Chapter 80: Tsundere Jinx
All good things must come to an end. Even feasts of meat.
When the last piece of perfectly grilled diaphragm (Harami) was swallowed, it signaled the complete end of this impromptu BBQ party. The grill was cooling, the charcoal hissing softly as it died.
Mirajane Strauss leaned back, rubbing her stomach with a satisfied smile. "I really didn't expect grilled meat could be so delicious. Shopkeeper, you are truly amazing. The marinade, the cuts... I never thought I could eat such delicious food in such a strange place. It's truly rare."
Ren, who was clearing the empty plates, said with a smile, "For grilled meat, I only provided the ingredients and the fire; at most, I prepared the meat with some knife work. The grilling itself—the heat control, the timing—was done by you and Jinx. In other words, you should praise yourselves more. You made the meal."
Mirajane was startled, then her smile softened. "Mm! Jinx was a great help, otherwise I might have been flustered handling so many cuts at once."
Jinx said nothing. She looked at Ren, then at Mirajane. She propped her chin on her hands, elbows on the table.
"You're welcome," she muttered, looking away. But the corner of her mouth twitched upward.
Mirajane was stunned when she heard this soft reply, then she reached into her pouch. "Shopkeeper, can our currency be used here? I don't have... yen?"
"Of course. Any minerals, rare ingredients, jewels, and anything else that can be used as a trade item can be used~. Even stories can serve as payment for food, as Jinx demonstrated."
Mirajane took out a heavy gold coin stamped with the emblem of Fiore. She placed it on the table with a solid clink.
"What a warm place. Is this enough?"
Ren glanced at it. It was pure gold, heavy and lustrous. He sighed internally. "I can confirm it now, your world of magic really does use gold and silver as currency~. This is... a bit too much for a barbecue."
Mirajane waved her hand. "Shopkeeper, you said stories can also be used as payment for food, right?"
"Of course."
Mirajane beamed. "In that case, consider this payment for the food and the entertainment. The story Jinx just told me—about the painted moon and the monkey bombs—is worth a lot of money as entertainment. If there's any value left over from the coin, consider it a tip... or travel expenses for my new friend!"
Ren was also startled by her generosity, then nodded with a smile. "An interesting way of putting it. Then let it be so. To be honest, I wish I had more generous customers like you every day. It would save me a lot of accounting."
"Haha~ I'll come often! Can I bring people here? If so, I'd like to bring my brother and sister. Elfman loves meat, and Lisanna... well, she'd love the atmosphere."
Ren said gently, "Yes, customers who have visited once can come and go freely. The door remembers you. You can invite guests to come together; the Restaurant will not refuse anyone you vouch for."
"Then, Shopkeeper, what's your name?"
"Ren."
Jinx glanced at Ren and then nodded slightly. She only learned Ren's name now, after eating his food and threatening him with a rocket launcher.
Mirajane stood up, smoothing her dress. "Well then, Shopkeeper Ren, Jinx, I'll head back now. The sun will be rising soon in Magnolia, and if I'm not there to open the bar, the Master will panic."
She turned to the blue-haired girl.
"Jinx, goodbye! If we meet again, please tell me and my companions your new stories! I want to hear how you painted the Sheriff's office pink! Bye-bye~!"
After speaking, Mirajane turned, opened the wooden door, and walked into a soft white light that smelled of ozone and magic.
The door clicked shut.
The moment Mirajane left, the shop fell silent.
Jinx stared at the closed door. She quietly whispered, "Bye..."
Her shoulders slumped. Her expression, usually manic or guarded, visibly drooped into something resembling loneliness.
Ren looked at the dejected Jinx. He walked over and started wiping the table. "What's wrong? Even the famous Jinx shows such a sad expression? Did the meat give you a stomachache?"
"Why not? I'm just tired! Food coma!" Jinx snapped, but there was no bite in it.
Ren sat next to Jinx.
Jinx didn't move away or pull a grenade. She just kept propping her face up, looking at the empty spot where Mirajane had sat, lost in thought.
Although Jinx wasn't truly that crazy (just enthusiastically anarchic), in some sense, she was a little lunatic lacking care and genuine friendship. Everyone in her life either wanted to arrest her, use her, or leave her.
But a lunatic's thoughts are not easily understood by ordinary people.
However, it was enough for Ren to sense Jinx's sadness.
Ren said softly, "All good things must come to an end. The meal ends, the night ends. But parting is just a prelude to a better reunion. You will meet again. And by then, you might even have a few more friends to introduce to her."
