Learning Mochis

"To start with the year now... today I will teach you how to make some mochi."

 

"Shouldn't you be the one handling it because I can't even cook a damn thing?" Kazahana asked as he sat on a chair in the temple's dining room while looking over Fei who was donning an apron over his body and his hands were covered with some rice flour.

 

"I am teaching you so that you can have some sort of dignity for yourself to cook something that you like when I will be gone," Fei stated as he huffed and crossed his arms, thankfully his sleeves were tied up behind his back. "In that way, I can at least trust you with your guidance when you look after this temple just in case I go somewhere."

 

"Sounds like I will be taking over your temple huh?"

 

Fei scoffed and rolled his eyes. "In your dreams, I am telling you this so that you can remove that crippling sickness of yours called laziness."

 

"I am not a sloth succubun, don't accuse me like that."

 

"Just get your ass over here and help with me with the cooking?"

 

Kazahana let out a small groan sat up from his seat and walked over to the kitchen counter where most all of the ingredients were laid out. "What am I gonna do?"

 

"Start stirring the flour with water on that bowl, I will make the fillings."

 

"Ughhh... I don't like this kind of labor, this is abuse."

 

Fei clicks his tongue and shakes his head. "It's called exercise, now move your ass already and start working. We are going to make a fuck ton of batches of these."

 

 

 

Kazahana's arms felt like noodles, his arms aching from the ton of pounding he had done to create the mochi foundation, especially adding some coloring to it. He is quite happy though that he managed to have some chocolate mochi on the side while working or else he would just faint over the kitchen counter while fisting mochi. Even his little ghosts that were floating around his body were turning around to avoid the scent of flour over their little faces.

 

Fei wiped off the sweat from his brow and smiled in small pride now that he finished the first batch of mochis to be consumed for them.

 

"I am happy for you Kazahana, you did well with your work."

 

"I want to fucking sleep." Kazahana moaned and Fei shook his head. "What? You are not yet fucking done? Ugh... kill me already."

 

"We are not even halfway there yet. Move your noodle-joint dolly arms, we are making more." The sound of soft yet loud pounding of mochi flour on a stone bowl erupted in the kitchen allowing Kazahana to sigh a bit and continue to look over to his bowl of mochi flour that he has to contribute for the batches. He doesn't understand why Fei has to forcefully teach him about making mochis but he doesn't give a damn anymore since he will just follow his orders to finish his tasks for the day in the temple.

 

With the skillful grace of his hands touching the glutinous flour, he immediately begins molding and pounding the mochi into a soft yet firm texture that is enough to hold the filling that Fei has prepared for them. He let out a low mutter under his breath, begrudgingly doing his tasks in the meantime.

 

 

 

"Are we done yet?"

 

"Almost... here. All done!"

 

"Finally!" Kazahana plopped himself on the floorboards of the kitchen and let out a sigh. He is all sweaty from pounding all of the mochi flour that he just made for them but he is glad now that it is all finished. "Can I sleep now?"

 

"Not yet, let's taste the fruit of our labors." Fei said as he let out a small smile to Kazahana and grabbed one raspberry mochi that he just made. He chews on the mochi and savors the flavor until he lets out a small yet satisfied hum. "Hmm... not bad."

 

"Not bad? I am pounding that shit for almost an hour!"

 

Fei shrugged as he looked over the fuming Kazahana on the floor. "You should be better, but it is consumable enough for me to eat it."

 

Kazahana grabs a matcha mochi from the side and begins eating it. He is nibbling for a while before he takes a huge chunk off with his fanged teeth, chewing the mochi to taste the flavor to himself then sighs in realization.

 

"I fucking hate it that you are right." 

 

"I have been making these with my friends, you should have listened to my instructions."

 

Kazahana raises a brow and shakes his head. "Hey! I did!"

 

"You were... but you took the matter too vigorously than expected so some things you added in the mix were not enough or too much for its own to hold off." Fei stated and smiled softly. "But it's okay, learning starts first like that."

 

"Urgh... well... the taste is there, fortunately." Kazahana said and grumbled. "But I can't stop munching them, must be that I am hungry."

