Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes.

111.5 Bonus Chapter: Pasta on the Left, Fox on the Right (Top)

This is the Lozère department in France.

An inland province whose mainstays are agriculture and tourism.

The autumn wind here always carries the scent of pine needles and hay, drifting over the rolling hills and past cattle and sheep, and seeping into every crack in the stone of every village.

Lucio Ledubois jumped off the school bus, stepping into the afternoon sun. He glanced at his neighbor's house and saw that the second-floor window had been quickly slammed shut with a loud bang.

Ludu touched her pocket, where her teacher had given her the task of delivering several letters to Mathilde, a classmate of her neighbor.

They weren't exactly close friends, but if you had to pick one in school that Lu Du would chat with a bit and wouldn't join the others in mocking her, she was the only one left.

"Mathilde, there are letters from your teachers and classmates; I've put them in."

Instead of putting the letter in the mailbox, Ludu slipped it under the door.

She then turned and headed home, squatting down along the way to greet the snail slowly pacing in the corner.

The town is small; the tallest building is the old church in the town center, its spire piercing the pale blue sky, easily visible at a glance.

Ludu's house is on the edge of town, an old stone house covered with ivy, from which a faint aroma wafts from the chimney—the smell of pasta.

Pasta, as one of the most basic dishes in France, is actually not expensive and can be considered an inexpensive food.

If you want to eat well, then meat sauce is essential, and the bulk of the expense is in meat sauce.

In the past, Ludu could only eat spaghetti bolognese once every two weeks. Even when he did have spaghetti, it was just topped with a sauce made from canned tomatoes.

So for her, spaghetti bolognese is the most delicious food in the world—especially the one her grandma makes!

This idea became even more firmly established after I had eaten some so-called local food in London.

"Grandma!" Lu Du pushed open the creaking wooden door, hung his schoolbag on the hook, and rushed into the kitchen.

Grandma Anna was standing in front of the stove, wearing an apron, stirring the tomato sauce in the pot with a wooden spoon.

Lu Du's return home is always quite noisy; you can hear it even when you're ten meters away from the door.

A smile lingered in the wrinkles around her eyes, and as she turned away, she discreetly rubbed her lower back.

"My little firefly is back."

Grandma reached out and touched Ludu's cheek, her palm still warm from the kitchen: "Were you good at school today? Is Mathilde still sad?"

Ludu paused. Mathilde's mother had passed away last week. The aunt who loved baking cookies would never appear at their doorstep again.

“She didn’t go to school today, and I heard she doesn’t want to see anyone, so the teacher asked me to bring her a few letters.”

Lu Du whispered, skillfully reaching out to help his grandmother make pasta.

"But I felt she was in a lot of pain and probably didn't want to see anyone, so I slipped the letter under the door. Did I do the right thing?"

Grandma sighed and ruffled Ludu's hair: "Good boy, you're right. At this time, being alone and quiet might be more effective than comforting him."

Lu Du nodded vigorously, but his eyes secretly glanced at the cabinet.

It was empty, with only a few packets of oatmeal and half a bag of flour left.

Grandma doesn't have a pension, only a solidarity allowance and some subsidies. Plus, her health isn't very good, so even with medical insurance, her expenses are still quite high.

Ludu's fingertips curled slightly. She could easily conjure up spaghetti with tomato meat sauce if she just concentrated, the only cost being a little physical effort. But she couldn't.

Last time, she secretly prepared a small plate of pasta for her grandma's breakfast. As soon as she put the pasta on the table, her grandma asked, "Where did this pasta come from?" Lu Du was so flustered that she almost stammered and could only say, "It was a gift from my classmate's mom." But her grandma's eyes clearly showed doubt when she looked at her, though she didn't ask any further questions.

From then on, Ludu dared not change the pasta recipe so casually anymore.

She was only eleven or twelve years old, not old enough to work. The bakeries and grocery stores in town only hired people over 16, and she had no reasonable excuse to offer pasta.

"What are you thinking about?" Grandma plated the cooked pasta and placed it on the table.

Ludu took a bite and mumbled, "It's nothing, I just feel that it would be nice to be able to eat pasta more often."

Grandma paused, her eyes softened, and she reached out to wipe the sauce from Lu Du's lips: "When you get your allowance next month, Grandma will buy you more, okay?"

