Chapter Seven
Welcome! Here's Your Apron!
Naruto watched the faces of Helsa's parents as they watched the video being played for them and the rulers of Hell. A flurry of colors and tastes whipped around them and constantly bombarded the blonde. For the longest five or so minutes of his life, he went through some familiar tastes; melon, cocoa, blueberry, and chili pepper. All of them are understandable emotions to feel at this moment.
Once it ended, the two parents simply stared at the screen before looking at each other. Bethesda has settled on cocoa, disappointment, while Frederick was flaring with red, anger. They were convinced, which is what Naruto had feared the most, and there was enough shame for them to not look their friends in the eyes.
"I… have no words to describe how I feel about Seviathan's actions," Bethesda began speaking while a tear fell down her cheek.
"I do." Frederick hissed out. "Disowned. Disinherited. There will be no way I will allow someone like that as our son."
"That's much too harsh, dear."
"Not at all," Frederick now looked at his friends with shame. "I apologize deeply for my son's actions. I would have handled things myself had I known."
Lucifer grumbled, still caught up in the video that he had watched for the first time as well. He knew that his friends would not have allowed this behavior, the honesty portrayed is too pure for it to be fabricated. It didn't change the fact that the boy had been leading his daughter on and, if not for the blonde, from what his daughter said she would have given him what he wanted by the end of the night.
"We do not blame you, Frederick, Bethesda," Lilith sighed and shook her head regrettably. "None of us saw this of Seviathan, so the blame cannot be solely yours. Besides, this is a lovely opportunity out of a shitty situation."
Naruto felt her eyes on him now and he looked up from his spot at the other end of the room. He had stayed in the corner for the four parents to watch and deal with the contents of his recording. He didn't expect to be an active part of this little meeting.
Frederick and Bethesda looked up as well, knowing from the video that the boy was the one unfortunate enough to stumble upon all of this. He was then having to be the poor Sinner that had to tell the four of them, risking a negative reaction from any of them. But his integrity to keep all of this peaceful and from reaching public notoriety showed that he was not doing this out of jealousy or with the intention to mislead.
"Naruto here will be repairing the pain that Charlotte is feeling now that she also knows why Seviathan broke up with her." Lilith gave a small smile at the blonde and waved him forward. "He has agreed to be Charlie's friend and bodyguard, a perfect task considering how quickly the two of them have become friends."
"I wonder how Helsa will feel about this," Bethesda softly commented to her husband.
"That was something else I wanted to bring up," Naruto chuckled softly and rubbed the back of his head as his tail swished from side to side. "Helsa has also decided that she wants to work at my restaurant… for experience she says."
"Ex… perience?" Frederick repeated while blinking in surprise.
"Honey," Bethesda put a hand on his and leaning into his ear to whisper. "You know how she feels about him and the Princess."
Frederick opened his mouth in understanding and nodded his head. "Oh. Right, I understand now."
Naruto's ears twitched as he had heard what was said, although he was unsure if the rulers did. I knew it.
"We will agree to it, but only until the week before the next extermination." Frederick now looked at Naruto. "I trust that you will take care of our daughter as well as you have promised to do for the Princess?"
"Of course, von Eldritch-dono," Naruto bowed his head.
Frederick nodded his head resolutely. "My thanks. I apologize again for Seviathan. I meant what I said. He will no longer be part of the family and we will make sure everyone associated with us will not help him."
"Naruto, please go back to the others."
Naruto nodded his head at Lucifer's command. "As you order, Tennō Heika."
He left the room quickly to give space, making sure the door was closed behind him, and made his way back to the lounge where everyone else was still mingling. Charlie would be there, too, and was being watched by Beelzebub after her parents took Frederick, Bethesda, and him to the room. She looked better now, surrounded more by yellow than lapis and purple, and was actually smiling to everyone but Seviathan.
The boy had been blatantly cast to the side by everyone after they saw how he was being treated by Naruto, Beelzebub, Helsa and Gaara. Once Charlie came back and she didn't give him a single glance, although there was sadness in her eyes, that only reinforced the ostracization.
Serves him right. Naruto was still disgusted by the man's actions.
"Naru!"
Naruto blinked when he heard the familiar nickname but instead of it being Helsa it was Charlie that shouted it. She quickly made her way to him, still surrounded by her overwhelming yellow, but it now was mixed with that other color. It was stronger than before and he could now see what it was; the subtle hint of pink.
