Chapter 454: The Mortification of Hiratsuka Shizuka
Hiratsuka Shizuka had never been able to definitively say what the most awkward experience in the world was. Now, however, she knew with soul-crushing certainty what her most awkward experience was. It was discovering that the very man she had spent the entire afternoon complaining about to Sengoku Chihiro, the man she had been unfavorably comparing to Sōryūin Shion's fiancé all the way here, was, in fact, Sōryūin Shion's fiancé himself.
The universe, she decided, had a cruel and deeply personal sense of humor.
"I never expected you to be Shion's senpai," Ren said with a gentle smile, completely oblivious to her internal crisis. "What a coincidence."
Hiratsuka Shizuka could only manage a series of frantic, silent nods. Ren found her reaction a little odd but decided not to comment on it. Instead, he glanced over at Sōryūin Shion, whose expression was far too amused for his liking.
He sighed, a hint of exasperation in his voice. "That look on your face always makes me feel like you're plotting something terrible."
"What could I possibly be thinking?" Shion replied, her voice the very picture of innocence. "Do I look like that kind of person?"
Ren reached out and gently pinched her cheek. "You're the last person on earth who should be saying that," he said, his tone helpless. "Kirari is a born schemer, and you have a mischievous streak a mile wide. The two of you are a terrifyingly perfect match."
Sōryūin Shion made no move to pull away, simply letting him hold her face as she gazed up at him without a word. Years of experience had taught her a valuable lesson: in moments like these, silence was infinitely more potent than any argument.
And, as expected, it worked. Ren let go, his shoulders slumping in fond defeat. "You two chat for a bit," he said with a sigh. "I'm going to start preparing dinner."
The moment Ren disappeared into the kitchen, Shion's entire demeanor shifted. The placid innocence vanished, replaced by a playful, predatory glint in her eyes as she turned to her senior. "So, Shizuka-senpai," she purred, "do you still want to compare them? I don't mind one bit."
Hiratsuka Shizuka's teeth audibly ground together. "How was I supposed to know it would be such a ridiculous coincidence!"
"Hahaha!" Sengoku Chihiro burst out laughing, slapping her knee. "That's our Shizuka-chan, alright! So perfectly you!"
A deep blush crept up Hiratsuka Shizuka's neck, but she clamped her mouth shut, refusing to give them any more ammunition.
Sengoku Chihiro wiped a tear of mirth from her eye and smiled. "But seriously, Shion, your fiancé is incredibly tall and handsome."
"Of course!" Sōryūin Shion preened, a proud smile gracing her lips. "Did you really think my taste would be anything less than impeccable?"
"That's true..." Chihiro conceded, then noticed her friend's contemplative silence. "Eh? What are you thinking about now, Shizuka-chan?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka stated her thoughts with blunt sincerity. "I'm just wondering why on earth Shion's fiancé would be interested in Shion."
"Is it so wrong for me to possess immense charm?" Shion huffed, though there was no real heat behind it. "But if you think I'm something, you should have seen Kirari! Her situation was truly outrageous. Even I was shocked at the time."
Across the room, Amou Kirukiru's mouth twitched. Good heavens, she was just a quiet observer and still got dragged into the line of fire. It was simply absurd.
"Speaking of which," Lucifer chimed in, her curiosity piqued, "I still have no idea how any of you actually met Ren. You're all so secretive about it!"
Amou Kirukiru murmured softly, "Kirari and I had a pretty similar start..."
"So how did Kirari meet him?" Lucifer pressed.
"A competition."
"Oh!" Lucifer's eyes lit up. "I think I can guess the gist of that. But Kirari's situation was tied to her employment, wasn't it? You, Kirukiru, didn't have that kind of requirement..."
A sly, teasing smile spread across Sōryūin Shion's face. "Kirukiru developed feelings after getting thoroughly taught a lesson~"
"Shion!" Amou Kirukiru snapped, her cheeks flushing.
Lucifer paused, piecing it together. 'So, Ren finished his competition, Amou Kirukiru happened to witness it, and then she challenged him, only to be completely overwhelmed. After that, she must have eaten here... and combined with what Kobayashi Rindou let slip about her 'Order Queen' title, I think I get it.'
