Aki felt the autumn in the air. He could see the days getting shorter and shorter – it was starting to mess with his afternoon teatimes after all. The daylight that remained was made gloomier by the clouds which loomed over the sect, threatening rain.

Still, the darkening weather had not caused moods in the outer sect to darken – the place seemed livelier than ever. With the new group competition underway, disciples could be seen walking about in teams, heading to their shared practice sessions.

The former Soul Food School disciples who had ended up in the outer sect got a handle on things rather fast. They had established a restaurant of sorts, which was proving very popular. They were still beginners in the craft of [Soul Food], but their products found a very willing market. Their spirit food was not as effective as pills, but the affordable prices made up for a lot of that lack.

Even now, on an evening that was not among the busier ones, the restaurant bustled with activity. Disciples were seated in small groups in which they ate and discussed techniques, while the lonelier souls silently ate their dishes in out-of-sight nooks. There was a lot of activity, disciples walking this way and that. The place had become a sort of nexus for the outer sect, the centre of all activity.

Aki watched the busy restaurant from a shady corner table, feeling some pride in his chest. Still, the lively scene felt lacking to him – it was like some crucial element was missing from this picture.

Deep in thought, he ate some of the food laid out in front of him. He had already eaten his weekly hot wings a few days ago, so today he was having a dish that resembled the stereotypical ramen bowls he remembered from anime. People here did not use chopsticks, which made Aki feel like the dish lost a bit of the authenticity. A fork just didn’t bring that same feel.

He sighed as he looked over the table at its other occupant. Winter Gale was eating with a lot more fervour than him – she already had two empty bowls lined up on the side. Her hands moved the food with mechanical efficiency, finishing the next dish in no time at all.

“Ahh, these do really hit the spot.” She said, laying down her fork and licking her lips. She put the dish to the side, adding another one to her growing pile.

Their table was currently shrouded by a protective privacy dome, so she had to make her new order by writing a message on a piece of paper, tying it to her knife, then throwing it into the kitchen through the window. After a dozen seconds, she manipulated a weave, and the knife slipped back through the window and returned to her waiting hands – message no longer attached to it.

“So, master. What exactly is the reason we have come here? You still haven’t gotten to it.”

Aki sighed; he had gotten absorbed in his musings again. He gestured to the bustling restaurant scene.

“Look at this scene in front of us, disciple. Do you feel it? That missing element?”

She turned to watch the scene for a bit and scrunched up her face in concentration. After half a minute of study, she turned an uncertain look back to her master. “Is it the fact that the restaurant is being used mostly by those participating in the competition? Other disciples seem underrepresented, though I don’t think that is what you are after…”

“A good observation, but you are correct. Something more fundamental is wrong with this scene,” Aki answered. He stopped for a dramatic pause, then manipulated a weave to create an illusory flame in his hand. “The missing piece from this scene…”

He let the illusory flame blaze fiercer, then looked at his apprentice with a sagely expression.

“Love.” He let the statement hang for a few seconds, then gestured grandly at the restaurant. “Look at this scene, no nervous people out on their first dates, no disciples lurking in the wings, gathering the courage to go chat with someone who strikes their fancy, no happy couples walking hand in hand!” His gaze was turning manic. “How can such a scene be satisfactory!”

Winter Gale stared at him for a good ten seconds, not a single change in her expression. She closed her eyes for a moment to gather herself, then looked at Aki again.

“Master, I really don’t think I understand.”

Aki sighed, people really didn’t seem to understand him in this world. Still, this was a more personal desire of his than anything backed by rational reason. In his old world, Aki had been used to reading gratuitous amounts of romantic comedy – he was the type to get into a romantic mood now and then.

In this world however, all he had to entertain him were dry historical texts – hardly the fluffy and heart-warming stories he craved. In his despair, he had turned to an alternative outlet: If he could not read about fictional romance, surely he could make do by observing the real thing.

He had set off to observe the happenings in the sect, hoping to find some young couples having awkward first dates or passionate youths engaged in exciting relationship drama. To his dismay however, that had proved a fruitless endeavour. He had found practically no traces of romance in the entire sect!

Aki poked at his noodles, then turned to his disciple with a grave expression. “Disciple, do you know how many of the members of this sect are in relationships?”

She began thinking on that, chewing on her finger. “Well, Elder Raging Waters is married to that Aho Clan woman – even got that bratty child. A few of the inner sect disciples are in such relationships too, and several more are in talks about future plans for such, and then-”

Aki slammed his fist on the table, interrupting her. “Disciple, you are listing out political alliances, not romances.”

“Oh? So they don’t count?”

“According to the census, 10% of inner sect disciples are married, but they are practical arrangements for the sake of material and political benefits, hardly the love we are seeking.”

She raised an eyebrow. “So, the key is love? Well, there are those rumours about elder Four Seasons and that winter spirit…” She began to talk more, but then stopped, returning her questioning gaze back to Aki. “However, why do we need love?”

