Villain: Your Heroines Were Delicious - Chapter 156 - 21

Chapter 156: Chapter 21

In some alleyway, there exist a secluded Hot Pot restaurant, a hidden gem with dim lighting and wood-paneled walls.

This is a restaurant only those who are very enthusiastic about food can find, the kind of restaurant for people who are tired after a day of work and overtime to relieve their stress and cleanse their souls.

And at this moment, The Eight Limbs of Saint Shinomiya and Seijirou’s Group are engaged in a harmonious atmosphere.

Hours ago, these people had been tearing each other’s worlds apart; now, the clinking of porcelain and the rhythmic bubbling of spicy broth were the only sounds of conflict.

On one of the table occupied by Yukina, Takeko, Emi, and Mira, the atmosphere was incredibly lively.

Yukina, her skin still flushed from battle, was leaning toward Takeko, her eyes sparkling with genuine admiration.

“Seriously, senpai, you are so strong. How did you get those muscles? Oh, oh, I know a friend that is very obsessed with muscles like that, do you want me to introduce you to her?” she teased.

But Takeko sat like a stone pillar, his face stoic, though the slight twitch in his brow suggested he was unsure how to handle Yukina’s vibrant personality.

Beside them, the contrast was even sharper.

“—and therefore, you should totally practice Archery!” Mira was mid-sermon, her hands gesturing wildly as she explained the spiritual significance of the recurve bow.

“Urgh…” Emi, looking utterly drained, had her fingers firmly planted in her ears, her gaze fixed longingly on a plate of shrimp.

’Why? Why am I stuck with this annoying woman?!’

On another table, just across them, the tension was more physical.

Sakai, now slowly regaining some of his lost weight, was loudly recounting his double-slam victory.

“And then—boom—I just brought their heads together! You really should have seen it Renji! This Haruto was no match! He literally has to cheat and call for backup! How lame! he bragged, slapping a bewildered Haruto on the shoulder.

Across from them, Renji and Ryu were locked in a silent, high-stakes duel.

Their chopsticks clashed like steel blades over a single, prime slice of wagyu beef, neither willing to yield an inch of territory in the pot.

“I am known as the lightning jab Renji back in the day! You will never steal a meat from me!”

“That speed is obtained from your decade of being single and beating your meat!”

“What did you say!? Wanna go another round!?”

“Hah! Didn’t you brag you always finish in one round!?”

“That was in boxing!”

In stark contrast, on the table opposite to them, Shou and Miyato sat in a bubble of absolute stillness.

They ate with the grim, focused efficiency of track athletes, the silence between them weighted with a new, mutual respect that didn’t require words.

For Shou, he never really bore any hatred for this guy. In fact, he was even grateful, because through him, he got to meet Seijirou.

For Miyato, what he felt for Shou was envy and anger at himself. Having always been compared to him, and how those people made him feel like everything he did was not enough.

As for him saying that he slept with Shou’s ex, that wasn’t true at all. He was still a virgin, and he was proud of it! He’d wait until marriage before that stuff.

Further back, Kasumi, Rindou, and Haruka were having a different kind of struggle.

Kasumi was leaning dangerously close to Rindou, her fox-like eyes twinkling.

“Doesn’t the steam make this feel so romantic, Rindou-chan? Like a private date after a long night of ’passion’?”

“Urgh.” Rindou’s face was a mask of pure cringe as she stared straight ahead, determined to ignore this female menace.

Kasumi tried to pivot her teasing toward Haruka, “Haruka-chan, you’re also very cute. How about we go on a date this weekend?”

But her words was like throwing pebbles at a glacier.

Haruka simply stared back with her void-like eyes, her jaw moving in a slow, mechanical rhythm as she chewed her tofu, completely immune to social pressure.

Kasumi sweat drop, before turning towards Rindou and whispered, “Is she okay? She looks like a total sociopath, the kind that wouldn’t bat an eye if they killed people.”

Rindou rolled her eyes, “Yeah, and if you keep pestering her, you’d be her first victim.”

In the quietest corner, the two Kings sat face-to-face.

Seijirou sat with Suzune pressed close to his side.

He didn’t even reach for his chopsticks; Suzune was performing the task with practiced, loving devotion, carefully blowing on a piece of meat before feeding it to him.

