"Good night, Ren~"
"See you tomorrow~"
"Sweet dreams."
"Good night, everyone."
Ren, who had just returned to Penguin Logistics, waved goodbye to Miss Texas, who was carrying the drunken bodies of Croissant and Exusiai back to their rooms. As for Ren, who stood in front of his own room, he changed into fresh clothes, planning to head out and buy ingredients to cook, just like he had planned in the morning.
But when he stepped outside the building, he was surprised to see Sora standing alone, leaning against the wall, looking rather lonely.
"Sora-senpai?"
As soon as Sora heard his voice, she turned around. Seeing who it was, her face quickly shifted from sadness to a bright smile.
"Oh, it's just Ren! Where are you going this late at night?"
Sora had started speaking more casually with him after learning his real age. She hadn't stopped him from calling her "senpai" either—perhaps she liked it too.
"Uh... I was going to the nearby fresh market to get some groceries."
"Fresh market, huh? Don't tell me... you're interested in cooking too?"
Sora recalled their conversation from earlier that morning.
"Yes. I thought I'd try learning to cook. I figured it might help save a lot of money."
Ren smiled sheepishly. What he said was true, though there was another reason—he wanted to test out a new skill he'd acquired.
He wasn't sure how to start cooking... but maybe if he just watched someone once, he could do it—probably?
Sora was initially surprised, but then her face lit up with excitement.
"That's... such a great idea!! I always tell everyone how amazing and cost-saving cooking can be! But no one ever believes me! I'm so happy you feel the same way!"
Ren was surprised by her overly enthusiastic reaction. He hadn't expected this cheerful and seemingly "normal" senior of his to resemble a doting wife in personality.
"Perfect timing, Ren!! I just ran out of ingredients in my fridge too. How about we go shopping together?"
Ren hesitated, looking puzzled.
"Uh... but aren't you supposed to return to HQ, senpai?" he asked.
Earlier at the restaurant, Sora had stepped out to take a call. When she returned, she told everyone her manager had summoned her back to headquarters—prompting them to end the celebration and head home.
"The meeting I was scheduled for got canceled at the last minute... but forget that! It's actually a good thing—I'll have more time to spend with everyone! Plus, I get to sleep at the safe house again."
"Let's go, Ren! I know some great places to shop around here!"
As if to change the subject, Sora grabbed his hand and quickly began leading the way.
"Uh... wait, senpai. If you go out looking like this, won't people recognize you?"
"Ah! Thanks for the reminder—I almost forgot!" Sora stopped in her tracks and turned back with an embarrassed smile.
"But don't worry! Your senpai here is about to show you a cool magic trick!"
She pulled a small microphone-like device from her pocket.
Sora switched it on.
"Laah..."
Just one word, and the microphone began to emit a faint glow.
Then something shocking happened—Ren watched as Sora's hair turned black with red highlights, just like Texas's. Her Lupo ears and tail changed to match too, making her look even more like Texas.
"Color change complete! No one will recognize me now!"
"Whoa! Is that one of your powers, senpai?!" Ren asked excitedly. It was the first time he had seen someone use a spell that wasn't violent—and it seemed super useful too.
"That's right! I can use my ability to change my appearance a bit. But I can't give away the details—because a woman with secrets is always charming!"
Sora winked and walked ahead while taking out a mirror to admire her new look.
"So jealous... If I had that power, impersonating Zhongli would be so much easier," Ren sighed.
[Disguise is a quick shortcut—but ultimately inefficient.]
"Shut up, you."
After grumbling at the system, Ren couldn't help but ask Sora, who was still admiring her new look:
"By the way, senpai... was your disguise based on Miss Texas?"
"Ah... you noticed?"
Sora blushed a little but seemed happy he recognized it.
"I really admire Texas a lot. I've always wanted to be like her—so cool and smart. Don't you think she's awesome too?"
Ren nodded immediately.
"Yeah, I think she's really cool too."
