To be honest, Ren's decision to leave Kuoh Town came a bit suddenly.
There hadn't been much warning, but thinking about the recent chaos, maybe it made sense.
At least, that's what Serafall initially thought. But then she remembered — Ren still had Ophis with him.
In this world, who would dare touch him with a force like that at his side?
After a long silence, it was Koneko who first broke the tension.
"Mm... No problem. I'll go check on your store regularly."
There was some hesitation in her eyes, but she nodded.
She wanted to ask where Ren was going, but decided against it.
No point asking. If he wanted to say, he would've.
The truth was, her relationship with Ren wasn't as close as Rias and Akeno thought.
Yes, she had feelings for him — but not quite romantic confession-level yet.
Originally, Koneko had gone to Ren's shop because of her closeness with Kuroka.
Just as Ren's connection to Rias and the others was through Asia and Koneko, his connection to Koneko was through Kuroka. They simply had spent a lot of time chatting.
And with Kuroka watching like a hawk most of the time, it wasn't easy for anything "romantic" to happen.
Koneko only knew Kuroka as a cat. Ren knew her true identity.
"Thanks, Koneko. If you need anything, just ask Fou or Asia. As thanks, I'll give you a bag of cat food later..."
After some luck with gacha rolls and finding the right crafting manual, Ren had figured out how to mass-produce high-end pet food using monster crystal shards.
As a proper pet trainer, how could he not know how to make pet cuisine?
And since this wasn't a game where pets could just go level up by fighting, power-boosting food was key.
With the materials he had, Ren could finally offer some tempting rewards...
"Thank you... Umm, you can have my snacks..."
Koneko's eyes lit up. Even a normal cat would love that stuff. Koneko, being half-neko, craved it even more.
If she hadn't been trying to be polite, she probably would've been fighting Kuroka for it.
She even gave Kuroka's head a loving pat.
Then, realizing she may have overreacted, she took "part" of the snacks meant for Kuroka and handed them to Ren.
Kuroka: "???"
There were only a few packs to begin with, and now she had less than a quarter left.
Shirone, do you not love your big sister anymore?
Kuroka looked at her in confusion. Koneko gently stroked her head.
"Too much snacking will make you fat..."
Kuroka: "..."
You didn't mind me eating them a minute ago.
Fine, guess my little sister has someone new in her heart. What am I even to you now?
Serafall piped up again.
"No wonder Ren finished the manga so fast — he was preparing to leave."
Though surprised, she didn't object. From what she knew of Ren, he didn't seem like someone who sought trouble.
And with Ophis by his side, who would even dare?
"Are you leaving alone?"
"Of course not. But I won't take too many people. Kuro, Fou, and Asia will stay here. I have to take Lucemon — no one else can control her. If I leave her behind, she'll stir up a disaster."
He couldn't risk it. Fufu could hold her off for a bit, but without him, a fight between them could destroy everything.
He'd feel safer bringing her with him.
"The rest I'll leave in your care — Koneko, Asia, and our dear maou. To ease your worries, I'll take that child with me too. You're welcome."
"...Gee, thanks," Serafall muttered sarcastically.
Honestly, I'd be more nervous with Ophis traveling around.
Ren and Ophis together could literally destroy the world.
But thinking of Ren's personality, she could only force herself to trust him.
"When will you return, Ren?"
Rias's concern wasn't so much for Ren himself, but about something else.
She didn't want her situation to affect Ren and Koneko's relationship.
She wouldn't drag him into her marriage issue — but she might request external support for the upcoming rating game.
If Ren was gone too long, that plan could fall apart.
Or maybe she could ask Fou instead...
"I'll be gone for a while. If you need help, talk to Kuro. No need to trouble Fou — Kuro should be able to handle a lot of things for you, if she's willing."
Ren smiled mysteriously.
Kuroka, who was unexpectedly brought into the conversation, looked up, confused.
Kuroka: "Meow meow meow???"
Wasn't I supposed to be protecting Shirone?
How did I become the Gremory family's thug?