21st Century Necromancer
Chapter 863 - 857: Embarrassment

Minami, who had gone out to deliver food, quickly returned to the small shop.

Although she was a ghost, thanks to Chen Yu's concealing spell and the help Jounouchi Hiromi had provided her in the past, Minami was no different from a living person. Even running around under the sun didn't pose any problems for her.

Because of this, she wasn't like other ghosts who could only go out at night or when the sunlight was obscured.

For the same reason, even though the sun hadn't fully set yet, Minami could go out to deliver food without worrying about getting sunburned like an ordinary ghost would.

Originally, the boss's restaurant neither offered delivery services nor operated outside the hours of midnight to early morning, but to accommodate Minami, the boss adjusted the business hours to start during dinner time.

As for the delivery service, it was a compromise made due to the change in operating hours, which had shifted the dining times of many regular customers.

Fortunately, Minami herself had no objections to this arrangement and was quite happy to deliver food. After all, as a ghost, she didn't have much to do or places to go, so being able to head out for a while was better than being cooped up in the shop all day.

This evening, Minami delivered food to a nearby regular customer. Normally, they would come to the shop for a meal after finishing work at midnight, but with the change in hours, they now had the option to order takeout for dinner.

Minami returned to the shop in high spirits, not only because she saw an adorable kitten on the way back but also because the sunset and twilight were breathtakingly beautiful as the sun dipped below the horizon.

However, the moment Minami stepped back into the shop and saw Chen Yu, Jounouchi Hiromi, and Inomata Naoki all together, she felt as though her good mood had flown away like the startled bird at the entrance.

"Doctor Chen Yu, Doctor Jounouchi?" Minami called out their names in surprise, then noticed Inomata Naoki standing next to them. "And Inomata-kun? Why are all of you here together?"

Seeing Minami enter, Chen Yu naturally greeted her with a smile, saying, "Minami, you're back? Just a moment ago, Naoki was asking about you! He was wondering why you weren't at the shop."

"I… I just went out to deliver food," Minami stammered nervously, appearing particularly flustered in front of Chen Yu, especially since Inomata Naoki was also watching her from beside him.

The tension was clearly affecting Minami. As she carried the metal delivery box into the counter area, she accidentally knocked over a cup that had been sitting on the counter.

When the cup hit the floor and smashed into pieces, Minami hurriedly apologized and set down the delivery box to grab a broom, but in her haste, she knocked over the delivery box as well.

Seeing her in such a frantic state, Inomata Naoki instinctively stood up and approached her, picking up the fallen delivery box. "Let me handle it. Don't touch the broken glass—you might cut your hands," he said kindly to Minami.

But Inomata Naoki's offer of help only made Minami more flustered. She quickly declined, pushed him back to his seat, and clumsily grabbed the broom to sweep up the shattered glass into a dustpan, intending to deal with it later.

Inomata Naoki, now pushed away and at a loss, turned to Chen Yu, who was stifling a laugh, and asked in confusion, "Did I do something to offend Miss Minami? Why does she seem so wary of me?"

Chen Yu simply smiled without replying, while Jounouchi Hiromi, who had been covering her mouth to suppress her laughter, lowered her hand and offered an explanation: "You're making Minami nervous. Men don't always need to act so gentlemanly."

Jounouchi Hiromi's comment left Inomata Naoki skeptical, but when he glanced at Minami and saw her avoiding his gaze, he reluctantly accepted her reasoning, albeit with some embarrassment.

Awkwardly raising his glass to ease the tension, he muttered in frustration, "How did I make her nervous? She seemed perfectly normal the last time we met!"

Hearing his complaint, Chen Yu raised an eyebrow and asked, "You've met Minami before? When was that? Don't tell me you've upset her before?"

Of course, Chen Yu knew the last time Inomata Naoki had encountered Minami—it was when they had gone for a hotpot together. But he asked the question deliberately.

Cornered by Chen Yu's remark, Inomata Naoki could only reply, "It was when Kaori and I went for that hotpot with you all. Remember? I went to buy drinks and happened to run into Minami at the convenience store. I even bought her a drink. I didn't offend her!"

"Maybe it's because you were too gentlemanly before—or rather, too kind and considerate. Minami might think you have feelings for her. Or perhaps she has feelings for you, but since you already have a girlfriend, she feels it's inappropriate," Jounouchi Hiromi commented with a knowing smile, offering her perspective as a woman. "Her reaction is perfectly normal."

Hearing Jounouchi Hiromi's analysis, Inomata Naoki was about to get up and explain things to Minami, but Chen Yu stopped him.

"What are you doing?" Chen Yu asked, looking at him.

Still puzzled, Inomata Naoki explained, "I'm going to explain things to Minami! I can't just let her misunderstand like this."

"This isn't the right time to explain," Chen Yu firmly placed a hand on Inomata Naoki's shoulder, halting his move to stand up. "Let Kaori help you explain later. Right now, Minami's already nervous. If you explain now, it will only make things worse. It's better to have Kaori clarify things for you later—it will come across better that way."

Considering Chen Yu's words, Inomata Naoki nodded in agreement and gave up the idea of explaining to Minami on the spot.

Indeed, as Chen Yu had pointed out, Minami was already showing signs of resistance and tension. If he explained now, it would likely only make her more anxious, leaving the situation even messier.

With that thought, Inomata Naoki resigned himself to his frustration and took another sip of his drink, trying to drown his worries in alcohol.

Thankfully, the boss soon brought over the dishes they'd ordered, saving Inomata Naoki from further brooding over his drink.

Minami, too, gradually calmed down and stopped making the kind of nervous mistakes she had earlier.

"Doctor Jounouchi, here's your dish," Minami said as she placed a plate of food in front of Jounouchi Hiromi. Curiously, she asked, "Doctor Jounouchi, why are you eating so lightly today? Are you feeling unwell?"

"Not at all!" Jounouchi Hiromi responded with a radiant smile, her face glowing with happiness. "I'm pregnant! We'll be welcoming a little baby soon, so I can't eat anything too oily now—just lighter dishes."

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