"Hey, Ren, isn’t there sothing you want to say to ?" Yuki asked, tilting her head slightly to the left.
The movent subtly showcased the curves of her body beneath her casual outfit.
"You want to complint your appearance, don’t you?" Ren caught her intention at a glance.
"So you noticed, huh..." Yuki was slightly surprised but quickly shifted to a pout. "I thought you were a dense guy like a loser romcom protagonist. Wait! If you knew from the start, why didn’t you say anything? Minus 100 points!"
She stomped her foot on the ground, feigning annoyance.
"That’s such a clichéd routine, I’m too lazy to play along. Besides, I prefer seeing won without clothes." Ren replied casually, without a hint of sha.
"Whoa, you can say sothing so shaless in public without changing your expression!" Yuki widened her eyes, pretending to shudder as if looking at non-recyclable kitchen waste. "Ren, just how low are your morals? Disgusting!"
"Enough with the jokes, Yuki. Did you ask out just to tease ?" Ren was starting to lose patience.
"Tsk. Your patience is as thin as tissue, isn’t it, Ren?" Yuki huffed. "I’m hungry. Let’s eat first. I know a great place."
Without rushing to reveal her true intentions, Yuki turned and began walking, leading Ren toward a spot amidst Shinjuku’s bustle.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Ten minutes later, they arrived in front of a building.
"This is your idea of a great place to eat? Your taste is... unique, Yuki." Ren said, his eye twitching.
Before him stood a ran shop with bold red decor, exuding a striking and slightly intimidating vibe. Above the entrance, a sign displayed the shop’s na: The Cauldron of Hell!
"I guarantee the taste is authentic. Co on, let’s go in."
Without checking if Ren could handle spicy food, Yuki entered with a cheerful expression.
"This girl..." Ren sighed softly.
Even so, he didn’t dislike hyperactive girls like Yuki. True, he preferred won with gentle, submissive personalities. But a change of flavor now and then wasn’t bad. Yuki was intriguing in her own way.
*DING!*
Entering the ran shop, Ren observed the interior.
Overall, the layout wasn’t much different from other ran shops, with a bar counter facing an open kitchen and a few small tables scattered around. However, two things stood out: the walls were painted a fiery red, and several nacing oni masks were displayed on them, enhancing the "hellish" atmosphere.
As Ren sat across from Yuki, she promptly handed him the nu. Ren took it and opened it, his eyebrows rising at the list of dish nas.
[The Cauldron of Hell]
> Hell’s Blood Pool — 810 yen.
> Hell’s Needles — 1010 yen.
> Infinite Hell — 1260 yen.
"What kind of nas are these? I don’t understand a single one. Yuki, this isn’t your first ti here, right? Give a quick rundown." Ren said, giving up on deciphering the bizarre nu nas and opting for the simpler solution of asking Yuki directly.
"Hell’s Blood Pool is ran with a red-based broth." Yuki explained, her smile widening. "It’s not too spicy, just mildly warming. Hell’s Needles, on the other hand, is spicy like needles piercing your tongue. The sensation is sharp and imdiate."
"Lastly, Infinite Hell is said to be so spicy it numbs you after eating it. It’s the highest level here."
Yuki explained it all with a dazzling smile, captivating several male custors in the shop who occasionally glanced their way.
With its spicy ran concept and intimidating decor, it was no surprise that The Cauldron of Hell wasn’t popular among won. Yuki was the only female custor at the ti. Plus, a ran shop with such a na and nu wasn’t the typical choice for couples on a date.
"I recomnd Infinite Hell~" Yuki said, her eyes sparkling as if it were the best choice in the world.
"No thanks." Ren refused firmly. "I don’t want a stomachache. Even though my spice tolerance is decent compared to the average Japanese palate, I’m not here to torture myself. I’m not a masochist."
"Ara~ based on your words, doesn’t that make a masochist?" Yuki grinned, her smile full of aning. "Between S or M, I’m an S~"
"Thanks for the useless information, Yuki." Ren rolled his eyes.
Ending the odd conversation, Ren inford the waiter of his order: Hell’s Blood Pool. anwhile, Yuki proudly ordered Hell’s Needles.
After the waiter noted their orders and headed to the kitchen to inform the chef, Yuki spoke again.
"By the way, Ren, do you know what’s going on with Masachika? Lately, he’s been looking depressed, like a zombie who hasn’t eaten human flesh in ages."
Discussing her older brother, Yuki dropped her playful deanor and looked serious.
"Sothing like that? Sorry, I don’t know. Since sumr break started, we haven’t been in touch."
That was a lie.
In truth, Ren knew exactly why Masachika was depressed. After all, he was the mastermind behind it!
To satisfy his perverse sense of superiority, Ren had sent Masachika a video of Alya—the woman Masachika liked—having sex with him.
At the start of the video, Alya’s face was partially censored with a faint black horizontal bar, barely concealing her identity.
Naturally, Masachika, who was close to Alya, felt the woman in the video was strikingly similar to the girl he liked. But thanks to the faint censorship, he clung to the hope that it was just soone who looked very much like her, not Alya herself.
Unfortunately, that hope shattered when Masachika received a live stream invitation from the video’s sender. In the stream, the woman’s face was no longer censored, clearly revealing Alya’s beautiful Russian-Japanese features that he knew so well. Thus, Masachika confird it was indeed her.
Naturally, no victim of NTR (Netorare) could escape stress and frustration after such an experience.
Though Masachika was a prodigy and genius in his field, he was still a human vulnerable to heartbreak and betrayal. He wasn’t exempt from deep emotional suffering.
Of course, Ren didn’t tell Yuki this cruel truth, as she was Masachika’s younger sister.
"I see... If you hear anything, please let know right away."
Disappointed at getting no clues, Yuki sighed.
Soon after, their ran orders arrived. Two large bowls were placed on the table, steaming hot.
The spicy chili aroma from Ren’s Hell’s Blood Pool was so strong it made his nose itch. He glanced at his bowl, then at Yuki.
Ren watched as she eagerly devoured her ultra-spicy Hell’s Needles ran, a look of pure satisfaction on her face. Beads of sweat were already forming on her forehead, but Yuki didn’t care one bit.
"Ah~ this is it! This spiciness is the best!" Yuki exclaid, closing her eyes briefly to savor the burning sensation on her tongue.
She ate voraciously, as if the ran were the most delicious dish in the world, completely unbothered by its extre spiciness.
"You’re not eating, Ren?"
Wiping her lips with a tissue, Yuki teased, hoping to see Ren struggle with the spice and maybe yell for water.
"Alright."
Seeing through Yuki’s hidden motive, Ren didn’t care. He simply picked up his chopsticks, stirred the ran briefly, and began eating from his bowl.
He ate calmly, occasionally sipping the broth.
"..."
After a few monts, Yuki waited for Ren’s reaction, but he remained composed, his expression unchanged. Disappointed that her plan failed, she clicked her tongue in frustration.
"Tsk."
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