Chapter 65: The Taste of Youth
The taxi ride back from Totsuki was relatively quiet, save for Cerberus humming a tune about food. Ren had politely declined Erina's offer of a limousine, preferring to keep a low profile.
After returning to the Restaurant, Cerberus immediately went into 'good girl' mode. She solicitously helped Ren serve tea and water, wiped down already-clean tables, and behaved very obediently. Although she was usually obedient (when not distracted by squirrels or food), she was exceptionally well-behaved today, her tail tucked slightly between her legs.
Ren watched her busily rearrange the salt shakers for the third time. He smiled and said, "Cerberus. You can stop now. Even if you're trying to curry favor, you're currying favor with the wrong person. I'm not mad at you. You should be apologizing to Lucifer if you feel guilty. Though I don't mean to blame you~."
Cerberus's ears twitched twice, and she whispered, her voice small, "But... Master... I don't dare... Lucifer looked scary. She locked herself in her room as soon as she came back.... I can smell the sulking through the door."
Ren smiled, leaning against the counter. "You. If you didn't want Lucifer to cook and destroy another kitchen, you could have just said so. Why did you pour all the chocolate sauce down the drain and sabotage the plumbing?"
Cerberus sat next to Ren on a stool, swinging her legs. She whispered, "Because... hiding it in other places was too obvious. Lucifer has a good nose for sweets. I didn't know that pipe was a separate drainage system connected to the main pressure valve.... It just... sprayed out like a fountain...."
Ren laughed softly, shaking his head. "Don't worry. Lucifer isn't mad at you. From what I know of Lucifer, she's just bothered about her own failure. She hates not being perfect at everything immediately. She's just sulking about not being able to conquer the crepe."
Cerberus's eyes held a hint of anticipation as she looked up. "Really?! She doesn't hate me?"
"Of course not. Lucifer still likes you a lot. Otherwise, she wouldn't have called you over from Hell in the first place. And wasn't Lucifer good to you in Hell too? This little Queen, though tsundere and demanding, is still very kind deep down~."
Cerberus nodded vigorously. "Lucifer gave me the best bones!"
Ren thought for a moment. "How about this! Cerberus, I'll take you to see Lucifer. We'll face the dragon together."
"Mm! With Master, I am brave!"
Upstairs, in Lucifer's room.
The room was dark, the curtains drawn. Lucifer was lying on the bed, face-down, gripping her pillow tightly with both hands as if trying to strangle it.
"Which bastard invented this damned crepe?!" she gritted out, her voice muffled by the pillow. "Why is the batter so temperamental?! I conquered the Fallen Angels! I organized the bureaucracy of the Damned! Why can't I flip a pancake?!"
She kicked her legs in frustration.
Suddenly, Lucifer snorted and rolled over, staring at the ceiling. "Hmph! And that stupid Ren! He didn't even proactively come to teach me! He just laughed! How outrageous! Does he not know who I am?!"
"So annoying! Stupid Master! Stupid crepe!"
The door creaked open.
Ren and Cerberus stood at the doorway, watching the Queen of Hell roll around on the bed like a teenager having a tantrum. They were both at a loss for words, just watching silently as she ranted.
"Sigh... This stinky man doesn't even know to come over and comfort me. I really don't know how he managed to trick so many girls into liking him. It's too ridiculous.... He has zero emotional intelligence!"
Ren lightly coughed to announce his presence. "Is it that ridiculous?"
"It's too ridiculous! This stinky man is really... Wait..."
Lucifer froze. She slowly turned her head towards the door. Her eyes widened when she saw them.
"Ren?! When did you come up?!"
Ren thought for a moment and said, "Probably around the time you wanted to kill the person who invented the chocolate crepe. Or maybe when you called me 'stinky'. Lucifer is truly as tsundere as expected!"
Lucifer's face turned a brilliant shade of red. She sat up, smoothing her hair frantically. "I am not! I was just... vocalizing my critique! What are you doing here?!"
Ren smiled and stepped into the room. "Cerberus was worried you were angry at her for the... plumbing incident... and came to see you~."
Lucifer was startled. She looked at Cerberus, who was peeking out from behind Ren's leg.
"Why would I be angry at Cerberus?" Lucifer asked, genuinely confused. "It was the pipe's fault for being weak."
Cerberus breathed a huge sigh of relief. She bounded into the room. "Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! Do you want to go downstairs? Rindou and the others said they'll be coming over soon! And Master is making dinner!"
Lucifer adjusted her collar, regaining her composure. "Of course I'm going downstairs. I am hungry. What impact could a mere failed chocolate crepe have on me? I have moved past it."
After speaking, she walked past them, head held high, marching downstairs on her own.
Ren and Cerberus exchanged glances.
"She's definitely still thinking about the crepe," Ren whispered.
"Definitely," Cerberus agreed.
Downstairs, the shop was beginning to glow with the warm evening lights.
"Cerberus~ Do you think it will be lively tonight?" Ren asked as he started prepping ingredients.
