Chapter 552: The Vigilant Guest, Yakumo Yukari Makes Her Move
Seeing the handsome woman walk in, a collective beat of silence fell over the dining room. What exactly was going on tonight? The sequence of events had long since crossed the line into the absurd. Last night had been a raucous pirate party that resulted in a massive brawl. But what was the theme for tonight? A gangland negotiation? A shootout? It was getting completely out of hand.
Yakumo Yukari paused with her cup halfway to her lips. Her violet eyes swept over the newcomer. "Is it just my imagination... or does every customer we encounter tonight have a severe inclination toward violence? First we had the clashing blades of Zoro and Hawkeye, then Miss Riven and her shattered heavy sword, and now someone walking in with drawn firearms..."
Lucifer nodded slowly from her seat. "It does seem a bit excessive."
Ren stepped forward, his tone gentle and welcoming. "Miss, you..."
Before he could finish his greeting, the handsome woman let out a melodic laugh. She casually swept her gaze across the room, her posture relaxed but her grip on her weapons entirely steady. "Oh my. So many beautiful ladies gathered in one place, accompanied by such a handsome gentleman. Tell me, what exactly is this establishment?"
Hearing the handsome woman speak, Lucifer felt a strange, inexplicable disconnect. The words were sweet, but the delivery felt entirely like a theatrical performance. There was zero sincerity behind that smiling facade.
Ren maintained his polite smile. "This is a restaurant connected to another world. But there is no need to worry. You can leave whenever you wish. Simply open the door behind you, and you will return to where you came from."
The handsome woman blinked in surprise, then her smile deepened. "Oh my, now that is truly interesting. Another world, you say? Is it the sort of other world I am picturing in my head?"
"That would be correct."
She let out another soft laugh. "That is truly remarkable. But I must say, this place does not look like another world at all. Is the handsome owner trying to trick a poor girl?"
Yukari and the others could easily sense the subtle, almost succubus-like charm radiating from her. Yet beneath the flirtation, her attitude was entirely probing and defensive. The fact that she still had not holstered her twin handguns made that abundantly clear.
Ren thought for a brief moment before answering softly. "You are the first person to ever ask me that. How should I put this... I do not stand to gain anything by deceiving you. It would be entirely meaningless."
The handsome woman feigned a gasp, her eyes curving in amusement. "Of course you could gain something. Just today, two people tried to trick me into helping them find a key, and I very nearly lost my innocence in the process. How terrifying the world can be."
Ren chuckled softly. "I assure you, you are overthinking things here. So, will you choose to rest for a while, or would you like something to eat?"
She tapped her chin thoughtfully with the barrel of one gun. "Hmm... I just realized your restaurant is quite beautiful, Mr. Owner. Having a meal here sounds lovely. It is decided!"
Ren shook his head with a faint, amused sigh. "You are incredibly vigilant, aren't you?"
"Me? Oh, are you talking about these?" She lifted the firearms slightly. "Would you believe me if I told you they were merely toys?"
"What do you think?"
The handsome woman stared at Ren in total silence for a long, drawn-out moment. The playful air vanished, replaced by a cold, calculating assessment. Then, just as quickly, the bright smile returned. "Alright, you caught me. They are real guns. Is the owner terribly worried that I might shoot him in the back?"
A chorus of soft chuckles echoed through the dining room. This time, it was the handsome woman who looked startled. She glanced around in genuine confusion. "Did I say something funny?"
Lucifer rested her chin on her hand, a dark amusement dancing in her eyes. "There are simply too many people in this room who could snap your neck before you even pulled the trigger."
The handsome woman froze for a fraction of a second, then burst into laughter. "I believe it! After all, I am just a delicate, defenseless girl."
Yukari took a slow sip of her drink, her lips curving upward. "You really do enjoy putting on a performance, don't you?"
The handsome woman immediately turned her head, flashing a brilliant smile at the yokai sage. "Oh my. I truly feel incredibly threatened right now."
Yukari sighed softly, the sound carrying a hint of elegant boredom. "If you do not believe her, you are more than welcome to try. In fact, I would very much like to see what the owner would do to a woman who actually dares to attack him."
