[Rena Henmi Arc 6] That’s all

—Inside the club.

A deep, pulsing bass thudded through their stomachs.

Lights flashed erratically, painting the room in bursts of white and color.

Weaving through the writhing crowd, Rena and Hayata finally made it to the bar counter.

“Whoa… this place is like another planet…”

Overwhelmed, Hayata glanced around and quickly put on the earmuffs hanging from his neck.

They looked like headphones, but were actually designed to block out sound.

(…No way I could survive this without these…)

“Don’t freak out. You’ll tip them off.”

Rena swatted him lightly with a karate-chop motion, then casually slid onto a stool at the counter.

—And immediately, something happened.

“Haven’t seen you here before. First time?”

The man’s tone was casual, friendly. No pressure, just charm.

But Rena’s eyes were already narrowing with suspicion.

(…Is it this guy?)

The man smoothly ordered a cocktail and offered it to her.

“Cheers.”

Rena took the glass without a word, bringing it just close enough to her lips to catch the scent.

Aroma. Texture. The way it hit the back of the throat—

(…Normal.)

She downed the drink in one go and set the glass on the table with a soft clink.

“—Thanks. That’s all.”

Without another word, she turned her back.

The man was left speechless.

Hayata couldn’t help but whisper:

“She’s so damn cool…”

—First one: no good.

Unbothered, Rena leaned against the bar.

“Hey, here alone tonight?”

“Wanna grab a drink together?”

More men came. Again and again.

Rena chatted politely, took their drinks… but every single one was just a regular cocktail.

With each rejection, the pile of broken male egos grew.

“This is starting to feel cruel…”

Hayata winced, beginning to feel sorry for the poor guys.

—And then.

From the far end of the counter, a man strolled over, holding two cocktail glasses.

“—Impressive drinking. This one’s on me.”

His voice was smooth, easygoing.

He handed a glass to Rena.

She took it in silence, her eyes never leaving his face.

—Then, in an instant.

Something faint, almost imperceptible, brushed her tongue.

The next second—

Rena stood up and dumped the entire drink over the man’s head.

In Hayata’s view, her face had already transformed—into something like a wrathful goddess.

“You think I wouldn’t notice, you bastard!?”

Soaked, the man stood frozen in disbelief.

Just as Rena grabbed his collar—

“Stop stop!! Rena-san, you can’t hit him!!”

Hayata panicked and grabbed her arm.

—

At that moment, Kaname raised his hand casually from deeper in the club.

“—All right, buddy. Time for a little chat at the police box.”

Shinozuka and the other detectives moved in swiftly, pinning the man down.

“W-what the hell?! I didn’t do anything!”

“Relax, we’ll listen to your side.”

Kaname answered flatly. The color drained from the man’s face.

—Amid the noise and chaos, a single, precise taste had revealed the culprit.

On Rena’s face,

for once, there was no sharpness—only a quiet, deep sense of satisfaction.