No matter how she looked at it, Rui Tachibana never imagined that simply going out to eat with a boy could land her in a situation that threatened her very life.
And now, faced with the other side's numbers and strength, she and Lin Ye were utterly outmatched.
Should they resist?
But—would resisting do any good?
Then should they silently accept it?
That was even more impossible.
Rui Tachibana absolutely refused to accept it.
A moment later, the chef turned his gaze toward Lin Ye, sizing him up from head to toe, and a glint of sharp light quickly surfaced in his eyes.
"Not bad, not bad. So much better than this woman."
A chill ran through Lin Ye. What was up with this chef?
That scrutinizing stare made Lin Ye want to eliminate the man on humanitarian grounds, but he decided to wait a little longer and see what other rules this bizarre restaurant had.
'Tap-tap, tap-tap…'
Another waiter ran some calculations.
"This is the amount of meat the two of them ate. Please review it, Chef Li."
The chef glanced over.
"Oh? You can really eat quite a lot."
He looked at Lin Ye, his eyes filled with a faint trace of surprise.
"A decent appetite."
"Eat a lot, repay a lot—that's the rule here, and everyone has to follow it."
The chef continued to look him up and down. "Your body's in good shape, well exercised. If you agree to repay a bit more, I can consider letting this woman off the hook. She wouldn't have to repay a thing."
Rui Tachibana: ???
She could just be let off like that?
These abnormal 'people' were all perverts, weren't they!?
"No, I don't agree."
Rui Tachibana shouted it out.
Her breathing was rapid, her chest heaving up and down, and her furious, glaring eyes radiated intense rejection.
She was unwilling to let Lin Ye sacrifice himself in her place.
She instinctively resisted the idea—even if, even if she had to suffer an inhuman ordeal, she would not accept this.
Rui Tachibana was afraid that if she answered too slowly, Lin Ye would agree. And if that really happened, how on earth would she ever repay such a debt of kindness!?
She had absolutely no idea how she could ever repay it.
"Woman, this has nothing to do with you."
"I don't agree. I absolutely do not agree. Student Lin, don't accept—they're deceiving you."
Rui Tachibana grasped for a reason.
Deception was entirely possible.
These abnormal people were making a proposal—how could the two of them trust it?
What if it was a trap, just these people's sick idea of fun? They could very well go back on their word at the very last moment to amuse themselves—that was entirely possible.
"I have my own considerations. Don't worry."
Lin Ye's reply remained as confident and calm as ever; he hadn't taken the restaurant chef's words to heart at all.
Rui Tachibana was worried, but for now she pressed down the anxiety in her heart. She would simply follow in Lin Ye's footsteps.
Facing this together with Lin Ye—that was one of the few things she could do right now.
The chef stood there staring at the two of them, while several waiters behind him glared like tigers eyeing their prey.
In terms of sheer momentum, the restaurant staff held the overwhelming advantage.
By comparison, the composed Lin Ye and the trembling, pale-faced Rui Tachibana were entirely at a disadvantage, completely on the back foot.
"Time's about up."
The chef spoke. "Have you decided? If you haven't, then we'll take matters into our own hands and collect the compensation we're owed."
The chef's eyes were locked on Lin Ye, glinting with greed. To him, it was Lin Ye's body that was the good stuff.
From his torso to his feet—sturdy and powerful, with muscle that was firm and strong yet not overly pronounced.
Meat from a body like this was sure to be all the more delicious.
Whether grilled over fire, cooked in hot pot, or steamed, this meat would absolutely be top-grade quality.
Compared to that limp, flabby woman beside him, it was so much better.
The more the chef thought about it, the more his appetite stirred.
To cook it himself, to taste it with his own mouth—
That feeling—oh, how satisfying it would be!
"I've decided."
"Oh! Speak."
"I'm not giving it."
Lin Ye said.
The chef fell silent, but quickly let out two cold snorts.
"This isn't something you can refuse just because you don't want to give it. The rule here is that you must give."
He raised his sharp cleaver in one hand. "There's no use struggling or resisting. Here, the restaurant's rules are supreme. No one can defy them."
So it was true—there existed special rules unique to this restaurant.
