Do You Dare Let Me into Your Kitchen?

"Master Urokodaki just went out. He probably won't be back until evening."

The little girl looked calmly at Ye Chen, then continued softly, "What did you need him for?"

"Hmm... I see."

Ye Chen rested a hand on his chin and added, "I just have a few questions I'd like to ask him. I'm also hoping he can recommend me for the Final Selection."

"In that case, come inside and sit down, if you don't mind."

Upon hearing why Ye Chen had come, the girl smiled faintly and opened the wooden cabin's door, politely adding:

"My name is Makomo. What's yours?"

"Oh, my name is Yatsuka Nightstar. Just call me Ye Chen."

Ye Chen had been trying to figure out where he was in the timeline. The sudden question about his name caught him off guard for a moment before he answered.

Indeed, the girl before him was Makomo, who had appeared as a spirit in the original story. She was also one of Sakonji Urokodaki's disciples who had died during the Final Selection.

Even after thinking it over, Ye Chen still couldn't place the current timeline. Then his eyes lit up, and he asked Makomo:

"By the way, Miss Makomo, there's something I'd like to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Do you know Giyu Tomioka?"

Ye Chen sat down on a cushion. After a little thought, he brought up that name, hoping to use it to establish this world's timeline.

"Yes, I do."

Makomo knelt serenely opposite Ye Chen and continued, "He's my senior fellow disciple. He became a Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps not long ago."

"I see. That's really impressive."

Ye Chen smiled. He now had a rough idea of the date: probably a year or two before the original story began.

"Oh, right." Makomo's eyes flickered as she looked at Xiao Hua beside Ye Chen. She walked over, crouched in front of the cat, and asked curiously:

"Is this little kitty yours? It's even carrying a boomerang. How impressive!"

"Oh, this is Xiao Hua, my assistant."

Ye Chen rubbed his nose. To people in this world, a cat that could stand upright and fight was probably quite a novelty.

"It can stand up, too! How cute!"

Makomo's eyes sparkled. She reached out with a small hand, stroking Xiao Hua's head as she praised the cat.

"And you hardly ever see a cat this big."

Admittedly, the Palicos from Monster Hunter were fairly large, standing about fifty to sixty centimeters tall.

"Meow..."

The moment Makomo touched its head, Xiao Hua became thoroughly uncomfortable. Its fur bristled with tension as it eyed the girl warily.

Ye Chen was a little surprised, too. He hadn't expected Makomo to be a cat lover. He also patted Xiao Hua's paw as it reached toward the boomerang on its back, stopping its impulse to attack.

"Meow..."

Xiao Hua felt rather wronged. It didn't like strangers touching its head. Ye Chen occasionally petted it, too, but he was its master, after all, and he didn't keep squeezing and pinching it the way Makomo did.

Ye Chen then ignored Xiao Hua's aggrieved little gaze and chatted with Makomo to pass the time.

Although Makomo wasn't particularly fond of talking at length with strangers, she couldn't resist the soft fur beneath her hand and answered plenty of Ye Chen's questions.

"Oh my, it seems we have a guest?"

Soon, Ye Chen's gaze shifted as he noticed someone standing outside the door. The newcomer wore blue samurai clothes and a red mask and had white hair. Judging by his voice, he was clearly an elderly man.

"Master Urokodaki."

At the sight of him, Makomo quickly stood and bowed.

"Hmm... And this guest is...?"

The newcomer nodded and looked toward Ye Chen.

Ye Chen stood as well and gave him a polite, gentlemanly bow. "You must be Mr. Sakonji Urokodaki. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Yatsuka Nightstar."

Since Ye Chen's body came from a wealthy family, he knew quite a bit about such etiquette. Beside him, Makomo blinked her bright eyes, somewhat surprised by his gesture.

"Yes, a pleasure to meet you."

Sakonji Urokodaki didn't react much to Ye Chen's manners. As the former Water Hashira of the Demon Slayer Corps, what hadn't he seen?

"Then, Ye Chen, I take it you came here to ask something of me?"

"Yes."

Rather than beat around the bush, Ye Chen continued with a smile, "I came to ask you to recommend me for the Final Selection. There are also a few things I'd like to consult you about."

"Oh? I'm not taking disciples at the moment." Sakonji Urokodaki wasn't surprised by Ye Chen's answer.

"You don't need to take me as a disciple. I just want to stay here for a week and learn a few things."

Ye Chen wasn't surprised by his response, either. Because of what had happened during the Final Selection, Sakonji Urokodaki wouldn't readily accept disciples unless he had no other choice. Besides, Ye Chen had no intention of being bound by that status.

"Then why should I teach someone who has no connection to me?"

Ye Chen's words did surprise Sakonji Urokodaki somewhat. People had come seeking to become his disciples before, but wanting to learn without becoming a disciple was simply impossible. No one would teach a complete stranger.

"Fair enough. But of course, I came prepared to show my sincerity."

Ye Chen lowered his head in thought, then said, "While I'm staying here, I'll take care of all your meals. Leave the ingredients and the cooking to me."

"..." Not only Sakonji Urokodaki but even Makomo froze for a moment. They had expected Ye Chen to produce a bag of money or something else, not make such a bizarre offer.

"If you aren't satisfied, you can cancel!" Seeing their expressions, Ye Chen added this rather meekly.

There was no helping it. Ye Chen really didn't have anything that would sway the man, and he was a bit stingy, too. The good stuff in the Monster Hunter Shop was hard enough to get for himself; giving it away was out of the question. All he could do was buy the cook's notes and prepare to keep purchasing ingredients from the system. After all, he had a decent number of exchange points, and ingredients weren't expensive. With over three thousand points on hand, buying ingredients for a while would cost him no more than a hundred or two. The cook's notes cost 400 exchange points, but that was a lasting skill, something he would buy sooner or later anyway.

"Boy, I don't know why you'd say something like that, but I won't agree to those terms."

Sakonji Urokodaki shook his head again. Clearly, he wasn't going to agree to something so absurd.

"Uh, don't worry. I won't ask you to teach me secrets you can't share with outsiders, like Water Breathing. I only want some advice on combat and a few insights into Breathing Styles. Rest assured, I won't ask for your exclusive techniques."

Ye Chen rubbed his head, feeling a headache coming on.

"Hmm. Although your request isn't unreasonable, I have no intention of giving myself more work."

Sakonji Urokodaki still refused.

"Ugh, what a pain!" Ye Chen scratched his hair, then remembered a famous line from his previous life. He took a deep breath, his expression slowly turning serious, and said to Sakonji Urokodaki:

"Do you dare let me into your kitchen?"