"What the hell? This ragged-looking plush is just… big. How is it thirty thousand yen?"
Ren stared at the saleswoman and her perfectly practiced smile, suspicion written all over his face. He'd come here ready to splurge on gifts for his family—he finally had money to burn.
But after asking Ryuhime which plush she wanted, he learned this thing—this lump of cotton and fabric—cost 30,000 yen.
That meant he would have to work three straight days to pay for it.
"Yes, sir," the saleswoman chirped. "Because this plush is a limited edition. And since it's licensed merchandise, we also have to pay royalties to the creator. Naturally, the cost is a little higher."
The saleswoman clearly saw that Ren was broke, but impeccable customer service kept her smiling.
His clothes were plain, but his face—well, his face was dangerously attractive. In a heartbeat, she decided: either he was trying to charm some rich lady… or scam a gullible younger girl.
So she leaned in with her best sales instincts.
"You know what they say: you can't catch a wolf without risking the cub. If you want to land a rich girlfriend, you have to invest a little first!"
In the end, Ren bought the oversized plush—thirty thousand yen evaporated just like that.
He had originally planned to buy something cheap and call it a day… but the saleswoman was absurdly persuasive.
Yes. That was the reason.Her nonstop talking.Not the leaning against him.And definitely not the covert slips of paper with her number.Absolutely not.
After buying the plush, he also picked up a dress he had been eyeing for his mother, Masami Kuroda. There went another fifty thousand yen.
The glorious hundred thousand yen he had made earlier vanished almost instantly in a single shopping trip—and he hadn't even bought anything for himself.
"The lives of the rich are so… decadent…"
But the results were spectacular.
When Ren returned home, he received a level of welcome he had never in his life experienced—from a certain little sister who immediately declared him "The Best Brother Ever."
Naturally, the girl's affection lasted exactly two seconds before she ran off hugging her gigantic plush, slamming her door behind her.
Meanwhile, Masami scolded Ren for being wasteful… but the smile never left her face. She twirled in front of the mirror over and over in her new dress, sparkling with vanity.
Taking advantage of this rare maternal high, Ren casually announced that he had found a new job with generous pay—but would have to come home late tonight.
Masami tried to object, but it was useless. He'd already received advance payment and spent it on their gifts.
Until the weekend, everything was peaceful.
And then Hinano arrived, just as promised.
Since she'd visited before, she came simply to remind Ren not to forget tonight's case.
The moment Masami met Hinano—dressed casually and looking like an ordinary girl—she lit up with enthusiastic energy.
As a mother, Masami had never seen Ren or Ryuhime bring home friends.
At first, she assumed their personalities were to blame. But over time she'd learned both kids were outgoing and lively—they should have been surrounded by friends.
Which meant the real issue… was their identity. Half-demons never fit neatly into either world.
So the moment someone Ren's age finally visited, Masami all but exploded with warmth.
Hinano, caught off guard, was completely overwhelmed by the barrage of questions.
At first they were normal—how long she'd known Ren, whether she had siblings, what school she attended.
Then the questions quickly derailed.
"So… when do you two plan to get married?"
Hinano's fair cheeks turned bright red, steam practically rising off her head.
And then Masami asked, "How many children do you two want?"
That was the last straw.
Ren burst out of his room, grabbed the completely short-circuited Hinano, and slammed the door behind them.
It took several minutes of walking outside before Hinano recovered from the shock.
"Your mom is way too intense! You're still a student—why does she already worry you won't find a wife…?"
Ren scratched his cheek, embarrassed. Honestly, he didn't even know his mother had this side to her.
"That's because you're wearing normal clothes today. If you'd shown up in your police uniform, she wouldn't have let you past the front door."
This wasn't an exaggeration. Masami's greatest fear was that Ren and Ryuhime's identities would be discovered and that someone would drag them away.
And in the human world, police officers were the last people she wanted near her children.
Last time Hinano came over, Masami hadn't been home—so she'd assumed Hinano was just Ren's friend.
If she knew Hinano was a detective? The reception would have been very, very different.
Hinano sighed. "So… aren't we going to investigate today? And you're really going to wear that?"
Ren looked her up and down. Unlike before, she wasn't wearing her uniform. Today she wore a white dress with a black vest—simple, but lively.
Unfortunately, even the loose dress couldn't hide her… generous chest, and the vest strained visibly.
It made sense. With her figure, even the loosest dresses couldn't conceal anything.
Hinano cleared her throat, face reddening as she noticed Ren looking.
"I didn't have a choice. The boss was worried about our company's reputation. He told us we have to investigate in plainclothes. If clients find out the company is tied to ghost stories, even if we solve the case, they're done for."
Her voice wavered, clearly remembering Masami's marriage questions and now catching Ren staring again.