Just as Arataki Itto and the old man were arguing, inside the room...
"No more talk. I will not go back to being a Shrine Maiden."
Kuki Shinobu stopped her endlessly chattering mother and elder sister.
Beside her, Kuki Shinobu's mother and elder sister, Miyuki, could only sigh helplessly.
It had been three days, and they hadn't managed to persuade her in the slightest.
Kuki Shinobu's mother looked at her youngest daughter, Yunling, who was gnawing on a large pancake.
Yunling: "Why are you looking at me? I've already said, I'm not suited to be a Shrine Maiden."
"Little Yun, I don't ask much of you, but at least put on your shoes."
"Oh..."
Yunling obediently put on her shoes, though how long they would stay on was anyone's guess.
Her mother's head started to ache again.
She had only given birth to three daughters, but why were her second and youngest daughters so rebellious?
Their methods of upbringing weren't that different, were they?!
She had talked, she had scolded; she had even scolded Shinobu into running away from home to Liyue... Her youngest daughter was even more stubborn, and they truly didn't dare to provoke her further.
Seeing her mother like this, Kuki Shinobu felt bad, but she couldn't bring herself to follow her family's arrangements.
She loved freedom and didn't want to be constrained.
Mother and daughter stared at each other for a long time, and finally, the mother conceded.
"Eh, never mind, never mind. Do whatever you like. I won't stop you anymore."
Her mother still compromised. Her daughter's eyes were full of determination, and her mother knew she could no longer change her mind.
"But if Little Yun is with you, you must take good care of her."
Kuki Shinobu glanced at Yunling, who was beside her, sitting improperly, simply eating a large pancake with food all over her clothes and face. Her face darkened, and she coughed loudly.
Hearing the warning cough, Yunling straightened up, immediately sitting ramrod straight, and the pancake she had been eating was put aside.
In this family, Yunling feared her second sister the most. Her parents and elder sister often just talked to her, but her second sister truly hit!
Especially that ear-pulling technique; just ask the eldest sister how much it hurt.
"Cough, I'm going to cook."
Yunling found an excuse to slip away. This process of being scrutinized by her elder sister and mother should be left to her second sister.
This excuse wasn't just made up; she was genuinely going to cook.
When the Yunling persona was first designed, the setting of a chef was added. Not only the Inazuma persona but also the Fontaine persona had this setting.
Besides attracting Paimon and Lumine, mainly Paimon, the little glutton, it was also to better integrate with the characters.
The setting had been there for a long time; the cooking skills were added little by little.
In Inazuma, almost no one was unaware of Chef Yun's abilities.
However, even though her cooking was excellent, she wouldn't often set up a stall to sell things, only occasionally.
It was only once every seven days, and each time, her customers were overflowing.
Even the Lady Guuji of Grand Narukami Shrine always asked her to save a portion... In the room.
Elder sister Miyuki said: "Mom, you don't need to worry about Little Yun. That girl is very clever, and you know, her excellent cooking skills are famous throughout Inazuma City. She's in high demand; there's no need to worry at all."
"I know. I don't worry about that child's future, but her personality... Don't you think it's better for a girl to be gentle and quiet? She goes around every day carrying her large door-slab-like weapon, looking for fights, and she doesn't like to wear shoes. How can I not worry?"
Sighing, her mother continued:
"Among you three sisters, only Miyuki gives me peace of mind."
Creak~
The room door suddenly opened, and Yunling quietly poked her head in. Then, realizing her mother, elder sister, and second sister were all looking at her, she stopped being stealthy.
"Second Sister, the boss and Dad are in a standoff outside. Do you want to come out and see?"
Kuki Shinobu's eyelid twitched. Thinking of that unreliable boss, she immediately walked out: "That guy, why did he come? Didn't we say we'd handle things here ourselves?"
"I don't know, but I'm not surprised he'd do something like this."
---
...In the courtyard.
No matter how much Kuki Shinobu's father tried to drive him away, Arataki Itto simply wouldn't leave.
Genta reminded him: "Boss, maybe we should go back first. Didn't Shinobu say to wait for us to go back? If we really anger the old man..."
Arataki Itto looked at the furious old man. He was already angry, wasn't he?
"I'll say it one last time, leave immediately, or I'll have to use force!"
Seeing that the old man seemed to be getting serious, Akira and the other two retreated in unison, scared.
Only Arataki Itto still stuck out his neck:
"Hit me. If this big shot so much as whimpers, I'm no good man!"
Kuki Shinobu's father was also enraged. He just wanted to lightly teach the boy a lesson. Just as he swung his stick... "Stop!"
"Shinobu?"
Arataki Itto's face lit up with joy. Akira and the other two also shouted in unison: "Shinobu!"
Kuki Shinobu saw the two large baskets of Onikabuto and estimated that they had been collecting them for the past two days. She glared fiercely at the four of them, then looked at her own father.
"Father, how can you hit people?"
The old man threw down the stick in his hand: "Look at the kind of dubious friends you keep, all of them idle and without a job."
Being lectured like this in front of Kuki Shinobu and Yunling, even the thick-skinned Arataki Itto felt a bit awkward.
The Arataki Gang's reputation among others was indeed not very good.
Kuki Shinobu had her own views on this. One shouldn't judge a person solely by their abilities.
"They are my friends, not dubious people. He, Arataki Itto, has many unpleasant pasts, yet he can still remain happy and cheerful, which is quite rare. He treats us very well, and his purity also influences everyone in the Arataki Gang."
Seeing Kuki Shinobu say this, Itto's slight worry in his heart dissipated. But before he could be happy for long, he heard Kuki Shinobu continue:
"Of course, he has many shortcomings, such as being too naive, too childish, like a child."
Arataki Itto: "..."
Kuki Shinobu continued: "But isn't that precisely a manifestation of his pure nature? I like this purity, just as I don't want to be confined in a Shrine Maiden's attire and long for freedom."
Kuki Shinobu's father: "So, your mother still hasn't convinced you?"
"Father, everyone has their own life. Is what others define as 'good' truly suitable for everyone?"
"For me, I think my time in the Arataki Gang has been very good. At least I live more freely and unrestrainedly than before."
Yunling raised her hand to signal: "Mhm, mhm, sister is right!"
"Eh~"
The old man sighed. He had long guessed this outcome, but now that it was actually happening, he still couldn't let it go.
"Alright, I can't argue with you. Your future is in your hands; do whatever you want to mess around."
"However, from now on, you two sisters can't go months without coming home. Also, keep that wild girl in line, and fight a little less..."
Yunling pouted her small mouth, muttering inwardly: "I'm not a wild girl. Dad just worries too much!"
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