Onmyoji, a nobleman in Heian-kyo

Page 592

Kyosuke Kosaka thinks Kasumigaoka is more like it.

Yesterday they were begging for criticism, how come they've forgotten today?

"If so, what would you do?"

I will try my best to accommodate you.

Still surprised, Kasumigaoka suddenly sat up, crossed her legs, and revealed a section of her tender white feet under her light purple dress, her toes, like newly sprouted jade shoots, curled forward.

Kousaka Kyosuke found it strange; was he being asked to lick feet?

Heh, how could he... The images of Komachi, Kagura, and the others flashed through his mind.

"Let's eat." Kyosuke Kousaka gave up thinking. Why bother thinking so much?

Kasumigaoka gave a soft "hmm," lowered her legs from the crossed position, sat up straight, picked up the food in front of her, closed her eyes, and inhaled.

A second or two later, she suddenly opened her eyes and looked at Kyosuke Kosaka.

Kyosuke Kosaka ate his meat bun, his eyes lowered, not looking to the side.

"The filling..."

"Do you want minced meat? Pork or venison?"

"I want to try them all."

Seeing that Kousaka Kyosuke was easy to talk to, Kasumigaoka whispered.

The palace did have wild boar meat and venison, which were served on holidays.

It was just so badly made that it was hard to swallow.

The chefs only considered the appearance and plating, and hardly thought about improving the taste.

The nobles didn't care much about the taste either.

But for Kasumigaoka, who has lived in the modern world for more than a decade, this is a different story.

The value of ingredients can only be proven when food is made to taste good.

To be honest, she didn't really offer much guidance.

This is just my personal opinion.

Moreover, she had vaguely heard about the Emperor opening up public granaries in the past few days.

It was roughly guessed that many people had died of cold and starvation due to the freezing weather outside.

In addition, food was precious in that era.

Kasumigaoka never intended to interfere with food-related matters.

If you can fill your stomach, you should be grateful.

Even though she lived in the palace and had never witnessed the horrific conditions outside, it was still the same...

"The pork has no gamey smell at all, and the venison is so tender."

Kasumigaoka was quite surprised when he closed his eyes and took a sip of the food.

Kyosuke Kosaka was even more surprised. He didn't know that you could taste the texture of food in Kasumigaoka.

Nino's cooking skills are amazing.

So, the basic production chain for eggs is now in place.

Next time I go over and bring a batch of eggs home, I should be able to eat cake then, right?

Thinking of Nino, Kyosuke Kousaka couldn't help but think of his other companions in the bedroom, and his heart sank for once.

Since his retreat from Mount Oe, he has been meeting with his partners almost every day.

A day has passed, and we haven't met. I feel a little uneasy.

Even though Kasumigaoka, the masochist next to me, is pleasing to the eye, she's still lacking.

After eating a meat bun, Kyosuke Kosaka suddenly remembered what happened yesterday.

"By the way, yesterday Norimitsu proposed to Sei Shonagon."

"……what?"

Kasumigaoka immediately widened her eyes and stopped eating.

"According to historical records, Tachibana no Norimitsu knelt down to propose to Sei Shonagon!"

Since Tachibana no Norimitsu was from a noble family, his act of kneeling was full of courage and boldness.

Therefore, this matter is always talked about with great interest whenever the teacher teaches "The Pillow Book".

But Kasumigaoka doesn't want to!

Having met Sei Shonagon, she knew that Sei Shonagon was a very talented young woman who loved waka poetry.

They don't match Tachibana Norimitsu at all!

That's not the main reason. The main reason is that Tachibana no Norimitsu recently said, "Anyone who sends me waka poems is my enemy. If they send me a waka poem, I'll cut ties with them!"

What's even more outrageous is that during that time, Tachibana no Norimitsu was still passionately pursuing Sei Shonagon.

Kasumigaoka felt suffocated by this.

Put yourself in their shoes.

She loves waka poetry, even considering it her second life, but a guy says he hates it. And if he hates it, why does he have to pursue her?

This kind of completely brainless behavior is truly infuriating.

Undoubtedly, Tachibana no Norimitsu acted in this reckless manner.

Kasumigaoka truly doesn't believe that Sei Shonagon would like Tachibana Norimitsu.

Even if they did agree, it would likely end in divorce, just like history has shown.

"How is it going?" A lot of thoughts flashed through her mind, and Kasumigaoka took the initiative to ask.

Kyosuke Kousaka pondered, "It's a bit complicated."

"...How exactly does it involve such a complicated method?"

Kasumigaoka patiently asked, inwardly thinking that the man in front of her had a slightly wicked mind.

Is it because she said something unpleasant that you're keeping her hooked?

But it was clearly the man in front of her who was implying that he liked to hear it.

“Let me state my exact words…”

Kousaka Kyosuke slowly recited Sei Shonagon's semi-acquisitive answer from back then, and then repeated Tachibana Norimitsu's original words with a subtle feeling.

Upon hearing this, Kasumigaoka was completely stunned.

Just like not long ago, Tachibana Norimitsu's rather suffocating actions have occurred again.

Kasumigaoka couldn't even imagine how utterly devastated Sei Shonagon's mindset must have been!

"Did the proposal go well?" she asked quickly.

Kasumigaoka greatly admires Sei Shonagon, a historical writer and female poet.

Many nights, when all was quiet, she would carefully appreciate Sei Shonagon's waka poems.

Overall, Kasumigaoka treated Sei Shonagon more like a junior meeting a senior.

Unfortunately, due to their differing stances, Kasumigaoka could only suppress her emotions and treat Sei Shonagon with indifference.

Moreover... she was exhausted every time she attended one of the various banquets hosted by Emperor Ichijo.

Although I have memorized many waka poems, I still have to be fully focused on everything because of the theme, the environment, and the names of the people involved!

Seemingly noticing some of her problems, Sei Shonagon would occasionally look at her with pity.

Looking back now, Kasumigaoka can only manage a bitter smile.

On one occasion, Sei Shonagon even said to her with regret: "You should still approach it with a positive attitude."

At that time, Kasumigaoka was very moving.

Sei Shonagon definitely noticed her plagiarism, but she didn't say much and even gave her advice.

Thanks to Sei Shonagon's advice, Kasumigaoka managed to compose herself and behave somewhat better at the banquet.

But as the New Year approached, countless singers gathered, and the female officials were eager to try their hand at singing...

She was utterly terrified!

With limited abilities, she was simply not up to the task of shouldering such a heavy responsibility!

Failure will implicate everyone around you and those connected to you.

And so, after committing suicide, Kasumigaoka unknowingly wandered here and met Kousaka Kyosuke.

Let's get back to the main topic.

Kashiwa-no-oka never forgot the kindness Sei Shonagon had shown her.

If it weren't for Sei Shonagon's advice, she probably would have died in even greater agony.