Miura Kikuchi's face was dark with anger, and he seemed about to say something more. However, Hidan's nose suddenly twitched, and his face lit up with excitement. "Hmm? I think I smell tonkatsu!"
Without a second thought for Miura Kikuchi's ugly expression, he charged toward the source of the scent. Simu followed him, and sure enough, a small town appeared before them. He followed without hesitation.
"Lord Miura, should we..." the two Jashin Religion followers asked hesitantly.
After all, the man before them was the Archbishop's most trusted subordinate and the former second-in-command of the Jashin Religion. On the other hand, there were Hidan and Simu—the so-called Divine Sons—both of whom were the type to chop heads off at the slightest provocation. If possible, they didn't want to offend either side.
Miura Kikuchi watched the departing Hidan and Simu, his fist clenching tightly. "Hmph. Follow them," he said coldly.
Once in town, Hidan immediately located a tonkatsu shop and began to gorge himself. Simu sat beside him, eating just as shamelessly. Both possessed staggering appetites, and before long, a stack of over twenty plates sat on the table.
"Ah~~ that hit the spot!" Hidan leaned back in his chair, rubbing his stomach contentedly. He glanced sideways at Simu's expressionless face and remarked, "Hey, you useless Simu, is your stomach a bottomless pit?"
Simu casually picked at his teeth with a toothpick and said flatly, "It's just that your stomach is too small. How can we better serve Lord Jashin if we don't eat enough?"
In reality, Simu's digestive system was different from ordinary humans. No matter how much he ate, it was quickly converted into energy for his body. Forget twenty plates of tonkatsu; he could eat a hundred and keep going. It simply wasn't necessary.
Seeing that the two had finished, a middle-aged balding man walked over. He was the owner of the shop, sporting a typical middle-aged bald spot and a small mustache under his nose. With a towel draped over his shoulder, he bowed with a forced smile and asked cautiously, "Have the two of you had your fill?"
One could hardly blame the owner for his caution. Hidan, by his very appearance, did not look like a good person. The owner had a small business and was terrified of offending him.
Hidan waved a hand and laughed, "Full! Old man, your tonkatsu is actually pretty good."
The middle-aged owner ignored the disrespectful way Hidan addressed him and maintained his smile. "I'm glad you liked it."
Having eaten his fill, Hidan patted his pants and prepared to leave. At that moment, the middle-aged man hurriedly stopped him.
"Excuse me, honored guest..."
Hidan turned around. Perhaps because he was in a good mood after eating, he rarely refrained from being verbally abusive. "What is it?"
The owner rubbed his hands together. "Well, you haven't paid for the meal yet."
Fifty-plus servings of tonkatsu were a significant expense for his small shop.
"Huh?" Hidan scratched his head and looked at Simu suspiciously. "Wait, do we have to pay for eating?"
Simu looked at the genuine confusion on Hidan's face and sighed internally. This guy isn't faking. He truly doesn't know that you have to pay for food.
The owner's face began to show panic. Simu glanced at Hidan and said, "I don't have any money on me, but Senior Miura might."
Hidan's eyes lit up, and he smacked his palm. "That makes sense!"
Hidan walked to the entrance, pulled a signal flare from his pocket, and fired it into the sky. A blood-red firework exploded above, and within the city, Miura Kikuchi and the others saw the Jashin Religion emergency signal and quickly appeared at the shop entrance.
Then they saw a lazy Hidan and Simu, who was sitting to the side sipping tea. When Hidan saw Miura Kikuchi, he said happily, "Great, you're finally here! Hurry up and pay for the food!"
Miura Kikuchi stood frozen, asking in disbelief, "You used the emergency signal of the Jashin Religion just to have me come and pay your bill?"
Hidan tilted his head. "Well, yeah?"
Creeeeak.
Miura Kikuchi's fist clenched so hard his knuckles popped. Hidan completely ignored his expression, walked past him brashly, and continued into the town.
"Simu, let's go find a hot spring!"
Simu pushed his glasses up and replied, "A hot spring? That sounds nice."
At this, Miura Kikuchi finally reached his limit. "I told you two, don't take it too far."
He drew a long blade from his trench coat, a flash of brutality in his eyes. He said coldly, "Since when does the Jashin Religion pay for food out here?"
In the next second, a blinding flash of the blade occurred. The head of the middle-aged shop owner fell heavily to the floor. Even in death, the owner's face was frozen in shock; he clearly hadn't expected to lose his life over this.
Miura Kikuchi didn't even look at the corpse, as if he had killed a chicken rather than a human. "I don't care if you're so-called Divine Sons. As members of the Jashin Religion, you'd better obey me while we're out here."
He glared at them, blood dripping slowly from the edge of his blade. Simu turned around, a cold glint reflecting off his glasses. Are you trying to give us a warning? he thought reflectively.
Hidan grinned, his tongue lightly licking his lips. "You really talk too much."
Then, Hidan looked at Simu and asked, as if by some strange instinct, "Is it okay if I kill this guy?"
Hearing Hidan's proactive inquiry, Simu nodded with satisfaction. He shrugged and said indifferently, "Whatever. I don't like people buzzing in my ear either."
"Good." A sickly flush appeared on Hidan's face as if he were already anticipating the scene to come.
"You bastards..." Miura Kikuchi gritted his teeth. He had intended to kill the shopkeeper to intimidate the two and consolidate his authority. Instead, their dismissive attitude only served to enrage him. "In that case, I will teach you a lesson on behalf of Lord Jashin."
The atmosphere became tense as both sides prepared for a fight. No one cared about the headless corpse or the family of the shop owner sobbing on the floor.
This was the Shinobi World. The real Shinobi World.