Chapter 324
Chapter 324
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 324
Chapter Title: Gehenna's Host Bar (7)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
In the very center of the host bar.
Siu, who had taken a seat at table number one, was enduring a barrage of enthusiastic questions.
"Can't you show me some magic?"
The first customer, who had lined up since dawn to get in ahead of everyone else, gazed at Siu with sparkling eyes.
The old Siu might have been half-terrified by this.
Truth be told, he still wasn't thrilled about it now.
You had to experience that look to truly understand it.
It felt like being a frog on a lab table, under the microscope.
But today, he'd set his mindset right from the start.
He'd volunteered as bait for once—if a customer got sick from the meal and never came back, he wouldn't have the face to look Takasho in the eye.
"Of course. You've come all this way for me, so I have to show you."
"For real? You're really going to show me?"
"Peer in."
In truth, he didn't even need a full incantation for magic this simple, but in the spirit of service, Siu conjured a cluster of shadow on his palm.
The witch, her expression one of mad glee with drool practically spilling from her mouth, pressed a slide glass against the magic hovering in his hand.
"Whoa... oh! Whoa... it's a shadow!"
For reference, that was a quartz-made mana pattern collector.
Quartz's signature framework silicate structure made it ideal for storing mana patterns, and its durability far surpassed glass, so it was a favorite for such tools.
"Yes. It basically takes a hook shape, which disrupts spell manifestation. Lately, they've been combining it with elemental magic for better structural stability."
"For real? Even with elemental magic? Combining different domains of magic isn't easy... You're amazing!"
She was the perfect first customer—extremely polite and kind.
She even ordered mid-grade drinks, feeling sorry just for taking up the seat.
"It's an amorphous particle—how do you even bind it?"
"You set up a virtual space with linear bonding. It's not hard after that. Just outline it and connect the hooks together."
"Ah-ha! So you're going super basic with it?"
And so began the magic discussion.
He wondered if this even counted as 'host service,' but honestly, this felt more comfortable.
"Feel free to ask anything else you're curious about."
The short, cute witch hesitated for a moment before asking Siu,
"Then... will you come to my place?"
"That's a very kind offer, but I'm afraid that's not possible. Sorry."
"No, I know it's a bit much to ask. I don't have much money, so I can't come to places like this often. I'll be satisfied with the sample I got today."
She knew when to back off.
It was the exact opposite of the obsessive clinginess Siu had braced for, leaving him wanting to give her something extra.
They chatted about this and that, and before long, the sand in the 15-minute hourglass ran out.
"Wow! In my whole life, talking to a male witch—it's so exciting! I have to brag to my friends."
Having left a great impression on Siu, the first witch rose from her seat with cheerful steps.
He stood to see her off, then sat back down.
"That wasn't so bad after all?"
A bit of confidence welled up—that he could actually pull this off.
Witches generally looked down on men, but Siu's position was a little special.
He was a man who could wield magic.
That alone let him start on equal footing— an overwhelming advantage no other host had.
"Welcome. Thank you for coming."
Of course.
Not every witch thought that way.
The next witch who entered was tall—175 cm at least, and with heels, her eye level matched Siu's. She was a statuesque blonde with a fierce glare.
The moment their eyes met, he inwardly repeated, 'I'm screwed.'
Unlike the previous customer, who had looked around curiously and sat cautiously,
this witch crossed her legs and sat like she owned the place.
"A host bar in Gehenna, huh. About time."
"Hello. It's an honor to meet you. I'm Shin Siu, and I'll be serving you for the next 15 minutes."
He introduced himself politely from his seated position, following the etiquette Takasho had taught him, but all he got in return was a snort.
"So you're the guy who became a witch even though you're a man?"
Not every witch found Siu's existence intriguing or positive.
To some, magic was sacred ground.
Siu was an intruder defiling their exclusive domain.
And not just any intruder—he was an insolent one claiming the title of witch with half-baked, overheard spells.
This second customer clearly didn't take kindly to Siu's very being.
"I've been fortunate enough to end up that way."
"I have zero interest in your paltry skills. I just came to gawk at your spirit body—your face must be pretty enough for that."
Siu experienced a strange sensation.
Was it because Takasho had installed the 'host emotion module' in him over the past day?
The blatant provocation didn't faze him much.
"Is that so? What do you think now that you've seen me up close?"
"......"
Siu maintained a subtle service smile as he uncorked the bottle and poured champagne into the glass.
The witch didn't even glance at the drink, just stared intently at his face.
Her lips twitched as if she wanted to say something, but she fell silent. When Siu finished pouring and sat back down, she let out a sharp, accusatory tone.
"This is your first time doing this, right?"
"Can you tell? I'm not the type to get nervous easily, but being next to you makes me tense for some reason. Sorry if I've offended you."
This was the concept Takasho had set for him.
Handsome virgin nerd boy.
The shy type who didn't even know he was good-looking.
Honestly, when he'd first heard the concept, he'd thought, 'What kind of nonsense is this?'
But with his long virgin streak, he could method act it convincingly.
The witch wrinkled her nose bridge at Siu's calm deflection.
She probably wanted him flustered or angry, but that wasn't happening.
Compared to Amelia's genuine roasting sessions, this was child's play.
Amelia stabbed with slow, deliberate words when pissed—like a piercing crit.
This witch was more like a cat hissing right in your face.
Unlike his slave days, screwing up wouldn't threaten his life.
