Three days had passed since the visits from the Yashiro Commission and the Fatui, and nothing major had happened. During that time, the village's fishery association had visited once, buying up the village's spare boats at a high price. The Mora from the sale didn't bring about much change; it was just enough to buy a lot of supplies from a traveling merchant caravan the next day. Everything else remained the same.
There was one change, however. Auntie Nan had returned once. She collected her parents' remaining belongings, leaving behind an empty house.
"I wonder if Auntie Nan will ever come back..." Hailing said, holding a book, expanding her knowledge during the intervals when Muramasa was sharpening and decorating blades. She had now become a helper in Muramasa's forge. Besides tasks like gathering sand, most of her time was spent accompanying him as he worked. When he didn't need help, reading became her other job.
"It's unlikely, isn't it?" Muramasa said as he carved the hilt to match Ayaka's hand. "Her work, her life, it's all over there. In a few decades, her children probably won't even come here."
After speaking, he glanced at Hailing. The girl had changed a lot since coming to his side. Not just in her demeanor, but also in her appearance. Her once loose, silver hair was now tied up in a ponytail, and the chest bindings that had constantly constricted her body had been loosened. The heavy weight now gave her clothes a noticeable curve, and the degree of movement made it almost certain that there were no restraints underneath.
"I did say you didn't need to be so formal here..."
"But are you treating this old man's forge as your own boudoir?" he sighed, refocusing on his work.
"Does it bother you?" She tilted her head, a teasing smile and a faint blush on her face.
"...Do as you please. But at least when there are guests, stay in the back room for me."
His words made her let out a giggle. "Got it~"
Hearing her mischievous tone, Muramasa couldn't help but think—This girl, she's deliberately teasing me, isn't she?
After that, the house returned to its usual tranquility, with only the white noise of Muramasa's grinding filling the air.
"It's about time..." Hailing looked at the time. It was almost time to cook. "What do you want for lunch, Muramasa?"
"Hm?" Just as Hailing spoke, Muramasa finished his task. "Is it that time already…" He thought for a moment and stood up. "I've just finished my work. How about this old man cooks today? As the host, I can't always have you, the guest, cooking."
With that, he stood up and headed for the kitchen, leaving a slightly stunned Hailing behind. After a brief moment, she muttered softly, "You don't have to treat me as a guest…"
Muramasa entered the kitchen and looked at the now fully stocked stove. After the traveling merchants had come, the first thing he did was replenish all the food-related supplies: seasonings, staple foods, and various versatile crops. This naturally included soybeans, which he had soaked in water to make tofu as soon as he bought them.
"What should I make…" His gaze wandered over the various ingredients and suddenly caught a glimpse of a fox's shadow outside the window. "A fox? Hmm, then I'll make fried tofu."
In the era Muramasa was from, offerings to foxes and fried tofu were inseparable. Since there was a similar custom here, maybe he could even offer it to some fox deity. However, fried tofu required a lot of oil, which would be wasted just on frying the tofu… Right, Hailing brought some seafood from the villagers again today.
Muramasa usually had a "keep out" air about him, which made the villagers hesitant to approach. But they still wanted to show their goodwill, and since everyone could see that Hailing was close to him, they gave everything to her to pass on.
"Oh, there's even conger eel."
"Perfect for finishing things off." Conger eel, a type of eel that lives in the sea, was perfect for deep-frying. However, normal deep-frying required an oil temperature of 180 degrees, but to bring out the eel's flavor, the temperature needed to be higher and the cooking time longer. Plus, heating the oil for a long time and then letting it cool would cause the flavor to dissipate, so it had to be saved for last.
"Hu?" A small, pink fox revealed its fluffy tail from the bushes, then parted the shrubs with its two paws and popped out its small, round, pinkish-white head. Its round nose twitched in the air, its ears perking up like antennae receiving a signal. "Hu!"
It lowered its body back into the bushes, then emerged from the front, a few reluctant leaves clinging to its fur. It shook its body up and down to get rid of the leaves, then patted itself with its dexterous, fluffy tail and was about to move forward. "Wu~?"
It slowly retracted its outstretched paw, its ears folding back cautiously. A strange elemental energy permeated the space before it, like an invisible barrier. It wouldn't block her entry, but it would expose her secrets to the owner of the house. So, she closed her eyes for a moment, formed a faint membrane of Electro on the surface of her body, and then slipped through with a soft pop.
"Hm?" Muramasa, who was frying tofu, sensed a creature entering but saw only a fox. The only thing he had felt was a faint Electro reaction. "Hmm… a small animal? But it's pink. That's rare."
Without thinking much of it, he continued frying lunch. The first batch of fried tofu was placed on the side, its aroma attracting the pink fox's attention.
"Hu…" The fox was originally just sitting on the ground, but the fried food, different from anything in Inazuma City, made it difficult for her to restrain her curiosity. She had wanted to use the elements to easily leap onto the windowsill, but the man behind the window made her wary. I'll be discovered.
So, she had to rely on jumping techniques she hadn't used in who knows how many years. Her front paws were pressed almost parallel to the ground, her head lowered between them. Her small, round hindquarters were raised high, her balancing tail tensed.
Whoosh—
Her hind legs pushed off forcefully, her front paws clawing at the dirt, and her outstretched head shot upwards like an arrow. Her body hung in the air for a few seconds before landing steadily on the kitchen windowsill.
The sound of sizzling oil filled her ears. As she got closer, her nose picked up the multi-layered, rich aroma of the golden-brown tofu. Her tail, being the furthest from her head and rarely used, was also the most honest part of her body. Upon seeing this fried tofu, different from any other in Inazuma, though her body remained demurely seated, her tail was wagging like a blooming flower.
"Hm?" Muramasa glanced at it and subconsciously retorted, "Are you a fox or a dog?"
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