Chapter 127: Ice and Fire: Sisterly Challenge
Before they could react, Ren, Yukino, and Haruno returned to the apartment. At the last moment, Ren obtained a total of 2 million doomsday points. The "small fry" were still too weak; all the small monsters on one planet were only worth five giant beasts.
Yukino and Haruno closed their eyes. Haruno's body temperature suddenly rose, and her hair grew into long, fiery red locks. Yukino's body temperature suddenly dropped, and her hair transformed into long, icy blue locks. One was fiery, one was icy. When they opened their eyes, Haruno's pupils turned a scorching, fiery red, and Yukino's pupils turned a cold, icy blue.
"What is this…?" The sudden change left Ren astonished.
Haruno spread her hands. Flames instantly surged. She said with some excitement, "I've gained the power of flames."
Yukino retracted her chill, and the icy blue color of her hair faded. "My power has also increased a bit."
Ren pinched his chin: "You two sisters, one ice and one fire, how come you're so incompatible?"
Haruno also retracted her power, returning to her normal appearance. A mischievous smile played on her lips: "It's not necessarily incompatible, you know. Ice and fire dual-heaven, haven't you heard of it, Ren?" As she spoke, she playfully winked and licked her red lips with her small tongue.
"!!!" As a person of various shades, Ren instantly understood. Recalling Esdeath's ice, that feeling of exhilaration, and now Yukino's ice and Haruno's fire, hiss—this is incredible!
How could the now pure-minded Yukino understand such things? She merely frowned, always feeling that Ren and her sister were talking about something improper.
Ren took out his phone and asked Haruno, "Give me your contact information." After adding her, Ren performed an operation. Yukino and Haruno received a notification. Ren invited them to join a group named "Doomsday Family." He also invited Marin, Megumi, and Chika at the same time. This group would temporarily serve as a communication group for players who had experienced the Doomsday Game.
Ren: "To all members, are you all safely home?"
Megumi: "Mm, I'm very safe here."
Chika: "Ta-da, Chika-chan is back!"
Marin: "Me too. What about Yukino and Sister Haruno?"
Ren: "They're with me."
Chika: "Tsk tsk tsk."
Ren: "Tsk what? Asking for a beating?"
Chika: "Hmph hmph, Ren-kun isn't here with me anyway."
Ren found it amusing. Was Chika trying to provoke him into disciplining her? Was she really a masochist? As long as he confirmed they were safe, everything was fine.
Haruno stretched lazily. She unreservedly displayed her perfect curves in front of Ren. She walked to Ren's side and lightly kissed Ren's lips in front of Yukino. But she didn't overdo it, merely a simple touch and release. Then she giggled and said, "Since Yukino has moved, I'll visit Ren's place tomorrow. I'll head back first today; I won't disturb you two from continuing." With that, she left decisively.
The so-called "not disturbing them from continuing" of course referred to what they had half-finished before entering the Doomsday Game. Although they had already done it in the tent during the Doomsday Game, the feeling upon returning to the apartment was still different.
After the door closed, Ren raised an eyebrow and asked, "How about we continue?"
"..." Yukino's pretty face turned crimson, and she softly hummed in affirmation.
Ren gently carried Yukino back to the room.
Early the next morning, the two returned home. Upon arriving home, they were met with Eriri's slightly jealous look and Sayuri's relieved yet curious expression. Yukino, being thin-skinned, immediately went to play with Haru.
"What are you all doing?" Ren looked at the living room strangely.
Eriri was wearing glasses and holding a drawing board, sketching. Even though her eyesight had recovered, she still habitually wore glasses while drawing. Nezuko, Chito, and Yuuri were watching nearby, their faces flushed with embarrassment.
"Wow! Brother Ren!" Chito and Yuuri were so startled they stood up straight, their faces flushed, and their eyes seemed to spin like mosquito coils. Nezuko also shrank her head and moved a little further away from Eriri.
