Chapter 631: Kirari's Madness, Yuuki Kyouko's Scheme
Ren watched the four of them leave through the heavy oak doors before turning and walking back into the warmth of the dining room.
Outside, the moment the cool night air hit Momobami Kirari, she paused at the edge of the street. Slowly, she tilted her head back toward the starless sky. A feverish flush crept across her pale cheeks, and her signature icy composure shattered, replaced by a stunning, unhinged smile. Her eyes, usually bottomless abysses of calculation, swam with pure, intoxicating madness as she locked gazes with Jabami Yumeko.
"Tell me, Yumeko..." Kirari breathed, her voice trembling with a dark, euphoric thrill. "Tell me... how could I not love a man like that? How could I ever bear to reduce him to mere capital on a gambling table?!"
Yumeko's own eyes curved into crimson crescents. She nodded, her tone dripping with equal parts reverence and obsession. "Yes! Mr. Ren is simply far too interesting to be treated as a mere chip."
"Right?!" Kirari let out a soft, breathless laugh. "Ah, Yumeko... you know the sweet taste of gambling madness so intimately. But this... this feeling of loving someone to the point of utter, ruinous insanity... it's quite unfamiliar to you, isn't it?"
Standing a few paces back, Yomotsuki Runa sucked quietly on her lollipop. She swallowed hard, her gaze darting between the two women and their eerily synchronized, terrifying smiles. The situation had definitely escalated far beyond a simple crush, but Runa couldn't suppress the wicked grin tugging at her own lips. How fascinating.
After Kirari and her entourage vanished into the sleek black car driven by her private chauffeur, Ren returned to the counter. No new customers had arrived yet, but Yuuki Kyouko and her group had just finished their meal.
Lucifer leaned against the counter, swirling a glass of wine with a smug smirk. "Kirari was clinging to you again, wasn't she?"
"I can't exactly deny it," Ren replied dryly, gathering the empty plates. "Have the others already gone upstairs to work? Where's Justice?"
"Sister Justice said she was going to do a thorough sweep of the perimeter to see if anything needed remodeling," Alice chimed in, her ruby eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Speaking of which, Boss, is it true? Is Private Hyakkaou Academy really the terrifying nightmare everyone says it is?"
Erina and the others leaned in, thoroughly intrigued. Yuuki Kyouko had long heard whispers of Private Hyakkaou Academy. The legendary institution for the children of Japan's wealthiest and most powerful elites was notorious for its brutal hierarchy.
Ren paused to think. "The rumors aren't entirely baseless. But Kirari doesn't force anyone to sit at the gambling table. Yuko, you've seen it firsthand."
Ichihara Yuko took a slow sip from her cup, her lips curving in a wry, elegant arc. "True enough. There are perfectly normal classes for those who keep their heads down. But..." She let out a soft, airy chuckle. "I certainly have no intention of ever going back there."
"Hmm..." Erina tapped her chin thoughtfully. "It sounds like the outside world is just exaggerating. Kirari-nee has always been perfectly lovely in my presence."
Yuko nodded smoothly. "That is also true. Kirari is exceptionally kind to her own people."
Asuna blinked, her fork pausing mid-air as she struggled to process the conversation. "Wait... so that beautiful woman named Kirari... she was a student at Private Hyakkaou Academy?"
"She isn't just a student, little one," Lucifer smirked, her crimson eyes gleaming with dark amusement. "Kirari is the Student Council President. The absolute, undisputed ruler of the academy."
"So she's the cold-blooded, ruthless tyrant from the rumors?" Asuna murmured blankly. "She didn't seem like that at all. I can't connect that terrifying image to the person who was just here."
Yuko laughed softly. "If Kirari heard that glowing evaluation, she might just die of embarrassment."
"Ah? Oh..."
Yuuki Kyouko watched Ren effortlessly clear the dining table, her sharp eyes mapping his relaxed posture. "Mr. Ren," she began, her voice a soft, measured purr. "I heard from Mr. Saitama that you were once an underground fighter?"