It was like grinding S-rank rhythm games to failure, then breezing through a B+ one.
"No? That's not what I meant. Don't hosts usually ask the customer's name first?"
"My apologies. May I have the honor of your name?"
"Too late. Your basics are lacking. And you don't even use a stage name?"
Ah.
Now that he thought about it, that was a thing.
Every host working the bar—except manager Takasho—used some kind of alias.
Siu had ditched his because it felt cringy, but this witch seemed determined to nitpick everything.
"How do you expect to provide service with such poor fundamentals...?"
Time to deploy one of Takasho's taught skills.
Until now, Siu had softened his gaze to avoid direct eye contact, but now he looked straight into the witch's eyes.
Takasho had said:
When flattering or lying, look into a woman's eyes with the heart of a clear mirror.
Women don't doubt lies told with eye contact.
Roger that.
"Suddenly serious? Mad now? Getting pissed over this means you're not even qualified as a host. I paid for your time to have fun, you know?"
"I overlooked something important."
Her tone had gone from provoking rage to suspiciously soft.
The witch blinked in confusion at the mismatch.
"Why don't you give me a name, then?"
"What? Why would I...?"
"A name from you would be something I'd treasure deeply throughout my hosting career."
Though only two weeks long.
He kept that part to himself.
As soon as he finished speaking, he caught her consistently venomous eyes wavering.
She even swallowed subtly.
Siu, meanwhile, wore a gentle smile, serving with pure sincerity.
"......"
No matter how she tried to rile him, not a twitch.
That alone might have sparked her competitive spirit and anger.
But he'd admitted his mistake, apologized, and handed her the 'special role' of naming him.
Names held deeper meaning in witch society than one might think.
Even if it was just a host alias.
And crucially... up close, he really was handsome.
"My name is... Ceres Sicognax."
"Like the goddess. It suits you perfectly."
"Does it? Never thought of it that way."
"What should my name be, then? We've got about 10 minutes left—fun to brainstorm together."
This guy, hitting her out of nowhere.
Caught off-guard, Ceres blinked, then crossed her arms.
Her aversion to the cocky 'male witch' label had faded; now she pondered what name would feel right.
"Hmm, what would be good?"
Takasho, eavesdropping from the side, smiled in satisfaction.
He'd been on edge with such a picky customer right out the gate.
But it was needless worry.
Shin Siu—who'd charmed not one, not two, but three witches, and even gotten it on with an apprentice— wasn't the old Shin Siu.
Look at him now.
Not even trying, yet smoothly reeling her in.
From experience, that raw, unpolished charm was lethal to women.
No-makeup makeup trended among girls for the same reason—natural worked best.
The juniors who'd chased Takasho for the top spot all had that vibe.
They tended to fumble customer management or fall into real love and retire quick, hearts too soft.
If this were Kabukicho.
If Siu had leveled up enough to compete with Takasho, who would have won?
Siu's hosting was excellent in every sense—such idle thoughts crossed his mind.
No major issues after that.
Takasho used his quick instincts from rolling in host bars to anticipate and fulfill customer needs before requests.
The 30 hosts, trained purely on service for nearly three months, satisfied the witches without a hitch.
He'd banned seconds for now to handle the rush, but plenty seemed ready for more.
And so ended the glamorous debut of Glass Rose in Gehenna.
At 2 a.m., after the witches left and things quieted down.
The exhausted hosts gathered in the bar center after cleanup.
"Attention!"
End of day's business—time for settlements.
"Everyone, great work today. I think your efforts have finally borne fruit."
Takasho stood on the stairs, encouraging his comrades who'd battled hard all day.
From up high, with calm eyes, he scanned the hosts he'd shared trials with for months.
They'd served while tense, drunk while serving.
Over 12 hours of work plus cleanup left them all wrecked, but faces were bright.
Some even grinned foolishly.
"Now, announcing today's sales."
In that tense moment,
"Daily sales: 2,112 pounds in gold."
"Huh...?"
"Eh?"
"Two... thousand pounds?"
The staggering sum sent ripples of shock through the hosts.
Even Siu, slumped against the stairs after handling over 100 witches, gaped.
One day: roughly 17.08 billion won.
Money made mental math snap crisp.
"After drinks... 1,267 pounds."
"......"
"......"
The murmurs died into silence.
Of course, subtract monthly debts, interest, snacks, labor, basic setups— it'd halve.
Just drinks alone? Over 10.64 billion won profit.
In.
One.
Day.
All stared blankly at Takasho, who continued calmly.
"First-day special. Won't be like this every day. And we'll be slammed tomorrow, the next day, for a while. Rest, but stay sharp."
"......"
"......"
"Still..."
Takasho bowed his head, then clenched a fist, hot tears streaming.
"We did it! Guys! Great job! Let's keep it up!!!"
"Waaaaaah!!! Takasho brooo!!!"
"This is all thanks to Shin Siu here! Praise him, you punks! That's my friend!"
"Siu! Siu! Siu!"
"Takasho! Takasho! Takasho!"
It devolved into such frenzy they might need to clean again.
Hugging, jumping, piggybacking Takasho around the bar, cheering Siu multiple times.
The reward for daily desperation to cut losses, uncertainty in a shaky job, honing dubious service skills—it was too sweet.
Siu and Takasho, arms around staff, danced and screamed wildly for ages.
A magnificent night when men's dreams came true.