"I will keep you safe."
Having figured out her mission, Bai Xue nodded softly. She drew a clear line in her mind between an employer and a master: protect her employer's safety, quietly complete her master's task, and attend to her employer's feelings.
"Then I'll be troubling you."
Hoshino held out her hand. Out of courtesy, Bai Xue shook it, holding on far longer than a normal handshake.
"But I don't need anyone guarding my safety. I hope you can do some other work..."
"What?"
Hoshino lowered her hand and lightly ran a finger across the giant shuriken. Having identified the true requirement for unlocking Yae Kasumi, she began considering how to make Bai Xue put down her weapon so she could perform some complicated tasks.
What kind of task required both hands and constant attention?
Hoshino stared at Bai Xue's soft, pale, delicate hands. For a ninja, Bai Xue's hands were far too fair and tender.
"I want to eat."
"?"
"The kitchen is right in the back. I'm craving Higashi cuisine. Can you make it?"
"?"
Bai Xue was actually fairly skilled in the kitchen. It was just that Princess Wen Yue was even better. She had learned many Cantonese cooking techniques for Wei Yenwu's sake, though she did not know whether she could still make Higashi dishes.
"Yes."
"We may need a few ingredients. Wait here, I'll go out and buy them."
"I'll go."
Bai Xue rose to her feet, looking utterly practiced. A true ninja had to be impeccable even at housekeeping.
"The weapon..."
With a shopping bag and pocket money in hand, she naturally could not keep holding the giant shuriken. After a brief thought, Bai Xue propped the shuriken against the shrine wall and headed away from the shrine, step by step, toward Lungmen's