Ludu knew her grandmother was trying to comfort her. But she still nodded vigorously and continued eating.

Just then, the wind chimes on the windowsill suddenly rang softly. It wasn't the wind that made them ring; it was a very light sound, like a feather brushing against the wind.

As if sensing something, Ludu looked up while chewing on her pasta and saw a fox resting its chin on its hand on the windowsill in a human-like manner. Its fur was a mixture of yellow, white, red, and black, and its bright eyes were staring at her.

Her seat was very close to the window, within reach.

"Wow!" Ludu was startled and almost dropped his pasta.

Grandma followed her gaze but only saw a pot of mint on the windowsill: "What's wrong, Lucy? Are there bugs?"

Ludu blinked, and when he looked again, the fox was still there.

It's the fox village chief!
Lu Du finally realized that last time in Peach Blossom Village, the fox village chief ate three plates of her pasta and even patted his chest, saying he would help her find a solution.

Two days ago, the other party said they had come up with a plan and would come to see her in a couple of days, but did not say when.

"I must have mistaken it for a wasp."

"Wasps? If you encounter wasps, don't mess with them."

"Yes, I know, Grandma."

While her grandmother turned to get milk from the refrigerator, she quietly approached Sanhua and asked, "Village Chief? Can't Grandma see you?"

Sanhua proudly raised her chin, her eyes filled with a hint of disdain, as if to say, "You really have no taste." She pointed her tail to her feet, and only then did Ludu notice a strangely shaped little boat floating there.

Aside from certain special beings, Sanhua can control who can see this Sanzu River Ship.

"Uh-huh-huh."

Sanhua pointed to the kitchen with her paw, making it clear that she was there to fulfill her promise and secure the pasta source.

Ludu's eyes lit up, and he pulled on Sanhua's paw and whispered, "Do you really have a way? But I can't just take it once. I want to make her pasta often in the future, at least until I can work and earn money."

Sanhua narrowed her blue eyes, as if she hadn't expected Ludu to have so many demands.

It originally thought that it could just find an abandoned mill, use the money it found to buy some pasta and leave it there, and then Ludu would go and collect it once, and that would be the end of it.

It had to hurry back; the fields in Peach Blossom Village were waiting for it to manage. If it delayed too long, it would lose the Emperor's favor and suffer a great loss. How could it waste its time in the human world where spiritual energy was scarce?

"Eek!" Three-flowered cat flicked its tail, a little impatient.

Why are you being so unreasonable? I've already done you a favor by helping you once; do you really want to bother me forever?

Lu Du looked at Sanhua and pursed her lips. Actually, she knew that her request was a bit excessive, after all, Sanhua had only eaten a few plates of her pasta.

She took a chocolate out of her pocket. It was given to her by her teacher. It looked quite expensive, and she hadn't been able to bear eating it. It had even become a little flat from being warmed by her body heat.

She handed the chocolate to Sanhua, her voice tinged with grievance: "Here, this is for you. It's very, very delicious. Can you help me think of something else?"

Sanhua stared at the chocolate, her nose twitching.

The snacks of mortals are too sweet and lack any spiritual energy, and are nowhere near as good as the spiritual liquid given by the master.

But looking at Ludu's slightly reddened eyes and then at the slightly deformed chocolate, it suddenly felt a little awkward.

It remembered that in Peach Blossom Village, Lu Du had done the same thing, sharing his pasta with it. Although he was asking for a favor, his eyes were so innocent that there was no trace of scheming.

It's the same thing again now, all just to get some pasta for Grandma. This kind of foolishness... it's something it's never even seen in the underworld.

Ueda was afraid of it, the little snake on the other side was silly, other players treated it as an NPC, only Ludu would share the best things with a strange fox.

The three-flowered cat stretched out its paw and pulled the chocolate in front of itself, which was considered as accepting it.

Its eyes swept across the town outside the window. In the distance, an old woman in an apron was handing a basket of tomatoes to her neighbor. At the corner grocery store, the owner was chatting and laughing with a customer. And there were a few stray cats scavenging for food around a trash can.

"Waaah." Sanhua looked at Ludu again.

I'll stay here for a maximum of three days to help you come up with a long-term solution. But you have to cooperate with me and not mess things up. Also, you need to make me pasta these next few days, with plenty of meat sauce.

