The Daily Life of the Demon King
Chapter 394 - 394: The Demon King in Search of Divine Flavor."

Alex and his three companions were leisurely walking along the road leading to Totsuki Academy. Unlike the girls, Alex was in no rush — he was planning to fully enjoy this week-long vacation. He strolled along at a relaxed pace, occasionally glancing at GIR, MIMI, and Stitch, who were already eagerly anticipating delicious food.

He understood: vacation had officially begun, which meant — no Nyang-Nyang avatars threatening the universe, no elaborate schemes to lure out enemies… Just rest, good food, and a bit of peace.

As they climbed the mountain toward the academy, Alex habitually lit a cigarette. But a thought quickly crossed his mind: smoking was probably banned on campus, and he'd likely have to restrain his habit if he didn't want to be nagged.

As they got closer to the academy, the sound of voices began to drift in from the distance. Alex was surprised he hadn't caught up with the girls yet — apparently, they were moving much faster. Luckily, he had already sent them all the festival info in advance. It was called the "Moon Banquet," and he wanted them to feel comfortable and know how to exchange money for special coupons.

A few minutes later, Alex spotted the massive crowd that had gathered for the food. Among them, he saw his girls already exchanging money for coupons. When they saw him, they all gave him teasing smiles — now it was his turn to wait in line. Only Nyaruko, Jinx, and Anya looked at their father with hopeful eyes, silently pleading to be taken along for a festival stroll.

But the girls didn't wait for him. They disappeared into the crowd, leaving Alex to face his fate — specifically, the end of a very long line. He sighed as he watched them go, remembering how he'd recently made them wait in line at the Adventurer's Guild. Apparently, this was their little revenge.

Staring at the queue, Alex wondered, "How the hell did they get to the counter so fast?" The answer didn't take long to appear — he noticed a pinkish aura of charm floating above the crowd's heads. Turning his gaze, he locked eyes with Freya, whose violet eyes sparkled mischievously.

"Of course... I told them not to use divine powers," Alex muttered.

"Ignored," Stitch added with exaggerated importance, still snapping photos of everything.

Alex just shook his head. At least no one got hurt — Freya had simply "sped things up" a bit. But he was still stuck in place. The people ahead remained frozen, eyes blank, still under the spell.

Clapping his hands in irritation, Alex dispelled the charm. The aura vanished, and the people began blinking, looking around in confusion, trying to figure out what had just happened. The line began to move, and soon Alex was at the counter.

"Um… animals aren't allowed in," the girl behind the booth said uncertainly, eyeing his companions.

"They're not animals. Have you ever seen animals in beachwear and walking upright?" Alex replied calmly.

"We're not animals!" GIR, MIMI, and Stitch shouted in unison, clearly offended.

The girl looked at the trio again: their behavior, their clothes, the cameras in their paws — everything said they were at least not ordinary animals. Unsure what to think, she simply nodded and handed over the coupons. Alex thanked her, tucked the coupons into the bag on his chest, and stepped aside, pulling out his phone.

Opening the festival map, he began planning a route. The academy was divided into zones: Main Street — prices from 500 to 1000 yen. Central Zone — from 1000 to 5000 yen. Elite District — 5000 yen and up.

Alex knew someone special was waiting for him in the elite zone. But for now, he just wanted to enjoy some regular food.

He instinctively put a cigarette in his mouth, but a sudden cough made him turn. A teacher was sternly pointing at a "No Smoking" sign. Alex simply shrugged and returned the cigarette to his pocket.

"Shall we start with the cheap food and work our way up?" he asked his companions.

"Yes! Cheap first, then expensive!" MIMI exclaimed happily, nodding her head.

With that decision, the three of them — or rather, four, since the trio had already rushed ahead, completely forgetting about Alex and the fact that all the food coupons were in his bag — made their way deeper into the noisy, delicious-smelling festival.

GIR and Stitch nodded in sync. Alex glanced at the excited faces of his companions and simply shrugged. What occupied his thoughts more was this: how did Stitch manage to eat as much as GIR and MIMI combined? But, deciding to leave that mystery unsolved, Alex focused on something else — had the main events of this world's story already begun, or had he arrived a year early?

If things were already in motion, the chances of his vacation being ruined would increase significantly. To confirm it, he just had to see the protagonist — Soma. If Soma was here, it meant the canon timeline was underway. And that meant one idiot could very well ruin his mood — Erina's father. Alex hoped that corpse-faced man would stay in his hole. Otherwise, if he did show up, Nakiri Erina might soon be fatherless — because her dad would be sent straight to the Red City.

