Chapter 21: Cerberus Arrives!
"Ren..."
"Just pack this up for me too. The red one. Next stop."
"No.... Ren... no..."
On the bustling shopping street, Lucifer watched helplessly as Ren went from shop to shop like a silver-haired whirlwind. He would scan the racks, see something he liked, and buy it directly without checking the price tag or giving Lucifer any chance to object.
She was just dragged around to various places like a dress-up doll. Department stores, boutiques, shoe shops. She was drowning in shopping bags.
They stopped in front of a high-end lingerie store. The display window was filled with delicate lace and silk.
Ren stopped, turning to her with a calm smile. "Lucifer, you don't need my help anymore for this part, do you?"
"Hm?"
Lucifer looked at Ren with a puzzled expression, blinking her long eyelashes.
This was the first time Ren had let her make her own decisions since they came out. He had chosen her casual wear (stylish jeans and blouses), her pajamas (cute and fluffy), and even her shoes. Now, being given freedom, she was a bit unaccustomed to it.
However, she had clearly forgotten that she was the Queen of Hell, a being of immense power and decisiveness. The shopping spree had broken her spirit.
Ren rolled his eyes playfully. He reached out and tapped Lucifer's forehead with his knuckle.
Bonk.
"Do you even need my help with your underwear? I'm good at selecting sizes, but I feel like you might incinerate me if I go in there."
Lucifer froze. Her brain processed the word 'underwear'.
"Un... un... No!"
Her face turned atomic red.
With that, Lucifer shoved the pile of shopping bags in her hands directly into Ren's chest, burying him in cardboard and plastic. Then she turned and marched into the store huffily, her heels clicking aggressively on the pavement.
But if you looked closely, you could see that Lucifer's pointed ears were completely red, glowing like hot coals.
"Pfft~" Ren chuckled, adjusting the bags.
"Don't laugh! I can hear you!" Lucifer shouted from inside the store, her voice cracking. "What's so funny! Stop laughing!"
"You're very cute, Lucifer. For a Demon Queen."
"Shut up! I'll deduct points from your soul!"
Thirty minutes later.
On the way back, walking down the sun-dappled street.
Ren was checking the receipts. He accidentally saw the itemized list from the lingerie store.
Cute animal prints? he thought, raising an eyebrow. Unexpectedly innocent~
"What are you looking at?!" Lucifer snatched the receipt away.
The result, of course, was Lucifer's constant complaints all the way home.
"You have no respect for boundaries!"
"I paid for it."
"That's not the point!"
They bickered and squabbled all the way back to the quiet alley.
Lucifer didn't know what was wrong with her; she had actually become like this. Petty, easily flustered, comfortable.
She wondered if she had been hit by some powerful curse during the summoning, one able to change the Queen of Hell into a tsundere teenager. What a truly terrifying curse, she thought. Or maybe it's just Ren.
"Eh? This little dog is...."
Ren suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Lucifer, who had been walking with her head down, muttering curses, didn't notice. She bumped into his back.
"Oof!"
She looked at Ren, rubbing her nose. "Why did you stop?"
She had been chasing Ren the whole way but couldn't catch up to his long strides. She even wondered who was actually human and who was supernatural.
Lucifer looked at Ren's expression—curious, softened. Then she followed his gaze.
Sitting in front of the Restaurant door was a cute little white-furred dog. It had floppy ears and big, soulful eyes.
The puppy was squatting at the door, panting with its tongue out, occasionally turning its head left and right as if waiting for someone specific.
Hearing Ren's voice, the puppy turned its head. Its ears perked up.
Just as it was about to wag its tail, it saw Lucifer behind Ren.
Lucifer, trying to get Ren's attention, gently patted his back. "Ren?"
The dog's eyes narrowed.
Enemy attacking Master Lucifer!
It instantly froze, a low growl rumbling in its tiny throat. Then it bared its teeth, its cuteness vanishing, and pounced at Ren with the ferocity of a wolf.
"Grrr!"
Lucifer's pupils contracted in horror.
"Cerberus! Stop!!" she shouted, her voice carrying the command of the Sovereign.
Cerberus, in mid-air, instantly froze. The command locked its muscles. Gravity took over, and the dog fell straight down.
Thud.
It landed on its face, legs stiff.
It proved that Master Ren had godlike strength everywhere, but the power of absolute command was very effective against unnatural things~
Ren tilted his head, looking at the sweating, panting Lucifer, and then at the stunned dog on the ground.
"You know this dog? And you seem very nervous? A small dog like this shouldn't be a threat to me."
Lucifer let out a long sigh, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Of course I know my own Hellhound!"
"Your own... Hellhound?" Ren raised an eyebrow. "That cotton ball?"
Lucifer nodded gravely. "Don't let its appearance fool you."
Cerberus only looked like this when it came to the human world to blend in; its original form could easily bite a Death God in half.
