Chapter 421: Kasugano Sora's Secret, Hiratsuka Shizuka's Indignation
The warm, fragrant steam of the hotpot swirled around the table, but a sudden, quiet question from Shiina Mashiro seemed to cut right through the lively chatter. Though her expression remained as placid as ever, her words drew the immediate attention of Sōryūin Shion and the others.
Amou Kirukiru raised a curious eyebrow, a playful smirk touching her lips. "Oh? So Mashiro knows Ren, too?"
Sōryūin Akemi quickly wiped her mouth with a napkin and smiled. "That's because she mentioned running into Sister Cerberus and Sister Lanterby on the street earlier, and they ended up going to an arcade together. Just now, when she was in my room, she saw the group photo we took at Brother Ren's shop, so I told her a little about everyone!"
Sōryūin Shion nodded, a warm smile on her face. "Ah, what a coincidence. To actually meet Cerberus out and about... She's a real force of nature, isn't she? I'm sure you got a sense of that, Mashiro."
Shiina Mashiro gave a small nod in agreement. Then, as if a new thought had just occurred to her, she whispered, "What is the relationship between Cerberus and Ren?"
Shion shot a pointed glance at Akemi, her eyes clearly saying, 'You didn't tell her?'
Akemi's hand flew to her forehead with a soft thump. "I completely forgot to mention that! Sister Cerberus is also Brother Ren's girlfriend! Or... has she been upgraded to fiancée by now?"
Shiina Mashiro tilted her head, her gaze distant as she processed the information. "Then Lucifer?"
"His, too."
"Lanterby?"
"Also his."
"So... Yuko and Pandora..."
"Them as well."
"Sora..."
"And her."
"Also..." Mashiro's eyes scanned an imaginary photograph in her mind before Akemi cut her off.
"Not that one! That's his younger sister!"
Mashiro nodded slowly, her calm eyes suddenly lighting up with a spark of interest. "A younger sister?" she whispered.
"Mhm! And she's super cute!" Akemi confirmed with a grin.
This rapid-fire exchange left Hiratsuka Shizuka and Sengoku Chihiro utterly stunned. The chopsticks in Shizuka's hand froze halfway to her mouth. "Hey! Shion!" she finally managed, her voice strained. "Is this boyfriend of yours some kind of legendary playboy?"
"Please, it's fiancé," Sōryūin Shion corrected coolly, taking a delicate sip of her drink. "And what's so abnormal about it? Isn't it perfectly reasonable?"
Shizuka swallowed hard, her mind reeling. "Just how incredible is this... fiancé of yours, Shion? He just runs a restaurant, right? A five-star one, I assume?"
"No stars," Shion replied, her tone matter-of-fact. "No sign. You can't find it on any map. There's no menu, and it's never crowded. But none of that changes the fact that his food is the most delicious in the world. That's not an exaggeration; it's a fact. The Executive Officers of the WGO can testify to that—they live there. And his food isn't expensive. Even a student can afford a grand meal."
Sengoku Chihiro and Hiratsuka Shizuka exchanged a look of pure astonishment. Good heavens, was she a mind reader? She had just answered every single question brewing in their minds.
Still, Hiratsuka Shizuka remained skeptical. "That certainly sounds like an interesting man," she conceded. "To have a shop like that with such deep culinary skills. But what about his income? How does he support... all of that?"
Sōryūin Akemi shook her head. "Brother Ren is incredibly wealthy. All those precious, rare ingredients are ridiculously cheap at his place. He always says they aren't worth much where he gets them. I even saw him once... um..."
"Saw him doing what?" Sengoku Chihiro leaned forward, her curiosity piqued.
Akemi covered her face with her hands, her voice muffled with embarrassment. "I saw Brother Ren... playing with gold coins like they were marbles..."
"Good heavens..." the two teachers breathed in unison.
Sōryūin Shion smiled, delivering the final, devastating blow. "And did I mention that many of his other fiancées are women of my caliber?"
"Damn it all!" Hiratsuka Shizuka seethed, her knuckles white around her chopsticks. "Shion, how does a cold, muscle-obsessed woman like you land a man like that! It's completely unfair!"
