Biting into the crispy, golden-brown fried coating, the refreshing, slightly bitter taste of wild mountain vegetables warmly stimulates the tongue. The lightly sprinkled salt on top is pure natural sea salt. It performs its role perfectly.
To enjoy the delicate flavor of wild mountain vegetables, simple is best. Pepper salt or the like is a waste.
The shrimp tempura is dipped in tempura sauce. Dip it lightly and eat it before the coating gets soggy. The crispy texture of the coating gives way as the tempura sauce seeps out, followed by the delightful chewiness of the plump shrimp that brings joy to the mouth.
Overcooked shrimp becomes tough and hard, but perfectly cooked ones are so bouncy they make you smile involuntarily. The flavor, calculated down to the residual heat, is truly indescribable.
It's not just the tempura. The stewed dishes are delicious too. A taste that makes you sit up straight and stiffen your back.
The sweet and savory stewed chicken and burdock, just smelling it, you can tell it's going to be delicious. You'd want to just put it over rice and eat it as a rice bowl.
If it weren't someone else's house and I didn't have to put on airs of etiquette, I would gladly do so. No, please let me do it.
The burdock with seasoning deep in its fibers, of course, and the glossy, soy sauce-colored chicken thigh meat that flows smoothly—there's no way it wouldn't go well with rice.
Put a bite-sized piece of sweet and savory chicken thigh in your mouth, and greedily devour the freshly cooked white rice steaming with heat—my taste buds welcome the spring of the world.
Biting into the sprinkled roasted sesame seeds, the salivary glands open wide, sesame. The assault of Sesame Street putting a period on the harmony of sugar, soy sauce, mirin, and cooking wine. Praise whole sesame seeds.
Refreshing your mouth with homemade crunchy pickles allows you to pick up the next side dish with a fresh feeling. Taking a moment to catch your breath with miso soup that has properly steeped bonito broth, beautiful with green sprouts floating on the reddish-brown liquid.
As your stomach warms up, the engine revs up again. Vitality surges, telling you that you can still eat more.
It's nothing special. It was just a delicious meal.
The best meal made with time, effort, and filled with love.
Only, the quantity was insane.
"Oh my, Rei, look at you. Your rice bowl is empty. Don't be shy, have some more."
"No, I, I'm full now……"
"Here, come on. Eat a lot! You need to eat heartily for your missions!"
"(I didn't see her move……?!)" Ah, thank you……"
The hand receiving the rice bowl trembled involuntarily. Despair at the heavy weight conveyed. What on earth is this mountain-like pile of food, something you'd only see in old Japanese tales?
Perhaps because Shinjuro is still a child, he gets a normal (though not small) amount, but the quantity given to me and Shōjuro is at a terrifyingly aggressive level.
White rice keeps coming in a wanko soba rhythm. Tempura is fried endlessly. Miso soup gushes like a spring. The stew shows no bottom.
Countless casts of the Bahamut feast. There is no such word as "limit" at this table. Every menu item is automatic refill specification.
Even after eating and eating, my dining table still doesn't empty, I just stare holes into the bowl.
Is this a lie? The pickles that were supposed to give my chopsticks a break have recovered all their life without me knowing. They don't even give my chopsticks a moment to rest.
"How is it, Rei? Mother's cooking is delicious, right?"
"Yeah…… it's really delicious……"
The only salvation is that mother is an incredible cooking master. If not, my spirit would have broken. Without the absolute definition of deliciousness, I would have knelt before the overwhelming violence of quantity.
"Here, Shōjuro, eat more too. For demon hunters, the body is an asset, so you must never be unable to use your strength on the battlefield because you're hungry."
The merciless old Japanese tale-style serving overwhelms Shōjuro's table. The look in his eyes, Shōjuro's eyes are dead! I've never seen the extinguished pupils of the Rengoku family before!!
But I wasn't in a position to worry about others. The clutches of the old Japanese tale approached me too, reaching out with "Good child, open your mouth."
Frankly, at this point, I want to cry and ask them to see reason, but if pleading to stop would make it stop, there would be no wars in this world. Indeed, I understand why Shōjuro called it a battlefield!
Not knowing how much of mother's remaining combat power there was, we still stubbornly wielded our chopsticks.
When on earth will this rice terror (physical) end?
Just as my mind was about to fade, a savior angel descended.