Ren looked at the drawing board… Goodness! That scene! His lips twitched: "Eriri, aren't you corrupting them?"
Yukino sat at the other end of the sofa, hugging Haru, and glanced over.
"!!!" Immediately, she cast an incredulous look at Eriri. Such restricted content was drawn by Eriri?
Eriri drooped her shoulders, pouting helplessly: "It's not my fault, they came into my room and saw it!"
"Pfft." A giggle came from Sayuri nearby.
Eriri turned her head in shame and annoyance: "Mom! It's all your fault! If you hadn't let them into my room, this wouldn't have happened!" Her secret being exposed made her want to cry. However, she was secretly happy that Nezuko and the others didn't dislike her hobby.
Sayuri was a know-it-all. Eriri should build good relationships with these girls. Moreover, she had carefully observed and analyzed them, and they were all kind, good children, so they definitely wouldn't dislike Eriri's hobbies. It's good to make a few more good friends. Before Ren came, Eriri and the others got along very well.
"Forget it." Ren sighed. He wasn't worried about Nezuko. Little Chito and Yuuri... Ren put on an elder's lecturing face: "I'm not saying you can't watch these, just watch less, understand?"
"Understood." Both of them blushed and nodded obediently like little rabbits.
"Little Chito, Little You, I've washed some grapes here, come and eat them." Sayuri called out to the two girls like a mother. She really liked these two girls. Little Chito and Yuuri's eyes lit up when they heard about the grapes. The words "want to eat" were already written on their faces.
"Go, go." Ren chuckled and patted their heads. Receiving permission, the two who were standing in punishment immediately ran over.
Ren walked between Nezuko and Eriri. Nezuko thoughtfully made some room for him. Sitting on the sofa, Ren directly pulled Nezuko into his arms.
"Ren-ge." Nezuko shyly lowered her head. She thought Ren was going to scold her. Unexpectedly, Ren gently lifted her chin, kissed her, and then whispered in her ear: "Nezuko is already an adult, it's good to learn more, Eriri has many tricks."
"Mmm!" Nezuko, of course, understood Ren's meaning. She buried her face in Ren's chest, even more shyly.
"Idiot Ren, what are you saying?" Eriri bared her little fangs and kicked him with her smooth little foot. Unexpectedly, Ren caught it with his left hand and gently kneaded it.
"Wow!" Eriri only felt her foot was very sensitive. A tingling sensation spread from her little foot to her whole body.
With his right hand, he pulled Yukino to his side. Then he also stroked Haru in her arms.
"Meow!" (So comfortable.) Yukino and Ren's cat-stroking technique made Haru close her eyes in comfort.
Eriri pouted, "You really know how to enjoy yourself."
"Isn't that obvious?" Ren chuckled mischievously as he played with her little toes. This made Eriri pant with warm breath while drawing.
Ren enjoyed being surrounded by beauty. He opened the Chat Group, preparing to share his experiences. Then he saw the new member notification.
[Ding! Rory Takakura has joined the Chat Group!]
[Ding! Red King has joined the Chat Group!]
Ren was the first to speak this time.
Ren: "Rory Takakura, Red King, welcome to the Doomsday Chat Group. This is a platform for communication and mutual assistance in Doomsday Worlds."
Ren: "Please judge the authenticity of the Chat Group for yourselves. Do not make outrageous statements in the group."
March 7th: "Haha, Ren has become a ruthless introduction machine."
Ren: "Sigh, who told me I'm the administrator."
Tushan Rongrong: "I hope the new members are easy to talk to."
Exu: "Why isn't Aqua here? Logically, she should be out preaching."
Nami: "She's busy making money."
In a chaotic and inexplicably lively bar, a group of people dressed in flashy, street-style attire were making merry at the bar. A blonde man elegantly mixed drinks with fluid movements. Red liquid was poured into a glass and placed before a man with red hair and a white shirt. He smiled and said, "Mikoto Suoh, I heard the Blue Clan is coming again."
