Chapter 117: Opening a Harem Didn't Affect Anything at All
Learning knows no bounds. After supplementing with relevant information, Renako opened yet another door to a new world, realizing just how many things she was capable of doing.
However, before attempting anything with Ren, she discovered even more peculiar details.
Being a first-year junior, Renako wasn't entirely clear on how Ren and Hitori had met, nor had she fully grasped the true nature of their relationship.
Initially, she had assumed they were simply good friends, but after starting to date Ren, Renako began to suspect that wasn't the whole story.
After all, she herself had first approached Hitori with the intention of making friends, and only later got to know Ren. Even before that, Ren and Hitori's bond had already been strong.
Certain things she had once taken for granted now sparked doubts in her mind after becoming his girlfriend.
Why were all of Ren's friends pink-haired girls?
Were they really just friends?
And whose traces of daily life were those she had noticed at his home?
With these questions swirling in her mind, Renako took a closer look at the relationships between Hitori and the others with Ren.
This closer examination did reveal some anomalies. After all, Hitori and the others only seemed careful to schedule time for Ren to be with them, but otherwise made little effort to conceal anything.
For instance, sometimes Ram and Rem would pick them up from school in a different car.
This clearly went beyond the bounds of ordinary friendship. Ram and Rem were Ren's maids, yet they were tasked with escorting Hitori and the others—what did that imply?
It was highly likely that Hitori and the others were also individuals whom Ram and Rem served.
All of them were beautiful girls with pink hair...
Some were even more accomplished than her...
The more Renako thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. The number of girls like Hitori even matched the number of rooms in Ren's house.
In other words, was Ren cheating!?
Or perhaps it was a secret affair, and maybe she was the other woman.
But no matter which possibility it was, Renako felt, she felt...
Wait, why didn't she feel more disgusted by this?
Had her perspective on love been warped back in middle school when she was isolated?
Despite noticing these oddities, Renako didn't feel much urge to confront Ren directly. Strangely, she wasn't all that angry and found herself somewhat accepting of the situation.
If Ren and Hitori were indeed involved as she suspected, then Hitori and the others must already know about her relationship with Ren, especially since she had been brought to his home.
Yet, Hitori and the others treated her just as kindly and warmly as before, without any exclusion or signs of discomfort, as if her dating Ren didn't affect their relationships at all.
Still, keeping these thoughts to herself without asking was starting to feel suffocating.
So, in the end, Renako decided to ask Ren directly what was really going on.
"Ren, we're borrowing your kouhai Renako for the evening, alright?"
After school, Yuno patted Ren's shoulder—some matters didn't require his personal attention.
"Has Renako noticed something unusual?"
Even without saying more, Ren understood what might happen. Ten minutes into the future was enough time for Yuno to accomplish many things.
The fact that she had given him a warning, and that it involved Renako, led Ren to believe it could only be related to him, Hitori, and the others.
When they were just friends, Renako couldn't enter his private space and hadn't discovered much. But after they started dating and she visited his home, certain things he hadn't bothered to hide were enough to make her suspicious.
This was also an unavoidable step. Ren had long been prepared to explain, though it now seemed his intervention wouldn't be necessary.
"Mm, leave it to me and Karen. Ren, you just wait for our good news~"
Yuno smiled faintly and nodded. Matters of the harem naturally didn't require Ren to worry—otherwise, it would be their failure. Welcoming a new sister also gave them an opportunity to learn how to handle such situations.
"I'll wait for your news."
Ren felt completely at ease with this. After entrusting the task to Yuno, he left school with Ram to find Anon. She was the only one who hadn't transferred schools and had no intention of doing so, so she spent less time with Ren compared to the others.
With time to spare, Ren decided to visit Anon, who had been exploring so many shops lately that her figure wasn't as slender as before.
Meanwhile, Yuno, along with Karen and Satou, found Renako, who had been planning to look for Ren. They invited her to the clubroom they used during lunch breaks and slowly began discussing Ren's situation...
"Senpai~~"
That evening, when Ren returned home, he was surprised to find Renako there as well. It was rare for her to visit on a weekday, as no parent, no matter how trusting, would let their child stay out overnight on a school night.
But for Ren, this was undoubtedly good news.
"What's wrong? You sound so resentful."
Ren smiled and sat down beside Renako, trying to take her hand, but she pulled away with a sulky expression.
"What do you think? I never imagined you'd turn out to be a responsible scumbag. I'm both angry and relieved, and I don't even know how to face you anymore..."
Renako said, her voice filled with resentment. Yuno and the others had already taken the initiative to explain Ren's situation to her that evening.
The truth wasn't far from what she had imagined—Ren was indeed building a pink-haired harem.
Learning the truth left her with mixed feelings. She had come to make friends, only to end up becoming part of Ren's harem.
Yet this revelation didn't bring any substantial negative impact on her life. Making friends continued as before. While they were part of Ren's harem, they were still friends, and this only brought them closer rather than creating distance.
Even now, knowing that Ren was a responsible scumbag with a harem, Renako's life remained unaffected in any negative way.
As a newcomer, Hitori accepted her without interfering in her relationship with Ren.
Once everything was out in the open, things returned to normal. If she wanted to play games with Ren, they could still play together. If she missed him during lunch break at school, she could still come find him.
She had only learned that Ren was maintaining a Harem, but nothing else had changed. Therefore, she wasn't angry—just somewhat resentful.
This was unavoidable, and Ren knew it well. So what he needed to do now was spend time with Renako, dissolve the resentment in her heart, and make her deeply realize
that his Harem didn't affect their being together.
After all, among all these pink-haired girls, she was the only one who loved games.