Uneasy daily life

The three of them instinctively felt they were in the same situation, and were immediately speechless.

Komachi Hikigaya remarked, "These features... aren't even as good as the ones my brother mentioned earlier."

After leading the four to their reserved seats, Sakuta Azusagawa handed them the menus and said, "Please."

"Japanese, Western, Chinese, afternoon tea... This chef is truly exceptional." Hachiman Hikigaya glanced at the menu, then immediately realized, "Wait, we're just here to find someone..."

Sakuta Azusagawa replied naturally, "Since you're already here, there's no need to be so polite."

Yukino glanced at the white figure, who was quietly posing for a photo: "Isn't the white figure a waitress too?"

"Unfortunately, the White Shadow is not for sale at our store and is not on the menu."

Sakuta Azusagawa said, "Japanese, Western and afternoon tea are the boss's specialties, while Chinese cuisine is Shiro's specialty. You can taste something very close to authentic, but we cannot guarantee that the Chinese food will be delicious."

Yukino Yukinoshita glanced at the menu and casually said, "Then let's have Mapo Tofu."

"Okay, one serving of Mapo Tofu."

Sakuta Azusagawa wrote down the menu and turned to walk towards the white figure. Hachiman Hikigaya was about to ask what "not guaranteed to be delicious" meant, but seeing this, he lost his chance.

Even in foreign lands, there are warriors.

Upon hearing the order from Sakuta Azusagawa, Shiro was quite surprised and immediately said goodbye to the two chatting ladies.

"Hey? Aren't we going to chat a little longer? I'd like to try taking a photo with a campus vibe."

The lady tried to persuade him to stay, but alas, the falling petals were willing, while the flowing water was indifferent.

"The best way to ruin an interest is to bring it closer to real life, so the distance is just right."

The white-clad figure departed gracefully, changed into an apron, and entered the kitchen, excitedly calling out, "Boss, have you purchased all the fermented bean paste, dried chili peppers, and Sichuan peppercorns?"

The owner, who was shaping the pastries, was taken aback when he realized he needed to use his specially sourced ingredients... Mapo Tofu?!

Mapo tofu is a well-known dish from elsewhere, and the owner was once very interested in it.

Yes, in the past.

I tried it once during a shopping trip, and my filter shattered in a flash.

The boss said in a deep voice, "Remember to take a copy of the disclaimer. Whoever eats it must sign it."

"Don't worry, boss, it's only mildly spicy."

"Don't worry, it's only mildly spicy." — The warm yet unhurried laughter of the owner in the Sichuan-Chongqing restaurant echoed in my mind.

The boss couldn't help but gasp, as past phantom pains resurfaced.

Bai Ying took a deep breath and felt it! My still-burning soul! The passion of the men of Sichuan and Chongqing has not been extinguished!

In my past life, ever since I graduated from university and was tricked into stepping into the kitchen by my mom, I learned to cook a few meals with curiosity about the unknown and enthusiasm. In fact, I became the kitchen tool. My parents would often send me messages on WeChat saying things like, "Shall we have fish for dinner?", "Whole pork intestines?", "Don't make it too spicy, you can't eat spicy food now."

Hot pot tripe rolls with chili oil, pickled peppers whet the appetite and relieve worries.

The tofu pudding is light and thin, like water, and only when it's coated with dipping sauce can it be eaten.

I never imagined that I would be reborn into this ambiguous world, and upon looking back, I found myself to be a Cantonese person who eats everything but dislikes spicy food.

That day is etched in my memory.

When I was not even ten years old, I looked at the kitchen and felt a little nostalgic. I tried to use my pocket money and my coquettish charm to get some good dried Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies. In high spirits, I cooked a plate of Mapo Tofu.

My parents felt that their son would become a kitchen helper in the future, so they prepared cooled boiled water and a large bowl of white rice, making thorough preparations.

As a child, I scoffed, my soul stirred with the pride of Sichuan and Chongqing. I stretched out my chopsticks, and in the astonished eyes of my parents, I coated a piece of tofu with thickened sauce and put it into my mouth without hesitation.

