Chapter 22: Cerberus's Flutter
Ren looked at the newly transformed demon-dog-girl, Cerberus, who was currently wagging three invisible tails (and one visible demon tail) in anticipation.
He pondered for a moment, tapping his chin. Then he softly said, a teasing glint in his eyes, "Eh? I suddenly realized something... It seems there aren't many people in your Hell, are there?"
Hearing this, both Lucifer and Cerberus were stunned.
Lucifer tilted her head, her crimson eyes narrowing slightly. "Why do you say that? There are legions. Millions of sinners. The bureaucracy is vast."
Ren said matter-of-factly, gesturing to the two of them. "Think about it yourself. The Queen of Hell—the CEO—has been out on vacation for a long time. And the Hellhound guarding the gate—the literal security system—has also been out for such a long time. If Hell hasn't fallen into chaos, riots haven't broken out, and work isn't affected... it can only mean there are very few people to manage, so it's fine if the bosses are gone~"
Lucifer suddenly looked up, her face blank as the logic hit her.
Cerberus turned to look at Lucifer, scratching her head with a claw-tipped finger. "Eh? What Master said seems to make a lot of sense! If I'm not there, who is biting the escapees? But why do I feel like something's not right...?"
Lucifer also nodded slowly, then realized he was mocking her management style.
Ren was naturally just teasing them. How could there be few people in Hell? With the state of humanity, it was probably overcrowded. He was just deliberately stirring up trouble to see their reactions.
While the two demons were having an existential crisis about their job security, Ren went to the kitchen.
Actually, Cerberus's taste didn't need to be guessed. Despite her human form, she was a dog at heart. Her desire could be summed up in one word: Meat.
Canids are inevitably fond of eating meat, and even a Hellhound that can transform into a beautiful girl cannot escape this biological rule.
After Lucifer and Cerberus thought for a long time in the hall, trying to remember if they left the stove on in the underworld, Lucifer's eyebrow twitched. She realized the silence from the kitchen.
"Ren, you… Hmm? Where is he?"
Cerberus was also stunned. She turned to look around, and her pupils suddenly contracted into vertical slits.
She stretched her head out, her nose twitching rapidly.
Sniff. Sniff.
"So fragrant... so fragrant... so fragrant!" she chanted, bouncing on her heels. "Lucifer! What is this smell! It's so fragrant! It smells like happiness!"
Looking at Cerberus wagging her tail so hard her whole body shook, her large dog ears twitching atop her head, Lucifer smiled helplessly.
"I don't know," Lucifer said, smoothing her hair. "But Cerberus, control yourself. Don't let your drool come out~ You're a lady now."
"Mhm mhm mhm!" Cerberus nodded, wiping her mouth with her sleeve.
Just as Cerberus was sitting on the chair, practically vibrating with hunger, Ren came out with a large, deep porcelain plate.
The Hellhound immediately lifted her head, her eyes locked onto the plate. Her tail wagging so fast that a blur could be seen behind her.
"Master! Master! Master! What is this! It smells so good! Is it for me?"
Ren smiled, placed the plate on the table, and said with a smile, "Your nose is quite good. As expected of a Hellhound. Nothing escapes you."
He gestured to the dish.
"This is Red Braised Pork (Hong Shao Rou). Because I didn't know what to make for you to eat at the moment, and I thought canids should all love meat—especially fatty, savory meat—so I made this for you. After all, this is a very classic meat dish. It melts in the mouth."
[Akarin's Note: Red Braised Pork (Hong Shao Rou) is a famous Chinese pork dish cooked with ginger, aromatic spices, chilli peppers, sugar, star anise, and soy sauce.]
"Braised… braised pork!"
The Hellhound didn't know what braised pork was. In Hell, meat was usually charred or raw. But she knew that this thing would definitely be delicious!
As Ren spoke, he lifted the lid off the plate.
Whoosh.
A rich burst of hot steam billowed out, followed by the salty-sweet aroma of caramelized sugar, soy sauce, ginger, and star anise that went straight to the nostrils. It was a heavy, comforting scent.