Lucifer smiled knowingly. "While I don't know the exact details, I can guess the general outline. No wonder you've been so quiet about it, Kirukiru..."
"You're being a little too sensitive, Kirukiru," Shion said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Who here doesn't have a dark past?"
"Then what's yours?" Amou Kirukiru retorted, her patience wearing thin.
"I'm not telling you," Shion chirped. "I already said it's a dark past. A dark past. You're still too naive, Kirukiru. Why would I ever let anyone else know about my embarrassing history?"
At that moment, Amou Kirukiru felt an almost overwhelming urge to throttle her. Then, a sudden idea struck her. Her gaze flickered over to Sōryūin Akemi.
Akemi was about to speak when she felt her older sister's smiling gaze lock onto her. "Akemi," Shion said, her voice deceptively sweet, "does your big sister have any dark pasts?"
Sōryūin Akemi's head whipped back and forth in a frantic shake, her eyes wide with a silent, pleading helplessness. She was terrified, but she didn't dare utter a single word about how truly outrageous her older sister could be.
"We're back! Eh?! It's Shion and Kirukiru! And Akemi and Mashiro, too!"
Just as Amou Kirukiru was about to press the issue, Cerberus bounded into the room. Upon seeing the newcomer, Shiina Mashiro immediately stood and walked over.
"What did Cerberus go do?"
"We're back!"
Cerberus had barely finished speaking when Courage and the others filed in behind them. Seeing a mix of familiar and unfamiliar faces, the WGO inspectors were all smiles. Nakiri Mana, however, immediately scanned the room, her gaze locking onto Shiina Mashiro.
In an instant, Mana was leaning in close, a dazzling smile on her face. "Oh my, isn't this little Mashiro?"
"Auntie Mana..." Mashiro mumbled quietly.
"You should call me Big Sis Mana! I'm not that old!" Mana corrected her with a pout.
"Oh... Big Sis Mana..."
"That's a good girl," Mana cooed, patting her head. "So much better behaved than Lanterby!"
From the side, Lanterby huffed in protest. "Lady Mana! Mashiro is just innocent! I'm lively! They're both good qualities!"
"But little Mashiro is just cuter than you," Nakiri Mana stated casually, as if it were an obvious fact of nature. "She's exactly like I was back in school! It's really quite nice."
Several eyebrows in the room shot up.
"Are you serious, beautiful lady?" Lucifer sighed dramatically. "Mana, I personally feel that, regarding this matter, you were probably quite the handful back in your school days..."
A chorus of silent nods rippled through the group.
"Who said that!" Mana retorted quickly. "I loved studying when I was in school! Every day was just classes, food tasting, and practice. It was such a simple life!"
Courage muttered under his breath, "A simple life doesn't necessarily mean a simple personality..."
"Courage!"
The truth was, Nakiri Mana's description of her school life was mostly accurate. She was the recognized little princess of her generation, with everyone fawning over her. But to say her personality was simple... well, according to the countless victims she'd left in her wake, "schemer" was a far more fitting description.
As the lighthearted chatter continued, Hiratsuka Shizuka tilted her head, her gaze fixed on Nakiri Mana. Feeling the intense stare, Mana looked back, a puzzled expression on her face.
"Is something wrong?" she asked. "Or... do we know each other?"
Because of her God's Tongue, Nakiri Mana had been cloistered within the WGO for years. It was fair to say she hadn't seen anyone outside her small circle of confidantes, and she'd blocked all incoming calls. She had long since forgotten what most people even looked like.
Hiratsuka Shizuka thought for a long, hard moment. "If I'm not mistaken..." she began slowly, "I know you, but you don't know me."
"What are you talking about?" Sengoku Chihiro asked, confused. "What's all this about knowing or not knowing?"
Ignoring her friend, Hiratsuka Shizuka's voice dropped to a low, serious tone as she stared directly at the woman before her. "Your name is Mana... Your family name wouldn't happen to be Nakiri, would it?"
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