Sometimes, Ryuji really wasn't sure whether quitting smoking had been a good idea.
The upside was obvious: now he could show up in all kinds of shounen manga adaptations without causing controversy, and no internet trolls could yell at him about smoking being bad for kids.
But the downside? He'd lost a handy little distraction—something to help him relax and mask his stress.
Still, one thing was for certain: even if he ended up sucking on lollipops like a kid, he wasn't going back to cigarettes.
It wasn't until the food finally arrived that he truly understood what "demonic appetite" meant in the literal sense.
The dishes weren't particularly expensive—just a big plate of stir-fried greens, a pot of stewed meat, and another pot of mixed vegetables.
All of them clearly designed for bulk over style—cheap, filling, and loaded with carbs.
But Rosh's way of eating was a whole different beast altogether.
One bite of green vegetables meant a whole string of rice scoops vanished along with it. Just a few mouthfuls in, and she'd already consumed the equivalent of a full bowl from a yellow braised chicken shop. It was efficient, even economical… in theory.
But she was fast. Alarmingly fast. In just a few minutes, one full plate and a steaming bowl of rice had disappeared completely without a trace.
Yet when he glanced at her stomach…
Flat.
Still perfectly, completely, undeniably flat.
"..."
He instinctively sucked on his chopsticks like they were a cigarette—and exhaled a puff of phantom smoke.
This… he couldn't understand.
Just like he couldn't understand why sucking on a pair of chopsticks now somehow produced the illusion of smoke, he couldn't wrap his head around how Rosh could down an entire rice bowl and still look like she hadn't eaten a single grain.
Originally planning to get himself a bowl of rice, Ryuji ended up just watching Rosh devour hers—and somehow, watching her eat was oddly filling by itself.
He sulkily set down his chopsticks. Across from him, Rosh noticed and flashed a bashful little smile, all while still shoveling rice into her mouth. Despite the chewing, she still managed to mumble through the food:
"Big bro, you eat too!"
Ryuji glanced at the steaming bowl of rice that was visibly shrinking by the second and came to a realization:
He might not actually be able to afford to feed this little loli.
Maybe… maybe he should return her.
But even so, he could at least treat her to one good meal.
"I'll wait. You eat first."
Seeing that he really wasn't eating, Rosh nodded and somehow picked up the pace even more.
"Okay! Thanks, big bro! I won't hold back!"
Ryuji watched in stunned silence as Rosh annihilated the three full bowls of rice along with a giant plate of greens—down to the last grain. Then, unbelievably, she ordered three more bowls and another plate of vegetables.
Only then did she finally stop, patting her still perfectly flat stomach in satisfaction and turning to smile sweetly at him.
"Big bro! I'm full now!"
"…Yeah. Okay."
He was already emotionally numb. He silently took out a gold coin and placed it on the table—Rosh's food bill.
And now he finally understood what Sharan meant when she said the Mage's Guild couldn't afford to raise Rosh. It wasn't a matter of money—it was the risk of literally working the kitchen staff to death.
"Hehe… sorry. Did I scare you, big bro?"
Rosh gave him a sheepish look, then raised a single finger in front of her face with an unusually serious expression.
"But as thanks for the meal, I'll teach you the written language of this world, properly and thoroughly!"
"…Sure."
Ryuji nodded, though in his heart, he'd already made up his mind—he was returning her.
But just then, Rosh, who had been hugging her staff the whole time, suddenly spoke up again.
"Oh, right. Big bro, you said you wanted to learn magic before, didn't you?"
"Hm? Yeah. Why?"
He gave her a curious look. He didn't get why she brought that up all of a sudden.
"What kind of magic are you hoping to learn? Do you want to become an adventurer?"
Rosh tilted her head, eyes full of curiosity.
There was something about Ryuji that felt strange to her—he had the air of someone used to surviving in the Demon Realm, yet there was also something kind and gentle in him,… he gave off that unmistakable "good guy" feeling.
"More or less. I made a promise to someone, so I have to gain strength as fast as possible. Gather resources, learn what I need, and return to that world. So yeah, you could say it's an adventure."
Ryuji was actually feeling the pressure. Relying on one-night flings or just paying for affection wasn't getting him nearly enough energy. An entire day's worth of "work" might earn him a tiny sliver. If he waited for that method to be effective enough to send back Lux…
God knows how many years would've passed by then.
And strong, emotionally unstable women—those were even harder to find.
He'd already decided: when the time came, he'd go looking for trouble with Flame Princess and Ice Witch. Both of them were powerful women, completely mad and emotionally unstable. But that kind of obsession?
That might just produce the kind of energy he needed.
Both were beautiful magic users. Both were mentally unwell. In the original story, they didn't even survive.
So while it wasn't exactly ethical, even if he couldn't siphon enough energy off them, he'd find a way to subdue and contain them. It was dirty, underhanded—but at least it was better than getting randomly murdered, right?
Still, even the weakest of those women were real mages in this world. Without enough strength, even money wouldn't help him get close.
"…So you're in a rush then, huh?"
"Yeah, you could say that."
"In that case, I think I understand why Aunt Sharan—I mean, Sister Sharan—sent me here."
Rosh nodded firmly, then extended her small hand toward Ryuji.
"You want to quickly gain magical power, don't you? I can help with that! I can help you convert your magic energy into real combat power, fast!"
A confident smile spread across her face.
"And you don't need spell circles or incantations! All you need is control over your magic—and that's enough to use it!"
She puffed out her chest proudly—though there wasn't much to puff out—and thrust it toward Ryuji as if to emphasize her point.
"Oh? What do you mean?"
He eyed her staff—particularly the sharp tip—and immediately thought of a familiar in-game class:
Battle Mage.
No potions, no chants… no long-range fireballs. Just raw magical force, delivered up close and personal.
And in the very next moment, Rosh confirmed it.
She tapped the bottom of her staff lightly against the ground, and a glowing red sphere materialized in the air beside her.
"Big bro—have you ever heard of Enchant Runes?"
Before he could answer, Rosh suddenly swung her staff in a sharp arc—straight at his face.
A powerful sense of danger exploded through Ryuji's instincts.
But a crisp clang rang out instead.
Rosh's staff had deflected a massive sword swing from behind Ryuji—he hadn't even noticed the incoming threat.
Her voice, now cold, rang out through the room.
"If you haven't…"
Her red eyes gleamed, her stance shifting.
"Then let me show you what it means."
~~~~~~~
Bonus chapter every 200 PS.