“Here, Seiji…”

Seijirou swallowed the morsel and looked at the man across the table. “So, what do you plan to do with the Rebels?”

Standing behind Sosuke, Hari watched the exchange.

She looked at Suzune’s graceful movements, then down at her own unused chopsticks.

She hesitated, a rare flush of uncertainty on her face, before she mimicked Suzune’s action and picked up a piece of meat from the pot and held it out to Sosuke.

Sosuke’s eyebrows shot up toward his hairline as he looked at the meat, then at the blushing Hari, and finally at Seijirou, who was watching with an amused smirk.

Without a word, Sosuke leaned forward and ate the food, maintaining his cold, executive dignity.

Hari turned towards Suzune, who was smiling at him, and Hari looked down at her plate, pretending not to see it.

“I will report this matter to the Society,” Sosuke said, fixing his glasses. “Don’t worry, I have no intention of mentioning our clash. I will frame the story so that the Rebels attacked Saint Shinomiya and were repelled by the intervention of the Holy Church. It’s a cleaner story for everyone involved.”

“Well, that’s good then,” Seijirou replied as Suzune offered him another bite. “I don’t care about the Society’s internal politics, but having their people come and poke around my district would be a nuisance.”

Suzune nodded at that. If the Bully Society actually decided to pursue the matter of them beating up one of their District Leader, then they probably won’t be able to take a rest.

Although, she believes even if they knew, they wouldn’t spend manpower to actually suppress them considering they are still on a war of their own.

“Still… if you actually plan to hold the line against those Rebels, the current strength of your ’Eight Limbs’ won’t be enough. You saw that dragon.”

Sosuke’s expression darkened. “I know. My defeat tonight was… educational. I will begin training immediately to bridge the gap. I intend to obtain that ’Oversoul’ state. I won’t be left behind by a ghost like Jun.”

Suzune perked up. Oversoul, that new stage of power she had only learned earlier.

She wondered how to unlock that state? Her contracted Spirit was incredibly powerful, and if she can use Oversoul, then her power would increase exponentially.

“Oversoul, huh…” Seijirou muttered, the concept of spiritual possession echoing in his mind.

“By the way, Kageyama Seijirou,” Sosuke said, leaning forward. “My intelligence reports reveal that the barcade you currently own is being managed by one of your associates—the Fujiwara girl, correct?”

Seijirou nodded, his expression turning curious. “Yeah, Touka. What about it?”

“Is it possible to have her draft a business plan for us?” Sosuke asked, his tone strictly professional. “As you know, Saint Shinomiya’s primary source of funding has been tributes from the 24th District’s delinquents. Now that you’ve effectively subdued the territory, our income is projected to plummet. We still have a quota to provide for the Society’s higher ups, regardless of the civil war.”

As a District Leader, they actually had to generate income for the Society, or else they would be stripped off their power and influence and replaced.

One might say, why even bother offering money to them? Well, that is because being a District Leader also offers a lot of benefits, and once you retired, the Society would even provide you with pension.

Although Bully Society is a small organisation in the eyes of thr Grand Order or the Church, it still has enough power and influence.

Suzune fed Seijirou another slice of mushroom before hummed, leaning back into the chair. “An interesting request. But what’s in it for me? I don’t give out Touka’s brainpower for free.”

He didn’t even consider that Touka would refuse.

“Income shares,” Sosuke answered instantly. “We have the infrastructure; you have the management talent. We can turn our delinquent-run businesses into legitimate, profitable enterprises under her direction. You take a significant percentage of the top.”

Seijirou considered it.

Touka was a genius, and giving her a larger playground to manage would just be a better use of her talent.

After all, that is a girl who will one day dominate the software industry in the future, and be hailed as one of the richest person in the world.

“Fine. I’ll tell Touka. You two can discuss the specifics of the shares and the logistics later.”

Sosuke gave a sharp, decisive nod. “Thank you. An alliance of convenience is still an alliance.”

As the hot pot continued to bubble, the two leaders solidified a pact that would change the economic face of the district, unaware that miles away, a boy named Taro was already planning to tear their new world down.

Of course, if he can actually do it is another matter.