Even Lucifer was somewhat attracted, leaning forward slightly. Let alone Cerberus, who had an extremely sensitive sense of smell and loved to eat meat more than life itself. She had already started to drool when she smelled it just now, but quickly wiped it clean again, remembering Lucifer's warning.
As the steam dispersed, Cerberus looked at the food.
Perfectly cut cubes of pork belly, alternating layers of fat and lean meat, glistened in a dark, reddish-brown sauce. Because of the rock sugar used in the braising, each piece of meat shimmered like a polished gem. The skin looked gelatinous and soft.
Ren returned to the kitchen and brought out two bowls of steaming white rice, placing them in front of Cerberus and Lucifer.
He smiled and said, "Don't just stare. It tastes better hot. Eat."
"Woof!"
In her excitement, Cerberus blurted out her native language again. But she couldn't care less about dignity. She immediately picked up the chopsticks.
She held them clumsily, like a child holding crayons, but her determination was absolute. She stabbed a piece of pork and shoved it into her mouth.
Chew.
The fat melted instantly. The lean meat fell apart. The sweet and savory sauce coated her tongue.
"Mmm~ Woof woof woof woof woof!"
She made happy noises, her eyes closing in bliss. She shoveled rice into her mouth to soak up the sauce.
Ren looked at a beautiful woman with a great figure constantly barking with her mouth full, still feeling quite helpless but amused.
He turned to Lucifer. "What is Cerberus saying? Is she cursing me?"
Lucifer sighed, sipping her water. She smiled and translated, "Cerberus says that this thing called braised pork is so delicious, she's going to fall asleep from how good it tastes. She also says she loves you."
Ren was stunned for a moment. He laughed. "Impressive. She barked a few times and you can translate so many words… Lucifer! You are multi-talented."
"Hmm? What do you want to do?"
Ren smiled and said, "I've decided to appoint you as Cerberus's official translator~"
Lucifer's mouth twitched. I am the Queen of Hell, not a dog whisperer.
Then she tapped Cerberus's bowl with her chopsticks. Cerberus was eating silently now, humming a happy tune.
"Cerberus," Lucifer commanded gently. "Don't use the language of a dog. Speak human words. You have vocal cords now."
"Got it! Delicious! Yummy!" Cerberus chirped, swallowing a massive bite.
Lucifer looked at Ren and said, "Problem solved. Then I'll start eating too~"
After saying that, she didn't care about Ren's reaction. She picked up a piece of pork elegantly and put it in her mouth.
Oh.
After one bite, she thought she was already immune to Ren's delicacies after the fish earlier. But then she realized she was wrong. Terribly wrong.
The richness of the pork was sinful. It was gluttony incarnate.
She found that her resistance to the food Ren made was actually getting lower and lower. This was simply unscientific for a supernatural being. Thinking about the number of dishes she had looked up online out of boredom last night—wanting to try them all—she felt that she would get addicted sooner or later.
She felt that her stomach had already been tied to Ren. And perhaps her heart was following.
Ren was not sitting there reading as usual. Instead, he was standing near the entrance, surveying the empty space in front of him.
Just as Lucifer was about to say something to ask why he wasn't eating, she saw Ren move.
Whoosh!
He kicked out very quickly. It was a snap kick, so fast that even Lucifer, with her enhanced kinetic vision, was a bit startled.
Ren paused, thought for a moment, then changed his angle and kicked again at the empty air.
Swish.
This time, he nodded in satisfaction. He dusted off his pants, then sat down and quietly picked up his book.
Lucifer blinked, her face full of confusion. What was he kicking? Invisible ninjas?
At this moment, in a spacious, modern room elsewhere in the city.
A white-haired man with black sclera eyes sat on a leather sofa. It was Kure Raian.
Suddenly, he clutched his abdomen and frowned.
"Ouch."
A phantom pain shot through his gut, exactly where Ren had kicked the air.
A long-haired girl passed by. It was Kure Karura. She saw this scene and stopped.
"You still get stomach aches?" she asked indifferently. "Did you eat something bad?"
