Mai stopped in front of him. She crossed her arms and looked him up and down. Her eyes stopped on the burn scar on his neck. For a second, she didn't look so tough anymore. She looked worried. But she quickly looked away and cleared her throat.
"You're early," she said. She tried to sounded mean, but her voice shook a little. "I told you not to be late, but you didn't have to wait around like a lost dog."
"I didn't mind," Ren said softly. "It's really good to see you, Mai."
He sounded so calm and nice that it surprised her. Her face turned bright pink, and she quickly turned away from him.
"Whatever. Follow me," she ordered, walking away. "The cafe is a few blocks from here."
Ren chuckled and walked next to her. The streets of Shibuya were loud and busy, but walking with Mai felt surprisingly quiet. She didn't talk much on the way, just stealing quick glances at him when she thought he wasn't looking.
They arrived at a small, cozy cafe hidden in a side street. It smelled like fresh coffee and sweet pastries. They sat in a quiet booth in the back corner. A waitress came over, blushing slightly when she looked at Ren, and took their orders. Two black coffees and a plate of matcha cakes.
Once the waitress left, an awkward silence settled over the table. Mai picked up a sugar packet and played with it, avoiding eye contact.
Ren decided to break the ice. "So, what brings you to Tokyo? You mentioned a minor assignment on the phone."
Mai sighed and put the sugar packet down. "It's nothing important. Just delivering some paperwork to the higher-ups. You seee kyoto is dead quiet right now. I just wanted an excuse to get out of there."
Ren nodded. "okkk."
Soon the waitress brought their coffee and matcha cakes, placing them quietly on the table. Ren took a sip of the warm, bitter drink. It was exactly what he needed.
Mai watched him carefully over the rim of her cup. "So," she started, her voice sounding a bit too casual. "Where is my sister anyway? I thought she'd be guarding you like a watchdog."
Ren set his cup down. He knew this was the moment. He didn't want to lie to Mai, especially not when he was trying to fix the broken bond between the twins. He took a deep breath.
"Maki is out of town," Ren said simply. "But, Mai... since we are hanging out, I need to be honest with you."
Mai froze. Her hands gripped her coffee cup tightly. "Honest about what?" she asked, her voice dropping to a whisper.
Ren looked her right in the eyes. "Maki and I are together. We're dating."
Mai didn't gasp or yell. Instead, she just looked down at the table. A sad, tired smile appeared on her face. "I knew it," she muttered. "I could tell during the baseball game. The way she looked at you... and the way you looked at her. I guess I just didn't want to admit it."
Ren felt a pang of guilt. "I'm sorry, Mai. I didn't want to lead you on."
Mai let out a short, bitter laugh. She looked back up at him. Her eyes were shining with tears she refused to let fall, but she kept her chin tilted up proudly. "So, this was just a pity trip for you? You came all the way to Shibuya just to reject me to my face?"
"No, that's not—" Ren started to say, but Mai cut him off.
She crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat, giving him a hard look. "So, you are completely loyal to my idiot sister. If I asked you to take me on a real date right now, you would say no. You would never cheat on Maki, right?"
Ren nodded without hesitating. "Of course not. I wouldn't cheat on her."
Mai sighed and looked away toward the window. "Figures. She always gets what she wants."
Ren rubbed the back of his neck. Suddenly, he felt a little awkward. "Well... it is a little more complicated than that."
Mai looked back at him, clearly confused. "What do you mean?"
Ren gave a nervous laugh. "I wouldn't cheat behind her back. But... she kind of gave me permission to be with other people."
Mai stared at him in complete disbelief. "Excuse me? Maki? The most jealous, stubborn girl on the planet told you to go sleep around?"
"It is hard to explain," Ren said. He took a second to find the right words. "She gave me absolute permission to do whatever it takes to get stronger so we can survive." He took a slow sip of his water. "But she made strict ground rules. If I am with anyone else, I have to loudly claim that I have a 'future wife' to make sure they know their place."
Mai's mouth dropped open. She sat there in complete shock for a few seconds. Then, a loud, genuine laugh burst out of her. She covered her mouth to try and quiet down, but she just couldn't stop giggling.
"A 'future wife'?" Mai managed to say between her laughs. "Oh my god. That is so embarrassing. She actually said that?"
Ren smiled. He was happy to see her laughing instead of crying. "Yeah. She was very serious about it."
Mai wiped a tear from her eye. Her laughter finally faded into a soft smile. "Only Maki could turn a free pass into a weird dominance thing." She looked at Ren, and her expression was much softer now. All the heavy tension between them was gone.
"So," Mai said. She rested her chin on her hand, and a playful spark returned to her eyes. "Does this mean I still have a chance, as long as I don't mind coming in second place to the 'future wife'?"
Ren chuckled and leaned forward on the table. The first step of his plan to bring the sisters together was actually working. "Maybe. But we should probably just finish our cake first."
Mai picked up her fork and cut a small piece of the matcha cake. She took a slow bite, keeping her dark eyes locked on Ren. As she chewed, her playful smile slipped just a little bit, and a thoughtful frown took its place.
"Wait a second," Mai said after swallowing the sweet cake. "Jokes aside... isn't this going to be incredibly weird when Maki actually comes back? I mean, sure, she gave you a free pass. But I am her sister. We literally hate each other most of the time. When she finds out you used your pass on me, she is going to completely lose her mind."
Ren took another calm sip of his coffee. He knew exactly how explosive the sisters could be around each other. But he also knew this was the only way to fix their broken bond and complete their Heavenly Restriction.
"It is definitely going to be loud," Ren admitted with an easy smile. "Maki is going to yell. A lot. But you both care about each other, even if you refuse to admit it. And honestly? I think we can handle it."
Mai rolled her eyes and gave a soft scoff. "You are giving her way too much credit. She will probably try to stab both of us."
"Maybe," Ren chuckled. "But I heal pretty fast these days. I can take a few hits."