Chapter 132: I'm a Demon, I Can't Be a Human!
"Hey—!"
"Pekola, are you about to recover your powers?"
Jashin-chan, having been soothed by Medusa's feeding and brought back from her depressive slump, slithered over to the BBQ grill. She rested her hands on her slender waist, tilted her head, and leaned her entire upper body at an angle, staring at the glowing Pekola with a punchable expression.
Before Pekola could answer, Jashin-chan continued, "Yep! It's better if I finish you off now, before you get your power back!"
With that, Jashin-chan quickly retreated, putting some distance between them. She crouched down, her fists clenched, and got into the stance for her Jashin-chan Dropkick.
"Why do you always want to finish me off for no reason! What did I ever do to you!" Pekola couldn't help but shout at Jashin-chan. And to think, she was just frantically worrying about her when she got eaten! This girl had no conscience!
"Jashin-chan, don't do this!" Medusa hurried over to stand in front of Jashin-chan, trying to stop her.
"..." Yurine let out a soft sigh. She turned her head, and her reddish-brown eyes, completely devoid of warmth, scanned over to Jashin-chan. Her voice was calm but filled with an oppressive weight. "Was I... too gentle with you earlier?"
"Guh—!"
Being locked on by Yurine's gaze, Jashin-chan's body instantly went rigid. She felt a cold chill shoot up from the base of her tail. She forced a dry laugh, raised her hand, and scratched the back of her head. "Aha... why is everyone so serious? I was just joking! A joke!"
Having just been taught a lesson—beaten so badly it made her question her entire existence—and with her wounds still aching, Jashin-chan was genuinely terrified of Yurine's dark expression.
"( ﹁ ﹁ ) Just try to be a decent person," Ryohei Tanaka said, picking up a fruit knife and cleanly slicing a large eggplant in half as he gave Jashin-chan a sidelong glance.
"I'm a demon. I can't be a human," Jashin-chan retorted, holding her hands out as if to say, 'What can I do?' After that, she nonchalantly slithered back to the grill, her eyes scanning the dazzling array of food, her appetite returning in full force.
"...You've actually got a point there," Ryohei said, his mouth twitching. He gave Jashin-chan an exasperated eye-roll, then brushed a layer of soy sauce on the two eggplant halves, grabbed a cup of garlic sauce, and spread a thick layer of minced garlic on top.
When it came to BBQ, grilled eggplant was Ryohei's favorite vegetable. The rich aroma and soft, tender texture... it was just ridiculously good.
...
Poporon's gaze shifted from Jashin-chan (who was grabbing a skewer of pork belly) to a tinfoil box containing steamed Kraken with garlic and glass noodles, which was still glowing faintly.
There were some things she hadn't said to Pekola earlier—if the Kraken meat really did affect angelic power, was it a positive effect, or a negative one?
Poporon was leaning toward the former.
The reason was that Pekola, and everyone else, showed no signs of discomfort.
Therefore, she decided to eat more of it. Who knows, it might just speed up the regeneration of her angelic halo. Poporon's halo was in Yurine's possession, and she couldn't get it back anytime soon. If she could just regenerate a new one, that would be just as good.
And so, Poporon began to focus her main efforts on the various Kraken dishes. She first ate the steamed Kraken with garlic and noodles, then moved on to the grilled Kraken with various sauces, eating one piece after another, her mood becoming more and more joyful.
At first, she was eating with a purpose. But gradually, she forgot her purpose, becoming completely immersed in the pure deliciousness of the food.
And just as she was lost in her culinary bliss—
A pink-and-white tentacle silently wrapped itself around her slender waist. A warm, slick, and smooth sensation spread over her skin. Poporon froze, then turned her head, only to see a miniature version of the Kraken snuggling up against her.
The pink-and-white, sucker-covered tentacle roamed over her skin, bringing with it a strange, tingling numbness. Her body felt as if it were being shamelessly caressed, but... Poporon found that she... didn't really hate the feeling...
...
The night gradually deepened, and the time quietly slipped toward nine o'clock.
A few camping lanterns cast a warm, yellow glow, illuminating their small patch of the beach. The charcoal in the grill had slowly died down, leaving only a few stray embers winking in the ash, like sleepy fireflies. The last of the oil on the grate glistened in the light.
The last few pieces of grilled meat were divided up by those with the biggest appetites: Lucoa, Minos, Jashin-chan, and Yusa.
"Mmph—!" Minos finished off the last piece of Kraken in a Korean sweet-and-spicy sauce. She patted her perfectly flat stomach, a satisfied smile on her face. "That was an amazing dinner! Total bliss!"
"Yes, it was truly a feast," Yusa agreed with a gentle smile, her eyes crinkling with pleasure.
"And it was so much fun today, too," Pekola added, who was already resting on the side, turning her head with a bright smile.
"All in all, it wasn't too bad," Jashin-chan concluded, her chin tilted up. Although there had been some... unpleasant experiences... for the most part, she was very satisfied.
"You should all be thanking me," Ryohei said, taking a few sips from a water bottle as he solicited praise. "Not only did I bring you all here, but I also served as your personal BBQ chef all night."
"Thank you for your hard work," Yurine said, her eyes smiling as she watched him warmly.
The others also chimed in with their thanks.
Ryohei nodded, satisfied. "Alright then... let's pack everything up and head back."
"Oka—y!"
...
The parasols, beach chairs, canopy tent, grill, tables, and chairs were all stored away in Lucoa's dimension. Then, Ryohei and the group returned to the detached home through a spatial portal.
"It's so hot!"
The beach had been cool and breezy, very comfortable. But the house had been closed up all day, and it had been a very sunny day. The moment he returned, Ryohei felt the stark difference in temperature.
"It is a bit warm. It's mostly just stuffy," Yurine added.
Hearing them, Yusa and Koji-kun, without a word, both released a wave of cold air. The stuffy heat in the living room was instantly swept away.
"Ah... much better." Ryohei stretched comfortably, feeling the temperature drop, and gave the ice-demon sisters an appreciative look.
He then turned to Yusa, Koji-kun, Poporon, and Pekola. "It's getting late, so I won't keep you all. You can get changed and head home. I'm going to go upstairs and take a shower."
Being home made him feel relaxed, but also tired from the long day. Plus, he smelled like smoke from the BBQ. He was ready to wash up and rest.
"Mhm, okay," Yusa, Koji-kun, Poporon, and Pekola all nodded.
Ryohei didn't bother them further. He left the living room with light steps, heading upstairs to shower and, at the same time, give them some space to change.
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