So… so shameless.
What a despicable adult!
Rei Miyamoto watched Rika slip off her jacket and openly flaunt those seductive curves right in front of Shuya. She couldn't help but feel pure disdain.
She had been here first, yet one after another, every single woman kept trying to cut in line!
Just like that pink-haired glasses girl Saya earlier—if she could, Rei would've pinned Rika to the floor the exact same way.
But looking at Rika's body—wild and leopard-like, with those smooth abs and toned arms that were powerful without being bulky—Rei knew the truth.
If it came down to marksmanship, she might still have a chance. But if she rushed in bare-handed?
She'd be the one getting pinned.
Of course, for Shuya's sake, she could step right in front of him without hesitation, just like before.
But right now?
Rei could only look at Shuya hopefully, praying with everything she had: Please don't accept it! Please don't accept it!
And thankfully, her wish came true.
Shuya shook his head at Rika and said, "I won't accept your challenge."
Rika frowned. "Why not?"
His answer actually made her doubt herself for a second. Had her charm really dropped that low?
Why else would this boy refuse her challenge?
"You're too weak."
Shuya explained calmly, "A tiger might accept a lion's challenge, but have you ever seen a tiger accept a mouse's challenge?"
He was honestly tempted by Rika's offer. It was basically a guaranteed win no matter what.
But just like he said—she was too weak.
A fight with such a massive power gap couldn't even be called a challenge. It would just be bullying.
Even without using Nen, after a full year of constant aura training, his physical strength, reaction speed, and overall body quality were far beyond anything a normal person like Rika could handle.
It simply wouldn't be fair to her.
Sure, he could hold back, play around, and then beat her.
But what about after?
He was going to contract her eventually.
Once she awakened Nen, she'd immediately understand the difference between normal humans and Nen users. She'd realize he had been going easy on her.
That could create distance between them.
It was better to be upfront about the gap from the start. If she still insisted on challenging him after that…
Then he'd have no choice but to reluctantly claim her.
"You're calling me a mouse?"
Rika pointed at herself, caught between anger and laughter.
From childhood to now, she had always been competitive and always came out on top in everything. Even in her dangerous job, she was always the best.
This was the first time anyone had ever compared her to something as weak as a mouse.
"No, no, no. Strictly speaking, the gap between us is even bigger than an elephant and an ant."
Shuya placed both hands on Shizuka's shoulders and gently pushed her forward. "You can't even beat Shizuka-nee right now. Don't even think about fighting me. Why don't you try getting past her first?"
Even though Shizuka rarely trained her Nen, she was still Shuya's very first contract partner.
For an entire year, she had been acting like a succubus, constantly draining aura from him.
The results were far better than normal training.
Despite her usual ditzy appearance, her raw physical strength was basically that of a human tyrannosaurus rex—even without using Nen.
"Eh? Me?"
Shizuka blinked, then belatedly raised her arm and tried to flex her soft, chubby biceps. "That's right! I'm actually really strong!"
"Shizuka?"
Rika stared at her best friend's ridiculous attempt at looking tough and felt a headache coming on.
With all that extra weight on her body, just running was probably dangerous for her. Fighting? That was a joke.
She turned back to Shuya angrily. "What the hell do you mean by pushing Shizuka out? Even if you're looking down on me, there should be a limit!"
"Rika-chan, I'm not lying! I really am super strong. Want me to show you… um…"
Shizuka thought for a second. "How about I do the splits?"
Looking at her completely unserious attitude, Rika's mouth twitched. "Shizuka, just go stand over there."
"Okay~ Little Shuya, go get her!"
To everyone's surprise, Shizuka immediately agreed and walked off to the side to cheer for him.
Rika was clearly challenging Shuya. What was the point of making her fight Shizuka? Maybe Shuya was trying to show respect?
But Shizuka understood her best friend better than anyone. Respect alone wouldn't work on Rika.
Even though they lived in modern times, Rika's core beliefs were straight out of the ancient "law of the jungle." The strong ruled.
As long as Shuya thoroughly defeated her, she would accept it—Nen or no Nen.
Shizuka might act clueless most of the time, but she wasn't actually stupid.
Especially when it came to helping Rika become part of their group, she was very serious.
"Take this!"
Seeing Shizuka walk away, Rika was worried Shuya would keep making excuses. She crouched low like a leopard and lunged at him.
Rika used a modified version of standard military combat techniques, mixed with her own wild style. It was ferocious and had very few openings.
But her speed was still far too slow for him.
Shuya simply shifted his body and easily dodged her attack.
If it had been anyone else, he would've gone on the offensive and shown them the difference between left fist and right fist damage.
But since Rika was being this aggressive, it looked like he had no choice but to take her.
Fine. He'd play with her for a bit first.
He'd hold back a little and let her enjoy the fight.
Meanwhile, outside the fighting area, Shizuka enthusiastically chatted with Rei and the others.
Of course, she mainly wanted to get to know the newcomer, Yuriko Takagi.
After a while, Shizuka yawned. "I'm so sleepy~ Fighting is so boring. It's almost morning already. You girls probably haven't slept properly all night, right?"
"Those two don't look like they'll finish anytime soon. Why don't we all go rest? I'll show you to the rooms."
Without waiting for their opinion, Shizuka grabbed the girls and started leading them away to find bedrooms.
Before leaving, she gave one deep look toward Rika, who was currently having the time of her life fighting Shuya.
Rika-chan, Rika-chan… I've set everything up for you. You better make it count.
At the exact moment Shizuka looked at Rika, Yuriko—who was being pulled along—also gave Shizuka a deep, meaningful look.
What a formidable opponent!
This woman's intelligence might not be any lower than mine!
Yuriko had been watching Shizuka's every move.
And just like her, Shizuka was carrying one strong person and one dead weight—yet Rika was clearly much easier to handle than Saya.
Feeling Yuriko's strange gaze, Shizuka's eyes instantly returned to their usual innocent, clear look. "Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing at all." Yuriko shook her head, choosing not to expose her.
Shizuka pointed at Yuriko's purple hair in surprise. "I just noticed—your hair is the same color as Rika-chan's and Saeko's! What a coincidence~ Want to sleep together later?"
Is this woman a purple-hair fetishist? No… if anyone has a purple-hair fetish, it should be Shuya.
Otherwise it's hard to explain why, out of six women in this house, three of them have purple hair.
Yuriko froze for a second, then quickly recovered.
Wait, almost got distracted.
Shizuka had first distracted the two younger girls (Rei and Saya), and now she was personally stepping in to hold Yuriko back—all to create private time for her best friend Rika.
Flawless.
She really is a terrifying woman!
Yuriko couldn't help but sigh in her heart.