Haruto reached out and pinched Tendo Kisara's cheek.
This pure-hearted yet secretly dark noble lady actually let herself get this angry.
Truly unexpected.
But Kisara being like this… was unexpectedly quite cute. Though she still wore a cold expression, the anger in her heart suddenly faded by more than half.
Looking at the boy in front of her…
Her mood subtly shifted.
The things that used to make her feel frustrated or conflicted no longer stirred her as they once did.
At that moment, Rentaro and another girl walked in.
The girl named Miori was a little surprised at the interaction between Haruto and Kisara.
These two had been lifelong rivals.
As the saying goes, your greatest understanding often comes not from your friends—but your enemies. And the Tendo Kisara she knew would never allow some random boy to just pinch her cheek like that.
Unbelievable.
But after a brief moment, Miori smiled slyly.
"Could this be Kisara-san's new boyfriend? No wonder you took a sudden leave… you were out on a date!"
Kisara didn't even bother looking at her.
Haruto just glanced at Rentaro and chuckled softly.
Tsk tsk.
What an unlucky protagonist, but man, he really has a strong romantic aura going.
Shiba Miori.
Heiress to the world's largest weapons manufacturer. A true blue-blooded noble. And in this current era, controlling weapons wasn't just about wealth—it was power.
Yet she was infatuated with Satomi Rentaro.
She had tried multiple times to snatch him away from Kisara.
But Rentaro…
Though the protagonist, his strength didn't match his ideals.
In this bleak world…
To put it bluntly, he had a savior complex—but without the power to actually save anyone. All he could do was watch, or worse, contribute to tragic outcomes.
Anyone who followed Satomi Rentaro was in for a bitter ending.
Seeing herself ignored by both of them…
Miori tasted defeat at Kisara's hands for the first time.
She was momentarily at a loss.
"Rentaro, what's the update on the incident?"
Haruto asked at that moment.
Rentaro snapped out of his daze—he had returned to report on what he discovered. So, like spilling a jar of beans, he began recounting everything.
At a task site, he found some clues.
Following them, he came across a strange man in a tuxedo and mask.
The man called himself Hiruko Kagetane, a Promoter.
He had killed two "civilians."
And when Satomi and the Tokyo District law enforcement arrived, a clash ensued. Hiruko Kagetane massacred many officers and then fought with Satomi before fleeing.
They lost track of him.
Rentaro did not mention that Hiruko Kagetane was part of the New Human Creation Plan. In fact, Satomi himself was also part of that plan.
His left eye, right arm, and right leg were all cybernetic limbs, not flesh.
So in truth, Rentaro Satomi was very powerful. He just rarely showed it, preferring to conceal his true capabilities.
He had some strange, stubborn convictions.
God knows how many people had died in front of him because of them.
After listening to the report, Haruto nodded.
If things were like that… then soon—
As expected—
Both Rentaro and Kisara's phones buzzed.
It was a summons from Seitenshi.
Since Rentaro had clashed with Hiruko Kagetane—the man who stole the Seven Star Relic—
Even though Rentaro's ranking was low and he didn't yet have an Initiator—
He was still summoned.
Kisara, as the company head, was summoned alongside him.
Her expression turned strange.
She instinctively looked at Haruto. After all, being suddenly summoned by the Holy Saint could only mean something linked to him.
It wasn't like the world was ending or anything...
Otherwise, the Holy Saint wouldn't make a personal request. She just didn't know what exactly was going on.
The meeting would be tomorrow morning.
Seitenshi also needed time to investigate and pinpoint Hiruko's whereabouts. After all, mobilizing the Civil Security was pointless without a target.
They were fighters—not investigators.
At that moment, Kisara really wanted to pull Haruto aside and ask about the situation.
But with Rentaro and Miori still present, she couldn't say anything.
Instead, her stomach spoke for her.
Grrr...
Miori was about to seize the moment to mock her rival—But Haruto spoke up first.
"Go call Ai(blind girl) and Yuzuki(the unnamed sister of the blind girl). I'm feeling lazy today, so we're having hot pot."
Kisara cheered and immediately went to the back to get the sisters.
Those two girls, having endured so much hardship outside, were now suddenly under shelter.
And the first thing that showed was their fatigue.
They'd been sleeping nearly all day.
Miori tugged on Rentaro's sleeve and whispered:
"Who's he?"
Rentaro gave Haruto a complicated look before explaining the circumstances of their meeting.
After hearing the story, Miori looked very skeptical.
It honestly sounded like a fairytale.
The classic "hero saves the girl" type—with an overpowered and dreamy boy descending from the sky.
Handsome, rich, gentle, and unbelievably strong.
That kind of character just didn't seem real.
But Haruto, at that moment, had already gone into the kitchen and brought out the hot pot set.
Even in Japan, hot pot was a thing.
The most common type was sukiyaki.
Though Haruto personally felt a copper pot worked better than the thin pans used in sukiyaki—
It was still usable.
He set up the pot.
To suit Kisara's taste, he made a non-spicy mushroom broth.
Thank goodness Haruto wasn't a spice addict—or else he wouldn't survive a meal without spice.
By the time Kisara came out with the sisters—They saw Haruto bringing out two large plates of sliced meat.
Kisara's eyes lit up.
Even the three little girls, including Fuse Midori, were gulping down saliva.
Midori even looked at Haruto and asked if it was really okay for her to eat.
She had never eaten food this good before. After all, in mainstream opinion, giving delicious food to Cursed Children was considered a waste.
But when Haruto assured her it was fine—
Midori teared up a little.
Miori was also shocked.
So... he really is rich and handsome?
And judging by how he treated Cursed Children... he really is kind?
Aside from his strength, that unbelievable story suddenly became a lot more believable.
As a noble lady—
Miori had good eyes.
Those beef rolls Haruto brought out—with marbling that perfect—
Were luxury-grade.
Even she hadn't eaten beef this fine in a long time.
Thanks to Gastrea destroying much of human productivity, livestock farming areas had become rare.
Meat was already scarce.
Forget about quality.
"May I... stay for dinner?"
Miori politely asked.
As long as she wasn't dealing with Kisara, she had elegance and manners.
Haruto shrugged.
"I'm just crashing at Kisara-san's office, so you'd have to ask her."
Upon hearing that, Miori smiled instantly.
"Kisara and I are old friends. Of course she'll say yes—won't you?"
She looked toward Kisara.
Kisara's mouth twitched.
Old friends, my ass.
She had nearly beaten this girl more than once.
But for the sake of decorum, she couldn't say no.
And so, everyone sat around the hot pot table.
Kisara originally wanted to sit next to Haruto.
But Miori latched onto her arm and sat down beside her instead.
Meanwhile, the spots next to Haruto were taken by the two little girls, Midori and Ai.
"What are you doing?" Kisara whispered furiously to Miori as she watched Haruto serve the girls meat.
And Miori, also whispering, said:
"Don't tell me that guy's really your boyfriend? Did you finally give up on Rentaro?"
Kisara furrowed her brows and shook her head.
"Not quite giving up."
Hearing that, Miori thought—Ah, that sounds more like Kisara.
But then Kisara added:
"Rentarou and I were never compatible from the beginning, so there's no talk of giving up. There was never anything to give up in the first place."
Miori was stunned.
Was that really something Kisara would say!?
But it was the truth.
Kisara was a pure avenger—her will to live was completely sustained by her desire for revenge against the Tendo family.
And Satomi Rentaro… was not someone who belonged to the darkness.
They were simply not people from the same world.