Renji stretched his arms, letting out a sigh as he stood near the doorway of Rin's house. "Well, it's getting late. I should head back."
As Renji prepared to leave Rin's house, a thought crossed his mind. He turned back to her and asked, "By the way, you said you haven't visited me for the past year. Why is that? What happened?"
Her expression dimmed slightly. "I… always wanted to visit you too." Her voice became quieter, as if she was hesitant to say the next part. "But… because of your fiancée, I thought it wasn't appropriate."
Renji frowned. "Liliana?"
Rin nodded. "You're the heir of a noble house, and I'm just a commoner. Plus… you had a bad reputation." She hesitated. "I didn't want to make things worse for you."
Renji chuckled. "Rin, you don't need to worry about any of that. If you're worried about Liliana, don't be. That engagement is just political nonsense. And as for my reputation…" He smirked. "That's my problem to fix."
Rin's eyes lit up with excitement. "Heh. It almost sounds like you're jealous of Liliana." She grinned. "Maybe you actually like me, huh?"
Renji put a hand on his chin and gave her a teasing smile. "Well, I am handsome, cool, and charming. It's not new for girls to fall for me."
SLAP!
A sharp sting spread across his arm as Rin smacked him.
"Idiot," she huffed. "Don't say that to any other girl. She will actually kill you."
Renji laughed, enjoying her reaction, but before he could say anything else, a small growl came from behind him. Rin's eyes widened as a shadowy figure stepped forward from the darkness.
"R-Renji, what is that?" she asked, taking a step back.
Renji turned and saw Nyx peeking out from behind him, its glowing red eyes staring at Rin curiously. "Oh, this little guy? His name is Nyx. He's been following me ever since I awakened my bloodline," he explained with a grin.
Rin looked between Renji and Nyx, still unsure. "That thing looks… dangerous."
Renji crouched down and scratched Nyx's head, making the creature purr in response. "Nah, he's not dangerous. Well, not to me, at least."
Rin gulped, but after a moment, she took a deep breath and reached out a hand cautiously. "I… guess he is kind of cute. In a terrifying way."
Renji chuckled. "Yeah, that's one way to put it."
As the night deepened, Rin and Renji stood there, the bond between them growing stronger—though neither of them would admit it yet.