Chapter 216: Nakiri Mana: Do You Mind Someone a Little Older?
Courage stood in the center of Ren's personal quarters, her eyes sweeping across the interior as if she were appraising a priceless exhibit in a high-end art gallery.
She simply could not stop looking. The pristine condition of the space was entirely mesmerizing to the WGO executive.
Decora stood right beside her, nodding repeatedly in silent agreement. For a young man's bedroom, Ren's private space was absurdly clean.
Not a single speck of dust rested on the polished wooden bookshelves, and the bedsheets were tucked with military precision. In fact, it was noticeably tidier and far better organized than the bedrooms of most girls they knew.
A faint, comforting scent of fresh cedar and clean laundry detergent lingered in the air, making the room feel incredibly inviting.
Clearly, the mesmerized duo was far too absorbed in their inspection to notice Anne quietly approaching from the hallway.
Anne suddenly materialized right behind Courage, her presence practically radiating a stern, maternal aura. "Courage, it is highly inappropriate to linger and comment on Mr. Ren's private quarters," Anne said in a deep, warning tone. "Hurry up and get ready to leave after breakfast."
Hearing Anne's sudden reprimand, Courage let out a quiet squeak of surprise. She cast one last, reluctant glance at the impeccably clean room before finally turning on her heel to leave.
As they walked away, Anne also couldn't help but steal a quick glance inside. She offered a silent, appreciative nod to the empty room.
Anne wasn't the type to become easily love-struck or dizzy over a handsome face, but she held a deep, unwavering respect for a man who kept his living space this immaculate.
A few minutes later, the morning sun poured through the large glass windows of the restaurant's main dining area, casting a warm golden glow over the polished mahogany tables.
Ren walked out from the kitchen area, wiping his hands on a pristine white towel. He paused, looking at Courage, Decora, Lanterby, and Anne, who were all sitting perfectly still at a table, practically burning holes into him with their intense stares.
"Is something the matter, Miss Courage?" Ren asked, his brow furrowing in genuine confusion.
Courage jumped slightly in her seat, a faint dusting of pink appearing on her cheeks as she realized she had been caught staring. "Nothing, nothing at all! Good morning, Mr. Ren!" she blurted out quickly.
Ren offered a polite, gentle nod in response, his expression softening into a welcoming smile.
Sitting on a plush stool near the counter, Lucifer casually swirled a cup of dark morning coffee. She tilted her head, her silver hair catching the sunlight, and asked, "What time is your flight back?"
"It's scheduled for just after eight o'clock, so we'll be leaving quite soon," Anne replied professionally, checking her elegant wristwatch. "The next time we visit might be more than ten days from now, and then..."
Ren smiled warmly, cutting off her minor hesitation. "You are all always welcome here. Of course, providing accommodation for your stays is perfectly fine as well."
He shifted his gaze toward the stunning leader of the WGO. "After all, Miss Nakiri Mana, given the unique severity of your condition, it is highly recommended to continuously suppress the God Tongue's fatigue for a few consecutive days each time you visit. That way, your progress toward a full recovery will be much faster."
Nakiri Mana nodded gracefully, a look of profound gratitude flashing in her elegant eyes. However, a thought seemed to cross her mind, and she looked up at him with genuine curiosity.
"Actually, I have always been quite curious about something, Mr. Ren," Mana began, her voice smooth and melodic. "Do you rest during the day? Or do you constantly go out?"
She gestured vaguely around the quiet, sunlit restaurant. "After all, you run an establishment that caters primarily to the night. Aren't you exhausted if you don't catch up on sleep during the daylight hours?"
"No, not particularly," Ren answered, leaning casually against the polished counter. "In a sense, I rarely sleep during the day, but my body constitution ensures I get more than enough rest at night."
He offered her a reassuring smile. "Thank you for your concern, Miss Nakiri Mana. As for what I do during my daylight hours... it usually involves reading, watching a few movies, playing some ball games, things of that nature."
