Chisato rubbed the back of her head awkwardly.
"Sorry, sorry! I completely forgot about you."
She pressed her palms together, offering a sheepish apology.
Ryunosuke, visibly annoyed, began bandaging his own wound. Since his movement was restricted, he had to use his teeth to grip one end of the gauze while his free hand wrapped it around his shoulder.
Seeing him struggle, Shino stepped in to help. She took the bandage from him and wrapped it neatly and professionally around his injury.
Ryunosuke offered a quiet thanks before pointedly comparing the two. "Look at how mature Shino is compared to you! How are you supposed to be the teacher here?"
Chisato kicked a small pebble on the side of the road and began whistling, refusing to meet Ryunosuke's eyes. Her guilt was written all over her face.
Once Shino finished the dressing, she and her mentor prepared to depart. Naturally, they took Hikaru with them, who was still sprawled unconscious on the ground.
With the illegal firearm he had been carrying, the blonde man was unlikely to see the outside of a prison cell for the rest of his life. Hoshino Ai's safety was now guaranteed; at the very least, there would be no more "accidents."
Ryunosuke exhaled a long sigh of relief, watching with a touch of bewilderment as the two girls walked away. Chisato had her arm linked with Shino's as if they were sisters, showing none of the gravitas expected of an instructor.
[Note: Chisato has a slight yuri streak; otherwise, why do you think she took Shino as a student? Obviously, it's because Shino is cute.]
Ryunosuke decided not to dwell on it. He just found it strange; the last time he'd seen Shino, she hadn't been nearly this respectful toward Chisato. Had something happened?
Suddenly, his eyes caught sight of two bullets on the ground from the earlier exchange between Chisato and Hikaru. He picked them up.
The two slugs had collided head-on in mid-air, fused together as if joined by glue—or more accurately, locked in a perfect embrace.
In that instant, Ryunosuke realized something crucial. It wasn't that Chisato was a bad shot; she was missing on purpose. Her personality made the reason obvious: she didn't want to hurt anyone. By hiding behind the excuse of "poor aim," she could logically justify letting her opponents live.
Ryunosuke gripped the fused bullets. No wonder Shino respected her so much. Shino's own marksmanship was likely taught by Chisato, and the girl must have realized her teacher's true depth. That was the source of her reverence.
As the strongest Lycoris in history, there was no way she would just "miss." It was a calculated charade to avoid taking lives without the organization breathing down her neck.
With the mess finally cleaned up, Ryunosuke headed home.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
The following morning.
Ryunosuke brought Chizuru to see Ai for a formal introduction.
"This is my girlfriend."
He looked at Ai. "I've taken care of everything on your end... You'll keep your promise to me, right?"
The subtext was for Ai alone. With Chizuru standing right there, Ryunosuke couldn't be too blunt. He couldn't exactly say, "I've neutralized the man who was stalking you, now get my girl into show business." That would have sounded incredibly suspicious.
Ai understood perfectly. With her nightmare over, she happily agreed to help Ryunosuke's girlfriend break into the industry. As a top-tier idol, Ai had a vast web of connections at her disposal.
Chizuru, hearing herself referred to as his "girlfriend," felt her cheeks flush. She didn't protest the intimate label. Instead, she looked at the man beside her and the small hand he was holding. She found herself squeezing back, even tighter.
Ryunosuke felt the change in her grip, but he remained silent.
Shortly after, Ai introduced them to a director named Gotanda. It happened to be a filming day for her son, Aqua, so they all went together. Aqua was already working as a child actor and had a shoot scheduled.
Thus, Ryunosuke guided Chizuru, following the little brat toward Gotanda's set.
Once Gotanda learned that this was an actress recommended by Ai herself, he accepted her without question.
To secure Chizuru's dream, Ryunosuke sat down with Gotanda to discuss giving her the role of the first female lead (Heroine 1).
The director wasn't convinced immediately. "Are you joking? Who exactly is your girlfriend? If I just hand her the lead role out of nowhere, what are people going to say?"
In response, Ryunosuke handed the director a script. It was White Album 2—a story that, in his previous life, had been a masterpiece of emotional devastation. It centered on the "third wheel" Touma Kazusa and the complex love-hate triangle with the main heroine, Ogiso Setsuna.
That story had almost turned Ryunosuke off anime for good; that was how powerful its impact was. He felt like a true demon for unleashing this tragic masterpiece on the world. Painful as it was, no one could deny it was a work of genius.
Gotanda was transfixed as he read. He immediately offered to buy the script at any price. Ryunosuke refused the money; he only wanted his girlfriend to be the first female lead.
Gotanda hesitated for a moment, then looked at Chizuru's stunning face. He decided it wasn't an issue. After all, the modern audience prioritized a pretty face over acting chops anyway.
All that remained was to find the second female lead, Touma Kazusa. The director already had a candidate in mind: Hoshino Ai. With her ability to play any role, she was the perfect fit.
Ai was notified immediately and fell in love with the script. She agreed to play Touma Kazusa on the spot. Everything was set. As soon as Ai was discharged from the hospital, filming would begin!
Ryunosuke nodded in satisfaction. He approached Chizuru and asked her one more time.
"I've helped you realize your dream. Are you still unwilling to try dating me?"
Chizuru went silent. Her cheeks darkened to a deep crimson as she looked down and whispered softly.
"I already owe you too much... so much I could never possibly pay you back."
"Just delete your dating app from that platform."
Ryunosuke blinked, stunned. "What do you mean? Did I just get rejected?"
Chizuru muttered under her breath, "Idot!"
"If you book through the platform, thirty percent goes to them. I'm trying to save you money!"
"If we date privately, you don't have to spend a single cent!"
The realization finally hit Ryunosuke. "You mean... dating outside the app? For free?"
Chizuru didn't answer directly. She merely turned her face away and spoke in a low voice. "I owe you more than I can ever repay, perhaps even in a lifetime."
Ryunosuke asked, half-joking, "Then how do you plan on paying me back?"
Chizuru took a deep breath, her tone becoming incredibly solemn.
"Then I will pay you back by dating you for the rest of my life."
"You don't need to feel 'responsible' for me."
It was a "straight ball" confession from Chizuru. Even knowing that Ryunosuke might have other girlfriends, she was willing to be the third; the man before her possessed a charm that made it worth it.
Ryunosuke told her earnestly that he had many girlfriends and warned her not to regret it. Chizuru insisted she wouldn't; she had already set her heart on him. Even if he was a flirt, she accepted him.
And so, the two officially entered a relationship.