Chapter 112: Trust, Sweet-Talking, and Acting Cute
"Should I do it? Of course I should!
Having sacrificed so much already, Mai didn't want to abandon this hard-won evidence of scandal.
So after school that afternoon, before Renako could go find Ren, Mai stopped her and showed her screenshots from the video—specifically frames showing Ren actively kissing her rather than her standing on tiptoe to kiss him.
"Renako, that Watanabe guy is trash. I just tempted him a little and he completely forgot about having a girlfriend like you and kissed me. He doesn't deserve to be with you, so come back to me instead. I'll love you more than he ever could!"
"???"
After examining the screenshots and finding nothing wrong with them, Renako looked at Mai with confusion.
This didn't make sense. She knew he was my boyfriend, yet you still seduced him? And after succeeding, you're reporting it to me instead??
Plus they weren't just ordinary friends—Mai had feelings for her, which made this even stranger.
"Mai-san, you're being really weird. I can tolerate other things, but this kind of behavior makes me angry too. If you keep this up, I'll stop talking to you."
After her initial confusion, Renako looked at Mai with displeasure. This had gone beyond joking around. She used to have trouble refusing others' requests and wanted to live that popular, outgoing life.
But that was before high school. Now she had close friends and a boyfriend, and every night she'd reflect in bed about what she could have done better and where she needed improvement.
After some time, she'd grown quite a bit. At least when it came to romance, she didn't want to maintain this situation anymore, nor did she want Mai constantly harassing her and affecting her relationship with Ren.
So even after seeing the video screenshots, she didn't immediately assume Ren was at fault.
Having said her piece, she ran off to find Ren without even saying goodbye.
Seeing even this tactic had failed, Mai looked stunned. She raised her hand as if to stop Renako, but couldn't get any words out.
Could she actually be wrong?
But Renako, who had accepted her weaknesses, was the perfect existence for her...
...
"Senpai~ There's something I want to ask you privately, is that okay?"
After leaving the classroom and finding Ren, Renako looked somewhat troubled as she glanced at Yuno and the others.
"We have band practice, so we'll head out first."
Yuno and the others smiled gently and voluntarily left.
Though this was considerate behavior most people would show, it still made Renako feel particularly comforted. After all, she'd been isolated throughout middle school—even these small gestures easily won her favor and made her happy.
The senpais really are all too kind~
"This is about Mai, right?"
After waiting for Yuno and the others to leave first, Ren slowly walked out of school with Renako.
He'd noticed Satsuki on the rooftop earlier and knew what she was trying to do, so he'd already been prepared.
"Yes, is that photo real? Did Mai-san really kiss you, Senpai?"
Holding Ren's hand, Renako's expression was tinged with unease and nervousness.
"It's true, but guess what she said at the time?"
Ren didn't deny it, as it was actually quite easy to explain.
"What did she say?"
"She kissed me first, saying she wanted to steal your first kiss back, so I just took it back from her."
"Eh? Senpai, you're so mean~ Don't joke like that. First kisses aren't something to be stolen back and forth."
After hearing the explanation, Renako was momentarily stunned. As the subject being discussed, she blushed and nudged Ren's arm with her shoulder.
"What if I said it was all true?"
"..."
Renako pondered for a moment and realized she wasn't angry at all. After all, it was all Mai's fault—Ren was the one who actually got taken advantage of and harassed. Boys need to protect themselves outside too.
So she wasn't angry, just worried that Ren might like her less.
After all, aside from having a slightly larger chest and being somewhat pretty, she was quite ordinary and hardly had any competitive edge against Mai.
But the fact that Ren had kissed Mai in that inexplicable first-kiss battle for her sake—didn't that count as a form of affection for her?
In any case, Renako was thoroughly bewildered. Rather than blaming her partner over rumors or evidence, she trusted her partner's words over outsiders'.
"You're not mad, are you?"
Seeing Renako's somewhat dazed expression that hadn't changed much, Ren gently squeezed her palm.
"No, it's not your fault, Senpai. But I'm a little jealous... I want your kiss too..."
Renako didn't voice her worries, since Ren was still by her side after all. Still, she acted coquettishly with him—after all, she had seen her partner kiss another woman.
It was a big deal.
Even though that woman seemed to like her, it still felt strange. Anyway, she couldn't fall behind—she hadn't kissed Ren at all today.
Naturally, Ren wouldn't begrudge this small request. After getting in the car, he pulled Renako into his arms and fulfilled her little wish.
"Senpai, you won't abandon me someday, will you?"
After a long while, their lips parted. Stirred by emotion, Renako voiced her worries due to the intense emotional fluctuation. Though being in a relationship with Ren would be happy, the pressure would also be immense.
Because Renako lacked confidence in keeping Ren's heart always on her—compared to him, she was just too ordinary, making her somewhat insecure.
"I won't. Even if you try to leave me someday, I won't allow it. That's what you should worry about."
Expressing love and feeling insecure after intimacy were both normal. Hitori often had such situations before, so Ren gave Renako a preemptive reassurance.
"As long as you don't abandon me, I'll never leave you, Senpai. So you have to take responsibility, okay~"
Renako lay in Ren's arms, not fully understanding his words, but still confessed her feelings and planted another kiss on his cheek.
With others, she only wanted to be friends so there was no need for commitment, but with Ren, Renako wanted to take responsibility and also wanted him to be responsible for her.
"Of course we will."
After holding each other for a long time, Ren finally let Renako return to the passenger seat, and they went on a date together. With no club activities after school, they had plenty of time to enjoy themselves.