Chapter 389: The Executive Officers Move In, Caitlyn the Water Ghost
It turned out that a lively atmosphere was the best seasoning for any meal. The earlier incident with Pandemonica was all but forgotten as Nakiri Mana and the others laughed and ate, their spirits high and the table laden with delicious food.
Halfway through the meal, something seemed to occur to Nakiri Mana. She carefully set down her chopsticks, swallowed the bite of food in her mouth, and hesitated for a moment before speaking, her voice tinged with a hint of nervousness. "Shopkeeper Ren... would it be possible for us to temporarily..."
Ren smiled, understanding immediately. "Of course. You've seen the new rooms that were added. Your old ones are still reserved for you. When you have some free time, you can ask Courage to take you all shopping for daily necessities."
The tension visibly drained from Mana's shoulders as she let out a soft sigh of relief. "Thank you so much, Shopkeeper Ren. Father mentioned that the practical training is about to begin, and he... he asked me to stay here for the duration."
Ren paused, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He mentally calculated the dates, then pulled out his phone and found Senzaemon Nakiri's contact. As Mana and the others watched in confusion, he tapped the screen and brought the phone to his ear. A moment later, a warm, casual tone entered his voice. "Old Man, long time no see."
A brief pause.
"Eh? That does sound busy..."
Another pause as he listened.
"Mhm, Lady Mana and the others have arrived safely. Don't worry, I have more than enough rooms here."
"There's nothing else, really. I was just calling to confirm the start date for the practical training. After all, you've sent quite a few of your students my way, Old Man..."
"Sixteen days from now... I see..."
"Don't even joke about things like that. I'm a bit faint of heart, you know? I can't handle scares."
"Alright, alright. Let's catch up properly when you have the time."
After hanging up, Ren rubbed his forehead, a mild headache forming. "The absurd things people come up with... But yes, the practical training starts in sixteen days. No wonder that idiot Rindou has been so swamped lately..."
Lucifer tilted her head, a curious glint in her eyes. "Hmm? Why do you say that? What does the practical training have to do with her being busy?"
Nakiri Mana echoed the sentiment, her expression just as puzzled. "Yes, the practical training is for first-year students, isn't it? How would that affect Rindou-senpai, a third-year?"
"It's all that old man's fault," Ren said with a long-suffering sigh. "He's turned my restaurant into an official assessment location for the training—a hidden one, at that. And to make sure Erina and the others stay here for the entire period, he issued a special order: any member of the Elite Ten can choose to 'study' at another Elite Ten member's restaurant instead of following the school's official schedule."
Courage, having heard bits and pieces of this before, chimed in. "I heard Rindou-senpai mention it. Apparently, Director Nakiri never anticipated her relationship with you, Ren. He originally thought that among the Elite Ten, only Erina would end up coming here. He didn't count on a whole group of them showing up..."
A corner of Nakiri Mana's mouth twitched. "Father really does overthink things, only to act as if he's done nothing at all... But third-year students don't have time to participate in the practical training, do they?"
"Rindou told me about that part earlier," Ren explained. "Any third-year Elite Ten member who passes this special practical training gets to graduate three months early. The reason she's so busy right now is that she's rushing to clear all her official duties before then."
Mana nodded in understanding. "I remember now. That girl is the Second Seat; she must have a mountain of official business to handle before graduation. It seems she's dead set on leaving early. But Shopkeeper Ren," she added with a sly smile, "you wouldn't actually fail Rindou, would you?"
Ren considered it for a moment. "It depends on her performance. At the very least, I'll make her wash the dishes. She's not needed in the kitchen."
"As expected of Shopkeeper Ren," Courage murmured in awe. "Casually assigning an Elite Ten member to dishwashing duty without a second thought."
"Speaking of the old man," Ren said, turning his gaze back to Mana, "he mentioned something else on the call just now. Lady Mana, are you planning to move the WGO's headquarters here?"
