Ayanokouji Ren knew his behavior looked very much like simping.
But Ren had always believed that when it came to the word “simp” in a romantic relationship, it could be divided into three types.
The first was the most common one: the simp dog.
It described someone who stared at the other person like a dog, desperately trying to please and accommodate them without any bottom line, lowering themselves so much that they lost their sense of self.
The second was the simp wolf.
As long as a simp dog simped for enough people at the same time, he could become a simp wolf.
Compared to simp dogs, Ren admired this kind of person more because they were smarter and more goal-oriented.
They understood the importance of not hanging themselves on a single tree.
But even then, that was all they amounted to.
So Ren’s requirement for himself was this:
If he absolutely had to use “simping” as a method to conquer Matsuzaka Satou, then he could only be the third type.
A simp lion.
In the animal world, the strong devoured the weak.
He would lick the other person as prey he could swallow, not as an equal romantic partner.
He could choose to bite down directly.
Or he could choose to wait until she willingly delivered herself to his mouth.
As for why he had to “simp,” based on Ren’s limited memories from his previous life and his observations of Satou so far, he made a judgment.
Matsuzaka Satou was an affection-starved person.
Her parents had died when she was little, and she had grown up in an abnormal environment.
For someone like her, as long as he cared about her a little more and spoiled her to the heavens, he should be able to obtain…[Love], right?
Fine.
In truth, Ren was not completely sure either.
After all, who could say anything for certain when it came to love?
And even if he could say it clearly, that would be useless.
Even if the system thought it was love, that would still be useless.
Only if Matsuzaka Satou herself believed it was [Love] would it truly be [Love].
If she did not, then even if his performance was smooth enough to unlock eighteen positions in bed, it might still be judged as [Disgust] instead.
Although Ren wanted both, since he had already decided to follow the tactic of getting [Love] first and [Disgust] later, he would try simping for now and adjust in time if it did not work.
Ren felt it should have some effect.
Even if he could not get [Love], he could at least raise her affection level.
No one hated a simp.
No, that was wrong.
No one hated a rich simp.
If they did, then it only meant the rich simp had not spent money on them.
And Ren was never short on money.
He could swipe his black card however he wanted.
Although if he swiped too much, his parents would indeed ask questions.
But this was for welcoming Matsuzaka Satou, who had just arrived at their home.
If he spent money on her, they definitely would not say anything.
But money is not a panacea.
No matter how much money he had, it could not buy [Love].
Ren knew that.
So this was difficult.
Very difficult.
“Ren, I’m full.
It was really good.”
Satou put down her fork and said.
Ren watched as she picked up a napkin and slowly wiped the honey from the corner of her mouth.
She had finished the pancakes that were served.
There were many dishes on the table, but that was the only one she had finished.
It seemed she liked sweet things.
But above her head, there was still nothing.
Ah…
If this were Yanami Anna, then just bringing her here should have produced [Joy].
Ren started thinking of someone else again.
But what Yanami Anna lacked was not [Joy] or [Love].
What she lacked was a pile of negative emotions.
And the best way to collect negative emotions from her was to stop contacting her for a long time or not answer her calls.
“What’s the plan after this?
If there’s nothing else, I’d like to go back and organize my things first,” Satou suddenly said.
“My clothes haven’t been put away yet, and I haven’t taken out the documents that need to be given to big sister for the adoption process either.”
Satou thought of the clothes in her suitcase, as well as the clothes she had left in the bathroom.
They still had not been sorted out.
“You reminded me.”
Ren stood up from his seat, his expression gentle.
“I’ll go with you to buy new clothes.”
“Eh?
I already have clothes…”
Satou originally wanted to say she had clothes to wear.
But after thinking about it, those clothes had been worn for many years.
Some of them had even belonged to her aunt when she was young.
Putting aside how old and worn they were, and how out of place they looked in the villa, just the fact that Satou was developing quickly during puberty meant she should have changed them long ago.
She simply had no money.
“Then…
I’ll trouble you, Ren.”
Satou’s voice was quieter than usual.
Troubling someone too much, and constantly accepting other people’s kindness and favors, made Satou feel something strange and complicated.
Besides, Ren’s earlier words, “pauper,” were still spinning in her head.
Having no money..really was troublesome.
…
Harajuku District, Tokyo, was famous for “fashion trends.”
It was the birthplace of youth culture, with representative locations like Takeshita Street and Omotesando.
In addition, it also backed onto Meiji Shrine, where many people held weddings.
Because of that, the streets of Harajuku were always packed with people.
Ren and Satou were also squeezed into the crowd.