By the man's meaning, the restaurant's rules clearly carried compulsory force.
If he wanted to defy them, he would have to find a loophole. The problem was, he didn't know the specific terms of the rules.
For now, all he could do was guess.
"What rule?"
"Heh heh!"
The chef clearly had no intention of telling him.
He gathered his strength, preparing to chop down and dismember the man before him into pieces—into fresh ingredients cut to taste.
"Use your body to repay the dining bill you owe."
"I'll give it."
Those few words left everyone stunned, and the chef stopped the cleaver in his hand.
"You should've said so earlier—would've spared you the suffering."
For the restaurant, willing and unwilling produced different qualities of meat in the end.
Because of this, the restaurant still preferred, as much as possible, for the other party to be 'willing,' rather than having to take action to extract the dining fee from their flesh themselves.
"Rest assured, my hand will be very light and very gentle. It won't hurt much. At the very least, you'll definitely keep your life."
As he spoke, the chef grew more and more eager.
That appraising gaze looked as if it wanted nothing more than to swallow Lin Ye whole.
By now Lin Ye was certain of the other side's true aim—it really was his body.
Rui Tachibana realized it too.
The other side really was after her and Lin Ye's bodies—and Lin Ye's body in particular was held in especially high regard.
But not in the sense she had been imagining.
She had very nearly thought she was about to be violated here.
Fortunately, that wasn't it.
But this was the literal, physical sense of 'body'—
The restaurant's chef and staff wanted their bodies not to toy with, but to butcher and turn into ingredients.
In that moment, the blue-haired girl understood.
Yet the instant she imagined her own body being carved up into ingredients and eaten by others, a powerful wave of revulsion surged through her.
She couldn't even bear to picture the scene.
She was a human being—how could a human become an ingredient on the dinner table?
"Urrgh…"
Rui Tachibana's stomach convulsed, struck by intense nausea, as a certain possibility came to mind.
The raw ingredients of the grilled meat she and Lin Ye had just eaten—could they possibly have been… human?
"Ugh…"
Rui Tachibana clutched her chest, the violent, retching spasms making her feel worse and worse.
"Student Tachibana, are you all right!?"
Rui Tachibana waved a hand to signal she was fine, but her body's reaction only grew more intense.
Lin Ye reached out on his own and patted the girl's back, trying to make her feel a little better.
"Man, you'll have to repay her share too, or we'll take it ourselves."
The chef's reaction made Lin Ye realize the other side must, for some reason, have chosen not to resort to the simplest method of violent robbery.
A restriction imposed by the rules?
It was related—but not entirely that.
Lin Ye reviewed the man's words: every single one of them was trying to persuade him to be willing. In other words, if he was willing, the other side could obtain more and better.
Otherwise, all this behavior of theirs would be meaningless.
After all, in the other side's eyes, he and Rui Tachibana were nothing more than fish on the chopping block, possessing no great combat strength.
"On what grounds?"
"On what grounds? On the grounds that the texture of her meat has already been compromised."
The chef showed a look of distaste.
The woman's current state could easily affect the flavor of her own flesh. "If it turns sour, it won't taste good at all."
As a chef, he had far too much experience.
A person's negative reactions could easily affect the taste and texture of their flesh.
This woman was retching so violently that her meat was probably no longer fit to eat.
So it had to be this man's body after all.
This man's emotions were stable; when he brought the knife down later, there wouldn't be much fear, and the impact on the meat's quality would be minimal.
The chef was delighted.
"Then, let's begin now. Hold out your hand first—left or right? I'll leave you one hand."
The chef looked at the left hand, then at the right. Both hands made his heart flutter, but he restrained himself, willing to leave Lin Ye one of them.
Lin Ye slowly extended his right hand.
This guy didn't want to keep his right hand?
Could he be left-handed?
The chef thought back, but couldn't recall any clue suggesting the man might be left-handed.
So the man had simply held out his right hand out of habit?
That was… far too strange.
But never mind. The chef prepared to swing the cleaver down—before this guy could change his mind, he'd secure this top-quality ingredient first.
At that moment, Lin Ye opened his right hand, and several coins reflected an alluring brilliance under the bright light.
"Stra—"
"Strange Coins."
