Chapter 598: Ren's Tools, Riven's Carrots
The truth about the shrimp had finally been pried from Ichihara Yuko's lips. Once the secret was out, the rest of the diner's occupants had taken turns mercilessly teasing the Dimensional Witch. Stripped of her usual enigmatic high ground, Yuko offered no witty retorts. She merely sat there, chewing on a snack and glaring resentfully at Ren.
The restaurant had seen its usual eclectic rotation of guests throughout the night. Boa Hancock had crossed paths with Yuko earlier. The Pirate Empress and the Dimensional Witch—two impossibly beautiful, fiercely proud women—had naturally clashed the moment their eyes met. But Hancock's imperious arrogance had ultimately shattered against Yuko's ancient, unbothered mystique; the witch was simply operating on an entirely different level of existence.
Then there was Tokisaki Kurumi. The Nightmare had strolled through the door with fresh, crimson blood splattered across her porcelain cheek, the metallic tang of murder clinging to her gothic dress. She had clearly just ended someone's life. Yet, Saitama had simply continued slurping his udon with a blank expression, and Hinami Aoi hadn't even blinked from her spot at the gathering table. The sheer, overwhelming apathy of the room had actually made the usually unflappable Spirit freeze in her tracks, utterly bewildered.
"Hey... Ren..." Yuko draped herself over his arm, her slender fingers tracing the fabric of his sleeve while her other hand popped another cracker into her mouth. "I'm hungry..."
Ren glanced down at the woman clinging to him. She truly lived up to her title as a witch—unrestrained in her desires, daring to love and hate with absolute freedom. She had been acting out a bit more lately, a quiet rebellion against her own fate, but ultimately, she always returned to his side, content to stick to him like glue.
"Aren't you eating snacks right now?" he pointed out.
"That has absolutely nothing to do with it. I want real food. When are we eating?"
Ren pretended to mull it over. "Today... that probably depends on my mood."
Her ruby eyes widened. "Depends... on your mood?!"
"I'm kidding." Ren chuckled, his tone softening. "Breakfast will be a bit early today. We have errands to run. Want to tag along?"
Yuko paused mid-chew, her curiosity piqued. "What kind of errands?"
"It's time for Rindou and the others to begin their field study. The restaurant is open during the day, so they can't exactly loiter around the academy. We're heading over to help them move their luggage in."
A sly smile crept onto Yuko's lips. "Are you going?"
"Of course I am. You..."
"Then I'm going too!" she declared, leaning her weight fully against him.
Ren simply nodded, letting the comfortable silence settle between them. After a moment, Yuko tilted her head, a rare look of logistical concern crossing her features. "Wait. If Erina and the rest are moving in, what about the door to the Other World?"
"Modeus is going to cast a confusion spell over the area," Ren explained, his voice a low, reassuring murmur. "As long as they don't see the door physically light up, we'll be fine. I'm surprised you thought of that, Yuko. You're being unusually careful."
"Of course I am. I'm incredibly reliable," she purred, looking pleased with herself. "Speaking of our guests, Yukari and the others left quite early today. And Natsume-kun hasn't visited in a while. That boy... he truly is a warm, gentle presence."
Ren's expression softened at the mention of the young man. "Takashi is a good kid. Time rarely betrays those who face the world's hardships with genuine gentleness. I have no doubt he'll surround himself with friends just like him in the future."
Yuko's lips curled into a teasing smirk. "Careful now. I thought you might get jealous if I started praising Natsume-kun."
"I'm not quite that petty."
Laughing softly, Yuko leaned up and pressed a lingering kiss to the corner of his mouth, the sweet scent of her perfume washing over him. "A little reward for your maturity. So? Who exactly is moving into the shop this time? I'm quite looking forward to the entertainment."
Before Ren could answer, heavy footsteps echoed from the stairs. Justice sauntered down into the main room, stretching her arms above her head and letting out a massive yawn. Even half-asleep, the High Prosecutor exuded a cool, effortless magnetism.
Catching sight of the pair, Justice flashed a sharp, knowing grin. "Yuko, you really don't miss a single opportunity to show off your affection the second you're in the shop, do you?"
"It's fine, it's fine," Yuko waved her off dismissively, completely unbothered. "So, who are the new roommates?"
"Rindou, Erina, Hisako, and Akanegakubo Momo," Ren listed.
Yuko's eyes sparkled with sudden mischief. "Oh, my. Erina is going to have an absolute heart attack when she walks in here and sees Mana."
Ren nodded in agreement. Justice, however, merely grabbed a fresh orange from a nearby bowl, her mind snagging on a different detail. She still found the entire situation completely absurd. Nakiri Mana looked like a fresh-faced young girl; the fact that she was a mother to a teenager shattered every logical boundary Justice possessed.
Choosing to keep her bewilderment to herself, the demon casually peeled her orange and leaned over the counter, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Hey, Ren. Where do you think I could order some custom-made bunny ear headbands?"
