Chapter 111: Jashin-chan is Ruining the Reputation of Demons!
"Uwaah—! I'm so satisfied!"
Takatsuki Sen squinted her eyes, a blissful smile spreading across her face as she let out a long, lazy sigh. Her petite body leaned all the way back, relaxing completely into the chair as if her very bones had gone soft. Her right hand rested casually on her small stomach, gently patting the spot, as if to soothe the belly that had just been filled with incredible food.
Under the table, her slender legs were stretched out casually, the cuffs of her overalls rolled up to reveal a sliver of her fair ankles—so delicate it looked as if a single hand could easily wrap around them, or even lift her up.
Takatsuki Sen radiated an aura of pure, blissful lethargy.
Suddenly, her verdant green eyes shifted, glancing towards Ryohei Tanaka, who was busy in the open kitchen. Her eyelids lowered slightly, and a helpless smile touched her lips as she sighed softly.
"What a shame... truly a pity! That there's only one 'Culinary Saint' in the world..."
If Glowing Cuisine were available all over the world, the dynamic between humans and ghouls would surely be changed. Of course, the beginning of such a revolution would certainly not be peaceful. The chasm and hostility between humans and ghouls wouldn't disappear so easily. But, over time, perhaps both sides could finally move towards coexistence and integration.
"Yeah, it really is a shame!" the middle-aged man next to her said, taking a sip of his drink and nodding in agreement.
This was a classic case of two people having completely different conversations.
Takatsuki Sen just smiled. She placed her hands on the chair's armrests, pushed herself up with a little "oomph," and stood.
"Thank you for the meal!" she called out. "I'll definitely be back." She picked up the bill from her table and waved at Ryohei Tanaka in the open kitchen.
"Mhm, take care," Ryohei replied, looking up from the kitchen with a smile. "Please come again."
"I will," Takatsuki Sen nodded, and walked happily toward the front counter to pay. The meal cost nearly thirty thousand yen, but for Takatsuki Sen, it was nothing. She was a best-selling author worth hundreds of millions, after all. To her, money was just a cold string of numbers on a bank card.
Jingle—!
She reached out a slender hand, pulled open the glass door, and stepped out of the restaurant.
She didn't head home right away. Instead, she followed the line of waiting customers, looking at the mix of humans and ghouls, and took a stroll down the streets of Higashi-Yukigaya's 3rd district.
"Mmm..."
As the feeling of satisfaction gradually faded, a sense of emptiness began to creep into her heart. Takatsuki Sen placed a hand over her chest. She knew what this feeling was. To put it simply, her conviction was shattered.
Her experience tonight made Takatsuki Sen realize that this world was far more complex than she had ever imagined. Her original goal was to accumulate power to change the world and create a society where ghouls could survive.
But could the world truly be changed by the power of ghouls alone?
She now had deep, serious doubts about that.
"What a headache..."
"Well, I'll let that guy have a headache too!"
This kind of trouble shouldn't be shouldered alone. Takatsuki Sen was a big believer in sharing. A playful smile appeared on her face as she pulled her phone from her overalls pocket and sent a message to a certain someone.
...
Time flowed by quietly, and in the blink of an eye, it was past nine o'clock.
Ryohei Tanaka finished cooking the last dish. He placed it on the pass, let out a long breath, and his entire body relaxed.
'Finally done!'
He felt even more tired today than he did yesterday.
Ryohei rolled his neck, stretching his shoulders, arms, and waist. Then, he turned his head and looked at Jashin-chan.
"Jashin-chan..."
Before he could finish, Jashin-chan raised her hand, made a finger gun gesture at him, and said, "Bang!"
"What was that for?" Ryohei retorted. "What did I do to get shot by you?!"
"Well, you were definitely about to say, 'I'll leave the kitchen cleanup to you,' or something like that, right?" Jashin-chan said, a look on her face that screamed, 'I've seen right through you!' Her voice was full of dissatisfaction. "That's just too sly of you, Servant!"
"The capable should do more work, after all," Ryohei chuckled, taking off his apron. He added half-jokingly, "I feel like we could pile a few more responsibilities on you."
"What kind of capitalist nonsense is that!" The phrase was so slick that Jashin-chan reeled back. She then pointed at herself and, without a moment of hesitation, declared, "I'm useless trash! I can't handle a single extra responsibility!"
"You're really something else!" Ryohei said, looking at her, momentarily speechless.
That's our Jashin-chan, all right.
He draped the apron over his left forearm and went along with her. "Well, useless people need to work even harder, to strive to be a demon who is useful and contributes to society."
"Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about what a demon is?!" Jashin-chan couldn't take it anymore and shot back. "Demons are supposed to be despicable, shameless, evil, and destructive! What kind of demon works diligently and tries to contribute to society?! Demon culture isn't that wholesome!"
Stare—!
Minos, who had just come downstairs and heard that last part, stood with her hands on her hips, her eyes half-lidded. She tilted her chin up slightly and stared at Jashin-chan with a weary expression.
"You know..." she began. "Jashin-chan, what are you even talking about? You're ruining the reputation of demons!"
"Haah?!"
"Actually, aside from Jashin-chan, I think everyone else is pretty decent," Ryohei added, looking at the cheerful and hardworking Minos, then glancing back at Jashin-chan.
"What do you mean I'm ruining the reputation of demons?! Isn't that what demons are like?!" Jashin-chan felt a rage building in her chest. She first snapped at Minos, then spun around to yell at Ryohei. "You're wrong!"
"Take Yusa, for example! She's given me the death glare several times, and she's even attacked me! She almost killed me!"
"Wasn't that because you were bullying her little sister first?" Ryohei said, looking at Jashin-chan with disdain, mercilessly exposing her.
"..."
'What are they talking about?'
'Demons?'
'Are they... role-playing or something?'
The few human customers still eating at the counter thought to themselves.
Lucoa put a hand to her forehead. 'Are you all really this brazen about it?'
"Anyway—"
Back to the topic at hand!
Ryohei, holding his apron, put one hand on his hip and gave his order. "Jashin-chan, I'm leaving the kitchen cleanup to you."
Without waiting for her reply, he immediately turned and made his escape.
"Eeeh?"
"So sly! Leaving me to clean up by myself again!" Jashin-chan grumbled at Ryohei's retreating back. Then, she obediently began to clean...
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