Chapter 11: Bullying a Demon with Backing!
In front of a ramen shop on an old shopping street in Bunkyō Ward…
"Yurine, you're here!"
A spirited, middle-aged man wearing a dark blue kimono and a hachimaki headband pushed aside the shop's noren curtain and called out a cheerful greeting. His eyes then fell on the handsome young man next to his niece, a flash of surprise on his face.
"Uncle, this is my friend, Ryohei Tanaka," Yurine said, introducing him. "We were thinking of earning some pocket money during our time off."
Borrowing something as large as a food cart was one thing for herself, but asking for a friend felt a bit awkward. However, since she planned on helping out, it wasn't exactly a lie.
Ryohei Tanaka? a voice in the uncle's head said. My niece, who was always a bit different from other kids, actually brought a boy home! And a handsome one, at that! You go, Yurine!
"Hello! I'm Yurine's uncle, Fujioka Jiro," the uncle said, extending a hand to Ryohei with a broad smile.
"Hello, sir. I'm Ryohei Tanaka, a friend of Yurine's. It's a pleasure to meet you," Ryohei replied, quickly shaking his hand.
Hearing him use his niece's first name so casually, coupled with his polite and humble attitude, made the uncle's smile grow even wider. It felt like he was watching a formal meeting with the parents.
"Well, you seem like a fine young man. Are you a chef as well?"
"Yes, sir. I'm a graduate of Totsuki Academy."
"Oh! A graduate from a famous school, eh?" Without asking for more details, the uncle turned. "Follow me to the warehouse."
He led Ryohei and Yurine around to the back of the ramen shop. He rolled up the shutter door, walked into the warehouse, and led them to the very back.
"It's been a while since I've taken this out," Fujioka Jiro said, looking at the traditional wooden ramen cart with a sense of nostalgia. "Back when I used to push this cart out to my stall, your auntie would always come and help."
It was full of memories.
'Our' auntie? Yurine paused, her gaze shifting from the cart to her uncle. Isn't she 'my' auntie? When did she become 'our' auntie? She had a feeling her uncle had misunderstood something. Her cherry-pink lips parted, but she couldn't find the words to correct him.
Ryohei was also a bit dumbfounded. He had expected a modern food truck, or at the very least, a motorized tricycle. He hadn't expected this kind of old-fashioned, hand-pushed cart. The apartment wasn't exactly close by. How were they supposed to get this thing back?
Of course, he had also caught the phrase "your auntie." It seemed Yurine's uncle had definitely gotten the wrong idea.
"Are you two planning to sell ramen?" Fujioka Jiro asked, turning back to them. "If so, I can lend you a gas canister and a couple of stockpots. The rest you'll have to figure out yourselves."
"No, we're planning to sell onigiri," Yurine said, waving her hand. She had asked Ryohei on the way over.
"Onigiri?" Her uncle blinked, feeling a bit out of touch with the younger generation's thinking. But since they had a plan, he just nodded. "Well, you can still borrow a gas canister. You'll have to handle the rest."
"Okay! That's a huge help, Uncle!"
"Arigatou gozaimasu!" Ryohei added his thanks.
Fujioka Jiro waved it off, grabbed a gas canister from the side, and loaded it onto the cart. He then started pulling the cart toward the entrance. "How are you getting this back? Need me to help you take it somewhere?"
"Could you help us get it to my apartment?" Yurine asked, taking full advantage of his offer.
"Sure thing," her uncle agreed readily.
After they had loaded the ramen cart onto the Fujioka family's pickup truck, Ryohei leaned over to Yurine.
"What about Jashin-chan?" he whispered. The scumbag snake was still waiting for them on that street corner.
"Hmm," Yurine pondered for a moment. "You go find her. Have her take you to the market to buy ingredients. And pick up a large rice cooker and some pots while you're there. My uncle and I will take the cart back to the apartment, and then I have to go to class."
She had a class to attend that morning, but it was her second period, so she just needed to be in the classroom by 10:40 AM.
"Got it," Ryohei nodded. He said goodbye to the uncle and left.
Returning to the spot where he'd left Jashin-chan, Ryohei looked around and saw her coming out of a shop. She spotted him and tilted her head.
"Where's Yurine?"
"She and her uncle are taking the cart back to the apartment. We're going to buy ingredients," Ryohei explained.
"Ehhhh…" Jashin-chan drew out the sound, then planted her hands on her hips. A smug (and rather goofy) grin spread across her face as she puffed out her chest and refused. "I don't wanna!"
"I'm going to play pachinko. Give me money," she said, holding out her hand to Ryohei.
This girl! Ryohei's mouth twitched, and he almost lost his composure. "Jashin-chan," he said in a low, dangerous tone, "I can give you the money. But have you thought about the consequences?"
"Mmm… when the time comes, just tell Yurine that you went to play pachinko and accidentally lost the money," Jashin-chan schemed, placing a hand on Ryohei's shoulder and signaling for him to take the blame.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Ryohei finally snapped, shaking her hand off and turning to walk away.
"Hey! Where are you going? You haven't given me my money yet!" Jashin-chan quickly slithered after him.
"I have no money to give, only my life to take!"
"..." Jashin-chan's expression immediately turned sinister. Of course, she didn't want his life; she was just thinking about robbing him. But the painful lesson from the other night was still fresh in her mind, and the fear of Yurine was carved into her very soul. She didn't dare cross that line just yet.
"Tch," Jashin-chan clicked her tongue and fell in beside him with a disgruntled look. "Fine, fine! I'll go with you to buy ingredients, and I'll help out later. But you have to pay me! I'm not working for free!"
Ryohei gave her a surprised, suspicious look. "That's fine." He hadn't planned on her working for free anyway. He intended to give both her and Yurine a fair share of the profits for their help.
"I want ninety percent of the profits," Jashin-chan declared, as if she were offering him a generous deal.
"Get lost!"
"Fifty percent, at least! I can't go any lower!"
Ryohei shot her a sidelong glance. "I'll let Yurine negotiate your pay with you later. Whatever she says, goes."
"Tsk! You despicable human!" Jashin-chan muttered, knowing he was just using Yurine to control her. How infuriating!
"You have the nerve to call me despicable? You're the most despicable person—I mean, demon—I've ever met!"
"Hmm? Thank you for the compliment!" For a demon, "despicable" was a term of praise. Jashin-chan was actually quite pleased. She put her hands on her hips and announced proudly, "I am the Despicable Jashin-chan!"
"..." Ryohei was speechless for a moment. "Where's the market?"
"I know one, but we have to take the train. Don't just lead the way if you don't know where you're going!" Jashin-chan complained, before turning and heading toward the station.
Ryohei hurried to catch up, shifting the blame. "It's your fault for making me mad in the first place! I was walking away because I didn't want to look at you!"
"How is that my fault?" she shot back.
I really want to punch you until your head is covered in bumps! Jashin-chan thought, clenching her fists. Just you wait! The day I finally get rid of Yurine, I'll make you, the one who bullies a demon with backing, pay!