Mikoto Suoh inhaled, his melancholic gaze carrying a hint of tenderness, and exhaled a smoke ring, slowly saying with confident words: "If they come, let's have a good fight."
"We..." The man called Mikoto Suoh stopped speaking. He looked at the light screen in front of him with surprise. He looked up at the blonde man: "Tatara, can you see it?"
"I don't see anything." Tatara didn't know what Mikoto Suoh was talking about.
"What about Anna?" The little girl with white hair and a red dress beside him looked at Mikoto Suoh and shook her head: "Only red."
Mikoto Suoh fell into contemplation.
Mikoto Suoh: "Mikoto Suoh, leader of the Red Clan Homra. This light screen is very strange; no one around me can see it." He changed his name. He was called Red King before.
"...Mikoto Suoh, huh..." His nickname, name, and introduction instantly confirmed his identity to Ren. The King from K, the Red King. But the other person, named Rory Takakura... honestly, he had no impression.
Exu: "Because only group members can see the Chat Group, and you can't reveal group information."
Mikoto Suoh: "I can't determine if this is the ability of a King."
Nami: "You can only discern this yourself. I can only say that everyone is from a different world."
Mikoto Suoh: "I understand." He was very rational and would observe with his own eyes.
Rory Takakura: "So amazing, I really can't say the information."
Rory Takakura: "Hello everyone, my name is Rory Takakura, and I am a B-Daman warrior."
Shinobu Kocho: "Such relaxed words, feels like a cheerful person."
B-Daman warrior. This term brought back ancient memories for Ren. B-Daman Legend... Rory Takakura, he remembered.
Esdeath: "Mikoto Suoh, you just referred to yourself as Red King, right?"
Mikoto Suoh: "That's right, I am a King."
Esdeath: "King... how strong are you?"
Mikoto Suoh: "Not weak."
Mikoto Suoh's statement was already modest; he was confident in his strength.
Esdeath: "Oh? I'm very interested in the Doomsday of your world."
Ren: "Calm down, we don't know what kind of Doomsday they have yet."
Ren: "Although you might not believe in the existence of the Chat Group right now, you might as well talk about the Doomsday that exists in your world. You can check it in your personal information."
Mikoto Suoh: "Abnormal Doomsday (4 stars)."
Rory Takakura: "Mine shows Uncertainty Doomsday (3 stars)."
Mikoto Suoh: "What does that mean? World Doomsday?"
Momonga: "The Doomsday levels of the new members' worlds aren't very high, huh."
Emilia: "That means there's a Doomsday in the world, but Abnormal Doomsday and Uncertainty Doomsday are difficult to confirm the factors."
Tendou Kisara: "Another Uncertainty Doomsday world has been added to the group."
Ren: "I can share a bit about Abnormal Doomsday with you. Yesterday, I entered the Doomsday Game again, and this time the difficulty increased again."
Ren: "Image"
Ren: "These are the giant beasts I dealt with in this Doomsday Game."
The image showed 17 giant beasts gathered.
Rory Takakura: "Wow! Such big monsters, are these real?"
Mikoto Suoh: "What is the Doomsday Game?"
Ren: "The Doomsday Game is one of the Abnormal Doomsdays in my world. It selects players to enter the game, and if no one clears it, these giant beasts will descend into reality."
Rory Takakura: "So scary!"
Mikoto Suoh: "My world is also an Abnormal Doomsday. Do I also have to face these kinds of monsters?"
Ren: "Unclear. The Doomsday in each world is different; you need to discover it yourself."
Mikoto Suoh: "...I understand."
Seitenshi: "Those monsters look even bigger than the Zodiac Gastrea."
Tendou Kisara: "Estimated to be a hundred meters."
Silver Wolf: "Looks pretty cool. It'd be great if they were designed as game bosses."
March 7th: "You really love games. How can Stellaron Hunters be so playful?"
