What does it have to do with me if they hate vests?

"But if this girl doesn't know what Yamada Fairy said... does that mean she knows the boy who proposed the bet?"

After this thought went around in her mind, Kasumigaoka Utaha directly threw it out of her mind: this matter had nothing to do with her. After the celebration banquet was over, her relationship with Yamada Fairy would naturally become that of ordinary acquaintances again, and there was no need for her to delve into the other party's interpersonal relationships.

"Finally, I found it!"

Just as Kasumigaoka Utaha was thinking about these irrelevant things, the girl named Goto Ichiri suddenly shouted with a touch of emotion: "Washimiya Ryo!"

Following her gaze, Kasumigaoka Utaha found that not far ahead, there was a small, slightly old, stand-alone building with a yard.

On the gatepost at the entrance of the courtyard, there was a wooden doorplate with the words "Jiugong" written in very beautiful regular script.

"It's not that this place is called Washimiya-ryo, but the owner of this apartment is named Washimiya..."

Kasumigaoka Utaha muttered to herself, and then she realized that Goto Ichiri did not go in directly, but stood beside her motionless, glancing at her with strange eyes from time to time, as if waiting for her to go in first.

This made Kasumigaoka feel angry and amused, but through the interactions along the way, she also got to know Goto Ichiri's personality a little bit. In short, he is socially phobic, very socially phobic. There is basically no malice in his behavior, he is just simply timid and afraid of things.

So she simply walked into the courtyard first.

Goto Ichiri looked at her back, tightened the guitar case strap on his shoulder, gritted his teeth, and followed her in.

The girl originally thought that the celebration party must be held in a room, with a bunch of people crowded together and chatting about all kinds of popular topics. She was still worried about what she would do if she couldn't fit in.

But it turned out that her worries were completely unfounded. Shiki held the celebration banquet directly in the backyard of Washimiya Ryo. Anyway, there were not many people invited, so the spacious backyard was more than enough.

As for the food at the banquet, apart from the fried chicken nuggets and drinks that were prepared in advance and placed on a long table at the side for people to take at will, the main food was naturally BBQ without any suspense.

Chapter 72 Barbecue

"Isn't that guy here yet?"

Eriri looked around and found that the only person present besides the initiator Yamada Yaojing was a young man in a black suit with long golden hair. The other person seemed to be Yamada Yaojing's brother.

But they were obviously not the reason why Eriri came here specially.

"Who are you talking about, Mr. Kashiwagi?"

The Yamada fairy asked hospitably.

But with a faint smile on her face, Yamada Fairy couldn't help but guess that Kashiwagi Eri came for Shiki.

After all, the other party was originally found by Si Ji through some unknown means and invited to become his illustrator.

Her important friend and the illustrator whom she admired knew each other and had a good relationship. This should have been a happy thing, but for some reason, Yamada Fairy felt a little uncomfortable in her heart.

However, she did not delve into the source of this discomfort, but looked at the girl and waited for her answer.

"Of course it's the old thief Fuyuou Kishiku!"

Eriri answered without hesitation, with a look of gnashing teeth, and those who didn't know would think that Fuyuo Kishiku had done something to her: "You will definitely let him come over, right?"

"...Which one?"

The Yamada Fairy looked confused.

Why do I feel that the reasons behind this are quite complicated, and there are even characters I don’t know who suddenly appear.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Dongwei will not be attending today's party."

Shiki arrived at the backyard at some point, and while setting up the rather nice venue, he explained to Eriri, "He's thinking about a new work, and he should have some ideas."

"There's a new work. Is that guy a monster?..."

Eriri, who was still immersed in the revision of "That Snow" and felt she had no clue, was stunned when she heard this.

The expression of Yamada Fairy beside him was even more interesting: Who is Fuyu Kishi? Why do you all look so familiar with him, but I am the only one who has not seen him? What's going on? I feel like I am the only one who can't do this...

Noticing the girl's expression, Si Ji whispered to her and explained what had happened.

Specifically, Fuyuo Kishihisa happened to have Kashiwagi Eri's contact information, so he helped to lure her out and confirmed her identity for them.

"I see. Then we should really thank you as a friend."

Hearing that Fuyuo Kishihisa actually used his comics as a bargaining chip in exchange for Kashiwagi Eri's help, the girl was very grateful and couldn't help but regret that she couldn't see him at this party.

"Thank you anyway." Si Ji said carelessly as he stood in front of her.

"It's clearly someone else's work, don't make that 'quickly thank me' expression."

The girl couldn't help but complain: "Get out of my way!"

Shiki didn't care at all; the girl's complaints caused him zero harm.

It’s not like he hadn’t thought about bringing the cartoonist Fuyuo Kishihisa over to get to know Yamada Fairy. After all, maybe they could work together in the future?

However, considering that he has not purchased any abilities like clones in the system mall, it is impossible for the two identities of Washimiya Shiki and Fuyuo Kishihisa to appear at the same time.

