"Alright, if there's nothing else, leave quickly. Senpai has a lot of work to do." Yu unceremoniously gave the order to leave.
"Then... Sensei, I, I'll go now." Ran lowered her face and prepared to leave.
Just as Ran turned, Makoto suddenly spoke: "Ran, go home and wait for now."
Ran looked back in surprise, and the other women also cast shocked glances.
"S-sensei, wh-what do you mean..." Ran said in disbelief.
"Senpai! What?!" Yu, Beam, and the others stepped forward, but Makoto raised his hand to stop them.
"Weapon Devil's hearts are indeed hard to find. Going back to get them will take some time." Makoto looked at Ran and chuckled lightly.
Ran burst into tears, constantly bowing to Makoto, "Thank you, Sensei, thank you, Sensei, sob sob sob..."
Utaha, Megumi, and the others, who had just felt a twinge of sympathy, suddenly felt that Ran wasn't so pitiable anymore, even a bit hateful.
'No, seriously, why? Why should our man go to such great lengths for this little virgin?'
"I'm going back to my study. I have a manuscript to write." Utaha, striding her attractive legs, turned and left first.
"Hmph~" Airi pouted her little mouth, pulled Marina, and quickly left.
Not happy!
All one can say is that women are truly complex creatures. Earlier, when they thought Makoto wasn't going to help, they sympathized with Ran... now that Makoto was helping, they began to hate her.
The Yukinoshita sisters also looked incredulous.
"So cool!"
Moeha looked at Makoto with the expression of a fangirl. Even Shirogane Kei beside her couldn't help but let her eyes shine.
Although, thanks to her best friend's preaching, she had developed some unusual feelings for Makoto, she had always felt he was too high and mighty and distant.
But today, seeing his humane side gave Kei different feeling...
"Alright, everyone out. Wait for my news." Makoto waved his hand, signaling everyone to leave.
After everyone had left one after another, Makoto and Yu went to the courtyard and sat down to drink tea.
Yukiko, who had been sitting in the courtyard admiring the flowers, quickly got up to pour tea for Makoto.
When she prepared to pour a cup for Yu as well, Yu quickly reached out to cover the cup's rim: "Madam, I can do it myself."
He had more or less guessed the relationship between Yukiko and Makoto. How could he let her pour tea for him?
Makoto laughed, "Ishigami, you did that on purpose just now, didn't you?"
Yu, who had just poured himself a cup of tea, scratched his nose, "You saw through me, Senpai..."
Yukiko, standing beside them, looked puzzled, 'What were these two talking about?'
However, Yu's next sentence startled Yukiko: "Ran will actively offer herself tonight, right?"
Makoto smiled without saying a word.
Earlier in the office, when he heard Yu say 'How can Senpai's precious time be wasted on someone like that', Makoto realized what Yu was plotting.
Because if it were about going to the Chainsaw Man World to find a Weapon Devil's heart, it wouldn't waste Makoto's time at all… it wouldn't require him to go personally.
Although only the MVP player could freely return to cleared dungeon worlds, that was limited to the player. People originally from that world could also return freely, but they needed Makoto to open a portal for them.
That is to say, Makoto could completely have his subordinate Devils go back and search for him, or go back himself and have Aki, Kishibe, or even Denji help search.
Where would it waste Makoto's own time?
What Yu said earlier was specifically to stimulate Ran's sense of guilt… Who the hell do you think you are? Why should Senpai go to such great lengths for you?
And for a girl with a gentle, even somewhat saintly personality like Ran, this guilt would be absolutely unbearable.
And she would soon realize that the only way she could repay Makoto was by offering herself.
Although Yu also disliked owing favors and understood this feeling very well-
He would bet that tonight, Ran would actively knock on Makoto's door.
Although Yu had used a trick, Makoto didn't scold him.
On one hand, the other party was also thinking about him.
On the other hand, although he didn't need to go himself, Ran would still be using his connections, so she indeed needed to pay a price.
Not to mention that Ran was just his student... even his own women couldn't get benefits for nothing.
Many male compatriots from his previous life were unconditionally good to women, which made those women keep taking advantage.
After Makoto and Yu finished their tea and left, Yukiko stood there stunned, unable to snap out of it for a long time.
Although she only understood half of what was said, she did understand one thing… Ran was coming to offer herself.
Yukiko struggled for a long time, then took out her phone and called her best friend, Kisaki Eri.
After all, since Shinichi died, Yukiko had treated Ran like her own daughter. Now that her daughter was going to be with the man she was with, she really couldn't pretend she hadn't seen it.
She even felt guilty.
…
On the other side, Nakano Hospital.
Ran, who had returned all the way, had already told Eri the good news that her father could be saved.
Eri and Kogoro were naturally very happy about this.
They hadn't expected Makoto to have such a good relationship with their daughter, willing to go through all this for her.
"Then, Mom, I'm going to work now. I'll leave Dad to you." Ran waved to her parents with a beaming smile and left the ICU.
The burden of taking care of her father now basically fell on Eri, while Ran was responsible for the household expenses.
Fortunately, as a superpower user, finding a high-paying job wasn't difficult.
But neither Eri nor Kogoro noticed that the moment Ran turned, her smile instantly faded, replaced by deep guilt.
That's right, just as Yu had predicted, Ran was now very ashamed of constantly receiving favors from Makoto.
Not to mention that Makoto hadn't asked for anything... she couldn't even stand it herself.
Then, as if she had made a decision, Ran went to the supermarket and, under the strange looks of the convenience store staff, bought a box of Trojans, the best-selling condom brand in America.
"Girl, how big is your boyfriend?"
When Ran was about to check out, the white female cashier suddenly asked.
Ran was stunned, and then her face turned bright red.
How would she know!?
In the end, Ran bought a few more boxes… just in case.
However, what Ran didn't know was that her actions at this moment were being closely watched by a pair of eyes in the shadows.
Meanwhile, in the ICU of Nakano Hospital, Kogoro, who didn't have long to live, had fallen into a deep sleep.
Eri answered her best friend's call and, as she listened, her eyes widened more and more.