Chapter 120: Kirigaya-san, Do You Have a Boyfriend?

The taxi slowly drove away, merging into the bustling evening traffic.

Kirigaya Nuo silently watched the rapidly retreating street scene outside the window for a long time.

Until that familiar and dilapidated "Happiness Manor" abruptly barged into her field of vision.

The exterior walls were mottled, the windows dirty. Contrasted against the gorgeous lights at the edge of Edo's core district, it looked like an uncleaned stain.

Kirigaya Nuo's gaze swept past calmly, without pausing.

That young girl curled up in the attic, shivering in Edo's cheapest neighborhood, was already a matter of another spacetime.

"Teacher,"

She suddenly spoke, her voice very light,

"After the Takemiya Susumu incident is over, I won't play Go anymore."

Xu Yunzhou fell silent for two seconds, then said:

"Mhm, if you don't want to play, then don't play. Outside the Go board, the world is very wide. You have countless ways to live."

He understood.

Those praises, the glaring flashbulbs, the gorgeous crowns of "Genius Young Girl" and "New Queen of the Go Arena"... to Xu Nuo, were nothing but results obtained through AI cheating.

This glory of being pushed onto the altar, to her sensitive and proud soul, was not a laurel wreath, but humiliation, a heavy shackle constantly reminding her "you are not worthy."

This is perhaps why, in all the story endings, whether it was the "history" he glimpsed or the "future" she ultimately chose, Xu Nuo would unhesitatingly turn around and completely withdraw from all the clamor and radiance after the dust settled.

...

Returning to the apartment, Kirigaya Nuo tied on an apron, stood in the kitchen, and looked at the ingredients covering the counter, somewhat at a loss where to start.

Memories surged up uncontrollably—many years ago, in that mansion in Bazhou that was always overflowing with sunlight, what did the dining table look like during the Spring Festival?

It was the New Year dishes brought out by the private chef, beautifully plated like artworks one after another:

Twice-Cooked Pork, Water-Boiled Fish, Spicy Chicken, Mapo Tofu...

At that time, she only needed to sit in the bright dining room and wait to be surrounded by delicious food.

The kitchen was another world, full of magic she couldn't understand.

And struggling to survive alone over the past few years, so-called "cooking" was nothing more than cooking the food thoroughly, adding salt or soy sauce, reaching the minimum standard of "being able to provide calories to maintain life."

Taste? That was a luxury.

But today, it was different.

She wanted to seriously cook a table of dishes.

To make Teacher happy, and also for those peers coming with goodwill who were about to step into this room.

She opened her phone and searched for "Twice-Cooked Pork recipe."

In the video, the food streamer from Great Xia was amiable and skilled.

Kirigaya Nuo copied exactly—cutting meat, blanching, slicing.

"The meat slices must be cut against the grain, a bit thinner."

Xu Yunzhou's voice sounded at the right time.

She adjusted the angle, the blade fell, the meat slices as even as paper.

"Oil temperature at sixty percent heat, put it in the wok when you hear a sizzling sound."

...

One dish, then another dish.

The kitchen gradually became filled with complex and overbearing aromas; it was the taste of New Year's Eve in Bazhou deep in her memory.

The smoke was somewhat curling, and the spicy air was truly choking.

Kirigaya Nuo's eyes were smoked until a layer of water light appeared. She blinked, her vision somewhat blurry.

Just getting stung by the spice. She told herself.

But some dishes couldn't be made just by watching a video.

For example, that Pickled Pepper Pig Kidney, which extremely stressed heat control and thickening with starch, requiring it to be crisp, tender, and not fishy; or that Geleshan Spicy Chicken, which required precise control of oil temperature and double-frying time, pursuing chicken cubes crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, having to "find chicken in a sea of chili peppers"...

Kirigaya Nuo stared at those finished products on the screen that were almost like artworks, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Teacher,"

She was somewhat frustrated,

"I can't make it."

"Let me do it."

Xu Yunzhou smiled,

"Agree to let me mount you."

In the next second, after Kirigaya Nuo agreed to Xu Yunzhou's possession request, her hands suddenly became incredibly nimble.

When processing the pig kidney, the knife moved like a swimming dragon, precisely scoring a fine, comb-tooth-like crisscross pattern on the surface, consistent in depth, ensuring even heating and ultimate flavor absorption.

When mixing the pickled pepper sauce, a light tap of the fingertips, and the ratio of pickled peppers, pickled ginger, and minced garlic was not off by a single bit.

When stir-frying the spicy chicken, a light flick of the wrist, the chicken cubes undulating in the boiling oil, the timing for double-frying precise to the millisecond.

Teacher... is actually also a God of Cooking?

In her consciousness, Kirigaya Nuo watched "herself" perform flowing like clouds and water, comparable to a top-tier chef, her heart shocked.

Naturally, this was Xu Yunzhou enduring the pain of redeeming the [God of Cooking One-Hour Experience Card] from the System Mall, briefly possessing and controlling her, in order to complete this New Year's Eve banquet which he viewed as having special meaning.

After all, this was the first time in so many years Xu Nuo proactively invited friends, her first attempt at embracing a "normal" festival.

Even if it was just a momentary illusion, he wanted to help her weave this dream a bit more completely, maxing out the sense of ritual.

Busy for a whole afternoon.

