Even with chuunibyou, let's learn together!

Page 196

Hayakawa looked at the pile of pickled vegetables, hesitated for a moment, then picked up a little with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.

A strange sour and spicy taste filled his taste buds, causing him to widen his eyes in surprise: "What... is this?"

"Ah, these are pickled grapes,"

Upon hearing this, Aoba Yuzuki smiled and said, "This is a special pickled vegetable from our Mikazuki Temple. If you go into the kitchen, you'll see a ceramic jar specifically used for pickling this. It tastes very good and appetizing, and the saltiness isn't too strong. However, it's quite troublesome to make, and the temple doesn't have any extra pickling jars, so we can only eat a little each time."

"These pickled grapes..."

Hayakawa savored the unique taste in his mouth and said seriously, "The taste is very interesting."

"Right? This is a secret recipe, you know,"

Aoba Yuzuki smiled, her eyes narrowing slightly: "It was my... mother who taught me to make it."

Her eyes dimmed slightly when she spoke of her mother.

Everyone has their own sad stories...

Hayakawa looked at Aoba Yuzuki's dimmed eyes and thought to himself, then picked up a piece of pickled vegetable with his chopsticks and ate it with the white porridge.

Hayakawa chewed on the juicy grapes, one bite at a time, the tangy flavor filling his mouth.

However, Ogata could try this pickled vegetable.

That girl seems to only like mild-tasting soups because she grew up in an udon noodle shop. She's not used to strong flavors like sour, spicy, bitter, or salty. If you let her try this, she'll probably have an interesting reaction.

Hayakawa thought of Ogata Riju, who was covering her mouth, her face flushed and panting, and a faint smile appeared on her face.

Maybe they can develop a special flavor of udon noodles.

And Guqiao too, that guy surprisingly likes spicy food...

Hayakawa: "..."

Hayakawa paused in front of the bowl, picking up food with his chopsticks. After two seconds, he continued eating, but his movements were not as natural as before, appearing somewhat mechanical. His expression was also somewhat absent-minded, clearly not focused on eating.

Everyone has their own sad stories...

me too.

……

After breakfast, Sister Xixi still hadn't returned, not even a hint of her coming back.

"Seriously, where did that unreliable girl, Sister Xixi, go?"

Cangye Yuzuki puffed out her cheeks and said indignantly, "You always mess things up at crucial moments. When are you going to get rid of this habit?"

The girl's face was flushed with anger as she rubbed the bowls and chopsticks in her hands in a fit of rage, and soon she had finished washing several.

"Is there still no news from Abbot Xixi?"

"Yeah, she doesn't even know how to message me, she must be muted again."

Aoba Yuzuki didn't turn her head, her hands still busy washing the dishes, and she didn't even realize who was talking to her.

"Then what about cultivation..."

The voices around me became unusually agitated, with obvious emotional fluctuations.

"Practice?"

Aoba Yuzuki turned her head in confusion, only to be met with Hayakawa's face so close to hers. She was immediately startled, her face turning pale: "Hayakawa-kun? What are you doing here?!"

"do the washing up."

Hayakawa calmly rubbed the bowl in his hands.

"No...why,"

Upon hearing this, Aoba Yuzuki turned pale with fright and quickly said, "Why are you the one washing the dishes? Where is Tsukiyo? Shouldn't she be keeping me company today?"

"have no idea,"

Hayakawa casually put down a bowl: "They just finished eating and left. I saw that you were the only one in the kitchen, so I came to help and also wanted to ask about the training."

That idiot, Moonlit Night.

Upon hearing this, Yuzuki's face flushed red with anger, and she gripped the bowl with even greater force.

She completely forgot that it was her and my job to wash the dishes today, and just ran off like that, leaving Hayakawa, a customer, to do the work.

"No, no...it's not necessary!"

Suddenly realizing what was happening, Yuzuki quickly put down the bowl in her hand. Just as she was about to reach out and push Hayakawa out, she realized that her hands were wet. While hurriedly wiping the water off her hands with her apron, she tried to get Hayakawa out of the kitchen: "How can we let Hayakawa-kun, who just arrived at the temple, finish washing? You are a rare guest of Mikazuki-ji Temple. Please go back to your room and rest. Let Tsukiyo come and help me."

"Uh…"

Hayakawa looked at Yuzuki blankly and said, "But she's in the girls' area right now, I can't get in."

