On his way to school, Ren took a shortcut. Unlike the previous path, which was crowded with students, there were almost no people around.
As he walked up the hill, he felt something touch his foot. Looking down, he found an orange rolling slowly. Ren picked it up and instinctively looked up in the direction it came from.
At the top of the hill, a mature woman was kneeling, busy picking up scattered groceries on the ground. Her shopping bag had torn, causing vegetables, fruits, and other food items to spill onto the road.
Ren recognized her immediately.
The woman had long pink hair, flowing beautifully with soft waves at the ends. Her face was beautiful, with sapphire-blue eyes that brought calm to anyone who looked at them. Her expression was gentle and serene, reflecting a patient and sincere personality. She would be an obedient wife, and would even endure if her husband were to commit domestic violence against her.
Her body was proportional and curvaceous, with tempting curves yet still exuding an elegant aura. The way she moved was so gentle, as if she were the embodiment of warmth and affection.
Ren sighed. He couldn't just ignore her.
The woman was one of the Nakano quintuplets—Nakano Miku.
In other words, Itsuki's sister.
After staring at her for a moment, Ren finally stepped forward and approached her.
"Looks like you need some help, Miku-san."
Miku, who was busy gathering her groceries, looked up, startled to see Ren in front of her.
"Eh? Ah... Ren-kun? Sorry, I was a bit careless. The shopping bag suddenly tore..." Miku blinked, then smiled softly.
Without waiting for a response, Ren crouched down and began helping her gather the items.
"You don't need to apologize. I happened to pass by, so consider it fate."
Miku chuckled softly, her voice as gentle as a spring breeze.
"Well then, thank you."
As they started walking, Ren glanced at the groceries she was carrying.
"Are these for the café's supplies?"
Miku turned to him and smiled, "Yes, most of it is for the café. We always try to use fresh ingredients every day, so Nino and I take turns shopping."
After graduating from college, the Nakano quintuplets each pursued their own paths. Ichika became a famous actress with hit movies, Nino and Miku opened a coffee shop together, Yotsuba became a physical education teacher at Shuchi'in Academy, and Itsuki taught science at Ohananomitsu High School.
Of course, Ren knew them through Itsuki. After all, when the fact that Itsuki was pregnant could no longer be hidden, her family was the first to find out. As a result, Ren had a rather complicated relationship with the quintuplets.
Ren rummaged through his bag and pulled out his own shopping bag, handing it to Miku.
Miku blinked, slightly surprised. "Eh? No need, Ren-kun. I can carry them —"
Ren looked at her with a flat expression. "Your bag is torn. If you keep insisting, your groceries might fall again. Just take it, I have plenty."
Miku bit her lip hesitantly, "But—"
"Don't be stubborn, Miku-san. Just take it." Ren interjected, urging her with a look that said he wasn't in the mood to argue.
Miku finally relented and accepted the bag with a small smile. "Thank you, I'll return it later."
"No need. Consider it payment for free coffee at the café next time." Ren said casually.
"So this is a transaction, huh?" Miku smiled faintly.
"You could say that." Ren shrugged.
As they walked, Miku noticed that Ren was carrying two bags on his back. She couldn't help but feel curious.
"By the way, what's in the other bag?"
Ren glanced at the bag on his shoulder and answered casually, "A bow and arrows."
"I didn't expect you to be into archery. That's cool." Miku looked at him with admiration.
"It's nothing special. I just do what I like." Ren replied with a faint smile.
Miku stared at him for a moment before saying, "By the way, you recognized me at a glance. Aside from Dad, Mom, Grandpa, and Fuutarou, even our friends often have trouble telling us apart."
"I'm blessed with a photographic memory. Even if all five of you disguised yourselves to look the same, I'm confident I could tell you apart accurately."
"Photographic memory, huh... That's amazing. And also, we haven't done something like that in a long time."
Honestly, Miku was a little envious of Ren's innate talent. If she had a photographic memory back in high school, she wouldn't have struggled so much with studying.
As they continued their walk, they finally arrived in front of a small café with a warm and cozy design. The aroma of fresh coffee wafted from inside.
"Thank you for helping me carry the groceries, Ren-kun. Want to stop by for a bit? I can make you a sandwich."
"No, thank you. I need to get to school."
Ren declined Miku's polite invitation. He could feel the hostility from behind the café window.
Nino didn't like him. How could she? He was the man who got Itsuki pregnant without marriage—something that crossed Nino's bottom line.
"I'll get going now. Goodbye, Miku-san."
"Alright. Be careful on your way, Ren-kun."
Miku seemed to sense the tension but chose not to address it. She simply smiled and waved at Ren.
Without another word, Ren turned and continued his journey to school, leaving the café and Nino's cold gaze behind.
On a rarely used staircase, the two scumbag—Rokuhara Ren and Fujii Natsuo—met to boast about their achievements, something 99% of male students could never accomplish: impregnating woman teachers!
Ren leaned his back against the wall, while Natsuo sat with his legs stretched out casually on the steps.
"You bastard. You actually did it. Got Nakano-sensei pregnant. I thought you were just bragging." Natsuo chuckled.
"Well, I just did what I wanted. Before I knew it, she was pregnant." Ren shrugged with a relaxed expression.
"I don't know whether to be jealous or think you're crazy, Ren."
"You don't need to be jealous, right, Natsuo? You also managed to sleep with Tachibana-sensei."
"Yeah, but you know... Tachibana-sensei is different. She's not the type to force me to take responsibility or anything. I'm still free, while you? I'm sure the Nakano family wants to kill you."
Natsuo wasn't lying to Ren. In fact, Tachibana Hina was his homeroom teacher and also his stepsister.
Not wanting to burden her stepbrother, Hina refused to tell her parents who the father of her child was, causing a rift in the family. It could be said that her love for Natsuo surpassed Itsuki's for Ren. After all, Itsuki didn't want her family's harmony to fall apart just for a man.
Fortunately, Ren was very skilled at maneuvering and managed to gain the approval of the quintuplets' father, Nakano Maruo.
"You're right." Ren acknowledged Natsuo's words.
"Nakano-sensei chose me herself. They can only be angry, but in the end, the decision is hers. Besides, they don't want her to be a single parent."
"You're really impressive, Ren."
Natsuo gave a thumbs-up to Ren's cunning and calculated attitude. If it were him, he probably wouldn't have handled the situation better than Ren.
"Among the male students at this school, maybe only the two of us are bold enough to sleep with our teachers, huh?" Natsuo puffed out his chest proudly.
"Seriously, we're top-tier scumbag, bro."
They laughed together, two young men living beyond the boundaries of ordinary norms.
As fellow scumbag, their bond was solid. If this were ancient times, they would have exchanged sake and become sworn brothers.