Chapter 83: Himeno's Pressure, There's Reproductive Isolation, So It's Okay to...

Due to Power's exaggerated movements.

Her sudden standing up knocked the chopsticks from Himeno beside her flying.

She also nearly knocked the bowl to fall and shatter on the ground.

Hayashi was quick with his hands and eyes.

Thin strings shot from his fingertips, wrapping around the two chopsticks in mid-air, then flinging them back to rest on Himeno's bowl.

After doing this.

He happened to walk to Power's side and delivered a hand chop to her head.

"Smack~!"

"Making such a fuss, you knocked someone's chopsticks flying. Sit properly."

Power let out an "Ouch," her head shrinking as she covered it and sat down.

The people around looked at Hayashi with amazement.

Since the strings he shot out were invisible.

Everyone thought Hayashi might have used telekinesis or some similar ability.

Himeno picked up her chopsticks again and nodded to Hayashi: "Thank you."

Hayashi waved his hand, indicating it was nothing: "No need to thank me."

Then Himeno thought for a moment.

She reached into her pocket to pull out cigarettes, preparing to offer Hayashi one.

Since she was offering to others, he did feel like smoking a bit.

But this wasn't the place.

Hayashi waved his hand: "Let's smoke outside later, no smoking in the shop."

Himeno nodded and put the cigarettes back: "Okay."

Everyone was chatting.

Kobeni was saying how dangerous today was, how that devil was this and that.

Hayakawa Aki reminded everyone not to believe devils' lies.

"Devils are all liars. To get something, you have to pay something."

Power retorted: "Who says that? I haven't been lying lately."

Right, lately - she used to love lying before.

She even lied to Makima.

But later, due to unknown methods, she never dared lie to Makima again.

Himeno finished her last bite and put down her chopsticks.

She looked around, then looked at Hayashi and Makima and asked:

"I say, the ones who actually saved us were Makima-sama and Manager Hayashi. Aren't you going to thank them, or at least be curious about how the building was pulverized?"

"Right, how was that done?!" Higashiyama Kobeni immediately clapped, looking at Hayashi and Makima with surprise and admiration.

Hearing this, Hayakawa Aki and Power also looked at the two of them.

After all, an entire building, completely pulverized.

Turned to powder - this was indeed somewhat exaggerated.

When Makima was asked this question.

She stopped drinking her soup, looked up, glanced at Hayashi, and smiled:

"It's all Hayashi-kun's achievement. I just fired one bullet."

Hearing this, Hayashi almost rolled his eyes.

Right, you just say one bullet.

Why don't you mention that your bullet's penetration could send someone from Earth to space orbit?

The problem with that building was that Makima suffered from her bullet having too good penetration.

Makima's "bang~," except for dragons like Tohru, only top-tier fighters among other creatures could withstand it.

But facing everyone's gaze.

Hayashi just smiled.

"I just added a tiny bit of power to Makima's bullet. The main thing was still Makima's bullet being powerful."

Makima said she was ordinary, Hayashi was amazing.

Hayashi said he was ordinary, Makima was amazing.

So in everyone's eyes.

Both of them were amazing.

These two were being modest.

Himeno and Power knew even more that these two were flirting.

After everyone finished eating, they began chatting enthusiastically.

Having just escaped death.

Everyone had pressure in their hearts that needed to be released.

Things like binge eating and making noise were actually good outlets.

Many people's breakdowns don't happen under high pressure.

But after high pressure.

The contrast is too great.

Once you start thinking about making up for it, compensating, or whatever.

In short, once you can't return to normal state.

A person's mentality will change from then on.

Everyone chatted.

Time flew from 6 PM to past 9 PM.

Outside, the sun went from setting to completely down.

Dusk also turned to night.

During this time, Tooka came to pay the bill.

Hayashi went to settle accounts, also winked at Rikka who was staring at him, then saw them to the door and watched them leave.

Looking at the twinkling stars outside.

Hayashi didn't go back in either.

He took a glass of iced lemon tea and sat outside for a while, also checking on the sunflowers' condition.

Coming to the yard.

The three sunflowers had grown a bit more.

The fist-sized flower buds.

Had already grown to half a grapefruit size.

The leaves on the stems were even more green and lush, growing vigorously.

Hayashi looked at them with satisfaction.

"Grow up quickly."

The sunflowers heard this and swayed in the wind, indicating they understood.

Click~~~

At this time, the door opened.

Himeno walked out from inside, saw Hayashi, and came to his side.

Then she took out a pack of cigarettes from her pocket, pushed one out, and handed it to Hayashi.

"Mm."

Hayashi took it and put it in his mouth.

Himeno took out a lighter and helped him light it.

