Kakuriyo -Bed & Breakfast for Spirits- (かくりよの宿飯)

By order of the ayakashi king...

As of today, Tenjin-ya's master innkeeper

is me, Raiju!

What?

KAKURIYO -BED & BREAKFAST FOR SPIRITS- 2

What right do you have?!

As I just said,

this is a decree from the ayakashi king.

Official word should reach here soon.

As it turns out,

that ogre god had a secret big enough to shake whole the hidden realm.

A big secret?

We can't very well let him remain a Hachiyo, now can we?

You must be curious.

You must be despairing!

Die!

You dunce.

Damn.

I figured you'd show up, you pasty demon.

How dare you stand here at Tenjin-ya like you own the place?

You work for me now.

I'm about to become the master innkeeper here, you see.

Fool.

Even an order from the king won't make that possible.

That's the gold seal!

Gold seal?

Yes. It certifies Tenjin-ya as a Hachiyo.

It's required any time big decisions are made.

The conferral or revocation of the Hachiyo title

requires more than just the king's order.

All the Hachiyo seals must also come together.

Failing that, Tenjin-ya's master innkeeper remains in his position

regardless of whatever you may do.

It's only a matter of time.

There's a Hachiyo Night Meeting at the beginning of the year

where they'll all gather.

And then I'll officially become the master innkeeper here.

So you say.

One thing is certain:

That master innkeeper will never come back here.

Aoi-san!

Are you all right?

Ginji-san, I...

The situation is grave. We have no time to waste.

Unless we act, Raiju will take over Tenjin-ya!

I'll head to Youto to investigate what's happening to the master.

Byakuya-san's going personally?

He used to be one of the ayakashi king's chief statesmen at the Imperial Court.

I'm sure he has many connections there.

Our first order of business is to collect information on the master

and Saizou-dono, the head security guard.

To do that, we'll need a window into the Imperial Court's movements.

I'd like your help, Sasuke-kun.

Understood, sir.

Ginji-dono, the young master, will lead Tenjin-ya in my absence.

Understood. Please leave it to me.

I'm asking each of you to accomplish your own vital work.

As you know, the Seika-maru's night flight program is about to begin.

Seika-maru?

Tenjin-ya's sightseeing ship.

Its passengers enjoy scenic views and cuisine

as it sails from here to the capital.

Like a night cruise in the sky.

We can use the night flights

to travel between Youto and the ogre gate without trouble.

Aoi-kun.

Y-Yes?

Will you sail on the Seika-maru as well?

I'd like you to serve food.

Hey, Ginji-san.

Are you sure cooking is really all I should be doing?

Isn't there anything else I can do for the master?

It's not like you to lose heart like this, Aoi-san.

What?

You've always faced problems resolutely, bravely, and confidently.

You stay positive in the face of any adversity.

You're right.

That's what I'm usually like, so why...

I think it shows how much you care about the master and worry about him.

What? I-I do not!

The first and foremost thing you need to do is cook.

Your food reveals an ayakashi's heart.

I'm sure Byakuya-san is thinking the same thing I am:

It might create a chance for us to help the master and protect Tenjin-ya.

So for now, leave worrying about the master innkeeper to others

and think up meals to entertain our guests on the Seika-maru, okay?

Your cooking is sure to guide you toward what you ought to do.

Thank you, Ginji-san. I'll think up a Seika-maru menu!

That's the spirit.

THE NIGHTHAWK CHEESEBURGER

Wh-What is this?

A food truck. It's a type of van that you can cook inside of.

They're popular in the apparent realm.

Huh. Where did you find this thing?

Dr. Saraku had it for research purposes.

Ginji-san named it the Nighthawk.

Tonight we're doing a hamburger!

It's a Hamburg steak in a bun.

Well, the capital folk love new things, so it should be a hit.

No slacking off, now.

R-Right. Back at you, O-Ryo!

THE NIGHTHAWK / WE HAVE BURGERS

Eat at the Nighthawk!

It's a new location by Tenjin-ya's famous Moonflower!

Come try some tasty apparent realm burgers!

They're delicious!

We're finally done!

We did it!

Ai-chan, Chibi, you two worked hard. Thank you.

Excuse me.

I suppose it's too late to place an order?

It's all right. Here's a menu.

I heard you were serving novel foods, so I rushed over here.

They certainly are strange-looking...

These are called burgers.

They're essentially meat and vegetable sandwiches.

MOONFLOWER FRIED CHICKEN BURGER / TENJIN FISH BURGER

We have three varieties.

NIGHTHAWK CHEESEBURGER

Which one is highest in calories?

That should be the Nighthawk Cheeseburger.

It features a patty of Kiseki beef, avocado from the southern land,

and cheese from the northern land.

I'll have that, then.

Thank you for waiting.

This is your free drink. It's a hot apple-ginger soda water.

Hot soda water?

It's an ogre gate specialty.

It'll relieve your tired body!

My goodness.

Thank you. It does have a rather soothing flavor.

Now, how does one eat this?

You hold it firmly in both hands and take a bite.

Huh?

It's good.

I wonder if he would eat this.

"He" who?

That was great.

I'm bound by many things in my everyday life, and don't have much freedom.

This interlude has been a lovely chance to forget those things for a while.

Thank you, Nighthawk girl.

I wonder if he was someone of high status traveling in disguise...

What a view!

The master innkeeper is down there somewhere, right?

I hope he's eating enough.

Aoi-dono!

Sasuke-kun?

You will be disembarking here in Youto.

What?!

Those are my orders from the chief accountant.

You mean Byakuya-san?

Huh?

We'll slip into the crowd,

and I'll accompany you as far as downtown.

Wait, what about Aoi-chan and Chibi?

It's okay. I'm having another security guard explain things to them.

But...

We need Ai-dono to return to Tenjin-ya disguised as you.

Huh? You mean she'll be my double?

Yes. We don't want the enemy to find out you've left Tenjin-ya.

The enemy...

So, Sasuke-kun, where are we going?

To Nuinoin's castle.

Nuinoin's castle?! Where Ritsuko-sama lives?

At the moment, our only allies within the Imperial Court

are Nuinoin-dono and his wife Ritsuko-dono.

I'm told that Ritsuko-dono requested you.

Me?

I'll take my leave now.

Aoi-san, good evening.

Ritsuko-san!

It's been a while, hasn't it?

Yes, since the summer.

I'm sorry for summoning you here.