Chapter 163: Invisible Erosion (Patreon)

Shido Makoto carried the ingredients into the kitchen and started prepping.

He cleaned the pacific saury first, using the back of the knife to scrape away the residue from the belly, then made two shallow cuts along each side of the fish.

He sprinkled on coarse salt and set them aside to cure.

He peeled the lotus root, sliced it thin, and soaked the pieces in cold water mixed with vinegar.

The daikon he cut into thick chunks and beveled the edges, so they wouldn't fall apart during simmering.

He tapped the burdock root a few times with the back of the knife, then sliced it on the diagonal.

The green onion he cut into segments—half for stir-frying, half to go into the miso soup.

The kitchen was small, with an old-fashioned two-burner gas stove.

Shido Makoto was used to the high-output burners in the izakaya's back kitchen, so working in this cramped space felt a little awkward at first, but he adjusted quickly.

Akira leaned against the kitchen doorway, watching him cook.

"Makoto, you look so cool when you cook."

"Either come in and help, or get out."

"I'm happy just watching!"

"You're blocking the doorway."

Akira stuck out her tongue and backed out of the kitchen.

Ichiyo came in.

She took off her coat and rolled her sleeves up to her forearms, baring her pale wrists.

"Need any help?"

"Wash the clams and soak them in salt water to purge the sand."

"Got it."

"Good."

Ichiyo walked over to the sink and set about washing the clams with focus.

Her movements weren't as quick as his, but she was thorough, scrubbing each clam from every side, several times over.

The two of them worked side by side, each on their own task, occasionally exchanging a few words about food prep.

"The salt water doesn't need to be exact—about three percent is fine."

"Is this enough?"

"That's plenty. Pass me that bowl."

Ryohei passed by the kitchen doorway and glanced inside.

Then he quietly retreated to the living room and sat down next to Akira.

"What's wrong?" Akira asked.

Ryohei shook his head, his expression complicated.

"Nothing. I just think those two look really good together in there."

Akira giggled. "Right?"

Sora walked over from the other end of the hallway and paused when she heard that.

She stepped up to the kitchen doorway and peeked in.

Ichiyo was pouring salt water into a bowl while Shido Makoto cut tofu beside her.

The two of them stood at a companionable distance, and Ichiyo's long hair hung over her shoulders, strands occasionally falling forward.

Shido Makoto noticed and picked up a hair tie from the counter, handing it to her.

"Tie it back, or it'll fall into the food."

Ichiyo took the tie and, with her hands still wet, pulled her hair into a ponytail.

Sora pressed her lips together and turned to walk away.

Nao, seeing Sora's expression from the living room, got up and sat down next to her.

"Sora-chan?"

"It's nothing."

Nao pulled a piece of candy from her pocket and pressed it into Sora's hand.

Sora looked at it—strawberry flavor.

She peeled off the wrapper and popped it into her mouth.

Twenty minutes later, Shido Makoto had three pots going on the stove at once.

The left pot held simmering daikon and burdock, the middle one was for miso soup, and on the right burner sat a wire grill rack with pacific saury cooking on top.

The fish skin sizzled, slowly turning golden brown, and drops of fish oil hit the flame below, sending up a mouthwatering aroma.

The whole house filled with the smell.

Ryohei's stomach let out a loud growl.

"Ryohei, you have no self-control." Akira burst out laughing.

"It's not my fault! Who could resist that smell!"

Ichiyo helped carry the finished dishes out, plate by plate.

The vinegared lotus root went out first—the pale slices so thin they were nearly translucent, sprinkled with white sesame seeds and a touch of grated yuzu peel.

Next came the simmered daikon, cooked through until it had taken on a translucent brown color, the broth thick and rich.

Then salt-grilled saury—six fish lined up neatly on a long platter, skins crisp, bodies intact, with a mound of grated daikon and a lemon wedge on the side.

Last was a big plate of egg fried rice.

"Food's ready."

Shido Makoto set the last plate on the table.

Everyone gathered around the big table in the living room.

Six people, filling the table exactly.

"Let's eat!!"

Ryohei was the first to grab his chopsticks.

"Wait a second!"

Akira smacked his hand.

"You have to say thanks first."

"Oh right, right, sorry."

Ryohei cleared his throat.

"Makoto, Ichiyo, thanks for the hard work! Itadakimasu!"

Everyone said "itadakimasu" together, and chopsticks descended.

Ryohei stuffed a big piece of daikon into his mouth, and his eyes lit up instantly.

"So good! How'd you make this daikon?! It melts in your mouth!!"

"Simmered it in dashi for twenty minutes, with mirin and soy sauce."

"Amazing!" Ryohei took another piece.

Akira bit into a piece of saury and closed her eyes as she chewed.

"...Mmm mmm mmm! So fresh! Crispy outside, super tender inside! The grated daikon goes perfectly with it!"

