Inazuma.
After the Sakoku Decree was lifted, the atmosphere that had been as stagnant as dead water finally dispersed, and the liveliness of the past basically returned.
"Ayaka, we came to see you."
Lumine pushed open the door of the Komore Teahouse as if she were coming home. No one tried to stop her; everyone knew the Traveler was familiar with their young lady.
"Lumine?"
Seeing Lumine, Kamisato Ayaka was genuinely happy. She did not have many friends; even though she had not known Lumine for very long, their relationship was very good.
"Koji, you came too?"
When she noticed Koji, she was a little surprised.
In the past, Lumine would always come here alone via the teleport waypoint; Koji had never come along with her.
"Hisashiburi*, Miss Turtle-Turtle?" Koji's lips curved slightly.
("Long time no see" said in a joking pseudo-Japanese way.)
"?"
Kamisato Ayaka blinked. What was with "Turtle-Turtle"? What did she have to do with turtles?
"Is that 'gui' in 'proper young lady' the same 'gui' as in 'turtle'?" Kamisato Ayaka asked curiously.
A strange expression appeared on Lumine's face. She knew for sure that whatever Koji was talking about could not be anything serious.
"It's the 'gui' from 'turtle'. A 'proper turtle lady'." Koji replied with a perfectly straight face.
"Huh?"
Kamisato Ayaka was dumbfounded. So it really was the "gui" from "turtle"? What did she have to do with turtles?
"Koji, I don't have anything to do with turtles, do I?" Kamisato Ayaka, who rarely got angry, was actually upset this time. It was not that she hated turtles as animals, she just… had nothing to do with them.
"Please look at the illustration."
Relying on his imagination, Koji conjured up an image: in the picture, Kamisato Ayaka was wearing her everyday clothes, swimming in the water. Bathed in sunlight, the water's surface cast a vivid shadow beneath her.
Sure enough, you could not say it looked like a turtle—it was exactly the same as one.
Kamisato Ayaka: "?"
Kamisato Ayaka stared at the picture; her mind went completely blank, as if she had forgotten how to think.
"Hahaha!"
Lumine could not stop laughing. She had not expected it to be this kind of joke; it really caught her off guard.
Paimon covered her small mouth, also laughing hard at the side.
"This is not funny at all!" Kamisato Ayaka's face flushed bright red with anger. What was this even supposed to be?
Being a proper young lady was fine, but being called a "proper turtle lady" was absolutely unacceptable. She glared at Koji in embarrassed fury.
"Who would wear clothes like that to go swimming anyway?!"
Lumine and Paimon both gave Koji a thumbs-up. To be able to make such a refined young lady break down like this—he really had skills.
"Just a joke. How about you actually go for a swim, Ayaka? We can test it out." Koji suggested with great interest.
Seeing a "Kamisato Turtle-Turtle" in reality would definitely be amusing.
"No way!"
Kamisato Ayaka shook her head without hesitation. Her brain was working just fine; there was no way she would do such a humiliating thing.
"Where's Ayato? He's not here?" Koji looked around and asked.
"My brother has been really busy lately. There are often several days where he can't come back even once." Kamisato Ayaka said helplessly.
Although standing higher meant greater status, it also meant more work. She could not help him with much; all she could do was manage the affairs of the Kamisato household.
There are gains and losses. Kamisato Ayato did not really complain. If he could restore the Kamisato clan to its peak—perhaps even surpass it—he did not mind being a little more tired. It just meant he could not spend as much time at home.
"I get the feeling that that scheming fox Yae Miko is using your brother as free labor." Lumine complained.
No matter how much political finesse Kamisato Ayato had, in front of an absolute gap in rank, he still had to obediently follow orders.
"Maybe. I'm sure my brother knows." Kamisato Ayaka replied noncommittally.
Even if he was being used as free labor, it was still work that needed to be done anyway. At least it meant her brother might drink a little less milk tea.
"Want to have hotpot together? You can put in any ingredients you like." Kamisato Ayaka checked the time. It was already about dinner.
Koji remembered that Kamisato Ayaka's idea of hotpot really was: anything could go in. She had once put little cakes into the pot; Lumine had thrown in all kinds of "cursed ingredients."
And then Thoma suffered. All those bizarre ingredients ended up in his stomach, making him feel absolutely miserable.
Still, it was pretty fun. No matter how terrifying "dark cuisine" could be, it could not compare to Raiden's "Moment of Judgment."
…
"Milady, all the ingredients are ready. You can start whenever you like."
As the Kamisato household's housekeeper, Thoma was an indispensable member. Considering how strange the siblings' ideas about food were, that went without saying.
Everyone began to add ingredients to the hotpot.
Salted grilled fish, half-raw lavender melons, dango, things that would freeze your tongue…
They had not even started eating yet, and everyone already felt that today's hotpot seemed a little dangerous. Extra caution was advised.
Thoma's heart suddenly skipped a beat. Looking at all these weird ingredients, he had a very bad feeling.
What sane person would put things like this into hotpot? The taste and texture would definitely be bizarre.
Milady, you even threw cream cake into the pot last time. He did not even dare imagine how "wonderful" that flavor was.
"Spicy dango, the taste and texture are all sticky and gooey…"
Koji picked up a piece. Covered in red chili oil, you could not tell what it was at all—whatever ended up in your chopsticks, you just ate it.
As expected of dark cuisine, it once again let these ingredients shine on the racetrack of culinary horror.
"Uh…"
Thoma's luck was not so good. The strangest ingredients seemed to keep ending up in his bowl; his whole face looked a little green.
"The fluffy cake has soaked up all the broth and chili oil. This taste…" Thoma's stomach felt like it was about to explode. It was simply unbearable.
Ultra-spicy, hell-level Jueyun chilis, ham so salty it could kill…
Thoma honestly wanted to die. What kind of monstrous dark-cuisine ingredients were these?
"Thoma, wake up! Don't die on us!"
Paimon looked at Thoma, who had collapsed onto the tatami, and shouted anxiously. Dying from eating dinner would be way too tragic.
"I'm okay. Just let me lie here for a bit."
Thoma answered with a very calm expression. He had eaten this kind of thing many times already, so he had built up some resistance.
"Milady, please don't put such strange ingredients in next time." Thoma said seriously.
Kamisato Ayaka nodded awkwardly. She had thought those ingredients would be delicious. She had not expected them to make Thoma suffer so much.
"Thanks for the meal." Koji did not eat very much. In the end, the only achievement was "Thoma Suffers, the World Is Saved."
"Hahaha, Paimon, your lips are swollen like sausages!"
Lumine burst out laughing. Paimon had eaten the ultra-spicy Jueyun chilis at the end, and now her lips were puffed up like sausages, which looked extremely ridiculous.
Koji could not help laughing either. He casually cast a healing spell on Paimon and Thoma.
"Ahh, that feels so much better. Koji, you're the best." Paimon touched her mouth. The numb, tingling sensation was gone.
"Thanks."
Thoma no longer felt uncomfortable either. All the negative status effects disappeared.
At the same time, he was rather amazed. This ability really was incredible—it had directly restored him. Normally it would take a long time for him to recover from this.
…
(End of Chapter)
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