That evening, Yunyun arrived late.
Megumin visibly relaxed when she saw her, but Yunyun looked rather downcast, pursing her lips and keeping her head lowered, lost in thought.
Even the simple brain teaser Megumin posed—"If three out of ten candles are blown out, how many are left?"—Yunyun couldn't answer and simply admitted defeat, handing over her lunch box.
For some reason, Megumin felt unfulfilled, and Yunyun's distracted demeanor made Zunzun uneasy.
Still, Yunyun did not break their pact—she treated Megumin to beef rice, and Zunzun accompanied them.
They went to the only restaurant in Crimson Demon Village.
Zunzun and Megumin sat on one side, Yunyun opposite. After the owner's warm welcome, they ordered three servings of the "Scorching Hellfire Dance Beef Rice"—a dramatic name for just ordinary beef rice—and quietly drank iced water.
In the past, Megumin would have joyfully devoured any meal after an invitation like this. But Yunyun's silence and solitude cast a somber mood even on the little girl.
"Excuse me, may I have a high-grade pudding for dessert?" Megumin suddenly requested.
"Megumin, you're pushing it too far," Zunzun tried to stop her.
But Yunyun nodded in agreement to the extravagant dessert order.
This was very wrong. It wasn't like the previous concessions.
Even the little girl, normally unconcerned with such matters, sensed something was off. Yet just then, the restaurant owner brought three bowls of fragrant, steaming beef rice—and food quickly captured their attention.
Zunzun wanted to ask questions but found it difficult in the quiet, weighty atmosphere.
After the meal, Megumin played with the high-grade pudding, spoon in hand.
If they were mature adults, they would have scolded her not to play with food. But Zunzun knew she was wrestling with whether to eat the pudding or save it for Yuiyui and Komekko.
In the end, Megumin—thinking she shouldn't be greedy after eating beef rice—resisted temptation and asked the owner to pack the pudding to take home.
Zunzun couldn't help but bury his face in his hand.
To praise this filial piety, he ordered three more puddings. Soon, the high-end puddings were placed before them, and the little loli happily ate hers.
Yunyun thanked them.
"Thank you."
"No, just consider it a return gift for the beef rice."
But Zunzun was surprised—the pudding was expensive, costing as much as two bowls of beef rice. Truly worthy of being called high-end.
After finishing, the three left the restaurant.
Just as everyone prepared to return home to their mothers, Yunyun suddenly said something shocking.
"Well… that… I'm sorry, but starting tomorrow I can't come to the forbidden area anymore. I'm really sorry."
She looked deeply aggrieved. After saying this, she turned and ran off without waiting for a reply, tears sparkling in the air.
"…Huh? Why did she say she can't come anymore?"
Megumin was shocked by the sudden farewell.
After all, the two had known each other for a long time; it was natural to worry about Yunyun.
"No, this is bad, Zunzun!" Megumin shouted in a panic. "If she doesn't come, there'll be no lunch box! Then where will I get the nutrition I need? Without lunch boxes, my dad, mom, and sister will starve, and soon I'll starve too. If I starve, no one will learn explosion magic! Without explosion magic, who'll defeat the Demon King? If no one defeats the Demon King… the world will be destroyed!"
"The world won't be destroyed over something so small!" Zunzun pushed the excited little girl aside.
She wasn't really worried about Yunyun—just the lunch box. Also, how did one family have to rely on someone else's lunch boxes?
"But something must be wrong." Zunzun nodded gravely.
Yunyun, who was always early, came late today. His uneasy premonition had come true.
Time to find out what happened.
He sent Megumin home first. After washing and changing, Zunzun went to the largest house in Crimson Demon Village—the clan leader's residence.
Yunyun didn't appear, but the clan leader himself received Zunzun.
When Zunzun recounted the story and pressed for answers, he heard:
"Yunyun won't be farming anymore."
"Why?"
"Yunyun is the next clan leader of the Crimson Demon Clan. She has her own mission. It is her destiny to lead the clan into a new era. She doesn't have time to play house with you."
You…!
Hearing this, Zunzun almost lost it.
True, the Crimson Demon Clan's farming methods were grand and filled with high-level magic, but hearing someone say Yunyun wouldn't join the farm anymore still stung.
He really wanted to punch that clan leader.
Zunzun was furious after being rejected.
According to the clan leader, his daughter Yunyun was destined to inherit the clan leader's throne. She had to study all the clan leader's knowledge and often endure the brutally difficult clan leader trials—"You will die if you're not careful."
Did this guy realize whose fault it was that Yunyun had no friends? Because the clan leader was always fooling around, Yunyun couldn't make proper friends. Now that she finally had one, he suddenly interfered.
Damn middle-aged bikers!
…Wait, bikers?
The Crimson Demon Clan cared deeply about their clothing and appearance. Though it looked strange or even weird to outsiders, the clan—proudly chuunibyou—called their style "unique" and believed it was handsome.
In that case, Zunzun would show him that bikers were definitely not handsome.
Zunzun returned home and rummaged through some boxes.
Once popular in the clan, biker clothes were familiar. In his limited memory, his parents had worn similar outfits.
After a long search, he found only an old windbreaker and a pair of pants at the bottom of the box.
Both were way too big for Zunzun.
But it didn't matter.
The Crimson Demon Clan had a tailor shop.
He took the windbreaker and pants to the tailor overnight and asked Chekla, the tailor, to make them smaller—and embroider some words on the back.
Chekla's eyes lit up at the request and promised to finish by morning.
Meanwhile, Zunzun also retrieved the toy bicycle his father had bought him as a child and modified it overnight.
The next day—
Outside the clan leader's house stood a man with a towering hairdo, tattered, hole-ridden trousers, a bandage over his chest, and a windbreaker embroidered on the back with golden silk threads spelling out: "I am the only one in the world."
Next to him was a fanciful bicycle decorated with all sorts of weird trinkets, headache-inducing just to look at.
Most ridiculous was the steel basin serving as the bicycle bell.
Zunzun tapped the basin's bottom with a wooden stick, producing a harsh clang, and shouted:
"Old Man, my Harley is parked outside your house, you mind?"
-End Chapter-
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