I Died and Was Reincarnated as a Goth Femboy

Bombom sighed. "So, she's just a spoiled adult?"

"I believe you could put it like that, sir," James nodded. "But please, follow me. You must all be hungry after your long journey."

He led them into a dining room so vast it could have hosted a royal ball. A single, impossibly long table stretched across the room, set for three. The moment they sat down, a chef in a tall white hat and his entire kitchen team emerged, lining up before them.

"Hello, Madame," the chef said with a flourish, addressing Bombom. "What would you like to eat?"

Bombom's eyes widened in surprise. "We get to choose? Oooh, I'm liking this already." He looked at Flora, then back at the chef. "I'm a guy."

The chef's professional smile faltered for a second. "My deepest apologies, sir! I thought... please, forgive me. Most femboys we've had the honor of serving prefer to be addressed with female pronouns."

Bombom sighed, the familiar frustration bubbling up. "I'M NOT ONE! I MEAN, I LOOK LIKE ONE, BUT I'M NOT!"

Flora giggled. "It's complicated. Or Bombom is just crazy in the head."

"WHAT?!" Bombom yelled, turning to her. "IF YOU WOULDN'T BE SO CUTE AND ALL WITH THAT PHEROMONES THING, I WOULD SLAP YOU!"

She just laughed, teasing him. "Oooh no, don't slap me, Bombom~" She turned around, shaking her butt playfully in his direction. The chef and his entire team, watching the scene with unconcealed amusement, felt their noses begin to bleed in unison.

Bombom jumped up, getting in front of her to block their view. "Okay, let's focus on the food! I want the best food you have around here. It doesn't need to be expensive, just good." He paused, looking at Flora with a small, genuine smile. "And you? Want some sunrays?"

She smiled back. "That wouldn't be bad, but I want the same as Bombom."

"If you need anything at all, just call my name. I have very good hearing," James said with a final, polite smile before discreetly leaving the room.

The chef did a little, cringey shuffle-dance, and his team filed back into the kitchen. "Did you see that dance?" Bombom laughed, sharing the moment with Flora. "He almost fell on the floor!" Flora laughed so hard a tear came to her eye. "Yes, I noticed! It was so funny!"

After a short wait, the food arrived. It was, without a doubt, the most delicious meal Kenjiro had ever eaten. When they were finished, the chef returned, holding a silver platter with a cloche over it. He placed it on the table and, with a dramatic flair, lifted the lid. On the plate was a single, massive chicken nugget, perfectly golden-brown, wearing a tiny, edible cowboy hat. Suddenly, a familiar song started echoing through the dining hall: "Everyday I'm shufflin'." The nugget began to dance, doing a series of bizarre, jerky head-bobbing moves. Bombom and Flora were completely flabbergasted. After a few seconds, a tiny, harmless firework shot out of the nugget's back, and it collapsed onto the plate, its smiling face vanishing.

Bombom and Flora stared at each other, their mouths wide open. "THIS IS THE BEST PLACE EVER!" they shouted in unison. They eagerly dug into the surprisingly delicious nugget.

"I wonder where Taguro and Jairson are now..." Flora said between bites.

Far across the city, Jairson and Taguro were tailing the terrified strongman. He led them down a series of dark, narrow alleyways before ducking into a secluded dead end. A shady figure in a hoodie emerged from the shadows. "What's up, unc? Want some steroids?"

Jairson didn't hesitate. He pulled his massive pistol, aiming it squarely at the dealer's head. "What did you sell to the strong boy?"

The dealer's hands shot up in surrender. "Look, look, he just bought some steroids! And he told me..." Suddenly, the sound of guns cocking echoed from the rooftops around them. Figures emerged from the shadows, all holding firearms, all aimed at Taguro and Jairson. "...he told me some weird cowboy guy and his girlfriend wanted to take us out of businesssssssss." The dealer's face contorted, his skin turning scaly as he hissed, revealing his true reptilian form.

Back at the mansion, Bombom looked at Flora. "Don't worry. Any second now, Taguro will be here, trying to hug me or something."