It's not scarlet lust like he first thought. It's not orange surprise either, although he had doubted it even when he thought it at the time. It's pink. Love.
Oh boy.
Naruto smiled even while going through his mental thoughts and petted the shorter but older girl's head. "Hello, Kōtaishihi Denka, I'm glad to see you in a better mood."
It was appalling for a Sinner, no matter how powerful, to treat the Princess in such a way, as evidenced by the noise made by King Paimon as he watched the interaction. He was very clearly old fashioned, sticking to rooted traditions unlike the other fallen angels. His vermilion eyes stared heatedly at him but did not dare speak up.
Charlie, however, smiled brightly and accepted the pets wholeheartedly. It seems that him treating her in this way will only… enhance her feelings, so he will have to hold back from doing that. He didn't want to make the girl move on from Seviathan in that way. She needs to be strong by herself for herself before she can go into another relationship or think about loving another.
I will get you there, I promise.
With the mental promise, he looked at Helsa. "Your parents agreed to your desire, but only until a week before the next Extermination. You will have to talk to them about more details."
Charlie tilted her head in confusion as Helsa nodded her head. "What?"
"We will be seeing more of each other, Princess," Helsa gave a grin but Naruto can see yellow and scarlet mixing like a whirlpool while orchid pink bubbles underneath.
Someone is excited.
Among the seven rings, the seediest and most crime rampant area would have to be Greed. Ruled by Mammon, one of the original Sins, it would have seemed to be maintained in some way to the Sinners who have never been there. It is the contrary, however, and other than the blatant rip-offs of more popular and original stores and businesses there was nothing.
The smog green environment and drab industrial city in the center of the ring is the main population for the Ring. On the outskirts where the smog is not as strong are the marketed tourist attractions that are managed by Mammon. His most popular is his clown pageant that he hosts often.
But in the areas not used for tourism are hideouts for the more lawless hellborn that made their living off of making enemies. It is common, though not as much as it is for Wrath, and in one of these hideouts a man sat patiently waiting.
This man is elderly, a rare occurrence for many beings as most are appearing in their prime. One of his eyes is blind, appearing completely white, and his other eye is a dark brown that fully stared at the wall. His long, wrinkly fingers are wrapped around an old ashen oak staff that could reach his shoulder when he stands. He is wearing a tattered brown cloak over patchy medieval tunic and trousers, even his brown boots looking worn and on the brink of falling apart.
"How's it going, old man."
The man looked at the new voice when the door opened and he watched as a middle-aged man walked into the room. He has long red hair in a ponytail, reaching his shoulders, and his bronze tan skin is rippling with muscles and pronounced veins. He wears a white shirt and black shorts with white sneakers. His eyes, which the old man knows is red as well, is covered by viper sunglasses.
"You're early for once, Mars," the elderly man spoke with a wispy but resolute tone.
"I'm as surprised as you," Mars commented before plopping down on the couch, spreading out his legs leisurely. "So, where is everyone?"
"On their way, I'm sure."
"They got five minutes before I'm out," Mars retorted at the old man before letting his head fall back and rest on the couch.
The old man simply grunted before twirling his staff in his hand. He expected nothing less from the man who was once worshiped as the "god of war". But to him, the young one is just a blockhead.
Suddenly, the old man saw the ground bubble and a familiar figure began rising with the snapping and shuffling of bones. With cold blue skin and pale white eyes, he was a haunting visage to behold for any other. His white hair is thin and wispy, looking ready to be falling out. He is wearing a white robe over gray loose pants with a tusked demonic mask hanging from the yarn binding around his waist.
This is Mortifer, a second generation fallen angel that came to hell well after the heavenly war between Lucifer and Michael. However, he is more known by the ningen of Ninkai as the Shinigami.
"Well there's Mortifer, where's Shibai and those bird bastards?" Mars sat up as he was hoping for the rest to show up.
"They will not be attending."
It was not Mortifer that spoke but a new voice. This one came from behind the couch, and the old man looked to see the last member of their group. Shibai Ōtsutsuki, the god of the Ōtsutsuki.
Shibai has pale alabaster skin typical of his race of people, and a third eye on his forehead that was currently closed. His angular facial features would make him appear handsome to many races, but the old crown-like shape of his skull separated him from humans. On top of that, his right eye is a pupiless lavender while his left is blue with a black crescent around where his pupil should be.