It was a familiar strangeness, like meeting her again after ten years, the girl who used to sit next to me at the same desk.

She was once cheerful, generous, and unrestrained, capable of being both a tomboy and a fiery butterfly. She was so cunning, sometimes close, sometimes distant, making the sense of distance disappear imperceptibly. She embraced us so sincerely, making us feel the fiery passion. She walked away with a light laugh, taking my soul with her—she was the light of my life, the fire of my desire, the red-clad heroine who was indispensable in the world of martial arts!

Now, she is three feet tall, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted. Her crimson gauze dress has been widened considerably to barely contain her precarious weight. Her eyes are no longer bright and cheerful; they clearly conceal arrogance and disdain. Her interactions with others are no longer sincere and lively. Every word she utters is aimed directly at people's sore spots, relentlessly tearing at their flesh and blood. She leaves, spitting curses, but she brings me only sorrow—she is high and mighty, she is unassailable, the indispensable landlady in the neighborhood!

I think of things that remain but people who are gone, and I am saddened by the passage of time that has left me mute. I used to sing loudly and ride horses freely, but now I weep and shed tears!

Even if one can withstand the temptations of life and resist the passage of time, one still cannot escape the cycle of life and death, or the inevitable fate of death!

Having exhausted all his cultivation, even if he gritted his teeth and tried to enter the realm of extreme spiciness again, he would only end up as a heartbroken person squatting in the toilet!

That powerful figure, who was never inferior to anyone throughout his life and remained at the Extraordinary level until his death, ultimately perished.

The remaining reincarnated beings, whose innate energy was damaged, rebuilt their bodies and barely clung to life at the peak of the Ninth Revolution Great Perfection realm.

Memories flooded back, and Bai Ying couldn't help but shed tears.

A thin layer of oil is swirled in the pan, and dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns are stir-fried over low heat, releasing their pungent and forbidden aroma.

"Ahem—Boss! You didn't order the extra spicy version, did you?!"

"Cough cough cough, of course not. I asked that shop, and it is indeed a mildly spicy chili... If you ask me, don't stir-fry it, just grind it into chili powder and pour it in."

"Cough cough cough! No! Even if I'm no longer as brave as I used to be, cough! This chili pepper on the edge of my soul, I absolutely cannot give in!"

"Remember to make sure they sign a liability waiver—cough cough!!"

"Mildly spicy doesn't need to be exempt from liability!"

Bai Ying poured the crispy chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns onto the cutting board, picked up a kitchen knife and chopped them, releasing an even stronger aroma.

The boss finally succumbed to the overwhelming power emanating from the kitchen, surrendered, and fled.

After a series of sounds from the kitchen that sounded like crying and laughing, like the wailing of ghosts and wolves, a white-clad figure emerged carrying a tightly covered porcelain bowl. His steps were heavy and solemn as he slowly walked to the four people's table and placed the bowl on the table.

"please."

As the white figure lifted the lid, a rich aroma wafted out, though the spiciness was not immediately noticeable.

The four of them couldn't help but look over, and saw that there was a pool of lava hidden in the white porcelain bowl. The red sauce was exceptionally thick and viscous, and it swelled up from time to time in the residual heat of the pot. The white tofu was not floating in it, but rather it was submerged in the raging tide. On the surface of this lava, a few scallions were sprinkled on it as if to disguise it as duckweed on a clear stream.

Komachi Hikigaya swallowed hard. "It smells so good, but it looks a little scary..."

“Mapo tofu, I’ve had it before… but it’s completely different from this, isn’t it?” Yui Yuigahama recalled.

Yukino Yukinoshita tilted her head and said, "I have a feeling that Shiro-kun put something extraordinary in it. Why don't you try it first, Shiro-kun?"

Bai Ying remained silent, not out of guilt for being exposed, but out of a very solemn and serious silence. He reached for a chopstick and, with lightning speed, deftly picked up a whole piece of tofu, coating it with thick sauce as he did in his childhood, and put it in his mouth.

