Grand Narukami Shrine.
Yae Miko closed the empty cabinet and let out a long, helpless sigh.
Someone had stolen her midnight snack. She had nothing left to eat.
But if she didn't eat something, she'd never get any work done. Going hungry was torture, even for a guuji.
She had to come up with a new plan.
Should she head down to Hanamizaka and buy some fried tofu from that shop she used to frequent?
No. Once, she thought their fried tofu was delicious. But now her tongue had been reshaped into the exact taste of Mr. Xia's cooking… and nothing else would do.
As Miko stood there debating, the kitchen door suddenly pushed open from the outside.
She stiffened a little at the sound.
She hadn't sensed anyone approaching at all.
Someone actually managed to slip past a great youkai like her…
She turned. "Ei? What are you doing in the kitchen this late?"
Ei didn't seem surprised to see Miko there. She just walked toward the stove and said calmly, "I'm making supper for my sister."
"Oh, supper."
Miko had eaten lunch with Ei earlier today. She saw firsthand how happily Xia Zhen devoured Ei's cooking. So she already knew Ei's food had stopped being a disaster—and actually tasted pretty good.
Still not on Xiangling's level, of course… but far better than anything Miko herself could make.
A thought flashed across Miko's mind, and a sly smile curled on her lips.
"Perfect timing. I'm a little hungry too. Ei, you don't mind making one more, right?"
"Alright."
---
Inside a room.
Xia Zhi sat at a desk and pulled out a golden treasure chest from his inventory.
He'd gotten it off Urakusai earlier that afternoon.
He chose to open it.
A pair of goggles appeared before him.
[Tactical Eyepiece]
Quality: Gold
Type: Auxiliary Item
Trait: Patrol
Effect: Allows the wearer to lock onto a target. All ranged attacks on that locked target will receive Enemy Binding correction.
Hidden Effect: Enhances the wearer's vision by 100%.
Recyclable: 100 points
Xia Zhi stared at the goggles, feeling a weird sense of déjà vu.
He took off his Glasses and tried putting the goggles on.
But they didn't work for him.
Just like Xia Lin's Eye of Truth ability, this item required normal eyesight to function.
He sighed, took the goggles off, and put his old glasses back on.
Still, it wasn't useless.
Earlier tonight, Yaoyao had complained that Klee's aim went wild whenever she used a Gatling-style blast attack.
If he gave this thing to Klee, it might fix her accuracy problem completely.
He didn't really want anything for himself anyway. Maybe because he'd been thinking about Klee, the chest dropped an item that suited her so well.
Xia Zhi fiddled with the goggles for a moment, then stored them away.
---
In the kitchen.
Ei had already finished cooking supper.
Yae Miko stared at the sticky, gelatinous claypot dish in front of her and fell silent.
Oh no.
She'd forgotten she was the one who told Ei she loved slime cuisine…
Ei lifted the other claypot and said, "I'm taking this one to Tenshukaku. Eat slowly."
"Oh… okay. You go."
Before Miko even finished speaking, Ei's figure had vanished.
Miko looked down at the wobbly, suspicious-looking claypot again. Her stomach suddenly felt far less empty.
But Ei made this because she asked for it. She couldn't just waste it.
What now?
Miko's eyes narrowed as a sly idea formed.
She picked up the claypot and headed outside.
A moment later, she reached the group drinking together outside the shrine.
People noticed her arrival and blinked in confusion.
Miko walked straight to Urakusai and set the claypot down in front of him.
Urakusai stared at the sticky dish in utter bafflement.
"Miko… this is?"
"Ei made it herself. To celebrate your revival and new body."
Miko's gaze drifted to the empty bowl beside him—one that still carried the lingering scent of fried tofu. Her smile grew meaningful.
"Urakusai, make sure you finish every bite."
Urakusai stared at the claypot and fell silent.
---
Tenshukaku.
Xia Zhen sat at her desk, carefully applying lipstick.
The cosmetics Ningguang gifted her were finally getting used.
She pressed her lips together, examining the result in the mirror.
Not bad.
Honestly, with her appearance, she didn't need lipstick to look breathtaking. But after quietly observing her cousin all this time, she knew he liked this sort of thing.
Yes… and nail polish too.
She'd seen plenty of it on Shenhe and Ganyu.
Xia Zhen was just about to start painting her nails when she suddenly sensed something.
She hurried to stash the cosmetics away, then looked toward the door.
A moment later, Ei walked in holding a very familiar claypot.
"…Ei."
Ei beamed with devotion. "Sister, I made supper for you! Your favorite claypot!"
A helpless sigh flickered in Xia Zhen's eyes.
Of course.
Now that Ei's cooking was back to normal, things were bound to return to this… routine.
She had no choice.
It was her sister's heartfelt gesture, after all.
Even if it meant ruining the lipstick she just finished applying.
Xia Zhen smiled gently. "Thank you, Ei."
"It wasn't hard. Eat it while it's hot."
Xia Zhen nodded. "Alright."
She picked up the spoon and took a bite.
Compared to the bizarre sludge she ate last time, this was practically gourmet.
She didn't feel forced at all.
Seeing her sister eat something she made, Ei felt a warm burst of joy.
Then, a small voice echoed in her consciousness—
"Huh…?"
Ei paused. "What's wrong?"
Xia Ying's tone sounded… odd. "Nothing. Forget it…"
Ei, a warrior through and through, only ever wanted to rely on her sister. She wasn't the type to notice small details.
But Xia Ying—though once similar—had changed.
A girl in love always notices more.
And Xia Ying immediately spotted something off about Xia Zhen—her lips looked… too beautiful. Too deliberately colored.
This was… the lipstick someone in their chat group had mentioned…
Why did her sister suddenly feel like doing her makeup tonight?
Who was she dressing up for?
A faint answer surfaced in her thoughts.
Her cousin?
The thought made Xia Ying's feelings twist strangely. Complicated. Then oddly relaxed.
Ei still had no idea what Xia Ying had realized.
Xia Ying went quiet again, leaving Ei frowning internally.
The Shogun—no, Xia Ying—always stopping halfway through a sentence…
Fine. Whatever.
Ei stopped thinking about it and kept watching her sister eat.
Her sister looked beautiful when she ate.
Ei suddenly remembered something. "Sister…"
"Hm?"
Xia Zhen looked at her, confused.
"I want to take a picture of you."
Xia Zhen laughed. "Go ahead. You don't have to ask for something so small."
Ei nodded and began snapping multiple careful photos of Xia Zhen eating.
Xia Zhen didn't mind.
Her sister was an incurable sister-obsessed maniac, after all.
Finishing the claypot was more important.
She had big plans tonight.
Soon enough, she scraped the claypot clean.
Ei looked at the empty pot. "Sister, are you full?"
Her tone made it very clear—if she wasn't, Ei was absolutely going to run back to the kitchen and make another.
Xia Zhen panicked. "I'm full! Go rest!"
Ei reluctantly put her phone away and gathered the dishes.
"Sister, I'll be going then."
"Mm."
Ei turned and left Tenshukaku.
----
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