Ren paused, glancing out the window at the bustling morning streets. "Actually, today I was planning to head out to the gym."
Courage immediately slammed both hands on the table, her eyes sparkling with sudden, intense interest. "Eh?! Mr. Ren is going to the gym?!"
She leaned forward, practically vibrating with excitement. "What... what... what gym is it?"
"Which branch?!" she blurted out. "Maybe I've heard of it!"
Lanterby gently tugged at Courage's sleeve, whispering softly, "Courage, calm down. Mr. Ren's dishes are priced very ordinarily, so it should logically just be a normal, local neighborhood gym."
She offered Ren an apologetic smile before continuing her whisper. "After all, Shopkeeper Ren seems to deeply appreciate simple, unpretentious, and ordinary places..."
Lucifer took a slow sip of her coffee, her crimson eyes gleaming with amusement. She tilted her head again, looking thoughtful. "I believe it's called... Silverman Gym? There seems to be a brand new branch that just opened up a few blocks from here."
The demon queen glanced over at Ren for confirmation. "Ren mentioned to me before that it's a massive global chain? Is the place really that impressive?"
[Akarin's Note: Silverman Gym is the main fitness center from the anime 'Dumbbell Nan Kilo Moteru?' (How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?). It is an elite, world-renowned gym chain famous for its state-of-the-art equipment, hardcore bodybuilding culture, and its overwhelmingly muscular personal trainers.]
Four distinct gasps echoed through the dining room in absolute, perfect unison. The WGO executives stared at Lucifer as if she had just grown a second head.
Lanterby's mouth visibly twitched, her previous assumption completely shattered in an instant. "Mr. Ren is indeed an utterly incomprehensible existence..." she muttered weakly. "His personal life and his work life are truly entirely separate realms..."
Lucifer blinked in genuine confusion, setting her ceramic mug down on a coaster. "You four seem incredibly shocked. Do you actually know of that gym?"
Decora finally recovered from her stupor, a bright, knowing smile spreading across her face. "Of course we do! Silverman Gym is an incredibly impressive facility, boasting arguably the absolute best fitness equipment in the world."
She gestured animatedly with her hands. "Not only that, but many internationally famous bodybuilders, world-class powerlifters, and top-tier combat athletes from all over the globe exclusively train there!"
Lucifer nodded slowly, absorbing the information, but her brow remained furrowed. "That sounds wonderful, but why are you four so shocked about it? Although Ren prices his divine dishes very casually, having a membership at a high-end gym shouldn't be that big of a deal for him, right?"
Lanterby smiled wryly, adjusting her glasses as she explained. "The reason we were so surprised just now is because all four of us are actually VIP members of that exact gym chain."
She patted her perfectly toned stomach lightly. "As WGO Executive Officers, we constantly consume massive amounts of high-calorie, gourmet food from around the world. Therefore, we need to pay extremely close attention to maintaining our physiques."
"Since we are certainly not short on money," Lanterby concluded, "we naturally just sought out the absolute best gym available to handle our intense calorie-burning regimens."
Lucifer nodded in sudden understanding. It made perfect sense; one could not eat world-class cuisine every day without a rigorous exercise routine to balance it out.
Courage clasped her hands together, her eyes shining with renewed excitement. "I really didn't expect this at all! To think that you are also a member of that gym, Mr. Ren!"
She flashed him a dazzling smile. "Let's absolutely go to the gym together when we have a chance! I'm going to be coming back here quite often, after all!"
Ren chuckled softly, finding her boundless energy rather endearing for the early morning. "Okay, I certainly don't mind having some company at the gym."
He then looked thoughtfully at the four executives. "But if all four of you are constantly working out and maintaining your own schedules, how exactly should Miss Nakiri Mana's nutrient solution be managed and changed normally when she's back at headquarters?"
Anne spoke up, her voice returning to its soft, dutiful tone. "It is managed on a strict rotating shift. Basically, three of us are allowed to go train each day, while one always stays behind to personally take care of Lady Mana."
