Reborn With The Milf "Harem" System

The night after the rooftop incident dragged into morning with barely any sleep. Rika had eventually passed out in Renji's arms, clinging to him like a lifeline until exhaustion finally claimed her. Renji stayed awake longer, his mind a battlefield.

The shadow-girl's words kept echoing, She was chosen long before you.

That wasn't just random malice. It was specific. Purposeful.

By the time dawn's light filtered through the curtains, Renji's jaw ached from how hard he'd been clenching it.

The system had given him direction: Rika's past.

For the first time....it wasn't mother fucking erotic!!!!

Rika stirred awake, groaning softly as she blinked against the light. Her eyes were swollen from crying, her cheeks blotchy, but when she saw Renji sitting at her bedside, she managed a faint smile.

"You didn't sleep," she murmured.

"Didn't need to." He brushed his thumb across her cheek, wiping away the faint salt of dried tears. "You okay to talk?"

Her lips pressed together, uncertain. "About… her?"

"Yeah. About whatever she is and why she keeps saying you're not mine." His tone was sharp, but it wasn't directed at her. It was directed at the thing that had dared stake a claim.

Rika's throat worked as she swallowed, and for a long moment she seemed to weigh whether to retreat or finally face what she'd been burying. Then, slowly, she nodded.

"There are things I never told anyone. Not even… him." Her voice faltered at the memory of her ex, but she pushed through. "I thought they were just nightmares. But maybe they weren't."

Renji leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, his full attention locked on her. "Start from the beginning."

Rika's gaze drifted away, her eyes unfocusing like she was staring years into the past.

"When I was in high school, I used to see her. Not every day… but enough. Always at the edges. In the mirror behind me, on the stairs when the hall was empty, once even in my room when I woke up from a dream. Always smiling. Always watching."

Her hands twisted together in her lap, knuckles white.

"I tried to ignore it. Told myself I was just stressed, or imagining things. But then… people around me started getting hurt. A classmate who bullied me broke her leg falling down the stairs. My homeroom teacher collapsed during class. Little things that didn't make sense, but they happened after she showed up."

Renji's eyes narrowed. "And you thought it was connected."

"I didn't want to believe it," Rika admitted, her voice trembling. "But every time something bad happened, I saw her. Watching me. Smiling like she knew."

Renji's gut twisted. This wasn't random. This wasn't just some spirit stalking her for amusement. It had a pattern. A link.

"Why didn't you tell anyone back then?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Because who would believe me?" she whispered. "A teenage girl saying a ghost was following her? My parents would've laughed. My friends already thought I was… strange. I bottled it up, convinced myself I'd outgrow it. And for years, I thought I had."

Her eyes met his now, raw and vulnerable. "Until recently. Until she came back."

Renji's jaw flexed. His instincts screamed this wasn't coincidence. Something tied that shadow to Rika, and if the system wanted him to "hunt the source," it meant digging deeper into those high school years.

He brushed a hand through her hair, pulling her close until her forehead pressed against his chest. "Then that's where we start. Your past. High school. Anyone you knew, anything that might've connected you to her."

Rika trembled in his arms. "Renji… what if it's not just me she wants? What if being near me puts you in danger too?"

He smirked, but it wasn't playful, it was sharp, defiant, the smirk of a soldier staring down a sniper's scope. "Then she's even dumber than I thought. Because the only thing she's done is make herself my target."

The system chimed in his head, confirming his resolve.

[Quest Sub-Objective Unlocked]

Trace Rika's past connections.

Renji's grin hardened into something more dangerous. "Looks like we're taking a trip down memory lane, Sensei."

Rika's heart stuttered. For the first time since this nightmare began, she didn't just feel like prey waiting to be devoured. She felt like maybe...just maybe, they could fight back.

Morning sunlight spilled through the classroom windows like nothing had happened. Students laughed, traded notes, whispered about after-school plans. The hum of teenage normalcy filled the room.

But for Renji, the air was too clean. Too staged. Like camouflage over a minefield. His battlefield instincts wouldn't let him relax, not after last night's rooftop encounter. He could feel eyes on him even in the chatter of his classmates.

