*Clang clang bang bang!*
When night fell, Arlan lit a large bonfire, making the open space outside the church very bright. Then, he began to assemble the bathhouse according to the planned sequence.
This night was destined to be a sleepless one for Yuno. Although he didn't say it, Asta's never-say-die spirit had gradually influenced him. Sometimes he really envied Asta; as someone who couldn't even use magic and had experienced so much ridicule and irony since childhood, he could still live so optimistically every day and never gave up on his dream for a single moment!
"Dreams!"
"That really is a distant thing one doesn't dare to hope for, isn't it?"
Yuno shed tears. Could orphans like them really have dreams? At the thought of the pitying and mocking expressions of the children from noble or wealthy families in the city, he didn't dare to think of those two words. He only dared to make himself numb, as if he didn't care about anything, carefully protecting himself inside an eggshell. But he... was also truly unwilling!
The next day, at dawn.
Arlan, with his thin but lean upper body bare, lay lazily on the ground with an unknown blade of grass in his mouth. From time to time, the hot sweat of youth flowed down his forehead and back. He had finished!
Before him stood a building five meters high with an area of one hundred square meters.
He had already divided the interior into male and female sections. The partition in the middle was made of the thickest wood, a full three meters thick. Inside, everyone's exclusive bathtub was placed. From today on, he could finally use the external effects of the healing potion to strengthen his body!
Arlan rubbed his empty stomach. The amount of work tonight was quite significant; today he felt like he could eat twenty grilled fish!
Arlan quickly went to the riverside. This time, he set up a fire right by the river, fishing while grilling. After eating his fill, people in the Village had already begun to get up, and Arlan ran back to the church doing a handstand on his hands.
"That kid from the church's family is really energetic!"
"Yeah, he's much more energetic than my kids."
The villagers remarked. Most of them were very simple and kind-hearted, and they held some goodwill toward these orphans in the church. Over the years, they had helped the church quite a bit.
At this time, the Father and the others walked out and were all shocked to see the tall bathhouse.
"God, my face hurts!"
The Father craned his neck and widened his eyes. That kid actually built it? It probably isn't made of paper, right? The Father rushed to the door. It was a typical sliding door. When the bathhouse door slid open and he saw the bathtubs inside, he couldn't help but shed old tears. This Asta had finally made something of himself!
"Oh my god! Sister Lily, Asta really built a bathhouse for us!"
Stars appeared in Leika's eyes. Girls have the least resistance to bathing. Now she could be fragrant every day, and she even had her own exclusive bathtub; she no longer had to share one with others.
"He really finished it... He really finished it..."
Yuno stood dazed on the spot. A task he thought was absolutely impossible to complete had actually been finished by the magicless Asta. At this moment, his whole body trembled, and he felt something collapsing bit by bit!
"Yuno, the real embarrassment isn't the ridicule of others when you're realizing your dream, but that you don't even have the courage to face your own dream!"
Arlan stopped and spoke as he passed by Yuno with his exhausted body.
Yuno grit his teeth and clenched his fists tightly. After a long time, he looked up and said fiercely, "What nonsense are you talking about? Is there anything more embarrassing than being mocked by others for overestimating yourself? Asta, when you were mocked for wanting to become the Magic Emperor, didn't you feel even a bit of shame? You have to know, you're someone who can't even use magic!"
"So what!"
Arlan suddenly leaned into Yuno's face. "Do you think a real man cares about that ridicule? I can lose to others in magic, I can lose to others in height, I can lose to others in birth, but in terms of effort alone, I will never lose to anyone! Have you ever tasted the juice of the Hidden Leaf? That hard-to-swallow taste is like bitter gourd juice, but even if I have to pay the price of my life, I will leave evidence that I lived as a man, rather than hiding my dreams under a numb shell like a coward!"
"Yuno, remember this: a person who doesn't believe in themselves doesn't even have the value of working hard! If you don't even have this much self-confidence, what will you use to resist fate?"
Arlan left behind a figure that looked extremely grand in Yuno's eyes as he walked forward. His words shocked not only Yuno but also Yuno, who had also remained where he was!
"This is the feeling, this blood-boiling feeling full of unceasing fighting spirit. Asta always brings hope to people!"
Yuno clenched his fists. This was how his only self-appointed lifelong rival should be!
Arlan's words washed over Yuno like a sudden enlightenment. His gaze gradually became blank, then slowly turned firm.
"Big Brother Asta, please let me train with you!"
Yuno suddenly bowed deeply, his tears bursting out. He also wanted to burn his youth like Asta; he didn't want to live under a protective shell anymore!
"Very well. After breakfast, come find me at the Skull Cave and burn your youth with me!"
Arlan curled his lip. Being able to transform Yuno, who was just like Nara Shikamaru, into someone like Rock Lee who burns his youth all day long—this was definitely a great sense of accomplishment!
...