21st Century Necromancer-Chapter 780 - 776 In the Little Shop (Seeking Subscriptions, Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Having acquired enough martial power, Chen Yu finally stopped worrying about how to respond if the Godly battle broke out, and thus the advancement of the plan was put back on the schedule.

With sufficient martial power as his backup, Chen Yu pushed forward the Divine Enthronement plan with much more confidence, naturally no longer needing to probe Minami and Inomata Naoki’s reactions as carefully as walking a tightrope—as he had before—keeping things always lukewarm. It was time to try and advance more boldly.

He and Hiromi Jounouchi went directly to Minami’s family restaurant to seek her out.

"Doctor Chen, Doctor Jounouchi, what brings you here? Please, have a seat. What would you like to eat?" Seeing Chen Yu and Hiromi Jounouchi arrive together, the owner naturally greeted them with enthusiasm.

"The usual for me, a highball, steamed clams with wine, and a serving of curry chicken rice," Chen Yu ordered as he always did, even though today’s visit wasn’t for dining, but the restaurant’s delicacies were still worth savoring.

The owner acknowledged and began bustling in the kitchen, but what puzzled Chen Yu slightly was that Minami wasn’t at the restaurant today.

Chen Yu frowned briefly but quickly returned to his usual demeanor.

"Boss, is Minami not here today?" Chen Yu asked nonchalantly as the owner placed his drink in front of him.

Hearing Chen Yu ask about Minami, the owner didn’t find it strange and naturally replied, "She’s gone out with Doctor Kohinata for fun. The kid’s been cooped up at home before, but she’s been much more outgoing recently, often heading out to play with Doctor Kohinata."

The owner’s response surprised Chen Yu a bit; he had not expected that Minami’s relationship with Kohinata Kaori would become so good, to the point of frequently going out together.

He didn’t make much of it, though. After all, he had never restricted Minami from going out, only from getting too involved with ordinary people—there were boundaries between life and death, after all.

And now, Chen Yu needed her to break those boundaries.

Since Minami wasn’t there, Chen Yu and Hiromi Jounouchi didn’t say much else and ate as usual, listening to the other patrons chatting in the small restaurant.

"Did you hear about the dissolved body case at the hotel on the next street? It’s terrifying!" An older customer, perhaps having had a few too many drinks, suddenly brought up a murder case that had recently occurred nearby.

When he mentioned the case, another patron hurriedly said to him, "Don’t talk about such things while we’re eating! It’s making me lose my appetite!"

Perhaps due to the gruesome nature of the murder case, the older customer, though looking eager to tell the story, did not continue.

However, Chen Yu was curious and asked the owner, "Has there been a murder case nearby?"

"Yes, there was this washed-up female celebrity reported to have committed suicide in a hotel bathtub, and her whole body dissolved." The owner also found the case too unsettling, simply mentioning it offhand without elaborating further.

Chen Yu didn’t pay it much mind; in Tokyo, countless people go missing or commit suicide every day, so it hardly captured his interest.

After asking a couple of simple questions, Yu Chen and Hiromi Jounouchi focused on enjoying the delicious food while casually waiting for Minami to return.

Neither of them had to work overtime today, so they had time to wait.

However, before Minami returned, Officer Noguchi, who often frequented the small restaurant from the nearby police station, came in with Mitsushima Akira, who had been transferred to their station because of Minami’s case. Both of them had tired expressions on their faces and simply ordered two bowls of ramen after sitting down.

"Is there another case? You look so exhausted, Officer Noguchi," asked one of the regular customers who had mentioned the dissolving corpse case earlier, his curiosity piqued by the weary look on Officer Noguchi’s face.

As a policeman, Officer Noguchi naturally needed to keep the case confidential and didn’t say anything, just wearily shook his head.

Yu Chen glanced at the two officers and could tell they had just been in contact with a corpse, but this was all too common for policemen. Even if they were just local police officers, they could still come into contact with crime scenes and bodies.

However, his transcendent senses still allowed Yu Chen to detect a small detail from the two men: the smell of gunpowder. It was clear that the body and fire were related.

But considering his appetite, Yu Chen did not delve into it further and simply chatted with Hiromi Jounouchi about work while waiting for Minami to return.

Perhaps the two girls were too caught up in their fun, for it was not until the restaurant had almost emptied of other customers that they returned to the small restaurant, still not wanting the night to end.

Minami pulled Kaori Kohinata to sit at the counter and told the owner she was hungry. Meanwhile, Kaori greeted Yu Chen and his wife, "Senior brother, what brings you and sister-in-law here for dinner today? And it’s so late too."

"Just feeling a bit nostalgic for the owner’s cooking, so we came over," Yu Chen said with a smile, explaining before asking, "Kaori, when did you and Minami become so close? Wandering around this late, aren’t you two girls afraid of running into danger?"

"It’s nothing! We’re not running around wildly, just having fun, so there’s no danger. Besides, I have this!" said Kaori nonchalantly, as she rummaged in her bag and pulled out a stun gun.

Yu Chen recognized it at a glance; it was a powerful stun gun capable of taking down a grown man.

However, having such a device did indeed increase a girl’s sense of security, so Yu Chen didn’t say much, only admonishing her with, "Keep that thing safe, and don’t use it carelessly."

"I know, senior brother. It’s just for scaring people," Kaori replied, and just then, the noodles the owner had prepared for the two girls were served in front of them.

Famished, Kaori Kohinata quickly grabbed a pair of chopsticks. She put her hands together, said "Let’s eat," and began to eat eagerly.

Seeing Minami return, Hiromi Jounouchi glanced at Yu Chen, then stood up, went over to sit next to Minami, and quietly asked her, "Minami-chan, have you thought through the last incident? You’re not still troubled by it, are you?"

"Well, I’ve thought about it, and I guess it’s better to let things take their course, especially considering my situation, which you know, Doctor Jounouchi. I don’t want to..." Perhaps considering Kaori sitting beside her, Minami did not finish her sentence, providing a vague answer to Hiromi Jounouchi.

Hiromi Jounouchi certainly understood what Minami meant, but this answer was not what she or Yu Chen had hoped for.