Ren looked at Yukari and sighed. "Miss Yakumo, you can be surprisingly cruel sometimes."
"It is quite cruel of you to try and avoid our date like that," Yukari shot back smoothly.
The moment the words left her mouth, Yukari looked at him with a deeply resentful expression. How could she have forgotten her own rule about not provoking this man? Was she not just digging her own grave again?
Ren smiled calmly, ignoring the bait. "But in a certain sense, I do not believe this young lady would do something as crude as launch a surprise attack."
"But I really do want to try," the handsome woman purred, her fingers tightening slightly on the grips.
Ren tilted his head, his dark eyes entirely serene. "If you decide to start a spar inside my shop, whether or not I permanently confiscate your weapons will depend entirely on my mood."
"Then I suppose I will just have to try..."
"The Boundary of Light and Heavy."
Yukari spoke the words casually, not even bothering to look up from her cup. Instantly, the handsome woman felt an invisible, crushing weight slam down upon her arm. The limb turned to lead, completely immobilized. She could not lift it a single inch no matter how hard she strained. Turning her head with immense difficulty, she glared at the blonde yokai.
Yukari met her gaze with a serene, mocking smile. "Isn't it fun?"
The handsome woman gritted her teeth, exhaling a sharp breath as she fought the oppressive gravity. "Too cunning. That is truly an excessive use of power."
Ren glanced at her struggling form and spoke in a mild tone. "You should keep those two guns to yourself. Now then, Miss, what would you like to eat?"
"Oh..." She forced a strained smile. "It is quite late, so I will just have a portion of fruit, and a cup of hot cocoa."
Ren nodded and turned his back, walking casually toward the kitchen. The very second he stepped away, the crushing gravity on the handsome woman's body vanished, returning to normal. She let out a long sigh of relief, rubbing her shoulder. "What a terrifying power. A single sentence carries such absolute might? And here I originally wanted to test my skills against Shopkeeper Ren."
Yukari chuckled softly, swirling the liquid in her cup. "Do not be too confident. I was merely saving your face. After all, if you were foolish enough to actually lay a hand on Shopkeeper Ren, the resulting trauma would ruin you."
"Eh? Is he really that impressive?"
"You still do not seem to believe it... but it hardly matters. Speaking of which, those two guns of yours are not ordinary firearms, are they?"
Just as the handsome woman opened her mouth to reply, Lucifer spoke up, her eyes glued to the glowing screen of her smartphone. "And just so you know... I possess special powers as well."
"Oh dear, it seems I really have stumbled into an extraordinary place," the handsome woman said, clutching her chest in mock terror. "Suddenly, I feel like my life is in grave danger."
"Do not worry, there is no need to be so tense," Lucifer replied flatly. "This is just a restaurant."
"Is that so? Then I am completely relieved. It was truly scary for a moment there."
After delivering her dramatic lines, the handsome woman finally fell silent, taking a seat and observing the room.
A few seats away, Yuuka Kazami slowly turned her head. Her crimson eyes locked onto the three women drinking at the counter, eventually settling on Yukari with a strange, piercing glint. "Yakumo Yukari... you actually made a move just now."
Hearing this, Yukari stiffened slightly, a rare look of surprise crossing her elegant features. She quickly cleared her throat, her fan snapping open to cover the lower half of her face. "I purely did not want our new customer to suffer unnecessary trauma. After all, Shopkeeper Ren is indeed overwhelmingly powerful, and he is quite the cunning fellow to boot."
Yuuka gave Yukari a long, knowing glance but chose not to press the issue further.
As the handsome woman continued to survey the strange, magical architecture of the dining room, the kitchen doors swung open. Ren emerged carrying a large, pristine plate of vibrantly colored fruit salad and a steaming ceramic cup of hot cocoa.
He set the items down before her with a warm smile. "Please enjoy. I recommend stirring the hot cocoa once more before drinking."
The handsome woman leaned forward, her eyes lighting up at the complex design floating on the surface of the drink. "Oh, how incredibly thoughtful. You even included latte art. Thank you, Shopkeeper Ren."
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