The mysterious phenomenon where sunlight shone so brightly that it was impossible to open one's eyes for ten seconds had become a hot topic across Japan. The scale of the event, which involved the entire archipelago, caused a huge uproar on news stations, social media, and internet forums.
Netizens quickly dubbed it "Heaven's Flare", referring to the extraordinary light that seemed to come from heaven.
Not only the Japanese public, but international media also reported on this anomalous phenomenon. Many speculated it was the result of secret experiments, supernatural events, or even extraterrestrial intervention. Conspiracy theories abounded, ranging from extreme global warming to secret military activities.
However, beyond the wild speculations, the impact of Heaven's Flare was very real. The sudden and blinding light caused chaos on the roads, with thousands of traffic accidents occurring simultaneously. Drivers lost control as they couldn't see anything in front of them, resulting in tens of thousands of accidents and hundreds of casualties. Many of the victims were pedestrians hit by disoriented vehicles.
In response, the government quickly mobilized experts to issue an official statement. They claimed that Heaven's Flare was merely a rare and not yet fully understood weather phenomenon. However, many doubted this claim.
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Ohananomitsu High School – 2:00 PM.
Ren and Hayasaka walked through the gates. Ohananomitsu High School had already entered club activity hours, but the atmosphere here was different from usual.
Students gathered in small groups, still enthusiastically discussing Heaven's Flare.
"Seriously, light that bright appeared around noon? So weird! The sun was already bright, but suddenly it was like there was a second sun!"
"I couldn't see anything! I heard some people almost crashed because of it!"
"I read online that there's a theory it was a secret experiment! The government must be hiding something!"
"No, no, no! It's a bad omen! The apocalypse, bro! Didn't you see? The birds were flying around in panic when it happened!"
"How would you know about that when no one could see anything?"
Amid their lively chatter, Ren's presence caught their attention. As soon as some students noticed him, their voices immediately quieted.
Some looked at him with hostility, others with dislike, and a few even whispered with mocking expressions.
'Has my reputation as a scumbag spread to everyone in school? Whatever, if they know, let them.'
Ren noticed this, but he didn't care. If he had to summarize their expressions in one word, it was disgust.
Without concern, he glanced at Hayasaka beside him.
"Ai, you don't need to follow me. Just do whatever you want. But be back before sunset. I need you to take care of Itsuki."
Using her gyaru persona, Hayasaka smiled cheerfully.
"Okay, okay! I'll go make some new friends~ Besides, I don't want to be ostracized for being antisocial." She said, walking toward a group of female students.
"She doesn't need to use a persona; I'm not Shinomiya Kaguya. Ai doesn't need to force herself to build social connections like she did at Shuchi'in Academy."
Ren shook his head, watching how quickly Hayasaka switched personalities, as if flipping a page in a book.
"Let's go. Making women wait isn't my style."
Without delay, he headed toward the school's storage shed.
Originally, after the exhausting duel with Godou, he had planned to go straight home and spend some intimate time with Itsuki. But his plans changed when Masha suddenly sent him a message, asking to meet.
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As he walked through the hallway, disdainful gazes followed Ren. Some students even whispered behind his back, clearly talking about him without shame.
But none of them knew the truth.
They were mocking someone at the pinnacle of humanity.
If Ren wanted, he could wipe out the entire school in seconds. But, of course, he wasn't that petty.
'Ignorance is bliss.' Ren thought mockingly of their foolishness.
As he got closer to the storage shed, the atmosphere changed. The number of students decreased until there were none in sight.
In front of the shed's door, a girl with wavy light brown hair was waiting. When she saw him, she smiled softly.
"Ren-kun."
Her voice was full of affection, different from usual. Since no one was around, Masha used his familiar nickname without hesitation.
"Yo, Masha." Ren greeted with a faint smile.
Then, they entered the shed.
Once the door closed, Masha locked it.
Ren was about to ask why she had called him, but before he could speak—
"Nnn..."
Masha threw herself into his arms.
Her arms wrapped around his waist, her face buried in his chest. She rubbed her face against him gently, as if trying to absorb his warmth.
"Ren-kun rarely spends time with me... Are you bored of me? Discarding the old and embracing the new?" Masha's voice sounded slightly complaining.