This is all because of his people's consumption of the Power Fruit, him specifically having consumed the most and has attained a power beyond mortals of his universe.
"Shibai," Mortifer greeted the Ōtsutsuki like an old friend. "Why?"
"They are currently playing as the loyal subject," Shibai's knowledge and sight is beyond anyone else's so none of them argued with him. "The attack on the Magne home was unsuccessful."
"I knew we shouldn't have trusted sending a Prefect to handle something like this," Mars rolled his head back as he made the statement. "Did we really think that we could rely on a creature that weak?"
"We had to hope his time here in Hell had stunted his potential," Mortifer told Mars with a frown.
"Yeah, well, it hasn't," Mars bit back with a sneer. "The child, marked by a symbol of sacrifice, will hold within their hands the power to decide the destiny of all existence. Remember that part or did it escape your decrepit hearing?"
"We had stunted the prophecy's true outcome," the old man spoke up this time without looking up from his staff. "Thanks to Shibai, the mortal wound that would have led the Child down a clearer path had been made fatal. And now no one knows what will come to be."
"That is why we need to get our hands on him," Mortifer drawled out with his raspy voice. "Without him, we cannot bring the New World."
"The longer he lingers alone, the more likely an entirely new future will align," Shibai warned Mars with a pointed stare. "I have influenced the fall of Ninkai as much as I can. We do not have much time before the prophesied companions will begin coming to his side."
"Which is why we will organize more attempts," the old man sighed and slowly stood to his feet. "None of us can move freely lest we gain God's and Lucifer's attention. Continue using those hellbeasts."
"Fuck," Mars rolled his head back before slamming his hand into the couch's arm. "I wanted some fucking good news for once. Two years of not knowing where the brat is and when we finally track him down we can't get him."
The elderly man watched as Mars left through the door, not even closing it in his anger to leave. He simply stayed hunched over his staff and his eyes unfocused for a bit as they drifted. He wondered about the future of their plans, the countless possibilities that can happen in the coming weeks or months. It was so uncertain…
"Óðinn."
The old man looked up upon hearing his name and saw that it was Mortifer that spoke to him.
"Yes?"
The former angel reached into his cloak and pulled out a small bag made of mismatched patches of cloth. It bulged awkwardly even as the mouth of it was opened by the thin string. From it, Óðinn watched as countless lavender marbles filled the bag to the brim.
He knew of this bag. It was the bag that held all of Mortifer's claimed souls from Ninkai. Most were through various deals, but there was a unique bunch that came from a seal contract made by a unique group of ningen. It is the only contract that ever successfully made Mortifer do someone else's bidding.
Those souls were Mortifer's favorite.
Mortifer reached three long disgusting fingers into the bag, bringing out a singular marble of a soul. The dead eyes of the fallen angel stared at the marble with sick glee before presenting it to Óðinn.
"There is something I want you to do for me."
"Come by with your stuff tomorrow at six in the afternoon."
That's what Naruto told Charlie and Helsa. He had given them the time as he will close at five in the afternoon and have time to set up two rooms for the girls. It would also allow the two girls to move in without much trouble since he was sure that sinners and hellborn would go wild about the Princess entering his restaurant.
He would give the two girls the third floor with the last two unoccupied rooms away. The third room was Tayuya's and Haku and Stephen had their rooms on the second floor with him. He made sure that Tayuya had nothing to worry about as a girl, giving her the third floor that had its own bathroom. He decided that he would just do the same for Charlie and Helsa.
Privacy is important.
Naruto smiled to himself as he finished processing his paperwork for the week. Contrary to popular sinner belief, running a business as a sinner was much rougher than it looked. Since he was not allowed to leave the Pride ring, he was not able to go to Wrath and make contact with farms to get his produce and other food products.
That meant that he had to rely on a hellborn middleman to make the runs to these farms and factories for him. The fees always varied between middlemen but that also made it very possible to be extorted for extreme gain by these middlemen. He has more than once switched suppliers because they got too greedy for their position and he would not give in to their retarded demands no matter how much he relies on their services.
The current supplier had lasted the longest, a surprising five months, before he nearly tripled the fees for his services.
"Seven-fifty base fee, five hundred per quarter-ton of product delivered, and another three hundred for the delivery." Naruto ran a hand into his hair and tapped his pen on his notepad that had countless scribbles of numbers and names. "This is getting ridiculous. Should have known it was too good to last."
