Chapter 505: Clumsy Suitors and Morning-After Regrets
A collective wave of confusion washed over the group as Lucifer's entire demeanor brightened in an instant. Her previous pique vanished, replaced by a radiant cheerfulness that left everyone blinking.
Modeus pressed a hand to her lips, a deep blush creeping up her cheeks as she watched the scene. The sight of Ren pulling Lucifer into that brief, possessive embrace had sent a jolt straight to her core. Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic rhythm of envy and longing.
She swallowed hard, her gaze fixed on Ren. 'I want that, too,' she thought, a desperate little voice in her mind. But by the time the thought fully formed, the group was already moving, leaving her behind.
"Wait for me!" Modeus cried out, her voice a touch shrill as she scrambled to catch up.
In that moment, it was safe to say that every man on the street was staring at Ren with a potent cocktail of envy, jealousy, and outright hatred. He now had a stunning woman on each arm. Lucifer, with an air of regal satisfaction, held his left. But it was Modeus on his right who drew the most attention, clinging to his arm with both hands as if it were a lifeline, her body pressed tightly against his side.
Flanking them like silent, beautiful sentinels were Aoandon and Pandemonica, their expressions unreadable. Nami, however, was a whirlwind of energy, darting ahead of the group with wide, curious eyes, trying to take in everything at once.
And who could blame her? The towering buildings, the carefully clean streets, the streams of pedestrians in their strange attire, and the metal carriages that moved without horses—it was all a world away from everything she had ever known. In her fascination, however, she seemed to have completely forgotten one crucial detail: with their otherworldly figures and refined features, their group was just as much a spectacle to the passersby as the city was to her.
Ren glanced down at the demon of lust practically fused to his side. "Modeus, what do you want to buy first?" he asked, his tone patient.
"I don't know!" she chirped, perfectly content just to be there.
Lucifer gave the matter a moment of thought before taking charge. "Let's go get pajamas and other necessities first," she declared. "Nami, is that alright with you?"
Meanwhile, on another street not far away, Kasugano Sora and Soryuin Akemi were accompanying Shiina Mashiro, helping her get familiar with the neighborhood. For Sora, the simple act of walking without any looming threat of exercise was a small slice of heaven.
"Ah!" Akemi exclaimed, a look of sudden understanding dawning on her face. "So this is why Sister was so furious this morning, rolling all over her bed…"
Sakura Hibiki's mouth twitched. "The President has a side like that…?"
"She certainly does," Akemi confirmed with a knowing nod. "Sister is completely powerless against Brother Ren. It's what you'd call being thoroughly henpecked. She's probably still gnashing her teeth in frustration over the deadline she tried to give him…"
Gina Boyd, walking beside them, pondered this. "So, should we say it's the magic of love that made the President fall so completely, or is it that Brother Ren's charm is just that overwhelming?"
Kasugano Sora was quiet for a long time before she finally shook her head. "I'm not sure about that. But… Sister Modeus basically… just arrived and… well. Sister Courage and Sister Decora are really quite clumsy, aren't they?"
Shiina Mashiro, who had been listening with her usual placid expression, tilted her head. "Hmm? Is it because they can't catch Ren?" she asked softly.
A collective wince went through the group. The sheer, innocent brutality of that question was staggering. If Courage and Decora ever heard it, they might just collapse on the spot. The emotional damage would be critical.
"No, no, no, of course not," Sora said, quickly shaking her head. "The reason they're clumsy is because they overthink everything. They've just been testing the waters, skirting around the edges. Brother Ren actually tacitly agreed a long time ago, but…" She paused, a faint, mischievous glint in her eyes. "Uh… Brother Ren can be a bit two-faced. Akemi, you know that, right?"
Soryuin Akemi froze, her eyes widening in disbelief. "So… Brother Ren's two-faced side acted up, and he's just playing with them?!"
"Exactly," Sora confirmed with a small nod. "You could say that… besides those two… uh… and Sister Lanterby… because Sister Lanterby is sort of the 'buy two, get one free' bonus in that set… everyone else could tell what was happening…"
Kamisato Ayaka considered this, her head tilted thoughtfully. "Hmm… So, when the President was with Brother Ren, did that also trigger his two-faced personality?"
"Actually," Akemi mused, "Sister and Brother Ren got together very directly. But you could also say Sister was chasing Brother Ren the entire time. Even after they confirmed their relationship, she was still the one pursuing him… It's a strange way to put it, but that's exactly how it was."
"Given Sister Shion's personality, I can pretty much guess the gist of it…" Sora sighed softly, then her attention shifted. "Eh? Mashiro-nee, I remember your cousin seemed to have had a bit too much to drink yesterday?"
"Cousin…" Mashiro murmured, her gaze distant. "Mhm… Cousin was very strange yesterday…"
"Strange?"
Akemi let out a helpless sigh. "When Sister Chihiro went back yesterday… uh… she was dragging Jing-nee the whole time, saying things like, 'Little Jing, you can't leave me behind… we have to find partners together!' and so on."
Sora's mouth twitched. "That sounds exactly like them… Eh? So where are we going next?"
"Hmm… Ah! I know! Follow me!" Akemi's eyes lit up.
"Eh?! Akemi! Slow down!"
In an apartment on the other side of town, Sengoku Chihiro crawled out of bed. Her hair was a tangled mess, a stark contrast to her usual effortlessly put-together, goddess-like image.
"Hiss… My head hurts so much…" she groaned, pressing her palms to her temples. "I'm so thirsty… Where am I…?"
It took her a long, groggy moment to remember she was in Hiratsuka Shizuka's apartment. Rubbing her messy hair, she slipped on a pair of slippers and shuffled out of the guest room.
"Little Jing! Little Jing!"
In the master bedroom, Hiratsuka Shizuka merely turned over, showing no intention of getting up. But the next moment, her door was pushed open. Shizuka cracked an eye open to see Chihiro standing in the doorway, clad in a set of loose, borrowed pajamas.
Shizuka's mouth twitched in irritation. "Idiot Senior! I'm still sleeping!" she barked.
"I know… but I'm hungry."
An eye twitched. "Then go find something to eat yourself!"
"I'm tired."
"You… Ugh, fine, fine, I'm just kidding," Shizuka grumbled, giving up. "My head feels like it's splitting open. I don't have an appetite for anything anyway."
Chihiro walked over and naturally sat on the edge of Shizuka's bed. Shizuka also sat up, leaning back against her headboard with a lazy sigh. "No matter what, Shopkeeper Ren's cooking is truly delicious. Even with a hangover this bad, I can still remember that taste…"
"Mhm, mhm!" Chihiro agreed enthusiastically. "But… I can't remember anything from about half an hour before we left until I got back here…"
"Let me think… It was probably… hmm…" Shizuka trailed off, her brow furrowed in concentration.
Suddenly, her entire face flushed a violent shade of red. With a strangled squeak, she completely retreated into her covers, pulling the duvet over her head.
Chihiro paused, blinking in confusion. "What did you remember?"
A muffled shout came from under the blankets. "Idiot Senior! Don't you remember how embarrassing we were yesterday after we drank too much?! And it was in front of Shopkeeper Ren!"
Sengoku Chihiro's mind churned for a moment. Then, her pupils constricted as fragmented, mortifying memories flooded back. She covered her face with both hands and let out a horrified wail.
"Little Jing! What do we do?! Our image!"
"I don't know either, Idiot Senior!" came the equally panicked reply from the lump under the covers.
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