Chapter 141: Just Keep Moving Forward Towards the Sunlight
Whether it is the humble simplicity of a melted ganache or the temperamental complexity of high-quality couverture, the ultimate pursuit of chocolate remains unchanged: that fleeting moment of silky, sweet surrender upon the tongue.
Unless one is a connoisseur with a trained palate, chocolate is, fundamentally, just chocolate. It is happiness in solid form.
Inside the kitchen of the Dimensional Restaurant, the production line had split into two distinct factions. On one side, the machine hummed quietly, processing the high-grade cacao beans under Ren's supervision. On the other side, a more chaotic—and spirited—operation was underway.
Ren wiped his hands on a towel and walked over to check on the ladies.
"How is it going?" he asked, leaning in to inspect Lucifer's bowl.
Fuji Yumiko seemed to have everything under control. Her movements were practiced and elegant, likely honed from years of preparing Valentine's gifts. Lucifer, however, was a complete novice. Yet, under Yumiko's patient tutelage, the Queen of Hell was learning with a terrifying intensity. She stared at the mixing bowl as if she were calculating the trajectory of a soul, her whisk moving with grim determination.
When Ren approached, intending to offer advice on the temperature, Lucifer reacted instantly.
"Stop!"
She turned, blocking his view with her body, and pushed him away with a look of supreme disdain.
"Go play somewhere else!" Lucifer declared, pointing to the door with a spatula covered in chocolate. "I can handle this myself! Don't look down on me!"
Yumiko chuckled, wiping a smudge of cocoa powder from her cheek. "Mmm~ It's the same on my side, Ren. You should go out for a while. Just come back at noon. We can handle the simple chocolates ourselves. It's supposed to be a surprise, after all."
Lucifer hummed in agreement, stirring her mixture with renewed vigor. "That's right! Just wait to be amazed by our masterpieces! It's just chocolate! How hard can it be for a supreme being?"
Ren looked at the two of them—one confident, one arrogantly determined—and smiled. He shook his head in defeat.
"Alright, alright," Ren sighed, untying his apron. "The weather is nice today. It is a good time for a walk. Why don't you make some snacks for yourselves, too? I'll come back in the afternoon to check on the high-quality batch."
Fuji Yumiko gave him a deep, searching look, her eyes narrowing playfully. "What are you planning to do all alone?"
"Go play," Ren replied innocently, echoing Lucifer's words. "Didn't you tell me to?"
"Fair enough," Yumiko nodded. "That works. Your ingredients are all here, and the extra chocolate can even be used to make a cake. We'll be fine."
Ren nodded and headed upstairs. Ten minutes later, he came back down. He had shed his pristine white chef's uniform for a set of comfortable casual clothes—a light jacket and jeans suitable for the mild weather.
He walked to the door and waved. "You guys do your best. I'm really looking forward to your creations. See you later."
"Wait!"
Yumiko's voice stopped him. Ren turned around, his hand on the doorknob. "Yes?"
Yumiko smiled, a knowing glint in her eyes. She gestured to the corner of the room where a certain three-headed dog (currently in one body) was staring longingly at the chocolate she wasn't allowed to eat.
"Take Cerberus with you," Yumiko commanded gently. "She's bored, and she can't eat any of this anyway. We can handle the rest ourselves."
Lucifer blinked, processed the suggestion, and then nodded vigorously. "Yes! Take the dog! She keeps drooling on the counter!"
Ren looked at Yumiko's playful gaze, then at Cerberus, whose ears had perked up so high they nearly touched the ceiling.
"How little do you trust me to be alone?" Ren sighed with a smile. "Alright. Cerberus? Let's go out and play."
"YAY!"
Cerberus didn't just walk; she launched herself. She ripped off her apron, threw it onto a chair, and sprinted across the room, slamming into Ren with a hug that would have broken the ribs of a lesser man.
"Master! Master! We're going out!"
Ren stabilized himself, patting her head. "Is that better now? Okay, you two do your best. We're leaving."
"Go on, go on~" Yumiko waved.
"Hurry up! Don't block the door!" Lucifer shouted, though there was no real bite in her voice.
[Outside the Restaurant - The Streets]
The door clicked shut behind them, sealing away the scent of cocoa and the warmth of the kitchen.
Ren stood on the pavement, inhaling the fresh air. "They really are confident," he mused. "Well, Cerberus, you can let go now."
Cerberus released him but kept holding his hand, swinging it happily. "Master, Master, Master! Can Yumiko and Lucifer really make good chocolate? Lucifer looked like she was fighting the bowl."
Ren thought for a moment. "Yumiko can definitely make excellent simple chocolates. As for Lucifer... with Yumiko's help, they should be fine. Though we might have to stay out all day to give them enough time to fix any mistakes."
Cerberus's crimson eyes lit up like traffic lights. "All day?!"
To her, spending an entire day alone with Ren was infinitely better than eating chocolate.
Ren looked down at her. "Is there anywhere you want to go? We have plenty of time today. The city is ours."
Cerberus tapped her chin with her free hand, thinking carefully. Her tail wagged slowly behind her. "I don't know! I usually just follow Master! Where does Master want to go?"
