See You Tomorrow

“Can you stop staring at me?”  Lin Ge  held it in as long as he could but finally snapped.

Tsurumaru Kuninaga  reluctantly pulled his gaze away. “Fine.”

If you don’t want me to look, I won’t.

“Isn’t there, like, an acceleration charm or something?” Making sure he wasn’t being watched anymore,  Lin Ge  cautiously asked  Yamanbakiri Kunihiro.

He’d been browsing the  Saniwa  forums whenever he had free time.

Every day, people were flexing their gacha luck or showing off how sweet and loyal their  tsukumogami  were. Even though  Lin Ge  still didn’t know where the forging room was, he’d picked up some random forging trivia from all that scrolling.

Those eyes brimmed with sincerity and hope, and  Yamanbakiri Kunihiro  couldn’t bear to let him down.

But he genuinely couldn’t think of a solution. After hesitating for a few seconds, he gently crushed the  Saniwa’s  dreams. “Right now, acceleration charms only work for forging…”

Hearing that,  Lin Ge  tilted his head back, went quiet for a few seconds, and let out a helpless sigh. “Alright then.”

Sigh.

What’s done is done—time to eat.

As for Strawberry Shortcake…

If worse comes to worst, when he gets back, he’ll find a quiet spot and secretly kowtow to apologize.

Giving up entirely, he quickly perked up, eyes sparkling as he asked, “Almost forgot the important stuff…  Yamanbakiri, are my watermelons ripe?”

His agricultural tycoon dream suddenly came rushing back.

Eat half, sell half—he’d be a millionaire in no time!

Build a nation through industry, baby!

Yamanbakiri Kunihiro: “…”

He bounced back that fast?

Pausing for a moment, he answered, “They’re ripe. I’ve stored them in your room for you.”

Watermelons keep for a while, and yellow-flesh and red-soil watermelons look pretty different. To make it easier for the  Saniwa, he’d stacked the varieties separately.

Lin Ge  was instantly warmed, gushing, “ Yamanbakiri, you’re such a good guy.”

Where do you even find a colleague this hardworking and easy to get along with?

I’m so lucky.

His eyes flickered slightly. Hearing the praise,  Yamanbakiri Kunihiro  couldn’t help but curve his lips, gazing at  Lin Ge  like stars were twinkling in his eyes. “You’re too kind… Oh, one more thing.” He lowered his head shyly. “About the contract…”

“ Yamanbakiri, I’m starving.”

Before he could finish,  Tsurumaru Kuninaga  cut him off.

Looking over, they saw him rubbing his stomach, shoulders slumped, looking totally drained. “Let’s go eat… I put in some serious work today, you know.”

It’d been ages since he’d gone all out like that.

Sparring with comrades was always restrained, but today? No holding back—just chopped the enemy to bits.

So… satisfying!

Hmm.

If the  Saniwa  was a bit slow, that was all the more reason not to let  Yamanbakiri  form a contract with him.

Who knows when this guy might accidentally get himself killed?

By default, a master-servant contract binds a  Saniwa  and  tsukumogami. If the “master” dies, the “servant” left behind suffers massive damage to their core.

Yamanbakiri  is still young.

He’d easily fall for human lies and give his heart away.

Not me, though.

—

Eat?

Now that sounds good.

Lin Ge’s  ears perked up, and he casually asked, “You guys have a cafeteria?”

His first three days at  Honmaru, he’d been living off takeout from the  Saniwa  shop.

Rice balls or sushi—super limited options. Only upside was they were cheap. He was practically turning into a titan from eating so much of it.

They had a mess hall?

Tsurumaru Kuninaga  thought for a second, then flashed a grin, inviting him. “Yup, we’re having katsu curry beef rice for lunch today, with iced corn soup on the side.”

“What, you wanna join?”

Rubbing his empty stomach,  Lin Ge  didn’t hesitate. “Heck yeah!”

He was starving.

That little tomato taste earlier was nowhere near enough.