While Alex pondered, he and his three companions arrived at the festival's first zone — Main Street. Looking around, he tried to decide what food to try first. At that moment, a commotion drew his attention.

Turning his head, Alex saw a guy with a biker-style haircut yelling at passersby to try the food from his stall. That was Kanichi Konishi. The cooking was being handled by a tanned girl with short blonde hair — Ikumi Mito. Seeing them, Alex realized: he had arrived right in the middle of the story, which did not bode well. Erina's father was definitely planning to crawl out and ruin everything.

"Hey, handsome! Wanna try our donburi? We've got the best donburi in the entire academy!" Kanichi shouted as he noticed Alex.

Alex looked at him in surprise, then pointed to himself, silently asking if he was really the one being addressed. Kanichi nodded eagerly. Alex glanced at GIR, MIMI, and Stitch, asking if they wanted to try it. As soon as they caught the scent of grilled meat, all three began nodding furiously.

Shrugging, Alex walked up to the stall and studied the menu, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

"What'll you be having?" Ikumi asked, looking at him.

"I think… four standard donburi," Alex replied, raising four fingers.

Ikumi nodded and began cooking. Alex and his companions waited as the food was prepared. Meanwhile, he looked around: his girls were sampling dishes from various stalls, as if they intended to collect everything at once. Hestia stood out in particular — she was carrying a literal mountain of food while chewing a skewer at the same time.

When the donburi was ready, Alex handed over the coupons and took his portion. GIR, MIMI, and Stitch snatched theirs at such speed it looked like they hadn't eaten in years. Alex ate calmly, ignoring the stunned stares of passersby watching his companions practically inhale their food, heads tilted back.

Alex found the dish decent. Of course, compared to the exquisite meals he had tried in Valhalla, prepared by gods who specialized in cuisine, this was modest. But for something made by ordinary humans — it was more than respectable.

"So? How's our donburi?" Ikumi asked, watching their reactions.

"Not bad. Price, flavor, and quality are in good balance. With food like this, you could open a small restaurant — the kind office workers go to for beer and a solid meal. What about you three?" Alex asked, tossing his plastic bowl and turning to his companions.

"A solid four," GIR said, holding up a sign with the number "4".

"Four for me too," MIMI agreed, raising her sign.

"Not enough meat! More meat! I don't wanna eat mush. So — three and a half!" Stitch grumbled, holding up his own rating.

"Uh… are they rating on a five-point or ten-point scale?" Kanichi asked awkwardly.

"That's up to you to decide," Alex replied with a slight smile. "But know this: a score like that from them is practically the highest praise, considering the kind of dishes they're used to."

Then Alex stepped in a bit closer and, with a mysterious smile, added:

"Non est terminus."

Alex and his three companions left the Donburi Society's stall, leaving Kanichi and Ikumi with puzzled expressions. They still hadn't figured out who exactly had just visited them—or what had even happened.

As for Alex, he believed that if the first dish turned out to be delicious, then the day was off to a good start. Strolling from one food stall to another, he sampled more and more dishes. Each time, GIR, MIMI, and Stitch enthusiastically gave their ratings. Some foods made them visibly disgusted, and others they outright refused to finish.

At one point, they stumbled upon a stall where the girls behind the counter looked more like witches at a sabbath than actual cooks. Alex eyed the murky, bubbling liquid in the cauldron with deep suspicion. He had no intention of getting anywhere near it. But luckily, he had three taste testers willing to try almost anything.

The moment GIR, MIMI, and Stitch tasted the suspicious brew, their faces twisted in horror, and they began running around in a frenzy, as if trying to exorcise everything they'd eaten up to that point.

Alex glanced at the strange cooks, who, like true witches, giggled quietly as they observed the trio's reaction. Then, upon recalling their faces, Alex finally recognized the lead girl of the stall — Nao Sadatsuka. Her dishes were known for… let's say, their unconventional taste and frightening appearance.

"Burn this heresy!" GIR yelled angrily, pointing at the cauldron.

"Burn it!" MIMI and Stitch chimed in, already ready to conduct a full-scale sanitary purge of the entire stall.

"Sigh... Alright, you three, that's enough. Don't blame the girls. They're just experimenting with flavors," Alex said, stopping his overzealous companions.

