Chapter 408: Kasugano Sora and Hiratsuka Shizuka's Disastrous Morning
Even though it was only her second time eating with such a large group, Pandemonica found the experience uniquely pleasant. While she didn't technically need to eat, that did little to diminish the feeling. "Not bad," was her simple, yet sincere, assessment of the meal.
Courage let out a wide yawn, stretching her arms over her head. "Lady Mana, since the work is officially done, shouldn't today be a holiday...?"
Nakiri Mana, gracefully chewing a bite of her breakfast, nodded. "Hmm, but aren't we supposed to be buying daily necessities today? And this afternoon, we have to check on the site selection and the construction team's progress. We're so busy!"
Decora sighed contentedly. "Still, this is much better. Moving here has made things far more convenient, and it's also good for our eyes."
"Agreed!" came a chorus of four voices.
Lucifer tilted her head, a forkful of food paused midway to her lips. "Good for your eyes? What does that mean? Does your WGO also have some kind of vision health program? I suppose you all have to read a lot of documents..."
Courage shot a knowing glance at Decora and the others, who all gave subtle nods in return. Anne spoke up, her voice as gentle as ever. "Lucifer, we don't actually have a project like that. It's 'good for our eyes' in a different sense. You could understand it as us not wanting to see certain people."
Lucifer's eyes widened slightly in understanding. "Oh? Well, that's quite something. To be so unpleasant that you'd make the entire WGO relocate... that's impressive in its own right."
A flicker of irritation crossed Nakiri Mana's face. "Let's not talk about such disgusting topics," she said, her tone sharp. "I don't even know what's changed around here over the years."
Courage looked puzzled. "Lady Mana, logically speaking, even if you'd been here all this time, it's not like you would know what's changed, right?"
Decora offered a soft smile to clarify. "I believe Courage means that as the young lady of the Nakiri family, with your school obligations and the previous state of your God's Tongue, you likely never had much time to go out and explore. You wouldn't have noticed any changes regardless."
Nakiri Mana froze, the realization dawning on her. She slowly covered her face with her hands. "She's right... I don't think I've ever gone shopping more than a handful of times. Every time I went out, it was for a taste-testing. Eh? Now that I think about it, my life suddenly sounds incredibly miserable."
Across the table, Pandemonica gave Mana a look of deep, shared misery. Another soul whose life was shackled by work, she thought. Although, by comparison, Nakiri Mana was a pampered young lady whose job was to eat exquisite food, while she... Pandemonica let out a silent sigh.
Cerberus, ever direct, cocked her head. "But, Mana, you're all better now. As a Special Executive Officer, you're probably going to be even busier, right...?"
Mana and her five attendants shook their heads in decisive unison. "On the contrary," Anne explained softly. "With Lady Mana's God's Tongue in its current, improved state, she'll basically have no need to do any routine taste-testing."
"Eh?" came the surprised reply from the three demons.
Pandemonica raised an eyebrow. "Her God's Tongue got better, so her tasting work has actually decreased? What's the logic there?"
Decora smiled. "Before, Lady Mana's palate was so sensitive she couldn't taste anything properly. But now that it's controllable, a God's Tongue of her caliber, combined with her status as the sole Special Executive Officer, means she can't be invited for just any tasting. Not just anyone qualifies for her time."
Lucifer mulled this over. "So, what level of cuisine is required for a Special Executive Officer to even consider tasting it?"
"At the very least, a dish must have a four-star rating to even qualify for an appointment," Anne said gently. "And there's always the possibility of a re-evaluation of that rating after a single tasting. So, Lady Mana's schedule is actually quite relaxed. Usually, the chefs come to the WGO headquarters to prepare their dishes for her."
"Don't Executive Officers usually have to fly all over the world?"
Nakiri Mana answered casually, a hint of pride in her voice. "That's because the quality of ingredients at the WGO headquarters is the best in the world."
Lucifer's mouth twitched. "So, Mana, you really do have it easy... Then Courage, do you and the others have to fly all over the world? Does that mean you'll be leaving again in a few days?"
Courage shook her head. "No. After the headquarters moved here, this area requires high-level Executive Officers to oversee various tasks. So, the Second-Grade Executive Officers will be the ones getting busy. However, Lanterby is one of Lady Mana's personal officers, so she doesn't need to leave either."
Lanterby, who was in the middle of eating, flashed a peace sign.
Ren considered this for a moment. "Being an Executive Officer sounds like a real hassle. No wonder it's a high-income profession. The plane tickets alone must be a massive expense, right?"
Anne nodded softly. "According to our statistics, in the region where the WGO headquarters is located, for at least twenty days a month, every single flight arriving or departing will have, on average, two Executive Officers on board."
Ren nodded, taking in the information.
Unlike the unhurried breakfast and conversation unfolding at the restaurant, Kasugano Sora's morning was anything but. Carrying her schoolbag over one shoulder and sipping a can of cola, she walked down the street with an air of mild annoyance.
"Why isn't today the weekend..." she muttered to herself. "I want to go out and play, too..."
She took another sip. "Ah... it's not cold anymore. How does Sister Lanterby drink cola that isn't cold? It's so strange..."
She kicked a loose pebble on the sidewalk. "Ah... at least the Chinese language homework is still pretty easy..."
"I'm very pleased that you can say that, Kasugano-san."
The sudden, familiar voice made Kasugano Sora spin around. Sure enough, standing there was a beautiful, black-haired woman dressed in a sharp professional suit. The image would have been perfect if not for the lollipop she was casually sucking on, a detail that completely clashed with her otherwise mature aesthetic.
"Teacher... Teacher Hiratsuka?! Why are you here?!" Sora yelped, her eyes wide.
Hiratsuka Shizuka actually had a good impression of this particular student, who had become something of a school mascot the moment she enrolled. "I should be asking you that," she replied in an exasperated tone. "Why aren't you at school at this hour?"
Kasugano Sora looked down at her shoes. "Um... I thought today was the weekend..." she mumbled.
Hiratsuka Shizuka blinked, then let out a short chuckle. "Well, that makes sense then." A wry grin spread across her face.
"Because I thought the same thing~"
Kasugano Sora's mouth twitched. Good heavens, what's with that 'of course' look on your face?! Get serious! You're a teacher! Is that something a teacher should be saying?!
Then, a dreadful thought struck her. She tilted her head. "Teacher Hiratsuka..."
"The first class of the day is Chinese language..."
"Eh? Ha?! It really is! Wait, you're saying that so calmly, aren't you afraid of being late?"
"Teacher Hiratsuka, actually, I have a stomach ache."
Hiratsuka Shizuka simply raised an eyebrow. "Kasugano-san, that can of cola in your hand... it was a cold one, wasn't it?"
"No, it wasn't! It was almost room temperature... Uh..." Sora clamped her mouth shut, realizing her mistake.
"A stomach ache, you say?! You're coming to class, right now!"
"I got it! I got it! Teacher Hiratsuka, don't pull me!"
[Akarin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/AkarinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/AkarinTL
🔗 All My Links: linktr[.]ee/AkarinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]