But in reality, the scene before him exceeded Ryun's own expectations.
At this moment, Ryun was only pretending to have lost consciousness. Yuhi Kurenai's gentle strike was not enough to knock out Ryun, who had achieved some small success in taijutsu training.
He had guessed that Yuhi Kurenai most likely would not send him to the Konoha Hospital, as that would only trigger a huge scandal.
But he did not expect that Yuhi Kurenai would personally take on the task of saving him. In his imagination, Kurenai would have let Anko handle this matter.
Even after Ryun showed a terrified state, Kurenai could have simply knocked him out directly. Although Kurenai did exactly that later, the overall sequence had a slight deviation.
The reason for this deviation was Yuhi Kurenai's kindness.
This kindness also dissipated most of the resentment in Ryun's heart.
At least in reality, while helping Anko clean up the mess, Yuhi Kurenai did not completely ignore Ryun's opinion, nor did she stand entirely on Anko's side.
Of course, it was also possible that the scene of Ryun and Anko's battle was too devastating, stirring Kurenai's sympathy for the weaker party.
Next, Ryun wanted to see how Yuhi Kurenai would handle this matter.
As long as she was objective and fair, Ryun would no longer hold a grudge against her.
After all, Kurenai had already given her pheromones to Ryun and would provide him with a hug lasting several hours. These were unexpected joys for Ryun.
The sun rose higher and higher, and in the blink of an eye, it was 10:00 AM.
Ryun slowly controlled his body temperature to recover, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
He remained motionless, but the arms holding Kurenai tightened slightly. Kurenai immediately noticed this.
Yuhi Kurenai leaned down and whispered in Ryun's ear, "Cry if you want to. I'll stay here until you relax."
"As for Anko's side..."
Hearing Anko's name, Ryun cooperatively trembled.
Kurenai quickly changed her tone and said, "We'll deal with this matter whenever you feel ready to handle it."
"Whatever request you make then, Anko will agree to it. I promise."
Meanwhile, Mitarashi Anko, who had cleaned everything up and changed clothes, was performing a dogeza (prostration) outside Yuhi Kurenai's door.
Her mind was still foggy, her heart swirling in an abyss, feeling as if her life was about to be ruined.
Mitarashi Anko even secretly decided to accept a long-term mission and leave Konoha soon.
She would find a remote corner to hide away and wither, never returning to Konoha to become a laughingstock for others.
If Ryun could hear her inner thoughts at this moment, he would understand the reason why Mitarashi Anko disappeared in the simulations.
As for Ryun, he felt the time was about right.
Although he could continue pretending to be a victim, even exaggerating a bit by crying and sobbing, and likely not be seen through in the short term, he did not think Yuhi Kurenai's patience was unlimited. Moreover, he had many things to do next, such as increasing the girls' favorability, training his Flying Thunder God Technique and its markings.
So, it was time to temporarily put a period on this matter.
But what specifically should he do?
Yesterday, during his time of reflection, Ryun had already figured out the answer. Now he just needed to put it into action.
Ryun opened his eyes, meeting Yuhi Kurenai's beautiful red gaze.
Kurenai was initially a bit nervous, afraid that Ryun might burst out with some extreme emotion, or look desolate as if he had lost the will to live, which would be the biggest trouble for her and Anko.
But what Kurenai saw now were eyes that were calmly thinking. Ryun was shouldering responsibilities not suited for his age, forcing himself to stand up.
This made Kurenai think of more information about Ryun: he was an orphan, had only recently achieved some success, life had begun to look promising, and he seemed to have good relationships with girls from several major clans.
A bright future was right before him, yet all of it was shattered by Anko... Thinking of this, Kurenai felt even more heartache. She saw in Ryun her own struggling self from a few years ago.
"Sister..."
Ryun spoke, his voice hoarse, "May I call you that?"
"Of course," Kurenai quickly replied.
"I know this matter was an accident. No one wanted it to happen. So... let's sit down and talk slowly at noon."
"Ah..."
Yuhi Kurenai stared wide-eyed at Ryun.
She had just realized Ryun was about to shoulder responsibilities not meant for him, but now, hearing similar words from his mouth, she felt deeply shaken.
Even though Ryun had only said a few sentences, she sensed a true masculine spirit from him, far stronger than many irresponsible adults.
"Is that not okay, Sister?"
"It's fine!"
Kurenai immediately gave a positive answer. She was worried Ryun might regret his previous words and turn to hold Anko accountable.
However, concerned about Ryun's mental state, she couldn't help but ask, "Is there anything you need me to prepare? For example... should I go teach Mitarashi Anko a lesson first?"
"Or should I just seal her away with a sealing technique, and let you take revenge on her however you wish?"
Ryun shook his head and said, "No need."
Kurenai seemed to want to say more but stopped herself. She nodded, choosing to respect Ryun's opinion.
She lifted the blanket covering them and sat up. Just as she was about to tell Ryun to rest well, her face suddenly flushed crimson.
When she came downstairs in the morning, she had only worn simple pajamas. Now, after holding Ryun and being close for several hours, her pajamas had become disheveled and loose, revealing beautiful scenery for a moment.
But Ryun remained calmly looking at the ceiling, as if completely unaware of everything.
This immediately calmed the initially flustered Kurenai. After simply straightening her pajamas, she touched Ryun's head again and said, "Rest well. I'll call you at noon."
"Mm, thank you, Sister Kurenai."
That weak call of "Sister Kurenai" made Kurenai pause her steps just as she got up, stirring a ripple like a spring breeze in her heart.
But when she opened the door and saw Anko's pale face, the warmth from Ryun instantly turned into anger.
She slapped Anko across the face, leaving five clear red finger marks.
After slapping her, Kurenai let out a sigh. Facing Anko, who pursed her lips impassively, she said, "Follow me to the living room... He's temporarily fine now."
As for Ryun, after Kurenai and Anko's footsteps faded into the distance, he secretly let out a sigh of relief.
The first half of this performance had ended here.
However, the second half, an hour later, would be the main event.
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