Chapter 510: Masters at Flirting, and Lucifer's Warning: "Justice, That's Enough!"
Inside the coffee shop, the handsome woman held a latte, a playful smile gracing her lips as she looked at Ren across the table. "Is this really okay? You even bought me coffee."
Ren returned the smile, his demeanor relaxed. "It's nothing, really. Just a cup of coffee. Besides, I have a feeling we could become good friends."
"Oh?" Her smile widened, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "A man who thinks like that... are you having some interesting thoughts? Or perhaps some naughty ones?"
Ren met her gaze, which seemed to hold a universe of amusement. He considered her for a moment, then tilted his head. "In a situation like this, I think your thoughts are more relevant than mine, Miss."
"My thoughts?"
"You're the one who approached me," Ren said gently. "So what I'm actually wondering is, how do you feel about accepting a coffee from a complete stranger?"
The woman paused, then let out a light laugh. "I suppose I just think you seem like a nice guy. And this is just coffee from a shop. What's the harm in drinking it?"
Ren's smile took on a knowing edge. "I'm quite confident in my ability to add a little something... extra... to a coffee, even right in front of you."
"Eh?! Really?" Her eyes widened in feigned surprise. "So you tampered with this?"
"I wouldn't put it like that; you make me sound like some kind of villain," he chuckled. "I'm just saying that with strangers, there's always a fifty-fifty chance they're a bad person. I could have slipped something into the condensed milk, or maybe the sugar cubes. I could even do it right under your nose."
She stared down at the cup of coffee before her, a flicker of genuine hesitation crossing her features. For a moment, she seemed genuinely uncertain about drinking it. But the allure of the game was too strong. After a brief pause, a grin returned to her face. "Well, if you put it that way, I'm actually looking forward to seeing how you'd tamper with it right in front of me."
Ren sighed dramatically. "Since you don't believe me, I suppose I'll have to give you a demonstration."
"I'm all anticipation."
"It's already done."
"What?!" Her eyes shot from him to the cup. "What did you do?"
Ren simply smiled. "If I could tell you, it wouldn't be much of a unique skill, would it? Care to try it?"
The woman eyed the latte, her curiosity warring with a sliver of caution. After a long moment, she lifted the cup and took a delicate sip. She savored it, then looked up, a curious frown on her face. "No strange reaction."
"That's because it hasn't dissolved yet," Ren advised smoothly. "You should give it a stir and take a few more sips."
"Like this?"
Without another word, she began to drink her coffee in earnest. Ren watched her, a placid smile on his face as he leisurely sipped his own. After she'd finished the entire cup, she set it down, looking thoroughly perplexed. "Hmm? Still nothing. What exactly did you do?"
"Making a beautiful, incredibly unique woman obediently drink an entire cup of coffee without a single word of protest in between," Ren said, his eyes twinkling. "Isn't that a clever little trick all on its own?"
The woman froze. A second later, she burst into a hearty, genuine laugh. "I didn't even realize it! You really are an interesting man. No wonder you have such good luck with women."
"That much was confirmed the moment you decided to sit at this table, Miss."
Her smile was dazzling. "So, since you're so lucky with women—and you're well aware of it—does that mean you have a lot of tricks up your sleeve for winning them over?"
"Does being somewhat handsome count as a trick?"
"Pfft—Hahaha! Yes, of course it does!" she roared with laughter. "You have to be one of the most interesting people I've ever met. Maybe even the most."
Ren let out a soft sigh. "I don't know why, but hearing you say that brings back certain memories. It's all quite absurd, really."
"What kind of memories?"
"If this were a manga," he said, a wry twist to his lips, "this is the part where I'm supposed to say 'It's a secret,' or something about how a man with secrets is more charming."
The woman tilted her head, playing along. "And then, following the manga's plot, I'd become incredibly curious about you. We'd have a series of chance encounters, and if it were a shonen manga, there'd even be a 'hero saves the damsel' scene, and then I'd fall hopelessly in love with you?"
Ren considered this. "If it played out like that, I certainly wouldn't be at a loss. But that kind of trope... it clearly doesn't suit you."
"Because the heroines in manga aren't as handsome as you are," she declared with a wink.
"Eh? Hahaha! Thank you for the compliment," Ren laughed, shaking his head. "You really know how to sweet-talk a guy. It seems I'm getting more and more interested."
He sighed again, but just as he was about to speak, his phone buzzed twice. "Pardon me," he said, offering an apologetic glance before answering the call. The woman simply smiled, watching him without a word.
"Hmm? You're all done shopping?"
"I'm at that coffee shop we were at before."
"Okay, what do you want to drink?"
"Eh? Pandemonica doesn't want coffee? Alright, I'll wait for you here."
Hearing the exchange, the woman's smile grew. Ren ended the call and set his phone down.
"Your lover?" she asked, her tone light and casual.
"Yes," he confirmed. "You seem quite at ease."
She shrugged, her confidence unwavering. "You're not afraid, so why should I be?"
"Aren't you worried something unexpected might happen?"
"Unexpected... what do you mean by that?" she countered, her eyes sparkling with challenge. "Are you referring to the act of flirting with someone else's boyfriend?"
Ren remained silent.
The woman leaned forward slightly, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "As long as you don't say anything, who's to know I'm not just your other girlfriend?"
"Eh? You really are a different breed of woman, just like your aura suggests," Ren mused. "But are you really going to stay?"
"Of course," she said, her grin turning predatory. "I'm actually wondering now... if I really put my mind to it, could I snatch you away from your girlfriends? Now that would be very interesting."
Ren paused, a thoughtful expression on his face. "The 's' you used at the end there was very subtle."
"A woman's sixth sense," she replied smoothly. "Am I wrong?"
"So, if that's the case," Ren volleyed back, "doesn't that mean there's a good chance I won't be able to fend them off and might even go down in flames myself?"
"You're just assuming you'll succeed in snatching me away?"
"Of course!" she declared without a hint of doubt.
Just as Ren was about to retort, he saw Lucifer and the others approaching. The group, which had clearly been in high spirits, came to a collective halt. Their smiles vanished, replaced by pouts as they saw the unknown woman sitting across from Ren. Modeus, in particular, looked ready to summon her sledgehammer.
'What a joke!'she fumed internally.'I haven't even had a chance to be with him, and now some random woman is trying to steal him while we're just out buying clothes! It's hammer time!'
Lucifer's aura flared, her regal composure instantly replaced by a chilling pressure. She strode forward, her eyes narrowed, ready to obliterate whichever hussy dared to flirt with her man.
"Ren, who are you talking to—" Her words caught in her throat, followed by a sharp hiss of indrawn breath.
Modeus rushed up beside her, shouting, "Ren! This woman—" She too stopped dead, letting out a similar hiss.
Pandemonica tilted her head, walking over to see what the commotion was about. The next moment: "Hiss..."
Nami's mouth twitched in exasperation.
"Your abbreviations are really something else," the handsome woman commented with a casual smile, looking at the newcomers. "Yo! Lucifer! And Modeus, Pandemonica!"
Lucifer's eye twitched violently. "What are you two doing together?!"
The woman grinned, gesturing towards Ren. "Me? I was just planning to tease him a little, but I didn't expect to find myself so drawn to him. He really is an amazing man."
"Justice! That's enough!" Lucifer snapped, her voice tight with warning.
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