Patchouli sacrificed herself, sealing a certain black-and-white devil to the bed in a near self-destructive fashion.
At the last moment before collapsing, she even locked the door to make sure that menace wouldn't escape to torment her again.
When Rin and the others found her "remains," the scallion pancakes she'd brought on her expedition hadn't even cooled yet. To avoid waste, a certain mutt did the recovery work.
But when Rin tried to move the "corpse," under the subtle gazes of the others, Patchouli instinctively struck a combat-ready pose.
They seriously suspected that if they hadn't been present, a far more tragic battle would've broken out.
Luckily, once Sakuya took over, Patchy calmed down and was obediently dumped back into her room.
But when Rin recalled that familiar response just now, his expression gradually turned strange. That buff Patchy randomly got from the potion... was it empathy (sensory sharing)?
Hiss—so last night...
"Sage, how long does this buff last?"
『 1 Week 』
Rin: "..."
Looks like Patchy's in for a rough week ahead. All he could do now was apologize in his heart and maybe send her a few extra banquet ingredients for nourishment.
As for stopping?
No such thing!
Having cleared up his doubts, Rin returned to his stall out front. At the same time, the reward for his daily quest arrived:
『 Decorative Potted Plant ─ Scorching Sunflame Bloom 』
A humble-looking flower pot, but the sunflower growing from it had a stem of ashen gray. Its petals appeared like distorted flames of red and white.
The flower head resembled a volcanic crater on the verge of eruption, its magma-like patterns spreading like veins in all directions.
When the spring breeze blew by, the flower gently swayed—releasing drifting embers that carried an eerie, sorrowful beauty.
Smack!
Just as Rin admired it, he precisely slapped away a devilish claw reaching through a gap.
"Boss Monkey, that flower looks great—selling it?" Remilia had wandered over, intrigued by the unusual sunflower.
This thing would look perfect in her room. Even better, why not fill the garden with them? That atmosphere would be on point!
"Don't even think about it. I only have this one. It's staying right here as display."
"And don't you dare mess it up." Rin warned her—after all, she and Marisa were the biggest destroyers in the shop.
Fortunately, Marisa had been "straightened out" for now. That left only Remilia to worry about.
She scratched him in annoyance but still stared longingly at the flower.
If I trade Patchy for it… maybe I can take this flower back?
She already shared experience with Patchouli this much anyway. Might as well sacrifice her again for the Scarlet Devil Mansion...
Just as she was plotting, a figure holding a parasol silently appeared at the stall.
"Is that flower for sale?" A cold and elegant voice rang out, making Remilia puff up her cheeks in protest.
"First come, first served! I saw it first!"
"Shoo, go to the back of the line." She waved dismissively, but when she turned to see who had spoken, her heart nearly stopped.
Short green curls, blood-red eyes shining with an eerie glow. A vest of dark crimson checkers, a matching skirt with delicately cut hems.
She wore a clean white blouse with a soft yellow frilly necktie. Tall and graceful, she stood under her parasol like a lone alpine flower—serene, dignified... and absolutely terrifying.
The parasol's shadow cast over half her body, and from it came a bone-chilling aura.
Remilia's face turned pale—like someone had just gripped her throat. (T/N: Nah, she's burned)
She couldn't utter a single word of protest. Those red eyes casually glanced her way—no malice, but enough to make her back off immediately.
When Yuuka Kazami's gaze moved to Rin instead, Remilia finally let out a breath of relief.
Thought I was gonna die right there!
And just as Rin met Yuuka's gaze, a system notification rang out in his head:
『 The system has detected a romance target 』
『 Main quest established: "Capture" Yuuka Kazami 』
『 Reward: Forbidden Boundary Of Dead Ends』
Whoa, that one actually sounds legit...
Rin blinked in surprise but quickly handed over the flower pot.
As she admired the eerie, sorrowful sunflower, a faint smile graced Yuuka's calm face.She tossed down a thick wad of bills and turned to leave—but paused mid-step.
After a beat of silence, she added a few more bills and said,
"And one pancake."
"Got it!" Rin got busy again while Remilia shrank behind him, glaring at Yuuka with alarm.
She had the strong feeling that this lady could knock her out cold any second. Or worse, claim she didn't want lettuce and flip the whole stall before going on a rampage!
"You keep pulling on me like that and you'll rip my shirt." Rin flicked Remilia's forehead.
What was she so nervous about? She nearly tore his clothes off.
Remilia glared back at this heartless mutt, inching toward the shop interior.
She needed to go get backup—it felt way too unsafe out here.
Yuuka didn't care in the slightest and continued admiring the flower. When her fingers touched it, the magma-like veins on the flower head glowed a bit brighter, releasing a warm, dreamy scent.
"Got any others like this?" She asked casually. It had been ages since she'd seen such a special sunflower.
"Just this one for now. If I get more, they'll be up for sale in the shop."
"I'll be back." Yuuka nodded, took the pancake, and left, satisfied.
Soon after she disappeared, Remilia's little head popped out from the shop, peeking around.
"She's gone?"
"Gone. You don't have to be that scared—she's not going to beat you up."
"Scared? Please. I was just being gracious, backing off out of pity for how fragile she looked under that parasol!"
"But only this time! Next time, she won't walk away so easily!" Remilia huffed with a stubborn look.
If that woman dares come again, she'll knock her out with a couple punches!
"She's not far yet—you could go now."
"Ahem, not feeling it right now. Maybe after lunch!"