305 - - 303. Enjoying Fusosha

Sakon took me to a tempura restaurant for lunch.

If Sakon introduced us, the tempura chef must be a special individual, and it must be delicious. Soba, sushi, tempura, and eel are the must-try dishes.

A boar-tooth boat takes us up a small river, and we find a tasteful building surrounded by trees. It is old but well maintained and has an atmosphere of history without being dark - I wonder if I look out of place in this outfit.

"I'm a little nervous."

"I can handle chopsticks thanks to the homura."

Galahad and Eagle also looked a little uneasy at the appearance of the building.

"The sake is good!"

Luba looks happy, as if he has been here before.

The aroma of sesame oil fills the air, and we take our places at the one-panel counter. They can fry the fish in front of you in the tatami room, but we decided that it would be better to sit in a chair. I definitely prefer to sit here, where I can watch the chefs at their best.

Here you go.

I can't drink, but I'm in the mood for sake, so I accept Sakon's sake - but the smell puts me off.

"Whew. It's delicious."

"It smells gorgeous on the palate, but it doesn't linger."

It's so refreshing.

"You can't stop alternating it with tempura."

The four of them seemed to enjoy it. Sakon looked happy and satisfied, and I joined them for tea.

The first thing that came out was prawns. <. The shell of the head seems to have been removed, but the orange-colored legs spreading out through the batter looked like fireworks. The crispy legs and the rich morsels, the meat is firm and sweet.

Squid, gingko nuts, whiting. The sweet potatoes are thickly sliced, crispy on the outside and sweet on the inside. Sashimi and a small bowl of hamo (pike conger) in a well-cooled broth, perhaps to refresh the palate.

When you drop the conger eel into the oil, the batter spreads like a flower, and the conger eel is crisply cut in two and placed on a plate lined with Japanese paper. Myoga, white sea bream. The tempura was cooked with a precise heat, which seemed to be changed depending on the ingredients, and the batter crumbled easily in the mouth, conveying the sweetness of the ingredients.

We were very satisfied.

Homura, I want ramen!

One man was not satisfied.

We leave the restaurant and are rocked on the boar boat on our way home, all except me, who seems to be feeling good after a few more drinks.

"You're not worried about your stomach, are you?"

"I'm sure you'll be able to pick them eventually."

Eagle and Camilla's eyes are on Galahad's belly.

"It was good, but I feel like I just ate a side dish.

"Come to think of it, I didn't see any rice."

Ramen, I had sealed it off because there seemed to be a lot of people who were particular about each of them. But when I wanted to eat it myself, I thought it would be good at the grocery store, and Galahad got into it. He eats any kind of ramen with a good appetite, which is good.

Is this a phenomenon that people want to eat ramen after drinking? I should prepare a small amount of Ramen for when I'm a little short or hungry.

Since we are on a boat, I made oil soba. The name sounds oily, but it is a kind of ramen without soup. Thick, chilled noodles, thick, tender pork chashu pork, bamboo shoots, chopped nori seaweed, and a half-boiled egg.

There is sauce in the bottom of the bowl, so stir it well before eating. You can also add hot sauce and vinegar if you like.

Thank you. Oh, yes, it's good!

Galahad slurps up the ramen with relish, and eventually everyone, including me, adds ramen.

I think it is a kind of talent to look so delicious and happy while eating.

"By the way, was that a fair price?

Sakon asks.

I got one from the fire shrine, a , which was growing in the precincts of the shrine. If that was not enough, he said, he would prepare some seedlings of good-looking trees for me before I returned from Fuso.

No, well, my granddaughter and I started crying a lot and I couldn't stand it.

He told me that it was the bearded priest's granddaughter who put out the fire, and he cried again afterwards, saying that he had saved her from a harsh punishment.

"I didn't realize it was one of my relatives who was so angry."

"I wonder if it was because they were my relatives."

"I'm sure he was, he's not the kind of person who raises his voice or gets upset like that."

Sakon tells Galahad and Camilla.

"But from what you said, the fire there was already weak and almost extinguished, wasn't it?"

Yes, it has held up better than some of the other fire companies. However, it is certain that they lost one of their procedures, and I think they could not be blamed for it from their standpoint.

We do not want to work under a lot of pressure in this world. I'm sure there is a sense of accomplishment and pride, but only in the real world. I will get a sense of tension and accomplishment from boss battles.

"Wasn't there a strong weapon in the treasure hall?"

The treasure house offered me a reward of my choice, but I declined. The armor would be better with my current equipment, and the weapons--

"With that fire, Ruba will make a good sword, right?"

"Oh. The stones from the furnace will be shared with us."

Luba smiles happily and makes an undertaking.

