-Back to Traveler and Paimon's side-
Paimon: Phew! We're finally out of that creepy place!
Masakatsu: Yes… Finally, I'm free.
Yoimiya: Master Masakatsu—how are you holding up? Can you manage?
Masakatsu: Don't worry, I think I can make it to the infirmary without collapsing.
Yoimiya let out a relieved sigh and nodded.
Yoimiya: Thank you, everyone! I'll take him to get treated. Once this is all over, drinks are on me! Oh, and be sure to thank Sekai too for his brilliant diversion. I didn't think our mission would go this smoothly!
Paimon: Don't worry about us—just take care of Master Masakatsu!
Aether: Well, it is Sekai we're talking about. He always grabs attention wherever he goes.
Paimon: Hey, that… Well, that's true.
Yoimiya chuckled at Aether's comment before escorting Masakatsu toward the infirmary.
Paimon: Whew… I'm glad we managed to save him.
Aether: Yeah, though I can't stop thinking about her. Who would've thought Kujo Sara would figure out Sekai was just a diversion?
Paimon: Right! Kujo Sara… What's her deal, letting us go even after uncovering the whole plan?
Suddenly, a hand grabbed Paimon from behind.
Paimon: Wha—!
Sekai: Pfft! Ahaha! Paimon, your reaction is priceless!
Paimon: Sekai! You scared Paimon half to death! What if Paimon had a heart attack?!
Sekai: Pfft… Then Aether and I would reluctantly eat our precious emergency food. Looks like we'd need to find a new one after that.
Aether: Yeah, Paimon. We'd make sure your sacrifice wasn't in vain.
Paimon puffed up angrily while the two laughed.
Paimon: You two are the worst!
Aether and Sekai: Ahahahaha!
Paimon: Stop laughing!
Sekai: Okay, okay! Sorry about that.
Sekai patted Paimon on the head, his grin softening.
Sekai: So, what's this about Kujo Sara? She really figured out our whole plan?
Aether: Yeah, she even mentioned your diversion. But something felt… off.
Sekai: Hmm?
Aether: She just let us go, even after she realized what we were doing.
Sekai: Huh. That's weird. When she ran into me, she went bam! and tried to shoot me down on sight.
Sekai didn't know that his way of calling Sara old women triggered her wrath. Never ask women her age!
Paimon: Maybe she felt guilty about how the guards were treating Master Masakatsu? There might be some decent people in the Tenryou Commission after all… Not that Paimon agrees with their actions in the Vision Hunt Decree!
Aether: Either way, we should report this to Ayaka and the others. If anyone has answers, it'll be her.
The three nodded in agreement and made their way to Komore Teahouse.…
…
Thoma: I see, so Kujo Sara stayed her hand. It would appear she still has some honor to her. I wonder if we should try establishing contact with her… perhaps we could coax out some information.
Ayaka: Unlikely. don't forget, Kujo Sara is also carrying out the Vision Hunt Decree. She obeys the orders of the Raiden Shogun without question. In her eyes, Master Masakatsu is of no threat to the decree. This is why she was so willing to allow his escape. It our true motives were ever divulged; she would act against us without a second thought.
Thoma nodded while adding in some praise toward the traveler group.
Aether: Thanks for the compliment.
Paimon: Hee-hee, don't mention it.
Sekai didn't say anything because he starts to think again about the existence of Vision. It like something there, but he didn't know what he stuck at.
Ayaka: Indeed, things may have turned out very differently this time without their help. But if we wish to mount any sizable resistance against the Vision Hunt Decree… there is still much to be done. It's time we prepare our next set of plans.
Thoma: There's no need to rush, milady. Things seem to have taken a turn for the better, at least. Not only have we rescued Master Masakatsu, but our list of allies appears to be growing.
Thoma suddenly remembered a piece of information.
Thoma: Oh! That reminds me—the Tenryou Commission is making preparations for some kind of celebration. With this ceremony on the horizon, they've shifted their focus, even pulling staff away from enforcing the Vision Hunt Decree.
Ayaka: A celebration, you say? That's valuable information…
Thoma: Before we dive back into planning, how about we have a little celebration of our own? A hot pot game, perhaps?
Paimon: Hot pot game? What's that? It sounds delicious!
Thoma: It's simple! Everyone adds ingredients to the pot, and we take turns eating. It's a mix of fun and a test of bravery—sometimes, people sneak in a few "creative" ingredients.
Sekai raised an eyebrow, immediately backing away.
Sekai: Nope. Count me out.
Paimon: Huh? Why are you chickening out, Sekai? This game sounds fun!
Aether: If it involves food, Paimon's all in.
Sekai: Yeah, sure. But let me just say one thing… Good luck. You're going to need it.
Paimon: Why do you make it sound so ominous? Anyway, what ingredients should we start with?
Aether: Let's stick to the basics first.
Aether opened his inventory and pulled out some ingredients.
