Chapter 557: Chapter 368: Who is the Main Character_2
"...No need." Uesugi Sakura said, taking off the Hook Jade pendant from his chest, "Master, do you recognize this?"
"What?"
Sakihara Yishin caught the pendant handed to him with one hand, took off his sunglasses, and examined it closely.
"Where did you get this?"
"My grandmother gave it to me."
"Your grandmother?" Sakihara Yishin suddenly seemed like a different person, sitting up from his chair to look at him.
"Is there something wrong with this Hook Jade?" Uesugi Sakura noticed a bit of doubt in his eyes.
"There’s nothing wrong with the Hook Jade..." Sakihara Yishin held the Hook Jade in his palm, carefully examined Uesugi’s face, then put on his slippers and said, "I need to check something to confirm, come find me tomorrow."
His hurried back disappeared along the path in the courtyard.
Uesugi Sakura glanced at the task.
Not completed.
Could it be that the cheap master ran off with his Hook Jade?
After all, that thing is worth a few hundred thousand yen.
...
Uesugi Sakura walked around the courtyard, and he couldn’t deny that the Sakihara family was indeed large.
In the past, this could very likely have been the residence of a noble lord.
Halfway through wandering, he saw Sakihara Shion feeding the koi, with Hanamaru Hanabi also there, and Uncle Sakihara’s Akita dog wagging its tail around the two girls.
Today, Hanamaru Hanabi went out with him, having an appointment with Miss Sakihara to discuss cooking.
Could cooking be interesting?
Even so, without a doubt, being with beautiful girls makes anything interesting.
"Have you met with father?"
"Yes, I have."
Hanamaru Hanabi sprinkled a handful of fish feed into the pond, causing the koi to surface, creating many overlapping circular ripples on the water surface. The Akita wagged its tail, paws stopping on the green grass by the pond, sniffing the water surface continuously with its nose.
"Didn’t you say you had questions for Mr. Sakihara?"
"I did, but he said he’ll give me an answer tomorrow."
Uesugi Sakura crouched beside the Akita, stroking its fur: "As you can see, I’m currently free, can you include me in your cooking efforts?"
"Sakura, you could practice swordsmanship."
"The senior brothers aren’t in the dojo, the Vice Master won’t spar with me, can’t find anyone to practice with."
Miss Sakihara: "Do you want to learn cooking with us, Sakura?"
"Just as a helper. Cooking is too dangerous for me."
"Dangerous?" Sakihara Shion couldn’t understand what he meant.
Uesugi Sakura stroked the Akita’s head, "It’s very dangerous, right?"
The Akita wagged its tail wildly, barking furiously at the koi in the river:
"Woof woof!"
...
So, Uesugi Sakura followed the two into the kitchen.
The number of people coming to the dojo varied each day.
Bushin Hall also prepared lunch for the disciples, and Miss Sakihara’s daily work was to help everyone with cooking.
With her beautiful appearance and gentle demeanor, Miss Sakihara also managed everyone’s lunch, being the daughter of the Master, she was undoubtedly loved by all.
According to Uesugi Sakura’s observations, whenever Sakihara Shion appeared in the dojo, the disciples would sneak glances at her.
Inadvertently, everyone gained a deeper motivation.
To obtain the license from Sakihara Yishin, win the favor of Miss Sakihara, and reach the pinnacle of life.
The imagination is beautiful, but reality is harsh.
They can’t even compete with the senior brothers, let alone obtain the One-Mind One-Sword Style license.
Uesugi Sakura put on gloves and a white apron, kneading dough in the traditional Japanese kitchen.
The diligent helper didn’t know what they were going to eat today.
"What are we eating today?"
"Pan-fried dumplings."
"Japanese pan-fried dumplings?"
"Yes."
Hanamaru Hanabi was chopping the pork into minced meat with a knife.
The knife skills are impressive.
Uesugi Sakura glanced at the cold gleam on the back of the knife and thought.
Japanese dumplings and Chinese dumplings are essentially the same; dumplings can be filled with anything, and depending on the region, side dishes and ingredients vary, so it’s hard to pinpoint fundamental differences between the two.
If there’s one difference.
It’s that Japanese dumplings are mostly pan-fried, with boiling or steaming being rare, almost nonexistent.
The process of making pan-fried dumplings includes chopping meat, kneading dough, cutting vegetables, stuffing, and frying.
Sakihara Shion seemed to have some unique insights on the filling, discussing and experimenting step by step with Hanamaru Hanabi.
