After a long journey involving several changes in transportation, Yukikawa Yukie finally made it back to the Yukikawa Shrine in the middle of the night.
Beyond the torii gate, at the top of the long, sloping path, a woman with a face that bore a strong resemblance to Yukikawa Yukie stood silently.
A warmth spread through Yukikawa Yukie's heart, and she quickened her pace up the steps.
"You're back?" Time had not stolen the woman's ethereal beauty, but rather added a mature grace to it.
The woman, dressed in a miko outfit, perfectly embodied a blend of coolness and allure.
Standing together, the woman and Yukikawa Yukie looked like a pair of sisters.
"Yes, Mom... Miko Shiratori." Seeing the woman frown, Yukikawa Yukie quickly corrected herself.
"The Great Miko is waiting for your mission report..." Yukikawa Shiratori glanced at Yukie's exhausted face and wrinkled clothes, then turned toward the bathhouse. "Come with me to the bathhouse first."
After bathing and changing, all traces of weariness vanished from Yukie's face.
The Yukikawa Shrine had never had a male priest; for generations, the Great Miko had always presided over its affairs.
The current Great Miko was Yukie's grandmother, Yukikawa Junko.
Pushing open the doors to the main shrine, she saw an old woman on the main seat, her back hunched, her shallow breaths like the faint flicker of a candle flame that could be extinguished at any moment.
Shiratori and Yukie, entering the main hall of the shrine, felt not a shred of pity. They had seen this situation more than enough times.
"Ahem!" Shiratori coughed softly, covering her mouth.
The old miko on the main seat shuddered, suddenly straightening her back. While pretending to chant scriptures, she cracked open an eye—one brighter than any youth's—and surveyed her surroundings. Where was the decrepit old woman from moments before?
"Ah~ Yukie is back." After the gentle greeting came a grief-stricken scolding.
"Hey! Where have you been gallivanting? Did you bring anything nice back for your grandma?"
"Ahem!" Shiratori cleared her throat, casually fiddling with the white paper strips on her gohei.
The old miko, who had been running wild on the path of self-indulgence, immediately resumed a solemn and dignified expression.
"Miko Yukie, you may now report on the events of your mission."
"Yes." Yukie slowly began to recount what had happened during her mission.
As Yukie spoke, Shiratori's expression grew increasingly serious, and the old miko also wore a pensive look.
"...And that concludes the events of this mission."
"Mm, you did very well." It was Shiratori who spoke first after Yukie finished her account.
"Mom, Grandma, can cooking really exorcise evil spirits?" With the official report over, Yukie's tone lightened considerably.
"You've eaten that young man's cooking. What do you think?" the Great Miko asked in return.
"Perhaps... it can," Yukie said, not entirely certain.
The Soul Repose Noodles had nine ingredients: beef, noodles, chrysanthemum, sea lettuce, sea grapes, Kombu, wakame, crystal algae, and miso. One of them was wrong, and the beef should have been omitted as well. Yet, even with this flawed recipe, he had achieved a harmonious flavor and created a magical eating experience, which only served as a testament to the chef's skill.
Besides, that senior is proficient in mystical arts. His Kotodama can instantly control others, and he moved his shop to Chiba Prefecture in a mere moment.
What that senior said... might actually be true, Yukie thought to herself.
"Normally, we wouldn't discuss this with you, but since you've now encountered this type of event, we have no choice but to tell you." The Great Miko and Shiratori exchanged a look and nodded. She began to speak slowly. "As someone who frequently deals with demons, you should know that the world has always had a surface and a reverse side."
"The surface world is ruled by humans, while the reverse side is ruled by demons, gods, or other beings that defy common sense."
"Since the dawn of humanity, the surface world and the reverse side have been interconnected."
"Those fortunate enough to establish such a connection have, without exception, risen to become the elites of society."
"And to maintain this connection, humanity discovered that the best method was through ritual offerings."
"But how could ordinary prey possibly please the beings of the reverse side?"
"Thus, the very first dish, 'Yi,' was born."
"Cuisine, from its very inception, was meant to please the gods." In the great hall, the Great Miko's words rang with authority. "Dispelling the malevolent spirits of the surface world is a trivial matter by comparison."
"From ancient times to the present, these sacred rituals have never ceased, and the 'Culinary Heart' that every Special-Grade Chef must possess is the foundation of it all."
"The reason we have all you miko study the culinary arts is precisely for this purpose."
Yukie's eyes widened in shock. She could hardly imagine that the chefs found on every street corner today were, at their core, her own colleagues.
"Wait. A connection to the beings of the reverse side?"
"Then our Yukikawa Shrine..."
"You are not yet qualified to know." In that moment, Yukie felt that her mother's and grandmother's gazes were strangely distant.
"Is there anything else? If not, you are dismissed. Grandma is tired from sitting all evening."
Yukie felt a pang of guilt and was about to stand up to help her.
"Heave-ho!" But unexpectedly, the Great Miko leaped to her feet, looking as if she were about to break into a sprint at any second.
Yukie: !?
"Grandma, wait." Yukie quickly stopped her. "I have one more thing."
"Why does our Yukikawa Shrine have two spirit blade Sakurafubukis?"
"You want to know? Follow me." A gratified smile appeared on the Great Miko's relatively unwrinkled face as she grabbed Yukie and trotted out of the main hall.
Her agile movements completely betrayed the fact that she was a woman over seventy years old.
Arriving at the chamber where the spirit blade Sakurafubuki was enshrined, the Great Miko lifted a floorboard and gestured conspiratorially to Yukie.
Upon entering the basement, Yukie saw a very, very long corridor.
The Great Miko casually pulled open a large door, and in that instant—
"Whoa! A golden legendary!"
Piled high as far as the eye could see, the glittering gold bars made Yukie's eyes ache.
"Ahem, wrong door." The Great Miko immediately shut it and pulled open another door nearby.
A pink spiritual aura washed over them.
Yukie was completely dumbfounded.
"Th-This is...?!"
"Sakurafubuki."
The room was filled with swords, spears, halberds, and bows, all gleaming with the same luster as the spirit blade in Yukie's hand.
"If you don't like this color scheme, we can change it."
"This one is Sumizome-zakura, this is Shirayuki-zakura, this is Shisen-zakura..."
Black, white, purple, red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue—room after room of glittering weapons flashed before her eyes.
With a numb expression, Yukie followed the Great Miko back to the enshrinement chamber.
"...Grandma, is it possible... that our shrine is very rich?"
The Great Miko patted Yukie's forehead, her eyes filled with affection.
"As for whether the shrine has money, didn't you already see the first secret room?"
I, Yukikawa Yukie, miko of the Yukikawa Shrine and IGO Seven-Star Chef, didn't know until the age of 23 that I was not only the heir to a fortune, but apparently the heir to an arms dealer as well.
===
I, Mo Bai, am a transmigrator 300 billion in debt.
I have a feeling the girl I like might like me back a little.
Mo Bai grinned foolishly as he stared in the direction where Ryougi Shiki had disappeared, replaying her gentle words from before she left.
"Does it really matter where I am?"
"Next time, I'll be back."
Xiao Bai felt that Mo Bai, gazing into the distance, looked just like a dog.
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