Ren wasn't stupid. He knew who the "new" referred to—Hayasaka Ai.
Gently stroking her light brown hair, he replied softly, "That's impossible. I've just been busy lately."
Enjoying his attention, Masha smiled contentedly. "Alright, I forgive you."
Her embrace tightened slightly before slowly loosening. After savoring the moment for a while, they finally parted.
"So, why did you call me?"
"Do I need a reason to meet my boyfriend?"
Without giving Ren a chance to respond, Masha grabbed his hand and placed it on her still-flat stomach.
"Our child wants to meet their father."
'So that's it.'
Ren raised an eyebrow, but he didn't reject this game.
Following Masha's lead, he crouched in front of her. With a deft movement, he lifted her school uniform slightly, then shamelessly pressed his ear directly against her stomach.
"Hmm... I want to hear their voice."
Masha's face immediately flushed, but not out of anger—rather, because of Ren's sudden teasing.
Instead of scolding him, she simply chuckled softly. "Ren-kun, you really..."
With a loving expression, she stroked Ren's hair as he kept his ear pressed against her stomach. Her voice remained gentle as usual, but there was a teasing tone in it.
"I'm only a few weeks pregnant. The baby is still in the embryonic stage. So, even if you press your ear like this, you won't hear anything."
Raising his head slightly, Ren maintained his mischievous demeanor. "But at least they can feel my presence, right?"
Masha smiled softly, her eyes full of affection. "Maybe, but what's more important is how their father will always be there for them after they're born."
"Masha, you don't think I'm the type to run from responsibility, do you?"
"No, but you are the type to flirt with other women even when two of your women are pregnant."
Ren just grinned, not refuting Masha. It was the truth, and he wasn't ashamed to admit he was a scumbag.
Masha leaned closer, her body almost pressing against Ren. Her warm breath brushed his ear as she whispered softly but clearly, "I want our baby to meet their father directly."
Frowning, Ren tried to understand her words. With a question mark in his mind, he asked, "How?"
Masha seemed a little hesitant, but after taking a deep breath, she mustered the courage to say it.
"Nani?!"
Ren's eyes widened. He hadn't expected Masha to say something like that. Honestly, he never thought a girl with such a gentle personality as Masha could be this aggressive. Do pregnant women really undergo such changes?
However, he didn't dwell on it. Easily, Ren lifted Masha into his arms, her plump body feeling light in his embrace. Without a word, he gently laid her down on the mat, making sure she was comfortable.
As her back touched the mat, Masha slowly stretched out her arms, as if signaling. Her face still adorned with a soft smile, but her gaze was full of anticipation.
"Come on, Ren-kun. I welcome you." She said in a coquettish tone, her voice almost a whisper.
No man could resist such a sweet call. With just those words, Ren felt his heart beat faster. Masha had a natural charm that made people want to drown in her—her soft smile, her warm gaze, and her always calm yet attentive demeanor.
There was a reason Masha was nicknamed "Madonna" by the students at Ohananomitsu High School.
"Since when did you become so good at teasing men, Masha."
Ren reached out, touching Masha's cheek with his fingertips, gently caressing before running his fingers through her smooth hair. Masha closed her eyes for a moment, savoring the touch, before looking at him again with anticipation.
"Ren-kun, you're the one who made me like this. You have to take responsibility."
"Yeah, it's my fault. That's why you can only belong to me."
Satisfied with Masha's coquettish behavior, Ren quickly removed his pants.
Then, silence filled the room, only their breaths audible, growing heavier as the distance between them disappeared. Their shadows merged under the dim light, moving with a rhythm that grew faster.
Soft moans mixed with the sound of fabric rubbing. There was something primal in the way they came together.
The mat beneath them creaked slightly, in sync with the soft, repeated thuds. Occasionally, Masha bit her lip, her hands gripping Ren's arms tightly as if afraid of being separated.
They were lost in the moment, time seeming to slow down and speed up simultaneously. Their breaths grew ragged, warming the air between them, creating a space that belonged only to them.
Outside, the world moved on as usual, but here, in the quiet shed, there was only them—two hearts united in a wordless dance.