Chapter 376: Kurayoshi Rino's Terrifying Skill; Blood Pressure Rising
The moment Kurayoshi Rino's voice echoed through the space, everyone froze. A petite girl then appeared before them, her head bowed low as she clung to Rino's hand, remaining utterly silent.
Lucifer's mouth twitched, her expression a mixture of disbelief and alarm. "No… how in the world did you two end up together?"
Kurayoshi Rino beamed, her smile a dazzling and dangerous thing. "Don't be so serious~ After all, little Shunka is just so adorable~ And you know me~ I love cute things more than anything~"
"Rino…"
Watching the flustered Hiyama Shunka, Sōryūin Shion audibly swallowed. "Hey, hey, hey… This can't be right… Your ability doesn't work on women too, does it? Stay away from us!"
The thought struck Lucifer like a bolt of lightning. She forgot to chew the food in her mouth and immediately yanked Cerberus behind her, a look of genuine horror on her face. She wasn't like Kurayoshi Rino, a woman who seemed to love the chase but never the catch; she had a lover she was devoted to. If Kurayoshi Rino set her sights on her… the thought was too terrifying to contemplate.
For races with long lifespans, loyalty was paramount. Whether as an angel or a demon, Lucifer took matters of the heart with the utmost seriousness. To be ensnared by a human woman… she would never be able to show her face again.
Kurayoshi Rino simply giggled. "Oh my~ Don't make me sound so frightening~ I genuinely adore little Shunka~ That psychopath, Akoya Seishu, didn't know how to cherish her, so someone has to~ Right, little Shunka~"
Sōryūin Shion arched an eyebrow, cutting through the cloying sweetness. "So, what are you two doing here?"
Kurayoshi Rino held Hiyama Shunka's small hand a little tighter, her smile unwavering. "She wants to find Ren~ And I also happened to want Ren, so we came together~ Is that so hard to understand?"
A collective twitch went through the group. The way she phrased it was deeply unsettling. Hiyama Shunka seeking out Ren, for good or ill, made a certain kind of sense. But when Rino said it, her use of the word "want" was loaded with implication. The absence of a single clarifying word—like "to see"—changed the meaning entirely, twisting it into something far more possessive.
"Wow~ As expected of Ren, such sharp attacks!"
Sōryūin Shion and the others wisely chose to ignore Kurayoshi Rino. In private, they found it nearly impossible to stay angry with her, and it was even harder with an audience.
"Kaolan, your breathing is off~"
A sharp roundhouse kick snapped out, catching Kaolan Wongsawat off-balance and sending him to the ground. Ren smiled faintly. "After the second lesson—to read the body's force generation, not the feet—comes the third. Your sparring partner won't be a cripple with only an upper body. You must also protect your lower half when it's being targeted."
Kaolan pushed himself up, stretching his leg without complaint. His voice was a low rumble. "I understand. What were the three leg techniques you just used?"
"Ah~ Those were a roundhouse kick, a knee strike, and an Iai Geri."
Kaolan nodded, his expression thoughtful. "That Iai Geri… it has the same feeling as the Iaijutsu you mentioned, correct?"
Ren's smile widened slightly. "In martial arts, the legs are crucial. For most people, their legs are longer than their arms, and the force of a kick far exceeds that of a punch. That's why kicking is so important. And sometimes, the control required for leg techniques needs to be even more precise."
"For example?" Uehara Nana and Kaolan asked in near-perfect unison.
In response, Ren simply smiled and vanished. One moment he was standing there, the next he reappeared directly in front of Kaolan, a punch whistling through the air with enough force to startle everyone watching.
Kaolan instinctively raised his arms to block. But in that instant, Ren's fist dematerialized, and his entire body seemed to disappear again. Before Kaolan could even process what had happened, he found himself airborne, launched into the sky.
He landed a moment later with a heavy thud. As he tried to look up, a foot was already hovering just above his heart, perfectly still. The entire audience was stunned into silence.
