Fear Always Works – Chapter 151
Ren smiled.
Not the charming kind. Not the playful one.
No, this one was thin, sharp, and cold.
"Now…" he said softly, his voice calm, almost amused.
"Shall we have a real chat?"
He leaned back a little, hands loose at his sides.
"Why did you want to meet me, huh?"
His tone stayed light, even friendly. But his eyes?
Unblinking.
"Don't lie. I know when you do."
That smile—a slit of ice across his face—didn't fade.
And just from that, Ogami felt it—a chill creeping across her skin like a curse.
Even Mei Mei, who sat beside him, instinctively leaned back slightly.
There was something in his voice, his gaze, that made the air feel thin.
But Ren? He wasn't even focused on them right now.
'Ogami is old,' he thought.
'Too old for basic manipulation. Threats, flattery… None of that works on people like her. But there's one thing that always does.'
He smiled wider.
'The Fear of Death.'
Ogami's voice came fast. Too fast.
"Ren, I—I had no thoughts of harming you! Or hurting you! I only wanted to see how capable you were! The rumors—I only wanted to see if they were true! Nothing else!"
Ren slowly rolled his eyes.
'Still trying to look innocent… stubborn hag.'
He stood up with no urgency and walked across the room.
Then, casually, he sat beside Ogami.
Too close.
Ogami stiffened. She didn't dare move.
Ren turned his head to look at her, then spoke gently:
"Release your séance technique."
Four words.
Softly spoken.
And they hit her like a knife to the throat.
Ogami's eyes went wide—truly wide—as her whole body tensed.
'HOW…?'
'How does he know… the name…? And that it's active?'
Her thoughts were racing—no, screaming.
'It should be undetectable! Even the higher-ups never noticed! Not once!'
Her lips parted in disbelief.
All she could stammer was:
"I-I don't know what you're talking about…"
Ren blinked slowly.
Then pulled out a silver lighter.
Click.
A flame did not appear—just the flick of metal.
"You know," Ren said, his voice a little colder now, "I've met some dumb people before."
Click.
Still no flame. Just rhythm.
"And do you know what I do with people who are dumb?"
Click.
This time, a small fire burst to life.
He turned to Ogami, the flame softly glowing in his eyes.
And then—
He grabbed her by the hair.
She gasped, but it was too fast. He slammed her back toward the floor—just enough to disorient. And then…
The flame hovered near her face.
Near her eye.
"Do you know what I did with Suguru Geto?"
His voice was still calm. His grip was steady.
"His body was found dead impaled by an iron rod through the heart… His left arm? Destroyed. His right hand? Crushed."
The lighter flame grew closer. Closer.
"Do you understand what I'm trying to say, Ogami?"
Her breathing turned shallow.
Then, all at once—
Her body shifted.
The glamour broke.
Her young skin wrinkled.
Her back arched inward.
Her hair turned to brittle white strands.
She screamed.
"I DID IT! I DID IT! I released my technique!"
Ren just smiled again.
Chilling.
Soft.
Final.
'There it is.'
He flicked the lighter closed, stood, and let go of her hair.
"See?" he said as he dusted his hands.
"Was that so bad?"
He looked down at her old, crumpled form.
"No, right?"
He sat back down on the couch again, this time lazily, like the whole scene had been an inconvenience.
Then he spoke again.
"Now tell me why you wanted to see me. Don't lie this time."
He smiled wider.
But that smile?
It was wrong.
Too wide. Too cold. Too sharp.
For a single moment, he looked insane.
Ogami saw it—and she couldn't look away.
Mei Mei sat frozen beside him.
She'd seen Ren do many things.
He flirted. He joked. He teased.
Not cut his hair. He meditated. He acted older than his age...
But this?
This was different.
This Ren was something else.
Her eyes slid to him slowly as she sat beside him.
The smile.
The lighter.
The complete shift in energy.
'He can look like that… sound like that…'
She had lived with him now for over a week. And still—
'I don't understand what goes on in his mind at all.'
Even now, when he sat beside her calmly… He felt so far away.
Her eyes lingered on his smile.
'What did I expect?'
She looked away.
'He's a manipulator… That's always been obvious.'
And yet…
'Still… the way he smiled… It's kinda—'
She shook her head sharply.
No.
She wasn't finishing that thought.