Lin Ge, Out!

The moment Lin Ge’s sandal crossed the threshold, Tsurumaru Kuninaga was already awake.

Unlike Mikazuki Munechika, he didn’t need much sleep. Even when dozing, he stayed in a light slumber, easily stirred.

Curious about why the Saniwa was sneaking around in the dead of night, his golden eyes flickered open for a split second before squeezing shut again.

Gotta play it cool.

…What’s that smell?

What’s he carrying?

“Time to eat!”

…Eat?

Hearing Lin Ge’s voice and feeling his shoulder being nudged, Tsurumaru Kuninaga knew it was his cue to join the act.

Twitching his nose, he put on a groggy, half-asleep look and slowly opened his eyes.

“Moo-wah~!”

He locked eyes with a pair of tiny frog peepers.

At the same time, a chorus of “moo-wah” erupted around the room, as a dozen frogs hopped wildly across the floor. At a glance, Tsurumaru Kuninaga thought he’d fallen into a frog pit.

His vision went dark, all thoughts of teasing gone.

He’d even entertained wild ideas—like maybe the Saniwa was here to stab him in the night—but never in a million years did he expect this kind of gross prank.

Flipping over so fast he nearly fell off the bed, he was in nothing but his underclothes. Static from the sudden move made a few strands of hair stand on end, leaving him a total mess.

Seeing him look so disheveled, Lin Ge couldn’t hold it in anymore, bursting into laughter, doubling over.

Take that, you little punk.

“…That was one heck of a scare.”

Hearing the Saniwa’s cheerful cackle, Tsurumaru Kuninaga rubbed his forehead, quickly piecing together the cause and effect.

This is payback for my prank before?

So childish.

Not the sharpest tool in the shed, but man, he holds a grudge.

Seeing him calm down so fast, Lin Ge turned around, tossing the frog back into the plastic bucket, a faint smirk lingering on his lips. “We’re even now.”

Worried he’d pushed Tsurumaru Kuninaga too far—maybe enough to grab a blade and come for him—he quickly added, “…Tomorrow at lunch, I’m treating you to spicy bullfrogs.”

“They’re delish.”

These frogs were pretty plump.

He’d buy a few more buckets later and show off his cooking skills at lunch tomorrow.

Paired with those dozens of family buckets and chicken burgers he’d bought earlier, wouldn’t that just knock his colleagues out with how good it smells?

Slurp!

Tsurumaru Kuninaga: “…”

His gaze on Lin Ge started to shift.

The Saniwa… terrifying!

…He actually eats frogs!

Frogs that go moo-moo!

Rattling on to himself, Lin Ge finally noticed Tsurumaru Kuninaga staring at him with an indescribable look.

Like he was some kind of alien.

Glancing at the not-so-pretty frogs crawling across the floor, Lin Ge instantly guessed what was up and asked uncertainly, “…You’ve never eaten them?”

Tsurumaru Kuninaga was on the verge of a breakdown. “Who’d eat that?”

Sure, he’d existed as a blade for ages, but he’d only been a tsukumogami for less than two years.

For a year and a half of that, the previous Saniwa had treated him like a toy, leaving no time or energy to try weird stuff.

Not that he was some pushover, mind you. He’d bided his time for that year and a half, then delivered a massive backstab, stripping that jerk of their Saniwa title. Now they were worse off than a street beggar.

The Honmaru’s menu only had four dishes: beef curry, corn soup, triangle rice balls, and stir-fried potato strips.

That’s all they knew how to make.

All stuff that scumbag loved.

The jerk had ordered three years’ worth of ingredients from the merchants. Even after they were gone, the supplies kept coming daily to the pantry like clockwork.

To make things easier while keeping his fangs hidden, he’d taught the tsukumogami how to cook those dishes.

Funny thing is, even now, that’s all they could make.

—

Tsurumaru Kuninaga’s stare was so blatant it made Lin Ge squirm. “Don’t look at me like I’ve eaten poop or something…”

Tsurumaru Kuninaga kept staring, silent.

To him, the Saniwa eating frogs was weirder than eating that.

Weird food fetish?

Lin Ge: “…”

After a long pause, he tried to explain, “They’re so good! How do I describe it… kinda like chicken, but softer…”

“The bones are easy to strip, and it soaks up flavor like a dream—spicy and tingly… Oh, I’d also recommend crawfish, but those are a pain to prep. Better to just buy ‘em ready-made…”

As he rambled, Lin Ge nearly drooled himself silly.

