Yorigami Shion.
That was the name of the girl sprawled on the ground.
She currently wore a tattered short-sleeved hoodie, with obvious holes in the hood, and a miniskirt below.
Her purple hair was tied with a huge ribbon, which was also stained with some dirt at the moment.
Hearing the call, she sat up from her prone position.
Yorigami Shion, holding what looked like a black cat plush toy, looked at Luke, then rubbed her eyes.
As she moved, several pieces of paper could be seen falling from her body.
Those papers were debt collection letters, mortgage seals, and other things related to poverty.
Undoubtedly, Luke could confirm the girl before him was indeed Yorigami Shion, a poverty god possessing the ability to inflict misfortune upon everything, including herself.
This setting was inevitably dangerous.
After all, poverty is the greatest misfortune in all worlds, perhaps bar none.
Because ninety-nine percent of problems can be solved with money.
Facing Gensokyo's poverty god, Luke slowly walked over.
Although he had heard of her before, this was the first time encountering her.
'Would the god's causality of poverty affect me too?'
He thought this because, in his past world, Luke possessed the passive talent of absolute strong luck.
Viewing it as protagonist plot armor wouldn't be an issue.
'If I interact with Yorigami Shion, will I be suppressed or overwhelmed by her poverty?'
Feeling curious, Luke closed the distance.
He also noticed Shion wore a gold bracelet on her wrist, which seemed to be the only valuable-looking accessory on her.
Despite this, Shion's appearance still gave an impression of extreme poverty, even making her look a bit like a beggar.
Poor, weak, pitiful.
"What are you doing here?"
Luke asked softly, afraid of startling this rather fragile-looking goddess.
Shion slowly raised her head, revealing a pair of eyes filled with melancholy, conveying an indescribable sadness.
She didn't answer Luke's question immediately, but said in a faint voice,
"I... I just wanted to find a place to rest for a bit."
After saying this, she picked up a piece of dirt beside her.
"Sorry, I dirtied this place. It was them... who threw it."
Shion glanced behind her.
In the nearby woods, three fairies hid behind tree trunks.
Fairies——
They are a manifestation of nature commonly seen everywhere in Gensokyo.
There are many types of fairies, but most are not very friendly.
The number of fairies in an area and their ferocity often reflect the danger level of that region.
Most of them enjoy mischief, but they aren't particularly smart.
Now was the best proof.
The three fairies seemed to have been teasing Shion just now, even throwing dirt nearby.
The backyard wall of the restaurant bore traces of their mischief.
Luke walked past Shion, staring at the little rascals in the woods.
"If you don't want to be made into food, you'd better leave quickly."
A calm tone, simple words, terrifying content.
Many fairies are idiots, but they could sense the pressure Luke released.
They stuck out their tongues, turned, and flew deep into the forest.
"Excuse me..."
Yorigami Shion stood up from the ground.
She patted the dust off her clothes, cleaned the dirt from her hair, and moved cautiously, afraid of having more contact with Luke.
Yorigami Shion is a poverty god, inherently carrying the power to bring misfortune to everything she touches.
However, Shion is actually a guardian deity who protects people from financial ruin by making them poor.
It's just that her method of protection is very peculiar...
Additionally, Yorigami Shion also craves wealth, but due to her own abilities, she can never hold onto money.
Whenever she obtains some possessions, they quickly disappear.
"Where do you plan to go next? Weren't you looking for a place to rest?"
"Yes... While being chased by the fairies, I saw a fallen tree with an empty space underneath."
Yorigami Shion planned to live in the wild.
At the same time, she added with a hint of anticipation,
"There's fruit there... lots of it. Occasionally, I also pick up vegetables dropped by youkai from the sky, but eating them raw tastes strange... I want to buy a stove to roast fruit and vegetables, if I had money."
After saying this, Yorigami Shion prepared to leave.
'No, no, no, this is too pitiful, this goddess.'
Luke could barely maintain his composure.
He couldn't help but call out to her.
"Want to come sit for a while? In my restaurant."
"Restaurant... I've heard of it... Sorry, I can't go. I have no money."
"Don't worry, this time it's on the house. Consider it my treat."
"Is that okay?"
"Of course."
Yorigami Shion showed a slight smile.
However, as Luke walked towards the shop, Yorigami Shion remained motionless.
She hugged her plush toy and said,
"Thank you... If I eat, I'll just stay outside, right here is fine..."
"If you don't want to come in, you don't have to force yourself."
"Okay..."
"Right, just leave the dirt you're holding nearby. I was actually planning to turn this place into a small vegetable garden sometime, so that dirt will definitely be useful."
Luke told Yorigami Shion not to bother cleaning up the surroundings.
Anyway, this area would be fenced off later, then tilled and seeded.
"Are you going to plant vegetables?"
"Of course, what else."
"Nearby... there are fairies, it's dangerous."
"I think those little ones won't dare come near here again, so you don't need to worry either. It's quite safe around my place."
"Before... I saw ghosts flying towards here in the woods..."
"About that, don't worry either, it's already been resolved."
Luke gave a thumbs-up, telling Yorigami Shion not to overthink.
With that, Luke returned inside.
He took the croissant he made for Kirie earlier from the kitchen, added a serving of grilled meat suitable for pairing with fine wine, and finally grabbed a carton of milk.
Seeing him do this, Kobayashi Rindou, who was preparing ingredients in the kitchen, looked curious.
"Luke-san, you're...?"
"Just delivering something outside, I'll be right back."
"Okay, sure."
"I'll leave things here to you."
Luke finished speaking, took the items, and went to the backyard.
Yorigami Shion sat in the corner against the wall.
She held the plush toy in her lap, hugging her knees, her crystal-like eyes staring at the sky.
"It's going to rain..."
