Chapter 611: The Cruel Truth of Mana's Secret
Yumeko and Kirari remained locked in their intimate posture, their voices dropping to hushed, dangerous whispers. A heavy, intoxicating thrill hung in the air between them. Yumeko's cheeks were flushed, her breathing shallow, her expression twisted into a mask of pure, unadulterated euphoria.
"Rea... really?! President!"
Kirari smiled, a slow, predatory curving of her lips. "Of course. Yumeko... I will lead you, step by step... down into the very abyss that truly drives people mad."
"Ah... how can you be so exquisite... such a good girl..." Yumeko breathed out, her voice trembling with dark delight.
Standing a few paces away, Runa shifted uncomfortably inside her oversized hoodie. "Um... excuse me..."
Before she could even finish her sentence, both Kirari and Yumeko snapped their heads toward her in perfect unison. In the dimming, blood-orange light of the evening, their gazes caught the shadows—one pair of piercing, icy blue eyes, and another of glowing, manic red. The sheer intensity radiating from the two women felt like a physical weight.
Runa flinched, instinctively taking a half-step back.
The chilling aura vanished in an instant as Kirari tilted her head, her smile returning to its usual elegant warmth. "Runa, you seem quite excited too."
Runa swallowed hard, her lollipop suddenly feeling like dead weight in her mouth. "Yes, yes... no, wait, no... huh? What exactly am I supposed to be excited about?"
"You really are cute, Runa," Kirari chuckled softly.
A cold sweat pricked the back of Runa's neck. Things were escalating far beyond her usual calculations. Kirari's lover had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, wielding an unfathomable amount of power and influence. But the most terrifying variable was right in front of her: Kirari was actively reeling Yumeko in. And Yumeko, an unpredictable force of nature who thrived on chaos, was actually letting herself be swayed.
Yumeko stepped to the side, a playful lilt returning to her voice. "President, if you don't let go of me, Mr. Ren will get terribly jealous. I haven't even reached the edge of the abyss yet."
"In this case, Ren won't be jealous at all," Kirari murmured. "Oh dear..."
Without a shred of hesitation, Yumeko closed the distance and wrapped a slender arm securely around Kirari's waist.
A few feet away, Sayaka's eyes widened in absolute horror. Her fists clenched so hard her knuckles turned white, her teeth grinding together as she prepared to explode at the sheer audacity of the gambling freak touching her beloved President.
Before Sayaka could intervene, Kirari let out a soft laugh. "Very clever, Yumeko. But..." She smoothly took a step back, breaking the embrace. "...I belong to Ren."
Yumeko's red eyes gleamed with renewed interest. "In that case, betting more means winning more! Tell me, President, are you a prize on the table?"
"Yumeko!" Sayaka finally snapped, her voice cracking with fury.
Kirari merely raised a hand, silencing her secretary. "No. Everything about me belongs to Ren. I have no control or ownership over my own existence anymore. If you want to wager for me, you will have to ask him." She turned her gaze toward the darkening sky outside the window. "Runa, it is time to go. Yumeko, come along."
"Let's go, let's go! Big meal, big meal!" Yumeko cheered, instantly reverting to her bubbly, carefree facade.
While the four of them departed, a deeply unsettling scene was unfolding across town at the WGO construction site.
Mana sat at a large drafting table, quietly staring down at the architectural blueprints spread out before her. Under normal circumstances, this would be a mundane sight. But she had been sitting in that exact position for over three hours. She hadn't turned a page. She hadn't shifted her weight. She hadn't even blinked.
Lucifer frowned. She leaned over the table, her crimson eyes narrowing as she studied the WGO Book Master. Mana wasn't reading. Her gaze was entirely unfocused, lost in a hollow, terrifying void.
Lucifer glanced up at Anne, who immediately averted her eyes, staring hard at the floor. Decora and Rantabi did the exact same thing, their expressions tight with hidden guilt.
Pandemonica adjusted her glasses, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Do you three know what is going on with her?"
Courage looked equally lost, glancing between her colleagues as if she had missed a critical memo.
Modeus, dropping her usual flushed demeanor for a rare moment of absolute seriousness, crossed her arms. "Rantabi... you three are hiding something. Something about Mana."
Rantabi let out a long, exhausted sigh, the fight draining from her shoulders. "You will all know soon enough. To be completely honest... the three of us are agonizing over this right now. We have absolutely no idea what to do."
Decora buried her face in her hands, her voice muffled and trembling. "This matter... how is Lady Mana supposed to bring this up today? If she doesn't do it now, she might never find the courage again. But if she does... it will just be too cruel."
Lucifer paused. Her sharp mind connected the fragments of context, the heavy atmosphere, and the destination they were heading toward. "Is this related to Erina?" she asked, her voice dropping to a low, serious register.
Anne gave a single, stiff nod.
Courage checked her watch, breaking the suffocating silence. "There is nothing left for us to do here today. Let's head back. What do you all think?"
