Chapter 115: Let Me Give You a Ride
Ren glanced at Mei Mei from the corner of his eye.
To his surprise, after her initial moment of shock, she had already returned to her usual calm and composed demeanor. She sat leisurely in her seat, watching the stage with mild interest, yet showed absolutely no intention of joining the bidding.
Sensing his gaze, she turned toward him.
"You're not buying it?" Ren asked curiously.
Mei Mei shook her head, a faint smile curling her lips.
"I already possess methods with sufficient killing power. My need for a weapon like this isn't particularly urgent."
Sufficient killing power?
A flicker crossed Ren's eyes.
Just what kind of offensive capability did she possess that could make her indifferent toward a weapon capable of cutting through anything—a blade that directly attacked the soul?
Still, that wasn't his immediate concern.
Since Mei Mei clearly had no intention of bidding herself, Ren spoke without hesitation.
"Then lend me the money. I want to buy it."
"Sure."
Her answer came instantly.
There wasn't even the slightest pause.
The ease of her response actually stunned Ren.
No—that wasn't merely decisiveness.
Her tone was so natural that it felt as though she hadn't made a decision at all. It sounded less like she was agreeing to lend someone hundreds of millions of yen and more like she was responding to a mundane everyday request.
Even if she had been buying the weapon for herself, her tone couldn't have been any more casual.
She didn't ask about limits.
She didn't discuss repayment plans.
She didn't even ask how much he intended to spend.
Just a simple:
"Sure."
If Ren found that shocking, someone else found it downright outrageous.
"Big Sis, that's five hundred million yen!"
Ui Ui glared at Ren furiously, practically baring his teeth.
"No—more than that!"
"Why would you lend money to this guy?!"
"Can he even pay it back?"
"Ui Ui," Mei Mei said with an amused smile, "have some faith in your Brother Ren."
"To him, this amount of money is nothing difficult."
"Then why does he need to borrow it from you?" Ui Ui snorted, clearly unconvinced.
"Because he's only temporarily short on cash," Mei Mei replied patiently.
"I believe he'll have more than enough money to repay Big Sis very soon."
Her elegant brows curved slightly as she winked at Ren.
The combination of mature charm and unquestioning trust left him feeling oddly touched.
Meeting her gaze, he nodded firmly.
"Six hundred million."
He turned around and immediately placed his bid.
"Six hundred and ten million."
"Six hundred and twenty million."
The bidding war continued.
In the end, Ren paid a full eight hundred million yen to secure the Special Grade cursed tool.
Of course, he had no intention of bidding endlessly.
Even with Mei Mei's full support, he wasn't willing to be taken advantage of.
His personal limit had been one billion yen.
Acquiring a weapon capable of cutting through anything for only eight hundred million could already be considered an excellent deal.
With the dimensional ring still inside its velvet presentation box in one hand and the Special Grade cursed tool—the Split Soul Katana—resting across his shoulder, Ren left the club alongside Mei Mei and Ui Ui.
"You aren't going to wear it?"
Mei Mei glanced meaningfully at the blue velvet ring box he continued to hold in his hand.
Ren's face immediately reddened.
The corners of Mei Mei's crimson lips curved upward ever so slightly.
"Anyway, I still have some matters to handle at the company," she said leisurely.
"And you probably need to report back to the school as well."
"So let's call it a day here, shall we?"
"Right."
Ren nodded so quickly it was almost suspicious.
Mei Mei chuckled softly and raised a hand in farewell.
Unexpectedly, at that moment, Ui Ui—who had worn a dark expression and treated Ren with undisguised hostility the entire day—suddenly stepped forward.
The silver-haired boy tilted his head up, his youthful face bright with a smile as radiant as sunlight.
"Big Sis, in that case, why don't I give Ren-san a ride?"
"It's not like your Ren can't find his own way home."
"No, no, no." Ui Ui shook his head earnestly. "Of course Ren-san can make it back to school by himself. But if I take him there, wouldn't it be much more convenient?"
