Rika's house.
The entryway hallway—the exact spot where Saeko had once fought.
The battle between Shuya and Rika was still going.
But the second Rika suddenly leaned in and kissed him hard on the lips mid-fight, everything changed.
She wanted a man who could completely conquer her, right?
Shuya got it.
So he decided to give her exactly what she asked for.
He flipped her over, pinned her down, and took full control.
No more letting her lead.
Time blurred.
When it finally ended, Rika lay curled in Shuya's arms, skin glistening with sweat, her tanned body flushed a deep, satisfied pink.
The wild leopard energy she usually carried was gone. In its place was something softer—like a wild cat that had finally been tamed. It was incredibly seductive.
Rika felt like every muscle in her body had turned to jelly.
Staring at Shuya's face so close to hers, she breathed softly, "I have to admit it, you little bastard… you really did conquer me completely."
"Little?"
Shuya gave her a pointed look and shifted his hips.
"Okay, okay—I was wrong!" Rika surrendered immediately, voice soft and sweet. "You're a big bastard. Happy now?"
Anyone who knew Rika would've dropped their jaws.
The same woman who was always fierce, confident, untamable, and never backed down from a fight… was now speaking in that soft, adorable tone and acting all cute?
"This is more like it."
Shuya was very satisfied with her surrender.
It wasn't about anything else. Every fisherman who comes home empty-handed at night swears he caught something. But Shuya didn't have to lie.
He really was big.
The kind that let him live off Shizuka's "soft rice" without any guilt.
Shizuka could confirm that.
"You're such a childish guy," Rika muttered, rolling her eyes.
She had once believed she might never meet a man strong enough to break her. She had even accepted the idea of staying single forever.
Yet here she was, completely defeated by this little bastard.
And she wasn't even mad about it.
In fact, she was more than satisfied—body, heart, and soul. She had never felt anything like this before.
Rika looked at the young man holding her and suddenly asked, "Big bastard… you've been living here with Shizuka for over a year, right?"
"What? You gonna start charging me rent now?"
Shuya glanced at her.
He earned every bit of the soft life he had with Shizuka. Why should he pay rent?
"Rent? No." Rika shook her head, then sighed dramatically. "I'm just feeling a little regret."
"Regret?"
"Yeah. If I'd known you were this good, I would've come home sooner. What a waste."
She sounded genuinely disappointed for a second, then relaxed and playfully smacked his chest. "But you just gave me an idea. I really should charge you rent."
"You've been living in my house and messing around with my best friend. I'm not happy about that. So whatever you gave Shizuka before… you're gonna make it up to me—double."
Shuya broke into a sweat.
Of course you would say that.
Earlier, when the fight started, he had planned to carry her somewhere more comfortable. But Rika refused. She wanted it right here in the hallway.
So that's where he took her first time—on the same floor where Saeko had once fought.
Shuya looked down at her. "It's almost morning. We can't stay here forever. Let me take you to get cleaned up. There's something I need to talk to you about too."
"Whatever you want. I don't even have the strength to stand right now. You could do anything to me and I couldn't stop you."
Rika didn't argue. But just as Shuya lifted her, she pointed at their scattered clothes on the floor—the ones covered in clear evidence of what had just happened.
"Pick those up first. That's proof of my first time."
Shuya raised an eyebrow.
He hadn't expected a woman like Rika to care about things like that.
Still, he didn't mind. He had been planning to do it anyway.
Invisible aura flowed out of him, neatly folding and gathering the clothes just like he had done for Shizuka and Saeko before.
"All set?"
"What the hell was that? Superpowers?"
Rika had never seen Nen, so to her it looked like the clothes had floated up on their own and folded themselves.
"That's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about," Shuya said.
"Really?"
Rika's eyes narrowed with understanding. She gave him a long, meaningful look. "So this is why you're so strong, huh? But… is it really okay to tell me?"
"What do you mean?"
"Telling me your secret… aren't you worried I might—"
Before she could finish, Shuya answered firmly, "I trust you."
"You trust me?"
Rika froze.
They had known each other for less than twelve hours.
It sounded ridiculous…
But for some reason, those three simple words made her heart tremble.
She tested him. "Because of Shizuka?"
"At first, yeah. But after what we just did, I understand exactly who Rika Minami is. Even without Shizuka, I'd still choose to trust you."
Rika fell silent.
Shuya didn't wait. He carried her exhausted body into the bathroom, gently washed her, and explained everything about Nen.
At the end, he gave her three clear choices:
1. Contract with him directly like Shizuka and Saeko—get the Nen seed and learn instantly.
2. Let him open her pores like he did with Yuriko. Success or failure, they'd contract afterward.
3. The hardest route: learn completely on her own with guidance from both him and Shizuka. No shortcuts. Only after she awakened on her own would they form the contract.
He offered the options because Saeko's Reizan had already given him a massive power boost. He didn't need to rush contracts for strength anymore.
Plus, he was curious whether learning Nen the normal way before contracting would feel any different.
One important note: even though Yuriko had successfully opened her pores, Shuya still hadn't contracted her yet. He didn't fully trust her that much… not yet.
Shuya looked at Rika. "So… which one do you want?"
Rika blinked, then smiled with those red lips. "Shizuka already told you, right? I love challenging the impossible."
Shuya instantly understood and grinned. "Then you're gonna have to work Shizuka-nee pretty hard from now on."
"Isn't that perfect? That lazy woman needs to move more anyway. Plus, she basically sold me to you. The seller has to pay some compensation, doesn't she?"
Rika's smile turned just as mischievous.
...…
"Achoo!"
Back in the bedroom, Shizuka rubbed her nose.
Must be Rika-chan finally realizing how amazing Little Shuya is. She's probably thanking me in her heart right now~