Chapter 265: The Dawn of Kasugano Sora's Unfortunate Day
The moment the bright, energetic voice echoed through the restaurant, there was no need to guess its owner.
Courage paused, her head turning toward the entrance. A flicker of surprise crossed her features as she saw the girl standing there. "Eh? Isn't this Akemi? What are you doing here?"
Hearing Courage call the black-haired girl 'Akemi,'Kasugano Sora, who had been hesitating at the top of the stairs, peered down at the newcomer.'Is this the person Brother Ren found for me?'she wondered, clutching her rabbit doll a little tighter.'She looks... nice enough...'
Sōryūin Akemi strode in, her posture impeccable as she offered a polite bow. "Good morning, Brother Ren, Sister Courage, Sister Cerberus!"
After the three returned her greeting, Ren spoke with a hint of helpless amusement. "Akemi, you're a full twenty minutes earlier than I expected. Did you even get enough rest, coming here so early?"
At the mention of rest, Akemi's shoulders slumped and she pressed a hand to her forehead. "Don't even talk about rest, Brother Ren. You really need to get Sister Shion under control. I was sleeping so soundly last night when she suddenly burst in to wake me up! It scared me half to death, and I couldn't get back to sleep after that..."
Ren blinked, then a soft smile touched his lips. "It seems Shion is looking forward to today as well. I'll have a word with her later on your behalf. For now, though, this timing works out perfectly. Sora, you can stop peeking now."
Courage tilted her head, her expression one of confusion. "Sora? Who's that?"
After a moment of hesitation, Kasugano Sora descended the stairs, her rabbit doll held protectively against her chest. The instant she came into full view, both Courage's and Sōryūin Akemi's eyes widened in unison. With her delicate features, petite frame, and silvery-white hair, she looked exactly like an exquisite, handcrafted doll.
"Wow!" Courage exclaimed, her voice filled with genuine delight. "What a beautiful child! Mr. Ren, who is she? And why was she on the second floor? How did I not know about her?"
Seeing Courage's excitement, Ren softened his voice. "Sora, Courage is here. Why don't you introduce yourself? She'll be staying here often from now on, so I hope you two can get along."
Kasugano Sora risked a glance at Courage before lowering her gaze to the floor, her voice barely a whisper. "Kasugano Sora... Please take care of me..."
Courage beamed at the painfully shy girl. "Mm-hmm! Sora is just adorable. Why haven't I seen you before? Have you been in your room this whole time?"
"No... I only moved in today..."
"Eh? That's wonderful!"
Cerberus was practically vibrating with excitement. The more people, the livelier the place became, and she considered this restaurant her home. While Ren's presence was usually enough, a little more chaos was always welcome.
As a well-bred young lady with a naturally cheerful disposition, Sōryūin Akemi stepped forward with a warm, polite smile. "Sora, my name is Sōryūin Akemi. Just call me Akemi. I'll be in charge of your schedule for today!"
Kasugano Sora gave a small nod, her voice still a murmur. "Please take care of me..."
"Okay! In that case, Brother Ren, we'll be off! It looks like we have a lot to do today!"
Ren nodded, watching as Akemi took a reluctant Kasugano Sora by the hand and began to pull her toward the door. The last thing they heard was Akemi's cheerful farewell before the two disappeared from sight.
A faint voice drifted back from the street.
"Akemi..."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"How are we getting to school?"
"We're walking!"
"Oh... Wait, what?! No!"
"It's not that far~"
"Liar! I've been to Koyo Academy before!"
"You must be remembering it wrong~ Let's go!"
Inside the restaurant, Ren heard Kasugano Sora's distant cry of protest and simply smiled, shaking his head. In a way, Sōryūin Akemi and her three friends were a rare breed among girls their age. Not only were they free of any bad habits, but they also possessed a maturity well beyond their years, all while maintaining an infectious, youthful energy. It was a difficult balance to strike.
Ren commented playfully, "It looks like Sora is in for a very lively day."
"As long as she doesn't burn out..." Courage chuckled, covering her mouth. "Ren, why was Sora being dragged away by Akemi? Do they go to the same school?"
"They didn't before, but they will soon. Sora is transferring to Akemi's school. Her health has never been very good, which has made her a bit... withdrawn. She can be prickly and shy, but she's actually quite mature. Unfortunately, that's made it difficult for her to make any friends..."
"Oh, I see! So you want Akemi and the others to befriend Sora?" Courage's eyes lit up. "That's a wonderful idea! Sora's personality should complement theirs perfectly, and they're all quite sensible."
Cerberus, however, cared little for such details. She bounced on the balls of her feet, her gaze fixed on Ren. "Ren, Ren, Ren! When is Sora coming back?"
"What's wrong, Cerberus? Are you that eager to play with her?"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Ren pictured Kasugano Sora and Cerberus together, and the image that formed in his mind was surprisingly vivid. Sora would probably get a headache from Cerberus's boundless energy, but he was certain she would still grow to like her. Cerberus had a way of being overwhelmingly enthusiastic yet undeniably cute. If she didn't, even someone as cool and stoic as Kinokuni Nene wouldn't be so fond of her.
A thought suddenly occurred to Ren, and he turned to Courage. "Speaking of which, Courage, Cerberus and Lucifer will be in your care today."
Courage blinked, caught off guard. "In my care? What do you mean?"
After Ren explained the situation, Courage's expression cleared and she nodded. "Oh, I understand. In that case, I'll take the two of them with me to the resort."
"The resort?"
"That's right," Courage confirmed. "Although I'm staying here temporarily, Lady Mana still gave me a task. I need to visit a few places to discuss some matters before she and the others return."
"That works out well. The resort has massage services and other amenities, and you won't have to worry about lunch."
"Mm! But... where is Lucifer? I haven't seen her this morning."
Hearing this, a knowing curve formed on Ren's lips.
Meanwhile, in her room, Lucifer, having just finished her shower, threw herself onto the bed with a frustrated groan. "Damn it! I have to win, just once! I must! He needs to understand the might of the Queen of Hell! Still... this is the first time I've actually rested like this since I started working at the restaurant..."
She let out a soft hiss. "Tsk... Can demons even get backaches...?"
At that moment, Lucifer was staring blankly at the ceiling, silently channeling healing magic into her sore muscles while muttering defiant, ultimately empty threats to herself.
"Huh? But... why are there still no signs...? As I thought, Ren is no ordinary human... But then again, this restaurant isn't exactly normal either... Hmm..."
[Akarin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/AkarinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/AkarinTL
🔗 All My Links: linktr[.]ee/AkarinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]