Ludu laughed instantly: "I'll definitely cooperate, I'll double the meat sauce for you!"

Sanhua piloted the Sanzu River Boat towards a certain part of the town. It could sense the presence of some lingering spirits that had not yet completely dissipated. Perhaps those useless souls could come in handy.

In the kitchen, Grandma Anna was carrying milk in. Seeing Ludu looking out the window with a smile on his face, she smiled slightly.

She thought she saw a colorful shadow on the windowsill, but then again, she didn't. It didn't matter, though, as long as Ludu was alright, nothing else mattered. Night fell, and a cool breeze extinguished most of the town's lights.

"Hold on tight, don't fall." Sanhua's voice reached Ludu's ears.

Ludu climbed onto the boat through the window, the faint silver light shimmering beneath his feet on the boat of the Sanzu River.

The small boat hovered there, so invisible that even the wind seemed to swirl around it.

She wasn't scared at all; instead, she opened her eyes wide and curiously looked around at the town below.

There's nothing to be afraid of. She's ridden Hayato's motorcycle at full speed before, and she's never seen a town from this angle before.

Sanhua crouched at the bow of the boat, her tail gently brushing against the deck as she warily scanned the area below.

Under the silver light of the ship's hull, the mottled fur looked less comical and more mysterious.

There was also a very blurry figure sitting upright on the boat.

He was repeating a hammer-like motion; he may have been a shoemaker in his lifetime.

"This is a soul, it has no consciousness, you don't need to worry about it," Sanhua explained with two soft sobs.

"Oh, village chief, have you thought of any good ideas?" Lu Du nodded, then asked in a low voice, afraid of waking the sleeping residents.

Sanhua's voice was a little impatient as she whimpered, "Originally, I thought of finding an abandoned house that no one takes care of, or having you put pasta at the door every day, but that method doesn't hold up under scrutiny. Now I can only think of other ways."

Ludu nodded in agreement.

The boat drifted slowly past the town square, where several stray cats huddled under a streetlamp, purring softly.

Sanhua glanced at the grocery store and pasta shop on the street corner, frowned, and seemed unable to make use of them either.

It drove to the church and posted a note at the entrance that read, "Pick up if you need it."

“People in our town help each other like this!” Ludu said with a hint of pride. “But my pasta is always cooked, so it’s not convenient to do it like this.”

Sanhua didn't say anything, but silently memorized the location.

This method is actually okay, but if someone sees it, it will be a big problem.

As it pondered this, a faint, astringent scent drifted over, like undried herbs or a suppressed sob.

Lu Du suddenly stopped speaking, his nose twitching: "What's that smell?"

"Eek."

This is the sorrowful aura of the dead. Strange, the dead should be drawn to the boat on the Sanzu River.

Sanhua's ears perked up, and she sniffed. The smell was very strong, indicating that this soul's obsession was very deep.

It piloted the boat on the Sanzu River, following the scent, and finally stopped above the stone house next to Ludu's. It was Mathilde's house.

The ship slowly descended and came to a stop outside Mathilde's bedroom window, where Ludu looked inside.

Mathilde lay on the bed, clutching an unfinished wool sweater tightly in her arms.

Her brows were furrowed, and tears still clung to the corners of her eyes, sliding down her cheeks and dripping onto the stitches of her sweater, leaving dark stains.

"It's right here, but human souls dissipate very quickly, so you need some special means to see it."

The fox picked up a lamp from the bow of the boat and shook it. A ripple spread outwards.

Above the bed, a spirit gradually emerged.

She was floating, somewhat transparent, as if about to be blown away by the wind. Her hands were mechanically raised, her fingertips empty, yet she repeatedly performed the motions of "knitting"—winding the yarn, threading the needle, and pulling the yarn. Each movement was incredibly skillful, yet carried a hollow stiffness. Her soul would flicker from time to time, like a candle about to go out.

“It’s Mathilde’s mother,” Ludu guessed, his voice dropping.

She remembered that Mathilde had mentioned that she didn't like her mother knitting sweaters for her; she preferred to buy pretty clothes.

But now
Lu Du reached out to touch the soul, but San Hua grabbed his hand.

"Don't touch it!"

Sanhua lowered her voice, her soft moans carrying a warning.

"She is a ghost who has just died. Her consciousness is almost gone, and she only has instinctive obsession left. She will fall apart if you touch her."

