Chapter 74: So It's a Handful for Demons Because You Had Trouble with It?
In the end, Jashin-chan only managed to annoy herself. The strangest part, however, was that Yurine didn't punish her for her prank. It was so out of character that Jashin-chan actually felt a bit unsettled, her skin almost itching for a beating. Wait a minute! Is it normal for me to feel this way? she thought, shocked at herself.
First thing in the morning, they delivered the produce to Yurine's uncle, who was very grateful. Afterward, they went to the market to buy ingredients. Having the folding trolley really made things much easier. Not long after they returned home, they were once again in Mr. Suzuki's van, this time on their way to look at potential shops...
The day's business was done. They had closed up shop an hour earlier than usual, which completely bewildered some of the customers who arrived late. Why are they closing earlier and earlier? At this hour, many corporate slaves like Ms. Kobayashi were still at the office, slaving away.
"Hey, Jashin-chan, do you guys always close up this early?" Minos, pulling the cart on her first day with the team, asked with surprise. The short working hours were something she wasn't quite used to.
"Hmm? Pretty much," Jashin-chan replied casually. "We just sell until we're sold out, which usually only takes two or three hours." This was a major perk of the job. She had no desire to work all day long; that was just too tiring.
Up ahead, Ryohei and Yurine were walking hand-in-hand when they suddenly stopped.
"Hm? There's a dog," Yurine said, looking down at the small animal that had appeared before them.
"Whine~," the creature whimpered. It had soft, coffee-colored fur, with a patch of pure white from its neck to its belly. It was small and delicate, with short legs, a pair of upright ears, and a tuft of hair on its head and back that stood up like a mohawk. It wagged its tail enthusiastically, its belly pressed to the ground and its front paws stretched forward as it looked up at Yurine with wet, pleading eyes.
"So cute!" Who could refuse such an adorable little "dog" when it was acting so sweet? Yurine couldn't resist. She knelt down, stroked its head, and then checked its neck. "No collar. Was it abandoned? Or is it lost?" It looked very clean, its fur not matted at all, so it didn't seem like a stray.
"I don't think that's a dog," Ryohei said from the side, his expression complicated. The more he looked at it, the more it resembled the magical beast Yurine adopts in the original story. In fact, why did she think it was a dog at all? It looked completely different.
"Hey, hey—! That's no dog!" Jashin-chan came up from behind, pointing at the creature with a hostile expression.
"Eh? It looks just like a dog to me," Yurine said, looking up at them, puzzled. "If it's not a dog, what is it?"
"How could any dog be that disgusting!" Jashin-chan retorted, not bothering to hide her disgust.
"Woof woof woof—!" As if it understood her, the beast cub lowered its body and let out a series of surprisingly fierce barks at Jashin-chan.
"See? It's even barking like a dog," Yurine said, pulling the "dog" back and ruffling its fur, a look of "I knew it" on her face.
Is that really what that thing sounds like? Jashin-chan thought, but she didn't dwell on it. "That thing is not a dog!" she insisted. "It's a ferocious magical beast! It got lost in the human world once and went on a rampage, slaughtering humans and causing a huge panic! Even demons find it to be a handful! I once suffered a great loss because of it!"
"So it's a handful for demons because you had trouble with it, right?" Ryohei said, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"Pfft—! That's hilarious," Yurine couldn't help but laugh.
"It is not!" Jashin-chan's pride was wounded. "Don't make it sound like I'm lowering the bar for all demons!" she shrieked, spittle flying from her mouth.
"Ew—! You're so gross!" Ryohei said, wiping his face and taking several steps back.
"Hey, Jashin-chan," Minos said, as if remembering something. "Is that the magical beast Medusa told me about? The one that chased you and bit your butt?"
"That's the one!" Jashin-chan confirmed. "But that was an adult. This one looks like it was just born." She sized up the small cub, compared their respective combat strengths, and a wicked grin spread across her face. "You little bastard!" she declared, punching her fist into her palm. "I'm going to destroy you and avenge that bite from all those years ago!"
"Can you be any more pathetic?" Minos asked, her eyes half-lidded.
"Stop it, Jashin-chan," Yurine said, giving her a look. "You're being ugly."
"Indeed," Ryohei nodded in agreement. It was like getting bitten by a dog, and then seeing a tiny puppy and running up to kick it. Though, that was exactly the kind of thing Jashin-chan would do.
"Tch! Why are you all protecting it?" Jashin-chan grumbled, but with Yurine's warning, she didn't dare make a move.
"Shake," Yurine said to the beast cub, holding out her hand.
"Woof!" The cub wagged its tail and obediently placed its paw in her hand.
"So smart!" Yurine's eyes lit up, her expression filled with affection. Ryohei, watching from the side, felt his own hands getting a little itchy to pet it. Ignoring the fact that it was a magical beast, the little thing was undeniably cute. But he was afraid of getting bitten. Then again, in the original story, wasn't Jashin-chan the only one who got bitten? Maybe it's because she insulted it from the start. This little guy seemed to hold a grudge.
"Let's go," Yurine said after a few more pets, and stood up to leave, making no mention of adopting it. Ryohei was surprised but nodded and started walking.
"It's following us," Minos's voice came from behind them.
Ryohei looked back and saw the beast cub trotting alongside the cart. It ran up to Minos, looked up at her, and whined, wagging its tail, as if begging for something.
"Are you hungry, little guy?" Yurine asked, turning and kneeling down to stroke its head again.
"Hehe," Jashin-chan sneered, looking down at the beast with a smug, punchable expression. "Too bad, we're all sold out. And even if we had something left, we wouldn't just give it to you. Do you have any money? If not, go eat shit!"
"Whine~," the beast cub just nuzzled Yurine's hand, its wet eyes fixed on her.
"Heian-kun…" Yurine couldn't resist, and looked back at Ryohei with pleading eyes.
"Do you want to adopt it?" Ryohei asked with a smile. "We can, but it has to stay outside. We can buy it a pet bed later."
As if it understood, the beast cub immediately trotted over to Ryohei and rubbed its body against his leg.
"So you really can understand human speech," Ryohei said, taking the opportunity to squat down and give its head a good scratch.
"Hey, hey—! You've already decided to adopt it?" Jashin-chan's eyes went wide. "Don't be fooled by its appearance!" she warned. "It's actually a vicious and cruel monster! When it grows up, it will definitely turn on its master! Especially you, Subject! If we're not around, it'll eat you until not even your bones are left!"
"Woof woof woof—!" Hearing the snake-demon slander it again, the beast cub rushed up to her and let out another series of fierce barks.
"He says you're lying and he would never do that," Minos said, watching them with her arms crossed.
"He's lying!" Jashin-chan shot back, then paused, surprised. "Minos, you can understand what it's saying?"
Ryohei and Yurine also looked at her curiously.
"Nope!" Minos said with an innocent grin, scratching the back of her head. "I'm just guessing based on its reaction."
Thud. Jashin-chan face-planted, her tail in the air.
~~~
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