The chef froze.
The waiters froze.
The astonished voices drew Rui Tachibana's attention. She stared at the coins in Lin Ye's hand.
"These… are Strange Coins?"
Why would Lin Ye have Strange Coins?
No—she suddenly felt that Lin Ye had possessed Strange Coins all along, and had simply never taken them out.
So what was the reason?
Reluctance to part with them?
That was possible.
But she somehow felt that Lin Ye had some other reason—surely there had to be a deeper intention, not such a shallow one.
"Ten Strange Coins, not one short."
Lin Ye's calm words rang out. He watched the group, and a faint trace of mockery couldn't help but surface in his eyes.
For all their scheming and calculating, the chef and the rest of the restaurant staff had never imagined that Lin Ye actually possessed Strange Coins—and in a sufficient amount, too.
This exceeded the expectations of the several staff members.
With a "swish," Lin Ye laid the Strange Coins out on the dining table.
"Check, please."
The restaurant staff's true aim had already been probed out.
Now it was a matter of seeing how these staff would react, given that he was willing to pay with Strange Coins.
Whether this burly chef could still bring that cleaver down.
The vast restaurant hall fell utterly silent in that instant.
No one made a sound, forming an eerie quiet.
Rui Tachibana didn't dare make the slightest sound to break the silence.
She even held her breath, lowering any noise she might make.
"C-customer…"
The chef's voice trembled slightly, but quickly returned to normal, stern and forceful, his frosty gaze releasing a cold chill.
"It's too late. The time to settle the bill has already passed."
Oh-ho!
The smile at the corner of Lin Ye's mouth grew even more pronounced.
The chef's reaction carried a great deal of information.
First, the other side was more interested in human bodies, and not at all in Strange Coins—which held extremely high value in the Inner World. Or, in their eyes, the value of a human surpassed ten Strange Coins.
Second, the other side also had to obey the rules.
If he completed payment and settled the bill, the other side couldn't take action to harm them, the customers—that would violate the restaurant's rules.
Otherwise, if Lin Ye were left to choose, free to make his own decision, he would definitely pick 'take it all.'
Strange Coins or humans—he'd take the lot.
Right now, the restaurant held the advantage—at least, that was how the chef, the waiters, and the others saw it.
"Are you sure?"
"Of course."
"Waiter, check please."
Lin Ye called out again.
"Sir…"
The waiter's voice carried little confidence either.
"Did you not hear me? Check, please."
Another deadlock formed.
But for Lin Ye, the advantage and the initiative had returned to his side.
"Since the restaurant's waiters are unwilling to settle the bill and collect payment, then that's your problem. We'll be taking our leave."
As he said this, Lin Ye took Rui Tachibana by the wrist, intending to lead the girl out of the place.
He wanted to see how the chef and the waiters would react.
But at least, no one had stopped the two of them.
However, after Lin Ye had walked four or five meters, the chef's voice came from behind.
"Customer, it's not enough."
"Oh!"
Found another excuse.
Good, very good, excellent.
This showed that they, too, had to obey the Strange rules.
"What do you mean, not enough? Isn't it ten Strange Coins?"
Lin Ye shot back.
"Ten Strange Coins per person. You may leave, customer, but she has to stay. She hasn't paid yet—she can't leave."
This was said by the waiter.
When it came to charging, he held more authority than the chef.
The waiter and the chef now both wanted to keep them—or at the very least, keep one of them.
Lin Ye, however, felt the other side was using the difficulty over Rui Tachibana to make him compromise and stay willingly. Their ultimate target was still him.
Was his body really so attractive?
Coveting his body—how disgusting.
Since when had he become a target ingredient for the Strange?
Rui Tachibana became the center of focus. Her hands were slick with sweat, and her body felt a little cold.
She knew very well what the outcome of staying would be, but right now, whether or not she could leave wasn't up to her.
Ten Strange Coins could only let one person leave. Even if this was the result of the other side deliberately picking a fight, as long as they didn't turn hostile, they could only obey the other side's rules.
Rui Tachibana was unwilling, but realizing how powerless she was, she seethed with rage she didn't dare voice.
The girl glanced sidelong at Lin Ye beside her.
