Chapter 1371
Obik: You beast! What are you doing with the fried sauce?!
Cui Ming is back.
After finishing his work on the TPC report and explaining the follow-up matters to the Lightning Man, he drove alone to Hikono Town.
Night fell over the town, and the streetlights cast a dim, yellowish glow in the darkness.
He turned into an old alley with practiced ease and saw the familiar lantern at the end.
Obik looked to be in good spirits.
The old monster was still in human form, wearing that faded old kimono, and was sitting behind the soba noodle stall humming a tuneless song.
The noodles were bubbling away in the pot, steam rising into the cold air, and the aroma wafting far and wide.
"Oh, you're here."
Obik raised his head, his cloudy eyes lingering on Cui Ming's face for a moment before he grinned, revealing a toothless smile.
"Sit down, same as always, extra char siu."
Cui Ming didn't stand on ceremony and sat down on the wooden stool in front of the stall, putting his coat aside.
"You seem to be in good spirits. When do you plan to set off?"
Obik stirred the noodles in the pot with a practiced ease, as if he were stroking a lover's hair.
"Almost there, once Shadow Mage finishes packing up the last batch of things."
He plans to live in the Showa era from now on.
Cui Ming picked up his teacup and blew away the foam.
"Over there... Japan still has too many bad habits."
His tone was calm, as if he were stating an objective fact.
Although these bad habits seemed perfect to him.
Obik's eyes lit up, and he stopped using the soup spoon in his hand.
"Right, right!"
He slapped his thigh excitedly, his voice rising several decibels.
"How wonderful it was back in the Showa era! It would be quiet as soon as it got dark, without these damn neon lights, without the noise of 24-hour convenience stores, people would just stay home at night, and the streets would be pitch black..."
As Obik spoke, his eyes welled up with tears, as if he were lost in some beautiful memory.
"That's what nighttime should be like! These days, young people are still wandering the streets in the middle of the night, their phones glowing like will-o'-the-wisps. It's a desecration of the darkness!"
Cui Ming listened, a slight smile playing on his lips, without offering any rebuttal.
He recalled the real-life problems that existed during the Showa era: male chauvinism, workplace bullying, a repressive social atmosphere, and disregard for the individual...
But to Obik, a monster who dwells in the darkness, those were perfect nourishment.
The more repressed humans are, the quieter the night becomes, the purer the darkness, and the more at ease the monsters are.
Cui Ming went to find Obik to eat ramen, and along the way, he also encountered quite a few monsters.
Deep in the alley, in the shadows of a corner, at the edge of a well, pairs of eyes, some red and some green, gleam in the darkness.
There are tanuki, kappa, zashiki-warashi, and some ancient beings whose names even Cui Ming can't recall.
These monsters all planned to go with Obik.
An old woman with cat ears emerged from the shadows, carrying a small bundle in her hand.
"Lord Obik is right, this place is getting brighter and brighter, and it's hard to sleep peacefully."
A young man, soaking wet as if he had just crawled out of the water, nodded.
"I heard that the rivers were clean back in the Showa era, unlike now, when they are all filled with industrial wastewater."
Cui Ming didn't stop him.
He picked up a mouthful of noodles, blew on it, and put it in his mouth.
After all, it's quite amazing that Obik himself traveled to that world.
A monster that should have vanished into light in Tiga's arms was given a chance to choose its fate anew due to a shift in the world line and the flapping of the butterfly's wings.
If you like the era of the troublemakers in the Showa era, then so be it.
“Anyone who wants to leave can leave,” Cui Ming put down his chopsticks, his voice steady. “I’ll talk to them over there and give you a piece of land. Just don’t cause trouble.”
The monsters looked at each other, their eyes gleaming with gratitude and awe.
Obik was so moved that he burst into tears and wiped his eyes with his sleeve.
“Cui Ming…you look cold and aloof, but you’re actually quite reasonable…” “Stop flattering me,” Cui Ming glanced at him indifferently, “I’ll pay for the noodles.”
"I know, I know!"
Obik stopped crying and started laughing, then turned around and went to scoop noodles out of the pot again.
The night breeze blows through the alley, the lanterns sway gently, and the light and shadow dance on the walls.
A group of forgotten monsters sat around a small noodle stall, eating steaming hot ramen and planning their upcoming migration.
The scene is both absurd and heartwarming.
But as he was eating, Obik noticed that Cui Ming had pulled out the fried sauce again.
Cui Ming took out a small glass bottle from his pocket, which contained a dark brown sauce. He unscrewed the cap, and a rich aroma mixed with garlic and chili instantly filled the air.
He scooped a large spoonful of noodles into the bowl, stirred it well, and then picked up a piece with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.
Obik's expression froze instantly.
His eyes widened, his nose twitched, and then his whole face contorted into a grimace.
"you you……"
Obik's voice trembled, and his finger pointed shakily at the bottle in Cui Ming's hand.
"You've brought this thing out again?!"
Cui Ming chewed his noodles and glanced at him expressionlessly.
"Well, it's a matter of personal taste."
"Personal taste my foot!"
Obik suddenly stood up, causing the wooden stool to tip over with a loud crash.
He grabbed the soup ladle in his hand, holding it like a sharp sword, and glared angrily at Cui Ming.
"This is soba noodles! Authentic Japanese soba noodles! Add this...this..."
He pointed at the bottle of fried sauce, his beard trembling with anger.
"This filth from hell! It is a desecration of food! It is an insult to tradition!"
Cui Ming calmly picked up another mouthful of noodles, his tone indifferent.
"As long as it tastes good."
"tasty?!"
Obik's voice cracked as he turned to look at the other monsters, as if seeking backup.
"Look at this! Look at this guy! He did the same thing last time, and he's doing it again! I can't take it anymore!"
The old lady raccoon shrank her neck and dared not utter a sound.
The kappa retreated into the shadows, pretending not to have seen anything.
The Shadow Mage poked half his head out of the well and let out a sound that looked like he was trying to suppress a laugh.
Cui Ming finished his noodles, put down his chopsticks, and looked up at Obik, who was trembling with anger.
"Don't get excited, it's bad for your health."
"I'm not good enough, you son of a bitch!"
Obik almost threw the spoon at him, but remembering Cui Ming's identity, he held back.
He was panting heavily, his chest heaving violently, and finally sat back down heavily in his chair, letting out a mournful howl.
"...What a tragedy...How could I have made such a friend..."
Cui Ming stood up, patted his shoulder, and the corners of his mouth seemed to turn up slightly for a moment.
"Let me know when you're settled over there."
He turned and walked into the night, his shadow stretching long in the glow of the lanterns.
Obik looked at the departing figure, then at the uncapped jar of fried sauce on the table, and finally could only shake his head helplessly and let out a long sigh.
"...Next time we meet, I'll definitely poison the pot..."
The Shadow Mage climbed out of the well and patted him on the back, as if to comfort him.
The lanterns in the alley swayed gently, illuminating the monsters' bewildered faces. (End of Chapter)