"Cawww—— Mission, a mission has come down! Hurry and prepare, Urokodaki Rei!"
Thank you, crow! I'll never forget this favor!
After devouring all the remaining rice, side dishes, miso soup, and pickles on the table without leaving a trace, I withdrew from the front line first. I deliberately avoided looking at Shōjuro's side.
Something prickly is felt from behind, but it's an illusion! I believe it's an encouraging gaze like 'work hard on your mission and come back'!
"Thank you for the meal! I'm sorry, but I have a mission, so I'll take my leave now. I ate well, it was really delicious!"
Giving a hasty farewell, I grabbed my mask and hood and rushed outside. I was worried if I could move properly after eating so much, but surprisingly, I could run well.
They say if you move right after eating, you'll get a stomachache, but perhaps because I use Total Concentration Breathing to boost my metabolism, nothing like that happened. Rather, it feels like I'm filled to the brim with gasoline.
Following the guidance of the Kasugai Crow, I ran to the location and lightly beheaded the demon.
Alright, mission over. Let's go back~ I thought, but at that moment.
"There's a rumor that a demon is hiding in the northern mountains! Go north, go right now!"
"Huh? A consecutive mission? No time to rest?"
"Don't dawdle! Are you still a crybaby who can't leave your mother's embrace?!"
"Don't bring up that last mission! Crow, aren't you too harsh on me?"
"I am a girl!"
"Really?"
Heading to the northern mountains while being vehemently protested by the crow—no, Hanachiyo—with her beak, saying "I have a cute name called Hanachiyo!"
Before I could find the demon, thankfully, it came to me first. It probably judged that it could win against a young, not fully grown member.
Looking back at the opponent attacking from behind, I cut it down with a single stroke.
"Next!"
"There are still more?!"
"You have to make up for the failure of your first mission! You want to become a Pillar, right?!"
After that, for a while, I was pushed around by Hanachiyo's催促, busily exterminating demons.
Staying at a nearby house with the wisteria crest, even on days without missions, I wandered north and south like a salesman looking for demons. Hanachiyo poured passion into my training with the momentum of a producer raising an idol.
On a certain night when I was getting used to the black labor of the capable producer—no, capable Kasugai Crow Hanachiyo.
Hanachiyo, who had gone to gather mission information, shouted loudly as soon as she returned.
"There's an urgent support request from a member in combat! Hurry to the northwestern village!"
"Got it, I'll go right away."
Arriving at the designated place, half-destroyed houses spread before my eyes. Dug-up ground. Vibrating smell of blood. Miserably eaten and leftover corpses. Voices of wounded people screaming.
At the center of the chaos was a demon with blades sprouting from its arms, and a senior member swinging his sword while injured. I joined without delay.
It was a tricky opponent using demon arts, but thanks to combining our strength, we barely managed to behead it before dawn.
As the demon disappeared, the aftermath processing unit appeared to take charge of现场恢复, treating the wounded, and reassuring the villagers.
Leaving the treatment of the injured senior to the Kakushi members, I was about to turn my steps back to the house with the wisteria crest.
"Hey, where's the demon? Didn't you say they were in combat?"
Another member arrived late.
A youth who looked to be in his late teens. He must have come running after receiving the support request. But seeing no demon at the scene, he was puzzled.
When a Kakushi member informed him that the demon was already defeated, the youth's eyes slowly narrowed. Unable to hide his displeasure, he first glared at the injured senior member, then turned his gaze to me, contorting his face and baring his teeth.
"Damn it!"
Huh? Why is he cursing at me?
As I stood dazed by the sudden abuse, the member shouted at the injured senior member, "Don't send rescue requests when your limbs are fine, you coward!"
Then, he even complained to the crow, "Making me come all this way for nothing!" and disappeared like a storm with rough steps.
What on earth is going on…… As I stood dazed, unable to process the situation, a light impact was felt on my head. Oh, is this perhaps.
"Mr. Suzuki?"
"It's Goto…… Anyway, don't mind what just happened too much."
"He was quite hostile, did I do something wrong?"
"In a sense, yes."
"Huh? I don't remember."
"You exterminated all the demons on Mt. Fujikasane."
What does that have to do with it? As I tilted my head in confusion, Goto continued the explanation briefly while applying ointment to my wounds.
