Chapter 68: He Really Wanted to Win So Badly
Tatsu looked at the girl before him, feeling as though the noisy crowds and the bustling street scene had faded into the background at that very moment, leaving only the gentle smile on her lips in his entire world.
"Beautiful... very beautiful."
Tatsu murmured.
Watching Tatsu's stunned expression, Kanae couldn't help but let out a silvery, bell-like laugh.
She extended a slender finger and gently tapped Tatsu on the forehead:
"Tatsu is truly a gentle person. Thank you, I will cherish this gift."
The word "gentle" was the ultimate irony for a demon.
Yet, coming from Kanae, it sounded so natural, so matter-of-fact.
She could always see through his demonic exterior to the remnant of human innocence deep within his heart.
This was why Tatsu was hopelessly drawn to her, willing to suppress all his bloodthirsty instincts.
As the two walked across a wooden bridge, an enticing aroma of food wafted toward them.
Ahead stood a row of small stalls selling three-colored dango and kitsune udon.
"Gurgle—"
A highly discordant sound suddenly rang out.
Tatsu's body stiffened once again.
Because he had been in a state of high Spiritual concentration all evening, his stomach had betrayed him and rumbled.
Tatsu wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into, or simply dig a hole and bury himself.
He, a dignified demon who made normal humans tremble in fear, had actually had his stomach growl in front of the girl he loved.
Kanae was stunned for a moment, then she covered her mouth with her sleeve and let out an irrepressible giggle.
"It seems our gentle Mr. Tatsu is hungry."
Kanae's eyes curved into crescents, her tone laced with a hint of teasing.
"I... I'm not hungry, this is just..."
Tatsu tried to deflect, but a suspicious flush had already appeared on his pale face.
"Alright, alright, I happen to be a little hungry myself. Let's go get something to eat."
Kanae took Tatsu by the wrist without further ado and led him toward the stall selling three-colored dango.
Kanae walked up to the stall, skillfully pulled out an exquisite money pouch embroidered with wisteria patterns, and said to the owner with great generosity:
"Owner, two servings of three-colored dango, and two bowls of kitsune udon, please. Add an extra portion of fried tofu to the udon."
"Coming right up!"
The owner enthusiastically gestured for them to sit down.
Tatsu sat on the long wooden bench, watching Kanae's back as she paid, a complex mix of emotions swirling in his heart.
This feeling of "being kept by a girl" made him, a traditional male (though he was now a demon), feel quite frustrated.
Yet, at the same time, he felt a strange sweetness, because when Kanae did all this, it was so natural, so matter-of-fact; she did not see the financial disparity between them as an obstacle at all.
Soon, the piping hot udon and the brightly colored three-colored dango were served.
Tatsu looked at the steaming udon before him and took a deep breath.
For most demons, human food tastes like chewing wax and can even induce strong nausea.
But Tatsu was different; he could taste the flavor of food.
However, when he picked up his chopsticks and brought a mouthful of noodles to his mouth, he froze.
The delicious broth spread through his mouth, the noodles were firm and smooth, and the fried tofu was soaked with broth, leaving a lingering fragrance with every bite.
How could it... be this delicious?
Tatsu took another large bite in disbelief.
He discovered that this bowl of ordinary kitsune udon was a hundred times more delicious than any delicacy he had eaten in his memories as a human.
He looked up at Kanae, who was sitting opposite him.
Kanae was eating her noodles in small bites, and because of the heat, a faint blush had risen on her cheeks, making her look incredibly alluring.
Sensing Tatsu's gaze, she looked up and smiled sweetly at him:
"What's wrong? Is it not to your taste?"
"No... it's delicious."
Tatsu blurted out.
He finally understood.
The food had become so delicious not because of the chef's superior skills, but because the person sitting opposite him, eating this bowl of noodles with him, was Kanae Kocho.
Because she was there, he felt he was not just a monster struggling to survive in the darkness, but a person truly living in this world, capable of savoring the joys and sorrows of life.
After finishing the udon, Kanae picked up the skewer of three-colored dango.
She bit off the pink dango at the top, chewed it carefully, and a look of satisfaction appeared on her face.
Watching the bit of glistening syrup on her rosy lips, Tatsu's Adam's apple involuntarily bobbed up and down.
He quickly averted his gaze.
