Chapter 165: Reimu is Rich
"Ran..."
"Lord Haruto, what... what is it?"
Seeing Haruto suddenly wrap his arms around her, a look of deep, theatrical sadness clouding his eyes, Yakumo Ran froze. Her nine fluffy tails bristled in momentary confusion, her mind reeling.
"I feel so sorry for you," Haruto lamented, his voice thick with mock sympathy. "That Yakumo woman is an absolute tyrant."
Though she couldn't fathom what had brought this on, Yakumo Ran found herself silently agreeing with every word. Of course, she couldn't possibly voice that agreement. If she did, her precious tails would undoubtedly suffer another fluffing session at the hands of their true master.
Haruto picked up the package he'd brought back, intending to head straight for the Hakurei Shrine. He had barely taken a step before Yakumo Ran gently pulled him back.
She shook her head, her tone soft yet firm. "Lord Haruto, there's no need to be in such a rush. You've only just returned. You should rest for a while, have a bath, and change your clothes."
"I'm just popping over to Reimu's place."
"Ran is aware, but you must at least take a bath, have a meal, and change into a fresh set of clothes first."
With practiced grace, Yakumo Ran produced a brand-new set of Taoist robes. The moon-white fabric of the long robe was cinched with an ink-black belt, and the collar was carefully embroidered with cloud patterns in shimmering silver thread. It was, once again, a masterpiece of her own handiwork.
Seeing her unyielding persistence, Haruto had no choice but to compromise. He accepted the robes and started toward the bathroom, but after a few steps, he glanced back to find Yakumo Ran still trailing him. He shot her a baffled look.
"What are you doing?"
"Ran is here to serve you while you bathe and change," she replied, her tone suggesting this was the most natural thing in the world.
Haruto held back a retort for a long moment before finally sighing. "I told you, I don't need that. I'm not Mother Yukari."
Only after his repeated and firm refusals did Yakumo Ran finally relinquish the idea of attending to his bath. Once Haruto made certain the nine-tailed fox wasn't actually hiding nearby to ambush him with a washcloth, he undressed, gave himself a quick rinse, and sank into the hot spring.
That's right. The Yakumo residence had its own hot spring, and it was anything but small. It was easily large enough to accommodate five or six people soaking together without feeling the least bit crowded.
Legend had it that the hot spring was a 'commission' from Yukari, who'd hired Reimu to repeatedly smash the ground with her Yin-Yang Orbs until she finally struck a geothermal source.
The water temperature was perfectly high, and sinking into it was pure bliss. After the exhaustion of an instance, the heat seeped into his bones, allowing his body and mind to completely unwind.
'Alright, time to sort out the to-do list,'Haruto thought, leaning his head back.'First, have Reimu help me send a delivery. Then, see if I can try some of that medicine in Reisen's place. After that, I'll swing by Eientei to filch a few carrots from Tewi, and finally, find a good spot to release those Cute Meatballs.'
Suddenly, another matter surfaced in his mind, and his brow furrowed.
There was also that creature that looked like SCP-096. He couldn't just let that thing wander around. He needed to find a sparsely populated area, somewhere with almost no residents, to build a containment spot and leave it there.
He certainly couldn't keep it at home. While Haruto was confident Ran could beat the berserker into submission, the probability of him getting a beating from Yukari if she saw it was significantly higher.
After some deliberation, he decided on a solution. He would drop it in the depths of the Forest of Magic and let Marisa help "raise" it. She was usually idle anyway. First, though, he'd have to get Patchouli to forge an unremovable helmet for it. Otherwise, Haruto was genuinely afraid Marisa would get herself beaten into a personal meeting with Komachi.
After finishing his bath and enjoying the tea and snacks Yakumo Ran had carefully prepared, Haruto finally set off for the Hakurei Shrine.
Just as he ascended the last of the sloping stone steps and set foot on the shrine's approach, he spotted a familiar red-and-white figure. It was Reimu, broom in hand, sweeping the fallen leaves at the entrance.
Haruto ducked his head, quietly taking a detour to sneak up on her.
