The young priest from Hachiman Shrine brought an exceptionally lavish breakfast, naturally, junk food like fried chicken was not included.
There were large, fresh shrimp and scallops, bluefin tuna belly from Oma Town, abalone from Izu, and steak from Kobe. The main dish was black sauce beef rice; dessert included blueberry ice cream and toasted French bread, with a low-alcohol sparkling wine as the beverage.
Everything was laid out on the tablecloth, completely covering it, resembling a small feast.
"Let’s eat quickly, I’m starving," Fujiwara Reya said with a growling stomach.
Hoshimi Rinko, who had just finished her training, was also a bit hungry and soon began to peel shrimp. Her movements were light and graceful, though somewhat slow. When Fujiwara Reya finished peeling one shrimp, she had only just gotten halfway through hers.
"Here," Fujiwara Reya handed the peeled shrimp to her mouth.
Hoshimi Rinko gently tucked her hair behind her ear with her left hand, lowered her head slightly, and took the shrimp from his hand with her mouth.
She acted like a cute little cat.
Accepting food handled by others in this way was something she only allowed from Fujiwara Reya and her mother; she refused it from anyone else.
"Senpai!" Asuka Kasahara’s silverware flew across, landing on the back of Fujiwara Reya’s hand.
Fujiwara Reya had no choice but to peel one for her as well.
"At today’s regular meeting, almost all the big shots from the Kanto Branch were present," Hoshimi Rinko said while spreading jam on her bread with a knife and fork to Fujiwara Reya. "The outer layer of the Killing Stone showed cracks the night before last, and they need to discuss countermeasures."
Fujiwara Reya paused his eating.
The Killing Stone is the stone sealing Tamamo-no-Mae, located in the Nasu Plateau of Tochigi County.
"Has the seal broken?" he asked.
"Not yet," Hoshimi Rinko finished spreading the jam, put the bread to her mouth, and spoke before taking a bite, "but the seal on the Killing Stone has been around for a millennium, and the mana has long since waned. Even if it’s not broken now, it won’t hold for much longer."
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Fujiwara Reya swallowed his mouthful of rice, looking pensive.
No wonder the Ghost Clan and the Fox Clan had no reaction after Takeuchi Akira’s death; it seems they knew in advance the Killing Stone would break, so they couldn’t spare any attention to investigate his death... By the way, could they have been the ones to crack the Killing Stone?
"This meeting’s main purpose is to discuss deploying personnel from various Divine Palace Temples to Tochigi County for surveillance."
"I bet the Tsuchimikado Family Head is the most proactive."
"Of course, Tamamo-no-Mae was sealed by Master Abe no Seimei of their Tsuchimikado Shinto. If I were Tamamo-no-Mae, they’d be the first I’d trouble after getting out."
"Why does Senpai sound a bit gloating?"
Hoshimi Rinko glanced at him coldly: "If someone invented a car running on idle jokes for fuel, your range could probably circle the equator."
"I’m just talking nonsense," Fujiwara Reya wiped rice grains off the corner of his mouth.
Asuka Kasahara chugged the sparkling wine: "Senpai, *gulp*, are you going to Tochigi County? *glug glug*"
She hadn’t eaten a thing, too busy drinking.
"No, Asakusa Shrine only has two people; there’s no manpower... Hey, eat some food!" Fujiwara Reya snatched the drink from his junior’s hand and held the rice to her mouth, "Drinking early in the morning without eating harms both the stomach and liver."
Asuka Kasahara kept her hands in her pockets, opened her mouth: "Ah~"
Her soft lips opened wide, her neat, white teeth and the pink tip of her tongue were unusually enticing.
In the past, Fujiwara Reya would definitely have wanted a taste, but unfortunately, his junior was still sulking now, so he could only let her taste the beef rice first.
The autumn sunlight was clearly reflecting through the woods.
The atmosphere was incredibly peaceful, with the entire world seemingly only filled with the sound of Asuka Kasahara chewing rice, creating an almost eerily quiet scene. After feeding his junior half a bowl of beef rice, Fujiwara Reya turned to his senior: "Do you want me to feed you too?"
The senior glared at him coldly.
"A tsundere girl..." Fujiwara Reya muttered under his breath.
The senior raised her hand, divine power surged.
"I surrender!" Fujiwara Reya immediately raised his hands.
"Senpai, don’t mind her." Asuka Kasahara reached out and pulled Fujiwara Reya down into her lap, letting his head rest on her softest part, then glanced with a sly look, "Loser Senpai."
You’re even worse off than she is... Fujiwara Reya dared not move.
Hoshimi Rinko’s lips moved slightly, probably calling out "Bitch," then she turned her gaze away. On the grassy area nearby, a small gray bird with a crown-like crest of red feathers on its head pecked around alertly; she tossed some of her rice over, and the bird skillfully pecked it up. A cleaner wearing a headscarf walked past, but the bird didn’t fly away.
"Senpai, are you comfortable?" Asuka Kasahara playfully pinched Fujiwara Reya’s nose tip.
The girl’s expression was soft and shy, her eyes tender and affectionate, her acting rivaled her mother’s for sure. Her talent was undeniable, especially with that face so adorably cute to the point of wanting to pop it in the mouth.
"Stop treating me as a tool in your rivalry with Senpai!" Fujiwara Reya flicked his junior’s forehead.
"Can’t it be that I really like you, Senpai?" Asuka Kasahara softly asked.
"I may be confident, but not to the point of foolishness. With your spoiled beyond measure, want-what-you-get-everything-since-you-were-a-child personality, how could you possibly forgive me so easily when I’ve done nothing yet..."