GIR, MIMI, and Stitch thrashed in his arms, demanding a holy cleansing by fire. Their shouting drew the attention of nearby festival-goers. People approached out of curiosity—but the moment they looked into the cauldron and saw the bubbling substance inside, they immediately backed away, pretending they were just passing by.

Meanwhile, Alex's girls, who were scattered around the festival, heard the commotion too—and immediately knew who was behind it. Only three beings could yell that loudly about "heresy" and "burning heretics."

"What happened this time? Why do those three want to burn something again?" Nobuna asked, continuing to eat her yakisoba.

"I think it's got something to do with that weird stall where the girls look like witches," Rei replied, expertly lifting meat with her chopsticks.

"Heh, I knew from the start not to eat anything made by those witches," said Lili, shrugging as she popped a takoyaki into her mouth. "Even before I met Alex, I tried all sorts of things, but nothing like that… I'm just glad I have a family and normal food now."

"Well, that's Alex's problem now. He's the one who brought those three to the festival. Let him deal with it," Zero Two smirked, licking a spoonful of ice cream.

The girls exchanged glances and burst into laughter, well aware that Alex had once again found himself in the middle of a ridiculous situation.

With great effort, Alex finally calmed down his trio of tasters and apologized to the girls in the stall for the disturbance.

"Hehehehe… Maybe you'd like to try our special dish? You might be able to appreciate its true flavor," Nao offered with an unmistakably witchy grin.

"Thanks for the generous offer, little witch, but I'll pass. I'm sure there's a gourmet out there somewhere at this festival who can truly appreciate your culinary… originality. But for now, I must be going. I wish you a good day—and plenty of brave customers," Alex replied, scooping up his still-grumbling tasters.

With the trio of unfortunate taste-testers in his arms, Alex made a swift retreat from the bizarre group of girls. Even as he walked farther away, he could still hear their witch-like laughter echoing behind him. He couldn't understand how the Totsuki Academy even allowed such strange food to be sold. Then again, it was no longer his problem.

Dashing over to the Aldini brothers' stall, Alex hoped that some delicious food would calm GIR, MIMI, and Stitch down—and make them forget all about their fiery plans to burn the suspicious group of girls who looked far too much like witches. Luckily, his plan worked: after enjoying the Aldini brothers' cooking, the trio regained their emotional balance and no longer showed any desire to torch a single tent.

Having finished their feast in the "Main Street" zone, Alex headed onward—to the Central Zone. Spotting part of his group, he called out:

"Anyone want to come with me?"

But the girls just shook their heads, looking like they'd been struck down by overindulgence. It was clear they didn't plan on moving for at least another hour.

"And where are the others? I don't see them nearby," Alex asked as he prepared to move on.

"The Valkyries are wandering around somewhere," Saya answered, sipping her tea. "Mom and her crew probably went straight to the elite zone. The rest are either raiding another stall or already moved on to the next area in search of more snacks. I still don't get how they fit so much food in their stomachs…"

"Me neither. We only tried food from a few stalls, and my stomach is already begging for mercy. If I eat even one more bite, everything I've eaten so far might just launch itself back out," Nobuna said, gently rubbing her belly and covering her mouth.

"I think I forgot to give you this," Alex said, pulling a small bottle of pills from his pocket and setting it down in front of them.

"What's that?" Daphne asked lazily.

"Fast-digestion tablets. Take one, and the heaviness will go away. And for heaven's sake, girls, you're not kids anymore—stop trying to eat absolutely everything!"

But the girls ignored his lecture. They snatched the bottle and immediately took a pill each. Only Zero Two passed on it—she still looked ready to eat the same amount again, if not more.

After a brief chat, Alex left the girls to rest and headed toward the Central Zone with his trio of companions. When he reached the bus parking lot, he saw a massive line forming—and made the only reasonable decision: not to wait in it. Picking up GIR, MIMI, and Stitch in his arms, he simply ran.

Reaching the area in record time, Alex set the trio down and slowed his pace to a casual stroll. Looking around like a thief checking for witnesses, he made sure no one was nearby, then lit a cigarette.

"Smoking is prohibited on academy grounds," came a female voice from behind him.

Alex exhaled lazily and turned around. Standing before him was a pale-skinned girl with white hair and bright red eyes. He recognized her instantly—Alice Nakiri. Beside her was her usual companion, Ryo Kurokiba, wearing his trademark "I exist only to boil things" expression.

