CHAPTER 171: LOVE, SECRET, AND INVESTIGATION [BONUS CHAPTER 4/5]

Chapter 171: Love, Secret, and Investigation

Ren couldn’t help but smile; this was saying one thing and meaning another. He was best at dealing with stubborn people, and a mischievous smile played on his lips. "If you say I’m a scoundrel, then I’ll show you what a scoundrel can do."

"Hmm? You’re acting strange, Chika." As soon as he activated his spatial ability, he realized that Chika had actually already entered a state of excitement. "Since that’s the case, I won’t be polite."

Having sat in his seat for a long time, Ren, whose back and waist were aching, stood up and straightened his back, making himself stand even more upright. Sitting for too long is not good for the body; people need to sit for a while and stand for a while.

"Eek!" Chika suddenly shivered and sat down on the sofa.

"Chika, what’s wrong?" Kaguya was startled, seeing Chika’s face full of pain. She thought she was sick. Although Kaguya often called Chika the "cancer of the earth" or "sow" in her mind, in reality, she considered Chika one of her best friends. Chika’s condition worried her: her body was hot and trembling, her cheeks were flushed, she was panting as if about to cry, and her body writhed back and forth on the sofa.

Ren feigned concern and touched Chika’s forehead, saying, "I checked, she’s fine, just needs some rest." Kaguya greatly believed Ren’s words; he was a strengthened Psychic! "Kaguya, let’s finish our work first." Ren returned to his seat and began processing documents.

Kaguya glanced at Chika, whose eyes were moist, and then also focused diligently on her work, completely undisturbed by the outside world. The focused Kaguya didn’t notice Ren’s actions behind the President’s desk, nor Chika’s increasingly intense reactions on the sofa.

"Chika, she fell asleep?" Kaguya, having finished her Student Council work, rose slightly to stretch her tired fingers. She turned her head to see Fujiwara Chika already sound asleep on the sofa, with strands of hair on her forehead clinging with sweat.

Ren walked over to her, took a tissue to wipe away her sweat, touched her forehead, and put on a serious expression. "She’s perfectly fine now, just a bit tired. I’ll take her to the infirmary to lie down for a bit." With that, Ren picked up Chika in one swift motion and walked out of the Student Council room under Kaguya’s envious gaze.

The infirmary was empty, all the beds unoccupied. As soon as he placed Chika on the bed, she slowly woke up. She looked at Ren with a flustered expression; she had only been feigning sleep. Ren pinched her nose. "Why are you looking at me like that? Do you want to be bullied again?"

"!!!" Chika quickly pressed down her skirt, almost shouting, "No!"

"Chika-chan, are we in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship now?" Ren asked curiously. Having already taken this initiative, Chika was considered to be won over.

Chika twiddled her fingers, her voice soft and sweet. "Y-yes, but... but you can’t tell Kaguya-chan!"

Ren rubbed his chin, pondering, "Not telling Kaguya means no one else can be told either, otherwise it would be easy for her to find out, right?"

"Ugh... then no one should say anything!"

"Isn’t that a secret relationship?" Ren didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, unable to understand why she wanted to keep it from Kaguya. Didn’t Kaguya already know he had many girlfriends? In reality, Fujiwara Chika, as a politician’s daughter, possessed keen observation skills. She had long observed that Ren and Kaguya were only missing one crucial opportunity. She knew this from seeing Kaguya’s anger earlier. So, she wanted to keep it a secret for now. At least, it had to be after Kaguya.

This was a minor matter for Ren; he was still very tight-lipped. Sitting on the bed, he pulled the shy Chika into his embrace. "Are you comfortable in your clothes now?" Ren teased. Chika shivered, clearly uncomfortable!

"I’ll help you change into something new." Ren snapped his fingers, and a brand-new white undergarment appeared. Of course, Ren personally helped her change.

It only took a few minutes to send Chika to the infirmary. Just in time for class. Ren’s return to the classroom caught the attention of Megumi. Megumi poked Ren.

"What’s wrong?" Ren turned around.

"Ren, you seem very refreshed." Megumi tilted her head, her face innocent. "Just like after we finished on the rooftop earlier."

Ren’s eyelids twitched; Megumi’s observational skills were truly impressive! He was indeed very refreshed. Those few minutes in the infirmary were more than just a few minutes. It’s normal for things to get heated when changing clothes, isn’t it? Thinking about what happened then, Ren couldn’t help but lick his lips. It had been a long time since he had used his mouth and tongue like that, and the taste seemed quite good. Chika gave him the feeling of a soft, juicy peach. Perhaps others could be tried later, too, like Megumi.

"Ren, your eyes are full of desire."

Ren retorted, "It’s all because you’re too alluring, Megumi."

Megumi’s lips curved into a faint smile, then she pointed to the front left. "Yui-chan is looking at you. Did Ren make her like this?" Megumi was, of course, referring to Yui clutching her lower abdomen and occasionally gasping for cool air.

Ren looked over; Yui was staring at him with longing eyes. After meeting Ren’s gaze, she immediately blushed and turned her head away.

"Sigh, I told her she’d be fine after recovering; she didn’t need to suffer like this."

"Time Stop!" At Ren’s command, the disturbances in the classroom, which were nearing class time, instantly ceased. Everything became silent.

