What they hadn't expected—at all—was that someone of this caliber would actually appear here in person, and even openly declare herself to be Ayami's close friend.
Why had they never realized before that Kuroda Ayami's connections were this outrageous?To think she even knew someone this terrifyingly influential.
Once Yamato Miku's identity fully registered, the room instantly erupted again.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to latch onto a truly solid pillar.
People like this were figures they'd never even dreamed of meeting before—yet now she was right in front of them, close enough to reach out and touch.
And if they could build a good relationship with her, then their standing within their own families would undoubtedly rise by several levels.
As a result, the noble ladies immediately crowded around Yamato Miku, fussing over her health, offering compliments, and making small talk nonstop. Inside, Yamato Miku was already extremely irritated—but on the surface, she could only maintain a flawless smile.
All she wanted now was for this low-tier, almost laughable tea party to end as soon as possible, for these noisy women to leave, so she could finally speak properly with Ayami about real matters.
Meanwhile—
Ren Kuroda, who had just returned to the main world, had absolutely no idea that his marriage prospects were quietly being bundled up and sold behind his back.
Standing in the familiar streets once more, he felt the surging youki flowing through his body, and an unmistakable sense of confidence welled up inside him.
The final outcome in the Type-Moon world had come after Mordred's exit, with Ren and Saber emerging victorious.
Saber's wish to the Holy Grail had been to return and change history.
Ren's wish, on the other hand, had been for Medusa to be reborn—to return to Sakura's side and accompany that poor girl once more.
To Ren, the Holy Grail's wish-granting power was actually quite limited—borderline useless—so in the end, he chose to fulfill the wishes of others instead.
After Sakura had her chest pierced by him, she didn't die. The power of "All the World's Evil" within her, after repairing her injuries, was completely exhausted.
Freed from her corrupted state, Sakura finally let go of her obsession with killing Tohsaka Rin for revenge, and left together with Medusa.
As for Medea—
After learning Ren's true identity, she decisively swallowed the youki crystal he offered, allowing the body she had just obtained to undergo full yokai transformation, and formed a contract with him.
In Medea's own words—
She had been a witch for so many years already. So what if she became a demoness now?
Besides, her rebirth was practically a gift from Ren. She had no regrets about the choice she made.
Returning to the main world this time, Ren felt that his strength had increased more than during any previous world traversal.
First, in the Slime World, he had obtained the Demon King Seed, gaining a host of powerful skills, an explosive increase in youki, and bestowing vassal blessings upon his subordinate yokai.
Then, by sheer coincidence, he had ended up in the Type-Moon world. Even without triggering a system mission, he'd still walked away immensely rewarded.
His Nichirin Blade—Divine Protection, Half-Awakened.An SS-rank skill: Reality Marble.And a contract with Medea.
With Medea's magical energy converted into youki, once she arrived in this world, she would at the very least be an A-rank yokai.
All in all, this interworld journey brought him almost no reputation—but his personal combat power and skill set had more than doubled.
At full output, Ren now possessed S+-rank combat strength.And if he truly went all out without regard for consequences, even an SS--rank opponent wouldn't necessarily be untouchable.
Before he left this world, the leaders of the three strongest yokai factions had only been SS-rank beings.
In other words, Ren's current strength was no longer far behind those regional yokai kings.
What he lacked was simply manpower—he didn't have nearly as many subordinates as they did.
"My base youki has already reached A-rank.That means I can officially start the second phase of the mission to become the 'Ruler of Tokyo's Yokai.'"
"So… should I head home first?Or go to the Countermeasures Division and see how the world's changed during the past week?"
After a brief moment of hesitation, Ren decided that since Shuki hadn't contacted him, the house was probably safe. In the end, he headed toward the Countermeasures Division.
Along the way, by observing pedestrians and the surrounding environment, he gained a rough understanding of the current state of the main world.
Overall, not much had changed during the week he'd been gone.
Human adaptability was astonishing.Living space had shrunk—but plenty of people had died as well.
Life still had to go on.
The only difference was that now, the neighbors weren't exactly friendly.
"Hey, look over there—Isn't that the exorcist ranked 923rd on the Exorcist List, the one known as 'Wildflame', sir?"
Walking along the roadside, Ren maintained a layer of disguise out of habit.
