After Mana left, the Itsuka house returned to its usual rhythm. Upholding the spirit of minor injuries shouldn't keep you off the front lines Mikoto slapped on a band aid and went straight back to the kitchen.
anwhile, Shido was dragged away by Kotori—who was feeling a deep sense of crisis over her little sister status—to play various step sister route dating sims under the excuse of 'Spirit conquering training'.
Dinner was decided: Crab atball,sweet and sour fried fish, and simple stir-fried vegetables.
The atballs, made from pork and crab at and dotted with delicious crab roe, sat quietly in a rich broth alongside bright green vegetables.
The fish, expertly deboned and deep fried to a golden crisp, sizzled as the sweet and sour sauce was poured over it.
Paired with fresh greens, this three course authentic Chinese dinner was complete.
"Ooh! Shido, Shido, this atball is so delicious!"
After taking just one bite, Tohka's eyes started sparkling.
[Oh my, my. This is a very beautifully fried fish. You should try so quickly, Yoshino-chan.]
"M-Mhm."
The sweet fish seed to perfectly match Yoshino's tastes as well.
"Mikoto-oneesan's Chinese cuisine is amazing, Onii-chan."
Kotori, who had swapped back to her white ribbons, also looked very happy.
"As expected of Yakumo-senpai. Man, I really underestimated Chinese food."
When she said they were having Chinese food made with ground at and crab, Shido thought they would be having gyoza or xiaolongbao. He didn't expect authentic dishes that he couldn't even na in Japanese.
"There are far more varieties of Chinese food than you might think. If you like it, I can make other dishes for you guys later."
Seeing everyone enjoy the food so much, Mikoto felt deeply satisfied. For a cook, the greatest joy is seeing people eat happily.
After dinner, Mikoto washed the dishes and prepared to head back to the shrine.
"Umm, I'll walk you ho, Yakumo-senpai," Shido ca over and offered.
Lately, the news had been constantly reporting missing persons cases, so he didn't feel safe letting Mikoto walk back alone.
"I appreciate the thought, Shido, but you don't have to."
Mikoto smiled wryly and shook her head. Rather than herself, she would be much more worried about Shido having to walk all the way back alone after dropping her off.
"Ah, you don't need to worry about Onii-chan. We can just have the Fraxinus use the teleporter to send him back." Kotori turned her head from the TV drama she was watching and said.
Just like the "Walking to School" event, there was no reason to miss out on an excellent "Walking a Girl Ho" event.
"Yeah, I'll leave it to you then, Shido."
Mikoto nodded, and the two left the Itsuka house together.
The sun was setting in the west, draping a long orange veil over the residential streets.
"Thank you so much for today, Yakumo-senpai." Shido said as they walked. Even though cutting her hand on the crab shell was an accident, it really did save him.
"Oh my, thanking won't get you a reward, you know.." Mikoto smiled.
"But Shido, you really do need to learn how to handle getting along with girls. Today it was just Kotori and Mana, but as you save more Spirits, situations like this will beco more and more common."
"For example, on a weekend date, do you choose Yoshino, or Kotori?
"During lunch, do you co to the roof to find , or stay in class with Tohka?"
"Ugh... Please stop... Just dealing with a real sister and a step sister is already giving a headache."
Just picturing the scenarios Mikoto described made Shido shudder all over.
"Well, from a guy's perspective, I completely understand the terror of that battlefield."
Mikoto smiled wryly. Because she was a guy before crossing over, she could easily imagine Shido's distress. But...
"Hey, Shido... whether it's a real sister or a step sister, both Mana and Kotori are your precious family. If you don't cherish them properly now, you'll regret it deeply when you lose them."
Mikoto said with a bittersweet smile.
"Ah..."
Shido finally rembered. For Mikoto, who had crossed over to another world, blood-related family was an unreachable luxury.
"Yakumo-senpai..."
Shido wanted to say sothing, but Mikoto quietly quickened her pace and walked ahead of him.
"A little child asks their mother, where is the rabbit's ho?"
The young girl began to sing a nostalgic, longing lody in a language Shido couldn't understand.
The sunset was a scenery that easily stirred up feelings of sorrow. Recalling Mana's excited expression when she saw Shido, Mikoto could only sigh silently in her heart—that was a happiness she, as a transmigrator, could never attain.
"The mother smiles and answers, the moon is Mr. Rabbit's hotown."
Under the orange glow, the girl's silhouette looked incredibly lonely.
As if unable to bear seeing the girl look so isolated, Shido stepped forward and gently grabbed her hand.
[!!!]
Mikoto's body trembled slightly, and a faint blush spread across her cheeks. But the girl didn't pull her hand away; she just quietly continued singing.
Accompanied by the foreign song, the two walked slowly under the setting sun.
"What were you singing about, Yakumo-senpai?" Shido asked when the song ended.
"It's about Mr. Rabbit. A song from my hotown."
Mikoto explained the aning of the lyrics to him. Shido finally understood; the song conveyed the girl's deep longing for her ho.
By the ti she finished explaining the lyrics, the two had already passed through the Torii gates and arrived at the shrine.
"This is far enough. Thank you, Shido," Mikoto said to him.
"Yeah."
Shido nodded, watching Mikoto turn around to leave. They had arrived at the shrine, so there was no problem if he just went back now. But... looking at the girl's lonely back, Shido found he just couldn't let it go.
"Yakumo-senpai!"
He chased after her, grabbed her hand, and said,
"To , it's not just Kotori and Mana! Tohka, Yoshino,Yoshinon, and you, Yakumo-senpai—you are all my most, most precious family!"
[!!!]
Seeing Shido's deeply sincere face, Mikoto's eyes widened slightly.
"Honestly... you're probably the only person, Shido, who could list off that many girls's nas in one breath and still manage to move ."
Then, as if giving up her resistance, Mikoto sighed and smiled wryly.
"Ugh..."
Shido realized it too. The words he just shouted sounded exactly like sothing a harem protagonist would say.
"Hey, Shido. As a mber of your family, what exactly am I to you?"
Mikoto stepped closer, reached her arms around Shido's neck, held him close, and whispered softly.
"Eh? You... you're..."
At such a close distance, he could sll the faint, sweet scent of the girl. For a mont, Shido's heart betrayed him and started beating wildly.
"Let make this clear, you are not allowed to give the 'Older Sister' card."
"Ugh!"
"The 'Older Brother' card is absolutely forbidden!"
"Ugh..."
Mikoto blinked mischievously, completely sealing off all of the boy's escape routes.
"Yakumo-senpai is... is..."
Watching Shido's face turn bright red as he struggled to find the right words, Mikoto let go of him. If she kept pressing him like this, it felt a little too unfair.
"Hey, Shido."
The girl took a few steps back, raised both her hands to the sides of her head, and twitched them twice like rabbit ears.(TL:pyon pyon)
"Thanks to a certain harem-idiot, Miss Rabbit has already found her ho."
In the shrine dyed red by the sunset, the young girl smiled sweetly.
TL:I finally found the song!!! please give it a try: syoutube/watch?v=nITKn3GFmNo
Na:[洛天依]Luo Tianyi - Mr. Rabbit 兔子先生
User Comments
0 comments from readers