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Perhaps Satoshi sensed the killing intent approaching from behind him, because he instinctively glanced over his shoulder.
Ren was walking toward him, his expression dark and his eyes carrying a chilling intensity.
Yet Satoshi merely waved casually, as though he had long since grown accustomed to Ren's bloodlust.
"Oh, Ren! You're back? Your girlfriend is here."
Miku's left eye twitched the moment she heard that.
She knew Satoshi wasn't referring to her.
Still, she looked past him and was about to wave at Ren, only to pause when she saw his expression.
She had never seen his eyes become this cold before.
For some reason, she felt as though she had just discovered an entirely different side of him.
Itsuki, meanwhile, was visibly embarrassed by Satoshi calling her Ren's girlfriend in front of her sisters. Her cheeks flushed, and she considered silently apologizing to Miku.
However, she soon noticed that Miku wasn't paying attention to her at all.
Miku's entire focus was on Ren.
Ichika and Yotsuba could only exchange awkward smiles.
Nino, on the other hand, was behaving strangely.
She rested her cheek against her palm while staring at Ren with an oddly curious smile, as though she were waiting to see what he would do next.
Ren completely ignored his previous remark and instead asked, "What are you doing?"
Satoshi tilted his head in confusion. "Well... you weren't around, and we couldn't exactly keep the customers waiting, could we?"
His reasoning was sound. No matter how irritated Ren was, he couldn't bring his personal feelings into the workplace, nor could he argue with Satoshi for simply doing his job.
With no other choice, Ren swallowed his frustration and let out a quiet sigh.
"Alright. I'm here now, so let me handle their order."
Satoshi smiled. "Fine. But I didn't knew your girlfriend was a quintuplet."
He glanced toward the five girls as he spoke.
Ren walked past him without slowing down. "That's not something you need to concern yourself with. Just stay away from them."
"Oh, come on. Why are you still being so cold? Aren't we colleagues?"
"I don't like your charactet," Ren muttered.
"How mean." Satoshi shrugged, completely unfazed. "But what can I do? That's just how I am."
Despite his words, there wasn't even a hint of hurt in Satoshi's expression. He simply smiled and walked away, as though Ren's remark meant nothing to him.
Now that Satoshi was out of sight, the tension in Ren's expression disappeared. His face softened as he turned his attention to the five sisters.
"What brings you guys here?"
"We had some free time, so we decided to check this place out," Miku replied. After a brief pause, she asked apologetically, "Are we getting in the way of your work?"
Ren immediately shook his head with a reassuring smile.
"Of course not. I'm actually glad you guys came."
"Itsuki told us this place serves really good ramen," Yotsuba said excitedly, her eyes practically sparkling with anticipation.
Ren chuckled. "I've never actually eaten here myself, but the boss certainly knows what he's doing."
"The outfit looks good on you," Ichika suddenly complimented with a playful smile. Then, for some reason, she pulled Miku into the conversation. "Isn't that right, Miku?"
"Umm... I..." Miku hesitated, her cheeks gradually turning pink. "I was thinking the same thing."
Her voice was barely above a mumble, but the faint blush on her face made her answer obvious.
Ren couldn't hold back a smile. Hearing such compliments from the five sisters genuinely made him happy.
"What was that shift?"
Nino suddenly asked, her face still resting on her palm.
"...?"
Ren stared at her, unable to understand what she meant.
"I mean, I didn't know you could get angry like that," Nino clarified. "It felt like you became a completely different person."
Ren felt a little embarrassed that they had witnessed that side of him, he let out an awkward laugh.
"R-Really...? I'm sorry you had to see that. I guess... I do get angry sometimes. Haha."
Nino narrowed her eyes with a mischievous smirk.
"which one is the real you?"
Ren flinched.
"T-That's..."
The words caught in his throat as he began to sweat slightly. He couldn't bring himself to admit that's also a side of him. For some reason, the thought of them seeing him as a violent person—and possibly hating him for it—made his chest tighten.
"Nino, stop. You're making him uncomfortable," Miku suddenly scolded, even though she was also curious about Nino's question.
"I agree," Itsuki added, coming to Miku's support. "You shouldn't tease him about that. He only got angry for our sake"
Nino looked surprised.
"Wow, you're really starting to act like his actual girlfriend now," she remarked, directing it toward Itsuki.