Tsurumaru Kuninaga: “.”

Not buying it.

Lin Ge: “…”

Fine, don’t believe me!

He gave up explaining.

You’ll see when you try it.

“Anyway, I’m cooking tomorrow at lunch. Believe it or not, your loss.”

Eat it or don’t.

Less for you, more for me.

With that, Lin Ge waved him off, turning to leave. “…See ya, get some sleep.”

The next second—

Swish!

A figure appeared right in front of him.

It was Tsurumaru Kuninaga, who’d been behind him a moment ago.

The safe distance he’d kept was gone in an instant. Staring at the tsukumogami inches away, Lin Ge swallowed hard, practically hearing the guy’s deliberately restrained breathing.

Oh no.

Did I overdo it?

Darting in front of the Saniwa with a flash step, Tsurumaru Kuninaga scanned Lin Ge’s panicked face, his foul mood lifting in a snap.

Even the irritation from having frogs moo in his face faded a bit. Grinning wide, he teased, “…Prank me and just run off?”

—

So fast!

How many flash steps was that?!

Lin Ge’s eyes barely caught how he moved, and suddenly they were practically nose-to-nose.

If Tsurumaru Kuninaga got mad and swung at him, Lin Ge doubted he’d even have time to react.

His throat bobbed nervously. Tugging at a weak smile, he chose his words carefully, following the guy’s lead. “You scared me first.”

So, you know, be reasonable.

He was pretty fond of staying alive right now.

Dying before tasting love’s bitterness? No way he’d rest in peace.

At the very least, let him get a real bite of Strawberry Shortcake before kicking the bucket!

Bending slightly, Tsurumaru Kuninaga studied Lin Ge for two seconds.

The Saniwa was already taller than him.

His frame looked sturdier than when they’d parted that afternoon, his face a bit rosier. Clearly, Yamanbakiri had ignored advice and formed a contract with him.

So, he went through with it…

For some reason, he wasn’t surprised.

Just a twinge of regret.

As Lin Ge started to fidget under his gaze, tempted to back away, Tsurumaru Kuninaga suddenly straightened up.

Taking half a step back, he met Lin Ge’s wary eyes with a slight smirk, his golden pupils gleaming. “Give me more fun scares like that.”

“I’m looking forward to it, Lord.”

He dragged out the word “Lord” on purpose.

—

A cool breeze hit, making Lin Ge shiver.

Carrying the red plastic bucket, he gulped fresh air.

Under Tsurumaru Kuninaga’s cryptic smile, he’d just scurried around on his butt, catching every hopping frog in the room.

The seller wasn’t kidding—these things were literally lively. Their legs were strong, leaping far with every jump. It took Lin Ge several minutes to wrangle them all back into the bucket.

…That was close. Almost bit the dust.

Nice! Survived another day!

Pretty darn impressive!

He started walking normally but soon broke into a sprint, like a ghost was chasing him.

Racing nonstop back to his room, he slammed the door shut, finally feeling a smidge of safety.

Wiping cold sweat, he thought, Man, that white-haired guy’s got some serious intimidation vibes!

Mostly because he’d seen him slice a Cursed Spirit into mincemeat with one blow. Left a bit of a shadow in Lin Ge’s mind.

…I don’t wanna end up as mincemeat!

—

Hearing the Saniwa had finished work early, Yamanbakiri Kunihiro and Kashuu Kiyomitsu exchanged a glance, both spotting surprise in the other’s eyes.

Huh?

Do we clap and praise him now or what?

Before the thought fully formed, the Saniwa spoke up. “Oh, right, Yamanbakiri, any missions needing a dispatch lately?”

Lin Ge was practically bouncing with eagerness.

He was gonna grab love and career with both hands!

Forget the rest—faster level-ups meant shorter recharge times for the teleportation array!

Strawberry Shortcake was working 24/7, zipping across the country on missions. If Lin Ge didn’t step up and make chances to meet, was he just gonna wait for pies to fall from the sky?

No time to slack off. Say hello to Thirty Years East, Thirty Years West · Ge!

At that, Yamanbakiri Kunihiro blinked, clearly not expecting Lin Ge to switch topics so fast. After a two-second pause, he said, “You can check your mailbox.”

