked, trying to hide a smile.
"I SAID DON'T JUDGE ME!" she yelled.
Liod said "I like too.You should one buyed for me."
Shuri noted down this in her mind,*"Liod like shonen anime like me , now I can give him action figure and we can talk about it.How heavenly it feels."*
Auron didn't care. He wrapped the blanket over his head, creating a small, dark sanctuary. Inside the tent of anime heroes, he De-unified back into Luke. He took a bite of the Masutake.
"Heaven..." he whispered. The taste was rich and savory. He quickly shared pieces of the meat and mushrooms with Auru and Koru, who were hiding in his collar.
Luke thought,* "Say whatever, Liod barbecue in camping is best."*
Outside the blanket, Liod called out, "Is it good, Auron?"
"It's amazing, Liod!" Luke shouted back, his voice muffled by the cloth.
As the meal continued, Luke reached out a hand from beneath the blanket to grab another skewer. At the same moment, Marin reached for the same one. Their fingers brushed.
Luke froze. He peeped through a small gap in the blanket, his eyes meeting Marin's. "Sorry," he whispered.
"No... you take it," Marin said, her voice small. She didn't let go immediately, her hand lingering on his for a heartbeat longer than necessary.
Chika looked at her. "Marin? You okay?"
"I'm fine," Marin said, but her gaze remained fixed on the blanket.
Finally meal was over .Chika stretch her hand saying thatvwas wonderful day.
After the meal, Auron (now Unified again) guided them out of the forest. "From here, the path is straight to the village. Thank you for the meal."
"No, thank *you* for the mushrooms as well to guide our path!" Marin said, waving as they departed.
Auron watched them leave, then flew in the opposite direction to maintain his cover. He circled back to the mansion, landing near the back entrance and De-unifying into Luke.
"That Masutake was the highlight of the day," Auru said, patting her tiny stomach. "But we didn't practice at all."
"I know, that the only bad thing" Luke said, walking toward the mansion. "I have to make it look like I've been busy here. I'll tell them I was searching the old records."
He entered the library, but as the night deepened, a strange sensation washed over him. The house felt... different. The silence wasn't peaceful; it was vibrating.
Suddenly, a massive surge of aura erupted from the front of the estate.
It was luke Aura pulsing in tension.
Luke bolted toward the mansion gate. "No... it can't be!"
*"Luke! Quickly!"* Auru screamed.
"Unify!" Luke roared.
The silver streak of Auron launched into the midnight sky, his eyes locked on the village. Something had happened them back from the forest—or perhaps, something had been waiting for the Hanazawa heir .
The mystery of the mansion was no longer a puzzle to be solved in books. It was a war that had just arrived at his doorstep.
End of Chapter.