Chapter 596: The So-Called First Kiss, The So-Called Ecstasy
The afternoon sun slanted through the shop windows, casting a warm, golden hue over the polished floorboards. Ever since they had returned, Ichihara Yuko had remained practically glued to Ren's side. From her usual spot, Lucifer merely watched them, a knowing, elegant smile playing on her lips. It seemed that by completely severing the chains of her past, the Dimensional Witch was finally allowing herself to indulge in her own desires.
Yuko hadn't bothered to buy new footwear while they were out. The moment she stepped through the door, she had slipped right back into her favorite butterfly-blue slippers. Settling into a chair beside Ren, she elegantly extended one slender leg toward him, a playful glint in her eyes. "Do they look good?"
Ren glanced down. "The slippers look pretty good."
"I was asking about my feet!"
"Yuko, you really are strange."
She didn't utter a word in response. Instead, she narrowed her eyes, fixing him with a look of deep dissatisfaction that practically screamed: 'I am giving you exactly one more chance to speak properly, or I will never let you hear the end of it.'
Ren chuckled. Reaching out, he casually tossed her blue slipper to the floor and wrapped his hand around her bare ankle. Yuko's cheeks dusted with a faint pink, but she maintained her teasing smile right up until his fingers lightly dragged across her sole.
"Ah! What are you doing?!"
"Appreciating."
"Hahaha! Stop... stop tickling me, ah!"
Her composed facade shattered. Yuko kicked out wildly, her laughter echoing through the quiet shop until she lost her balance and tumbled off the chair with a soft thud. She glared up at him from the floor, her expression a mix of resentment and amusement, as Ren calmly stood up and headed toward the back hallway.
"Where do you think you're going?" she demanded, brushing off her skirt.
"To wash my hands."
"Wash... wash your hands?! My feet aren't dirty! Hey! Get back here! That's going too far! Just wait until I catch you! If I don't shove my foot right into your mouth, my name isn't Ichihara Yuko!"
Scrambling to shove her feet back into her slippers, she chased him all the way down the hall. She stormed into the restroom just as Ren finished drying his hands, practically colliding with his chest. Unfazed by the proximity, she reached out and pinched his side. "Tell me! Are my feet dirty or not?"
"Not dirty," Ren replied smoothly, "but they do have a smell."
Yuko stared daggers at him, her grip tightening.
Ren's lips curved into a faint smile. "Relax. It's a fragrant smell. Even more appetizing than braised pork hock."
"Get out of here!"
Despite her scolding tone, Yuko's heart fluttered. A wave of genuine affection washed over her. Leaning in, she intended to plant a quick, rewarding kiss on his cheek. But just as she moved, the sound of the front door chiming echoed down the hall. Kasugano Sora had just stepped inside.
Hearing the noise, Ren turned his head slightly.
That slight shift in angle changed everything. Instead of his cheek, Yuko's lips crashed directly into his.
Time seemed to freeze. Ren found himself staring into a pair of beautiful, widened crimson eyes just inches from his own. Yuko was completely paralyzed, the soft, overwhelming warmth pressing against her lips confirming the shocking reality: her first kiss was gone, stolen in a complete accident.
Standing at the end of the hallway, clutching a bottle of cola and her gym bag, Sora froze like a deer in headlights. 'What on earth?' Had she walked in at the absolute worst possible moment? The silence was deafening. If she turned and ran now, it would be incredibly awkward, she felt like the tragic second female lead in a melodramatic soap opera who had just caught the main couple in the act.
Swallowing hard, Sora silently retreated, tiptoeing toward the staircase before darting up to the second floor as fast as her legs could carry her.
Only when she safely closed her bedroom door did Sora finally let out a long, shaky breath. Downstairs, the muffled sounds of Ren and Yuko's playful bickering had faded into a heavy silence.
Earlier, Sora and the other girls had been caught up in a lively discussion about girly charm. After parting ways, she had taken her time walking back, stopping to buy a new video game, which was why she had arrived so much later than Ren. Riven and the others were still out wandering the city.
Sora leaned against her door, sighing softly. "Wow... Sister Yuko is so bold... but is making out by the restroom door some kind of new trend? Why didn't I know about this? Never mind, I should just play my game... Wait, no. I need to check my assignments for tonight. I'd better just do my homework..."
Back on the first floor, the accidental embrace lingered. For a long, breathless moment, neither Ren nor Yuko moved. Finally, Yuko blinked, her long lashes fluttering as she took a hesitant step back.