Jinx softly said, "You're right. I don't know why, but I just feel a little... heavy. I don't like this feeling. It's boring."
Ren looked at Jinx and smiled gently. "This feeling you have is the reluctance of parting. It means you enjoyed the company. Have you ever felt this way with your friends back home?"
Jinx shook her head and said, "You're right… I don't have friends. They're just accomplices… or targets."
Under Jinx's disbelieving gaze, Ren reached out and ruffled Jinx's blue hair.
"Accomplices are for crimes. Friends are for barbecue. Accomplices can satisfy your little maniac's joy of destruction and chaos outside, but remember, friends are characters who bring you warmth and quiet. Like tonight."
Jinx looked at Ren. She snorted, pulling away from Ren's hand, but she didn't slap it away. "Excitement still suits me better! Quiet is for dead people!"
"That's true in your world, perhaps. But not necessarily here."
"You… Hmph! You're better at hypnotizing than a psychologist! Are you using mind control magic?"
Ren thought for a moment and said, "If I could, I'd really like to hypnotize you and change your tsundere personality, even though it's quite cute. It would save me a lot of trouble."
Jinx felt that if she chatted with Ren any longer, she would really be driven to tears or madness by his casual kindness. How could he be like this?
First, he disarmed her effortlessly. Then he fed her the best meal of her life. Then he introduced her to Fujiwara Chika (who was weird but nice), and then Mirajane (who was like the big sister she never had). She was originally very touched by the whole evening.
But then he suddenly pulled this 'cute' card again? Even Ekko wouldn't say that! This man definitely isn't liked by women! He's too smooth!
(Ekko, tinkering in his lab: Sneeze! "Why do I feel like I'm losing an argument I'm not even part of?")
Ren checked the clock. "Alright. It's almost dawn. The sun is rising. If you had come earlier, you would have felt the night pass more slowly. When the sun hits the window, the spell breaks. You can take your Fishbones and go back."
Jinx was stunned by these words. She turned her head sharply. "Then I… I have to go?"
"I said it before, everyone is welcome here, and you are no exception. But the shop closes at dawn. I'm still waiting to hear stories of your new pranks next time~. Provided you don't get caught."
Jinx snorted, jumping up and propping herself on the table. She shouted, "Catch me? Don't even think about it! That big idiot Vi with her giant fists, and that woman Caitlyn with her hormonal imbalance and stupid hat, think they can catch me?! Impossible! I am the wind! I am the explosion!"
"Then I'll look forward to your little maniac's performance report."
Ren walked behind the counter and unlocked the magical barrier. He handed her the weapons.
Jinx grabbed Fishbones, hugging the rocket launcher like a teddy bear. She strapped Pow-Pow to her back. She looked at Ren, pondered for a long time, then asked in confusion, "Ren… why are you so good to me? I tried to shoot you."
"Do I need a reason?"
Jinx was startled, scratched her head with her Zapper pistol. "I don't need one?"
"Of course not. We're friends, aren't we? Or at least, dinner companions."
Jinx snorted and said, "I won't admit you're a friend! Not yet! You're far worse than Mirajane! You're just a scoundrel Chef who steals girls' guns and feeds them vegetables!"
"A scoundrel Chef who can make delicious food~."
"Then at most, he's a... barely acceptable... bad Chef!"
The two argued like this for a few more minutes, but basically, Jinx was the one starting conversations to delay leaving, while Ren chose to cooperate with her. It proved that chatting with Jinx was indeed very interesting once you got past the homicidal tendencies.
As they chatted, Jinx became more and more cheerful. She basically asked Ren all sorts of things about this world. She was now very interested in the Kengan Matches he mentioned earlier and clamored to go play ("Can I bring grenades? No? Boring!"), but Ren told her it hadn't started yet. Only then did Jinx say that she would definitely come to watch when the matches started later.
As the two chatted, the sky outside gradually brightened. The first rays of sunlight hit the window.
Before Jinx could react or say goodbye, she heard thundering footsteps from upstairs.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Ren looked at the staircase with a smile.
Cerberus pounced over the railing, shouting, "Master! Master! Master! Catch me! I'm healed!"
She flew through the air. Ren caught her effortlessly.
Jinx looked at Cerberus, who was nuzzling into Ren's arms like a giant puppy. For some reason, she felt a little uncomfortable. A prickle in her chest.
It felt as if her toy... or rather, her new friend... had been snatched away by a dog.
She huffed, gripping Fishbones tighter. "Stupid dog."
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