While the two girls chatted, Uesugi, the guy kneading dough, was completely sidelined.
Isn’t this becoming a mere tool?
He came to help intending to chat with the two, helping was just a pretext.
Uesugi couldn’t contribute to the discussion on filling, but when it came to wrapping dumplings, he astonished the two.
"Sakura, you’re wrapping dumplings so quickly."
"Eh, just average."
Miss Sakihara glanced at him and asked: "Didn’t you say you can’t cook?"
Uesugi Sakura explained: "I can’t cook, but I can wrap dumplings."
Miss Sakihara looked at the dumplings placed on the plate, truly amazed.
How could someone make each dumpling nearly the same size, and it seems even the stuffing was evenly distributed.
Just serving pan-fried dumplings would definitely not suffice for everyone’s lunch.
They had to prepare the staple food, soup, and dessert as well.
Even with Uesugi Sakura’s help, it was close to 11 AM when they finished, taking almost 2 hours.
"We’re much faster today, I’ll go call everyone for lunch." Miss Sakihara smiled at the two.
———————
"Imamura, Imamura, Senior Sister is here." Imamura Shigeru nudged the arm of the person standing beside him.
"Hmm."
What’s the rush?
Imamura was still recalling the techniques demonstrated by the Vice Master today: He had seen it once, was it just about swiping the opponent’s hand when they attack? Could this even be considered a technique?
He could perfectly apply it in actual combat without even practicing, easily crushing his peers with these techniques.
But Imamura wasn’t planning to do so now; masters must remain low-key. Only through subtle displays of prowess can one’s strength and mystery be conveyed.
However, in front of Sakihara Shion, he felt it was necessary to show some of his skills.
Maybe in the future, if he’s in a good mood, she might become his girlfriend.
Revealing strength earlier could give a sense of security to beautiful girls, making them depend on him.
But how should he show his strength now?
While Imamura was lost in thought, Imamura Shigeru snapped him out of it.
"Imamura, it’s time to eat, what are you daydreaming about?"
"Daydreaming?" Imamura looked up, realizing the only two people left were chatting and laughing while leaving. Their backs disappeared from view, leaving the dojo empty.
"Where’s Miss Sakihara?"
"She already led everyone away. Even if you secretly like her, you don’t need to get lost in thought like this."
"What do you know." Imamura said lightly.
"Let’s go, time to eat." Imamura Shigeru, not catching the calmness in his words, thought he was speaking quite normally.
As they followed the eaves of the Japanese house to the living room, Imamura noticed the cute girl whose name he didn’t know was also there.
"What’s her name?" Imamura turned his head and asked Imamura Shigeru.
"Huh?"
"That short-haired girl, she looks really cute."
Imamura Shigeru looked at him suspiciously: "Imamura, don’t tell me you’ve got your eyes on another one?"
Hmph, you don’t understand, it’s about making the other party fancy me.
Imamura didn’t finish his sentence, this made him appear very elegant, "You don’t understand."
"Imamura, she’s Senior Brother Uesugi’s girlfriend,"
"Senior Brother Uesugi? Is he strong?"
Imamura Shigeru saw Uesugi Sakura ahead and whispered to him: "Senior Brother Uesugi is really impressive, he’ll represent our Kantou Region in the national Sword Dao competition this year."
Competing in the national Sword Dao competition?
He’s somewhat skilled, I’ll give him that.
Imamura reluctantly acknowledged him in his mind.
Imamura could even imagine Uesugi challenging him and then easily being crushed by him, leaving with a face full of defiant frustration.
Merely mediocre.
"What’s his name?"
"Senior Brother Uesugi? His name seems to be... Uesugi Sakura."
Imamura glanced again at the beautiful girl next to Uesugi Sakura. She was smiling, her face was bright and cute, and Imamura felt he had laid his eyes on the right person today. To leave a remarkably good impression on this extremely beautiful girl who moved his heart, he decided to approach her for an introduction.
Imamura Shigeru looked puzzled at Imamura’s back.
Getting a bit closer, Imamura used the corner of his eye to observe this cute beauty; her every move and smile made his heart race. Perhaps, in the future, she would become his girlfriend.
As for now...
Imamura decided to first showcase his identity and prowess as a swordsmanship genius to her current boyfriend.
"Uesugi Sakura, who would’ve thought we’d meet under such circumstances. Heh, should I call it fate?" Imamura said lightly.
"Who are you?" Uesugi Sakura glanced at him, not recognizing him.