It was a burning, stinging pain; what I was chewing wasn't tofu, but my pride, already shattered; what I was swallowing wasn't gravy, but a searing, scalding sorrow.

The intense heat penetrated my throat, ran deep into my lungs, and slammed heavily into my stomach, as if a red dragon was roaring excitedly, carrying an untamed and unruly spirit.

My soul is thirsting for food, and my body is in agony.

"Ah...I see..."

Bai Ying put down his chopsticks, clasped his hands together to support his chin, and looked out at the street with a weathered expression. It was a picture of "the mind not being attached to delicacies, yet chewing wax", which attracted many guests to watch and take pictures.

Years have passed in the blink of an eye...

Alas, even the mildest spicy version has fallen.

From then on, he had nowhere left to fall, and became just an ordinary mortal. Alas!

Bai Ying is experiencing symptoms, but her condition is normal.

The group looked at each other and thought there should be nothing wrong with the dish. It did smell delicious, so they reached out and took out their chopsticks or spoons.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: I Sell My Laughter, He Sells His Flirtation

Even ordinary people have differences.

Even though his cultivation was completely destroyed under the heavenly tribulation, his past experience and ability to learn were clearly incomparable to those of ordinary people who were new to this path and had never cultivated before.

Hachiman Hikigaya drank the ice water with a contorted expression. The scorching heat, stimulated by the cold, turned into an even more suffocating pain. He wondered if there was something wrong with his tongue, occasionally gasping for breath, marveling at how terrifying this dish was—was this really a dish or poison?!

Yukino Yukinoshita took large gulps of cold water from her cup, beads of sweat forming on her forehead and her face flushed. She suppressed the urge to stick out her tongue and gasp for air, chugging cold water into her mouth while glaring menacingly at her with deadly intent.

"Gurgle gurgle gurgle... Ah... I'm alive again."

Yui Yuigahama licked her already reddened lips and put down her cup: "Shiro, is this really tofu? It feels even scarier than my cookies..."

The white figure suddenly looked over and said in a deep voice, "You actually look down on your own cookies? I'm very disappointed in you, Yuihama! You need to be more confident!"

"Ah... oh..."

Before Yui Yuigahama could figure out what was going on, she blurted out, "I'm so sorry—wait, wait?! Are you insulting me?!"

"No doubt about it, the minister is insulting you. He's been holding a grudge against your sweet cookies for a long time." Hachiman Hikigaya couldn't help but gasp again. "Is this what authentic Mapo Tofu tastes like? It's terrifying. The first Japanese person to taste Mapo Tofu must have had an iron stomach..."

Bai Ying sighed sadly, "There's no such thing as authentic or not authentic. It's just a skill that comes from cooking at home. Spiciness is just a way to adjust and enhance the flavor... Alas, my tolerance for spice has fallen so low that I can hardly enjoy even mild spice anymore..."

“Enjoy…” Yukino Yukinoshita couldn’t help but take another sip of water, and asked in return, “Are you sure you’re not making torture devices? Is tongue torture a specialty of your hometown?”

Bai Ying snorted: "Special features? Just a simple label in the eyes of outsiders—the hometown in the eyes of others and the hometown in the eyes of oneself are mostly two different places."

Hachiman Hikigaya couldn't help but interject, "That's right, just like people in other places, when they mention Chiba, they only talk about peanuts and all kinds of peanuts, as if Chiba is only about peanuts!"

Yui Yuigahama and Yukino Yukinoshita didn't quite grasp the point, but Shirakage chimed in with interest: "Yeah, when we talk about the specialties of Sichuan and Chongqing, most of us immediately think of spicy dishes. But in my memory, what really stands out is the sausage that combines saltiness, spiciness, numbing sensation, and aroma. That's why I've always found it hard to accept sweet sausages from other regions! To me, it's just heresy!"

Hachiman Hikigaya agreed, "It's the same here in Chiba. What impressed me most wasn't the local specialty peanuts..."