Aki looked out towards the gathering clouds. He could hardly speak on his desire for romantic comedy here, so a more proper justification was necessary. He fixed on his trademark sagely expression.

“Disciple, you must understand that love is burning core which propels society to greater heights.” He gave her a wise look, then rose up. Grand addresses didn’t quite work while sitting down. “Love is what propels people to better themselves, to prove themselves, to seek out great challenges! Love is the key to advancement!”

He gestured towards the restaurant. “Love is what makes people go out on expensive dates, buy expensive gifts and seek out the wealth to afford all that! Love is the lubricant that keeps the economy moving!”

Next he gestured at the disciples sitting in the restaurant. “Love is the strongest bond there is, the most firm of all ties! It ties disciples together, forming the strongest bonds of trust that can exist! Love is the key to community ties!”

He was rather pleased by that speech, and sat down feeling quite a bit of satisfaction. Winter Gale was looking at him, a ponderous expression on her face.

“Master, I think I’m starting to understand. So, we need more love in the sect, but how can that be achieved?”

Aki smiled and brought out his hand. “Behold, the [Tinder] technique!”

An illusory flame roared up in his hand. It radiated karmic Qi, and after Aki adjusted the weave for a bit, connected to a pair of people sitting in the restaurant. The flames instantly simmered down a bit.

“This technique is a more specialised version of the [Karmic Bonds] technique and is used to measure romantic compatibility between people.” Aki gestured out at his target. “Currently it is attuned to that woman and the chap sitting opposite her.”

Winter Gale looked at the technique with some approval. “That will probably be difficult to detect for those not possessing strong karmic Qi expertise – but the flames seem rather low. What does that mean?”

“This pairing does not hold much potential, so we will use the next part of this technique.” Aki swiped out with his hand. “[Left Swipe]!”

The technique adjusted, moving the connection from the man sitting opposite the woman to another woman sitting behind her. The flames instantly got a little brighter.

“As you can see, the technique can easily be used to check compatibilities. This woman seems to be an interesting case…” Aki began using [Left Swipe] again and again, quickly scanning through the crowds.

“Hmm, seems to be generally a bit more compatible with other women, but the huskier guys work too.”

Winter Gale was watching the process with interest. “Master, this only shows the compatibility, but I don’t think that itself is enough to get more love in the sect.”

Aki grinned as he swiped through the results. “Well, that is when we get to the next part of the technique, wait just a moment will you…” Suddenly the flames roared especially high and Aki smiled with satisfaction.

“Ah, looks like there is an especially strong compatibility with the woman sitting next to her. We can move to the next step of the technique.”

Aki gestured at the pair he was targeting. “I studied the bonds between the disciples at the sect using [Karmic Bonds] and found one source for our current issue – most disciples view each other only as potential enemies and competitors, not as potential romantic partners. If one does not view anyone as a potential partner, there will naturally be no partnerships formed.”

He lifted up his hand, raising the illusory flames aloft. “All this next technique does is nudge the perception people have of each other, just a little bit. It puts that idea to the back of the mind, the possibility of romance.”

Next, he swiped right with his hand. “[Right Swipe]!”

The technique flared up, sending a nudge along the karmic bond. Aki thought he saw something change between the two women, a slight shift in the way they looked at each other. “That will of course not make them fall in love or anything, but it does raise that possibility in their minds.”

He turned back to his disciple, feeling quite a lot of satisfaction. Winter Gale however had a rather difficult expression on her face.

“Master… I’m pretty sure those two are sisters.”

Aki stared at her blankly for a few seconds, then decided to pretend he had not heard anything. He coughed into his hands for a bit. “Krhm! Alright! Moving on! So, next up is of course the task I am giving you, disciple.”

Her gaze sharpened. “I was wondering when you would get to that… So, how does all this relate to me?”

Aki pointed a finger at her. “You are skilled with Karmic Qi, knowledgeable about people in the sect and most importantly, discreet.” He took out two jade slips from his pocket and tossed them over to her. “I am appointing you the official love master of the sect! Your task will be to discreetly promote romance in the sect! I am sure you will learn the [Tinder] technique swiftly from that jade slip.”

She sat motionless for a moment, before growing panicked. “Me? Love master? B-b-but, I-I’m not experienced with that type of stuff, how could I-”

Aki stopped her with his hand and smiled reassuringly. “Do not worry, I have prepared aid for you in this task.” He pointed at the second of the jade slips he had handed over. “That jade slips contains all my compiled knowledge on romance, I am sure it will be enough to guide you along.”

The slip did indeed contain all Aki’s knowledge on romance – namely all the tropes he was familiar with from the romantic comedies and other media he had consumed.

Winter Gale picked up the slip, resolve gathering in her eyes. “Alright master, I will not fail at this task!”

Aki nodded approvingly. “Excellent, your work will be relatively free – I expect you to use your own judgement well.”

Just in time, a disciple passed through the privacy barrier, bringing Winter Gale her next bowl of food. The two finished their meals deep in thought.