“It’s so good to see you like this, Eriri.”
Only a mother could understand her daughter that well.
Sayuri had worried that the Sadako incident might leave Eriri withdrawn and sad, but those fears turned out to be unfounded.
Eriri was doing great.
She had bounced back, felt energetic again, and even made new friends.
Eriri never really explained how the curse was broken.
She just said she was safe.
Sayuri knew some things were better left unsaid, so she didn’t ask.
As long as her daughter was happy, that was enough.
When Ren arrived at the designated meetup spot, Megumi Kato was already waiting for him.
“Are we the only ones here so far, Megumi?”
The others seemed to be running late.
“You look fantastic today, Megumi.” Ren could tell she had put real effort into her outfit.
Her soft features seemed even more delicate than usual, and her clothes matched her bob cut perfectly.
She looked really cute.
“You look quite handsome yourself, Ren.”
His compliment made her eyes light up a little.
Getting up early to get ready had definitely been worth it.
Since there was still no sign of the others, Megumi suddenly reached out and tugged on Ren’s sleeve.
“What is it?” Ren asked, looking at her in confusion.
Megumi’s expression remained perfectly flat.
“I was just thinking about how we will be walking around all day.
I should probably get a Positive energy top-up before we start.”
A Positive energy top-up?
With her usual blank face, it was impossible to know what she was really thinking.
“Sure.”
Ren had no reason to refuse.
Compared to their first time, Megumi seemed much more confident now.
Their kiss lasted three or four minutes, long enough for both of them to get lost in the moment before they finally separated.
“…” Utaha Kasumigaoka showed up just in time to see what was happening.
Her good mood disappeared instantly.
“It seems I arrived at a bad time,” Utaha said, her voice edged with irritation.
Ren was about to explain, but Megumi beat him to it.
“I was just topping up my Positive energy,” she said calmly.
“It would be a problem if I vanished in the middle of our trip.”
“Is that so?”
Utaha narrowed her eyes.
Megumi’s face stayed completely blank.
Utaha realized in that moment that this quiet, expressionless girl was her biggest rival. New chapters come out on novelping.com first.
Eriri and Yukino weren’t even close to being as dangerous as Megumi.
The whole time, Megumi looked totally innocent.
Ren raised an eyebrow.
Why did the atmosphere suddenly feel so tense?
Luckily, Yukino and Eriri showed up a few minutes later and broke the tension.
Ren spent the day taking the girls from one rumored urban legend spot to another.
They searched from morning until late afternoon, checking every place they could get to.
The result was exactly what he had expected.
“I can’t believe none of them were real!” Eriri complained.
They had been hoping to see another urban legend, but every rumor turned out to be a dead end.
“That is normal,” Ren said.
He was not surprised in the slightest.
“If urban legends were that easy to stumble across, the world would have ended a long time ago.”
He had a point.
They couldn’t really argue with that.
“All right, it is getting late.
I’ll walk everyone home.” Ren noticed that the sky had already begun to darken.
“Okay.”
Nobody objected.
Even though they didn’t find any ghosts, spending the day together as a club was still a lot of fun.
They dropped off Yukino first, then Eriri, and finally Megumi.
“Get some rest,” Ren said when they reached Megumi’s front door.
He turned to leave, but Megumi stopped him.
“Ren…”
“Yeah?” He paused and looked back.
“I just realized we won’t see each other for a little while.
I should probably get another Positive energy top-up.”
Her face stayed blank.
It was impossible to tell if she had any hidden motives.
“Sure.”
Ren obliged without hesitation.
A few feet away, Utaha tapped her foot on the pavement, clearly frustrated.
Utaha lived the farthest away, so she was the last stop.
As they walked side by side, Utaha finally broke the silence.
“I am just transferring Positive energy to her,” Ren replied with a straight face.
He wasn’t just taking advantage of the situation.
“Tch.” As if she believed that.
Utaha knew better than to think Ren was some innocent saint.
As they got closer to her house, Utaha pretended to twist her ankle and fell right into his arms.
When she felt him tense up a little, a playful smile appeared on her face.
“Oh my.
I thought our dear Kouhai only had eyes for Megumi.
Do I make you nervous too?”
Was he imagining it, or did her voice sound a bit resentful?
“You need to give your own charm a little more credit, Senpai,” Ren replied.
Ren never said he was a saint.
This wasn’t a peaceful slice-of-life world, so his main goal was to get strong enough to survive.
That didn’t mean he planned to take a vow of celibacy.
“So…
you are saying you find me charming?”
She leaned in, her face just inches from his.
Acting this bold made her heart race.
She talked a big game and acted confidently, but deep down she was inexperienced.
Ren did not answer with words.
He let his actions speak for him and leaned down.
“Mmph!”
They kissed.
It was Utaha’s first kiss, and her whole body tensed up.
Still, with Ren so close and Megumi’s earlier kiss on her mind, she didn’t pull away.
After about a minute, she suddenly pushed him away and glared at him, her face bright red.
“Pervert!
You degenerate!”
Ren shrugged, looking entirely unapologetic.
“You have to be a little understanding, Utaha-senpai.
My hands have a mind of their own.
I can’t just go against their natural instincts.”
What a terrible excuse!!
The kiss started out fine, but his hands definitely began to wander.
It helps new readers find it.
And of course, your Power Stones help push the story forward.
Thanks for reading.