So in the end, Shiki chose to give up and decided not to let Fuyu Kishige appear in front of the Yamada fairy for the time being.

As the invited guests arrived one after another, the atmosphere of the celebration banquet began to become lively.

"What song should I play? I don't know how to play it... What? Ippatsugei? Can I just perform seppuku?"

This is Goto Ichiri who is being put on the fire. She is so embarrassed that she is about to melt.

"Hahaha, you're really interesting. Have you ever thought about writing a novel?" This is Machida Sonoko, who is trying to find a new hit author.

"Don't make things difficult for me. Not everyone is suitable for writing novels." Kasumigaoka Utaha, who knew Goto Ichisato's character along the way, couldn't help but speak up for her.

"You can actually speak human language?!"

Eriri looked at Kasumigaoka Utaha with a look of shock.

When she was in school, she had seen how Kasumigaoka Utaha used harsh words to attack boys who had bad intentions towards her.

I didn't expect that when facing a pink-haired guitarist who looked nothing special, this icy beauty from Toyosaki would actually be considerate of him.

"You're here too, Teacher Kashiwagi Eri." Kasumigaoka Utaha glanced at Eriri straight in the eye and said, "Sorry, I didn't see you just now."

Since he called her Kashiwagi Eri, it meant that he had no intention of bringing the disputes at school here.

Eriri snorted lightly, but also agreed with Kasumigaoka Utaha's choice.

"You are so arrogant. I wonder who lost the bet~"

She was just teasing happily. After all, she usually lost more than she won when arguing with this guy on a daily basis. It was a rare opportunity like this, so she naturally wanted to use it as much as possible.

"Whether I lose or not, at least I understand one thing: you are not the winner, right?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha said as if nothing had happened.

The meaningless exchange continued, but soon everyone's attention was drawn to other things.

To be precise, they were all attracted by the fragrance coming from the edge of the yard.

It was a rare celebratory banquet, so Si Ji naturally did not skimp on the occasion and directly brought out ingredients from the gourmet world.

Although the captured crocodile meat was only level 7, compared to the meat on Earth, this crocodile meat was not only tender and delicious, but also rich in fat.

At this moment, the meat was cut into mahjong-sized pieces by Siji, and skewered with fruit wood, which has its own fragrance. The sizzling feeling when grilled was very good.

Every drop of fat that falls into the fire will produce a tongue of flame that licks the surface of the skewers, making the surface of the meat become charred and crispy while also stimulating the special aroma of fruit wood.

Level 8 cooking skills are of great help in barbecue. Even the barbecue ingredients are specially made for each season. Once sprinkled on the meat skewers, the rich aroma is mixed with the taste of cumin-like spices, which makes people salivate.

"Not ready yet?" Yamada the Fairy couldn't help but ask first. The others also pricked up their ears, waiting for the other party's response.

"It will be ready soon. Rather than this, as the protagonist of this celebration banquet, don't you plan to say something?" Si Ji was concentrating on the work in his hands. Although he seemed to be speaking casually, he was actually asking quite seriously.

"What?" Yamada Fairy seemed to have not considered any aspect of the problem at all.

"It's just a summary and a congratulatory speech, nothing special." Si Ji said with a smile, "Don't you see it on TV? Why don't you say a few words as well? By the time you finish, it will be almost done."

Chapter 73: Finished, time for BBQ

"Uh..." Fairy Yamada suddenly noticed that everyone around her was looking at her. She, who was usually quite eloquent, suddenly felt a little at a loss.

After all, she debuted directly and had never participated in the Light Novel Awards. Even though her novels sold very well later and were among the best in the same period, the subject matter was too ordinary after all, and she was almost out of luck for all literary awards, and naturally had no experience of going on stage to receive awards.

"Thank you all for coming to the celebration party for the latest volume of Exploding Dark Fairy that has surpassed 100,000 weekly sales. I'm glad to be gathered here... Guh, it feels so weird to say this! It's totally not my style!"

Yamada Fairy first imitated the award winners on TV and said a few words in a proper manner, but immediately seemed to be disgusted by her own speech. She rubbed her white arms vigorously and felt goose bumps all over the floor: "Oh, ho, ho! Sooner or later, I will become a great light novelist, open up a new path for light novels, and show the world the new possibilities of light novels! For the great me, everyone should celebrate here and have fun!"

Several people who had only seen Yamada Fairy in "well-behaved mode" stared at the girl in amazement, while Yamada Chris, who had been mentally prepared, helplessly covered his forehead and sighed with stomachache: "To say something so easy to provoke in front of so many people, this idiot doesn't understand what crisis management is..."

"But it's this kind of fairy that's cute, isn't it?"

Si Ji doesn't really hate girls being overly active.

"If we indulge her like this, her life will be very difficult in the future." Chris Yamada shook his head.

Shiki showed an extremely innocent and puzzled expression, so realistic that even Yamada Chris, who had seen countless people, couldn't tell for a moment whether this guy really didn't understand or was just pretending not to understand.

