Chapter 21: The Excited Meisuke Nueno
Meisuke Nueno considered himself a man of rich experience.
He lost his mother at a young age, confronted his biological father when he grew up, slept with a yokai, spat on a mountain god, chatted happily with a god of poverty, ate super Hell-Dark Cuisine with devils from Hell, went gambling with the God of Death, saved his best friend right in front of the Nine-Tailed Golden Fox, and once turned the heavily effortful Yamata no Orochi created by an attention-seeking villain BOSS into a sky full of fluffy hairballs.
But none of that could compare to the scene before him.
The unknown young man merely stomped his foot, and the space in front of him shattered like a mirror. The fragmented mirror pieces turned into a sea of fire, and in the blaze, a Japanese-style building, spitting brilliant light like the sun, rose up.
The light was so brilliant that all powers, regardless of good or evil, were insignificant before it.
"Welcome to the Yorozuya," he heard the young man say. "Here, all matters can be answered. Hmm, except for planet-destroying stuff, because even I can't do that."
Meisuke Nueno didn't even hear the latter half. He only focused on one name: Yorozuya.
He felt the remaining power in his Demon Hand contract, the power of the Oni, shrinking and trembling in fear. This was an absolute power that completely crushed every yokai and demon he had ever seen!
The strongest creature he had ever encountered was the legendary Nine-Tailed Fox, but it was nowhere near a match for the young man in front of him. He couldn't even begin to gauge how strong this power was.
They were simply not on the same level.
Meisuke Nueno was a man of passion, and faced with such immense power, he voiced his deepest concern without hesitation.
"Boss! Can I buy on credit!?"
The light stopped spitting, and the fire disappeared. Meisuke Nueno found himself and the Snow Woman inside a slightly dimly lit room.
Beside him were rows and rows of display shelves.
In front of him was Hikigaya with a strange expression.
Hachiman Hikigaya was currently wondering if he was simply incapable of finding a normal customer.
Faced with such an awe-inspiring spectacle, why couldn't he get the proper, expected response?
'Buy on credit? You're telling me, seeing a shop this awesome, your first thought is buying on credit?!'
He reached up and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Even though he wasn't wearing glasses, he felt a sting in that area.
Hikigaya looked at the Snow Woman, whom Meisuke Nueno was unconsciously clutching. This yokai sister was much more respectful, her face full of shock.
'This is the expression one should have!
Quickly manage your husband!'
"Sensei, I have money," seeing Hikigaya looking at her, the Snow Woman suddenly tensed up and said to Meisuke Nueno.
"No, I can't use your money." Meisuke Nueno swallowed hard. He suspected he might have angered the Boss, but... was it possible this shop didn't allow credit?
That would be troublesome. He wasn't sure if the money on his salary card would be enough.
Hikigaya, in front of him, felt it was time to get down to business.
"It's alright, customer. The prices here are 'subject to market conditions,' and I believe you can afford everything." With that, Hikigaya called out, "Moe, come and greet the customers!"
After a rustling sound, the Nueno couple saw an unbelievably beautiful Tsukumogami (object spirit) emerge from some corner and stand next to Hikigaya.
Don't ask why the couple immediately knew it was a Tsukumogami. Meisuke Nueno, at least, had been an exorcist for most of his life; his intuition was sharp. He could smell whether something was a yokai from across the street.
But this Tsukumogami felt particularly different. There was no trace of resentment around her, nor any Buddhist nature. Instead, she had a kind of holy aura.
However, strange people and strange events are common. Since the Boss was so strange, it was normal for the Tsukumogami beside him to be a little weird, too.
Meisuke Nueno felt relieved with this thought. Moreover, the more he looked, the more he felt that Moe's aura was very similar to the aura that appeared when the shop first materialized, although in terms of intensity, one was silent, and the other was like a legendary magnitude 18 earthquake.
Seeing Hikigaya about to turn and leave, he quickly called out again.
"Ah, Boss, sorry, what did you mean by 'subject to market conditions' just now?"
"It means money can't buy my happiness. Don't worry, customer, I find you quite agreeable," Hikigaya answered casually, then said to Moe, "Be sure to answer the customers' questions well, Moe."
"Got it, Hachiman. Go play your video game," Moe nodded enthusiastically. She was very happy; it was her first time playing the "customer game."
Hikigaya happily returned to the counter. He had checked online earlier and found a glitch (BUG) to pass the first level.
He was definitely going to beat the game today.
Although Meisuke Nueno didn't know if "playing a video game" meant what he thought it did, he had already started looking at the merchandise.
His eyes immediately landed on a string of prayer beads.
These beads made him feel intensely hot, possessing an extremely powerful light force—the bane of all evil spirits. They would surely be exceptionally effective for exorcism.
Then he looked at the name.
Did Buddha Bless You?
What kind of ridiculous name was that? What was it actually used for?
"Sensei, I think this bracelet is terrifying." The Snow Woman shrunk back behind Meisuke Nueno. The moment she got close to the beads, she felt signs that her body might melt.
Instinctively, she did not want Meisuke Nueno to buy this item.
If Meisuke Nueno wore something like this, how could she ask for a hug?
"Hmm, for a yokai, it might be too powerful..." Meisuke Nueno did not touch the prayer beads. He was also afraid the shop might have a "you touch it, you buy it" rule—heaven knows if he could afford it; something this potent must be very expensive.
However, he really liked the beads, so he asked casually.
"Miss Moe, what are the effects of this string of prayer beads?"
"Oh, this was just made by Hachiman. It's called 'Sunset'"
"But doesn't it say 'Buddha' on it?"
"Oh, Hachiman just wrote that randomly. It should actually be called 'Sunset'," Moe introduced sincerely to Meisuke Nueno. "This string of beads is very suitable for the customer. It can both eradicate evil life and gather life force for your wife to treat her illness."
Hearing this, Meisuke Nueno retracted the foot he was about to step forward with.
"It can treat Yukime's illness?" His eyes were practically staring at the prayer beads.
"Yes. The customer's wife's illness stems from her life being incomplete, but this item can take the life of an enemy and inject it into another person. While it is only treating the symptoms and not the root cause, it can indeed achieve a very good therapeutic effect."
"Miss Moe, do you have any other similar products here?"
"If you mean products for treating your wife's illness, temporarily no."
"I'll buy it!" Meisuke Nueno slapped his thigh, extremely excited. "How much? Can I buy it on credit if it's not enough? Can I sell my blood?"
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New Fanfiction!
Hachiman please tone down your Inner Thoughts
While waiting for Yukinoshita in the clubroom, he unexpectedly travels to the world of Classroom of the Elite and becomes the representative of Class B.
Initially, he only intended to keep a low profile while helping Class B escape its tragic fate from the original story, and incidentally saving Ichinose Honami.
However, why these girls seems to know what am I Thinking?
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting