Chapter 515: Chapter 515

August 11, 12:30 PM Japan time, South Osaka, Dotonbori.

The scorching sun hung high, and cicadas on the trees were chirping desperately, as Gu Qiye and You Ruirui walked shoulder to shoulder along a gourmet street by the canal. This update ıs available on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝔫𝔢𝔱

The two sides of the street were packed with various shops and food stalls, with Japanese signboards overhead in all sorts of designs—a giant crab here, a string of twinkling lanterns there, and even some snapper-shaped small balloons swaying gently in the heat waves.

The street was crowded, almost shoulder-to-shoulder. Tourists made up a large part, some dragging suitcases, some carrying bags, holding cameras or phones, taking pictures everywhere; there were quite a few locals too, mostly taking a lunch break to dine with colleagues.

The air was filled with a mixture of food aromas, the scent of frying oil, the sauce of takoyaki, and the salty freshness of soy sauce.

"There’s an operation meeting in the afternoon, but we can move freely until three," You Ruirui said as she walked.

Today, she wore a white casual dress paired with a light blue denim jacket, and Gu Qiye had never seen anyone wear a dress and a jacket together before; You Ruirui was the first.

The girl’s white hair swayed slightly in the summer’s hot breeze. Perhaps due to her superpower, despite the density of the crowd and the heat that could make one scream and scratch, she barely sweated, and her skin was as white as if it were transparent.

"It’s nice to balance work and rest."

Gu Qiye said, stopping at a roadside stall, turning his head to ask her, "Since we’re out shopping, why don’t we buy some food?"

"Sure." You Ruirui replied.

"How about takoyaki? Have you tried it before?" he asked.

"I haven’t. But I can give it a shot," she said.

Gu Qiye nodded, looked up.

Many takoyaki shops made them right at the entrance. The staff, in work uniforms, stood in front of steaming grills, flipping the round batter balls. You could see bits of octopus meat peeking through the batter.

The takoyaki, once cooked, was served in boat-shaped paper trays, topped with sauce, sprinkled with seaweed powder and bonito flakes. The bonito flakes swayed gently in the heat.

Speaking fairly fluent Japanese, Gu Qiye ordered a box of takoyaki from the shop owner, then handed a fork to You Ruirui, sharing it with her.

"Do you have any particular tastes?" Gu Qiye asked.

You Ruirui was about to say something, but eventually shook her head, "No, not really."

"If you don’t like it, that’s fine," Gu Qiye said, "Don’t force yourself."

"Actually, most of the time, it doesn’t matter to me what I eat."

"Since I was ten, nothing I ate had any taste, as if my sense of taste was frozen. It seemed like a sign that my superpower was about to awaken."

"At that time, I was still in the Welfare Institute."

"You mentioned you ran away later on."

"I could only taste food when I ate next to a nurse," You Ruirui said, "She was very kind to me, like a sister."

She was silent for a while, "She also told me, ’People are actually the same; food tastes better when you’re with someone close. You’re not strange.’"

"And then?" Gu Qiye asked, "Is she still in the Welfare Institute?"

"No," You Ruirui’s face was expressionless, "She got married and left the Welfare Institute, so I left too."

Gu Qiye thought for a while, "After that, did food still have any taste for you?"

"No," You Ruirui shook her head, "But recently, things have been different."

"Does food have taste when you’re with me?"

You Ruirui nodded silently, avoiding looking at him.

"I get it, that nurse sister may have been me in disguise," Gu Qiye said without thinking.

You Ruirui was stunned, she lowered her head and seriously pondered for a moment before realizing he was joking, and not something that required logical consideration. Then, she slowly raised her head and gave him a lukewarm glance.

"You don’t have much of a sense of humor."

You Ruirui was taken aback.

She lowered her head, raised her hand, and gently brushed her fingertips across her pale cheek before realizing her lips had curved into a barely noticeable smile.

Silently, You Ruirui speared a steaming hot piece of takoyaki and ate it in small bites.

After that, they bought a box of grilled snapper from a street stall. It was golden and crispy on the outside and filled with sweet filling inside, though they heard the staff say there were sweet and salty varieties available, which sounded a bit odd to them.

So they tried both flavors like opening a mystery box, swapping bites, and eventually tossed the salty one, continuing to walk along the river railing.

The Dotonbori canal glimmered in the sunlight, as the white-haired girl’s locks flew in the summer heat and warm breeze, as if she carried an eternal winter that wouldn’t melt.

Gu Qiye had to admit, standing next to You Ruirui felt like being next to a human-shaped cooler, as if the temperature had dropped significantly.

"Fan Dongqing said he’s in Dotonbori too, so he invited us for lunch," You Ruirui said, picking up her phone, "Shall we go?"

"Who else did he invite?"

Gu Qiye turned to look at her, asking without hesitation.

"He invited everyone. But not many are coming," said You Ruirui, "And he didn’t invite you."

