Chapter 91: Lucifer under the Fireworks, Staying for Love
The sun began its slow descent, painting the sky over the amusement park in hues of burnt orange and bruising purple. The air grew cooler, carrying the scent of caramel popcorn and the distant screams of thrill-seekers.
Ren and Lucifer were, one could say, on a completely different trajectory from Fuji Yumiko and Cerberus.
While the dog-girl was likely currently screaming her lungs out on the Pirate Ship, trying to catch the wind in her mouth, Lucifer was recovering from her trauma. She was noticeably better after coming out of the "Visual Experience Hall"—a 4D theater that showed beautiful landscapes rather than jump scares. The soothing images of flying over glaciers had calmed her racing heart.
"Better?" Ren asked, handing her a bottle of water.
"Much," Lucifer replied, straightening her coat with regained dignity. "Though the wind effect ruined my hair."
After that, to prove she wasn't a coward, she dragged Ren to the Drop Tower.
Ren discovered something interesting about the Queen of Hell: Lucifer was terrified of grotesque, unpredictable things (like jump-scare zombies), but she wasn't afraid of physical danger or heights at all.
"Hahaha! Higher! Drop us faster!"
She played on the drop tower like a child, laughing maniacally while gravity tried to crush them. Her silver hair whipped in the wind like a banner of war. While grown men next to them screamed for their mothers, Lucifer looked like she was enjoying a gentle breeze.
After three consecutive rides on the Drop Tower (Ren's stomach was made of iron, thankfully), they took a break.
Ren looked at Lucifer, who was happily eating a strawberry crepe on a park bench, her legs swinging back and forth. The terror of the Haunted House seemed like a distant memory, replaced by an adrenaline high.
"It seems like it's almost the end of the day, Lucifer," Ren said, wiping a smudge of whipped cream from his own cheek. "We've done almost everything. Where do you want to go last?"
Lucifer licked a dab of cream from her lip, shook her head, and said casually, "Anywhere is fine~. As long as there are no undead involved. I have had enough of rotting flesh for one day."
Ren's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Then let's go to the Haunted House~. Round two? Maybe the zombies missed you."
Lucifer froze. The crepe wrapper crinkled in her grip. She stared at him with wide, betrayed eyes.
"This annoying man! You just want to see me cry! How outrageous! Is this how you treat a Queen?!"
Thinking this, Lucifer slapped Ren's arm (lightly, but with enough force to sting) and said in a huff, "I don't want to go to the Haunted House! I don't want to see such bad things! I command you to pick something else! Something dignified!"
Ren chuckled, rubbing his arm. He thought for a moment, then looked at the sky and checked his watch. The timing was perfect.
"Mm, it seems like it's just right. Let's go, we're going to play the last activity! The main event."
"Eh? The last activity? Just right? What is it?"
"Just follow obediently~. You'll definitely like it."
Lucifer narrowed her crimson eyes, suspicious. "What activity? So mysterious. If it's the Haunted House in disguise, or a mirror maze, I'll let Cerberus bite you to death! I'll summon her right now!"
"Do you think Cerberus would listen to you over me? I have the meat."
"Stop talking! Hurry up and go!"
Ren looked at Lucifer's face, which clearly read 'I'm annoyed but also secretly excited'. He subconsciously reached out and pinched Lucifer's soft cheek.
Squish.
The air stilled.
Lucifer blinked. She touched her cheek, then looked at him with a face that was rapidly turning the color of a tomato. "What... what are you doing?! How dare you pinch the Queen?! Do you want to be turned into a newt?!"
"Nothing, I just felt it would be interesting~. Your skin is soft. Like the crepe."
"Hmph! Hurry up!"
Lucifer, unexpectedly, wasn't angry. She turned away to hide her face, her heart beating a little faster than the Drop Tower had caused.
Ren said nothing more, leading Lucifer towards a massive structure that dominated the skyline—the tallest facility in the entire amusement park.
The Giant Ferris Wheel.
It stood like a wheel of light against the darkening sky, rotating slowly, majestic and calm.