"It's not a bad thing that my hometown can be known in a more popular and simple way. When people talk about it, they smile knowingly and say, 'This is only mildly spicy,' which brings a different kind of joy," Bai Ying said eloquently.

Hachiman Hikigaya nodded repeatedly: "Hmm, that's undeniable, although I'd still prefer to focus on other parts of Chiba. There are so many interesting things to see, why fixate on peanuts..."

Did these two fall ill at the same time? Or did the white shadow infect Hachiman Hikigaya with the disease?

Yukino Yukinoshita and Yui Yuigahama felt completely out of place in the conversation, unable to keep up with their discussion and train of thought about their hometown.

"Xiaoxue, what should I do! I can't understand a word!"

"Why do I need to understand the communication between two bacteria? I don't want to get sick."

"Hey? Xiaoxue has moved a few times like me?"

“I went abroad for junior high school,” Yukino Yukinoshita said softly with a subtle expression. “I have a feeling… that Hachiman is already standing on the guillotine.”

Yui Yuigahama asked in surprise, "What do you mean?"

"...They got along very well when they first met."

Yukino's gaze was deep and mysterious.

Completely engrossed in the discussion about 'your hometown,' Hikigaya Hachiman, whose Chiba spirit was ignited, was oblivious to the whispers of the two 'outsiders.' He and Hakukage exchanged opinions on the topic of 'the place as seen by locals and outsiders,' deeply discussing the origins and changes in perception differences, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of label-based characteristics.

“Although I think you’ll discover some things I never thought of if you go to the Sichuan-Chongqing area, you can only feel the impact of such regional environmental changes on people by experiencing it firsthand.” Bai Ying shared her experience, “When I first came to Japan, I also went through a phase where I felt uncomfortable doing anything, and then I unconsciously adapted.”

Hachiman Hikigaya asked with great interest, "Oh? As an outsider, did you discover anything else interesting in Chiba? Please don't just say peanuts."

"Um……"

Bai Ying pondered for a moment and said, "Probably a sister complex."

In that moment, it was as if the girl said to the boy, "Let's get a room," and the boy replied, "Okay! I've been waiting for you to say that!" So the boy opened a room in the game and invited the girl in...

The enthusiasm of the people from Hikigaya Hachiman's hometown instantly froze: "Huh?"

Is it an auditory hallucination?

Yui Yuigahama: "Pfft—?!"

Yukino Yukinoshita drinks water: "Just as I expected."

"Ah, ah—ah?"

Hachiman Hikigaya let out several unintelligible cries, exclaiming in shock, "Why is it this?!"

Bai Ying wore an expression as if she had seen through the truth, her voice becoming childish yet carrying a sense of feigned maturity: "Since I came to Chiba, among all the people I've met who have younger sisters, everyone is a siscon. I call this the Chiba Siscon Law—there's only one truth: all the older brothers in Chiba are siscon!"

Hachiman Hikigaya firmly replied, "I don't believe it! Who else could it be but me?!"

Yukino Yukinoshita said, "You don't even deny yourself? Hachiman is really hopeless."

"Haha, I'm an only child, so I don't have this kind of..." Yui Yuigahama subconsciously looked at Komachi Hikigaya, then exclaimed in shock, "Komachi! You...you...are you alright?!"

"It's okay, hehe, haha, this is a little spicy, but it's delicious! It's really delicious!"

Komachi Hikigaya, who hadn't said a word, was tasked with finishing off the mapo tofu. She gasped as she ate each piece, exclaiming how spicy it was, and then happily devoured each piece of tofu.

"No matter what kind of dish it is, the ultimate secret is that it tastes good! I never imagined that Hachiman's sister would have such talent, able to taste the subtle flavors hidden deep within spiciness. She's a peerless genius who has reached the pinnacle of cooking!" The white figure looked at Komachi excitedly, her fiery eyes filled with anticipation. "Sister! Learn to cook with me! I will pass on all my knowledge to you, so that the splendor of our homeland can bloom in this foreign land—"

What's blooming isn't the splendor of the minister's hometown, but rather my backyard!