Myon began to lay out plates. In her hand was a dull golden knife with intricate etchings of fish flowing all over the handle. There was lobster bisque. Ichi could smell it. However, Grandpa didn't buy any lobster.

There was peking duck. A light crispy smell from the thin skin of the duck tickled Ichi's nose.

"Myon?" Ichi ventured.

Myon smiled at Ichi, then went back to the kitchen.

Grandpa served himself some peking duck, taking a bite.

"It's a magic knife. Turns food into more food. If you use it to cut right, that is. Don't talk about it to others, it's one of the ones that Myon 'picked up' during work."

Ichi stared at the dishes before using a ladle to serve himself some lobster bisque. As he drank, Myon came in and sat down with a bowl she kept near herself. Ichi liked the smell, but he got a queasy feeling looking at it.

"What's that?" Ichi asked.

"Oh, you don't want to know." Myon said.

"No, I really do." Ichi persisted.

Grandpa interceded on her behalf.

"Have you ever heard of a dish called 'Golden Eyes and Burning Brain'? I've got a book on chinese cuisine if you'd like to read about it."

Ichi didn't want to read a book. This was Grandpa's way of saying 'you should read more' again. Ichi thought that there was a more pressing question he wanted to ask. Talking to Syon was weighing on his mind. Myon said that Syon is helping Renya, but Ichi's nose told him that was impossible because of Syon's words. If anything, Syon would kill Renya before him, Ichi felt that had to be true since Syon offered to subdue Renya to protect him. Ichi stared at his lobster bisque, the wonderful cream smell wafting in his nose.

"What do you do for work, Myon?"

Myon smiled, then picked up a spoon and dug into her dish. Again, Grandpa interceded on her behalf.

"Don't talk about work at the table. I'll tell you later, so eat."

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Ichi's brow furrowed as he picked up the bowl.

"I hate my life," Ichi sipped his lobster bisque, "but the food is good."

Myon smiled at Ichi.

"Thanks."

"She's a good cook, isn't she? Think about marriage," Grandpa chimed in.

"Myon's a nice enough girl, I'm worried about her sister." Ichi half joked as he ate.

Myon looked to the side as she put some of the Golden Eyes and Burning Brain into her mouth.

Grandpa chuckled.

"You talked to Syon?"

"Yeah."

"She's doing well?"

"Very well, I'd say. She seemed tired."

Grandpa tore off some more peking duck.

"She's different, isn't she?"

"She's a monster." Ichi growled.

Myon answered, her tone flat.

"Syon's my monster, though."

Ichi thought back to a few hours ago, when he saw Myon kneeling under Syon heaving breath and sweating after Syon used the Silver Cross on her. He sipped the bisque and the creamy texture swirled in his mouth.

"The two of you don't seem like you have a great relationship."

Grandpa gave Ichi a stern look, like an eagle staring at a mouse.

Myon looked to Grandpa, and they caught each other's gaze, then Grandpa looked to Ichi and relaxed his face. Grandpa went back to eating. Myon waved her tongue cleaned spoon at Ichi.

"She's a horrible person to people, but she's saved my life countless times. Be gentle with her, she's a lot more fragile than she looks."

Ichi thought that Syon already looked fragile enough. Ichi couldn't let the topic rest just yet.

"And, in the courtyard?"

"She's just like that, sometimes. It's nothing compared to what I do for work."

"And, what do you do for work?"

Grandpa took a glance at Ichi and Ichi met his gaze before both looked away. Myon dug her spoon back into her Golden Eyes and Burning Brain. Then, smiling, she said, "I've killed a lot of people."

"What is this a mafia movie or something," Ichi grumbled.