Ren blinked, caught off guard. "What exactly are you plotting?"
Justice glanced over her shoulder to ensure the coast was clear, then leaned in even closer, her breath tickling his ear. "I'm designing a maid outfit for Lucifer. I just have this gut feeling that she would absolutely love wearing it."
Ren pictured the proud, haughty CEO of Hell forced into a frilly maid uniform. "She does have a soft spot for stylish clothing."
"See? You really get her," Justice beamed.
"Naturally."
Justice did another quick perimeter check before her grin widened into something truly devious. "And... I was thinking Riven would look incredible as a bunny girl."
Ren froze. "What did you just say?"
The sheer absurdity of the idea hit him like a physical blow. The stoic, battle-hardened exile of Noxus stuffed into a tight leotard and fishnets. But as the mental image fully formed in his mind, a slow, obvious realization dawned on him. It would actually look fantastic.
Justice caught the shift in his eyes and laughed quietly. "See? This is exactly why we make such a good team."
"So, these custom headbands are for Riven?"
"Obviously. The garbage they sell in regular stores is way too flimsy," Justice complained, popping a slice of orange into her mouth. "I checked the clothing boutiques, but they don't stock them. The accessory shops looked at me like I was crazy. I need high-quality, custom-fitted props."
Ren tapped his fingers against the counter, turning the problem over. "For high-end custom accessories... you should ask Sonoko. She has the connections and the capital for that sort of thing."
Justice's eyes lit up. "Sonoko! Ha! Of course! How could I forget our resident billionaire? You've been a massive help, Ren. I'm heading back up to draft the designs!"
Leaning across the counter, she planted a quick, firm kiss on his cheek before sprinting back up the stairs, practically vibrating with the need to see Riven in her new wardrobe.
Watching her go, Yuko let out a long, theatrical sigh. "Riven gets set up by you people every single day, yet she somehow remains so wonderfully pure. It's honestly a miracle."
"It's fine..." Ren started, then stopped. A spark of inspiration hit him. "Wait. I just thought of something."
He pushed off the counter and strode purposefully into the kitchen. Yuko, her curiosity overriding her laziness, slid off her stool and followed him. She watched as Ren opened the massive walk-in refrigerator, rummaged around the vegetable bins, and pulled out an absolutely monstrous carrot. It was thick, heavy, and nearly the size of a baseball bat.
"Wow!" Yuko clapped her hands in delight. "That has to be a world record. It's huge!"
Ren weighed the massive vegetable in his hand, a dry chuckle escaping his lips. "If Riven is going to be a bunny girl, she obviously needs a carrot. We can swap out her giant broken runic sword for this."
"Oh, my... that paints quite the vivid picture," Yuko laughed, her eyes crinkling. "But aren't you worried she'll just get hungry and eat her weapon?"
"My kitchen never runs out of ingredients. She can eat as many as she wants."
They stood there in the quiet kitchen, staring at the undisputed king of all carrots, both silently trying to visualize exactly how the Noxian warrior would execute her lethal, high-mobility sword combos with a giant root vegetable.
Meanwhile, on the second floor, Riven had just finished her morning shower. Dressed in comfortable loungewear, she sat on the edge of her bed with her noise-canceling headphones on, quietly flipping through a fashion magazine.
Suddenly, a violent shiver racked her spine.
She lowered the magazine, glancing around her empty room. Why did she suddenly feel like she had just walked into a massive trap? She waited for a moment, listening for any signs of danger. When nothing happened, she shook her head, dismissing the paranoid feeling, and looked back down at the glossy pages.
"Thickening?" she murmured to herself, tilting her head in confusion at a haircare ad. "What does that even mean?"
While the diner's residents went about their eccentric morning routines, the sky outside slowly shifted from the deep indigo of dawn to a bright, clear blue.
Across the city, the Totsuki Academy dormitories were descending into absolute chaos. The halls echoed with the frantic sounds of students rushing through their morning ablutions, throwing together last-minute breakfasts, and violently stuffing clothes into overflowing suitcases.
In one particular room, however, the panic had not yet breached the perimeter. Kobayashi Rindou was still dead to the world, curled up beneath her blankets with a silk nightcap pulled down over her messy crimson hair. Her bags had been packed the night before, leaving her with zero motivation to rise.
Akanegakubo Momo, already fully dressed and clutching her stuffed plushie tightly to her chest, marched over to the bed. Seeing the Second Seat still snoring away, Momo puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.
"Rindou-senpai!" she demanded, poking the lump under the blankets. "Get up and make breakfast!"
A muffled, agonizingly lazy groan drifted out from the pillows. "No... Momo-chan... just boil me some porridge... or make instant noodles... whatever you want..."
Momo glared at the blanket cocoon. "You really are impossibly lazy..."
"Mm..." Rindou sighed, already drifting back to sleep.
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