Hiyama Shunka stared at Ren with wide, unblinking eyes, her small mouth slightly agape in astonishment. Even Kurayoshi Rino swallowed hard. "Hey! Shion… little Shunka… did you see that… that… that attack…"
Ren retracted his foot, his smile as calm as ever. "See? Forcing an opponent off the ground is the ultimate form of control for a fighter. That feeling of being airborne just now was pretty nice, wasn't it?"
Kaolan rose to his feet and shook his head, clearing the disorientation. "What was that just now? What happened?"
Ren tilted his head, considering the question. "If you want the principle behind it, it's something like this: I used rotation. One leg kicked your leg while the other simultaneously kicked your opposing arm. The dual impacts, delivered in opposite directions, torqued your body upwards the moment your feet left the ground, like a propeller. It's a bit like a spinning kick, but applied differently."
Kaolan let out a long breath. "I'll rest for a bit. You should handle your business over there."
"Hmm? Eh?" Ren turned, finally noticing his new audience. "Miss Kurayoshi~ Miss Hiyama~ What brings you two here?"
Hearing him use her full name, Sōryūin Shion immediately broke into a peal of laughter. Kurayoshi Rino's smile twitched, and she forced a strained expression. "Ren~ You can call me Miss Kurayoshi, or Miss Rino, or I'd even prefer you just call me Rino. Just please stop using my full name! I've told you so many times!"
Hiyama Shunka also spoke up, her voice a quiet murmur. "Mr. Ren… I share Rino's opinion…"
Ren nodded in understanding. "Then, Miss Hiyama, what brings you two here?"
"Pfft~ Hahahahaha!"
Sōryūin Shion, a professional tormentor of Kurayoshi Rino, completely lost her composure, doubling over with laughter.
Rino gritted her teeth. "Ren… little Shunka wanted to come find you, but…"
"Miss Kurayoshi, how did you come to be with Miss Hiyama?"
Hearing the slightly less formal address, Rino visibly relaxed and her charming smile returned. "Ah~ It's nothing major~ I just wanted to see you~ And little Shunka here had something she wanted to talk to you about. It seems that psychopath, Akoya Seishu, was so traumatized by you that he blamed it all on poor, cute little Shunka. He just told her to get lost and even cursed at her."
As she spoke, Rino wrapped an arm around the slightly trembling Hiyama Shunka, pulling her into a protective hug. "So~ I had a little heart-to-heart with her~ And it turns out~ little Shunka is just as sweet as she looks~ It aroused my protective instincts~ Right, little Shunka?"
Hiyama Shunka's face was tinged with red as she mumbled, "Mmm… Rino is very kind to me. She takes good care of me…"
"See~ Little Shunka is very cute, isn't she?" Rino purred.
Ren's brow furrowed. "So, Aguguya has no intention of repenting at all?"
Sōryūin Shion chimed in, her face a mask of disgust. "That lunatic… Rino, I have to admit… you actually did a good thing."
"Right~" Rino said, turning to Ren with an expectant gaze, as if she were a puppy waiting for a treat.
Ren offered a small smile. "Miss Kurayoshi is as caring as ever."
Kurayoshi Rino froze for a second, then her face lit up with pure, unadulterated excitement. "Ren! You finally praised me! I'm so happy!"
One reason for her elation was the praise itself. The other was the phrase "as caring as ever." Did that mean Ren had always been paying attention to her affairs?
(Ren: Clearly, no.)
Sōryūin Shion's lips curved into a wicked smirk. "I wonder what your Combatant would think… if he saw you like this…"
"You shut up! Sōryūin Shion! Do you have to ruin this moment?! Huh?!"
"Alright, alright~ I know you quit your Combatant~ Look how scared you are~ It's quite amusing."
"You… You…"
At that moment, everyone in the vicinity could practically feel Kurayoshi Rino's blood pressure skyrocket. A vein throbbed at her temple, and her face flushed a dangerous shade of red, the air growing thick with her barely contained fury.
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