Why is my anime art style so weird?

Xu Ming took the initiative to pick up all the dirty dishes and went into the kitchen to start washing them.

When he had almost finished washing, Grandma Wenxu came in and started chatting with him about everyday things.

"This soy milk ramen was invented by Seiichiro back in the day. Later, Megumi heard that I liked it, so she learned how to make it from Soma and often makes it for me..."

While washing the dishes, Xu Ming listened to Wenxu's mother-in-law's rambling.

"This girl is a good child, but unfortunately... sigh!"

Xu Ming nodded in agreement.

Indeed, this soy milk ramen has a rich but not greasy flavor, and the ingredients are all vegetables, making it especially suitable for breakfast, particularly for the elderly.

The fact that she would take the time to learn how to cook this dish shows that Megumi Tadokoro is a kind-hearted and filial girl.

If we were to rank the female characters in Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma by who would be the most suitable to marry, she would definitely be in the top three.

It has to be said that Medicine King is quite the ladies' man.

However, Xu Ming wasn't jealous at all. In his eyes, his sister Shiyu was the best sister in the world, without exception, and he wouldn't accept any arguments against it.

That's why he vowed to protect the best sister in the world.

"Kid, judging from your appearance, you'll be coming here often from now on."

After chatting for a while, Grandma Wenxu suddenly spoke.

Xu Ming smiled and did not deny it. He didn't feel he could hide anything from this shrewd old lady.

"Totsuki is in danger right now... Anyway, be careful."

Grandma Wenxu gave her instructions.

Xu Ming noticed that she hesitated for a moment, as if she was worried about something.

Xu Ming nodded calmly, but did not ask any further questions.

She had her own reasons for not speaking up; she couldn't force others to do things they didn't want to do just for her own convenience.

Grandma Wenxu seemed a little guilty, and suddenly spoke up again:

"If you encounter any trouble, you can go to Meiji Shrine and find Master Fujinami Masaharu."

As she spoke, Granny Wenxu took out an old, faded amulet from her pocket and handed it to Xu Ming.

"Just show this to him, and he will help you."

"I understand, thank you."

Xu Ming nodded and accepted Grandma Wenxu's kindness.

He will inevitably have to deal with all sorts of 'strange' things in the future, and if he can get in touch with people in the circle, it might be helpful.

To Xu Ming's surprise, Granny Wenxu was able to establish connections with people from the five major shrines in Tokyo. It was clear that Polar Star Dormitory was a place where hidden talents resided.

After finishing cleaning, Xu Ming bid farewell to Grandma Wenxu and began his journey home.

Bathed in the morning light, the Far Moon Tea House had none of the eerie and sinister feeling that it had when the blood moon hung in the sky at night; on the contrary, it was full of vitality.

After walking for more than an hour along the mountain path, Xu Ming finally emerged from the gate of the Far Moon Tea House.

It took Xu Ming another half hour to finally emerge from the morning rush hour battlefield of the subway.

The energy I had just managed to replenish from the delicious food was completely depleted again.

Back home, Xu Ming offered incense to his sister, then fell asleep immediately, sleeping soundly until evening.

Xu Ming went downstairs and bought a discounted bento box at a nearby Lawson convenience store, making do with a simple dinner.

While eating the cheap, standard bento boxes, Xu Ming began to miss Tadokoro Megumi's cooking.

He estimated that he would have to go there frequently before solving the series of strange incidents at the Totsuki Tea House.

Why don't we stay there for the next few days?

Xu Ming quickly dismissed this tempting idea.

Not to mention the various eerie occurrences there, making it impossible to get a good night's rest. He doesn't even know if the resentment mark Ji Zhiguo Ningning placed on him last night has disappeared.

He didn't want someone to come and sing outside his room every night in the middle of the night.

I feel safer at home, under my sister's watchful eye.

After dinner, Xu Ming played on his phone for a while, searched for information about the Chinese Culinary Research Association online, and then lay down and quickly fell asleep.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Photo Deception?

In a daze, Xu Ming felt someone touching his face again.

Half-asleep, Xu Ming slightly opened his eyes.

Sister Shiyu's exquisite face was right above him, smiling as she looked at him.

Just as Xu Ming was about to speak, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

Wait, why does my sister seem a little unhappy today?

This was not his imagination.

Their cohabitation and mutual dependence fostered a high level of understanding between them; they could almost understand each other's thoughts just by looking into each other's eyes.

Xu Ming thought about it carefully and immediately understood the problem.

"Sister, I had an urgent matter to attend to last night and stayed at the Totsuki Tea House..."

That's right, the reason my sister was unhappy was because he didn't come home at night and didn't tell her.

Hearing Xu Ming's explanation, Shi Yu's expression seemed unchanged. Xu Ming, who had been looking at her the whole time, noticed that his sister's gaze had softened considerably.

