"Meow~ What's Master thinking about?"
Resting her head on Ren's shoulder, Kuroka asked curiously.
Tempted by her advances, Ren wasn't one to resist. Since she was already mentally prepared, how could he not act? It's not like this girl would ever leave anyway!
But after Kuroka, Ren couldn't help but think of Koneko.
Come to think of it… maybe I should move faster…
Sensing his thoughts, Kuroka licked her lips, eyes gleaming.
"Master… are you thinking about Shirone?"
"Yeah… It's just a shame I haven't had the chance to make a contract with her."
"Really now… My Master always wants the next one before finishing the current."
Kuroka had already anticipated Shirone ending up with Ren, so she had no objections.
In fact, she was rather pleased.
Ren could be a strong backer for her and her sister, and he continuously improved their power. Why wouldn't she welcome it? On a personal level, Ren wasn't a scummy master. Apart from the initial humiliation of being forcefully taken, their relationship had surprisingly become quite relaxed.
Her master had no hobbies aside from a few twisted tastes.
He even kindly let her spend more time with her sister and kept thinking of ways to help them mend their bond. Kuroka would be lying if she said she wasn't touched.
Her standards in choosing a partner were simple: pleasing to the eye, powerful, and decent personality—check.
Once she had her eye on someone, she was always the aggressive one.
Like right now…
"But Shirone's still young, Master. Don't act too quickly with her…"
Though she sounded teasing, Kuroka was genuinely worried about her little sister.
In her mind, Shirone was still too young—getting pregnant now would be dangerous for both mother and child.
Ren had nothing to say to that. What kind of guy did she think he was?
Before he could respond, there was a sudden knock on the door.
"Mr. Ren, are you awake? Breakfast is ready!"
Asia's voice came from outside the door. Since being taken in by Ren, the little nun had been staying at his place.
Also, Fou, who used to be Ren's mascot, had now become the focus of the little nun's care.
"Mr. Ren, I'm coming in~!"
Receiving no response, Asia tilted her head, then opened the door.
And then—
"Oh my! Miss Asia, you'll have to wait a little longer. My master and I aren't done yet!"
Shoving herself even deeper into Ren's embrace, Kuroka raised her upper body slightly, letting the blanket slide off, and spoke to Asia at the doorway with a teasing smile, clearly enjoying messing with the nun.
Asia's face instantly turned bright red, and her smile froze on her face.
"S-s-sorry! M-Miss Kuroka is so beautiful! It's not strange at all for Mr. Ren to have that kind of relationship with her, but… ahhhh—Lord, please forgive my impure heart…"
Asia clasped her hands together in a praying posture, then quickly exited the room.
Soon after, crashing sounds came from outside the door, along with Asia's cry of pain—clearly, she had fallen.
Kuroka chuckled at the scene, but was immediately met with a karate chop from Ren.
"Stop teasing Asia! Get up already... we still have to prepare her and the others' casual clothes today."
"Geez, Master, you're no fun. Asia's reactions are so amusing..."
"What are you scheming again?"
"Hehe... a fallen church nun, Master, aren't you tempted to have a taste?"
"I'm not into your kind of twisted fetishes."
Though the idea was tempting, Ren's personality wasn't like that. He couldn't bring himself to do such things.
After all, he wasn't some villainous character. He had a normal sense of possessiveness, and perhaps a bit of a collecting habit, but not to the extent Kuroka was suggesting.
Kuroka pouted, stretched lazily, and left the room after getting dressed.
When she saw Fou enjoying breakfast, her expression stiffened slightly.
Out of all the pets, this guy was probably living the easiest life.
Come to think of it, my Nekomata Bloodline Crystals are gone... and the stuff Fou's eating doesn't seem any worse than those...
Ren distributed food based on each of their unique traits, but that didn't mean they couldn't eat other things.
However, conflicting traits could cause negative effects.
For example, Raynare had become a being of pure darkness after obtaining the Fallen Angel's Heart. If she consumed a light-element crystal, the contradictory power would cause her excruciating pain. If she could endure it, it was fine; if not, it would become a serious issue.
That was why Ren tried to match their food with their traits.
Kuroka technically could eat the Special Jealousy Sin Crystal, but…
Would she even dare snatch Fou's food? After all, everything was pre-assigned by Ren, and he had no intention of playing favorites.
Sensing Kuroka's gaze, Fou squinted slightly and locked eyes with her.
"Fouuu~~ (What do you want, lil sis?)"
"Nothing. Enjoy your meal."
Feeling that dangerous aura, Kuroka gave an awkward smile. She couldn't afford to mess with this one... better not overthink it.
"Good morning, Fou..."
"Fouuu~~~~"
Ren walked out of the room and first laid eyes on Fou enjoying her meal. When he reached out to pet her, Fou responded affectionately.
"By the way, what species is Fou exactly? Does he eat this kind of food every day?"
At that moment, Asia had regained her composure. Though her face still flushed a bit when she looked at Ren and Kuroka, she was otherwise back to normal.
Seeing Fou eat, curiosity appeared on her face.
She didn't know much about Fou, only that she was amazing.
Ren hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Fou... I guess you could call him a cat spirit."
Calling him that wasn't really a lie.
Fou originally appeared in the legends of King Arthur as a mysterious cat, though his background was far from ordinary.
A creation of Gaia, intended to become its own Ultimate One, he was a failed experiment but still a manifestation of Gaia's counterforce, known as the Beast IV, and a Primate Killer…
Any of those titles would be enough to shock anyone.
"So he's a cat spirit..."
Asia's face lit up with understanding, while Kuroka looked like she'd seen a ghost.
Cat spirit? I'm a cat spirit too, and I'm not that terrifying…
I'm even the strongest of the Nekomata—an actual Nekomata!
And you're telling me this guy is the same species as me?
With confusion and shock, Kuroka stared at Fou—only to receive a look of disdain from her.
"Fou fou~~ (I'm a cat spirit, you got a problem with that, lil sis?)"
Kuroka: "..."
Who would dare have a problem with that…