Kagarino Kirie suddenly appeared, suddenly wrapped her arms around Luke's neck, suddenly offered a kiss.
This action indeed restored silence to the scene, having a taste of 'winning a war of words', just that the method was somewhat special...
Ibuki Suika, seeing this scene, reacted first.
Just released from the Hakurei Shrine warehouse, Suika, who got drunk on the way here, pouted.
"Seems interesting. Hey hey, let me have one, let me have one."
"You should behave yourself..."
Luke grabbed the horn of Suika who leaned forward, picked up this drunkard who loved watching chaos unfold, and tossed her onto the sofa not far away.
Then he walked towards the kitchen to pour a cup of hangover-sobering tea.
"Ah ah, give that sobering tea to me. I'll handle Suika here. Luke-san should prioritize resolving the current problem~ first."
Marisa leaned forward and took away the sobering tea.
Now, near the counter, only Reimu, Erina, and Kobayashi Rindo remained.
Adding Kagarino Kirie who just made a big entrance, a total of four girls were staring at each other.
Scanning around, Kirie, lightly licking her lips, asked,
"So what were you arguing about? I was thinking of handling household affairs, then coming here for afternoon tea..."
"We were discussing the collaboration between Luke-san's restaurant and Moriya Shrine, but I think we need to change the topic now."
Reimu's gaze locked onto Kirie.
"What did you do just now?"
"Just a simple greeting. Don't you have such customs?"
"Gensokyo certainly doesn't have this kind of strange greeting method."
The Hakurei maiden immediately refuted.
Erina on the side also chimed in.
"Some Western greeting methods are similar, but only involve kissing the cheek or the back of the hand. But you... you, you even used your tongue just now! Right!"
"Different worlds have different ways of getting along, don't they? Can you determine that you yourselves are correct? How laughable."
Clearly, Kirie was sophistry.
But the other girls didn't know the specific situation of Kirie's world either, unable to make effective rebuttals.
At this time, Luke walked over to Kirie's side.
"Let's get along well. Otherwise, this restaurant will have to add some cross elements."
"You... forget it. I have no intention of getting along well, but since we are all customers of this restaurant, there's no need to argue either."
Kirie heard Luke say this.
Even though her mouth didn't explicitly compromise, she still settled down.
However, this topic couldn't possibly end so easily.
"So how's the situation?"
"I heard from Rinnosuke, this situation is called a Shura Field."
In the booth area, the drunken Suika and Marisa, who brought over the sobering tea, started chatting.
Luke, not thinking the scene before him was a Shura Field, asked the girls to calm down and all sit down first before talking.
To treat everyone equally, Luke returned to the kitchen.
Only then did he look at the girls directly in front.
Kirie fell silent, but her right index finger kept drawing circles on the table;
Kobayashi Rindo, very mindful of the kiss just now, observed Kirie's every move;
Erina, muttering the question "Do people from other worlds really greet with kisses?", appeared unexpectedly innocent at this moment;
And the last one, Reimu, picked up the menu, seemingly planning to convert her dissatisfaction into appetite first...
"Let me answer the previous few questions one by one."
He looked seriously at the girls, first skipping Kirie.
"Reimu, your worries aren't unfounded. After all, the two gods of Moriya Shrine indeed want to gather faith through various means. But they currently haven't broken the rules, so they need observation, can't jump to conclusions immediately."
"I understand this too. When incidents occurred in Gensokyo before, some I didn't even want to deal with... But Moriya Shrine is somewhat special; among them, Suwako is the leader of the eight million gods. If she gains faith and becomes stronger, maybe she'll cause trouble like initially."
"You shouldn't worry this time. My cooperation with them is very simple, just providing some Moriya Shrine specialty pastries."
"Like I said before, I didn't come here to stop Luke-san, just... hope you will consider it carefully."
"Then let's put it this way, I will prioritize designing a pastry for Hakurei Shrine, or perhaps after this, we can discuss it together."
Eh?!
Hakurei Reimu instantly became interested.
She quickly realized she couldn't get too excited, so cleared her throat.
"Waiting until after this isn't impossible."
Reimu is actually quite easy to conquer...
Luke thought.
As the Hakurei Shrine maiden, dealing with youkai was her daily work.
But because the shrine had few worshippers, she spent her days idly drinking tea and sweeping.
However, deep down, Reimu also liked liveliness, otherwise she wouldn't agree to requests for hosting banquets at her place.
Besides these, the biggest reason was—
The business opportunity brought by Luke's cooking.
Who wouldn't want to seize an opportunity to make money?
Mentioning this, Reimu suddenly asked back,
"I wanted to ask before, when Luke-san collects fees from customers, it feels quite casual. Is that really okay?"
