Not long after Hiratsuka left, Ren grew bored of watching the baseball club practice. His eyes then caught sight of Tobe among Hayato and Yumiko's group, walking together toward the school gate. They were probably heading to karaoke or a fast-food restaurant as usual.
"Enjoy your last day, Tobe. Today will be the anniversary of your death next year." Ren sneered with a dangerous glint in his eye.
Seeing Tobe laughing with his friends made Ren chuckle. Without hesitation, he took out his phone and sent a quick message to Hayasaka.
The message was brief—he ordered the Shinomiya Family to deploy a team to bury Tobe in a barrel filled with wet cement and then dump him into Tokyo Bay after the cement dried.
*DING!*
He didn't have to wait long before the message was delivered. Hayasaka knew what to do.
Although technically Hayasaka belonged to him, she also served as the liaison between Ren and the Shinomiya Family. Prestigious families like theirs weren't as pure as they appeared on the surface. They had special units to handle dirty work, including assassinations.
Ren wasn't naive like Godou; he understood how the world worked. In his previous life, the Nine Dragons Family in Indonesia operated in the same way—the rich and powerful always had hidden hands ready to dirty themselves for the sake of their family.
So, getting rid of Tobe wasn't a big deal. Ren was just too lazy to dirty his own hands and didn't want to leave any traces that could be used against him. It was better to leave it to the professionals.
After all, as a Campione, he wasn't just an ordinary human. His status was more honorable than any national leader. Even if he killed someone in public, the law of the land wouldn't be able to touch him. However, he also didn't want to draw unnecessary attention just to deal with trash like Tobe.
Ren shifted his gaze from Hayato's group and noticed two girls who caught his attention—Yotsuya Miko and Yurikawa Hana. It wasn't their beauty that intrigued him, but the presence of an evil spirit relentlessly tormenting Miko.
"Hm? Isn't that Yotsuya Miko? Poor thing, she can only see ghosts but doesn't have the power to fight back."
The ghost was disgusting. Its skin was rotting with black spots spreading across its body. Its eyes were hollow, as if devoid of a soul, while its mouth stretched wide, almost reaching its ears. The most horrifying part was its broken limbs, twisted in unnatural positions—its arms bent backward, and its knees folded like a failed origami.
"Can you see me?"
The hoarse, hate-filled voice repeatedly echoed in Miko's ears.
"Well, that girl is one of the individuals who made me realize this world isn't just a slice-of-life. There's no harm in helping her once in a while."
Without much thought, Ren raised his hand, condensing magical energy into an arrow. Of course, this wasn't Meteoric Ascent but a version weakened hundreds of times—just enough to erase the evil spirit without leaving a trace.
With a casual flick, he launched the arrow toward the evil spirit.
*WHOOSH!*
*Pu-chi!*
In an instant, the evil spirit vanished without a chance to react.
Miko, who had been trying to ignore the disturbance, suddenly stopped in her tracks.
"Eh?"
She turned around, her eyes slightly wide.
This wasn't the first time she had seen an evil spirit die—there had been many instances where stronger spirits preyed on weaker ones. However, what confused her was the speed of the event.
There was no sound of struggle, no presence of another spirit devouring it. The evil spirit just... disappeared.
"What's wrong, Miko? Did you forget something?"
Hana's cheerful voice snapped her out of her daze. The girl looked at her with an innocent face, completely unaware of how disturbing the world Miko saw every day was.
Miko shook her head quickly, regaining her usual blank expression. "It's nothing. I just felt... a little strange."
Without thinking further, Hana started chattering again, and Miko followed her, though her mind was still filled with questions.
On the other hand, Ren, who had witnessed the scene, leaned back on the park bench, sipping the last of his yogurt.
"Now that I think about it, there's someone else like her."
He recalled another girl—Ayase Momo.
"I wonder... has she awakened her psychic powers yet?"
If Miko could only see supernatural beings without being able to fight back, Momo was very different. That girl had the potential to become an incredibly powerful Esper.
"By the way, I've never seen an alien."
So far, after becoming a Campione, Ren had witnessed various supernatural beings—evil spirits, ghosts, Heretic Gods, even phenomena that surpassed ordinary human understanding. But there was one thing he had never seen—an alien!
Instantly, his curiosity was piqued. Lifting his head up, Ren activated Heavenly Eye.
In an instant, his perception of the world changed. Layers of reality unraveled.
What was hidden in the blue sky became clear. There, hovering above Tokyo, was a disc-shaped object floating silently.
"A UFO, huh?"
His Heavenly Eye pierced through the object's camouflage, revealing a strange structure unlike any human technology. Ren could see the details—an unfamiliar metal frame, a pulsating energy field surrounding it.
The UFO was invisible to everyone else. Even with Earth's most advanced technology, this object would evade radar and military satellites. But his Heavenly Eye couldn't be fooled.
He didn't know if the aliens inside were friendly or hostile. After all, in the Dandadan series, there were also friendly aliens.
For now, Ren chose not to act.
"Interesting... So the Heavenly Eye can see through both magical camouflage and technology."
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Twenty minutes later, Masha finally appeared. She was slightly out of breath, likely having rushed over after finishing her student council duties.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Ren-kun. The student council work took longer than I expected."
Ren didn't mind. After all, he had just been enjoying the surprising view of the sky.
"No problem. Let's go."
They walked side by side toward the school gate. At this hour, most students were still busy with club activities. Meanwhile, those who chose to join the Go-Home Club—students who left immediately after school without joining any extracurricular activities—had already left long ago.
That meant no one saw the school's Madonna walking home with a scumbag who had recently been the subject of rumors.
After walking for a few minutes, Ren glanced toward the busy road.
"The shopping center is still quite far. How about we take a taxi? It's faster and saves time."
Masha seemed to think for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. I'll pay for the fare."
"Why?" Ren asked, amused.
"Taxi fares in Japan are really expensive, right? I know Ren-kun is an orphan, and your family isn't wealthy. I don't want to burden your finances."
"..."
Masha's consideration was one of the reasons Ren chose her over Alya.
It wasn't that Alya wasn't attractive—on the contrary, the Russian-blooded girl had a charm that was hard to resist. However, Alya was too much of a perfectionist, too stubborn, and her feelings often contradicted her words. In short, she was an outdated tsundere.
Masha was different... She was gentle, caring, and had a natural sensitivity toward others. Anyone who could marry her would be the luckiest man in the world.
Still, Ren was aware that Masha's feelings weren't truly for him. If it weren't for the effects of his hypnotic manipulation, Masha would still be in love with Masachika.
But did that matter?
For Ren, the result was more important than the process!
Knowing the Kujou Family was wealthy, Ren saw no reason to refuse Masha's offer. If his girlfriend wanted to spoil him with money, why should he bother refusing?