Chapter 380: Hiyama Shunka's Experience, Ren's Strange Theory of Evolution
Inside the elegantly decorated private room, Ren and the others exchanged confused glances. Before them sat a smiling Kurayoshi Rino and a despondent Hiyama Shunka, whose gaze remained fixed on the floor.
Sōryūin Shion sighed, her voice laced with exasperation. "Honestly, the way you two are acting... If I didn't know you were both titans of industry who treat billions like pocket change, I'd suspect you came here to get a free meal."
Kurayoshi Rino simply let out a light laugh. "Oh my, don't be like that, Shion. I already told you, I'm merely here to accompany my dear, cute little Shunka."
Ren offered a gentle smile. "Miss Hiyama, please don't mind Shion. Take your time and say whatever is on your mind."
"Mmm..." Hiyama Shunka nodded, though she didn't look up. Her voice was barely a whisper. "Mr. Ren... you defeated Akoya and left him severely injured. I... I originally came here to ask why you had to be so harsh with him..."
Lucifer opened her mouth to retort, but Sōryūin Shion caught her eye, narrowing her own slightly as she placed a restraining hand on Lucifer's arm. The gesture made Lucifer pause, and in that moment, she saw it—a single, crystalline tear tracing a path down Hiyama Shunka's cheek.
"But... but... Akoya... Why did Akoya..." Her words dissolved into a choked sob.
Kurayoshi Rino gently stroked Hiyama Shunka's hair. "Shunka, my dear, it's alright. That madman isn't worth your tears."
"Mmm... Thank you... Rino..." Hiyama Shunka wiped at her eyes, her head still bowed. "But now... I don't even want to ask anymore. There's no need. I... I don't know why I felt I had to see you, Mr. Ren."
"See me?" Ren asked, his expression softening.
"Yes... I've never really paid attention to the world around me. I wanted to see... how you treat the people you care about."
Ren was taken aback. "And what did you find?"
"I realized... that the world isn't just made of violence and commands. I... I find myself very curious about a life like that. And envious."
Kurayoshi Rino smiled, a hint of steel in her eyes. "That's why little Shunka and I get along so well. To think that lunatic Akoya would treat her so horribly..."
Ren's brow furrowed. "What did Akoya Seishu do?"
A wave of deep sadness washed over Hiyama Shunka's features. "Akoya... he told me to get lost. He called me a useless tool and said he would never give me another chance. He said... if it weren't for me restricting him, he would have won. It was all my fault, that I was a burden. He's leaving Wakazakura Life... and said if we ever meet in a Kengan match again, he will execute his justice without mercy..."
Her words hung in the air, heavy with grief. Lucifer and Sōryūin Shion both frowned, their expressions hardening. The man was a complete lunatic, a twisted pervert. Cerberus, perched nearby, puffed out her chest in indignation. "How can a man like that exist! Ren! You should have killed him!"
For once, Ren found himself nodding in agreement. Letting a man like that walk free was tantamount to encouraging evil.
Kurayoshi Rino continued to stroke Hiyama Shunka's head, her voice a low murmur. "Little Shunka... why don't you tell them the whole story? The most outrageous thing that man did..."
Everyone tensed. Ren's voice was low and serious. "What else did he do?"
A flicker of resentment crossed Kurayoshi Rino's face. "Akoya Seishu... he tried to strike little Shunka. Dr. Hanafusa Hajime had to immediately knock him out with a powerful anesthetic. Isn't that right, Shunka?"
Hiyama Shunka gave a silent, miserable nod.
Ren's voice was a low whisper, cold as ice. "Jinx was right... He's not just a lunatic... he's a mad dog in a police uniform." He trailed off, his eyes distant. "That man... I understand now."
Sōryūin Shion scoffed, her disdain evident. "A man who raises a hand to his own woman... and one who throws a tantrum over a loss... Pathetic."
"You're mistaken, Shion," Kurayoshi Rino said, shaking her head. A wry smile touched her lips. "Shunka and Akoya have absolutely no relationship of that sort. If you had to define it... it's probably just that Akoya saved her when she was nearly framed by her own family years ago."
Sōryūin Shion and the others looked on, slightly stunned.
Hiyama Shunka spoke again, her voice fragile. "Akoya always believed I carried the blood of a criminal... that I was an 'evil sprout.' He was always so cold and cruel to me... let alone ever getting close. He said... I was an evil sprout, and that sooner or later, I would blossom into true evil. And when that day came... he wouldn't show me any mercy."
Lucifer scowled. "That Akoya Seishu is a delusional fanatic! An evil sprout? Why doesn't he just go play Superman somewhere else?!"
"But... I am a criminal's blood relative," Hiyama Shunka whispered. "I am evil..."
Before she could finish, Ren's gentle voice cut through the heavy atmosphere. "Good and evil are never decided by one person's judgment, Miss Hiyama. They are defined by one's own choices. Tell me, would you choose to do evil?"
Hiyama Shunka shook her head immediately. "Of course not... I wouldn't. And as a businesswoman, doing something wrong would mean all my employees could face unemployment... so..."
Ren smiled warmly. "Isn't that your answer? If that's the case, how could you possibly be associated with evil?"
"But, I am..."
"If we're going to use that logic," Ren continued, his smile unwavering, "then among the many people Akoya Seishu has killed, surely a few of them committed crimes that didn't warrant death, correct? Miss Hiyama, as a businesswoman, step outside of his shadow for a moment and tell me: is murder, vigilantism, and carrying out private executions on criminals an act of evil?"
Hiyama Shunka froze. She had never considered it from that angle before. After a long moment of silence, she nodded slowly. "Yes... it is."
"There you have it," Ren said, nodding. "What he does isn't 'executing justice.' It's the indulgence of a pervert. You can't take the words of a madman to heart."
Hiyama Shunka finally lifted her head to look at Ren. She thought for a moment, her expression shifting, and then nodded again, more firmly this time. "So... I... I'm not an evil sprout?"
"Of course not," Ren said, his tone kind but firm. "You are Hiyama Shunka, the president of Wakazakura Life, and a victim of that incident long ago. No matter how you look at it, you are not associated with evil. In fact, you've built an enterprise that can stand tall even among the giants of the Kengan Association. Miss Hiyama, you are a very impressive entrepreneur."
The dam broke. Hiyama Shunka covered her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking as she repeated the words like a mantra. "I am not an evil sprout..." Her voice cracked, and a raw, cathartic sob escaped her. "I am me... I am not an evil sprout..."
Kurayoshi Rino immediately pulled the crying woman into a comforting embrace, shooting Ren a look of wry admiration. "Ren, you really have a talent for stirring up a girl's emotions. I'm truly impressed."
A sudden, mischievous thought occurred to Ren, and a smile played on his lips. "Miss Hiyama, you know about evolution, right? It's possible that Akoya's ancestors were a particularly nasty breed of monkey. After all, that kind of primal, unthinking rage is common in primates. The genes are certainly there."
A choked sound, half-sob and half-laugh, escaped Hiyama Shunka. "Pfft... Mr. Ren, humans didn't evolve from monkeys, they're a kind of..."
Kurayoshi Rino beamed. "Shunka, that's the first time I've ever seen you smile... But... I think what Ren means is that Akoya Seishu isn't human."
Ren feigned surprise. "Eh? Was I that obvious?"
A ripple of genuine laughter finally filled the room.
"Pfft—Hahaha!" x5
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