"Right?! But she's not just cool! She's also gentle, and—"
Sora went on and on, praising Texas non-stop. The walk down the street wasn't boring for Ren at all—in fact, he got to learn a lot about both Sora and Texas. It made him feel like he was getting to know them better.
That is, until they noticed a group of shady men stepping out from an alley and blocking their path.
Both Sora and Ren stopped, sensing the obvious hostility in the group's eyes.
"Well, well... we meet again, Penguin Logistics."
A burly man with round ears and a tattoo on his chest greeted them with a not-so-friendly grin.
He pulled out a short knife, followed by his three companions, who wielded brass knuckles and wooden sticks.
Some of them gave Sora lewd looks, which made Ren uncomfortable.
"Who are you? Do you have some business with us?"
Despite her concern, Sora stood her ground and shielded Ren like a true senior.
"Senpai, they're from the Mad Bear Gang—we ran into them this morning," Ren whispered, recognizing their features and the tattoos.
He remembered the middle-aged man who had shot a bomb at his face earlier—they looked exactly like that guy.
"Figures. L.G.D. must be really incompetent to let these guys wander freely into the main city..." Ren thought bitterly, his opinion of the authorities sinking even lower.
"Oh? Got a good memory, kid. Since you remember us, let's have some fun—"
THUD!!!
Before he could finish, a stone pillar shot out from the wall and smashed his head, slamming him into the opposite wall with a loud crash.
Ren turned to the remaining three, smiling.
"Would you rather stand still so I can tie you up... or would you prefer I do what I just did to him?"
The thugs stared in horror at their bloodied friend slumped against the wall and immediately dropped their weapons, standing at attention.
"W-We surrender—"
THUD!!! THUD!!! THUD!!!
Before they could finish, three smaller stone pillars struck their chins simultaneously, knocking them all out cold.
Sora was speechless, stunned by the swift violence. She turned to Ren, confused.
"R-Ren... didn't they surrender already?"
"No, senpai. They were just bluffing. The moment we got close, they would've pulled out hidden weapons."
Ren didn't even need his Mind's Eye to know what they were planning.
He approached the thugs and nudged one over with his foot—revealing several knives strapped to the man's back.
"Don't forget, senpai—these are the same guys who fired a bomb at us in broad daylight. You really think they wouldn't be hiding something worse?"
Sora looked at Ren in admiration.
"Amazing, Ren! You've only been working here a few days, and you're already this sharp—just like Texas!"
"Not really... It's just that today's lessons were really valuable. Plus, Miss Exusiai taught me a lot too."
Ren glanced at the bear-eared thug, who was starting to open his eyes drowsily.
"Lessons? What kind of lessons?" Sora asked.
THUD!!!
She jumped as another stone pillar knocked the thug unconscious again—this time for good.
"She told me that if the enemy has big ears or horns, hit their heads. But if they look like birds or weaker animals, hit their torso."
"That way I don't accidentally kill them."
Ren smiled at Sora, but the sight of unconscious, bloodied bodies around him made that smile look a bit... terrifying.
"T-That's definitely something Miss Exusiai would say," Sora replied with a nervous smile.
She looked at the boy in front of her with a hint of concern.
"This won't do... As his senpai, I can't let him fall any further into darkness!"
While Ren was checking if the thug was still alive, he received a new system notification—an affection increase.
But the name was the same one he saw back at the restaurant.
[Lappland Saluzzo (Codename: Lappland): Affection toward you has increased greatly. +1,000 emotional points.]
"Uh... I don't even know who that is, but thanks, bro. I'll take the points."
With his emotions lifted by the massive amount of currency, Ren planned to roll the gacha again—hoping to get another great skill like the Mind's Eye.
Unaware that on a tall, shadowed building nearby, a silver-haired woman was silently watching him...
...with a wicked smile slowly spreading across her face.
"If I kill him... will Texas go back to the way she used to be?"
"Hehe... I'm really curious to find out."