Chapter 320 The True Appearance of the Puppet Father (asking for monthly tickets)
August 11th, 12:30, Japan time, Dotonbori, southern Osaka.
The sun was shining brightly, the cicadas in the trees were chirping desperately, and Gu Qinye and Yuriel were walking side by side on a food street beside a canal.
The food street is lined with shops and food stalls of all shapes and sizes, and the Japanese signs overhead are also varied – some are giant crabs, some are strings of twinkling lanterns, and some are sea bream-shaped balloons swaying gently in the wind amidst the heat wave.
The streets were packed, practically shoulder to shoulder. Tourists made up the bulk of the crowd, some lugging suitcases, some carrying backpacks, cameras or phones snapping photos everywhere. There were also quite a few locals, most of whom had taken a break from get off work and were enjoying a quick lunch with colleagues.
The air was filled with the smell of various foods mixed together, the aroma of fried food, the sauce of takoyaki, and the salty and fresh taste of soy sauce.
"There's a war meeting this afternoon, but we're free to move until three o'clock," Uriel said.
She changed into a white casual dress today, paired with a light blue denim jacket. Gu Qiye had never seen anyone wear a skirt and a jacket together, and Yuriel was the first.
The girl's white hair swayed slightly in the hot summer breeze. Perhaps it was due to her supernatural power, but despite the crowds of people around her and the scorching heat, she barely broke a sweat, her skin so pale it seemed transparent.
“It’s a good combination of work and rest.”
Gu Qiye said, stopping at a roadside stall, turned around and asked her: "It's a rare opportunity for us to go shopping, let's buy something to eat."
“Okay,” Uriel said.
"How about takoyaki? Have you ever had it?" he asked.
"I haven't eaten it. But you can try it," she said.
Gu Qiye nodded and looked up.
Many takoyaki shops make their takoyaki right in front of their doors. A guy in work clothes stands over a hot iron plate, flipping the round balls of batter. You can see small pieces of octopus peeking out from the batter.
The finished takoyaki is served in a small boat-shaped paper container, topped with sauce, nori powder, and bonito flakes, which dance slightly in the steam.
Speaking fairly fluent Japanese, Gu Qiye and the proprietress bought a box of takoyaki. Then he handed the fork to Yuriel and shared it with her.
"Do you have any particular preferences for food?" Gu Qiye asked.
Yuriel wanted to say something, but finally shook her head and said, "No."
"If you don't like it, forget it." Gu Qiye said, "Don't force yourself."
“Actually, most of the time, it doesn’t matter to me what I eat.”
"Why?"
"Ever since I was ten, no matter what I eat, it has no taste. It's as if my taste buds are frozen. It seems to be a sign that my supernatural powers are about to awaken."
"Then what?"
"At that time, I was still in an orphanage."
"You said that, and then you ran away."
“At that time, I could only taste the food when I ate next to a nurse,” Yuriel said. “She was very kind to me, like a sister.”
She was silent for a moment. "She also said to me, 'People are all the same. Food tastes better when you're around people you're close to. You're not surprised.'"
"What happened next?" Gu Qiye asked, "Is she still in the welfare home?"
"No," Uriel deadpanned, "then she got married and left the orphanage, so I left too."
Gu Qiye thought for a moment and asked, "After that, do you still enjoy the taste of food?"
"No." Uriel shook her head. "But it's different lately."
"Will eating next to me taste good?"
Uriel nodded wordlessly, looking away from him.
"I understand. I might be the nurse in disguise." Gu Qinye said without hesitation.
Yuriel was stunned. She lowered her head and thought seriously for a moment, then she realized that he was telling a joke and this was not something that required logical thinking. So she slowly raised her head and glanced at him indifferently.
"You have no sense of humor."
“But you smiled.”
Uriel was stunned.
She lowered her head, raised her hand, and gently brushed her white cheek with her fingertips. Only then did she realize that there was a barely visible curve at the corner of her mouth.
Yuriel remained silent, picked up a piece of steaming hot takoyaki with a fork, and ate it in small bites with her head down.
Afterward, they bought a box of grilled snapper on the street. It was golden and crispy on the outside, and the filling inside was sweet, but the clerk said there were both sweet and salty flavors, which sounded a bit strange for some reason.
So they tasted both flavors like opening a blind box, exchanged them, and finally threw away the salty one and walked forward along the river railing.
The Dotonbori canal sparkled in the sunlight, and the white-haired girl's hair fluttered in the summer heat and warm breeze. Even in summer, she seemed to be hiding a winter that would never melt.
Gu Qinye couldn't help but sigh that standing next to Yuriel was like being stuck next to a human refrigerator, and the temperature seemed to have dropped a lot.
"Fan Dongqing said he's also in Dotonbori, so he asked us to have lunch together." Yuriel picked up the phone and suddenly said, "Do you want to go?"
"Who else did he meet?"
Gu Qinye turned his head to look at her and asked without thinking.
"He made all the appointments. But not many people showed up," Uriel said. "Also, he didn't invite you."