Nakiri Mana looked down at the table, a sudden wave of guilt washing over her beautiful features. "You have all worked so incredibly hard for my sake these past few years," she murmured apologetically.
Mana looked up, her eyes shining with newfound hope. "But now that I am finally getting better, thanks to Mr. Ren, all of these burdens won't be a problem anymore."
A soft, genuine smile graced Mana's lips. "When I officially move my operations here, if we have the time, let's all go to the gym together. I haven't properly exercised in such a long time, and lately, I feel a little tired just walking for a short while..."
The four executives looked at their beloved Book Master, their eyes softening with deep affection. Four voices chimed out in warm agreement, promising to accompany her.
It would be a complete lie to say that these four women did not share an unbreakable bond. They were Nakiri Mana's most capable, loyal, and closest confidants.
Anne, in particular, was the absolute pillar of the group. She was the one who had always remained silently and steadfastly by Nakiri Mana's side through her darkest, most painful years of starvation.
Ren watched the touching scene unfold, noticing how Nakiri Mana and the others were dangerously close to getting lost in a tearful sea of bittersweet memories.
He clapped his hands together lightly, the crisp sound breaking the heavy emotional atmosphere. "Alright, if you want to reminisce about the past, you can certainly do so in private on your flight."
Ren offered them a charismatic, confident smile. "For now, let's get prepared to eat. After all, I highly doubt standard airplane food will ever satisfy Miss Nakiri Mana's God Tongue."
Nakiri Mana nodded eagerly, her stomach suddenly giving a faint, polite rumble at the mere mention of his cooking.
Decora, however, tilted her head in slight confusion. "Eh? Doesn't Shopkeeper Ren usually love to sit and listen to our stories? Why doesn't he want to listen right now?"
Ren stretched his arms above his head, rolling his shoulders to loosen up his muscles for the kitchen work ahead. "Probably because the quiet of the night is the proper time to peacefully listen to stories."
His lips curled into a mysterious smirk. "The bright day, of course, is the time meant for creating new stories. So please wait just a moment, everyone."
With those parting words, Ren turned and disappeared through the swinging doors into the kitchen.
Courage watched his retreating back, her face suddenly morphing into an expression of profound, enlightened realization. "I've finally figured it out," she whispered fiercely.
She leaned across the table, whispering to the other executives. "Mr. Ren is really, truly an impossibly good man. It is absolutely no wonder so many beautiful girls are falling head over heels for him."
Lucifer simply rolled her eyes from her stool. She was already entirely used to Courage and Decora's eccentricities, especially Courage's habit of acting completely crazy over a handsome face.
The situation was already crystal clear to the demon queen. Ren was simply a naturally kind soul who didn't really know how to refuse people in need.
He was probably just playing along right now, silently watching from the kitchen to see exactly how far Courage and the others would push their wild imaginations.
Lucifer still vividly remembered one of Ren's most infamous, casually dropped sayings from a few days prior.
He had looked at her with total innocence and said, 'Eh? A beautiful girl actively likes me, and I'm supposed to play hard to get and push her away? A man who acts like that might genuinely be a little psychologically abnormal.'
He had even added, 'Especially without any moral restrictions holding me back in this world, I really can't quite understand the logic of rejecting affection.'
No matter how Lucifer tried to mentally translate or justify that statement, it was the absolute, standard declaration of a shameless scoundrel!
So, Lucifer just decided to ignore his dangerous levels of charm. It didn't matter in the grand scheme of things anyway; at the end of the day, his soul was always going to be hers.
When Nakiri Mana had first woken up this morning, staring up at the unfamiliar ceiling, she genuinely doubted if she was merely trapped in a beautiful dream.
Even sitting in this sunlit dining room, completely devoid of the crushing agony of starvation, everything still felt like a fragile illusion that could shatter at any moment.
But then, the kitchen doors swung open, and the incredibly rich, savory aroma of a perfectly slow-cooked broth wafted into the dining room.
