Chapter 155: Candy (Long Chapter)
Inside the dimly lit and warm room, the window by the roadside allowed a sliver of light to seep through—likely from a bright moon still shining above. It was profoundly quiet, yet if one listened closely, the rhythmic music of crickets could be heard within the grassy thickets...
Akishin appeared out of thin air atop the bed. He sat for a moment before retrieving his phone from beneath the pillow. On the top left of the wallpaper featuring a photo of Shizuka, the time displayed five minutes past four.
He hadn't checked the time before entering, so he didn't know how much time had passed. The time efficiency of the Patch wasn't absolute; it depended on the opponent's strength to determine the time dilation.
"Phew~"
Setting the phone aside, Akishin rose from the bed. He poured himself a glass of water in the darkness and pushed open the window, allowing the clear moonlight to instantly spill into the room.
In the western reaches of the sky, the air looked remarkably crisp. Aside from the stars, there was only a vast, open expanse. The crickets and grasshoppers sang in unison, narrating the chill of the night.
It felt as though he were the only soul left awake in the world, free to do anything or nothing at all—a sensation of absolute liberation.
Next door, Shizuka was quietly holding Hotaru, curled up inside the warm blankets. Both carried faint smiles, likely wandering through a pleasant dream.
Leaning against the window frame, he took occasional sips of warm water while gazing out at the city at night. In the far distance, specks of light flickered in the massive skyscrapers; he wondered if people there were working overtime or perhaps in the middle of a party...
A few minutes later, the glass was empty.
Placing the glass on the windowsill, Akishin extended his left hand. A long sword sheathed in deep crimson manifested in his grip, the regular texture on its surface providing a firm, solid hold.
Akishin's pupils reflected the image of the blade, an inexplicable sensation connecting the two of them.
He reached out with his right hand, gripping the hilt and drawing it slowly.
Clang!
The sword body was a glossy black, the edge a deep violet, adorned with strange, undulating black patterns... everything was so familiar and real.
From now on, this blade truly belonged to Akishin, summonable at any moment. And it finally had a name: [Rebirth]!
It was a special name, one that only Chishima Akishin could truly understand.
Staring at the long sword, the corners of Akishin's mouth curled upward. He smiled—a smile of pure, unadulterated joy—though he didn't let out a sound.
Shing~
He fully unsheathed [Rebirth], pointing it toward the heavens. Under the cold moonlight, [Rebirth] looked like a flawless masterpiece, beyond the reach of mere words.
[Rebirth] possessed a soul!
Through that inexplicable connection, Akishin could feel it... or rather, calling it a "soul" wasn't quite right. It was more like an [Intent].
Akishin didn't really know how to describe it.
However, as a simple example: in anyone else's hands, [Rebirth] would remain a Meito capable of exerting its full potential; but in Akishin's hands, [Rebirth] could exert a hundred and twenty percent of its power, or even more...
If he had held [Rebirth] during the fight against Yagyu Jubei, it might have been a bit easier.
Therefore, [Rebirth] was Akishin's exclusive weapon—an extension of his very soul.
After admiring it for three minutes, Akishin slid [Rebirth] back into its scabbard.
Shing~ ting!
A second later, [Rebirth] vanished from his hand.
Akishin turned around, closed the window, placed the water glass on the desk, and climbed back into bed. He pulled the covers over himself and went to sleep.
There was no need to worry about anything anymore, no need to overthink. He simply followed his heart and slept.
Tomorrow would be a fresh new day. Tomorrow, he would see Shizuka again.
...
The following day.
The familiar faces gathered once again in the activity room.
Yuika, Kaiko, Soichi, Hachiman, Komachi, Yui, Saki, Totsuka Saika, Zaimokuza, along with their supervisor Chishima Akishin, Hiratsuka Shizuka, and their little guest of honor, Hotaru.
Piles of books and notebooks sat in front of everyone. At the far end of the room stood a small whiteboard, covered in various texts and practice problems written in marker.
