Black Rabbit couldn't help but widen her eyes. What kind of shop is this that stops letting customers in five minutes before closing?!
"If you're unhappy, go somewhere else. From now on, you're banned from this store. Banned!"
"Banned!? Just for this?! You really don't respect your customers at all!"
Black Rabbit shouted in disbelief. The clerk looked at her coldly, then said with scorn,
"So that's how it is. I deeply apologize for blocking a customer from the 'Little Garden nobility.' You may enter. However, could you first state your guild's name?"
"Ugh…"
Black Rabbit was momentarily speechless. But Yoru spoke up without hesitation.
"Our guild is called 'No Name.'"
"Heh. Then… which 'No Name' would that be? If possible, may I confirm your banner?"
Yoru also went quiet. This was exactly the kind of situation Black Rabbit had warned about when she mentioned the risk of not having a "name" or a "banner."
It was because this was a high-class establishment that they carefully chose their customers. They wouldn't take the risk of serving guests with no credibility.
Everyone's eyes turned to Black Rabbit. Frustrated deep down, she mumbled quietly,
"Um… we don't… have a banner…"
"Yahoo…! Long time no see, Black Rabbit~!"
Just as she stammered out the words, a girl in a kimono burst out from the shop and tackled her in a flying leap. With pure white hair and a youthful face, she spun through the air with Black Rabbit in her arms four and a half times—landing them straight in a shallow stream across the road.
"Yaaah…!"
Splash. Followed by a startled yelp.
Izayoi and the others stared wide-eyed, while the clerk just pressed her hand to her forehead in exasperation.
"Hey, clerk. Does this store offer scare-tactics as a service? Then I want a special version too."
"This store does not!"
"I don't mind paying extra!"
"We don't do that!"
The female clerk replied flatly, matching Izayoi's seriousness. They were both oddly sincere—making them look like a pair of fools.
The white-haired girl who had attacked Black Rabbit in midair now buried her face into Black Rabbit's chest.
"Ahahaha, let me take a good look! Here, and here! Wow, you've gotten even bigger~ As expected of Black Rabbit!"
Inappropriate comments emerged from the water, making several girls avert their gaze in embarrassment. Yoru, on the other hand, stared at the scene without blinking.
Don't misunderstand—he was simply intrigued by the immense power that the White Yaksha exuded.
"L-Lady White Yaksha! Why are you down here in the lower levels?!"
Black Rabbit struggled to sit up in the stream and asked, bewildered.
"Well, of course it's because I sensed that you'd be coming! Hehehe~ Is this spot comfy? What about the pressure? A massage like this is super fun!"
The girl—apparently named White Yaksha—continued rubbing herself affectionately against Black Rabbit.
"L-Lady White Yaksha! P-Please let go of me!"
Black Rabbit grabbed her head and forcibly pried her off, then flung her back toward the store.
The girl went spinning through the air and, quite unfortunately, flew straight toward Yoru. Without even flinching, he summoned a sharp ice spear in his hand.
"Hey! Is that how you greet a cute girl you've just met? Are you trying to murder me?!"
Just as Yoru predicted, White Yaksha's body stopped eerily in midair, avoiding the ice spear.
"It's nothing… I was just a bit curious."
Yoru said with a faint smile, the ice spear vanishing as he flipped his hand. White Yaksha eyed him with great interest before grinning.
"Interesting… You remind me of someone."
Meanwhile, Asuka, still frozen from the earlier commotion, finally came to her senses and asked the girl,
"You work here?"
"Ahem, indeed I do. I, the great White Yaksha, am a high-ranking officer of the entire 'Thousand Eyes' organization. If you've got any requests, I can take care of them for free in honor of Black Rabbit. In exchange… Miss, let me grope your rather well-developed chest just once."
Standing up with a serious expression, White Yaksha made a ridiculous request that totally clashed with her supposed dignity.
"At this rate, sales will never increase. The boss is going to get angry," the clerk said coldly from the side.
"Relax. Once the boss hears that the lower branch is still intact thanks to my efforts, she'll be overjoyed and not know how to reward me."
White Yaksha shrugged carelessly.
Climbing out of the stream while wringing out her wet clothes and mini skirt, Black Rabbit muttered with a complicated look,
"Ugh… I didn't think I'd end up soaking wet too…"
"Guess that's karma," Izayoi quipped, quickly seizing the opportunity to tease.
The unlucky Black Rabbit could only squeeze her drenched outfit as her rabbit ears drooped listlessly.
"Oooh, so these are your new partners, huh? They all look pretty capable. So Black Rabbit, have you finally decided to become my pet?"
With a loud snap, White Yaksha opened a folding fan she had somehow produced, hiding the lower half of her face. She narrowed her eyes and looked over the group standing beside Black Rabbit.
Her first impression may have been that of a perverted loli with no shame, but that single move gave her an aura of maturity and authority.
As she said this, her gaze remained fixed on Yoru. This calm-looking man intrigued her deeply.
And she wasn't just saying that—Yoru truly reminded her of someone. Someone who would soon be coming to see her in the lower layers.
That overwhelming, deathly chill in his aura… it was nearly identical to that person.
"I would never become your pet! And how the heck did you even reach that conclusion?!"
Black Rabbit's ears shot upright as she exploded in rage. Meanwhile, White Yaksha, her tone suddenly serious, turned and waved everyone toward the store.
"Alright. Let's continue this inside."
"Are you sure? They're a 'No Name' group without even a banner. According to the rules…"
"This is my apology for having such a nasty clerk ask for their name even after knowing they were 'No Name.' I'll vouch for them myself. If the boss has an issue, I'll take responsibility. Now let them in."
The female clerk gave a displeased groan. From her perspective, she was simply following store policy—if that upset anyone, it wasn't her fault.
As the group walked past her into the shop under her glowering stare, they entered a surprisingly spacious courtyard—far larger than what the store's exterior would suggest.
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