On the way back, Lu Ze was contemplating how to resurrect the next person when he overheard some villagers talking.
"Did you hear? In a cave on Seirai Island, there are frequent beastly roars. Their faces are ferocious, with two horns on their heads, one of which is broken. Their entire bodies are scarlet, like devils."
"Really? Are you trying to trick me again! Who would go to Seirai Island? There's nothing there, it's barren. Even the villages there are abandoned. Who would go there for no reason?"
"I'm not lying. If I am, then my bull will break in half. This is what I heard from a frequent fisherman. Last time, he was forced to stop at Seirai Island because of a storm at sea. He saw such a scene. It's said there's also a shipwreck there. I don't know if it was the monster's doing."
Listening to their conversation, Lu Ze felt a bit confused. Scarlet body, two horns on its face… aren't those the characteristics of the Oni clan?
And one horn was broken? I remember Kuchiyose no Jutsu's horn was indeed broken, wasn't it? Not only that, but one arm was also severed. It was truly tragic.
If she hadn't been corroded by the Abyss, she wouldn't have ended up like this. It's just too pitiful.
But the problem is, Seirai Island is very far from Inazuma City. How did she manage to cross such a vast ocean and reach Seirai Island? It seems very strange, doesn't it? After all, how could someone who is mentally unstable cross such a long distance at sea to reach another island?
However, regardless of whether this news is true or false, it's worth investigating.
If it really is her, it would save me some points, and I could fulfill my promise. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?
He quickly stopped the two men and asked for the fisherman's location. After getting the precise location, he decided to go tomorrow.
After all, it's so late now, it would be impolite to go. He would absolutely not stay out overnight.
It's definitely not because his parents are strict. Why are there so many scars on my knees? Hmm, I think I can shoot you dead. What? You want to tell my wife…
Uh, I was wrong, big brother, I'm sorry!
As soon as he returned home, Lu Ze saw a hot pot on the table?
Good heavens, eating hot pot late at night? Wait, why are there skewers in it? Is it Oden or hot pot? You can't cook them together, can you?
"You're back, hurry up and sit down to eat. You're back just in time, it's almost all cooked."
Lu Ze, who had just returned, was forcibly pushed into a chair.
"Can I ask, is this Oden or hot pot?"
There were more than a dozen side dishes placed next to it. Some people even took noodles to cook in it. Hey! I'm talking to you! Kevin, I know you want to slurp noodles, but it doesn't have to be like this!
Spicy chicken flavored noodles, right?
"This is a game I learned about, called the 'Hot Pot Game.' Everyone brings one ingredient and puts it in to cook. So I asked everyone to buy something from the tourist attractions and put it in to cook, and that's how it turned out like this."
Raiden Mei said blankly, holding a skewer of fried tofu in her hand, eating as she spoke. It tasted quite good.
Uh… could this game have been learned at the Kamisato household? Wouldn't this way of eating cause diarrhea?
"Alright, you should eat quickly too. There's so much in the pot, we probably can't finish it all."
As she said that, she put a piece of mochi into his bowl. Lu Ze could only brace himself and pick up his chopsticks to eat. With one bite, the mochi inside had a filling that burst out. The sweet filling combined with the slightly spicy hot pot broth exploded in his mouth.
In a short while, although it was both spicy and sweet, the taste was actually quite average. It wasn't too bad, nor was it too good. It was a bit surprising.
He thought he would spit it out with the first bite.
"How is it? It tastes pretty good, right? This mochi was my choice."
Nodding, Lu Ze picked up his chopsticks and prepared to search in the pot for something that looked delicious.
How to put it? After searching through it, there were many unexpected things, such as sushi, takoyaki, grilled tofu, and seaweed sheets.
Well… as expected, I can't have too much hope.
Kiana next to him had a piece of cooked cake in her bowl. She poked it with her chopsticks. It didn't seem very good.
She had a feeling that she would definitely have diarrhea after eating this tonight, but since she had already picked it up, she had to force herself to eat it.
She took a small bite, and the cake mixed with the broth exploded in her small mouth. The sweetness of the cake, combined with the slight spiciness of the hot pot broth, could only be said that the combination of the two was not very pleasant.
Seeing everyone eating so happily, Raiden Mei also smiled gently and quietly grabbed Pardofelis, who was secretly stocking up.
"Pardo, what are you doing?"
"Ah, Mei-senpai! I… I'm not doing anything! Don't look at me like that, I'm scared."
"Good girl, put the things down and go back to your seat."
"Okay… Canned food, let's go! We've been caught red-handed, why are you still taking it?"
Mobius, sitting in her seat, quietly took a sip of wine. The green brew swirled in the glass. After drinking, she placed her hands on her cheeks and smiled faintly.
And the nearby Aponia, with one hand propping up her face, was thinking about something. She silently watched Lu Ze. After so many days of rest, he should be energetic by now, right?
Lu Ze, completely unaware, was probably in for another sleepless night.
"Lu Ze, do you want some tapioca milk?"
Aponia held a small bottle of tapioca milk and handed it to Lu Ze.
"Mhm! Thank you, Aponia. It's a bit spicy."
Opening the cap, he drank it down in one gulp.
The spiciness in his mouth was instantly diluted. After an unknown amount of time, the hot pot game also ended, as there were no ingredients left.
It was getting late. After a bath, he could go to sleep. Lu Ze returned to his room and did a simple brush of his teeth while bathing. After finishing everything, he lay directly on the bed.
Time passed bit by bit. Lu Ze tossed and turned, unable to sleep no matter what. He had felt a bit sleepy before returning, so why was he lying in bed with no sign of sleep?
"Forget it, maybe I ate too much tonight? Let's go out for some fresh air, take a walk, digest, and maybe I can fall asleep."
As soon as he opened the door, he was startled. Someone was standing at the door, quietly looking into his room.
"Hmm? Aponia, you're going to scare me to death! Is there something wrong? Standing at the door without a sound."
"I… I'm so hot… I want to… cool down."
After saying that, she pushed Lu Ze slightly and then quietly closed the door.
Not long before, Aponia had drunk the tapioca milk she had prepared. That bottle had problems, and she accidentally drank it herself. The bottle she gave to Lu Ze was fine.
Another sleepless night.