"Sakura." Xiu seemed to want to say something, but he couldn't say anything.

"Holding a banquet at a shrine must be a troublesome affair. Why did the village chief make such a big formation? ”

"Hmm... Maybe it's because it's the best and best way for the village to be grateful. Because Brother Hu Che is the only son of the village chief, if Brother Hu Che dies outside, the village chief will only be left alone. Aside from that, the village chief probably can't think of anything to thank you. He said slowly with a gentle smile.

"Well... Will the Lord of God also agree? ”

"Hmm... Generally speaking, except for festivals, my father rarely agreed to do this at a shrine. She looked into the boy's good-looking eyes, "Perhaps, you are special." ”

"Special?" He was a little confused.

"yes, yes." She nodded, "Actually, as you know, Yae Village is very xenophobic. The village is so remote that few outsiders can find it. Even if there were, there would be no hospitality. But you're different, you've been living at the shrine for a month. She smiled and said, "Actually, sometimes my father doesn't say anything, but he should like you a lot!" Because he's never said anything to drive you away! ”

But... He's already said it...

Xiu thought to himself in his heart.

"So...", the words came to an abrupt end halfway through.

Xiu waited for a while, but didn't wait for her next sentence, only blinked.

"So—" After a moment, she turned her face sideways and looked at the deserted stream, "Can you stay here?" ”

Fingers unconsciously buckled into the mud.

The girl watched as the stream flowed and gargled. The boy looked at the girl's side face, warm nephrite.

He looked away.

"I'm sorry..."

"I'm sorry..."

The unanimous apology made both sides stunned.

After a long time, they laughed together.

None of them said anything more, because all of a sudden, they both knew why they were apologizing to each other.

One is because you can't stay, and the other is because you let the other person stay.

One is because there is a reason why I have to go back, and the other... It's because he knows this is not where he belongs.

"Isn't the banquet ready yet?" Xiu seemed to be a lot more cheerful, and said jokingly, "I'm a little hungry, even if the village chief wants to prepare a tirade at the banquet, I don't want to pay attention to it, I just want to eat something." ”

"You can't eat luncheon." Sakura smiled, "There is a rule for a banquet at Yae Shrine, that is, the banquet must be prepared, the noon festival, and the evening meal." ”

"Actually, the origin is the same as farming. If you plough well in the morning, the god Inari will give you the best sunshine or rain to grow at noon, and you will eat well in the evening. Therefore, in the morning, you should prepare the things to be prepared for the banquet, and at noon, you should offer sacrifices to the gods, and you can eat together in the evening. In fact, we should not eat breakfast and lunch, but also to remember that even if we have enough food to hold a banquet now, we must not forget the feeling of hunger, and we must always remember and thank all this for its hard-won. ”

Xiu shook his head.

"There's so much more to your banquet."

"Everything has its meaning, otherwise it would be completely meaningless to do. This is what my father told us, and it is also a truth that everyone in the village agrees on. What about you, what is the banquet like? ”

"I didn't have any parties at home, I only attended banquets in the barracks... If that's a banquet. Usually because something is good, or because there is a holiday to celebrate, the instructors hold a party in the barracks. At that time, there will be many, many delicious things. ”

He thought of that party on a snowy night.

Everyone enjoyed the delicious food rewarded by the instructor in the cafeteria with the joy of victory.

The thick and juicy beef broth, the meaty roast goose, and the soft and fragrant toast are all they can do on a cold and snowy night.

He and the lonely Valkyries gathered around a pot of leftover porridge that had been frozen for a long time, and slowly watched it get heated little by little.

Scold...

Actually, the pot of porridge is really not delicious, and it is still a little burnt underneath, and it is better to say that it is porridge, but it is better to say that it is mush.

But Xiu felt that eating this thing made him happier than the tempting food in the cafeteria.

Now that I think about it, I don't know why I did it at that time.

But the only thing he was sure of was that at least he was right.

Those messy, inexplicable Valkyries...

Suddenly, the soft little hand shook in front of him, dissipating Xiu Feifei's thoughts.

He blinked and looked at the girl to the side. At this time, she looked curiously at this Xiu who was obviously in a daze.

"Repair? What's wrong? ”

"Hmm... It's just that I suddenly remembered some things from the past, and I remembered some people. He smiled suddenly, but became a little frustrated, "Unfortunately, I didn't eat anything at that banquet." Now think about it... I'm so hungry—" he lay on his stomach a little weakly

The girl smiled.

"Here, here you go."

I don't know when, there was already a cut bamboo tube on the girl's side, and in the bamboo tube, several rice balls were placed.

"Because I knew that I was going to be hungry at noon, I quietly prepared!" The girl smiled.

"But because I don't dare to do it too openly, the ingredients used are very ordinary, whether they are delicious or not... I really don't know..."

If my father found out...

For some reason, she suddenly felt a little uneasy in her heart.

"Hmm..."

The back mountain of the shrine.

Occasionally, a few birdsongs pass through the leaf gaps in the forest, making this empty mountain forest a little more lively. If you listen closely, you can hear the sound of a stream flowing in the distance. With a huge mountain forest, it will not be too lonely.

The clogs stepped on the soft and wet soil, leaving two shallow marks.

He carried a bamboo basket filled with all kinds of bottles and jars.

He walked and stopped along the mountain road with ease. After a while, he simply abandoned the mountain path and walked alone into the dense weeds, and soon disappeared again.

Eventually, he reached the edge of a deep pit.

The edge of the pit was covered with traces of excavation, apparently dug by someone. There are many grasses growing on the edge and bottom of the pit, and they are all very lush, and it looks like the pit has been around for some time.

The god lord threw the basket into the pit with a blank face, and turned away without looking back.

At the bottom of the pit, all the bottles and crockpots in the back basket were shattered, crushing a dense patch of weeds inside, and everything in the bottles and cans spilled out.

It's all all the seasonings that the villagers have lost.

Of course, there are other things that shouldn't exist in it, or they are at the bottom of the pit.

For example, a rotten arm looms in the grass, and a large field of flies swirls around it, buzzing.

The Lord didn't look back at the things, and didn't seem to know what was going on there, and didn't seem to care about what was going on there.

He was just walking on his way home.

Just clenched his fists while burning with anger in his eyes.

The arm suddenly twitched faintly, and the clenched fist couldn't help but loosen.

Strands of blood slid down his arm and seeped into the soil.

The god lord looked at the blood in his arm, his expression was cold, and in the end, he just grabbed his arm and left resolutely.

In his eyes, there seems to be ice that does not melt.

Xiu took a bite of the rice ball.

The plump rice is filled with salty, loose dried fish, and with each bite, the saltiness of the fish and the lightness of the rice are mixed to create a faint salty flavor that lingers on the tip of the tongue.

It's just a mixture of two things, but the taste is actually dozens of times better than what you usually eat... No, hundreds of times better!

He couldn't wait to stuff the rice ball in his hand into his mouth and pick up the next one.

Sakura slowly chewed the rice balls, watching the boy next to her finish eating a rice ball in twos and threes.

The rice ball in her hand had only taken a few bites, and Xiu had already finished eating the second one.

Looking at Xiu's appearance, she couldn't help but wonder if this rice ball was really so delicious.

Take another small bite.

Well... The rice still tastes the same.

And then... The minced fish hasn't changed much...

But he eats so happily, why. She was a little puzzled.

But...

Quietly turned his face sideways, biting his fingers silently.

Secretly laughing.

It's really nice to be so fond of making your own food!

(End of chapter)