Ludu was startled and quickly withdrew his hand.

Sanhua picked up the flute and began to play softly.

The spirit stopped moving, looked at the three flowers outside the window, then looked down at Mathilde, and finally stiffly drifted towards the small boat.

After passing through the window and entering the Ship of the River of Three Crossings, the flickering soul stabilized.

She found a spot and sat down next to another spirit, raising her hands and continuing to knit.

"She must want to finish knitting the sweater and give it to Mathilde. Winter is coming soon, and Mathilde will be cold without a sweater knitted by her mother," Ludu whispered, glancing at Sanhua as he spoke.

Sanhua instantly became alert, swung her tail sharply, took two steps back, and asked impatiently, "You want to help her? How?"

It raised its paw and pointed at the spirit: "She only has the instinct to knit now, she can't even remember who she is. Even if she finishes knitting, what good will it do? She's dead, if she knew, she would only be more upset, wouldn't that be a waste of energy?"

It turned around, preparing to steer the ship away: "I'm here to solve your pasta problem, mind your own business. These souls won't stay in the mortal realm for long before they dissipate, there's no need to waste time on them. Besides, being able to board this ship means they've already gained something."

“This is no small matter! For Auntie, finishing the sweater might be a promise she made to Mathilde; for Mathilde, this sweater is the last memento her mother left her, how could it be a waste of effort?”

Lu Du spoke with a lack of confidence, his fingers gripping the hem of his clothes.

When Sanhua heard this, she was about to explode when she saw her take out a small metal box from her schoolbag, open it, and find a bunch of snacks inside.

She stuffed the tin box into the calico's paw: "Village Chief! Please help Mathilde and let her mother finish knitting this sweater, okay? I... I can grow vegetables for you! You can even come and steal my land from me in the future!"

Play so big?

Points are clearly extremely important to you players.

Sanhua looked down at the iron box in her paws and suddenly felt a little awkward.

It had never been to the human world, at least not in this lifetime, yet it seemed to have seen countless humans who would stop at nothing for profit, but it had never seen a child like Ludu.

They always readily give away their most cherished and irreplaceable possessions to others, just to help a stranger fulfill their obsession.

There are countless people in the world with such obsessions, but how many can you help?
Ten or a hundred are but a drop in the ocean.

Isn't this kid a little too silly?

“It’s no use.” Sanhua threw the metal box back to Ludu, her tone turning cold. “I only agreed to help you with the pasta. I can’t and don’t want to get involved in these things. You need to understand that humans will die sooner or later. Today her mother died, tomorrow it might be someone else. In a few decades, Mathilde will also be gone. Who will remember this sweater then? Doing all this is pointless.”

Ludu carefully caught the metal box, her head bowed. She disagreed with Sanhua's cold words.

She remembered her grandmother always saying that people live for those useless thoughts. These things can't be eaten, they're worthless, but they're indispensable.

She didn't plead anymore, but silently put the metal box back in her schoolbag, then took out a comb and looked at Sanhua's slightly messy hair.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"Don't think that I'll agree to your request just because of this."

"."

"Hiss, a little higher, a little higher, waah~"

Because they had to go to class the next day, Ludu needed to go back to rest early tonight, and the two of them, one human and one fox, couldn't find a good solution for the pasta.

The next evening, Ludu sat on the boat on the Sanzu River and continued to gently comb Sanhua's messy fur with her small comb. Her movements were very light, and she hummed a nursery rhyme that her grandmother had taught her, as if she were treating Sanhua like a rag doll.

Sanhua initially resisted the brush yesterday, constantly trying to shake off its hand, but today, as the brush was being combed, it actually felt quite comfortable, so she accepted it.

In the middle of the night, Ludu was grooming its fur, its head nodding sleepily.

Sanhua stretched out her tail and gently brushed it against her cheek, her voice carrying a softness she herself didn't realize: "If you're sleepy, go back to sleep. Don't pretend here."

"I'm not sleepy!"

Sanhua said nothing more, turning to look at the stern of the ship, where the old shoemaker's spirit was carefully handing virtual yarn to Mathilde's mother's spirit. The female spirit took the yarn and mechanically wound it around her fingertips, making knitting motions.

Moonlight streamed through the boat and fell upon them.

(End of this chapter)