Suddenly, a gust of wind tore through the grounds, rattling the branches of the sakura tree. Leaves broke free in a flurry, as if desperate to escape the cold, lonely place. The neat pile Reimu had just gathered was instantly scattered across the yard again.
A flicker of resentment surfaced in her peach-pink eyes. She set the broom aside, plopped down on the steps in front of the shrine, and rested her chin in her hands. She watched quietly as the withered leaves were carried away by the wind, eventually letting out a soft, weary sigh.
But in the next moment, the wind returned. This time, it blew gently, a soft caress, like an invisible hand guiding the runaway leaves back from their escape. They swirled through the air before settling into a lively, tidy pile on the ground.
Just as Reimu was blinking in surprise, a figure silently sat down beside her. A puff of warm breath brushed past her ear, making the fine hairs on her neck stand up with a slight itch.
"Who's there?! How dare you play tricks on this shrine maiden!"
Reimu whipped her head around, but a hand was already gently patting the top of her head.
"Heh, still feels as nice as ever."
"...This shrine maiden knew it was you." Reimu's gaze darkened. "Haven't I told you? You can't just go around patting a shrine maiden's head whenever you feel like it."
Despite her words, she made no move to stop him. Instead, her eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of contentment in her expression.
Perhaps... she was just letting it slide for the sake of Haruto being her personal God of Wealth.
At least... that's what Reimu liked to tell herself.
"Did you just get back from an instance?" she asked suddenly.
Haruto nodded. "Didn't I come looking for you the moment I was back? Since I've got nothing better to do, how about I tell you about my latest adventure?"
Reimu didn't answer, so Haruto launched into his story.
Time flowed quietly with his narration. The sun gradually slanted westward, and the shadow of the great sakura tree crept slowly across the corridor, eventually enveloping them both in its cool shade.
Throughout the entire tale, Reimu simply lowered her eyes and listened in silence.
Grumble...
The sudden sound of a stomach growling broke the peace. Reimu's face flushed a faint red as she shot to her feet.
"You're hungry, right? I'll go cook for you."
"It's not going to be just tea on rice, is it?" Haruto asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.
"Of course not!" Reimu denied it categorically. "Tea on rice was only because I didn't have money before. Now that I'm rich, I'm definitely going to eat something good!"
She spoke with unshakable confidence, her posture screaming, 'The current Hakurei Shrine Maiden is not who she used to be!'
Haruto remained skeptical, but he followed her into the shrine and to the side hall that served as her living area. Sitting on the tatami mat before a low table, he brewed himself a cup of tea and waited for Reimu's so-called "feast."
Before long, a distinct aroma wafted over from the kitchen. Haruto's eyebrows rose slightly; it definitely wasn't tea on rice. It was sour and spicy, and it didn't smell half bad... but the scent was strangely familiar.
Could it be that he'd tasted Reimu's cooking, other than tea on rice, before?
He frowned in thought but couldn't recall anything. He took another careful sniff, and the sense of familiarity grew even stronger.
Haruto's brow suddenly twitched. Just then, Reimu emerged carrying a tray. On it sat two yellow-green, circular paper boxes, with the words "Old Jar Pickled Pepper Beef Noodles" clearly printed on the lids.
'As I thought...' The corner of Haruto's mouth twitched. How could he not escape the fate of eating instant noodles, even after coming all the way to Gensokyo?
"This is the feast you were talking about?"
"Of course!" Reimu puffed out her chest, a proud look on her face. "I found these when I was passing by Kourindou. The owner said they're the last two portions in all of Gensokyo. In the outside world, this is a high-class delicacy known in every household."
"It's true that it's known in every household, but..." Haruto trailed off, then decided to ask a different question. "How much did you spend?"
There was no need to guess. Rinnosuke had definitely swindled her.
"Twenty thousand yen a bowl. I bought two and specifically saved them to eat with you." Reimu turned her face away slightly, adding, "After all, you helped me earn so much money. Consider this my way of returning the favor."
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me!
Want to read ahead on our official home, or unlock 50 advanced chapters (plus an Ad-Free experience) to feed your addiction? Help keep this shameless translator alive here:
(P.S. Replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
🌐 Official Website: elysianreads[.]com
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters & Ad-Free): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]