Chapter 456: Lycoris Radiata: I Am Not a Garlic!
Nakiri Mana possessed absolutely none of the self-awareness one would expect from a Special Executive Officer of the WGO. She played games on her phone and chatted away as she pleased, completely at ease, which made Hiratsuka Shizuka, watching from the side, seriously wonder if this woman was an imposter.
The Nakiri Mana before her was a universe away from the figure described in culinary magazines. In fact, aside from her identical appearance, she might as well have been a completely different person.
Shiina Mashiro's gaze drifted to Kasugano Sora, who was sitting raptly, listening to one of Aoandon's stories. Just as Mashiro was about to say something, she heard Sora ask with a look of pure anticipation, "So, the Lycoris Radiata is actually a monster, too?!"
"Yes," Aoandon confirmed with a mysterious nod. "And it eats people."
Hearing this, Sōryūin Akemi tilted her head thoughtfully. "I remember the Lycoris Radiata having another name…"
Aoandon, naturally, knew nothing of other names. In her era, the Lycoris Radiata was just that—the Lycoris Radiata. It was the flower that bloomed in Hell, a symbol of deadly allure and the final passage.
Kasugano Sora immediately shot her hand into the air, her eyes bright. "I know this one! Manjushage! It means 'flower from heaven'!"
Aoandon blinked, momentarily stunned. 'So it has a name like that.' It certainly sounded more intriguing than Lycoris Radiata. Just as she was about to comment, she heard Sōryūin Akemi tilt her head again. "You know quite a bit. But I was talking about the Lycoris Radiata's true, scientific name."
Kasugano Sora paused, her excitement deflating into confusion. "Wait, this flower… the Lycoris Radiata… it actually exists? What's it called?"
Aoandon was equally puzzled. The flower that bloomed on the precipice of Hell and death actually existed in the human world? And from the sound of it, it was quite common. Were the humans of this era truly that remarkable?
Sōryūin Akemi thought for a moment, then a cheerful smile spread across her face. "Ah! It's Red Spider Lily!"
"Stone… Stone Garlic?! Garlic?!"
The exclamation came from two voices at once.
Not only Aoandon, but even Kasugano Sora was completely floored. 'This thing is called Stone Garlic?! Are you serious?!' A field of Manjushage or a sea of Lycoris Radiata sounded so poetic, so atmospheric.
But imagine this: someone suddenly claps you on the shoulder and says with a grin, "Ha! Brother! Where did you find such a huge patch of stone garlic?!"
The entire mood would shatter instantly! It would become bizarre!
Sōryūin Akemi continued with a smile, oblivious to their internal crisis. "Yes, they're indeed called stone garlic. There are yellow ones, too. If I remember correctly, some part of the flower is poisonous, and eating it would be very bad for you, but it can also be used to make medicine."
Kasugano Sora covered her face with her hands. "So the white ones aren't called white spider lilies, are they…"
The pain of instant understanding was too much for her to bear. Her beautiful, tragic fantasy about the flower was being mercilessly crushed! This was just cruel!
"The white ones are called Mandara flowers," Akemi said with a helpful smile. "Red and white spider lilies seem to have two different flower languages. You can look it up online."
Sora immediately whipped out her phone to search, and Aoandon leaned in curiously. Shiina Mashiro didn't understand what they were talking about, but she knew that leaning over to look was the right thing to do. For a moment, three small heads were huddled together, staring at the information on the phone, each processing it in her own way.
Aoandon suddenly felt that the existence of a Higanbana demon wasn't so outrageous after all. For some reason, she had a sudden, overwhelming urge to meet one, just so she could shout, "Hey! Stone Garlic!"
(An imaginary Higanbana demon somewhere: I am NOT a stone garlic!)
Kasugano Sora, on the other hand, had lost all her fantasies of tragic and beautiful stories connected to the flower. This was just too ridiculous. Shiina Mashiro, however, saw nothing wrong with the name; she just thought the pictures of the flowers were quite pretty.
Seeing the devastated expressions on Aoandon and Kasugano Sora's faces, Sōryūin Akemi smiled. "Sora, if you like them, you can buy a couple of pots to grow. It's probably best not to keep them in your room, though."
"Are they expensive?"
"Less than a hundred yen per bulb, I think it's n—"
Sora let out a long, mournful sigh and rested her head on the table. "My fantasy is shattered…"
Shiina Mashiro tilted her head, confused. "Sora, what's wrong?"
"I feel like… my maidenly heart's fantasy has been broken into a million pieces…"
Lucifer stretched languidly in her seat. "Don't be so pessimistic. Perhaps the name only applies to the flowers in the human world."
Hearing this, a spark of life returned to Kasugano Sora. That had to be it! The Higanbana from Aoandon's world must be the real deal! She would never, ever admit they were just spider lilies!
While she was still wrestling with her shattered illusions, Ren walked out from the kitchen. Looking at the assembled group, he suddenly had an embarrassing realization: he seemed to be the only man here.
Lucifer noticed him standing there awkwardly and asked, a hint of confusion in her voice, "What are you just standing there for?"
"I just realized I seem to be the only man in the shop," Ren said, a bit sheepishly. "Why do I suddenly feel a bit of pressure?"
Lucifer rolled her eyes. "I don't recall you feeling any pressure when you were surrounded before," she said irritably.
"Was there such a time?"
Ren thought for a moment, then decided not to say anything more. It was just a fleeting, one-second thought. He didn't really have any other feelings about it.
"Boss, there's something I need to report."
Lucifer, who had been idly scrolling on her phone, paused. "What do you want to say? Didn't I give you a holiday? What else is there to do?"
Pandemonica considered her words for a moment and decided to be direct. She cleared her throat. "Boss, Justice and Modeus have both received the message."
Lucifer's good mood evaporated instantly. She pressed a hand to her face, a deep groan escaping her lips. "When are they coming? What, exactly, did you say?"
"I simply told Justice that the three of us were at Ren's Shop and gave her the address," Pandemonica reported in her usual monotone. "I told Modeus that I was at the shop and gave her the address. I said nothing else."
"Phew, that's good," Lucifer sighed in relief, before muttering, "I really can't believe I still couldn't avoid that girl Justice…"
Sōryūin Shion raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Lucifer, you didn't go and call more of your employees over again, did you?"
"I never called them!" Lucifer snapped, her voice laced with frustration. "They all found their way here on their own! And Justice and Modeus were called by Pandemonica! I have a feeling this is going to be trouble…"
"Boss, actually, I think it's a good thing," Pandemonica stated flatly.
"How so?"
"I don't know. That's just what I think."
Lucifer looked like her blood pressure was about to spike. 'What a little clever clogs she is.'
Just then, Nakiri Mana's nose twitched. "Hmm! That smells amazing. What kind of dish is that?"
"Just making some soup," Ren replied. "How was your work today?"
"It was alright…" Mana said, her expression turning thoughtful. "I just feel like… something is missing…"
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