Chapter 411: The Girl with the Drawing Board and the Coffee Master
To witness a battle of that caliber... Gina felt it was a privilege, a dream fulfilled, no matter how small it seemed to others. Her instincts had been right, even if the path that led her there had been fraught with unexpected turns.
"Ugh, the holiday's over already," Sakura Hibiki groaned, slumping over her desk with a dramatic flair. "I haven't had nearly enough fun. Now I can barely drag myself out of bed in the morning."
Uehara Ayaka shot her a deadpan look from the next seat. "And how is that any different from when you're on holiday?"
"It's completely different!" Hibiki shot upright, her voice filled with conviction. "During the holidays, I can hit the gym! Hitting the gym builds good habits, good habits lead to a healthy body, a healthy body normalizes my biological clock, and then I can wake up! But school is all mental work. It just makes my brain tired and I fall right asleep. How is anyone supposed to get up after that?"
Soryuin Akemi tilted her head, a thoughtful frown on her face as she processed the convoluted explanation. "You know, Hibiki... when you lay it all out like that, it sounds perfectly logical. So why do I get the feeling something is fundamentally wrong with your reasoning?"
"That's just your imagination!" Hibiki waved a dismissive hand. "Anyway, I wonder what Ren and the others are up to. I bet it's way more interesting than sitting in class..."
A collective sigh of agreement rippled through their small group.
Kasugano Sora, who had been listening quietly, chimed in softly, "I think... Brother Ren and the others went out to buy daily necessities and decorations today. They must be shopping." A wistful look crossed her face. "That sounds nice. I wish I could go out and play, too..."
Another, heavier sigh echoed from the four girls.
As it happened, Ren's group was indeed out shopping. But with a long list of different priorities, they had decided to split up to cover more ground. It was Cerberus, surprisingly, who had been the most adamant about going off on her own.
The suggestion immediately drew a shared, knowing glance between Lucifer and Pandemonica. Cerberus wanting to 'act alone'could only mean one of two things: she had sniffed out something incredibly fun, or she had discovered a new, untested source of food. Either way,'simple shopping' was definitely not on the agenda.
It didn't take long for them to discover her true intentions. The silly dog had found an arcade and was practically vibrating with the desire to go play. After a brief discussion, it was decided that Lanterby would accompany her.
Cerberus was ecstatic. Lanterby, for her part, offered no objections. It had been a long time since she'd been to an arcade herself. After handing a lengthy shopping list to Anne, she eagerly dashed off with Cerberus. When it came to having fun, Lanterby's enthusiasm was second to none.
At that same moment, a girl with hair the color of pale gold drifted through the bustling crowds. She wore a simple dress and clutched a large drawing board to her chest. Her expression was a perfect blank, her eyes scanning left and right without truly seeming to register anything. It was as if she herself wasn't sure what she was searching for.
Amidst the vibrant, chattering throngs of people, she was a stark anomaly—a single white lily blooming quietly in a field of boisterous red roses. She was striking in her serenity, a figure to be admired from a distance, untouchable as she continued her gentle, solitary bloom in the heart of the city.
"So, Pandemonica... you really went all out, huh?" Ren said, leaning back in his chair with a resigned sigh as he surveyed the battlefield before them.
Pandemonica adjusted her glasses, her gaze sharp. "This coffee... Ren, yours is still superior, but this is... passable."
Courage swallowed nervously, his eyes wide. "Um, Pandemonica... Are you..."
"What is it?" she asked, her tone flat. "Is there a problem?"
Everyone's gaze fell upon the small table, which was now crowded with no fewer than a dozen different cups of coffee. A collective sigh rippled through the group. No more words were needed.
While the others had been having lunch, Pandemonica had noticed the distinct lack of coffee on the drink menu. Without a word, she had slipped out to a nearby coffee shop and returned with a single cup. After one critical sip and a thoughtful smack of her lips, she had gone back for another. And another.
In this way, Pandemonica had become the coffee shop's most valuable—and perplexing—customer of the day. While others ordered by flavor, Pandemonica, the discerning demon, had a different method. She was systematically working her way down the menu, starting with the most expensive option, driven by a powerful curiosity for the unfamiliar names.
Just as Pandemonica made to stand again, a firm hand from Lucifer landed on her shoulder, pressing her back into her seat. "Pandemonica," Lucifer said, her voice laced with exasperated amusement, "you've taken exactly one sip from each of these."
"But they aren't good, Boss," she replied, her tone a simple statement of fact.
Ren sighed. "People usually drink coffee at places like this for the atmosphere, or as an excuse to sit and talk. Some are here for the taste, of course, but... let's just say their blend is decent. They're probably trying to conserve their best beans."
Pandemonica sighed in turn, picking up one of the many cups at random and taking a silent, contemplative sip.
"Pandemonica really does love her coffee," Nakiri Mana remarked, a faint smile on her lips.
"Because drinking coffee makes me feel energized," Pandemonica stated simply.
"I understand that," Mana said, "but is it really okay to drink this much, regardless of your constitution?"
Pandemonica paused to consider this. "Special constitution. It is probably fine." Her eyes suddenly lit up slightly as she examined the cup in her hand. "Hm? This one has coconut jelly... How strange... But... it's actually a little tasty."
"So," Lucifer asked, leaning in with genuine curiosity, "is the coffee good, is the coconut jelly good, or is it the combination that works?"
"One moment."
With that, Pandemonica took another deliberate sip, tilting her head in thought. She took a third sip, swallowed, and then declared with absolute certainty, "Hmm, confirmed. The coconut jelly is tasty."
Ren thought for a moment. "I see... In that case, Pandemonica, you might also like coffee jelly. You should try it sometime."
"Can't you make it?" she asked, not as a question of ability, but of availability.
"I can, but..." Ren sighed, the image of a certain pink-haired psychic flashing in his mind. He rubbed his temples. "...Alright, fine. I'll make you some when we get back tonight."
"Now that Lady Mana has finished her meal," Anne interjected smoothly, "it is time to purchase our sleepwear, is it not? I believe pajamas are next on the list."
"Hmph. But Anne, why did you have to single me out like that?" Mana retorted, her cheeks slightly flushed. "Are you implying I'm some kind of glutton?!"
"This way, Lady Mana," Anne said, gracefully sidestepping the question.
"Don't evade the topic!"
As Nakiri Mana and her attendant walked ahead, Pandemonica fell into step beside Lucifer, still sipping her coffee. "Ren didn't seem very keen on making coffee jelly," she observed quietly.
Lucifer let out a soft sigh. "Last night, while you were asleep, Kusuo... well, he commissioned a month's supply of coffee jelly all at once. Ren spent a good while making it and swore he wouldn't want to even look at another coffee bean for a week."
Pandemonica fell silent. Her gaze drifted ahead to where Ren was now fielding a question from Decora. "So, I should..." she began softly, a hint of concern in her voice.
Lucifer casually plucked one of the many coffee cups from Pandemonica's grasp and took a sip. "Don't worry about it," she said, her voice a low murmur. "Ren gave you his word, so he'll do it. He was just grumbling. Even if he doesn't want to make it, once he starts, it'll be done before you know it. You don't need to worry."
Pandemonica nodded, saying nothing more, continuing to walk at the rear of the group, lost in her own thoughts. But as the sunlight glinted off the lenses of her glasses, Lucifer felt a sudden, inexplicable prickle of unease. It was a faint, almost imperceptible shift in the air, the kind that suggested a dangerous presence lurking somewhere nearby.
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