Silver Wolf: "Can't Stellaron Hunters play? That's prejudice!"
Saeko Busujima: "Speaking of which, the Doomsday factors Ren-kun faces are really strange. The enemies keep getting stronger. I wonder what kind of grandson it'll be next time."
Ren: "Who cares? I gained a lot this time too, and I can get stronger again."
Reinhardt: "Ren-san, have you resolved the Doomsday Game?"
Ren: "It's already resolved."
5.23 million doomsday points. After opening his personal information, after some consideration, he chose to upgrade his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. Vector Manipulation would be put aside for now; he currently had a better option.
[Consuming 5 million doomsday points, Ten Thousand Realms Death Perception Eye has been upgraded to Lv7!]
Upgrade successful. The icy blue in his eyes flashed and disappeared.
"Ding-dong." Someone rang the doorbell. So Ren did not test the upgraded Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. But in that instant, he saw the lines of death of the Milky Way galaxy.
"You are?" Sayuri opened the door, looking at the visitor with confusion. It was almost impossible for strangers to come here.
"I am Yukinoshita Haruno, Yukino Yukinoshita's older sister."
"The eldest daughter of the Yukinoshita Family!" Sayuri remembered; she had seen her at a banquet before.
Haruno then recognized Sayuri: "Sawamura-san."
"Are you here for Yukino?"
"Yes, and Ren-kun." Sayuri understood; this pair of sisters. She inwardly marveled at Ren's excellent taste. Although the eldest daughter of the Yukinoshita Family was skilled in social communication, she was undeniably a capable and beautiful woman.
"Haruno." Hearing the commotion, Ren had already walked behind Sayuri.
After entering the house, Ren first introduced his family members to Haruno. Haruno was first surprised by Nezuko's identity as a demon. Then she was surprised by Eriri and Sayuri's identities and their relationship with Ren. Not only were they mother and daughter, but they were also the mother and daughter of the Sawamura Family. She had heard about the death of the Spencers' family member before. In the upper circles, the matter had caused quite a stir. Afterward, the Sawamura mother and daughter disappeared from the upper circles and no longer attended banquets; some speculated that they might have left the upper circle. She hadn't expected them to all come to Ren's place. This was truly astonishing.
"Older sister." Yukino walked over, hugging Haru.
Ren patted Haru's small head and introduced her: "This is Haru."
"Haru?"
"Meow!" (I'm here.) Haruno was torn between laughter and tears, thinking Ren had named Haru after her former alias. Ren didn't explain.
Afterward, Ren, as usual, introduced everyone to Haruno one by one. Similar to most people who went through this, Haruno was also somewhat stunned. Three hundred thousand Children of Angels—Haruno didn't think Ren was that extreme. But these dozen or so people here were all real. Either they had had a relationship with Ren, or they were practically destined. What shocked her the most was that there were four women with the wife attribute, and two pairs of mothers and daughters. She could already envision her own mother appearing here. Perhaps it was just a thought before, but now it felt like it was becoming a given fact.
"You really know how to surprise me." Haruno leaned against Ren, her gaze profound.
"Where's Yukino's room? Take me there."
"Why go to her room?"
"I took a bath when I came, so what do you think I'm going to do?" Haruno curled her lips, her eyes curving upwards. Her slender hand drew a circle on Ren's 'weapon'.
"Hiss! Let's go!" Without another word, Ren picked up Haruno and rushed to Yukino's room.
Cocolia, who had just left to go to Ren's house, saw Ren frantically carrying Miss Haruno into the room and closing the door. Soon after, sounds emanated from within. Cocolia chuckled, "He's really energetic." Touching her own body, she gracefully returned to her room.
"Where are older sister and Ren?" Yukino, who had waited downstairs for a long time, didn't see them return. So, after putting Haru down, she prepared to go upstairs to check. The two of them were not at Nezuko's house. She decided to check her own house. As she walked into the living room, she heard noises coming from her room. Those sounds were all too familiar to her.
