Making Breakfast Bento / Too Much Salt

Even Yotsuya Miko was surprised by its actions, but her hand seals shattered the lava into countless fragments with perfect precision. As for the arrow that the Red Python had transformed into, she dodged it by sidestepping and followed up with another spell.

"It's not bad, but it's too slow and not enough."

The spell once again fixed the Red Python in place, along with the shape of the arrow.

Thus, this being created by spirituality finally realized the enormous difference between itself and Yotsuya Miko, and couldn't help but let out mournful cries.

These cries of agony were of no use to Miko. She used the wound from before to let out a lot of blood again, mixed with her Spiritual Sense, and injected it into the body of this Hellfire Creature.

In this way, even if it has the will to resist, it will be unable to take the corresponding action.

"It's time to return to the banner; our strength is still quite weak and needs further refinement."

As she spoke, she had already grasped the Xuan Ming Hellfire Banner in her hand and put the creature back inside. However, the ferocious python on the banner's surface had lost its arrogant expression and was now only emitting a silent wail.

She retrieved the Red Python and looked towards the crater. A thought flickered in her mind, and a white light flashed from the crater, instantly bringing an item into her palm.

Yotsuya Miko put the banner into her shoulder bag, then walked through the air to her younger brother, who had been watching the show for a long time, and handed him the item.

"This is?"

As Yotsuya Kyosuke stared intently at the object, he felt its warmth in his palm. Looking down, he saw a small, square object that resembled an amulet.

"Make sure you wear this amulet carefully."

Patting Kyosuke's little head, Yotsuya Miko didn't say much more on the topic.

"We've been busy for so long, it's time for us to go back."

"... No, rather, it wasn't that we were busy for very long at all?"

"Well, it's almost dawn."

Miko had already activated his Falcon Spirit Wind Control Incantation, he rose up beneath his feet at an extremely fast speed, even faster than when he was standing.

Before Yotsuya Kyosuke could ask any more questions, he realized that the scenery around him was rushing past him at a speed that made him completely unable to see clearly. After looking at it for a while, he even felt dizzy and his head was spinning. By the time he recovered, a pair of hands had already lifted him up and carried him inside the window, landing him on the ground.

"Alright, you should go to sleep now."

She yawned, changed back into her slippers, picked up her own shoes, and headed out the door, intending to catch up on some sleep.

After Artifact Refining, she felt unusually tired, having overused her Spiritual Sense somewhat.

"..."

The door was gently closed, as was the window. Fully clothed, Yotsuya Kyosuke glanced at the still-warm amulet in his hand, unsure what to say.

He could only sit on the edge of the bed for a while, recalling this strange experience, and finally looked exhausted. He took off his clothes and shoes, curled up in the quilt and fell asleep, but he was clutching the amulet that Miko had given him in his hand as he slept.

As for Miko, who returned to her room, she took off her coat, touched her chest for a while, and then climbed into bed.

It's rare for me to get a good night's sleep.

Chapter 269 Making Bento in the Morning

Good morning, Kyosuke.

When Kyosuke struggled to open his eyes, he was startled to see his older sister standing beside his bed, and then felt a sense of unease.

Previously, he was always the one who woke Miko up.

Good morning, sister.

Rubbing his eyes, he still felt a wave of fatigue. He could barely keep his eyes open, and if he closed them, he would immediately fall back asleep.

Last night, I went out late at night to accompany Miko in refining Magic Treasure, which resulted in him losing several hours of sleep. For a child of this age, the fatigue caused by lack of sleep is very noticeable in his body.

Looking at his younger brother, who was still dazed and drowsy, sitting up on the bed with his head sometimes lowering and sometimes raising, Miko shook his head and gently patted his shoulder with his right hand, sending a spell into his body through his right hand.

The technique worked quickly. Yotsuya Kyosuke blinked, and his fatigue vanished, his spirits lifted.

"Well, I told you not to stay up late."

Miko stood up and straightened the apron she was wearing over her clothes. Now that she had woken up Yotsuya Kyosuke, she should go back and make the lunchboxes again.

"If you're awake, hurry up and brush your teeth and wash your face, or you'll be late."

"I see."

Kyosuke answered, watching Miko walk away, feeling quite envious of her abilities.

He still remembers the events of last night very clearly: the two sets of clothes and flags he had crafted, and the amulet his sister had given him.

"This is also a divine artifact, right?"

He groped around on the bed and quickly found the amulet that Yotsuya Miko had given him beside him. After seeing that scene, he had many fantasies about this small amulet.

But if Yotsuya Miko hadn't told him, he wouldn't have known how to use the amulet at all. But since it was an amulet, he figured as long as he wore it tightly, it would be fine, right?

Get out of bed, put the amulet in a small cloth bag, tie it with a rope, and hang it around your neck. Because the amulet is so small, it won't put much pressure on you even when hanging around your neck, and this is the least likely way to lose it.

After hanging up, he got dressed, left the room, and went to the bathroom to wash up.

On the other side, Yotsuya Touko is instructing Miko on how to make a bento box.

Is that all?

Yotsuya Miko wiped the water off her hands with her apron and looked at the three bento boxes that had been packed in front of her.

As her mother got up to prepare breakfast for the three of them, Yotsuya Miko inquired about the bento box making process.

"That's good, in fact, it's excellent."

The mother, standing to the side, nodded in agreement, somewhat incredulous that Miko was making food in the kitchen for the first time.

Despite it being her first time making lunchboxes, her handling of ingredients and use of kitchen utensils were anything but clumsy for a beginner. She basically gave a few simple instructions, and the three lunchboxes were ready in no time, a truly astonishing speed.

Looking at the three bento boxes, especially the largest one, Yotsuya Touko was at a loss for words.

