Chapter 199: Be Your True Self, Your Own Happiness
Ren just smiled at Mana-sama's appearance, saying nothing, merely allowing his presence to act as a silent anchor for her emotions.
Mana-sama had cried three times in total this evening.
The first time was tears of pure, unadulterated joy—the overwhelming realization that she had come back to life, that the curse of the God Tongue had been lifted.
The second time was born of deep, aching guilt towards the family she had left behind, a mother's regret washing over her.
And this third time... this was liberation. It was the sound of chains breaking, of a heavy winter coat being shed to reveal the spring beneath.
Lanterby, usually so full of boundless energy, whispered with genuine concern, "Mana-sama, you..."
Mana-sama waved her hand gently, her movements elegant despite the redness in her eyes.
"I... I'm fine. truly. I just suddenly thought of how I looked when I left home back then. I'm sorry, Ren-kun, I seem to have lost my composure a bit."
Ren shook his head, leaning casually against the counter with a warm, reassuring smile.
"No, there is no need to apologize. This is simply human nature."
"Seeing Mana-sama capable of expressing such raw emotion actually proves that your current state has fully recovered, hasn't it? To feel is to be alive. This is a very good thing~"
Mana-sama wiped her tears with a handkerchief, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She nodded, her posture regaining its natural regal grace.
Seeing this, Ren pushed himself off the counter and clapped his hands softly.
"Since your mood has settled now, I'm going to start preparing the magic trick I promised~"
Hearing this, the atmosphere in the room shifted instantly. Even Lucifer and Cerberus looked expectant, their eyes tracking Ren's movements.
Especially Lucifer. The Queen of Hell knew better than anyone that Ren possessed a terrifyingly effective talent for making girls happy. If he called it a "magic trick," it was bound to be something impressive.
Ren turned and disappeared into the kitchen, the soft swish of the noren curtains marking his exit.
The room fell into a hushed silence, the only sound being the faint hum of the refrigerator and the rhythmic ticking of the wall clock.
A few minutes later, he emerged.
He walked with a steady, rhythmic pace, carrying nothing but an air of mystery. He asked Mana-sama to bring over the empty plate she had used previously.
Ren stood before her, rolling up his sleeves slightly to show his forearms. He held his hands out, palms open, fingers splayed.
"Empty, as you can see," he said, his voice dropping to a theatrical whisper.
Then, he slowly waved his right hand over the porcelain plate.
The movement was fluid, like water flowing over stone. The air seemed to shimmer for a split second, a distortion of light that caught everyone's breath.
Before anyone could blink or process the visual trickery, a solid object materialized from thin air.
An exquisite, white box tied with a silken ribbon now sat perfectly centered on the plate.
Mana-sama was stunned, her lips parting in genuine surprise. "Ren-kun... how did you do that? And what's inside?"
Ren placed a finger to his lips, a playful glint in his eyes.
"A magician never tells others the secret of his tricks. As for what's inside... well, Mana-sama, you'll only know if you open it yourself."
Mana-sama reached out, her fingers trembling slightly with anticipation. She pulled the ribbon, the silk sliding away with a soft whisper. She lifted the lid.
Immediately, a sweet, cloud-like aroma drifted upward—the scent of fresh dairy, high-quality vanilla beans, and a hint of summer strawberries.
"Oh... Hmm? Is this... a cream cake?!"
Ren smiled, nodded, and said softly, "Hmm... I'd say this little magic trick and the treat inside should be worth about four hundred Japanese Yen, right?"
Mana-sama nodded repeatedly, her "God Tongue" already analyzing the scent particles and confirming the supreme quality of the ingredients. She picked up a silver fork, ready to indulge.
But just as the fork hovered over the sponge, Ren interrupted her thoughts with a gentle hand gesture.
"Wait a moment. Your stomach has just recovered, and you've eaten quite a rich meal already. You can't handle a full portion just yet."
"So, I'll give you another little magic trick as a bonus~"
"Eh? Eh?! Wait—"
Ren waved his hand over the box once again.
Poof.
It was as if the cake had been erased by an invisible eraser. The majority of the confection vanished into the ether, leaving behind no crumbs, no trace.
All that remained was a single, perfect cylindrical base—a "bite-sized" version of the original cake, standing as tall and proud as the whole, its appearance unchanged in quality, only in quantity.
"Where... where's the rest of the cake?" Mana-sama asked, blinking rapidly.
Ren had no intention of explaining the physics (or metaphysics) of the situation.
He simply smiled and said softly, "Hmm... that's also a secret."
He gestured toward the hallway leading to the back of the establishment.
"Now, Mana-sama, the hour is late. It's time for you to come with me. I'll take you and your team to the rooms where you'll be staying tonight."
"Oh! Right!"
Mana-sama stood up, carefully holding her precious, downsized cake.
Following behind Ren, Courage was visibly vibrating with excitement. Her professional mask had slipped completely.
She could actually stay here!
Although she knew that as Mana-sama's aide, she would often accompany her here in the future, she didn't expect to skip the waiting list and directly stay overnight on her first visit.
To be honest, Courage, Decora, and the other WGO officers were genuinely wealthy women. They were beautiful, successful, and paid great attention to their quality of life.
They had stayed in seven-star hotels in Dubai and private villas in Tuscany. Originally, they thought that a "restaurant's lounge" would be a simple, functional room—perhaps a clean futon in a spare storage area.
After all, how luxurious could the staff quarters of a small neighborhood diner be?
They were wrong.
Ren led them away from the dining area, stepping onto a corridor floored with polished, dark cherry wood.
The lighting here was different—softer, warmer, emanating from recessed lanterns near the floor that cast long, comforting shadows.
