"One woman on stage is a drama."
"You think six women just means two separate acts?"
Wrong.
This isn't an addition.
It's exponential multiplication.
At first, Su Yang had just been sitting back, enjoying the show.
But he quickly realized something was off, the situation was spiraling far beyond what he'd anticipated.
Everyone had polite smiles on their faces, talking like besties.
Everyone… except for the slightly confused Kawasaki Saki and Yotsuya Miko.
Even Yui the Dumpling was acting weird.
Oh no…
My sweet Dumpling is evolving!
And that was not a good thing.
Su Yang felt a rare surge of gratitude,
Thank goodness that devil in disguise, Kasumigaoka Utaha, wasn't here today.
If she were, this whole situation would've collapsed completely.
Thankfully, a timely phone call gave him the perfect excuse to escape, allowing him to use his ultra-rare escape technique:
Triple S-Rank Ninjutsu: "Phone Call Vanish!"
What Su Yang didn't know was that the moment he left, the entire room fell completely silent.
"…???"
What just happened?
Miko blinked in confusion.
Even Saki was looking lost, holding a mic in her hand, unsure whether to sing or put it down.
After a long pause, she decided to gently set the microphone back on the table.
"Um… Is everyone tired already? Then maybe we should wrap up?"
Megumi Kato broke the silence as she stood to leave.
But then…
Yumiko Miura suddenly spoke.
"No one's planning to quit?"
Quit?
Megumi paused, tilting her head slightly. "If we're talking about who came first… that would be me, no?"
Yumiko's expression stiffened. True, in terms of who Su Yang met first, it was Megumi.
"…So what?" Yumiko snapped. "I'm still the one who's most compatible with Su Yang-kun."
She turned to look at Yui Yuigahama. "Right, Yui?"
"Uhh… I…"
Yui's brain froze mid-load.
"Yumiko, now that's unfair," Megumi said calmly. "You're forcing Yui into an impossible situation. After all… she's not a cheerleader anymore, she's already entered the race."
Her words made Yui visibly flinch.
Can she really say that out loud!?
"Yui?" Yumiko pressed again, locking eyes with her.
Yumiko already knew the answer deep down. She'd just been in denial, hoping Yui had been supporting her from the sidelines.
But Yui's silence made everything painfully clear.
"Haha! No need for drama, girls!"
Marin Kitagawa tried to laugh it off.
But the way Megumi and Yumiko simultaneously turned their gazes toward her… made her shrink back into her seat.
Still, she gathered her courage and said:
"Well, since it's come to this, why don't we just agree to a fair competition?"
"Agreed," Megumi nodded, then looked directly at Yui.
"As long as a certain someone doesn't cheat by jumping ahead."
So… it wasn't Yui who invited her?
Nope.
Megumi the Saint had already seen through everything and launched a surgical strike.
She never misses.
Yui tried to play dumb with a goofy smile, pretending not to notice the rising tension.
Even Saki Kawasaki, normally a bit slow to catch on, was finally understanding what kind of battlefield this was.
She wanted to stand up and say, "I'm not even part of this!"
But when she thought of how Su Yang had helped her…
And when she thought about…
…She decided to sit still.
If I don't say anything, maybe I won't be counted.
Then, a quiet voice cut through the tension.
"Umm, I only met Su Yang-kun yesterday. Can I leave now?"
It was Yotsuya Miko, timidly raising her hand.
Dear God… What is this mess!?
I just agreed to drop by and say hi every day, how did I get caught up in this?!
This is terrifying. This is what they call… a battlefield of love?!
Miko tried her best to stay uninvolved, but Megumi's next words crushed her hopes.
"Met him just yesterday? Yet you're already calling him 'Su Yang-kun'… and even went home with him?"
Her eyes narrowed.
"Sounds like you're the most dangerous one here."
"…???"
Excuse me!? What do you mean by that?!
Miko was stunned.
"Hmph, every one of you…" Yumiko muttered, but then glanced around the room and reconsidered her position.
Finally, she offered:
"Let's end it here for today. All of us should leave together."
Just like that? We're done?
Miko opened her mouth to protest, but when she saw Yumiko's sharp glare, she quietly shut it again.
Yeah… probably best to go for now.
Meanwhile, Marin let out a quiet sigh of disappointment.
Dang it… I wanted to show Su Yang-kun a few more cosplay outfits today…
And just like that, the six girls exited the scene.
Meanwhile, Su Yang had no idea any of that happened.
Because this time, he had actually left for an important reason.
Inside a black sedan, Su Yang's voice turned icy.
"So… some unknown group intercepted my shipment?"
He was ticked off.
Sure, killing ghosts gave him simulation points. And while minerals and gems containing special energy didn't yield many, they were still something.
He wasn't about to let any chance to earn more simulation points slip by.
Especially after seeing how absurdly expensive the Mangekyō Sharingan abilities were…
Money?
That was just a number to him.
So when a large batch of mineral shipments was intercepted, potentially worth hundreds of simulation points, it naturally pissed him off.
But what he didn't expect was…
As soon as he arrived at the warehouse, a man in a suit and glasses greeted him with a deep ninety-degree bow.
"Mr. Su Yang, right? We sincerely apologize. Due to… unforeseen circumstances, there was an issue with your cargo. But please don't worry, it's already being handled and will be delivered to you promptly!"
Su Yang stared blankly at the man.
After a short silence, he asked, "…Ichi…ji Kiyotaka?"
"Huh?"
"You know who I am, Mr. Su Yang?"
Ichiji Kiyotaka looked up, visibly surprised.
Su Yang cursed under his breath.
You've gotta be kidding me…
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Note: If you're enjoying the story, you can read up to Chapter 56. You can read 39 chapters ahead of the current one) on my Patreon: patreon.com/Aurevynluv