The mont the bright, energetic voice echoed through the restaurant, there was no need to guess its owner.
Courage paused, her head turning toward the entrance. A flicker of surprise crossed her features as she saw the girl standing there. "Eh? Isn't this Akemi? What are you doing here?"
Hearing Courage call the black-haired girl 'Akemi,'Kasugano Sora, who had been hesitating at the top of the stairs, peered down at the newcor.'Is this the person Brother Ren found for ?'she wondered, clutching her rabbit doll a little tighter.'She looks... nice enough...'
Sōryūin Akemi strode in, her posture impeccable as she offered a polite bow. "Good morning, Brother Ren, Sister Courage, Sister Cerberus!"
After the three returned her greeting, Ren spoke with a hint of helpless amusent. "Akemi, you're a full twenty minutes earlier than I expected. Did you even get enough rest, coming here so early?"
At the ntion of rest, Akemi's shoulders slumped and she pressed a hand to her forehead. "Don't even talk about rest, Brother Ren. You really need to get Sister Shion under control. I was sleeping so soundly last night when she suddenly burst in to wake up! It scared half to death, and I couldn't get back to sleep after that..."
Ren blinked, then a soft smile touched his lips. "It seems Shion is looking forward to today as well. I'll have a word with her later on your behalf. For now, though, this timing works out perfectly. Sora, you can stop peeking now."
Courage tilted her head, her expression one of confusion. "Sora? Who's that?"
After a mont of hesitation, Kasugano Sora descended the stairs, her rabbit doll held protectively against her chest. The instant she ca into full view, both Courage's and Sōryūin Akemi's eyes widened in unison. With her delicate features, petite fra, and silvery-white hair, she looked exactly like an exquisite, handcrafted doll.
"Wow!" Courage exclaid, her voice filled with genuine delight. "What a beautiful child! Mr. Ren, who is she? And why was she on the second floor? How did I not know about her?"
Seeing Courage's excitent, Ren softened his voice. "Sora, Courage is here. Why don't you introduce yourself? She'll be staying here often from now on, so I hope you two can get along."
Kasugano Sora risked a glance at Courage before lowering her gaze to the floor, her voice barely a whisper. "Kasugano Sora... Please take care of ..."
Courage bead at the painfully shy girl. "Mm-hmm! Sora is just adorable. Why haven't I seen you before? Have you been in your room this whole ti?"
"No... I only moved in today..."
"Eh? That's wonderful!"
Cerberus was practically vibrating with excitent. The more people, the livelier the place beca, and she considered this restaurant her ho. While Ren's presence was usually enough, a little more chaos was always welco.
As a well-bred young lady with a naturally cheerful disposition, Sōryūin Akemi stepped forward with a warm, polite smile. "Sora, my na is Sōryūin Akemi. Just call Akemi. I'll be in charge of your schedule for today!"
Kasugano Sora gave a small nod, her voice still a murmur. "Please take care of ..."
"Okay! In that case, Brother Ren, we'll be off! It looks like we have a lot to do today!"
Ren nodded, watching as Akemi took a reluctant Kasugano Sora by the hand and began to pull her toward the door. The last thing they heard was Akemi's cheerful farewell before the two disappeared from sight.
A faint voice drifted back from the street.
"Akemi..."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"How are we getting to school?"
"We're walking!"
"Oh... Wait, what?! No!"
"It's not that far~"
"Liar! I've been to Koyo Academy before!"
"You must be rembering it wrong~ Let's go!"
Inside the restaurant, Ren heard Kasugano Sora's distant cry of protest and simply smiled, shaking his head. In a way, Sōryūin Akemi and her three friends were a rare breed among girls their age. Not only were they free of any bad habits, but they also possessed a maturity well beyond their years, all while maintaining an infectious, youthful energy. It was a difficult balance to strike.
Ren comnted playfully, "It looks like Sora is in for a very lively day."
"As long as she doesn't burn out..." Courage chuckled, covering her mouth. "Ren, why was Sora being dragged away by Akemi? Do they go to the sa school?"
"They didn't before, but they will soon. Sora is transferring to Akemi's school. Her health has never been very good, which has made her a bit... withdrawn. She can be prickly and shy, but she's actually quite mature. Unfortunately, that's made it difficult for her to make any friends..."
"Oh, I see! So you want Akemi and the others to befriend Sora?" Courage's eyes lit up. "That's a wonderful idea! Sora's personality should complent theirs perfectly, and they're all quite sensible."
Cerberus, however, cared little for such details. She bounced on the balls of her feet, her gaze fixed on Ren. "Ren, Ren, Ren! When is Sora coming back?"
"What's wrong, Cerberus? Are you that eager to play with her?"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Ren pictured Kasugano Sora and Cerberus together, and the image that ford in his mind was surprisingly vivid. Sora would probably get a headache from Cerberus's boundless energy, but he was certain she would still grow to like her. Cerberus had a way of being overwhelmingly enthusiastic yet undeniably cute. If she didn't, even soone as cool and stoic as Kinokuni Nene wouldn't be so fond of her.
A thought suddenly occurred to Ren, and he turned to Courage. "Speaking of which, Courage, Cerberus and Lucifer will be in your care today."
Courage blinked, caught off guard. "In my care? What do you an?"
After Ren explained the situation, Courage's expression cleared and she nodded. "Oh, I understand. In that case, I'll take the two of them with to the resort."
"The resort?"
"That's right," Courage confird. "Although I'm staying here temporarily, Lady Mana still gave a task. I need to visit a few places to discuss so matters before she and the others return."
"That works out well. The resort has massage services and other anities, and you won't have to worry about lunch."
"Mm! But... where is Lucifer? I haven't seen her this morning."
Hearing this, a knowing curve ford on Ren's lips.
anwhile, in her room, Lucifer, having just finished her shower, threw herself onto the bed with a frustrated groan. "Damn it! I have to win, just once! I must! He needs to understand the might of the Queen of Hell! Still... this is the first ti I've actually rested like this since I started working at the restaurant..."
She let out a soft hiss. "Tsk... Can demons even get backaches...?"
At that mont, Lucifer was staring blankly at the ceiling, silently channeling healing magic into her sore muscles while muttering defiant, ultimately empty threats to herself.
"Huh? But... why are there still no signs...? As I thought, Ren is no ordinary human... But then again, this restaurant isn't exactly normal either... Hmm..."
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