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"WHAT?!"
Ran's eyebrows furrowed sharply in shock.
"I swear, I'm not lying about this."
"Fuyutsuki Shiori from Class A admitted it herself. She made it official in the classroom this morning."
Sonoko Suzuki knew how serious this was.
So…
She made sure to double-check the information from multiple sources before daring to tell her best
friend.
"..."
Ran had no doubts about it.
Thinking back…
How did Akira even get her?
Just because she grabbed a bottle of mineral water from CLOVER Convenience Store, he accused her of stealing.
The result? She got dragged into the store's warehouse by him, no way out.
Just a few days ago, when she heard that Fuyutsuki Shiori and Nakahara Yui were going to work at
CLOVER, she had a bad feeling about it.
How stupid of her!
She knew full well Akira was no good, yet she let her guard down and gave Shiori the chance to sneak in.
"Ran... are you okay?"
Sonoko immediately realized what a dumb question that was.
Her best friend just got played—how could she possibly be okay?!
This was huge!
"So..."
"You knew about this since the morning, didn't you?"
Sonoko nodded. "Yeah… I didn't want to mess up your exam, so I kept quiet."
"Wow. I should really thank you for that."
Sonoko knew Ran too well.
If she had found out before the test, she would've been completely distracted, and there was no
way she'd pass this exam.
"Eh…?"
Sonoko suddenly looked puzzled.
Something felt off!
Shouldn't a girl who just got cheated on be freaking out, crying, or at least having an emotional breakdown?
Why was Ran so calm?!
Hesitantly, Sonoko asked, "Ran… what are you planning to do next?"
"Obviously, I'm going to settle this with that bastard."
Don't mistake her calmness for indifference—she was furious.
"Yeah… You should talk to him."
"Oh, and another thing—Akira gave Fuyutsuki Shiori the day off today."
Sonoko had expected an emotional reaction, but Ran seemed like she had already made peace with this.
So…
She couldn't help but voice her thoughts.
"Ran."
"I told you before—you shouldn't have kept your relationship a secret."
Honestly, this might not even be Shiori's fault.
Ran had been so secretive about it, like some kind of forbidden affair.
And now…
Shiori from Class A made it official first.
If Ran were to claim her place now, people would think she was the other woman.
CLOVER Convenience Store
After school, Ran stormed straight into the store.
On the surface, she seemed calm—she had always known Akira was that kind of person. But
that didn't mean she wasn't burning with rage inside.
"I need to talk to you. Alone."
Ran got straight to the point, her voice sharp and direct.
There was no hesitation—she was here for answers.
"Miss Sonoko."
"Mind watching the store for me?"
Sonoko forced an awkward smile.
No problem!
As long as these two could sort things out, she wouldn't mind pulling an all-nighter at the store.
Back Storage Room
"What's the deal between you and Fuyutsuki Shiori?"
Akira's lips curled into a smirk.
The moment Ran walked into CLOVER, he could feel the sheer intensity of her anger.
"Same as with you."
Ran's eyes narrowed, her gaze sharp. "What do you mean by that?"
Akira leaned in close, whispering into her ear, "It means you're both my women."
At those words—
Ran's whole body stiffened.
"Baka!"
She knew he was trouble, but she didn't think he'd be this blatantly shameless.
He really wanted it all, huh?
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got…
Her fists clenched tight, her body tensed.
She had two choices: stay silent and accept it, or fight back.
Ran obviously chose the latter.
She threw a straight punch, forcing Akira to step back, and immediately followed up with a
powerful side kick using her long legs.
Outside, Sonoko had been eavesdropping, ears perked up.
"Are they fighting?"
Sure sounded like it.
She knew it!
No way would Ran just take this without a fight.
After a moment of hesitation, Sonoko decided not to interfere.
Maybe a good fight would help Ran let out all that bottled-up anger.
Inside the storage room, the fight didn't last more than a minute.
Ran lost.
Not only that…
Akira had her wrists pinned down, and one of her long legs was propped up on his shoulder, completely immobilized. She was practically forced into a standing split against the wall.
"Put me down."
"Depends. Are you gonna behave?"
"You're a bastard."
"Yeah, but I'm a bastard you'll never forget."
"..."
As he spoke, Akira's fingers started undoing the buttons on Ran's school uniform.
He knew she was still burning with anger, and it was up to him to give her a way to release it all.
"....."