Ogiwara Sayu still hadn't told Renji Kamisaka about her past. She hadn't dared to reveal the reason she ran away from home, that dark shadow was still too heavy to utter. However, Renji could see her nervousness and her dependence on him, an invisible thread binding them.
Seeing her still somewhat agitated appearance, as if the shadows of the past still lingered, Renji Kamisaka slowly lowered his head. The room seemed to fall silent for a moment, only their heartbeats audible. He then gave Sayu a gentle kiss on the forehead, a soothing touch, as if to erase all worries.
"Sayu," Renji whispered, his voice gentle yet firm, "if you want, you can stay at Sakurasou." He held Sayu's hand, feeling her tiny fingers tremble.
"As long as I'm here, I won't let anyone take you away." His eyes looked deeply into Sayu's, a sincere promise.
"I don't know what your past was like, and I don't know why you ran away from home, but you are my woman now, and I will never stand by and do nothing." A possessive declaration that warmed Sayu's heart.
"I don't want Sayu to live in confusion and worry all day," Renji continued, his fingers stroking Sayu's cheek. "That would defeat the original intention of letting you stay."
"Do you remember what I said?" Renji asked, reiterating his principle. "I want to be happy, and I also want the people around me, the people I care about, to be happy too."
"So, I won't question your past. I only hope you can calm down and think carefully about how to live your life from now on." He looked at Sayu again, his smile reassuring.
"Anyway, I will always be with you, witnessing our journey to happiness."
Hearing this, Ogiwara Sayu's eyes immediately welled up, tears of relief and happiness pooling there. She wiped them away quickly.
"Renji, you're really good at coaxing me," she said, her voice a little hoarse.
"Ahem, I'm clearly speaking the truth!" Renji lifted his chin, feigning annoyance. "Don't you see my big eyes? My eyes are full of sincerity!"
"Pfft, I don't see sincerity," Ogiwara Sayu chuckled softly, a rare but genuine laugh, "but they're perverted." She poked Renji's face with her finger, a sweet tease.
"Sometimes I wish you were a bald old man." A thoughtless remark, a selfish hope.
"Because then I could have you entirely to myself."
Renji Kamisaka raised his eyebrows, an amused smile. "Are you sure?"
Ogiwara Sayu immediately remembered Renji's beastly abilities and instantly spat out the words with a flushed face, embarrassed by her own thoughts.
"I take back what I just said."
It seemed she really couldn't have this person all to herself. "Didn't I see how Miss Kamiigusa Misaki was also defeated and begging for mercy last night?" Sayu thought, a little frustrated but also admiring Renji's "strength."
After being coaxed by Renji Kamisaka, Ogiwara Sayu regained her energetic appearance, her bright smile blooming once more. If anyone had known her before, seeing her acting spoiled with Renji Kamisaka, they would surely be so surprised their jaws would drop.
Actually, Ogiwara Sayu used to be a very cold and aloof beautiful girl. She was always indifferent to others, especially men. Because of this indifference, she became even more ostracized, an icy shell protecting her heart.
Perhaps after Renji Kamisaka 'got' her, he used that tenderness to warm her heart. In short, she was willing to show her lively and cute side, a side that had been hidden all this time. The smile of a beautiful girl was always more healing.
Unbeknownst to them, time continued to pass, and the shadows of dusk began to envelop Sakurasou. It was already evening. Kanda Sorata finally returned to Sakurasou, his steps feeling lighter. He happily gave all the cats to Ishihara Satomi and let her take them away. Of course, he kept a few to be Sakurasou's mascots and also as mementos for himself, a few cats that had become a part of his life.
That night, Kanda Sorata awkwardly approached Renji Kamisaka with an expression of wanting to speak but hesitating, his eyes avoiding Renji's gaze.
Renji Kamisaka smiled slightly, he had already guessed what was about to happen.
"Do you want to leave Sakurasou?"
Kanda Sorata lowered his head in guilt, "I'm sorry, Landlord, I still want to stay in the school dormitory. There I can focus on my game development."
"It's fine, I appreciate your choice. After all, Sakurasou doesn't have a good reputation because of certain people," Renji said, his tone relaxed.
"Huh?" Kanda Sorata was surprised, lifting his head. "Not so good reputation," he thought. "That must be because of Jin Mitaka-senpai, the pervert." Even ordinary students like him knew about Jin Mitaka's habit of womanizing with his six female friends, and even more people at school knew about it.
"Alright, good that you know. I also understand your feelings, Kanda. Don't feel guilty," Renji patted Sorata's shoulder.
"Going with the flow and blending in with the group is the choice of most people, and there's nothing wrong with that." Renji Kamisaka's tolerant words touched Kanda Sorata's heart, a burden lifted from his shoulders. He bowed deeply to Renji Kamisaka, sincere gratitude radiating from every movement.
"Thank you for taking care of me all this time."
"You're welcome. Don't forget to say a proper goodbye to Teacher Chihiro Sengoku."
"I will."
That night, everyone held a simple farewell party for Kanda Sorata. Renji Kamisaka also personally cooked to send off this kind-hearted young man, the aroma of the cooking filling Sakurasou. Miss Kamiigusa Misaki acted like a true senpai, enlivening the atmosphere with jokes and laughter. When her gaze occasionally fell on Renji Kamisaka, she showed a hint of adorable shyness. Girls always have strange feelings towards men who have 'taken' their bodies, Renji observed inwardly.
