Chapter 467: Ran's Head is Full of Water; Yakumo Yukari is Not Sick
Yakumo Ran could swear that this was the first time in her long life that the word "Yes!" had ever escaped her lips with such crisp, unrestrained enthusiasm. It was a proof of just how utterly miserable the timid fox youkai had been.
Brimming with excitement, Ran turned to head out, only to stop dead in her tracks after two steps.
Yakumo Yukari's voice, laced with genuine confusion, floated from behind her. "Ran, where are you going?"
Ran turned her head, her own expression a mirror of puzzlement. "Lady Yukari, are we not going to eat something delicious?"
"We are," Yukari confirmed with a serene smile. "But why are you walking outside?"
Ran froze, her entire being grinding to a halt. Her nine tails twitched in bewilderment. What in the world? We're going out for a delicious meal, but we're not leaving the house? She clearly said it was a restaurant, but now…
In that instant, a dreadful certainty washed over her. Yakumo Yukari was teasing her again!
A wounded, pleading look crossed Yakumo Ran's face. Yukari, seeing it, seemed startled herself. "Eh? Ran, you're acting very strange today. Did you really drink too much water? Has it all gone to your head?"
"No, no, no!" Ran said, shaking her head frantically. "Lady Yukari! What exactly is this delicious food you speak of? It's not… air, is it?"
Yukari sighed, a hint of exasperation in her tone. "Do you truly think I'd be so bored as to drag you out to eat air in the middle of the night? Do you think I have that much free time on my hands?"
"So… so you really are taking me to eat something delicious?" Ran asked, a sliver of hope returning.
"Mm-hm, that's right," Yukari hummed. Then her brow furrowed slightly. "Eh? Ran, what's wrong with you? Why do you keep trying to run outside?"
Ran looked as if she was on the verge of tears. "Lady Yukari! How can we possibly eat a delicious meal without going out!"
Yukari blinked, stunned for a moment, before a knowing smile spread across her lips. "Ah, I almost forgot to tell you. That restaurant is in another world. You can get there just by opening any door."
"An… another world?!"
"Yes!" Yukari's eyes sparkled. "The dishes are unbelievably delicious! And the restaurant owner is a very interesting human boy, quite pleasant to look at, too."
Yakumo Ran nodded numbly, then a sudden, chilling calm descended upon her. She continued in a measured tone, "Lady Yukari, is there anything else?"
"Hmm…" Yukari mused. "Well, there's also the legendary Lucifer, but she's a girl. And her… customer service representative from Hell, a demon named Pandemonica."
A muscle in Ran's cheek twitched, but her eyes held a new, steely determination. "Lady Yukari, are there any other… amazing things about that restaurant?"
Yukari, warming to her subject, grew more excited. She thought for a moment before her face lit up. "Oh! I also saw Aoandon!"
"Aoandon…" Ran's voice was faint. "Lady Yukari, aren't you…?"
Yukari waved a dismissive hand. "Not that ugly Aoandon from our world. This was a very beautiful Aoandon from another world. Her skin is so fair, her figure is wonderful, and she's just lovely. She has silver hair and floats in on a paper lantern, which is also exquisitely crafted."
Yakumo Ran's fists clenched at her sides. "Mm, that's… that's really something. Lady Yukari! Anything else?"
"Let me think…" Yukari's gaze drifted upwards. "Ran… I'm about to tell you something you won't believe." She leaned in conspiratorially. "Yuuka is also a regular at that restaurant. Has been for a long time."
Ran's breath hitched, but Yukari wasn't finished.
"And the most important thing is," she added, her voice dropping to a dramatic whisper, "she actually gives the owner the sunflowers from her personal field. Willingly. As ingredients. Isn't that just fascinating?"
Yakumo Ran's head dipped low, a visible tremor running through her as her golden eyes dilated in shock and horror.
Yukari watched her, tilting her head. "Ran, what's wrong?"
In the next moment, Ran surged forward, her face a mask of desperate resolve. "Lady Yukari! Have you been overworking yourself recently? Are you… are you sick?"
