Chapter 434: An Artist's Interpretation and a Sage's Curiosity
After Aoandon saw the image Ren had found for her, her entire being seized. No, her entire lamp flickered. No… her very essence as a yokai recoiled in utter disbelief.
'Is this Aoandon? Is this supposed to be me?!'
Where was the proud, elegant figure she was known for? The flawless, pale skin? The delicate curve of her cheeks? The luxurious silks she wore? And her hair, her smooth, beautiful hair?! Gone. All of it was gone! But the most crucial, most unforgivable offense was the lamp. As Aoandon, couldn't they have at least made the lamp look presentable?! What in the world was that?! It looked like one of those spinning poles she'd seen outside a human barbershop in a movie! Even that garish thing had more dignity!
Aoandon stared at the depiction on the phone, a muscle in her eyelid twitching violently. After a long, strained silence, she spoke, her voice dangerously low. "Shopkeeper Ren, where is this… Aoandon… located?"
"Miss Aoandon, you wouldn't be thinking of…"
She gritted her teeth, her knuckles white. "This Aoandon is simply too ugly! I absolutely will not permit such a creature to use my name! That thing is an abomination! A Soul-Sucking Lamp!"
Ren offered a placating smile. "Then you might be disappointed."
"In this world, I honestly don't know where an Aoandon might be, or if one even exists. The 'Aoandon' of this world is likely nothing more than a bizarre tale."
Aoandon's fury gave way to confusion. "So you've never seen this world's Aoandon? Then how did they draw this… this thing?!"
"By using their imagination, of course," Ren stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Ima… imagination?! So they imagined… this?!"
Ren smiled faintly. "Well, since Aoandon is a Japanese yokai, the artist would naturally lean toward an East Asian aesthetic—black hair, earthen skin tones. Plus, as a yokai from antiquity, her clothing wouldn't be depicted as so luxurious. Factor in the traditional ink-wash style of Eastern art… and, well, I suppose this is the result you get."
Aoandon's mouth twitched. "I'm speechless… But Shopkeeper Ren, could you show me other yokai? Like Hououka, for example…"
Ren let out a soft sigh. "Then please, prepare yourself mentally."
"Okay," she said, bracing herself. "I'm ready."
A few minutes later, Aoandon had to cover her mouth, trying desperately to stifle the peals of laughter that threatened to burst forth. One by one, the yokai she knew, the ones she had seen with her own eyes, were rendered in increasingly grotesque forms. Her dear acquaintance, Hououka, was the worst offender. The stunning beauty had been twisted into a creature one might mistake for a shriveled bat.
"Shopkeeper Ren," she managed between giggles, "I think if the yokai from my world saw these, they'd be angry enough to riot… What strange drawings… But," she added thoughtfully, "I suppose these creatures do look more like what humans would call 'yokai'."
Ren considered her words for a moment and nodded. "Hmm, that's true. Unlike you, Miss Aoandon, or Miss Yakumo and Miss Kazami. None of you really look the part of a yokai."
Yakumo Yukari's fan snapped open, hiding the lower half of her face. "Oh my, Mr. Shopkeeper. Are you complimenting my beauty?"
"I don't deny it," Ren said honestly. "Ah… Potts is here."
Halfway through his sentence, he spotted Pepper Potts walking in with a familiar ease. She smiled warmly. "It seems you were already waiting for me, Mr. Ren."
"I wouldn't go that far," Ren replied with a gentle smile. "I don't get many customers, so in a way, I'm always waiting for each and every one."
Potts chuckled. "Mr. Ren, you simply don't want to open a shop in a bustling area, do you? Here is Tony's order for tonight."
Ren glanced at the list she handed him and a knowing smile touched his lips. "It looks like Tony's research has reached a critical stage."
"Why do you say that? I mean… how do you know, Mr. Ren?"
"Because he didn't order any alcohol, but he did ask for iced black coffee. It looks like he plans to pull an all-nighter."
A fond, slightly exasperated smile graced Potts's face. "No wonder Tony considers you one of his very few friends. Yes, his work has hit a critical point. He's trying to use that magic ore as an explosive energy source. He's been at it for a long time."
"Then I wish him success. By the way, how was that cactus salad dressing I sent over last time?"
Potts nodded, her smile widening. "A very peculiar taste. It was so unique that I even bought a cactus to try myself, but it just turned out to be bitter and astringent."
Ren shook his head, amused. "Of course it was. It's one of my hidden menu items for a reason. Hmm? It seems Tony has really taken a liking to these macarons."
"He's taken to eating them during board meetings," Potts said with a light sigh. "He really loves those little snacks, eating them while he works or takes a break. I feel like he needs to schedule more time at the gym."
"That's a given," Ren said, a hint of helplessness in his tone. "Eating too many sweets will do that. But that's your task to manage, Miss Potts. Please wait a moment; I'll prepare the dishes as quickly as possible."
"Okay," Potts replied, nodding.
As she waited, her gaze fell upon Pandemonica. She found herself a little curious about the woman, whose sharp, professional style was somewhat similar to her own. Nearby, Lucifer noticed that the two had taken off their headphones after finishing their movie. Seeing Pandemonica sitting beside her without a word, a slight smile curled Lucifer's lips.
"Potts, allow me to introduce you," Lucifer said smoothly. "This is my employee, Pandemonica, the customer service representative of Hell. Pandora, this is Potts."
Pandemonica looked at Potts, gave a curt nod, and said, "Hello."
"Hmm… Uh! Hello," Potts replied, slightly taken aback by the formal introduction.
"How is Casey?" Lucifer asked, changing the subject.
"Very well. It just sleeps most of the day, and when it wakes up, it eats and reads. It's actually learning human languages. Although it can't speak yet, it can already recognize many words. Tony keeps calling it a genius."
"As expected of a highly intelligent Pokémon. I'm planning a trip to the Pokémon world the day after tomorrow to catch a few to play with myself."
"That sounds wonderful," Potts said. "Tony mentioned he'd come over to visit once he's settled his current project. He says he always gains something new every time he comes here."
"That's true," Lucifer mused, "but… I always feel like he's treating it more like an adventure."
While Lucifer and Potts chatted like old acquaintances, Aoandon had tentatively started watching a horror movie by herself. Her nervous, jumpy expression made Yakumo Yukari's smile deepen with amusement.
"You seem to have taken a keen interest in the yokai of other worlds," Yuuka Kazami observed softly from beside her.
"As a yokai of some repute myself, it's only natural to be curious about my counterparts elsewhere," Yakumo Yukari replied, her fan hiding a sly smile. "But I must admit, I'm very curious about the yokai in Aoandon's world."
Yuuka took a slow sip of her tea. "You're plotting something."
"I haven't the faintest idea what you mean," Yukari chirped innocently. "But tell me, Yuuka, did you avoid that horror movie because you already knew how bizarre it would be?"
Yuuka set her cup down. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Would you have listened?"
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