I, Yuhaka, am hungry!

"Miss Texas, what's wrong with you? I just saw you two thinking for a long time, like you wanted to give this to someone but didn't know what to give."

Hearing Angelina's words, Texas and Exusiai exchanged a glance. Just as Angelina said, they really were like that...

Chapter 287 [Youyou was conscripted into the army]

Somewhere on Rhodes Island, Yuhaka was walking down a corridor with a bag of snacks in his hand.

"Awooooo~"

With a crunching sound, Yuhaka stuffed the potato chips from the snack bag into his mouth and looked around at the internal facilities of Rhodes Island. Although he had been on Rhodes Island for a while, Yuhaka was still very curious about whether there were any fun things inside.

Just as Yuhaka reached a corner, a girl slightly taller than her bumped into her. Although Yuhaka possessed powerful sensory abilities, she had no reason to dodge.

The girl fell flat on her backside after bumping into Yuhaka, while Yuhaka stood in the corridor with a blank expression, looking at the girl who had bumped into him. Seeing those familiar donkey... rabbit ears, Yuhaka knew who had bumped into him.

My butt hurts...

Amiya, sitting on the ground, rubbed her sore bottom and said this. Yuhaka, standing nearby, held out a handful of snacks to Amiya and said:

"I'm sorry... Youyou didn't see it..."

Yes, Yuhaka wasn't lying; she didn't see Amiya, but sensed her.

"No, no, I ran too fast..."

Amiya, who was sitting on the ground, grabbed Yuhaka's little hand and stood up. Then, when Amiya saw that the person in front of her was Yuhaka, she shouted:

"Ah! Youyou!? Great! That's exactly what I came looking for, Youyou! Come with me!"

Without asking Yuhaka's opinion, Amiya grabbed Yuhaka's little hand and started running, while Yuhaka, with a blank expression, was pulled away by Amiya.

Soon, Amiya brought Ehka to Rhodes Island's kitchen. Amiya then told Ehka why she had brought him there. Two chefs at Rhodes Island's kitchen were sick, resulting in a shortage of staff. In addition, the Rhodes Island operators who could cook were away on a mission and had not returned. This also meant that the number of dishes prepared to welcome the Rhodes Island operators back was insufficient.

Hearing Amiya's words, Yuhaka nodded in agreement to Amiya's request. Amiya would also give him some compensation, so he wouldn't do anything for nothing. Besides, Yuhaka was feeling a bit bored with nothing to do anyway.

After greeting the Rhodes Island cafeteria staff in the kitchen, Yuhaka began preparing the food. The chefs at the Rhodes Island cafeteria were also very curious about the petite loli in front of them. They had heard rumors about Yuhaka's Meru Cat Restaurant before.

Ehka, on the other hand, was responsible for preparing the ingredients, since the banquet to welcome back some of the Rhodes Island operators was a buffet, and the dishes Ehka prepared also needed to meet certain conditions.

On Yuhaka's table, Yuhaka took out a loaf of toast that had been baked until golden brown on both sides. While the toast was baking, Yuhaka also chopped and cooked the other ingredients.

Yuhaka spread the toasts on the table, placed the toasted bacon and smoked ham on the toasts that were spread with sauce, and then added the sliced ​​tomatoes and lettuce. He arranged the sandwiches in a structure of toast, ingredients, toast, ingredients, toast. Then Yuhaka pressed the sandwiches down a little with the cutting board to make them a little more compact.

Then Yuhaka cut the bacon and ham sandwiches diagonally, turning the square bacon and ham sandwiches into two triangles.

After arranging the sandwiches on the tray, Ehaka handed the bacon and ham sandwiches to the Rhodes Island operators outside and asked them to carry them over.

Then Yuhaka began preparing the next dish.

Yuhaka took out a large pile of chicken drumsticks soaked in water with seasonings added to remove the fishy smell. Yuhaka drained the water from the chicken drumsticks and then used kitchen paper to absorb the excess water. Then, Yuhaka took a cleaver and started peeling the skin and meat from the bone from one end of the drumstick. Of course, Yuhaka did not completely separate the meat from the bone.

The Rhodes Island chef who was making fruit salad noticed that Yuhaka wasn't removing all the chicken from the bone, and was only removing it from one side, which puzzled her. Yuhaka's next move left the Rhodes Island chef completely bewildered.

She watched as Yuhaka stood a chicken wing root upright, gripped the front end, and squeezed it down along the bone to the middle. Finally, holding the front end of the bone with one hand and the meat with the other, he pulled it down—and Yuhaka had created a small, round, hammer-like meat mallet in his hand, completing the task.

The Rhodes Island chef making fruit salad nearby was completely dumbfounded when he saw Yuhaka's actions, his mind filled with the thought, "What kind of operation is this??" However, Yuhaka was unaware of the chef's inner thoughts.

