Chapter 443: Lucifer's Strange Novel, The Single Sisters
Hiratsuka Shizuka wasn't entirely sure how she had pulled it off, but somehow, she had successfully guided Sengoku Chihiro through the entire new teacher onboarding process. For a moment, she genuinely suspected she was dreaming.
"I just overslept a little," Sengoku Chihiro grumbled, a hint of irritation in her voice. "Why are you looking at me like I'm the most unreliable person on earth?"
Shizuka's eyebrow twitched. "Do you really need me to answer that? You know your own track record," she retorted. "Come on, I'll show you the way to your classroom so you don't get lost on your first day."
With a lazy wave of her hand, Chihiro dismissed the offer. "No, no, that's fine. I may be your occasionally lazy Senpai, but even I can remember a simple route."
A corner of Shizuka's mouth pulled into a tight line. "Occasionally? Are you being serious right now?"
"Completely," Chihiro said, already starting to walk. "Let's go, let's go. Honestly, Shizuka, you're such a nag. Be careful, or you'll never find a boyfriend."
"I… Tsk…" Shizuka clicked her tongue, unable to form a proper comeback.
Though their exchange was filled with idle banter, Chihiro was genuinely committing the path to memory, her gaze sharp and attentive. What truly surprised Shizuka, however, was that Chihiro insisted on inspecting the art classroom first.
Koyo Academy originally had two art teachers, but with Chihiro's arrival, the workload could be split neatly by grade level. The other two teachers had been so overjoyed at the news they'd nearly wept with gratitude. After all, an easier job for the same salary was a blessing few ever received.
Inside the spacious art room, Chihiro moved with a quiet professionalism that belied her usual sloth. She ran her fingers over the bristles of a new paintbrush, tapped a fresh canvas on an easel, and picked up a sketching pencil to test its weight. She even uncapped a tube of oil paint, bringing it to her nose to inhale the familiar, sharp scent. After a long, thorough examination, she finally nodded, setting down a tube of brilliant white paint before straightening up.
Seeing the look of approval on Chihiro's face, Shizuka let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Koyo Academy was a complete institution that prided itself on excellence in all fields, but Chihiro was a true professional with high standards. Her nod was a genuine seal of approval.
A rare, impressed smile touched Chihiro's lips. "Shion is seriously loaded. This equipment is exceptionally complete, and the quality is top-notch. A lot of these are brand-name supplies. Good heavens, even dedicated art colleges aren't this well-stocked."
Shizuka shrugged casually. "Shion throws around billions like it's pocket change, so a little funding like this is nothing to her. Besides, Koyo Academy is the flagship school of the Koyo Education Group. Did you really think it would be anything less than perfect?"
Chihiro sighed in relief. "I was half-expecting to have to file a report for missing or subpar materials. Looks like that won't be necessary." Her professional demeanor vanished in an instant, replaced by a conspiratorial grin. "Hey, hey, Shizuka! Shizuka!"
"What is it now?"
"That manga got an update today!"
Shizuka paused, her mind connecting the dots. She shot a quick glance at Chihiro, who gave a firm, knowing nod in return. A shared understanding passed between them. Shizuka let out a small sigh of her own. "In that case, we'll just have to stop by the bookstore and buy it before we go for lunch."
"As expected of my Shizuka!" Chihiro cheered. "By the way, what are we eating?"
"Uh… How about barbecue?"
"Yay! Let's not drive, then. Barbecue and beer, there's nothing better!"
As the two women headed out, their voices fading down the corridor, Kure Yakusha happened to be passing by. She tilted her head, her expression one of mild curiosity. "Hm? Leaving already. It seems this new Sengoku-sensei is also single… Girls these days seem so prone to being single."
With that detached observation, Kure Yakusha adjusted the strap of her bag and continued on her way in the opposite direction.
Oblivious to the fact they had once again been categorized and analyzed, Shizuka and Chihiro had only one thing on their minds: the brand-new manga volume waiting for them on a bookstore shelf.
