The night air in Kabukicho felt cooler than usual. Ren had just stepped out of Yamada Bakery with a bag of still-warm meat buns. The aroma of freshly baked bread wafted from the plastic bag. However, he didn't want to linger in this area for too long. After all, Itsuki was waiting for him at home, and Ren didn't want his pregnant homeroom teacher to start overthinking things.
"I should head back soon. Maybe it's because of her pregnancy, but Itsuki's mood has been unstable lately."
But it seemed fate had other plans. Just as he was about to turn toward the station, his steps came to a halt.
"Hm? Isn't that..."
His eyes caught a familiar figure in the crowd. This was the third time he had run into someone he knew tonight. But this time, he couldn't pretend not to see her.
There, standing with an uncomfortable expression, was Nakano Miku—one of the quintuplet sisters and now his sister-in-law.
Miku was wearing a tight white horizontal-striped shirt that clung to her ample chest. Her voluptuous figure was accentuated by her slim waist, which contrasted with her wide hips wrapped in brown pants.
What made Ren frown was the situation around Miku. She wasn't alone. Three young men surrounded her, their body language clearly intimidating.
The first man wore a gray jacket over a black T-shirt, his hair short, and he was holding a phone. The second man, standing behind her, had short black hair and was dressed in a formal shirt, his posture taller than the others. The third man wore a loose gray T-shirt with a necklace around his neck, his hair light-colored and styled casually. The three of them had Miku cornered, clearly not giving her any room to leave.
Although Miku was no longer the quiet, reserved girl she had been in high school—back when she was pessimistic and had such low self-esteem that she often belittled herself—Ren could see the fear on her face. Even after shaking her head multiple times, signaling her refusal, the three men continued to pressure her, coaxing her to go to karaoke or grab a meal with them.
"Come on, just for a little while. We can have some fun. With a body like that, you must be good at singing, right?" One of them coaxed.
A few passersby walked past them, but no one dared to intervene. At a glance, the three men didn't look like the friendly type.
Finally, with her shoulders slightly slumped, Miku gave a small nod. "O-okay... but just for a little while."
The men's eyes immediately lit up. One of them couldn't even hide his grin. They knew the woman in front of them had a weak will—an easy target.
"Alright, let's go now." One of them said, quickly grabbing Miku's arm.
However, before they could move any further, a voice stopped them in their tracks.
Ren stood blocking their path, the bag of bread still in his hand.
"Miku-san, what are you doing here?"
One of the men—the one in the gray jacket—frowned. "Hey, brat. Move aside. This isn't your business."
"Actually, it is. This woman is my sister-in-law. I can't just turn a blind eye when I see her in trouble like this." Ren replied calmly.
"Ren-kun!" Miku looked both relieved and surprised.
Of course, the three men scoffed in disbelief.
How could they not? Ren looked like a typical 16-17-year-old teenager.
Sister-in-law? Who would believe such a ridiculous excuse?
"You think we're stupid? Clearly, you're just trying to play out some 'hero saves the beauty' scenario. That's so outdated!" Sneered the man with the necklace.
"..."
Ren didn't budge. His indifferent eyes stared at the three men without a hint of fear. But before he could respond, Miku quickly stepped forward and grabbed the hem of his shirt, her face filled with worry.
"Ren-kun, it's okay." Miku whispered, her voice trembling. "I... I'll just hang out with them for a little while. Don't worry. You should go home. Itsuki must be waiting for you."
Her fingers tightened on his shirt. Fear was evident in her eyes, but there was something even stronger—concern that Ren might get hurt if a fight broke out. She didn't want anything to happen to him that would make Itsuki sad.
Ren glanced at her and sighed helplessly. "You're being foolish. Do you really think they just want to hang out with you?"
His voice was low, only audible to her. "Their ulterior motives are obvious from the way they're looking at your body."
Biting her lower lip, Miku lowered her head, not denying it. In truth, she hadn't really agreed to the men's offer. Her plan was to ask for help from a passing police patrol to escape.
However, her idea was too naive. The three men had already anticipated something like that. They knew exactly which routes the police patrols wouldn't take.
One of the men stepped forward, pointing his finger at Ren. "Don't interfere. The girl herself doesn't mind. Leave now before you get hurt."
Ren stared at the finger pointing at him, then looked into the man's eyes. He didn't want to start a fight in front of Miku. There was another way to end this without violence.
Slowly, he took a deep breath. Then, something changed.
*BUZZ!*
Without warning, Ren released a fraction of his Campione aura toward the three men in front of him.
Instantly, their bodies trembled. Their eyes widened, and instinctively, they took a step back. An overwhelming sense of danger washed over them, their hairs standing on end.
When faced with a predator far stronger than themselves, living beings naturally feel a primal threat—a warning from their most basic survival instincts.