"You react like this every time."

Ichiyo picked up a small piece of saury with her chopsticks and took a bite.

"Ichiyo, you're smiling." Akira called her out.

"No I'm not." Ichiyo denied it, her expression unchanged.

Nao quietly sipped her miso soup, and after one taste said softly, "It's good."

Sora shoveled a big bite of fried rice into her mouth.

She chewed a few times, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Shido Makoto glanced at her.

"Good?"

Sora didn't answer, just took another big bite.

Watching her eat, Shido Makoto started on his own food.

The living room filled with the sounds of chewing, chatter, and the occasional laugh.

Outside, Okizome Town lay in a night so quiet only the insects made a sound; inside, warm light and steaming food filled the room.

Partway through the meal, the conversation naturally turned.

With rice still in his mouth, Ryohei asked the first question. "Makoto, what are you actually doing in Tokyo? Don't tell me it's just a part-time job."

"It's just a part-time job."

Shido Makoto took a sip of soup.

"You worked part-time back here too, but you looked different then."

Ryohei looked at him.

"You've changed."

"Changed how?"

"Can't put my finger on it."

Ryohei thought about it. "Your vibe? You seem more... how do I put it... tougher now."

Akira chimed in. "He was already tough before."

"Not that kind of tough! It's more like..."

Ryohei scratched his head.

"Forget it, I can't explain it. Point is, you never tell us anything, that's what I know."

"I'll say what needs saying. No need to report everything."

Shido Makoto unhurriedly picked the bones out of his saury.

Ichiyo picked up a slice of lotus root and asked, seemingly casual, "Is business good at the izakaya in Tokyo?"

"It's alright."

"You cook Chinese food there?"

"Yeah, the manager put me in charge of the Chinese menu." Shido Makoto paused. "Though I do Japanese food too, depending."

"So you basically do everything?"

Ryohei's eyes went wide.

"Makoto, what kind of chef even are you?"

"Anyone who can cook can make anything—it's just a matter of how good at it you are." Shido Makoto said it flatly.

Akira leaned over the table, chin propped on both hands, watching him.

"Makoto, has anything interesting happened to you in Tokyo?"

Shido Makoto thought for a good while.

Something interesting? Did nearly dying in a dungeon count as interesting?

"Does a school festival count?" he finally said.

"A school festival? What school festival?" Akira perked up.

"I know a friend who goes to Sobu High School. She invited us to their festival, and Sora's friends were there too."

"Sora-chan made friends?!"

Akira spun toward Sora.

Sora was busy eating her fried rice, and the sudden shout nearly made her drop her chopsticks.

"Mm." Sora mumbled a response.

"That's wonderful, Sora-chan!"

Akira lunged over and grabbed Sora's hand.

"You barely hung out with anyone your age back in Okizome Town, and now you've made friends in Tokyo! What are their names? How many? Tell me!"

"Let go." Sora pulled her hand free, her face expressionless.

"One's called Shirogane Kei, the other's Shouko Nishimiya."

"Both girls?"

"Mm."

"Amazing! What do you guys usually do together?"

"Go shopping, have sleepovers, watch fish together."

Akira's expression grew more and more delighted.

"Sora-chan can actually socialize now! Makoto, you must've had a hand in this!"

"Nothing to do with me. She made friends on her own." Shido Makoto said.

Sora glanced at him, neither denying it nor admitting it.

Nao said with a smile, "That's great, Sora-chan. If they ever come visit Okizome Town, you can bring them along."

Sora tried to picture Shouko and Kei visiting this quiet town.

"...Maybe."

Ryohei picked up the thread.

"Speaking of things around town, I've got big news for you! Something strange happened on the mountain behind the shrine."

Shido Makoto set down his chopsticks and looked at him.

"What kind of strange thing?"

"About two weeks ago." Ryohei lowered his voice.

"Old Man Matsu said he got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and saw a light on the mountain—not moonlight, but a kind of pale blue, flickering light. He got scared and rushed back inside."

"Did anyone check the next day?"

"Yeah, nothing was there. No marks on the ground either."

Akira's expression shifted. She put down her chopsticks and looked at Shido Makoto.

"Makoto, I wanted to bring this up too."

For once, there was no smile on Akira's face.

"Something has been off with the mountain lately."

Shido Makoto's fingers tapped once against the table.

"Off how?"

"There are sounds at night—like... someone talking far away, but I can't make out the words."

"You live alone at the shrine, and you hear this at night?" Ichiyo's tone turned sharp.

"Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"What good would it have done? It's not the first time. It happened occasionally before too, just... more often lately."

A few words instantly surfaced in Shido Makoto's mind: anomaly concentration, rising, frequent paranormal occurrences.

Okizome Town was being affected too.