“The first mission, I notified you since you were new and might not know how dispatching works. You should be able to check mission coordinates and times yourself now.”

“Got it.”

Lin Ge rummaged through his mental mailbox and, sure enough, found two unread messages.

Heh, too busy buying stuff to notice these dusty emails.

He clicked to view, and a gold-edged card appeared in his hand.

The moment it touched his skin, mission details flooded his mind.

Why the extra step?

Showing off high tech?

Time Government, you flashy goof!

This mission wasn’t like the newbie trial run.

The team had to include three tsukumogami, with no veteran Saniwa present. It’d be Lin Ge’s first real fight as a Saniwa.

Coordinates were 56:12:8—ghosts running rampant, a chosen one about to face destiny’s turning wheel. The Retrograde Troops, those sneaky traitors, were lying in wait. Intel said they’d need to take out at least 20.

A week from now.

Twenty, huh…

Lin Ge started daydreaming.

If he could scarf all 20 down…

Heh heh…

He checked the second unread email.

It contained a few gold and silver beads.

Lin Ge knew these were blade equipment, boosting tsukumogami combat power when equipped.

Yamanbakiri had given him a small pouch of them before, but he hadn’t used them last time.

There were also some shiny golden talismans.

Pretty generous.

Lin Ge skimmed the email text.

Basically, “Congrats on your first dispatch! Time for your first blade forging!” and so on…

It even had red text warning him as a successor Saniwa that, compared to blades left by the previous Saniwa, the government recommended forging new ones loyal to him.

Freshly forged tsukumogami started with sky-high affection and loyalty, way more reliable than inherited blades with unknown pasts.

Even if their initial spirit power was lower, their loyalty to a fellow protector could massively boost the Saniwa’s survival odds.

It sounded super ominous.

Recruiting Saniwa wasn’t easy, and the government didn’t want to waste resources only to get cold corpses in return.

The Time Government refused to admit flaws in their screening. Whenever something went wrong, they blamed it on Saniwa faking their way through interviews.

After claiming the rewards, Lin Ge quietly deleted the email.

A dozen colleagues were already enough to keep him scheming to maintain their shaky bonds. More? No way!

He was pretty chill but not that eager to make trouble for himself.

Maybe later.

“I checked. Dispatch is in a week. Plenty of time to prep…”

After a pause, Lin Ge added, “So, why’d you guys come find me?”

He didn’t even eat breakfast.

Yamanbakiri Kunihiro nodded slightly. “To take you to check the watermelon storage room, see what needs selling.”

Lin Ge let out an “oh,” then turned to Kashuu Kiyomitsu.

That was a big deal!

Last night, he’d checked the shop’s buyback prices—regular watermelons were 3 coins per pound, Xiaofeng watermelons a coin more.

Didn’t sound like much, but watermelons were heavy. Even with a third being rind, there was still profit to be made.

Meeting those emerald eyes so like Yamanbakiri’s, Kashuu Kiyomitsu felt a bit shy. But he was a straight shooter and spoke up. “I was gonna help with your work.”

Only to find the Saniwa had overachieved, leaving no room for him to shine.

Lin Ge didn’t get it. “Why?”

They weren’t that close for him to volunteer for chores, right?

Was Kashuu Kiyomitsu secretly a workaholic?

Though Saniwa forums said the guy’s real passion was dolling himself up.

Always painting his nails, buying pretty accessories and clothes…

Suddenly, a lightbulb went off, and Lin Ge’s face twisted, staring at the red-eyed tsukumogami with an odd look.

…You wanna be my dad too?

That’s not cool.

Not noticing the look, Kashuu Kiyomitsu’s face flushed red.

His red-painted nails twisted behind his back. After several seconds, he mumbled, “Wanted to… finish work and play games together.” Practically steaming with embarrassment, he explained, “Last night, me and Hirano lost all evening.”

Losing was bad enough, but they got cussed out too.

Some insults were so vile they just showed as .

Scared of voice chat tilting him, Kashuu Kiyomitsu had muted both text and voice after that.

Lin Ge finally got it.

But… hold up!

Realizing something, his face turned deadly serious.

He didn’t… create a whole Honmaru of gaming addicts, did he?

No way!

Learning his lesson, Lin Ge decided to download more games to their phones later.

Play enough, and that addiction would sort itself out.