"Do you know there's a member in charge of inspecting Mt. Fujikasane? That's him, apparently. Because you and Shōjuro cleaned out Mt. Fujikasane completely, he had a hard time replenishing the demons. That's why he's so angry."
Ah, so he's mad because I caused him extra work. Okay, I understand.
"Well, it's the fault of the guy who left those abnormal demons unattended. Let him suffer a bit for not inspecting properly. Alright, treatment done."
"Thanks, Goto."
"I heard rumors. You've been running missions non-stop lately. Overworking will ruin your body. You should take a proper rest once in a whileaaaah?!"
"Cawwwwwwww! Don't indulge hiiiiim!!"
"Ouch, ouch, what is this crow?!"
"Sorry. That's my producer."
"Until your rank rises, there's no such thing as a holiidaaay!!"
The spartan crow Hanachiyo's relentless consecutive missions continued after that, and as she declared, they didn't end until my rank went up one level.
Around the time the wisteria crest tattooed on my hand changed from 'Kei' to 'Nin', the world had shed winter, and before my eyes, the vibrant energy of spring bloomed.
Yes, it's the season of bamboo shoots.
The Thunder Hashira, Kuwajima Jigoro, has no tsuguko.
Training successors is also part of a Pillar's duties. Not having a tsuguko is negligence, and he gets lectured every time he faces the Leader.
But it's not that Kuwajima doesn't want one. If he could get one, he would take a tsuguko. He wants to pass down Thunder Breathing to the next generation and raise them as the next Thunder Hashira.
But looking at the members, there's hardly anyone he likes, and the boy he thought 'oh, this one might be good' politely refused the tsuguko offer.
Even so, he persisted, and the boy said, "If you beat me in tag in the bamboo forest." But that was a trap. Although he accepted the challenge long ago, Kuwajima has never won even once. A series of defeats.
The boy was a demon bamboo tengu who displayed physical abilities surpassing even demons in the bamboo forest.
No matter what he did, Kuwajima just ended up covered in bamboo leaves and mud, rolling in the bamboo forest. Even unworthily using Thunder Breathing, he couldn't catch the boy. He doesn't even know how many times he's used Thunderclap and Flash in the matches so far.
Honestly, the boy's Nichirin Blade color doesn't match Thunder Breathing, so even if he took him as a tsuguko, he couldn't raise him as the next Thunder Hashira, but apart from that, Kuwajima has a competitive personality. He can't leave it like this. He intends to continue the matches until he wins.
And today, he went to challenge the boy staying at Urokodaki's house, Rei.
"Ah, I have to dig bamboo shoots from now on, so please give me a break today."
He was refused.
Despite being his superior, even a Pillar in name, Rei showed no attitude of deference or consideration. It's much more likable than those who fear or flatter unnecessarily, but that's that and this is this.
Don't refuse, you started this match. Kuwajima wasn't one to back down just because he was refused.
Lately, Rei has been so focused on missions that there hasn't even been a chance for a match. And he also wanted to test the new rope-throwing technique he devised to catch Rei.
With the sole determination to catch this insolent, annoying boy, Kuwajima started practicing rope-throwing, and recently, he even started bringing rope on demon-slaying missions.
It was surprisingly useful, like when the position was awkward and he couldn't immediately behead the demon, or when he needed to quickly snatch and save a human being attacked.
Persistently challenging him, Rei finally let out a deep sigh.
But it wasn't a sign of giving up and accepting the match.
"Alright. Let's do this. If you can dig bamboo shoots, Kuwajima——"
"So I'm saying, let's have a match instead!"
"I'll become your tsuguko."
"Give me that hoe, right now!"
Thus, Kuwajima Jigoro plunged into bamboo shoot digging with lightning speed. Digging bamboo shoots buried in the ground is a piece of cake compared to catching Rei in the bamboo forest.
Great, if I make Rei my tsuguko, what should I teach him first? Maybe try teaching Thunderclap and Flash as a test. Since his breathing affinity is different, I can't expect the original power, but with his good reflexes, he might manage fairly well.
Thunder Breathing especially focuses concentration on the legs. Even if the affinity doesn't match, learning the combat style itself should help someday.
……Humming while digging through the soil, but.
"This should be enough, right? This portion is for the Rengoku family, and this is for Urokodaki. Alright, now I need to go prepare them~"
"What is this……"
Kuwajima couldn't help but groan. There was no fault in him.
