"Slurp~ slurp~"
The sound of noodles being slurped echoed through the grocery store. Both the adult and the child were happily enjoying their instant noodles.
In the midst of their eating, Yukari opened a snack package and cheerfully added some fried tofu, sausages, and marinated eggs to her bowl.
"Yukari-sama, wasn't the fried tofu supposed to be for Ran?"
Chen asked, her cat ears twitching slightly.
"I'm afraid she might not like it, so I'm testing it for her first. Hmm~ this is delicious, seems like it's fine."
"Chen, you should eat more too. Ran's busy with renovations, so if we don't eat enough outside, we'll go hungry at home."
"Ah!"
Before Chen could respond, Marisa at the counter suddenly stood up, her eyes wide with realization.
That's right! She was supposed to buy tools for home renovations!
How did she end up working here for free?!
Regret washed over her like a tidal wave!!!
The moment she remembered how she got caught, Marisa clutched her head in frustration.
The adult and child in the distance watched Marisa's sudden outburst with puzzled expressions.
What's she freaking out about?
"Chen, don't learn from her. Otherwise, you'll end up falling into someone's trap, getting played with, and eaten up without even realizing it."
"Mm-hmm."
Although she didn't fully understand, Chen felt a bit sorry for Marisa.
She nodded her little head, her attention quickly returning to her noodles. Food was much more appealing.
Yukari smiled and wiped Chen's mouth, then placed her empty noodle bowl aside before comfortably reclining in Rin's rocking chair.
Ah, this is the life~
Watching Yukari freeload and enjoy herself so much, Marisa looked down at the notebook in her hands, filled with records, and suddenly realized something.
If Yukari had eaten so much, maybe she could sneak a few items and blame it on her?
She might be safe!
The more Marisa thought about it, the more tempted she became.
But before she could act, a lazy yawn came from the courtyard, startling her back into her seat.
Darn it, Rin was definitely watching her, waiting to catch her in the act!
Rin, still groggy from sleep, stumbled into the grocery store, grabbed a small bread roll, and was about to collapse into the rocking chair.
But when he saw someone already sitting there, his brain paused for a moment, but his body instinctively leaned forward.
As the faint, soothing fragrance reached his nose, a folding fan gently pressed against his forehead.
Yukari's purple eyes narrowed slightly, glowing with a mysterious light.
"Boss Rin, I promised to find you a wife, but I didn't promise to be that wife~"
"I arrived at the rocking chair first, so it's mine now."
As Rin gradually regained his senses, a subtle expression crossed his face.
Is this ancient hag treating this place like her own home?
Before he could say anything, the folding fan tapped his forehead again.
"Don't think strange thoughts, okay? That's a bit rude to a young lady like me."
"Since when did you gain the ability to read minds?"
"Because boss, you're not even trying to hide your thoughts."
Yukari chuckled, but she showed no intention of moving from the rocking chair.
Seeing her determination to stay put, Rin's face twitched, and he decided to fetch another chair. But as he turned, his steps suddenly halted.
For a moment, he heard the sound of wings flapping as something flew away from the rooftop.
Rushing outside to look up at the sky, he saw nothing out of the ordinary.
"Did I mishear?"
Scratching his head, Rin didn't dwell on it. He glared at Yukari and headed to the warehouse to fetch more goods and another rocking chair.
Yukari waved at him with a smile, watching him disappear before turning her gaze sharply to a certain direction.
It seems there are still some restless little ones planning to cause trouble~
Meanwhile, Marisa remained in a state of high tension, her pupils trembling as she nervously chewed on snacks.
Caught between fear and hunger, she chose to eat while being scared. Seeing that Rin hadn't noticed her, she let out a sigh of relief.
After swallowing the beef jerky, an indescribable sense of excitement began to rise within her.
Before she could take advantage of this thrilling feeling to sneak a few more bites, the familiar red-and-white figure appeared at the store entrance once again.
"Welcome!"
"Boss, do you still have the tea from yesterday... Wait, did the corpse come back to life?"
Seeing Marisa perfectly fine, Reimu's eyes sharpened.
"Who's a corpse?! I was just... just resting for a bit yesterday!"
Marisa retorted, her face flushed with embarrassment. She hadn't forgotten how Reimu had stepped over her!
Reimu raised an eyebrow, glancing at Marisa's casual outfit, her eye twitching slightly.
"I'm a temporary employee here now. If you need anything, let me know."
"I bought a cheap can of tea yesterday. Do you still have any? I need another one."
"Didn't that last a while? How did you finish it so fast? Did you just chew on it?!"
"My mom confiscated it because I didn't finish handing out the flyers... She didn't leave me any..."
Reimu explained weakly, following Marisa to the shelves. As she walked, she noticed the lazy figure lounging in the rocking chair.
Ah, that's the person who came to the shrine yesterday afternoon.
She chatted happily with my mom and even brought snacks, but didn't share any with me!
Reimu's face darkened, and she deliberately ignored Yukari.
Yukari, noticing Reimu's gaze, smiled even wider.
"Here, this row is all cheap stuff. There's even a buy-one-get-one-free deal for 800 yen."
"Which one did you buy yesterday?"
"I don't see it... Is it sold out?"
Reimu was puzzled. There were several cans left yesterday!
"Do you have any for 500 yen?"
"Nope, the cheapest now is around 600 or 700 yen."
"The boss went to the warehouse to get more stock. There might be some there. You can wait a bit."
"Alright."
Hearing that there might still be some, Reimu finally relaxed.
Her funds were running dangerously low, and she had to carefully budget every day. Spending an extra 100 yen felt like cutting into her flesh!
"There's a chair here. You can sit for a bit. Want me to make you some tea?"
"Really? That's nice of you."
"Mainly because I want some too..."