Chapter 544: Perona's Spice Tolerance and Reimu's Culture Shock
Perona finally understood why a man as stoic as Hawkeye was a repeat customer—the food here was simply extraordinary. A Yin-Yang hot pot traditionally featured two drastically different broths, usually a rich, milky bone soup paired with a violently red, spicy tallow base, or perhaps a tangy tomato paired with the fire. It was a brilliant design, perfectly accommodating those who couldn't handle the aggressive heat of a purely spicy pot.
Perona was happily munching away on the mild side, while across from her, Zoro was already sweating profusely, his face flushed from the relentless spice. Hawkeye, armed with the wisdom of experience, had long since removed his signature feathered hat and neatly rolled up his sleeves.
Perona watched Zoro panting heavily, exhaling hot air like a furnace. She tilted her head, her twin-tails bobbing. "Hey! Monkey! What's wrong with you? Is it really that spicy?"
Zoro merely grunted, using his chopsticks to point at the bubbling red cauldron, silently daring her to try it herself.
"I don't believe it's actually that bad. You're just exaggerating!" Perona huffed, plucking a marbled slice of beef and dunking it into the fiery depths. She waited a few moments for the meat to cook through, pulled it out, coated it in her dipping sauce, and popped it into her mouth.
For a split second, nothing happened. Then, her fair cheeks ignited into a brilliant crimson. Tears immediately welled up in her large, round eyes as the explosive heat assaulted her palate.
"So spicy! So spicy!" she shrieked, frantically fanning her mouth. "I'm on fire! Help!"
Zoro smirked, a bead of sweat rolling down his chin. "Hey, don't you have juice right there?"
Hearing this, Perona lunged for her glass of iced juice, chugging it desperately. After a long, agonizing moment, the cooling liquid finally quenched the fire. She let out a heavy sigh of relief, then glared at the swordsman. "I'm not 'hey'! I'm Perona! But... wow, this juice is actually incredible!"
Lucifer, seated nearby, cast a sideways glance at the noisy pink-haired girl. Though the ghost princess was a bit loud, she was undeniably amusing. It was certainly better than dead silence; sitting in total quiet made it hard to strike up a conversation, much like the cat-eared girl from earlier who had simply sat there without speaking or eating.
Soon, Ren emerged from the kitchen carrying Hancock's order: a steaming, aromatic bowl of Tom Yum soup and a refreshing Thai lime chicken salad, accompanied by a pristine bowl of steamed rice.
Just as the Pirate Empress had anticipated, the aroma alone was intoxicating. Hancock's cheeks dusted with a faint pink as she offered a dazzling smile. "As expected of Mr. Ren! It looks absolutely divine!"
"Eat up," Ren replied with a warm, understated smile. "Your dishes are quite low in calories, so you don't have to worry about your figure."
Hearing the word 'calories', Perona froze mid-chew. She whipped her head around, panic flashing in her eyes. "Shopkeeper Ren! Wait, Shopkeeper Ren! What about this hot pot...?"
"It is definitely not low in calories," Ren stated plainly.
Perona's face fell, her image-consciousness kicking into overdrive.
Seeing her distress, Ren chuckled. "Don't worry about it. It's just one meal, you'll be fine. Besides, when you're eating hot pot, you shouldn't bog yourself down with trivial worries. Being happy is the most important part."
Perona blinked, a hopeful glimmer returning to her eyes. "Really?"
"Really. You have nothing to worry about. Besides, you're already quite slender; gaining a little weight would only make you look even cuter."
Perona was utterly stunned. A deep blush spread across her face as she beamed. "Shopkeeper Ren! You really are a wonderful person!"
She immediately turned and smacked Zoro on the shoulder. "Learn from him!"
"Noisy!" Zoro snapped, swatting her hand away.
"This is the most crucial step for you to evolve from a brute monkey into a proper human!"
"I... whatever. Just shut up and eat."
Ren merely smiled, leaving the bickering pirates to their meal. He turned his attention back to Lucifer, noticing her unusual stillness. "Why do I feel like you've been awfully quiet lately? Is it just my imagination?"
Lucifer swirled the crimson liquid in her glass, her posture elegant. "Can't I simply be a refined, intellectual woman for an evening?"
"I suppose you can," Ren said, his tone laced with dry amusement. "But are you really okay?"
Lucifer leaned in close, her breath warm against Ren's ear as she whispered a quiet secret.