"The dark clouds are indeed gathering."
Luke also looked up at the sky.
The clouds were massing, and the humid air gradually thickened.
"Here you go."
"Ah, thank you..."
Yorigami Shion took it with both hands.
She smelled the aroma, her eyes lit up, and she hurriedly began to eat.
"Don't gobble it down."
Luke reminded her softly, but it was no use...
Attracted by the delicious food, Yorigami Shion bit into the croissant, then ate it together with the grilled meat, chewed simply, and washed it down with milk.
'Gensokyo's gods are truly different.'
Luke stood beside Shion and said with a smile,
"Since it's going to rain, you can stay here a bit longer."
"Is that really okay?"
"Of course, it is. But... why aren't you with your sister? The one named Yorigami Joon-san."
"Joon went somewhere else, she didn't call me."
Shion paused slightly, answered, then resumed enjoying the food.
So that's how it is...
Luke didn't know the current situation of the two sisters, only that Shion was currently living a rather miserable life.
"So delicious..."
"Thank you for the compliment. I consider my cooking skills quite good."
"Did you make all of this?"
"Everything except the milk."
"Amazing..."
Yorigami Shion showed a slight smile at this moment, sauce still clinging to the corner of her mouth, but it didn't hide her cute features.
Luke, not leaving immediately, repeated his earlier words.
"Looks like it's going to rain soon. You can stay here, at least wait until the rain stops before leaving."
"Thank you..."
"Besides that, there are other options."
"Other options?"
Shion stopped her actions again, tilting her head.
The large ribbon on her head swayed accordingly.
"As I said earlier, I plan to build a small vegetable garden in the backyard, but I won't always have time to manage it. Even if I hire an employee to help in the kitchen, we might not be able to handle everything."
The Scarlet Devil Mansion's takeout orders, future collaborations with the Hakurei Shrine and Moriya Shrine, and the previous order from Kazami Yuuka.
All this meant Luke had to spend a lot of time cooking, leaving no time to manage the vegetable garden.
However, once the garden yielded produce, it meant fresher vegetables could be used.
For a chef, the freshness of ingredients is one of the most important indicators.
"Do you want to find a place to rest? When I build the garden, would you like to help look after it? As for payment, three meals a day, what do you think?"
"No money is fine too... Are you really going to hire me?"
Yorigami Shion put down the croissant in her hand.
She said somewhat helplessly,
"I'm a poverty god... Just talking might take away a person's good luck. You, talking to me, might already be cursed. I'm really sorry, this is all my fault..."
No matter where Yorigami Shion went, she couldn't escape poverty, so she herself had given up trying and was listless all day.
To put it bluntly, she chose to lie flat.
A very thorough kind of lying flat.
Even living in the wild, picking wild vegetables to eat, didn't matter.
Luke somewhat understood Shion's thoughts.
"How do you know if you don't try? Besides, I'm a person of strong luck."
"Strong luck... might turn into misfortune."
"So how do you know if you don't try?"
Luke crouched down, raised his hand, and wiped the sauce from Shion's cheek.
This action surprised Shion greatly, causing her to freeze.
Anyone who touches a poverty god cannot be lucky.
Yet Luke acted completely unconcerned.
"A heavy rain is coming. Rest here until it stops, it's okay if you don't come into the restaurant; after that, when I've built the garden, you can come take a look. It won't be too late for you to make a decision then."
Luke finished speaking, bid farewell to Shion, and returned to the restaurant.
Watching the restaurant owner's disappearing back, Shion bit her lip tightly.
She had never met someone like this...
'If he really possesses strong luck, could we really be together?'
Thinking this, Shion looked up at the sky again.
Dark clouds gathered, thunder rumbled.
In the past, she would have hated it.
Because she had no fixed abode.
But at this moment, she liked it.
At least she could stay here——
Stay in the backyard of this restaurant.
An inconspicuous corner, a tiny piece of the world, was everything Shion possessed now.
The rain in Gensokyo came suddenly, without any hesitation.
Luke, back in the restaurant kitchen, looked at the weather outside the window, thinking there wouldn't be many customers today.
"Luke-san, finished with the backyard business?"
"Yes, how about you here?"
"Finishing touches, I'll have the orders for the few customers ready soon."
"Let me see."
Luke checked the dishes.
Correct steps, correct ingredients, no problems.
"Perfect."
"My title as the Second Seat of the Tohtsuki Elite Ten isn't just for show."
Kobayashi Rindou showed a confident smile.
Suddenly, the door connecting to the other world emitted a clear chime, interrupting their conversation.
Luke and Kobayashi Rindou hurriedly looked towards the entrance.
Their gazes landed precisely on the disheveled figure at the door.
A girl carrying a guitar was frantically shaking rainwater from her hair.
Her clothes were soaked, looking somewhat messy.
Through the door connecting the different dimensions, one could see the girl's world was also enveloped in heavy rain, as if the boundary between the two worlds had blurred at this moment.
"Another young lady customer."
Kobayashi Rindou prepared to go greet her.
Luke also sized up this new customer.
He quickly recalled her identity——the socially anxious protagonist of "Bocchi the Rock!", Gotoh Hitori.
Her signature long pink hair clung tightly to her cheeks due to the rain, and her blue and yellow block hair clips had lost their usual vibrancy.
Her eyes darted around, seemingly not yet recovered from the recent panic.
Although she was active online as Guitar Hero and possessed extremely high guitar playing skills, in reality, she was extremely shy and always felt nervous and uneasy around strangers.
"Ah... Sorry, excuse me."
Hitori stuttered, her voice so faint it was almost drowned out by the rain outside.
"I... I just got lost, I don't know where this is..."
The socially anxious Guitar Hero from another world now appeared in the restaurant.
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