Chapter 89: A New Trait! Summoning a Demon! The One Who Appeared is a Former God!
The weekend was a whirlwind of activity for Ryohei.
On Saturday, he took his driving test—both the written and practical exams at once—and the moment he had his license in hand, he went and rented a car. He was still short on funds for a purchase. He chose a white Toyota RAV4, a spacious and stylish five-seater SUV. He rented it for half a month, getting a good long-term/new-customer discount. After that, he met with Mr. Suzuki again and, with Yurine's help, signed the lease for an apartment for Yusa and Poporon, right next door to Pekola's.
On Sunday, he took the crew to buy new tables, chairs, and professional-grade kitchenware for the soon-to-be-opened restaurant. In the afternoon, Yurine led everyone in a deep clean of the entire space. Ryohei, meanwhile, began to design the new menu. Jashin-chan had tried to pull rank as "sous chef" to get out of cleaning, claiming that such menial tasks should be left to the waitresses, but a swift punch from Yurine had quickly corrected her attitude.
During this time, Poporon got her first real taste of the despicable, scummy, and trashy demon she had been warned about. She had asked Pekola for more information on their new housemates, and Pekola had told her all about Jashin-chan. Poporon's first thought was, That's more like it! That's a real demon! The simple and honest Minos must have been an exception.
At the same time, the situation in Ota Ward was growing quietly tense. The Ghoul organization from the 24th Ward, Aogiri Tree, had completed its silent invasion, absorbing most of the local Ghouls into its ranks.
Monday morning.
Ryohei opened his eyes to the familiar translucent blue screen.
[Infinite Gacha System]
[Host]: Ryohei Tanaka
[Ability Traits]: Glowing Cuisine (Gold), Japanese Fluency (White)
[Item Traits]: None
The sun has risen. A new week has begun.
You have received one opportunity to draw a trait. Would you like to begin?
"Draw, draw, draw—!" Ryohei selected the option without hesitation. He closed his eyes and prayed for a good trait. When he opened them again, the screen was filled with swirling points of light. Finally, a single, brilliant blue light filled the entire screen.
"Blue…!" His eyes widened. This was good luck.
[Congratulations! You have obtained the Blue-rank Ability Trait: Lucky!]
[Effect: Your luck accumulates daily. After activating this trait, you will receive an extra luck boost!]
An extra luck boost… This is great! Who wouldn't want to be a lucky person? He saw that the trait was now listed as [Lucky (Blue, Activated)]. He smiled. So, what good thing is going to happen to me today?
He dismissed the system panel, got out of bed, and started to get dressed. The restaurant was opening tonight. Did this mean it would be a huge success? Well, he could have managed that even without the luck boost. Hmm… maybe I should try… that.
An hour later, in the restaurant.
"You want to summon a demon?" Yurine's eyes widened in surprise. "Why the sudden idea?"
Jashin-chan and Minos also looked at him, puzzled.
"Mhm," Ryohei nodded. "I'm very interested in supernatural things, and I've been wanting to try it. And today, I just happened to get a little luck boost…" He made a "tiny bit" gesture with his thumb and forefinger.
"Don't just summon demons because you're 'interested'!" Jashin-chan shrieked, launching into a tirade. "You don't even have a return spell! What if they have things to do in the Demon World? What if they get homesick? Can you take responsibility for that?" As she spoke, she shot a sidelong glance at Yurine, her "point-at-the-mulberry-tree-while-cursing-the-locust-tree" intentions painfully obvious.
Ryohei just tilted his head, completely baffled. "How do you have the nerve to say something like that? How do you think I got here?"
"Eh?" Jashin-chan froze, blinked her 'dot eyes', and then it dawned on her. Oh, right. I summoned him. It was extremely awkward. "That was a long time ago, let's not talk about the past! We have to look forward!" she said, trying to save face. "Besides, you're doing great now, aren't you? You even got a Golden Finger!"
"Jashin-chan, how would you like to die?" Yurine asked, her eyes narrowing. The intent to murder a snake was impossible to hide. Jashin-chan immediately cowered.
Ryohei looked at Yurine. She sighed, then held up three fingers. "To summon a demon, you need three things: a magic circle, a spell, and an offering. I have some magic potion left, so I can draw the circle for you. But what do you plan to use as an offering?"
Ryohei thought for a moment, then went to the kitchen fridge and took out one of the glowing Crème Caramels he had made. "Will this work?"
"...Let's give it a try," Yurine said, her expression complicated.
A few moments later, Ryohei stood before a magic circle, a Crème Caramel placed in its center. He was holding a grimoire and wearing a black cloak Yurine had given him for "ceremonial effect."
"Zazas… Zazas… Naszazas…"
As he chanted, the circle began to glow with a faint purple light. A weak magical energy gathered in the room.
"Pfft—! So weak!" Jashin-chan couldn't help but snicker, before quickly covering her mouth.
At the same time, in Suginami Ward, Quetzalcoatl, better known as Lucoa, was on her way to visit Tohru. "Hm? Is someone summoning a demon?" she said to herself, pausing. "It seems to be nearby… I'll go have a look." With a single thought, she established a connection with the magic circle in front of Ryohei.
Back in the restaurant, a two-meter-tall cocoon of black light formed. The summon was a success. The cocoon shattered, and a tall, voluptuous figure emerged. She had a pink cap on her head, long, wavy blonde hair with colorful highlights, and mismatched eyes. She wore a black tank top, blue hot pants, and thigh-high stockings, but the most eye-catching feature was her world-class…
"A… a succubus!?" Yurine gasped, staring at her chest. She then shot a glare at Ryohei. "So this is your 'good luck', Heian-kun… a man's dream, is it?!"
"Wait a minute!" Ryohei panicked, pointing at Lucoa's orange horns. "Her horns aren't right for a succubus, are they?!"
"I'm not a succubus," the woman said with a cheerful smile.
"Yurine-chan…" Minos whispered, her body tensed for a fight. "She's not a succubus… I think she's a god, or something like one. This weak magic circle shouldn't have been able to summon a being like this…"
"Why does the demon-summoning spell keep summoning weird things?!" Jashin-chan shrieked at Yurine.
"Don't be nervous, little Minotaur," Lucoa said, waving a hand at Minos. "I was just on my way to a friend's house when I sensed a demon summoning. I just came to see what was going on, in case a dangerous demon was being brought forth."
Ryohei, thinking this was all thanks to his good luck, opened his system panel. He froze. The status of his [Lucky] trait had changed from 'Activated' to 'Inactive'.
Summoning her had apparently used up all of his luck.
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