After Chen ge left the world of "Strike the Blood", he first returned to the main world as defined by "her" in his mind.
That is, the world where Tohru and the others reside.
The place where Chen ge returned was the same wilderness he had left, still desolate and overgrown with weeds.
There was no train, nor was there that purple-haired, starry-eyed girl with the baseball cap.
He looked around and found that basically nothing had changed, except the weather had gotten a bit warmer.
It seemed like summer had arrived here.
Had a month or two passed, or a year or two?
This was the situation he needed to figure out first.
The time difference between different worlds was very important.
Chen ge tried to use spatial magic, found that he could, and directly returned to the coffee shop.
To avoid startling customers by suddenly appearing, Chen ge teleported directly to his own room.
The quiet room was empty, but a sense of familiarity instantly flooded Chen ge's heart, making him relax.
He looked around the room, and it seemed unchanged, except for the unmade bed. Had someone slept on his bed while he was away?
Was it Tohru or Chisato?
The scent wasn't very obvious.
Chen ge immediately ruled out Utaha Kasumigaoka, as it might have been possible if she were alone, but with Tohru and Chisato both present, she wouldn't risk being discovered by them doing something like that.
His relationship with her hadn't reached that point yet.
Chen ge was too lazy to guess; he'd find out when he asked them later.
He walked to the nightstand by the bed, took out his phone from inside, and turned it on.
"Only a month has passed?" Chen ge was a bit surprised to see the time displayed on the phone screen.
So the time difference between worlds is three to one?
Or is it just the time difference between the world of Strike the Blood and this world that is three to one?
Or perhaps, only a month passed after he left and returned?
Chen ge tried to ask "her" in his mind, and naturally, she didn't answer.
It seemed he would have to figure it out himself.
Thump thump thump!
Just as Chen ge plugged in his phone charger, there was a sudden sound of hurried footsteps outside, followed by a golden figure appearing at the doorway.
"Lord Chen! It really is Lord Chen!" Tohru's exquisite face was beaming with a joyful smile, and then she lunged towards Chen ge.
Chen ge was now completely unafraid of her charging into him. He opened his arms and easily caught her.
"Tohru, I'm back."
"Mm! I just suddenly smelled Lord Chen's scent, and I was right!" Tohru hugged Chen ge tightly, excitedly rubbing her head against his chest, her tail wagging behind her.
"You can smell that?" Chen ge also hugged her tightly.
"Of course, I'm very sensitive to Lord Chen's scent!" Tohru lifted her head and said proudly.
"Alright, alright, impressive." Chen ge released one hand and ruffled her hair.
"Hehe ~"
"Where are Chisato and Utaha?"
"Utaha is at school, Chisato is still busy downstairs."
"You didn't even call her to come with you?"
"I forgot." Tohru playfully stuck out her tongue.
"I think you did it on purpose." Chen ge dotingly poked her nose, which was small and smooth.
"Hmph hmph ~" Tohru seemed to enjoy it, wrinkling her nose and humming softly.
"Let's go, we'll go downstairs and help Chisato."
"Okay."
Tohru hooked one of Chen ge's arms, holding it tightly, and followed him downstairs.
As they walked down the stairs, the lively sounds from downstairs grew louder. It was noon now, so there should be quite a few people eating.
It was clearly a coffee shop, yet it had turned into a restaurant. Chen ge wasn't sure if he had gone astray in opening the shop.
However, opening the shop was secondary; what was important was having a home of his own in this world.
Even if it was free.
He still didn't know whether this shop had always existed or if it came into being because of his arrival.
It wasn't something he absolutely needed to figure out anyway.
"Are you busy lately?" On the stairs, Chen ge turned his head to look at Tohru, asking about the recent situation.
"It's fine, no different from before." Tohru replied with a smile.
"Then, did you miss me?"
"Mm! I missed you all the time!"
"Shouldn't missing me make you dispirited? You don't seem as unhappy as before."
"Hehe ~ Because I can endure it."
"Truly impressive."
"Then, shouldn't Lord Chen give me a reward?"
"What reward do you want?"
"That would be..." Tohru didn't finish her sentence, only licked her lips, looking at him with a face full of spring.
Chen ge naturally understood what she meant. He stopped, looking at her helplessly: "...You little perverted dragon."
"It's been a month." Tohru pouted.
"You're that impatient after just a month? I've been several... Never mind. Did you tell Chisato and the others about us?"
"No, this is a secret between me and Lord Chen. Why would I tell them?"
"I thought you'd show off to them."
"Why would I show off?" Tohru tilted her head, asking blankly.
"It's nothing, don't worry about it, it's good."
"Then, Lord Chen..." Tohru stared at him, blinking her eyes.
"Mm... if there's a chance." Chen ge agreed reservedly, after all, it wasn't that he didn't want to.
Moreover, his strength had greatly increased now, and he was determined to get revenge for last time's frustration.
"I know! I'll find a chance!" Tohru was excited, a look of anticipation on her face.
"Mm..."
Chen ge pursed his lips, took another step, and led Tohru into the shop.
"Tohru, where did you go? Don't you know how busy it is right now? Hurry and do... Chen ge!" Chisato Nishikigi was complaining about Tohru, but when she turned her head, she saw the person she had been longing for, her eyes widening in disbelief.
"Chisato, I'm back." Chen ge smiled gently, opening his arms to her.
"Chen ge! I missed you so much!" Chisato Nishikigi immediately put down the menu in her hand and rushed towards him.
Chen ge hugged her, stroking her platinum blonde short hair with one hand, and replied softly: "I missed you too."
"Mm-hmm!" Chisato Nishikigi nodded vigorously, tightening her arms around Chen ge's back.
Her strength was considerable, and Chen ge clearly felt something was off. He quickly patted her back to remind her: "Chisato, calm down, my waist will break if you squeeze any harder."
"Oh, oh, sorry Chen ge." Chisato Nishikigi quickly loosened her grip, asking worriedly: "Chen ge, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, don't worry... Really, I'm right here, no need to hug so tightly." Chen ge smiled and ruffled her hair.
"It's just that I missed Chen ge too much." Chisato Nishikigi replied sheepishly.
"I've already felt it, but the customers are all watching now." Chen ge gestured for her to look behind her.
Chisato Nishikigi looked back and realized that all the customers were looking at them, and many of them had knowing smiles.
Of course, there were also envious ones.
"Sorry for disturbing you all." Chisato Nishikigi wasn't shy and apologized generously to the customers.
"It's okay! As long as Chisato-chan is happy."
"Yeah, Chisato-chan's beloved manager is finally back! We understand."
"It's fine to hug for a little longer!"
The customers weren't angry and even spoke up for Chisato Nishikigi.
Chen ge hadn't expected Chisato Nishikigi to become so popular with the customers during his absence.
But what's with "Chisato-chan"?
Don't get so familiar, okay!
"Thank you all for your generosity. How about this, today I'll give everyone a discount, 50% off!" Chen ge said grandly to the customers.
"Oh! Manager is generous!"
"Then let's order more!"
"This is a rare opportunity, let's make the manager go bankrupt!"
"Okay!"
The coffee shop instantly became lively.