She stared at him, her chest rising and falling slightly. After what felt like an eternity, she broke the silence, her voice dropping to a soft, husky whisper. "How did it feel?"
The sheer audacity of the question caught Ren slightly off guard, but his composure remained flawless. A dry, amused smile touched his lips. "Thank you for the meal."
A violent blush instantly exploded across Yuko's cheeks. She quickly averted her gaze, her usual confidence faltering as she let out a flustered hum. "You... you got off easy."
Ren just smiled, letting the comfortable silence stretch between them.
Taking a deep breath to steady her racing heart, Yuko glanced toward the stairs. "Sora just came back, didn't she?"
"Yes. And I know exactly what you're going to say. She saw everything, and her imagination is probably running wild right now. She's definitely thinking, Sister Yuko, you're so bold."
Yuko let out a soft sigh, her slender fingers brushing a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear. After a moment, her signature enigmatic smile returned. "Well, a witch should be a little bolder, shouldn't she?"
Ren studied her. Despite the confident tilt of her chin and the playful curve of her lips, he could see the faint tremor of bewilderment hiding in the depths of her crimson eyes. She was putting on a brave front.
Without a word, he closed the distance between them, stepping smoothly into her personal space. He reached out, wrapping a firm arm around her waist and pulling her flush against him. Her waist was so impossibly slender it felt delicate beneath his touch, yet the heat radiating through her clothes was intoxicating.
Yuko's bravado vanished in an instant. Her face flushed a deeper shade of red, and she turned her head slightly, her voice trembling as she asked, "W-what are you doing?"
"It looks like the great witch isn't quite as bold as she claims."
Yuko knew he was teasing her, deliberately pushing her boundaries to see if she would crack. But a sudden surge of stubborn pride flared within her. Refusing to back down, she turned her head back, meeting his gaze with a playful, challenging glint. She was convinced he was merely bluffing.
He was, initially. But seeing her look up at him with such defiant, captivating allure, like a heroine who had read one too many romance novels and thought she understood the game, shifted something in the atmosphere. He needed to remind her that certain fires shouldn't be stoked unless she was prepared to get burned.
He leaned down, capturing her lips once more.
When that electric sensation returned, Yuko completely froze. The teasing was gone, replaced by a deep, overwhelming intensity that swept the ground out from under her. She had completely forgotten just how dangerous Ren could be when provoked.
Yet, as the kiss deepened, the tension draining from her shoulders, she didn't pull away. Staring into his dark pupils from just inches away, she felt a deep sense of surrender. Slowly, her eyes fluttered shut. She lifted one arm, wrapping it delicately around his neck, while her other hand settled softly against his waist, melting entirely into his embrace.
"Hahaha! Cerberus, you're too much! What were you even thinking, mixing milk and lemonade together? Were you actively trying to make curdled milk?"
The cheerful voices of Nakiri Mana and the rest of the group spilled into the shop, shattering the quiet atmosphere. Rantabi was practically gasping for air, clutching her stomach in a fit of laughter. Cerberus had suddenly been struck by the urge to taste lemon-flavored milk, but having absolutely no culinary common sense, she had simply dumped raw lemon juice straight into a glass of cold milk. The acidic reaction had instantly curdled the dairy into a lumpy disaster.
"I didn't know there would be a chemical reaction..." Cerberus mumbled defensively, her dog ears drooping in embarrassment.
"Hahaha, you... oh my god..."
"You guys, look at this..."
The laughter died in their throats the moment they stepped fully into the main room.
Lucifer, Mana, Courage, and the others stopped dead in their tracks, greeted by a scene straight out of a beautiful painting. Bathed in the warm, amber glow of the setting sun, the clean, cozy shop provided the perfect backdrop for the couple quietly wrapped in a passionate, lingering kiss.
For those who held a deep, romantic reverence for love, like the WGO Inspector Courage and her companions, the sight was breathtakingly beautiful. Yuko, entirely lost in the moment, didn't even register their arrival. Modeus, the demon of lust, watched with wide, sparkling eyes, looking as though she were taking furious mental notes for future reference.
Lucifer, however, remained perfectly composed. She subtly shifted her gaze toward Pandemonica standing beside her. Even without a word, the Queen of Hell could clearly sense that the tired demon's heart had skipped a painful beat at the sight before them.
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