Chapter 53: A God Comes to Propose Marriage, Her Name is... Moriya Suwako!
???
Mm hmm?
How come both gods from 'Moriya Shrine' came running over one after the other?
Luke, holding this doubt, watched the main door slowly open.
The near-noon sunlight shone in from outside the door.
Under the golden brilliance, the shadow of the petite god fell onto the restaurant floor.
The visitor wore a hat with eyes on both sides of the top, dressed in a skirt primarily in blue and white tones.
Her golden hair, like the sun, rested smoothly on her shoulders.
The hair tied together on both sides of her cheeks was adorned with red ropes, quite distinctive.
She wasn't tall, about the same as Kawashiro Nitori.
However, unlike her appearance, this visitor was the leader of the various gods on Youkai Mountain.
Moreover, her race was different from Kanako's; she belonged to the Yaoyorozu gods (eight million gods).
Therefore, she didn't have an original spirit body but was composed of pure faith.
So, the one troubled by the complete lack of faith wasn't Kanako, but should be her, Moriya Suwako.
But under normal circumstances, Suwako would usually spend her time in Moriya Shrine and rarely went out.
Luke, knowing this, felt somewhat puzzled...
Why the sudden arrival?
"Moriya-san? One of the gods of Moriya Shrine... didn't expect you to grace my restaurant."
"Flattery can be dispensed with, young man~"
Saying this, Suwako leaped up and landed lightly on the seat in the middle of the counter.
"You and I meet for the first time, but there's no need to discuss irrelevant topics."
"Is that so? Then let's get straight to the point. What would Moriya-san like to eat? I have sake, shochu, Oden, fruit salad here. I can also make Western, Chinese, and Japanese dishes. Oh right, barbecue is also fine."
"Quite a rich menu. However, the main point I want to talk about isn't this."
Moriya Suwako looked around.
Her gaze finally landed on the stairs leading to the second floor.
But Suwako didn't say anything.
She asked quite directly,
"Young man."
"My name is Luke. As for address... Your Excellency may call me whatever you please."
"Ahem, Luke, do you perhaps have someone you wish to spend your life with?"
"This... currently no."
Though there are a few I spent a night with...
Luke finished speaking, and Suwako took out a photo from her sleeve.
"This was taken last month by a tengu I hired. The location is the courtyard behind Moriya Shrine. The flowers there bloom beautifully."
"Er..."
"Standing in the middle is the maiden of 'Moriya Shrine', Kochiya Sanae. Isn't she cute?"
"..."
"How about it? Want to marry her?"
Turns out she came to propose marriage?!
Luke looked at Kochiya Sanae in the photo, set against the beautiful courtyard background.
Indeed a young and cute beautiful girl.
But Luke wasn't seduced by the beauty in the photo.
He turned to ask,
"Putting aside whether a shrine maiden can marry, Moriya-san must like her own maiden very much, right? Marrying her off to a man never understood before, excuse my frankness... this action is full of doubt. I think it's not your true intention."
"Hahaha, quite perceptive, Luke."
Moriya Suwako laughed.
She then changed the subject.
"As you said, I am very fond of Sanae, naturally couldn't possibly marry her off. The words just now were a test for you; looks like you're not the type to be seduced by beauty, this point deserves praise."
"Thank you..."
Luke just felt things weren't that simple.
Thinking of this, Luke put away the menu.
"So why did Moriya-san want to test me?"
This question wasn't answered by Moriya Suwako, because Yasaka Kanako came down from upstairs.
She looked at the person and the god, explaining regarding the question just now,
"Sanae once mentioned the topic of 'cooperating with the popular restaurant' to that reporter tengu. We were somewhat worried, so came to investigate... Suwako, I didn't expect your action to be so fast, clearly saying you didn't care."
"Aren't you the same? And even faster than me."
"I just came over to ask if they sell fruit."
Yasaka Kanako used the clumsy excuse again.
Listening to the two gods' statements, Luke said with a smile,
"Why not... eat something first before talking?"
As soon as these words came out, the two looked at each other.
Suwako nodded, while Kanako took a seat on the side, simultaneously picking up the menu Luke had handed out earlier.
After the two placed their orders, Luke made them two nearly identical Oden dishes with slightly different flavors, paired with mixed shochu, letting the two gods savor them carefully.
"Ooh, tastes good. I like this tofu."
Moriya Suwako really liked the taste of the tofu.
"The boiled meatballs here are also quite delicious."
Yasaka Kanako, who loved meatballs, ate three in one go.
Completely unsatisfied, she requested Luke for another portion.
"No problem."
Luke in the kitchen nodded and immediately started making new appetizers and Oden.
"Looks like that tengu reporter wasn't lying."
"Yeah, this restaurant's food really tastes good."
The Moriya Shrine god duo looked at each other, then looked at the boy together.
"Why not come to our shrine?"
Faced with this invitation, Luke naturally chose to refuse.
For him, operating the restaurant was most important.
However, Luke didn't dislike cooperating with outsiders.
"Going to 'Moriya Shrine' is impossible. If discussing cooperation, I am still looking forward to it."
Luke, operating in 'Gensokyo', whether youkai or god, he was willing to become friends with them.
...