Yuzuki: "..."

That regulation needs to be abolished.

"Then you don't need to do any work,"

Aoba Yuzuki was so anxious that her mind went blank, and she said in a flustered manner, "Please leave."

"Don't be so nervous, Miss Yuzuki. I came in because I still have some training matters to ask you about; helping out was just a side thing."

Hayakawa looked at Yuzuki with a look on her face: "Besides, didn't I eat the food you cooked? Whether you're the host or the guest, I'm at least a member of the temple now, so it's normal to help out a little."

"But the guest is..."

Aoba Yuzuki wanted to say something, but seeing the calm in Hayakawa's deep eyes, her heart inexplicably calmed down, and she whispered, "Okay, then thank you, Hayakawa-kun."

"Well, it's nothing."

Hayakawa turned around and slowly and attentively wiped the bowl in his hands.

"I'm really sorry,"

Aoba Yuzuki was still very ashamed, her hands almost trembling as she held the bowl and chopsticks. With a mournful face, she said, "We actually had to make guests help with chores! The century-old reputation of Mikazuki Temple is going to be ruined because of me! Mother was right not to let me succeed her as temple head, waaaah..."

That can't be that exaggerated...

Hayakawa said expressionlessly, "Let's put that aside for now. Tell me about Abbess Hibiki first. Is she not coming back anytime soon?"

Aoba Yuzuki nodded: "Yes."

Chapter 299 A Lucky Event?

"Besides managing the affairs of Mikazuki-ji Temple, Abbot Kishi also occasionally goes out to preside over the affairs of other temples, and sometimes he also has to take care of his own affairs, so he is often away from the temple."

Aoba Yuzuki glanced at Hayakawa, and seeing that he still had an indifferent expression, she cautiously said, "It's even normal for him not to return to the temple for several days."

"Hmm...this is going to be troublesome."

Upon hearing this, a slight change appeared on Hayakawa's expressionless face, which had been as still as a wooden carving. She asked Yuzuki earnestly, "Then may I ask, what should I do about my training? Did Abbess Kissui tell you before she left?"

"This... according to Xixi's meaning,"

Cang Ye Jieyue pursed her lips and stammered, "It should be me who takes care of your cultivation."

Hayakawa: "..."

"I'm so sorry..."

Upon seeing this, Aoba Yuzuki immediately apologized repeatedly, bowing repeatedly: "It's all our Mikazuki Temple's fault. We are so sorry to have such an unreliable abbot."

Hayakawa glanced sideways at the temple lady in front of him. He noticed that this Miss Yuzuki was very good at apologizing, and she apologized very sincerely, as if she wanted to immediately bow down and apologize. This was a bit troublesome for him. It would be difficult to find a reason to run away, but he couldn't not find a way. Hayakawa didn't think that this girl, who was about the same age as him, could handle such an important matter as training.

However, looking at the words and actions of that gleeful abbot now, it seems quite unreliable. So, Mikazuki-ji Temple wasn't a good place for spiritual practice at all? Is my mother lying to me again?

"Um... Miss Yuzuki,"

Hayakawa looked at Yuzuki in front of her for a moment, then asked doubtfully, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"No problem! Sister Xixi discussed the details of the salvation ceremony with me a long time ago. Cultivation and salvation should be quite similar."

Aoba Yuzuki clenched her fists, her eyes shining with an inexplicable confidence: "There will always be a way."

Hayakawa: "..."

As expected of someone from a temple, this guy's unreliability is on par with Abbot Xixi.

"Ugh…"

Hayakawa hesitated for a long time, then turned his head away helplessly: "Then I'll leave it to you."

"OK,"

Cang Ye Yuyue breathed a sigh of relief, and her hands became more diligent in wiping the plates. She said, "After I finish the chores here, I'll go with you to the place where we cultivate."

Hayakawa replied, "Then I'll help."

"Um…"

Aoba Yuzuki said weakly, her expression somewhat hesitant. She secretly glanced at Hayakawa, then turned back to continue wiping the plates. Two seconds later, she couldn't help but look at Hayakawa again.

Hayakawa noticed her glancing at him every now and then, and unable to concentrate on washing the dishes, he looked at her seriously and asked, "Is there something you need?"

