Chapter 195: The Master of the Flickering Flame
"Eh? You're still talking about this~"
The friendship between men, though seemingly passionate and straightforward, with clinking glasses, toasts, and grand declarations, is certainly proof of that.
But no matter what, one can't just keep watching it forever.
At this moment, Courage, Decora, and the others reacted very quickly, still chatting with Cerberus.
When Lucifer came out, they were still chatting, but the topic was no longer just about Ren.
When they saw Lucifer walk out wearing a scarf and holding an ice cream, they were all stunned for a moment.
They didn't know why, but they always felt it was full of points to complain about, yet they didn't know how to say it.
Courage said with some surprise, "Eh?! Lucifer-sama, you look so domestic!"
Lucifer's face flushed a deep crimson, her eyes darting away as she whispered, "I'd rather not have this feeling..."
In her mind, she recalled the intense "punishments" Ren had inflicted on her previously.
Lucifer's legs trembled at the thought of certain things that happened behind closed doors.
Sometimes she really wondered if she was the Queen of Hell, or if Ren was simply no longer human.
It was too outrageous! No mortal should possess such... endurance.
Decora and the others all understood it differently.
They saw Lucifer, this high-powered female CEO, as someone trying to soften her edges.
Thinking this way, they rather admired Lucifer.
The transition between a cold, strong woman and a gentle, good wife was so vast, yet she could still be so natural.
Language has a magical effect.
It can make you cry, it can make you laugh, and it can make you and others talk about two different things.
But no matter how you listen or how you speak, they can be connected into one thing.
Cross-server chat is also very reasonable in this restaurant; it's quite magical how everyone misunderstands each other so perfectly.
Just then, Ren also came out pushing a dining cart.
It was really as fast as Ren had said it would be.
Lucifer was also stunned, her ice cream momentarily forgotten.
Was this dish made a little too quickly?
Even for a chef of his level, the speed was breathtaking.
On the dining cart was a specialized rack.
On the rack sat a round trough containing some white translucent irregular block-shaped objects.
Above the rack was a small, seasoned iron pot.
That's right, the dish Ren chose for Saitama was a Dry Pot dish.
[Akarin's Note: Dry Pot (Gan Guo) is a cooking style where ingredients are stir-fried with intense spices and served over a small flame without soup base.]
Saitama looked at the slices of potato in the pot and scratched his smooth head.
"Eh? Ren-san, what kind of way to eat is this?" he asked, his voice carrying its usual flat curiosity.
Ren pulled out a box of matches from his pocket.
He slid it open with one hand, taking out a single matchstick.
He placed the igniting end on the friction strip, aimed at a specific spot among the fuel blocks below the pot.
He flicked his finger with the precision of a martial artist.
The next moment, the ignited match flew through the air, directly brushing across the translucent alcohol block below the rack.
With a soft bang, the blue flame was lit instantly.
The matchstick bounced off the wall to the side, then bounced back toward the cart.
By the time it reached Ren's front, it had just gone out.
He caught it effortlessly in his hand.
Saitama clapped his hands in a daze, his eyes following the trajectory.
"As expected of Ren-san, this skill is really cool... Is that a secret technique?"
Ren played with the matchbox in his hand and said with a smile, "If I had to say, it's probably a little trick to get a girlfriend every day~"
Saitama was stunned for a moment, then said blankly, "You have quite a few girlfriends, don't you, Ren-san...."
Ren thought for a moment and said, "As a normal man, this should also be considered a manifestation of personal charm, right?"
He turned his gaze toward the table. "Right, Lucifer?"
Lucifer's face flushed even hotter, her cheeks puffed out like a pufferfish.
She snorted loudly, then turned her head away, deliberately ignoring him.
That scoundrel! His match-playing just now really had something to it.
Who knows how many other ill-intentioned, crazy women he has seduced with such flashy moves?!
Too much! He was truly too much!
"So, Dry Pot Potato Slices, and rice," Ren announced, placing the bowls.
"Oh, and this is a little bit of tofu left over from making Wensi Tofu, so I made it into seaweed tofu soup for you."
[Akarin's Note: Wensi Tofu is a traditional dish involving tofu shredded into thousands of hair-thin strands.]
