The two who had just stepped out of the room happened to witness the whole scene, bloody drama and all.
"Tsk tsk~ What a show."
Ren watched the drama unfold with rare schadenfreude.
"Amamiya-kun, your image is falling apart~"
"Sometimes I like watching drama too, especially when it doesn't involve murder cases."
Hayasaka's reminder was promptly ignored as Ren smiled.
He wasn't the kind of person who cared much about appearances anyway.
In the past, he hardly talked in front of others, but he'd still talk to his TV and computer when he was alone.
Watching Ren enjoying the show, Hayasaka shook her head slightly. Boys will be boys, after all.
But honestly, she thought it wasn't bad for guys to laugh like this from time to time—as long as they weren't the type to torment people like Kaguya.
So, she too watched the drama unfold.
"A revenge-driven young master falling in love with the daughter of his enemy... That kind of plot is entertaining no matter the setting."
"Yeah, no doubt."
Ren nodded in agreement. This kind of melodrama was universally appealing.
"But if this were a drama series, the ending would feel rushed."
"The male lead fell too quickly, and the female lead's resolve shut down any chance of a twist."
Hayasaka had to pull Ren back from overanalyzing the drama.
"Ren, Miss Natsue isn't a bird in a gilded cage like Shinomiya. She has freedom and she has boundaries."
"Family."
"Natsue lost her parents young. Her grandfather, Gozo Hatamoto, doted on her and became her everything. He's her bottom line."
"And once that bottom line's crossed, even a fiancé is no exception, especially now that she knows his intentions weren't pure."
Ren gave a light nod.
Yeah, following this narrative logic, once you know the fiancé is basically a time bomb for your grandpa, you'd cut ties without hesitation.
Totally reasonable to break things off on the spot.
"So, Ren, who's the one trying to kill Gozo Hatamoto?"
Hayasaka was genuinely curious.
Sure, they'd find out the truth later that night but who watching a mystery doesn't want to guess it ahead of time?
"Besides Zaijo Takehiko and Miss Hatamoto, there's one other suspect in the Hatamoto family."
One more?
With the hint, Hayasaka mentally flipped through the family tree and locked onto a name.
Ichiro Hatamoto.
"Kind of gloomy, doesn't talk much, hair covering half his face... Looks just like you a month ago."
Ren didn't even bother to deny it, he agreed.
"That probably was me back then. But my hair wasn't that long."
"Plus, I didn't have the same 'resources' as him, and I definitely never confessed to my cousin."
"There's no way he actually likes her. He's just lusting after her. What a creep."
Ren's harsh take on Ichiro made Hayasaka glance at him suspiciously.
"Amamiya, you and him have a lot in common... so you're not..."
That sentence brought Ren to a halt.
"…Wait, I don't have a cousin."
"What if the target were Miss Kaguya, Sonoko, or Fujiwara?"
He imagined Kaguya, Sonoko, and Chika in his mind—and even a saint would've wavered. Ren wasn't a saint.
Saying he wasn't tempted would be a flat-out lie.
He wasn't some monk who cut himself off from all worldly desires, he didn't want to be incomplete either.
"Hey~ Doesn't that mean you're greedy for my body too?"
A voice suddenly interrupted.
Ren and Hayasaka both froze.
They turned around to find Chika standing nearby, face flushed and hand over her mouth, clearly startled by what she'd just overheard.
Ren stared at the blushing Chika. He hadn't expected her to suddenly appear like this.
"Fujiwara… how long have you been listening?"
Ren asked the crucial question.
"Hehe~"
Chika gave a sweet giggle, cheeks still rosy.
"Since I saw you and Ai-chan whispering."
So… basically, she heard most of it.
Ren covered his face with his hands.
"It's fine. It's normal to overhear stuff like that."
Seeing Ren cover his face, Chika thought she had upset him and quickly tried to explain.
"I hear people talking behind my back all the time, saying they're obsessed with my sister's body."
Fujiwara Toyomi?
The one who always wore crop tops?
No doubt she had plenty of admirers. But still, Ren had to internally snark:
A bunch of pervs ogling someone else's sister…
Though to be fair, he wasn't exactly innocent either.
He was all about face and figure too. Who was he to judge?
Still… who had the guts to talk like that in front of Chika?
Curious, Ren asked:
"Fujiwara, who'd you hear that from?"
"My dad."
…Yeah, that tracks.
Ren instantly understood.
Only a father would dare say something like that to his daughter, as a warning.
A subtle way of saying, "Be careful—men are all the same."
"Fujiwara, listen to your father. Aside from your dad, there aren't many decent men out there."
Feeling awkward that his inner thoughts had slipped out, Ren still tried to caution her seriously.
"Nope."
Chika still wore that bubbly smile.
"I think you are pretty interesting. You totally meet my criteria for a partner."
(To be continued.)
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