Nie Yinmeng's Choice
Nie Yinmeng felt as though she were standing at a crossroads.
To the right lay the old path—the one she had always known—where nothing mattered except putting Mayuri-sama first.
To the left stretched a road she had never imagined before, filled with uncertainty. Mayuri-sama was still important, but he was no longer the only one.
In the past, she would have chosen the right path without hesitation. But the things she had experienced recently—though not dramatic—had left their mark. Life wasn't made up of sudden upheavals, but of countless subtle, quiet moments that slowly changed a person.
And now, she couldn't choose so easily.
Lowering her eyes, she decided to focus on the sturgeon in front of her. She scraped the scales carefully, letting the simple rhythm of cooking delay the decision she dreaded.
Carrots, tomatoes, chicken breast, steak—she washed, chopped, and prepared each one. I'll think about it seriously when I'm finished cooking, she told herself.
Oil hissed in the wok as the battered sturgeon crisped into golden tempura. Chicken cutlets followed, and she worked through each task with practiced ease.
When the meal was ready, she put down the knife and sighed. She'd shower first—after all, how could she think clearly when she reeked of sweat and oil?
Drying her uniform afterward, she spun it between her hands until it was damp and clammy against her skin. Feels like snakeskin, she thought with distaste.
She ran outside, letting the sweltering heat of Rukongai dry the cloth before returning to the cave.
Inside, Shiraishi was already eating voraciously, devouring sturgeon tempura and steak as if it might vanish.
For some reason, irritation welled up in her chest. Instead of her usual cheer, Nie Yinmeng leaned forward and stared at him in silence.
Shiraishi coughed, swallowed, and asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I don't know," she admitted honestly.
He rolled his eyes. "Sorry. I didn't wait. I was too hungry."
Is that really the reason? she wondered. Something about his answer felt incomplete. But thinking about it was exhausting. It was always easier not to think. At worst, Mayuri-sama would punish her again—she was used to pain.
But this—this tightness in her chest, this storm in her head—it was something new. She almost wanted to cut herself open just to make it stop.
She stared at him again.
The tempura in Shiraishi's mouth suddenly tasted bland. He swallowed and sighed. "Again? Why are you staring now?"
"Does it bother you when I do?"
"Of course it does," he admitted.
She nodded, oddly satisfied. "Good. Now you know how it feels."
Shiraishi blinked in confusion.
Nie Yinmeng sat beside him and began to eat slowly, using food to avoid the storm in her mind.
At last she asked softly, "Shiraishi… if you fail, does that mean I'll never get to cook for you again? Never listen to your boring chatter, never see you again?"
"So you do think I'm nagging," he muttered, but he couldn't help smiling faintly at her serious expression. "Don't worry. I won't die."
"My opponent is Captain Yamamoto," she murmured. Even without having seen him fight, she could feel the sheer weight of his strength.
Shiraishi ruffled her hair lightly. "It's not going to be a head-on fight. Don't overthink it."
"And if you're discovered?" she pressed.
He hesitated. He wanted to joke, Barbecue time, but seeing her worried face, he instead said, "I can always run. Don't worry—I'm like the wind. My escape skills are top-notch."
Nie Yinmeng exhaled, a little calmer, but still uneasy. Shiraishi would always help his friends. But what about her? Where did she fit in his choices?
The days crept forward. On the ninth, she still hadn't decided.
That morning she went to Richun Town, the only market in the entire West Tenth District. Rukongai's residents survived mostly on water; real food was scarce. With Yone Village's supply gone, Richun Town was their only hope.
Knowing how the Department of Surveillance operated, she moved quickly through the shadows until she reached the bustling stalls.
"Yinmeng-chan!" a fat-faced fishmonger called. "Fresh sturgeon today, half-price for you!"
"My vegetables are fresher than anyone's!" a broad-chested woman added quickly.
A butcher waved a handkerchief. "Just slaughtered a cow this morning, want some?"
Everywhere she went, vendors clamored for her attention. With her beauty and kindness, she was the market's favorite, and no one dared cheat her.
"Yinmeng-chan," one of the aunties asked, "you look troubled. What's on your mind?"
"I've been thinking about something, but I can't find the answer," she admitted.
"Must be love!" someone laughed. "Yinmeng in love? Impossible!"
The crowd leaned in, eager for gossip. Only a young man who'd recently been dumped stayed quiet.
"My friend is going to do something dangerous," she confessed. "I want to help him… but if I do, I may lose someone else important to me. What should I do?"
"Help him!" one shouted.
"No! Stay safe!" said another.
"Your life comes first!" others chimed in.
The voices clashed until the market manager, an older man with a calm presence, spoke:
"It's better to regret after doing something… than to regret never doing it at all."
Nie Yinmeng's eyes widened.
At last, in her heart, she made her choice.
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