Shinobu's heart tightened, and she instinctively took half a step back, stammering, "Wh-what are you trying to do? I'm warning you, my sister said..."
"Then let's have sukiyaki tonight!" Rokuya waved a hand, cutting off Shinobu's wild thoughts. "Put in extra beef! I want ten portions!"
"Takanashi Rokuno! Are you a pig?!"
Shinobu Kocho jumped up in exasperation, jabbing her finger hard into Rokuya's waist.
"Ow, ow, ow! I was joking! You really don't hold back, woman!"
"Drop dead! You gluttonous bastard!"
Their playful bickering echoed through the empty Butterfly Mansion, dispelling the sorrow of parting. The road ahead was still long, but at least in this little courtyard, there was still the warmth of having someone to lean on.
Night spread like thick ink through the Butterfly Mansion's courtyard, and the calls of early summer insects rose and fell among the wisteria branches and leaves. After her older sister Kanae left with Kanao, the once-lively Butterfly Mansion suddenly felt empty, so quiet that only the rustle of the evening breeze brushing past the wooden veranda remained.
In the kitchen, charcoal crackled softly in a small red-clay stove. Rich sauce bubbled in the iron pot, and thick slices of premium, distinctly marbled Wagyu gradually changed color in the dark brown broth, releasing a mouthwatering aroma of fat. Sections of green onion, shiitake mushrooms, shirataki noodles, and grilled tofu bobbed in the boiling broth.
"Hey, you..." Dressed in a loose yukata, Shinobu Kocho held a pair of long wooden chopsticks, fine beads of sweat seeping from her forehead as she glared irritably at the boy feasting across from her. "This is already the fifth pot! How long has it been since you last ate? Were you a starving ghost in your past life?!"
Takanashi Rokuno unceremoniously picked up a large piece