His expression didn't change, but he was already running through the possibilities. If what Akira was experiencing behind the shrine was a symptom of rising anomaly concentration, it meant this wasn't just a big-city problem—remote villages were being eroded too.

"Akira, that... man in black you mentioned before, behind the mountain—has he shown up again recently?"

Akira blinked, caught off guard.

"You still remember that? That was weeks ago."

"Answer me."

Something in his tone made Akira straighten up, her expression sobering.

"...No, the man in black hasn't shown up again. But the sound only started recently."

Shido Makoto nodded once.

"Try not to go up the mountain alone at night."

"Makoto, do you know something?" Akira leaned in, staring at him.

"No." Shido Makoto picked his chopsticks back up and kept eating. "Just doesn't feel safe."

Akira studied his face, seeming about to press further, but Ichiyo cut her off.

"If he says it's not safe, then don't go. Akira, you living alone at the shrine is worrying enough as it is." Ichiyo's tone left no room for argument.

"Okay, okay, I get it." Akira raised both hands in surrender.

The mood sank a little.

Ryohei noticed and quickly changed the subject.

"Oh right, Makoto, are you seeing anyone in Tokyo?"

"No."

"Seriously? With a face like yours in Tokyo, there's no way nobody's noticed you."

"Someone noticing me and me actually dating are two different things."

Ryohei clicked his tongue.

"So what type do you like, then?"

Sora's chopsticks froze in midair.

Ichiyo's sip of soup slowed by half a beat.

"Never thought about it." Shido Makoto said.

"Come on, man!" Ryohei looked at him with exasperation, as if he were a lost cause.

"You're going to get married eventually, right? You must have some standard."

"Right now I just want to make money to support Sora. No time to think about anything else."

Sora lowered her head, the corner of her mouth lifting for an instant before flattening back out.

Ichiyo lifted her bowl and took a sip of soup, hiding something that flickered briefly in her eyes.

"Alright, alright, forget it." Ryohei waved a hand.

"So what are you all doing this weekend? You can't have come all this way just to sit at home."

"Once the cleaning's done, staying home is fine." Sora said.

"That's so boring! It's rare for everyone to be together like this—we should go out and do something. Makoto, what do you think?"

Shido Makoto thought about it. It was true—the point of bringing Sora back was to let her relax. If they just holed up at home, it would be no different from Tokyo.

"What do you suggest?"

Ryohei's eyes lit up, and he pushed himself up from the table with both hands.

"Valley camping!"

"The valley?" Sora looked up at him.

"Yeah! The valley behind the mountain! They built a new trail there back in June, really nice to walk. The water's so clear you can see straight to the bottom! We can pitch tents, grill meat, go fishing!"

"Do you have tents?" Shido Makoto asked.

"Yeah! Bought them last month! Never used them! Two big tents, plenty of room for six people!"

"What about ingredients?"

"We'll just buy them in town, and you'll cook!"

"So in the end, it's still me doing the cooking."

"Well, your cooking's good!" Ryohei said, entirely unashamed.

Akira chimed in at once. "I'm in! Valley camping sounds great! We can soak our feet in the stream too!"

Nao nodded. "I can pack some bento to bring along."

Ichiyo flipped through the calendar on her phone.

"No classes for me this weekend, I can come."

Everyone's eyes turned to Sora.

Sora hugged her rabbit plush and lowered her head, thinking for a moment.

"...Let's go."

Ryohei pounded a fist on the table. "Great! It's settled! This weekend, valley camping!"

After dinner, Akira and Ryohei helped clear the dishes, Ichiyo carried the trash bag out to the bin in the backyard, and Nao put away the leftover ingredients in the fridge.

By the time everything was done, it was nearly nine o'clock.

Ryohei stretched.

"I'll head out then—I've got work tomorrow."

"Where do you work?" Shido Makoto asked, walking out of the kitchen.

"The general store in front of the station—helping move stock." Ryohei put on his shoes, crouching in the entryway to tie the laces.

"850 yen an hour. Not much, but better than nothing."

"If it's not enough, let me know."

"I'm not that broke yet!" Ryohei jumped up and waved at him from the doorway.

"See you this weekend! I'll bring the tents!"

"Be careful going home." Akira called out from the hallway.

Ryohei's footsteps faded away down the slope.

Akira started getting ready to leave too.

"I should head back to the shrine too. There's an offering to prepare early tomorrow."

"Want me to walk you back?" Ichiyo asked. "It's dark out, and a mountain path alone isn't safe."

"No need, no need. I've walked this path for over a decade. I could do it with my eyes closed."

"Didn't you just say there've been strange sounds up the mountain?" Ichiyo frowned.

"That's different..." Akira said, a little guiltily.

Shido Makoto walked to the entryway and picked up a flashlight from beside the shoe cabinet.

"Take this."