Rika sat at her desk, posture straight, smile practiced. Anyone else would've thought she was the same calm, reliable teacher. But Renji saw it, the faint tremble in her fingers as she wrote on the board, the subtle shake of her breath. Her eyes flickered too often toward the window, as if she expected that girl's face to be pressed against the glass.

Renji clenched his jaw. She's trying to act normal. But inside, she's falling apart.

The System's cool, synthetic voice interrupted his thoughts.

[Anomaly Sync detected.]

[Emotional Signature: Distress – Milf: Rika.]

[Warning: External presence influence suspected.]

Darling....~Take care of your MILF!

He grit his teeth. "No shit," he muttered under his breath.

At lunch, Renji pulled Rika aside under the excuse of helping her carry books to the staff room. Away from the students' eyes, she finally let the mask slip.

"Renji… she's still here. I can feel her." Her voice cracked, eyes darting toward the hallway shadows.

Before Renji could answer, a familiar voice cut in. "She's right, you know."

Reina leaned against the doorframe of the nurse's office, arms crossed. Her sharp eyes softened when they landed on Rika. "You've been trembling since morning. You thought I wouldn't notice?"

Rika flinched, trying to deflect. "It's just stress. I—"

"No." Reina stepped closer, gaze firm. "That wasn't stress last night, Rika. That was terror. I've seen women hide bruises behind excuses. I know the difference."

Renji put a hand on Rika's shoulder. "She's not alone. We'll deal with this."

The door creaked open again, and Mayumi, the PE coach, poked her head in. Her usually playful smirk was gone, replaced by a frown. "I caught Rika zoning out during PE. She looked straight past me, like she was seeing something else. Don't bullshit me, what's going on?"

Rika pressed her palms together, torn. The weight of three sets of eyes, Renji's steady, Reina's piercing, Mayumi's concerned—finally cracked her.

"She… she followed us to the rooftop last night. That girl. She isn't human. She looked at me like…" Rika's throat closed, tears burning her eyes. "Like she owns me."

Silence fell, heavy and sharp.

Reina's jaw clenched. "That explains the static I felt yesterday."

Mayumi cursed under her breath, fists tightening. "So this thing's after you? Then we need to fight it head-on."

Renji shook his head. "We don't know what we're dealing with yet. But I'll find out."

The System pulsed again, whispering in his ear like a warning flare.

[Quest Updated: Unmask the Anomaly.]

[Clue Path: Past Records.]

[Hint: The answer lies within the school.]

System: The more the Milfs, the more the merrier...Or that's how it goes!!!!

Renji's eyes narrowed. Past records…

He looked at the three women, the teacher barely holding herself together, the nurse brimming with guarded resolve, the coach radiating fierce protectiveness. All of them connected now, not just to him, but to this threat.

"We dig tonight," Renji said finally. "School archives, old files, whatever dirt this place has buried. If she's tied to this school, we'll find her."

Reina gave a slow nod. "I'll unlock the nurse's office access to the restricted records. I know where they keep things they don't want students...or staf...to see."

Mayumi cracked her knuckles. "And I'll keep watch. If that freak shows her face again, she won't get near Rika."

Rika wiped her tears, shaky but resolute. "Renji… if you're going to face this, then so will I. She chose me. I need to know why."

Renji's chest tightened at her courage. He cupped her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Fine. But you stay behind me, no matter what. Got it?"

Her lips trembled into the smallest of smiles. "Got it."

The bell rang, pulling them back into the masquerade of normalcy. But beneath that thin veil, war drums were already beating.

Tonight, the hunt would begin.

It was finally nighttime and the school was a graveyard at night.

Empty halls stretched in silence, lockers gleaming faintly under the pale spill of moonlight. The hum of daytime chatter had died, leaving behind only the creaks of the old building as if it was breathing in its sleep.

Renji led the way, every step precise, calculated. Behind him followed Rika, her hand clutching the hem of his jacket like a lifeline. Reina moved with controlled calm, flashlight in one hand, the other tucked near her coat pocket where Renji suspected she carried something sharp and hidden. Mayumi brought up the rear, her athletic frame tense, eyes flicking over every shadow like a hawk....

[To be continued]