Going back in time a while.
"Seven Stars Heritage."
"Rentaro."
"It is something extremely dangerous, and something extremely important."
"Rentaro!"
"If it falls into the wrong hands, it could be the end of the entire Tokyo Area."
"Rentaro!!!"
Enju's loud shout brought Rentaro back to reality. His hand resting on his chin nearly slipped off his thigh.
"What's wrong, Rentaro? You weren't listening to me at all."
"Ah... I'm sorry."
He sighed wearily. Although his physical strength had recovered, the psychological pressure was not something easy to eliminate.
Of course it wasn't easy! Their upcoming mission was to hunt down something that could destroy Tokyo!
Seeing the young man looking dispirited, Enju puffed out her cheeks, placing her small hands on her waist. Alright, today's mission would be to cheer Rentaro up!
"Hey, Rentaro, put this on!"
"What is this?"
"It's a bracelet from Tenchu Girls! Proof of the magical girls' friendship. If one person lies to the other, the bracelet will crack."
"That sounds intense. How much does this cost?"
"Almost 7000¥."
Pfft!
Rentaro nearly choked on his own spit. He looked at Enju's deadpan face, then at the somewhat ordinary-looking bracelet he was holding. He carefully placed the bracelet back on the shelf as if it were a sacred artifact.
If he had accidentally dropped it earlier...
"What's wrong, Rentaro? It's cheap, isn't it?"
"Cheap my foot! That's my entire month's salary, kid!"
More accurately, two months' salary, because this month the revenue of the Tendou Civil Security company was still zero, so his corresponding salary was also zero.
Ultimately, under Enju's insistence, Rentaro still bought the pair of bracelets for the girl. Seeing Enju so happy seemed to warm and heal his heart a little. But looking at his already flat wallet, now even flatter, the young Promoter's face couldn't help but harden.
"Kisara... please give me a raise."
"Hey, Rentaro!"
Enju came over and put one of the bracelets on his wrist.
"Why do I have to wear one too?"
"Because they're matching bracelets, of course."
Enju crossed her arms over her chest, speaking in an utterly natural tone.
"We're a couple, so wearing matching bracelets is right."
"Hmph, now you can't lie to me anymore. And of course, you can't look at Kisara's chest anymore either."
"Why are you dragging Kisara into this..."
Rentaro scratched his head, speechless with the little girl in front of him. He sighed, his expression suddenly becoming solemn, and he declared loudly:
"I, Satomi Rentaro, sincerely love my fiancée, Aihara Enju."
Enju flinched, while Rentaro returned to his initial stance, raising an eyebrow and shaking the bracelet.
"Why hasn't it broken?"
"Be-because it's the truth! Rentaro, you're mean!"
She puffed out her cheeks. Dense Rentaro had unexpectedly ambushed her today, and she was almost unable to cope. To say something like that—it was truly embarrassing.
The two walked leisurely through the neighborhood near the shopping center, coincidentally passing the plaza where a large screen was mounted above. At this time, Seitenshi was campaigning for the public to vote on the new Gastrea law. Seeing this, Enju tilted her head and asked:
"Rentaro, what is the new Gastrea law?"
"Hmm, let me think..."
Rentaro stroked his chin, arranging his thoughts.
"It's a law regarding the rights of the Cursed Children. If it passes, the Cursed Children won't be abandoned anymore."
"Everyone will have a home to return to, a warm bed to sleep in, and they won't be starved. Oh, and you won't have to hide your identity to go to school anymore."
"That's wonderful! Then I can meet the other kids from the outer district, right?"
"Yeah, something like that..."
"I'm so happy, Rentaro! Everyone will definitely get along really well."
Witnessing Enju's innocent smile, Rentaro felt something stir within his soul. He gradually fell silent, trying to keep his voice normal, but a hint of sadness he couldn't hide still lingered.
"Yeah... I wish..."
"It would come true..."
In his mind, he couldn't help but recall the past scene in the conference room, when the Silver King opened his arms to welcome the Cursed Children and like-minded people into his faction—a place where the children wouldn't have to worry about being hated or about their livelihood...
While deep in thought, movement in the distance suddenly pulled Rentaro out of his mind. He and Enju both looked up, seeing a little girl being surrounded by a group of people not far away.
"Red eyes... a Cursed Child?!"
Rentaro frowned. At that very moment, the Cursed Child broke free from the crowd and coincidentally ran toward Rentaro and Enju. But ultimately, she couldn't overcome the numbers. She was knocked down by two or three adult men, who pinned her to the ground.
"Help me!"
The girl stretched her hand towards Enju, begging for assistance. Enju's face showed clear confusion, and she simultaneously reached out her own hand.
Slap!
The girl's hand was coldly knocked aside by Rentaro. Without a word, he shielded Enju with his body, then led his Initiator away from the spot.
Even so, Rentaro could vaguely hear the conversation in the distance, filled with resentment.
"Let me go, you don't even know what I did! Let me go!"
"I know your kind. Red-eyed monsters always steal and attack others. That's what you always do."
"No! Let me go!"
Rentaro heard everything and quickened his pace, leading Enju away.
He knew for sure that the girl had also heard it.
Turning into an alleyway, Enju's somewhat lifeless expression suddenly transformed into fury. She yanked her hand away from Rentaro, almost screaming her accusation at him.
"Why..."
"Why didn't you help that girl?!"
"Enju... I..."
Rentaro fell silent facing that expression. He knew clearly that the reason he was about to give was baseless, nothing more than a form of victim-blaming. Yet, he still forced out a strained smile.
"Enju, we can't do that. Otherwise, your identity will be exposed, and we'll be implicated."
"But you brushed aside her pleading hand for help!!!"
"Listen, there was nothing else we could do... Besides, she must have done something wrong to be treated like that, right?"
A lie.
"Even though living in the outer district is tough, committing a crime is still wrong..."
A lie.
"Enju, I only want to protect you."
A lie.
Enju stopped yelling. Her expression seemed to turn into a profound stillness, making Rentaro feel as if a thorn had pierced his heart.
"That's a lie! You're just making excuses! Rentaro can save anyone! Rentaro is a hero of justice!"
"Stop having those delusions about me! I can't do everything!"
Rentaro lost his temper and shouted at the girl. Enju was stunned, her whole body recoiling. Realizing his action, he hastily lowered his voice.
"Enju, I..."
"Rentaro, if that was me in her position, would you do the same?"
This time, it was Rentaro's turn to be stunned.
He desperately wanted to thump his chest and declare, "Of course I would save you, I would definitely protect you," but comparing it to his actions from beginning to end, those words sounded rather fake.
In the end, his answer was replaced by silence. The young man bowed his head slightly, pretending not to see the disappointment flooding Enju's eyes, pretending not to feel the pain in his heart.
Enju turned and ran away, leaving Rentaro standing rooted to the spot. He wanted to hold her back, but he couldn't move.
Shame. Humiliation.
Only after Enju was out of sight could he move again. His arm slammed hard into the nearby wall.
"Damn it!"
You are truly pathetic, Rentaro.
You are only treating that girl as a combat asset, just like that big guy. That's why you put her in the fight.
You are only treating that girl as the past you. Loving her, taking care of her, giving her a family. In reality, it's just to soothe your own soul; you don't truly love her.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"