Chapter 115: How Hideous, Yurine!
"Mmm, it's already past eight..."
In the living room, Ryohei Tanaka glanced at his phone, stood up from the sofa, and said, "It's about time to go pick up Medusa."
A while back, Yurine had luckily won the Gold Prize in a furniture store lottery, and the prize was a one-day trip to a private beach. Last night, Ryohei had her call the contact number on the prize certificate to make the arrangements, and they confirmed they would use the ticket on the 30th—which was tomorrow.
Naturally, a trip to the beach meant they needed swimsuits. Jashin-chan had mentioned that Medusa wanted to buy a swimsuit in the human world, so they decided to all go together.
And that's what led to the current situation.
"Jashin-chan, I'm leaving you in charge of the house," Yurine said, also getting up from the sofa.
"Huh?"
Jashin-chan, who had just stood up herself, froze for a second. The words registered, and she immediately protested, "Why?! Why do I have to be the one to stay home and watch the house?!"
"Tanaka-kun's car is a five-seater. Six people would be over capacity," Yurine stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Besides, you're not buying a swimsuit anyway, so you can just stay home."
"Who says I'm not buying one?! Why do you get to decide for me!" Jashin-chan fumed. This was blatant discrimination against demons!
"Oh? You're buying one?" Yurine asked, looking surprised.
"Isn't it normal to wear a swimsuit when you go to the beach?" Jashin-chan said, holding up a finger with a "doesn't this go without saying?" expression.
"...Your definition of 'normal' is a little hard to understand."
( ﹁ ﹁ )
Yurine gave Jashin-chan a sidelong glance.
"Let's all just go together then," Ryohei said, pulling out his car keys and twirling them deftly on his finger. "The rental car is pretty spacious anyway. None of you are that big; you can just squeeze together in the back."
"Ahaha, I guess that's the only way," Minos said cheerfully, clasping her hands behind her head. She walked over to Ryohei, her ruby-red eyes looking at him curiously. "By the way, Tanaka-kun, when is that car you ordered going to arrive?"
"It should be here in mid-June," Ryohei replied as he started walking toward the door.
He had already sold the gold coins Lucoa gave him. Yesterday afternoon, he had paid in full for a 338-square-meter, three-story mansion with a yard in Setagaya Ward. It was currently being renovated, so it would be a little while before they could move in. In addition to that, he had also ordered a new white Nissan Patrol. It was a full-size SUV, Nissan's flagship model, which not only had a spacious seven-seat interior but was also renowned for its exceptional off-road performance, earning it the nickname "King of the Desert."
"Ms. Yurine, let me sit in the front this time," Lucoa said to Yurine as they walked outside, pointing to herself with a smile. "After all, I'm a bit... bigger."
"Mhm." Yurine glanced at Lucoa and gave a slight nod. Normally, the front passenger seat was her default spot, but this was a special case. Lucoa's 185 cm height was a convincing argument; it was indeed more suitable for her to sit in the front.
...
"Starting navigation..."
Soon, everyone was in the car.
Ryohei set the car's GPS, glanced at the passenger-side mirror where Lucoa was, and slowly pulled the car onto the road. At the same time, he reminded her, "Lucoa, you should buckle your seatbelt."
"Oh, right."
Perhaps because she didn't have much experience riding in private cars, and usually sat in the back of Ryohei's, Lucoa wasn't in the habit of wearing a seatbelt. After being reminded, she quickly pulled the belt from her left, stretched it across her ample chest, and clicked it into the buckle.
When Ryohei looked at the mirror, he couldn't help but catch a glimpse out of the corner of his eye. The sight of her wearing the seatbelt was truly... breathtaking. His eyes almost developed a mind of their own.
Lucoa let out a little "Mmph," and tugged at the seatbelt, looking slightly troubled.
(´～`)
"This isn't very comfortable."
Stare—!
(≖_≖ )
Yurine, sitting between Minos and Jashin-chan in the back, leaned forward slightly, her gaze fixed intently on Lucoa's chest.
"Uncomfortable?" she said, her voice devoid of emotion. "Why don't you just cut off those two useless lumps of fat on your chest? It would be much more comfortable then."
"I don't think we need to go that far, do we?" Lucoa replied, turning her head to look at Yurine, a bead of sweat on her brow.
"Tch—!"
"How hideous, Yurine!" Jashin-chan interjected, crossing her arms with a "I can't stand to watch this" attitude. She said righteously, "Your jealousy is twisting your face... ahh—! Ow ow ow! Let go! Let go!"
Jashin-chan's face was the one that was actually twisting!
(Tragedy!)
Seeing Jashin-chan instantly draw all the fire, Lucoa scratched her cheek, unsure if she should say something or not.
"Now, now, Yurine. Don't be too hard on Jashin-chan this time," Ryohei said, glancing in the rearview mirror, trying to play peacemaker.
"So you're not on my side, Tanaka-kun!" Yurine retorted, letting go of Jashin-chan's cheek. She puffed out her own cheeks slightly and glared at the side of Ryohei's face from the back seat.
"What are you talking about? Aren't I always on your side?" Ryohei said while driving. He wasn't about to admit to that.
"Hiss—!"
Jashin-chan, tears welling in her eyes, rubbed her reddened cheek and let out a sharp breath. She then looked at Ryohei through the left-side mirror, a hint of surprise in her voice. "I didn't expect the Servant to occasionally say something human. I'm impressed."
Ryohei: "..."
'And I think you've always been terrible with words!'
Ryohei was speechless for a moment, silently roasting her in his mind. He then said, "Next time, I won't be speaking up for you, Jashin-chan."
"Eeh? Why not?!" Jashin-chan cried out in alarm.
"What do you think?"
~~~
Get early access to 20+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
~~~
Every 5 new reviews = 1 extra chapters
Every 150 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter