Ren stood at the counter of NDA office, knuckles white around the refusal stamp still wet on his guild application. The clerk behind the glass didn't even look up; he just slid the form back through the slot like it was junk mail.

"Next," the clerk droned.

Ren didn't move. "It says my ability isn't recorded. I'm an Awakener. That should be enough."

"Need to have a proper ability to form a private guild with Luxy," the clerk recited, voice flat as the counter. "You got no clear records, no approval from offical guild members. Next."

Luxy leaned against the wall beside him, arms folded, the weird design on her oversized shirt catching the light. She watched Ren's jaw tighten.

Outside, the city's dungeon sirens wailed in the distance, another group coming back from the dungeon expedition. Ren exhaled through his nose.

"Luxy," he said quietly, "should I just tell them I'm a healer showing Misa's power."

Luxy raised an eyebrow. "You mean the skill you copied without asking? The one that would let her know you got her skill the second you declare it?"

Ren rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. That one."

Luxy gave a soft snort. "What do you think she will be happy to hear it or will she be confused?"

Ren turned to her, eyes narrowed. "What do you think?"

Luxy lifted one shoulder. "I think she told me very clearly in a sweet voice. Please protect 'MY' Ren from any kind of danger. She also said kindly that I am a woman she trust so don't break that trust,"

Ren muttered, "Knew that was coming."

He paced two steps, boots scuffing the floor. "Okay. Need a workaround. Something that gets me healer status without flashing my name across the NDA boards for how powerful my skill is."

Luxy pushed off the wall. "Easy. Find a low-level healer. Flirt. Make her fall."

Ren stopped. "Well easy for you to say. Do you know any healer?"

"I know bunch of them. Three run tents outside Dungeon market. Few are in guilds working for daily wages. They would easily fall for you if you show them even a single second of attention."

Ren grimaced. "I don't… I can't just fake feelings like that."

"Well it is complicated then," Luxy said.

Ren opened his mouth, closed it. "I'll see what I can do."

Luxy smirked. "Go along with one of your terrible idea. Oh...by the way,"

She reached into her tight short and pulled out a folded sheet of paper, edges sealed with lot of seals from a specific family. "The thing you asked for."

Ren took it carefully. The seals cracked under his thumb. He unfolded it under the flickering light.

His eyes scanned the lines.

"…Harrington family personal records," he read aloud, voice dropping. "Subject exhibits Goddess' Subject manifestation at age seven. Unstable. Sealed under Level-9 NDA. Secondary ability: Goddess' hand, blood and eye full spectrum, no cooldown. What the hell."

He looked up. "I thought she was strong. This is broken."

Luxy nodded once. "Wasn't easy. Their vault makes national banks look like cookie jars."

She handed him a second sheet, this one thinner, edges singed like it had been pulled from a fire.

Ren read faster. His face went still.

"No way," he whispered. "This is… if this is real…"

He looked up, a slow, wicked grin spreading across his face. The kind that belonged in backrooms and backstabbing deals.

Luxy tilted her head. "You're smiling like you just won the lottery and murdered the previous owner."

Ren folded both papers and tucked them inside his pants. "If this checks out, I've got a direct line to both sisters. I thought I had no chance with them...but looks like I can make and incident now."

Luxy's brow arched. "Threesome diplomacy?"

Ren's grin widened. "Call it work."

She crossed her arms. "You actually in love with either of them?"

Ren leaned back against the counter, eyes distant. "Love? No. But one of them… I really like. The other? I could learn to like. A lot."

Luxy studied him for a long second. "They can be easily the most dangerous out of women that you have right now.."

"Well...now that I got a healing skill hopefully single stab wound won't kill me anymore."

He pushed off the counter and started for the door. Luxy fell into step beside him.

***

The sound of silverware tapping against porcelain filled the vast dining room. A long mahogany table stretched between them, gleaming under the chandelier's soft light.

Anna sat upright in her chair, her posture perfect, her hands folded neatly beside her plate. Across from her, her mother, Victoria Morgenstern, exuded the kind of presence that could silence a whole room without saying a word. Her expression was unreadable, her every movement precise and deliberate.

It felt less like a dinner between mother and daughter and more like a meeting between business woman and her client

For a while, neither of them spoke. Only the faint ticking of the grandmother clock echoed through the hall.

Anna glanced at her mother, her lips parting as if to say something, but before she could, Victoria placed her utensils down with a soft clink.

"Annaliese," she said, her tone as composed as ever. "There's something we need to discuss."

Anna straightened up immediately. "Yes, Mother?"

Victoria took a measured sip of her wine before continuing, her gaze fixed on the red surface swirling in her glass. "I've spoken with a few of my colleagues. After much thought, I've decided that you need more… practical experience."

Anna blinked. "Practical experience?"

"Yes." Victoria's eyes finally met hers, sharp, commanding. "You've been too sheltered, Annaliese. Too untested. I've arranged for you to join a certain guild starting next week. You'll participate in dungeon expeditions. It's time you prove that the Morgenstern family still stands tall among the elite."

Anna froze. "W-What?" Her fork slipped from her hand, hitting the plate with a metallic clatter. "You… you enrolled me in a dungeon guild?"

