Chapter 630: Ren's Evaluation of Hyakkaou Private Academy, Thanks for the Meal
Tony Stark had indeed gained weight. There was simply no avoiding it. The food at the restaurant was dangerously good, and thanks to the magical bodily enhancements Lucifer had previously bestowed upon him, his system was absorbing nutrients with terrifying efficiency. As a result, his recent late-night snacks had been strictly restricted to leafy greens.
"Is this damn scale broken?" Tony grumbled, staring down at the digital readout in dismay. "This defies science! Pepper! It looks like I am doomed to keep eating grass."
Pepper Potts just chuckled quietly to herself. During the previous weeks, Tony had been gorging himself on rich meats and heavy seafood at every single meal, washing it all down with premium alcohol and indulging in decadent desserts whenever he felt idle. The only way he could have possibly stayed thin was if Lucifer's magic had suddenly stopped working.
Across the dining area, Kirari and her entourage finished their meal with elegant efficiency. They had classes to attend early the next morning, leaving them no room to linger. Kirari wiped her lips with a napkin and offered a graceful smile. "Well, Ren... we should be taking our leave now. Won't you consider seeing me off?"
Ren gave a calm nod, his tone gentle. "Of course. It will be reassuring to walk you all out to the main road."
Kirari's smile sweetened, taking on a distinctly satisfied edge. "I can only say it is truly wonderful to have a man."
As Ren escorted the Hyakkaou girls out the door, Lucifer leaned over, nudging Ichihara Yuko's arm with a wicked grin. "Well, Yuko... Ren is gone."
Yuko blinked, then shot the fallen angel a look of utter disgust. "Stay away from me. I have a man."
Lucifer paused, feigning offense before rolling her eyes. "Get out of here. My rank in this hierarchy is much higher than yours. Back when I was already a mature woman, you were still an innocent little girl rebelling against the world every single day."
Yuko's lips pulled into a flat line. "That is exactly why I need to avoid this kind of contact. I am strictly adhering to my duties, and frankly, I should be given an award for my restraint."
"You? Save it." Lucifer leaned closer, dropping her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "I am trying to tell you something serious. Are you listening?"
Yuko let out a soft snort, but her curiosity won out, and she tilted her head closer. Lucifer's mouth curved into a triumphant smirk as the two began to whisper back and forth.
Watching them from a distance, Riven tilted her head and looked at Kobayashi Rindou. "Rindou, aren't you going over to listen too?"
Rindou waved a hand dismissively, leaning back in her chair. "Lucifer and I already went over all that half a month ago. What she is whispering about right now is our combined, hands-on experience."
"What experience?"
"It is... uh... well." Rindou scratched her cheek, searching for a polite deflection. "It is knowledge that you wouldn't quite understand yet, Riven. You wouldn't be interested in it anyway."
Riven shrugged, accepting the answer easily enough. There were plenty of things in this world she didn't know yet.
Nearby, Nakiri Mana stood up and stretched her arms above her head. "We need to head upstairs and get to work. You all keep chatting. Erina! Make sure all of you get some rest early tonight!"
As Mana and the WGO inspectors departed, Cerberus leaned over the table, her voice dropping to a soft murmur. "Erina, are you..."
Erina shook her head, her expression calm and composed. "I am truly fine. If feeling sad actually fixed anything, there wouldn't be so much tragedy in the world. Besides, my memories of my mother are incredibly vague. For the longest time, I considered myself a child without a mother anyway. And Auntie has always been a mother to me."
Cerberus nodded slowly, though her gaze drifted toward the front door. "Eh? Ren has been gone for a long time."
Lucifer and the others paused, suddenly realizing the passage of time.
Out on the quiet street corner, bathed in the dim glow of the streetlights, Kirari pressed a lingering kiss to the corner of Ren's mouth. She held him in a tight embrace, her usual haughty composure melting into something far more possessive. "I really do not want to leave."
Standing a few paces away, Yomotsuki Runa stared in absolute shock, a lollipop hanging forgotten from her mouth. Beside her, Jabami Yumeko watched the intimate display with a flushed, delighted smile.
Ren reached up, gently pinching Kirari's cheek. "Alright, haven't you had enough fun yet? Just come back when you are satisfied with your games. You don't have much time left at that school anyway, so make the most of it."