As Alex took another drag, Alice studied not only him, but also his odd little companions dressed like tourists.

"I'll say it again: smoking is prohibited on academy grounds. And besides, smoking is illegal for minors," she said firmly, folding her arms across her chest.

"As you say, red-eyed princess. First of all, I'm more than old enough to smoke legally. Second, there's no one else around who could be bothered by it. And third—you'd have to prove I was smoking. Because without proof, words are just words. Watch: bam—no cigarette," Alex said with a smirk, making the cigarette vanish from his fingers with a flick of his hand.

Alice opened her mouth to respond—but hesitated. Damn it, he was right. No cigarette, no evidence. That only made her more irritated. Especially that smug grin on his face.

"What's wrong, princess? First time seeing something like this? How unfortunate. Want to see another trick? Watch: bam—and the cigarette's back," Alex said with a cheerful laugh, snapping his fingers. And sure enough—the cigarette had reappeared in his hand.

When the cigarette reappeared in Alex's hand, he took a deep drag—and immediately after, the cigarette vanished again. Seeing this, Alice began to get irritated. It was obvious: her conversation partner was simply mocking her, and her nickname, "red-eyed princess," sounded more like a taunt than a compliment.

"Hmph. Try lighting up again, and I'll make sure you get kicked off academy grounds. Come on, Ryo," Nakiri Alice said coldly, snorting as she passed by Alex.

"As you wish, red-eyed princess. I'll be looking forward to it," Alex smirked over his shoulder.

Hearing his words, Alice sharply turned back and was met once again with his smug grin. Alex just shook his head, finding her behavior more cute than threatening. Still, he crushed the cigarette butt—not out of fear, but simply because he didn't want to litter on academy property.

Meanwhile, GIR, MIMI, and Stitch started teasing Alex, mocking him for the "scolding" from Alice. In response, Alex kicked all three lightly and continued walking through the academy grounds.

Reaching the Central Zone, he wondered where to go first. Deciding to try the food prepared by Soma, Alex headed toward the area where he was supposed to be cooking. He knew Soma had set up his food cart directly opposite Terunori Kuga's Chinese restaurant to stage a culinary showdown.

Using the map as a guide, Alex made his way to the spot. From afar, he saw a crowd of onlookers lined up at Kuga's restaurant, and nearby—Alice, Nobukatsu, Valeri, Göll, as well as Ada and Chun-Li, who clearly seemed engrossed in something. Smiles played on their faces—it looked like they were watching something very entertaining.

"Yo, what are you all stuck here for? Not trying any food or strolling around?" Alex asked lazily as he approached.

"Big brother, we're watching the main character on stage face off against his antagonist," Valeri replied cheerfully.

"You don't see a show like this every day," added Chun-Li, nodding with a smile.

Alex shifted his gaze to Soma, standing opposite Kuga. It really looked like a scene from an anime, where the villain is trying hard to mentally crush the hero. Alex smirked—the argument was interfering with customer service, though Kuga could afford that—he had dozens of employees. Unlike him, Soma was cooking alone, helped only by Megumi.

Alex looked at Alice, Nobukatsu, Valeri, Göll, Ada, and Chun-Li. It seemed they were just enjoying the spectacle. He easily guessed that Ada and Chun-Li had come for the Chinese food but now were stuck watching this odd competition.

"So, you decided this is your entertainment?" he asked lazily.

"Yeah. But, you know, it's starting to get boring. We actually came to try the food, including the meat buns this guy's making," Ada said, nodding toward Soma and Kuga.

"And you want me to...?"

"Disperse them. I'm not standing here half the day just for buns," Chun-Li added, nudging him forward.

Alice, Nobukatsu, Valeri, and Göll immediately looked at Alex with puppy eyes—they all wanted to try the food but didn't want to wait. Sighing, Alex put his hands in his pockets and lazily headed toward the "dispute" stage.

Kuga was still lecturing Soma, who just stood silently listening. But soon, a shadow fell over both of them. Soma looked up—and saw a tall guy with rainbow-colored eyes standing before him. Kuga turned around too.

"If you're done stalling, get back to your restaurant. Don't forget—you're not alone here. If you want to chat and brag, wait until the end of the day when the results are announced. Right now, you're just bothering customers. Or are you afraid this redhead might outdo you?" Alex said in the same calm, lazy tone.

"What do you even know…" Kuga started, snickering.

