Chapter 514: Modeus's Strange Awakening
Ren had long grown accustomed to the heavy, silent weight of Modeus's gaze tracking his every move, so he let the quiet stretch between them. A sudden thought surfaced, prompting him to turn and meet those glowing, heart-shaped pupils. "Modeus..." he began, his tone casual. "Lucifer mentioned something earlier. Where exactly do you hide that massive hammer of yours?"
Without missing a beat, Modeus reached into the empty space beside her hip, her fingers curling around the invisible handle of a sledgehammer. Lucifer's eyes widened in sheer panic. She lunged, clamping a hand over Modeus's wrist just as the private room's sliding door clicked open. A waiter stepped in, oblivious to the sudden spike in demonic tension, set down a tray of glasses, and bowed his way out.
The moment the door clicked shut, Lucifer exhaled a ragged breath. "Modeus! We are in public!" she hissed, her aristocratic composure cracking. "There are people everywhere. Have you lost your mind?"
Modeus merely tilted her head, the silver locks framing her face swaying. "But Ren wanted to see it."
"Just tell me where you keep it," Ren said, offering a dry sigh. "I don't necessarily need a live demonstration."
"It's always right here," Modeus murmured, patting the empty air beside her thigh. "I can pull it out whenever the urge strikes. And... it's not just the hammer. I have this, too."
Ignoring Lucifer's exasperated glare, Modeus scanned the room to ensure the door remained shut. Then, with a fluid flick of her wrist, she drew a long, crimson leather whip from the ether.
Nami stared, utterly bewildered. The spatial storage ability was undeniably convenient, but the choice of weapon raised immediate red flags. Aoandon leaned forward, her ethereal blue eyes blinking in confusion. "Why do you carry something like that around?"
A deep, feverish flush crept up Modeus's neck. Her lips curled into an unsettling, euphoric smile. "To punish the disobedient ones, of course," she breathed, her voice dripping with saccharine malice. "The sounds they make when it cracks against their skin... it's absolutely fantastic."
The tiny hearts in her irises dilated, pulsing with a dark, obsessive hunger. The sheer intensity of that twisted smile made even the spectral Aoandon shrink back. Nami swallowed hard, edging away. "I... I feel like we've crossed into dangerous territory here..."
"It's perfectly fine!" Modeus insisted, her gaze distant as she visualized the scene. "Having those fools writhing beneath my heels, weeping and begging for mercy! It's intoxicating! Especially when—"
"Modeus," Ren interrupted, a faint, amused smile touching his lips. "You really do have an unexpected side to you."
She paused, blinking the haze from her eyes, before thrusting the coiled red leather toward him. "Do you want to try it, Ren?"
Ren looked down at the crimson whip resting in his palms. Slowly, he shifted his gaze toward Lucifer.
The Queen of Hell stiffened, her pale cheeks instantly burning a bright, furious red. "W-why are you looking at me?!" she snapped, her haughty facade crumbling into flustered denial.
Chuckling softly, Ren began folding the leather to hand it back. As he shifted, the weighted tip of the whip slipped, lightly tapping against Modeus's thigh.
A sharp, breathy gasp escaped Modeus's lips.
Ren paused, looking at her in mild confusion. "Modeus? Are you alright?"
Her hands trembled as she pressed them to her flushed cheeks. "So... this is what it feels like?" she whispered, her voice trembling with a sudden, overwhelming revelation. "Ren! I can do it! I can take it!"
Ren tilted his head, genuinely lost. "Take what, exactly?"
"It has to be Ren..." she muttered feverishly, her eyes locking onto him with terrifying devotion. "No! It must be Ren! Only Ren! It is Ren!"
Lucifer and the others exchanged bewildered glances. Modeus had been acting strange since morning, but this new spiral of logic was entirely unhinged.
"Modeus, please," Ren said, holding the whip out. "Just take this back."
Instead of accepting it, Modeus took a deliberate step backward. Her expression shifted into one of absolute, solemn conviction. "I won't take it back, Ren. You keep it. That weapon... it only unlocks its true power in your hands!"
"Power?" the four girls echoed in unison.