When Hayashi took his first puff, she also lit one for herself.

Neither of them spoke at first.

Instead, they leaned against the yard's railing, smoking.

He took a few puffs.

She also took a few puffs.

Then they started chatting.

Himeno leaned back against the wall, one hand resting on the railing, letting out a long breath.

"Couldn't contact the outside, phones didn't work, couldn't get through the door."

"Today I almost thought we wouldn't make it back."

"What kind of devil was that exactly?"

Hayashi knew Himeno was telling the truth.

Because the moment Makima broke open the building, her first words upon showing up were asking for compensation money to be given to the families of her previously sacrificed teammates.

"That's called the Eternity Devil." Hayashi explained: "The building was its possessed vessel. When you went in, it was like being swallowed into its stomach. To get out, you either break it directly or it willingly lets you out."

Hearing this, Himeno took a puff and shook her head.

"Good thing the manager saved us, otherwise this team would have needed me gone at least."

Himeno meant that in the end, she would have had to sacrifice herself to a devil to try breaking through the building.

She had a contract with the Ghost Devil.

Maybe it could work, but she'd definitely be gone.

Himeno's spirit of sacrifice proved she was a good teammate.

"Don't think about it so much." Hayashi took a light puff, looking up at the sky: "No one knows whether danger or opportunity comes first, so improve yourself and live well in the present."

"Yes!" Himeno nodded heavily in agreement.

After that, the two chatted more.

Himeno took this opportunity to vent the high pressure in her heart, confiding many of her stresses to Hayashi, this strong person.

This was a kind of verbal release.

Hayashi understood and listened like hearing a story.

Himeno said she'd already changed teammates 5 times, and her previous teammates had all sacrificed themselves.

Himeno said she just hoped everyone would be okay.

Himeno said she was under great pressure and actually wanted to quit, becoming a civilian bounty devil hunter instead.

She said many things.

Hayashi could see.

Himeno was like a worker in a high-pressure electronics factory, but also a worker facing life-threatening danger.

Not only could she see no future, but it was high-pressure and full of danger.

The salary was quite high, but she might not live to spend it.

Hayashi took another puff.

Himeno also took a puff.

After exhaling, Hayashi shook his head and said:

"For many things in life, others can't give advice. You'll never know the result until you try it yourself. I can't give you much help."

Hayashi couldn't directly improve Himeno's strength.

Even if he could, did he need to?

Just out of pity for others?

Maybe others didn't even want charity.

Sure enough.

After hearing this, Himeno thought carefully and nodded in agreement, with no emotional change.

"That's right." Himeno exhaled smoke.

She lazily leaned against the railing, also learning from Hayashi to look up at the starry sky.

"So beautiful today."

"However..." At this time, Hayashi said another sentence.

Himeno turned her head while looking up, waiting for the continuation.

Hayashi added the final sentence: "If you really want to quit, that's the only thing I agree with. If you don't want to do it, then don't do it."

"If the pressure is really too much and you can't hold on, go confess to Makima, say I told you to."

"If you have no income, you can work at my shop too. I quite like your character and qualities, very reliable."

Well, mainly quality assurance.

Hearing Hayashi's words.

Himeno was stunned for a while, then smiled very warmly and brilliantly.

She extinguished the cigarette in her hand.

Then stepped forward to hug Hayashi, patted his shoulder, then stepped back.

"Thank you for taking me in. If I really have no income, I might really come."

Hayashi waved his hand indifferently: "Just remember what I said. Confess to Makima in advance, say I told you to."

Himeno nodded vigorously: "Yes!"

Others might not know.

But how could she not know the relationship between Hayashi and Makima!

She wouldn't believe it if others said this.

Don't let blood splash on her face!

But she really believed it when Hayashi said this.

With these words, she really felt at ease.

The pressure in her heart immediately felt so much better!

Soon.

The two finished their first cigarette.

Himeno took out another, preparing to hand it to Hayashi.

Hayashi waved his hand: "Forget it, one is enough."

Himeno nodded, planning to smoke another one herself.

But at this time.

Another person came from the entrance.

It was Makima.

Seeing it was her, Himeno interrupted her action, stuffed the cigarette back, and waved to Hayashi.

"I'll go back first then."

Hayashi nodded: "Okay."

Himeno went back.

Makima came to Hayashi's side instead.

She gently leaned against the wall, very close to Hayashi, separated by only about a ping-pong ball's distance.

While Himeno had been about a soccer ball's distance away.

But that was because Makima was in the shop, so she didn't dare.

Seeing Makima's somewhat restricted movements.

Hayashi was curious: "Your injuries, can't you transfer the cost and heal quickly?"

Makima pursed her lips, rarely not knowing how to answer.

