Chapter 417: Countdown to New Year!
When Ryohei, Lucoa, and Jashin-chan returned from shopping, the demons preparing to celebrate the New Year together had all arrived.
Yes, demons!
—Yusa, Koji, Kyon-Kyon, Ran-Ran, and Medusa!
Today, Pekola, Poporon, and Pino would go to the "Iron Commandos" children's welfare home to do volunteer work, and later celebrate the New Year with Lierre.
By the way—
Initially, Pino was unwilling and strongly demanded to go to Yurine's house to celebrate the New Year with her.
Yurine agreed.
But for some reason, Pino later changed her mind.
Little Binchou-tan usually lived with the three angels and was closer to them. Plus, Second would also go to the welfare home to celebrate the New Year with Persephone, so she followed along.
Tohru and Kanna went with Kobayashi to Kobayashi's hometown.
This time, celebrating the New Year with Ryohei, besides the few from the Demon World, there were only Lucoa, Pekola, Ilulu, and Elma.
"Everyone is here; let's go to the ranch then."
Ryohei's gaze swept around the living room, landing on Lucoa, signaling her to open a spatial passage.
Lucoa had a thought, raised her hand, and a circular spatial passage opened in the living room.
"You're here, everyone!"
With peach-pink long hair tied in twin tails, a pair of yellow dragon horns on her head, only 1.3 meters tall but possessing shockingly magnificent assets, Ilulu put her small hands behind her back and poked her head out from the other side of the spatial passage.
"Good morning, everyone!"
Wearing a light purple kimono with a black sleeveless shirt underneath, the collar casually slipping to the crook of her arm, revealing rounded shoulders and a section of fair lotus-root-like arm, the kimono hem high-slit, revealing looming snow-white long legs, Elma waved to greet.
"Good morning!"
Kyon-Kyon and Ran-Ran passed through the spatial passage, speaking in unison.
"Morning." Ryohei raised his hand to greet. When everyone came over, he arranged: "Yusa and Jashin-chan come with me to the kitchen; the rest of you make yourselves at home."
"Sigh, my toil-filled life." Jashin-chan sighed and spread her hands.
╮(╯∀╰)╭
Ryohei looked over and roasted: "Toil my ass! Haven't done much work yet, complaining first!"
"I can help as an assistant too; just happen to be bored to panic."
At this time, Elma raised her hand.
Ryohei looked at her, pondered for a moment, and asked: "Will you steal food?"
"This question is too excessive! I'm not that kind of dragon... at most drool on the side!"
Elma clenched her fists, protesting loudly.
"Isn't that worse? What if it drips into the dishes? You want us to eat your saliva!"
Ryohei teased.
Seeing Elma make a "Mmph" sound, puffing up her cheeks and glaring at him, he took out an orange with emerald green leaves from his storage space and handed it over:
"Sorry, I was joking."
"Treating you to an orange; this is a freshly picked Huangyan Honey Mandarin I bought specially this morning."
"This orange was a tribute in ancient times; even Emperor Gaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty praised it as 'the number one fruit under heaven'."
"Oh, really? Let me taste."
Elma's attention was immediately diverted. She reached out to take the orange and peeled it naturally.
A fresh citrus aroma with a hint of sweetness immediately rippled in the air.
She broke off a segment; the orange flesh was plump and full of juice. The moment it entered her mouth, her eyes narrowed with satisfaction:
"Mmm... so sweet! And especially juicy, different from the oranges usually eaten!"
"Of course, after all, it's Huangyan Honey Mandarin."
Ryohei couldn't help laughing seeing her heartless look, not holding a grudge at all.
"Eh... Ryohei-kun, I want to eat too!"
Minos raised her hand, looking at Ryohei frankly.
"Mn, come and taste."
Ryohei smiled, took out a boutique gift box of Huangyan Honey Mandarins from his storage space, and placed it on the coffee table.
Everyone immediately gathered around.
Ryohei turned his head to look out the window—today Furano was still snowing, and the snow was heavy with strong winds.
Inconvenient to go out, he simply asked Lucoa to open a spatial passage and went to the kitchen of the complex building with Yusa and Jashin-chan, who were peeling oranges.
...
After 2:00 PM—
Shinjuku, in front of Hanazono Inari Shrine.
"Pekola, are you coming in with me or staying in the car?"
Ryohei parked the car, unfastened his seatbelt, and turned to look at Pekola in the passenger seat, who had just returned not long ago.
"I'll sit in the car."
Pekola turned her head, answering with a cool voice.
"Okay, then wait a moment; I'll be back immediately after delivering the things."
Ryohei breathed a slight sigh of relief in his heart, opened the door to get off, and came to the rear of the car.
He opened the trunk, first taking out the foldable handcart.
Unfolded and stabilized it—
He moved the prepared ingredient cooler box onto the handcart, and stacked two boutique gift boxes of Huangyan Honey Mandarins on top.
Then closed the trunk, pulling the handcart towards the interior of the shrine.
"Yurine."
From afar, seeing Yurine wearing a red and white miko outfit, Ryohei waved with a smile.
Noticing the movement here, Yurine immediately trotted over.
"Ryohei-kun!"
Her tone rose slightly. She glanced at the goods on the handcart first, blinking: "You brought other things too?"
Looking behind Ryohei again, she wondered: "Are you alone?"
"Mn, Pekola is still in the car, didn't come down."
Ryohei answered while heading familiarly to the shrine office.
"You could have asked her to come in for a cup of tea... feels a bit rude this way." A helpless smile appeared on Yurine's face.
"Mn."
"After twelve o'clock tonight, we'll come to your place for Hatsumode again." Ryohei paused, changing the subject naturally—
"I prepared twenty portions of soba noodles for you guys."
"Besides that, I also brought some beef. Slaughtered a Wagyu cattle before coming; it's very fresh. And two boxes of Huangyan Honey Mandarins."
"This is too costly!" Yurine looked at the things on the handcart, a bit embarrassed.
"Why are you being polite with me." Ryohei said with a hearty tone.
Then he paused, greeting a long-haired woman walking towards them politely:
"Auntie, good afternoon."
"Ryohei-kun."
Hanazono Hazuki, Yurine's mother, looked at her future son-in-law and smiled gently: "Stay for dinner tonight."
"Staying overnight is fine too."
"No thanks, next time... next time for sure!" Ryohei declined tactfully.
"You child..."
Hanazono Hazuki chided, then said: "Then it's agreed, come to our house for New Year next year."
"Uh..."
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