The moment Ren entered the house, the comforting smell of freshly cooked food greeted him immediately.
The rich aroma of curry drifted through the hallway, making him realize just how hungry he actually was.
Warm lights illuminated the living room while the television played softly in the background, filling the otherwise quiet house with a comforting sense of life.
Compared to the madness hidden within Kuoh Town’s supernatural underworld, the atmosphere inside the Amamiya household felt peaceful.
Then again…That was exactly why Ren liked coming home.
“You’re late again.”
A woman’s voice called out from the kitchen.
Ren removed his shoes casually before glancing toward the source.
Standing there was a beautiful woman with dark hair neatly tied behind her head and gentle green eyes remarkably similar to his own.
She wore a simple apron over her casual clothes, one hand holding a wooden spoon while the other rested on her hip.
Junko Amamiya, his mother.
Despite already being a grown woman, she still looked incredibly youthful and beautiful.
Her warm personality only added to the comforting aura surrounding her.
She was the type of person who could make almost anyone feel at ease simply by smiling.
“Sorry,” Ren replied while walking over toward her.
“I was busy.”
Without hesitation, he leaned down slightly and wrapped his arms around her in a quick hug.
Junko smiled immediately.
Any annoyance she previously had vanished instantly.
“Mhm.
Sure you were,” she said knowingly while gently patting his back.
She had long since accepted that her son occasionally came home late, though she always wished he’d tell her where he’d been.
Ren simply grinned.
“How was your day?” she asked afterward.
“Great as always,” he answered casually before glancing around the house.
“Dad held back at work again?”
Junko sighed helplessly.
“Yep.
He called earlier saying he’ll be home really late tonight.” She placed another plate onto the dining table before shaking her head.
“Poor guy’s practically living at the office.”
Ren nodded.
“So we’ll be having dinner together then.”
“Looks like it.”
Ren didn’t mind.
He genuinely enjoyed spending time with his family.
For all the insanity hidden within this world, his home life remained surprisingly normal.
And he liked keeping it that way.
It was one of the few places where he didn’t need to think about stray devils, Fallen Angels, or supernatural politics.
He could simply…be himself.
“Alright,” he said while stretching slightly.
“Let me go bathe and change first.”
“Don’t take forever.”
“I’ll try.”
Junko shook her head while laughing softly as Ren headed upstairs toward his room.
A hot shower later, he changed into a comfortable black T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants before making his way back downstairs.
Not long afterward, the two of them sat together at the dining table eating dinner peacefully while talking about random things.
Junko mostly complained about work gossip, difficult coworkers, and customers who somehow managed to create problems out of nothing while Ren lazily listened between bites of food, occasionally giving a short comment that made her laugh.
The atmosphere was comfortable.
A sharp contrast to the person Ren truly was outside these walls.
The same young man who casually joked with his mother over dinner…
Was also someone who hunted supernatural beings beneath the cover of night without the slightest hesitation.
Two completely different lives.
Yet somehow…He managed to balance both.
A seemingly ordinary second-year student…
Living peacefully in Kuoh Town, for now that is.
‘ I am a robot’
….
On the very next day, Ren was casually walking through the city, looking for something fun to do.
It was the weekend, and since it was 2016, there weren’t exactly a million things to keep him entertained indoors.
Yeah, he had games.
But what was he supposed to do?
Play GTA V until he got bored, turn it off, and then repeat the same thing the next day?
He’d rather walk around randomly outside.
Touch grass as they say.
‘I wonder what it is I’ll find today,’ he thought as he walked aimlessly through the streets, hands comfortably tucked inside his pockets.
The city was fairly lively despite it being the weekend.
People moved between shops, couples walked together, and groups of students wandered around while enjoying their free time.
Ren didn’t really have anywhere specific to be.
He was simply walking.
Eventually, after a few minutes, he decided to head toward a nearby movie theater.
He figured watching a movie would at least give him something to do for a couple of hours.
However, on his way there…He spotted someone familiar.
Akeno.
The beautiful black-haired Half-Devil, Half-Fallen Angel stood in the middle of the sidewalk, holding a small piece of paper in one hand while looking around the area with a slightly thoughtful expression.
She seemed to be trying to figure out where she was supposed to go.
Ren slowed down as he approached her.
“Yo.”
Akeno immediately turned around.
The moment she saw him, a gentle smile appeared across her beautiful face.
“If it isn’t Ren-kun,” she said pleasantly.
“Yeah.”Ren glanced at the piece of paper in her hand.
“What are you doing here?”
“Oh, well…” Akeno looked down at the paper before looking back at him.
“I’m running errands like any other person during the weekend.”
“Hmm.”Ren stared at her for a moment.
“That’s a weird way to say it.”
Akeno raised an eyebrow.”Is it?”
“Maybe that rumor about you and Rias being from another world isn’t so far-fetched after all.”
He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
Akeno stared at him for a second before breaking into a soft laugh.
“Fufufu…
Ren-kun, if you go around believing every single rumor you hear, you’ll never know what’s actually true.”
She lightly tapped the paper against her chin.
“I mean, there’s even a rumor about you actually being smart.” She smiled mischievously.
” You just hate attention.”
Ren’s expression remained completely blank.
‘Reminds me of Ayanokoji.’ He stared at Akeno for another moment.
‘I still don’t know how I watched that show with a straight face.’
Akeno tilted her head slightly.
“Something wrong?”
“Nope.” Ren simply shrugged.
“Just thinking.”
“About?”
“Nothing important.”
Akeno smiled knowingly.
“Yep.” He glanced at the paper in her hand again.
“So…
where are you actually trying to go?”
Akeno’s smile widened slightly.
“That’s a good question.”
Ren stared at her.
“…You don’t know?”
“Not exactly.”
She gave a small laugh.
“That’s why I was looking at the map.”
“Well, since you don’t know what to do, why don’t we go watch a movie?” he suggested.
Akeno stopped for a second, glancing down at the paper in her hand before looking back at him.
She seemed to think about it for a moment.
Then she nodded.
“Sure.
Why not?” she responded with a small smile.
“Great, let’s go,” Ren said as he started walking forward.
But before he could get very far…Akeno suddenly stopped him.
She stepped closer and casually hooked her arm around his, pressing herself against his side as though it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Now we can go.”
Ren looked down at their linked arms.
Then at Akeno.
“…Okay.”
He decided not to question it.
The two of them continued walking through the city together, Akeno comfortably holding onto his arm while Ren kept his other hand inside his pocket.
Every now and then, people passing by glanced in their direction.
Mostly because the sight of two ridiculously attractive teenagers walking together naturally drew attention.
Neither of them cared.
Eventually, they arrived at the movie theater.
The large building was already fairly busy, with groups of friends, families, and couples standing around the entrance while the various movie posters were displayed along the walls.
Ren looked over the available movies.
Action.
Comedy.
Horror.
Romance.
And a few others he didn’t recognize.
After looking through them for a moment, they eventually decided on a random romance movie.
Something Ren wasn’t all that interested in.
He looked at the poster one final time before sighing internally.
‘The things I do for women.’
Akeno noticed his expression and giggled.
“Ren-kun doesn’t seem very excited.”
“It’s fine.” He shrugged.
“I’ll survive, I think”
Akeno smiled as they entered the theater together.
“That’s good.” She tightened her grip around his arm slightly.
“Because I think it’ll be fun.”
Ren glanced at her.”…Yeah.” He wasn’t particularly interested in the movie.
But spending a few hours with Akeno?
That wasn’t so bad.
Maybe this wouldn’t be a complete waste of time after all.
Peace