After turning each chicken wing into a small meat mallet, Yuhaka began the marinating process. He placed all the chicken wing pieces into a large bowl, then sprinkled in some salt, light soy sauce, cooking wine, and white pepper. He then added shredded ginger, minced garlic, chopped celery, and Sichuan peppercorns.

Then Yuhaka repeatedly massaged and rubbed the small meat mallets. This was not only to remove the fishy smell from the meat mallets but also to make them more flavorful. After that, Yuhaka placed the chicken drumsticks to marinate for half an hour. During this half hour, Yuhaka also prepared other dishes.

After half an hour, the marinated chicken drumsticks will have a stronger flavor. Then, Yuhaka takes out the marinated chicken drumsticks and cleans off the ginger and peppercorns. Then, Yuhaka mixes glutinous rice flour and corn flour in a 1:5 ratio and sets it aside for later use.

Next, Yuhaka took out a large bowl, cracked some eggs into the bowl, and stirred the egg mixture well. Then, Yuhaka filtered the golden egg mixture to make it smoother.

Then, Yuhaka took the small meat mallets and coated them evenly with flour, egg wash, and flour again in that order. After preparing them, Yuhaka took out a frying pan and prepared salt and pepper. Then, she turned on low heat, added black pepper, white pepper, and salt, and stir-fried them until they were cooked. She then set them aside for later use.

Finally, Yuhaka started frying the chicken drumsticks and meat mallets coated in flour and egg.

Chapter 288 [The Rhodes Island Welcome Banquet is About to Begin]

After preparing the fried chicken drumsticks into small meat mallets, Yuhaka set them aside. Because they were fried at a low temperature, Yuhaka didn't have to worry about them being overcooked and not cooked through inside.

After frying the chicken drumsticks, let them sit for a while to allow some of the moisture to evaporate before frying them again. This second frying should be done at a high temperature to make the chicken drumsticks even crispier and more delicious.

After frying, Yuhaka placed the golden-brown meat mallets onto individual plates, then sprinkled the seasonings he had prepared in the previous chapter onto them. And just like that, a dish of salt and pepper meat mallets was ready.

Yuhaka handed the salt and pepper meat mallet to the Rhodes Island operator responsible for delivering the food. The Rhodes Island operator was stunned when she saw the small meat mallet on the tray in her hand. What kind of ingredient is this dish made from?

However, the Rhodes Island operator, still with doubts, served the dish anyway, since the salt and pepper meat pounding made by Yuhaka smelled quite delicious, so there shouldn't be any problems, right?

“OwO~”

After helping prepare a few dishes, Yhaka emerged from Rhodes Island's kitchen. She didn't dislike cooking, but just as she finished, at Rhodes Island's Nagku...

"Hey!"

Exusiai placed the sorted goods onto a small cart, preparing to deliver it along with some orders to Rhodes Island's logistics department for confirmation. Texas got out of the cart, carrying a gift box or something similar. Texas then said to Exusiai:

"I'll take these things back to the dorm first. I'll leave the order to you, Exusiai."

As Texas prepared to head towards the Penguin Logistics dormitory, Exusiai saw her and quickly stopped her, snatching the gift box from her hand and saying:

"Hey! Let me take the gift to your dorm for you! Texas, please take these things to Rhodes Island's logistics department. It's a deal!"

Before Texas could object or think, Exusiai immediately took the gift Texas wanted to give to Ehaka and ran towards the Penguin Logistics dormitory. Texas watched Exusiai's retreating figure with a bewildered expression, and then she recalled the unusual behavior of Exusiai and the others earlier.

"A surprise... Never mind, let them handle it. Let's just send these things to the logistics department first."

As Texas was speaking, she pushed the cart to take the goods orders to the logistics department for review. Just then, Angelina and Provence came out to greet Texas. Texas then heard from Angelina and Provence about the Rhodes Island welcome banquet.

"A welcome banquet? By the way, who are we welcoming?"

To address this question, Texas turned to Angelina and Provence, who were standing nearby. Angelina explained to Texas:

"It's a Rhodes Island tradition, a banquet held to welcome Rhodes Island operators who have returned safely from missions that have gone far away."

Hearing Angelina's words, Texas nodded in understanding. If that was the case, then there was no reason to hold a banquet. Angelina and the others, who were watching Texas deep in thought, invited her, saying:

"Um, would Miss Texas like to come with us?"

Texas paused for a moment after hearing Angelina and the others' words, then said with some confusion:

"Um...can we do it too?"

For Texas and her group, although they worked for Rhodes Island, they were essentially still Penguin Logistics employees and not considered members of Rhodes Island. Hearing Texas's words, Angelina and the others waved their hands dismissively and said:

"It's okay, it's more fun with more people~ It's perfect to bring Youyou-chan along to play too."

Hearing what Angelina and the others said, Texas thought about it and felt that the suggestion seemed quite good. However, when she thought about Yu-Yu's appetite, Texas was a little worried about the food reserves for Rhodes Island's welcoming banquet. But when she thought about it carefully, Rhodes Island was going to welcome many people back, so the food reserves should be enough, right?