 

"You are tired, of course, you will be hungry. Just eat up at your leisure." Fei said as he and Kazahana started eating the mochis that they made together. The flavors are nice, the texture is satisfactory... overall the entire mochi batches that they made for themselves seem to suffice for now and Kazahana watches Fei gaze over to the sights of the chocolate mochis that Kazahana is hoarding on his one plate.

 

"Didn't know you like overly sweet things."

 

Kazahana shrugged and smiled back to Fei with a little show of his stained fangs from the fillings he ate from the mochis. "Hey... I have a bit of a sweet tooth. But here... have some."

 

"Oh, you giving something to me?" Fei asked incredulously and Kazahana scoffed as he pulled the plate back to himself. "I was kidding, but... thanks..."

 

"For what?" The white-haired succubun looks down for a moment and lets out a soft chuckle.

 

"For being a bit generous for this year. Here... have these." Fei gave a small lacquer box over the kitchen counter where they were eating. "Have these as a token of thanks for accompanying me ever since last year. Your presence is great... even though you are  a bit of an ass."

 

Kazahana looks over to the box and back to Fei who is finishing his plate of mochi. "What are we going to do with the leftovers?" He asked the white-haired succubun and he just responded with a reassuring smile.

 

"We will keep the rest for later consumption during lunch. The ones that are too much can be offered to Allocer later."

 

"Huh, then..."

 

"I will clean up the rest of the ingredients here. Go and enjoy the mochis I made just for you." Fei said as he waved off his hand dismissively to Kazahana as he began to untie his apron. "Go now, rest your fucking noodle arms."

 

Kazahana blinked for a while and sighed, his ghost looked over to the lacquer box out of curiosity and he began to walk away with the box in his hands. His tail is swishing back and forth slightly as he seems excited to check what the box is all about.

 

 

 

The room is nice and warm like he wanted. Kazahana places the box on the desk allowing Orochi to slither forward and checks it with mild interest. It opens its jaws and tries to eat the entire box and Kazahana chuckles at the sight of his imp trying to eat it. Carefully and gently, he swatted the little Sceil off the box.

 

"This is not for you, little guy. Stay there." Kazahana said and sighed. He sits down at the edge of the bed and suddenly a small burst of life comes out beneath his bed and he can see his other imps scuttle out like the lively critters they are. "Hey now!"

 

The Festival Ryudra flies around in interest above Kazahana and playfully nuzzles its snout onto his cheek. Neige on the other hand decides to wake up and chooses violence as it rams its head again to Kazahana's stomach causing him to stumble back on the bed with his breath out of his lungs.

 

Andre just slowly crawls over closer to Kazahana's lap and playfully puffs out its fire over its head and tail as if to ease him from the pain made by Neige.

 

"Oi! You four, scram! These are mine!" Kazahana yelled and his imps, excluding his little albino Candyl let out small shrills of cries in sadness like whining children.

 

The black-haired succubun grabs the lacquer box from his desk and opens it. Revealing three sets of special mochis, his eyes glazed over it in awe and suddenly Ryonosuke the festival Ryudra stole a sesame moon mochi and began gobbling it. "H-hey! You should ask for permission!"

 

The rest of the imps were now taking a shared piece of the mochis. The strawberry moon mochis, the sesame moon mochis, and the matcha moon mochis.

 

Until all that is left is a single mochi of each flavor. At least his imps are a bit considerate to him by leaving at least one for him.

 

He loves his imps so much.

 

Kazahana took a bite of one of the special flavored moon mochis and smiled as the flavor burst into his mouth. The strawberry is good, it tickles his tongue. After a moment he then took the matcha moon mochi, his tongue tasted a little bitter but it was in a good way. It does not remind him of coffee but it is really good like a natural aspect for those who love to eat herbs. The sesame moon mochi is quite interesting, he is not a fan of it but it tasted nice for those who like the flavor. Kazahana chewed and noticed that it reminded him of a mitarashi dango.

 

He swallowed all of the remaining mochi in the lacquer box and smiled to himself while gazing at it in fondness. Maybe making homemade mochi and eating them together with his friend is quite fun.

 

He would ask for more cooking tips from his friend about making mochis.