The crowd buzzed, a cacophony of murmurs following the old man's eccentric explanation.
Everyone was inwardly praising, their thoughts echoing:
"Shaolin Kung Fu is the real deal!"
The old man swept his eyes over the chaotic battlefield that was his restaurant.
Although Sakura and Ayaka hadn't intentionally meant to wreck anything,
tables and chairs were still toppled everywhere, creating a complete mess. He narrowed his eyes.
Satoru was already calculating whether he'd have to stay and wash dishes to cover the damages.
The old man stroked his long, straight, 一-shaped mustache, a thoughtful expression on his face:
"Since we have this karmic connection, I'll let the compensation slide this time. Don't make it a habit."
So the old guy wasn't just the chef—he was the owner too.
He turned, hands clasped behind his back, and barked at his staff to begin the cleanup.
Satoru shouted at the not-so-tall back, his voice imbued with genuine gratitude:
"Thanks, boss!"
Pure, unadulterated Mandarin Chinese.
The old man turned in surprise, his eyebrows raising slightly, and asked in the same language:
"You… Chinese?"
"Maybe yes, maybe no." Satoru grinned, an enigmatic sparkle in his eyes.
The old man thought for a second, then decided not to pry, a knowing look on his face.
He picked up his pot, now empty, and shuffled back to the kitchen, leaving the lingering scent of ramen water behind.
Sakura had heard from her grandfather countless times about how mysterious and profound China was;
even the origin of the swordsmanship she revered came from that ancient land.
She had always admired the place, seeing it as a source of immense power and wisdom.
Today, hearing Satoru casually mention it, everything suddenly made perfect sense in her mind.
No wonder Kobayashi-kun's swordsmanship is so extraordinary—he was influenced by the Shaolin Hawaii Branch!
'I must learn from him properly in the future!' she resolved, a determined glint in her violet eyes.
Ayaka's entire impression of China came from the internet, a land populated by terrifyingly strong and ferocious people.
According to online lore, every September, special troops allegedly gathered on every university campus for intense training,
then, like phantoms, melted back into the civilian population, indistinguishable from ordinary citizens.
Even elementary school kids supposedly practiced ultimate techniques like "Rising Sun," "Fledgling Eagle Takes Flight," and "The Era Calls"!
So this kid actually inherited that legendary lineage…
Losing to him before wasn't shameful at all! In fact, it was an honor!
"Ren-kun, Ren-kun—!"
Over on the other side of the bustling restaurant, the brat Satoru had so unceremoniously punted was still dazed, his young brain slowly rebooting from the shock.
The young mother frantically shook his little shoulders until he finally snapped out of his stupor.
Even at his tender age, he could feel that death had brushed past him—he had almost died! The realization sent shivers down his spine.
"Ren-kun, are you okay?" the woman asked anxiously, her voice trembling.
Mizuno Ren blankly shook his head, then instinctively clutched his left chest.
Thump-thump, thump-thump; his heart was racing uncontrollably.
The woman noticed his gesture and panicked: "Ren-kun, does your chest hurt?"
"He landed on his ass. Should be his butt that hurts, not his chest."
Satoru walked over, his lips curled in disdain.
The little shit was still pretending, trying to garner sympathy.
He bent down and picked up a pocket paperback that had fallen out of his shallow breast pocket during the chaos.
It was titled, rather ironically, "Alpaca Princess".
Ren's eyes instantly locked onto the book, a greedy glint in their depths.
Satoru's danger sense pinged; he triple-speed stuffed it away, his movements swift and decisive.
'This little gremlin definitely wants to snatch my book!' he thought, ever distrustful.
He never assumed good intentions from brats, having seen enough of their mischievous ways.
The young mother had been crouching; seeing Satoru approach, she quickly stood,
smoothed her slightly messy short hair, and bowed deeply, strategically revealing the grand canyon of cleavage that lay beneath her shirt.
"Thank you so much for saving him, sir," she said, her voice laced with a subtle invitation.
Deep.
Very deep.
"No big deal." Satoru averted his eyes, waving off her gratitude with a dismissive hand.
She looked young, but was at least ten-plus years older than him,
and with that kid in tow, she was obviously married.
Satoru was no Cao thief, having no interest in such entanglements.
"Ren-kun, come say thank you!" the woman gently urged, nudging her son forward.
Mizuno Ren stood up stiffly, walked right in front of her, his eyes now perfectly level with her impressive chest,
bowed robotically, and muttered, his voice barely audible:
"Th… thank you…"
Satoru had zero interest in conversing with the brat and merely grunted in acknowledgment.
He took back the bokutō from Ayaka, spun it once around his wrist with practiced ease,
and then carefully wrapped it again in its protective white cloth.
The kid's eyes instantly lit up like searchlights, fixated on the sword, drooling with fascination.
Just as the three were about to make their exit, Ren finally couldn't hold back and took a hesitant step forward.
"Big brother!!" he blurted out.
"—Huh?" Satoru paused, turning his head slightly.
"How do I get as strong as you!?" Ren shouted, his voice filled with youthful earnestness.
Satoru scratched his cheek, a flicker of annoyance crossing his features. He wanted to ignore the question,
but both Ayaka and Sakura were staring at him expectantly, their gazes urging him to respond.
"Eat your vegetables, exercise every day, sleep early, wake early, stay physically healthy and mentally sound." He recited, his tone flat and uninspired.
"…Got it!" Ren yelled with deadly seriousness, taking every word as gospel.
Outside the restaurant, the hustle and bustle of Shibuya embraced them once more.
"That kid," Sakura said softly, a thoughtful expression on her face,
"the first time I saw him he gave off a really unpleasant vibe… but just now he seemed a lot better."
"Did he?" Ayaka hadn't paid much attention, her mind still replaying the earlier chaos.
Satoru wasn't even listening; he shook his soaked clothes in annoyance, droplets of ramen water flying off.
[Hehe~~ Now you see how amazing Ai-chan is? Everything was within Ai-chan's calculations, Host!! Boo, Ai-chan makes a jojojojo sound.]
'If you were really that amazing, you wouldn't have gone full defeated dog and stayed silent when the skill first came out. Pure blind cat running into a dead mouse.' Satoru mentally retorted, his sarcasm sharp.
[B-But! Even if everything you said is true, doesn't Ai-chan deserve at least 1% credit!? Boo, Ai-chan stomps in rage, then remembers she has no legs.]
'Fine, you get some credit. Thanks.'
[Host is bullying Ai-chan again… Wait… Eh!? This time it's actually a thank you!? EHHHH!? Either Ai-chan bugged or Host bugged!] Ai-chan's voice was laced with genuine shock and disbelief.
'…'
[Ai-chan is not happy just because of one thank you, okay!? Boo, at least five—no, five rounds! Five matches! Boo, Ai-chan says moro moro excitedly.]
"…" Satoru remained silent, letting the system babble.
[Ah crap, back to business.]
Ai-chan's voice instantly switched to a crisp, professional mode, the playful tone vanishing.
[Congratulations, Host! Completed quest "Best Friends Aren't Always Trustworthy" → 1 draw ticket acquired.]
[Congratulations, Host! Completed quest "Healthy Family Ethics" → 1 draw ticket acquired.]
[Would you like to start drawing now?]
'…Did you finally break?' Satoru wondered, genuinely confused.
Ruining Maeda Yui and Mikami's plan definitely counted as the first quest.
But the second one…
Where the hell did that come from!? What had he done to earn a "Healthy Family Ethics" reward?
…
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