Just then, a skewer of three-colored dango was suddenly held out to his mouth.
Startled, Tatsu turned back to see Kanae offering him the dango she had already eaten one from, her eyes sparkling with a mischievous light.
"Ah—"
Kanae opened her mouth, forming the shape for feeding him, signaling Tatsu to open his mouth.
This was an extremely intimate gesture.
In traditional culture, sharing the same skewer of food, especially when a girl actively feeds a boy, was almost equivalent to an indirect kiss—a highly suggestive hint.
Tatsu's brain instantly short-circuited.
He stared blankly at the dango inches away, then looked at Kanae's face, which wore an encouraging smile, feeling as if his heart was about to burst out of his chest.
He knew he couldn't refuse, nor did he want to.
The reason he felt nervous was that he was afraid his sharp fangs might accidentally scratch her fair, tender fingers.
Tatsu leaned forward extremely carefully and slowly.
He tried hard to control his facial muscles, perfectly hiding the fangs belonging to a demon behind his lips.
He gently bit off the white dango, and in the process, his lips inevitably and ever so slightly brushed against the fingertips Kanae was using to hold the bamboo skewer.
In that instant, Tatsu felt as if he had been electrocuted; an indescribable tingling sensation spread from his lips throughout his entire body.
"Is it good?"
Kanae withdrew her hand, asking with a smile as if nothing had happened.
But Tatsu keenly caught that a faint crimson had quietly stained the base of her fair ears.
"Very sweet."
Tatsu looked into her eyes and replied with a double entendre.
The dango was sweet, but nowhere near as sweet as the lingering temperature on your fingertips and the stirrings of heart you have brought me.
After eating and drinking their fill, the two continued to stroll through the night market.
A commotion ahead caught their attention.
It was a traditional festival shooting stall, filled with all kinds of prizes, the most eye-catching of which was an exquisite wind chime placed at the very top.
The wind chime was made of transparent glass, painted with lifelike wisteria patterns, and emitted a crisp, ethereal "ding-dang" sound as it was blown by the night breeze.
Kanae's gaze was drawn to it once again.
She stopped in front of the stall, looked up at the wind chime, and revealed an undisguised look of fondness in her eyes.
"That wind chime, the sound is truly beautiful. If it were hung in the corridor of the Butterfly Mansion, everyone would surely love it."
She murmured softly, as if talking to herself, or perhaps speaking to Tatsu.
Tatsu's gaze instantly locked onto that wind chime.
His goal was clear: he would win that wind chime for her.
"Owner, I want to try once."
Tatsu stepped forward.
The owner, a pot-bellied middle-aged man, glanced at Tatsu's slender build and said with a smile:
"Alright, ten wen for one try, I'll give you five corks. As long as you can knock down that wind chime at the very top, it's yours."
Tatsu's fingers twitched slightly, preparing to use some unconventional means, like pilfering a few copper coins, but Kanae had already stepped ahead of him and placed the ten wen on the stall.
"Tatsu, good luck! I'm really looking forward to your performance."
Kanae stepped aside, clasping her hands in front of her chest in an encouraging gesture.
Tatsu took a deep breath and picked up the crude cork gun.
At this moment, the surrounding clamor seemed to fade away, and in his eyes, only that high-hanging wind chime remained.
As a demon, his dynamic vision far exceeded that of a normal person; the faint night breeze seemed to turn into tangible air currents in his eyes.
He didn't even need to aim intentionally; he could calculate the perfect trajectory purely by instinct.
However, he wanted to pose as an ordinary human and win this gift in a human way.
For the first shot, he deliberately missed slightly, the cork flying past the edge of the wind chime.
A sigh of regret rose from the crowd.
Kanae, however, did not show a disappointed expression; she said softly:
"It's okay, Tatsu, take your time, there are still chances."
For the second and third shots, Tatsu kept adjusting his position, each time getting closer to the target than the last, completely stirring up the emotions of the surrounding audience.
Everyone started silently cheering for this focused young man.
A fine layer of sweat had even seeped onto Tatsu's forehead.
This was certainly not from fatigue, but because he wanted to win so badly; he wanted so much to see the smile on Kanae's face when she received the wind chime.
Finally, it was time for the last bullet.
Tatsu closed his eyes, feeling the flow of the air and the gentle gaze of Kanae behind him.
He suddenly opened his eyes.
Bang!