Chapter 35: Intuition Among Peers
"Ren! I finally found you!!"
The next day, as Ren arrived at school as usual, he spotted Matsuzaka Satou waiting at the school gate from afar.
Noticing his gaze, Satou's face lit up with joy. She smiled and ran toward Ren, making as if to throw herself into his arms, but Ren sidestepped to avoid her.
This is bad.
Ren felt somewhat helpless. He treated the world with kindness, yet the world repaid him with ingratitude, leaving him entangled with Satou. Couldn't she have had an epiphany after being rescued and embraced life with a renewed self?
Wait, actually, that seemed to be the case now. After all, Satou appeared extremely cheerful—just a bit too clingy toward him, and her affection for him had skyrocketed to max because he had saved her.
The problem was, Ren didn't need this kind of affection. He already had a girlfriend.
Although men might easily turn bad when they have money, Ren didn't believe he had become corrupted. At the very least, he was still diligently fulfilling his duties as a qualified partner to Hitori.
"Ren, why did you avoid me?"
Satou, her hug having been dodged, looked at Ren with a hurt expression.
"I don't really want to discourage you, but we're not actually that close, are we?"
Ren replied smoothly, while Hitori, having seen such an outgoing and enthusiastic person, was already so frightened that she hid behind Ren.
"Hmm, you might be right. But it's okay! We can create wonderful memories together, Ren. You're my favorite person in the whole world!"
Satou tapped her chin thoughtfully and realized it might indeed be true. Though she was different from ordinary people, she knew that being overly enthusiastic could sometimes annoy others.
But that wasn't a problem. She boldly confessed her feelings. After all, when a girl chases a boy, it's like only a thin veil separates them—it should be easy for a pretty girl to get closer to a guy.
"F-favorite person!?"
A love rival has appeared!!!
Hitori was startled upon hearing this, and a sense of unease crept into her heart. Just yesterday, she had been feeling insecure because Ren was too outstanding, and now a love rival had come knocking at her door.
She, she, she was still too scared and hid behind Ren.
After all, Satou had only said she liked Ren—something no one could control. Hitori couldn't just immediately jump to asserting her ownership, could she?
It really is the suspension bridge effect.
Ren, who had suspected this since last night, thought to himself. Last night couldn't really be considered a heroic rescue. Even if Satou had unavoidably developed feelings for him due to the intense stimulation, it shouldn't be that strong.
If she were a normal person, she would probably return to her senses after truly calming down over time.
"Saying 'favorite' is too early and too frivolous. Let's exchange contact info first. We can talk after school if there's anything. You should be attending classes today too, right?"
Thinking of ways to handle the situation, and since Satou had only expressed her affection after finding him, Ren breathed a sigh of relief. At least he wasn't being stalked by a mentally unstable person—Satou was just a normal, pretty girl.
"Mhm, I'm sorry for troubling you, Ren. By the way, who is she?"
Satou wore a sweet smile on her face. After exchanging LINE contacts with Ren, she turned her smiling gaze toward Hitori, who had been silent and trembling all along. A flash of menace briefly crossed her eyes.
"Eek!?"
That familiar feeling of being watched made Hitori break out in goosebumps. Satou gave her a similar impression to Yuno—both seemed gentle, yet equally terrifying.
"My girlfriend is quite cute, isn't she?"
To help Satou face reality sooner, Ren patted Hitori's head as he introduced her.
"She's adorable. Well, I'll be going now~"
The smile on Satou's face grew even more intense, sending another chill down Hitori's spine.
"Are you okay, Bocchi-chan?"
After Satou left, Ren looked at the trembling Hitori with concern, thinking her reaction was somewhat excessive.
Wasn't Satou supposed to be that cheerful, enthusiastic beauty? Just like the pink-haired girl he had imagined.
"I'm fine, just not used to it yet."
Hitori wanted to say she was a little scared, but felt too embarrassed to admit it. After all, this was her rival—someone who had openly declared her feelings for Ren right in front of her. Wouldn't it be pathetic to be afraid of her?
"I'll tell you about how I know her during lunch break."
Ren had grown accustomed to Hitori's shyness. Perhaps explaining the situation would help put her at ease?
He hadn't mentioned it yesterday because he thought he wouldn't cross paths with Satou again. But since she sought him out today, an explanation was necessary.
Come to think of it, he hadn't shared any personal information yesterday. How did Satou manage to find him?
Was it because of the school uniform?
Recalling carefully, Ren realized the only clue he'd given was his Toyosaki uniform. Maybe Satou had seen it before—each high school's uniform had distinct characteristics, so remembering it wasn't unusual.
Meanwhile, just as Satou left Toyosaki and reached a street corner, she was so overjoyed at having found Ren that she failed to notice someone approaching and accidentally bumped shoulders with them.
A powerful force knocked her off balance, sending her tumbling to the ground.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there~"
The other person apologized softly and gently, dampening the anger rising in Satou's heart. Had it been anyone else interrupting her thoughts of Ren, she would have taught them a lesson.
When Satou was helped to her feet, she finally got a clear look at the other girl—a pink-haired beauty like herself, wearing an apologetic yet smiling expression.
"..."
"Having fun?"
Though not exactly the same, they were cut from similar cloth. Satou's expression turned hostile. Despite the other girl's apologetic smile and gentle demeanor, her essence felt icy and detached.
From this person, Satou sensed a kindred spirit.
"I don't understand. Did I hurt you and cause a misunderstanding?"
Yuno looked troubled, as if harboring no ill intent.
"Tch."
Seeing through Yuno's act but lacking time to ponder why she was being targeted, Satou glared at her, mentally noting her down in her little black book before walking away.
"My favorite person is Ren..."
Yuno didn't stop her, merely turning to watch Satou's retreating figure. After murmuring something under her breath, she pulled out an outdated flip phone, gazed at it for a moment, then broke into a radiant smile before heading toward the school gate.
As for Satou, after leaving Toyosaki, she didn't go to school but instead went to buy a kitchen knife.
Having just been harassed, she realized she had too few means to defend herself, so she wanted to find a weapon for protection. A kitchen knife was the simplest and most straightforward option, and easy to practice with.
So why had she been harassed? Satou had already guessed the reason.
Hmph, just another worthless woman trying to get close to Ren. And every worthless woman or threat that might affect her and Ren must be eliminated!
Returning home, Satou began searching for how to dispose of a large pet's body after death without arousing police suspicion that she had killed someone.
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