"…" Yukino felt very tired. That was her room! The key was, wasn't her older sister a little too excited? Weren't the sounds a bit too loud? One could only say that Yukino was still young. Haruno and Ren had been separated for too long. Their bodies were also in a state of long-awaited relief. Yukino was afraid that her body would have problems and do something too crazy. She quickly left this troublesome place.
Returning to Ren's house, she saw Chito and Yuuri preparing to leave. She quickly reached out to stop them.
"What's wrong, Sister Yukino?" Chito looked at Yukino in confusion.
"…" Of course, Yukino couldn't tell them what was happening in her room. And of course, she couldn't let them go back. So, Yukino went against her principles; she lied. With a flushed face, she lied: "Haru, Haru wants you two to play with it."
"Eh?" The two exchanged glances, communicating tacitly through their expressions. It was obvious; Sister Yukino was lying. Sister Yukino must have good intentions. After a simple exchange of silent signals, the two decided to follow Yukino's words and ran off to play with Haru.
"Phew…" Yukino finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although she had lied, she had protected the purity of the two girls, and it was all worth it.
Kanae walked over, chuckling: "Are Ren and Haruno…?"
"Mm…" Her bluntness made Yukino's face flush with embarrassment.
Kanae pulled Yukino's hand and led her into Ren's room. She felt that Yukino and Haruno were very similar to her and Shinobu. Given Ren's desires, they would definitely end up together. As his wife, she felt it was necessary to properly educate Yukino. This would save a lot of obstacles in the mental transformation.
Yukino, in a daze, was taught many strange things by Kanae. Although she might not understand them now, they might prove surprisingly effective when needed.
It wasn't until midday that Ren and Haruno came downstairs. Sayuri naturally knew what had happened. So, while Yukino and Kanae were talking, she also kept Chito and Yuuri there.
Haruno left, glowing with satisfaction. As she was leaving, she leaned close to Yukino's ear and whispered with a smile, "Ren said I'm even more impressive than you, Yukino."
Yukino gave her a blank look, showing no reaction. She didn't believe Ren would say such a thing.
"Too bad, I can't see Yukino's cute expression," Haruno said, feigning regret.
Haruno left. Yukino stared at Ren with a complex expression. She knew Ren hadn't stopped all this time. Why, you ask? Because when Kanae was chatting with her, she kept making strange noises. So, she pulled Ren into his room. With a 'bang', the door closed.
Sayuri, Nezuko, Eriri, and Kanae exchanged glances. They all sensed something was about to happen and quickly sent Chito and Yuuri away.
"Meow." (Ugh, I can finally rest.) Haru had been played with for half the day; she was so tired.
Yukino pressed Ren onto the bed. A strong competitive spirit prompted her to ask, "Am I more impressive, or is my sister?"
??? This question completely stunned Ren. Is this Yukino? My Yukino would ask a question like that?
"Uh... why are you asking that?"
Yukino's cool gaze bore into Ren: "I want to hear the truth, Ren. You wouldn't lie to me, would you?"
...Alright, Ren really wouldn't lie to her. He could only tell her the truth.
"Haruno..."
"Why?" Yukino's eyes trembled.
"Ahem, normally you both have your own unique qualities and are equally matched, but Haruno used her ability," Ren explained with a cough. He felt Haruno was a genius. She had only gained her ability the day before, and she was already using it. That fiery sensation made Ren crave more.
...Yukino was a little angry. Sister was cheating!
"I understand!" Yukino took a deep breath. Ren's eyes widened. A cold chill emanated from her, like a piece of ice crystal.
!!!
...Haruno and Yukino's personalities could be said to be completely different. Especially after they activated their respective abilities, this difference became even more apparent. Haruno's power is flame, adding more heat. Yukino's power is ice, as cold as an ice spirit. When they don't use their abilities, or within the domain of their respective abilities, they both have their own merits and are equally matched. Although Yukino didn't win, she wasn't very disappointed.
