113 Chapter 113 A man of principles

Naruko, Yasaka, and Kunou—the three looked like they came from the same line of ancestors.

"Why don't you come and join us?"

Yasaka asked Naruko after she was done with her prank. Naruko hesitated for a moment, drawn in by the idea of joining them. Kunou also wanted her to join them. They were the last kind of nine-tail kitsune. They should stick together.

Naruko had always felt a sense of belonging with Yasaka and Kunou, as if they shared a deep bond beyond their outside appearances. Curiosity getting the better of her, Naruko finally agreed, eager to eat the food she had never eaten before.

Like Yasaka and Kunou, the two lived in the Youkai realm and never experienced human delicacies from other countries before.

"Sadao-san, please give her the same menu as us."

Sadao nodded, then went back to work. Even though he was the owner of this shop. If there was a customer, he would serve them himself. 

Sadao's dedication to his customers was evident in his willingness to personally attend to their needs, regardless of his position as the shop owner. 

As he prepared the same menu for Naruko, he couldn't help but think about Ichigo.

'Only Emi and Chiho were already enough for me. How did Ichigo manage the time with all of the females around him?'

Sadao shook his head. He didn't know that Emi and Chiho had already come to terms with sharing him, so his life wouldn't be that hectic compared to the poor Ichigo-chan.

Naruko ate hamberger for the first time, and then she said it was okay, but it wasn't as good as Ichiraku ramen.

"What did you say?"

Sadao looked at Naruko. How could she say his super-special devil hamburger was just okay? It should be good, at least.

"I said it was okay, but it can't be compared to Ichiraku ramen!"

Hearing that. Sadao was about to say something more, but Yasaka gave him a message through youkai art first.

'She loved Ichiku ramen because of its sentimental value. Please don't mind her.'

Sadao understood what it meant. If it was like that, then he understood. He also had a past like hers. The demon lord also had a moment of nostalgia and sentimentality, where certain foods held a special place in his heart. 

...

Naruko looked around and sighed. Ichigo was here, but he had already gone away.

Yasaka wondered if it would be okay to tell her that Ichigo had gone to Hueco Mundo. She knew that she could be trusted, but it was Ichigo's business if he wanted to tell her or not.

"If you want to meet Ichigo then you can wait here with us but I don't know when he would come back."

"He would come back here?"

Naruko wasn't stupid enough to not know anything. That meant he must have gone somewhere when he was here. His scent was still here and not anywhere.

'He went somewhere from here but not outside. Was he going underground? That's possible because Shinigami, for some reason, likes to build underground facilities a lot.'

It was reasonable to think like that.

Naruko then thought of a way to pass time with them while waiting for Ichigo.

"Hey, how was the city? Was it more like our village back then?"

Naruko really missed the old village very much. Yasaka shook her head before she told her. Naruko didn't live in Youkai City in the forest, so she might not know. It wasn't a village anymore, but a full-blown city.

"Wow, Ichigo really did what he had promised you and your group of Youkai. I am really jealous. I want him to do something for me too."

Naruko smirked. She knew that Yasaka knew what she meant.

"You are not the only one who wanted him, Naruko. You have to wait in a very long line, and I think Ichigo wasn't a man who would pick anyone who liked him. He had his principles, and it was very hard to understand him, even we. The kitsune couldn't tell what he was thinking."

Ichigo was different from any man they had met in the past. He wasn't normal by any means.

He knew about emotions but did not understand them completely. He was very good at theory but still bad in practice. 

He often seemed detached and distant, making it difficult for others to connect with him on a deeper level. Despite this, there was an undeniable allure to his enigmatic nature that drew people towards him, even if they couldn't fully comprehend his thoughts and intentions. 

"I know, but I won't give up datebane!"

"Those verbal tics of yours, how cute!"

"Again, I don't know why I can't seem to get rid of it even if I tried." 

Naruko sighed in frustration; her verbal tics weren't something she could control or eliminate easily. It had become a part of her identity. Or even in the genetic code that made up her being. 

"Don't worry about it, Ichigo even said that he liked your verbal tics, didn't he? So there's no need to feel self-conscious about it." 

Yasaka reassured her. 

"Besides, it's what makes you unique and endearing to him."

Naruko smiled, and when she was about to talk more with Yasaka, She went silent and looked at the entrance of the Mc.Ronal.

"He's here. That asshole."

Yasaka could feel it too. She sighed and shook her head. She knew who it was that Naruko was talking about. And she felt a headache coming.

'I hope Ichigo came back as fast as possible. Otherwise, I might not be able to control the situation.'