Chapter 123: The Girl Detective and the Encounter
Yuno's assessment of Mai continued, while on the other side, Renée obtained information about Ren.
The initial impression was positive, but out of professional habit, Renée hired detectives and hackers to investigate Ren's background.
His family background and specific records were clean—his parents died early, he started playing music in high school and actually made it big, then used the earnings to buy a new house and find girlfriends. That was all.
Everything seemed normal, but the information was actually quite sparse. These were just general details; even the detectives couldn't uncover specifics.
However, it didn't really matter, as Renée had no intention of digging into every last detail of Ren's background. Knowing the general situation was enough.
Even for matchmaking, people ask about cars and houses, let alone since she had already tentatively approved of Ren.
But what did it mean that he started dating in high school, was suspected of seeing multiple people at once, and had a particular fondness for pink-haired beauties?
Seeing the note that the authenticity of this information couldn't be confirmed, Renée looked puzzled.
Even if he had achieved financial freedom and a carefree life in high school, it didn't make sense for him to awaken so quickly to keeping lovers or developing polygonal relationships, right?
But since this information was recorded, it suggested there might be misunderstandings. It could be false, but Renée wouldn't treat it as such.
Not just out of caution, but also because the detective she hired was a student at the same school as Ren.
Setting down the report, Renée made a call: "Continue the investigation, this time dig deeper. I want confirmed information."
"What a hassle, but it's challenging."
The girl named Youko Terusawa clicked her tongue upon receiving the order but didn't refuse or show any dissatisfaction.
When she first received the request to investigate Ren, she was excited because Ren had almost no gossip and kept a very low profile.
Whether detectives or reporters, many wished to dig up some scandal or positive news about him to boost their own fame.
As an aspiring detective, Youko was naturally interested in this but never had the chance.
Now that someone was paying her to investigate, why not kill two birds with one stone?
The previous investigation only gathered widely known rumors and classmates' gossip. Youko hadn't dug deeper, as it was easy to offend people.
Ren still had the status of a student; going too far could backfire.
But those who become detectives aren't too afraid of trouble, so Youko wasn't worried about being punished if things came to light.
She was full of motivation, planning to uncover the true relationships between Ren and Hitori and the others.
Given the large number of people, most hadn't considered the possibility that it was all Ren's harem. But if she, Youko, confirmed it was true? Wouldn't she become famous!?
People die for wealth, birds perish for food. Youko took out her camera, confirmed it was working, waited until lunch break, then left the classroom and secretly headed to Ren's club to find an opportunity.
"Hmm~ Ren, if someone wants to disturb our peaceful life, what would be a good way to punish her?"
In the club activity room, Yuno played with her phone, looking slightly troubled as she sought Ren's opinion.
The reason they kept a low profile at school was to avoid being disturbed and gossiped about. There had been people curious about them before, but none had investigated as thoroughly as Youko.
When Yuno saw in Ren's future that he would be secretly photographed by a stranger, she immediately thought of several possibilities.
And regardless of which possibility it was, it would affect their peaceful life.
"Who is it? What does she want to do?"
Ren had already mentally prepared for such things. After all, he still received love letters occasionally—though Yuno intercepted them all before they reached him—let alone the people who wanted to gossip about him or gain some clout from him after he became famous.
"A first-year junior named Youko Terusawa. Seems to be a private detective."
"Capture her and ask if she has a client behind this."
After pondering the information for a moment, Ren leaned toward the idea that the junior named Youko Terusawa was hired to do this, since high school students rarely had the nerve to go this far without external support.
"Alright~"
Yuno smiled faintly and nodded, then stood up and left the activity room. Ten minutes would be enough for her to wait in ambush.
As for whether Youko would notice her? Sorry, but Yuno's skills in both detection and counter-detection were exceptional.
"Senpai, does Yuno-senpai have the ability to foresee the future? She seems to know about many things before they happen."
Not only Renako, who asked the question, but even Hitori and Karen weren't sure what Yuno's special ability was. They never asked, either—keeping some mystery was fine, and over time, they grew accustomed to it.
