No Cure for Regret

*DING-DONG!*

The school bell rang, signaling the end of the day's activities.

Closing his book and standing up from his seat, Ren glanced at Masachika, who was preparing to leave.

"Kuze, want to grab some ramen?"

Masachika, who was putting his books into his bag, looked up and smiled slightly. "Sorry, Ren. Yuki asked me to help clean up the storage room."

Shrugging, Ren didn't mind much. "Alright, let's go another time."

As Masachika walked away with Alya, Ren turned to another desk.

"Ai, let's go."

Upon hearing his voice, Hayasaka immediately brightened up.

"Okay, Ren-sama~" She replied in a sweet tone, before confidently grabbing Ren's arm and hugging it tightly.

Once they passed the school gate and moved away from the crowd, Hayasaka's cheerful expression instantly disappeared, replaced by a much more serious and professional demeanor. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a black card, handing it to Ren.

"This is the unlimited card promised by Gan'an-sama."

Accepting the card with a calm expression, Ren glanced at it briefly before slipping it into his jacket pocket.

"The Shinomiya Family's efficiency is quite good. By the way, how did your young mistress react when she found out you quit being her maid and transferred to another school?"

As soon as the topic was brought up, Hayasaka let out a long sigh, her eyes showing a hint of exhaustion.

"As I expected, she strongly opposed it. After all, our relationship was no longer just that of master and servant. We were more like sisters. Kaguya-sama even called her father and argued with him, something she normally wouldn't dare to do."

"..."

Ren wasn't surprised to hear that. He knew very well how protective Kaguya was of those close to her.

"But Gan'an-sama's decision was final. No matter how much Kaguya-sama opposed, I was still sent to become your personal maid." Hayasaka said indifferently, with no hint of disappointment in her tone.

She had already accepted her fate of belonging to Ren. After all, she had already given her purity to him. There was no turning back now, or else her sacrifice would have been in vain, right?

"So, your relationship with her has worsened because of this?" Ren asked casually.

Hayasaka nodded slowly. "For now, yes. Kaguya-sama is sulking... she doesn't like sudden goodbyes."

"By the way, where should I stay? Should I rent an apartment next to yours?" She asked seriously.

"No need. Starting today, you'll be staying at my apartment. Itsuki is pregnant, and her due date is approaching. She needs extra help. I don't want to trouble Yotsuba-san or the other Nakano sisters, so you'll help take care of her."

Hearing that name, Hayasaka fell silent for a moment. She had read up on Ren's information beforehand, so she knew that Nakano Itsuki wasn't just their homeroom teacher but also Ren's first woman.

"Alright, then, as you wish, Ren-sama."

Without raising any objections, she took out her phone and called someone.

After receiving confirmation from the person on the other end of the line, Hayasaka put her phone back in her pocket and looked at Ren with a flat expression.

"It's done. I can move in today."

Ren nodded, then continued walking. "Good. Let's go."

Hayasaka followed him without much talk, her steps light beside the man. However, after walking for a while, she began to notice something.

This wasn't the route to the apartment.

Her brow furrowed slightly, and she turned to Ren.

"Where are we going?" She asked suspiciously.

They couldn't be heading to a hotel again, could they?

However, considering Ren's inhuman stamina, Hayasaka worried that might be the case.

Unfortunately, her guess was wrong this time.

Ren glanced at her briefly, then smiled faintly. "A car dealership."

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

In the past, the name Kasumigaoka Utaha was known as a talented girl at Ohananomitsu High School. She had everything—a brilliant mind, a beautiful face, and extraordinary writing talent. At school, she was the top student admired by many. Teachers praised her, classmates envied her, and juniors looked up to her as a role model.

However, her greatest talent lay in writing. Under the pen name Kasumi Utako, she published her first novel, Love Metronome, with the renowned publisher Fujikawa Fantastic Bunko. The novel was a massive success, selling over 500,000 copies and making her one of Japan's most promising young writers.

At that time, Utaha felt like the world revolved around her.

But everything changed when she chose her career over her love life.

Utaha decided to leave the project she was working on with the man she loved—Aki Tomoya—and joined the circle Rouge en rouge, founded by Kosaka Akane. With high confidence, she believed this was a step toward a brighter future.

However, that decision marked the beginning of her downfall.

The Rouge en rouge project didn't go as planned. What was supposed to be a stepping stone became a stumbling block. Although Akane was a prominent figure in the ACG industry, the high expectations placed on them were not met.

In the creative industry, failure doesn't offer many second chances. After several consecutive project failures, Rouge en Rouge eventually went bankrupt.

And as if karma was truly haunting her, at the same time, another problem struck—her father became a gambler.

