Earlier, Ren mentioned Asia would be staying with him long-term, so naturally, he needed to prepare daily necessities. He couldn't have her wearing her nun outfit 365 days a year.
So Ren took Raynare and the others to a department store.
Kuroka stayed in her black cat form, carried in Ren's arms. Fou was held by Asia.
Since they were in Kuoh Town, Kuroka didn't want to be seen by Koneko in her usual form.
If she encountered her sister alone, it would be one thing. But if she ran into her while walking with Ren, that would be troublesome.
With her sister's intuition, she'd immediately recognize her as the black cat.
"By the way, the Examon incident happened days ago. Even though many unfamiliar auras have entered Kuoh Town, I still haven't seen her..."
"Her?"
The black cat in his arms lifted her head and spoke aloud.
Now that she had regained her power, talking in that form wasn't difficult.
She wondered who Ren was talking about. Was he planning to make another girl his pet?
Then, a name escaped Ren's lips, nearly making her fall out of his arms.
"Ophis..."
"...Wait... Master, you mean that Ophis?"
In this world, anyone above the lowest tier had heard that name.
Stronger than even the Two Heavenly Dragons, excluding the dimension-wandering True Red Dragon God Emperor, the dragon god of infinity stood as the world's undeniable apex.
Of course, that's only counting this world—not others.
She was known as the Dragon God of Infinity: Ophis.
Even Kuroka had heard of her.
Before meeting Ren, as a stray devil, she had already heard rumors.
The Khaos Brigade was suspected to be led by none other than Ophis.
Even the leaders of the fallen angels, angels, and devils had likely heard similar whispers.
"That's right—the very Ophis you're thinking of..."
"You mean she's coming to Kuoh Town?"
"Most likely... Examon's power would interest her. Don't forget—Kuoh Town has seen a surge of strange presences lately... we just haven't run into her yet."
Compared to the shocked Kuroka, Ren's tone remained calm.
While unfamiliar with other worlds, he was well aware of this world's top-tier power levels.
If Ophis sought to recruit Examon—who was possibly on par with or stronger than Great Red—it made perfect sense.
With her speed, she could reach here within a day, yet she hadn't appeared. That was odd.
Maybe the energy trail disappeared, and she couldn't track it?
Ren's expression turned slightly weird.
"I think only you could talk about Ophis so casually..."
Kuroka didn't know her master's full strength, but considering many of these beings were from other worlds, she now lumped Ren and Ophis together in her mind.
They were both beyond her understanding—might as well categorize them together.
"Fou fou fou..."
"Hehe... Fou, that tickles..."
Fou's sudden noises caught Ren's attention.
Watching him play with Asia, Ren raised a brow.
"By the way, you met Asia outside of Kuoh Town, right, Fou?"
"Fou?"
Fou tilted his head, confused—wasn't it you who sent me?
"This country isn't big, but finding Asia without knowing where she was heading proves your tracking skills are top-notch..."
Come to think of it, Fou ran into the protagonist in FGO's intro. Now he just 'happens' to bump into Asia too...
"Maybe I should have you find Ophis. If you can't, then every morning from now on, you'll run 100 laps around Kuoh Town. You've been eating a lot lately—might be time to burn it off, no?"
Kuroka: "!!!"
Is this mascot finally about to lose its household dominance?
Fou: "???"
I may not be human, but you're truly a dog!
Upon hearing that, Asia quickly hugged Fou and said,
"Mr. Ren, please don't joke around... Kuoh Town is too big for Fou to run across. Don't push him too hard."
"But I'm not pushing a person..."
Ren's reply left both Aisha and Fou speechless.
For some reason, in her eyes, Ren was beginning to overlap with that infuriating Merlin.
Was this man finally showing his true colors?
Of course, Ren didn't seriously intend to make Fou search for Ophis. He was just teasing.
Kuoh Town wasn't exactly large, but not small enough to rely on coincidence either.
Inside the department store, possibly due to the weekend, it was packed with people.
Shopping seemed like second nature to women. Raynare and the others were immediately drawn to the displays.
Given the nature of this world, maybe after their main tasks, they also enjoyed some leisure shopping.
After all, even devils nowadays have to care about so-called "appearance"...
"You girls, if there's anything you want to buy, just go ahead."
Looking at Raynare and the others, who seemed hesitant, Ren spoke calmly.
Upon hearing this, Raynare nodded slightly and was the first to step away from the group.
On the other hand, Mittelt and Kalawarna still had uneasy expressions. After being constantly "disciplined" by Raynare, the two of them now only felt fear toward both Ren and her, though… hidden within that fear, there was also a faint anticipation—an anticipation for gaining new power.
Precisely because they were always in such a position, they yearned for more strength.
If someone like Raynare could gain power again, then maybe… they could too.
That's what the two of them believed.
"Go on. I don't want to say it a second time."
Ren's words made them quickly nod and follow after Raynare.
Seeing this, Ren clicked his tongue.
Were these two kids really getting used to being bossed around by her?
Pushing all those thoughts aside, Ren turned to Asia with a gentle smile.
"If there's anything you need or want, go get it now."
"Wouldn't that be too wasteful…?"
Asia still looked a little hesitant, overwhelmed by the dazzling array of items in front of her.
"It's fine. Since you're already living in my house, you're family. There's no need to be so polite with family."
Though his words were a little forced, Ren genuinely didn't want her to keep being so reserved.
He hadn't known Asia for long, and honestly, their bond probably wasn't even as deep as her connection with Rias.
But as the saying goes, "close to the water, first to the moon." That was why he had sent Fou to bring her.
There was still plenty of time… wasn't there?
"Fa…mily?"
Asia seemed stunned, as if it was the first time anyone had said something like that to her.
Ren simply smiled and responded with a question.
"Or do you not see yourself that way?"
"No… no, I do. It's just… is it really okay? Can I really be part of your family, Mr. Ren?"
"Of course you can."
"That's wonderful! Family… I finally have a family! God, this must be your blessing—thank you!"
Seeing Asia pray like that, Ren didn't say anything more.
Everyone has the freedom to believe in whatever they want. Ren's possessiveness wasn't so extreme that he'd deny them their faith.
Besides, wasn't the god she worshipped already dead?
Why bother competing with a dead god?