At that moment, a red-haired boy walking toward him was basking in the worshipful gazes cast from both sides of the street. He was so smug that he wasn't even watching where he was going.
Just yesterday, by sheer luck, he'd managed to finish off a B-rank great yokai, and his ranking had jumped to 920th on the Exorcist List.
Although the list only had one thousand slots—and his position was near the very bottom—
This list was now the most prestigious ranking in the entire exorcist world.
Anyone who made it onto the list was undeniably powerful.
And among them, young exorcists numbered fewer than a hundred.
Ever since making the list and earning the title "Wildflame", the red-haired boy had completely floated off the ground.
Anyone on the Exorcist List was now treated like a national idol by ordinary people—especially the younger ones.
Some found the attention exhausting and disguised themselves whenever they went out.
Others thoroughly enjoyed the spotlight.
Without a doubt, the young man known as Wildflame fell firmly into the latter category.
Still young, and suddenly showered with glory, Hinomura Yuuichi now walked with his nose practically in the air, convinced no one would dare block his path.
As for Ren—
He hadn't even heard of this so-called Wildflame. He was only thinking about how to get to the Countermeasures Division.
Unfortunately, Yuuichi's nose-in-the-air walk ended with him crashing straight into Ren.
Not only that—he immediately started making a scene.
"Sorry," Ren said calmly from beneath his hood."I have somewhere to be. I don't want any trouble."
He gave Yuuichi a brief glance, mentally labeling him as nothing more than a brat in the middle of puberty, apologized, and turned to leave.
But ever since climbing the rankings, Yuuichi had grown used to being worshipped.
His family now focused their resources on cultivating him. Wherever he went, people gave him face.
And yet—
This guy was just going to walk away?
"Hey, wait a second," Yuuichi snapped, grabbing Ren's sleeve."You bumped into me and think you can just leave?Do you even know who I am?"
"I'm Hinomura Yuuichi, the genius of the Hinomura family—A newly ranked exorcist on the Exorcist List, the prodigy known as 'Wildflame'!"
Truth be told, Yuuichi wasn't really angry about being bumped into. He knew perfectly well that he hadn't been watching where he was going.
What pissed him off was this—
He was already this famous, yet the other party clearly didn't recognize him at all.
Like most teenagers, Yuuichi had an extremely strong sense of vanity. So when Ren apologized and tried to leave, Yuuichi reached out and grabbed him.
He wasn't trying to pick a fight.
He just wanted to educate this country bumpkin on exactly how amazing he was.
"Are you even from Tokyo?You don't know about the most authoritative Exorcist List right now?"
"Take a good look at my face.You seriously don't recognize me?"
Just as the two were about to brush past each other—
The moment Yuuichi reached out, Ren reacted purely on instinct.
In a flash, he spun around, caught Yuuichi's wrist, and executed a clean, effortless shoulder throw.
Before Yuuichi could even process what was happening, he was slammed flat onto the ground in front of Ren.
As Yuuichi instinctively tried to raise his head—
A hand pressed down on his skull.
And a cold, gleaming blade appeared inches from his face.
From the moment Yuuichi reached out from behind, to having his wrist locked, to being thrown, to now being pinned—
Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
By the time Yuuichi regained awareness, he had completely lost the ability to resist. Staring at the blade so close to his eyes, he felt as though he'd been dropped into an ice cellar.
"Sorry," Ren said calmly."That was reflex. I'm not used to people reaching for me from behind."
"I really do have urgent business to take care of.If you want compensation, go to Countermeasures Division, Ninth Squad, and ask for Kamishiro Isshin."
"With your status as an exorcist, finding the place shouldn't be difficult.Just tell him Ren Kuroda sent you."
With his head pinned down and the blade less than ten centimeters from a vital point, Hinomura Yuuichi experienced death's proximity for the first time in his life.
To be blunt—
The aura Ren unconsciously released when he struck made Yuuichi feel that the B-rank great yokai he'd fought before was absolutely nothing by comparison.
Just as Yuuichi was thinking that he'd truly kicked a steel plate this time—
The pressure on his head suddenly eased.
And as Ren sheathed his blade, that overwhelming sense of imminent death receded like a tide, vanishing in an instant.