He agreed readily. “Sure thing.” Then he pivoted, “But let’s check the watermelons first, yeah? Taste ‘em, see if they’re sweet. Should be pretty good.”

Mainly, he needed to sell them for some cash.

Money’s a man’s courage!

Kashuu Kiyomitsu nodded eagerly.

“Yep!”

—

At the southernmost edge of the Honmaru was a massive artificial lake, its water crystal clear, sparkling to the bottom. Beside it stood a small pavilion, topped with neat glazed tiles that gleamed gold under the sun, giving off a touch of grandeur.

After selling most of the watermelons, Lin Ge grinned at the hefty pile of coins in his warehouse, standing a bit taller.

There were probably 70 or 80 of each type left. Kashuu Kiyomitsu said the pavilion was comfy, so they grabbed two melons, chilled them in the lake water, and sliced them open.

Lin Ge took a bite. Super sweet.

All seedless.

Like they were here to repay a favor.

Still, he preferred sandy-fleshed melons.

But those needed specific soil and sunlight, so he shelved that dream for now.

The lake breeze felt amazing. After crushing a few sweet trio matches with Kashuu Kiyomitsu and Yamanbakiri Kunihiro, Lin Ge finished the last melon slice while the two were busy with a 1v1 duel. Wiping his mouth, he checked his phone.

Past ten.

Why wasn’t he playing?

Simple—he was too good. Even 2v1, they couldn’t beat him, and it killed their fun.

Better let them peck at each other. More back-and-forth, more fun.

Thinking Gojo Satoru probably wasn’t teaching now, Lin Ge couldn’t help but perk up, flashing his best smile. Even knowing the guy might not see it, he sent, 「What’re you up to?」

Instant regret.

Was that too bland?

Should I have added some emojis or something?

Don’t they say flirty guys get all the luck?

But the app had no recall button, and the fresh message was quickly marked read.

Lin Ge: “…”

Is Strawberry Shortcake sitting on the router?!

Fingers trembling, he braced himself for fate’s judgment.

Bring it on!

Nothing can break me!

Ding-dong.

「Strawberry Shortcake: 【Photo】【Photo】」

With a text: 「Working.」

Eyes lighting up, Lin Ge scrambled to open the photos.

The connection was slow today, spinning for ages before loading.

The first photo was dark, shot from high up, like a drone view. A massive Cursed Spirit was torn to pieces—leg here, arm there—set against an endless forest.

Talk about appetizing!

The second photo had Gojo Satoru’s handsome face taking up half the frame.

He stood in front of the half-dead Cursed Spirit’s belly, lips curved in a happy grin, even throwing up a peace sign at the camera.

Paired with the Cursed Spirit’s pained expression, it had a dark humor vibe.

Lin Ge: “!”

So cute!

Strawberry Shortcake’s smile is gorgeous… wait, replying mid-fight?!

Who can handle this?!

A question popped up too.

Why’s it look like nighttime at Gojo’s?

His fingertip brushed the photo’s lips lightly. Before he could figure out a reply, his phone buzzed—another message from Gojo Satoru.

「Wanna call?」

Lin Ge’s face nearly split from grinning.

Strawberry Shortcake, you read me like a book!

Do I even need to think about it?!

Yes, absolutely, definitely!

He shot up. “Gotta make a call!”

And bolted without looking back.

The two blades mid-duel: “…”

Swallowing, Kashuu Kiyomitsu pointed at Lin Ge’s retreating figure, confused. “Why’s he suddenly so hyped?”

Blinking, Yamanbakiri Kunihiro ducked his head, sniping Kashuu Kiyomitsu back to base while he was distracted. “Don’t worry about it. He’s secretly happy.”

Looks like they made up.

Kashuu Kiyomitsu: “…Yamanbakiri, you cheated!”

Whether the Saniwa was secretly happy, he didn’t know. But he sure wasn’t happy now.

—

Lin Ge jogged to a secluded corner, hitting the video call button.

Wiping sweaty palms on his clothes, the call connected after a few rings, and that face he’d been dreaming about filled the screen.

Today, Gojo Satoru wore his blindfold, but his usual snug Tokyo Jujutsu High uniform was the same.

He seemed to love that outfit. Lin Ge half-suspected he had a closet full of identical ones.

The sky was pitch-black, making his skin look even paler, practically glowing in the dim background.

