"Nothing, it was just to cause trouble for those guys."
"Oh."
"Oh?" Lancer cold reaction made Kaguya feel strange, but her embarrassment kept her from asking further. She sat there awkwardly, while Lancer considered another matter.
Make Kaguya laugh?
What does that mean? Literally? Or are there other requirements?
Although Lancer system loved to slack off and had little presence, Lancer was grateful that it never issued "obliteration" tasks or dug holes for him. Since she was right here, why not try?
"Um... Kaguya, could you smile for a bit?"
Kaguya found she couldn't keep up with Lancer jumping train of thought, but seeing his dead-serious expression, she hesitated for a moment and then gave a "perfect" smile.
To put it simply, it was a business-like smile—the kind that would make an ordinary person shout "Ohu!" in their heart. However, Lancer felt absolutely nothing. Normal people are deluded because they don't know her; Lancer knew she was a NEET who got so mad at games she wanted to throw her controller and settled for punching the wall instead. He felt zero inspiration.
And to his disappointment, the mission did not complete.
Aside from the seemingly simple but actually clueless mission, there was something else that frustrated Lancer.
Not many people knew he was leaving: only Kaguya, Eirin, Yukari, and Mokou. Mokou had been in low spirits ever since she found out. Anyone who knew her could tell she was unhappy, but Lancer played dumb, pretending he noticed nothing. As he had said, he wasn't good at this, and besides...
"Sigh~"
Sitting in front of a grilled food stall, Lancer downed a bottle of sake and sighed heavily. Just then, a plate was handed to him.
"Lord Red Oni, here is the Lamprey you ordered. But is there something on your mind today?"
A winged middle-aged man, after handing the food to Lancer, pulled out a chair and sat down with a smile.
"How could you tell?"
"Well, today Miss Yakumo, Miss Hoshiguma, Miss Ibuki, Miss Ibaraki, Little Miss Fujiwara... none of them came."
Hearing the long list of names, Lancer mouth couldn't help but twitch. "What kind of image do you have of me?"
"Probably that of a legendary powerhouse who handles nine women a night?"
Lancer mouth wasn't just twitching now; he didn't even know what expression to make. He rubbed his brow helplessly. "Old man, we're familiar, but aren't you afraid I'll wreck your shop?"
"Haha~ I would have been before, but now I know Lord Red Oni is a good person."
"Getting a 'good person card' from an old man doesn't make me happy at all."
After a quick retort, he began eating the lamprey. Teasing aside, the man's cooking was truly delicious. After finishing one piece, Lancer hesitated and put down his chopsticks.
"Old man... tell me, how do you reject a girl?"
Having finally decided to speak, his voice was no longer halting.
"I only think of a girl as a sister, but she seems to have developed feelings for me. I don't know if it's just my overactive ego, but I don't know how to respond."
"It's Little Miss Fujiwara, isn't it?"
"Pfft!!" Lancer sprayed his sake out, looking at the man in shock. The man just curled his lip.
"I suspect Lord Red Oni is the only one who just realized this. Actually, there's nothing wrong with it, is there? You truly care for her; it wouldn't matter if you were together."
Ancient mindsets differed from Lancer, but he was focused on something else.
"But I can't stay with her forever... a relationship without a future is meaningless. I don't even know how to reject her..."
In Lancer view, the best companion for the immortal Mokou was Kaguya, since they had both taken the elixir. As for him? He was leaving in a few months. Rather than giving her an unrealistic fantasy, it was better to cut it off. That was the choice of a "mature adult."
"If... if you truly intend to reject her and don't mind being the villain, you could try doing things she dislikes, or give her a reason she can't refuse—something she simply cannot achieve."
The suggestion gave Lancer a direction to think about.
"Thanks, old man! I've left the money here! I'll bring the plate back next time!"
Lancer grabbed the plate and walked away. The man shook his head helplessly as the dinner rush arrived.
The shop had been empty earlier solely because of Lancer presence. The fame of the "Red Oni" had spread far among youkai. The most famous recent rumor was that he had led his subordinates to defeat the Lunar Envoys and kidnapped "Princess Kaguya."
Even bad fame is fame. This shop, being a favorite of such a "vicious Oni," naturally drew curious customers. Celebrity effect combined with the owner's skill made business boom.
Elsewhere, Lancer summoned Yukari Yakumo. Leaning against a gap, she looked at him sideways.
"Are you using me like a pack mule?"
As a Great Youkai, Yukari had been quite annoyed lately. Lancer didn't cause her trouble, but making her open gates every day to send him off to hunt youkai was irritating. As they spent more time together, she realized he wasn't as difficult as she'd imagined, and her attitude became more casual.
Facing the grumpy Yukari, Lancer awkwardly looked away. "Ahem~ Yukari, help me out and send me to the Fujiwara estate."
"Fujiwara estate? At this hour? You... were you a Lolicon all along?"