Modeus nodded vigorously. "Keep it safe, Ren! You must have it ready for whenever you need to use it on me!"
Ren's mouth formed a flat line. "Why on earth would I need to do that?"
"You'll figure it out!" she cheered, her mood instantly brightening. "That's settled! Can we eat now?"
Ren rubbed his temples. "You really are a mystery, Modeus. But seriously, if you leave this with me, you can't expect me to just walk around carrying a red whip."
Modeus froze. Her eyes widened as a new, scandalous thought took root. She covered her burning face with both hands, her voice muffled but dripping with awe. "Could it be... Ugh... As expected of my Ren! To think he already has a method for that... Why does my man understand my deepest desires so perfectly?!"
Lucifer buried her face in her hands. The consensus around the table was silent but unanimous: pretending they didn't know Modeus was the only way to survive this dinner.
"What exactly is going on inside that head of yours?" Ren asked, his tone perfectly flat.
Modeus leaned in, her smile turning secretive and incredibly intimate. "I know you want to play, Ren," she purred, her breath ghosting over his shoulder. "But... there are too many people out here. Let's save the real fun for when we get home, okay?"
Ren raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? I feel like I've heard that line before."
"Agreed!" the other four girls chimed in simultaneously, desperate to move on.
Modeus finally took the folded whip, tucking it away into the ether, before immediately wrapping her arms around Ren's arm. The stranger her delusions grew, the tighter she clung to him, pressing her soft curves against his side.
"Hey! Ladies and my favorite handsome man, I'm back!"
The private room door slid open with a sharp clatter. Justice strolled in with the effortless swagger of a regular, her signature sunglasses resting on her nose. Trailing nervously behind the energetic demon were Hiratsuka Shizuka and Sengoku Chihiro.
Ren's eyes crinkled in amusement as he took in the two teachers. "You both drank quite a bit yesterday, yet you're still looking this energetic. Color me impressed."
Shizuka rubbed the back of her neck, offering a sheepish sigh. "Please don't tease me, Shopkeeper Ren... I completely lost my composure last night. I'm terribly sorry!"
"Lost your composure?" Ren countered smoothly, his voice dropping to a warm, easy cadence. "I wouldn't say that. Actually, I thought you were quite cute."
Shizuka's breath hitched. "C-cute?!"
Justice smirked, sliding into an empty chair. "Smooth as always, Ren. Every word out of your mouth is a calculated strike."
"Don't make me sound like some manipulative monster," Ren replied dryly. "And what are you standing around for, Justice? Grab a seat."
"You got it!" Justice grinned, clapping her hands together. "Alright, show of hands—who isn't drinking tonight?"
Modeus and Pandemonica silently raised their hands. Before Justice could tally the votes, Ren lifted his own hand. "Someone has to stay sober to handle the grill," he pointed out.
"Huh? Unexpectedly considerate," Justice mused, leaning across the table. "But I can handle the meat just fine. Come on, what do you say? You're the only guy here tonight. Modeus and I are gracing you with our presence, so aren't you going to treat us right? Plus, Shizuka and Chihiro went hard last night, which means their engines are already primed for round two!"
Lucifer let out a long, elegant sigh, swirling her empty glass. "Justice, if your master plan is to get Ren drunk, you are vastly overestimating your own capabilities."
Justice's grin faltered for a fraction of a second. Well, so much for the secret interrogation tactic. But it didn't matter! If she couldn't pry his secrets out with alcohol, she would just enjoy the premium barbecue.
Ren considered the lively table for a moment. "Alright, I suppose I can have a little. But I honestly didn't expect Nami and Aoandon to join in. I figured Nami was strictly an orange juice girl."
Nami rolled her eyes, crossing her arms defensively. "I love tangerines, sure, but my entire personality doesn't revolve around citrus! I consume other things, you know. And for the record, my alcohol tolerance is actually pretty high!"
"Is it?" Ren chuckled. "I just have a hard time picturing you throwing back shots. And you too, Aoandon..."
The ethereal yokai paused, tapping her chin thoughtfully as the blue lantern light flickered in her eyes. "Actually..." Aoandon murmured softly, "my tolerance is quite formidable as well..."
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