Chapter 369: Shion's Lifelong Question, and a Piltover Problem
Soryuin Shion couldn't stay long. With Akemi having classes the next day, it was time for them to head home. As an interesting aside, Amou Kirukiru had apparently accompanied Shion and, in a move that surprised no one who knew her, had already secured the position of Student Council President at the university.
The conclusion of the Kengan Annihilation Tournament signaled a return to normalcy for everyone. Koyo Girl's Academy resumed its regular schedule, meaning Sonoko Suzuki had to dive back into her studies, though thankfully she had Ran to help her catch up. Otonokizaka Academy, by contrast, was far more lenient with Kure Karura's attendance.
At Shion's firm request, Ren walked them out. As they neared the intersection where their car was waiting, Shion asked Akemi to go on ahead, handing her the box of snacks Ren had prepared.
Perhaps it was the stimulating conversation with Ren, or simply the energy from a full stomach, but Akemi was no longer the least bit sleepy. Brimming with vitality, she happily took the snacks and bounded toward the car.
Left alone with Shion, Ren asked, a hint of confusion in his voice, "Shion, is there something you wanted to say?"
A flicker of nervousness crossed Shion's usually composed features. She lowered her voice, her words barely a whisper. "That... yes, there is something. And it concerns the both of us..."
"So... what is it?"
Shion hesitated, a rare uncertainty in her eyes, before speaking softly. "My parents... they've known about you for a long time. You two even had that video call back then, remember?"
A warm smile touched Ren's lips as he nodded. "Mm, I remember. Aren't your aunt and uncle traveling the world now? They're always exercising; they're in incredible shape."
Shion nodded in agreement. "Mm. They're both very healthy. They even went diving recently."
"Oh? That's great," Ren said. "So, is that what you wanted to tell me? That you want to go diving, too?"
She shook her head, her gaze dropping to the pavement. "Although I do want to go diving, that's not what this is about... It's... oh, dear... It's just that Father and Mother asked me how we were doing. I told them we were doing well, same as always, and then..."
Ren remained silent, tilting his head slightly as he watched her, a sense that she was on the verge of saying something monumental filling the air between them.
After another moment of internal struggle, Shion finally whispered, her head bowed low, "Then... Father and Mother said that since our relationship has been so stable for so long... it might be time to consider... to consider marriage."
Ren knew Shion's parents were remarkably open-minded people; her recounting of their words was likely a much softer version of what they had actually said.
Just as he was about to speak, he heard Shion's voice, now trembling with a raw vulnerability. "Ren... I'm already twenty-three, almost twenty-four... and my work is only going to get more demanding. Yumiko is only twenty-one... I... I'm starting to panic... Will you... will you marry..."
The words caught in her throat. She couldn't finish, her head sinking even lower.
The night air fell silent, the quiet broken only by a soft chuckle.
"Shion," Ren said, his voice gentle, "you're still as cute as ever."
"Ren! I'm serious!" she snapped, her head shooting up, her eyes blazing with an intensity he hadn't seen since her confession years ago. "As serious as I was back then! I didn't feel this way before, but after what Father and Mother said... I'm genuinely a little scared."
Ren simply took out his phone and showed her a screenshot of a chat log.
Shion stared, blinking. She took the phone, and as she read the messages, her eyes widened slightly. A slow, beautiful smile spread across her face. "Those little devils... they really thought of it even before I did. So, faced with a request like this... what's your answer?"
Taking his phone back, Ren used his free hand to gently cup her chin, tilting her face up to his. "You know me," he murmured, his voice a low, intimate rumble. "I've never been able to say no to any of you."
Shion's eyes flew wide, a brilliant, ecstatic light filling them. "Re... Really?!"
"Do you remember the two things I say most often?"
She paused, the answer dawning on her, and her smile softened into something deeply content. "Mm. 'There's no benefit in tricking you,'and'feelings are a consumable'... I... I'm going back now! I'll... I'll come find you at the gym later today!"
With that, she pulled away, lowered her head to hide her blush, and hurried toward the intersection.