Kanda Sorata was a little reluctant to leave his kind senpai and seniors, their camaraderie felt comfortable. But since he had decided, he had to move. He believed that he and these geniuses were ultimately not on the same path. Although he also attended Suimei University of the Arts Affiliated High School, he didn't have their artistic talent, and felt that he was just there to simply live life. Living with geniuses would only make him feel even more inferior. Leaving early was also a good thing for him, a step towards finding his own way.
Kanda Sorata sincerely expressed his gratitude to Chihiro Sengoku. If not for Chihiro Sengoku allowing him to come to Sakurasou, he wouldn't know where to stay. And Renji Kamisaka, the person he was most grateful for. Thanks to Renji Kamisaka, he found a perfect way to get rid of the cats without having to completely part with them.
Chihiro Sengoku quickly got drunk again, as usual. This beautiful female teacher, where did she get such a strong addiction to alcohol. Perhaps her blind dates weren't going well, or perhaps it was just her way of escaping reality.
To Renji Kamisaka's surprise, Miss Kamiigusa Misaki didn't drink too much tonight. Her cheeks were only flushed, and she occasionally glanced at Renji Kamisaka and Ogiwara Sayu, their gazes meaningful. Her expression was a little conflicted, as if an internal struggle was raging.
As for Jin Mitaka, he had already gone out to play after his married girlfriend acted spoiled—or rather, after Renji's plan began to work. So he didn't come back for the farewell party. He just said a few words verbally, to express his blessings to Kanda Sorata, a mere formality.
Meanwhile, Ryuunosuke Akasaka, he was a socially anxious person who loved technology. If he could, he even wanted to stay inside the house all year round, hidden behind his computer screen. His farewell message was also delivered through the screen by his artificial intelligence maid, Maid-chan. Incidentally, he still asked Kanda Sorata to bring him dinner and leave it at the door, a typical request.
Renji Kamisaka also specifically gave Kanda Sorata a bag of tomatoes to take with him—Ryuunosuke's favorite. Ryuunosuke Akasaka likes to stay home, program, and eat tomatoes, Renji thought. In the future, when making games, I can entirely let Ryuunosuke Akasaka be responsible for game programming. This was a genius programmer. A talent that would soon be recruited by large companies. However, Ryuunosuke Akasaka had his maid refuse everything, a sign of a genius's stubbornness.
The farewell party went on as usual, filled with laughter and emotion.
On the other side of town, outside Sakurasou, things began to explode on Jin Mitaka's side. His married girlfriend suddenly said she wanted to marry him, a surprising request, wanting to return to their previous agreement.
What made him break out in a cold sweat was the appearance of the girlfriend's husband, his face red with surging anger. To prove her love, the girlfriend argued with her husband and wanted to marry him. But why was Jin Mitaka willing? The question froze the air. His hesitant attitude made the woman's face turn pale, realizing the cruel reality. The woman's husband was even angrier, his rage overflowing.
"You foolish woman, do you understand now?" the man roared, his voice booming. "This handsome man is just playing around and doesn't love you at all!"
"If he truly loves you and is willing to marry you, what's wrong with me letting her go?"
With those words, the man clenched his fist and attacked Jin Mitaka. Jin Mitaka was beaten black and blue, but he could only clench his teeth and endure it. The price of provoking a married woman and getting caught was like this. He had no right to fight back, every punch felt like a consequence of his actions.
"Enough! My husband, don't hit him anymore!"
The woman stopped her husband's actions with tears streaming down her face, regret and anguish radiating from her eyes. She looked at Jin Mitaka with great pain, then grabbed her husband, whose hands were covered in blood, and left without looking back, leaving Jin alone in ruin.
Jin Mitaka fell to the ground, gasping in pain. What was even more unbearable was the feeling in his heart, an overwhelming shame and defeat. He had always been proud of himself for being able to manage six women without crashing, and for his girlfriends coexisting harmoniously, allowing him to enjoy six nights a week of revelry. Being accepted by six girlfriends was a rare achievement for a man.
But today, reality slapped him hard. He, Jin Mitaka, had crashed! All his pride crumbled.
After being beaten, Jin Mitaka had no reason to return to Sakurasou. He didn't want to go back and let Kamiigusa Misaki see his messy state, his ruin. He could only return to the hotel, lick his wounds, and think about how the animation plan for Kamiigusa Misaki had to be delayed again, a setback in his career.
However.
What he didn't know was that after the farewell party ended, Kamiigusa Misaki grabbed Renji Kamisaka's hand and dragged him to her room, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She took out the game plan that had been placed at the door, the paper looking like a treasure in her hands. She stared at Renji intently with a look of admiration, as if seeing a hero.
"Renji, did you make this game plan?" Misaki asked, her voice full of admiration. "What do you think? It's really touching!"
"However, isn't the storyline a bit too sad?" She frowned, a small concern.
"The magical girl who saves the world is actually a Kyubey conspiracy, the magical girl will become a witch who destroys everything, and Magical Girl Misaki's best friend keeps reincarnating for the protagonist..." Misaki read out the main points, her eyes wide.
"Wow, although it's sad, the plot is amazing, I'm getting excited!" Misaki shrieked, her energy overflowing.
"If this game is completed and successfully animated, it will definitely become famous!" A brilliant idea popped into her mind, a vision of a bright future.