"It's just this small bowl on the house," Ren added.
Saitama smiled his classic, blank smile. "Eh? Thank you, Ren-san...."
"Just a bit of tofu and a few pieces of seaweed. If you ordered it normally, I wouldn't even charge you."
"As expected of you, Ren-san..."
Ren smiled and said, "Then please enjoy. These potato slices are already cooked, so you can eat them now. Let the flame continue to burn to keep the heat."
The aroma of the spices—Sichuan peppercorns, dried chilies, and garlic—began to bloom as the heat intensified.
After Ren finished speaking, he walked towards the group of women.
Ren didn't have the shy expression of a nervous boy, despite Lucifer's side being full of beautiful women from the WGO.
He didn't have those anxious emotions at all.
He sat down next to Lucifer very calmly, his presence grounding the chaotic energy of the table.
Ren said with a smile, "Lucifer, your ice cream is going to melt~"
"Huh? Eh?! Why didn't you tell me sooner when you saw it!"
Hearing this, Lucifer, who had just decided not to bother with Ren for the next hour, was instantly broken.
She immediately came back to her senses and began eating the ice cream in small, hurried bites.
She still looked pouting, but her tail (if she had one visible) would surely be wagging.
Ren patted Lucifer's head affectionately and said with a smile, "Looking at it this way, Lucifer, you really are like a child~"
Lucifer snorted and continued to eat in small bites, not letting Ren take his hand away.
She leaned into the touch slightly, even as she pretended to be annoyed.
Courage looked at Ren teasing Lucifer, and Lucifer, who was clearly happy but still pretending to be angry and wanting to be coaxed.
The Executive Officer suddenly felt very envious of such a natural bond.
Cerberus whispered, "Ren-nii, Ren-nii... Is Lucifer-sama being tsundere again?"
"I'M NOT TSUNDERE!"
The denial came instantly, punctuated by Lucifer's indignant glare.
"But I didn't expect you and Miss Courage to get along so well, Lucifer~" Ren noted.
Hearing Ren mention them, the four girls from the WGO became a little nervous.
The man in front of them, although very gentle, always felt a bit unreal, like an ideal they only read about in gourmet magazines.
You know, Ren's cooking just now had shocked them all to the core.
If they could, they wanted to eat it for a lifetime, even if it was just a few simple side dishes.
For Executive Officers of gourmet food, a chef of this level was like a magnet.
Furthermore, Ren's own "hardware" and physical presence were excellent.
Courage said a little nervously, "Um... Mr. Ren, are you still a Combatant?"
Ren was startled and said doubtfully, "Eh? How did you know? And how did you know about the Kengan Matches?"
Decora coughed lightly and adjusted her glasses.
"Um... the WGO has also hired Combatants to resolve business disputes before. Combatants are really amazing existences..."
She looked at his steady hands, which showed no signs of the tremors one would expect from a brawler.
"I didn't expect Mr. Ren to be so excellent in fighting skills besides his world-class cooking..."
Lanterby, the energetic girl, said excitedly, "Mr. Ren! We've seen the Kengan Matches on private recordings! It's very passionate and exciting!"
Ren smiled and nodded, "Yes, the Kengan Matches are indeed quite exciting, but also quite dangerous."
"After all, it's a competition where people can legally be killed~"
Anne nodded and said, "Yes, indeed, basically every Combatant is covered in injuries after a fight."
She looked at him with genuine concern. "Shopkeeper Ren must have suffered a lot of hidden injuries too..."
Ren was startled and waved his hand dismissively.
"No, no... I haven't been injured in Kengan Matches. I usually finish things before they get to that point."
He thought for a moment, trying to find a relatable example of pain.
"If I had to say I was injured, it might be that my arm cramped once after a fight... It hurt quite a bit for a minute~"
Hearing this, the girls' mouths twitched in unison.
The exclamation of disbelief was visible in their eyes.
This seemed a bit—no, very—different from the blood-soaked Kengan Matches they knew about...
"A cramp...?" Courage muttered, her voice trailing off as she looked at Ren as if he were a monster in human skin.
[Akarin Note:
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