Kirari buried her face against his chest, her voice muffled against his shirt. "Honestly... how do you always understand me so perfectly?"
Runa and Yumeko exchanged startled glances. They had never expected a man to actively encourage Kirari's twisted brand of fun. This man was entirely outside the bounds of normal logic.
After a long, quiet moment, Kirari rose on her tiptoes, looking up into Ren's eyes with a brilliant, dangerous smile. "Wait for me just a little longer, Ren. I will come to be with you properly once I have resolved everything."
"We can talk about all that once you've had your fill of the chaos," Ren replied, his tone steady and warm. "Hurry back now. I know you already called a car."
Kirari remained frozen in his arms, unwilling to step away. Ren just smiled, shaking his head slightly before pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Good night. Sweet dreams."
Kirari gritted her teeth. She finally forced herself to take a step back, turning her body toward the waiting vehicle. Runa could see the Student Council President's expression clearly in the streetlights—her jaw was tight, her eyes burning with a fierce, almost painful reluctance to walk away.
"Eh? Yumeko, what are you..."
Ren blinked as Yumeko suddenly stepped forward, closing the distance between them with a graceful glide.
"Mr. Ren," Yumeko purred, her eyes curving into crimson crescents. "May I ask you two questions? Just two."
"You may."
Yumeko clasped her hands behind her back, swaying slightly. "First question. What do you think of Hyakkaou Private Academy?"
Ren tilted his head, considering the query. "A strange school."
"That is... that is all?" Yumeko pressed, her smile widening. "The outside world's evaluation of our academy is not exactly favorable."
"Kirari once told me something that stuck with me," Ren said, his voice carrying a quiet weight in the cool night air. "She said Hyakkaou Private Academy is a garden isolated from the constraints of the secular world. If you and Kirari played that Destiny Tarot match, she must have told you the exact same thing."
He looked past Yumeko, his gaze resting on the distant city lights. "But what does any of that have to do with me? This restaurant exists outside of Hyakkaou. It is Kirari's garden in her heart, which means... it is the secular world. From the perspective of this reality, Kirari is my person. I wouldn't say I don't appreciate her little project, but..."
He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. "After all, it is her work. Having a project is much better than having nothing at all. Most things in this world have a reason for existing, and it is impossible to simply deny them. Hyakkaou just happens to be one of those things. If I had to truly evaluate the academy..."
The street grew deathly quiet as Ren delivered his verdict.
"That school is an aquarium. It is separated from the crushing constraints of the secular world by nothing more than a single, penetrable pane of glass. Some people outside don't appreciate what happens inside. Some watch the spectacle with great interest. Some narrate the events from the sidelines. And inside the water, some are calm, while others are restless... There is only a fragile layer of glass standing between people and fish."
Ren lowered his gaze to meet Yumeko's intense stare. "But unfortunately, some people lack the courage to break through that glass. So, they can only ever remain as fish."
A violent shiver racked Kirari's body. Sayaka immediately reached out, grabbing Kirari's hand in a panic. Through the shadows, Sayaka could vaguely see the President's lowered face—it was twisted into a stunning, euphoric smile of pure madness.
Yumeko stood frozen, her cheeks flushed a deep, feverish red. Her breathing hitched, her expression mirroring Kirari's intoxicating thrill. "Mr. Ren..." Yumeko breathed out, her voice trembling with excitement. "You are truly wonderful..."
Ren offered a mild smile. "So, I can only call it strange. But I don't dislike it."
Without warning, Yumeko leaned forward and pressed her lips firmly against Ren's cheek.
Sayaka's pupils constricted to pinpricks.
Pulling back with a delighted giggle, Yumeko looked up at him. "Second question. Any thoughts?"
"Thoughts?" Ren reached up, casually wiping his cheek. "Thanks for the treat."
Yumeko blinked, momentarily stunned by his utterly unbothered reaction, before bursting into a bright laugh. "As expected of Mr. Ren! Well then, we will be going now!"
Ren nodded. Yumeko turned on her heel, walking over to naturally link her arm through Kirari's.
"President," Yumeko chimed, her voice dripping with satisfaction. "It is time for us to go."
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