Naruto prepared his phone, which he only used for his work, and was scrolling for the supplier's number. He hovered over the profile for a bit as he began going through the necessary items he will need for the next month. They sold a lot of burgers and ribs lately, popular among the more carnivore hellborn that frequented Get Wasted and Get Out, which meant he will be buying a lot of that for the next two weeks. Beelzejuice is also a popular product that he always ordered five tanks of every week, and that was not including the amount of other beer and liquor he had to buy on top of that.
As he looked at it, with the fees for all of this to be delivered, he was looking at a weak profit margin that would make it nearly unjustifiable to continue operating. While he was not one to be greedy or care for excessive monetary gain, money was sometimes the only thing that spoke to sinners and hellborn alike. That meant that he needed an income that would allow him to operate with the larger fishes in the small pond that is Pentagram City; the Vees for one are always hounding his slice of the Entertainment District and that required people and money to operate without the help of his clones. Then there was the occasional donation he makes to the local kennel, which he found out operates as a hellhound orphanage.
Fuck those people, the caretakers especially.
He had a harsh sentiment for orphanages after his childhood and he did not shy away from making sure this kennel operated in the best capacity it could even if he had to threaten the mistresses and caretakers to get his point across.
Knock knock knock
"Naruto-kun." Haku called out as he opened the door and looked inside.
Naruto looked up to see the boy looking at him with a small tilt of the head. "Ah- yes, what is it, Haku-chan?"
"Charlie-hime and Helsa-san have arrived." Haku smiled brightly at his friend and boss as he spoke. "I was just letting you know I've let them in."
Naruto nodded his head and shuffled his papers quickly. "Oh, shit, I lost track of time." He chuckled to himself before looking at Haku. "Can you please lead them to the two empty rooms and let them choose? If they look like they're about to argue, just pick for them and tell them I gave you that power. I should be out in fifteen minutes. An hour if I have to argue with the greedy bastard."
Haku scoffed at the final remark that was muttered under the blonde's breath. "Have fun with that, Naruto-kun. I'll let them know you'll be out soon."
"Thank you, Haku-chan!"
Once the door closed, Naruto tapped the call button and watched as the phone began ringing from the speaker. Here we go.
It wasn't until the last ring that the call picked up and before Naruto could speak…
#What's up, pretty bitch?#
Naruto let his head hang immediately and barely kept himself from hitting his head. "I told you to stop calling me that. Do you want to find magnesium citrate in your food again?"
#That was you?! I knew it!#
Fuck, I forgot he never found out it was me. "Yeah and I'll do it again if you keep being a bitch."
#Fuck you! Because of that, the fees all went up one hundred dollars! Each!#
"You greedy cheating sonofabitch!" Naruto snarled into the phone and glared at the middleman's name.
STUPID BASTARD
#Another hundred! Keep going! You need my services or else you ain't getting your shit!#
"There are plenty other people offering their services, you stupid fuck! You ain't the first I've left and you would not be the last!"
#Do it then! Nothing hurts me from losing you as a client.#
"Thanks for that, asshole, that's what I wanted from this call to start with. I hope the next prostitute you have to pay for charges you double for your ugly mug! Go fuck yourself!"
Naruto hung up the call before the hellborn could get a word in. He sat back for a few moments, just staring at the ceiling as he leaned back in his swivel chair, before chuckling to himself. "That went better than expected. Hmm, I think I still have some magnesium leftover. Fuck it, one last hurrah for that stupid bastard to remember me by."
With that thought, he got up from his chair and began tossing his pens and notepad into the drawer before leaving the office. He locked the deadbolt and activated a magic seal array, simply in case someone happened to enter the store they wouldn't be able to access his important belongings. The seal that was cast over the deadbolt and door is a creation of his own, mixing the seals of his world with the magic of Earth, and that was able to protect himself from most chakra or magic based attacks. It was hard to create and required over two dozen clones in rotation for six months to finally complete it.
It definitely should have taken longer, especially since his knowledge of seals prior to this was rudimentary at best - mostly only knowing how to make a standard seal scroll and general-grade explosive tag. His knowledge of magic was even less, near zilch, and yet it was that aspect of the array that took the longest to configure. He seemed to have an innate learning ability with seals and within weeks had created a working array that could lock out chakra energy attacks.
Uzumaki genetics for the win! He cheered in his head as he opened the closet that had some uniforms; black shirts, black pants, and white aprons with his restaurant's names on all of them.
