Chapter 88: Dinner
After a hearty dinner, it almost become Bai Wei's last dinner. If there were two tables, he would undoubtedly relocate to the one without the two girls.
Hokusinn Kichyō voluntarily resigned at nine o'clock in the evening, and Bai Wei accompanied her to the doorstep, where a dedicated car arrived for her transportation.
The housekeeper waited outside the door, which Hokusinn Kichyō found slightly displeasing. Initially, she had intended to take the tram back, relishing the moments of being escorted, as the solitary journey at night holds a charm of its own.
"I will come to visit again another day." Hokusinn Kichyō waved goodbye as she boarded the car.
Until she left, Bai Wei remained uncertain about the purpose of her visit today.
Returning to the room, Yagyū Simozi sat before the desk, her countenance solemn. "Brother, don't inquire about anything. I will take care of it."
"Very well," Bai Wei refrained from further inquiry.
Yagyū Simozi clenched her fist, crushing the Red Fuji apple in her hand. "Let her be arrogant for now. I will personally snatch my brother back!"
Bai Wei, "?"
When did I become the commanding lady in both of your eyes?
Bai Wei wanted to say something, but upon noticing the exclamation mark above his sister's head, he refrained.
The words stopped at the tip of his tongue, and he changed his statement, "If you encounter any difficulties or troubles, you can confide in me instead of keeping them all to yourself."
"Don't worry, brother. I am not a child anymore," Yagyū Simozi replied readily, promptly announcing her intention to take a bath.
Arriving at the dressing room, she glanced at her reflection in the mirror and couldn't help but recall the hazy realm of contemplation she experienced every day.
She had yet to make things clear with her elder brother regarding these matters, as she neither wanted to worry him, nor seize the opportunity to rapidly grow stronger and prove to him that the grown-up version of herself no longer needed to rely on his protection.
As she removed her clothing, she gazed at her evenly proportioned physique in the mirror, as well as the purplish bruises on her arms and legs, which were the result of rigorous wooden sword practice; they would take some time to heal and fade away.
"Hokusinn Itto-ryu… truly lives up to its reputation as a top-tier school of swordsmanship. I had believed that among peers of my age, I was already quite formidable. However, her skill surpasses my imagination. With the guidance of a master in the school's swordsmanship, her progress far outpaces my own explorations. Moreover, there is a strong aura of killing intent emanating from her blade, unlike mine. It is as if she has personally taken lives with it. If we were to engage in a real sword duel, perhaps my defeat would come even swifter."
"I need to use her as a sharpening stone, perhaps she harbors the same idea… If I want to seize the opportunity provided by Hokusinn Itto-ryu, I must defeat all the licensed practitioners within Hokusinn Itto-ryu. To achieve this, I must understand her school of swordsmanship."
"In a short period of time, I have burdened my elder brother with patience…"
"However, it doesn't matter. As long as I have visionary dreams, my progress will only be faster than hers."
Immersing her body in the bath, Yagyū Simozi closed her eyes and relaxed her body.
She was unaware that she was undergoing a gradual transformation.
If Bai Wei were here, he would surely see that on the purple exclamation mark, a white snake had silently coiled itself around. The white snake bared its fangs and forcefully bit into the exclamation mark, exhaling a scent of incense once it had latched on. The faint yellow aura entwined like wisps, and the virtual pattern of snake scales emerged on the purple exclamation mark.
…
Inside the moving car, Hokusinn Kichyō suddenly felt a sharp pain in her neck. She took a cold breath and pressed her neck, sensing as if she had been bitten by something.
Upon examining herself with a mirror, she noticed that her neck was fair and unmarked, devoid of any wounds. The pain sensation immediately vanished.
She inwardly muttered in a peculiar manner, thinking it might be a pulled muscle, but she didn't pay it too much heed.
The ethereal white snake, coiled around her neck, disappeared in an instant.
…
On the nocturnal streets, New Tokyo dazzled with vibrant lights and bustling nightlife, while Old Edo adorned itself with scattered lanterns.
On an old street, there stood a hand-pulled carriage, serving as a noodle stall specifically designed for the itinerant ramen masters traversing the streets and lanes.
When one opens the window, a rain-proof canopy extends outward, and as they lower the wooden stool and lower the cloth curtain, it creates an enclosed space for customers to sit within the booth and enjoy a bowl of ramen or a serving of oden.
Even though the ramen master operates from a small stall, separated by a parking spot, they have all the necessary components: a well-organized soup pot, neatly arranged ingredients, and affordable prices. Consequently, some downtrodden office workers and economically challenged university students hold a special affinity for such humble food stalls.
Sato Zaki sat at the food stall, having long lost his appetite. Ever since the passing of his son, everything he ate tasted as bland as wax, leaving him practically devoid of taste and void of desire for anything else. The things he once hesitated to relinquish, such as wealth, status, and power, have all vanished along with his sense of taste. Now, all he yearns for is to reunite with his child.
Despite finding everything else tasteless, he could still manage to eat and savor the flavor of the ramen from this stall.
It is not particularly delicious, with a mediocre texture, nowhere near as exquisite as the tender foie gras he had indulged in before. However, this kind of noodles is the only food he can still find enjoyment in.