On the other hand, under Kuwajima's feet was bleak. The harvest was refreshingly nonexistent.
"Kuwajima, if your hands are free, help me carry these."
"What is this……"
Holding a full armful of bamboo shoots, Kuwajima muttered the same words again.
Huh? How can this be? How is it possible to not dig up a single one? That guy dug up so many, how can this…? No, it's impossible. It absolutely cannot be.
"Rei, what did you do?"
"What do you mean?"
"That, moving the bamboo shoots underground…… with some mysterious power or something."
"What do you take me for, Kuwajima?"
"A demon bamboo tengu."
"I'm human, you idiot."
But there was no other way to explain it.
The bamboo shoots in the Millennium Bamboo Forest are buried deep in the soil. If sprouts had broken through the soil, there might have been a chance to find them, but without even that, you almost have to rely on intuition.
Yet, Rei found them every time he hoed, something Kuwajima couldn't find at all. The hit rate was as if magic or a divine prank was at work.
"Is there some trick to it?"
When Kuwajima asked upon arriving at the kitchen, Rei, who was skillfully cutting the bamboo shoot shells, tilted his head as if pondering. Soon, putting the bamboo shoots into a pot, he answered like this.
"More than a trick, you see. First, you calmly take a deep breath, right?"
"Yeah."
"Focus all your nerves on the bamboo forest, and gaze quietly at the soil."
"Gaze at it?"
"You vaguely see the bamboo shoots. Then you dig them. Bamboo shoot, you're mine!"
"What??"
"You have to do that to discover them, so no one but me can dig the bamboo shoots in the Millennium Bamboo Forest~"
"I don't really understand what you're saying, but one thing is clear: it was an unfair match."
Give back my excited heart that thought I could finally get a tsuguko.
Kuwajima was angry, but when Rei offered bamboo shoots as an apology, he immediately sheathed his sword.
By the way, what does it mean to see bamboo shoots by focusing and gazing at the soil? It seemed like a joke, but since Rei displays physical abilities beyond common sense in the bamboo forest, it's probably not a joke but sincerity.
……Could it be that this guy isn't a Moon Breathing user but a Bamboo Breathing user?
"Long time no see, Shōjuro. Here, these are bamboo shoots dug from the Millennium Bamboo Forest. Share them with your family~ Well then, I'll be off!"
"Wow, this is really amazing, thank you, but our family alone won't be able to eat it all, so you better eat some and go."
"Don't grab my shoulder with a non-breath rapid-fire! I'm already full with just the thought!"
"Did you think you could throw food (gunpowder) on our family's table and run away?"
"My stomach hasn't been Rengoku-fied! It can't take it and will burst! It'll burst ugly like fireworks!"
"Shinjuro! Tell mother that Rei will stay for dinner!"
"Wait, Shinjuro! Please don't go! Here, I brought a bamboo dragonfly for Shinjuro! I'll give you this, so wait, just wait…… Aah!"
Bamboo shoot rice. Bamboo shoot stew. Bamboo shoot vegetable salad. Bamboo shoot soup.
The plentiful bamboo shoot table made by mother was delicious enough to bring tears.
The innocent smile of Shinjuro happily munching on bamboo shoot rice was our only salvation.
Next to him, Rengoku, who kept repeating "Delicious! Delicious!" and easily devoured more than twice the amount combined of me and Shōjuro, then demanded refills with a smiling face, looked dazzlingly bright.
Unable to face that radiance of Rengoku, with a face as wrinkled as pickled plums, I didn't know at the time.
The fact that my stomach, suffering so much now, would be completely Rengoku-fied in a few months.
"Rei, I have something to talk about."
"Don't ask the bamboo dragonfly to restrain itself."
"Wait, I haven't said anything yet."
"When Rengoku talks seriously, 90% of the time it's about that matter."
"This is the first time I've broached this matter, though?"
"It's about the bamboo dragonfly flying away energetically and disappearing above the roof, right? Isn't it?"
"Ah, exactly as you say."
"The bamboo dragonflies I make always do that. The child playing with it cries. Everyone who plays with my bamboo dragonflies ends up like that."
"Don't underestimate him, Shinjuro is a strong child. Although tears welled up a bit, he didn't cry. More than that, if you foresaw that and gave the bamboo dragonfly to Shinjuro, you're really something. Come to the dojo."
