Chapter 63: The Angel in the Park, Pekola!
"Here."
At a little after seven, the day's business came to a close. Ryohei took a bag containing five Crème Caramels he had set aside earlier and handed it to a surprised Irimi Kaya.
"For your hard work. Something for you and your crew to eat on the way."
"...Arigatou!" Irimi's brown eyes widened slightly behind her sunglasses. She accepted the bag with both hands, feeling quite flattered. The warmth from the fresh desserts seemed to travel up her fingertips and through her whole body. "We really didn't expect…" she began, a little embarrassed.
"I know," Ryohei said, turning to clean up the stall. "But I believe that labor should be rewarded." The five desserts weren't particularly expensive to make, costing only a few hundred yen in ingredients. In exchange, he earned the goodwill of a few Ghouls who could help keep order. It was a worthwhile trade. Besides, he was deeply moved by the Ghouls' reactions tonight. As long as they didn't cause him trouble or harm his other customers, he would treat them all equally.
"Arigatou gozaimasu!" The other four Ghouls from the Black Dog crew lined up and bowed deeply in unison. They were just as flattered as their leader. They knew that Ryohei and his assistant could see their true identities, yet he still treated them with such kindness. It was enough to make them cry. What a good human! So gentle, and such an amazing cook… We have to protect him!
At that moment, a powerful impulse surged through the hearts of the Black Dog Ghouls. They wanted to become his full-time, 24/7 bodyguards. No pay needed, just room and board!
They're surprisingly polite, Ryohei thought, a little surprised by their formal bow. He just smiled and waved his hand.
The remaining human customers, however, were filled with envy.
"What? You get perks for helping to keep order?"
"I'm so jealous!"
"Damn it! I would have helped if I knew!"
"My free dessert!"
Then, a bold idea formed in someone's mind. Maybe tomorrow I'll show up wearing sunglasses and help keep order, too?
"Chef Ryohei, I can help maintain order tomorrow!" someone from the crowd called out tentatively.
Ryohei's mouth twitched. He couldn't imagine how ridiculous it would look to have a human in sunglasses mixed in with a crew of Ghouls. He quickly turned and shouted in their direction, "No thank you! Don't try to take advantage of me! And this was a one-time thing!"
"Aww, no more freebies?"
"Hahaha—! If he kept doing it, the entire neighborhood would probably show up to 'help' tomorrow."
"Ahh… what a shame! I really wanted to get some free food!"
The Black Dog Ghouls were furious, their eyes turning red with anger. You bastards! they thought. Are you trying to steal our job? And you ruined it for us!
They glared at the surrounding humans, their faces contorting with rage. Fortunately, a soft cough from Irimi was enough to make them calm down. Yurine also retracted the cold gaze she had been directing at them.
"Those Ghouls were furious just now. But they calmed down as soon as their leader coughed," Yurine's voice drifted on the evening breeze.
"Really?" Ryohei asked, surprised. He hadn't noticed their reaction.
"Mhm."
"Well, that's a mess," Ryohei said with a click of his tongue. He trusted Irimi to keep them in line. After all, she was the kind of Ghoul who would risk her own safety to protect a human she didn't even know.
The stall was closer to their new house, only about a twelve-minute walk.
Ryohei parked the cart and took out the last two Crème Caramels from a container. He handed them to Yurine. "Could you take these up to Jashin-chan? And maybe let her down." She still needed to use the bathroom later. Jashin-chan was currently hanging in the bathroom, bleeding out. Yurine had used some method to prevent her wounds from healing, and she was suspended over the bathtub. It was a gruesome sight.
"Okay. We should have collected a lot of blood by now. I wonder if bathing in demon blood has any special effects," Yurine mused, her expression curious.
Ryohei's mouth twitched. "Probably not, right?"
"You never know. Don't novels always have scenes where people gain power by bathing in the blood of monsters?" she said, holding up a delicate finger. "Do you want to try, Heian-kun?"
For a split second, Ryohei was tempted. But he shook his head. "I'll pass. I'm afraid my body couldn't handle it." He was just a normal person. Who knew what would happen if he tried something like that? It was safer to just stick to his system. He was a cautious man. "You could try it, though, Yurine."
"Why do you assume my body could handle it?" Yurine asked, looking back at him.
"Because you're the world's most powerful black magician, the conduit who delivers the will of demons unto mankind, known as the Evangelist of Evil, the Dark Missionary!" Ryohei recited with a straight face.
"You remember that so clearly!" For some reason, Yurine was a little embarrassed. "I was just kidding…"
"At first, I thought you were. But then I realized that the real joke was when you said you were just an 'ordinary university student'."
Yurine: "..."
When Yurine returned from upstairs, Ryohei had finished tidying up the cart. He took the leftover Omurice they had saved and followed her out. They were heading to a nearby park.
The restaurant was going to need more staff, even with Minos. So, Yurine had recommended a candidate: the fallen angel Pekola, who was homeless, an illegal resident, and could only work low-paying, under-the-table jobs because she was too honest and inflexible. They were going to try and recruit her.
"Pekola, are you in there?" Yurine called out to a simple little house in the corner of the park, made of cardboard boxes and duct tape.
"W-Witch? What do you want with Pekola so late at night?" A small girl with a black hairband, short silver-blonde hair, dark circles under her eyes, and a listless expression peeked out. She looked exhausted, but her features were surprisingly beautiful. She really is a beauty in the rough, Ryohei thought, just like in the original story.