Animeverse Kitchen: My Culinary Journey Begins with Glowing Food! Chapter 24: Damn It! I Lost Everything!

Location: Yurine's Kitchen.

Ryohei had just finished pounding the pork loins to tenderize them and was preparing the panko breadcrumbs for frying when Yurine walked to the kitchen doorway, her bag in hand.

"Good news," she said, holding up her phone.

"Is my ID ready?" he asked, his eyes lighting up as he guessed the answer.

"Mhm. But we need to go pick it up ourselves from the police station in Shibuya. I'll go with you after my classes are done this afternoon."

"Great!" Ryohei replied. A mont later, Yurine left for the university.

A little after three in the afternoon. The sky was still blanketed by a thick layer of clouds, allowing only a little light to peek through. But this did nothing to deter the crowds; the streets of Shibuya were teeming with people coming and going.

Ryohei looked around with curiosity at the city known as the fashion and trend center of Japan. The streets were lined with a dazzling array of departnt stores, drugstores, fashion boutiques, restaurants, cafes, and ani rchandise shops.

"Let's look around a bit before we head back. There are so things I need to buy, too," Yurine suggested, noticing Ryohei's interested expression.

"Yeah, sure." The prep work for the stall was already done, so it was no problem if they got back a little later. Ryohei happily agreed.

Jashin-chan, who had a bulging wallet hanging from her neck, saw an arcade and instinctively stopped. "Um… I just rembered I have sothing to do, so…"

"What could you possibly have to do?" Yurine gave her a strange look, then glanced around. When she spotted the arcade, she understood. Oh, so you're going to play pachinko again?

Yurine squinted at Jashin-chan, who imdiately looked guilty. But then, Jashin-chan realized sothing. What do I have to be guilty about? The money in her wallet was cash she had earned through her own hard work! It wasn't an allowance from Yurine!

With that thought, Jashin-chan put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest, staring right back at Yurine defiantly.

"Fine," Yurine sighed, placing a hand on her hip. "Just rember to be back in ti. We have to work tonight." She then turned and, following the navigation on her phone, led Ryohei toward the police station.

Hehe~. It seems even Yurine can't say much when it's money I earned myself! Jashin-chan thought, Wagging her tail proudly. She then excitedly ran toward the arcade. Pachinko, here I co! Today's the day I win big!

"She went into the arcade," Ryohei noted, his gaze returning from the entrance.

"That's just how she is. She loves pachinko," Yurine said, sighing like a mother with a troubleso daughter. "She'll be crying about it later." She turned her reddish-brown eyes to Ryohei. "Don't you be like her, Ryohei-kun."

"I'm not interested in that stuff," he said, shaking his head.

Yurine's affection 1!

"So, what do you like to do in your free ti?" the petite goth-loli asked, looking at him curiously.

"Researching food, watching ani, listening to music, reading novels, playing gas…" Ryohei listed off his hobbies as he watched the bustling crowd. "What about you, Yurine?"

"Watching horror movies, studying demonology, collecting antique weapons, punishing Jashin-chan…"

"..." A drop of cold sweat trickled down Ryohei's forehead.

"The last one was a joke," Yurine said with a bright smile.

"Only the last one was a joke?!" Ryohei retorted. "Your hobbies are certainly… unexpected."

"So are yours, Ryohei-kun! You're surprisingly nerdy!"

"..."

Laughing and chatting, the two of them arrived at the Shibuya Police Station. After stating their identities and purpose, Ryohei smoothly received a Specified Skilled Worker visa. As of today, he was no longer an illegal resident, at least not in Japan.

Ryohei put the visa away, breathing a sigh of relief. A sense of security washed over him. He looked at Yurine gratefully. "You've been a huge help, Yurine. How can I ever thank you?"

"No need to thank . It was my fault for not keeping a better eye on Jashin-chan in the first place," she said, waving her hand.

"You are you, she is she," Ryohei said, shaking his head. He never considered the two of them a package deal. And really, it wasn't Jashin-chan's fault. Although she had summoned him to a dangerous world and his old life and savings were gone, he had been lucky enough to get a cheat skill. He hadn't been hard, and Yurine had taken great care of him. Compared to his old, mundane life where he could see his entire future laid out before him, his new future was bound to be more exciting and full of possibilities. To be honest, Ryohei felt pretty lucky.

"Hmm…" Standing in front of the police station, Yurine seed to sense his determination. A faint smile appeared on her lips. "Since you insist, then tomorrow, you can make Omurice and so crè caral. I really love those two."

"No problem!" Ryohei quickly made an OK sign with his hand, promising to put it on the nu for tomorrow.

Afterward, the two of them went shopping in Shibuya. Ryohei bought the latest model of the popular fruit-logo smartphone and got a local SIM card. The 128GB phone alone cost him 188,640 yen. Japanese money looked like a lot, but it didn't go far. Just like that, his savings were cut in half. He then bought a new set of pajamas, an apron, a pair of shoes, and so face wash. A chef's work involved a lot of smoke and oil, so his face often got greasy. He'd always used face wash to keep it clean. For the past few days, he hadn't had a single yen to his na and had been too embarrassed to ask to borrow Yurine's. Now, his personal supplies were finally complete.

Yurine bought so bath bombs and a bottle of body lotion. Ryohei glanced at her, finally understanding why her skin was so good and why she always slled so nice after her bath. It wasn't the scent of shampoo or bath bombs, but sothing else entirely. The case was now closed.

By the ti they erged from a drugstore, the sky had already darkened. Yurine checked the ti. "Is there anything else you need to buy? If not, we should probably head back."

"Yeah, let's go back," Ryohei agreed. While he wanted to check out more of the area, there was no rush. He could co back another ti when he was free. For now, it was ti to get back to making money.

The two of them headed for the station.

At that exact mont, Jashin-chan was crawling out of the arcade, two wide rivers of tears streaming down her face, looking utterly dejected.

"Waaaaah… Damn it! I lost everything!"

For so reason, the pain of losing felt especially sharp today, and it was accompanied by a deep sense of regret. Perhaps it was because the money she'd lost was money she had actually worked hard to earn.