I'll kill you after I finish this game!

"Is it only through battle that one can achieve 'enlightenment'...?"

As the sun set and dusk fell, Fujii Ren, who had tried very hard, opened his eyes again and muttered to himself with a hint of helplessness.

While focused training brings a significant increase in power, it's impossible to harm enemies until the [Form] stage is reached.

Sakurai Hotaru, who was her sparring partner, is not included in this count, since most of her strength was sealed by her senior.

The girl stood up, circulated her energy throughout her body, and all the soreness, numbness, and stiffness disappeared instantly.

Even after leaving school, she still planned to spend the night at Skadi's house, since there were many good teachers there to guide her.

However......

"Ah, you finally came out."

Xiangchun...why are you still here?

Fujii Ren looked at Kasumi's angry figure in front of her with some surprise, not understanding why she hadn't gone home yet, since the school should be empty by now.

Ayase Kasumi approached Fujii Ren, looking at him with a hint of helplessness, and said:

"I knew you were at school because you still had your shoes, but what did you do all day? Sakurai and Skadi both said they didn't see you."

"..." Fujii Ren was speechless, not knowing how to answer Kasumi.

"Although your carefree attitude didn't start today, it's been too unusual these past few days. You've been going to your senior's house all the time. Do you think Yoshino is too cute?"

Meanwhile, Kasumi continued to watch Fujii Ren and talk to herself, like an overly concerned old woman.

So, you're the one who thinks Yoshino is cute, right? Every time you see her, you can't help but want to hug that adorable little one.

If Yoshino hadn't been so accepting of Kasumi, how could you have gotten so close to her?

"..." Fujii Ren was speechless this time.

Seeing that Fujii Ren remained silent, Ayase Kasumi's expression became slightly strained, and she asked softly:

Is it something you can't tell me?

Although I knew what Fujii Ren was doing, I was also happy that this reclusive guy was able to make new friends.

However, Ayase Kasumi did not feel good about being kept in the dark and ignored.

Fujii Ren didn't want this either. She knew that Kasumi was not someone who could be easily hidden. Although she seemed like a fool, she was very sensitive, especially to Fujii Ren.

But when Fujii Ren thought of that night, holding a knife and a head, with lifeless eyes and covered in blood, Kasumi was still there.

She truly didn't know what to say, and couldn't say anything.

There's no way you'll get Xiangchun to remember those things.

And even if she can't remember, she absolutely cannot be implicated in this issue.

Since that's the case—

Fujii Ren scratched the back of his head helplessly, and still silently took Kasumi's hand to show that he did not resist or hate her, and then pulled her to leave together.

However, Kasumi is clearly not someone who can be easily fooled.

"Wait, you can't!" Ayase Kasumi stopped, worried that Fujii Ren might have to bear something bad on his own, and said with a firm expression, "I won't let you escape!"

No, she couldn't let Lian drift away from her like Silang did. She wanted to share everything with him. This was Xiang Chun's simple thought.

"Hey, Ren, am I a really useless person?"

Seeing the unusual look in Fujii Ren's eyes, Kasumi's expression suddenly turned somewhat disappointed.

She could sense the changes in Fujii Ren, but because she didn't understand these changes, she felt an unpleasant sense of distance from him.

Xiangchun said the same thing she did that night.

For Fujii Ren, this was a troublesome dilemma. Although he knew that women could have such a sentimental side, it still felt a bit heavy to apply Kasumi's sentimentality to himself.

Because of her problem, Xiangchun was forced to interfere and take responsibility.

"Lian knows I'm easygoing. If you had explained things to me clearly, I might have accepted it readily. Being deliberately avoided by you makes me feel lost and uncomfortable... so..."

She hoped that Fujii Ren could share her troubles with her, and as a friend, she was very strong and would never give up on Ren.

But this feeling of impatience with the ambiguous and constantly delayed situation, and the inability to see through the other party's true intentions, makes one want to struggle desperately.

Although it was very similar to the beginning with Fujii Ren, it should be the same in essence.

Therefore, Fujii Ren fully understands Kasumi and empathizes with her.

Moreover, with his straightforward personality, he should have an even stronger emotional capacity than her.

"...Xiang Chun".

"Is there anything I can do? I know I'm being tactless, but this is just so lonely."

Upon hearing Fujii Ren finally speak, Kasumi took Fujii Ren's hands in her own and looked at her with a very serious and concerned expression, asking her a question.

However, Fujii Ren felt heartbroken at these words of deep concern from a close friend.

These words brought back memories of that night, and it was because of these feelings that she was forced to go through what she did.

Many viewers understood Fujii Ren's complicated feelings, as he was ultimately considering his friend's feelings and also felt conflicted.

If Fujii Ren can't tell the truth, then at least she needs to concoct a perfect lie to fool her, and put on a convincing performance that can completely deceive her.

