Chapter 216: I Won't Drink Your Blood, So You'll Feed Me Pee?
Real estate agencies typically open at nine, but Ryohei Tanaka and his group were high-value clients, so Suzuki-san was willing to start work early for them. At just past seven, he was already waiting downstairs at the apartment building.
Ryohei drove Yurine and the others over, met up with Suzuki-san, and after a simple greeting, they went upstairs to see the apartment.
The unit this time was on the third floor, not the same level as Yusa and Kōji, but the layout and size were identical: a 2LDK apartment.
The group did a quick walkthrough. Ryohei then had Yurine sign the rental contract with Suzuki-san. Afterward, Suzuki-san contacted a locksmith his company partnered with to come and change the lock.
While waiting, Ryohei started to feel hot, so he called his "human air conditioner" (Yusa) down from her apartment and also managed to get some ice cream from them.
"How is it? Is it good?" Yusa asked gently after Ryohei had taken a couple of bites.
"Nice!" Ryohei gave her a thumbs-up.
To be honest, Yusa's ice cream-making skills were excellent. The one Ryohei was eating was milk-flavored. It was rich, creamy, perfectly sweet, and topped with a glistening strawberry syrup that added a nice touch.
It was just...
Ryohei glanced down and added, "Next time, don't add blood. It makes me feel like I'm drinking a friend's blood... I feel guilty."
"How come you didn't feel guilty when you were eating my tail meat?" Jashin-chan suddenly interjected, making Ryohei choke.
Ryohei turned to look at her, paused, and finally squeezed out a reply: "Because you deserve it!"
"HA—!? Servant, are you looking for a fight!?" Jashin-chan was furious, her expression changing as she glared at Ryohei, grinding her teeth. She really, really wanted to show him how terrifying she could be.
Yurine, who was casually eating her own ice cream, glanced at the two and said in agreement, "Ryohei-kun has a point." The trash snake was never innocent when she got sliced up. Eating her meat was just a way to vent and avoid waste.
The topic had strayed! But Yusa immediately pulled it back. Tucking her hands into the wide sleeves of her kimono, she placed a slender, pale finger on her chin thoughtfully. "Then I'll use lemon syrup next time?"
"...That is so not necessary!" Ryohei looked at Yusa, shocked and then speechless.
What is with this demon? I won't drink your blood, so you'll feed me pee? You're so extreme!
If you've got the guts, just pour it straight into my mouth!
...He was kidding, of course.
The service attitude in Japan is excellent, but the efficiency is truly terrible. Ryohei waited in the apartment building for nearly twenty minutes, but there was still no sign of the locksmith.
He had an appointment with the owner of Yukimi Ranch at 9 AM and couldn't waste any more time. He left the task of getting the new keys to Yusa and Kōji, and while he was at it, asked them to help Jiang Jiang and Lan Lan buy furniture and daily necessities later. The "sister pair" of Yusa and Kōji naturally agreed.
With that settled, Ryohei sent the location to Jiang Jiang and Lan Lan, explained the arrangement, and then left to buy ingredients for the restaurant.
...
After finishing his shopping, Ryohei drove to the restaurant.
Pekola and the others were already inside cleaning. Ryohei called them over and handed Binchō-tan to them. He also gave Binchō-tan a salary advance, entrusting the money to Poporon for now.
Pekola was very frugal, and Binchō-tan had been very poor. With Tokyo's high prices, Ryohei was afraid she wouldn't be willing to spend the money on herself. So, he gave it to Poporon to help her buy necessities and a few changes of clothes, with the remainder to be given to Binchō-tan afterward.
Pekola and Poporon both reliably puffed out their chests and said to leave it to them.
Pino, the only one of the three archangels not given a task, frowned. She felt like Ryohei wasn't treating her as one of them, a slight feeling of being excluded. She didn't say anything, but just hovered near Ryohei, wiping a counter with a cloth.
Ryohei looked at her, thought for a moment, and said tentatively, "If you're free, would you like to go with them?"
"Okay." Pino nodded reservedly. Her expression didn't change, but her mood visibly brightened.
'I didn't realize you were so enthusiastic!' Ryohei thought, surprised. He flattered her, "Then I'll be counting on you," and then glanced at the clock above the counter. It was 8:50 AM. Only ten minutes left.
Ryohei waved to Yurine and Lucoa. "Let's go. Time to see the ranch."
"I want to go too!" Jashin-chan called out from the open kitchen.
JII and Minos didn't speak, but their expressions showed they were interested as well.
"When I've officially bought the ranch, I'll take you all over. You can play as much as you want then," Ryohei gently refused.
He wasn't going for fun. It would be ridiculous to bring a huge group of girls to a business negotiation. Anyone who saw them would think he was some rich young master traveling with his harem. Especially since there were several "lolis" in the group; who knows what people would imagine.
"Eh? Fine." Jashin-chan was disappointed but didn't push. She had heard Ryohei talk about Yukimi Ranch before; he seemed very satisfied with it. He was probably going to buy it on this trip, so she wasn't in a rush.
The others certainly wouldn't object.
And so, Ryohei left with the future ranch owner, Yurine (it would be in her name again), and his "transportation," Lucoa.
Ryohei planned to drive part of the way, just for appearances. After all, Yukimi Ranch was in the suburbs of Furano; showing up without a vehicle would be strange.
The three of them quickly got into the car. Ryohei had Lucoa place a perception filter on the vehicle, then open a spatial portal. He drove the car right through.
The tires rolled off the portal onto a sun-dappled asphalt road. The scenery outside the window changed completely.
Ryohei's eyes widened.
The Hokkaido sky was exceptionally blue, as clear and bright as if it had been washed with clean water, so pure it took one's breath away. A few thin clouds, like torn cotton, floated lazily on the boundless blue canvas.
On both sides of the road were rolling green hills and pastures. Tender green grass was dotted with golden wildflowers, and black-and-white Holstein cows meandered inside fences. In the distance, the lingering snow on the Tokachi Mountain Range gleamed under the blue sky, like a silver-edged screen.
"Follow this road for about one kilometer, and we'll reach Yukimi Ranch," Lucoa said, opening her window. A breeze carrying the scent of fresh grass filled the car, rustling her hair.
"Yeah," Ryohei replied. He turned off the AC and opened his own window, enjoying the wind. "This breeze feels amazing!"
"It really does!" Yurine agreed, leaning back into the leather seat and closing her eyes in enjoyment. She took out her phone, opened the weather app, refreshed it, and checked the temperature.
"It's only 19 degrees here. As expected of Hokkaido! This weather is just too comfortable!"
Coming from humid, hot Tokyo to the cool, fresh air of Hokkaido, it was hard not to fall in love with the place.
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