Victoria's gaze didn't waver. "Correct. You'll report to them next Monday."

Anna's heart sank. Dungeons weren't games; they were deadly places where one mistake could mean death and it's something she heavily dislikedunlike most girls. "Mother, I don't want to do this," she muttered, her voice trembling.

Victoria's expression didn't change. Her words came quietly, but each syllable struck like a hammer. "You will do this, Anna."

The air turned cold.

Anna wanted to argue, to shout that this wasn't fair, but the memory of her mother's anger, how terrifying it could be, froze the words in her throat.

So, she simply nodded. "…Yes, Mother."

The rest of the meal passed in silence. Each bite tasted of nothing but tension.

When the plates were cleared, Victoria stood and adjusted her gloves. "I'll be returning to the office. There's still work to finalize."

Anna looked down, her fingers twisting the hem of her skirt. "Of course."

Victoria paused by the doorway, her sharp eyes scanning her daughter one last time. Then, as if remembering something, she turned back.

"By the way," she said softly, "do you still talk with that boy… what was his name again? Ren Arakawa?"

Anna's eyes widened. "Y-Yes," she said quickly. "We still talk."

"I see," Victoria murmured, her tone unreadable. "Well I hope he is doing well."

Without another word, she walked away, her heels echoing through the marble hall until only silence remained.

The front door closed.

Anna sat alone at the long table, her chest tightening. She could still feel her mother's gaze lingering like a shadow.

She knows… she definitely knows something.

Her heart pounded painfully in her chest. Victoria Morgenstern was not a woman to underestimate. If she asked about Ren…

Anna pressed a hand to her chest.

That thought alone sent a chill down her spine.

Her mind drifted back to that day—a conversation she'd never forgotten.

It was after class, in the library after she was daydreaming and trying to masturbate to Ren.

Across from her was a small girl with sharp, watchful eyes, Hiyori Tachibana, Ren's step-younger sister.

"Um… you wanted to talk to me, Ren's sister?" Anna asked hesitantly.

Hiyori didn't answer right away. She just studied Anna for a long, quiet moment, then finally spoke. "I'll get straight to the point. Do you… have feelings for my brother?"

Anna's breath caught. "Eh?"

Her cheeks flushed pink. For a moment, she looked away, trying to gather her composure. But then something inside her clicked. She raised her head, eyes burning with determination.

"Yes," Anna said firmly. "I do. I love him. I love him so much because he's such a great man. He is kind and strong unlike any boy I've met."

The words left her mouth before she could think. Her voice trembled slightly, but it was genuine.

Hiyori stared at her, her expression unreadable. Then, after several seconds, she sighed softly.

"I see," she said. "I understand."

Anna blinked. "You… do?"

"Yeah." Hiyori's lips curled into a faint smile. "It's not really hard to imagine anyone falling for him. He's… well, kind of like an angel sometimes. He's helped a lot of people without asking for anything in return."

Anna nodded quickly. "He did the same for me. I owe him so much."

For a brief moment, the two shared a gentle silence.

But then Hiyori's smile faded. Her gaze turned sharp, almost predatory.

"But," she said quietly, "if you love him… don't cause him trouble."

Anna froze. "W-What?"

Hiyori stepped closer, her tone lowering to a whisper. "If you hurt him, or bring him pain… my sister Kyouka and I will make sure you regret it. I don't mind getting my hands bloody for Ren's sake."

Anna's eyes widened. The girl's words weren't loud but they carried a heavy, chilling weight.

For a second, Anna swore she could feel something dangerous radiating from Hiyori. Not just anger. Something primal.

As if beneath that small frame was a sleeping beast waiting for a reason to awaken.

"I-I won't," Anna stammered. "I'd never hurt him."

Hiyori looked at her for a long time, then nodded once. "Good."

And just like that, she turned and walked away, leaving Anna standing there.

Anna rubbed her hands together, staring blankly at her reflection in the dining room window.

That girl… she wasn't bluffing.

Even now, the memory sent a shiver through her body.

She leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes. "Ren…" she whispered softly.

He had such a warm smile, the kind that made the world feel safer. Whenever he laughed, her worries melted away. But now…

If her mother ever found out how deeply she cared for him, there was no telling what might happen.

"I should just… do what Mother wants," she muttered to herself. "If I obey her, she won't have a reason to interfere with him."

The thought twisted painfully in her chest.

She didn't want to enter a dungeon. She didn't want to fight monsters or risk her life. But if it meant protecting Ren from Victoria's attention, she'd endure it.

"Just follow her orders," she whispered again, gripping her skirt tightly. "Just… survive this."

The room felt colder than before. The chandelier light flickered faintly, reflecting off her trembling fingers.

Her throat felt dry, and she pressed her phone against her chest.

"I want to hear his voice," she murmured.

But she didn't call him. She was afraid that if she did, she'd cry—and she didn't want him to worry.

Instead, she just sat there, staring at the glowing city lights outside the window, wondering how someone like her could have fallen for someone like him.

"Ren…" she whispered again, her lips trembling. "Please… stay safe."

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