"She seems to have misunderstood something?" Renz, though a straightforward guy, wasn't lacking in reading comprehension. He spent his days mulling over the deeper meanings in Karl Marx's essays, reflecting on context and trying to decipher the philosopher's mindset.
Now, combining context with the current situation...
She can't possibly think Erina and I were up all night… burning the midnight oil… like that? How could she be so vulgar?! This has to be clarified, right? There are children in the house! Who would do something like that here?! Have some shame!
Besides, he and Erina weren't that intimate—yet. Even if they were to legally marry in the future, they weren't psychologically ready.
"Last night, Erina and I actually had a small disagreement. Don't overthink it. We didn't do anything," Renz said flatly, clarifying regardless of whether Alice Nakiri believed him.
You're lying to ghosts!
I don't believe a word of it! Of course, Alice didn't believe him. The noise last night had been so clear—objects falling, whispers carried through the thin walls. If they had just peacefully slept all night, would there have been that much commotion? And their awkward expressions this morning? They practically screamed "something happened."
Erina Nakiri emerged from her room. Her face was still flushed from the morning incident. Renz perked up—good, the key witness had arrived.
Before he could speak, Alice had already marched up to Erina, raising an eyebrow.
"Why was there such a loud commotion in your room just now?"
Of all questions... she just had to ask that. It was the one thing Erina least wanted to explain—the most humiliating moment of her morning. She and Renz had rolled out of bed together, and her loose pajamas had slipped off halfway, exposing everything to him. And what was most infuriating? This guy had seen everything and still kept his face calm and serious.
"Don't ask," Erina muttered, her tone cold as ice, refusing to elaborate.
Good. Alice could already guess what was going on. If nothing had really happened and they had just had a normal night's sleep, would Erina be acting like this? Obviously not. She had probably been touched somewhere she shouldn't have been. And Erina was famously prudish.
"With everything going on lately, there's no need to rush for a third child, is there?" Alice mused, tapping her chin. "I heard from Nito that you're planning a comeback."
"Since you're making a comeback, you'll need to avoid unnecessary accidents. Have you taken adequate safety precautions?"
Silence. The room fell into a dead quiet.
Renz was stunned. Erina froze in place.
Safety precautions?
Unexpected accidents?
Rushing for a third child?!
Grit your teeth, Renz. Man up at critical moments!
"Miss Alice," Renz began stiffly, "regarding safety precautions, I swear I've done better than you can imagine. And this is a private matter between my wife and me. Please don't pry further."
"If conditions allow, a third child is also possible."
Renz paused. On second thought... Why even clarify anything? Let the misunderstanding stand. It only helped their image as a sweet, passionate couple. Dispelling the confusion would be a wasted opportunity. It was time to double down.
Yes, that's right. Lay it all out. Even though nothing happened, I'll make it sound like everything did. I may be a coward in practice—but I'm a veteran in theory! Let's make this as ridiculous as possible.
"How can this be a private matter?" Alice replied, lips curling in a mischievous smile. "Any children my cousin has will be future elites of the Nakiri family."
Erina hadn't quite connected to the server yet. She didn't fully grasp their conversation—until she replayed the key phrases in her head. Then, her expression darkened instantly.
"Yesterday, I heard everything from the next room. You two were active for at least an hour. Did you use three?" Alice teased, clearly enjoying this. Her little devil instincts took over. She even made a lewd hand gesture, moving her palms up and down suggestively.
You're so vulgar.
Renz was struggling to keep up with Alice, Erina's cousin. This wasn't regular teasing—this was borderline Lich King-level obscenity. He needed bleach.
"An hour?" Renz scoffed. "You think an hour is enough?"
He might've been a virgin—but who said virgins couldn't talk big? Virgins had unknown durations. That made them mighty by default.
"At least two hours. Starting. You said three? Pfft. You underestimate me. My kidneys are strong. I didn't count exactly, but I must've used at least four. The loud crash this morning? That was me."
Yes, Renz took all the blame.
"Erina could barely get out of bed today. That was also my doing," he added with a smirk.
Outwardly, he wore a look of calm confidence. Inwardly, he was sweating bullets and trying to figure out how to get rid of this cousin ASAP. Meanwhile, Erina's face was turning bright red, inch by inch.
In the showdown between Renz and Alice, the first to retreat wasn't the participants—it was the bystander with the strongest sense of shame.
Erina couldn't take any more. She marched over to the living room TV stand, reached into a storage cubby, and pulled out a few old newspapers. Rolling them tightly, she crafted a makeshift paper baseball bat.
She smacked Renz on the head first—the one with the filthiest mouth.
"Alright, have you two talked enough?!"
Erina's voice wasn't angry or tearful. But her overwhelming shame was plain as day.
"Rina and Haruki are awake. If either of you brings up this topic again, I'll kill you!"
She entered full berserk mode, delivering two swift newspaper thwacks to both Renz and Alice's heads.
Renz looked tearful. I just said a few words, and I get beaten? I was covering for you! I couldn't say I have weak kidneys or that I'm a two-minute man, could I?!
Erina, this tigress, was totally unreasonable!
"My fault, my fault. You're the one who made me unable to get out of bed," Renz scrambled to backpedal, trying to take back everything.
You're the mighty one, not me. My mistake. That's how it should be.
After all, in competitive play, when you did well, you praised your teammates, not yourself. That made everyone happy. He was just a tool. You're the amazing one. Mighty Erina—you astound me.
"You're still talking?!"
Erina was so furious she couldn't even form words. The paper baseball bat performed an elegant drum solo on Renz's head.
"You. Shut. Up!!!"
---
Will Erina's "berserk mode" be enough to finally silence Renz's verbal acrobatics and Alice's endless teasing? And how will this chaotic morning affect the already complicated dynamics within their growing family? Stay tuned.
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