"Hmm… what an unfortunate coincidence, running into you here… what should I do…"
Renji retreated another few steps. At the same time, a golden light shimmered across his body as he activated his transformation system.
The atmosphere shifted abruptly—the air grew heavy and still. On the trees lining the path, the few remaining leaves drifted down in the gentle breeze. They spun and danced in the air before landing softly between the two, covering the busy ants on the ground.
The Angel Devil walked to Renji's side.
[Ding~ Detected Angel Devil's nervous emotional state. System rewards 10 points.]
"Hey, assaulting a Public Safety officer is a serious crime. You'll spend the rest of your life in prison."
Gojo Satoru chuckled softly, her smile playful. She raised her hands in a gesture of surrender.
"No, please, have mercy, officer. I was just passing by, talking big. I haven't done anything. Besides, what could a weak woman like me possibly do? If this transformed officer so much as touches me, my head would be in trouble."
Renji's eyelid twitched.
Gojo Satoru turned to leave.
Renji didn't want to let her go just like that. The information Gojo Satoru had just revealed was too significant. She was completely different from Hayakawa Aki—she had clearly known about the existence of men from the start. And why had she said that men should be killed?
Why couldn't men appear openly outside? What had Makima done? Why had she said "so many things are already missing"…?
So many things are missing…
Wait…
So many things are already missing?
Renji felt he had grasped something. Something crucial had been caught by him. Thinking back… who had mentioned something similar before?
"You, wait—"
[Ding~ Detected Angel Devil's nervous emotional state. System rewards 10 points.]
Renji wanted to question Gojo Satoru, but the Angel Devil quickly spread her wings, extending them wide to completely block Renji's line of sight.
"Don't talk to her. I can't beat her. If you get even a scratch, Makima will kill me."
The Angel Devil retracted her wings. Gojo Satoru was already walking away, waving casually as she went.
"Don't try to follow me. I just came in to take a look and don't want to get involved with you. I was only joking earlier You're a very important existence. Depending on the situation, I might come back to find you again Goodbye~"
After speaking, Gojo Satoru turned from the park path onto the street, merging into the crowd and completely disappearing from Renji's view.
Renji deactivated his transformation system, let out a sigh, and looked at the Angel Devil. He recalled her earlier casual pose—holding the ice cream cone in her mouth while gazing at the sky.
"Were you pretending not to hear just now? Did you catch everything I said to that person?"
"No."
"Really?"
"Really."
Renji thought for a moment, then asked again.
"Angel Devil, let me ask you this—if you had another chance to choose a place to slack off by the roadside, would you still pick this park?"
The Angel Devil shook her head.
"No."
Drops of rain began to fall slowly from the sky. The Angel Devil raised a hand to her head, then lowered it to look at her damp palm.
"Ah… it's raining," she said softly.
The two jogged out of the park and quickly took shelter under the eaves of a nearby toy store.
The rain grew heavier, seeming set to continue for a while. The Angel Devil squatted on the ground, picked up a small stick, and idly stirred the puddle forming at her feet, watching the ripples spread.
"Renji, do you want to hear a story from me?"
"A story?"
"Yes."
...
...
At 8:30 PM, the festival was about to begin.
At the foot of the mountain, on the outskirts of the continuous stream of people heading up to the shrine, Reze stood by the path, her hands clasped behind her back, her body gently swaying, inadvertently tracing a small circle on the ground with her foot.
Her gaze occasionally swept through the ascending crowd, waiting for someone's appearance, until Reze finally spotted that person. A familiar blush colored her cheeks, and she waved from a distance.
"Renji! Over here!"
Renji jogged over to Reze, instinctively running a hand through his hair—and regretted it the moment he did. He felt truly foolish.
"What's wrong? Are you nervous?"
"A… a little."
[Ding~ Detected Reze's nervous emotional state. System rewards 10 points.]
The system's alert for Reze's nervousness sounded more than three times in succession.
"Me too."
Reze admitted, giggling softly.
The two walked together, following the crowd toward the shrine at the mountain's peak. The festival was being held at the shrine and the surrounding areas.
"Angel Devil? Your new partner? What, is she a slacker like you~? Is that really okay? If you keep slacking off, won't your superior say something?"
Reze asked, linking her arm with Renji's, a hint of worry on her face. Renji shook his head gently.
"No, for some reason, my superior is actually quite lenient with me. She doesn't manage me too strictly. And even though we slack off, it's only during patrols. If there's a real mission, we'll still go help."
Reze tugged at Renji, puffing out her cheeks as she questioned him.
"Then why don't you think about secretly visiting me at the café when you have time to slack off!"
"Huh? Seriously? If I really came to see you, it wouldn't be slacking off anymore—it'd be dereliction of duty. Then I'd really get scolded by my superior."
"Even just passing by and saying hello would be fine, hmph~ Renji really doesn't understand romance at all… all that studying was for nothing…"
"Sorry, sorry…"
...
...
"I want to eat this!"
Reze pointed at the cotton candy stall.
"Renji! Buy it for me!"
"Okay! How many?"
"Buy a hundred!"
"Okay! A hundred! Boss! A hundred cotton candies!"
The stall owner was stunned.
"Huh…? Are you serious?"
...
...
"These little goldfish swimming in the water look so cute Renji! Quick, buy them for me!"
"Okay! Buying! How many? You decide!"
"A hundred!"
"Okay! A hundred! Boss! Pack up a hundred goldfish!"
The stall owner smiled wryly.
"A hundred? Can you two carry them all? And 'packed'? Are you planning to eat them?"
He then pointed to a small wooden sign nearby, which read: Goldfish for viewing only.
"If you're here to cause trouble, then please leave. Our little stall doesn't welcome the two of you."
...
...
"Miss, I'm begging you, please stop tossing rings, okay? I'll refund all your money. You've almost cleared out our entire prize stock!"
The female stall owner looked at Reze with a pitiful expression, trying to negotiate whether she could stop.
Reze glanced to the side, her arms already piled high with small gift boxes.
"Renji, do you think we should keep going? The boss has surrendered."
"Huh? What did you say? I couldn't hear you! Speak louder!"
...
...
Renji carried a huge stack of exquisitely packaged boxes in each hand. There were so many it was a bit of a struggle—the boxes on either side bumped against each other, swaying back and forth.
"Why does visiting a temple fair feel like shopping at a mall? Has something changed?"
"Renji! Come on, hurry up!"
Reze, standing some distance away, waved at Renji, urging him to hurry.
"Alright, alright…! Coming…!"
"By the way, what's going on…? Isn't there supposed to be no concept of males in this world…? Why do I have to carry everything…?"
Renji walked over to Reze and set all the packaged boxes down on the ground.
"Whew… I can finally relax… This spot is really beautiful…"
Renji leaned against the wooden railing, overlooking the scenery below the mountain. From this vantage point, the entire town's beauty was visible—it was incredibly picturesque.
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