Ren's breath grew heavier as Ming's body pressed against him, her grip tightening around his clothes.
His eyes drifted for a moment—catching a glimpse of Lucia and Azure walking away.
"…We can go out now," he said.
But Ming didn't move.
Instead, her fingers clenched even tighter.
"Airen…" she whispered, her breath warm and uneven against him.
Ren froze, their eyes met, and in that moment—the heat between them quietly rose.
Something inside him snapped, his thoughts breaking apart in an instant.
Fuck it! No more.
In a single, decisive motion, he pulled her closer, closing the distance like it never existed.
Their breaths collided—warm, uneven, tangled.
He kissed her, their lips meeting as warmth spread between them, and she didn't resist.
Ming's body froze at first, her fingers clutching his clothes tighter, her breath catching—then slowly, almost instinctively, she leaned into him.
Her grip softened… then tightened again, this time pulling him closer instead of resisting.
The space between them disappeared completely.
Heat rose—fast, overwhelming, suffocating in the best way possible.
Ren's mind went blank, drowned in the moment, in the warmth, in the way she responded without pulling away.
And the quiet, burning tension between them growing stronger with every passing second.
Ren's hand moved instinctively, grabbing her boobs firmly, "Ming…"
She let out a soft moan, quickly grabbing his wrist, her cheeks flushing red. "We can't… not here… ah!"
Ren's breath grew heavier as he leaned closer, his lips brushing near her neck, lingering just enough to make her shiver as he muttered under his breath, "I can't…"
She let out a soft moan, her body tensing slightly as her fingers curled into his clothes. "B-but…"
But before it could go any further, a sudden heavy crash shattered the moment—
THUD!!
With that crash, they both snapped back to reality, the warmth between them breaking instantly as if something had been forcibly torn apart—
Ren froze mid-motion, breath still uneven, before he quickly pulled back, his hand dropping away as his eyes refocused. "Tch…"
She jerked back at the same time, face burning red, quickly fixing her clothes and avoiding his gaze, fingers trembling slightly as she tried to steady her breathing. "W-we… what was that…?"
Silence. Heavy. Awkward.
Neither of them moved for a second, both clearly aware of how close they had just been, and how wrong the timing felt now that reality had returned.
Ren exhaled slowly, rubbing the back of his neck, forcing his tone back into something calmer.
"…We should go."
She said in a shy tone, still avoiding his gaze, "Yah…"
---
After Ren escorted Ming back, he left immediately, unable to face her any longer.
The silence between them lingered even after she was gone.
Ren exhaled sharply, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he walked away, his expression tight and irritated.
"Damn… what's wrong with me!"
His jaw clenched, eyes narrowing at the ground, a faint frustration twisting in his expression.
"Why am I acting like an animal in heat…"
The thought lingered uncomfortably in his mind, his irritation mixing with a rare sense of confusion—like he couldn't quite accept what he had just become for a moment.
[Because you are!]
He shouted suddenly, voice sharp and raw with irritation, "Just shut up, you trash!"
The words cut through the air as he kept walking, jaw clenched, shoulders tense, as if trying to outrun his own thoughts.
His pace didn't slow.
But his mind didn't stop either.
What should I do now…?
He exhaled through his nose, frustration mixing with confusion, not even sure how to spend the rest of his time anymore. Everything felt slightly off, like his focus had been split in half and he couldn't stitch it back properly.
A long sigh escaped him.
"…Let's move to the original plan," he murmured under his breath, voice lower now, almost forced calm—like he was pulling himself back into control piece by piece.
A small grin appeared on his face as his gaze turned serious, something sharp and focused settling behind his eyes.
"…Time for the real game to begin," he said quietly.
---
THUD!
Ren pushed the door open and stepped inside his hotel room.
Inside, Lucia and Azure were casually eating some snacks as if nothing unusual was happening.
Lucia glanced over while chewing and spoke flatly, "You are back."
Ren looked at her with a tired, slightly annoyed expression, the kind that said everything without words. "…Eat then talk."
Azure immediately perked up and walked closer to him.
"Master."
Ren paused, eyes narrowing slightly, confused. "What?"
Before he could even react properly, Azure suddenly stepped in—
And stuffed food into his mouth.
Ren froze for a split second.
"…."
He slowly started chewing, expression shifting from confusion to mild acceptance.
After a moment, he swallowed and exhaled lightly.
"…Hmmm. It's pretty good."
He quietly patted Azure's head, then walked over to the bed and took a seat.
His expression shifted—calm, but serious now.
"…Now I have to discuss something with you guys."
Lucia raised her gaze slightly, still holding her snack. "What is it?" Her tone carried uncertainty.
Ren leaned back a little, eyes narrowing. "You haven't forgotten our real goal coming here, do you?"
Azure tilted her head. "What goal?"
Lucia froze for a moment, then looked at him with clear disbelief. "I thought you were just making an excuse back then…"
Ren gave her a flat look. "Just what do you think of me?"
Lucia didn't answer immediately, but her thoughts were obvious—a completely careless person with a twisted mind.
Ren continued without reacting. "I've taken a tour of the whole city within this month, and by the looks of it, the underground security is too tight."
Lucia asked with a confused face, "But why do we even need to go with that plan? Don't we have enough money to buy a whole lot of food?"
Azure stayed silent, just looking between them blankly, still not fully understanding what was being discussed.
Ren exhaled lightly, shaking his head. "No, no, no… you don't understand. Money can't give us what they have there."
Lucia tilted her head slightly, curiosity sharpening her gaze. "What is it? What do they have?"
A small grin slowly formed on Ren's face, his eyes turning sharp with intent.
"Firepower."
Lucia nodded slightly. "Oh."
Azure just blinked quietly, still not understanding anything, her blank stare shifting between them like she was trying to decode a language she didn't know.
Ren's eyes briefly landed on Azure. "I'll tell you later in detail."
Azure immediately nodded. "Yes, Master."
Lucia let out a small breath and leaned forward a bit. "So what's the plan?"
Ren didn't hesitate. He explained it to them in detail, step by step, his tone steady and controlled as the room slowly fell into focused silence.
Minutes passed.
Lucia listened carefully, her expression shifting from doubt to quiet seriousness as the pieces started to make sense.
Azure just stayed silent, absorbing whatever she could, even if not fully understanding everything.
And then—
Ren leaned back slightly, his gaze turning distant for a brief moment.
Time for the show to begin—