"I'm not short of money."
"First time hearing that."
Reimu's eyes widened.
Anyway, after making an agreement with the Hakurei maiden, Luke turned towards Erina's side.
"Regarding your request to go find ingredients on Youkai Mountain, my side..."
"Do people in that young lady's world really greet each other with kisses? Wouldn't that be quite bold?"
Luke's statement was interrupted.
Erina asked with curiosity.
She really couldn't imagine how crazy such a world would be.
Erina had received elite education since childhood.
After understanding her own talent, she made efforts matching that talent.
To put it bluntly, she focused on cooking, never dated, completely ignorant about matters between men and women.
The kiss just now, not seen through TV or manga, but witnessed with her own eyes, impacted her quite a bit...
"We can talk about this topic later, how about it?"
"Later? Just the two of us?"
"If Erina is willing."
"Eh? But... eh?"
"Let's get back to the main topic."
Different from the somewhat flustered girl, Luke, steady as a rock, picked up the previous thread.
"Although Youkai Mountain has a shrine, it's also a place rampant with youkai. If going there, I usually mention it to the tengu there first, therefore booking in advance is necessary."
Youkai can be good or bad, but no matter who he faced, Luke didn't wish for battles to occur.
The reason for this thought wasn't fear or inability to fight, just simply felt it wasted time.
Moreover, after teaching some youkai a lesson, they might run around everywhere.
If they escaped to the Human Village because of that, it would be troublesome.
Luke certainly didn't want the youkai he drove away to become Keine's trouble.
"Okay, booking in advance is best. I really want to see Gensokyo's special ingredients with my own eyes."
Erina, possessing the God's Tongue, hoped to taste delicacies absolutely unavailable in the human world.
"Then it's settled. I'll arrange it later."
"Mm, thank you for the trouble, Luke-san."
"Not at all, I'm happy to, especially finding ingredients with someone who also loves cooking, must be very interesting."
Luke also made an agreement with Erina.
When he moved in front of Kobayashi Rindo, the red-haired girl, gently fiddling with her bangs, spoke first.
"I, like Nakiri-san, also love cooking."
"I can see that."
"Also one of Tohtsuki Academy's Elite Ten, holding the second seat; sounds like boasting, but my cooking skills are also top-tier. If Luke-san is willing, I can make a dish."
Kobayashi Rindo rolled up her sleeves, looking eager to try.
"If there's a chance, of course. But now... I actually have a commission here, wonder if you're interested."
"What?"
"I plan to hire a new shop assistant."
"Oh?"
Kobayashi Rindo instantly became interested.
She scratched her head thoughtfully.
"Currently it's vacation, I have time, but after this... the privileges of the Elite Ten can't let me skip school forever."
"If Kobayashi-senpai is willing, I can help."
Erina on the side joined the conversation.
She took out her phone.
Even though unable to connect to the network, she could still view images.
"When I was organizing documents in the office, I saw the latest arrangement for off-campus study courses. The Elite Ten's off-campus internship application will surely pass easily. As for detailed issues, like internship location and such, I can handle it."
"Really? You suddenly become very enthusiastic, Nakiri-san."
"Because I will also come to Luke-san's restaurant often, so don't dislike me as a companion."
Is that really so?
Kobayashi Rindo didn't quite believe it.
But the conditions Erina offered were indeed tempting.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Nakiri-san."
"Mm, leave it to me. Kobayashi-senpai just needs to fill out the application after going back. Related forms can be obtained from the teacher."
The two finalized their future plans.
So far, so smooth.
"So... can I order now?"
Kirie suddenly spoke.
She's still the same as always, somewhat haughty.
Completely different from that night.
Next time, he needs to increase the intensity.
Luke thought this, but facing Kagarino Kirie who was currently his customer, he still greeted with a smile.
"Of course, what would Kirie-san like to eat today?"
"The croissant here, paired with a cup of black tea."
"Coming right up."
Luke began making the pastry.
Reimu glanced at Kirie.
She then switched to a serious tone to remind,
"Although you are an outsider, a customer of Luke-san, if you dare cause trouble in Gensokyo, I will deal with you too."
"Does a human shrine maiden have this strength?"
Kirie looked over.
Their aura clashed.
Luke could be sure, Reimu was stronger.
Wait until Kirie honestly eats a Fantasy Seal, then she'll understand.
But if that situation really occurred, could Kirie still survive?
Luke worried about this, so needed to keep a close eye on the two.
Or maybe next time alone with Kirie, remind her.
At this time, Marisa, having sobered up Suika, brought the cup to the kitchen.
Looking at the dazzling array of kitchen utensils, the blonde magician suddenly thought of something.