Gu Qiye was stunned.
"Am I being isolated? Hongyi is still using this seniority trick?"
"No," Uriel said calmly, "He knows I'm with you. Asking me out is the same as asking you out. There's no difference."
"So that's how it is."
Gu Qiye felt relieved. He thought for a moment, "Oh, right? Will the Puppet Father show up? I'm thinking, dressed like that, with his face bandaged, won't he scare the other customers away when he enters the store?"
“He said he would come,” Uriel said.
"real?"
"Really," Uriel explained, "He wasn't always wrapped in bandages. We've seen what he looks like underneath them."
"What does he look like?"
"Middle-aged, fair-skinned, wearing glasses," Uriel described succinctly.
"Wearing glasses, fair complexion, middle-aged..."
Gu Qiye murmured softly, his expression unconsciously becoming gloomy.
Soon, they accepted Fan Dongqing's invitation, entered the Japanese barbecue restaurant located in their mobile phone, and found a private room.
The two pushed open the curtain at the door and walked in. The large lantern above their heads emitted a warm orange light.
Warm yellow paper lanterns cast a soft light. The others were already seated on the futons at the low table: Garfield, Ninety-Nine, Urushihara Ruri, the Puppet Father, and Ke Qingzheng.
Everyone who should have come has arrived, more than Gu Qiye had imagined. He didn’t expect Fan Dongqing to be quite popular.
Gu Qinye remained silent, glancing towards the corner out of the corner of his eye.
There was only one unfamiliar male face in the box. Undoubtedly, it was the puppet father who had removed his "bandages."
He wore rimless glasses, his features warm and indifferent, like a sophisticated scholar. He reeked of disinfectant and wore a fine white trench coat, his demeanor reserved and gentle.
The person before him was completely different from the man wrapped in bandages and emitting a strange aura.
It is difficult for anyone to associate this man with glasses with the "Father of Puppetry".
"He is the father of puppets?" Gu Qiye confirmed again.
“Yes,” Uriel said.
"How sweet! Are they always sticking together whether they're on a mission or not?" Urushihara Ruri looked up at the two of them and teased.
"He's new. I have an obligation to take care of him," said Uriel.
"I'm a newcomer and have the obligation to be taken care of by her." Gu Qinye also said.
"When I was a newcomer, no one took care of me so diligently, except for this kid Ke Qingzheng." Fan Dongqing just came back from the bathroom. As he spoke, he pushed open the curtain and walked in.
Then he turned his back to the crowd, raised his phone, and took a selfie. "This is the first time I've met so many people."
"Shut up." Jiujiu frowned. "Narcissist, I just happened to be nearby."
"Yes, yes, you came here for Garfield." Fan Dongqing made a "yeah" gesture and took another photo with a "click".
"No way?" Jiujiu was anxious.
"I must first state: I don't fall in love. Love is just a bug caused by brain waves. Machinery is more interesting." Garfield said expressionlessly.
"You are also a narcissistic man." Jiujiu glared at him.
"Rainbow Wing members are prohibited from uploading photos on social media platforms." Yuriel took a sip of ice water and reminded Fan Dongqing.
"Baimao, are you my mother?" Fan Dongqing asked without turning his head.
"Don't change the subject."
"Don't worry, I was just taking the photos for fun, as a souvenir. I've sent them to you." Fan Dongqing said, and quickly created a group chat on Line, pulling everyone present in - except Gu Qinye.
Gu Qiye was silent for a moment, then turned to look at Yuriel who was sitting next to him: "Send me the photos?"
"Okay." Uriel responded.
She lowered her head, tapped her fingertips on the phone screen, and forwarded the photos she had just received to Gu Qinye.
Gu Qinye leaned back against the wall, lowered his head and glanced at the photo, making sure that the face of the Puppet Father was clearly captured on it.
Then, he opened his phone's address book and sent the photo to Hei Pupa through a private channel.
At this moment, in another corner of Osaka.
Black Pupa was hanging upside down motionless under the eaves of the izakaya, occasionally using a restraint to steal one or two octopus balls from the table in the shop.
He was chewing takoyaki while staring blankly at the people passing by on the street.
A moment later, there was a "ding dong" sound from the phone, so he looked up at the phone.
[Gu Qiye: This is his photo.]
【Black Pupa: 1.】
Hei Pu clicked on the photo sent by Gu Qinye, and what caught his eye was a group photo in a private room. It was either a handsome man and a beautiful woman, or a cute little boy and a cute little girl - this private room would definitely make a lot of money if it could get a brand endorsement.
Earlier, he had seen the faces of the twelve members of Hongyi through receiving Gu Qiye's memories, except for the Puppet Father.
So he naturally understood that the only person he didn't know in this private room was the Puppet Father.
Hei Pupa narrowed his eyes and stared at the fair-skinned man wearing glasses and a white windbreaker.
After a moment of hesitation, he uttered two words hoarsely:
"tutor?"
(End of this chapter)
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