Sneakily tapping the phone’s back to snap screenshots, Lin Ge flashed a practiced apology face—rehearsed in the mirror all last night—diving into a grovel. “I’m sorry.”

“Huh?”

Gojo Satoru looked caught off guard. “What’re you apologizing for?”

Lin Ge rubbed his hands nervously like a fly. “Yesterday… didn’t you ask for my location?”

He explained, “I went quiet.”

“…It wasn’t on purpose. I just… didn’t wanna lie to you.”

One lie needs a thousand more to cover it.

No one, from any angle, likes a compulsive liar.

One slip…

Lin Ge, out!

No way!

—

Gojo Satoru froze.

Yesterday’s thing? He figured sleeping it off had closed that chapter.

At least for him.

Looking back, he’d questioned his own weird mood, thinking his tantrum was out of line, and pushed it out of mind.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be mid-Cursed Spirit fight, whipping out his phone to text and snap photos, even channeling Curse Energy so the spirit showed up in the shot.

Gojo Satoru didn’t quite get himself either.

Seeing Lin Ge’s message, he’d childishly held off finishing the Cursed Spirit, tearing it apart instead.

Its miserable wails were too annoying, so he ended it quick after the photo.

His technique was too destructive, too wide-ranging. Even controlling Ao’s output precisely, he couldn’t dice the spirit into tiny bits like at the hotel incident.

…No clue where this competitive streak came from.

—

An unexpected apology.

Gojo Satoru already knew Lin Ge had secrets.

If he didn’t, Gojo wouldn’t have bothered with him in the first place.

Just that odd “Bro, you smell so good” line at their first meeting would’ve made him keep his distance.

—He had secrets too.

A custom Cursed Corpse he’d asked Masamichi Yaga to make, a background check he’d secretly ordered, even thinking of locking Lin Ge down after Sukuna’s comment…

In terms of shady, he was way worse than Lin Ge.

Chuckling lightly, Gojo Satoru said, “Alright.”

Lin Ge was thrown, unsure if that meant forgiveness.

He studied Gojo Satoru’s face carefully, confirming he wasn’t wrong, his gloom flipping to glee. “Oh, I meant to ask—why’s it so dark on your end?”

“Is it the Curtain effect?”

He’d learned about Curtains a few days ago over barbecue, though Gojo Satoru was mostly explaining for Yuji Itadori’s benefit.

The actual student.

Lin Ge had whimsically tried learning how to cast one, but with zero Curse Energy, he’d failed.

Jujutsu was like money—born with it or not, that’s your lot.

Yuji Itadori was an outlier.

No innate technique, but his unique body could handle the King of Curses’ fingers.

Born protagonist vibes!

Gojo Satoru shook his head. “Nope.” He said, “It’s 9:30 p.m.”

…Might as well be a bit honest.

Otherwise, it feels like I’m picking on him.

Lin Ge blanked. “Huh?”

9:30?

Night?

Separately, I get it. Together? Brain freeze.

—

He finally clicked—there was a time difference between their worlds.

No wonder last call, that female student was already in class, reading “textbooks.”

In Strawberry Shortcake’s world, he was already living tomorrow.

“What time’s it there?” Gojo Satoru asked.

Lin Ge snapped back. “Almost 11 a.m.”

Time flies.

Once they hung up, he’d start prepping lunch.

Spicy bullfrogs! Family buckets! Here he comes!

Gojo Satoru asked, “You get hungry?”

He remembered Lin Ge’s satisfied look eating Ao.

Normal food didn’t seem to fill him, no matter how much he ate.

Even though Lin Ge’s transformed appearance screamed he’d absorbed tons of energy, Gojo Satoru worried it was surface-level, asking one more time.

Lin Ge: “…Heh heh.”

Eyes crinkling, he didn’t need a screen to know his goofy grin.

Strawberry Shortcake cares about me!

I’m in his heart!

There’s a chance, right?

Are we secretly vibing both ways?

Hahaha!

Of course, he only hyped himself up mentally, knowing it was a pipe dream.

Thinking he and Gojo Satoru were mutual crushes was wilder than scam texts like “I’m Qin Shi Huang, send me 50 bucks, I’ll make you a general when my army rises.”

Seeing him just giggle without talking, Gojo Satoru sighed. “Why’re you laughing and not saying anything?”

Feels like he’d happily count money for scammers.

