Chapter 224: Sleeping Lucifer, Gargle After Workout
Forty minutes later, Ren finally found Lucifer tucked away in the deepest corner of Silverman Gym.
He stepped through the glass doors of the private yoga studio, leaving the rhythmic clanking of iron weights and heavy grunts behind him. Inside, the atmosphere was entirely different, steeped in a serene, tranquil silence. The faint, soothing aroma of lavender essential oils lingered in the air, accompanied by the dim, warm glow of recessed floor lights.
At the center of the polished wooden floor sat the legendary CEO of Hell. Lucifer was dressed in a form-fitting, midnight-black yoga outfit that flawlessly outlined her graceful, mature figure. The premium elastic fabric hugged her generous curves and slender waist, leaving a tantalizing sliver of her pale midriff exposed.
She sat completely motionless in a perfect lotus position. Her legs were crossed seamlessly, her hands resting on her knees with her fingers forming a delicate mudra, and her crimson eyes were gently closed.
Ren paused by the doorway, taking a moment to admire the sheer elegance of her posture. Anyone else would assume she had achieved a profound state of spiritual enlightenment through deep meditation.
However, Ren knew Lucifer all too well. He noticed the slight, irregular hitch in her chest, the complete lack of muscular tension in her shoulders, and a very specific, relaxed slump to her posture.
A highly amusing possibility crossed his mind. He silently crossed the wooden floor, his footsteps completely muffled, until he stood directly in front of her.
Ren slowly waved his hand just inches from Lucifer's closed eyelids. She did not flinch, nor did her eyelashes flutter.
Instead, in the absolute quiet of the yoga room, Ren could distinctly hear the soft, rhythmic sound of her faint snores. She was completely out cold.
It was glaringly obvious now. The great Queen of the Underworld had been so deeply engrossed in pretending to meditate that she had simply fallen sound asleep sitting up.
A wicked smirk crept onto Ren's face. He leaned in close to her ear, his breath tickling her silver hair, and spoke in an urgent, hushed whisper.
"Lucifer. Wake up. Beelzebub has escaped from the abyss."
"Eh?!" Lucifer shrieked, her eyes snapping open in pure terror.
She instantly scrambled to her feet, her majestic poise shattering into a million pieces. "Catch her quickly! Don't let that damn fly near my pancakes! Uh..."
Lucifer blinked, her frantic gaze darting around the empty, dimly lit yoga studio. Her eyes finally landed on Ren, who was standing there with his arms crossed, watching her with a highly appreciative, amused expression.
There was no dimensional tear, no buzzing swarms of demonic insects, and certainly no sign of the Great Fly, Beelzebub.
Lucifer's face flushed a brilliant shade of crimson as the realization hit her. She stomped her bare foot against the wooden floor, glaring at him irritably.
"Don't make jokes like that so casually! It's absolutely terrifying!" Lucifer scolded, her voice cracking slightly.
"And how long have you been standing there? How did you even get in without me noticing? I was deeply immersed in my spiritual meditation!"
Ren let out a soft chuckle, his eyes dancing with mischief. "Regarding that impressive spiritual meditation, Lucifer. You might want to quickly wipe the drool from the corner of your mouth first."
"Eh?!" Lucifer squeaked, her hands flying to her face in utter panic.
"Oh my god... Wait, what?! Where is the drool? I don't feel anything!"
She scrubbed frantically at her pristine chin and cheeks, only to realize her skin was perfectly dry.
Ren burst into laughter, unable to hold it back any longer.
"Just kidding. Lucifer, you just fell asleep. I only came to wake you up because we need to get ready to leave soon."
Lucifer dropped her hands, her shoulders slumping in defeat as she glared daggers at him.
"Also," Ren added smoothly, his gaze briefly sweeping over her toned physique. "You really do look incredible in that yoga outfit, Lucifer."
The first part of his sentence had somewhat pacified her, but the sudden, direct compliment hit her like a truck. Lucifer's face instantly turned red, then pale, then an even deeper shade of red.
Her heart hammered wildly against her ribs. She crossed her arms over her chest, suddenly very conscious of how tight the athletic fabric was, feeling entirely exposed beneath his intense gaze.
