Chapter 426: One Such Disaster is Enough; A Peculiar Contest
Yakumo Yukari found herself quite fond of this place. The pristine cleanliness, the faint, pleasant fragrance that hung in the air instead of the usual smell of grease and oil—it was all wonderfully soothing to the senses.
But what truly captivated her was the very nature of this otherworldly restaurant. To her, a being who could traverse the boundaries of reality, this establishment was an extraordinary anomaly. She could feel it in her very core: this was a genuine, separate world, not some hidden corner of her own. Her intuition, the one that had guided her to stake out this location, had been absolutely correct.
For now, however, her attention was fixed on the woman across from her, engrossed in her phone. The legendary figure herself—the former Archangel, the eventual King of Hell, the Morning Star once known as Lucifel, now simply the embodiment of Pride, Lucifer.
"Pfft—hahaha! So the author just shoehorned in a romance plot because he ran out of ideas for pure combat? As expected, battle junkies have absolutely no romantic sense," Lucifer chuckled, scrolling through her device.
Beside her, Pandemonica added softly, "Boss, with all due respect, I don't think battle junkies have much sense when it comes to combat, either."
"Hmm? What makes you say that?" Lucifer asked, looking up.
"Because I am one," Pandemonica stated with the utmost seriousness.
Lucifer paused, considering it for a moment before nodding. It was true that Pandemonica had no romantic inclinations to speak of, and as Hell's customer service representative, what battles was she even fighting? While undeniably powerful, she wasn't a battle junkie. She was…
"You're not a battle junkie," Lucifer said with a weary sigh. "You're a sadist."
Pandemonica tilted her head, a flicker of something dangerous in her eyes. "Eh? Is that so? But it has been a very long time since I've had the chance, Boss. I feel the urge to..."
"No, you don't," Lucifer cut her off decisively, not even looking up from her phone. "The only urge you feel is for milk tea."
Observing the two demons, Yakumo Yukari let a playful smile grace her lips. This version of Hell was certainly different from the one she had imagined, but that didn't matter. As long as it was interesting, she was content.
"You, over there. Miss Yakumo, was it?" Lucifer's voice cut through the air, sharp and direct. "You've been staring at us for quite some time. Is there something you need?"
Hearing Lucifer's words, Yukari's smile widened. "Oh my, have I been found out? I was merely curious. I wanted to see what the legendary Lucifer looked like in person."
Lucifer raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "I can see the excitement in your eyes."
Yukari snapped her fan shut with a crisp thwack. "Of course! I've been eager to visit this place for the past two days, and it seems I made the right choice. This restaurant is truly fascinating!"
"And why is that?"
Yukari's gaze drifted over to Yuuka Kazami, her smile turning mischievous. "Yuuka," she called out sweetly, "I want a sunflower, too!"
"Try and touch one," Yuuka replied, her voice as cold as winter frost.
Yukari turned back to Lucifer, her eyes twinkling. "See? Isn't it interesting?"
Lucifer instantly recalled Yukari's earlier comment about being surprised that Yuuka would let anyone take a sunflower from her. It was clear now. This Yakumo Yukari was a natural-born pot-stirrer.
Yuuka Kazami also understood the provocation perfectly. A dangerous stillness fell over her, her hands tightening into fists where they rested on the table. She wouldn't make a move in this place unless absolutely necessary, but the key difference was that Yakumo Yukari wasn't nearly as infuriating as Ren.
Lucifer, however, was thoroughly intrigued by her new guest. She set down her phone, a genuine smile playing on her lips. "Speaking of which, I'm sure you've found other things to be interesting, haven't you?"
"Indeed," Yukari confirmed. "For example, the gentle, brilliant light that shone from the doorway earlier. I felt its warmth, but not a hint of drowsiness. It's quite incredible."
Lucifer blinked, a look of confusion on her face. "Hmm? So, you sleep during the day and are active at night?"
"She does indeed hide away during the day and only comes out after dark," Yuuka interjected dryly. "She can sleep for twelve hours a day."
Lucifer nodded as if this were the most normal thing in the world. "A racial trait, I see. That's quite impressive. How do you even manage twelve hours? There are only twenty-four hours in a day. Doesn't sleeping for half of it get boring?"
Yakumo Yukari considered the question with deep seriousness before shaking her head decisively. "Not boring. Not in the slightest. I enjoy it immensely. By the way, Miss Lucifer... now that's a rather strange title."
"Don't tell me the Lucifer in your world is a man, too?"
"In most mythologies, Lucifer is depicted as male, is he not?" Yukari said noncommittally. "There are countless versions, countless appearances. But 'Miss Lucifer'... it still feels very novel. You might be the only female Lucifer in existence."
Lucifer thought for a moment, then shook her head with absolute certainty. "I refuse to believe that. I'm sure there are other female Lucifers out there!"
"Wow, what a powerful declaration," Yukari chirped, her fan fluttering open again. "In that case, I'm suddenly looking forward to seeing if there's another 'me' in other worlds. That would be very interesting indeed!"
"One of you is already a disaster for all worlds," Yuuka stated flatly. "Any more would be a catastrophe."
Yukari froze, her smile faltering for a split second. She looked as if she wanted to retort but visibly restrained herself. After all, this wasn't Yuuka's Sunflower Field, and she had yet to receive her food. She tilted her head, feigning confusion. "Miss Lucifer, you seem to find my sleep schedule quite normal?"
Lucifer tilted her own head, genuinely perplexed. "Is sleeping for twelve hours supposed to be strange?"
"But I sleep for twelve hours every day," Yukari clarified, waving her hand dismissively. "I've been a firm believer in 'early to bed, late to rise' for well over a decade."
A muscle in Yuuka's jaw twitched. Good heavens, the urge to strike her was becoming overwhelming.
Lucifer simply pointed a thumb at the demon beside her. "This is Pandemonica, our customer service representative in Hell. She's been managing a respectable eight hours a day since last night, but if you were to let her wake up naturally... well, it would take a few hundred, maybe a few thousand years."
Yukari's eyes widened. 'Good heavens,'she thought,'isn't she afraid of sleeping herself to death? Or waking up with amnesia? What an enviable... no... what an astonishing quality of sleep.'
"I seem to recall..." Yuuka added softly, "that a Casey also needs to sleep for eighteen hours a day before it can evolve into a Kadabra."
"Evolve? Casey? Kadabra?" Yukari's head snapped toward Yuuka, her curiosity piqued. "What are those? Yuuka, it seems you haven't been telling me everything."
"They are customers of this restaurant," Yuuka replied blandly. "Do you expect me to provide you with a daily report on every single patron who walks through that door?"
The next moment, Yuuka's fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white. She had just watched Yakumo Yukari nod, as if to say, 'Yes, that is precisely what I expect.'
A faint, amused smirk touched Lucifer's lips. The dynamic between these two was... complicated, to say the least.
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