She has absolutely no intention of getting involved in her daughter's emotional affairs anymore. Judging from these three bento boxes, she has already handled it gracefully.

"Are you sure everything's okay? Miko?"

"Question?"

Yotsuya Miko packed the three bento boxes, and just one glance at her mother told her what she was worried about.

"Ah... actually, I don't know either. It's more like it's a real headache."

With a sigh, Miko was undoubtedly a complete novice when it came to matters of the heart.

"But this has already happened, so we can't just leave it here and do nothing, can we? After all, I am a god, not someone who is powerless to do anything."

"That's true..."

Yotsuya Touko nodded, then looked at Miko, who wasn't avoiding her emotions but taking them seriously, and pondered for a moment.

"Um, do you need me to teach you how to make miso soup and chocolate? I have some experience with these, which will come in handy later."

"That's quite a change, Mom."

Miko waved his hand.

"Let's talk about this later. The year is almost over, and it's good to maintain things as they are now. If it really comes to that... we'll talk about it then."

Such an unusual relationship is indeed difficult for most people to accept.

The Yotsuya family could accept it, but what about Yuria's parents, Hana's parents, their relatives and friends, and all the extended families who had dealings with the three of them? These questions were troublesome and could not be ignored.

"... That's true."

Yotsuya Touko quickly realized the problems Miko would face, sighed, and said nothing more.

All I can do as a mother is wish you well.

"That's already very good."

The conversation ended there, faced with a heavy emotional issue.

After washing up, Yotsuya Kyosuke sat down at the table and silently ate his breakfast. He had a lot to say to his sister about what happened last night, but with his mother still there, he had to keep it all to himself and looked forward to going to school.

Once he starts school, he can tell his friends about the fantastical adventure he experienced the night before. Such a thing will surely seem unbelievable to his friends, earning him many admiring glances.

Thinking this way, he enjoyed his breakfast very much, without the gloom that Yotsuya Miko and Yotsuya Touko felt.

"I'm stuffed!"

"I'm stuffed."

Breakfast ended in silence, and it was time to go to school.

The siblings slung their backpacks over their shoulders and headed out the door, while Yotsuya Touko cleared the tableware from the table and took it to the kitchen to wash.

Her work starts a little later than her children's school start time, but not by much.

While washing the dishes, I also washed the kitchen utensils used for cooking, and put the salt and MSG back in their original places.

Breakfast was secondary today; the main thing was the three bento boxes that Yotsuya Miko had made, as they had used up quite a bit of ingredients. She was wondering if she should go to the market to buy some more to make up for it, wondering if the girl was planning to make bento boxes every day.

"But Miko is really amazing."

Yotsuya Touko muttered to herself, feeling a surge of emotions as she thought about how the child had personally prepared these bento boxes that morning.

"Moreover... it possesses miraculous powers, truly like a god."

As I was tidying up, I suddenly paused when I picked up the salt.

"Is it almost used up?"

The small bottle containing salt was almost empty.

Looks like I need to buy a bag.

Many fellow authors have bluntly stated that the combination of characters in this book was flawed from the start; any "youthful slice-of-life yuri" or "male protagonist harem yaoi" story would have garnered far more popularity. However, I didn't think that much about it when I first started writing. I simply found Miko interesting and wanted her to continue with her precious personality, which is why I wrote this. Besides, other Miko fanfics already included these elements, so the author didn't need to write more. The subscription situation is so-so, neither particularly good nor bad, relying entirely on consistent attendance.

So the author isn't actually sure if they can finish writing it, but saying that too much would be too pretentious. I've said this in every volume, but I've still written three. So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, I will continue writing, even if there's no one left to write and no one to talk to anymore.

Chapter 270 Too Much Salt

Lunchtime, the Yotsuya Miko made by Yotsuya Miko that I was looking forward to, is in big trouble.

"It's so salty..."

Hua frowned after taking only one bite.

"Miko, did you put in too much salt?"

"Too much?"

Yotsuya Miko gave her a puzzled look, then picked up a piece of food from her own lunchbox and put it in her mouth to chew.

"Satisfying the taste... doesn't really seem like it, does it?"

When making it, she tasted it herself and found it to be just right, not too salty or bland, and not at all as salty as Yurikawa Hana had described.

"Yuria, what do you think?"

Yuria didn't speak, but just ate silently, and soon she frowned just like Hua.

"It was really salty, to the point that I couldn't eat it."

There was no need to consider Yulia's feelings in front of Miko, since she wouldn't feel guilty or sad over such a trivial matter. So Yuria spoke her mind quite frankly, even finding it perfectly normal.

"The bento box is very well made, only the taste is a little off. For Miko like you who's just starting to learn to cook, it's already quite good. Just pay more attention to the seasonings, and it'll be perfect." (Yi Lingyi Qi Yan Jiu Si - Ba)

"... Is that so?"

Yotsuya Miko stared silently at the bento box in her hands, lowering her head as if she had suffered a great blow.

Seeing this, Yuria suddenly realized that she might have been a bit too harsh. Just as she was about to add a few words of comfort Miko had raised her head.

"It's okay, I'll definitely do better next time. Consider this a lesson learned."

In the instant she looked down, she found a trick in her mind to solve the problem of food being too salty, and then she used this trick on the bento boxes in their hands.

"There shouldn't be any problems now; I've removed most of the saltiness."

As soon as he finished speaking, Hua picked up another piece of meat and started eating. This time, he didn't show any signs of distress; instead, his eyes lit up.

"Really?! Miko, your abilities are truly amazing! You can even easily remove the saltiness from food?"

"Well, it's not that this kind of thing is simple."

Yotsuya Miko continued eating her bento, feeling no pride in her ability, as there was really nothing to be proud of.