Ren emerged carrying a large wooden tray. He gracefully set down several steaming porcelain bowls of Preserved Egg and Lean Meat Congee, accompanied by intricately woven bamboo steamer baskets filled with delicate pastries and fresh siomai.
[Akarin's Note: Preserved Egg and Lean Meat Congee is a classic, comforting Chinese breakfast dish. It features rice simmered for hours until it breaks down into a silky, viscous soup, flavored with marinated strips of pork and chunks of century egg, which provide a rich, earthy, and slightly alkaline umami flavor.]
When the first spoonful of the steaming, fragrant congee finally touched Mana's lips, the warmth blossomed across her tongue.
The rice had been cooked down into a masterfully creamy, velvety texture that coated her mouth in pure comfort. The savory depth of the tender, marinated lean pork intertwined perfectly with the unique, jelly-like richness of the amber-colored preserved egg.
It was an explosion of soothing umami. The God Tongue, an ability that usually analyzed and viciously rejected every microscopic flaw in a dish, simply surrendered to the overwhelming waves of warmth and care infused into the bowl.
She knew, right then and there, that she wasn't dreaming after all.
Mana eagerly reached for a siomai with her chopsticks. The golden-yellow wrapper was paper-thin, holding a wildly succulent, steaming filling of hand-minced pork and sweet, bouncy shrimp.
As she bit into it, the hot, savory meat juices flooded her palate, causing a visible shiver of pure culinary ecstasy to run down her spine.
"Mr. Ren..." Mana breathed out, her cheeks flushed a deep, happy pink. "This is incredibly delicious. I never, ever thought that a simple, common siomai could possibly reach such a transcendent level of flavor."
She dabbed at her lips with a silk napkin, her eyes shining with gratitude. "So, the total for this magnificent meal is..."
"Since this is just a casual breakfast we're all eating together before your flight, it's completely free," Ren interrupted smoothly, offering her a charming wink.
Mana's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. "Eh?! How can this be... This level of craftsmanship... This..."
"After all, Miss Nakiri Mana, you might be staying here quite often in the near future," Ren said, chuckling softly at her flustered state. "Let's just consider this a complimentary breakfast from the hotel."
He gestured modestly around the restaurant. "Although my little establishment is not exactly that luxurious."
Nakiri Mana quickly shook her head, her voice earnest and slightly breathless. "No, please don't say that. If this were a standard hotel breakfast, it would be far too delicious..."
"Never mind that... Thank you, Mr. Ren. From the bottom of my heart."
Ren just smiled warmly, choosing to say nothing more as he let them enjoy the rest of their meal in peace.
Eventually, the time came for their departure. Nakiri Mana and the four WGO executives gathered their belongings and stepped out into the crisp, refreshing morning air.
As she walked down the street, Nakiri Mana paused and turned around, taking a deep, lingering look back at the unassuming storefront.
It was a small, humble shop, one that absolutely no normal passerby would ever take a second glance at unless they were specifically told of its existence. Yet, within those plain walls laid what she now considered the most divine, soul-saving cuisine in the entire world.
To Nakiri Mana, this humble building was undeniably the absolute best restaurant on the planet.
Courage also kept looking back at the place, her face shifting through various exaggerated expressions of extreme reluctance. Or, more accurately, she was looking back through the window directly at Ren, who was clearing the tables.
After Ren watched Nakiri Mana and the others walk away, he finally turned around, preparing to head back inside the shop to finish cleaning.
But before he could even take a few steps, he heard the frantic clicking of high heels on the pavement. He turned back toward the street to see a wildly excited Courage and a somewhat deeply conflicted Nakiri Mana swiftly walking back toward him.
Ren blinked in surprise, wiping his hands on his apron. "What's wrong, both of you? Did you forget something inside?"
Nakiri Mana stopped a few feet away from him. She let out a long, weary sigh, though a faint smile tugged at her lips. "Mr. Ren, can I deeply trouble you to look after Courage for a few days?"
