Chapter 2
Night had fallen over the streets of Izu. The sea breeze drifted in from the distant shore, carrying a faint salty tang. Streetlights glowed warmly on both sides of the road, their soft yellow halos spilling onto the asphalt and making the already quiet little town feel even gentler.
Amemura Ren dragged his suitcase along at a leisurely pace, the wheels rolling across the ground with a soft, rhythmic sound.
University life—looks like it won't be boring after all.
The thought made the corners of his mouth tilt up slightly. But the smile had barely formed before it turned a little wry. The scenes of those overly "enthusiastic" upperclassmen from earlier flashed through his mind, and he couldn't help twitching the corner of his mouth.
He had come here to watch the show.
He hadn't planned on becoming the show himself.
"Speaking of which…" Amemura Ren looked up at the streetlight, almost talking to himself. "Chisa is still so easy to fluster. That little girl who used to follow me around calling me 'Onii-chan' has really grown up."
"Oh?"
A cheerful female voice suddenly rang out from behind him.
Amemura Ren stopped walking, his suitcase coming to a halt with him. He turned around toward the source of the voice.
Under the streetlight stood a woman with short purple hair. She had her hands behind her back, leaning forward slightly, head tilted as she studied him with a playful, half-smiling expression.
The moment their eyes met, Amemura Ren already had his answer.
Same type.
The kind of person who treated life like a stage and loved watching the "show"—and she looked pretty damn good at it.
The woman took two steps forward and casually extended her hand.
"Nice to meet you," she said with a smile. "I'm Hamaoka Azusa."
Amemura Ren glanced at the offered hand but didn't shake it. He simply gave a small nod.
"Likewise." His voice was calm and unhurried, almost completely neutral. "To what do I owe the honor of you greeting me first?"
The words sounded polite, but the tone carried a faint sense of detachment—like a courteous brush-off.
Hamaoka Azusa didn't seem to mind at all.
If anything, she looked even more interested.
She leaned in closer, her gaze openly scanning his nearly flawless face. Then she lowered her voice, her breath almost brushing against his ear.
"Hey, Ren-chan," she said, curiosity clear in her tone. "What does it feel like… when Chisa calls you 'Onii-chan'?"
Amemura Ren blinked.
Are all the big sisters these days this direct?
And the way she said "Chisa" sounded way too familiar. Clearly not her first time mentioning the name.
Instead of pulling back, he tilted his head slightly to match her closeness and answered in a voice only the two of them could hear.
"Are you that curious, Miss Hamaoka?" He spoke slowly, his eyes pausing on her face for a beat. "Or is it because… you've never had a similar experience yourself?"
The air went quiet for a second.
The smile on Hamaoka Azusa's face froze noticeably.
She clearly hadn't expected that comeback. Her prepared teasing suddenly had nowhere to go—she'd been counter-attacked instead.
"Ehh—Ren-chan, you're so sneaky!" She puffed out her cheeks, stepping back with a hint of dissatisfaction. "That doesn't count as an answer at all."
"My apologies."
Amemura Ren gave a small bow, his tone as flat as if he were stating the weather.
Then he turned and walked away without another word.
Hamaoka Azusa was left standing there, muttering under her breath.
"Geez… tight-lipped as ever." She shrugged. "Looks like there's no way to dig any juicy gossip out of the guy himself."
The night grew deeper.
A few minutes later, Amemura Ren reached the apartment entrance. He was just about to open the door when he suddenly paused and slowly looked back.
Across the way, at the opposite door.
Hamaoka Azusa was bent over, rummaging through her bag for something.
Amemura Ren stayed silent for a second.
"So you live here too, Miss Hamaoka?" His voice remained perfectly neutral.
"Eh? Didn't I mention it?" Hamaoka Azusa looked up, innocently shaking the can of beer in her hand. "I just bought some drinks. Want to… come in as neighbors and get a little friendlier?"
Amemura Ren looked at her completely natural, overly familiar attitude, then at the beer in her hand.
A beautiful woman living right across the hall, and she'd come knocking on her own.
There didn't seem to be any reason to turn down this kind of "neighborly bonding."
He opened the door and stepped aside.
"Please come in, my enthusiastic neighbor."
The room wasn't big, but it was reasonably tidy. The two of them sat down at the low table. The beer cans were cracked open with a crisp pssh.
The cool, slightly boozy scent slowly filled the air, easing the subtle tension between them.
Amemura Ren took a sip, his gaze resting on Hamaoka Azusa's smiling face.
"By the way, Azusa, you seem pretty close with Chisa?"
"Just call me Azusa," she said, winking. She clearly liked the change. "Chisa? I'm best friends with her older sister."
At that, she suddenly leaned forward a little, her tone turning meaningful.
"So, Ren-chan… are you interested in Chisa?"
Amemura Ren let out a soft chuckle but didn't answer. He tapped his beer can lightly with his fingertip and smoothly changed the subject.
"So, Azusa." He switched to her first name naturally. "Those upperclassmen from 'Grand Blue' tonight with their… performance-art welcome. You know them too?"
He phrased it politely.
But his eyes clearly said: I know.
Hamaoka Azusa's eyes lit up instantly.
"Know them? I'm one of them!" She grinned brightly. "I'm a member of the Peek a Boo club too."
Amemura Ren raised an eyebrow, his expression basically saying: Of course you are.
Hamaoka Azusa kept explaining. "The club hasn't recruited any new members for almost two years. When they saw a high-quality 'prospect' like you, Ren-chan, everyone got a little… overly excited."
She pressed her palms together in a mock apology, but the sparkle in her eyes was pure excitement at finding a fellow troublemaker.
Amemura Ren recalled the scenes from earlier that definitely needed censor bars, then looked at the cheerful woman smiling across from him and silently marveled at how small the world was.
He took another sip of beer before speaking again, slow and relaxed.
"I see. The club's recruitment enthusiasm definitely left a strong impression."
He paused, meeting her expectant gaze, and the corners of his mouth slowly curved up.
"Still… with a 'welcome ceremony' like tonight, it's no wonder the club hasn't gotten any new members in two years…" He gently swirled his beer can. "I think I just found the reason."
The air went quiet for a second.
Hamaoka Azusa blinked, then burst out laughing.
She wasn't angry at all. In fact, she looked even more amused. She leaned in closer again. The scent of beer mixed with her light perfume drifted between them.
"Aww, don't say that." Her voice took on a lazy, teasing tone. "That was our heartfelt welcome, you know."
At some point she had moved right up beside him.
Her hair brushed lightly against the side of his neck.
"And now that we're neighbors…" She lowered her voice with a soft laugh. "I can 'invite' you to club activities a lot more easily, right?"
She winked.
"First come, first served when you live right next door, Ren-chan."
Amemura Ren looked at her face, now so close he could count her eyelashes.
That face was full of temptation and mischief, leaving almost no room to back away.
He didn't dodge. Instead, he leaned in a little, his eyes darkening with deeper amusement.
"First come, first served…"
He repeated the words in a low, slow voice.
"Looks like I'll have to redefine the concept of 'neighbor safety' from now on."
He finished speaking and gently clinked his beer can against hers.
A crisp clink.
"Still, having a neighbor and clubmate like you, Azusa, who's so good at livening things up…" Amemura Ren said casually, "everyday life will probably have a lot more unexpected fun from now on."
The beer cans clinked together once more.
The clear sound echoed softly in the quiet room.
New "fun" seemed to have already begun.