As the final bell approached, Renji and Hitomi wrapped up.

It had been a fun and successful update session: Renji had shown her his quick sketch of what he intended to paint and Hitomi had ogled over it as expected.

However, she had also been very efficient. She showed him details of the possible paintings other competitors would have.

Renji, surprised, asked her how she had managed to get the information. She smiled and told him vaguely that she just knew the right people to ask. With her mother being the principal of a very respected institution, it wasn't that difficult in the end.

Renji was impressed. Hitomi might have an edge to her after all.

With no other updates or changes on the Art Competition, they ended as soon as the bells came, packing away supplies with companionable chatter.

"So when are you going to start painting?" Hitomi asked, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

Renji made a thoughtful face, looking up at the ceiling. "I'm banking on Saturday. I'll definitely have free time to myself. Maybe I can do the outer sketch on a canvas tomorrow since it's a public holiday."

Hitomi's eyes lit up like candles. "Oh!" Then, she thought for a moment before nervously asking. "I won't be doing anything all day so is it okay if I come over to watch you paint? I can give advice concerning what the judges might want."

Renji froze, almost like he'd been hit in the face with a shocking slap.

"You… want… to come to… my house?" he asked her, staring at her soft, hopeful face.

Hitomi nodded her head once. Shy like a hungry pup. "Yes. If… that's okay… with you."

Renji didn't know what to say, and so they just stood there for a while, gazing at each other.

'Please say yes, please say yes, please sayyy yesss,' Hitomi's anxious mind begged. 'I'm sooo scared.'

Renji's lips finally parted.

"Yeah, sounds good," he said, flashing a sudden grin.

Hitomi blinked, shocked by the response and even more by the enthusiasm. "Really?"

"Yeah. I'll text you the address and I'll wait till you show up before I start painting." He then gave her a soft pat on her shoulder.

"Ahhhhh" Hitomi let out a soft, silent air out her lips, almost like a moan as she felt his hand on her.

"We'll nail this comp together," Renji finished and left the art room.

Hitomi looked down at her shoulder. 'I'm never washing that off.'

She turned back to wave him goodbye but he had already disappeared from the room and was down the hall.

"It's just to get information about her mom. I'm not inviting her because I like her or anything," Renji muttered to himself as he headed out. "Shit. Why did I really say yes to her? It's like I didn't want to refuse or hurt her."

He grunted. "This stuff is giving me a headache."

The school emptied in a rush of footsteps and locker slams, and after claiming the Note from his hiding place, he made for his own locker to grab his books for the weekend.

As he turned the corner, he nearly collided with Haru.

Haru was juggling a stack of textbooks from his open locker, arms overloaded like a bad comedy sketch. One slipped free, tumbling to the floor with a thud.

"Shit," Haru muttered, bending awkwardly to retrieve it without dropping the rest.

Renji, acting on instinct—or maybe a twisted sense of strategy—scooped it up first, holding it out. "Here, man. I'll get it for you."

Haru straightened, eyeing him warily as he took the book, stacking it atop the pile.

He gave Renji the exact same guarded neutral expression as he'd been giving him for days now.

"Didn't see you there, Kenshiro."

Renji shrugged. "No prob." Then he cornered him to leave. But Haru's voice called him back.

"Hey, wait up. Kenshiro."

Renji paused mid-stride, turning slowly. "Yeah?"

Haru hesitated, thinking it over, but then he spilled out the question. "Hey, uhm… Do you ever hear from your dad?"

Renji's brows raised instantly. The question hit like a curveball—out of nowhere and personal as hell.

His dad? The man who left him to go be with his lover in a European country. That moron? And why the hell did Haru suddenly care?

"No," he finally replied. "We don't speak much. Again."

Haru shifted his books, his face lowering for a minute before raising up. "That sucks, man."

Renji's lowered brows narrowed in confusion and surprise. 'Is he trying to be sympathetic?'

"Anyway, later." Haru shoved the books inside his locker and slammed it shut, then he walked off without another word, leaving Renji staring at his retreating back.

'What the fuck was that?' Renji thought, rooted to the spot as students streamed past. Haru, one of the assholes who'd tripped him in the halls just a week ago, dropping a pity bomb like that?

It didn't add up. Unless the Milf Note's hold on his mom was stirring some weird guilt trip. Or maybe it was genuine, a crack in the bully facade.

Either way, it left a sour taste, stirring old resentments about his own absent father. Renji shook it off, taking what he wanted from his own locker and slamming it harder than necessary.

'Focus, idiot. Bigger fish.'

School let out in a chaotic exodus, backpacks thumping and voices echoing as everyone bolted for freedom.

Renji joined the flow, stepping into the crisp afternoon air. But instead of heading straight the Center, he veered toward the town center.

The town center was a bustling hub of shops, cafes, and street vendors that pulsed with after-school energy.

It was the perfect spot to unwind and just grab a coffee to plot his moves. But… he didn't really feel like plotting. He couldn't get what Haru just asked him out of his mind.

He had just been reminded of the painful truth that his parents abandoned him. Now, he wanted to be alone.

These past two weeks, he'd been with more company than he had in months. He wanted to relapse.

The streets hummed with life: kids clustering around arcade entrances, salarymen rushing for trains, and holiday lights twinkling early against the fading daylight.

Renji wove through it all, his mind churning with thoughts and memories.

He paused at a street vendor, snagging a hot takoyaki skewer, the savory steam warming his face as he bit into the crispy ball.

He sat on a bench and ate, watching the afternoon bleed into evening. He had to get to the Center.

But Haru's words still nagged at the edges, a ghost from the past he thought buried.

"That sucks, man."

Yeah, it did. But Renji Kenshiro wasn't one to dwell. He conquered.

Renji sighed and got up to his feet. Let the game continue.

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