He glanced at Zenin Kiyoshi's departing figure, then at the pile of trash still there. His body, deeply embedded in the sofa, shifted slightly, but ultimately couldn't escape the sofa's pull and was dragged down again. He lay on the sofa, smelling the scent of the sofa soaked with his own hair oil, and his eyes stung.
Perhaps because he had been watching TV for too long, he stretched out his index finger and thumb and rubbed his eyelids a few times. The sound of the TV drama around him made him feel a little more interesting than usual.
But he still didn't choose to go with Zenin Kiyoshi to take out the trash.
When Zenin Kiyoshi returned, there were fine beads of sweat on his forehead. The weather in Tokyo at this time of day was always so hot and humid that sticky sweat would trickle down his back with the slightest movement.
Before the Zen monks could even catch their breath, a somewhat lazy voice rang out:
"If you want some water, there's some on the coffee table. Please help yourself."
Upon hearing this, Zenin Kiyoshi glanced at Zenin Toji, who was still sitting on the sofa, and then at the previously empty coffee table, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"Did you pour this on purpose?"
Hearing Zenji's words, Zenin Toji was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected this kid to have such keen observation skills, actually noticing that the glass of water was poured by him just now. However, although he was somewhat surprised, his tone remained unchanged, still so calm.
"Something that has always existed."
Zenin Kiyoshi did not choose to expose Zenin Toji's lie. Given his somewhat closed-off personality at the moment, it would not be a good choice to expose the other person's emotions to the light of day.
He stepped forward, picked up the teacup that still had some water droplets on the outside, and Zenin Kiyoshi could tell at a glance that the cup must have been washed recently.
After all, finding a clean water container in a single man's home besides his own cup is quite difficult.
The slightly cool liquid flowed down his throat from his mouth, and after drinking most of it in one gulp, Zenin Kiyoshi put down the cup and smiled at Zenin Toji, saying:
"Thank you. What would you like to eat for lunch? I'm not Japanese, so you might not particularly like what I make."
Hearing this, Zenin Toji grinned, pressed a button on the TV remote, and for the first time, his tone changed:
"Not Japanese? Then why is your place called a Zenin?"
He didn't ask about Zenin Kiyoshi's cooking skills, nor did he ask what country Zenin Kiyoshi was from; instead, he only asked about the name "Zenin Kiyoshi."
Zenin Kiyoshi knew that this was his subconscious denial of his own childhood, an attempt to negate all the beautiful memories he held of the Zenin family:
"They just forced this name on me. You can just call me Kiyoshi."
Hearing this, Zenin Toji turned his head and looked directly at Zenin Kiyoshi for the first time, then grinned and said:
TANTRA MAX
79 सल की उम्र में भी मर्दन्तरकत 10 गुनर कैसे बढ़ाएं?
"Same here, you can just call me Toji, no need to add 'Zenin'."
"Well, Zenin Toji, what would you like to eat?"
"Anything is fine with me. Do you want me to help you?"
"Sure, do you know how to chop vegetables?"
"Cut the meat, I'm better at that."
The conversation was brief. Five minutes later, Zenin Toji looked at Zenin Kiyoshi who was cooking, hesitated for a moment, then sighed, and suddenly asked in a rather awkward tone:
Why did you get involved in that matter today?
"I don't want to see children die that way."
"But that's not your child. What does it matter to you whether he lives or dies?"
Hearing Zenin Toji's words, Zenin Kiyoshi turned his head to look at the other person. In his black eyes, it seemed that he could see through the skin and directly into Zenin Toji's heart.
"If I could truly stand idly by, then I would make you call me Zenin Kiyoshi, not Kiyoshi, wouldn't you agree?"
The other person's words pierced Zenin Toji's heart like a steel needle. Listening to Zenin Kiyoshi's words, he suddenly seemed to realize why he was so resistant to the word "Zenin."
But... he himself gradually transformed into the very essence of the Zenin without even realizing it.
Thinking of this, Zenin Toji let out a self-deprecating sigh. He held the kitchen knife to the sink, turned on the tap, and casually wiped away the bits of meat remaining on the knife, his tone becoming somewhat soft:
Do you think I need to add "Zenin" to my name when I go out to register my name?
"When I went out, the door wasn't closed completely; there was a small gap. But when I came back, the door was closed tightly. The wind wasn't very strong today, so you probably came out after me, right?"
"Can't I just go out for some fresh air?"
Zenin Toji felt a strange mix of embarrassment and annoyance at how easily he had noticed her subtle actions. She was just a kid in his early teens, yet she acted so insightful. Tsk, that was really annoying. Well, not really annoying...
Just as Zenin Toji was still struggling with her own thoughts, Zenin Kiyoshi's voice came again, but this time there was an indescribable hint of teasing in his words:
"Anyone who can breathe properly shouldn't be considered a member of the Zenin family, because most people here are lifeless, like zombies living in a tomb. Besides, I didn't say why you came out, did I?"
The words spoken by the little devil in front of him left him speechless, but this feeling did not make Zenin Toji uncomfortable. On the contrary, he felt that the arrival of Zenin Kiyoshi was like a window suddenly being opened in a sealed house filled with the stench of decay. A clear, cool breeze blew away much of the gloom in his life.
He casually slammed the cleaver he was holding onto the cutting board, then said:
"The meat is cut up. The rest is yours. Oh, and don't leave here for a while. Someone's watching you. They're not from the Zenin family, or rather, they're someone from the Zenin family. In short, they're not good people. Don't die."
At this point, Zenin Toji didn't intend to reveal anything further. She simply wiped her hands on her clothes and then left the kitchen.
Zenin Kiyoshi listened to Zenin Toji's words, his eyes narrowing slightly. In fact, he could roughly guess the identities of the people Zenin Toji mentioned...
The most evil sorcerer in legend, Kenjaku!
Given his control over the Kamo family in the original work, Zenin Kiyoshi does not believe that Ryosaku would not foreshadow the Zenin family, which is also one of the three great families.
The reason this scene wasn't in the original story is because Maki killed her entire family, but now, there are more or less one or two rats wandering around here.