The revelation that Rias Gremory and her Occult Research Club were actual Devils still reeled in Ren's mind as he left their strange, antique-filled clubroom. His life was a runaway train, picking up speed and increasingly bizarre passengers with every passing day. Reborn, mafia heirlooms, Dying Will Flames, Stray Devils, yakuza princesses, fake relationships, and now, literal Devils who were his school seniors. It was a lot for anyone to process, let alone a seventeen-year-old who, just a few weeks ago, had believed his biggest problem was passing his calculus exams.
He needed to clear his head, to find some small piece of solid ground in the swirling chaos. His thoughts, as they often did when he felt overwhelmed, turned to Kosaki Onodera. Her quiet kindness, her gentle presence, felt like an anchor in the storm of his new reality. He found himself walking towards the park where they often met, hoping for a few moments of normalcy.
As he neared the park, he saw a small figure sitting alone on a bench near the fountain, not Kosaki, but someone unfamiliar. It was a young nun, dressed in simple, traditional white and blue robes, her head bowed as if in prayer or quiet contemplation. She had soft, light brown hair, and as she looked up, Ren saw a face of remarkable sweetness and innocence, her large, gentle eyes the color of warm honey. There was an aura of profound kindness about her, a palpable sense of peace that seemed to radiate outwards, a stark contrast to the turmoil in Ren's own heart.
She seemed a little lost, a little out of place in the bustling secularity of Kuoh Town. As Ren watched, two rough-looking men, their clothes shabby, their expressions leering, approached her. They began to speak to her, their voices low and insinuating, their body language aggressive. The nun looked flustered, intimidated, shrinking back from their unwanted attention.
Ren's protective instincts, now becoming almost a reflex, flared. Before he could even fully process the situation, he found himself moving, striding purposefully towards the bench.
"Is there a problem here?" Ren asked, his voice calm but firm, positioning himself between the nun and the two men. He didn't summon his Flames, didn't even consciously think about it. He just stood there, a sudden, unexpected barrier.
The two men, surprised by his sudden appearance, scowled. "This ain't none of your business, kid. Scram."
"She looks uncomfortable," Ren stated, his gaze unwavering. "Maybe you should be the ones to scram."
There was a tense standoff for a moment. The men looked like they were about to cause trouble, but something in Ren's steady gaze, perhaps a lingering aura from his recent battles, or maybe just the unexpectedness of his intervention, made them hesitate. With a final sneer and a muttered curse, they grudgingly backed off, shuffling away into the crowd.
The young nun looked up at Ren, her eyes wide with a mixture of relief and gratitude. "Oh, thank you," she said, her voice soft and melodious, like wind chimes. "That was very brave of you. They were… being rather unpleasant."
"No problem," Ren said, feeling a little awkward. "Glad I could help. Are you alright?"
"Yes, thank you. I am quite alright now," she said, offering him a shy, radiant smile. "My name is Asia Argento. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"Ren Takakura," he replied, returning her smile. There was something about Asia, an almost luminous purity, that was incredibly disarming. "Are you new to Kuoh Town, Argento-san? I haven't seen you around before."
"Yes, I arrived just recently," Asia explained. "I came from Europe. I am here to serve at the local church."
The old church. The same one where Ren had fought the Stray Devil. A shiver ran down his spine. "The old abandoned one on the hill?" he asked, trying to keep the alarm out of his voice.
Asia nodded, her expression earnest. "Yes, that is the one. Some kind people have taken me in there. They are… helping me with my mission."
Kind people? At that derelict, monster-infested church? Ren's internal alarm bells, which had been momentarily silenced by Asia's gentle presence, began to clang loudly again. Something about this didn't feel right.
From a shadowed alcove across the park, a figure watched the interaction with cold, appraising eyes. Raynare, a Fallen Angel of considerable beauty and even greater cruelty, observed the kind-hearted nun, Asia Argento, and the unknown boy who had just intervened on her behalf. A contemptuous sneer touched Raynare's lips. Humans. So predictable in their foolish sentimentality. Asia was a valuable tool, her Sacred Gear, Twilight Healing, a prize Raynare was determined to claim for her master, Azazel, and for her own advancement. This boy, Takakura, was an irrelevance, a minor obstacle at best. But his unexpected appearance was noted. Any interference with her plans would be dealt with swiftly and without mercy. The nun's usefulness was nearing its end, and Raynare was not about to let some insignificant human boy get in the way.
Unaware of the malevolent gaze fixed upon them, Ren continued to talk with Asia. He found himself drawn to her innate goodness, her unwavering faith, her gentle spirit. She spoke of her desire to help others, to heal the sick and comfort the afflicted. There was not a trace of artifice or guile about her. She was, Ren thought, perhaps the purest, most genuinely kind person he had ever met.
And she was staying at that dangerous, cursed church, with "kind people" who Ren suspected were anything but. A deep sense of foreboding settled over him. Asia Argento, with her innocent heart and her desire to do good, had stumbled into a town filled with shadows, into a world she clearly didn't understand. And Ren, despite his own confusion and fear, felt an overwhelming, undeniable urge to protect her from those shadows, an urge that resonated deep within his very soul, stirring his newly awakened, volatile powers. The encounter was brief, but it left a profound impression on Ren. Asia Argento was a light in the encroaching darkness, and he had a terrible feeling that that light was in grave danger.