He knew her.

Ren stopped. Not even blinking.

He didn’t move, didn’t turn away—just stared at the woman in front of him, expression unreadable.

The woman tilted her head and waved her hand in front of his eyes. “Hey. What are you staring at? Search properly.”

She turned away toward Riyash. “Hey! That’s not in the count!”

Ren slowly blinked, then resumed searching. ‘Well… my face changed, right? What are you thinking, you idiot… Even Maa couldn’t recognize us,’ he thought.

Meanwhile, Tanvika walked through the aisle, her eyes sweeping over the space—‘Huh... did they notice each other or not?’ she thought.

The woman glanced his way again and said toward Aviru, who was on that side, “Aviru, don’t play tricks. The condition clearly says that.”

Tanvika stepped forward and gently touched the woman’s arm. “Hey, don’t scold like that,” she said lightly.

The woman turned, blinking in surprise—then smiled toward her mother-in-law. “Oh! Tanvi-maa! You’re here? You came for Esha. Aren’t you judging that room?”

She replied smoothly, “I just dropped by. That room is being judged by those three.”

She gestured, then shifted her eyes to Ren near the racks. “Oh, the top winner—still searching? Did you find the products you need? If not, you’ll have to play two times, right? You need two keys, don’t forget.”

Ren, still crouched by the lower rack, didn’t turn. His voice came calm, without looking at her. “We already have one, Tanvika-sama. And even if we didn’t… don’t worry about me.”

He glanced up, a soft flicker in his eye. “I have confidence. We’ll clear this round easily—today.”

That woman raised her eyebrow. “Huh? Top winner? You mean he got top in Room 4, Maa? Two keys… wait—he’s paired with Yui?”

She turned toward Ren, narrowing her gaze. “Your name’s Ken, right?”

Ren, without even glancing back, simply answered, “Yes.” He shifted to the next rack and continued searching, silent.

Tanvika stepped up beside her. “Hey, Rina… nothing. Just instruct properly. It’s the last few minutes, right?”

(Rina, 46, wore a uniform.)

But her own thoughts echoed in her mind. ‘I want to tell her… but... Now I’m doing exactly what he does?’

“Huh? What, Maa? Um… all are rushing right now—”

Tanvika leaned close and whispered. “Hey. I’m just saying this. Don’t tell anyone—it’s confidential.”

“Huh? What is it, Maa?” Rina furrowed her brows, her voice small but sharp.

“He is Ren,” Tanvika whispered again, her voice low and firm, “and Kazuma came too.”

“What are you say—” Rina froze mid-motion. “What… what did you just say, Maa? Say that again…”

The other pairs weren’t around that rack. The moment fell still.

“Last three minutes!” Maki called from the center of the room, her voice slicing through the silence.

Tanvika simply said, “You heard right.”

“Don’t joke like that, Maa…” Rina’s eyes shimmered, with tears rising faster than she could blink. “How could it be possible…”

“I believe they used a forbidden art,” Tanvika leaned closer, her voice steady, “changed their Kairo energy.”

“And that idiot—he knew from Day 1,” she added with a sigh, “but he didn’t tell me.”

“I also stopped myself from telling you, but I don’t want to act like him…”

“Just don’t tell anyone.” Her voice dropped even softer, “they have to reveal themselves.”

Rina’s hand trembled. “…Forbidden art?”

Her lips parted in shock as her voice cracked.

Tears spilled quietly.

“Please don’t say that, Maa. I… I didn’t even recognize him… He didn’t even look at my face… and just walked away to another rack…”

Her shoulders dropped weakly. “Please tell me this is a lie… it’s a lie, right?”

Tanvika closed her eyes and said softly, “See his eyes… you’ll know. Of course, it’s difficult. Look at Kazuma too—he’s the same. Playing his cunning tricks… even against me.”

Rina didn’t speak. She just leaned back against the wall, stunned.

“…Is that the reason?” she whispered. “Why didn't they come for years… but…”

“Hey. I also thought about that,” Tanvika sighed beside her. “But don’t overthink it.”

“I understand his words better now,” she added, “I didn’t think clearly in that emotional time.”

“Why… didn’t he tell me then?” Rina asked while looking down.

“Huh? He didn’t even tell me,” Tanvika said, her calm masking the sting. “Just because he’s your husband, you're expecting too much—don’t forget I’m his mother.”

Rina chuckled faintly through her tears. “Don’t comfort me like that, Maa…”

She stayed silent for a while, her lips trembling as her fingers curled into themselves.

“Hey… I understand,” Tanvika whispered, gently placing a hand on her head, “even I… couldn’t hold back tears when I found out.”

She exhaled slowly. “But you have to stay normal now, Rina.”

“How can I, Maa…?” Rina whispered, her voice barely holding together.

“I believed… they would come someday,” she said, her throat catching like a knot, “I waited… all these years…”

Her gaze lowered to the floor, distant, glassy. “Years passed. And passed…”

“But now… they came back as young men,” she said, her shimmering eyes lifting slightly, “how can I, Maa…?”