"I don't care. Just get lost. I came here for food, not to listen to nonsense from some chef who can't lose with dignity," Alex cut him off.

His words were so calm and confident that those around began exchanging glances. A smirk appeared on Kuga's face when he heard Alex's words, and instead of replying, he simply turned and walked back to his Chinese restaurant.

Soma silently observed everything with a somewhat strange expression, while his assistant and classmate, Megumi Tadokoro, started to visibly get nervous. In her eyes, Alex looked like a typical bully, and she feared the situation might soon turn into a fight.

When Kuga left, relief clearly showed on Megumi's face, and she quietly exhaled, as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"Since that guy left, give me ten of your meat buns," Alex said calmly, looking at Soma and Megumi.

"O-one second…" Megumi murmured, lowering her gaze and still slightly trembling.

"Don't be nervous. I wasn't planning to start a fight. I just don't like it when someone interferes and delays the line," Alex said with a slight smile.

"These aren't meat buns, they're hujiao bing," Soma corrected, packing the order.

"Then I have a counter question: it's a bun, and it has meat inside. What stops me from calling it a meat bun?" Alex said with a playful tone, looking at Soma with a mischievous grin.

"Um…" Soma stammered, his hand frozen mid-air.

"Don't worry, Yukihira Soma. No matter the name—food is still food," Alex said, taking his order and placing the coupons on the counter.

"Do we know each other?" Soma asked in surprise, looking up after Alex said his full name.

"Nope," Alex replied, already heading back to his group.

Soma and Megumi exchanged glances, not understanding what kind of strange customer that was. Meanwhile, Alex handed out hujiao bing to everyone in his group. He looked at the bun in his hand, bit into it, and started chewing. He savored the flavor and didn't hide that, compared to all the food he'd tried at the festival, this was the best dish.

Alex glanced with interest at Ada and Chun-Li, waiting for their reaction. He was genuinely curious whether they would respond like characters from a manga or act differently. Unfortunately for Alex, both girls let out a soft but unmistakable moan of pleasure after the first bite.

Alex's eye twitched. He looked down at his bun, and some rather dark thoughts began to form in his mind—like breaking Soma's arm. At that moment, Soma himself, standing next to Megumi and waiting for the next customer, flinched and started looking around, as if sensing an impending danger.

Megumi looked at Soma in surprise:

"What's wrong?"

He just shook his head, not knowing how to explain the sudden feeling.

"How embarrassing… I never thought food could make me moan…" Ada whispered, adjusting her qipao. "Looks like Shizuka wasn't lying—this really happens. At least the clothes stayed on…"

Alice, Nobukatsu, Valeri, and Göll stared suspiciously at Ada and Chun-Li, then glanced down at the buns in their hands. Suddenly, they all began to doubt whether they should try them after all.

Alex sighed deeply and finished his bun.

"Don't say it. That was the best hujiao bing I've ever had. But if I'm going to make those sounds every time… maybe I'll pass. And yes, it's good the clothes didn't come off like Shizuka scared us," Chun-Li said, wiping her hands with a napkin.

"I already said it's nonsense. And if the clothes did come off… well, the academy wouldn't be standing," Alex said lazily, yawning.

"There it is, your love again. Didn't you like it?" Ada asked, wiping her lips with a napkin.

"In Valhalla, I've eaten much better dishes. But yeah, at this festival—that's the best so far," he shrugged.

"Hmm… now I'm curious what they fed you there. But now we're going to try what the yellow-haired guy's restaurant serves. Alex, don't you want to come with us?" Chun-Li offered, stroking her chin.

"I don't like spicy food. You go without me. Me and these three will keep exploring," Alex replied, shaking his head.

"Well, go then. We're off to try Chinese cuisine," Ada laughed, waving goodbye.

Alex kissed Chun-Li and Ada farewell, then gently patted Alice, Nobukatsu, Valeri, and Göll on the heads. After that, he turned and walked away, truly intending to continue his stroll. He wasn't lying—spicy food wasn't his thing. He preferred sweets.

Watching the group heading to Kuga's restaurant, Alex wondered how Alice, Nobukatsu, Valeri, and Göll would handle dishes with truly hellish spice. But shaking his head, he decided not to worry and carried on with his walk.

Maybe he'd be lucky and run into some of his other girls. He noticed they had all split into small groups again, each hunting for food that suited their taste. Beckoning GIR, MIMI, and Stitch to follow, Alex set off in search of his next gastronomic adventure.

To be continued...

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