Lifting her head from the sea of practice questions, Yui rubbed her forehead and looked left and right. She let out a long sigh. "Hah~ I've called Yukinon so many times, but she still won't come."
"Yukinoshita probably has a private tutor. Besides, does someone with her grades even need cram sessions? No point worrying about her," Hachiman said without looking up.
"Is the problem the tutoring?"
"It's not?"
"...Idiot!"
Yui glared at Hachiman before burying her face back into the workbook. These books had all been bought by Chishima Akishin, and they weren't cheap.
This was the "Sea of Problems" tactic—improving grades as quickly as possible by strengthening the foundation. The priority was getting into a good university first.
"That's right! Onii-chan really is an idiot!"
Komachi also looked up to toss a glare at Hachiman.
Yuika, Saki, Shizuka, and Totsuka Saika all shared a laugh. Kaiko looked back and forth, scratching her pink hair as she asked, "What's going on?"
Zaimokuza raised the pen he was using to write his novel, his eyes darting around as he exclaimed, "Indeed! Hikigaya Hachiman, thou art truly a fool. This General asked thee to brainstorm the next plot point, yet thou claimest to be ignorant. Thou hast truly disappointed this General..."
Hotaru set down the dinosaur picture book she was holding. Cradled in Shizuka's arms, she happily joined in the teasing. "Dummy, dummy, Hachiman-nii is a dummy..."
Hachiman: "???"
How did he suddenly become the village idiot?
Akishin set down the copy of "Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk" that he was reading for the eighth time. "It's about time to cook lunch. Hikigaya, come here and help me."
He pulled out his phone to check the time; it was already noon.
Kondo Yuika stood up immediately. "Sensei, I'll help too."
Akishin waved her off. "No need. Stay here and finish your problems. I'm just making something simple; one helper is enough."
Ever since Yuika started learning culinary techniques from him, the menu at Chishimaya was rotated once a week, excluding a few staple dishes!
His goal was to teach Kondo Yuika as many techniques as possible. Besides Japanese cuisine, he was also introducing her to Chinese cooking.
As a teacher, Akishin was being remarkably diligent.
Hachiman nodded and stood up, but as he caught a full view of Akishin's face, he froze for a moment. He knitted his brows, studying him closely, and said in an uncertain tone, "Sensei, why do I feel like you've changed... again?"
Wait, why did he say 'again'?
At Hachiman's words, the others also turned their heads, fixing their gazes on Akishin. Their expressions slowly began to shift.
Akishin replied with a smile, "Changed? In what way? Did I get even more handsome?"
His aura shouldn't have been leaking since yesterday!
Hachiman crossed his arms hesitantly. "Actually... yeah. It feels like you've become even more attractive. Did you do something again yesterday, Sensei?"
In his memory, the first time he met Akishin was in the classroom. At that time, the first impression was terrifying—standing at the podium with a smile, yet even without direct eye contact, the pressure was immense.
But now, it was a type of aura that felt like a sharp blade; within the danger lay a strangely captivating charm, and his presence felt unique.
Even as a guy, Hachiman had to admit that the current Akishin possessed a one-of-a-kind handsomeness!!!
And so...
He acknowledged Akishin's joke.
Akishin blinked, the smile on his face freezing. Come to think of it, he hadn't checked his attribute values after defeating Yagyu Jubei. Did his Charm increase again?
Yui said in surprise, "Whoa! It's true! Chishima-sensei looks even more handsome than before today. I already felt that way when I arrived, but I thought it was just my imagination..."
As she spoke, Yui looked at Akishin's face and felt her own face heating up. Not daring to look any longer, she quickly turned away and stared at her workbook with zero concentration.
Yuika, Kaiko, and Saki—the girls all nodded in agreement. Much like Yui, their faces were slightly flushed. They shared the same sentiment, having been momentarily dazed for a few seconds... luckily they reacted quickly, so no one noticed, right?