With this in mind, Texas agreed to Angelina and the others' invitation, while at the same time...

Backstage at the Rhodes Island welcome event, Sora was brought here by Rhodes Island operators to be part of the concert.

Sora looked at the Rhodes Island operators in front of her with an awkward smile. She had originally planned to go find Yuhaka or something, but she hadn't expected to be dragged along by the Rhodes Island operators as a volunteer... Ugh...

But at that moment, Kong saw a familiar figure appear on the wall.

A few minutes ago...

After coming out of the kitchen, Yuhaka took out his snack bag from his dimensional portal and started eating again. However, after walking for a while, Yuhaka saw Red walking on the wall. Yuhaka called out to Red, and upon hearing his voice, Red's ears perked up, and she turned around, looking at Yuhaka with some surprise, and said:

"Ah... Youyou!"

Seeing Red, Yuhaka wagged its tail excitedly and looked at its friend. Yuhaka, imitating Red, ran to the wall and greeted it, saying:

Good afternoon, Hong.

"Hmm, good afternoon, Youyou."

After exchanging greetings, the two walked side by side along the wall, immediately attracting the attention of many Rhodes Island operators, including some newcomers. A girl with short brown hair and some white strands looked at the two walking on the wall with a shocked expression and said:

"Monsina, are all Rhodes Island operators able to walk on walls?! That's amazing!"

A woman with long white hair, known as Monsina, looked at the girl she had brought back with a slightly subtle smile. However... Monsina looked up at Red and Ehaka. She knew Red, but the petite figure next to her was unfamiliar to her. However, Monsina assumed that Ehaka was a new operator from Rhodes Island.

And so, Red and Ehka quickly arrived at the banquet held by Rhodes Island to welcome back the operators. Just then, Ehka heard Sora's voice.

Chapter 289 [The Nameless Monster, Kal'tsit of Dihua]

"Ah, Youyou!"

Upon hearing Sora's voice, Yuhaka looked in the direction Sora was pointing and saw Sora waving at him as if calling him. So Yuhaka then ran over excitedly, and Red, who was next to Yuhaka, followed closely behind him to Sora's side.

Sora looked at Yuhaka and asked:

"Youyou, are you interested in singing?"

Hearing Sora's words, Yuhaka was puzzled. Sora asked this question mainly to keep Yuhaka from going back to the dormitory. If Yuhaka went back to the Penguin Logistics dormitory, Yuhaka and Texas would find out about the surprise they had prepared.

However, Yuhaka nodded in agreement with Sora's question. Yuhaka was quite interested in singing, and Sora seemed relieved after hearing Yuhaka's answer. But just then, Kurenai leaned over and sniffed Sora. Sora immediately looked bewildered and stiffened. Kurenai circled around Sora, sniffing her nose every now and then, before finally saying with a look of disgust:

"Ugh... counterfeit goods..."

"Eh?!"

"OwO?"

Compared to Yuhaka's puzzled expression, Sora showed a surprised look. You know, apart from Texas discovering that her disguise was fake, only her manager and the company knew that it was fake. How could this girl in the red coat recognize her true identity so directly?

Just then, Kurenai seemed to smell a familiar scent and left, while Sora and Yuhaka looked at her departing figure with puzzled expressions.

"Um, Miss Sora, is it alright to have Yu-Yu-chan come?"

Stewart, standing to the side, looked at Sora with some concern and asked, "What's wrong?" Sora shook his head in response to Stewart's doubts and worries, saying:

"Don't worry, Yu-Yu-chan has a very good singing talent. But compared to me, why don't you let Yu-Yu-chan sing a song and give it a try?"

Upon hearing Kong's words, the Rhodes Island operators present exchanged glances and felt that the suggestion was acceptable. After all, they would know whether it was a donkey or a horse once it was put to the test.

Then, amidst everyone's curious gazes, Yuhaka approached a piano, seemingly preparing to play. They were quite surprised to see that Yuhaka could play the piano; they hadn't expected that this petite girl, who looked to be 11 or 12 years old, could play such a thing. But what followed was even more astonishing: as Yuhaka began to play, she also began to sing:

"The fairy tale...it seems to have died just now..."

"How can one sing in a brick-built hospital ward...?"

"In the misty night...a red moon appears..."

"Look at me carefully... don't look away—!"

As Yuhaka's soaring voice and piano accompaniment played, the Rhodes Island operators present seemed a little surprised. Sora, who was standing to the side, was also quite surprised to hear Yuhaka's singing. Sora originally thought that Yuhaka could only sing nursery rhymes or something, but she did not expect that Yuhaka could sing songs of other styles.

"I was born right here, inside that pitch-black iron box!"

"If you pray for retribution for evil, I will grant your wish."

"May the name of justice be granted to you before destruction is destroyed."