While Ranni and Yukino chatted about the Lands Between, Luo Yu continued cooking in the kitchen. As he listened to their conversation, a faint smile of nostalgia appeared on his face.
By five thirty in the evening, dinner was finally ready.
After bringing each dish to the table, Luo Yu peeled off a large crab leg that had already cooled and placed it into the cat's special bowl. The little creature had been waiting patiently beside his feet the entire time.
The kitten wasn't fully grown yet. One crab leg along with its usual cat food would already be enough to fill it to the brim.
Taking his seat at the table, Luo Yu looked at Ranni and Yukino.
"Alright, let's eat."
The king crab legs were arranged neatly across the table, each one already cut open for convenience. Luo Yu didn't hesitate—he picked up a leg, pulled out a piece of crab meat, and popped it into his mouth.
After chewing thoughtfully, he nodded with satisfaction.
"Not bad. It's very fresh."
Although Yukino had lost a bit of her appetite earlier in the supermarket after hearing Luo Yu's vivid descriptions of giant crabs, she still began eating in small bites.
The taste really was excellent.
Luo Yu had also made sure not to waste the crab roe. Following a recipe he found online, he turned it into three bowls of steamed egg with crab roe, making the most out of the expensive king crab.
Scooping up the soft egg custard with a spoon, Yukino suddenly felt that this moment—eating dinner together like this—was far better than sitting alone at home.
After finishing the meal and resting for a while, Yukino said her goodbyes and headed home. She declined Luo Yu's offer to walk her back.
By now, after some time adapting, Yukino had already learned to ignore the evil spirits she occasionally encountered on the street.
She had no intention of recklessly attempting exorcisms just because she had gained a bit of power.
She understood her own limits very clearly.
Right now, she was still a complete beginner. The safest approach was simply not to provoke trouble.
After Yukino left, Ranni had no objections to the plan for Friday.
"Tokyo… I've heard many powerful jujutsu sorcerers reside there."
She lightly tapped her Carian Regal Scepter against her palm.
"I wonder if a battle will occur when we arrive."
Luo Yu lounged lazily on the sofa and pulled Ranni into his arms.
"That depends on what the Shinomiya conglomerate intends to accomplish with this banquet."
"If they simply want to establish business partnerships, then nothing will happen. But if the Time Vessel Association is secretly manipulating things behind the scenes… then problems might arise."
There were many details Luo Yu didn't know.
But there was one thing he was certain about—
The relationship between the Time Vessel Association and the Shinomiya conglomerate was definitely unusual.
After all, the invitation to the Yukinoshita family had been personally delivered by someone from the Time Vessel Association. If they traveled all the way to Chiba, it certainly wasn't just to hand over a single invitation.
They must have carried out other activities while they were there.
With that thought, Luo Yu took out his phone and opened an application he hadn't checked for several days. He began searching forum discussions about the Time Vessel Association.
To his surprise, he actually found several pieces of information.
After reading through the posts on his phone, Luo Yu chuckled.
"The Time Vessel Association keeps a low profile, but it seems they really do have influence everywhere. Many famous people even seek them out to perform exorcisms."
"Especially over the past three years, their development has accelerated rapidly. Within the last year, they successfully established deep cooperation with the Shinomiya conglomerate."
Ranni leaned closer and glanced at the information displayed on the phone.
Then she looked at the anonymous poster who had written the thread.
"How reliable do you think this information is?"
Luo Yu rubbed his chin thoughtfully while scrolling through the comments beneath the post.
"I'd say there's about a seventy to eighty percent chance it's true. The thread hasn't been deleted and has been sitting here for nearly three months. Quite a few people in the comments even confirmed parts of it."
He shrugged.
"But none of this really matters to us. If a fight breaks out, we'll simply test their strength directly."
"I'm more curious about those Special Grade Cursed Spirits. I wonder if any of them will appear."
Compared to everything else, Luo Yu was only interested in Special Grade Cursed Spirits and powerful jujutsu sorcerers.
He genuinely wanted to experience their combat abilities.
Especially their ultimate technique—
Domain Expansion.
Luo Yu was curious whether he could simply break a domain apart through brute force from the inside.
That would certainly be interesting.
As for the possibility of losing…
That thought had never even crossed his mind.
Even when he fought Radagon and the Elden Beast, Luo Yu hadn't used his full strength.
And during the battle against Metyr, when he and Ranni fought side by side, they had completely crushed their opponents in a two-on-two confrontation.
Compared to those enemies, Luo Yu seriously doubted that the Special Grade Cursed Spirits possessed strength on the level of Radagon or the Elden Beast.
Sensing the rising hint of battle spirit within him, Ranni narrowed her eyes slightly.
"My king… it seems you're beginning to grow restless. Are you eager for battle?"
Luo Yu nodded faintly.
At the same time, his hands slipped mischievously beneath the hem of Ranni's clothing, brushing against the smooth skin of her waist.
"I enjoy a peaceful life," he said lazily, "but that doesn't mean I dislike fighting. If an interesting opponent appears, I won't hesitate to step in."
Then he grinned.
"But for now… we should take a bath first."
With that, he lifted Ranni into his arms and carried her upstairs.
Time passed quickly.
Friday arrived.
After the final school bell rang that afternoon, Miko quickly packed her schoolbag and turned to Hana Yurikawa, who had just walked over.
"Let's go, Hana. We can finally buy those mochi you've been talking about all day."
Hana laughed happily.
"And we're not alone—I invited Itsuki to join us!"
She then looked toward Ichika Nakano, who had just approached.
"Ichika, do you want to come with us?"
Ichika shook her head.
"No, I already promised Nino that Miku and I would accompany her to buy groceries. Have fun, you two."
After leaving the classroom, Miko spotted Luo Yu and Yukino walking ahead in the crowd.
She had already known since Wednesday that they would be going to Tokyo today. She also understood that something dangerous might occur there.
The thought made her worry slightly.
However, remembering that both Luo Yu and Ranni would be present, she forced down her anxiety.
Instead, she resolved to train diligently once she returned home.
She wanted to grow stronger as quickly as possible so she could eventually help them.
After leaving the school gates, Yukino got into the car sent by the Yukinoshita family.
Luo Yu returned home first. After changing into a different outfit, he departed for Tokyo together with Ranni.
Once they boarded the train, Ranni watched the scenery outside the window with great curiosity.
It was her first time leaving Chiba since arriving in this world.
As the cityscape rushed past the window, she asked,
"My king, once we arrive in Tokyo, should we go directly to the banquet?"
Luo Yu shook his head.
"No rush. The banquet begins at six in the evening. We still have plenty of time, so we can walk around nearby and relax first."
The Shinomiya family was hosting the event inside one of their private estates—a massive mansion surrounded by luxury residences.
If they went there too early, it would only be boring.
Luo Yu had another idea.
Since they still had time, he planned to take Ranni on a brief date before the banquet began.
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