"Here, clear broth noodles." Yuto carried the dish over to Siduri and set it down before her.
Under the light, the bowl of clear soup noodles, faintly tinged with a little yellow, looked like a mirror of water.
The slightly rippling surface clearly reflected the ceiling of the small restaurant and Siduri, who was looking down at her meal.
A few fine pieces of cilantro floated on top, alongside green-white sections of scallion.
A light fragrance drifted upward with the rising steam. The soup base was extremely simple—no chicken broth or anything else to support it.
What it relied on was this clean, straightforward bowl of fine noodles.
"Thank you, Boss," Siduri said.
Using her chopsticks, she lifted a bundle of noodles.
Folded many times by Yuto, the noodles were like fine silver threads. Their crystal-clear, lustrous surfaces were coated with clear broth, reflecting a strangely dazzling, transparent sheen under the warm yellow light.
Siduri looked surprised; this was her first time seeing noodle strands like these.
When she put them into her mouth, even more surprise and excitement appeared on her beautiful face.
When Yuto had kneaded the dough earlier, every bit of force he used had been controlled perfectly.
The subsequent looping of the dough had further raised the chewiness and texture of the noodles, while every fold sublimated their resilience.
With noodles like these, once the teeth bit down, they were bound to be full of springiness—it could almost be called a massage for the teeth.
This flavor and texture were the reason Siduri was so pleasantly surprised.
Paired with such perfect noodles, the light and thin soup base was suitable, the simple broth was like green leaves and earth, perfectly supporting the ultimate deliciousness of the main ingredient.
This contrast enriched the texture even further, making her feel even more satisfied.
"These really are the most delicious noodles I have ever eaten. As expected of you, Boss," Siduri said with a delighted and relaxed expression.
After a full day of busyness, a single bowl of noodles was just right for easing her fatigue.
"You flatter me," Yuto waved his hand with a light smile.
Siduri continued eating.
For her, after a tiring day, Yuto's clear broth noodles truly made it difficult to shift her attention away.
At that time, Reiko was also preparing to leave.
She had stayed for a long time tonight, and her mood was already very satisfied and relaxed.
"Be careful on your way back, Reiko," Yuto told her, his concern genuine.
He truly worried about the carefree girl; the feeling of pity and sympathy had remained in his heart ever since the night they first met.
He felt he would never forget the image of her body covered in dust and footprints from that night.
"Mm, don't worry. I'll be fine." Reiko's smile was always warm and carefree; seeing it, people would unknowingly calm down.
The girl left behind a few coins and departed.
As Yuto collected her bowl and chopsticks, he couldn't help thinking of the conversation between Yukari and Reiko earlier in the evening.
After the crossing rules came out, Yukari had once again invited Reiko to live in Gensokyo.
However, Reiko refused again, she still could not bear to part with her youkai friends.
Yuto had heard Reiko talk about her youkai friends, and he knew most of them were actually lonely youkai.
Reiko embraced them with an indescribable tenderness and helped them.
Although it sounded a little like a girl saving youkai, when one thought about it another way, weren't those youkai also saving the girl in return?
...
After returning to her own world, Reiko did not go home immediately.
With leisurely, casual steps, she walked into the forest.
In the pitch-black night, countless eyes watched her from the shadows.
Those were not the gazes of ordinary creatures, they were all youkai.
Chattering softly among themselves, they caused a small commotion.
"Look, that's Natsume Reiko!"
"Ugh, what immense power! How terrifying!"
"Is she really human? Even great youkai don't have an aura like hers, do they?"
"What is she doing here? Do any of you know?"
"No idea, no idea~"
Beneath the moonlit night, within the forest, ghosts and monsters all revealed themselves.
In the middle of the forest path, the girl was draped in moonlight, strolling leisurely as though she were walking through her own backyard.
When Reiko arrived before a shrine, the small youkai around her had already disappeared, because this entire area belonged to great youkai.
On the surface, the shrine looked dilapidated and gloomy, nothing more than an extremely run-down structure.
But in Reiko's eyes, this place was brightly lit and bustling with activity.
There were massive great youkai with horse faces, beautiful creatures like celestial foxes, strange human-shaped youkai, and even some who looked like women of peerless beauty from the mortal world.
"Yo! Reiko, you're here! Come drink!"
"It's Lady Reiko! It's Lady Reiko! Ulalalala~"
"Hmph! Wild girl!"
"Reiko! Reiko! Reiko!"
The noisy, disorderly voices were exactly like the chaotic scene of a gathering.
These youkai were all holding wine cups of various sizes.
Some were already drunk, while others were still sober.
A helpless smile appeared on Reiko's face. "So it really was you all holding a gathering here. Aren't you afraid of being discovered by exorcists?"
Her words carried a hint of helplessness and complaint, but she still walked in.
When friends invited her, how could she refuse?
"Hahahaha! Once those exorcists sense the youkai aura here, they'll have to stay far away. Which one of them would dare come here to seek death?!" a rough, arrogant voice declared loudly.
The corners of Reiko's mouth twitched helplessly, knowing the other party wasn't lying.
With a group of great youkai gathered together, what exorcist would dare approach?
"Ah~ Reiko~ You finally came~ I've been waiting for you for so long~" A woman with an extremely beautiful appearance and an excellent figure appeared from nowhere and hugged Reiko.
She rubbed her face hard against Reiko's cheek, constantly sniffing Reiko's hair like a pervert.
In a rare display of embarrassment, Reiko forcefully threw the woman over her shoulder.
She knew the other party was a youkai, so this was nothing more than playing around.
After being thrown away, the woman looked somewhat aggrieved.
"Reiko is so rough!" Her voice sounded like a wounded oriole, enough to break one's heart.
"Hinoe! That's enough!" Reiko's words carried both helplessness and embarrassment.
If she had known that the female youkai had this kind of personality, she definitely would never have helped her pick up her hairpin.
Sure enough, women, whether human or youkai, were all troublesome!
"Ugh... even though last night, Reiko and I..." Hinoe spoke in a sorrowful, conflicted tone, her words making Reiko extremely embarrassed.
Reiko's face became distorted. "Shut up! That was because you got me drunk!!!"
She did not want to talk about what had happened last night.
The reason she had been embarrassed in front of Yuto earlier was exactly because of last night's events.
"Hahaha, looks like you still have a long way to go, Hinoe!!!" The youkai who resembled a fox burst out laughing, mocking her.
Hinoe's entire aura suddenly changed, turning sharp with killing intent.
"Hey! Madara, you'd better shut your mouth for me! Otherwise, I'll definitely curse you until all your fur falls out!"
The youkai who had just acted like a pitiful young girl had suddenly become a domineering big sister!
This posture fit her image far better, with her cold and glamorous appearance, she naturally should have been this domineering.
"Ah... All right, all right. Drink, drink!"
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Reiko let out a helpless sound and raised her wine cup.
Once she took the lead, the crowd immediately raised their cups as well.
"Ohhh!!! Drink, drink!!!!"
"I want to clink cups with Lady Reiko!!!"
"Wah! Me too!!!!"
"Hey, hey, hey, wait for me!!!"
Under the rare full moon, in front of the ruined shrine, a crowd of youkai gathered, celebrating something unknown.
And among them, the girl's presence felt perfectly natural.
She was human, and yet at that moment, she seemed like a youkai herself.
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