Chapter 61: The Mysterious Treasure Chest

"Think carefully," Saki Kawasaki muttered to herself, her gaze still fixed on the wad of cash in her hand. What kind of normal person can pull 1 million yen directly from their pocket? Soubu High School uniform pockets aren't big, where did he get it from? The detail was unnerving, but Saki quickly brushed it aside. Because Renji handed over so much money to her without hesitation, Saki Kawasaki felt that Renji had been planning this all along!

Not content with having an angelic girlfriend like Shiina Mahiru, he was now planning to pursue Yumiko Miura, who was Hayato Hayama's admirable goal. And he also coveted Saki Kawasaki's body.

Thinking this, Saki Kawasaki sighed, a headache beginning to throb. She had never been in any relationship either. Primarily, she thought the boys in the class were too childish. In her eyes, those who spent all day singing praises about youth were wasting time. Some people became office workers after graduation and faced endless commutes. Having never experienced life's hardships, most high school students were like hothouse flowers.

It was almost time for class. Saki Kawasaki looked at the stack of banknotes and could only wrap them in her school uniform jacket, concealing them from view, and carry them back to class. Others saw it and thought it was a lunchbox, so they didn't even look at it and started praising their youth, chatting and boasting about friends.

Saki Kawasaki didn't plan to communicate too much with Renji in class, but now the situation was awkward. If she wanted to return the money, she would have to find an opportunity to talk to him. The enormous sum of 1 million yen was enough for her to pay a year's tuition, with plenty left over. It was her parents' half-year salary. She really couldn't afford it! The hush money was too much. She was truly scared.

Renji sat in his seat, feeling the sharp gaze from Saki Kawasaki in the distance. However, he didn't take it to heart. Something else caught his attention more. Hayato Hayama also frequently glanced his way, his gaze full of questions, as if wanting to pry for information about his relationship with Haruno. Renji could only feel a little speechless. Why not just ask directly? he thought to himself, amused.

Hina Ebina, the 23-year-old, her eyes changed, and she started bleeding from her nose. She was probably fantasizing about her and Hayama again. What a scary woman!

Shiina Mahiru beside him hesitated to speak, frowning, and looking a little annoyed. Renji felt she must regret asking him to pursue Yumiko Miura. Because if you want your best friend not to be hurt by Hayama in the future, there are more ways than this. Let Hayama express his feelings directly to Yumiko Miura, saying that he won't date her and letting her give up. This way, Yumiko Miura would be sad for a while, but she could still get out of her predicament.

However, this method was not as good as the current one. After all, Shiina Mahiru trusted him and thought he could definitely make Yumiko Miura like him and forget Hayama. He felt a lot of pressure from his girlfriend's trust. It's not that he wasn't confident.

And because he also cared about the little angel Mahiru. There was a period of fatigue in relationships. What if, after he got close to Miura-san, she became sad and wanted to leave him, wouldn't he be greatly lost?

So, he had made up his mind. After returning today, he would talk properly with Mahiru and ask for her specific opinion. If she just wanted to do something for her friend out of impulse, there was no need to involve a boyfriend, right? Mahiru needed to be taken seriously. The same went for Sumireko. She was still his potential girlfriend right now.

Listening to Sumireko's words, he roughly understood that this girl must have been using a telescope or something to observe the situation at Sakurasou. Alright, she's paying attention to him, and Renji is still very happy. To be intimate with Sumireko, you actually don't need to do much. It's the same as before, just go accompany her during the day. Just let it be, that's the best way to get along. That's right. Sumireko was getting to know him better, and even encouraged him during the day, right?

Just as he was pondering various things, the game life system suddenly sent a command.

[Ding, congratulations to the player for completing the hidden task: Sakurasou, the only male protagonist.]

[As the owner of Sakurasou, how could you allow men in your backyard? Even a tech expert living at home with a phobia of women can't do that!]

[Ryuunosuke Akasaka has moved out, congratulations to the player for completing the hidden task, random skill or prop entry reward, fixed reward 1 million yen.]

[Ding, reward has been issued!]

[Ding, congratulations to the player for obtaining a special property reward: Mysterious Treasure Chest.]

[Ding, congratulations to the player for obtaining a fixed currency reward of 1 million yen!]

Seeing this, Renji's eyes sparkled. Goodness. Just gave 1 million and now it's back again. Moreover, if Ryuunosuke Akasaka moved out, can hidden tasks be triggered? This system was truly for the players. So far, the things given and the tasks triggered had all been beneficial to his life.

Renji immediately began checking the new prop he had obtained.

[Mysterious Treasure Chest: This is a treasure chest placed in the player's room. Occasionally, throw something into it, and there will be mysterious rewards.] [After placing an item in the Mysterious Treasure Chest, open it again, there is a 1% chance of opening a Treasure Chest Monster, and the Treasure Chest Monster will randomly spit out items.]

"Oh, interesting," Renji murmured. "Isn't this like opening a blind box?" However, the Mysterious Treasure Chest was placed in his room, so he could only go back and try again.

At the same time, in a distant world, in a dimly lit underground labyrinth.

A girl with silver twin pigtails and a pair of pointed elf ears had half her body bitten by a treasure chest, and her two remaining legs struggled desperately outside.

"Ahhh, why is there another Treasure Chest Monster? It's so dark inside, Fern, help!" The girl, Frieren, whimpered, her voice a little high-pitched.

The purple-haired girl who witnessed this helplessly grabbed her legs and pulled her back. "Master Frieren, why do you always get fooled by Treasure Chest Monsters?" Fern asked, her tone weary.