At first, Utaha only heard that her father had started spending a lot of time at pachinko parlors. She didn't think much of it, as long as he was still working and not causing trouble.

But everything changed when her father started asking for money.

"Utaha, can you lend me some money? Just for this month."

Naively, Utaha believed him. She gave him a sum of money, hoping he would use it wisely.

However, a gambler who has lost his sanity will never stop.

After being helped once, the man started coming back again and again, always with different excuses.

When Utaha finally refused, her father lashed out with hurtful words.

"I'm your father! You don't want to help your own family? What's the point of having a child if they can't be relied on?"

But Utaha stood firm in her decision. She stopped giving.

What happened next, however, was a nightmare.

Her father secretly stole her bankbook, withdrew all the remaining balance, and spent it all at the gambling den.

And even more horrifying, the man also borrowed a large sum of money from loan sharks, using Utaha's name as collateral.

After spending everything, he disappeared, leaving his daughter with an enormous debt.

At that point, Utaha's writing inspiration completely vanished.

Every time she tried to write, her mind couldn't come up with ideas due to the mental pressure. Editors rejected every manuscript she submitted, saying the stories were too flat and boring. Eventually, her publishing contract wasn't renewed.

With no other choice, Utaha was forced to drop out of college and started taking odd jobs to survive. Part-time jobs came and went—restaurant waitress, convenience store cashier, café staff, and even jobs she didn't want to remember.

But the debt left by her father was too large. No matter how hard she worked, the amount seemed insurmountable.

Finally, thanks to her beautiful face and a bit of luck, she got a job as a car consultant at one of Tokyo's leading car dealerships. It wasn't her dream job, but at least it gave her enough money to get by.

Now, at 22 years old, Utaha stood in the spacious and elegant showroom. She wore a professional uniform that made her look even more graceful, but there was no pride left in her heart.

This was all just routine.

Every day, she faced wealthy customers who came to the dealership, mostly old men with potbellies who were more interested in her than the cars being sold. She had to keep smiling, answer politely, and pretend not to notice their lecherous gazes.

"..."

In the quiet staff break room, Utaha stared at her phone screen.

The wedding invitation was displayed clearly on the screen.

—Aki Tomoya & Kato Megumi—

Her hands trembled, and her breath caught.

'So... this is how it ends.'

Slowly, she bit her lower lip. Something felt like it was stabbing her chest. It hurt. It was suffocating.

'Tomoya is getting married... to Megumi. Of course. I should have known this would happen. After everything I did, after my foolish decisions in the past, this is my punishment.'

However, knowing something and actually facing it were two very different things.

'I was the one who left him. I was the one who chose Rouge en rouge. I was the one who thought I could become something greater without him. I was the one who ruined everything. So why...'

'Why does it hurt so much?'

Utaha clenched her fists on the table, her nails digging into her palms. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the wound in her heart.

'Tomoya... you're happy now, right? There, with Megumi...'

'Megumi, who's gentle. Megumi, who's always by your side. Megumi, who never left you like I did.'

Utaha lowered her head, her long black hair hiding the expression on her face.

'And me?'

She laughed bitterly in her heart.

'Me? I'm just an ordinary woman now. No longer a genius writer. No longer a star. Not even a respectable woman anymore.'

'A mistress...'

The word spun in her mind like a thorn that kept stabbing.

'I hate that man. I hate his touch. I hate his voice. I hate myself. But... I can't run away.'

Utaha closed her eyes, recalling that night—the night everything changed forever.

At first, she thought it was just a normal business dinner. Her manager acted friendly, saying he wanted to get to know her better as his new subordinate.

She believed him, and that was her stupidest mistake.

One glass, two glasses, three glasses... Utaha couldn't remember how much she drank that night.

Then she woke up in a hotel room, naked and in pain.

At that moment, Utaha knew what had happened.

But the fat man just sat on the sofa, smoking casually, before looking at her with a disgusting smile.

"You want to report me? Go ahead. But you know, I have enough connections to make sure you'll never be hired anywhere."

Utaha stayed silent.

She had no one, no money, a mountain of debt, and nowhere to run.

And so... she was trapped.

Every night, when the fat man touched her, she wanted to vomit. Every morning, when Utaha saw her reflection in the mirror, she wanted to cry.

'What has happened to me?'

'What have I done with my life?'

Utaha bit her lip, holding back something that wanted to burst from her chest.

Her hand slowly reached out, her fingers trembling as they touched the phone screen.

—Aki Tomoya & Kato Megumi—

With a quick motion, she closed the invitation.

Her eyes felt hot, but no tears came out.

Sadly, there is no cure for regret.