Chapter 69: The First Round of Knife Fight
Satou's emotions were somewhat out of control, her mouth occasionally murmuring words Ren couldn't quite catch. When she left, there was no light in her eyes.
This lunch was clearly not going to happen.
Considering the weight behind the term "yandere," Ren grabbed his keys and headed out, driving to Kessoku Band while remembering to buy some snacks along the way.
...
...
"Watanabe-kun is here again? I'm so jealous of Bocchi-chan."
Ren's visits to check on them had become frequent enough that Nijika was no longer surprised, though her tone was filled with envy. Ever since their band ended, they'd essentially become part of Hitori and Ren's play routine, making her genuinely jealous.
Meanwhile, Ryo had already taken the snacks and started devouring them, clearly enjoying herself the most.
"Just passing by. Feel free to practice if you need to, I'll just sit for a while."
Ren offered a faint smile, keeping his worries to himself. He wasn't afraid of Yuno or Satou having a mental breakdown and coming after him—he had the ability to defend himself.
But he feared they might take their anger out on Hitori instead. That's why he came straight to Kessoku Band without waiting until evening. Being targeted by a yandere was incredibly troublesome, and Ren knew it well. So if either Satou or Yuno dared make a move, he wouldn't hold back.
"We'll return Bocchi-chan to you soon enough."
Nijika giggled. Even with Ren visiting, band practice couldn't be neglected. Their last performance was just the beginning—once they built enough popularity and improved their skills to a certain level, they planned to perform on other stages too.
"Mom said I have to come home to rest tonight... she advised us to be more moderate..."
After practice, as Hitori bid farewell to her friends and left Kessoku Band with Ren, she blushed and spoke hesitantly.
She had spent two nights with Ren this weekend, though they hadn't done anything that Friday.
But in Michiyo's eyes, it might as well have been everything. While she didn't oppose them entering the adult world so early, she emphasized moderation and maintaining their health.
So when Hitori left home that day, her mother reminded her to return that night. No matter how much she trusted Ren's character, she couldn't trust the impulses of adolescence—who knows, maybe Hitori wanted it even more.
"I haven't said anything about you coming to my place tonight. Actually, I'm going to your place. I already talked to your mom about it. It's always been Bocchi-chan coming over to my place—this time, I want to spend the night at Bocchi-chan's house."
Ren found it somewhat amusing. Though they only had one night a week to enjoy each other's company—far from enough for people their age—Ren wasn't so desperate that he needed to take her daughter out every weekend.
Besides, this time his goal was to gauge Satou's attitude and determine what level of yandere she was.
"There's nothing good about staying at my place, is there? It might dirty you, Ren."
Realizing her misunderstanding, Hitori's face grew even redder, like a fresh apple, utterly tantalizing.
At the same time, a faint sense of inferiority surfaced in her heart. After spending a few nights in his spacious apartment, she felt too embarrassed to have Ren enter her simple room again—it would feel like sullying him.
"It's not that exaggerated, and having Bocchi-chan with me is enough. Do you remember what I said before? If it's plain, we'll decorate it. Let's buy some stickers before heading back."
Ren smiled and gently squeezed Hitori's small hand. Hitori's room had great potential for renovation, and since they never had a concrete decoration plan, this was a good opportunity to start gradually improving it.
Rather than directly sending furniture that might startle the Gotou parents, Ren first took Hitori to buy some wallpaper and potted plants for the initial decoration phase.
Ren didn't forget to get a gift for Futari either. This time, he bought her extravagant princess boots. Last time, he'd intentionally only bought the dress without matching shoes, precisely so he'd always have new presents to bring each visit.
Futari still loved this gift dearly, though this time she couldn't achieve her goal of kissing Ren's cheeks more times than Hitori did—because Hitori's whole night of murmured kisses and affection would take Futari years to catch up to.
After dinner, Ren and Hitori returned to her room. Since they were at the Gotou residence, Ren remained particularly restrained, especially considering the Gotou house's soundproofing wasn't as good as his spacious apartment's.
As night deepened, Ren noticed no unusual movements. Perhaps Satou hadn't formulated her plans yet on this first night?
In any case, no news was good news. Setting aside his vigilance for now, Ren held Hitori and gradually fell asleep.
Outside the Gotou residence, Yuno hid in the shadows, quietly awaiting Satou's arrival.
Ren had been too conservative in his assumptions about advance reconnaissance. They had begun scouting the location ever since learning Hitori was Ren's girlfriend—camera locations, police patrol routes and schedules, even when nearby residents typically rested—they had mapped everything out thoroughly.
Therefore, Yuno was certain Satou would come tonight.
...
At 2 AM, crisp footsteps approached—soft, yet distinct in the silent night.
Satou walked with her hands behind her back, carrying a bag.
"Do you understand what this means?" Yuno emerged from the shadows, her gaze complex as she looked at Satou before sighing.
"I know~ Ren will hate me. But who told her to steal Ren away and change his perspective on love? Things shouldn't have turned out this way."
Satou stopped walking, her expression blank and eyes lifeless. She regarded Ren as her entire world, yet someone else had colored what belonged to her, even causing him to change because of that person.
"Is that so? Then I should thank you for giving me this opportunity. If you return now, I can still cover for you. But if you insist on your current path, it will be Ren who judges you, not me."
During her wait, Yuno had contemplated deeply. If she stubbornly clung to her original beliefs while Ren was undergoing change, she would be the one abandoned, not Hitori.
Ever since Hitori supported Ren's harem, she had become invincible.
If that was Hitori's reluctant compromise, then accepting this situation was Yuno's reluctant compromise as well—unless she was prepared for them all to become martyrs together.
Yuno had that resolve, but she didn't want Ren to share the same fate.
So she compromised and changed, taking the initiative to stop Satou from making a mistake, otherwise things would truly become irreparable.
"You're going to stop me?"
Satou understood Yuno's intention, which left her somewhat disappointed. She had thought Yuno possessed the same determination as her, but Yuno had softened.
Once you soften, the blade won't be sharp enough.
Without another word, Satou set down the black bag and charged at Yuno with a fruit knife, determined to eliminate every obstacle between her and Ren.
Little did she know that by doing so, she herself would become the obstacle between her and Ren.
"Then there's nothing left to discuss."
Yuno also let out a helpless sigh, her eyes turning icy cold as she swung an axe at Satou.
The knife and axe collided with a sharp clang, sparks flying from the impact. Their strength was evenly matched, and the force of the clash left both their arms numb. But they quickly recovered, launching fierce attacks at each other with such intensity that the sound of slicing air could faintly be heard. They wielded their weapons, silver arcs weaving a dazzling spectacle of chaos. The quiet street echoed with the clear, violent clangs of metal, reminiscent of a blacksmith's forge.
"What are you two doing?"
Hearing the commotion, Ren pushed open the Gotou family's gate and stepped out, watching Yuno and Satou with an expressionless face.
Both of them paused slightly. A flicker of panic crossed Satou's face, and Yuno seized the opportunity to strike her wrist, knocking the fruit knife from her grasp and stepping on it. Then, she hid the hand holding the axe behind her back and revealed a gentle smile.
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