He says that he will be able to share various items that are used in the equipment that Tianjin has. Ruba will resume sword forging at Fast after he finishes his training in Fuso, and we are looking forward to seeing what kind of swords he can make.

"When the sword is launched, you should have a blessing ceremony at the fire shrine. The Lord of the Blessed Bird will be pleased.

Sakon means the bearded Shinto priest.

Oh... I wanted a ninja sword for "Kumo Yoru Zangetsu". I can't say that now. .......

I was relieved to see that the < that I got by defeating Ikaruga was also on the skill list, although the mark was gone. It must have taken me much longer than now to learn it after my level up.

You have to save up the skill points. I wonder if there are any quests to get skill points other than leveling up.　Let's look for some serious quests, shall we?

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

"Ugh!"

I came to see Ukon and almost fell into the underworld, forgetting my boundaries.

I spent yesterday getting bamboo shoots, ranked wild vegetables, buying Japanese cooking utensils, having a rabbit made out of candy craft, and having Momiji and Camilla compete for my lap at night, and today only Sakon and I are at the castle to see Ukon. Galahad and the others must be training to lose weight ...... against Ikaruga and Kate.

Are you okay?"

"I'd like to have room for at least one tatami mat. ......"

Please don't open the sliding door and find a hole.

The room Ukon is in is the border between the yin world and the yang world - the world of demons and the world of humans, a pitch-black hole through which the yin world blows out into our world. To a normal person, the room looks like a tatami room, though the atmosphere is a bit (ah...) strange, with sealing charms and candles and so on. I can see it if I'm not careful thanks to the [Eye of Verus], and I almost fell in because I can pass through the boundary with the [Boundary Crosser of Heaven and Earth]. .......

"You're the only one who can pass through this ward."

A dismayed voice comes from the center of the room.

"Long time no see, Ukon."

"Ah, it's been a long time. I'm glad to see you're still the same.

"It was like you were dealing with something swollen before I got here, what was that?"

It was hard to tell if the woman in the white kosode and scarlet hakama was a miko or a courtesan, but the people I encountered along the way did not make eye contact with me. Even the tour guide was a bit intimidated, and this was without a mask in the castle.

"I don't have one."

Ukon covers his mouth with a fan and averts his gaze.

"The Lord of Thunder, you know."

"Last time was the last time, you know."

Amane and Sakon laugh bitterly. Amane was already in the room because she was working for Ukon.

"Ukon-sama is also stirring things up, and you are being misunderstood here.

"I can't deny that there are some things I can't deny. ......"

I'm afraid to ask how on earth I've been misunderstood. It seems that Koume also makes it a habit to come here to drop thunderbolts.

"I heard you're going to a hot spring?　I'm jealous."

Ukon, dressed in a white kosode and scarlet hakama, with his long black hair tied in a bun at the back of his head with a piece of washi paper and tied with an ornamental cord of the same scarlet color as the hakama, is seated on a stone holding down the Yin-Kai.

After the tea and sweets were served, the guests were dismissed and now there are only four in the room. The rich and refined sweetness of yokan goes well with the darker taste of gyokuro.

"Is it still impossible to leave the castle?"

"The first ward is for myself, the next is for this room, which is guarded by many priestesses, and the next is for the castle, which is guarded by each shrine."

Ukon counts on his fingers.

"If we can get out of the castle, we can transfer and go wherever we want for a short time. It's not easy to cross the wards, though you have allowed me to cross two of the ones I thought were the most difficult to cross.

Ukon laughs and says that thanks to you, he has been given a lot of freedom.

At first the Yin world had grown so large that he could not move from the stone, let alone this room, and was on the verge of breaking the boundary, but when I brought Kuzunoha back home, the Yin chi faded away and Ukon did not have to stay in this room for long. He usually spends his mornings, when the yang qi is increasing, strolling in the garden.

"Well, while you're here in Fuso, I'm glad that the big demons, including Lord Thunder, are quiet.

"Speaking of demons, can I go downstairs for a minute?"

In the Yin Realm?

"I wanted to recover the demons I defeated last time and get some more of the Fuyong Palace's Egreo oil."

He answers Amane's question by explaining his purpose.

"I don't care. If you kill enough of them, I might at least be able to soak in a hot spring."

Ukon jokingly gives his permission.

"Thank you."

We quickly crossed the boundary into the Yin Realm. Amane and Sakon, who cannot see the warding, must have looked as if they were sinking into the tatami mats.

"I wonder why you are so casual about going to the Yin-Kai."

"I feel like it's on the same level as going to a spa."

I feel a little defensive about the hot springs, though.

"Ukon-sama, it's more and more like this: ......"

The three of us are arguing about something, but I don't care. We've already explored this place.