"So, Lucifer, what are you reading?" Ren asked, an amused glint in his eyes. "You've had the strangest smile on your face this whole time."
Lucifer's smile widened as she held up the book in her hand. When Ren read the title, his mouth twitched. "'My Queen, Please Love Me Again'… What kind of bizarre literature is this?"
Her expression immediately soured. "Eh?! How can you say that! This is clearly a masterpiece!" she protested, her voice rising. "Ren! Admit it! You're just afraid I'll learn some new tricks from it and use them on you, aren't you?"
Ren sighed, a gesture of fond exasperation. "If you look around, you'll see that books with titles like this… well, they have their own entire section."
"Eh?! There are this many?!"
"So," Ren said, a hint of helplessness in his tone as he tried to steer her back to their original purpose, "did you ever find that comedy manga you were looking for?"
"I found it, but I changed my mind. I don't feel like buying it anymore," she declared. "But that comedy magazine and this fashion monthly both look pretty good. By the way, where's Aoandon?"
Ren gestured with his head. Lucifer paused, then followed his gaze. In a quiet corner of the store, Aoandon was sitting serenely on a reading chair, completely surrounded by a formidable pile of horror novels. She was utterly absorbed, a look of deep contentment on her face as she turned a page.
Lucifer's mouth twitched again. "Uh… she's going to be there for a while, isn't she…"
"Professional ethics," Ren commented dryly.
Lucifer sighed, about to say something more, when a new idea suddenly struck her. She grabbed Ren's arm and immediately began pulling him toward the aisle filled with dense, literary classics.
Ren allowed himself to be led, though he asked in confusion, "Giving up on your strange novels already?"
"They are not strange!" she shot back irritably. "It's just… it's rare that it's just the two of us. I want you to walk around with me for a bit."
"Of course," he agreed easily. "But why start with this particular shelf?"
"Eh? Don't you like these kinds of books?"
"They're not bad," he admitted, "but I still find novels and manga more interesting. Weren't we here to buy manga today in the first place?"
A flicker of something vulnerable crossed Lucifer's face. "I really have no idea what your preferences are, do I…" she murmured, her voice softer now. "Thinking about it, it feels like a bit of a failure on my part. Ren, you understand me so well, but I don't even know what you truly like…"
Ren's expression softened. He smiled and gently patted her head. "Then I'll just have to leave you plenty of time to slowly discover it all."
Lucifer looked up at him, her momentary melancholy dissolving into a playful smile. "I really don't know what to do with you sometimes," she said. "But if I do a thorough investigation of your tastes… will it turn out like the plot of this novel?!"
Ren paused, a thoughtful look on his face. Then, he reached out, his fingers gently taking her chin. He leaned in, his voice dropping to a low, intimate whisper that brushed against her ear. "So, other names won't work? What about… Little Queen?"
Lucifer stared at the man before her, his face just inches from her own. A deep blush crept up her neck and flooded her cheeks. "The number of times you've called me that is too low," she whispered back, her voice barely audible. "I can't possibly verify its effects…"
"Then there's no need to verify it," he murmured, his smile evident in his voice. He straightened up, his hand falling from her chin to take hers. "Let's go. Let's go look at manga, Little Queen."
Lucifer shot him a half-hearted glare, but then, uncharacteristically, she simply let him lead her away. She was utterly powerless against him; a simple, silly title whispered in his voice was enough to make her heart race for ages.
"Hey, Ren."
"Yes?"
"I'm going to go read my novel now, you stinky man!"
Ren paused for a second before a warm, knowing smile spread across his face. "Alright," he said softly. "Let's go."
For Lucifer, moments like this were the absolute best. And Ren was keenly aware of her happiness; whenever they were alone together, she reverted to this unguarded, playful state. For his Little Queen, being called a 'stinky man' was the highest form of affection.
"Phew! We finally made it, Shizuka! This time, we buy the manga first before we even think about looking at other books!"
[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!]