Gu Qiye was taken aback.

"Am I being left out? Does Rainbow Wings still play the seniority game?"

"No," You Ruirui said flatly, "He knew I was with you, so inviting me was like inviting you. No difference."

Gu Qiye was relieved. He thought for a moment, "By the way, is the Father of Puppets coming? I was thinking, with him dressed like that, his face wrapped in bandages, wouldn’t he scare off the other guests when he enters the restaurant?"

"He said he would come," You Ruirui replied.

"Really," You Ruirui explained, "he’s not always wrapped in bandages. We’ve seen what he looks like underneath."

"What does he look like?"

"Wears glasses, fair-skinned, middle-aged," You Ruirui tersely described.

"Wears glasses, fair-skinned, middle-aged..."

Gu Qiye murmured softly, his expression unconsciously darkening.

Not long after, they accepted Fan Dongqing’s invitation and entered the Japanese BBQ restaurant showed on the phone’s location, finding a private room.

The two of them pushed aside the door curtain and walked in, the large lantern above casting a warm orange-yellow glow.

The warm yellow paper lantern emitted a soft light. Others were already seated on the cushions by the low table: Garfield, Jiushijiu, Urushibara Ryuri, Father of Puppets, Ke Qingzheng.

Everyone who needed to be here had arrived, more than Gu Qiye had imagined, surprising him with Fan Dongqing’s decent social connections.

Gu Qiye remained silent, glancing towards the corner from the corner of his eye.

In the private room, there was only one unfamiliar male face. Undoubtedly, this was the Father of Puppets who had removed his "bandages."

He wore rimless glasses, with gentle and indifferent features, much like a refined scholar. He carried a faint smell of disinfectant and wore a well-made white trench coat, exuding a calm and gentle demeanor.

The person before them was completely different from the bandaged man exuding an eerie aura.

It was difficult for anyone to associate this bespectacled man with the "Father of Puppets."

"Is that the Father of Puppets?" Gu Qiye confirmed again.

"Yes," You Ruirui said.

"So sweet, sticking together even if it’s not a mission?" Urushibara Ryuri looked up at the two, teasingly.

"He’s new. I have an obligation to take care of him," You Ruirui said.

"I’m new and have the obligation to be taken care of by her," Gu Qiye also said.

"When I was new, no one was so diligent to look after me, except for that kid Ke Qingzheng," Fan Dongqing happened to come back from the washroom, speaking as he pushed aside the curtain to enter.

Then he turned his back to the group, raised his phone high, and took a selfie, "It’s the first time I gathered so many people."

"Shut up," Jiushijiu frowned, "Narcissistic guy, I just happened to be nearby."

"Yes, yes, yes, you came for Garfield," Fan Dongqing made a "yeah" gesture, snapping another photo.

"No way!" Jiushijiu flared up.

"Let me state this first: I don’t date; romance is just a brainwave bug. Mechanics are more interesting," Garfield said expressionlessly.

"You’re a narcissist too," Jiushijiu gave him a glare.

"Rainbow Wing Members are forbidden from uploading photos on social platforms," You Ruirui reminded Fan Dongqing, taking a sip of iced water.

"Whitey, are you my mom?" Fan Dongqing asked, not turning his head.

"Don’t change the subject."

"Don’t worry, I’m just taking them for fun as a keepsake. I’ve sent the photos to you," Fan Dongqing said, quickly creating a group chat on Line, adding everyone present—except Gu Qiye.

Gu Qiye remained silent for a while, turning to You Ruirui sitting beside him, "Show me the photo?"

"Sure," You Ruirui replied.

She lowered her head, her fingertips tapping lightly on the phone screen, forwarding the just-received photo to Gu Qiye.

Gu Qiye leaned back, rested against the wall, and glanced down at the photo, confirming it clearly captured the Father of Puppets’ face.

Then, he opened his phone contacts and sent the photo to Black Cocoon through a secure channel.

At that moment, in another corner of Osaka.

Black Cocoon was hanging upside down under the eaves of an izakaya, occasionally stealing a couple of takoyaki from the tables inside using a restraint belt.

He chewed on the takoyaki while idly watching the people passing by on the street.

A moment later, his phone suddenly chimed with a "ding-dong." He looked at his phone.

[Gu Qiye: Here’s his photo.]

Black Cocoon opened the photo sent by Gu Qiye, and in his view was a group photo inside the private room, filled with attractive men and women, or adorable young boys and girls—this group stepping out could surely make a fortune in brand endorsements.

He had previously seen the faces of the twelve Rainbow Wing Members through receiving Gu Qiye’s memories, except for the Father of Puppets.

So he naturally understood that the only person he didn’t recognize in the photo must be the Father of Puppets.

Black Cocoon squinted, gazing at the fair-skinned man wearing glasses and a white trench coat.

After a brief daze, he hoarsely squeezed out two words from his mouth: