Chapter 217: Sakura Hibiki's Group of Four, Akemi Ignites
Ren completely failed to understand Nakiri Mana's thoughts.
He stood near the entryway, the gentle afternoon breeze rustling his hair as he watched the distant silhouette of the WGO Book Master disappear down the street.
Ren didn't say anything, simply assuming Nakiri Mana was asking about Courage's matters.
Perhaps it was just a typical check-in from a superior regarding her subordinate's well-being. Ren smiled as he watched Nakiri Mana jog away, the rhythmic clicking of her heels fading into the distance.
"She's surprisingly a good boss~" he murmured to himself, leaning against the doorframe.
When Ren turned around and returned inside, he saw Courage looking at him with bright, unrestrained anticipation.
The petite WGO Inspector stood in the hallway, her hands clasped together behind her back as she rocked slightly on her heels.
Ren smiled warmly and asked, "Why didn't you go in?"
Courage was visibly buzzing with excitement at this moment. Her eyes curved into delightful crescents, her smile radiating pure enthusiasm as she answered.
"Because I was planning to wait and see Mana-sama off, but Mana-sama left directly~"
Her voice was sweet and bubbly, echoing slightly in the spacious foyer. Ren thought about it for a moment, weighing his words carefully.
In the end, he still didn't tell Courage about Nakiri Mana's cryptic question.
After all, it wasn't exactly a good thing to talk about openly. Since Nakiri Mana had deliberately spoken to him in private, it clearly meant she didn't want Courage to hear it.
Courage leaned in closer, looking up at him expectantly. "Ren-san! Let's go to the gym together in a bit!"
She pumped her fists lightly in the air, her face flushed with excitement. "I also want to get familiar with where the gym is around here, so it'll be more convenient to come in the future~"
Ren nodded in agreement, though a hint of confusion lingered in his mind.
He tilted his head and asked, puzzled, "What does Mana-san want to do? She's in such a hurry to return to the WGO, she didn't even have time to go back to Totsuki."
Courage merely offered a playful, secretive smile, tapping a finger against her lips. "It's a secret! Well, Ren-san, I'll go in first!"
After saying that, she spun around and rushed inside the house with boundless energy. She dashed down the hallway with the frantic, joyful speed of Cerberus bounding back home after a long walk.
Sitting in the living room, Lucifer and Cerberus were naturally shocked by the sudden intrusion.
Lucifer nearly spilled her freshly brewed Earl Grey tea, while the three bodies of Cerberus perked up from the plush sofa, their crimson eyes wide with surprise that Courage hadn't left with her boss.
[Akarin's Note: Courage and Rantabi are First-Class Book Masters (Inspectors) for the World Gourmet Organization (WGO) from Food Wars!. Sōryūin Akemi's older sister is Sōryūin Shion, the chairwoman of Kōyō Women's Academy, where the girls attend.]
After Courage breathlessly explained her decision to stay and hit the gym with Ren, the two demons nodded in understanding.
The most excited of the bunch was undoubtedly Cerberus. The demon triplets leaped over the back of the sofa, practically vibrating with joy because she finally had a new playmate.
Although Cerberus still wanted nothing more than to stick closely by Ren's side, she also desperately wanted someone to entertain her whenever Ren was busy cooking or working.
Courage, with her boundless energy and cheerful disposition, was clearly a very good choice!
Though, in Cerberus's chaotic mind, she still wasn't quite as fun to tease as Rantabi...
Regardless, Cerberus was a very easily satisfied being.
Generally speaking, she could cope with absolutely anything as long as she wasn't bored.
For the tripartite demon, getting something was always the best outcome; there was no need to overthink complex matters. Having something to play with was vastly better than having nothing at all.
Ren walked into the living room, leaning casually against the doorframe as he surveyed the energetic group.
"You all have gym bags in your rooms," Ren instructed, his tone taking on a gentle, guiding cadence. "They're currently empty."
He gestured toward the front door with his thumb. "In a bit, I'll take you out to buy clothes for working out, some sports drinks, and so on."
He paused, making a mental checklist of everything they would need for a proper session at Silverman Gym. "I'll prepare the main supplies down here. You girls just need to get your personal toiletries and fresh towels ready~"
The three bodies of Cerberus nodded simultaneously, their silver hair bouncing as they chimed in perfect unison. "Mm!"
Cerberus had absolutely no intention of resisting an opportunity to go out and play. She immediately scrambled on all fours before transitioning to a sprint, running upstairs with Courage hot on her heels.
Lucifer, however, didn't move. She sat stiffly on the sofa, her hands resting elegantly on her lap.
She looked away, her cheeks dusting with a faint, rosy pink as she quietly asked, "Ren... do I really need to buy that 'Yoga' outfit?"