She felt a dangerous flutter in her stomach, an overwhelming sense that something very bad—or very good—might happen if they stayed alone in this dim room much longer. She seriously wondered if she would ever be able to stand with a straight back around him again without her knees going weak.
"Let's... let's just go," Ren said, mercifully breaking the heavy tension. "We still need to find Cerberus. I wonder if she's still running on those machines."
Ren rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I always feel like Cerberus really, really likes to run."
Lucifer let out a quiet sigh of relief, silently thanking him for changing the subject. Since her dignity as the CEO of Hell was already completely shattered for the day, there was no point in resisting.
She quickly composed herself, tilting her head as they walked out of the yoga studio and into the brightly lit hallways of the gym. "Really? Cerberus always seems to have a lot of strange, hyperactive hobbies."
Ren thought for a moment as they strolled past a row of water fountains. He mentally listed the triple-demon's daily activities.
Cerberus loved sticking her head out the window of moving cars to catch the breeze. She went absolutely feral for catching flying balls in the park.
She hoarded meat on the bone and buried things in the yard. And she possessed a bottomless reserve of energy for sprinting aimlessly.
Essentially, the terrifying guardian of the underworld had the exact same hobbies as a golden retriever.
Thinking of this, Ren couldn't help but smile. "Hmm. Honestly, she's just exactly like a dog."
Lucifer blinked in surprise, looking up at him as they approached the bustling cardio section. "Eh? Wasn't she always a Hellhound to begin with?"
"You make a very fair point," Ren laughed. "Come on, let's go find our Hellhound quickly before she breaks the equipment."
"Oh! Right behind you!" Lucifer chimed in, matching his pace.
However, not long after they stepped onto the main cardio floor, both of them froze in their tracks. A bizarre scene was unfolding at the far end of the room.
Momobami Kirari, Sakura Hibiki, Sōryūin Akemi, Gina Boyd, and Uehara Ayaka were all gathered around a single, heavily reinforced commercial treadmill. The girls were staring at the machine with incredibly strange, awestruck expressions.
Or, more precisely, they were staring at the silver-haired girl currently running on the treadmill at an absolutely terrifying, physics-defying speed.
It was Cerberus. At this moment, the demonic dog-girl looked completely insane, completely lost in the euphoric rush of her sprint.
She had cranked the treadmill's settings far past its intended maximum limit. Her two legs were nothing but a blurry, chaotic whirlwind of motion, her sneakers slapping against the heavy rubber belt with the ferocity of a machine gun.
Sakura Hibiki clutched her head in disbelief, her jaw hanging wide open.
"As expected of Ren-nii's girlfriend! This speed is just too astonishing! Is she even human?!"
Akemi stepped closer, her eyes gleaming with a terrifying, obsessive passion for anatomy. She shook her head in pure awe.
"No matter how you look at it, the stride frequency is completely abnormal!" Akemi practically panted, entirely captivated.
"The recruitment of her fast-twitch muscle fibers! The explosive power in her calves! So amazing!"
Amidst the chorus of praise, Kirari stood slightly off to the side, looking completely out of place.
"Mmm! Mmm! Mmm! Mmm!"
Kirari was vehemently shaking her head, her cheeks puffed out to a comical degree, making muffled, protesting sounds from the back of her throat.
Ren walked up behind the group and took in the sheer absurdity of the scene. The treadmill was beginning to emit a faint smell of burning rubber from the immense friction of Cerberus's pace.
He let out a long, heavy sigh. "Cerberus, that's enough cardio for one day. We're getting ready to go."
Cerberus's dog-like ears instantly twitched beneath her silver hair at the sound of his voice.
"Eh? Oh! Oh! Oh!"
She was incredibly obedient. Without missing a single beat of her terrifying sprint, Cerberus reached out and slammed her palm onto the glowing red emergency stop button.
The heavy rubber belt jerked to a violent halt. Using the sudden momentum, Cerberus launched herself backward into a flawless, high-flying backflip, sticking the landing perfectly on the solid floor.