"Besides, didn't you say before that Ren-san is an outstanding person? You told me I should spend more time with him and learn from him."
He turned toward Ren with an innocent, harmless smile.
"This is the perfect opportunity for us to get to know each other better, don't you think, Ren-san?"
A sense of alarm immediately rose in Ren's heart.
This kid definitely isn't up to anything good.
Still, he couldn't very well lose face in front of a child.
Suppressing his wariness, he answered with a friendly smile.
"Sure."
The moment he spoke, Ui Ui stepped forward and grabbed his hand.
Ren immediately began running through countless possible scenarios in his mind.
The boy would definitely interrogate him about his relationship with Mei Mei.
No—interrogate wasn't the right word.
Accuse would be more accurate.
After that, he'd probably demand that Ren stay away from his sister.
Maybe he'd even threaten him or outright curse him out.
After all, he was Mei Mei's little brother.
Ren couldn't afford to damage their relationship.
At the same time, acting overly submissive would be equally bad. Leaving behind the impression that he was weak or unreliable would only create more problems.
So what was the proper balance?
How exactly should he handle this?
Countless thoughts swirled through his mind.
Then suddenly—
His vision blurred.
Startled, Ren instinctively looked up.
He had been about to give Mei Mei a final farewell.
Instead, he discovered that the scenery around him had completely changed.
Gone were the crowded streets of Ginza, the towering skyscrapers, and the bustling flow of pedestrians.
In their place stretched a sun-drenched beach.
Blue ocean waves rolled onto golden sand in the distance.
Several coconut trees stood scattered along the shore.
Ren blinked.
"What...?"
"This is my technique."
Beside him, Ui Ui smiled pleasantly as he explained.
"It allows spatial transference. I can send people directly to their destination in an instant."
He folded his hands behind his back.
"Well then, now that I've delivered you safely, I'll be heading off."
The boy waved cheerfully.
For the first time, he addressed Ren with complete sincerity.
"See you later, Ren-san"
The next moment—
Whoosh!
The tiny figure in suspenders, dress shirt, and bow tie vanished without a trace.
Ren stared blankly for a moment.
Then he slowly looked around once more.
Golden beach.
Palm trees.
Blue ocean.
Endless horizon.
Only then did a horrifying realization strike him.
"Wait."
"Where the hell is this?!"
"BRING ME BACK!"
On an unnamed deserted island somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, beneath blue skies and drifting white clouds, surrounded by endless waves, Ren threw back his head and shouted at the heavens.
Meanwhile, back in Tokyo—
"Ui Ui."
Mei Mei narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked at her younger brother, who had suddenly reappeared beneath a streetlamp.
"Did you really send Ren back to school?"
Knowing perfectly well that hiding the truth from his sister was impossible, Ui Ui hesitated before mumbling:
"I sent him on a... long-distance trip."
He cautiously raised his head.
"That's okay, right?"
He lifted a finger and declared with absolute confidence:
"Think of it as a test of love."
"If he truly likes Big Sis enough, then love will guide him."
"No matter where he is, he should be able to find his way back to your side."
"And if he can't come back... then that means he never really cared about you in the first place!"
"Big Sis..." His voice grew smaller. "You're not angry, are you?"
Under Mei Mei's calm gaze, his confidence rapidly evaporated.
His head drooped lower and lower.
"Of course not."
Mei Mei smiled and gently patted his head.
"How could I be angry with my little brother?"
"No matter what you do, I'll forgive you."
"And I know that whatever you do, you do it because you care about me."
"Because you're my little brother."
"Big Sis!"
Ui Ui immediately looked up.
His heart pounded wildly.
His eyes sparkled as though filled with stars.
"And besides," Mei Mei added with a faint smile, her crimson lips curving upward.
"You're right."
"Love will guide him."
She gazed toward the distant horizon, amusement flickering in her eyes.
"So let's wait and see."
"Will he be able to follow that guidance... and find his way back to me?"
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