Hayakawa Aki pushed the door open and immediately took in the slightly disheveled state of the living room.
When she saw Reze—flustered and blushing—her beautiful eyes instantly widened. Her mouth hung slightly open, filled with disbelief.
"What… were you two doing just now?"
Renji leaned back on the sofa, unlike Reze's obvious panic, he played it cool remarkably well.
He acted as if he had just slowly woken from a deep sleep—eyes half-lidded, not fully alert, his speech even a little slurred.
"Hmm… wha… what's wrong? Oh, Hayakawa Aki? You're back early today? Off work already?"
His words carried a hint of drowsy surprise.
Reze sat on the other end of the sofa, her posture noticeably awkward.
She was frantically wiping at her lips with both hands, trying to remove any remaining trace of lipstick. After a moment, she finally looked up—but the moment her eyes met Hayakawa Aki's, she instinctively made a small, nervous gesture.
She feigned seriousness, touching her delicate nose, attempting to appear more natural.
Hayakawa Aki's gaze darted between the lipstick on the table, the mirror, Reze herself, Reze's clothing, and the unmistakably vibrant color on Renji's mouth.
[Ding~ Detected Hayakawa Aki's shocked emotional state. System rewards 20 points.]
[Ding~ Detected Hayakawa Aki's jealous emotional state. System rewards 20 points.]
The realization hit her. Her expression darkened instantly.
Renji noticed the strange look she was giving him. He quickly touched his lips, rubbed them, and glanced at his finger—there it was, a smear of rose-colored lipstick.
Damn. In his rush to pull up his pants, he'd forgotten to wipe his mouth.
"I'm really sorry. It seems I've interrupted your… enjoyable time. But there's nothing I can do about it—you should have informed me beforehand, Renji."
"Hey, you—bomb devil over there. Come with me. Regarding your surrender, you need to appear in person at Public Safety Headquarters. There are procedures to follow. I'll wait for you by the elevator in the hallway."
Hayakawa Aki finished speaking and clearly wanted to leave immediately. But just as she turned to step out, Renji called after her.
"Um… do I still need to come?"
"It's fine if Renji wants to. It's nothing major—just fingerprinting and some simple questioning."
"Then I'll pass. I have other things to do later."
Hayakawa Aki gave him another long, searching look. Her eyes held a tangle of complex emotions, but she said nothing more. She turned and walked out.
[Ding~ Detected Hayakawa Aki's sad emotional state. System rewards 20 points.]
Renji glanced at Reze. She happened to be looking back at him. She playfully stuck out her tongue. He responded with a helpless, wry smile.
Earlier that morning, Reze's original clothes—washed by Renji—had dried. She changed back into them and followed Hayakawa Aki downstairs.
In the elevator, Reze stood behind Hayakawa Aki. Catching her reflection in the polished metal doors, she noticed Hayakawa Aki was secretly observing her through the glass.
But it wasn't a friendly gaze. It was more like scrutiny.
"How did you do it?"
Hayakawa Aki's voice was cold.
"What?"
"You caused a huge scene yesterday—trying to kill Renji and take him away. Now you're acting like a different person. What did you do to him? Slip him some kind of love potion?"
Her accusatory tone stirred something in Reze. She retorted.
"What's wrong? Still bothered by what you just saw? I'm sorry… So, what exactly did you see? Me sitting on Renji? Hugging him? Applying lipstick and kissing? I'm truly sorry… but you're mistaken. None of that actually happened. You just saw wrong in your panic. I'm sorry. Really. I wouldn't lie to you."
Hayakawa Aki's jaw tightened. After a long pause, she forced out the words.
"Don't get cocky, you damn devil. I don't know how you managed to change Renji's perception of you. But if you ever pull something like this again—I will kill you."
Reze chuckled softly. To her, Hayakawa Aki sounded like someone throwing a childish tantrum, utterly powerless. Reze had already surpassed her in so many ways.
She didn't bother to continue the conversation. She simply observed, with the quiet composure of a victor.
Hayakawa Aki's face, in contrast, grew darker and darker in the face of Reze's silence and smug attitude.
...
Renji watched from the window as Hayakawa Aki's car drove away. Just then, the doorbell rang again.
He checked the time on the wall clock, walked over, and opened the door.
The woman outside had pure white hair cascading over her shoulders. Even with a black eye mask covering part of her face, it couldn't conceal her exquisite beauty.
It was Gojo Satoru.
She smiled at Renji, waved, and offered a pleasant greeting in her melodious voice.
"Oh~"
Renji stepped aside, gesturing for Gojo Satoru to come in. She chuckled, then righteously refused.
"I still need to think about my future happy life. I'd better not go in."
Renji didn't insist.
"Has the protection period expired?"
Gojo Satoru nodded.
"Yes, that's right. The agreed protection period is over. Eight hours total."
Since their last encounter in the park—even though Gojo Satoru had told him not to follow—Renji had tracked her after the rain stopped.
He did it just in case, to prevent something from happening today.
Before going to the shrine festival with Reze, he had already anticipated how things might unfold. There were two possibilities: either he couldn't persuade Reze and they would escape together, or he would successfully convince her to stay.
But if Reze chose to stay, she would have to face reckoning from Man's Religion and potential capture by Public Safety.
Kishibe was manageable; Public Safety could mediate. But the most critical factor was Makima. Gojo Satoru's secret protection had been Renji's greatest assurance.
Even if Makima refused and tried to forcibly take Reze, Renji had a contingency: he could self-detonate, allowing Gojo Satoru to appear. Then she could grab Reze and they could escape together to the city outskirts.
As for the price of Gojo Satoru's help…
...
...
"Hmm…? That's strange… I thought I made it quite clear back then, telling you not to try and follow me. It must be a mistake in your comprehension, right? Is there really something wrong with your head?"