"I just wanted to test it, that cursed jinx…… Aah! Wait, don't grab my collar! Don't drag me! It's choking, it's choking! Eek!"
"Do you know how sad Shinjuro was!"
"I'm sorry. As an apology, I'll make a bamboo dragonfly and bring it with sweets, so I'll properly apologize then."
"That's not it. He was sad because he carelessly lost the gift you gave him. So he said he wants to apologize to you directly and asked me to invite you to our house."
"Huh? Shinjuro is such a good kid??"
"You just realized now?"
→ An interlude not connected to the main story
*
Suddenly, when bamboo shoots start coming out in the Millennium Bamboo Forest, the Pillars of the Edo period engage in a争夺战.
The event is arm wrestling. The arm wrestling where Pillars compete the limits of strength is violent arm wrestling where the momentum is so over the top that the match table gets destroyed.
Rengoku boy split the table in two, the Wind Pillar tore the stump, and the Leader broke the rock. Eventually, the决战地点 moved to bare ground.
Once, a proposal came to peacefully play rock-paper-scissors instead of arm wrestling, but confusion arose between the 'rock-paper-scissors' faction and the 'ro~ck-pa~per-sci~ssors' faction.
And in the additional game that followed, they argued over whether the口号 was 'take one out, one' or 'take one out', developing into a dangerous situation where rock-paper-scissors was used for a completely different purpose, so rock-paper-scissors was banned.
What to make with the scissors, rock, paper of rock-paper-scissors~♪
Eye poking, random hitting, slapping~♪
Shabana was pissed.
This was last spring, and unfortunately, while staying at the Ubuyashiki residence, Shabana, who was mobilized to treat the idiots, made the nine Pillars sit neatly in a row and struck them with lightning from end to end.
Although the Pillars thought 'Is this something to get so angry about?', when Shabana declared "If you're going to fight like this, I won't dig bamboo shoots ever again!", they had no choice but to bow their heads meekly and reflect.
Only one person can dig the bamboo shoots in the Millennium Bamboo Forest: Shabana Tsukuru.
For some unknown reason, only he could find the bamboo shoots.
Once, when Shabana didn't realize his own abnormality and said "If you want to eat it so much, why don't you dig it yourself?", all the Pillars vehemently protested, "If we could do that, would we be suffering like this!"
"It's not even hard, just dig the bamboo shoots. What's so difficult about it?"
"How can you say that after seeing this惨状?!"
"Nine Pillars all出动 and this is the result!"
"We even called the tsuguko in the middle!"
"We dug since noon, and the result is like this!!"
"When we dig, it's all just roots!!"
"Hmm, my spirit is broken!"
"Are the Pillars意外地 free???"
"We're busy right after the Leader!!"
"We have missions now, idiot!!"
"Want me to show you how much overwork it is?!"
That conversation happened just a while ago.
Since only one person can dig them, the bamboo shoots from the Millennium Bamboo Forest are highly rare.
The first bamboo shoots of the season are offered to the Leader, the second is kept by Shabana for Kyūtarō and Ume, and from the third onward, the Pillars争夺 them.
Of course, fighting is forbidden. The Pillars who committed the rock-paper-scissors incident of washing blood with blood all without exception wore signs around their necks saying 'We are idiots who fought needlessly'. The brush writing of Ume girl with her hands full of ink.
Those crooked letters反而刺激 the Pillars' shame, making them bow their heads involuntarily, thinking we really did something foolish.
The shame of that appearance being seen by the respected Leader and being gently admonished with "Don't make Tsukuru too为难."
Among the Pillars, it was called the punishment of shame experienced alive.
It was better when only the table broke without any injuries. Thus, the event for the bamboo shoot争夺战 was solidified as arm wrestling.
By the way, this year's winner was the Wind Pillar, but.
"Huh, where did the Wind Pillar go?"
"Lord Wind Pillar went to the mountain alone, saying he wants to eat wild vegetables."
"We said not to let that person into the mountain alone?!"
"Is he going to pick weeds again?"
"If it's weeds, that's fortunate enough!"
"I vote for aconite."
"Is oleander in season now?"
"If it's edible mugwort, let's at least applaud."
"If it's windflower, we should even give a cheer!"
By the way, the spoils were wasabi leaves.
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