9:30 PM
By now, Ren and Chizuru had finished their meal, chatting casually as they polished off their plates.
"I'm full. Thanks for the meal."
Chizuru pressed her palms together politely.
"Satisfied," Ren replied, leaning back with a smirk.
His cooking skills were truly next-level.
"This vegetable salad tasted different from anything I've had before."
"Oh? How so?"
"It was… richer. Fresher."
Ren propped his cheek on one hand.
"Wow. Experimental labs serve salad now? Back in my day, I didn't even get scraps. Surviving was already a miracle."
Though he'd destroyed the lab the night he transmigrated, the original Ren had endured a year of hell, eating stuff a dog wouldn't sniff at.
"S-Sumimasen…"
Chizuru bowed her head.
She realized she might've touched a sore memory, one not easily spoken of.
Ren stood and stretched lazily.
"No need to apologize, my sweet little Imouto. I'm not who I used to be."
Now he was the future King of Curses, destined to rule the world once his domain fully awakened.
One day…
Rikumizu Ren would become a god.
"O-Onii-chan…"
Chizuru stared blankly at him.
She could feel it. He wasn't bluffing.
He had truly moved on.
"Alright, I've got something to take care of. You clean up the dishes."
"Got it~ I promise I'll clean the place properly this time!"
No way she'd mess it up again. Not after earlier.
"Bye-bye~"
"Bye-bye~"
They waved at each other with exaggerated politeness.
Building that wholesome sibling energy.
Just as Ren turned to leave, something caught his eye. He crouched down slowly.
"Huh? What is it, Onii-chan?"
Chizuru sensed his presence.
Ren didn't say a word. He simply reached out, and gently wiped a spot of salad dressing from the corner of her lips.
"Mouth. Watch it next time."
His tone was casual.
But the warmth of his fingertips made her heart stutter.
Her cheeks flushed instantly.
She's just a kid!
Too close. Too smooth.
"Oyasumi~"
Ren flashed a devilish grin.
"O-Oya…"
Thunk.
The front door closed.
Chizuru sat there, dazed.
Did I… just get flirted with?
=======
Meanwhile
Under the Bridge
After leaving home, Ren made his way to the duel site, a familiar place.
Where he'd casually turned a squad of armed men into paste just hours ago.
Now?
The blood-soaked earth had been scrubbed clean. Not even a whiff of blood remained.
Efficient beyond belief.
Most people would never know what had happened here.
Ren arrived with hands in pockets, gazing up at the moon.
Soon, a silver-haired girl emerged from the shadows.
Nao Tomori.
"Yo~ Good evening."
"Had dinner yet?"
Ren greeted her with a grin.
Nao folded her arms.
"Thanks to you, I had two boxes of chocolate sticks."
"Nice appetite."
"I just imagined every stick was your stupid face. Made it easier to chew."
"Careful. You might burst."
"So what if I do? Not like you'd care."
"And for the record, I'm not that small!"
Nao huffed.
Despite her looks, she clearly didn't tolerate teasing.
"Such integrity~"
Ren clapped dramatically.
Nao rolled her eyes.
"Did you bring my DV cam?"
"Naturally."
"I don't believe you."
"Doesn't matter."
Ren's smirk deepened. He'd held the upper hand this whole time.
"Ugh. You're insufferable."
Nao's opinion of him sank further.
Ren ignored her glare.
"Shall we begin?"
"Whenever you're ready."
"Let's start now. Three steps forward, yeah?"
"Sure. So you can lose fair and square."
Ren didn't mind. Hands still in pockets, he walked forward.
"Three…"
"Two…"
"One…"
As Ren took his final step, Nao's eyes lit up.
Thud!
The ground beneath him collapsed.
"YES! It worked!"
She shouted gleefully as Ren plunged into the pit she'd set up. Gravity did the rest, he didn't even have time to react.
"Oh? That so?"
A familiar, teasing voice rang out.
Whoosh!
A dark silhouette shot upward.
Before Nao could celebrate, Ren leapt out of the hole, landing gracefully with both hands still stuffed in his pockets.
"Tch. Don't get cocky just yet."
Nao wasn't surprised. She never thought a simple trap would finish him.
"Try smarter tricks next time. That one was boring."
Ren yawned, unimpressed.
But then,
"TAKAJŌ!"
Nao shouted suddenly.
Fwoosh!
A black blur rocketed toward Ren.
Before he could even wipe his eye, Takajō Jōjirō slammed into him from above, both of them crashing into the bridge's support column.
BAM!
The entire bridge trembled.
The impact was so fierce that spiderweb cracks spread across the concrete, dust and rubble flying in all directions, obscuring Nao's view entirely.