Without a second of hesitation, she bounded over to Ren with a massive, beaming smile and pounced on him.
"Mas— Ren! Ren! Ren!" Cerberus cheered, catching herself before she called him master in public.
"This running machine is really super fun!"
"Fun?!" the five observing girls chorused in absolute bewilderment, their voices echoing across the cardio floor.
None of them could comprehend how sprinting at the speed of a bullet train could be considered a relaxing, fun time.
"Mmm..."
A muffled, highly distressed groan drew Cerberus's attention. She tilted her head like a confused puppy and looked over at Kirari, who was currently clutching her own face, her blue lipstick slightly smudged.
"Kirari, Kirari, Kirari," Cerberus chanted playfully, leaning in close. "Did you eat something weird? Why can't you open your mouth to talk?"
Kirari's pale face instantly flushed a vibrant, burning red. She shot Ren a deeply resentful, yet undeniably sultry glare.
Her mind flashed back to just twenty minutes ago in the secluded, locked confines of the VIP locker room. Ren had cornered her, smoothly cashing in the "coach's reward" she had haughtily promised him for helping her stretch.
She had confidently assumed she could handle him, but Ren's overwhelming stamina and aggressive dominance had quickly brought the proud Student Council President to her knees. Her throat was still throbbing from the relentless pace he had set, pushing her gag reflex to its absolute breaking point.
When he finally finished, painting the back of her throat in a messy, overwhelming flood of warmth, she had been left gasping, a complete, trembling mess.
Desperate to clean up, Kirari scrambled to find a half-drunk bottle of mineral water resting on a nearby bench. She unscrewed the cap, turned away from the group, and finally spat the opaque, foamy mouthful of high-grade mouthwash she had been swishing for the past ten minutes into the plastic bottle.
Kirari leaned against the equipment, letting out a long, desperate gasp for air. "Haa... I almost ran out of oxygen. I was just rinsing my mouth."
Gina tilted her head, her blonde twintails bouncing as she looked at Kirari in genuine confusion. "Eh? Why do you need to intensely rinse your mouth with mouthwash after working out?"
Kirari froze for a split second, a bead of sweat rolling down her pale neck. She quickly masked her panic with her trademark, composed smile.
"That question depends entirely on the individual's specific workout routine, Gina," Kirari replied smoothly, entirely deflecting the innocent girl's question.
Seeking to shift the dangerous spotlight off herself, Kirari immediately turned her icy blue eyes toward the newly arrived demon. "By the way, Lucifer. I'm quite surprised you actually like practicing yoga."
Lucifer blinked, suddenly caught off guard by the abrupt change in topic.
"Eh? Why? Am I not suitable for it?"
"Suitable. Very suitable, actually," Kirari purred, her eyes trailing over Lucifer's tight outfit with an aristocratic smirk. "But I always feel that watching you practice yoga would be a very... interesting spectacle."
"What exactly do you mean by that?" Lucifer demanded, her pride immediately flaring up.
"Oh, nothing much," Kirari dismissed with a graceful wave of her hand, turning her predatory gaze back to the man responsible for her current state. "By the way, Ren."
Kirari stepped closer to him, her voice dropping into a husky, private tone. "How was the special coach's reward I gave you earlier? Wasn't it a remarkably great deal?"
Ren's breath hitched slightly as the memories of her soft lips and desperate, teary-eyed expression flooded his mind. He paused, his eyes locking with hers, before a supremely confident smile spread across his face.
"Hmm. It was certainly excellent," Ren whispered back, leaning down just enough so only she could hear. "And if the depth of the next reward is even better, it will be absolutely perfect."
Kirari's entire body stiffened. The vivid image of what he meant by 'depth' made her face flush an even deeper, furious shade of red. She softly spat in indignation, entirely ignoring his teasing smirk.
Kirari was far too familiar with Ren's devastating way of speaking, and she knew exactly when she was outmatched. At this moment, the formidable head of the Momobami Clan chose a highly tactical retreat, stepping back into the safety of the group.
Ren looked around at the gathered crowd and clapped his hands together, returning to his usual, cheerful demeanor.
