Chapter 453: An Absurd Hell and a Shocked Teacher
At that moment, Pandemonica was hunched over a piece of parchment, a pen scratching methodically across its surface. On the reverse side, a strange, complex sigil glowed with a faint, infernal light, a clear sign that this was no ordinary correspondence.
She paused, her brow furrowed in thought, before adding a few final strokes. Satisfied, she held up the densely written page and gave a single, sharp nod. The next moment, the parchment erupted in a silent, crimson flame. It turned to ash in an instant, the particles dissolving into nothingness, already on their way to a destination far beyond the mortal realm.
Pandemonica stretched, a lazy sigh escaping her lips. "So," she murmured to the empty room, "will it be Lady Justice who arrives first? Or that girl, Modeus? I'm truly looking forward to this…"
She had just dispatched two letters. The first was for Justice, providing her with the address she had requested to find Lucifer. The second was for Modeus, fulfilling a promise Pandemonica had made to let her know where she had gone.
Among demons, promises were not made lightly. A simple spoken vow was an 'agreement,'while a more powerful one was a'contract.' To break either was a grave matter with severe consequences.
However, Pandemonica had cleverly handled her agreement with Lucifer. She had only told Justice that Lucifer, Cerberus, and herself were in the human world, conveniently omitting what they were doing there. As for Modeus, she was even more vague. Pandemonica didn't mention Lucifer at all; she merely wrote that she was at a restaurant in the human world, that the coffee was exquisite, and other such trivialities.
Having completed her tasks, Pandemonica arched her back in a deep stretch. The amount of rest she'd gotten recently probably exceeded the total from her last few centuries of tireless work.
She rubbed her temples, a flicker of annoyance in her expression. "This is getting troublesome… If Modeus actually shows up, I hope Zdrada and the others don't catch on…"
As she was lost in thought, the distinct sound of a window sliding open drifted from nearby. Since her own window was ajar, the sound was perfectly clear.
Pandemonica froze for a second before standing up and walking toward Ren's room. She found him sitting on the balcony, a book resting in his lap as he watched the sky.
"Aren't you coming down?" she asked.
"There's no rush," Ren replied without looking away from the horizon. "Watching the sunset from here is nice, too."
Pandemonica walked over to stand beside him, her gaze following his. She took in the view and nodded. "It is indeed very nice. I've never seen a sunset quite like this before."
Ren turned to her, slightly surprised. "Pandemonica, have you seen a sunset before?"
A hint of awkwardness colored her tone. "I saw one. Once. A very long time ago. After that… I've been working."
"That sounds like a rather monotonous life," Ren remarked gently. "What does the sky in Hell look like?"
Pandemonica's eyes unfocused as she dredged up the memory. "The sky in Hell… it's a permanent, violent dusk. A canvas of bruised crimson, streaked with veins of absolute black, as if some mad god had splashed it with blood and then slashed it open with a charcoal brush."
Ren considered this for a moment. "Eh? Wouldn't that be incredibly dark?"
"It's manageable," she said. "There are many lights. And even though the sky is a dark, bloody red, it still gives off its own glow."
"It really doesn't sound like a place one would want to stay for long," he mused. "It's amazing you can all endure it for so long…"
"Perhaps we're just used to it," Pandemonica replied, her voice distant. "Ah… the sun is gone."
"Then it's time to prepare dinner," Ren said, closing his book. "I wonder if Shion and the others have arrived yet."
"I don't know. They should be here by now…"
As Ren stood up, Pandemonica looked up at him, her head tilted. After a long moment of silence, she spoke. "Ren, do you think that if you're taller, you see a lot more things?"
He met her curious gaze. "Perhaps… I'll let you experience it sometime. For now, let's go down."
"Experience it?"
Though her expression was one of confusion, she followed him out of the room without another word. For now, she wouldn't be leaving this place until she had thoroughly researched everything it had to offer.
Downstairs, the atmosphere was already lively.
"Hey, Shion, so how exactly did you two meet?"
"That's a secret!"
Lucifer tilted her head, her red eyes glinting with curiosity. "Actually, Shion, I'm also very curious. How did you and Ren meet? And it seems it was because of a game?"
"A game?" two voices echoed in surprise.
Sōryūin Akemi was about to speak, but a subtle, warning glance from Sōryūin Shion made her snap her mouth shut. Just as Lucifer was about to press the matter, the sound of footsteps descended from the upper floor.
In an instant, all eyes turned toward the staircase. Hiratsuka Shizuka and Sengoku Chihiro were practically vibrating with curiosity, eager to finally see what kind of person this 'Ren' was. also, Hiratsuka was desperate to see if he was as handsome as the man she had encountered earlier that day.
"Yo, boss."
When Hiratsuka and the others saw Pandemonica appear first, their faces collectively twitched. 'She's stunning, of course,'Hiratsuka thought,'but she's not the one we're waiting for!'
She was about to say something when another figure emerged from the stairwell—a man in a crisp chef's uniform.
Ren glanced around the room, a warm smile spreading across his face. "Shion, Kirukiru, you two actually came so early."
Sōryūin Shion grinned. "Whether we're early or not depends entirely on how quickly Kirukiru finishes her work."
Amou Kirukiru shot back, her voice laced with irritation, "Do you believe I'll give you a chop to the neck while you're asleep tonight?"
"I don't believe it."
Ren just smiled and shook his head. Those two and their endless bickering. His circle of friends was full of such dynamics—fated rivalries that somehow only strengthened their bonds. There was Sonoko and Kirari, Shion and Kirari… the list went on.
He walked over and gently tapped Sōryūin Shion on the head. "So, are you ordering normally, or are we doing a group meal?"
"Normal ordering."
"Okay," Ren nodded. "But you know the opening time, right? You only have forty minutes."
Sōryūin Shion waved a dismissive hand. "Forty minutes is more than enough time for you to get dinner started. It's perfect, no difference. Speaking of which, you were upstairs for quite a while."
"It was nothing," he said. "I just suddenly felt like watching the sunset… Hmm? What's wrong, Miss?"
The moment Hiratsuka Shizuka saw Ren's face, she shot to her feet, her chair scraping loudly against the floor. She stared at him, her eyes wide with utter disbelief.
"It's you!" she exclaimed, her voice a choked whisper.
Ren blinked, studying her for a moment before recognition dawned. "Hmm? You are… Ah! You're the lady I saw at the bookstore today."
Hiratsuka nodded repeatedly, unable to form words. Sōryūin Shion's eyes widened in realization, and a playful, teasing smirk spread across her face.
"So, Shizuka-senpai," she purred, "the man you were talking about… was Ren?"
Hiratsuka's mouth twitched, but she still managed a jerky nod. In that moment, the world seemed to tilt on its axis. She felt as if she were caught in a waking dream, one she had no desire to escape.
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