Chapter 528: Sora's Ignition
In the end, Modeus never made it down for dinner.
Given her current state, it was a miracle she was conscious at all. If she could even manage to move a single muscle, it would mean Ren's relentless, punishing stamina had been nothing but a shoddy bluff. Knowing she was completely spent, Ren took it upon himself to bring her meal upstairs, carrying a delicate, steaming bowl of sweet white fungus and lotus seed soup to help restore her vitality.
When Ren pushed the bedroom door open, he found Modeus sitting quietly against the headboard. She was staring blankly down at the tattoo resting against her skin, her expression unreadable, completely lost in her own world.
Ren cleared his throat softly, breaking the silence. "Modeus, it's time to eat."
Startled, Modeus flinched slightly before turning her head. Her cheeks were still flushed with a lingering, feverish heat. She looked at him, her voice hoarse and laced with difficulty. "Ren... I'm too sore. I can't eat comfortably..."
Ren let out a quiet, affectionate sigh. "Just lean up a little."
Modeus obediently did as she was told, though a faint wince betrayed the twitch of her brow as her aching muscles protested the movement. Even so, she weakly reached out, trying to take the wooden tray from his hands.
Ren smiled, gently pulling the tray back out of her reach. "You're in no state to feed yourself right now. Come here, I'll do it."
A deep, vivid crimson flooded Modeus's face. She stared at the porcelain spoon Ren offered, her lips parting slightly before she gave a shy, compliant nod. Whether it was her overwhelming embarrassment or simply her natural pace, she ate incredibly slowly, savoring each warm bite. It took quite some time before the bowl was finally empty.
By the time Ren descended the stairs and returned to the lively dining room, Lucifer was already waiting. She leaned against the table, a knowing, elegant smirk playing on her lips. "Looking at that thoroughly satisfied expression of yours, you definitely spoon-fed her."
Ren didn't bother denying it. He simply sighed, pulling out a chair, and looked across the table. "Nami, I have a feeling."
Nami blinked, pausing with her fork halfway to her mouth. "Wh-what feeling?"
Ren tapped his fingers thoughtfully against the polished wood. "It's just... well, I feel like when you wake up tomorrow, you might be in for a surprise. It's like the timing has synchronized a bit..."
Nami processed the words for a moment before a spark of realization lit up her eyes. She understood exactly what he was implying.
Lucifer, however, caught the hidden weight in the conversation. She tilted her head, her crimson eyes narrowing slightly. "Who is coming?"
"How could Zoro possibly miss the party?" Ren replied smoothly. "Based on the patterns we've seen over the past two days, people are generally drawn toward familiar faces, setting off a chain reaction. When Zoro finally shows up, he's bound to drag someone else along with him, right?"
Lucifer nodded slowly, accepting the logic.
Beside them, Nakiri Mana lowered her teacup, her aristocratic features lined with mild confusion. "So, what exactly did you mean by 'time synchronization'?"
The atmosphere at the table instantly stiffened. Lucifer and the others exchanged brief, guarded glances, fully aware of the transmigration secret they were keeping.
Ren didn't miss a beat. He waved a hand casually, his tone perfectly even. "I just meant Nami needs to adjust to the time difference. She didn't sleep a wink last night. Counting the hours, her internal clock should be just about synchronized with ours by tomorrow."
Mana and the other WGO executives nodded in quiet understanding, the tension dissolving as quickly as it had formed.
"Actually," Ren added, suddenly realizing a discrepancy, "now that I think about it, none of you seem to be suffering from jet lag at all. How did you all recover so quickly?"
Courage let out a bright, confident laugh. "Because we practically live in the sky! We fly across the globe so often that jet lag has long since become irrelevant to us. To a WGO Inspector, the time difference across all countries is exactly the same—meaningless."
Decora and Rantabi nodded in unison, validating their colleague's claim.
Justice leaned back in her chair, a wide, appreciative grin on her face. "Hoh, now that's genuinely impressive. But what about Mana? You mentioned before that Mana never left the WGO headquarters because of her God Tongue, right? Does she somehow not need to adjust either?"
Mana rested her chin on her hand, her tone utterly matter-of-fact. "It is precisely because I never left that I don't need to adjust."
Nami tilted her head, thoroughly baffled. "What kind of logic is that?"
"It makes perfect sense," Mana explained earnestly. "Look at it this way: I never left the WGO inner sanctum, and I rarely stepped foot anywhere other than my office and my bedroom. Under those conditions, the concept of time loses all meaning. I sleep when my work is finished, and I work overtime when it isn't. I certainly don't adhere to a strict three-meals-a-day schedule."
