The next morning, Ren stood before the gates of the bungalow.
The air was crisp, and he felt unusually relaxed as he walked through the entrance and stepped inside.
As he entered the main hall, his eyes caught the back of a familiar head resting against the sofa.
He froze in his tracks, his eyes widening in surprise.
‘Souta is here this early?’
Ren moved closer, his footsteps silent on the floor.
When he finally rounded the sofa to see Souta’s face, he found the older man with his eyes closed, breathing rhythmically in a deep sleep.
“He’s actually out cold,” Ren whispered to himself.
But then, his gaze dropped to Souta’s lap.
A girl was curled up there, her hands tucked against her chest and her face pressed toward Souta’s stomach.
She had draped her dark coat over herself like a makeshift blanket.
Ren stood there in sheer shock, his heart skipping a beat.
He pointed a trembling finger at the sleeping figure.
‘W-Who… who is this girl?’
Suddenly, a heavy hand clamped down on Ren’s shoulder—
Tap.
“Aaaaagh—!!”
Ren let out a strangled yelp of terror, nearly jumping out of his skin.
He whirled around, clutching his chest.
It was Masaki.
“You nearly gave me a heart attack!” Ren hissed, trying to catch his breath.
Masaki looked exhausted, his eyes carrying heavy bags.
“Ren, ghosts don’t haunt people in the morning.”
The commotion was enough to wake Souta.
His eyes fluttered open, blinking slowly as he realized both Masaki and Ren were standing over him.
Masaki looked at Ren, raising an eyebrow.
“By the way, what were you staring at so intently?”
Ren’s face went slightly red, and he looked away, pointing once more at the girl still sound asleep in Souta’s lap.
“I— I was just wondering about… that.”
Masaki followed the line of Ren’s finger.
He looked at Souta, then at the girl tucked against him.
Souta remained perfectly calm, his expression unreadable, even as he looked down at Sayu.
Masaki stepped closer, eyeing Souta with a look that demanded an explanation.
Ren stood beside him, watching the awkward silence stretch on.
Masaki tried to send a silent signal with his eyes, but Souta didn’t seem to notice—or perhaps he was choosing to ignore it.
“Souta,” Ren said softly, his voice dripping with mischief.
“Look down.”
‘What’s down there?’ Souta thought.
He lowered his gaze and saw Sayu, still peacefully resting her head on his lap.
He looked back up at the two brothers, his expression turning stoic.
“Whatever you two are thinking… it’s not like that.”
Ren let out a triumphant smirk.
“Ohhh… is that so, Mr. President?”
Souta’s eyes twitched.
‘So, Ren was saving that title for a special moment, huh?
Well played, Egret.’
Masaki looked at Ren, confused.
“President?”
“Yeah,” Ren said with a wide, proud smile.
“He used to be our student council president.”
Souta felt a vein throb in his temple.
Masaki looked back at him, then down at Sayu again.
“You should probably wake her up, Souta.”
Souta looked down at Sayu.
He reached out and gently shook her shoulder.
“Get up, Sayu… Sayu.”
Sayu’s eyes fluttered open for a fraction of a second.
“Hi…” she murmured sleepily before instantly closing her eyes and drifting back off.
The three men stood there, paralyzed by the sheer absurdity of the moment.
Ren leaned toward Masaki’s ear, whispering loudly enough for Souta to hear.
“I don’t think Souta has any intention of actually waking her up.”
Masaki stared at the pair with a deadpan expression.
“Yeah. I can see that.”
Souta’s ears burned.
He’d heard them.
Without another word, he gripped Sayu’s shoulders with both hands and forced her into a sitting position, shaking her firmly.
“Wake up, Sayu! It’s morning!”
“Ahh… ngh… fine, fine,” Sayu groaned, her voice thick with exhaustion.
She sat up awkwardly, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands.
When her vision finally cleared, she realized Souta, Masaki, and Ren were all staring at her with various degrees of disbelief.
Sayu offered a bright, innocent smile.
“Why are you all looking at me like that?”
‘She doesn’t even care,’ Souta thought, exasperated.
‘Will she ever stop drinking?’*Masaki wondered, rubbing his temples.
‘How can she be this carefree?’ Ren mused, staring in awe.
Sayu looked at the three of them with a silly, curious expression.
“Are you all just going to stand over me like statues, or are you going to sit down?”
Masaki and Ren both quickly looked away, clearing their throats, and took seats on the adjacent sofa.
Sayu turned her attention to Masaki, her tone becoming slightly more serious.
“You called us here to talk about something. So, speak up.”
