Chapter 114: It's Time to Overthrow This Mountain Pressing Down on the Heads of Demons!
A location in a traditional, old-town district of Japan.
Ryohei Tanaka stood amidst a bustling crowd, listening to the lively shouts of vendors and the sounds of haggling all around him. He breathed in the mingling aromas of the morning market—freshly fried bread, steamed nikuman buns, savory dango, pan-fried gyoza, various rice crackers, and simmering okayu porridge—and an indescribable feeling of warmth and familiarity washed over him.
It was like a wanderer who, after a long journey, had finally returned home.
"Lucoa."
Ryohei turned his head to the tall, stunningly beautiful woman beside him, who was drawing everyone's attention. He asked in Japanese, "Do you have any yen on you?"
Being here, he couldn't resist the urge to buy something.
"Mhm. Is this enough?" Lucoa replied, also in Japanese, as she pulled a thick wad of ten-thousand-yen notes from the pocket of her hot pants.
"More than enough."
Ryohei wasn't surprised that she could speak Japanese. Kanna could use magic to master English in an instant; it was only natural that Lucoa could do the same.
He took the money and asked casually, "Where did you get this?"
"I exchanged it," Lucoa answered with a cheerful smile.
"Right."
Ryohei nodded and didn't ask any more questions. As long as it was real money, it was fine. He peeled off the paper band holding the notes together, took one bill, and stuffed the rest into his pocket.
Ryohei looked at Lucoa again and said with a smile, "Let's have breakfast here today. Come on, I'll show you the local specialties."
"Okay!" Lucoa readily agreed.
...
A short while later.
Ryohei had eaten some goheimochi, a piece of fried bread, and a bowl of chawanmushi. He then watched as Lucoa devoured takoyaki, yakisoba, taiyaki, mitarashi dango, and a crispy senbei cracker...
"Lucoa, sometimes I'm really jealous of your appetite," Ryohei said, watching with a hint of envy as she happily munched on a large rice cracker. He wanted to keep eating, but he was already full.
"Hm? I can make your appetite bigger too, you know," Lucoa said, tilting her head with a playful smile.
"That won't be necessary," Ryohei replied, holding up a hand to politely decline.
Just then, Lucoa offered him the half-eaten rice cracker. "You look like you really want some, Tanaka-kun," she said with a grin. "Here, you can have a bite."
"Sorry, I'd rather not have your saliva," Ryohei said, waving her away with a look of merciless rejection.
"Eeh? That's so mean!"
"How could you say something like that..."
Σ(°Д°;
Lucoa was genuinely hurt, her eyes flying wide open.
A few guys passing by couldn't help but turn and stare at Ryohei in disbelief.
'Dude, seriously? You're rejecting THAT?'
'You don't know how good you have it!'
...
After they had explored the entire morning market, Ryohei and a pouting Lucoa returned to Tokyo.
When they got back to the house, Yurine and Jashin-chan were already awake. Yurine was playing on her phone in the living room, and Jashin-chan was watching TV. Minos was nowhere to be seen, probably taking a shower upstairs.
"Ohayou," Ryohei said, raising a hand to greet them.
Yurine looked at Ryohei, then at Lucoa who followed him in. She had heard the front door open and close, and a hint of jealousy crept into her voice. "Where did you two go so early in the morning?"
She hadn't seen Ryohei when she came downstairs earlier and just assumed he was sleeping in. She never imagined he had gone out with Lucoa.
"Haha, we just took a quick trip to my hometown in a parallel world," Ryohei said with a smile. He walked over to a slightly surprised Yurine and explained casually, "I originally just wanted to ride on Lucoa and fly around for a bit, but then she asked if there was anywhere I wanted to go, so I mentioned it."
"I brought you all back breakfast," Lucoa added, walking over. She opened a small spatial rift, pulled out the packed breakfast, and placed it on the coffee table, along with various fruits Ryohei had bought.
"Yurine, you have to try this. It's a specialty from my hometown. I highly recommend it," Ryohei said, picking up a package of Savory Treasure Mochi. He opened the bag and eagerly offered it to Yurine's lips.