"I don't have a plan either," Ren admitted, checking his pockets for his wallet and phone. "So, let's go to the City Center first. There are plenty of shops, arcades, and parks there. That way we'll have more options."
He paused, looking at her seriously.
"But Cerberus, if there's nowhere specific you want to go... is there anywhere you absolutely don't want to go?"
Cerberus froze. Her expression turned grave. A look of genuine trauma crossed her face.
"The Pet Shop!" she whispered, shivering.
Ren burst out laughing. "Pfft~"
"Master! Master! Master!" Cerberus pulled his arm frantically. "We absolutely cannot go to the pet shop! The cages! The smells! It's a prison!"
"Okay, okay," Ren promised, squeezing her hand. "No pet shops. I promise. Let's go."
[Meanwhile - The Nakiri Mansion]
While Ren and Cerberus began their journey, a different kind of morning chaos was unfolding in the high-end residential district.
"Alice! What are you dawdling for?!"
Nakiri Erina stood by the door, a toothbrush hanging out of her mouth, foam dripping slightly. She looked frantic. "You have to go to class today! We're going to be late!"
Nakiri Alice, wearing her uniform with characteristic disarray, leaned against the doorframe, lazily putting on her shoes. "Why are you in such a hurry, Erina? Don't you have special privileges?"
"I have to go for a tasting session!" Erina spat into a cup and rinsed her mouth hurriedly. "Hurry up! Also, when are you moving out?! You've been crashing here for a week!"
Alice stuck out her tongue. "I'm not leaving! I wouldn't have known the Elite Ten lived so luxuriously if I hadn't crashed here! The water pressure in your shower is amazing!"
"You..." Erina growled, her brow twitching.
"Idiot Erina! I'm leaving first! Bye!"
Alice pulled the door open and sprinted out, her silver hair flashing in the sunlight.
"Hey!" Erina shouted at the half-open door, left standing in the hallway with her secretary, Hisako Arato.
Hisako looked at Erina with a mix of awkwardness and pride. "Erina-sama..."
In a sense, Erina being able to bicker openly with Alice without resorting to icy silence showed a great improvement in her personality. The walls of the Ice Queen were melting, drop by drop.
[On the Bus - Heading to City Center]
The public bus hummed steadily as it navigated the streets.
Cerberus was glued to the window. Her nose was pressed against the glass, fogging it up slightly with her breath. Her eyes darted back and forth, tracking every passing car, every tree, every pedestrian.
It was unclear if all canines shared this trait, or if it was just a quirk of her nature, but putting Cerberus in a vehicle was like giving a child a kaleidoscope. The world moving at speed was fascinating to her.
This instinct was primal—like a kitten tracking a laser pointer or a hamster with a wheel. The motion itself was the entertainment.
Ren sat beside her, watching her amusement with a smile.
"Cerberus," he asked softly. "What are you looking at?"
Sister Cerberus turned her head, her eyes bright. She shook her head. "I don't know! I don't know what I'm looking at! But it just feels really good to look! Everything is moving so fast!"
Ren reached out and patted her white hair. "You really are something. Alright, keep watching. But absolutely do not stick your head out the window, understand? You might lose an ear."
"Mm-hm!" Cerberus nodded obediently. Then she asked, "Master... Ren! Which is more fun? The City Center or Totsuki Academy?"
[Akarin's Note: Totsuki Tea Ceremony and Cooking Academy is the setting of Food Wars!, an elite culinary school.]
Ren thought about the question. "In terms of liveliness and noise? The City Center. But if you're talking about having friends... it should be Totsuki. You'll know when you get there eventually, Cerberus."
"Oh," Cerberus nodded, returning her gaze to the passing scenery. She didn't fully understand, but if Ren said it was fun, it was fun.
Ren leaned back in his seat. He pulled out his smartphone to check the time, but a notification caught his eye.
He froze.
It was a message from a contact he hadn't expected to hear from so early in the day.
[Sender: Ryota Kise]
Message: "Boarding. Don't miss me too much!"
"Huh?" Ren frowned slightly. "Why isn't this guy at school at this time? Kise should be in practice."
[Akarin's Note: Ryota Kise is from Kuroko no Basket. He is a member of the "Generation of Miracles" and a model.]
After thinking for a moment, Ren shook his head. Whatever. He probably skipped.
He closed the message app and opened a light novel reading app instead. He had a few chapters left of a story he had been following.
The bus rattled gently. Sunlight filtered through the leaves of the roadside trees, creating a strobing effect of light and shadow inside the vehicle.
Next to him, the cheerful girl hummed a tune, tapping her fingers against the windowpane. Outside, the world flashed by—shops opening, people rushing to work, the mundane rhythm of life.
Ren turned the page on his screen.
The rustling of leaves in the breeze outside seemed to harmonize with Cerberus's soft breathing.
This... this was probably what the phrase "Peaceful Years" meant.
To go out for a walk when the breeze is gentle and the sun is just right. To put down the burdens of the restaurant, the cooking, the supernatural entities. To just get on a bus with no strict destination, moving forward into the sunlight.
It was simple. And it was enough.
[Akarin Note:
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