Shizuka suddenly clapped her hands. "It's true, Chishima-kun. You really have become more handsome." Then, she began her interrogation: "Spill it. How did you get even more good-looking! Is there a secret? Hand it over."
Hotaru chimed in, "Give it, give it..."
"There's no secret. I don't know either. Maybe it's because I went to the aquarium yesterday and got some rest last night."
Akishin put on a face that suggested he was just as confused as they were.
"Really?"
"Really. Do I look like the type of person who lies?"
"Fine. I want to eat shrimp this afternoon. Hotaru, do you want some?"
"Yes~"
"Good, good. Shrimp it is. I also plan on making some candy for Hotaru, so she can eat more sweets..."
"..."
Akishin led Hachiman out of the activity room. As they walked, he mentally summoned his attribute window—yesterday he was only thinking about [Rebirth], and this morning Shizuka had commanded all his attention. Since his aura wasn't out of control, he had forgotten to check.
—
Chishima Akishin:
Strength: 23.
Agility: 21. (+3)
Charm: 17. (+1)
Constitution: 23. (+1)
Skills: Kendo [Master]—Grandmaster (Pending), Cooking (Master), Go—Master (Pending), Hand-to-hand Combat (Expert), Firearms (Expert), Sword Meditation...
Exclusive Weapon: [Rebirth] (Katana).
Skill Points: 0.
...
Strength remained unchanged, but Agility had increased by three points. Charm had actually increased by two points (it was 15 before). Constitution also went up by one, and there was a new 'Exclusive Weapon' entry.
The increase this time was quite significant, though there wasn't a specific physical sensation; it was likely a subtle, gradual change. However...
Nice. This was very nice.
Becoming stronger was good, and becoming more handsome was equally welcome...
Closing the blue light screen that only he could see, Akishin kept his expression neutral as he led Hachiman into the kitchen.
Akishin gave Hachiman an order: "Go to the small storage room in the back and get that box of maltose syrup. The one with the sugarcane logo."
"Syrup?"
Hachiman looked confused for a second before turning to walk toward the small pantry where ingredients were kept.
Akishin grabbed a metal basin from under the kitchen counter, then a small bag of toasted rice flour (powder). He turned to light the fire to heat a large pot of water in the iron wok—it was a shame he couldn't find a traditional winnowing tray in Japan on such short notice.
What he told Hotaru about making candy wasn't just idle talk. Actually, after finishing coffee yesterday, Akishin had decided he wanted to make some.
When he received the supplies last night, he had specifically asked the supplier to buy maltose syrup and toasted rice flour.
Akishin wanted to make Dragon's Beard Candy.
Also known as Dragon's Beard Crunch, it was a highly popular traditional Chinese snack. Its defining characteristic was its pure white, dense appearance, consisting of thousands of incredibly fine strands that resembled a dragon's beard—hence the name.
Besides making it in the Patch's practice room, Akishin had only ever bought a little bit at a tourist area during a trip in his previous life—he hadn't graduated yet back then, and he remembered thinking it was delicious. After graduating and getting bogged down by life, he had lost that initial enthusiasm for eating candy.
Yesterday, while chatting with Hotaru about the sweetness of life, he suddenly remembered that blurred past...
"Sensei, here it is."
Hachiman placed a twenty-centimeter-long iron box on the kitchen table. He then watched with intense curiosity as Akishin poured the maltose syrup into the metal basin and placed it over the steaming pot of water to soften.
"Sensei, what exactly are you making?"
"Dragon's Beard Candy."
"What kind of candy is that?"
Akishin explained, "A snack..." As they waited for the maltose to soften over the boiling water, Akishin took the spare moment to introduce the history of Dragon's Beard Candy to Hachiman...
Ten minutes later.
The water was boiling, and the maltose had softened.
Akishin took the softened maltose, placed it on the table, and kneaded it repeatedly like dough.
After that, he shaped it into a long rod, dusted it with a bit of cassava starch, and began pulling it—first stretching the maltose thin, much like making hand-pulled ramen. He pulled, looped, pulled, and looped... until the color of the maltose lightened and turned toward white.