“Hey… someone might hear,” Tanvika said softly, leaning a little closer, “please… control yourself.”

Rina blinked, then asked in a hush, “Did he behave the same… or did he change…?”

“You mentioned Kazuma too earlier… I didn’t hear properly… is he… also…?” she asked, her voice cracking with each word.

Maki raised her voice. “Last one minute! After that, no dropping items!”

****

Meanwhile…

“You’re so sharp, Yui Aunty!” Hina shouted excitedly, standing inside the cart with her arms resting on the edge. “You found the multipack with 45 coins and 100 points using just 20 coins!”

Yuki didn’t even look back, scanning the list. “I know.”

Just then Ren returned holding a pack. “Here—limited stock product. Just 10 coins, but 4 kg, 80 points. Is it okay?”

“Huh...? So now we’ve 42 coins, around 4 kg, 45 points left…” Yuki muttered under her breath, calculating fast.

“Only one left… the decimal coin product,” she muttered, her eyes scanning the cart. “Damn it! Why put item details that don’t even match real-world logic?”

Ren blinked, confused. “Um… if they made it, it wouldn’t be—”

“Oh really? Thank you for stating the obvious, idiot,” Yuki snapped, throwing a glare his way. “Just find the last item!”

Ren nodded but his thoughts swirled. ‘Please don’t think about it. It’s okay. Just focus... Ahh!—just search. Why isn’t my mind listening? Did he also see her? I know I’ll have to face it at some point but…’

“Aw!” he yelped as he bumped into someone mid-step.

It was Sakura.

“Hey! Ken! Are you daydreaming?!” she snapped, squinting up at him. “That too in the middle of all this?”

From a distance, Kazuma narrowed his eyes. ‘Huh? Why does he look like that?’

“Master, this is difficult,” Sakura said, holding up a product. “What item has a coin value equal to the number of letters in its name?”

Kazuma muttered, glancing around, “Search everywhere, idiot…”

Sakura pouted. “Um… I already checked all the racks…”

“My mistake—trusting you with this,” Kazuma snapped, jaw clenched. “Wait—what the hell am I thinking like this for?!”

“Damn… why am I wasting time?” he muttered, glancing sideways at Yuta. “I should’ve done this from the start…”

In a blink, ten Kazuma avatars scattered across the room like lightning let loose.

Sakura gasped. “Huh?! Master?! Your limit is 10?!”

“Idiot. The limit is 10 for any user,” Kazuma said without stopping. “You can only share your Kairo energy based on what you have.”

Maki’s voice echoed across the space, “Last one minute!”

Kazuma’s avatars split like clockwork, eyes scanning, grabbing items from every corner.

****

Yui blinked, stunned. – “Huh…? Why didn’t he use that till now?”

– ‘Yuta can do up to 4 too, right?’

– “No… Yuta can do up to 10,” Yui replied calmly, eyes still on the scene. “But his Kairo energy split is different. I said right? It’s not about the number—it’s about how much Kairo they have. But they have to be extra careful.”

“Idiot! You had the time to fight with me, but you didn’t even use this?!” Himari’s glare flared with full rage. “This is the third day!”

Yuta looked down, sheepish. “Okay, okay… I just followed the room’s vibe… I thought we’d only need that in Section A…”

In another blink—10 Yuta avatars appeared.

****

Miko’s voice rang out. “Last 30 seconds!”

Meanwhile… Back in the aisles, Tanvika quietly whispered to Rina, “Yeah… they didn’t really change. Just a little bit in their expressions. They’re hiding emotions underneath.”

Kazuma rushed into the last rack and halted as his eyes landed on Rina and Tanvika standing together.

Rina had already wiped her tears, her expression composed.

“What are you looking at?” Tanvika raised a brow with a huff. “Search, idiot—only 30 seconds left.”

Kazuma didn’t reply, just scanned the rack in silence, fingers trailing over packets until his eyes locked onto a small ink bottle.

‘Ink. 29.5 coins… hmm. This fits that decimal condition for Ren. That idiot might’ve forgotten to check everything after bumping into them.’

He grabbed the item and darted to the edge—still searching. ‘Damn! But our product still isn’t found…?’

Maki’s voice echoed through the room. “Last 20 seconds! Instructors, be ready to check the contestants!”

Kazuma spun around. ‘Shit. If I mess this up, we’ll have to wait for another 15 minutes!’

“Move!” he shouted, spinning on his heels and pushing past Tanvika and Rina without hesitation.

He saw a small toothbrush behind them. ‘10 coins, T O O T H B R U S H.’ “Perfect!”

He sprinted to their cart, throwing all avatars back into his body in one clean motion.

Then, he looked across the room—“Ken! Catch this!”

He tossed the ink bottle with precision.

Ren blinked and caught it effortlessly. “Huh? We already got that… but thanks,” he said, sliding it into the rack next to their cart just in case.

“Stop! No more drops! No more grabs! Hands off!” Maki raised her voice again, loud and final.

All carts froze as the instructors stepped forward at once.

