Around seven o'clock, the usually bustling park was eerily quiet.

Banjo Kazuichi arrived and quickly spotted a CCG vehicle. Playing it cool, he acted like he was just passing by, "casually" glancing into the park. He didn't see any food stall at the location Sota had described, and a flash of disappointment crossed his eyes.

Looks like they've already left.

Without stopping, Banjo continued on his way.

By this time, Ryohei was already back at Yurine's apartment, happily counting cash in the living room. Jashin-chan's eyes were practically glued to the stack of bills in his hand, drool forming at the corner of her mouth. Yurine was also a bit moved. The income from a single night of work was probably more than what she earned in two months at her part-time job.

This guy was a real money-maker! To earn so much from a simple food stall!

"A grand total of 223,000 yen!" After finishing his count, Ryohei announced the number with a grin. The ingredients had cost around 20,000 yen, but they still had plenty of rice and fillings left. After factoring in the cost of gas and other expenses, his overall profit margin was around eleven times his initial investment. And that wasn't even counting the onigiri they had eaten themselves. If he bought his ingredients in bulk from a wholesale market, the profits would be even higher.

Ryohei was very satisfied. He first counted out 50,000 yen and handed it to Yurine. "Here's the principal you lent me. I'm paying you back."

"And this is your pay for tonight," he added, counting out another 5,000 yen for her.

"Oh, I don't need to be paid. I was just helping, not working for you," Yurine said, also mentioning, "Besides, I ate a bunch of your onigiri tonight." She only took back her initial 50,000 yen, leaving the extra payment on the table.

"What about me, what about me?" Jashin-chan leaned over the table, unable to wait any longer.

"What are you so anxious for? I wasn't going to forget about you," Ryohei laughed, counting out fifteen 1,000 yen notes for her. "Here's 15,000 yen. You worked hard today."

"Hahahaha~! Yurine, I got three times more than you!" Jashin-chan was instantly ecstatic. This was a lot of money. Her monthly allowance from Yurine was only 5,000 yen, and she knew the hourly wages for part-time jobs in the area. Ryohei had definitely given her preferential treatment.

But the most important part was that it was three times what Yurine was offered! She had won! Even if it wasn't a victory in terms of strength…

Jashin-chan fanned the bills out like a peacock's tail and looked at Yurine smugly.

Yurine just gave her a calm, sidelong glance before turning to Ryohei. "You spoil her too much, Ryohei-kun."

"Not at all," Ryohei smiled. "Jashin-chan was a huge help today, and she worked really hard…"

"Mhm, mhm," Jashin-chan nodded in agreement, draping an arm over Ryohei's shoulder. "I never thought a traitor like you had a conscience. You actually recognized my hard work."

Ryohei shot her a look. Give her an inch and she'll take a mile. Ignoring her, he gestured to the money on the table. "You should take the 5,000 yen, Yurine. You earned it. I can't have you working for free, that would make me feel bad."

"If Yurine doesn't want it, I'll take it for her!" Jashin-chan said, reaching for the cash.

Smack! She recoiled, clutching her now-reddened hand. Ryohei was speechless. This girl never learned her lesson. He seriously wondered if she had some kind of masochistic streak.

"Who said I don't want it!" Yurine shot Jashin-chan a look, then took the 5,000 yen from the table and put it in her wallet. "Well then, I won't be shy," she said to Ryohei.

"Good, you shouldn't be," he smiled.

With the "loot" divided, everyone was happy—at least, Ryohei and Yurine were.

They started chatting, with Yurine asking Ryohei if he was getting used to things here. He replied that he was doing fine.

"..." Jashin-chan watched them for a moment, then slithered off to the bedroom to hide her earnings. She returned to the living room and addressed Ryohei.

"My subject, what are we selling tomorrow? More onigiri?" During their time at the stall, she had heard him mention more than once that he planned to sell other things. She was simply curious… and greedy to try more of his food.

"Hmm… Tomorrow we'll sell some onigiri, but I'll add some Tonjiru as well," Ryohei said, revealing his plan. He didn't want to eat onigiri for two nights in a row, either.

"Tonjiru?" Jashin-chan blinked, a question mark appearing over her head. They didn't have that in the Demon World.

Yurine also looked at him curiously. While she knew what it was, it wasn't typical food-stall fare.

Seeing their expressions, Ryohei explained. "It's a hearty miso soup with pork and lots of root vegetables. It's super fragrant and delicious, especially on a cool evening. It'll be the perfect thing to eat alongside the onigiri." He gave a confident thumbs-up.

"Slurp!" Hearing his description, Jashin-chan and Yurine both swallowed hard, their mouths watering.

I want to eat that right now! both the girl and the demon thought at the same time.

The next day. It was Wednesday. Yurine didn't have classes in the morning, so she joined them on their trip to the market.

Ryohei had her and Jashin-chan help buy more ingredients for the two types of onigiri, as well as the ingredients for the Tonjiru—pork belly, daikon radish, carrots, burdock root, and good-quality miso paste. They also bought more disposable bowls and cutlery.

Many hands make light work. With three people to carry everything, the trip back was much easier than the day before.

Back home, Ryohei immediately started washing the rice and prepping the vegetables for the soup. Yurine watched from the kitchen doorway.

"Is there anything I can help with?"

"Not at the moment," Ryohei said, adding water to the rice cooker. "We have plenty of time today, and the prep work isn't as intense as yesterday. I can handle it." At most, he'd pull Jashin-chan in later to help shape the onigiri. Her talent for cooking was real; he only had to show her once, and she could make them beautifully.

"Okay," Yurine nodded. "Just call me if you need anything," she said, before leaving the kitchen. As for Jashin-chan, she had already started doing chores around the apartment of her own accord.

Katori Chion was having a hard time focusing at work today. It was ridiculous, but she couldn't stop thinking about last night's onigiri. She desperately wanted to eat it again and regretted not buying more. She spent the day wondering if the stall would be there again tonight, anxiously waiting for the workday to end.

Finally, lunchtime arrived. As she was heading to the cafeteria, the kind onee-san with the teardrop mole by her eye approached her with a concerned look. "Chion, what's wrong? You've seemed really distracted all morning."

"Ah… Senpai!" Chion jumped, then admitted guiltily, "It's nothing, really. I was just wondering if that food stall from last night will be there again tonight…"

"Oh, you," her senior sighed, gently tapping her on the head. "You need to work hard this afternoon, you hear me?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Chion straightened up, her hands on her thighs, and replied with gusto.

"But I have to admit, that stall's onigiri was really something else," the woman with the "dangerous wife" hairstyle, who had overheard them, chimed in with a laugh. "I was thinking about it this morning, too."

"Haha, me too!" the woman with the bob cut added, before her face fell into a frown. "I just wish it wasn't so expensive. 1,000 yen for one is a bit much. I can't really afford it."

"Ahh, that's so true!" The others all nodded in agreement.

The onigiri was truly divine, but the price was truly steep. They wanted to eat it as a proper meal, but their wallets wouldn't allow it. The misery!