Miku immediately turned toward Itsuki, her eyes widening as if she needed to make absolutely sure that wasn't the case.
"That's not what's happening!" Itsuki quickly protested. "You're making Miku suspicious of me!"
Meanwhile, Ichika watched their bickering from the side with an amused smile, quietly chuckling to herself. Yotsuba seemed to be enjoying it as well, her expression brightening at the lively atmosphere.
"Putting all that aside..." Nino crossed her arms, her expression turning annoyed. "That guy was seriously annoying. I kind of understand now why you decided to lie."
The other four sisters nodded in agreement.
Their reactions made Ren feel slightly more at ease, though the feeling lasted only for a fleeting moment.
"Say..." Ichika suddenly spoke up, catching him off guard. "Since Itsuki is your girlfriend here, what if he comes after one of the other four of us? What are we supposed to do?"
She tried to sound frightened by the possibility, but the teasing undertone was obvious. Ichika knew perfectly well that her question would put Ren on the spot.
Ren realized what she was trying to do, but he refused to give her the reaction she was expecting.
After all, the answer was rather simple.
"I'll put him down on the spot," he replied with an innocent smile.
The five sisters were left speechless by his answer.
Before any of them could ask any follow up question, however, Ren quickly added, "Are you guys ready to order now?"
That immediately reminded them that Ren was still working and that they had already taken up quite a bit of his time.
"Oh, right!"
The sisters quickly turned their attention to the menu and began discussing what they wanted to order.
Itsuki, however, didn't even bother looking at it. Having already become familiar with the menu, she placed her order first.
On his way to deliver the sisters' orders to the boss, Ren found Satoshi waiting outside the kitchen.
Ren paid him no attention and simply walked past.
"I thought you were an honest guy. Turns out, you're no different from me."
The remark made Ren stop in his tracks.
He turned toward Satoshi with a frown. "What do you mean by that?"
Satoshi grinned.
"Oh, come on. Don't pretend you don't know." He tilted his head toward the dining area. "Did you really think I didn't notice the way you were looking at Itsuki's sisters?"
Ren couldn't argue with that. More importantly, he had no intention of denying his feelings for the other four.
"So what if I love them too?" Ren replied, his expression growing serious. "Just because of that, don't assume we're alike. My feelings aren't fleeting."
He stared at Satoshi with a sharp glare, making it clear that he meant every word.
Satoshi merely waved off his hostility and stepped closer, casually draping an arm over Ren's shoulder.
"No, no. I wasn't judging you."
His grin faded slightly, replaced by a more serious expression.
"Whether you succeed or not is entirely up to you. I just wanted to make sure you understand the danger of the path you're walking."
Ren knew the dangers of the path he was walking all too well, but he couldn't resist taking a jab at Satoshi.
"Are those words coming from experience?"
Satoshi let out a weary sigh.
"Don't even ask. I almost got myself killed by my first girlfriend."
A faint shiver ran down his spine as the memory resurfaced.
"Anyway, I know you don't like me, but believe it or not, I wasn't eyeing your girls. I just naturally have a flirty personality."
"That's hard to believe," Ren retorted flatly.
Satoshi could only sigh. He removed his arm from Ren's shoulder and took a step back.
"Welp, do your best."
With those words, he turned around and walked away, leaving Ren standing there with a faintly suspicious look on his face.
"Boss, can I ask you something?" Ren asked while the boss continued preparing the orders.
"Ask away," he replied briefly.
"What kind of guy is Satoshi?" Ren asked curiously. From what he had come to know about the boss, he couldn't imagine him hiring someone he considered a genuinely bad person.
The boss glanced at him.
"Is this about your girlfriend? Don't worry. Satoshi isn't a bad guy. He's just... like that."
The reassurance did little to convince Ren.
"It's hard to trust him."
"I know what you mean. He has a real scumbag personality, but he doesn't mean any harm."
The boss finished preparing the ramen and carefully placed the bowls on the counter.
"Be careful while carrying them."
----------
It was Saturday, and my name happened to be on the cleaning duty list.
"I feel bad. I really want to help you finish quickly, but I have an important event in my game that I want to complete," Miku said, bowing apologetically.
"Don't worry about it. I should take care of my own duty anyway," I assured her, not wanting her to feel guilty for leaving me to handle it alone, which was totally fare because she wasn't on duty today.