What would he do? Refuse, or accept? Surely he didn't really intend to sacrifice himself so she could leave!?
If that were so, how would she ever repay this debt of kindness—
She would never be able to repay it in her entire life.
Because the chances of Lin Ye leaving this place safely were simply far too low.
Rui Tachibana gritted her teeth, wrestling with herself again and again, and slowly spoke up. "Student Lin, you go back first!"
"Losing a bit of meat is no big deal. It won't kill me."
It was just being cut a few times. Hands and feet should be enough, right?
There was no reason for Lin Ye to sacrifice himself for her sake. She and Lin Ye were merely acquainted classmates—nothing more existed between them. She wasn't worth Lin Ye doing this for her.
That was Rui Tachibana's version of the story.
Lin Ye looked at the girl beside him.
If not for the fact that her hands were trembling, he might really have believed that Rui Tachibana was calmly prepared to face the brutal ordeal of having her flesh carved off.
"How could I ever let you get hurt?"
"Hm?"
Rui Tachibana was stunned.
Lin Ye knew this girl was serious—she truly intended to stay behind and bear it all.
A good girl really was a good girl.
If it were an ordinary person, wouldn't they all be begging to be the one who got to leave?
"Even if only for Hina-sensei's sake, I have to get you back safely. And I've already promised you—you will definitely make it home safe."
Each plain, calm word struck straight at Rui Tachibana's heart, welling up an intense warmth.
The other side had grasped at many excuses to persuade her, but the essence never changed: it was all to let her leave this place safely.
"Thank you."
"Thank you."
She slowly exhaled a breath. "But there's no need, Student Lin. After you go back, just tell my sister that I've stepped out for a while and won't be back for a short time."
This girl.
The chef and the others watched the two's heartfelt performance, almost dying of frustration.
What was wrong with this woman?
A perfectly good chance to walk out of here alive—why would she just give it up?
Was she really so noble? Willing to be hurt herself rather than let Lin Ye be hurt?
Or did this woman have feelings for this man, and want him safe and sound?
Many speculations surfaced in the chef's mind.
"Have you decided? If you've decided, then hurry it up."
"I'll stay."
Rui Tachibana spoke first.
"You go first."
"I…"
"Student Rui Tachibana, don't forget what you agreed to at the very beginning—to listen to my instructions and arrangements. Right now, I need you to leave here immediately."
Lin Ye had Strange Coins; he could produce twenty of them.
But given the other side's nature, clearly, even if he took out twenty Strange Coins, they'd just find a new excuse. That being the case, he'd let them believe their goal had been achieved, and simply have Rui Tachibana leave.
The blue-haired girl stood in place with her lips pressed tight, and instead gripped Lin Ye's hand even more tightly.
'Pat…'
Lin Ye's other hand smacked unceremoniously against the small of the girl's back, producing a crisp sound.
"Go."
She was unwilling, refusing to accept it.
This stubbornness gave Lin Ye a headache. He was considering whether to use his Hypnosis superpower to make the girl leave.
"Since neither of you is willing to leave, then stay, both of you! We'll… be very gentle. The knife will absolutely be swift and precise."
The chef spoke up.
To him, if Rui Tachibana didn't leave, they came out even more ahead. A free bonus—better to have it, but acceptable without. Lin Ye was the main course this time.
"Be good, Student Tachibana. I'll come back alive. Trust me."
Rui Tachibana stared fixedly at Lin Ye, her red lips slowly parting. "It's a promise."
"Mm."
She let go—but the next second, she reached out of her own accord and wrapped her arms around Lin Ye in an embrace. "I'll wait for you to come back."
She could only trust Lin Ye now.
After that, Rui Tachibana walked toward the restaurant hall, glancing back every few steps.
Lin Ye watched the girl's departing figure.
At last, her silhouette successfully vanished through the restaurant's entrance.
He could basically confirm she had left.
Once both parties reached an agreement, one was free to leave.
So could he now activate Time Stop and just walk out directly?
Lin Ye was in no hurry to leave.
He still intended to make this restaurant cough up everything, principal and interest alike.
With Rui Tachibana no longer present, his worries were gone, and he could boldly do as he pleased.
...
...
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