"You can think of it that way, but it's only about things related to me."
"Then she must have known about us all along?"
"Exactly. So if you can't find me in the future, you can ask Yuno. She'll definitely know where I am."
Renako, slow to realize this, felt both embarrassed and a bit scared in hindsight, but also felt a sense of being cared for by Yuno.
Yuno had known about her and Ren's relationship but neither interfered nor interrupted—she was practically a saint!
...
Meanwhile, outside the club activity room's corridor, Youko moved quietly and stealthily to the location.
Ren and the others weren't speaking loudly, but it was enough for Youko to follow their voices to the window of the activity room. Before approaching, she had cautiously checked her surroundings and the floors above and below for anything unusual.
After confirming no one was around, she secretly lifted the curtain on the corridor side and peered through a gap barely a centimeter wide to observe the situation inside the club.
Renako sat to Ren's left, leaning on the table with a joyful expression, talking about some game-related topic that Youko couldn't understand. Satou sat to his right, holding his hands and gently rubbing them as if giving a massage.
Hitori sat across from them, holding a guitar but not playing it, instead watching something on her phone. Karen and Mai were chatting happily about cosmetics.
Ram and Rem stood quietly by as maids, keeping watch.
And then there was Yuno...
Huh? Why is one missing?
Not seeing Yuno made Youko pause for a moment, but she didn't dwell on it. It was normal for people to be absent sometimes. Even Mai and Renako would sometimes stay in their classroom for three days without coming to see Ren and the others.
The key point was that Ren indeed had an unusual relationship with Hitori and the others.
Her employer was Renée, and she was responsible for investigating Ren's situation, currently digging into whether Ren had any problematic romantic history.
She had clearly heard from Renée that Ren was Mai's lover, but now among the people Ren was embracing left and right, Mai wasn't even present.
As the officially recognized girlfriend from what she'd heard, Mai was chatting with Karen while allowing her lover to be touched freely by Satou.
Was this normal?
Absolutely not!
Youko felt thrilled about uncovering such juicy gossip. If she were more unscrupulous, she could not only report back to Mai to claim her reward but also keep a copy to blackmail Ren for additional payment.
But that was what third-rate reporters would do. As for her, she only enjoyed the feeling of uncovering others' secrets and gossip.
In her excitement, Youko took out her camera and started recording video.
"Got you~"
Waiting in the shadows for Youko to reveal conclusive evidence, Yuno silently approached from behind without making a single footstep, patted her shoulder, and raised an axe to press against her back.
Dare to speak.
Feeling both the gentle yet emotionless tone and the hard object pressed against her back, Youko's body tensed up instantly, cold sweat pouring down.
Despite her counter-surveillance skills and intuition, she hadn't detected any trace of Yuno.
And was this coincidence? Or had she been discovered long ago? But she hadn't shown any signs of investigating Ren before? Normal gossip happened at school every day.
But regardless, Youko knew exactly what to do after being caught.
If she'd only been spotted from a distance, she would have run away immediately—if not caught red-handed, she could deny ever having taken any photos.
But now Yuno had caught her in the act, right behind her, with some unknown object pressed against her back.
Although Youko was fairly confident in her athletic abilities—one of the basic requirements for being a detective—she didn't dare gamble on whether she could escape.
So she very pragmatically raised both hands: "I surrender, meow."
"Ah, she's from the class next door!"
When Yuno brought Youko into the club room, Renako, who somewhat remembered Youko, pointed at her in surprise.
Her range for wanting to make friends was actually quite broad, having considered people from other classes too, so she had seen Youko before.
"Yuno says you were following and investigating me?"
Taking the camera handed over by Yuno, Ren rudely watched the recorded video with his fingers covering the lens right in front of Youko, making her furious but not daring to speak up.
"Hmm."
Youko didn't put up any resistance either. Ren asked, and she answered everything. Since this was an investigation into family matters, she unprofessionally threw Renée under the bus without hesitation.
"Tsk... Mom really can't mind her own business."
