Chapter 463 - 463: Red Demon.

The exterior was a little different, but it had design elements from old Tōseiren architecture, and the sign was almost identical to the old one, having used the same eastern calligraphy font for the name of the shop.It wasn't that strange for a shop to be renovated overnight these days, but for some reason, Dante didn't expect that to happen in this case. He thought he would come back to find an empty box with charred walls, but instead…

'Hold on…' Looking around once more, Dante noticed one more thing. 'Is that a line?'

That was true. A line of people was gathered at the entrance, and it stretched alongside the building all the way to the opposite corner. Anyone who doesn't know the place would think it was the grand opening of the new branch of some popular chain.

[It seems this is the reason Kurosaki Suzuka set this as the meeting place.]

Volcan's comment snapped Dante back to reality, and a frown quickly took over his face.

[Is this not good news?]

'Yeah, it is…'

Of course, Dante wasn't upset about the noodle shop being up and running. It was the line that's bothering him. The Bowl of Fortune had been around for a long time, and though it served the best noodles in town, its customer base was limited to a few regulars. It wasn't the kind of restaurant that would draw this many people.

'Or… maybe it is…'

Looking at the shop then the line, Dante's frown deepened. He was not about to stand there and wait for his turn.

Crossing the road with unhurried steps, Dante made it the sidewalk where people were waiting then walked alongside the line. No one paid him much attention until he reached the entrance of the shop, that was when a short haired woman fixed him with a glare, but just as she was about to speak up, her friend quickly stopped her.

"Idiot!" She hissed. "Are your eyes not working!!?"

The first woman was confused for a moment, but a faint whisper caused her face to go blank.

"Oh god… it's the Red Demon…"

As he reached for the door handle, Dante had to do his best to not spare them a glance.

'Red Demon? The hell do they mean?'

He decided to not think about it for the time being. As the door slid open, he heard the familiar bell chime, and the tension melted from his body. The shop was full, but few turned to check who came in. One of them was a very petite little girl with blonde hair, and when she recognized who he was, her face lit up with joy.

"It's Dante!" She exclaimed.

Seeing her come running, Dante quickly crouched holding his hands up. He had intended to catch her as she looked like she might fall, but to his surprise, she ended up throwing herself into his embrace, her thin little arms wrapping around his neck.

"Hey, Marie! Did you miss me that much?"

"Yea!"

It felt a bit awkward, to have someone hug him like that. The bionics in his body didn't have anything to do with it, however.

"Oooh! Look at you!" He said after she let go of him. "You look so cute!"

"Ehehehe! Grandma gave it to me!"

The little one was dressed in a blue yukata with cat face pattern, and her blonde hair had been braided and gathered in a bun on the back of her head. Dante smiled as she did a little spin, showing him her new outfit. Seeing her so cheerful threatened to melt his newly implanted heart.

"Boy! Where have you been!?"

A familiar call drew their attention to the counter. There, a small old woman was glaring at them, her eyes so fierce the nearby customers to lean away.

"That doctor said you left two days ago! Why didn't you come here first!?"

Shaking his head, Dante patted the little girl on the head and got up.

"Calm down, old hag. I was still in rehab." He said. "You know you can't just walk around after all of that."

"Dante… your hand…"

Marie's voice seemed to lose its energy, and when he turned to her, she saw her holding his right hand, looking a bit troubled.

"Cool, right?" He said, kneeling once more. He held up both hands for her to see. "They are very special robo hands!"

"Robo hands?"

"Yes. Now I can punch bad guys really hard!"

"Oooh!"

The enthusiasm he spoke with rubbed on the little girls, and her excitement returned as she reached out and touched the thick, green fingers.

"Don't you mean clanker hands?"

Looking up, Dante saw a green haired girl grinning as she walked past him. She was wearing a yukata as well, and in her hands, she held a tray with three steaming bowls on top.

"Clanker?" Marie asked innocently.

"Don't listen to her." Dante patted her head. "She's just jealous."

"Yeah yeah, we get it already." Nobara scoffed. "Stop showing off and get a seat already!"

"Oh! Dante! This way! This way!"

Recalling something, Mari grabbed his alloy plated hand and began pulling him along. The restaurant was full to the brim, and there was a long line outside. Even then, there were still two stools empty at the end of the counter. Each one had a piece of cardboard paper with a name on it. The first on was Dante, the other was Jonah.

"Hm? Did you serve this seat for me?" Dante asked.

"You're a day too late." Said Nobara. "We reopened yesterday."

"Sorry about that."

Of course, he would have come if she had sent him a message, but he thought it better to not mention that. Little Marie took away the paper with his name, and when he sat down, she beamed him a smile.

"Um… what can I get for you?"

"Hm… Let's see…" Dante gave Nobara a glance then grinned. "Old hag, you still have that strong stuff from way back?"

The old cook raised an eyebrow at him, then her eyes went wide.

"Oh, I haven't touched it in a while." She gave him a devious grin.

"In that case." Dante turned to Marie. "I will have a special spicy ramen."

"Special…" The little girl looked at him with sparkling eyes then whipped her head to the old cook. "Grandma!"

"Yes yes, I heard him."

Nobara left for the kitchen, and Kiruna went to open the door. A table had just been emptied, so she let in another four customers. Saying she had to work, Marie went to the table and greeted the customers. Though she struggled with her words, she managed to greet them, taking a small tablet and pen to take their orders.

Dante took in the interior of the shop once more. The layout was a little different, with the new tables arranged in unfamiliar way, and the lighting making corners that were once dim much brighter. He noticed that the other customers were avoiding his gaze, so he wondered if he should leave checking out the place for another time. Just as he was about to turn around, the whole place suddenly became livelier.

"How do you like it?"

The familiar voice belonged to a blue haired beauty. Dante immediately understood why everyone's expressions brightened.

"It's a little crowded." He said, turning to face the counter.

"It will be like this for a while." Said Suzuka. "Some famous artist came by yesterday and posted about us on her accounts. The shop went extremely viral."

"My condolences."

"How about a little help instead?"

"I will be a little busy after this." Shaking his head, he then held her gaze. "So? Where is the brat?"

"In a warehouse somewhere in New City." She replied.

"Do you know how little that narrows it down?"

"It's not like I met him or anything." Suzuka sighed. "I found Jake. Well, you could say he found me. Finn is working on something for those people. Jake said he isn't in any trouble, and that got everything handled, but…"

"Couldn't he just say what's he doing?" Dante frowned.

"Told me it was a surprise. I haven't told him about what happened to you."

Dante clicked his tongue.

"Oh, well, I will go check on him later. If Jake is with him then he probably doesn't need saving."

"That"s what I thought."

Nobara appeared soon after and placed a bowl in front of him. The powerful aroma spread through the entire shop, drawing the eyes of the other customers. The guy sitting next to him took a single look at the bowl and went completely pale. The soup filling it was a dark shade of red, and swimming in it were several small bell sprouts, each looking like the plucked horns of a devil.

"From today on, I will be calling it-" The old cook flashed him an evil grin. "The bowl of misfortune!"

Suzuka held a hand to her mouth, almost bursting out with laughter. Dante's expression was serious, however.

"Go on. Have a taste."

Accepting Nobara's invitation, Dante picked up a pair of chopsticks, and without hesitation, he dug right in.