With a thought, the call’s background zipped by. In two seconds, Gojo Satoru was back at his dorm door.

Reining in his grin, Lin Ge shook his head. “Not hungry! Just ate some watermelon…”

His eyes sparkled. “So sweet. I’ll bring you a cartload when I’m back—red and yellow flesh…” He added, “Grew ‘em myself!”

Okay, planting seeds counts as growing.

Lin Ge slyly built his image.

He wanted to seem hardworking and versatile.

The “glutton” rep was unsalvageable, so he’d start fresh now!

Last night, he’d binged emotional livestreams for tips.

They said people fall for those with shared good traits.

Gojo Satoru had too many to mimic quickly.

Start with the basics!

If it doesn’t kill you, grind like crazy!

“You grow stuff?” Gojo Satoru was surprised, then worried.

With Lin Ge’s glass-like body at their first meeting—bones breaking from a nudge—could he even swing a hoe?

He couldn’t picture it.

Lin Ge hadn’t stopped smiling since the call started. “Yup, surprising, huh?”

Well, only Time Government crops.

Click. Gojo Satoru shut the door, grabbing a Pepsi and a mille-feuille cake from the fridge, popping the can open single-handedly.

Taking a sip, he set the can and cake on the table’s corner, slipping off his black blindfold.

Looking down at Lin Ge’s dopey face, his mood lifted. Snow-white lashes fluttered, casting fine shadows under his eyes.

He lounged in that chair Lin Ge once wanted to nibble, posture lazy, like a big cat finally at ease.

Lin Ge: “…”

Screenshot frenzy!

I’m eating so good!

How’s someone drinking a Pepsi this gorgeous?

That throat bobbing is straight-up criminal!

The room’s warm light glowed. Setting the phone on a stand, not caring about angles, Gojo Satoru unwrapped the cake, its rich cream scent hitting instantly. “When’re you back?”

“Tomorrow, day after, or next week?”

Calculating cooldowns, Lin Ge said he could return tomorrow, but time flows differed, so he wasn’t sure when.

“Gonna treat me to food when you’re back?”

Lin Ge flashed an OK sign. “Got you!”

Gojo Satoru tilted his head. “‘Got you’?”

Another weird phrase.

As he spoke, a bit of white cream stuck to his lips, blue eyes full of curiosity and confusion.

Too cute. Lin Ge was melting.

Screenshot! Screenshot! Screenshot mania!

Voice shaky, he said, “Means… it’s a done deal, totally happening.”

—

They chatted forever, dawdling. Finally, Lin Ge, thinking Gojo Satoru deserved rest after his long day, ended the call.

Hearing the beep of disconnection, Lin Ge lost control of his face, hopping in place like crazy, jumping so high he felt he could win nationals.

YES! YES!

This is basically dating, right?!

Where there’s a will, there’s a way!

You reap what you sow!

After a few minutes, he calmed down, opening their chat and gleefully updating Gojo Satoru’s contact name.

—Strawberry Shortcake 「Pink Heart」.

Complete with a pink heart emoji.

Humming happily, he strolled back to the pavilion.

Kashuu Kiyomitsu and Yamanbakiri Kunihiro were still locked in a heated 1v1, totally into it, brows furrowed, eyes glued to their screens. They didn’t even notice Lin Ge approach.

He checked their scores.

One was 5-2-0.

The other, 2-5-0.

Yamanbakiri on top, Kashuu Kiyomitsu below.

Pretty balanced.

Yamanbakiri had skills—only a few games in, and he was wiping the floor with Kashuu Kiyomitsu.

“Having fun?” Lin Ge piped up.

—

Hearing him, Yamanbakiri Kunihiro glanced up.

As Kashuu Kiyomitsu tried to sneak attack, he hit surrender.

“It’s alright…”

Clearlight’s kinda dumb.

Flashing the wrong way.

Almost gave me too much confidence.

No wonder he got flamed all night.

Caught off guard by his game buddy bailing, Kashuu Kiyomitsu pouted, unsatisfied. “Yamanbakiri, I didn’t even get my revenge…”

Yup, even down 2-5-0, he believed he could turn it around.

“Lunchtime. Play later,” Lin Ge said.

Then asked, “Who’s cooking today?”

Poking Yamanbakiri Kunihiro’s avatar sulkily, Kashuu Kiyomitsu raised a hand. “Me.”

