"This place is beautiful, isn't it?"
Reze leaned beside Renji, also resting against the railing, her gaze joining his as they looked down at the brightly lit town below.
The town's lights were like scattered stars, adorning the night and making it exceptionally enchanting.
"The café owner told me about this spot. She said no one would disturb us here—it's very quiet, the perfect secret place to watch the fireworks."
"Mmm…"
Renji leaned on the railing, sensing a deeper implication in Reze's words. The atmosphere had inexplicably begun to shift. He remained silent for a long moment before softly humming in acknowledgment.
Seeing Renji's reaction, Reze's lips parted slightly. She seemed to want to say something but ultimately lowered her head, her expression tinged with melancholy.
[Ding~ Detected Reze's nervous emotional state. System rewards 20 points.]
Renji closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths to steady himself, then spoke.
"Reze, why don't we head back? I just remembered—the ring-toss stall owner still owes you a teddy bear, right? How about we…"
"That!"
Reze suddenly interrupted Renji loudly.
"It was the same last time! Renji! Can you please stop changing the subject like this out of nowhere?!"
Renji was slightly stunned by Reze's sudden outburst. He slowly turned his head, his gaze meeting hers.
He fell silent. For a moment, the already tense atmosphere between them grew even heavier.
A moment later, Reze seemed to realize her behavior had been too harsh. Instantly, her face paled, and her eyes filled with fear and unease.
[Ding~ Detected Reze's fearful emotional state. System rewards 20 points.]
"I… I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I'm really, really sorry! Renji… I… I really didn't intend to shout at you just now… I… I was just anxious! I didn't control my emotions well… Please don't be angry with me! I… I'm sorry! I'm truly sorry! Please forgive me!"
Reze was flustered and distraught, apologizing to Renji in broken, incoherent sentences.
Renji shook his head.
"No, I wouldn't take something like that to heart. But… Reze, what's going on with you? You… you really seem off right now… Anxious…? What are you so anxious about?"
Reze stepped forward and took Renji's wrist.
"Renji… don't tease me. Actually, I… I've been thinking about everything about you these past two days… I… my mind is full of your face… I miss your voice, I miss your smile when you look at me… I miss the things you've said to me…"
Reze's hand gently held Renji's, their fingers intertwining tightly, her warmth and emotions flowing into him.
"Let's! Let's run away together! Forget about everything else! Forget about everyone else! Just me is enough! I'll make you happy, Renji! I'll protect you for a lifetime, Renji! Please!"
Looking at Reze's expectant expression, Renji's own expression shifted slightly. He spoke.
"Run away…? But… even if we run, Reze, where would you take me? If not Tokyo… are we going to Kyoto?"
"We'll escape to the outside."
"The outside?"
"Yes! Renji, as long as I have you! We can escape outside the city together! Go somewhere no one knows! Even if we encounter many dangers along the way, as long as the two of us are together! We can definitely overcome everything!"
"But…"
"I! I love you, Renji! I love you so, so much! So please… please agree to me… otherwise… otherwise…"
Renji's heart rate quickened. Just as he'd said before, he truly was shaken. A thought genuinely rose from the depths of his mind:
Should I run away with Reze right now?
Reze had already said it—though he didn't know how she knew—she had a way to escape outside the city with him.
The two would live together from then on, inseparable, until death.
But…
Should he do that…?
No longer caring about anything else, just abandoning Himeno, Hayakawa Aki, Denji, Power, and the others…
Just running away like that…
Should he do that?
"Why are you still hesitating…? Renji, don't you like me…? Or do you hate me?"
Renji spoke loudly, confessing:
"I like you too!"
"But! Why… why can't we just wait…? I said before… I still have things I must do… I promised Hayakawa Aki I'd help her, and I haven't done it yet. Her unresolved issue hasn't been cleared up, and recently all sorts of strange things have been popping up, as well as characters from other worlds saying inexplicable things. Are the 'missing things' other cities? I've always suspected this, and I still don't know why this is happening…"
"Reze! To many people, this world is just like this! Only two cities, Tokyo and Kyoto! Only a few people like you can sense something's wrong! Your world isn't normal! Something happened to make this world this way!"
"I need to solve this! Find out why it became like this! If… if I leave with you now… then… then what about all of this…? I…"
Reze's jade-like hands, which had been intertwined with Renji's, slowly loosened at that moment. Her eyes widened, her expression one of disbelief.
She lowered her head slightly, as if deep in thought, then cast her gaze into the distance, a complex emotion swirling in her eyes.
"I see… I understand… Renji, you… you've always been like this, haven't you…"
Reze looked back at Renji.
"But all of this… you don't have to worry about any of this, Renji… Can't you just run away with me? For me? What reason makes you keep doing these things? Is it because of other women?"
"Huh…?"
"Renji, you… you have other people you like besides me, right…? That name you just mentioned, Hayakawa Aki—she's such a scumbag woman. No, to put it another way, Renji, you're such a scumbag man."
Her hand moved toward the hem of her shorts, pulling the fabric down slightly. Her lower lips were already slick with moisture, the delicate folds thoroughly dampened.
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