"Just don't spend too much time gaming. And make sure you study too," I reminded her.
She nodded obediently before leaving.
That left me with the other person assigned to cleaning duty—a girl from our class. We worked quickly, both of us clearly wanting to get the chore over with as soon as possible.
There was barely any conversation between us. We simply worked in silence, quietly cooperating without getting in each other's way.
Honestly, I preferred it that way.
Whenever there was anything heavy to move, I volunteered to handle it myself. It was easier that way, and it allowed us to finish the cleaning even faster.
Because of that, by the time I finished, quite a many students were still on campus. Since I had Saturdays and Sundays off from my part-time job, I decided to use the opportunity to check on something I had been meaning to.
My feet naturally led me toward the library.
There were a few diligent students who occasionally stayed behind after classes to study, and Itsuki was one of them.
I found her sitting beside a window, wearing glasses like she always does while studying, completely absorbed in the book in her hands. The curtains fluttered gently in the afternoon breeze, while the soft sunlight streamed through the window, casting a warm glow over her.
The scene before me felt almost ethereal.
Even though several other students were present in the library, my eyes instinctively settled on her and refused to look away.
That serious, focused expression on her face all while wearing those glasses...
She looked absolutely gorgeous.
Without letting her notice me, I approached her desk.
"Hello... Can I sit here?"
My sudden voice startled her slightly.
" O-Oh, Ren! What are you doing here? You don't have work today?" she asked.
Now that I was standing closer, I noticed a few snacks scattered across the table. Some of the packages were already empty, while others remained unopened.
"I'm off on weekends, so I decided to come to the library for the first time in a while. I figured you might be here too."
"Is that so?" Itsuki tilted her head in confusion. "But what does me being here have to do with anything?"
"I get bored studying alone, so I thought you'd make a great study partner." I smiled. "So, can I?"
Itsuki hurriedly gathered her things, clearing some space on the table.
"Y-Yes, of course. You don't have to ask."
However, much to her surprise, instead of taking the seat across from her, I pulled out the chair right beside her and sat down.
"Thank you."
"Eh?! You're sitting here?"
Itsuki asked, her face turning slightly red.
"Ah... Am I making you uncomfortable? Should I move?"
I had only wanted to sit beside her, but if she wanted some space, I would gladly oblige.
"I-I guess it's fine. I was just a little surprised."
"Haha, is that so?"
I smiled before taking a textbook out of my bag and opening it to the chapter I wanted to study.
Meanwhile, from the corner of my eye, I noticed Itsuki hurriedly gathering her snacks. She even discreetly tucked away the empty wrappers, as though she was embarrassed about them.
How cute.
"Don't mind me. You can enjoy your snacks," I remarked while focused on my textbook.
"T-That's..." Itsuki fidgeted slightly. "I get hungry while studying, and I can't concentrate on an empty stomach."
I chuckled and rested my cheek against my palm, looking at her fondly.
"I know. They can help replenish your energy, but don't eat too many convenience-store snacks. They aren't exactly good for your health."
I finished my words with what I hoped was a charming smile.
Itsuki blushed and returned her attention to her textbook. I didn't press her about it. Sometimes, simply sharing the same quiet space with someone you love was the best kind of feeling.
A few minutes later, Itsuki quietly slid a wrapped cookie toward me.
"For me? Thank you."
I gave her a bright, grateful smile.
She merely nodded, though I couldn't quite make out her expression.
I enjoyed the cookie while continuing to read my book. Several more minutes passed before Itsuki finally spoke.
"Erm... Can you help me with this?"
I leaned closer to see what she was pointing at. She was reading a Japanese passage and had gotten stuck on a kanji character.
I stared at it for a moment.
"Hmm...."
I studied the character carefully, comparing it with the surrounding sentence. After a few seconds, its reading finally clicked.
"Oh, I get it now. You read it as 'koi'—恋."
Itsuki blinked.
"Koi...?"
"Yeah. It means 'love'... though more specifically, the kind of love associated with romantic longing."
I looked at the character for another moment before giving her a smile.
"A beautiful word, isn't it?"
Unknown to me, the word, the atmosphere, the time, that fleeting moment, and my smile and company—all of it came together perfectly.
For Itsuki, it was simply too much.
Her heart began pounding wildly in her chest, each beat growing faster than the last.