Then, the maltose was formed into a ring, placed back into the metal basin, covered in toasted rice flour, and continuously pulled through the powder...
This step was the core of making Dragon's Beard Candy. It wasn't as simple as it looked; it required a specific method and considerable strength.
In China, one had to undergo professional training before being able to pull sugar syrup into strands as fine as hair.
Akishin noticed Hachiman watching with enthusiasm and asked, "Want to try?"
"Is that okay?"
Akishin brushed the rice flour off his hands, smiling as he made room in front of the basin and gestured for Hachiman to take over.
Hachiman hesitated for a moment but couldn't suppress his curiosity. He washed and dried his hands before reaching into the basin, mimicking Akishin's pulling motions.
Except...
Huh? Why isn't it moving?
Hachiman's first pull didn't budge the sugar. He frowned, glancing at the smiling Akishin beside him. Hachiman gritted his teeth and poured more strength into it, finally managing to stretch it.
Then one loop, two loops, three loops, four loops. By the fourth loop, Hikigaya literally couldn't pull it anymore. His face turned a deep crimson, his breathing became heavy, and his physical energy was being drained rapidly.
Glancing at the maltose buried in the rice flour inside the basin, he asked in shock, "Isn't this soft candy? Why is it so hard to pull?"
"Who said it was soft? Pulling candy requires a specific technique; it takes practice. You can't just use brute force. You have enough strength, but you lack the technique..."
Akishin signaled for Hachiman to step aside. As he resumed pulling the candy, he explained the mechanics to Hachiman.
Five minutes later, the maltose in Akishin's hands had gradually transformed into delicate strands resembling a dragon's beard.
"Try some. Tell me if it's good."
Akishin placed a small clump of the candy strands into a small bowl and pushed it toward Hachiman.
Hachiman picked up a pair of chopsticks and pinched a bit. The cotton-like strands looked as if they would break with a mere breath; it was hard to believe they originated from that glob of syrup.
The moment Hachiman put the strands in his mouth, his eyes lit up. It melted instantly—very similar to cotton candy, but sweeter and with a much richer aroma.
Akishin also took a bit to taste and nodded in satisfaction. Then, he added the filling—a mixture of crushed peanuts, white sesame seeds, shredded coconut, and other ingredients.
After rolling and wrapping them, he produced bite-sized pieces of Dragon's Beard Candy: silky-fine sugar strands on the outside, and a fragrant, crunchy center on the inside.
Finally, he arranged them on a plate and asked Hikigaya to take them to the activity room for Hotaru and the others.
There were two legends regarding Dragon's Beard Candy.
One was that while Emperor Zhengde was traveling among the commoners, he discovered a candy with a very unique taste and shape—at the time, it was called "Silver Thread Candy." When eaten, the aroma was heavenly and the texture extraordinary.
Because he loved it so much, he issued a decree to bring it to the palace and renamed it "Dragon's Beard Candy," also called the "Dragon's Beard Roll." After that, it spread back to the people and became a beloved treat...
The other legend claimed that Dragon's Beard Crunch had been among the people for two thousand years and was always a snack reserved for emperors. It wasn't until the reign of Emperor Yongzheng that the name truly exploded.
Supposedly, one day Emperor Yongzheng held a Manchu Han Imperial Feast to entertain civil and military officials, and he asked a famous chef to make Dragon's Beard Crunch on the spot.
Emperor Yongzheng saw the technique was so masterful, like a dancing dragon and phoenix, with the sugar strands in the chef's hands turning pure white and slender like the beard of a lucky dragon.
The Emperor was delighted and gifted the candy to his concubines and ministers, officially titling the candy as "Dragon's Beard Crunch." From then on, the name echoed through every street and alleyway.
Which of the two legends was true remained unknown, and the truth didn't really matter anyway; Akishin was just thinking about it out of curiosity.
Next, it was time to cook the main course.
...
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