At least, he thinks it has to do with his genetics. How else could someone with no prior experience do this well without being a genius?
And I sure am no genius.
Naruto chuckled to himself at that as he finally made it to the second floor to see Stephen chilling on the couch with a book in his hands. He was leaning against the arm closest to the wall with his legs curled up while his fluffy tail twitched between his feet. He wore a pair of loose sweatpants and a powder blue crop-top.
"Haku is upstairs right now with your guests," Stephen said without looking up from his book or taking out his earbuds.
"Thank you, Stephen," Naruto smiled and continued up the stairs to the third floor.
He heard a lot of shuffling and talking, but above that he also heard music blasting over a stereo. The song was Pretty Distraction by SkyDxddy so it was clearly only one person in his mind. Tayuya.
Sighing, Naruto reached the top landing of the stairs to find Haku leaning against the wall next to Tayuya's room. He had his eyes closed and was taking deep, calming breaths after what he assumed was a tense conversation that he missed. Charlie and Helsa seemed to be undisturbed considering they were in their respective rooms and he could hear the movement of dressers and the bed, likely decorating and moving their furniture to their heart's content.
"She's not happy," Naruto commented as he neared Haku.
"That's an understatement," Haku commented tiredly but looked at Naruto pitifully. "You'll have to talk to her."
"And I plan to," Naruto agreed as he had made the assumption when he heard the music blasting. "But I want to make sure Charlie-hime and Helsa-chan are all set with their rooms. Kōtaishihi Denka! Helsa-chan! Come out, please!"
He didn't have to wait long before the two girls came out of their room, Charlie more excitedly and with a skip in her step while Helsa was more calm and composed but had the same feelings emanating from her. Yellow, orchid, lapis, and a good amount of pink to finish the aurora that was their mood.
He smiled at them and began shuffling the uniforms in his hands. "I am glad you two are getting comfortable. This entire floor is for you three girls but every night after work we have activities in the second floor lounge that you are encouraged to join but you do not need to play to chill out with everyone. These are your uniforms while working. Charlie, you will be a greeter as I'm sure your personality is best suited there."
"Thank you!" Charlie took the shirt, pants, and apron from the blonde and bounced on the balls of her feet anxiously.
She was so excited! She had never really been outside of her parents' control like this before as they wanted to protect her from the dangers of Sinners. While growing up she never understood their fear as mortals were very pitiful creatures as they were. That is, that's what she thought until her birthday.
The powerlessness she felt she would wish on no one else.
Helsa, on the other hand, was excited because now she gets to wake up everyday to her two favorite people - although she won't admit it to one of them. When she heard that the Princess would be coming to live and work here with Naruto, she just couldn't let herself be left out of the fun. She met the blonde first! She had the right to come live here too!
Although, her true motives were not wholly innocent as not wanting to be left out.
One step at a time, Helsa. We have five months before we go back home. Plenty of time to get them. Plenty of time.
Her grin as she looked at the uniform in her hands was not entirely missed by the blonde. He had a feeling he knew her thoughts, at least somewhat, and he feared not just for his bed frame but for her hips as well.
"Helsa, you will be learning to work in the kitchen with me. Most operations like that are handled by my clones but you will do well there, I'm sure."
Charlie glanced at Haku, who still stood against the wall silently, before raising her hand. "Ah, Naru? What does everyone else do?"
Naruto looked at the blonde before cracking a smile. "Glad you asked! Haku here is our bartender, and a pretty damn good one too! Ask him for his cocktail I've dubbed the Eraser."
Haku's face turned sour and he blushed a deep red in embarrassment but it was not from the praise. "Dear Sage, don't do that to them. That drink is awful and honestly the worst one I've made."
"Powerful though," Naruto pointed out cheekily. "But other than Haku here, miss grouchy pants in her room here is Tayuya and she usually handles the cleaning. She makes sure everything is tidy and stocked in the back. She seems cold right now but she will warm up to you."
Helsa scoffed at that while Charlie nodded her head excitedly.
"Finally, we have our cute mascot downstairs!" Naruto chuckled when Haku began stuttering out incoherent words at his statement. "His name is Stephen and he's a sweet kid. He's our waiter, taking orders and delivering them to tables."
Naruto gained a teasing smirk as he glanced at Haku from the corner of his eyes. "And he's Haku's boyfriend~!"
That made Haku snap in an explosion of red, pink, orange and black. "THAT'S NOT TRUE!"