The man looked up at the girl, grinning maniacally despite the phantom pain. "Don't forget, I was the one who took you out of that boring clan meeting! Show some respect!"
The girl left without saying anything, rolling her eyes.
Raian stood up, rubbing his stomach. He felt that something bad was about to happen. The location of the pain always reminded him of a certain silver-haired chef who had humiliated him years ago.
"He's mocking me," Raian muttered. "I can feel it."
Back at the Restaurant.
"So full! So full! So full! Master's cooking is truly delicious! I want to eat this forever!"
Cerberus leaned back in her chair, patting her stomach. She looked satisfied and slightly sleepy, the 'food coma' setting in.
Lucifer was about to speak, to tell her to wipe her face, when she saw the state of the dog-girl.
Cerberus's mouth was greasy with pork fat. Her lips and cheeks were stained with the brown sauce. She looked like a messy toddler.
Then, Lucifer saw Ren walk over.
He pulled out a clean wet wipe from a packet. He bent down slightly.
With gentle, deliberate movements, he began to clean Cerberus's mouth.
Cerberus was also a bit stunned. She froze.
It was the first time anyone had treated her like this.
Before, in Hell, she was just a gatekeeper. A tool. A monster. She only ate the souls of invaders and the bones of those who were executed. She ate off the floor. Let alone wiping her mouth, whether it tasted good or not wasn't even a consideration. She was a beast.
But this man...
Cerberus's large red eyes stared at Ren. She watched his focused expression as he wiped a smudge from her chin.
She suddenly felt that this Master was really good. Lucifer was also very kind to her—she was her Boss, her idol—but she hadn't done something like this. This domestic intimacy.
The dog's deepest heart was touched. A bond was forming that went beyond the magical contract.
Ren said softly with a slight smile, tossing the dirty wipe into the trash. "Even if the food is delicious, you shouldn't eat too much at once, especially when you've been hungry for a long time. It's bad for digestion. Also, you need to maintain your human form in the Restaurant to avoid scaring customers. Later, Lucifer will take you to choose a room upstairs~ You can pick the one with the biggest bed."
Ren reached out and pinched her clean cheek.
"Hmm. Full of collagen. Feels great now it's clean."
Cerberus looked at Ren.
As if by some strange impulse, she grabbed Ren's hand with both of hers. She nuzzled her face into his palm, like a dog seeking affection.
She looked up at him and gave a silly, wide smile.
Ren was startled. He stopped moving his hand. "What's wrong? Still hungry?"
"Nothing! Master is the best! I will guard you forever!"
"Alright~ Good dog. Do you want some water?"
"Yes!"
Ren turned to Lucifer, who was watching this scene with a complicated expression.
"What about you, Lucy? Want some dessert?"
Lucifer crossed her arms, trying to look unaffected. "Do I have a choice in this? You'll probably make it anyway."
"Of course not~ I'm making pudding."
"Hiss...." Lucifer sucked in a breath. Pudding. Her weakness.
"Fine," she grumbled, trying to hide her smile. "But only a small piece."
[Akarin Note:
Your Support Keeps This Story Alive!
If you're enjoying this novel, your support means the world to me. Simple actions like leaving a review, power stone, comment, or sharing the story let me know you're out there. It's the greatest motivation for me to keep updating until the very end and ensures this project continues.
For those who wish to support me more directly, you can join my Patreon at [patreon.com/AkarinTL]. As a thank-you, you'll receive access to 50 advanced chapters.
As a special offer, I've opened a few limited-time tiers at a discounted price! You will get all the benefits of "The Founding Pillars" (normally $20), but at a much cheaper rate.
These slots are extremely limited:
"The Plot Uncoverer": $4.99 (Save 75% / $15.01) - Only 3 slots
"The Dedicated Fan": $9.99 (Save 50% / $10.01) - Only 7 slots
"The Lore Diver": $14.99 (Save 25% / $5.01) - Only 15 slots
I hope I am still worthy of your support. My life truly depends on this... haha, I know I'm so shameless.]