Flora laughed. "Yeah, and he'll look at a random place and say something like, 'Bombom is the strongest... or is he?'"

They both started laughing.

In a dark, damp warehouse, Taguro let out a sudden, loud sneeze. "Achoo!" He and Jairson were tied back-to-back to a steel pillar. The reptilian dealer circled them, a cruel grin on his face. "Someone's already sick," he hissed. "Our plan to poison the city's food supply is working perfectly." His crew laughed along with him.

After finishing their meal and recording the dancing nugget for his personal collection, Bombom decided to test the butler's claim. He whispered, his voice barely audible, "James."

Thirty seconds later, James appeared at the doorway. "You called me, sir?"

Bombom was shocked. "You seriously have a good hearing."

"I told you, sir," James smiled. "Now, what do you desire?"

"Is the princess's dad at home?" Bombom asked. "I want to talk with him."

"Yes, he is," James nodded. "Just a moment, I will call him."

As James walked out, the princess walked in. "Look who's all happy around here," she said, a smirk on her face. "I could hear you laughing from the other room." She circled Bombom slowly. "Our food is the best. I think you'll want to stay here with me forever, don't you?" She leaned in closer.

"Hey, this is a weak move," Flora protested. "We need our Bombom."

The princess took a step back. "Well, he could finish all his quests, and then return. I wouldn't mind having... you." She blushed, a rare sight, and then quickly walked out of the room.

Bombom looked at Flora, completely bewildered. "Was she hitting on me?"

Flora just laughed. "Most definitely. And I think she's already preparing her next servant for after James retires." Bombom just scoffed and let out a loud "humpf."

James, the ever-professional butler, returned to the dining hall with a polite bow. "Sir Bombom, the Master will see you now."

Kenjiro nodded, steeling himself. He was about to meet the billionaire father of the world's most annoying princess. He imagined a fat, old man, dripping with jewels and arrogance. He followed James through a series of opulent corridors, each one more ridiculously decorated than the last, until they arrived at a set of massive, carved oak doors. James pushed them open, revealing a vast, modern office.

The man sitting behind the massive obsidian desk was not what Kenjiro had expected. He wasn't old and fat; he was young, handsome, and impeccably dressed, with sharp, intelligent eyes and a confident smirk.

"Come in, my boy, sit," the man said, his voice a smooth, deep baritone. He gestured to a plush leather chair opposite his desk and waited for Bombom to sit before lighting an expensive-looking cigar. "I heard you took the quest to bring my princess here. Thank you."

"Yeah... about that," Bombom began, looking him straight in the eye. "Why didn't you just take her with you? Or, you know, put her on a bus or something? It would have been a lot faster."

The man let out a hearty, booming laugh. "And where would the lesson be in that? I wanted to teach her a bit of humility, not humiliate her in public, hohoho."

"Yeah, I don't think she got the memo," Bombom said dryly.

The man smirked, leaning forward in his chair. "Oh, you think so? She was just telling me all about your journey. How you saved her from reptilians and harpies. She told me you are a very strong Lily."

A blush crept up Kenjiro's neck. "She really told you that? Oh... I don't know..."

The man laughed again. "The payment for your services will be transferred to your guild at any moment now. Is there anything elsssse you need?"

The sound was subtle, a faint, drawn-out hiss on the last word, but Kenjiro's senses, now honed by multiple encounters, picked it up immediately. His expression hardened. "You're a reptilian, right?"

The man's laugh boomed through the office again, but this time it felt a little forced. "Of course not, hohohoho! I just have a... problem with my tongue." To demonstrate, he opened his mouth. His tongue was indeed incredibly, unnaturally long, and it flickered for a moment before retracting.

Bombom stared, his suspicion growing. "Right..." he said slowly. "I'll see you around." He got up and exited the office, walking back to the dining room where Flora was waiting.

"Any news about Taguro or Jairson?" he asked.

Flora shook her head. "No. Should we really go look for them?"

Bombom thought for a moment. "Hmmm, no. They can handle themselves. Let's take that guest room and sleep here tonight. I'm exhausted."