Ring, ring, ring~
The dismissal bell rang quickly. Ren Katsuragi didn't break his word; he stopped guarding the two people behind him, greeted Megumi Kato, and headed for the parking area.
"Kato, I'm leaving first. See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow, Katsuragi-kun."
Kato waved at Ren, bidding him farewell as well. Watching Ren's retreating figure, she felt a lingering sense of engagement.
Chatting with Ren was very comfortable. Kato didn't have to cater to the topics the other person talked about like she usually did; the boy would actively ask about topics she was interested in and then offer his own insights.
She was no longer just a one-sided listener and agreer. When Kato told Ren about her troubles, he would actively offer suggestions and strategies.
The way the two interacted didn't feel like classmates who had just met and exchanged contact information; it was more like close friends who had known each other for years.
A person who can ignore my special constitution of low presence... so, such a person really exists.
"Kanou-san, can you let us down?"
Seeing that Ren had left completely, Tomoya Aki, who was hanging upside down from the cherry tree, gritted his teeth and spoke to Kato, emphasizing every syllable.
Everything that happened today was too big a blow to Aki, making his already narrow heart even darker.
Ridiculously enough, even after spending so much time with Kato, he still forgot her name.
"Okay, Aki-kun. I'll let Eriri-san down first."
Without correcting Aki's mistake regarding her name, Kato spoke calmly.
No harm without comparison.
If Ren hadn't appeared, Kato might have chosen to correct Aki for calling her by the wrong name.
After all, her presence was very low. It wouldn't be surprising if Aki forgot her entire person, let alone her name.
But now, it was different.
Ren was polite, never called her by the wrong name, and didn't forget her existence.
In contrast, Aki pestered her relentlessly, saying he wanted to make her the heroine of his game, yet he couldn't even remember her name.
The winner was decided instantly.
She untied the hemp rope for Eriri Spencer Sawamura first, letting her down. Only then did Kato begin to untie the rope binding Aki.
"Kato-san, thank you."
Rubbing her wrists, which showed obvious red marks, Eriri thanked Kato.
Although Kato had behaved like Utaha Kasumigaoka and hadn't pleaded for the two of them, she had stayed here the whole time and untied them at the first opportunity. No matter what, Eriri felt she should say thank you to Kato.
"It's okay, Sawamura-san."
Kato replied politely to Eriri.
It's even more pathetic now.
Even Eriri, whom she wasn't very familiar with, remembered her name.
The Sawamura Household.
Sayuri Sawamura, wearing a traditional Japanese kimono with her purple hair tied in twin tails identical to her daughter's, opened a folding fan to cover the lower half of her face. She looked at the video call on her phone with smiling eyes.
"My, my, isn't this Lady Yue? How do you have the time to look for Sayuri?"
Opposite her on the video call was a tall woman wearing a formal small suit, with black hair cascading over her shoulders and red eyes. A pair of long, narrow Dragon eyes added a sense of elegant to her aura.
Yue Katsuragi, Ren's mother, a strong woman with an extremely dominant personality.
That Retsu Katsuragi could stand out from the Family members and seize the position of the Katsuragi family head in one fell swoop was at least eighty percent due to Yue's contributions.
Unlike Retsu, who wanted to guard the family business steadily, Yue advocated for annexation and expansion.
Precisely because Yue had such a personality, in Ren's home, the situation became one where the woman managed external affairs and the man managed internal ones.
Retsu didn't mind. With his naturally easy-going personality, he supported his wife Yue's decisions blindly.
"Sayuri, I remember you are currently living in Chiba City, right?"
"Ren has transferred to Sobu University. The villa the family bought for him is right next to yours. If Ren gets bullied at school, I'm holding you responsible."
"Also, if you dare to lay a hand on Ren, I will personally come to Chiba and skin you alive."
Yue spoke concisely and clearly, without the winding detours of the workplace. The threat at the end was quite obvious.
Sayuri Sawamura was the best friend who, when Ren was little and she wanted to hug him, had been blocked by his mother with a look of disgust.
There was no helping it. back then, seeing the shota Ren pretending to be an adult was just too cute. Sayuri had hugged Ren in her arms like a pervert, kissing him fiercely.
She had kissed the child until he lost the will to live.
After that incident, Yue began to strictly guard against this best friend of hers.
"My, my, Lady Yue, your servant understands~"
Hearing Yue say that Ren had transferred to Chiba City, Sayuri's eyes lit up.
As for Yue's threat, Sayuri pretended she didn't hear it.
What a joke. As a close best friend, Sayuri understood Yue's personality too well.
The classic case of a sharp tongue but a soft heart.
After Sayuri's self-filtering, she derived the following content:
In-law, my child has come to Chiba City to attend the same school as your daughter. You must bring the two of them together properly.
Sayuri had been eyeing the Dragon of the Katsuragi family for a long time.
However, Yue guarded against her to the death, not giving her any chance to make a move—not even for a nominal arranged marriage.
Now that Yue was actively putting the meat to her mouth, there was no reason not to eat it.
Eriri, Mom's future son depends on you to win him over!
Sayuri began to calculate in her heart how to make her daughter meet Ren and then spark the flames of love.
Click—
The villa door opened.
Eriri entered and immediately ran with pattering steps toward the living room, throwing herself into Sayuri's arms.
Looking at Sayuri, the grievance suppressed in Eriri's heart could no longer be held back. Tears fell like they were free of charge.
Caught off guard, the phone in Sayuri's hand fell onto the sofa.
"Eriri, what's wrong?"
Seeing Eriri's tearful appearance, Sayuri stroked her daughter's head and asked with concern.
"Mom, someone... someone bullied me."
Burying her head in Sayuri's arms, Eriri spoke intermittently.
"Who?"
Hearing that her daughter was bullied at school, a trace of killing intent flashed in the depths of Sayuri's eyes.
"Seems... to be called... Ren... Ren Katsuragi."
Hearing the name Eriri mentioned, Sayuri's hand movements paused. She asked somewhat uncertainly.
"Who?"
"Ren Katsuragi!"
Confirming she hadn't heard wrong, Sayuri froze for a moment before immediately picking up the phone that had fallen on the sofa, ignoring her daughter who was still crying in her arms.
Picking up the phone, before Sayuri could speak, she saw Yue on the other side of the video call smile faintly.
Watching the "Video Call Ended" notification on the phone, Sayuri couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
What in the world...
Is going on?
Back at the villa.
Rubbing Koharu's big head and placing Mochi and Candy on the sofa, Ren heard his phone ring.
"Father?"
"Ren, I bought you a toy. It should be arriving soon. Have fun playing."
Retsu Katsuragi didn't give Ren any chance to ask questions; he hung up directly.
"A toy?"
Just as Ren was puzzled.
Ding-dong—
The doorbell outside the villa rang.
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