CHAPTER 184: DIRECT CONFRONTATION [BONUS CHAPTER 6/6]

Chapter 184: Kasumigaoka Utaha’s Test! Direct Confrontation!

After walking out of the classroom, Ren asked directly, "Are you looking for me?" Kasumigaoka Utaha gazed at Ren, her right hand brushing back her hair as she introduced herself, "I am Kasumigaoka Utaha, from Class 1, Third Year."

"Oh," Ren nodded.

"...Ren-kun, could you come to the rooftop with me? There are some things I’d like to ask you."

"Rooftop..." Ren couldn’t help but recall the scene on the rooftop with Eriri and Megumi, when they coincidentally ran into Kasumigaoka Utaha who had just come up. His eye twitched, but he still agreed. "Alright."

On the rooftop, the two stood facing each other. Up close, Kasumigaoka Utaha was indeed very beautiful. She had a tall figure and wore a white hairband. Her smooth, long, black hair framed a quiet beauty. Moreover, she had full, voluptuous curves, and crucially, a pair of long legs in black stockings.

Kasumigaoka Utaha initiated the conversation like a casual chat. "Ren-kun, do you like light novels?"

"They’re alright, I quite like them."

Kasumigaoka Utaha’s eyes lit up, and she continued to press. "Then have you read ’Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day’? And ’Heaven’s Lost Property’?" Kasumigaoka Utaha rattled off a string of works in one breath.

Ren already understood what she wanted to ask, and said indifferently, "Yes, those were all published by me."

"???" This answer stunned Kasumigaoka Utaha. Her original intention was to judge and guess from Ren’s micro-expressions and words. She never expected Ren to suddenly say that these were his works. Her heart skipped a beat before she anxiously asked, "Are you saying you are the Unheard Flower Name senior?"

Ren did not hide it. "My pen name is indeed Unheard Flower Name."

"Ren... Unheard Flower Name... Ren... It really is you!" Receiving the answer, Kasumigaoka Utaha was extremely excited. She never imagined that the senior who had given her immense help was her junior! With a mix of excitement and caution, she asked, "Unheard Flower Name senior, do you still remember Kasumi Utako?"

This roundabout question made Ren sigh. He directly stated, "Don’t beat around the bush. Kasumi Utako, a junior I communicated with before, whose work is ’The Metronome in Love,’ it must be you, Kasumigaoka Utaha."

"..." Kasumigaoka Utaha’s black-stockinged leg twitched, feeling choked, and her expression was resentful. "Senior still likes to choke people so much."

Ren patted her shoulder, shaking his head and sighing. "It’s not that I like to choke people, it’s that you’re too subtle." "It was the same when we chatted before, everything was roundabout. I prefer direct communication."

"..." Kasumigaoka Utaha glanced at the hand on her shoulder, not dodging it, but instead furrowing her brows and asking the question she had always wanted to ask. "Why did senior retire?"

Ren blinked. "Can you stop calling me senior?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha: "?"

"Look, you’re my senior, I’m your junior, and in the industry, I’m your senior. You call me senior, and I call you Kasumigaoka senior; it’s quite strange. Just call me Ren."

It really was confusing when put that way. Kasumigaoka Utaha nodded and said, "Then Ren-kun, you can also call me... Utaha."

"Alright, Utaha, your question is actually very simple. I earned enough money, so I retired," Ren said, shrugging indifferently.

"Huh?" Kasumigaoka Utaha stared; she hadn’t expected the answer to be so... realistic? Her right leg unconsciously twitched out of habit, and she continued to ask, "Then why did Ren-kun stop communicating with me? Is it because my ability didn’t meet your expectations?" This question was her knot. Ever since she successfully completed The Metronome in Love under Ren’s suggestion, Ren had disappeared and no longer contacted her. She always had many guesses in her heart. The biggest guess was that she had disappointed him.

Ren chuckled. "You’re really overthinking this. In reality, you are very excellent. It’s that I felt my suggestions were no longer useful to you. In terms of writing, you are much stronger than me."

These words seemed humble. But in Utaha’s ears, they sounded somewhat sarcastic. He possessed dozens of extremely excellent light novels in the industry. While she, Kasumigaoka Utaha, only had one The Metronome in Love. Even its sales volume was not as good as his lowest-selling work.

Seeing the change in Kasumigaoka Utaha’s expression, Ren already understood what she was thinking. He told her earnestly, "I’m telling the truth." His tone was very serious, making Kasumigaoka Utaha momentarily unsure whether it was true or false.

"But your works..." Works and the achievements they gained couldn’t be deceiving, could they?

