Chapter 78: About the Future
After leaving the infirmary, Ren returned to the classroom.
Today was not only a day of change in his school life, but also the day Hitori became one of the popular students.
Karen brought her lunch box to their classroom, completely disregarding others' gazes as she joined their table for lunch.
This might have seemed overly proactive, but outsiders unaware of the truth would only think they were close friends, never imagining they were all part of Ren's harem. Therefore, there was no need to act too restrained.
Having lunch together and chatting was completely normal after all.
However, in the eyes of those who knew the truth, it wasn't so normal at all.
Ikuyo had initially wondered why Karen hadn't been eating with her these past few days.
It wasn't until Friday, when she didn't go to find Hitori to play guitar as usual but instead decided to have lunch with Hitori for the first time in a while.
After all, they were friends.
Normally, she had to be mindful of giving Hitori and Ren time alone, but since it was almost the weekend—and they would likely go on a date that evening rather than the next day—disturbing them during one lunch break wouldn't make her seem like a bother.
But what Ikuyo didn't expect was that upon seeking Hitori out, she discovered Karen was there too!
"Karen, these past few days you haven't been eating with me—could it be because you've been coming to find Watanabe-kun instead?!"
Knowing some inside information, Ikuyo considered a terrifying possibility: that Karen had willingly joined Ren's harem!
"Hehe, you found out after all. I'm sorry, Kita-chan. I didn't want to hide it from you, but I thought telling you too soon might be hard for you to accept."
Karen smiled apologetically. She had originally learned from Ikuyo that Ren could have a harem, but after becoming part of it herself, she hadn't told Ikuyo right away.
After all, while she could accept it, Ikuyo might not be able to, so she planned to keep it secret until the time was right or until Ikuyo found out on her own.
"..."
Ikuyo was utterly incredulous. Who was the one really into rock music here? How could Karen accept such chaotic relationships between men and women?!
"Kita-chan, please don't hate me, okay~"
Seeing that Ikuyo was only shocked and not disgusted, Karen affectionately hugged her. She didn't have many close friends to begin with, and losing one over this would be truly regrettable.
"This isn't Karen's fault; I allowed it."
Hitori also joined in, tugging at Ikuyo's sleeve to plead for understanding.
Ikuyo didn't understand, but she was deeply shocked. Though she couldn't comprehend it, she chose to respect their decision. After all, if the people involved had no objections, she, as an outsider, shouldn't interfere.
She just never imagined that anyone could truly accept the idea of a harem.
And so, Ikuyo muddled through the rest of Friday in a daze.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side, following the previous punishment and still grappling with the harem situation, Satou and Yuno gathered together during lunch break.
"For Ren's sake, I'm going to change my perspective. What about you?"
When there were no conflicts of interest, they were friends. Yuno and Satou announced their decision.
Since even Hitori and Karen could accept Ren having a harem, she saw no reason why she couldn't do the same. She refused to believe her resolve was weaker than theirs.
"...I'm so frustrated."
Satou still clung to the fantasy of being the only one with Ren, yet circumstances had already veered in a completely different direction.
As Ren grew closer to Hitori and Karen, they faced only two choices: accept the situation or withdraw forever with lifelong regrets.
"Come to think of it, Gotou-san's expectations are actually the easiest to fulfill. We can't even guarantee we could keep Ren to ourselves if we were with him. If we committed murder and got exposed, forcing us to separate from Ren, do you think the others would just stand by and do nothing?"
After making this reluctant compromise, Yuno actually felt a sense of relief. She still couldn't bear the thought of being abandoned by Ren.
"But the real question is, can Ren actually accept us now?"
Satou had compromised too, but what lay before them was whether Ren would still be willing to accept them.
"I don't know. So let's continue our cooperation. They're a pair, and so are we. That should be enough to make Ren tempted."
Yuno shook her head. They were well aware of their own dangerous nature, but neither cared. Anyone who dared interfere with their relationship with Ren or harm him would face their weapons without hesitation.
That's why Yuno wanted to maintain her alliance with Satou—together, their combined influence was far greater than a simple 1+1=2.
"Alright."
Satou agreed to the alliance. She was the least confident of them all. If not for Hitori's kindness and understanding, she'd likely already be labeled the defeated underdog.
"Then let's leave it at that. I'll notify you when Ren has free time."
After confirming their continued alliance, Yuno glanced at her phone. She could track when Ren was alone—even with two girlfriends, they wouldn't be attached at the hip every day. Those moments would be their window of opportunity.
But for now, opportunities were scarce, so they could only wait.
Over the weekend, since Karen and Hitori got along well, instead of taking turns spending one day each with Ren, they decided to spend time together. This way, both could accompany him for two days.
Of course, this was the ideal scenario. Due to her band activities, Hitori was destined to miss one weekend day. Karen conveniently filled that gap, allowing Hitori to focus on her band without worries.
So on Saturday, Ren invited both Karen and Hitori out. They walked on either side of him, each holding one of his arms as they strolled through the streets, drawing envious glances from passersby.
Although Hitori had evolved enough to venture out in sunlight, crowded places still made her uncomfortable. After some time shopping, and to help make up for Hitori's lack of typical teenage experiences, Karen suggested they all go to karaoke.
During this period, it was Ren and Karen who did all the singing, while Hitori didn't dare to open her mouth at all, merely keeping time for them with rhythmic taps.
"Karen, have you considered pursuing a career as a singer? I happen to not know any talented female vocalists."
After singing all afternoon, as they began searching for food, Ren asked Karen this question. Regarding his own future, he currently had no worries, but he would instinctively think about it and consider the people around him.
Hitori loved playing the guitar and even had a band. Even if the band might not be enough to support their livelihood in the future, at least they had a dream to pursue, which kept their daily lives from becoming too boring.
But Karen was more like a typical high school student, enjoying the present moment without giving much thought to the future. So Ren offered her a suggestion.
"A singer? But my singing is just average, isn't it? Ren, your thinking is so mature. We're just high school students—should we really be considering careers this early?"
Upon hearing this, Karen blinked, then showed some surprise and lack of confidence. She hadn't really thought about what she wanted to do in the future, but since Ren had asked, she gave it serious consideration.
She didn't have a strong interest or passion for singing. As a career option, she felt it was something she could try but wouldn't mind if she didn't.
"Average skills can be improved with practice. Wouldn't it be boring to just do nothing all the time? Besides, I'd love for you to join me on stage for performances. Bocchi-chan feels the same way, right?"
Ren truly hoped Karen would learn to sing. Her voice was pleasant to listen to, and although a nice voice doesn't necessarily mean good singing, it provided a much better foundation than someone who's tone-deaf.
Most importantly, it would help achieve the ultimate goal of performing together on stage. He didn't want to form a normal band, but if it was a Harem band, he'd be willing to play along with them.
"Mhm."
Hitori nodded in agreement. She had been waiting for the day when she could fully showcase her skills on stage and perform with Ren. For musicians like them, this was a truly romantic notion.
"Then let's practice~ I'll work hard to live up to your expectations, Ren."
After wrestling with the idea for a while, Karen broke into a cheerful smile. After all, her usual routine involved either shopping with friends or scrolling through her phone on Twitter. Having something meaningful to do would be nice, especially if it meant she could do it together with Ren.
And if she could become Ren's lead vocalist, that would be even better.
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