The air smelled faintly of tatami and sandalwood, a scent that instantly lowered one's blood pressure.
Ren slid open the door to the guest wing.
"What a beautiful room!"
A few minutes later, the sentiment was voiced by everyone in a collective, breathless exhale.
Lanterby bounced onto the plush rug in the center of the room. "Wow! Ren-kun! Your room is too beautiful! And it actually has everything!"
The room was a masterclass in Japanese modern aesthetics—minimalist yet warm, with high-end amenities that rivaled the best hotels in Tokyo.
Ren leaned against the doorframe and said with a smile, "Life is like cooking."
"When cooking, you must create a flavor that the chef himself loves to eat. In life, naturally, you should also make the house's owner like the way they live in their own space~"
The group nodded in unison, struck by the simple philosophy.
Ren gestured down the hallway. "So, the fifth room is occupied. The innermost room at the end of the hall is mine. The two rooms next to it belong to Lucifer and Cerberus."
"You can choose any of the remaining ones~ They are all equipped with various daily necessities, fresh towels, skin care products, and so on."
Anne looked at the brand of the amenities on the shelf—high-end organic products that were hard to find even in specialty stores.
She said blankly, "I really want to say... Shopkeeper Ren, you really don't care about money at all..."
"Money?" Ren shrugged, his expression relaxed. "I don't dislike money, but I don't particularly like it either. Money, it's just like that~ It's a tool to build comfort."
Before everyone could react or ask more questions about his mysterious resources, Ren offered a polite bow.
"Well then, everyone, good night, and sweet dreams~"
After speaking, he turned and walked away. His footsteps made no sound on the wooden floor as he headed toward the innermost room.
When Ren had completely disappeared from their sight around the corner, the spell broke.
Courage slumped against the wall, covering her flushed face with both hands.
"Decora... I feel like I've been single for so many years just to wait for today...."
Her voice trembled with the intensity of a maiden in love. The professional Bookman was gone; in her place was a woman who had found her ideal.
Decora adjusted her glasses, a dreamy smile playing on her lips. "Same feeling~"
Lanterby yawned, stretching her arms high above her head. "If you like him, just go tell him~ Didn't Lucifer-sama say that Ren-kun wouldn't refuse such things?"
Courage looked at the young girl exasperatedly. "You brat, you're still too young to know how big a deal finding a partner is!"
"Although I like him very much, and Ren-kun is objectively excellent and likely won't refuse, I still need to leave a modest impression! I can't just throw myself at him like a hungry cat!"
Decora nodded vigorously, her expression deadly serious. "That's right! Anyway, we'll often visit here with Mana-sama. We've waited so many years for a man of this caliber; a little more time won't hurt!"
"We need a strategy," Decora added.
"As expected of Decora! Always thinking ahead!"
"Hmm!"
Looking at these two successful career women whose heads were now full of teenage romance strategies, Lanterby sighed deeply.
She shook her head and quietly went to choose a room, leaving them to their delusions. Anne also silently slipped away into another room.
Mana-sama looked at her two most trusted right-hand women, sighed with a mix of amusement and embarrassment, and then walked into her own room.
She closed the door silently, shutting out the world.
She felt so embarrassed... yet also strangely lighthearted.
When Courage and Decora finally noticed they were alone in the hallway, they looked at each other with expectant expressions. They quickly claimed a room each and retreated to rest, their dreams likely filled with silver-haired chefs.
Inside her room, Mana-sama sat on the edge of the large, soft bed.
The mattress sank perfectly beneath her weight, supporting her tired body. This was the first time Mana-sama had stayed in such a place in years.
It was very warm. The lighting was gentle.
Just as Joichiro had said, the moment you walk into this place, you understand what true peace of mind means.
Mana-sama now felt as if she was sitting on the small bed she had when she was a little girl, before the burden of the Nakiri name weighed her down.
It was just as soft, and the room was just as beautiful.
Mana-sama took a deep breath, inhaling the clean scent of the linens. She then looked down at the simple cream cake in her hands.
If anyone else had given this "leftover-looking" cake to Nakiri Mana, she would have destroyed their career on the spot.
But because Ren gave it to her, she found herself looking forward to it with a fluttering heart.
She took a small bite.
The cream melted instantly on her tongue, carrying the pure, sweet essence of milk and the floral note of vanilla. The sponge was airy, vanishing like a pleasant dream.
"Hmm~ It's as delicious as I imagined..."
She took another bite. And then... nothing.
"And it's gone? So little..."
Just as Mana-sama finished it in two bites and was still somewhat unsatisfied, she suddenly froze.
She carefully looked at the bottom of the empty box.
She found that the cake had been resting on a transparent, thin plate made of sugar glass or perhaps high-quality crystal.
But the real key was not the material. It was the words written under the thin plate, visible only now that the cake was gone.
Mana-sama put the box aside on the nightstand and picked up the plate.
She looked at the words. Her body trembled slightly.
A genuine, unbidden smile blossomed on her face, softening her features into something breathtakingly young.
"No wonder, Ren-kun... no wonder you are so dangerously attractive to girls...."
At this moment, under the warm light of the bedside lamp, a very cute, hand-drawn smiley face appeared on the originally clean plate.
Next to the drawing, in elegant script, were the words:
"Welcome home, Mana-sama~"
Mana-sama just stood there blankly, holding the plate to her chest, not knowing exactly what she was thinking. Her mind was a whirl of emotions—gratitude, warmth, and a sense of belonging she hadn't felt in decades.
After a long time, the silence of the room was broken by her whisper.
It was spoken with a slight firmness, a promise to herself.
"I want to be the real Nakiri Mana again...."
"I also want my own life..."
"My own feelings.... My own happiness..."