Masaki took a deep breath, his expression hardening.
“Raiga, Souta, and I… we’re heading to Vietnam. There’s a meeting being held there.”
A heavy silence followed.
“Politicians and high-ranking officers want to discuss the new drug—the one that produces artificial strength.”
Souta frowned.
“Are those politicians corrupt, Masaki?”
“Most likely,” Masaki admitted.
“But Souta… I can’t leave Ren here alone without guidance. That’s why I need you to help him.”
Ren stood up abruptly.
“I don’t need a mentor.”
“Sit down,” Masaki commanded.
Ren sat back down, gritting his teeth.
Masaki looked at his younger brother with a gaze filled with experience.
“Ren, you’re incredibly skilled. But if you don’t have the right guidance, all that talent is pointless.”
“Remember this: having someone with experience by your side is necessary.”
Ren listened carefully, the weight of Masaki’s words sinking in.
He looked at his brother and finally nodded.
“Fine. I understand.”
Sayu rested her chin in her hand, her elbow balanced on her thigh, and watched Ren intently.
‘He’s so different from Masaki,’ she thought.
“Alright then,” Sayu chimed in.
“Time for introductions!”
Ren stood up slightly, giving a polite nod.
“I’m Ren Fujimiya. Masaki’s younger brother.”
Sayu’s face lit up with a bright, radiant smile.
“And I’m Sayu Morikawa! Rank 4.”
Ren froze.
His jaw practically hit the floor.
“Wait… she is Rank 4?!”
Masaki offered a calm, affirming smile.
“Yes. She is the 4th.”
Ren turned back to stare at Sayu, his mind completely reeling.
‘Are you kidding me?’he thought, looking at her soft features and bright eyes.
*’With a face that innocent, and the way she acts…
I figured she’d be Rank 5 or 6 at best.
But Rank 4?!’
Sayu clapped her hands together, practically bouncing on the sofa with excitement.
“Oh, it’s been months since I’ve had a new trainee! This is going to be so much fun!”
Ren blinked, still trying to process the information.
“Wait, you’ve trained someone else before?”
Souta nodded, speaking up from his seat.
“Yeah. She was the one who trained Rank 6.”
Before Ren could ask any more questions, a sharp buzz vibrated from his pocket.
He pulled out his phone, glancing at a newly arrived message.
“Ah, I actually have some things I need to take care of right now,” Ren said, pocketing the phone.
“I should get going.”
Souta immediately stood up and walked over.
To Ren’s surprise, Souta extended his hand with a deeply serious expression.
“All the best, Ren.”
Ren was completely caught off guard.
He awkwardly shook Souta’s hand, throwing a confused glance at Masaki.
*’Why is he wishing me “all the best” out of nowhere?
It sounds so final…’*
Before Ren could dwell on it, Masaki suddenly stepped forward.
His usual commanding, stoic aura was entirely gone.
He looked down at the floor for a brief moment, a heavy emotional weight settling over his features.
Without a word, Masaki pulled his younger brother into a tight, firm hug.
Ren’s eyes went wide.
His arms hovered awkwardly in the air.
As Masaki held him, he whispered softly, his voice carrying a strange, melancholic weight.
“If it ever comes to it… please, try to forgive me, Ren.”
The shock paralyzed Ren.
*’Forgive him?
For what?’*
He pulled back slightly, looking over Masaki’s shoulder toward Sayu.
Sayu just sat there on the sofa, offering him a sweet, reassuring smile.
Ren finally broke the embrace, his heart pounding with confusion.
He turned around and began to walk toward the exit.
When he reached the heavy double doors, he couldn’t help but look back over his shoulder.
Masaki was standing there, watching him leave with a soft, warm smile.
Souta stood beside him, his expression mirroring Masaki’s quiet warmth.
Even Sayu was cheerfully waving goodbye at him.
Ren faced forward again, pushing the doors open to step outside.
As the cool morning air hit his face, he muttered a bewildered whisper to himself.
“Why did they suddenly look so… different?”
With a mind full of unanswered questions and a strange, lingering sense of foreboding, Ren walked out through the entrance gates.
—Chapter 20 End—
Chapter 20 will be released this Sunday, and I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has been reading Ren Fujimiya.
I hope you’re enjoying the story and its characters so far.
If you have any questions about the world, the characters, or anything that has happened in the story, please don’t hesitate to ask.
I’ll do my best to answer without spoiling future events.
Your thoughts, theories, and feedback mean a lot to me.
Thank you for being part of this journey, and I hope you’ll continue walking alongside Ren as the story unfolds.