The essence of a Campione's existence was far above that of a mortal human. And the three men felt it—a fear rooted in the primitive instincts of humanity.
"Leave."
Just one word from Ren, but to the three men, it sounded like an absolute command. As if they had been granted amnesty, the three turned and fled in panic, stumbling over their own feet, not daring to look back.
Miku stood frozen, her eyes wide as she watched the three men who had been so intimidating moments ago now running away in fear from just one word from Ren.
"Miku-san, what are you doing in Kabukicho? This isn't a safe place for a woman to wander alone."
Hearing his question, Miku's face immediately turned red. She looked down, fidgeting with her fingers awkwardly.
"I-I... actually got lost." She answered in a soft voice, clearly embarrassed to admit it. "I was meeting a friend in Shinjuku earlier, and on my way back... somehow I ended up here."
"You didn't use the GPS on your phone?" Ren asked.
Her face turned even redder. Miku bit her lower lip before answering in a near whisper, "Actually... I followed the GPS directions. And ended up here instead."
"..."
Ren fell silent for a moment, at a loss for words. Only now did he remember that Miku had a severe sense of direction. Even modern technology like GPS didn't seem to help much.
"I see. Well, let me walk you home then. It's not safe for you to walk alone."
"Thank you, Ren-kun. Sorry for the trouble."
The two of them began walking side by side toward the station. Miku occasionally glanced at the plastic bag Ren was carrying. The warm aroma of bread wafted faintly, making her stomach growl slightly.
"Is that... meat buns from Yamada Bakery?" Miku asked, trying to break the silence.
Ren nodded. "Yeah. Itsuki wanted to eat meat buns. She said she's been craving them lately."
Miku smiled faintly. "Pregnancy cravings, huh? That's so typical of Itsuki to want something simple like that."
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
They continued their journey with light conversation about Itsuki's pregnancy and the mood swings she'd been experiencing. Thirty minutes later, they arrived in front of a small café with warm decor.
"Thank you so much for walking me home, Ren-kun. And thank you for... earlier."
"No need to thank me. It's only natural for family to help each other, right?"
Miku nodded. After thanking him once more, Ren said his goodbyes and began walking away, the bag of meat buns swaying gently in his hand.
"Itsuki is really lucky to have found such a kind man like Ren-kun."
For a moment, an unreadable emotion flickered in her eyes. But it quickly disappeared, replaced by a small smile.
With one last sigh, Miku turned and pushed open the café door, greeted by the soft chime of the bell and the comforting aroma of coffee. Inside, Nakano Nino—one of the quintuplet sisters—was busy serving a few customers.
"You're late. Did something interesting happen?" Nino said as soon as she saw Miku enter.
Miku smiled faintly, tying her apron deftly. "It's a long story. I'll tell you later."
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
That night, after Miku finished her shift at the café and returned to the apartment with Nino, she immediately headed to bed. The exhaustion and stress from the earlier events made her fall asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Dreams are the only place where impossible desires can come true.
In her dream, the events in Kabukicho repeated. Ren saved her from the three men who had harassed her, just as it had happened earlier. But this time, the story took a different turn. After walking Miku home, Ren didn't leave immediately. The two of them talked longer in front of the now-closed café. What started as an awkward conversation turned into a warm exchange.
As the dream continued, their relationship grew closer, crossing boundaries. Secret meetings began to happen, initially just for chatting and sharing stories, but gradually, seeds of love began to grow between them.
Her dream shifted into more intimate scenes. Eventually, she became his mistress. The two often sought opportunities to secretly meet at small hotels on the outskirts of the city, far from the eyes of those who knew them.
In her dream, Miku felt the sensation of Ren's body over hers, his teasing whispers in her ear, and the heat of their unrestrained passion. Every touch felt real, every kiss burned. The two of them were lost in a sea of forbidden desire, unconcerned about consequences or guilt.
When Miku woke up the next morning, sunlight was already streaming through the thin curtains of her room. She shifted slightly and felt something unusual. To her shock, she realized her underwear and bedsheets were damp from the erotic dream she had experienced throughout the night.
Her face immediately turned as red as a tomato. She covered her face with both hands, feeling an overwhelming sense of shame even though no one had seen her.
"What just happened?" she whispered to herself, her voice trembling. "Why did I dream something like that? And why... why did it have to be Ren-kun?"
Trying to steady her uneven breathing, Miku wondered if she was sexually frustrated to the point of fantasizing about her sister's husband.
"This isn't right." She murmured softly, shaking her head. "I shouldn't be thinking like this about Ren-kun. He's Itsuki's man... my own sister."
But even as her lips uttered rejection, her body still felt the echoes of the pleasure from the dream. A sensation so real, so satisfying, and so... forbidden.