"this…"

A fleeting look of panic crossed Aoba Yuzuki's face. She gripped the plate tightly in front of her chest, as if using the plain white plate as a breastplate. She looked nervously at Hayakawa, and after a while, she cautiously asked, "Hayakawa-kun, I want to ask you, why did you come to Mikazuki-ji to train?"

Hayakawa paused: "Is there any need to ask? It's definitely because of his admiration for Buddhism and spiritual practice."

After saying this, Hayakawa felt a slight sense of relief, and his previously heavy breathing became easier. He was speaking from the heart. He had longed for the life of an ascetic for a long time, which was why he came to the temple, not to hide from two certain people.

"This... but Hayakawa is only a first-year high school student, right? Would a normal high school student come to a temple to practice Buddhism just because they like it? And it's such a difficult practice like an ordination ceremony, where even the most basic thing involves kneeling on a wooden floor for hours."

Yuzuki Aoba tilted her head and looked directly into Hayakawa's eyes, then said softly, "Is there some other reason?"

"Why not? Can't a high school student become a monk?"

Hayakawa chuckled: "Besides, Miss Yuzuki, aren't you only a second-year high school student? You've been training in the temple for so long, why can't I? As for the difficulties you mentioned, if you find kneeling on the floor for a few hours difficult, then the ordination ceremony doesn't seem so remarkable."

Hayakawa spoke calmly, absolutely confident in his will to endure the pain.

"Don't say that, Hayate-kun. Kneeling for a long time is very tiring."

Hayakawa's confidence clearly provoked Aoba Yuzuki in some way, and she rarely showed a somewhat embarrassed and annoyed expression: "You'll know how uncomfortable it is once you try it."

"Sure, anytime is fine."

Hayakawa, with an indifferent expression, wiped the bowl in his hand with a rag: "Let's start in a bit."

It's easy to say, but if you actually tried it, you'd probably end up like me, crying and...

Aoba Yuzuki blushed, and she couldn't help but recall the experience of practicing kneeling when Sister Xixi led her through her first enlightenment ceremony.

Having no experience with kneeling for the first time, my legs ached terribly after just twenty minutes, and after more than an hour I completely lost sensation. After that, I experienced unimaginable numbness and weakness.

Every time she finished kneeling, Aoba Yuzuki needed Xixi's help to change her posture and straighten her legs. She couldn't stand up without sitting on the ground for several tens of minutes. At night, she often tossed and turned because of the soreness in her calves, and couldn't sleep all night.

Such is the difficulty of the ordination ceremony. Even the beginning is so difficult, not to mention the other miscellaneous rules. Even now, after a long period of training, she has no confidence at all that she can endure the kneeling during the formal ceremony.

Hayakawa-kun's nonchalant attitude is just too much.

Seeing Hayakawa's indifferent expression, Aoba Yuzuki couldn't help but huff and puff, "As expected, I don't need you, the guest, to wipe the dishes. Let me do it."

After saying that, she reached out a hand to take the plate from Hayakawa's hand.

Hayakawa has a rare advantage: he is focused. Once he is doing something, he is hard to be affected by external things. This applies to studying as well as doing other things.

He was concentrating on washing the dishes, occasionally answering Aoba Yuzuki's questions, when suddenly a hand reached out from the side, startling him. He instinctively dodged backward, and the plate in his hand slipped and fell into the sink.

"what!"

As Aoba Yuzuki watched the plate fall to the ground, her eyes widened to the extreme, and she instinctively reached out to catch it.

The temple is in such dire conditions that even a broken plate would cause Kizuki great distress.

She reached down to grab the plate in mid-air, but the decaying floor beneath her feet suddenly caved in, shattering her balance. Her eyes widened in shock as she fell toward Hayakawa.

this is!

Hayakawa's eyes widened, alarm bells rang in his mind, and at the same instant, the years of hard work in studying mathematics began to take effect. The arc and speed of the girl's fall were transformed into incredibly complex and precise formulas in his mind, as if predicting the future and calculating everything that would happen next.

Judging from the way Aoba Yuzuki was falling, and the force generated by her breasts which were not developed for a high school student, he would probably be tackled by her without any warning, resulting in a violent physical collision, and their clothes would probably be damaged.

This will lead to various misunderstandings, hostility from the people in the temple, suspicion from the abbot, and various hardships after being isolated, and finally... the grand finale of her own transformation.

At this moment, Hayakawa's eyes shone with the divine light of an emperor, seeing through everything in the future.