Akira took it and switched it on to test it.

"Oh, it's really bright. Thanks, Makoto."

"Text me when you get there."

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

Akira put on her shoes and, standing in the doorway, glanced back at the others—Sora sitting on the living room windowsill, staring off into space, and Ichiyo in the hallway, looking like she was about to leave too.

"Makoto." Akira suddenly lowered her voice.

"Yeah?"

"Is Sora-chan really okay?"

Shido Makoto looked into Akira's eyes. "...She will be."

"Okay."

Akira nodded and smiled a little. "Then I'll stop worrying. If you say she'll be okay, she will be."

She turned and clattered off down the slope in her wooden sandals, the flashlight beam swaying in the darkness, growing smaller and smaller until it vanished around the bend.

Nao stood up too and gathered her things.

"I'll head home too. If you need anything, just knock."

"Thanks." Sora said it on her own, a rare thing for her.

Nao smiled and left through the back door—her house was right next door, just a few steps away.

That left only Shido Makoto, Sora, and Ichiyo in the living room.

Ichiyo smoothed her skirt. "I should get going too."

"Be careful." Shido Makoto walked her to the door.

Ichiyo walked over to her car and opened the door, hand already gripping the frame, but she stood there for two seconds without getting in.

"Shikata-kun." Ichiyo said, her back to him.

"Yeah."

"What you told me that day... about continuing to play the viola."

Shido Makoto remembered it was before he'd left for Tokyo. Ichiyo had given up the viola for some reason, and he'd said a few words to her back then. He couldn't recall the exact phrasing anymore, but the gist of it was: if she liked it, keep playing—don't play for others' expectations, and don't quit just to run away.

"I've started practicing again lately." Ichiyo said.

"That's a good thing."

Ichiyo's shoulders shifted slightly. She lowered her head and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"If... if there's a chance, I could play for you sometime."

"Okay." he said.

Ichiyo got into the car and rolled down the window. "Good night."

"Good night."

The car pulled away down the slope, its taillights receding into the night.

Shido Makoto stood in the doorway for a moment, then turned and went back inside.

"Everyone's gone?" Sora asked.

"All gone."

"The bath's ready. You go first." Shido Makoto said behind her.

"Got it." Sora went into the bathroom without turning around.

Shido Makoto stood in the middle of the living room, listening to the sound of running water from the bathroom, and pulled out his phone to text Akira.

[Made it home?]

A reply came a moment later.

[Made it, made it! The shrine's so quiet! No weird sounds from the mountain tonight, don't worry!]

Shido Makoto sent another text to Ichiyo.

[Home yet?]

Ichiyo's reply took half a minute.

[Home already. Thanks for asking.]

He glanced over his other messages—nothing new from Lin Yan, and Ruan Luo hadn't contacted him either. For now, everything was quiet.

When Sora came out of the bath wrapped in a towel, hair still dripping wet, she walked up to Shido Makoto and, without a word, shoved the hair dryer into his hands.

"Dry it for me."

Shido Makoto took the dryer, had Sora sit on the low stool in the living room, plugged it in, set it to low, and began drying her long hair with one hand while combing through it with the other.

Sora's silver hair was even smoother after washing. Warm air passed through his fingers, carrying a faint scent of shampoo.

"Makoto."

"Mm."

"About the valley camping thing—are you going to grill meat?" Sora's voice was a little muffled under the hum of the dryer.

"Probably. Ryohei specifically asked for it."

"Then I want grilled mochi."

"Sure."

"And roasted sweet potato."

"Sure."

"And marshmallows."

"I'll buy them tomorrow."

Sora went quiet for a moment.

"Makoto."

"Mm."

"If... the next time a dungeon comes and I'm chosen too... would you go in with me?"

The dryer kept humming. Shido Makoto's hands didn't stop, but they slowed a little.

"Not necessarily. The game might not put us in the same dungeon."

Sora's eyelashes trembled once.

"Then I'd just be alone."

Shido Makoto switched off the dryer. Sora's hair was already dry.

He set the dryer aside, went over to his travel bag, rummaged through it, and pulled out a notebook to hand to Sora.

"These are my notes from four dungeons—rule analysis, monster behavior, survival strategies. Look through it when you get a chance."

Sora took the notebook and opened to the first page. It was in Makoto's handwriting, far messier than her own, but the content was well organized.

She read a few lines, then closed the notebook and hugged it to her chest.

"Okay. I'll read it."

"Go to sleep."

Sora stood up and headed for the hallway.

At her bedroom door, she turned back once more.

"Makoto."

"Mm."

"You should sleep early too."

"Got it."

Sora went into her room, and the door closed.

Shido Makoto sat in the living room for a while, then opened the window to let the breeze in.

Okizome Town's quiet was different from Tokyo's.

But even this quiet was being eroded by something invisible.