Regarding Ran's decision, Ren did not interfere in any way. He simply described Shinichi's situation objectively, giving Ran another chance to reconsider.
But whether that opportunity existed or not, it was clear that Mouri Ran had already made a choice completely different from the original story.
Her decision might be the opposite of what had originally been written, but it was far more in line with human nature.
"Amamiya, what happens in our story later on?"
"What specifically does Suzuki want to know?"
"Hmm... about and Ran."
"Actually, both you and Mouri played significant roles in the beginning."
"Mouri wasn't just there to be kind—her character had a lot of interesting aspects. Rather than being a perfect heroine, she had a natural codic charm."
"But later in the story, Mouri's role beca more like a mascot."
"Ah, but it's not just Mouri. Take Shiho Miyano, for example. Early on, she had an important role, providing Shinichi with information about the organization and guiding the protagonist team."
"But as the story progressed, her role was reduced to that of a navigator, just providing Shinichi with information."
"Wow! That's such a downgrade."
Sonoko could hardly believe how two major heroines had been reduced to a mascot and an information provider.
She could already imagine how much Ran's role had been diluted in the later parts of the story.
"What about ?"
"Suzuki's story remains relatively substantial."
"But most of it still revolves around the fact that your family is rich."
"...Ah, suddenly that's not so surprising."
Hearing that, she found it easy to accept.
A wealthy character's main function in a story was often to drive events forward.
She had never expected to be the protagonist, but she couldn't help feeling a little annoyed at how limited her role was.
She glanced at Ran and suddenly felt a bit relieved.
"If even Ran, the heroine, ends up like that, then I guess it's only natural that my role as the rich friend is limited."
"Sonoko, just say what you want. Don't drag into it."
"Hehe~"
Sonoko giggled.
"Oh, by the way, Amamiya—did Ran and Shinichi end up together in the story?"
"Do you want to answer that?"
Ren didn't respond imdiately. Instead, he gestured toward the person involved.
Ran smiled helplessly before nodding indifferently.
"Yes, in the story, Shinichi and Ran do end up together."
"That doesn't an the story ends there, though. The antidote that Shiho Miyano developed only temporarily restores Shinichi to his high school form."
Ran wasn't surprised by this outco.
But knowing it didn't an anything to her anymore.
A story was just a story. She couldn't just accept Shinichi's feelings as if they were set in stone simply because they were written that way.
Because she knew better.
"Eh~"
Sonoko hadn't expected that Shinichi would eventually sort things out in the story.
But even so, did it really matter?
She didn't think it did. In fact, she felt that Shinichi had only ended up dragging Ran down.
Giving Ran unrealistic promises, making her wait based on empty hopes, that was irresponsible.
"But it's just a story in the end."
"A story has to give people a happy ending."
After thinking about it for a mont, she decided not to dwell on it. Instead, she beca curious about her own future.
"Amamiya, what about ?"
"What do you an?"
"Like Ran... do I get a boyfriend or sothing?"
"...Suzuki-san, do you really want to know?"
"The future story is just a reference, after all. If you learn about it in advance—"
"Ah, it's fine, it's fine! I just want to know. I won't take it too seriously."
That made Ren feel a little helpless.
She knew.
She definitely knew that knowing things ahead of ti wasn't necessarily a good thing.
But right now, she wanted to know. Probably because she wanted to reject whatever the story had planned for her.
"It's a high school student nad Kyogoku Makoto."
"In the story, he's an incredibly skilled karate master, much stronger than Mouri."
"Eh~ So it's a hero saves the damsel in distress kind of thing?"
Ren nodded slightly.
"That's how it plays out in the story, yes."
"...I don't feel anything about that at all."
"Even though my family's bodyguards aren't as extre as the Sanzenin family's, I do have quite a few watching over ."
"Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't even need to be rescued like that."
"Well, I guess that just proves a story is only a story."
Sonoko nodded, imdiately dismissing the idea of a damsel-in-distress romance.
It was too ridiculous. Not even worth considering.
The Suzuki family might not have that many bodyguards, but they still had top-tier security.
Whenever there was danger, the family's security detail would be on high alert.
They spent a lot of money on safety every year, why would their bodyguards allow so criminal to succeed so easily?
Ren was slightly taken aback, then realized that, yes, it did sound pretty ridiculous.
After all, Sonoko wasn't just anyone, she was the second daughter of the Suzuki family and its future successor.
The idea that she wouldn't be protected by her family's security resources was absurd.
If anything, she had people protecting her constantly.
"It really does seem like just a story."
From a storytelling perspective, it wasn't a big issue.
But from a realistic perspective? Sothing like that was highly unlikely.
Sonoko was always surrounded by bodyguards.
Even when she went out alone, they ensured her safety without interfering in her daily life. They would quietly eliminate any potential threats before she even noticed them.
For her to actually find herself in a hero saves the damsel scenario, it would have to be an extre situation, like getting stranded in an isolated mansion during a blizzard.
Otherwise, she was more likely to never be in real danger than to actually encounter a life-threatening event.
"Yeah, a story is just a story."
At this point, Sonoko didn't care anymore.
The future in the story was just a reference, one that clearly hadn't taken her real life circumstances into account.
"Amamiya, let's talk about our date."
***
Bonus for 100 PS. Found out we are at T50 in the rankings, this is insane, guys. Keep it up; let's get to T30.
And, of course, there will be more bonuses :)
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