Ren pulled back slightly, looking at her with a strange, highly amused expression. "Hmm? Are you serious? If you do that, even Justice, with her endlessly good temper, is going to explode."
"She absolutely will not!" Lucifer insisted, her pride flaring.
"We'll see about that. Aren't you thirsty after eating so much?"
Lucifer paused to think, then shook her head. "I'm fine. It's probably because of the wine. Speaking of which, this vintage is truly exceptional. It even has a subtle, nutty finish."
"Is that so?"
"Try it yourself."
Without a second thought, Lucifer handed her own glass to Ren. Unbothered by the indirect kiss, Ren took it, took a slow sip, and nodded appreciatively. "Lucifer, I've made a decision."
"Oh?"
"From now on, whenever we open a bottle of red wine, the job of swirling it belongs entirely to you. You are, without a doubt, the best wine-swirler I've ever seen."
Lucifer lifted her chin, a smug, haughty smile gracing her lips. "But of course! I am the CEO! The Queen of Hell!"
Ren hummed thoughtfully. "Tell me honestly, Lucifer... do you just sit around Hell casually swirling a glass of wine whenever you're bored? How do you even get any work done?"
Lucifer let out a stiff, awkward laugh, her regal facade cracking. "I-I only pour a glass when I'm reviewing documents! I set it aside when I'm actually working!"
"Hmm? So you're admitting that you really do just sit there drinking wine all day?"
Her face flushed a brilliant shade of red. "I do not! I am a model boss! You should be secretly thanking your lucky stars to have me as a wife! Hmph! I'm not sharing any more with you! You ungrateful big pig's trotter!"
Snatching the empty glass back, she huffed indignantly.
Ren chuckled softly. "What happened to being a refined, intellectual woman?"
"That starts tomorrow!"
Ren simply reached out and gently stroked her silver hair, saying nothing more as he turned his attention back to the movie playing in the background. Even though they had missed a large chunk of the plot, the comfortable atmosphere was more than enough.
A few seats away, Hancock was practically grinding her teeth to dust as she watched Ren and Lucifer's intimate exchange. Damn it, I'm so jealous! Yet, beneath the burning envy, a small part of her felt a flutter of warmth; it was clear proof that Ren truly cherished the women he cared for.
Perona, on the other hand, actively chose to ignore the overwhelming PDA. Still, beneath her gothic-loli exterior beat the heart of a maiden. She, too, longed for a sweeping romance, but her past life as a pirate had left her with precious few opportunities to even entertain the thought.
Meanwhile, Reimu watched the interactions with a soft smile. "Shopkeeper Ren really is a kind person."
Beside her, Yakumo Yukari sensed the shrine maiden's usual naive obliviousness and couldn't resist a gentle jab. "My, Reimu. I thought for sure your eyes would be glued to that bottle of wine, but you're actually paying attention to his character? You've truly grown."
Reimu blinked, her smile faltering as she looked at the youkai sage in confusion. "Red wine? What's so special about that bottle?"
Yukari unfurled her fan, hiding a sly smile. "That is a Romanée-Conti. It is widely considered one of the finest—and most expensive—wines in the mortal world."
"Ah?!" Reimu's eyes widened comically. "H-How much does something like that cost?!"
Yukari feigned a thoughtful hum. "Let's see... even if people lined up to offer you shrine donations every single day... well... you still wouldn't be able to afford a single bottle."
"Eeeh?! It's that expensive?!"
Reimu stared blankly at Ren and Lucifer, who were casually sipping the Romanée-Conti as if it were tap water. A sharp, phantom pain pierced her chest. This was beyond luxurious! They were practically drinking liquid gold! And they were just chugging it like it was nothing?!
Despite Lucifer's earlier declaration that she wouldn't share any more with Ren, she had simply taken the empty glass, refilled it, and handed it right back to him. They were even casually discussing the finer points of wine-swirling. Neither of them lacked money; Reimu suspected they wouldn't even bat an eye if they used the Conti to water the shop's potted plants.
"Is... is Shopkeeper Ren really that rich?" Reimu muttered, her soul practically leaving her body.
Yukari chuckled softly, her eyes glinting with amusement. "You'll understand just how wealthy he is if you visit the restroom after dinner."
"Ah? Oh..." Reimu replied weakly, entirely unprepared for whatever opulent absurdity awaited her.
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