Tokyo—a city not legally defined as Japan's capital, situated in the heart of the Kanto Plain. It is an international metropolis facing Tokyo Bay, the central city of the Tokyo Metropolitan Area, one of Japan's three major urban centers.
Even with monsters popping up randomly as of late, the region's prosperity remained unaffected.
In a place teeming with people who weren't short on money, there was naturally no shortage of high-end restaurants. With a little effort, one could always find a dining establishment to their liking.
Inside a room with a strong Japanese aesthetic, a girl in a long green dress and a simply dressed young man were having lunch.
For an activity like a date, it was obviously better to choose a place with a bit more ambiance.
Naturally, Li Zihan had selected a kaiseki restaurant.
However...
It seemed Miss Dull Goose was not particularly fond of it.
"The portions are so small."
After finishing the last dish, Miss Dull Goose, who was not full at all, looked thoroughly dejected.
It was clear that kaiseki cuisine, with its extreme emphasis on refinement and Zen-like artistry, was not very friendly to someone who preferred large portions.
"This place is actually considered to have rather generous portions," said the young man, who was skilled in both cooking and eating, having sampled nearly every famous establishment in London several times over. He took a sip of his taro miso soup.
Unlike the Japanese restaurants in Shenzhou that deliberately used high-grade ingredients to create a sense of luxury, the kaiseki restaurants in Tokyo were authentic and stylish.
The menu cover was adorned with a cherry blossom pattern. Inside, the names of each dish were listed, all adhering to the strict rules of kaiseki: sashimi must be followed by a soup; a meat dish cannot be served too far from another soup. The entire meal not only emphasized the use of seasonal ingredients but also demanded that the plating of each dish reflect an elegant style.
The herring roe was wonderfully springy, while the eel was incredibly soft. Both tasted exceptional.
The cod and vegetable hot pot, served with crab meat, pickled vegetables, and rice, exuded the essence of the ocean, and the clear mushroom and kelp soup was refreshingly delightful.
I should come here more often when I have free time, the young man thought to himself. He was treating them to a rather fine Japanese meal using Kirie Kagarino's money. He then looked at the girl across from him.
"Should I order another set for you?" the scum asked, looking at his lover. He had a feeling Miss Dull Goose could easily eat another entire meal by herself.
"If I want to get full, we'd better switch to another restaurant."
Durandal shook her head.
Having lived in Europe her whole life, she didn't really have much of a feel for Japanese cuisine. She roughly understood why Li Zihan had brought her here; taking someone on a date in the ambiance of a high-class restaurant was obviously more romantic.
What a pity.
She would have preferred to be sweating it out in a gym.
Durandal thought to herself.
Besides, compared to so-called high-end Far East Japanese cuisine, she actually preferred street food stalls.
The reason was simple.
It was delicious.
The fact that those high-oil, high-calorie, unhealthy foods still sold like hotcakes was proof enough of their appeal.
"In that case, you can have this to tide you over for now."
Very naturally, Li Zihan pushed his own portion of dessert in front of the girl.
"Aren't you eating?"
Durandal looked at the person who was supposed to be sharing dessert with her and asked.
"I'm not a big fan of sweets."
"Then I'll have it."
Without much protest, like most Europeans, the girl who loved sweets nodded, then began to eat the new dessert, savoring every bite.
Li Zihan propped his chin up with one hand, gazing at the girl's profile, which could be considered a work of art, and waited quietly.
"Is there something strange on my face?"
Noticing his gaze, the girl stopped eating and looked at her lover.
"No, I was just looking."
The young man said with a smile.
"Is that so."
Feeling that this answer wasn't quite what she wanted, the girl absently finished the pastry, then lifted her head to look at her lover.
He wore a black long-sleeved jacket over a white shirt, with coffee-colored jeans below.
His outfit was ridiculously simple, but people with good looks and a great figure looked good in anything. Paired with those brilliant golden eyes, it was truly superb.
The Captain is actually quite charming when he's serious.
The girl thought, her cheeks flushing slightly.
However, most of the time, the roles this guy played were that of a smiling tiger, a lecher chasing after beauties, and an insufferable husky begging for a smack...
At this thought, a hint of resentment rose in Miss Durandal's heart.
Seriously, why couldn't this guy just get rid of those bad habits?
"So, Captain, is it really okay for you to be on a date with me at a time when you should be fighting enemies?"
The girl, who was actually quite enjoying the current atmosphere, looked at the young man who was doing nothing but staring at her, hesitated for a long time, and finally asked.
"It is a bit wrong, I suppose."
After looking through the list of enemies he needed to eliminate, Li Zihan had indeed been taken aback.
After all, he knew quite a few of the people on it.
Honestly, he highly suspected this mission had been specifically issued with him in mind.
And...
A whole bunch of characters from the Type-Moon and Honkai worlds had shown up, yet this world hadn't suffered from Honkai corruption. This was just ridiculously outrageous.
Li Zihan thought.
[The Imaginary Tree got tangled up with the Sea of Quanta again.]
The system, which had probably been forgotten by many readers, made a rare appearance and spoke.
[It's not difficult for the Imaginary Tree to corrode one world and then move on to the next. However, getting smacked with a brick by the Sea of Quanta while it's getting high on its invasion, and whether it still has the energy to bother with corrosion, is another matter entirely.]
Emm...
What a simple and easy-to-understand analogy.
It seemed the Imaginary Tree got clocked by the Sea of Quanta while it was devouring the Type-Moon world, so it was temporarily too busy to deal with anything else.
That was truly delightful news.
If I were to achieve Emanation in the future, I would definitely choose a region that can connect to multiple worlds, the young man thought.
"But, overall, it's not a big deal."
"Are you sure there's no problem at all?"
Durandal looked a bit suspicious. She remembered that not long ago, Li Zihan's expression when he mentioned the mission was as if he'd been bitten by a dog.
The young man, who was completely confident that the Dead Apostle King and the two Draculas couldn't stop him, smiled slightly.
What truly gave him a headache was a certain King from another universe who was currently chasing the scent of a God-Slayer, making his way here with his subordinates.
A Steel God-King who would absolutely not tolerate the existence of a Rakshasa in any world he could perceive, and who would even go so far as to slaughter his own kind to achieve that end.
Honestly, making an enemy of an old diehard like that, who wields a Sword of Stellar Demise, is going to be a bit difficult.
But—
It wasn't as if he had no way to deal with it.
The young man, who had grown strong under the nurturing of the "Hero-Rearing System," chuckled lightly.
"Really, there's no problem."