Just before she reached the car, she spun around, her voice carrying clearly back to him. "I'll tell my parents that I'll be back home by the year after next at the latest! So... you have these last one or two years before Karura and the others graduate! You'd better show off all the charm you have left! Because after that, if you dare to flirt with anyone else, you're a dead man!"
Watching her retreating figure, Ren just smiled and shook his head. In every sense, Clow Reed's long-ago advice—'As long as you take responsibility, that's all that matters'—was a philosophy he had truly taken to heart.
Ren stretched lazily, a new thought crossing his mind. "Eh... I just remembered, it's been over half a year for Jinx, hasn't it? I wonder if that little enforcer is celebrating six months of peace and quiet..."
At that very moment, in the Piltover Police Department, Caitlyn Kiramman slammed her hands on a desk. "Vi! You have to believe me! The otherworld restaurant—it's real!" she exclaimed to the pink-haired woman with massive mechanical gauntlets leaning against the wall.
"That owner is very handsome... no, I mean, very wicked! And the food is unbelievably delicious... but that's not the point! The point is, a place like that truly exists! He even confiscated my rifle! And then gave it back to me after I left!"
The woman called Vi dragged a hand down her face, a long, weary sigh escaping her lips. "Cait... Cupcake... you've been on about this since you got back eight months ago. And what came of it? You spent two straight months staking out that optician's shop, opening and closing the door all night long like a lunatic."
Caitlyn's jaw dropped. "It's real! Vi, I'm telling you! They were all busy with some kind of 'Kengan' tournament in their world, and the owner was participating! Jinx is friends with them, and she's... she's well-behaved there! She just sits quietly and reads these books with strange drawings in them! Manga, I think they're called!"
Vi pushed off the wall and placed both hands firmly on Caitlyn's shoulders, her expression dead serious. "Caitlyn. You're saying that Jinx—our Jinx—reads quietly. And that she has a group of 'very well-mannered friends.'And that you met a'Queen of Hell'and a'Dimensional Witch'..."
"Mm-hmm!" Caitlyn nodded vigorously.
"Poor Caitlyn," Vi said, her voice softening with pity. "You're just exhausted. If Jinx hadn't locked up my bike that day, you wouldn't have had to chase her alone. You must have been exhausted, or maybe she hit you with some kind of neurotoxin... It's okay. Five months of therapy confirmed your mental state is perfectly fine. You'll get better..."
Caitlyn stomped her foot in frustration. "Vi, that's enough! Don't you dare bring up that ridiculous 'psychological therapy' again! They think I'm cracking under the pressure, but my mind has never been clearer! I know what I saw! That otherworld restaurant is real! I can still remember the taste of the food... and that man's handsome... dominant... and gentle... no! That man's vile, despicable actions!"
Vi sighed again. "Alright, alright... I know. Maybe it's like the doctor said, you're just stressed out and want to find a boyfriend... You could always try Jayce..."
"Enough! I told you! Jayce is nowhere near as handsome or considerate as that man! And! I am not having a 'hormone surge'! I am perfectly calm! I'll prove it to you! As soon as I find Jinx!"
"Hey! Jinx has been gone for almost a year, and everyone's happy about it! Why do you want to find her?! For all we know, she got herself killed by some chem-baron in Zaun. You know how often that happens!"
"No! Jinx said she was going back to that shop in a month! To watch the Kengan Matches! That's right, remember?! The last time Jinx appeared was exactly one month after I came back! Then she vanished!"
As if on cue, the precinct's alarms blared to life. An officer burst into the room, shouting, "She's back! That little devil! Jinx is back! She just blew up the Founder's Statue!"
Vi's hands clenched into fists, a grim smile on her face. "That little rascal."
Caitlyn, however, burst into triumphant laughter. "Hahahahaha! She's back! Vi, we have to go! She'll prove I was right!"
"That's not what's important right now! Oh, for the love of... I give up on you! I don't care how you prove it! Enforcing the law comes first! Caitlyn, I think you've finally gone crazy!"
"I have not!"
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