Her light golden pupils were vacant for a while.

Then she shook her head and answered:

"This is different."

Oh, so this didn't count as an injury.

It was the kind that connected to the heart.

Hayashi continued asking: "How do you feel, afraid or anticipating?"

Makima recalled: "Both."

As everyone knows, devils are very direct. Hayashi asked, Makima answered.

Interesting.

Hayashi touched his chin.

It seemed that sexuality was one way to restore humanity.

Kamishiro Rize was becoming more and more like a Yamato Nadeshiko.

Even Makima's mentality had changed.

This could be called one of the major discoveries about humanity.

Before it was always human to human.

Now there was human to ghoul, and human to devil.

Hayashi thought about it and became curious again.

"Humans and ghouls have difficulty getting pregnant, I know that, but do you know about humans and devils?"

Makima was stunned again.

Why were these all questions about knowledge gaps?

Not to mention humans.

Even devils themselves didn't know!

Their birth was also different from ghouls!

Humans and ghouls had some reproductive isolation - simply put, you could freely go all the way, but pregnancy was extremely difficult.

But humans and devils really wasn't clear.

Hayashi had gone all the way this afternoon.

Would Makima get pregnant?

This matter, not just now, even in Hayashi's previous life, there was no answer.

But Makima thought seriously.

Then answered: "In Hell, between devils, it's also extremely difficult to give birth to new devils. Generally, they only create new devils after mutually ceding part of their essence and fusing."

"Besides that, there's only natural birth as a conventional method."

Coincidentally.

Hayashi knew all the methods Makima mentioned.

So if even Makima wasn't clear.

Then Hayashi could only experiment day after day himself.

No choice, he just loved contributing.

But his guess was about the same.

It was the same as with ghouls.

Could also go all the way to the end.

Hayashi turned to look at Makima, his face showing a pleased smile, quite unrestrained.

Being stared at by Hayashi.

Makima experienced for the first time a feeling called... love and fear combined, even not daring to look into Hayashi's eyes.

This was her first time experiencing this.

Fear and anticipation intertwined together.

Bringing an unprecedented sense of novelty.

Making Makima also feel somewhat excited.

Hayashi smiled, patted Makima's shoulder, and whispered in her ear:

"I'll come find you again another day."

Previously, Makima might have been indifferent to these things.

But this time, she felt her ears tingling, shrank her neck slightly, and softly hummed in response.

After saying this, Hayashi returned to the restaurant.

Makima stayed outside for a while before going back too.

Soon after.

Makima paid the bill and left with her squad.

Hayashi saw them off, then returned to sit and rest in the yard.

But with summer approaching, the evening was a bit hot.

He went back in to get a glass of lemon tea before coming out to sit.

After a while.

Tohru finished washing the dishes and also came out with a glass of lemon tea.

She sat next to Hayashi.

First took a sip of lemon tea, then tugged at her collar.

"Hayashi-san, the weather seems to be getting hotter."

Looking at Tohru's maid outfit made from dragon scales, Hayashi asked curiously:

"Don't dragons have high magic resistance? Do you feel summer heat?"

"Yes." Tohru answered definitively.

She also explained: "It's just that my tolerance is high, but I still feel it. And the physical sensations in human form are different from dragon form."

"If I transform into dragon form and use a little magic, I could sleep in a volcano."

Hayashi asked: "Have you tried it?"

"I have." Tohru nodded.

While chatting, she was still pulling at her collar to fan herself.

She might not be hot anymore.

Because from Hayashi's angle, he could see the large expanse of white skin that Tohru was deliberately exposing.

Hayashi smiled helplessly: "Alright, I get it. Put it away for now."

"Tomorrow we'll go shopping. I need to buy books, and then we'll buy a big screen TV, and how about air conditioning too."

Hearing this, Tohru's eyes immediately lit up.

"Great, great!"

At this time.

Kanna came out.

She knew about books and TV, but didn't know about one thing.

Kanna climbed onto Hayashi's lap to sit, looking up at Hayashi's chin and asked:

"Hayashi, what's air conditioning?"

Hayashi looked at the restaurant.

This restaurant had only been open for less than half a year and really didn't have air conditioning installed.

He explained: "Air conditioning sucks in air, uses a machine to turn it into cold or hot air. When it's hot in summer, it blows cold air and makes people very comfortable."

Hearing this, Kanna immediately nodded: "Then we need to buy air conditioning. Air conditioning good, summer bad."

"Haha, summer isn't bad." Hayashi rubbed Kanna's head.

But he had a flash of inspiration, thinking of his own abilities.

"Oh wait, maybe we don't need to buy air conditioning. I have a method."

Tohru and Kanna asked together: "What method?"

"You'll know tomorrow."

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