Shion simply smiled, unfazed. "You'll find out if you come see for yourself tomorrow, won't you? What about you, Mashiro? Do you want to come along?"
Sengoku Chihiro was about to explain that Mashiro had planned to spend the day drawing, but the quiet girl nodded first. "Hmm," she said softly. "I want to go. I want to find Cerberus and Sister Lanterby."
"Oh? You two seem to have hit it off," Shion noted with a pleased smile. "Alright then. But let's eat first before everything gets cold. Oh, why aren't you two drinking?" she asked, gesturing to the teachers.
Amou Kirukiru sighed in exasperation. "We've already had several glasses while you've taken two sips. Are you trying to raise fish in that cup?"
"Uh... you guys just drink so fast!"
Watching the four young women chat and laugh, Akemi turned to Mashiro with an expectant look. "You don't have school tomorrow, Mashiro. Will you stay home, come out with us, or would you like me to show you around the school?"
Mashiro tilted her head, her expression becoming uncharacteristically serious as she considered the options. After a long moment, she looked at Akemi and asked calmly, "Akemi, where are you going?"
"Hmm... I'm going to the gym in the morning! Sora might come too. I'm not sure about the afternoon yet, but I'll definitely be going to Brother Ren's shop."
Mashiro shook her head slightly. "I don't know where to go. I want to draw at home... but I also want to see Sora..."
"So you don't really want to see the school, then?"
Akemi nodded in understanding. After all, who wanted to spend a weekend wandering around an empty school? Sengoku Chihiro had already submitted all of Mashiro's paperwork, so there was no official need for her to go.
There were, however, always exceptions. Sengoku Chihiro herself had to go to school the next day to fill out onboarding documents, familiarize herself with the campus, and arrange her class schedule. In short, her Saturday was going to be busy.
To make matters worse, Hiratsuka Shizuka was assigned to accompany her as a welcoming guide. She had originally planned to sleep until noon, a sacred weekend ritual, but now she was being dragged along to help her unlucky senior. The sheer tragedy of it all.
But then, the thought of tonight's incredible meal—and the handsome man she might meet tomorrow—reignited a spark of motivation within her. She was a single woman who crumbled at the slightest mention of her relationship status, yet here she was, eagerly lining up to witness someone else's perfect romance. There was truly no saving her.
While Shion and her friends were deep in conversation, the atmosphere back at Ren's shop was lively in a different way—a quiet hum of activity rather than words.
Nakiri Mana and the others were busy settling into their rooms, while Kasugano Sora and Cerberus explored their new home with wide-eyed curiosity.
At one point, Kasugano Sora paused, clutching the box she carried. After a moment of thought, she suddenly turned and ran back to her room. The others heard the distinct rustle of paper, followed by the soft clatter of items being hastily rearranged. Then, silence.
Everyone watched, their expressions a mixture of confusion and curiosity, as Kasugano Sora emerged a moment later, a faint sigh of relief escaping her lips.
Seeing their questioning gazes, she blushed slightly and mumbled, "It's a secret..."
Lucifer tilted her head. "We know that," she said, her voice laced with curiosity. "What we want to know is, what was all that rustling paper?"
"Nothing. Just a diary..."
Everyone nodded, though their expressions were far from convinced.
Lanterby leaned in, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Are you sure there was nothing else? Like..."
"No love letters or anything!" Sora blurted out, her face turning a deeper shade of red. "No report cards either! That's it!"
With that, she scurried downstairs. The girls exchanged knowing glances.
Lanterby smiled. "I bet it's a report card," she whispered.
"Agreed!" came a chorus of voices.
"Come on, let's make it interesting," Cerberus chimed in. "I'll bet a can of cola it's no more than twenty points!"
"I'll match that!" Lucifer declared. "I say thirty!"
Downstairs, Kasugano Sora's cheeks puffed out in silent protest as she listened to her sisters' teasing. Although there was more than just a report card inside her secret box, there was one... and the score on it was, to put it mildly, rather delicate.
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