Ren blinked, slightly amused by the Queen of Hell's sudden shyness. "Of course. Otherwise, normal clothes might tear during the stretches, or they'd be far too restrictive for proper movement."
Lucifer puffed out her cheeks, the regal aura completely dissipating into an adorable pout.
She offered a reluctant nod, her silver hair shimmering under the chandelier's light, and then silently walked upstairs to gather her things.
In her mind, Lucifer was already frantically thinking about how she could somehow prevent Ren from seeing her at the gym today.
If only the Yoga room could be completely off-limits to men~ she thought to herself, her blush deepening as she imagined wearing those skin-tight, form-fitting modern athletic clothes.
In fact, Lucifer was completely overthinking the situation; Ren wasn't that terrifying, nor was he the type to stare rudely.
However, deep down, she also knew that if she did wear it and looked good, it would definitely earn her some major affection points with him. That much was absolutely certain.
Because Lucifer, Cerberus, and the others, in a sense, had almost no personal belongings from the human world, they packed their bags very quickly.
In comparison, Ren was the one who had to gather a massive haul of supplies.
He meticulously packed thick cotton towels, travel-sized bottles of crisp, minty body wash, heavily insulated water bottles filled with ice, soft tissues, and extra sweatbands. The rustling of nylon bags and the clinking of zippers echoed through the peaceful house.
Just as Ren and his group were stepping out of the house to begin their shopping trip, another street several blocks away presented a completely different scene.
Since it wasn't a public holiday yet, the afternoon sun hung high in a clear, azure sky.
At this hour, the vast majority of students were locked away in their classrooms, and corporate office workers were chained to their desks. The usually bustling Tokyo street now seemed a bit deserted, accompanied only by the soft rustle of leaves in the wind.
But the strange thing was this: walking down the quiet, sun-dappled sidewalk at this exact moment were several high school students, all carrying branded gym bags over their shoulders.
Four girls, four completely different styles, but it was impossible not to notice that all four of them were bursting with youthful, vibrant vitality.
"Eh?! Hibiki! Why did you have a dream like that?!" a blonde girl with twin tails exclaimed, her blue eyes wide with amusement. "Could it be..."
A girl with short black hair adjusted her glasses, a sly smirk playing on her lips. "Hehe, it's probably time for her to find a boyfriend, right~"
The girl called Sakura Hibiki let out a long, dramatic groan, her tan skin flushing as she dragged her feet along the pavement.
"Sigh... Don't even mention it!" Hibiki whined, waving her hands in exasperation. "I don't know why, but I have this crazy feeling I'll meet someone amazing at the gym today!"
She suddenly pumped her fist, her mood doing a complete one-eighty. "But man, how lucky are we! Not only is the gym membership fully reimbursed by the school, but now this period has magically become free study time! Wonderful!"
The elegant, black-haired girl walking in the middle, Sōryūin Akemi, smiled gracefully, her long dark locks swaying with every step.
"That is because my sister mentioned she's preparing for a major event recently," Akemi explained, her voice smooth and refined. "School administrative matters will be very troublesome for her, and she won't have much time to manage the daily schedules."
Akemi tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Since the teachers are all tied up in meetings, it naturally became free study time for our class. But it seems Teacher Kure Yakusha is also incredibly busy with her own... private affairs~"
The four girls all nodded in synchronized understanding, their gym bags swaying against their hips.
Suddenly, Sakura Hibiki stopped in her tracks, a look of profound realization washing over her expressive face.
"Eh?! Wait a second, Akemi!" Hibiki shouted, pointing a finger toward the sky. "Today is a normal workday! If we go to the gym right now..."
Gina Boyd and Uehara Ayaka were stunned for a split second before their eyes lit up with collective realization.
The two of them leaned in, their voices trembling with expectant joy. "Doesn't that mean there won't be anyone there to bother us?!"
"No!!!!" Sōryūin Akemi suddenly shrieked, shattering her elegant persona into a million pieces.
Akemi gripped the straps of her gym bag, her eyes blazing with an unholy, fanatical fire. "How can there be no one?! Muscles! Pecs! Lats! Traps!"
She stepped forward, her breathing growing heavy, her cheeks flushed with an intense, disturbing passion.
"If I can't see these glorious muscles groaning under the strain of heavy iron in one of the best gyms in the world! If I can't see hot, glistening sweat dripping from the sheer exertion of a heavy deadlift, then what is the point of going early?!"
Sakura Hibiki visibly sweatdropped, taking a cautious step back from her crazed friend.
"Akemi... this is a public street," Hibiki said helplessly, glancing around at the empty sidewalk. "You need to mind your image... your elegant, rich-girl image..."