Suddenly, her older sister reached out her finger and gently scratched Xu Ming's nose.

"Okay, sister. I promise it won't happen again."

Xu Ming quickly assured him.

Soon, Xu Ming felt a strong wave of sleepiness wash over him, and his eyelids began to droop.

Although he wanted to take a good look at his older sister, Xu Ming eventually succumbed to sleep and quickly closed his eyes, falling into a deep sleep.

What Xu Ming didn't see was...

After he fell into a deep sleep, a dense black aura enveloped Kasumigaoka Utaha's body.

As the black mist dissipated, a completely different figure appeared beside the sleeping Xu Ming.

Blood-stained school uniform, long, jet-black hair cascading down, pale skin, crimson pupils flashing with a sinister, eerie light in the darkness, exuding a fierce aura—this was a terrifying figure, more ferocious than any ghost.

At this moment, Kasumigaoka Utaha's expression was extremely cold and lifeless. Only when she looked at the sleeping Xu Ming would a trace of tenderness flash in the depths of her cold eyes.

Suddenly, she reached out and placed her hand above Xu Ming's body, twisting her middle finger, index finger, and thumb together as if she were grasping an invisible thread.

Soon, a 'line' made of black mist appeared from her fingertips.

This 'line' blends completely into the darkness and is almost indistinguishable to the naked eye.

One end of the 'line' was connected to Xu Ming's body, and the other end extended into the void.

Kasumigaoka Utaha's gaze was icy as she grabbed the 'thread' and pulled and squeezed it.

The 'thread' immediately detached from Xu Ming's body, then turned into black mist and dissipated into the air.

A faint, angry scream echoed from the void.

"Humph!"

Kasumigaoka Utaha let out a cold snort, and the screams immediately ceased.

After doing all this, Kasumigaoka Utaha reached out as if she wanted to touch Xu Ming's cheek again.

But when she saw her own hand, pale and bloodless, with sharp nails that didn't look like a living person's at all, a hint of hesitation appeared in her eyes. She slowly withdrew her hand and then slowly disappeared into the darkness...

Xu Ming slept soundly until dawn.

When I woke up and checked my phone, I found it was only 7 a.m.

After washing up, Xu Ming offered incense to his sister, explained the situation, and then rushed to Polar Star Dormitory. He had a delicious breakfast and then followed the map to the northeast corner of the Far Moon Tea House.

It was exactly 10 o'clock, the sun was shining brightly, and the entire forest of the Far Moon Tea House exuded vitality under the sunlight.

However, this does not include the large, Qing Dynasty-style mansion in front of Xu Ming.

The white walls were covered with scorch marks from the fire, the roof covered with glazed tiles had mostly collapsed, the stone pillars and porch were no longer recognizable as their original colors, and the bluestone floor was covered with a thick layer of black ash...

The plaque that used to hang directly above the gate fell to the ground and shattered into several pieces. Xu Ming could only vaguely make out the characters "中" (zhong, meaning "middle") and "开" (kai, meaning "open").

Xu Ming seemed to see the flames mercilessly devouring the exquisite mansion, leaving only a desolate scene.

However, when Xu Ming stood at the gate and looked into the courtyard, he noticed something unusual.

The scene Xu Ming saw was quite different from what he had seen in the photograph!

To verify, Xu Ming quickly took out his phone, flipped to the photo, and compared it with the scene in front of him.

Then I discovered... the two were indeed different!

The courtyard in the photo appears more spacious inside, with more antique decorations and scenery, almost like a replica of a Qing Dynasty mansion.

However, the mansion in front of Xu Ming was full of clumsy imitations. The designer seemed to have no idea of ​​the essence and had created a work that was neither fish nor fowl.

If it weren't for the two stone lions at the entrance, their backs blackened by smoke, Xu Ming would have suspected that this was a completely different place from the one in the photo.

With questions in mind, Xu Ming slowly walked through the main gate into the burned-down 'Chinese Culinary Research Institute'.

Xu Ming's feet rustled softly on the bluestone floor, and the strange sensation from the thick layer of ash made him mistakenly believe he was walking on sand.

A faint, burnt smell lingered in the air, and even after three years, the smell had not dissipated.

Upon entering the main gate, Xu Ming quickly noticed the stark difference between the photos and the actual scene.

The Qing Dynasty-style mansion in the photo has a courtyard with some landscaping after entering through the main gate.

However, as soon as Xu Ming entered, the first thing he saw was a reception desk similar to that of a modern hotel. After passing through the corridor, he came to a huge kitchen with rows of Chinese-style stoves piled up inside.

Xu Ming roughly counted, and there were over a hundred of these large stoves, a number that was even more terrifying than some five-star hotels.

Large, black iron pots were thrown on the stove, almost all of them filled with iron filings.

As a Chinese, Xu Ming understood at a glance that this was where the students of the Chinese Culinary Research Institute practiced flipping woks.