She gestured toward the bouncing girl beside her. "Because I plan to make some drastic, sweeping changes to the inner workings of the WGO very soon, and I am going to actively shift our primary market focus to this specific region."
Mana adjusted her elegant coat. "Because of this transition, someone highly capable needs to stay behind here to scout locations and handle logistics, and I simply cannot stay away from headquarters right now. Among the four of them, Courage somehow won the rock-paper-scissors tournament."
"Yay!" Courage cheered loudly, throwing up two enthusiastic peace signs.
Ren couldn't help but laugh at the girl's infectious energy. "Of course, I don't mind at all."
He paused, noticing that Mana was awkwardly shifting her weight from foot to foot, her usually confident posture replaced by a sudden, nervous hesitation. "Eh? Is something else wrong, Miss Nakiri Mana?"
Right after Ren finished speaking, he watched as Nakiri Mana's pristine, porcelain face suddenly flushed a very noticeable shade of crimson.
She stepped closer, completely invading his personal space, and delicately grabbed the sleeve of his shirt between her trembling fingers.
The faint, intoxicating scent of her mature, elegant perfume wafted into his senses—a sophisticated blend of dark rose and vanilla.
Nakiri Mana looked around nervously before whispering, "Mr. Ren, could you please come with me for just a moment? There is... there is something highly personal I would like to ask you."
Ren raised an eyebrow but didn't pull away from her gentle grip. "Alright."
Courage, who was standing just a few feet away, didn't think much of the secret conversation at all. In fact, she was entirely lost in her own world, secretly delighted as she stared lovingly at her own hands.
Scissors are forever divine! Courage thought happily, mentally celebrating the fact that her winning hand meant she got to stay with the incredibly handsome, master-chef landlord.
On the other side of the alleyway, just out of earshot from the celebrating executive, Ren leaned against the brick wall. He looked down at the flustered WGO leader and asked, deeply puzzled, "Miss Nakiri Mana, what is it that you wish to ask me so secretly?"
A long period of intense internal struggle visibly played out across Nakiri Mana's face. She bit her lower lip, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she gathered her courage.
Finally, Nakiri Mana tilted her head back, looking up at Ren through her thick, dark eyelashes. She took a deep, shuddering breath, her face burning with an intense, beautiful blush.
"Mr. Ren..." Mana's voice was barely above a whisper, laced with a vulnerable, almost desperate edge. "Do you... do you mind women who are slightly older than you?"
She tightened her grip on his sleeve, her eyes frantically searching his face for any sign of disgust. "Like... like someone exactly my age, with a similar appearance to mine?"
(Looking back, I intentionally left a subtle hint; Nakiri Mana's true age is a fiercely guarded secret.)
Ren blinked in surprise, processing the sheer weight of the question coming from the incredibly dignified, untouchable Book Master of the WGO.
The corner of his mouth slowly curled into a suave, effortlessly charming smile. He leaned in just a fraction of an inch closer, his voice dropping into a smooth, melodic cadence.
"Eh? If it's someone as breathtakingly beautiful and elegant as you, Miss Nakiri Mana," Ren murmured softly, his eyes locking onto hers, "then of course I wouldn't mind in the slightest."
Nakiri Mana's breath hitched in her throat. The heavy, anxious tension that had been suffocating her completely vanished, replaced by a brilliant, radiant light that sparked in her eyes. Her entire expression brightened, glowing with an irrepressible, girlish joy.
She quickly let go of his sleeve, taking a step back as her heart hammered wildly against her ribs.
"I'll see you in a while, then!" Mana blurted out, her voice practically singing.
Before Ren could say another word, she spun around on her expensive heels and practically sprinted down the street toward the waiting transport, completely disappearing around the corner in a blur of elegant fabrics.
Ren stood alone in the alleyway, scratching the back of his head as he looked blankly at the empty street.
What a truly strange group of five master and servants... he thought to himself, shaking his head with an amused chuckle as he finally turned back toward the warmth of his restaurant.
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