They walked along the display windows on the pedestrian street, their eyes passing over mannequins in various brand stores and mass-market shops.
“Do you see any clothes you like?”
Ren asked.
He pointed at a cream-colored dress in the display window of the shop on their left.
“What about that dress?”
Satou did not speak.
She was still looking around.
All the clothes were very nice.
From oversized T-shirts with weird patterns, to punk jackets covered in studs, to lolita innerwear with lace trim, and all kinds of brightly colored knit hats.
In short, the clothes were all very good.
But Satou was honestly a little embarrassed to buy such expensive clothes.
Unlike the breakfast with no visible price tags, these shops were still ridiculously expensive even when discount tags were attached.
Especially the shop Ren was pointing at on the left.
She recognized that logo.
It was an Italian brand that even Hida Shouko, who was also rich, had once exclaimed in a magazine, “I could never afford this in my entire life!”
So Satou could only find an excuse to refuse.
“That one looks a little too fancy…”
She smiled and said, “It doesn’t really suit me.”
Ren glanced at her.
The system had not popped up with a [Joy] notification.
Combined with Satou’s slightly tense shoulders, he could almost guess what she was thinking.
After all, he had seen many children act like this when they visited unfamiliar relatives’ homes for the first time.
She did not dare ask for it.
She was afraid of owing too much.
Afraid she could not repay it.
Afraid that behind this “kindness” was something she could not bear.
Satou was even more sensitive in this regard than he had expected.
Ren sighed, rarely showing such a reaction.
He realized he was not good at dealing with girls like Matsuzaka Satou.
But this had nothing to do with collecting emotions.
“Satou, do you know what money means to capitalists?”
Ren asked.
“?”
Satou froze.
She instantly realized that her thoughts had been seen through.
“I don’t know.”
She shook her head and answered.
How could she possibly know?
Satou only knew that when she lived at her aunt’s house, she had less than 500 yen a day, living expenses included.
But here, any random piece of clothing could equal several months of her living expenses.
“Sometimes it’s about the same as paper.
Sometimes it’s life.”
“It depends on the amount.
Before the amount reaches a certain level, it’s basically no different from paper.”
“So?”
Satou blinked, not understanding what he meant.
“So from now on, you’re a child of the Ayanokouji family and also a member of the capitalist class.”
“You may not be able to tell, but our family education is quite strict.”
“?”
Satou admitted that she really could not tell.
Ren suddenly ordered, “Straighten your back and look forward.”
Satou raised her head and saw Ren’s golden eyes shining brightly under the sunlight.
She subconsciously straightened her back.
“Don’t lose the dignity of the Ayanokouji family over a few pieces of paper.”
“The Shuchiin you’re going to attend in the future is full of young ladies from wealthy families.”
“You need to carry yourself with the attitude that our family either drives Maybachs or Lamborghinis.”
Ren stared into Satou’s eyes.
“Don’t let people look down on you.
Don’t embarrass your own family at school.”
“I…
Your big sister means the same thing.”
Satou froze.
Her worldview was being reshaped.
This was the first time she had ever received this kind of education.
Was this how upper-class families taught their children?
And also…
“Own family?”
Ren nodded.
He lightly patted Satou’s face to wake her up, then took out his phone and showed her a photo.
“Ayanokouji Satou.
That will be your name from now on.”
“The butler sent it to me in the car earlier, and Mother has agreed too.”
“Procedurally, you’re already a member of the Ayanokouji family now.
Understand?”
“Ayanokouji Satou?”
Satou looked at the photo and felt that the name sounded pretty good.
Because it sounded a lot like Ayanokouji Ren’s auntie.
Ren did not realize that Satou was thinking something dangerous.
“In the future, you’ll live at school under that name.
Remember to answer when the teacher calls you.”
“Okay.”
Satou nodded.
“Then look at that shop for me.”
Ren pointed to the left.
“Look straight ahead and walk in with your head held high.”
“Pick the piece of clothing you like the most, then call the manager over and say: ‘This one.
Wrap it up for me.'”
Ren raised a fist toward her.
“Then I’ll swipe the card behind you.
Got it?”
“Yes.”
Satou nodded hard, and a smile appeared on her face.
She truly felt what it was like to have family standing behind her.
That feeling was amazing.
It was something she had never experienced before.
It felt so good that the corners of her mouth could not help lifting, and she even wanted to jump on the spot.
This was probably what happiness felt like, right?
Satou walked forward with large strides.
But soon, she shortened her steps again.
After all, she was still a girl.
Even so, [Joy] appeared above her head.
…
(PS: I’m back on webnovel.
I have some free time.