21st Century Necromancer

Although Dry Braised Rock Carp was rarely ordered in the restaurant, this clearly didn't pose a problem for the owner.

With the Rock Carp provided by Suzuhime, even if the ingredients seemed somewhat hard to come by, the owner quickly prepared the dish and personally served it to both the Deity of Food and the Matchmaking God.

"Here is the Dry Braised Rock Carp you ordered. I haven't made it for a while, so I'm not sure about the taste. Please enjoy," said the owner as he served the dish, not quite confident in its flavor.

However, the Matchmaking God didn't seem to mind the owner's culinary skills, picked up a pair of chopsticks, and placed a piece of the fish into her mouth. She smiled with her eyes narrowed in delight and praised, "Delicious! It tastes very good! I want to reward you!"

Perhaps it was the habit formed by eating dishes made by the top chefs at the Metropolitan Police Department these days, but whenever the Matchmaking God encountered delicious food, she felt compelled to reward the chef.

However, the Deity of Food next to her interrupted her, saying, "Don't be childish. If anyone is to give a reward, it should be me."

The Deity of Food stopped the Matchmaking God, but Their expression was not as relaxed and casual as hers, carrying a hint of seriousness. It was only after receiving a pair of silver chopsticks from Suzuhime, noticeably longer than the average pair, that They delicately picked up a small piece of fish with skin and tasted it carefully.

"Well done, although the skin is slightly overdone, but the freshness of the fish itself has been brought out," said the God of Food, who never took Their meals lightly. The owner's dish receiving Their approval was undoubtedly a great honor and a compliment, "What's most important is that I can taste the care you've put into your cooking. You've done well."

Saying so, and with the owner watching, puzzled, the Deity of Food stopped Suzuhime from taking something out, instead reaching into Their own bosom to place a Koban on the counter personally.

"Consider this a token of my gratitude, as a reward for your culinary skills," said the Deity of Food. The Koban They put out was certainly no ordinary one, but They clearly had no intention of explaining this.

The owner, looking at the Koban on the counter, was somewhat troubled.

The Koban was a type of currency issued during the Edo Period by the Tokugawa Shogunate, made of gold and formed approximately the size and shape of a large dried scallop, with a usual face value of one ryō, and considered a valuable form of currency.

In the Edo Period, one ryō from a Koban could buy enough rice to feed an adult for a year, and with some frugality, three to five ryō could cover the yearly expenses of a family of three.

Even if one were to splurge in Yoshiwara, two ryō in Koban would be enough to have the company of a Courtesan Yoshiwara once.

The Shogunate also issued another currency similar in appearance to the Koban, but about the size of a fish plate, called the Oban, used as a reward for feudal lords; the huge gold coin held by the traditional Japanese Fortune Cat represents the Oban.

However, such currency was discarded after the introduction of modern money during the Meiji Era, and nowadays, it exists only as an antique, no longer used as a means of payment like over a hundred years ago.

For the Deity of Food to suddenly bring out such an item was troubling for the owner, whether to accept it or not.

Fortunately, Suzuhime, knowing the temperament of her deity, and recognizing the value of the Koban, quickly explained, "This is just our lord's way of showing appreciation for your cooking, not the meal payment. Please rest assured and accept it. Moreover, an offering from our lord is never taken back once given."

Deities rarely give rewards, but when They do, there is no taking it back.

Hearing Suzuhime's explanation, the owner had no choice but to accept the Koban.

"Minami, take this and put it away properly." The owner handed the Koban to Minami and gestured for her to store it securely.

No matter how you look at it, a Koban is quite valuable, both in the past and present, so it's important to take care with it.

After Minami took the Koban upstairs, the owner turned to Yumekichi and asked, "The two guests today aren't ordinary people, are they? There was not a single customer today; was it because they were coming and others were kept away?"

"With the high and exceptional status of my lord, what right do mere mortals have to dine with my lord!" Suzuhime said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Indeed, it wouldn't be appropriate for mortals to share a table with deities, even if Chen Yu was invited by Yumekichi, he would sit separately.

As for the Matchmaking God, they are also a deity.

"Enough." Yumekichi raised his hand to stop the needless banter from Suzuhime and looked at the owner, saying, "My status means nothing to you; all you need to know is that I bear no ill will towards you. Your cooking is quite good, and even just for the sake of this fish, I am willing to forgive your disrespect."

Having said that, Yumekichi stood up from his seat and pulled on the Matchmaking God beside him, "Xiao Yuan, it's time to go."

"Wait a sec! I haven't finished eating yet!" The Matchmaking God was obviously quite reluctant to part with the dry-fried Rock Carp, hugging the plate and refusing to let go.

"Suzuhime." Yumekichi clearly didn't want the Matchmaking God to lose face like this; after all, they were also a god. It would be quite embarrassing if others found out they clung to a dish and refused to let go.

Suzuhime nodded, pulled out her wallet, and looked at the owner, "May I take this with me? I will pay you for the plate."

"No need, consider it a gift to you." The owner shook his head at Suzuhime for some reason, indicating that they could take the plate with them.

Hearing the owner's offer, the Matchmaking God cheered joyfully. Just as they were about to leave with the plate, it seemed as if they remembered something and took out an Amulet and placed it in front of the owner.

"This is my Disaster-Preventing Amulet. Although it's not as powerful as the Koban, it is still very effective." As the Matchmaking God lifted the plate, they explained, "You allowed me to taste something delicious; consider this a reward."

With that, they left the small restaurant together with Yumekichi, carrying the plate.

Suzuhime then took out two ten thousand yen bills from her wallet, placed them on the counter, and bowed before following the two deities out of the establishment.

Seeing the bills and the Matchmaking God's amulet on the counter, the owner finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling his entire back soaked with sweat, and hastily found a stool to sit on, still shaken.

By this time, Minami had put away the Koban and came downstairs. Seeing the owner slumped in his chair and the empty restaurant, she hurried over and asked with concern, "Dad, are you alright? What happened? Where are the two customers from earlier?"

"They've already left." The owner took a deep breath and regained his composure before saying to Minami, "Minami, go close the door. I'm suddenly feeling a bit tired, we won't be opening for business today."

"Oh, alright." Although Minami didn't know what had happened, she did as instructed, tidying up and closing the door to the restaurant.