Cerberus sniffed the air. "Mm! It feels like a lot of people are coming tonight! The air smells like... anticipation!"
Ren stretched and smiled. "Mm~ I feel the same way. Are you hungry?"
"Hungry! Always hungry!"
"What do you want to eat?"
"Everything Master makes is delicious! Meat! Bones! Sweets!"
Ren smiled and stroked Cerberus's head. "You certainly know how to talk. But flattery won't get you extra dessert. In that case, I'll arrange a special dinner. Oh, Cerberus, I have a serious question I want to ask you."
Cerberus was startled by his tone. She stood at attention. "Master, ask away! Is it about guarding the gates?"
"Don't be nervous. It's just a small physiological question."
Ren leaned down. "The question is, Cerberus... is your human form considered fully biological? Or are you still fundamentally a dog?"
Cerberus thought for a moment, tapping her chin. "A humanoid demon! With dog characteristics!"
Ren nodded. "Then do you still have the taboos of dogs? The dietary restrictions?"
Cerberus was startled and asked in confusion, "Dog taboos? What are they? I don't know! In Hell, we eat souls and brimstone."
Ren explained, "There are many. For example, in the human world, it's best not to feed dogs too many sweets, especially chocolate. It contains theobromine, which is toxic to them. Or too many salty things, onions, grapes..."
Cerberus stared at him with a look of horror and disbelief. "Are dogs in the human world that pitiful?! So many things they can't eat?! That's torture! Master, Master, Master! I am a superior being! These are all fine!"
Ren nodded, relieved. "Mm~ So that means chocolate can be eaten too?"
Cerberus froze. She scratched her head. "I don't know.... I haven't eaten that. Lucifer's chocolate... well, I threw it away or it exploded before I could taste it! I didn't eat a single bite, so I'm not too sure what the effect is! But things from the human world shouldn't be able to harm me! I am the Guardian!"
Ren nodded. After all, Cerberus was a mythical beast. A little cocoa bean shouldn't be lethal. Probably.
Probably.... Possibly... Maybe...
Ren thought for a moment and decided to risk it. "Since it likely can't harm you, then let's make some proper Chocolate Crepes for Lucifer tonight. Otherwise, she won't give up today. She needs closure."
Cerberus nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! Closure! And whipped cream!"
The two walked to the main dining area and saw Lucifer sitting at a table, aggressively playing a game on her phone.
Ren smiled. "Please wait a moment. Dinner will be ready soon. And dessert will be... special."
Lucifer snorted and said nothing, just silently continued tapping her screen. But Ren saw her shoulders relax slightly. He knew Lucifer was being tsundere, but he also knew that the way to a demon's heart was through sugar.
At this moment, Ren began planning Lucifer's rehabilitation (and blood sugar spike) in his mind.
Just as Ren was preparing the dishes, schools across the city also began to let out one after another. The golden hour bathed the streets in amber light.
At Katagiri High School, the bell rang.
Nanami Minami, a cheerful girl with a ponytail, gathered a few of her friends by the shoe lockers. She smiled brightly. "Hey! If you girls have time tonight, I'll take you somewhere special!"
A blonde girl with twintails asked in confusion, "Eh? Is it karaoke? Or the new crepe shop?"
Nanami shook her head, her eyes sparkling. "No! Of course not. It's a Restaurant that's super delicious and super cheap! It's a hidden gem!"
Everyone was startled. A girl with glasses asked skeptically, "How delicious can it be for you to recommend it so much~? You usually just eat convenience store bread."
Nanami thought for a moment, recalling the taste of the food she had there. "It's probably... the kind of feeling you'll remember forever after eating it once! It warms you up from the inside!"
"Eh?! How amazing! But why go at night?"
"Because the Shopkeeper said it's a night Restaurant. Though you can also go very early in the morning. Didn't I have to come early for my student council duty before? I took a shortcut and saw that Shop! It's really great! The boss is also very nice and handsome~. Like a model!"
"Handsome boss? Now I'm interested!"
As everyone was discussing excitedly, they saw a brown-haired girl nearby glance at her watch. She looked panicked.
"Ah~ Sorry! I'm leaving first! Talk later!"
She quickly grabbed her bag and sprinted out the door.
"Eh?!"
Looking at the departing girl, Nanami Minami sighed. "Sigh. Hori-san is always so busy. She rushes home like Cinderella."
"Maybe~. She probably has a boyfriend," another girl teased. "By the way, if we don't go to the restaurant, do you want to go see that new movie? It's rumored to be amazing!"
"Oh, yay! But Yuki~ How did you know about the movie?"
"I found out by taking a shortcut through the mall~"
"Taking shortcuts is still the best after all~"
After the group of girls left, laughing and joking about youth and shortcuts, the scene shifted.
All the high schools in the city announced their dismissal. Students poured out of gates, a sea of uniforms. Some rushed home to study, some participated in club activities with sweat and tears, and others, like Nanami Minami and her friends, went out to play and enjoy their freedom.
This vibrant, chaotic energy... this, too, is the taste of youth. And soon, some of that youth would find its way to Ren's door.
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