Hibiki turned her head to seek backup, only to find the Russian girl staring into space. "Eh? Gina, what are you doing~"
Gina Boyd stood completely still, her index finger resting on her chin as she tilted her head in deep contemplation.
"Eh? I'm just thinking," Gina murmured, her blue eyes gleaming with mischief. "If there's actually no one in the gym today, and you, Sakura, still somehow meet a boy... wouldn't he definitely be that interesting man you met in your dream?"
Sakura Hibiki was startled by the sudden logic. Her amber eyes widened to the size of saucers.
"That's right!" Hibiki shouted excitedly, clapping her hands together. "That makes a lot of sense! As expected of Gina's deductive reasoning!"
Hibiki grabbed Akemi's sleeve, practically dragging the taller girl forward. "Let's hurry up and go! Akemi! Let's go! Who knows, maybe the mysterious boy we meet today will have the exact perfect muscles that interest you!"
At this single sentence, Sōryūin Akemi's manic energy instantly vanished.
She calmed down in the blink of an eye. In fact, she became terrifyingly calm, an eerie, serene smile spreading across her beautiful face.
Sakura Hibiki blinked, her enthusiastic pulling coming to a halt. She stared blankly at her friend. "Um... Akemi? What's wrong? Why are you smiling like that?"
Sōryūin Akemi chuckled lightly, the sound soft, melodic, and entirely unsettling.
"Perfect muscles?" Akemi whispered, her eyes turning hazy and distant. "They don't exist in that gym."
She placed a hand gently over her heart, letting out a long, wistful sigh. "I firmly believe that the most perfect, absolute pinnacle of physical evolution resides on my brother-in-law... my future brother-in-law!"
The three other girls gasped in perfect unison, stopping dead in their tracks.
Gina tilted her head, utterly perplexed by the sudden declaration. "Is it like the physique of a Mr. Universe? The kind with very large, exploding muscles coated in oil?"
Sōryūin Akemi immediately waved her hand dismissively, her expression shifting into one of profound longing and reverence.
"Of course not," Akemi corrected softly, her voice dripping with adoration.
She closed her eyes, picturing the exact anatomical perfection she had witnessed. "It should be that kind of highly coordinated, densely packed, slender yet perfect physique... like a legendary deity carved flawlessly onto an ancient Greek statue."
Akemi hugged her own shoulders, her blush returning as she practically swooned. "Definitely not bulky or inflated. It must be perfectly well-proportioned, wrapping tightly around the frame, yet looking completely full of explosive strength and lethal aesthetic beauty!"
When she vividly described this dense, martial-arts-honed aesthetic—a body entirely lacking the bloated mass of a bodybuilder but possessing the terrifying, coiled power of an apex predator—the three of them were completely taken aback.
They stared at Akemi in stunned silence.
They had actually heard such poetic, restrained words from the mouth of this incredibly hardcore, muscle-obsessed meathead?
It was truly terrifying...
Meanwhile, back with Ren's group, they had already finished their detour to the premium athletic apparel store and were finally approaching the gleaming glass doors of Silverman Gym.
Lucifer nervously clutched the straps of her new gym bag. She was already wearing her newly purchased athletic gear underneath a light windbreaker.
The sleek, high-end fabric of the leggings hugged her thighs and hips with merciless precision, feeling akin to a second skin. Every time she took a step, she could feel the cool, slick texture shifting against her legs, making her incredibly self-conscious.
She tugged at the hem of her jacket, her ruby-red eyes darting nervously toward Ren.
"Ren..." Lucifer mumbled softly, biting her lower lip. "Are Yoga outfits... really all exactly like this?"
Ren glanced back over his shoulder, adjusting the heavy duffel bag slung over his chest. He looked completely oblivious to her internal panic.
"Yes~" Ren answered cheerfully, flashing her a reassuring smile. "They're designed to be highly elastic and breathable. What's wrong? Is it too tight?"
Lucifer quickly averted her gaze, her face burning hot as she squeezed her thighs together slightly. "Nothing... Oh, right, what are you going to do there once we arrive?"
Ren rolled his shoulders, a satisfying pop echoing from his joints. The prospect of a heavy lifting session was already making his blood pump.
"Since I'm going, I'll definitely train hard," Ren said, a rare, competitive gleam shining in his eyes. "It's been quite a while since I've had a truly good workout where I can push my limits. I'm actually a bit excited to see what equipment they have."
Walking right beside him, Courage's bright eyes were practically shining with literal stars as she looked up at Ren.
Listening to his confident voice and watching the subtle flex of his shoulders beneath his shirt, the WGO inspector was completely captivated.
She was far too excited now. Watching his calm, steady profile as they neared the gym, Courage was thoroughly and utterly excited in every sense of the word...
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