Ren gently shook his head, self-deprecatingly saying, "Those aren’t my works. I just used them to make money, and even basely changed the protagonists to be modeled after me." Unheard Flower Name, Heaven’s Lost Property... and so on, were all just knowledge he had transported.

They had absolutely no relation to so-called creation. Transporting to make money, plus privately changing the protagonists, he considered his actions to be quite despicable and selfish.

Although he didn’t think of himself as a particularly good person, nor would he boast about how amazing or powerful he was. What was transported was transported; he merely used them as tools to make money.

"..." Kasumigaoka Utaha never expected to receive such an answer. Ren’s works weren’t his own? But someone else’s? Did he plagiarize or use someone else’s works? As a normal guess, it would certainly be like this, and Kasumigaoka Utaha was no exception. This made her somewhat unable to accept it for a moment.

That senior whom she revered was actually such a person? Kasumigaoka Utaha was disheveled in the wind. Ren also saw her thoughts, didn’t clarify, and couldn’t clarify. He couldn’t tell her he was from another world, could he? Besides, there was no need to clarify... What others thought, what did it matter to him. Leaving Kasumigaoka Utaha disheveled in the wind, Ren returned alone.

Inside the Supernatural Research Club, Ren had gathered everyone this time.

"Ren, is today something important?" Yukino asked.

Ren scanned everyone. "Do you want to join my clan?"

"Clan?" This term had connotations that could lead to misunderstandings. Miura Yumiko’s earlobes were slightly red, and she frantically waved her hands. "You should ask Yui, Yukino, Megumi, and Eriri about this, right? At most, add Mine!" She then ran in front of the drowsy Miko. "What does this have to do with the two of us?"

Having been in the club for a long time, Miura Yumiko had already sorted out the relationships within the club. Yui, Yukino, Megumi, and Eriri were all Ren’s girlfriends, and Mine was ambiguously involved with Ren.

But she and Miko were completely innocent with Ren. Was it too strange to suddenly join a big family like this? They hadn’t even had a date or a confession; wasn’t it a bit too hasty?!

Yui exclaimed, "Eh? Let Yumiko join too? Hmm... that’s fine, hehe, this way I can be best friends with Yumiko forever."

Yumiko twitched her mouth and loudly retorted, "It’s not a friend or not-friend issue at all!" Goodness, she was misunderstood.

"Cough, cough." Ren hurriedly explained. "You’ve misunderstood. What I mean by ’clan’ is equivalent to my subordinate force." "Among my abilities, there is one called King, known as the King of Chronos. I can bestow abilities upon others by incorporating them into my clan."

Bringing up the serious matter, his gaze became solemn. "Because of the appearance of Ghoul, I feel the world is starting to become dangerous, for you all." "Therefore, as members of the club, I think you can join my clan. Having this power can provide an extra layer of security." In reality, he was mainly saying this for Yumiko and Miko.

Ren wasn’t worried about anyone else. Even for Yui, he had already made plans for her. As his women, Ren would not show favoritism.

"So that’s how it is..." Yumiko breathed a sigh of relief, but for some reason, she felt a subtle, inexplicable sense of loss.

"I agree!" Miko was the first to agree! She had been tormented by evil spirits, and gaining superpowers would certainly give her courage. Yukino and the others also accepted one after another. They certainly wouldn’t refuse. Especially Eriri and Mine.

Ren could probably tell them to wear a small collar, and they would agree. As for Yukino, after some gentle persistence, she would definitely be fine with it too. Of course, he wasn’t perverted to that extent. At most, he could play around with some intimacy when it was just them.

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[Apologies if this note is disruptive, but it will be present on every bonus Chapter. Feel free to skip it if you wish.]

Hey everyone, Inorin here!

I have some truly exciting news to share! These 6 bonus Chapters are a special thank you for your purchase of the "Doomsday Chat Group: Conquering the Multiverse Heroines" collection on Patreon. Your support means the world to me and is a huge help with my current situation.

I’m also happy to report some progress with the fanfics. Three fanfics on Patreon now have 50 advanced Chapters, and I will be working on five new fanfics for a mass release and advanced Chapters.

To all my amazing supporters, a new, limited-time special tier for our first 10 patrons is now available, offering all the benefits of "The Plot Uncoverer" at a discounted price!

Thank you so much to everyone who has joined and supported me! Your enthusiasm keeps me motivated.

For those interested in the rewards, here’s a quick overview:

The Curious Reader: 2 Bonus Chapters

The Dedicated Fan: 3 Bonus Chapters

The Lore Diver: 4 Bonus Chapters

The Plot Uncoverer: 5 Bonus Chapters

Any Collection Purchase: 6 Bonus Chapters

Additionally, I’ll be releasing 1 bonus Chapter for every 150 Power Stones reached each week.

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