Please give me flowers.
At least she didn't lose to her sister. It was a draw!
...
"Sigh, you guys really don't consider my feelings at all." Ren squeezed the small ice face on his chest. "I didn't do anything all day today, just messed around with you guys."
Yukino was too embarrassed to look up. "I'm sorry, I was too willful." After the momentary rush of blood and pleasure, Yukino regained her composure. She also understood that what she did was putting Ren in a difficult position. After all, physiology books say that men shouldn't be too frequent.
Ren pinched her small face. "What are you thinking? Even if there were ten more of you, I'd be fine." As if in response to his words, his 'weapon' reloaded, startling Yukino. Ren wrapped his arm around her smooth shoulder and gently said, "I like both you and Haruno; there's no need to compare yourselves in this matter."
"I understand..." Yukino nodded, feeling ashamed. After a long while, she raised her moist eyes and stammered, "I'll make it up to you." With that, she mustered her courage and pulled the blanket over them. This was something she learned from her sister.
...Ren's eyelid twitched. This situation made him not know whether to laugh or cry. For someone with Yukino's personality, this action truly pushed her psychological limits. It was a rare opportunity. For now, he could only reluctantly enjoy the compensation.
What a weekend with no rest. Ren couldn't help but sigh as he returned to school on Monday.
"Wow!" A startled cry brought Ren back from his reverie. He was currently at the staircase, preparing to go to the Supernatural Research Club. Following the direction of the cry, a figure in a white lab coat missed a step on the stairs.
"Shizuka-sensei?" Ren didn't hesitate, taking a step to the top of the stairs and catching her steadily with both hands.
Hiratsuka Shizuka, who had been panicking, showed a look of relief after realizing she had been caught. Seeing that it was Ren, she also breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you."
Ren didn't put her down immediately but carried her to the landing of the staircase. The princess carry posture made Hiratsuka Shizuka feel strange. He didn't appear to have bulging muscles, yet he carried her with remarkable ease.
After putting Hiratsuka Shizuka down, Ren frowned, a little confused: "Shizuka-sensei, you don't look so good?"
"Sigh..." To this student who had just saved her, Hiratsuka Shizuka sighed and spoke frankly: "Blind dates, I still have to go on blind dates this weekend, it's so annoying."
"Uh, Shizuka-sensei, with your conditions, you still need blind dates?" Ren, of course, knew Hiratsuka Shizuka's background. But after meeting her in person, he felt Shizuka-sensei was quite nice. She had a good figure. She had a pretty face. She was also generous and direct. Her family background was also quite good. Aside from smoking, drinking, and being strong, everything else about her was quite good. Why would she have trouble with blind dates?
Hiratsuka Shizuka's eyes also showed helplessness: "Perhaps it's because I smoke and drink?"
Ren, however, shook his head in disbelief: "Shizuka-sensei, it wouldn't be that you don't like blind dates, so you intentionally show your personality to the other person, would it?"
Uh... Hiratsuka Shizuka froze for a moment, then gave a wry smile: "You've seen right through me, kid." She leaned against the railing, her gaze deep: "Although I'm getting old, I still want to find a man who can accept my flaws." Perhaps because she was facing Ren, who had just saved her, she spoke her true feelings. What she truly yearned for was not a simple marriage and husband. She yearned for a genuine, true thing. If even her true self couldn't be accepted, what was the point of marriage?
"Keep it up, Shizuka-sensei." Ren didn't know how to comfort her in such a situation, so he could only pat her shoulder to encourage her. "I'm going to the club now, goodbye Shizuka-sensei."
"Mm, go on, go on." Hiratsuka Shizuka waved her hand. She tilted her head, watching Ren's departing back.
"I'm so envious…" She knew a little about Ren and Eriri's relationship and envied such a pure affection.
"Tsk, why am I getting so sentimental?" She clicked her tongue. She straightened her mood. "I still have to prepare for class."
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