Aoandon, who had been quietly sipping her soup, lowered her bowl and stared blankly at the former Book Master. "So... you recovered quickly simply because you have absolutely zero sense of the outside world's flow of time?"
Mana nodded gracefully, as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
Ren couldn't help but chuckle. "Speaking of which, Mana, your past lifestyle sounds quite pitiful when you put it like that. But I suppose it's not entirely a bad thing. The outcome worked in your favor, after all."
Throughout the lively exchange, Kasugano Sora had been sitting in uncharacteristic silence, poking at her food with a gloomy aura hanging over her.
Rantabi finally noticed the girl's dark cloud. "Sora, what's going on in that head of yours? You've been quiet this whole time."
Sora let out a long, heavy sigh, dramatically slumping over the table. "Today I ran into Kirisu-sensei, and she lectured me from every possible angle. To sum it up... on top of mastering Chinese, I now have to study World History too! Ah! Just kill me now!"
Courage blinked, amused by the sheer despair radiating from the silver-haired girl. "Why are you making such a miserable face?"
"Because it's so tiring!"
Decora crossed her arms, her strict inspector persona flaring up. "You silly girl... isn't studying hard the fundamental duty of a student?!"
A chorus of nods swept across the table.
Sora puffed out her cheeks, her voice dropping into a rebellious mutter. "The kind of studying I want is... you know, that kind!"
Everyone, including the usually laid-back Justice, shook their heads in unison.
Ren leaned back, analyzing his little sister's lazy tendencies. "Let me guess. The kind of studying you want is the kind where absolutely no one is watching you."
"And there aren't any troublesome exams..." Sora chimed in eagerly.
"Yes, exactly."
"Preferably, you'd just study at home, right?" Ren finished.
"Yes, yes, yes!" Sora's eyes practically sparkled with hope. "As expected of Ren-nii! You understand me perfectly! So, does that mean I can just stay home from now on?!"
Ren offered her a dry, amused smile. "How about this? Ask Lucifer and the others. Whatever they say is your answer."
Sora immediately turned her expectant, puppy-dog gaze toward the rest of the table. Without a second of hesitation, Lucifer, Justice, Aoandon, and the WGO girls all shook their heads with absolute finality.
Sora's vibrant hope shattered, her entire posture draining of color as she slumped back down in defeat.
Lucifer rolled her eyes, entirely unsympathetic. "What are you so disappointed about? Going to school is exactly what a girl your age is supposed to do."
Nami nodded in firm agreement. "She's right, Sora. Out on the seas, there are countless people who don't even have the opportunity to attend a school, or simply can't afford it. It's a privilege."
"I know, I know..." Sora whined, burying her face in her arms.
Ren chuckled, reaching over to ruffle her silver hair. "Alright, wanting to skip school is a universal instinct for every student, Sora. But don't forget what you promised me back then. We still have a wager."
Sora froze. She blinked, her mind racing. "Promise... a prom— Ah! I remember now! I completely forgot! Alright! If that's still on the table, then I'll go and study my heart out!"
Watching the gloomy girl suddenly ignite with burning passion, Justice raised an eyebrow in genuine surprise. "Hoh, she did a complete one-eighty. What exactly did she just remember?"
Sora sat up straight, a triumphant, confident grin spreading across her face. "If I can secure first place in my class by the end of the semester, Ren-nii promised to grant me one wish! Absolutely any wish I want!"
The moment those words left her mouth, a sudden, restless energy rippled through the WGO executives.
Courage slammed her hands on the table, her eyes shining with competitive fire. "Ren! If I manage to win the Best Employee Award, will there be a special reward for me too?!"
Decora and Rantabi immediately leaned in, nodding eagerly in support of the motion.
Ren thought about it for a second before offering a warm smile. "Of course. It's only right to reward outstanding performance."
A loud, synchronized cheer erupted from Courage and the others.
Ren sighed, shaking his head in mild amusement. "I don't know why, but sitting here handing out wishes, I suddenly feel an awful lot like Santa Claus."
Lucifer smirked, leaning dangerously close to him. "Oh? Does that mean I need to hang a stocking by my bed when I go to sleep tonight?"
"You don't need to."
"Why not?"
"Because you're working overtime tonight."
Lucifer's smirk vanished. She lightly slapped his shoulder, her crimson eyes flashing with playful indignation. "Are you telling me that people who work overtime don't deserve Christmas presents?!"
Ren didn't even blink. "What kind of Christmas presents do people working overtime even have time to open?"
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