Ren turned toward Kuroka, his expression completely calm despite the sudden appearance of another supernatural being in his bedroom.
“You better not run.”
He paused for a moment before adding with a small smirk, “Then again, you can try.
I’ll just find you.”
With that, Ren turned his attention back toward Bikou.
Before Bikou could even react, the two completely vanished.
Kuroka was left standing alone in the destroyed bedroom, surrounded by broken glass and the massive hole in the wall.
She looked toward the spot where they had disappeared before slowly shrugging.
‘Hmm, I have a feeling he’s not lying.’
Her eyes wandered toward Ren’s bed.
“Well then, guess I should make myself at home.”
She casually removed her shoes before climbing onto the bed and stretching across the mattress like she owned the place.
Meanwhile, Ren and Bikou appeared far away from Kuoh.
They were standing in the middle of a vast plain, surrounded by nothing but grass stretching toward the horizon.
There were no buildings or people just nothing but them.
Bikou looked around in confusion.
He couldn’t sense anyone.
Not a single person.
Not even Ren.
His eyes widened slightly as he slowly turned around.
“Where the hell are we?”
Ren stood several meters away with both hands casually inside his pockets.
“So,” he asked calmly, “what’s the name of your organization?”
Bikou’s expression became guarded.
“Can’t tell you that, man.”
Ren raised an eyebrow.
Bikou quickly continued before he could say anything.
“What I can do is invite you.”
He grinned, revealing a confident smile.
“You seem like a strong dude.
Aren’t you tired of all this peace in the world, man?”
Ren stared at him.
‘Who the hell would be tired of peace?’ he thought.
Bikou, completely unaware of how ridiculous Ren found his question, continued talking.
“In a few months, all three major factions might actually become peaceful.
They could create an alliance, which would mean no more wars.”
He shook his head in disappointment.
“That’s just so boring.”
Bikou’s eyes suddenly became excited.
“I want to fight.
Powerful people.
Strong opponents.
And the only way to get that is if the world’s stuck in constant war.”
He extended his hand toward Ren with a wide grin.
“So joi—”
BOOM!
Before he could finish the sentence, Ren appeared directly in front of him.
His fist connected with Bikou’s face.
The impact sent the Monkey King’s descendant flying backward before he crashed into the grass several meters away.
Bikou’s eyes rolled back as his body went completely limp.
Ren lowered his fist and sighed.
“Annoying.”
He walked over to the unconscious Bikou and looked down at him.
“Who the hell gets tired of peace?”
Ren shook his head before vanishing again.
His eyes immediately went toward the broken window.
Then toward Kuroka, who was comfortably lying across his bed like she had been invited.
Then he looked downstairs.
He could hear the old lady next door talking.
‘Fuck.’
Ren sighed before quickly making his way downstairs.
He opened the front door and found Ana-san standing there with a worried expression on her face.
“Ren-kun, are you okay?
I heard the window break and thought maybe it was a burglar.”
Ren immediately gave her a reassuring smile.
“Oh, it’s nothing.
Just an owl.
I forgot to close my curtains, so it probably thought it could fly inside.”
Ana stared at him for a moment, clearly unsure whether to believe that explanation.
“An owl?”
“Yeah.
Big one too.”
She eventually sighed and shook her head.
“Is that so?
Well then, I’ll call the window man tomorrow morning to get it fixed up.”
“Thank you.
Oh, before I forget…”
Ren smiled.
“The food was wonderful.
Are you sure you’re single, Ana-san?”
The elderly woman immediately blushed before letting out a small giggle.
“Oh, you.
Try that charm of yours on someone younger.”
She waved him off while smiling.
“Good night, Ren-kun.”
“Good night, Ana-san.”
Ren stood at the doorway and watched her walk back toward her house until she disappeared inside.
The moment her door closed, Ren’s smile faded slightly.
Ren sighed.
“Tonight just keeps getting better.”
He turned.
Kuroka was already stretched out on his couch on her stomach, chin resting on her folded arms, legs lazily kicking back and forth in the air.
The short hem of her kimono had ridden up just enough that, from his angle, the soft black lace of her panties was clearly visible.
She didn’t seem to care or maybe she wanted him to notice.
He ignored it completely.
Ren walked over and dropped into the single armchair across from her, settling in like she was just another unexpected houseguest.
“So, Kuroka is your name, correct?”
She twisted around and sat up cross-legged in one fluid motion, black cat ears twitching once.
A slow, amused smirk curved her lips.
“Did Bikou tell you that?”
He simply nodded.
“That dumb monkey,” she muttered, though there was no real heat in it.
“Yes, that’s my name.
And I’m Koneko’s big sister.”
She watched his face carefully as she said it, clearly waiting for the usual reaction shock, disbelief, maybe a little fear.
Ren didn’t even blink.
The lack of reaction visibly annoyed her.
Her ears flattened slightly.
Unless you already knew that?”
“Let’s just say I know everything,” Ren answered with a small shrug.
“Even your little organization and what their goal is.
Kind of a dumb one, if I’m being honest.
Still better than the usual sob story about how ‘the world wronged you,’ but boring all the same.”
Kuroka’s golden eyes narrowed.
For a second she looked genuinely thrown.
“Well… I’m not exactly with them for that reason.
But here I am anyway.” She tilted her head.
“So.
Are you going to kill me or not?”
“Nah.” Ren leaned back, completely at ease.
“I don’t want to hurt Koneko’s feelings.
I’m sure you did something bad and she hates you, yada yada… but I’m guessing that’s just a front.
Same goes for you.”
That landed harder than anything else he’d said.
Kuroka’s expression flickered.
Internally she scrambled.
‘ Did Bikou tell him that?
No… I never came clean about it to him.
The only one who even knows pieces of it is Vali, and even then not everything.’
She recovered quickly, rising to her feet with the fluid grace of a cat.
Her hips swayed as she crossed the short distance between them, a deliberately seductive smirk already in place.
Without asking, she climbed onto his lap and straddled him, knees settling on either side of his thighs.
Soft hands came up to cup his face, thumbs brushing lightly along his jaw.
It looked intimate.
Almost affectionate.
It was a front.
In the next heartbeat her nails lengthened into sharp black claws, flashing toward his throat with killing intent.
The world seemed to skip.
One second she was on top of him.
The next she was sitting exactly where she had been on the couch, legs still crossed, as if she had never moved at all.
Her eyes were wide.”How do you even do that!?”
Ren lifted one hand.
Dangling from his fingers were a pair of black lace panties.
“If you’re fast enough,” he said calmly, “you can do anything.”
A cool draft brushed against Kuroka’s bare skin.
She looked down, realized what was missing, and her face went red in an instant.
“You pervert!”
A sphere of purple-black demonic energy formed in her palm and shot toward him.
Ren didn’t even bother moving.
The blast struck him square in the chest and simply dissipated against his body like it had hit a wall.
He glanced down at the faint scorch mark on his shirt, then back up at her with mild disappointment.
“Wow.
You guys really are weak.”
He stood, stretching once.
“Well, Kuroka.
I’m heading to sleep.
Tomorrow I have school.”
Without another word he walked past her and started up the stairs, leaving the nekoshou sitting alone on the couch, still half-dressed and thoroughly off-balance.
Kuroka stared after him for a long moment, ears twitching in irritation and something close to reluctant interest.
‘ He really is weird’ she thought.
Peace.