Yurine opened her small, cherry-like mouth and took a deliberately fierce bite. Then she paused, "Mmm," and looked at the mochi. The outside was a soft, chewy rice cake, and inside—the bite she took was filled with fried noodles, shredded potatoes, and carrots. She could also taste meat; there was definitely some pork in there.
She found it delicious. She chewed with enjoyment, swallowed, and then looked at Ryohei with a slight squint.
( ﹁ ﹁ )
"Even if it's your hometown in a parallel world, this is the first time you've gone, and you didn't take me with you."
Lucoa: ( ´∀｀)
"It was just a casual trip," Ryohei said, holding the mochi and chuckling. "Next time, I'll take you there on a proper vacation. Just you."
"Just the two of us."
Lucoa, with her hands behind her back, turned gracefully and walked over to the living room's sliding glass door, looking out at the street, not paying attention...
Hearing Ryohei's words, the little bit of jealousy in Yurine's heart instantly vanished. She took the mochi from his hand and asked curiously, "What's this called?"
"Wenling Qiantou," Ryohei answered with a smile.
"Mmm... have you two already eaten?"
"We have."
...
Ryohei and Lucoa had brought back a lot of breakfast. Jashin-chan, seeing what Ryohei gave to Yurine, immediately grabbed the same things for herself. Soon, she was sitting with mochi in her left hand and a spoon for her chawanmushi in her right, her eyes glued to the TV.
"I am Baron Pigeon! I am a great villain!"
On the screen, a man wearing a white pigeon mask, a black tuxedo, and a cape was walking down the street, declaring himself a villain. The scene changed, and he was in a convenience store. An internal monologue began:
"I bought bread from a 7-Eleven... and then nonchalantly placed it on the bread shelf of a Lawson, to make humans wonder why their store is selling another store's bread."
Then, a high school girl (JK) with a school bag appeared. She walked to the bread shelf, picked up the bread, and her face showed her surprise. "Eeh? Isn't this 7-Eleven's bread? Why is it here?"
"Pfft—!"
Baron Pigeon covered his mouth, his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter as he exited the convenience store. He then leaped onto the roof of a nearby house and disappeared with a booming laugh.
"Waaah—! That was so cool! Mmm, delicious..." Jashin-chan said, taking a bite of mochi. Her eyes were sparkling as she stared at the screen. She chewed quickly, swallowed, and exclaimed, "He's wearing a pigeon mask, a symbol of peace, but all he does is evil deeds! And that cape is so cool! It makes him look even more evil and powerful!"
The standards for Japanese TV shows were really something else. This kind of prank show could air without any issues. In other countries, this would definitely be banned for being a bad influence on children.
Ryohei, with his hands on his hips, glanced at the TV, then at Jashin-chan, and couldn't help but retort, "What part of that was cool? It just looks childish. And spending your own money to do something like that is just plain stupid, isn't it?"
He really couldn't see the appeal.
"Erk...!" The smile on Jashin-chan's face froze. She turned to look at Ryohei, thought about it, and found that he actually had a point. She nodded thoughtfully. "You're right. He should have just stolen it..."
"Jashin-chan, if you dare steal anything, I'll chop off your hands. Whichever hand you use to steal is the one I'll chop off," Yurine warned, glancing over at her. This girl had no standards; she was absolutely the type to try an "upgraded" version of that prank.
"Hey—!"
"Yurine, aren't you being a little too strict with me? Stop threatening to chop me up all the time!" Jashin-chan scooted over on the couch and shouted at Yurine.
Seriously! Even if she was immortal, she could still feel pain!
"As long as you don't do anything stupid, I won't have to chop you up," Yurine said slowly, looking over as Ryohei called Minos down for breakfast.
"Tch." Jashin-chan clicked her tongue, annoyed.
'It's time to overthrow this mountain pressing down on the heads of demons!'
However, she hadn't quite figured out how to overthrow it. She fell into deep thought...
~~~
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