—
Kujou Sara's home.
Kitchen.
A beautiful couple was warmly preparing dinner.
"You need to stir-fry by shaking it appropriately, allowing the sauce to evenly coat the ingredients."
"Like this?"
"No, let me hold your hand and demonstrate again."
Such harmonious conversations often occurred.
From an ordinary perspective.
It was merely an Inazuma native, new to Liyue cuisine, trying out some new culinary fields under the guidance of an experienced Liyue chef.
If one didn't look at their attire.
"Hand, move quickly! If you don't move, it will burn!"
"Ah! Yes!"
Kujou Sara busily stirred the ingredients, leaning her upper body forward, shifting her overall center of gravity backward.
Clang!
The meat and vegetables went into the pot.
This was a fierce move; the hot oil splattered onto Kujou Sara, and although it didn't hurt, she instinctively trembled a few times.
"Forget it, I'll do it."
Jack sighed and took over the chef's work.
Kujou Sara retreated to the back, supporting herself on the stove, her legs clamped together, watching the steps to avoid missing any crucial cooking knowledge.
After the meat went into the pot, the flame was turned to high heat.
Continuous stir-frying, then adding auxiliary ingredients, and turning to low heat.
After the effects of the high temperature subsided, the flame was turned off, and the dish was stir-fried several more times with residual heat.
A fresh hot dish was served.
"Not bad. To be able to make it so smoothly on your first try, Sara-chan, you are very talented at cooking."
"Thank you. I also didn't expect cooking to be such a comfortable thing. The flowing style of Liyue dishes makes one feel as if they've watched a good martial arts performance; it's very exciting."
"Good! Then let's work harder, stir-fry two or three more dishes, and then we can start eating supper!"
"One... one dish should be enough."
"How can that be? Sara-chan won't be full like that. My wives at home, those beasts, always eat many dishes when I cook, and you're no exception!"
"Then... alright."
Kujou Sara licked her lips.
This stir-fried Liyue dish was indeed fragrant. Just smelling it made her mouth water.
The more she smelled it, the more she wanted to eat, and the more she ate, the more flavorful it became.
Her appetite suddenly surged.
...
Tenshukaku Forbidden Area, Raiden Shogun's kitchen.
The Raiden Shogun and her familiars sat opposite each other, looking at a plate of something black on the table as if facing a formidable enemy.
Yae Miko said with some uncertainty.
"Ei, is this the product of your improved cooking skills?"
"That's right. I've fed it to the crows, and this time they didn't faint."
"..."
They merely didn't faint; what if it was more serious?
Yae Miko found it hard to comment and could only tremblingly pick up a piece with her chopsticks and place it in her bowl.
This black lump, according to Ei, was a Liyue dish.
It was apparently called 'Guoba'.
Forgive her limited knowledge, but it was her first time seeing guoba so overcooked it turned black.
But the prophecy was her own doing, so Yae Miko had to bite the bullet and see it through.
Otherwise, when this country bumpkin reacted, she'd lose a lot more fox fur.
"Then... I'll eat it, okay?"
"Mhm mhm!"
Ei looked at Yae Miko expectantly.
Guoba, the food that best suited her cooking style, was something she had searched for a long time to find.
Everyone said she was stupid, but she wasn't stupid at all; she specifically chose a dish that allowed her to skip lessons.
This way, she could achieve her goal of meeting that person the fastest!
[Raiden Shogun: Are you so sure this fox won't lie to you, that the prophecy is actually false?]
[Raiden Ei: No, she won't. Although Miko is usually unreliable, she wouldn't dare to deceive me on such a big matter, or else she can forget about her tail fur.]
[Raiden Shogun: So be it. This body is merely a puppet you created in pursuit of eternity; it should not interfere with your judgment. Do as you please.]
The Raiden Shogun, with two souls in one body, finished her conversation with herself.
At this moment, Yae Miko had already swallowed the black guoba.
Ei quickly asked, "How does it taste? Is it edible?"
"Ugh! Water..."
Ei quickly brought Yae Miko a glass of water.
Gulp gulp ~
After drinking a large glass of water, Yae Miko recovered from the burning pain in her esophagus.
It was terrifying! It was like swallowing a piece of charcoal that had been burning for five hundred years, instantly sucking all the moisture from her mouth!
Yae Miko stared fearfully at the more than half-remaining dish on the table, thought for a long time, and then reluctantly nodded.
The little troublemaker is really back, so let's quickly end this prophecy! A few more times and it will truly kill a fox!
"Congratulations, Ei, you have met the conditions of the prophecy. Soon, the Traveler will appear before you."
"Really? But why do you look like you don't really like eating it? The prophecy said 'mastered cooking skills,' but this only counts as an initial success, right?"
"Cough cough! Don't dwell on these details. For others, it might be an initial success, but for you, this is already a huge success!"
Yae Miko continued to mislead her.
Under her sweet talk, Ei was convinced and proposed.
"Since that's the case, do you want to eat a few more pieces? Maybe the Traveler will return even faster?"
"That... that, I just remembered there are things to do at the shrine! Oh, eating too much at night will affect the Great Purification Ritual! Ei, I'm leaving first!"
Thud!
Yae Miko hadn't even taken two steps when her delicate wrist was seized by Ei.
She mechanically turned her head and saw Ei's gloomy and terrifying gaze.
"Miko~"
"Eh! Ei... Sister Ei, wh-what's wrong!"
"Is my dish very unpalatable? Were you actually lying to me just now?"
"No! Absolutely not! I really can't eat too much because I have to do the Sacred Sakura Great Purification, otherwise I would definitely eat a few more pieces!"
"It's fine. The Sacred Sakura Tree won't be harmed if it's not purified for a day or two. Your only task today is..."
Ei summoned Engulfing Lightning from afar and threatened.
"...To finish this plate of food!"
Crack!
Yae Miko was petrified.
...
Coincidentally,
not far from the Tenshukaku, in Kujou Sara's home, a feeding play was also taking place.
Jack picked up a chopstick full of food and brought it to Kujou Sara's mouth, saying gently,
"Come, try this!"
Kujou Sara's small mouth slightly parted, and with a blush, she bit onto the chopsticks Jack had used, chewing the food with restraint.
"How is it?"
"It's…it's delicious! It feels even more authentic than the Liyue cuisine restaurants in Inazuma City."
"What's authentic or not authentic about it? Sara-chan, have you even been to Liyue's Xin Yue Xuan?"
"I...I'm sorry."
Kujou Sara lowered her head in shame.
She had thought Jack would be pleased by her words.
"Lift your head."
"Hmm?"
Kujou Sara looked up and found that Jack had moved his position, and they were now very close.
"Blindly pursuing authenticity and tradition will only make one more rigid. The world of cooking should be open. The best evaluation is not 'it's like so-and-so's,' but simply the most concise and plain words: 'it's delicious.'"
"Sara-chan, do you understand?"
Kujou Sara replied in a daze, "I...I understand."
"So don't learn the bad habits of Inazuma couples. Sara-chan, you just need to face me with the attitude you find most comfortable."
So, that was what he meant by 'understand'?
Kujou Sara suddenly felt a warmth in her heart.
Indeed.
In the traditional intimate relationships revered by Inazuma people, males hold an absolute dominant position, so females often appear in humble postures, known as Yamato Nadeshiko.
But Jack was not from Inazuma, so Kujou Sara didn't have to treat him according to Inazuma's traditions, and he didn't like it that way either.
So...
"This time, let me feed you."
Kujou Sara bit into a green vegetable, a hint of possessiveness appearing in her limpid eyes.
This time, she would take the initiative!
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