[Ren is really troubled. She's concerned about Kaori, but she can't bring herself to say it directly.]

Suddenly, a worried voice from Mary rang in Fujii Ren's mind. Mary had sensed Ren's distress and wanted to help her.

Ah, because I don't want Kasumi to worry about me—she had that same feeling before when she got into an accident—I'm really struggling to figure out how to calm her down.

"Hmm...so we should use a white lie? Lian, wait a minute, I'll go ask Titi if she has any good ideas."

[Ugh! Don't bother your senior with this kind of thing! Hey! Mary, are you listening?! Don't act on your own!]

Fujii Ren's mind was even more confused at this moment. She was touched by Mary's pure desire to help her, but it was too much trouble for her to ask her senior for advice and help on such a personal matter.

I thought Mary would come up with some good ideas for her, but you, with your silly motherly nature, still ended up relying on Skadi.

Although she really wanted to stop Mary from bothering her senior with this kind of thing, it was obvious that Fujii Ren couldn't stop Mary from doing it, and the somewhat speechless mental link from her senior had already dialed Fujii Ren's mental number.

"You're such a nag, Ren. I invited Kasumi over to help you, didn't I? You could have told me sooner. This general Japanese personality is really troublesome."

Being summoned by Mary for such a trivial matter, Fujii Ren could sense Skadi's speechlessness towards her, as well as her disdain and dislike for her Japanese identity.

So, what insightful opinion do you have, senior?

I've already troubled my senior, so refusing again would be incredibly tactless. I've heard her say she'll help me, but I don't know what method she'll use to win over Xiangchun.

Using unconventional methods, Fujii Ren was somewhat reluctant, knowing that her senior possessed some strange magic, such as rewriting and deleting memories, which was no problem for her.

But it would definitely not work on Xiang Chun.

"You wanted to use a perfect lie, right? I'll play along. We'll do this, and that, and then..."

[This...this...this...is this even possible!?]

Stop arguing and just follow this plan. You stay there and wait!

Without giving Fujii Ren a chance to continue rambling, Skadi unilaterally ended the telepathic call.

Fujii Ren's racing thoughts slowly returned to normal, and she looked at Ayase Kasumi, who was looking at her with a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth.

The plan proposed by the senior student sounds very effective, but whether she can accept it depends on whether she can implement it.

A flimsy excuse and an unnatural disregard are definitely not acceptable.

This will only lead to Xiangchun repeating the same mistakes.

Therefore, this problem absolutely cannot be delayed and must be resolved as quickly as possible right now.

The senior student had already come up with an excuse for her that would save her from unnecessary worries while still maintaining a certain distance.

"lotus?"

Seeing Fujii Ren's strange expression, Ayase Kasumi called out to him with some confusion.

Fujii Ren avoided Kasumi's gaze, who was looking at him with surprise, and took a deep breath.

Then, looking directly at her again, he gave a wry smile and said to Xiangchun with a hint of something hesitant in his voice:

"But...don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Mmm, I won't say anything."

"I hope I can get through this smoothly," Fujii Ren said, his face slightly flushed, meeting Ayase Kasumi's expectant gaze that anticipated she reveal what she was hiding.

"I...I, I recently got a boyfriend."

"Why!?"

Upon hearing Fujii Ren's words, Ayase Kasumi was stunned, appearing somewhat dazed.

It was as if they couldn't believe it, or rather, they couldn't believe that the person who said those words was their good friend, Fujii Ren.

"...Because...I'm a little embarrassed, it would probably be troublesome if you found out."

"Wait, wait a minute, just a little while!"

After regaining her senses, Ayase Kasumi became incredibly excited, and even started to stutter.

The girl stared wide-eyed at Fujii Ren, whose face was flushed red, with disbelief and incredulity. Her expression seemed genuine.

It was precisely because of Fujii Ren's genuinely shy and embarrassed expression that Ayase Kasumi had no choice but to believe it, even if she didn't want to.

Although the lie told by the senior was a bit outrageous, in order to divert the attention of the sensitive Kasumi, only drastic measures could be taken.

So you should use this to attract the other person's attention, and attribute your recent unusual behavior to this.

"W-What? Ren said you have a boyfriend... You actually have a boyfriend!?"

Sure enough, this answer from Fujii Ren left Ayase Kasumi's mind a bit overloaded. She simply couldn't imagine that someone with Fujii Ren's personality would have a boyfriend.

After all, the other person is very withdrawn, and his only male friend from childhood to adulthood is his childhood friend, Yuza Shirou.

The fact that she suddenly announced she had a boyfriend didn't just shock Xiangchun; it actually startled her a bit.

"Right, who is the other person? There aren't any males around you!!!"

Kasumi Ayase grabbed Ren Fujii's hand excitedly. As a friend, she had to vet Ren Fujii's choice, provided that what he said was true.

There are practically no male creatures around Fujii Ren, and her home is full of beautiful girls and cute little girls.