A Perfect Plan, a Failed Goal

Ren had thought about it all night. The sensation of the Nexus drink on his tongue and the image of Mio next to that black-haired man had merged into a single problem that demanded a solution.

So he decided it was time to see Mio again.

But how? His engagement to Akira was approaching, his classes at the academy were mandatory, and his father's surveillance was constant. Everything kept him away from her. He thought and thought, until his logical brain found a crack in the system. He had found a solution. He would do something he never imagined doing. And all for a woman.

The next day, Ren arrived at the prestigious academy as usual, but in reality, he was executing his master plan.

Inside the school, with the same coldness with which he would run a corporate board meeting, he negotiated with his classmates. He bribed them all. He offered the son of a politician future connections. He promised the most popular girl VIP passes to the next fashion event. To the rest, he offered money, valuables, or shares in his future companies.

His plan was simple: his classmates would cover for him in class. The teachers would never know he was absent.

When he finished bribing everyone, he headed for a blind spot in the security cameras. Without hesitation, he jumped over the high fence that separated the school from the street. He ran away. He ran through the alleys, and as he ran, he changed his clothes, taking off his academy blazer and putting on his plebeian sweatshirt so as not to waste time. After a while, he arrived at the Happy Burger restaurant. He was exhausted from running, but he felt a new sensation. An... emotion?

Ren waited patiently at the entrance. He saw people coming and going, but he never saw Mio. His logic made him think of multiple scenarios. " Maybe she's in the bathroom. Or taking out the trash. Or on her break. I'll wait and watch. " He waited for several hours, but the sun began to set, and she never appeared.

Ren took a deep breath and entered Happy Burger. The smell of grease hit him. But Mio wasn't at the counter. He only found Kenji and Sara. Somewhat confused, he approached them with the intention of buying something and getting some information. He spoke to Sara.

" Mio? " she said, recognizing him as the weirdo with the shoelaces. " Oh, he asked for the day off. "

 " He's not feeling well? " Ren asked, his voice flat. 

" No idea! Yesterday she came in screaming like crazy for Tomoki, the other new guy. She yelled his name and then left! She said she wasn't feeling well. If you ask me, those two are up to something!"

Ren stirred slightly. Tomoki? The name sent a shiver through his body. It was the man in the photo. For some reason, the name sounded very familiar, and his suspicions about who he might be grew. But he didn't have enough evidence. His plan had gone perfectly. But the target... had been a failure.

Defeated, Ren only bought one can of Nexus and took it with him unopened. He had the illogical superstition that if he carried one, perhaps he would summon it as if by magic.

When he returned home, he found Naoki waiting for him on a corner with the car, and he didn't look happy. Naoki gave him the scolding of his life. " Young master! Do you know what I had to do? I had to bribe the academy's security chief, who is a former military man, to delete the tapes of you jumping the fence! Luckily, I was able to calm things down before your father heard about it! " At first, Ren didn't pay much attention to her. He held the can of Nexu in his hand. " All this risk for the pink-haired girl! She's causing him trouble!"  Ren became enraged. "Don't talk about her" he said, his voice becoming dangerous. " You don't understand. " In the end, they ended up arguing all the way back.

All Ren wanted was to take a break from all the changes in his life. He wanted to see Mio one more time.

When Ren arrived at his home, he saw the Takashima family's vehicle leaving the property. At this point, Ren was too stressed out. He ignored it and entered the mansion. He didn't even take off his commoner clothes. He went straight to his room and collapsed onto his bed. He had fallen fast asleep from sheer exhaustion.