Xin Yu stirred the soup in the tall pot with the ladle in his hand. He scooped up so of the floating scum from the surface, checked the color of the broth, and nodded in satisfaction. He replaced the lid and turned the fla down slightly.
Putting the ladle away and untying his apron, Xin Yu stepped out into the living room. He saw Kiana and Bronya sitting on the sofa, ga controllers in hand, eyes glued to the TV screen as they played.
Xin Yu watched the two of them controlling two puppet-like ga characters—one yellow, one red, resembling upright rabbits—who seed to be working together to clear a stage.
"Idiot Kiana, if you hadn't been dragging down just now, the Bronya would have already reached the end."
"Hah? What do you an I was dragging you down? It was obviously you dragging down!"
A gentle smile ford on Xin Yu's face as he watched the two bicker while they played. They really did get along well.
Xin Yu then glanced over at Seele and Raiden i, who were chatting at the dining table. The two of them seed to be having a pleasant conversation. As for the specifics, Xin Yu didn't try to eavesdrop; it was possible they were discussing sothing private.
Just then, the doorbell rang. "Coming," Xin Yu called out as he walked to the door. Upon opening it, he saw Principal Theresa and Ms. Hiko, along with a particularly familiar gray-haired woman standing behind them.
"Sorry, we're a little late. We had so work matters to attend to, so we were held up. Oh, you probably haven't t her yet. Fu Hua only ca back recently, so you wouldn't have seen her when you were touring the school before."
Theresa stepped aside to reveal the person behind her, though it wasn't really necessary.
"This is Fu Hua. She's the class monitor for the class Kiana and the others are in, which is also the one you'll be joining."
"Hello, I'm Fu Hua. If you have any questions about your studies, feel free to ask anyti."
Xin Yu stared at Fu Hua, at her gray hair, her familiar face, and the familiar feeling she emanated. There was no mistaking it. This was the immortal who had taught him the Edge of Taixu, his master.
...So the fusion warrior Hua from tens of thousands of years ago is the sa master I studied under in the past... I thought she was just a parallel world counterpart. The feeling that Fu Hua gave off back then wasn't quite the sa, but this aura... it's identical...
Seeing Xin Yu staring blankly at Fu Hua, Hiko seed to misunderstand. She clapped him on the shoulder with a chuckle and said, "Young man, I know it's hard for boys your age to avoid staring at pretty girls, but you have a girlfriend, you know. Is it really appropriate to be staring so intently at another girl?"
Theresa was also a bit puzzled. The impression Xin Yu had given her wasn't that of soone who would gawk at a beautiful girl.
Fu Hua felt a bit strange. She had a feeling that the young man before her was incredibly familiar, yet she couldn't place him. And why was there a hint of reminiscence and respect in his eyes as he looked at her?
"My apologies, I was being rude. Class Monitor Fu Hua, you bear a striking resemblance to soone I once knew."
"Hey! Young man, even if you want to strike up a conversation, you could use a less ancient pick-up line," Hiko teased.
"She also had the sa gray hair, though her deanor was colder, her hair was longer, and she preferred to wear the traditional attire of Shenzhou."
"She was my master. She was the one who gave the ability to protect myself in this world, the one who taught the thods to beco stronger."
"It's just a sha that after that brief eting, we parted just as hastily. I never even had the chance to say a proper goodbye. I failed to do even a single thing a disciple should. I've always wanted to apologize to her, but we never t again. That's why I was a bit dazed when I saw you, Fu Hua, with a face so similar to my master's. My sincerest apologies."
The three won at the door looked at Xin Yu's sincere expression and, for the mont, accepted his explanation.
Theresa and Hiko believed him based on their perception of the young man; he just didn't seem like that kind of person.
Fu Hua, on the other hand, found that as he spoke, his gaze triggered so vague mories within her. In a fleeting, illusory fragnt of mory, she saw the youth before her. Only, in that mory, he had stark white hair and a pair of crimson eyes, and his entire being seed frail and sickly.
Not at all like the healthy young man he was now.
Fu Hua pushed the image that had inexplicably appeared out of her mind. Why would she suddenly have such a vision? Could it be that he really was connected to her, or perhaps to the master he spoke of?
Xin Yu invited the three of them into the house, then once again tied on his apron to tend to the food in the kitchen.
Raiden i had actually offered to help earlier, but Xin Yu had asked her not to, explaining that since it was his first day, he should be the one to treat everyone. Besides, he wanted to see how his current culinary skills held up and needed everyone to help critique them.
---o---
"Kiana, have you finished your howork?"
"Auntie! It's Saturday! I'll do it tomorrow, don't you worry!"
"Let make this clear, I'm not letting you off the hook this ti. If you hand in a copied assignnt again, or one that's just randomly filled in, and I get a complaint from a teacher, you can forget about playing video gas ever again!"
"I know, I know! Wasn't that just because I wasn't taking my studies seriously before? I'll be serious now!"
"You'd better be. Don't be the one held back for poor grades when Xin Yu and the others graduate."
"No way! That was only because I wasn't studying seriously before, so my grades were bad. Now that I'm serious, getting a high score will be a piece of cake!"
"Let's hope so."
"Xin Yu! Do you have any wine in your fridge?"
"Ms. Hiko, drinking isn't good for your health. I haven't stocked any alcohol. If you'd like sothing, there's so juice and soda in the fridge."
"Fine. It's not a good night for drinking anyway. I'll have so soda then."
Xin Yu carried out a large tureen containing the yam and bone soup he had been simring and placed it on the dining table.
It was a very ordinary soup. There was nothing special about it, no unique ingredients added. It was just a simple, common soup made with bones and yam.
But... it was the soup Xin Yu rembered liking the most.
And yet, he couldn't even recall why he liked it. If it was purely about taste, there were many soups more delicious than this one. But for so reason, he was partial to this simple, ordinary soup.
...Because, that was the soup ■■ made.
Xin Yu felt a strange itch in his ear, as if a voice had just whispered sothing beside him, but he hadn't heard a thing.
Shaking off the inexplicable feeling that had just surfaced, Xin Yu smiled at everyone in the living room and announced.
"Everyone, dinner is served."
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