That night, Sui suddenly realized it had been a while since he last visited his shop. After a moment's hesitation, he decided not to call Erina and instead headed to the snack bar with Tohru.
Previously, Sui had posted a notice informing customers that he would be away for a few days, without specifying a return date.
However, as soon as he arrived, he found a small crowd already gathered outside the snack bar.
When they spotted him, the guests' faces lit up.
"Owner, you're finally back!"
"We've been coming here every day waiting for you. It's about time!"
"Yeah, if I don't get my daily dose of happiness from your food, my whole day feels off."
Sui was touched by the dedication of his customers, who had waited for him every day. Moved, he announced, "To make up for the wait, every customer entering today will receive a free new drink!"
"Really? That's fantastic!"
"A new drink? I can't wait!"
The guests were overjoyed by the announcement, feeling their days of waiting had been worth it.
About thirty customers had gathered outside, but the small shop could only accommodate twenty at a time, so the rest had to wait their turn in line.
Once the first group was seated, Sui served each guest a glass of juice—freshly made by Shuckle, which he had brought along from home.
"What is this? This juice is incredible!"
"I've never tasted anything so sweet and refreshing before. Owner, can you sell this juice?"
All the guests were amazed by the flavor of the juice, some even asking if they could buy it.
"I'm sorry, but it's not for sale," Sui replied.
Since Shuckle only produced a limited amount of juice each day, he had no plans to sell it commercially for the time being.
Soon, more customers started arriving after hearing that the shop had reopened.
"Is that a new drink?"
"It looks delicious!"
Curious onlookers asked about the drinks being served to the seated customers.
"Yes, it's a special treat from the shop owner, but it's only for those who were waiting outside earlier," one customer explained.
"Owner, how much is the drink?" others asked, recalling the high quality of the milk they had previously purchased. If the juice was anywhere near as good, it would definitely be worth buying.
"Sorry, it's not for sale," Sui repeated. "For now, it's just a gift for the early customers."
Disappointment spread through the crowd.
"Another limited item?" someone sighed.
Despite the disappointment, some enterprising guests began eyeing those who had received the free drinks.
"I'll pay you five thousand for your drink."
"I'll give you ten thousand!"
"I'll offer twenty thousand!"
Before long, the price for a cup of juice skyrocketed to 40,000 yuan.
However, those fortunate enough to have received the drinks refused to part with them.
"Are you kidding? This shop is known for selling rare treasures, and limited editions like this are even more precious. No way am I selling mine!" one guest declared.
After three busy hours, Sui had finally sold out all the dishes for the day. Since the shop's purchasing quota for ingredients had doubled, he had been able to prepare more dishes than usual.
After cleaning up, Sui prepared to head home with Tohru.
However, just as they reached a street corner, a cute red-haired girl dressed in casual city clothes appeared in front of them.
"Demon King, I've finally found you," she said coldly, fixing her eyes on Sui.
Sui blinked in confusion. 'Who is this?'
"I'm sorry, miss. You must have me mistaken for someone else," he said, perplexed.
"Demon King, stop pretending! I could recognize you even if you turned to ash!" the girl declared, her voice icy.
Suddenly, a realization dawned on Sui. He remembered that a few days ago, the system had mentioned something about a creature from another anime world following him. Could it be… 'her'?
"So, who are you?" Sui asked, cautiously. 'Could this be Frieza?'
'Is Frieza this cute?' Sui thought. Wait a minute, could she be that brave hero from before?
As if on cue, the girl proudly declared, "I am Emilia, the brave hero who will defeat you!"
Sui was speechless. Only now did he realize that the world he had accidentally entered must have been from a "Demon Lord" story. He certainly hadn't expected Emilia, the brave hero, to follow him!
But Sui wasn't too worried. If he remembered correctly, she had lost her powers after failing to replenish her holy energy, making her an ordinary person now.
"I never expected you to become the owner of a snack bar. Did you poison the food? Or perhaps you hypnotized the customers, turning them into your slaves?" Emilia asked, her tone accusatory.
"You... you're a paladin? Have you discovered us?" Tohru's face paled at the mention of holy powers. She instinctively remembered the holy sword that had been plunged into her before Sui had saved her by pulling it out.
"Sui, we've been exposed! We need to leave, now!" Tohru said nervously.
Sui remained silent, feeling slightly exasperated.
"Leave? That's impossible! I'm going to kill you with my own hands!" Emilia declared, drawing a small knife no longer than her finger.
For a moment, the atmosphere grew tense.
Sui hesitated, then asked, "Um…"
"Shut up! There's nothing to discuss before I kill you!" Emilia interrupted coldly.
"No, it's just... that knife, you bought it from a 100-yen convenience store, didn't you?" Sui pointed out.
"What—what 100-yen convenience store?" Emilia stammered, her earlier bravado faltering.
"I remember you had a holy sword, didn't you?" Sui asked. "Where's your holy sword?"
"What does it matter to you where my holy sword is!" Emilia's composure began to crumble, her voice becoming shaky.
"Even without my holy sword, I can still kill you!" she declared, though her words seemed more uncertain now.
Suddenly, she rushed at Sui.