Gaming made time fly. It was noon already?

Kashuu Kiyomitsu half-suspected someone stole his morning.

It used to feel so long!

Lin Ge grinned.

Talk about luck!

The guy was right here—no need to hunt him down.

So Lin Ge spilled his plan to take over lunch cooking.

—

“…You’re prepping food?”

Too shocked, Kashuu Kiyomitsu forgot honorifics.

The Saniwa washing dishes was surprising enough—now cooking?

A question popped up.

…Is it even edible?

Lin Ge nodded. “Can’t I?”

Kashuu Kiyomitsu twitched a smile. “Not that you can’t, but it’s not the norm…”

Seeing him hesitate, Lin Ge played his trump card. “Type 1, get a Hellfire.”

Keyword triggered. Kashuu Kiyomitsu didn’t think. “1.”

After typing, seeing Lin Ge’s smug “See, you agreed” look, Kashuu Kiyomitsu was floored.

The Saniwa’s so weird.

Who jumps at cooking?

Whenever cooking duty hit him, Kashuu Kiyomitsu moped for ages.

Cooking was a hassle.

Washing ingredients, prepping spices, controlling heat—one slip, and it’s ruined.

Rinsing veggies even messed up his fresh nail polish.

But… who could resist a Hellfire for a 1?

—

After promising Kashuu Kiyomitsu a Hellfire post-cooking, Lin Ge snagged the chef’s spot.

Before hitting the kitchen, he spotted Hakusan Yoshimitsu, who’d been MIA for days.

Still cool as ever, Hakusan nodded at Lin Ge across a few tables, a quiet greeting.

Lin Ge’s sharp eyes caught the wound on his waist from the Retrograde Troops. It hadn’t healed.

Wrapped sloppily in white bandages with a warped bow—someone’s messy work.

Tsukumogami injuries could heal fast with a Saniwa’s Hand Treatment. Without it, their recovery was barely faster than a human’s.

Lin Ge decided to ask Yamanbakiri about Hand Treatment after lunch.

It was from their joint mission, after all.

—

The tsukumogami had heard from Yamanbakiri Kunihiro that the new Saniwa was cooking lunch.

Pretty novel. They gathered in twos and threes, whispering.

Arms brushing Mikazuki Munechika’s, Tsurumaru Kuninaga leaned in mysteriously, voice low, tone dramatic. “Mikazuki…”

“Guess what the Saniwa’s feeding us?”

Mikazuki Munechika tilted his head. “What?”

Tsurumaru Kuninaga: “He said he’s making us eat frogs!”

He flailed. “The moo-moo kind!”

“Is he some medieval warlock?”

Mikazuki Munechika: “?”

His trembling teacup betrayed his thoughts. “…Where’d you hear that? Another story you cooked up?”

“He said it himself.”

Tsurumaru Kuninaga pointed at the red bucket by Lin Ge’s feet. “See that? Full of frogs!”

Tea spilled from the overfull cup. Mikazuki Munechika set it down. “Maybe he’s just messing with you.”

Tsurumaru Kuninaga huffed. “You’ll see.”

—

Kitchen.

Kashuu Kiyomitsu quietly helped Lin Ge, chopping peppers and spices.

Sure, a Hellfire tempted him to hand over cooking rights, but watching Lin Ge behead and skin the mooing bullfrogs, leaving tender meat, he couldn’t help but wonder.

Is this for some magic potion?

Shuffling his feet, while Lin Ge mixed sauces, he whispered to Yamanbakiri Kunihiro, “Yamanbakiri… those frogs… no, bullfrogs—did one just twitch? How’s it moving when it’s dead?”

Such stubborn life force.

Yamanbakiri Kunihiro pursed his lips, slicing ginger thin. “Species trait. Normal reflex.”

Kashuu Kiyomitsu ohed, then asked, “You gonna eat it later?”

Yamanbakiri Kunihiro: “Probably.”

It’s the Lord’s effort…

Shouldn’t kill me, right?

Kashuu Kiyomitsu: “…”

That’s some scary loyalty!

No way was he eating it!

He’d rather die, jump off a cliff, than let that stuff touch his mouth!

—

That’s what Kashuu Kiyomitsu thought. But 40 minutes later, a pile of bones sat before him. No one ate more than him, even as his tongue burned, hissing, gulping water, and diving back in.

So freaking good!