Paimon: Let's see what we've got here—fresh fish fillets, shrimp, bamboo shoots… Nice! You can't go wrong with these. Paimon can't wait!
Thoma: Hmm… Mr. Silver, I know you said you didn't want to join the game, but do you have any ingredients you'd like to contribute? You know, just to spice things up.
Paimon: Whoa! Sekai's going to add something? Quick, take it out!
Even Aether joined in, giving Sekai his best puppy-dog eyes. With a sigh, Sekai relented.
Sekai: Fine, fine. If I'm going to contribute, let's do this right.
Sekai rummaged through his food stash and began pulling out an impressive array of ingredients: fish balls, spicy meatballs, cheese-filled meatballs, dried jerky, sliced ham, char siu, crab balls, dumplings, and more.
Paimon stared, drooling, while Aether carefully selected the items to add to the pot—knowing better than to trust Paimon with the job.
Ayaka: I didn't know you were such a good cook, Sekai.
Sekai: Eh, I'm decent.
He downplayed his skills, knowing his cooking wasn't quite at the "foodgasm" level.
Paimon: Don't listen to him! Sekai's food is so good, even Paimon can't get enough!
Sekai: That's because you eat everything! Personally, I prefer Aether's dishes—they've got a cozy, homemade vibe.
Paimon: Oh yeah, that's true!
Aether: Shhh! You don't have to hype me up like that.
Aether tried to hide his embarrassment, his face turning slightly red.
Ayaka: So, both of you can cook? Now I'm really looking forward to this game.
Thoma: Alright, let's get started!
The group gathered around the hot pot, each one preparing to test their luck and taste buds in this chaotic and entertaining feast. Well off course Sekai already bail himself out.
And fortunately for him… his decision was a smart one on that…
Paimon: Paimon never thought we'd be the only ones to actually put anything edible into pot… don't go wasting the rest now!
Paimon: *sigh* this was possibly the scariest-looking hot pot Paimon's ever seen… Fortunately, Thoma ended up eating all the weird stuff.
Paimon said as the group except Ayaka looked at him with deadpanned, while Sekai look at him with the look of someone worth of respect!
Thoma holding his stomach groan and spoke out
Thoma: You can say again… but hey, at least I got most points… ugh, wait a moment… that doesn't feel good…
Ayaka: I'm afraid it's your own fault for adding all those strange ingredient Thoma. The soup flavour wasn't quite the same afterwards… even with Aether's normal ingredient and Sekai additional one, I still couldn't guess any of them correctly.
Paimon: But weren't you the one who added those little cakes Ayaka? Hehehe, I think Aether ended up eating one. Boiling cakes in hot pot… bleurgh… think of the texture…
The Shirasagi Himegimi have a look of confuse and regret as she actually has a good intention when adding the cake inside the pot… but now even she was second-guessing her decision. well, what do you expect from princess… Sekai may not say this directly, but the biggest reason why he didn't join the game was Ayaka… as usual typical princess type… they usually didn't have any skill in kitchen.
Ayaka: I must apologize… to be perfectly honest, I thought the cakes would be a tasty addition.
Thoma: Uh oh, I'm definitely not okay… ugh, I need to lie down.
And with that, Thoma dramatically collapsed to the ground.
-A few minutes later-
The group had finished eating, and Thoma had somehow managed to recover.
Thoma: Whew… I feel like a new man.
Paimon: Uh, you know Thoma… all you had to do was guess wrong on purpose and it would've been someone else turn. Talk about being competitive…
Thoma: Haha, guess I've been feeling unlucky recently and wanted the God of Hot Pot's blessing. Perhaps I did get little carried away… still I couldn't be beaten at my own game first time around!
Thoma: I think my luck has already taken a turn for the better—I can sense it! So, without further ado, I hereby declare that the winner of today's hot pot challenge is … me!
Paimon: Oh brother…
Sekai walked over and patted Thoma on the shoulder with exaggerated solemnity.
Sekai: Thoma, you are truly a man of honor. Your bravery in the face of culinary chaos is unparalleled.
Thoma: Haha! It was a team effort! Another important job taken care of. Next on the agenda: some well-earned rest and relaxation.
Ayaka: Yes, if Tenryou Commission truly is as busy with preparations as Thoma claims, then some rest would be a welcome change of pace. And with the extra time, there are some other matters I wish to attend to…
Thoma: Let's all take some much-needed time off. After a few days' rest, we'll reconvene at the Komore Teahouse and discuss our next operation.
Thoma: Downtime is hard to come by these days, so be sure to make the most of it! I'll tidy things up here and start thinking about our ingredients for our next round, hehe.
Paimon: *shock*There gonna be a sequel!?
Thoma: Of course! And next time, Sekai has to join the game!
Sekai's expression turned awkward as he quickly shoved Paimon forward like a shield.
Sekai: Uh, sure. Let's just say Paimon can eat my share next time…
Paimon: Hey! That's not fair!