Chapter 6 - Taking Matters Into her Own Hands, the Half-Ghost Girl!

The next day...

As the bone-chilling wind filled the air, Richard woke up directly, devoid of any morning spirit.

Eerie laughter of ghostly dolls echoed through the room, sending shivers down the spine.

That was their alarm clock.

The restaurant opened at six.

They had six hours of sleep.

In his foul-smelling work uniform, Richard endured the discomfort, tidying up his clothes to get ready.

Rachel and Alexa were also up early.

As Alexa struggled into her clothes with one hand, muttering about previous mistakes, likely haunted by shadows from yesterday.

Rachel held a necklace, praying to come back and sleep tonight.

Honestly, Richard admired her a bit.

A girl who lasted this long without breaking down had a pretty good mindset.

Soon, the three of them set out and arrived at the restaurant.

Pinocchio sat slouched in a chair, his body leaning, his head cocked, looking like a recently abandoned puppet if you didn't know better.

Then, today's tasks were announced.

"Today, short-staffed, the three of you must complete six orders to finish work and rest."

At the mention of six orders, the faces of the trio soured a bit.

It wasn't just about being tired; encountering irritable, difficult customers could easily lead to trouble.

Six orders increased that probability!

Why was there a shortage of staff?

Richard and the others knew deep down.

It couldn't be resignations; it could only be that some were eaten or killed by customers.

Hell's Restaurant was open for business on the second day.

Customers kept coming in a steady stream.

Ethereal forms moved about in the restaurant, guests sat down with wooden expressions, waiting for the waitstaff to approach.

Richard approached the first table, where a ghost with severely burned facial features sat, a sight so shocking it could make a girl faint on the spot.

"Sir, what would you like to order?" Richard asked calmly and courteously.

The burned ghost pushed a selected menu over.

Richard glanced at it and froze.

"Sweet and Sour Pork?"

Do even ghosts eat this kind of thing?

"Please wait a moment," Richard said.

In the kitchen, the responsible chef glanced at the menu, huffed disdainfully, and began cooking.

Soon, the dish was ready.

As Richard picked it up, the chef coldly warned, "If you dare to sneak a bite, I'll cut out your tongue and use it as an ingredient!"

"I can tell the difference between my meals and stolen bites," Richard retorted.

Carrying the dish, he hesitated in the corridor and activated his Analyzing Eye.

Analyzing Eye: At the moment of explosion, he pushed the girl down to safety but was burnt to death himself. Though dead, he remembered the girl liked to make Sweet and Sour Pork for him to eat, tequila, the drink they had on the day they met...

"So, it is not food it craves but memories," Richard realized.

Looking at the dish, Richard suddenly had some ideas.

Turning two corners, he didn't go back to the restaurant but stopped at a vending machine.

"Human food is nauseating!"

The ghastly face on the vending machine opened its bloodshot eyes, glaring menacingly at Richard.

"Little mouse, feeling hungry?" it sneered.

Richard said, "Give me a bottle of tequila."

"80 ghost coins."

"It says 50 on top."

The vending machine chuckled, "Don't buy it, then get lost. I won't sell anything to you. You'll starve. Understand who the master is and who is the slave, got it?"

Without a word, Richard tossed 80 ghost coins into the gaping maw, and a bottle of tequila was spat out.

"Go drink in the corner!" the vending machine's mocking voice echoed in Richard's mind as he carried the dish and walked off.

Soon, he returned to the restaurant area.

Timing was perfect, not upsetting the burned ghost.

"Sir, enjoy your meal," Richard said, placing the dish in front of the burned ghost.

The burned ghost started eating, not devouring like the others around but methodically, savoring each bite, as if looking for something.

Soon, the burned ghost's body subtly trembled, making strange sounds.

Observing closely, Richard poured a glass of tequila, pushing it towards the ghost. "Why not try this drink, sir?"

Seeing the drink, the burned ghost's terrifying face twitched, "Is this the chef's idea or yours?"

Acting on one's own initiative could lead to terrifying consequences if it offended a customer!

But Richard, unfazed, nodded without changing his expression. "Mine."

The burned ghost took the highball glass, flames flickering on its charred skin.

If this drink altered its mood, those flames could incinerate Richard!

The lips parted, the drink flowed smoothly. The refreshing sweet and sour taste spread from the tongue to the throat.

The burned ghost's reaction was significant. Not because it was enjoyable but because the long-lost, familiar taste it had been seeking surfaced vividly in its mind.

"Ah..."

The burned ghost made a sorrowful sound.

The other guests ignored its reaction.

The waitstaff stared at Richard strangely, as if convinced he was doomed.

After a moment, the burned ghost raised its head again, its distorted voice sounding, "Not bad."

"This is for you."

It pushed a 500-ghost coin note towards Richard.

The surrounding staff were shocked by this scene.

Especially some ghosts, their eyes turned bloodshot at the sizable tip.

Richard smiled as he accepted it, bowing 90 degrees. "Thank you."

At that moment, the system's voice resounded in his mind.

"Angel's Kiss: You have earned Vanessa, the burned ghost's favorability +3, Reward: Props with Ghost Power - Blood-soaked Bone Crusher!"

Props with Ghost Power.

Items imbued with ghostly energy that could be used against ghosts, varying in strength.

Not rushing to use it, Richard tidied up and prepared for the next table.

Bell chimes!

Welcome!

The door suddenly swung open, and a new customer arrived, a girl with twin ponytails, fair skin, appearing like a regular girl.

But the way other customers and ghosts looked at her wasn't the disdain Richard and the others faced; instead, there was an air of wariness.

A half-ghost.

As the name suggests, part human, part ghost, originally human but now host to spirits, these beings were even more mysterious and frightening than ghosts.

Due to their human side, they didn't harbor much hostility toward humans.

Of course, as long as you didn't provoke them.

She sat at a table by the window, the lotus skirt swaying, her legs in white lace-trimmed stockings swinging back and forth.

She was served by an experienced ghost staff member who approached her with a smile to take her order.

Richard didn't linger and proceeded to the second table at the appointed time.

Ten minutes later.

Richard smoothly completed the second order and received a satisfactory review, which secretly pleased him.

Assisting the burned ghost in recovering lost memories undoubtedly earned high praise from the customer for the first order.

Following this trend, his daily pay today would likely double compared to yesterday.

At that moment, there was some commotion in the restaurant.

It caught the attention of many customers and ghosts.

At the window, the girl's food was served—a home-cooked meal and an afternoon dessert, a Tiramisu cake.

The girl took a spoonful, chewed thoughtfully, her face showing a slight contemplation.

The confident ghost staff member smiled and said, "This is our restaurant's signature dessert, called the Bloodstone Agate, complimentary for our guests. If you find it satisfactory, please come again."

The girl pursed her lips, smiling slightly, "But something is missing, and I don't like things too sweet."

"I'm sorry, let me bring you another portion," the staff hurriedly responded.

"No need."

Shaking her head, the girl extended her hand, squeezing thin air.

This action suddenly twisted the ghost staff member's expression into a grimace of extreme fear, and within the burst of his uniform, he transformed into a fleshy monster.

Attempting to flee, the entity was squeezed by something, turning into a meatball that the girl crushed in an instant.

Blood and flesh splattered in every corner of the restaurant, and though some guests glanced in fear at the girl, they soon continued eating as if nothing had happened.

She had just killed a ghost on the spot!

As Richard's face paled, a tattered teddy bear appeared beside him, its two black bean-like eyes fixed on the girl. "Customer..."