Realizing she had brought this trouble upon herself, Renée couldn't help but feel annoyed. After their unpleasant parting with Renée, she had stayed at Ren's place for one night before returning home.
Although her interactions with Renée remained minimal, she hadn't intentionally cold-shouldered her. She had clearly expressed her thoughts, and the other party had supported her immediately.
She just never expected Renée to remain stubbornly persistent, even going so far as to send someone to investigate Ren.
"So, Ren, your harem situation is finally going to be discovered by a parent?"
Himemiya Karen laughed mischievously, clearly enjoying the drama. She was the least worried about this matter because her parents were similar. As long as Ren could guarantee he wouldn't neglect or abandon her and they could still live well, her parents would fully accept it.
"Should I take this chance to tell Mom and Dad?"
Hitori muttered with a conflicted expression. This was something she would have to clarify sooner or later, and her parents would probably be able to accept it by now.
"I probably can't say anything yet."
Renako wasn't as optimistic on this point. After all, Ren had spent very little time with her parents, and she feared that telling them might get her legs broken.
"You all just love stirring up trouble, don't you? But this is indeed something to pay attention to. I've deleted the video and confiscated the memory card. As for your investigation, you can report it to Aunt Renée, but you can't post it online. Can you accept that?"
Ren smiled wryly. He never expected Renée to send someone to investigate him, but this just happened to give him an opportunity to learn from Renée how to deal with future in-laws who discover his harem.
Yes, he planned to visit Renée to seek her approval.
After he finished speaking with a relatively amiable expression, Yuno walked over to his side and put away her axe in front of Youko.
"No objections..."
Youko no longer cared whether this was a threat or not. She could have cried tears of gratitude that Ren wasn't pressing charges against her—after all, secret filming is illegal.
"Let's hope there won't be a next time."
This incident was merely a catalyst, so Ren didn't cause trouble for Youko. Even if she had posted the video online, the System would have blurred it beyond recognition. However, this couldn't prevent her from reporting to Renée, and erasing memories would only lead to another Renée or Youko appearing eventually.
So it was better to take this chance to clarify things clearly.
Thus, after school in the afternoon, Ren and Mai went together to find Renée.
Renée hadn't left work yet and was still in her CEO office at the Queen Rose Commercial Building.
After obtaining the address, Ren drove to the destination. Having Mai with him made entry into the building smooth with facial recognition.
However, as they entered the lobby and prepared to take the private elevator upstairs, Ren collided squarely at a corridor corner with a mature woman who was rushing while carrying a stack of documents, not paying enough attention to her path.
"Eek!?"
After the other person collided and lost their balance, they fell to the ground, scattering the documents they were holding everywhere.
Ren swayed slightly from the impact. It wasn't that it didn't hurt—it did—but the other person's body felt as soft as cotton. Taking a closer look, he realized it was a beautiful, mature woman with orange hair and a voluptuous figure.
"Are you okay?"
Not only Ren, but Mai also crouched down with a concerned expression after confirming Ren was fine, asking about the woman's condition.
"I'm fine, I'm so sorry. I was in too much of a hurry and wasn't watching where I was going."
The woman's face flushed red with embarrassment. When she noticed Ren and Mai were still in school uniforms, she let out a faint, distressed whimper before hurriedly gathering the scattered documents.
Ren and Mai lent a hand, and after the woman bowed repeatedly in apology and gratitude, they parted ways.
"Are you really not hurt, Ren?"
While riding the elevator, Mai expressed concern about Ren's condition once more. After all, that beautiful woman had crashed right into him. Even if her figure appeared similar to Karen's at first glance, the impact was still very real.
"Really, I'm fine. Right now, what's more painful is figuring out how to convince Aunt Renée, isn't it? If she strongly refuses, it seems like you'll have no choice but to elope with me unilaterally."
"Eloping is fine by me, but I believe you can persuade my mom."
Elopement was the worst-case scenario. Mai didn't truly want to sever ties with her mother, but if her mother couldn't accept Ren, she was prepared to show her what a rebellious teenage girl was capable of—even if it meant actually running away.