“Proceed to your assigned counters,” one instructor called out. “We’ll check your carts one by one. If all matches, you’ll receive your orange key.”

****

“Huh...? Did he see us?” Rina whispered, gaze lowered. “His whole focus was on the product… he even pushed past us like we weren’t there. Who is he…”

“That’s Kazuma, idiot,” Tanvika said with a soft smile, lightly tapping her head. “When he's locked onto something, he forgets the world. Besides… I think he saw you. But his mind’s probably tangled with something else.”

“Huh?!”

“Lower your voice,” Tanvika said quietly, subtly gesturing with her hand.

“Kazuma…?! I really didn’t recognize him either,” Rina whispered as she leaned closer, voice dropping further. “Not even a hint. And you told him to search! Don’t cover for him, Maa!”

“And hmm… I think those instructors are enough,” she said, narrowing her eyes with a shrug. “I don’t really need to check anything.”

Then she smirked. “But still… their age, Maaa—come on.”

Tanvika raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“You like that they returned around this age, right?” Rina grinned, nudging gently. “Come on, say it—admit it!”

Tanvika turned her head away with a light huff. “He’s still my son. And Ren too…”

“I didn’t ask that,” Rina said, leaning in with teasing eyes. “You’re dodging, Maa.”

“Hmph. Well… that’s right,” she muttered with a small sigh.

“Maa, wait… today is Ren’s birthday, right?” Rina asked, eyes lighting up all at once.

“So what?” Tanvika said with a stubborn breath, looking sideways. “Your husband said it’s not possible to celebrate… that idiot didn’t even come in front of me.”

“Well… I did put a piece of cake in his mouth,” she added softly, her expression easing. “He didn’t even speak… but tears came.”

Rina gasped. “Huh?! You didn’t tell me, Maa?! You came to call Esha—why didn’t you just say it then?”

“Just before… I hesitated,” Tanvika murmured, shaking her head slowly.

Rina gave a short sigh. “Well… tomorrow there’s still a chance.”

“That idiot said the same thing,” Tanvika replied with a faint smile tugging at her lips.

“Maa… I don’t need anything else,” she said quietly, lowering her eyes. “But please... just tell me if you know—when will they come home?”

“Just wait,” Tanvika whispered, wrapping her arm gently around Rina’s shoulder. “Kazuma said something… about figuring it out. Maybe they came for a reason.”

Rina murmured, “So… does he know that reason?”

“He? No.” Tanvika nodded slowly, “he also doubts it… he may not fully know.”

“Well… tonight, I’ll ask your Tesan,” she said, closing her eyes. “He knows something. He’s hiding it from me.”

“Tesan?”

(*Tesan - Father-in-law)

“Yeah. My husband is right for this…” Tanvika nodded, voice turning serious. “But what I don’t understand is—why didn’t Kazuma think about it?”

Rina tilted her head. “Maybe… because of the conditions?”

“Still, first of all—how did they re-enter the Kingdom?” Tanvika frowned, eyes narrowing. “If their energy changed through forbidden art, they’d need new registrations…”

She paused. “Wait… Miko might know something about this.”

“Maa… there’s one thing I don’t get,” she said slowly, nodding. “Did they only enter the Kingdom this year—or… have they been inside for a long time already… and we just didn’t know?”

“You ask Miko,” Tanvika said, her gaze lingering on Rina’s face, tone quiet but firm. “She might not say it to me… but she will to you.”

“Ah? For me...? I don’t think so,” Rina said, blinking as she brushed her hair behind her ear. “I can’t control this anymore, Maa. Please—just say one thing. Let us ask them in private. They might tell us directly.”

Tanvika shook her head slightly. "Hm... Ask that idiot. If he didn’t do anything, then he must have a reason. He keeps saying—‘respect their decision.’"

“He always says that,” Rina muttered with a shaky breath. “I’ll show him who’s the boss of the house,” she added, clenching her fists. “Even after knowing, he didn’t open his mouth.”

Tanvika chuckled softly and patted her shoulder. "Hey, don’t feel bad. Mine’s the same feeling too."

Miya handed a key to Yui’s pair.

Yuta folded his arms, watching quietly. "Now I understand why they gave keys yesterday too. It’s the same—just searching."

Himari nudged him. "So you mean they give to all the pairs who got cabins like that?"

“I didn’t say that. Maybe it’s random. Who knows?” Yuta shrugged casually. “Well… at least we got the key. Just one more room to go to Section A.”

Kiko handed the key to Kazuma.

Ren glanced over toward Miya. "Um... Miya-san, when will Room 1 open?"

“It’ll open soon,” Miya replied, tapping her clipboard. “I think Cooking Room’s third batch is still running. You’ll have to wait for that—then Room 1 will unlock.”

“Huh? Can’t you open it now?” Kazuma leaned in with a slight frown. “If we go to Section A and come back later, it’ll eat up time. I think all the pairs here are already done—Room 3’s already in balance, right?”

“The third batch of the Cooking Room is different,” Miya replied calmly. “That one's for failed and pending pairs. It’s quick—simple dishes. Don’t worry.”