"Woo, as long as there's a 1% chance of opening a magic book, I'll try it! Woo, why is that book so tempting? Fern, help me!" Frieren still struggled, tempted by the small possibility.

"Master Frieren, I saved you... ah!" The Treasure Chest Monster seemed dissatisfied that its prey was taken by someone, and the entire treasure chest instantly swelled up, swallowing Frieren in one bite.

Everything returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.

Back to Renji. After afternoon class, Renji was invited by Shiina Mahiru to a quiet flower bed, where blossoms bloomed softly and the evening breeze whispered through the petals. The three girls were already waiting for him there.

"Thank you very much for saving us!"

"Renji-kun, this is our thank you gift, please accept it!"

Yumiko Miura, Yui Yuigahama, Hina Ebina, and Shiina Mahiru all bowed gracefully and thanked him. Then they took out a gift box and handed it to him. It was agreed that they would express their gratitude together, so Shiina Mahiru, of course, had to pretend to be unfamiliar and act in concert with the girls.

"You're welcome. I guess any boy wouldn't stand by when seeing several beautiful girls in class surrounded by gangsters." Renji smiled. "I'll accept the thank you gift. Hehe, this is my first time receiving gifts from several beautiful girls at once. May I open it now?"

"Of course," Yumiko replied.

"NO!" Yui Yuigahama raised an objection among the crowd, her voice a little panicked, almost like a suppressed shriek. All eyes turned to her. "Ah, that, I mean, it's not too late for you to open the gift when you get back, Renji-kun, so you can feel the surprise."

"That's right, Yui. Girls are shy. You should open it when you get home," Yumiko Miura smiled and tried to smooth things over, giving him an out.

"Alright, then I'll look forward to it and open it when I get back." Renji nodded, then looked at them, a faint smile on his lips. "So, is there anything else you want to say?"

Yui Yuigahama wanted to say something but was too embarrassed to say it, her cheeks flushing like ripe cherries. Yumiko Miura put on an excellent act, she smiled and said to him, "Indeed, we want to treat you to milk tea, after all, gifts alone aren't enough to express our gratitude." Yumiko then looked at Yui with a mischievous gaze, a small smirk. "You defeated all those bad guys alone and saved us. Yui's heart started pounding."

"Hey, Yumiko, what are you talking about?" Yui Yuigahama immediately blushed, covering her face, and looked at Renji's expression with a nervous, almost panicked look.

Renji smiled gently, a small smirk forming at the corner of his lips, and naturally raised the topic. "Really? Then, Miura-san, did your heart pound?"

"Ah? Me? Well... of course, I had... a little!" Yumiko Miura awkwardly stretched out her hand and gestured a few times, but her heart was pounding in her chest, betraying her calm. It's over. Wasn't I the one Renji was interested in? I was clearly helping Yui, why did the topic shift to me?

Renji feigned injury and covered his heart. "Just a little? It seems I'm still not handsome enough."

"Haha, that's... still very handsome, Mahiru, don't you like him?" Yumiko Miura had no choice but to ask Shiina Mahiru for help, a little panoramically, hoping to be rescued.

Shiina Mahiru was much more natural. After all, Renji wasn't teasing her with words, and he was teasing Miura at her instruction. "Yes, Renji-kun is indeed the most handsome, so would you do us the honor of having milk tea with us?" Shiina Mahiru said, looking at him with a pitying gaze, eyes sparkling.

"Of course, I will. If I refuse the simultaneous invitation of four beautiful girls, the boys in class will spit on me and drown me." Renji laughed lightly, glancing at the passing crowd of students. "So, before they target me, I decided to make them envious and jealous."

"Pfft, Renji-kun, you're really good at talking. Why didn't I think you were so interesting before?" Yumiko Miura said this unconsciously, a honesty that surprised herself. She blushed as soon as she finished speaking. It's over, it's over. Wasn't I trying to help Yui? Why am I praising him? Unconsciously, she looked at Yui and found Yui also had an embarrassed expression. She bowed her head and looked distressed.

In fact, Yui Yuigahama had never been too confident due to her personality, especially when facing Yumiko Miura.

Yumiko Miura frowned and was about to say something. Renji smiled and spoke, interrupting smoothly. "It's an honor for me to make Miura feel interesting. Hmm, may I be your friend?" He continued, "Actually, I like making friends, but I don't know what happened when school started. Except for Hikigaya and Hayama, no one talked to me." As he said this, he showed a distressed expression, though there was a mischievous glint in his eyes.

After being saved, Yumiko Miura couldn't help but smile. "Of course, I'd be happy to be friends with a hero like you. Yui, Hina, Mahiru, what about you?"

"I'm willing to do that too!" Yui exclaimed, her eyes sparkling, a little too enthusiastic.

"Of course, no problem! Hehe, Renji-kun, let me tell you, do you feel like Hayama was watching you today? This is a spark between men... woooo!" Hina Ebina hadn't finished her words when she was covered by Yumiko Miura, Yumiko's hand swiftly clamping over Hina's mouth.

"Hina, shut up!" Yumiko scolded her, her cheeks slightly flushed with embarrassment. "Haha, that, Renji-kun, don't mind that, Himena is also willing to be friends with you."

Yui Yuigahama also nodded enthusiastically. She was, of course, very willing to do so, and Renji's initiative to bring it up made her feel much more at ease.

So, Renji pulled out his phone. He obtained the phone numbers of several beautiful girls in a fair and honest way. He got their contact information! This also meant that he was now officially friends with these beautiful girls.

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