"You are not entitled to the title of 'great light novelist', right?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at Yamada the Fairy with a scrutinizing gaze, and said in a provocative tone: "There are many people in the industry who are better than you."

"My goal is not just to become a light novel industry! One day, I will surpass that Natsume Makura and make him regret what he said before!"

The Yamada fairy said with her hands on her hips in full force.

"Really? Well, my next volume is about to be finished, so how about we make another bet?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha showed a 'friendly' smile and said with a fake smile.

"… This has happened once, and it's enough. Besides, my novel is almost finished, and I'm using it for gambling. It's disrespectful to light novels!"

After a moment's silence, the Yamada Fairy spoke righteously.

"You're a coward, aren't you?" "Yes, you are. "Miss Fairy is backing off."

At this moment, the thoughts of everyone present inexplicably became synchronized.

"That's amazing, Kashiwagi Eri-sensei, do you have anything to say about the fact that you're going to be illustrating for a 'great light novelist' and 'author who surpasses Natsume Makuru'?"

With an ambiguous smile on her face, Kasumigaoka Utaha asked Eriri, who had been eating fried chicken in silence.

The latter rolled her eyes, pretending not to hear her sarcasm, and continued to eat the fried chicken nuggets. As the daughter of a diplomat, Eriri had actually attended many high-class dinners and eaten many expensive high-end dishes. But she didn't know if it was an illusion, but at this moment, she felt that the fried chicken nuggets that were placed aside and were a little cold actually tasted better than those expensive luxury dishes.

I must have been too exhausted from finishing my manuscript last night, and woke up late in the morning and didn't have breakfast, so I'm already starving now, and that's why the Tangyang tastes so good.

Suddenly, no one paid any attention to Yamada the fairy, so he could only grab Goto Ichiri who wanted to escape, and instill in him the great idea that current light novels are rubbish and that only he is the future of the light novel industry; Kasumigaoka Utaha relentlessly harassed the painter with blonde twin tails, and the latter's expression gradually became impatient, as if she might explode at any time; Machida Sonoko seemed to have drunk a lot, and inexplicably began to harass Yamada Chris, who resisted the other party's harassment while looking to Shiki for help.

Seeing that the scene seemed to be getting chaotic again, Si Ji clapped his hands to attract everyone's attention: "The meat is ready."

As a result, the originally chaotic scene became a little more orderly. Everyone was attracted by the smell of meat and came over to wait for the barbecue.

"I've prepared a lot, everyone has a share, don't worry..."

Si Ji maintained order while distributing barbecue to everyone.

Each piece of meat on the skewer is cut into bite-sized pieces like mahjong tiles. Although it has been grilled over charcoal, the skewers do not look like over-roasted dry wood at all. Instead, they sparkle with an oily luster like gems.

But only after taking a bite will you discover that the skewers taste far better than their appearance. Even though expectations were already high after seeing their tempting appearance and charming aroma, everyone present was still amazed by the taste.

"Good, delicious... It's obviously just a grilled skewer, but the gravy inside is unusually rich, as if the skin was only roasted a little crispy from the beginning to lock the gravy tightly, and then slowly roasted at low temperature to make it fuller and richer, bursting out the moment you bite it. It's so delicious!" Ying Lili's eyes lit up as she ate the grilled meat.

“Although it has the flavor of fat and milk, it doesn’t have the original fishy smell at all. It has such a mild taste that even people who don’t like meat can easily eat it.”

While Kasumigaoka Utaha was worried about having to diet and control her weight in the next few days, she couldn't resist the temptation and ate a few more bites. Every time she bit into the barbecue, the feeling of the flavor bursting in her mouth made her close her eyes and enjoy the aftertaste with slightly flushed cheeks.

"Also, the wooden sticks used for skewers also have a strong fruity aroma, which is permeated into the barbecue. If you eat it carefully, you can even taste a bit of the sweetness of citrus fruits from the salty and fresh taste. This flavor has the effect of removing greasiness, making the aftertaste of the barbecue more refreshing." Machida Sonoko, who was originally a little drunk, was now much more energetic.

Si Ji accepted everyone's flattery with great satisfaction. At the same time, he watched the continuous reminders of the increasing influence points popping up in the system, and enjoyed both psychologically and materially.

“Wow… I can eat such delicious food, thank you mom for giving birth to me…” Goto Ichiri curled up in the corner, eating barbecue skewers while shedding tears and muttering to himself with emotion.

four seasons:"……"

This is a bit much.

Chapter 74: Confession

The celebration banquet ended successfully.

Although Yamada Fairy was a little bothered by the fact that it somehow turned into a barbecue carnival, Shiki thought it was still a success from the perspective of the celebration itself.

The banquet was over, the sky gradually darkened, and sparse stars began to appear in the gloomy sky.

Washimiya-ryo is located on the edge of Tokyo. It is surrounded by mostly residential houses and few high-rise buildings, so the light pollution is not as serious as in the city center. You can still see some starlight here at night.

When Shiki was cleaning up the garbage in the backyard, Chris Yamada suddenly found him.