The question dropped into the conversation like a stone in a silent pond. Lucifer and Kasugano Sora froze, their eyes wide. The World Gourmet Organization? The sole, undisputed titan of the culinary world? That behemoth was going to relocate... here?
Nakiri Mana simply nodded, a faint blush on her cheeks. "For... some personal reasons, yes. If I move the headquarters here, I can visit your restaurant more often. It's also closer to my home, and the Kengan Association's main office is nearby as well. Relocating here offers quite a few advantages."
Ren nodded slowly. "Actually, if you want, you could all just live here directly. It's just..."
"Really?!" The word exploded from four different people at once.
Aside from the ever-composed Anne, the other four WGO executives were beaming with unrestrained delight. Courage and Decora, in particular, looked ecstatic. Courage had grown so accustomed to living here that she practically considered it her home; the thought of having to move out had been genuinely upsetting.
Decora's reasoning was even more straightforward. She had witnessed Courage's skills skyrocket after just a few days of staying here, and she was desperate to experience the same. She and Courage were cut from the same cloth; if Courage could treat this place as home, then so could she. Plus, the constant supply of divine food would be an incredible asset for her plan to find a partner. The desire to stay was overwhelming.
Ren was taken aback for a second. He could easily read the intentions of Courage and Decora, two girls who were practically wearing their hearts on their sleeves. He figured Lanterby was mostly in it for the food and fun, perhaps influenced by her two seniors into also wanting to find a partner.
But he truly couldn't figure out why Nakiri Mana was so excited. If it was for the food, she could simply have an employee pick up breakfast and then come for dinner herself. The culinary reason didn't hold up. Perhaps she wanted to keep a closer eye on Courage and the others, but that wouldn't warrant such a joyful reaction.
Seeing Ren looking at her with a curious expression, Mana's face flushed a deeper shade of red. She cleared her throat and straightened up, adopting a more professional tone. "Shopkeeper Ren, I simply believe it's more convenient to live here. It's very quiet, which is suitable for work, and I can properly supervise these girls. Professionally, if any recipe reviews come in, I can also consult you directly. And since it's so secluded, we won't be disturbed."
Ren nodded. The reasons were a bit of a stretch, but they were sufficient.
Decora leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with hope. "So, Lady Mana... are we really staying here?!"
"Yay!" Three voices cheered in unison.
Cerberus and Kasugano Sora were also quite happy about the news. Anne offered a small, pleased smile, though she maintained her composure. Pandemonica, however, simply looked around at the joyful scene, a soft, enigmatic chuckle escaping her lips as she lowered her head, lost in her own thoughts.
Lucifer watched her closely. She knew that Pandemonica was actively suppressing her sadistic second personality, but that didn't mean she had reverted to her tired, overworked self. The Pandemonica before them now was in a strange, unmatched state—a clear-headed, intellectual, and rational being that could almost be called a third personality. Lucifer had no idea what was going through her mind.
"Mr. Ren," one of the WGO girls began, "in that case, can we also decorate..."
"First," Ren interrupted gently, "you can just call me by my name, like Courage does. Second, since you'll be living here, you have full control over your own rooms. As for decorating, Courage has already made a start, but she hasn't had much time to properly furnish it. Now you can all work on it together."
"Mhm!" came five happy affirmations.
While they ate and chatted, on the other side of the world, dusk was settling over Piltover. Inside the city's main police station, Caitlyn sat at her desk, holding a glass of water. She took small, deliberate sips, the heel of her boot tapping a quiet, rhythmic beat against the floor.
Vi leaned against a nearby filing cabinet, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Cupcake, from this afternoon until now, you've single-handedly drunk... what, two and a half full water coolers? Are you a water ghost or something? The sun's barely set, and I think you're about to float away."
"Vi, drinking plenty of water is good for a woman's skin," Caitlyn replied coolly, not looking up from her glass. "And it helps relieve stress. Besides, I do use the lavatory."
"How much stress could you possibly have?" Vi grumbled, folding her arms.
[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!]