Lucifer looked up at the giant wheel. A hint of longing appeared in her eyes. "So this is the activity... I've seen it in movies. But why didn't we ride this at the very beginning? It's right there."
Ren smiled mysteriously. "Because... you'll know very soon. Go up first, you'll know when you reach the very top~."
"So mysterious..."
Although she grumbled, Lucifer got into the gondola somewhat impatiently. Ren followed, sitting opposite her. The door slid shut, locking them in a small, glass box suspended in the air.
Meanwhile, on the ground...
While Ren and Lucifer began their ascent, Fuji Yumiko and Cerberus were having their own adventure.
They were sitting on a bench near the exit of the Pirate Ship ride, sharing a massive bucket of caramel popcorn. Cerberus looked a little dizzy but incredibly happy.
"That was amazing!" Cerberus shouted, her dog ears twitching. "My stomach went whoosh and then bleh and then whoosh again!"
Yumiko laughed, wiping a popcorn kernel from Cerberus's cheek. "I'm glad you liked it. You screamed louder than anyone else."
"I was asserting dominance over the wind!"
Yumiko looked at the distant Ferris wheel, which was just starting to light up with LEDs. She checked her watch.
"Ren and Lucifer should be getting on the wheel right about now," she murmured.
Cerberus shoved a handful of popcorn into her mouth. "Why didn't we go? The wheel is big! I want to see the top!"
Yumiko smiled, a gentle, knowing look in her amber eyes. "Because, Cerberus... some rides are meant for two people. It's a battlefield up there right now."
"Battlefield?" Cerberus tilted her head, confused. "Are they fighting a boss?"
"In a way. An emotional boss." Yumiko sighed contentedly. "Lucifer... it's up to you now. Don't mess it up."
"Yumiko, Yumiko, Yumiko! Can we play the shooting game while we wait? I want that stuffed bear! The one with the angry eyebrows!"
Yumiko looked at the game stall nearby. "Sure. Let's go win a prize. Ren would want us to have fun too."
"Yay! I will bite the target!"
"No biting! Use the gun!"
Inside the Ferris Wheel Gondola
The world fell away.
The sky had slowly bid farewell to dusk and was stepping into the embrace of night. From the bottom, they slowly moved towards the top. The ground became a patchwork of lights and shadows, the noise of the crowd fading into a distant, rhythmic hum.
The sunset, once a blazing orange, had faded into a deep, velvety blue. Every meter they climbed was a gradient of color, and also a gradient of mindset—from the excitement of the day to the calm introspection of the night.
Lucifer rested her chin on one hand, watching the warm colors gradually disappear from the horizon. Her reflection in the glass looked contemplative, stripped of her usual arrogance.
"Ren..." she said softly, her voice barely a whisper. "Even when I fell from Heaven... when I was cast down... I never felt that the sky could be this beautiful. It was just cold then. And terrifying."
Ren looked out the window, then at her reflection. He saw the vulnerability she usually hid behind her title.
"Because now you are not alone," he said gently. "And you will not fall again. Your lowest point is here, with me. From here, we only go up."
Lucifer glanced at Ren, her crimson eyes shimmering. She turned her head back to the window to hide her expression. "What do you want me to see? Why bring me up here? Is it just the view?"
"Wait for it."
The Ferris wheel is the classic romantic trope for a reason. It is a sanctuary suspended in the air, a place to watch the world turn while you stand still. It creates a forced proximity, a shared isolation that strips away pretenses.
When Ren and Lucifer's small cabin reached near the top, the night had officially taken over. The city lights of Tokyo below twinkled like a sea of fallen stars, mirroring the galaxy above.
But what Lucifer saw when she turned her head was not just the city lights or the moon.
BOOM.
A sound like a cannon shot echoed through the glass.
A flower of light blossomed in the darkness, right outside their window.
Then another. And another.
Fireworks.
At this moment, the entire sky was completely illuminated by brilliant bursts of red, gold, green, and purple. Just as the fireworks reached their crescendo, Ren and Lucifer's cabin reached the very apex of the wheel—the highest point in the park.
Lucifer immediately stood up, pressing her hands against the glass. She looked at the sky full of fire, her eyes wide and dazed, reflecting the explosions of light. The colors danced on her pale skin.