"Speaking of which, Boss Luke, have you decided who to invite for the next private dinner?"
As soon as Marisa said this, it immediately caught Reimu's attention.
The other girls, unclear about this, also wanted to know the specific content.
Kirie asked first,
"I haven't heard of it. What exactly does it refer to?"
"This, ah, Boss Luke, can I say?"
Marisa first sought Luke's opinion.
Luke, making croissants for Kirie, nodded.
Hmph hmph~
Marisa immediately assumed the pose of a rakugo storyteller, waving her small hand.
"Luke-san regularly chooses one guest to hold a private dinner with only that guest present. The two will discuss the content of the dinner, including the location and main course, ultimately presented perfectly by Boss Luke; most importantly... the dishes at the dinner can, to some extent, fulfill people's wishes!"
"Is it that magical?"
Erina didn't quite believe it.
Kobayashi Rindo felt the same.
But they quickly remembered this was Gensokyo, a place where demons, gods, and buddhas existed, it seemed not so unreasonable after all.
This also piqued Kirie's interest.
"Cuisine that fulfills wishes, is this true?"
"Does Kirie-san believe it too? Actually, what Marisa said just now was exaggerated by that tengu Aya. The special dishes I provide only help guests improve their mood."
"Then the last chosen subject was...?"
"Teacher Hakutaku."
Luke immediately answered.
Marisa, playing the role of the rakugo storyteller, rubbed her chin.
"Kamishirasawa Keine, the teacher in the Human Village, also a great beauty, very popular in the village. Why would Boss Luke choose that young lady?"
"Multiple factors."
Most importantly, at that time, Kamishirasawa Keine appeared before him, and not as a customer.
Temporarily discarding past memories, Luke also rubbed his chin like Marisa.
"The next guest must be chosen carefully."
"Me, me, me!"
Marisa immediately raised her hand.
Luke chose to ignore her.
"You don't even look at me!"
"You're further down on my list."
"How could you! I was thinking of using Boss Luke's cooking to increase my magic power! Then I could definitely release the strongest, most beautiful laser!"
This is the reason Luke didn't choose Marisa...
Hearing the magician's statement, Reimu sighed lightly.
"Stop thinking about your magic, improve your patience first; you told me before you went to Moriya Shrine, Scarlet Devil Mansion, and the Human Village in one day, even fought twice. I think you really want to be treated as an incident and dealt with by me."
"I'm constantly rushing around for the peace of Gensokyo!"
"Who listens to your excuses."
Reimu, saying this, turned to the restaurant owner.
"Luke-san, why not put her on the blacklist, and remove her from the list when she stops causing trouble."
"What strange words!"
"Just a suggestion, suggestion."
Reimu waved her hand, telling Marisa to shut up quickly.
At this time, Erina and Kobayashi Rindo asked in unison,
"Then does Luke-san's next private dinner already have a candidate list?"
As soon as these words came out, Kirie, waiting for the croissant, also focused her attention.
Luke, starting to get busy again, shook his head.
"Specific list...not yet, I need some time."
"I recommend myself."
Kobayashi Rindo seized the right to speak.
Before Erina could open her mouth, the restaurant door was pushed open roughly.
"Luke! Your Excellency Luke! Are you there?!"
A figure rushed into everyone's vision.
A huge black butterfly bow on her head, two swords carried at her waist, the girl looked inside the restaurant.
"All women... No...! Your Excellency Luke! I found you!"
"You are..."
"Konpaku Youmu! The gardener of the Netherworld...! No, these aren't important. I came seeking help! Can you answer for me!"
"Then just get straight to the point."
"Has Your Excellency seen Yuyuko-sama? A few hours ago, after eating the pastries sent by Yakumo-sama, she became very strange, finally disappearing directly from Hakugyokurou!"
If it was just disappearing simply, Konpaku Youmu shouldn't be so agitated.
Luke couldn't help but stop his actions.
"Let's handle important matters first."
Kirie didn't rush her croissant either.
Then Luke pressed further.
"Then why did Konpaku-san come looking for me?"
"Because before Yuyuko-sama disappeared, she once mentioned to me something like 'Let's find some more interesting ingredients for that restaurant owner'. Even so, it's impossible to leave without saying goodbye. I searched all over Hakugyokurou but couldn't find Yuyuko-sama's figure."
Saying this, Konpaku Youmu pointed outside.
"Most importantly... the Netherworld seems to have some problems too. Don't know if it's caused by Yuyuko-sama's power."
Luke finished listening and looked out the window along with everyone else.
Floating ghosts had appeared outside at some unknown time.
"Luke-san, this is an incident."
The Red-White maiden made the judgment immediately.
Yuyuko disappearing from Hakugyokurou triggered an incident?
...
...
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