Setting down his briefcase, he called out to the owner, "As usual, bring me a bowl of noodles, with extra toppings, and also some oden."
The owner of the ramen stall responded with a nod, "Alright."
He is speaking in the language of the Ming Country.
Sato Zaki knew that the owner was not from Yingzhou. The owner's surname was Liu, and the two of them were also quite familiar with each other.
Mr. Liu stared at Sato and commented, "You run around tirelessly all day long, your body will eventually exhaust itself. You've even posted missing person notices all over Tokyo."
"Not enough, maybe it's outside Tokyo," said Sato Zaki.
"You really are persistent."
"Of course I'm persistent. Please hurry up, I'm already hungry," urged Sato.
"Always eating noodles alone and making a fuss, you can't bring some guests…" Mr. Liu complained.
"Next time, let's talk about it again."
At this moment, the blanket was lifted, and a young student sat down.
Mr. Liu propped up his body, no longer speaking.
"The boss, Uncle Sato," the person who came was a student with a crew cut hairstyle. "Serve me a bowl of noodles, please."
Sato nodded and said, "Heita… coming alone again? What happened to the girl you mentioned last time?"
"Alas, let's not talk about it. She feels embarrassed to eat at a small food stall. She didn't want to come, but as a student, I don't have the means to take her out for Western food, you know?" The student sighed. "Mika is a school idol, after all. Emotions matter to her."
"Ah, I was always concerned about maintaining my reputation when I was younger. But as I grew older, it became a source of suffering," Sato lamented.
"Uncle is right, why don't you give me some advice?" The student approached with a playful smile. "You can tell just by looking at you that there must be a story behind you. You must have had a very beautiful wife in the past, right?"
Sato looked up, and from his emaciated frame burst forth a resounding laughter. "Of course, my wife, she was incredibly beautiful. She was renowned as a beauty in her time. Others pursued her and tried every means, but I won her over with just a bouquet of roses… No one knew that her true preference was for white roses, but these roses can only be cultivated by a select few. I went through endless hardships to obtain a bouquet for her."
"Ah? That's impressive. And then what happened?"
"Afterwards, we got engaged, got married, and had a child," Sato said, smiling. But then his eyes dimmed, and he took a somber sip of sake. "Let's talk about your matters instead. I remember you brought a young lady with you last time, didn't you?"
"You're referring to Yui, right? We had a complicated relationship for five or six years," he replied.
"I think she's great, even better than the school idols you pursue," Sato said.
"Ah? But she and I are not really like that at all, and besides…"
"Think she's too plain? You naive lad, you judge people solely based on their appearance. Once she learns to apply makeup and try a different hairstyle, she will definitely be a beautiful girl with well-proportioned features. Her figure is also remarkable, she just deliberately hides it. Even when she's eating noodles, she places her chest on the table, how heavy must that be? Her walking style is dignified too, and her upbringing must be excellent. She even greets me, a melancholic middle-aged man, with such tenderness. She would make a good wife."
"But…"
"But what? She doesn't even dislike you. She came to this stall to accompany you, shared half of her noodles with you, and said she couldn't finish so much by herself, just to save your face," Sato patted the back of Heita's head. "Believe what the old man says, I won't harm you."
"True, heh." Heita, the young man named Heita, chuckled and finished eating the noodles in one go. He then placed the money down and ran off, saying, "See you later, old man."
Sato waved his hand, lifted it, then let it down again, his smile gradually transitioning from contentment to melancholy. The vitality he had gained from the presence of the young man quickly vanished, as if it had never been there.
Mr. Liu, set the noodles down and asked, "Did it remind you of your son?"
"Yes, if my son were still here, he would probably be like this too. I would have taught him how to pursue the girl he cares about, how to distinguish what is worth it and what is not." Sato took a deep breath, immersed himself in eating the noodles, and muttered to himself, "There will be opportunities in the future."
The owner didn't say anything, but quietly added some extra meat for him.
"Have some more meat. It seems you're just skin and bones now. Eat a bit more of the good stuff."
Sato expressed his gratitude.
After finishing the meal, he regained some strength. Although the taste remained the same, at least he could taste a hint of saltiness.
As he walked away from the stall, heading towards home, just as he reached the doorstep, he saw a man from afar standing under a street lamp, taking off his hat and greeting him.
"Sakurai…" Sato approached, anxiously asking, "You came to see me, did you finally find out the news?"
"I am, after all, a detective, and I have some professional integrity." Detective Sakurai, dressed in a gray overcoat, pulled the hat down on her head. "But because of all the back and forth investigating, I'm a bit tight on funds. Can I receive an advance on my payment?"
"You have already received an advance of 1.8 million yen!" Sato exclaimed angrily. "I've made it clear that I won't give you any more money!"
"Don't be so angry, this time it's different from before," Sakurai raised her hand. "I have truly found some information."
"Really?" Sato hesitated, but after a brief moment, he still opened the door to the house. "Hurry, come in and tell me!"
Just as he opened the Daimon, a heavy blow landed on the back of his head, causing his awareness to grow hazy. Before falling down, he caught a glimpse of Sakurai's apologetic gaze and two fierce men resembling hyenas. His consciousness slipped into unconsciousness.