"Eh? I'm fine," Yukari replied, looking genuinely surprised. "I'm perfectly fine."
"Lady Yukari, you're definitely hiding it from me!" Ran's voice cracked with emotion. "Lady Yukari! I swear, I will find a way to save you!"
"Oh… Eh?! No… Ran, why are you suddenly acting so strange? Did all that water really get into your head?"
"As long as Lady Yukari can get better," Ran shouted, her eyes shining with unshed tears, "I don't care how much water gets into my head!"
Yakumo Yukari was completely stunned. What in the world? Why do I suddenly feel very touched? But that fleeting warmth was quickly overwhelmed by the sheer absurdity of the situation.
"Ran… you… Eh?! Why are you about to cry?"
"Because I feel like your illness is very serious, Lady Yukari… Ah!"
Her lament was cut short by a sharp thump as Yukari tapped her folded fan against her forehead. "Ran," she said, her voice laced with annoyance, "while I am touched by your concern, I am not sick!"
"Lady Yukari! The more severe the illness, the more vehemently the patient denies it!"
"Eh?! Just come with me, and you'll see for yourself!"
"Lady Yukari! As long as you can recover, even if you beat me to death, I'll… Eh?!"
Just as Yakumo Ran was about to launch into an incredibly moving, self-sacrificial monologue, she saw the door in front of them begin to glow with a soft, warm light.
Yukari tilted her head, a playful smile returning to her face. "Ran, what was that you were just saying?"
Without a second's hesitation, Yakumo Ran slammed herself into a perfect dogeza, her forehead pressed firmly to the floorboards. "LADY YUKARI!" she bellowed. "MY HEAD IS FULL OF WATER! I BEG OF YOU, YOU MUST FORGIVE ME!"
Yukari let out a long, weary sigh. "Alright, alright. I know it was a lot to take in. You'll understand once you see. I'm not angry with you. Let's go."
In an instant, Ran's demeanor flipped. She scrambled to her feet, her expression one of pure, unadulterated excitement. Her master was fine! But even better than that—there was delicious food! That was the most crucial thing of all!
On the other side of the myriad dimensions, Yuuka Kazami gently cradled a bouquet of her finest sunflowers and pulled open a door, stepping through. It was unclear if it was a coincidence or some trick of fate, but she and Yakumo Yukari arrived at the exact same moment.
"Good evening, Mr. Owner. I've arrived."
Yuuka's gaze shifted to the woman who had appeared beside her. Her emerald eyes narrowed, and she was about to speak when she noticed a smaller figure peeking out from behind Yukari. A little fox girl, dressed in a style similar to the gap youkai, with the same golden hair, and… those tails. There were quite a few of them.
The moment she registered the familiar face, Yuuka's pupils contracted. Her voice was a low, dangerous growl. "Yakumo Ran?!"
"Eeeek! Lady Yukari!" Ran yelped, diving behind her master for cover.
Yukari simply smiled. "Now, now, Yuuka. Don't scare Ran."
"Yakumo Yukari!" Yuuka's voice was cold steel. "You promised you wouldn't tell anyone about this place! Has your integrity completely shattered?!"
(Somewhere behind Yukari, Ran nodded in vigorous agreement.)
A playful, almost wicked smile danced on Yukari's lips. "I didn't tell a 'person,' did I?"
Yuuka froze. For a moment, she felt her blood pressure spike. Good heavens, that wasn't just finding a loophole; that was a flagrant abuse of semantics! The problem was, it was perfectly reasoned and utterly impossible to refute.
She let out a slow, controlled breath. "I understand… But this matter must not be known by anyone else!"
"Eh? Is that so…" Yukari's eyes drifted away nonchalantly. "Oh… Understood."
"That expression of yours…" Yuuka's voice was dangerously quiet. "You haven't told anyone else, have you…?"
"Eh? I wouldn't know."
"No…" A sharp, frustrated hiss of air escaped Yuuka's lips.
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