Chapter 281: Sora Falls in Love with the Refrigerator; The Distant Hour of Midnight
"Eh?! In that case, it looks even more exquisite than the original room! It's just… missing a few things, which makes it feel a little strange~"
Hearing Sakura Hibiki's voice, Kasugano Sora was about to speak when Ren chuckled beside them. "It's the snacks and soda, isn't it? And probably a whole room's worth, at that."
Kasugano Sora gave a helpless little nod. Akemi tilted her head in confusion. "Huh? But if Sora-chan ordered takeout from Ren-nii before, she shouldn't have to hide anything. Why does she seem so nervous?"
Ren glanced at Kasugano Sora, a playful glint in his eyes. "Are you going to confess, or should I tell them for you?"
Kasugano Sora hugged her rabbit plushie tighter and whispered, "Because… when I ordered takeout, I always finished all the snacks… And I drank all the soda in the refrigerator before I started ordering from Onii-chan…"
A collective, knowing sigh filled the room. "As expected of you…"
Kirari ultimately didn't stay, parting ways with Saya at the street corner. She had a great deal to attend to, and simply coming to Ren to recharge her batteries each day was more than satisfying. After all, every victory demands a price, and hers was having to be at the academy at night.
If she wasn't there, certain individuals—who were forbidden from leaving their rooms during the day—were free to roam after dark. If Kirari didn't return to keep them in line, there was no telling what chaos they might unleash.
After arranging the last of her photo frames and personal belongings, Kasugano Sora took a deep breath and nodded, a soft smile gracing her lips as she surveyed the exquisite, beautiful room. This was her new home. She had a new family, a new life. For a moment, Sora felt as if she were living in a dream.
Ren didn't linger upstairs for long. After helping them get organized, he headed back down, leaving the space to the young women. It was their time to bond, and he had no intention of intruding.
His decision proved to be the right one. Not long after he left, Kasugano Sora invited Sakura Hibiki and the others into her room to chat. Hibiki immediately got her wish and flopped down onto the incredibly soft carpet.
"Ugh~ The moment I stepped on this earlier, I just wanted to lie down on it! It's seriously super comfortable!"
Kasugano Sora, seated on a beanbag chair, nodded in agreement. "When the weather gets hot and I'm too lazy to sleep in bed, I just sleep right on the floor. It's very nice…"
Sakura Hibiki rubbed her cheek against the plush fibers, her voice filled with longing. "What kind of carpet is this? It's so soft…"
"This… I think it has a layer of velvet in the middle, and something else… I forgot. I bought it a long time ago because it looked so fluffy. It seems to be made of a lot of different materials."
Hibiki's shoulders slumped in dejection. A carpet with such complex craftsmanship was surely something she could never afford. Was Kasugano Sora secretly a rich little lady? A wealthy loli!
Gina patted Hibiki's shoulder sympathetically. "Hibiki, I'm starting to believe in that passive ability of yours. You're really amazing…"
Ayaka looked between them, confused. "Eh? What passive? Why don't I know that this little meatball has a passive?"
"I'm not a little meatball! I just told Gina that my passive ability is attracting rich young ladies, because there are always so many of them around me…"
Akemi tilted her head, thinking. "Eh? Is that so? Well, Kirari-nee is a clan leader, Courage-nee is a rich, beautiful woman, and Lucifer-nee is a CEO… I guess Cerberus-nee doesn't count, right~"
A confused bark echoed from downstairs.
Sakura Hibiki waved her hand dismissively. "See? I feel like my passive is spot-on. You don't need to rub it in, Akemi… But speaking of which, I don't think I've ever seen Lucifer-nee at work…"
"She must have her subordinates running things for her~ Ren-nii is really incredible…"
Kasugano Sora, who knew the truth, just pursed her lips and said nothing. After a moment's hesitation, she stood up. "I'll go get some food and drinks. What does everyone want?"
"Coke~" chimed Sakura Hibiki and Gina in unison.
"Juice~" said Ayaka.
"Sugar-free soda water~" requested Akemi.
Sora nodded and quickly scurried out of the room. If she stayed any longer, she felt she might not be able to stop herself from spilling everything.
Downstairs, Ren saw her coming down the steps and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Just getting some snacks and drinks…"
Ren nodded. "Alright, come with me. I'll show you how to use the refrigerator."
"Eh?"
A few minutes later, Kasugano Sora's eyes were sparkling as she pulled a bag of potato chips from a special compartment inside the refrigerator. Staring at the fully stocked shelves, she felt like she had just discovered a hidden treasure trove.
Ren watched her excitement with a warm smile. "These are things only people who live here can use. But even so, you can't just eat snacks without restraint every day, you hear?"
"Eh? But haven't I gotten better?"
"Even if you're better, you can't eat them every single day. Too much of this stuff isn't good for you. Treat snacks as snacks, not as meals, okay?"
Kasugano Sora nodded obediently. She was suddenly certain that moving here was the best decision she had ever made. As she took out a bottle of soda water, she tilted her head and asked, "Onii-chan, you said Lucifer-nee is the Queen of Hell. Is it really okay for her not to be there?"
Ren thought for a moment. "She said her Executive Officers will handle everything, but who knows if that's true. If they really can't handle it, they'll come looking for her, right? After all, that's what Cerberus does."
"Eh?! Cerberus-nee came to find Lucifer-nee?!"
"She was just looking for Lucifer to play with," Ren clarified with a slight smile.
"Oh~ Are all the people in Hell really strange?"
Ren nodded. "Lucifer says they're all very individualistic young women, but some are a bit too individualistic. Alright, don't grab so many snacks. We still have dinner tonight."
"Got it!"
Watching Kasugano Sora happily run back upstairs, Ren smiled to himself. Just then, his phone buzzed. A quick glance at the screen had him walking toward the front door. Lucifer and the others were back.
"Uh… Lucifer, what's wrong?"
Ren hadn't even reached the street corner when he saw Lucifer running toward him, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. She buried her face in his chest and whispered, "I've never missed you this much before…"
"Uh… What did Cerberus do this time?"
"Hmph… I don't want to talk about it… Just let me hug you for one more minute… Eh?!"
Without another word, Ren swept Lucifer off her feet into a princess carry. He grinned down at her stunned face. "In that case, it won't be just one minute. Courage, Cerberus, let's go back. Sora and Hibiki are eating with us tonight. And Sora has officially moved in."
"Yay!" came two excited cheers from behind them.
At that same moment, in a grand, mansion-like estate, a man wearing glasses gazed out the window at the gradually setting sun. A slow, deliberate smile spread across his face.
"Midnight… I have never felt the hour of midnight to be so very distant…"
[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!]