"It's..." She was speechless.
Ren smiled, watching her reaction rather than the fireworks. "Are you satisfied with this ending, little Queen~?"
Lucifer turned to look at Ren. The colorful light washed over her face, softening her sharp features. "You knew about this all along? That's why you brought me here at this specific time? You timed it?"
"Do you like it?"
"Mm!" She nodded vigorously, like a child seeing magic for the first time.
Ren didn't know if Lucifer had ever seen fireworks in her long life—Hell had fire, but not like this—but he was certain that Lucifer had never seen them in such a situation: safe, happy, and cherished.
Bright fireworks bloomed one after another. Below them, the gaze of the entire amusement park gathered upwards. Children cheered, couples kissed, and tired staff members paused to watch the magic they helped create.
There are so many beautiful things to see in life: amusement parks with fireworks, libraries at dawn, lavender fields at dusk, the aurora borealis. But the true beauty lies in who you see them with.
This was the art of scene and emotion.
Lucifer looked at Ren with dazed, softened eyes. This annoying man... who teased her, fed her, protected her, wiped her tears... looking at him like this, bathed in the glow of the fireworks, he was actually... essential.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Lucifer froze. She looked past Ren, through the glass of their cabin, to the cabin behind them (which was actually below them now).
She saw a couple in that cabin kissing passionately under the fireworks display.
Her face flushed a little. Then she looked at the cabin in front of them. Another couple, holding hands and gazing into each other's eyes.
Ren looked at Lucifer's reaction and smiled, leaning back with his arms crossed. "This is why couples like riding the Ferris wheel~. Ferris wheel, fireworks, a small enclosed space—it's the best private world for two. It's a tradition."
Lucifer nodded slowly. Then she whispered, her voice trembling slightly, "Then why did you bring me here... We're not a couple... We're just... Master and Servant... Owner and Guest..."
"But I thought this little Queen should experience such a scene. It's spectacular, isn't it~? You deserve the best view. You deserve to be the protagonist."
Lucifer lowered her head, looking at her hands. Her heart was pounding so loud she feared he could hear it.
"Mm... Ren... I feel a bit strange. I can't quite describe the feeling. Before, when I heard about you and Yumiko buying cups, I felt very angry—like a fire in my chest that wasn't Hellfire. But later, when you comforted me in the Haunted House, I felt very secure. And there are so many, many other things. The crepes, the bus, the dinner..."
She looked up, her crimson eyes locking onto his silver ones. They were wet with unshed tears.
"I... I feel like I'm not myself anymore... Is this human love? Or am I sick? Have I been corrupted by mortality?"
Ren smiled gently. He reached out and took her hand. "That's not sickness, Lucifer. That's because this isn't Hell, and the person you met kept you here... gave you a home."
Lucifer squeezed his hand. "You... you should be a psychologist.... But... you're right... you kept me here... I think I might never be able to go back to how I was. I don't want to be alone in a big, cold castle anymore. I want the warmth of the kitchen."
"Then stay. Stay and be a tsundere little Queen~. Our contract still connects us..."
"Do you remember what I said?" Lucifer asked suddenly, stepping closer to him in the small space. The air between them was electric.
"What?"
"Men all like to conquer Queens..."
"Yes~. I remember..."
"Ren... I think... you did it."
Before Ren could say anything, he saw Lucifer move. She didn't hesitate this time. She didn't overthink. She pounced.
She grabbed his collar with both hands and pulled him down.
Looking at the crimson face before him, yet with determined red eyes reflected in them, so close...
From then on, every cabin on the Ferris wheel played out the same drama of romance, and Lucifer and Ren's cabin was no exception as it hung suspended at the top of the world.
BOOM!
A very loud sound rang out, and the most beautiful, golden firework exploded directly behind them, illuminating the silhouette of two figures merging into one against the night sky.
It announced to the heavens and the earth that the Queen of Hell had completely chosen to stay here.
She stayed in the human world not for duty, not for pancakes, but for her own feelings. She stayed by the side of the one man, and only man, who had conquered her heart.
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