"Well, since everyone is here, it's about time we get ready for lunch," Ren announced. "Cerberus, you and Lucifer go hit the showers first."
"You're completely drenched in sweat. I'll wait for you right here."
Lucifer nodded in agreement. She firmly grabbed the wrist of a highly reluctant, pouting Cerberus and dragged the energetic demon dog off toward the women's locker room.
Once the two imposing, somewhat unfamiliar beauties had left the area, the four high school girls instantly became lively again.
The intimidating aura had vanished, leaving only their friendly gym acquaintance. Gina and Sakura Hibiki, in particular, were the exact type of girls who talked entirely too much once they felt comfortable around someone.
Hibiki bounced over to Ren, her eyes sparkling with unhidden greed and a voracious appetite.
"Ren-nii!" Hibiki exclaimed with a massive grin. "Someone of your incredible athletic caliber must also be able to eat a massive amount of food, right?!"
"I heard Akemi say before that professional athletes eat thousands and thousands of calories a day!"
Hibiki's mind was already wandering, vivid images of triple-stacked cheeseburgers dripping with grease, mountain-sized bowls of ramen, and perfectly salted french fries dancing in her head. She desperately wanted him to validate her own horrific eating habits.
Ren thought for a moment, crossing his arms as he looked down at the eager high schooler.
"Regarding that question, you are technically right," Ren began thoughtfully. "Indeed, physique and eating are intrinsically linked. Eating healthy macronutrients, while consuming a significantly larger quantity, is highly beneficial for muscle growth and body shaping."
He chuckled, crushing Hibiki's junk-food dreams. "But for me, I just eat a relatively normal amount for my size. I don't really have any strict dietary restrictions."
Ayaka stepped forward, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose in disbelief. "Eh?! So, Ren-nii, you can actually eat high-calorie, heavy-oil, and fiercely salty foods without ruining your physique?"
Ren nodded calmly, offering a warm smile. "I definitely can, but I usually pass on the heavy oil and heavy salt. It simply isn't very healthy for the internal organs."
"An occasional cheat meal is perfectly fine, of course. But since I have my own specific profession, it's really not difficult for me to prepare and eat a relatively healthy meal whenever I want."
Gina's eyes widened in realization. She stepped back and aggressively threw two sharp, flawless phantom jabs into the air.
"I know what it is!" Gina declared excitedly, her blonde hair whipping around. "You're a professional underground fighter, right?!"
"The diet! The muscles! It makes perfect sense!"
Before Ren could correct the enthusiastic Russian girl, a smooth, elegant voice drifted over from behind them.
"Actually, Mr. Ren is the proud owner of an incredibly successful restaurant," Courage said, stepping out from the nearby corridor.
The beautiful Book Master from the World Gourmet Organization carried herself with an air of absolute authority. She offered the girls a gentle, knowing smile.
"And his cooking is unimaginably delicious," Courage continued, her tone filled with profound respect. "I, as a First-Class Executive Officer of the WGO, can personally attest to the sheer perfection of his culinary skills."
"The WGO?!" the four high school girls gasped in perfect unison, their eyes widening to the size of saucers.
To anyone even remotely interested in food or culinary prestige, the WGO was the absolute pinnacle of authority.
Kirari stood quietly on the periphery, glancing sideways at Courage. She offered a subtle, mysterious smile, opting to say nothing at all.
Kirari naturally knew all about the WGO and the sheer political weight an Executive Officer carried. Her icy blue eyes slowly drifted back to Ren, filled with a complex mixture of pride, affection, and lingering frustration.
She discreetly licked her lips, a sudden shiver running down her spine. She didn't know exactly what was running through her own twisted mind right now, but a soft, barely audible whisper escaped her lips.
"An Executive Officer of the WGO personally vouching for him..." Kirari muttered under her breath, a smug smirk forming. "As expected of my man."
Her smirk faltered slightly as she swallowed hard, a very distinct, lingering flavor hitting the back of her tongue.
"But really..." Kirari grumbled quietly, her face flushing pink once more. "This is exactly like what those dirty romance books described. It really is incredibly fishy."
"It looks like I desperately need to change to a stronger brand of mouthwash."
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