Cerberus got up, shook its head dizzily, and then pounced directly at Lucifer.
It landed in Lucifer's arms, licking her face frantically.
And then, it spoke.
"Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer! It's really Lucifer! I finally found you! I smelled you from three blocks away!"
The voice was high-pitched, energetic, and distinctly human.
Lucifer put Cerberus down, then crossed her arms, and said sternly, "Why did you attack just now? And with a bite? You know the rules about the Human World."
Cerberus lowered its head, ears drooping. It whispered, "Uh... because Lucifer just hit this man! He must be an enemy! I was protecting you!"
Lucifer sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Then, after a moment of averted gaze, she whispered, "No... he's not an enemy. He's my Master... and also my research subject..."
"Woof woof woof woof woof?!"
Cerberus was so shocked that it forgot human speech and barked in its native tongue.
Master?!
This really scared the dog; its Boss—the CEO of Hell—was actually this man's subordinate? Which meant this silver-haired human was also its Super-Master?!
Cerberus immediately sat on the ground. It extended its front paws and lay down in a perfect dogeza (prostration).
"Master! Master! Master! I'm sorry for just now! Please forgive me! I'm a bad dog!"
Ren tilted his head. He walked over and picked up Cerberus by the scruff of its neck.
Cerberus, the dog, was stunned, completely frozen and motionless in his grip. Am I going to be cooked?
Ren, meanwhile, nodded, inspecting the dog. Then he stroked Cerberus's head gently.
"Looking at it this way, it really is very cute~ Soft fur."
"Woof?!"
Cerberus was a bit stunned; it was the first time anyone had called it cute without screaming in terror first. It seemed this Master was really quite nice! At least much better than those dark, brooding guys in Hell! Just his appearance was much better!
Lucifer smiled nervously. "Haven't you always wanted a pet? How about this one? It's house-trained... mostly."
Cerberus was startled, then looked at Lucifer in confusion. Are you giving me away?
Ren sighed, unlocking the door. "Let's go inside first. We're attracting attention. Did you call it? Or did it come by itself?"
Lucifer tilted her head and said, "Ah… that question… It came by itself, right? Cerberus?"
She shot the dog a look.
Cerberus felt as if it saw the great demons of Hell swinging iron chains that could kill gods behind Lucifer's smile.
"Yes! Yes! I came by myself!" the dog yipped.
Ren just smiled and shook his head; this Hellhound really had no acting skills. The fear was palpable.
Lucifer also turned her head away awkwardly, clearly having been found out. But she couldn't blame the Hellhound, because the Hellhound was originally a very simple fellow.
They entered the shop.
"The room is so big! The room is so big! The room is so big! And it smells so good!"
Cerberus ran in circles, sniffing everything.
"Lucifer! Is this where Master lives? But why are there so many tables and chairs?!"
Lucifer nodded. "Yes."
Ren smiled and said to Cerberus, who was like a curious baby, "Because this is a Restaurant. Of course there are many tables and chairs. People come here to eat."
"Cuisine?! Food?!" Cerberus's tail wagged so hard her whole body shook.
Ren nodded, then saw Cerberus staring straight at him with both eyes shining.
Ren chuckled. "Cerberus, right? Are you hungry?"
"Mhm mhm mhm! I've been looking for Lucifer and haven't eaten anything for a long time! The garbage cans here are locked!"
Ren nodded. He looked helplessly at the evasive Lucifer. Goodness, this one was a troublesome master. First she summons herself, now her pet.
Ren was about to enter the kitchen when he stopped. He tilted his head and said, "In that case, it seems I need to go out and buy a pet food bowl. The Restaurant doesn't have dog bowls..."
"Woof!"
Cerberus looked at Ren. It barked indignantly.
I am not a dog!
The next moment, white smoke puffed.
Poof!
The dog disappeared. In its place stood a beautiful girl, or rather, three identical personalities in one body. She had white hair and red eyes, just like Lucifer. Her figure was no less impressive than Lucifer's, clad in a red vest and black suit pants. She had no horns, but large, fluffy dog ears twitched on her head. Her long hair fell naturally, tied with a hair tie at the end.
Ren was a bit dumbfounded.
He walked behind Cerberus and saw not a dog's tail, but a demon's tail with a tuft of fur at the end, wagging from time to time.
Ren tilted his head. "So which one is the true form? The dog or the girl?"
Cerberus scratched her head, grinning, revealing sharp canines.
"Both! In Hell, I had to guard the gate, so I used the big dog form to scare souls. But since there are no pet supplies here, then transforming into human form is fine! I can use a fork! Sometimes I also transform into human form in Hell to slack off!"
Ren laughed. "Fair enough. Welcome to the Dimensional Restaurant, Cerberus."
[Akarin's Note: Cerberus is the "Triple Demon" from Helltaker. In the game, she appears as three separate girls sharing one soul, but in this fanfic lore (and for convenience), she can merge or shift forms.]
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