"Time Stop!" Miura Yumiko exclaimed, her face filled with disbelief.

Yukino was calm; she had experienced Ren’s time control ability before.

"Ren, what are you going to do?" Megumi asked, surprised.

"Nothing, just checking on Yui." Ren walked over to Yui; she was also staring blankly at everything that had stopped. Only when Ren waved his hand in front of her eyes did she snap back to reality. Ren squatted down, placed his right hand on her lower abdomen, and gently asked, "Does it still hurt?"

Yui’s cheeks were flushed, and she nodded softly. "I told you to just recover, but you didn’t listen. Now you know it’s uncomfortable?"

"It’s just that Ren-kun is too... too amazing!" Yui said, extremely shy. The meaning of their conversation was already self-evident.

Megumi wore a calm expression, as if she had known everything all along. Yukino’s gaze was complex; this girl who called her ’Little Yukino’ every day had also fallen. Yumiko’s mouth hung open blankly; her brain was trembling. Had Yui already ascended to adulthood? Didn’t she say she was just full? Suddenly, her expression became even more horrified. Full? No way? Was Yui so bold on her first time? For a moment, Yumiko’s mind was racing.

"You must have had an unforgettable experience yesterday, right? I’ll help you recover today."

"Mm... mm." When yesterday was mentioned, Yui lowered her head even further, almost touching Ren’s face.

"Kiss." Ren took the opportunity to kiss her soft, bouncy cheek, and a golden light flashed in his hand. Warmth flowed into her lower abdomen, and Yui felt her body rapidly recovering. "Ren." Moved in her heart, Yui proactively kissed Ren’s lips. This made Yumiko’s eyelids twitch. That Yui, who always acted timidly and was easily swayed by others, was now so bold! Can love truly change a person?

The feeling of doubt lingered in her heart, watching Ren’s gentle tone and smile towards Yui. She remembered his previous concern for Yui, even eating Yui’s terrible cookies and genuinely praising them without changing his expression. Now, he had even stopped time specifically for Yui. It was somewhat romantically enviable... and jealous...

After Yui’s body recovered, the two also separated from their tender moment. For some reason, Yui softly said, "I’m sorry."

"Huh?" Ren was puzzled. "Sorry for what?"

"Because... because of Mom..." Yui just said that one incomplete sentence, then pushed Ren. "I’m fine now, let’s get ready for class."

Seeing that Yui didn’t want to elaborate, Ren had no choice but to return to his seat. Time resumed its flow.

During class, Yui’s feelings were very complex. Her apology was because of her mother. Yesterday, she had stumbled upon her mother’s solo performance. Her mother later confessed to her, asking for forgiveness, saying that she had fantasized about Ren without permission and promised never to do so again. Yui was also very confused. Her own mother had done such a thing, and she didn’t know whether she should be angry. Because her father had passed away early, her mother had never remarried. Her mother had single-handedly raised her since childhood. Her mother had lost her deserved happiness because of her. She had no right to blame her mother.

Yui could now understand her mother’s feelings. Just now, when her body was recovering, being kissed and touched by Ren, she couldn’t help but have thoughts herself. These were physiological changes that every human would inevitably experience. Not to mention her mother, who hadn’t experienced such things for over a decade. She didn’t blame her mother, but she also didn’t know how to tell Ren about it. She was in a dilemma. She was very troubled in her heart.

After observing Yui’s distracted state, Megumi quietly told Ren, "Ren, there’s a girl who came to the research club today."

"An abnormal phenomenon request?" Ren was curious; their club had only received one request since its establishment, and that was Yui’s.

Unfortunately, Megumi shook her head. "It’s not a request; she seems to be here to investigate you, Ren."

"Investigate me?" Ren narrowed his eyes. He was certain that his subsequent actions would be perfectly hidden, undetected by any person or satellite. But he couldn’t guarantee that his early days of struggle, when he was weaker, hadn’t been noticed by anyone. Is she investigating me because something from back then was discovered?

"Who is that person?"

"A girl named Hayasaka Ai, dressed like a gyaru, but based on my observations, the gyaru appearance is likely a disguise. Do we need to pay attention to this person?"

"Hayasaka Ai!" Ren knew who that name belonged to. Isn’t she Kaguya’s versatile maid? Her investigating him probably means she noticed Kaguya’s unusual behavior. If it’s her, then there’s nothing to worry about.

"Ren, you know her?" Megumi keenly sensed that Ren seemed to know this person.

Ren nodded. "Yes, Kaguya’s maid. Never mind, don’t worry about her."

"Okay."

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[Apologies if this note is disruptive, but it will be present on every bonus Chapter. Feel free to skip it if you wish.]

Hey everyone, Inorin here!

I have some truly exciting news to share! These 5 bonus Chapters are a special thank you to our newest member of "The Founding Pillars" membership tier! Your support means the world to me and is a huge help with my current situation.

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Because of the support from new members of ’The Founding Pillars’ and a purchase of the Doomsday Chat Group: Conquering the Multiverse Heroines collection on Patreon, we have even more bonus Chapters to share.

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For those interested in the rewards, here’s a quick overview:

The Curious Reader: 2 Bonus Chapters

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Additionally, I’ll be releasing 1 bonus Chapter for every 150 Power Stones reached each week.

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