Genshin Impact, I, a mere mortal, cannot accompany you to the very end.

Like the snow outside the window, and like the sunlight reflected off the snow.

Is the fireplace too hot?

He didn't know.

But why is this girl's tongue getting more and more sharp?

"Hey," Kiyono said, somewhat annoyed, "You need to learn to respect people..."

"You just smoked again. I smelled it on your inner cuff."

Miss Fox propped her cheek on her soft hand, staring blankly at Kiyono.

"I just smelled tobacco."

"...No!"

"Hand over your pipe."

“If you say you don’t have it, then you don’t!” The dignified Grand Pillar of the State of Kiyono argued vehemently, fighting for his tobacco pipe!

"Fox nose".

She tapped her delicate nose and spread her hands, "But it's incredibly sensitive; it can sniff out any secret!"

...The dignified Grand General of Kiyono really couldn't control this scoundrel.

Helplessly, he took out his hidden tobacco from the inner pocket of his kimono and placed it in Yae no Miko's hand.

"Now, I, Lord Tsukasa, will teach you the second step to longevity,"

Miss Fox smiled softly again, a smile unique to Miss Fox.

A slightly cunning, slightly mischievous smile, a touch of laziness, a hint of capriciousness, and a most smug smile—like the melting snowflakes on the eaves.

"The second step to longevity: Quit smoking!"

"You're going to be my cook for hundreds of years to come."

ha...

Really.

Longevity...

May you live a long life.

Looking at her and listening to her words, Qingye paused for a moment, then smiled helplessly.

What's the harm in taking one more puff of smoke?

What's the harm in smoking one less cigarette?

For him, it makes no difference.

You say your fox nose can smell everything, but you can't smell this secret.

"so,"

Kiyono looked out the window at the snow slowly melting in the sunlight. "Are you hungry? What was that 'fox udon' you just mentioned?"

"Fried tofu with udon noodles. Bring it on!"

"Let me study the recipe first."

"The third secret to longevity is to eat well."

"...Be careful not to get so fat you'll become a ball."

PS1: It is hereby solemnly declared that smoking is harmful to your health. Please do not smoke.

PS2: Damn it, tonight is another do-or-die match for Germany, I'm going to have to stay up all night to watch it again!

Book 1: Chapter 5 The Things Yet to Be Conveyed

Crackling, popping.

The sound of firewood burning in the stove.

It emitted a faint spark, which quickly dissipated.

Udon noodles are one of the most distinctive noodle dishes in Inazuma. Their texture is somewhere between sliced ​​noodles and rice noodles, with a softer consistency. Paired with a carefully prepared broth, it becomes a delicious noodle dish.

In winter, it's served in hot broth; in summer, it's eaten cold. Cold udon noodles can be dipped in a thick sauce called "noodle dipping sauce."

The most classic way to make udon noodles is inseparable from beef and broth. The noodles are smooth and soft, and the broth is rich and flavorful. So when you go to Inazuma, you must try a bowl of beef udon noodles from the outlying island.

Kiyono gently kneaded the dough, his steady index finger pressing slowly into the center of the dough.

Behind him, Miss Fox, with her two fox ears perked up, held a cup of fragrant tea and knelt quietly on the futon, waiting with a hint of anticipation.

Then there's tofu.

Fried tofu, pan-fried tofu, mapo tofu—there are many tofu restaurants in Inazuma, but the most famous and the most skillfully made is the tofu personally made by the Pillar of State in the Pillar of State Mansion.

There's another story behind this.

In his early years, the Pillar of the State was a wandering knight-errant, impoverished and destitute. He opened a fried tofu shop at the foot of Narukami Shrine. Everyone who had eaten there praised it highly, and it was loved by many. People who came to the shrine to worship, after praying and burning incense, had to eat a bowl of hot fried tofu before leaving, and only then would their journey be considered complete.

The clean aroma and refreshing taste of the tofu have blended with the faint scent of incense rising from the shrine, becoming an inseparable part of the nostalgia of Inazuma.

Wherever the people of Inazuma go, a bite of fried tofu brings back the scent of home.

Although Lord Zhuguo no longer runs the shop, his skills have not diminished. If any high-ranking official in Inazuma is fortunate enough to taste a bite of Zhuguo Tofu from the Zhuguo Mansion, it is truly an honor that lasts for generations.

Wash the pot, chop the vegetables, and prepare the seasonings.

The firewood burned quietly, and as Qingye watched the flames flickering in the cold air, his heart trembled slightly.

His five hundred years of life have long been intertwined with this land...

Really.

How could he bear to part with her?

The flames burned quietly.

Tingling.

Kiyono stared at the fingertips in surprise.

A shallow scratch appeared on the fingertip, and blood seeped out, dripping onto the cutting board and staining the clean tofu with a mixed blush of red.

what.

He chuckled to himself.

I'm really getting old; I can't deny it anymore.

Having wielded the knife for hundreds of years, I was wounded by it today.

"Be careful, old man."

Miss Fox's voice came from behind.

Kiyono turned his head to the side, and Yae no Miko leaned her head slightly to his shoulder, her pale purple earrings shimmering in the firelight, a few strands of soft, long hair draped over Kiyono's neck.

It's a little itchy.

"Tsk." Qingye Dazhuguo felt his dignity had been challenged. He clicked his tongue and continued to act tough, saying, "Women shouldn't interfere in cooking! Just wait on the side."

"She's bleeding," Miss Fox said.

"No," Kiyono lied through his teeth.

“I still remember the first time I met you,” Miss Fox said to herself. “It was snowing just like today, and you fainted from hunger in front of the shrine, so I brought you some dried fish.”

"A week later, you made a bowl of tofu noodles like this and placed it in front of the shrine. Adding fried tofu to udon noodles—you were actually the one who invented it... Later, this dish became known as 'Fox Udon'."

She looked at the firelight and talked about things from the past.

"Old man, you've forgotten this, haven't you? Your memory is really bad."

The firelight illuminated her fair and delicate profile as she said with a hint of teasing, "What great general, what great hero, haha~ I'm getting old and my memory is failing. I couldn't even afford to eat when I was young. What an old man."

That's incredibly rude.

That stinky fox.

"Mind your own business!"

Kiyono snorted heavily.

"Just wait over there, don't delay me from cooking."

"You're bleeding."

Kiyono was somewhat annoyed. He knew he was getting old, he knew he was no longer useful, he knew he couldn't even chop vegetables anymore, but he didn't want it to be like this, he...

A slightly cool sensation came from my palm.

"Hey."

Miss Fox's hands were very cold. She took Kiyono's right hand in hers—his right hand whose wound had not yet healed.

Immediately afterwards, a cooler, softer sensation came from my fingertips, moist and refreshing, very gentle and ticklish.

Miss Fox's tongue gently grazed Qingye's wound. She lowered her eyes, meticulous and serious. More than a fox, she was like a kitten licking its companion's wound.

She really does resemble a kitten, an elegant pink kitten: whether it's her long pink hair, her deep purple eyes, or even her current posture, slightly tiptoeing, leaning forward, and holding Qingye's right hand.

They all resemble a cat licking a dried fish.

The tongue moved along the knuckles, reaching the fingertips that were soaked with blood, gently and slowly.

The warm, moist breath dispersed into a thin layer of mist.

It felt very moist when it hit Kiyono's skin.

The world was so quiet after the rain, and the ivy was growing wildly outside the window; this moment felt incredibly long.

Through the wooden window, you can see that the snow has completely melted away, the sun is rising, the rosy dawn that once dyed half the sky has faded, and heavy clouds are piled up on the snow-capped mountain range at the far end of the horizon.