Lucifer agreed immediately. Decora and the others turned their attention back to Mana, who had finally blinked, the light slowly returning to her dull eyes. She looked up at the concerned faces surrounding her and forced a fragile, agonizingly fake smile.
"Let's go back," Mana whispered, her voice brittle. "We can't just... not go home, right?"
Decora, Anne, and Rantabi all sighed in unison. By the time they packed up and left the site, Mana had regained some color in her cheeks, but her hands were still trembling, her knuckles white as she gripped her bag.
The atmosphere inside the restaurant was suffocating.
Ren and Rindou sat in the dining area, completely silent. Yuko, sensing the bizarre shift in the air, didn't ask questions; she simply sat quietly beside Ren, taking slow drags from her pipe. Riven had no context for the tension, but her warrior's instincts screamed that something monumental was about to happen.
The younger girls felt it the worst. Erina sat rigidly in her chair, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. Her heart was hammering against her ribs, a frantic, erratic rhythm that made her feel lightheaded. Alice, who knew perfectly well that her aunt lived here now, felt a cold knot of dread twisting in her stomach.
"Rindou-senpai," Erina finally whispered, unable to bear the silence any longer. "What exactly happened?"
Rindou frowned, her usual playful fangs hidden beneath a grim grimace. "You'll know in a little while. To be honest, Erina... I don't even know the full story myself."
The minutes dragged on like hours. Erina's fingernails dug into her palms. She felt utterly exposed, gripped by the terrifying sensation that the ground beneath her feet was about to give way.
Then, the sound of approaching footsteps broke the quiet. The front door swung open, and Cerberus bounded inside. The three demon girls stopped dead in their tracks, their tails drooping as they took in the gloomy, silent room.
"So strange," the middle Cerberus muttered. "Why is the mood in here exactly the same as it was over with Mana?"
Erina flinched as if she had been struck. "Mana?" She shot out of her chair. "Mana... what Mana?! Cerberus! Which Mana?!"
Cerberus jumped, startled by the sheer desperation in the blonde girl's voice. Before the demons could answer, another set of heavier, slower footsteps echoed from the entryway.
Erina's breath hitched. She looked toward the door.
"Sister Lucifer..." Erina began, her voice shaking as the tall demon entered. "Sister... is it fake... Mother... Mother?!"
The words died in her throat. Standing just behind Lucifer, framed by the doorway, was Mana.
Erina froze, completely paralyzed. Mana stood there, looking at her estranged daughter, and offered a soft, heartbreakingly sad smile.
Slowly, Erina took a step forward, then another, but she stopped halfway. She didn't dare get too close. The memories of her childhood—the coldness, the sudden departure, the lingering, toxic belief that she had been abandoned because her cooking was simply too inadequate—rooted her to the floor.
Seeing the fear and hesitation in Erina's eyes shattered Mana's heart. But she dug her nails into her palms, gritted her teeth, and forced herself to stand tall.
"Mother..." Erina whispered, her voice sounding incredibly small. "Is it really you? Is it actually you?! How are you here? Did you come for a tasting?"
Mana slowly shook her head. "No... I live here."
"Eh?!" Erina's eyes widened in shock. "But, Mother, you—"
"Erina!"
Mana's sudden, sharp shout echoed through the silent dining room. Everyone flinched. Lucifer, Rindou, and Alice all turned their full attention to the WGO Master. Even Ren shifted his gaze slightly, his dark eyes quietly observing the scene.
The secret was finally breaking the surface.
"Mother...?" Erina asked, her voice trembling.
Mana raised a shaking hand, gesturing for her to stop. "Erina... you are sixteen now. You have grown into a beautiful young woman. I heard from your grandfather that you are incredibly excellent. Truly exceptional, and very hardworking."
Hearing those words of approval directly from the mother who had walked away from her, Erina felt a sudden, overwhelming surge of joy. For years, she had carried the crushing guilt that her weakness had driven her mother away. She opened her mouth to speak, to finally bridge the gap between them, but the words died as Mana let out a ragged, broken sigh.
"Mother...?"
"Erina... after all these years..." Mana's voice cracked. Tears welled in her eyes, threatening to spill over. "There are some things... things you need to know now. You are old enough to handle this. I have something to tell you."
Erina swallowed the lump in her throat. The primal dread returned, freezing the blood in her veins. "What is it?"
"I... I... I..." Mana choked on the words. A sob tore at her throat. She simply couldn't force it out.
Beside her, Anne reached out and firmly grasped Mana's trembling fist, lending her silent strength. Decora covered her face, her shoulders shaking as she whispered, "Lady Mana... Miss Erina... she has the right to know."
Mana closed her eyes. She took a deep, shuddering breath, her entire body trembling like a leaf in a storm. When she opened her eyes again, they were locked onto Erina's.
"Erina... I... I actually..." Mana's voice dropped to a devastated, hollow whisper. "I am actually... not your biological mother."
"What?!"
The collective gasp echoed through the room, shattering the world Erina thought she knew.
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