After arriving in Tokyo, Luo Yu considered the distance to the Shinomiya family's estate in Chiyoda Ward. Since it wasn't particularly far, he decided to take Ranni to Shibuya first and spend some time walking around.
Ranni didn't often go shopping, but once she arrived in Shibuya, she immediately sensed how different the atmosphere was compared to Chiba.
It was Saturday, and the streets were filled with young men and women walking in groups. Some of them were clearly only fifteen or sixteen—middle school students—yet they were dressed in revealing outfits and wearing full makeup.
At one point, Ranni even spotted two girls wearing extremely short skirts and thin camisole tops. The black straps of their underwear were openly visible beneath their clothing.
The sight made Ranni frown repeatedly.
"In this world… people can actually wear clothes like that outside?"
Luo Yu had noticed it as well.
He smiled slightly.
"I can only say that some people enjoy attracting attention. Most people don't dress like that—at least not so openly in public. For most, outfits like that are more of a private thing they might wear at home."
As he spoke, Luo Yu glanced at Ranni's dress.
The fitted waist accentuated her slender figure perfectly, highlighting her graceful silhouette.
Then his thoughts drifted to the girls he knew—Miko, Yukino, and the sisters he had met earlier, Nino Nakano and Itsuki Nakano.
Those girls possessed a natural elegance that ordinary people simply couldn't imitate.
Even when wearing simple clothes—or even school uniforms—their presence stood out.
Because of that, whenever Luo Yu went outside, the women around him rarely held his attention for more than a glance.
Once someone had seen true beauty often enough, their standards inevitably rose.
Noticing that Luo Yu showed absolutely no interest in the surrounding crowd, Ranni stopped paying attention to them as well.
Those sights had certainly surprised her a little—but only a little.
Her king's standards were extremely high.
Soon, Luo Yu led Ranni into a large shopping mall in Shibuya. They wandered through several luxury clothing stores, and he bought a few outfits that Ranni happened to like.
After finishing their shopping, the two of them went to a dessert shop inside the mall and ordered something sweet before sitting down to rest.
Looking curiously at the bowl of taro ball double-skin milk in front of her, Ranni studied it for a moment before scooping up a spoonful.
"…This is quite good."
Her eyes narrowed slightly in satisfaction.
Among all foods, Ranni had always had a particular fondness for delicious desserts.
While eating, she asked about Yukino.
"My king, has Yukino already arrived at the banquet venue?"
Luo Yu shook his head.
"It's only four in the afternoon. The banquet starts at six, so there's still plenty of time."
"At noon she told me that she would go to the hotel her family reserved first. They'll probably rest there for a while and take care of things like changing into formal clothes and putting on makeup. She should head to the banquet around five thirty."
He shrugged lightly.
"Right now she's most likely still getting ready. Banquets require quite a bit of preparation—especially for girls."
Ranni nodded and took out her phone, sending Yukino a message to check on the situation.
"Come to think of it," she said thoughtfully, "I haven't seen the dress Yukino will wear today. I wonder what it looks like."
As the princess of the Carian royal family, Ranni was quite familiar with formal banquets.
However, she was curious about how the banquets in this world might differ from those in the Lands Between.
Two minutes after sending the message, Yukino replied.
Ranni glanced at the screen and raised an eyebrow.
"As expected, makeup really does make a difference. My king, take a look."
She turned the phone toward Luo Yu.
On the screen was a selfie Yukino had just sent.
In the photo, Yukino was wearing a deep violet sleeveless evening gown that fit closely along her figure. Her long hair, which she usually left loose, had been elegantly tied up.
Compared to her usual youthful appearance, she now looked noticeably more mature.
However, the faint blush on her cheeks while taking the photo revealed that she was still somewhat nervous.
Luo Yu smiled.
"Very nice. It's completely different from her usual style."
"Did she say when she'll arrive at the banquet?"
Ranni nodded.
"She said she'll arrive before five thirty. Her parents plan to speak with several business families from Tokyo about potential cooperation."
"As for Yukino… she'll probably feel rather bored. She doesn't really know anyone there."
That seemed likely.
The second daughter of the Yukinoshita family wasn't nearly as skilled at socializing as her older sister. If nothing unusual happened during the banquet, she would probably spend the evening quietly standing to the side.
"Since she'll arrive before five thirty," Luo Yu said, "we should head there around the same time. It would be best to find a comfortable place nearby to wait."
As he spoke, Luo Yu took out his phone and opened a forum application, scrolling through posts to see if there were any reports of incidents occurring in Tokyo.
After browsing for a while, one particular post caught his attention.
The strongest jujutsu sorcerer of the current era—
Satoru Gojo—
had accepted a mission to eliminate a Special Grade Cursed Spirit and had departed for Hokkaido.
"Hokkaido… today…"
Luo Yu rubbed his chin thoughtfully before breaking into a grin.
"It seems these people are still a bit afraid. They deliberately lured Gojo away."
"Gojo?"
Ranni looked at him with curiosity.
Luo Yu briefly explained who Gojo was.
"The strongest jujutsu sorcerer?"
Ranni nodded slowly while eating another spoonful of dessert.
"The strongest sorcerer active in the Kanto region just happens to leave for Hokkaido today on a mission."
She tilted her head slightly.
"That suggests something significant may occur tonight."
"But did this Gojo truly leave without considering the possibility that this mission might be a diversion?"
Luo Yu chuckled.
"Probably because he's confident in his own strength. He likely believes that no matter what happens, he can always return in time."
Ranni shook her head gently.
"That level of confidence borders on arrogance. If something irreversible were to occur, regret would come far too late."
Luo Yu completely agreed.
In the original story, Gojo's overconfidence had often pushed events into uncontrollable directions. His enemies had taken advantage of that arrogance again and again.
Now that Gojo had left Tokyo, Luo Yu didn't even need to guess what the man was thinking.
Someone who believed himself invincible would naturally act carefree and unconcerned.
Finishing the last bite of dessert, Ranni looked at Luo Yu seriously.
"My king… don't become like that."
Luo Yu laughed.
"Don't worry. I fought countless battles in the Lands Between. I know better than to underestimate anyone."
"In fact, that's exactly why we came here in advance today—to prevent unexpected situations."
Ranni nodded in satisfaction.
After gathering their things, the two of them left the dessert shop and headed toward Chiyoda Ward.
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