25. Adeptus' Disciples

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, lest your parlor will be in trouble."

Ryūhei wasn't that evil and he had no intention of destroying the parlor that had existed 500 years ago.

Hu Tao tilted her head.

"Hmmm, what do you mean?"

"Maybe right now I'm only making 2 stories which are none other than One Piece and Dragon Ball. But I will make another 2 to 4 stories in the near future. So if you buy everything, it could put a strain on the finances at your parlor. With the way you promote your coffins and funerals, I'm pretty sure only a handful of people take your offer. That's why you need my help right?"

Ryūhei already planned to increase the price by 2 times from today, and in the future, he would set the normal price, which was 4000 per volume. He didn't know how much the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's income was, but with Hu Tao promoting coffins and funerals like cursing customers, he wasn't sure if the income was good enough.

"Ah–ahahaha. Y-You don't need to worry. We have a sponsor anyway."

"Well, if you said so."

He saw Hu Tao's awkward expression, and it seemed that what he said was true. At least he had warned her. And if indeed Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had a sponsor, that would be even better.

Perhaps, he should suggest the Coffin Dance to her. After all, Coffin Dance was extremely popular on Earth. He just needs to arrange the music and teach the dance. Maybe with that, the promotion of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor will go smoother. But, he will do it later.

Xingqiu bought each of the newly published volumes, as did Hu Tao. As for Chongyun, he only bought the newest volume of Dragon Ball. While Yun Jin bought all the volumes of both manga since she often heard that the stories were interesting.

At that time, Atsuko who was supposed to be outside promoting the new manga volume was seen letting two people in. Well, Atsuko not only promotes manga, but also picks up manga for customers as well because she's been seen going in and out of the shop since earlier.

"Eh, Xingqiu, Chongyun, Yun Jin, and… geh… Hu Tao."

The two people who entered were Xiangling and a little girl. And that little girl is her junior named Yaoyao.

Xiangling showed a little creep on her face after seeing Hu Tao. Perhaps, Hu Tao often teased her or something. From Hu Tao's work, he knew that she had frequent contact with spirits. Maybe Xiangling was often scared by Hu Tao with horror stories or often dragged Xiangling to scary places so Xiangling made a face like that when she met Hu Tao.

"Did you do something to her, Miss Director?" Ryūhei asked Hu Tao.

Hu Tao chuckled.

"Hehe, only a little "boo" and she jumps, she's so easy to scare! Being in the industry that I am, I just love these kinds of people the most."

"So, she's just a prankster, huh?" Ryūhei said inwardly.

Only Xiangling couldn't accept that.

"What the heck is a "little"? You always waited for me until I least expected it, then you crept up behind me unexpectedly and startled me."

"I feel bad for Xiangling." Yun Jin immediately said that and approached her before she stroked Xiangling's hair.

"Me too." Xingqiu also agreed with Yun Jin. Even Chongyun also nodded his head.

"Aiya. I was betrayed by all."

Only Ryūhei remained neutral. Then, he said.

"I didn't expect a genius chef to come to my shop. Even though I haven't seen you glance at my shop since I opened it."

"Aren't you the one who rarely shows yourself? Besides, I was busy with my new recipe."

Hearing that Xiangling had just made a new recipe, Ryūhei got interested.

"Your new recipe? Care to explain?"

"Hehe, I caught some octopuses, and I ate it raw while adding some oil and Jueyun chili. The flavor was extremely mild, also the slimy and chewy texture made me addicted. I still have some octopuses left, do you want to try?"

"S-Senior sister. I'll tell our Master that you ate something strange." Yaoyao seemed to worry that Xiangling ate a raw dish. And apparently, Yaoyao and Xiangling were fellow disciples.

"Eh… why?"

But then, Ryūhei opened his mouth.

"Hmmm, Odorigui, huh?"

Hearing what Ryūhei said, Xiangling turned her head to him.

"Do you know what dish it is?"

"Yes. In Inazuma, it's called Odorigui which means "Dancing Eating". It refers to the consumption of live seafood while it is still moving, or the consumption of moving animal parts. Odorigui is a mode of seafood consumption in Inazuma cuisine. And a raw octopus dish is called Sannakji." Then, Ryūhei added to his mind. "Sannakji is a Korean dish though."

After explaining the dish, Xiangling's eyes sparkled. But, Ryūhei added.

"However I don't recommend you to eat Sannakji. You know, octopus legs can stick so tightly to other objects, if you're not careful when eating them, they can get stuck in your throat. And, you can die by eating them."

"Did you hear that, Senior sister? Eating a raw octopus is so dangerous. I won't allow you to do that again or I will tell the master immediately." Xiangling received threats from Yaoyao, if Xiangling didn't obey, Yaoyao would tell their master.

"Err…" Xiangling felt a heavy heart because her new recipe was not accepted. Seeing that, Ryūhei made a suggestion.

"How about you turn the octopus into another dish? I'll tell you the recipe if you want. It's called Takoyaki or grilled octopus, the recipe…"

Ryūhei explained the recipe in detail including the toppings. After that, he also explained how to cook it.

"You gave me this recipe just like that?" Xiangling didn't seem to believe what Ryūhei had just said, even though the recipe he gave would be famous among the crowd.

"Hmmm, that's it. If you want to make Takoyaki, give me a plate for free. That's enough. After all, this is only a small part of the recipe I know. I'm even planning to make a food-themed manga, so in the future there will be lots of new dishes that you might see for the first time."

"You have a lot of recipes and you wanted to tell them through a story?"

"That's right."

"But that's…how should I say…wasteful? With your knowledge of recipes, you can collaborate with any cook. Which means you can profit greatly."

Hearing Xiangling's words, Ryūhei thought for a moment. Then he smiled before replying.

"Take it easy. The recipes I'll be sharing through the manga will be slightly different, especially in the ingredients. So even though a lot of people will know how to cook them, they have to find the right ingredients first. You will understand later. That said, whoever quickly finds the right recipe wins."

Xingqiu, who slightly understood Ryūhei's personality, sighed. He also agreed with Xiangling, if only Ryūhei was willing to work with any cook, he would gain a lot if he really had a lot of recipes. Too bad, what Ryūhei wanted was to let everyone know his manga, not be a food pioneer.

"Well, Xiangling. I've been wondering, who is the cute little girl beside you?" Ryūhei suddenly asked as he was curious about the little girl who called Xiangling "Senior Sister" earlier.

Without waiting for Xiangling to introduce her, the little girl stepped forward.

"Hello, I'm Yaoyao, a lowly disciple of the Adeptus, Streetward Rambler. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance! If you encounter any difficulties outdoors... then lemme help you!"

Ryūhei raised his brows in astonishment. Who would expect a little girl like Yaoyao to be an Adeptus' disciple? And since she addressed Xiangling as her "Senior Sister", it meant that Xiangling was also an Adeptus' disciple.

"Aiya, she shouldn't say that." Hu Tao responded.

Meanwhile, Xiangling scratched her head.

"My junior sister is too innocent."

Looking at the cute little sister, Ryūhei introduced himself.

"Hello, little Yaoyao. My name is Niwa Ryūhei. It's my pleasure to meet you. By the way, you look like a door."

"A door?" Yaoyao didn't understand what he meant. Then, he continued.

"Yup. A-door-able."

"..." Xingqiu.

"..." Yun Jin.

"..." Chongyun.

"..." Xiangling.

"..." Yaoyao.

They were speechless by Ryūhei's joke. Only Hu Tao looked amused as she found a kindred spirit who knew how to make such a joke.