When the afterglow of the setting sun spilled in through the kitchen window, the counter was already filled with over a dozen Bazhou dishes with alluring colors and pungent aromas.

Red chili peppers, green chopped scallions, golden Twice-Cooked Pork, milky white fish soup... a table full to the brim, so sumptuous it made one's eye rims hot.

In the evening, the doorbell rang.

Outside the door stood five or six young Go players from the Go Institute, men and women of similar age.

They were all carrying things in their hands—beautifully packaged sake, exquisite wagashi gift boxes, fresh fruit baskets, and one boy even somewhat constrainedly hugged a large bouquet of blooming sunflowers, appearing exceptionally warm and dazzling in the winter night.

"Kirigaya-san, excuse the intrusion! Happy New Year's Eve!"

Everyone bowed uniformly, all carrying shy yet sincere smiles on their faces.

Kirigaya Nuo blanked slightly, then stepped aside:

"Please come in."

The apartment was instantly filled with liveliness.

"Wow! Kirigaya-san, you live alone in such a big apartment? Sugoi!"

A round-faced girl looked around in surprise.

"Not surprising,"

Another glasses-wearing boy pushed his frames,

"Kirigaya-san won several million Yen from seniors like O Rissei and Rin Kaiho before the New Year! I heard all about it!"

"Right, right, right! I studied the game records of those games, simply divine skills!"

Talking and laughing, the crowd walked toward the dining room, and then collectively froze.

A table full of dishes, a dazzling array of beautiful items, aromas hitting the nose.

"This... are all these made by Kirigaya-san?"

The round-faced girl covered her mouth, her eyes wide and round.

"Looks even more authentic than a professional Chinese cuisine restaurant!"

The glasses guy leaned close to that plate of Twice-Cooked Pork, taking a deep breath,

"Just smelling this aroma... I feel I can eat three bowls of rice!"

"Can I take a picture? It's simply the Divine Move of the culinary world!"

Kirigaya Nuo's ear roots turned slightly red from the praise, and she said in a low voice:

"Everyone... please sit down."

At first, there was still a bit of constraint of being a guest, but as the sake was poured full and the delicious food entered their mouths, the atmosphere livened up and heated up at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The young Go players chatted while eating, their topics unconstrained:

The recently concluded Meijin League, which senior came up with a new weird joseki; expectations and predictions for the upcoming Shinjin-O (Newcomer King) and Women's Kisei tournaments; they even chatted about recently hit anime and new songs of idol groups...

Laughter, exclamations of admiration, sounds of arguing, intertwined together, filling the entire space.

Kirigaya Nuo listened quietly, occasionally answering briefly when asked.

She wasn't very good at handling this kind of liveliness, but she didn't hate it.

Even, it made her feel a bit covetous.

"Kirigaya-san,"

The round-faced girl sitting next to her suddenly leaned closer, carrying a bit of tipsiness, and said softly and mysteriously,

"Do you know? I heard Teacher Takao and the others chatting casually last time. They said Teacher Iyama privately sighed with emotion that you might be... the 'most terrifying opponent' he has encountered in his professional career oh! The evaluation even surpassed the currently skyrocketing Ke Bao 9-dan of Great Xia and Lee Se-yan 9-dan of Goryeo!"

Kirigaya Nuo blanked for a moment, shaking her head:

"Teacher Iyama overpraises. I still have many shortcomings."

"Too modest!"

The glasses guy opposite smiled,

"You are now the most dazzling new star in our entire Nihon Go arena, the hope of everyone! Everyone is waiting to see you win your first title, and then go to the international arena to completely overturn those Great Xia and Goryeo experts who always suppressed us in the past!"

"Right, right, right! Kirigaya-san, ganbatte!"

"We all support you! You can definitely do it!"

Sincere gazes, enthusiastic encouragement, unreserved goodwill.

The hand Xu Nuo used to hold her chopsticks tightened slightly.

She lowered her eyes and said softly:

"Thank you."

After the meal, everyone moved to the spacious living room. The TV was playing the lively Kohaku Uta Gassen, but more often, everyone's attention was attracted by simple board games.

(TL: Kohaku Uta Gassen is Japan's massive annual New Year's Eve TV music show.)

"Academic disputes" triggered by rules, explosive laughter brought by comical mistakes, the "ship of friendship flipping instantly" over a game item... The sounds of laughing and playing almost lifted the roof.

Hugging a soft throw pillow, Kirigaya Nuo sat quietly in the corner of the sofa.

She watched them argue until their faces were red over winning or losing, and then laugh and fall together because of some nonsensical moment, rolling into a ball.

So... this is what a gathering of normal peers is like.

No calculation, no vigilance, only the most direct expression of emotions and the purest happiness.

"Kirigaya-san,"

The round-faced girl suddenly leaned over, her cheeks flushed from alcohol and excitement,

"You... secretly tell me, do you have a boyfriend?"

Kirigaya Nuo's movements paused, glancing guiltily at Xu Yunzhou sitting opposite.

"Just now when playing Truth or Dare, when you drew the 'Describe Ideal Type' card, you froze for quite a long while,"

The girl blinked, her smile sly,

"And also, several times when everyone was laughing and playing, you were clearly sitting in the middle of the liveliness, but your gaze would suddenly empty out, drifting to who knows where..."

"Are you... thinking about some 'special person'?"