"I was. But I don't step into the ring much these days," Ren replied, wiping down the polished wood. "Though, if Kirari and her associates have any minor disputes that need settling, I don't mind stepping in as their representative."
"You certainly don't look the part," Kyouko noted, a hint of surprise breaking through her polite facade. You lack the brutality of a typical brawler.
"Looks aren't particularly important in that line of work," Ren said, stacking the porcelain plates with casual grace. "As long as I can secure the win, the rest is irrelevant. The result is all that matters."
Kyouko nodded slowly, a calculated warmth entering her eyes. "I see. Well, Asuna tells me she frequently visits your establishment for breakfast. I must thank you for taking such good care of her, Mr. Ren."
"It's no trouble at all. I run a restaurant; cooking for my guests is my job. Besides, Asuna's orders are usually the simplest ones I make all day."
Lucifer chuckled. "That's because she practically lives on sandwiches, dumplings, and chicken wraps with orange juice. Hardly a culinary challenge for him."
"Even so," Kyouko smiled gently. "Since Asuna will likely continue imposing on you every morning, would you mind sharing your contact information? That way, she can call ahead to place her order. It would save her time and perhaps encourage her to try something new, rather than rushing through the same meal."
Ren nodded, pulling out his phone. "Of course. I was actually going to suggest the same thing. Since she defaults to sandwiches so often, the best I've been able to do is quietly swap out the fillings each day to ensure she gets a balanced diet."
Asuna's eyes widened, a faint blush dusting her cheeks. "Thank you, Boss... I always wondered why my 'usual sandwich' tasted completely different every single morning. I had no idea you were doing that."
Ren smiled faintly, shaking his head.
Kyouko watched the exchange, a silent hum of approval echoing in her mind. He is genuinely attentive, she thought. A standard cook would have slapped some ham between two slices of bread and called it a day. To carefully alter a girl's meal every morning without ever demanding praise for it... that was a rare breed of man.
After saving Ren's number into her phone, Kyouko looked up with a genuine smile. "You really do go above and beyond, Mr. Ren. It is no wonder you are surrounded by so many exceptional women."
"You flatter me," Ren replied smoothly. "Asuna mentioned you're a university professor? Which institution?"
"Tokyo University."
Ren paused, genuinely impressed. "That's highly commendable."
"It pays the bills," Kyouko deflected gracefully. "Speaking of which, Asuna also mentioned that Soryuin Shion is... one of your women?"
"She is. She's an alumna of your university, actually."
"Hmm. She was quite the star student during her time there, though I never had the pleasure of teaching her personally."
Ren nodded. Kyouko guided the conversation so naturally, with such polite fluidity, that Ichihara Yuko and the others didn't even notice she was subtly extracting intelligence, assuming it was all just casual small talk for Asuna's sake.
"Look at the time," Kyouko murmured, glancing at her watch. "Asuna has school tomorrow, and I have an early lecture. We should be going. What is the total for the meal?"
Kyouko braced herself. Given the sheer quality of the ingredients and the flawless execution, she expected an astronomical figure.
Ren glanced at the table. "Seven thousand yen."
"Seven thousand?!" The collective gasp echoed through the room.
"I haven't seen a bill that small in years!" Erina exclaimed, genuinely baffled.
Yuko rested her chin on her hand, her eyes gleaming with amusement. "Considering the glass of Romanée-Conti and the premium bluefin tuna, that price is practically robbery. Against yourself, that is."
"Are you certain?" Kyouko asked, her composure slipping for a fraction of a second. "That is entirely too cheap."
"Those ingredients aren't particularly rare in my kitchen," Ren dismissed casually. "Don't worry about it."
Kyouko placed the crisp bills on the counter, her dark eyes lingering on Ren's impassive face. She searched for a flicker of deceit, a hidden motive, but found absolutely nothing. She sighed softly. Sure enough, I still cannot read this man at all.
Shaking her head, Kyouko offered a polite bow. "Then we will be taking our leave, Mr. Ren."
"Have a safe trip back. You're welcome anytime."
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