They’re all colleagues—what’s wrong with mooching a meal?

Turning his head, he asked, “ Yamanbakiri, what were you saying earlier?”

Yamanbakiri Kunihiro  shook his head, his expression gentle. “Oh, nothing.”

He realized as long as  Tsurumaru  was around, he wouldn’t get a chance to form a contract with the  Saniwa.

Might as well wait for tonight…

—

The cafeteria was a bit of a trek from the teleport point.  Lin Ge  trailed slowly behind  Tsurumaru Kuninaga, listening intently as  Yamanbakiri Kunihiro  filled him in on colleagues they might run into.

“ Mikazuki-dono  will definitely be there. He and  Tsurumaru-dono  are super close.”

Lin Ge  raised a brow. “Also into pranks?”

One plus one doesn’t always equal two here.

Yamanbakiri Kunihiro  quickly shook his head, denying it. “No,  Mikazuki-dono  has the best personality here. You’ll see when you meet him…”

Just then,  Tsurumaru Kuninaga  spun around. “What’re you guys talking about?”

“Nothing.”  Lin Ge  wasn’t about to tell him.

Who knows what kind of mischief  Tsurumaru  was cooking up.

—

After a three- or four-minute walk, they finally reached the cafeteria.

It wasn’t huge—just average-sized. Up front, a neat row of buckets held steaming white rice and curry ingredients.

Since  tsukumogami  had different tastes, small bowls held extras like chili, sesame oil, and sugar, all kept spotless.

“Where’d you guys go… I’ve been looking for you for half…” a day.

The voice was chipper.

Mid-sentence, the speaker paused, spotting the newcomers, and his expression turned serious.

Oh man.

Is this the new  Saniwa  Hakusan Yoshimitsu  mentioned?

Kashuu Kiyomitsu’s  curious gaze lingered on the stranger, the same question as  Tsurumaru Kuninaga  popping into his head.

This guy?

“This is our new master!” Emphasizing the word “master,”  Tsurumaru Kuninaga, always up for some chaos, plopped into his usual spot. He elbowed  Mikazuki Munechika, who seemed unbothered. “So sneaky, trying to get a head start while I was gone.”

Pausing mid-motion,  Mikazuki Munechika  curved his eyes, his picturesque features coming alive. “I waited half an hour for you. The rice has been reheated twice.”

Tsurumaru Kuninaga  instantly felt guilty. “Huh?”

That late?

He gave an awkward laugh. “Haha, whoops.”

Hurrying to cover, he poured  Mikazuki Munechika  a bowl of corn soup.

Tsurumaru Kuninaga: “Who made the soup today? The color looks amazing!”

Lin Ge: “…”

This white-haired colleague was way too smooth.

Scanning the cafeteria—some colleagues standing, some sitting— Lin Ge  felt like his eyes were getting a workout.

Talk about dazzling!

How’s everyone here so ridiculously good-looking?

Is this a beauty pageant?

He raised a hand, flashing a grin. “Hey, everyone’s eating, huh?”

No one answered, but several pairs of eyes turned to  Lin Ge—some curious, some hostile—practically burning holes into him.

The room went dead quiet.

Being stared at by so many eyes,  Lin Ge  felt a bit awkward.

“I’ll get your rice.”  Yamanbakiri Kunihiro  stepped out from behind him, smoothly breaking the tension.

“No, no!”  Lin Ge  rushed to stop him. “I got it!”

He’s got hands and feet—no way he’s letting someone serve him like that!

Darting to the serving area, he bent down, grabbed two floral-patterned plates, piled them high with rice, and ladled on curry sauce.

One for himself, one for  Yamanbakiri.

After serving, he looked around, unsure where to sit.

“ Lord,”  Mikazuki Munechika  spoke up suddenly, his voice clear and seemingly kind. “Want to sit here?”

Lin Ge  froze, looking over, and got lost in a hazy moonlight glow.

How can someone’s eyes have a gradient?!

They shifted from top to bottom, like the night sky brightening into dawn.