The floating starlight was reflected in her eyes, like an endless galaxy being captured by her clear eyes, shimmering with brilliance.
"What a beautiful night, and the weather is lovely too."
After a long while, Hikari finally stopped what she was doing, looked away, and sighed.
I nodded. "Indeed, if we hadn't happened to pass by here, we might not have seen such a beautiful view." I paused, then added, "Hikari, you recommended this place before, right? So, do you know the name of this bay?"
"Moon Bay, right?"
Hikari squinted her eyes and ladled a bowl of hot soup from the pot, placing it on the table: "I do know that, although I heard it from Yao-jie."
"Although few people come to this bay, it's not that no one has ever visited it. The first people who came here saw how the bay was surrounded by mountains, and how the starlight and moonlight were reflected in the partially enclosed sea, making the scenery extremely beautiful, so they named it this bay."
"You're absolutely right."
I smiled and thanked her for the meal. After blowing away the steam, I first tasted a sip of the soup and then set it aside.
Shen Xue, who also took the soup bowl, stirred the spoon, took a small sip, and couldn't help but frown: "Why is it so salty?"
I paused for a second: "Is it salty?"
Shen Xue took another sip, savoring it for a long time. Her brows furrowed even more as she nodded. "Salty." She paused, then added, "Much saltier than usual."
Hikari blinked in confusion: "That shouldn't be the case. I cooked it according to my usual habits, so why is it so salty? I even added more ginger and garlic to remove the fishy smell."
"Huh? What? It's already cooked? Let me have a bite first before continuing."
Hikari served herself a bowl as well, and was about to take a bite when Annie, who was carrying a strong smell of the sea, interrupted her. Annie had no choice but to put the bowl to the girl's lips first.
Annie, who was happily drinking the soup, suddenly changed her expression, turned her head and rushed to the side, spitting several times. When she turned back, she wiped her teary eyes and said, "I feel like even my tears aren't this salty!"
I took a few more sips, still confused, and picked out some fish meat to chew slowly, exchanging a bewildered look with Hikari.
"It looks like something's wrong with one of us."
Miyuki crossed her arms and leaned back, looking me and the girl over with serious expressions, clearly implying that Hikari and I had a problem with our sense of taste.
Indeed, I admit that as someone who grew up by the sea, I have a high tolerance for saltiness due to the abundance of seafood I ate, and I also enjoy spices quite a bit. However, I'm not the type to just grab any salt and chew it indiscriminately. That's a skill unique to people from the land of blazing fire!
As for Hikari, needless to say. I've heard the girl mention her hometown a few times in my spare time. Although I know very little, I do know that she lives inland and prefers lighter meals. In addition, although there are rumors that inland residents like spices, they don't have the luxury of using large amounts of precious salt, let alone consuming large quantities in a single meal.
What exactly went wrong?
I pondered for a few seconds, my gaze sweeping over the people surrounding me, before turning to the young boy who had suddenly turned his back.
Speaking of which, Ai An seemed to have drunk about half a bowl of soup earlier... The soup bowl is still on the table, and I didn't hear him say anything about it being salty.
Just as I was about to go over and talk to him, I saw the boy hug his bent-knee shoulders and gently shrug, from which I could clearly hear sobbing.
"Huh?" Hikari noticed where my gaze was directed, quietly walked over to the boy's side, and gently patted his shoulder. "Little Aian, are you crying? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
"...I didn't cry!"
A childish voice, trembling with sobs, rang out from the side, high-pitched and slightly cracking.
The boy, who buried his head even deeper in the ground, didn't make eye contact with any of us. He simply lowered his voice and said, "I... I just... I don't know why I feel a little sad!"
I opened my mouth, then took back what I was about to say, and walked to the other side of the boy, gently patting his trembling shoulder as well.
The boy's trembling intensified.
I initially wanted to laugh at him, saying that as a little man, how could he so easily shed tears in front of others, especially with so many beautiful girls around? But then I thought about it again. This kid has had a tough time. He was kidnapped and stuffed into an experimental pod filled with strangely shaped chimeras in the vicinity, and he's lost his memory—any of these things would be hard for an ordinary person to accept. Crying a little is nothing; it won't hurt him.
Perhaps something touched him; anyway, he's just a kid, there's plenty of time, he'll get better eventually.
The coastline fell silent for a moment, the burning magical flames swirling quietly, the waves surging, and a gentle breeze blowing haphazardly, masking the boy's deliberately suppressed sobs.
"Speaking of which, I suddenly remembered a rumor."
Gazing at the horizon where the sea meets the sky in the distance, Hikari suddenly opened her mouth.
I turned my head to look at her, and the two people behind me who were sharing roasted jerky also perked up their ears.
Gazing at the approaching tide, Hikari, oblivious to everything happening behind her, said thoughtfully, "Mr. Yumi, have you heard? There are actually two little-known stories about Moon Bay."
"What story?" I asked, seizing the opportunity.
It seems that Yao had mentioned it to the girl casually before, and she just happened to remember it now.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
