The Everyday Warmth of Hachinosu

The fire in the kitchen was lit. Ginny squatted in front of the stove, struck the flint twice, and a wisp of white smoke rose from the tinder. She stuffed the tinder into the pile of firewood, and the flames slowly climbed along the edge of the wood, pausing for a moment when they touched a thick branch, before continuing to spread upwards. A thin layer of smoke formed above the stove, spreading along the edge of the ceiling, and the air began to smell of food.

She stood up, washed her hands in the basin of water. The water was cold. She shook off the water droplets, picked up the cleaver, and began to chop. The sound on the cutting board was continuous and even, the rhythm neither too fast nor too slow, like a habitual action.

Lin Yuan sat at the table, looking towards the stove. The cup of iced tea had been pushed to the corner of the table and hadn't been touched. He heard the door open, and Kuma came in. He entered through the side door, carrying a bowl of washed vegetables, placed it by the stove, and then stepped back to stand against the wall. Ginny didn't look up, but her voice came from the stove. "Just leave it there, we'll use it later."

Kuma didn't leave immediately; he stood there for a while. Ginny turned and glanced at him. "What are you standing there for? Sit down."

Kuma sat down beside her. The chair made a soft creak as it bore the weight, like a slight protest from the wooden structure against the unfamiliar load. He didn't speak or make any unnecessary movements; he simply sat there, his hands on his knees, palms down, looking towards the stove, his gaze fixed on the flames, moving steadily with their flickering movement.

After a while, Kaido walked in through the door. He paused at the threshold, his Iron Club gone, the old wound on his shoulder scabbed over, and he wore his black coat, the edge of the newly applied bandage peeking out from the hem. He didn't come in, but simply stood in the doorway. "Is there enough seating in the kitchen?"

Ginny, without turning her head, said, "The table is big enough."

Kaido walked in and sat down opposite Lin Yuan, the chair creaking open again. He didn't speak after sitting down, but leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping across the table, the stove, and the kitchen window, as if confirming that the building, just as it had been when he left, hadn't lost anything in the war. He looked for a few seconds, then leaned back, pressing his weight completely against the chair. "I didn't eat enough in Mary Geoise."

Ginny: "You fought a whole war, and your last sentence is 'I haven't eaten enough'?"

Kaido: "We fought the Five Elders on an empty stomach, and the ship on the way back had no decent supplies. The rations on board weren't even enough to fill a gap in our stomachs. I should have robbed them of a few boxes of supplies before leaving."

"What were you grabbing just now? Didn't you come straight back from Mary Geoise?"

On the way back, we passed a small island with only coconut trees and wild boars. The wild boars ran faster than me.

Ginny didn't turn around. "Then you can eat it now."

She placed a bowl on the table. It was a bowl of soup, with oil floating on the surface, and steam rising from the rim, forming a thin layer of mist in the morning light. She placed the bowl in front of Lin Yuan, then the second bowl in front of Kaido, the third bowl in front of Kuma, the fourth bowl in the spot where King had just sat down, and the fifth bowl in front of Huijin.

Kaido picked up the bowl and took a sip. "Hot."

Ginny: "Then let it cool down before drinking it."

Kaido didn't wait; he took another sip.

After a while, Jin took a sip from his bowl, put it down, looked up, and asked, "When will the next round of the Federation meeting in Mary Geoise begin?"

Lin Yuan: "Next year, on Hachinosu. Representatives from all sides will attend the meeting."

Jin didn't ask any more questions and continued drinking his soup.

Huijin sat next to Jhin, drinking her soup silently, though slower than Jhin. Her gaze lingered on Ginny's apron for a moment before she suddenly spoke, "Ginny, do you still stand by what you said about learning to cook?"

Ginny was squatting in front of the stove. "Mathematics, what do you want to learn?"

"The soup you just made."

"I'll teach you next time."

Huijin lowered his head, took a sip of soup, and said nothing more.

Moria peeked in through the doorway, cradling his shadow in his arms. The shadow curled up like a black cat. Inazuma stood behind him, scissors tucked into his waistband, not drawn. Moria glanced at the people in the kitchen. "Is there any room left?"

"Yes," Ginny said. "Move your own chair."

Moria moved a chair and sat at the end of the table. His shadow stretched out on his legs, from a ball to a long, thin line. Inazuma sat down beside him, without moving a chair, directly on the floor next to Moria, his back against the wall. Moria glanced down at him. "What are you doing sitting on the floor?"

"It's cool on the ground."

"The kitchen isn't hot."

"It's cool."

Moria didn't press the matter, turning back to continue drinking his soup. He pulled the shadow closer, giving Inazuma more room to sit. Inazuma didn't say anything more either; his scissors lay on his lap, unworn and unpicked.

Lin Yuan sat at the table, his bowl empty. He held the empty bowl, neither putting it down nor adding a second one. He looked at the people opposite him, at each person seated according to their status and position, as if confirming that they were all present. After a long while, he spoke softly, "Everyone's alright."

Kaido put down the empty bowl. "What could possibly happen to me? Not dying means I'm fine."

Bullet leaned against the doorframe. "Your injuries haven't healed yet."

"We'll raise him again when we return to Wano Country."

"You can raise it now; there are people in Wano Country who can cure it."

Kaido didn't argue. He picked up the bowl, finished the last sip of soup, then stood up, carried the empty bowl to the stove, placed it in the sink, and turned back to the door. "I'm going to sleep now."

He walked to the door and stopped. "What are we having for dinner?"

Ginny: "I don't know yet. I'll let you know once I start."

Kaido grunted in agreement and walked out of the kitchen.

Lin Yuan sat at the table, put down the empty bowl, but did not get up. The light on the sea outside the window was changing from morning white to afternoon white. Sunlight streamed through the Castle windows, falling on the tabletop and the rim of the empty bowl, forming a thin arc of light on the inside of the rim. The arc of light moved slowly along the rim of the bowl, shortening as it reached the opposite side, then falling on the edge of the tabletop, and finally disappearing into the wood grain of the tabletop.

The sea breeze blew in through the window, carrying the salty, fishy smell, the unique coolness of a morning on the island, and the lingering aroma of cooking from the kitchen.

(End of Chapter 125)