Chapter 215: The Scheming Devil, Jashin-chan!
"Hmm?"
When Jashin-chan came downstairs, she immediately spotted the unfamiliar little girl. She blinked her beady eyes, tilted her head, a question mark appearing above it. She then walked over, hands on her hips, and looked down. "Who are you?"
'She looks weak. I can win!' Jashin-chan's aura instantly swelled.
"Konnichiwa, I am Binchō-tan!" Binchō-tan, startled by Jashin-chan's snake half, wondered if this was a yokai. Feeling the pressure from her, Binchō-tan clasped her hands in front of her, bowed nervously, and introduced herself.
"Binchō-tan?" Jashin-chan looked completely blank.
"She's a new employee I hired today... Jashin-chan, don't you dare bully her, or I'll have Yurine have a nice 'chat' with you." Ryohei Tanaka, who was managing two pans and frying eggs, looked back to warn her.
The trash snake loved to bully the weak and fear the strong; she had almost no morals. He had to lay down the law, or she would 100% bully Binchō-tan, who was already pitiful enough and had no one to back her up here, unlike Kōji (who had Yusa) or JII (who had Minos).
"Hey! That's so mean, Servant! I haven't even done anything, and you're already warning me!" Jashin-chan complained, walking into the kitchen and pummeling Ryohei's back with her fists like a boxer to show her dissatisfaction.
"Don't I know you by now?" Ryohei's conscience didn't twinge in the slightest. Her punches had no force; it just felt like a back massage. It was actually quite comfortable.
"As if you know me so well!" Jashin-chan stopped, put her hands on her hips, and scoffed. "You don't even know when my birthday is!"
"..." Ryohei turned and gave her a strange look. Her birthday is coming up? She wants a gift? How scheming!
He pretended not to understand, turned back, and scooped the fried eggs onto a plate.
Jashin-chan froze. Hey, I've already hinted this much! Aren't you supposed to ask me when my birthday is? You're not playing along at all!
But the trash snake was thick-skinned. She quickly coughed into her fist and said, "Fine, I'll just tell you! My birthday is October 28th..."
"I didn't ask," Ryohei interrupted, looking back at her.
"..." Jashin-chan was choked by his words and almost forgot to breathe. She recovered immediately, brazenly patted his shoulder, and said, "Servant, remember to get me a birthday present. It doesn't need to be too expensive, just spend a casual million or two. I won't mind!"
"Get lost! I mind!" Ryohei was genuinely speechless. He rolled his eyes. This girl was ridiculous. Her birthday was still nearly three months away, and she was already angling for a gift—and a casual million or two, at that. I'd be more likely to chop two zeros off that!
Sizzle, crack!
Ryohei ignored Jashin-chan's "How dare you 'mind' me!" protests. He turned back and cracked two more eggs into the pan. Tossing the shells, he ordered, "Only a few more eggs to go. You can start serving the soup and rice."
"Fine, I know," Jashin-chan huffed, clearly unhappy. She went to the cabinet, opened it, and grabbed a stack of bowls to serve the soup.
Lucoa and Binchō-tan, who had been standing aside, lips curved, enjoying Jashin-chan's failure, stepped forward to help carry the soup to the table.
When it was time to serve the rice, Jashin-chan opened the rice cooker and paused in surprise. "Why is there a piece of charcoal in the rice?"
"Tan-chan provided it. It makes the rice more fragrant and delicious," Ryohei explained casually, turning his head and sniffing the aroma wafting over. He decided he would update his rice-cooking method from now on.
"Oh." Jashin-chan looked at Binchō-tan in surprise. Binchō-tan quickly squeezed out a sweet smile for her. Jashin-chan paid it no mind and picked up her own rice bowl, which had the character for 'Jashin' (Evil) on it, and started scooping.
Everyone who lived in the house had their own exclusive bowl, including Medusa. Yurine had gotten them. (Ryohei's said 'Chef', and Lucoa's said 'Dragon'.)
"..." Binchō-tan took a bowl of glistening white rice from Jashin-chan, surprised again. The rice is glowing! She had never seen glowing rice before. It was magical! Her anticipation was maxed out!
Once everyone was at the table, Ryohei introduced Binchō-tan to the 'yokai' sister with cow horns (Minos) and the slightly older, cute sister (Medusa). Binchō-tan then took her seat.
"Itadakimasu!" Binchō-tan clasped her hands excitedly, her milky voice full of emotion.
For Ryohei and the others, this was just a normal breakfast. For Binchō-tan, it was a super-feast, like a New Year's celebration!
The little girl picked up her chopsticks and eagerly lifted a clump of her favorite white rice to her mouth. She chewed lightly, and her sky-blue eyes instantly widened. She couldn't help but whisper, "...Sugoi! This rice is so delicious!"
It was soft yet chewy, each grain distinct. After chewing, she could taste a faint sweetness on her tongue, and the aftertaste was clean and refreshing! The aroma of the grain was incredibly rich! Binchō-tan had never eaten such delicious rice. She was blown away!
"Speaking of which, the rice does seem more fragrant than usual today. Did you change the brand?" Minos, holding a bowl with 'Cow' on it, took a bite of grilled fish and then shoveled in a huge mouthful of rice, her cheeks puffing out like a greedy squirrel. After chewing and swallowing, she looked at Ryohei curiously.
"Same rice, but I added a piece of binchōtan when I cooked it." Ryohei was surprised by Minos's sharp palate and smiled. Minos instinctively glanced at Tan-chan, then realized Ryohei meant the actual, burnable charcoal.
"..."
Feeling Minos's gaze, Binchō-tan, whose feet couldn't reach the floor, gave her a shy smile. She then used her spoon to scoop up some of the fish head and tofu soup. The milky-white broth had flecks of golden oil floating on top, and the tender tofu quivered with the movement.
Binchō-tan brought the spoon to her lips and blew gently. A warm, savory aroma wafted into her nose. She closed her eyes and sipped. A rich umami instantly bloomed in her mouth!
The richness of the fish oils and the clean sweetness of the tofu blended perfectly, creating layered ripples of flavor on her taste buds. The gelatinous broth clung gently to her lips and teeth before melting away, leaving only a hint of sweetness on her tongue. The tender tofu broke apart with the slightest pressure, its soy fragrance and the savory broth filling her mouth, enhanced by subtle hints of ginger and pepper. A warm current slid down her throat and into her stomach...
'So warm...'
Binchō-tan's consciousness drifted. She felt her body and mind relax.
When she came to, she found herself in a milky-white hot spring, a folded white towel resting on her head. The surrounding mountains were covered in pure white rice that looked like snow. She leaned lazily against a block of tender tofu as the warm water lapped gently around her. Suddenly, a translucent fish leaped from the water, tracing a beautiful arc in the air before landing back in the pool with a splash, sending the savory water flying...
"..."
Returning to reality, a look of utter astonishment slowly appeared on Binchō-tan's small, round face.
'Just now...'
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