Chapter 16: Rias, You Want Cat Food or Dog Food?

"Welcome!"

Mittelt and Kalawarna forced awkward smiles as they spoke their greetings, but inwardly they were screaming.

Raynare, meanwhile, toyed with a dark magic aura in her hand, black mist swirling around her. She seemed to be enjoying herself immensely.

Anytime she sensed the two getting out of line, she'd lash them with a whip formed from pure darkness. The crisp crack of it said everything about how much force was behind it.

Though it left no visible wounds, the pain was intense.

Their bodies trembled slightly, teeth clenched. They knew if they screamed, things would get much worse.

They had no power now and couldn't defend against any of this.

Raynare's cold voice followed.

"Are you crying? How can you greet customers with such pathetic faces? Smile!"

Rias and the others looked on with complicated expressions.

If your smile looks worse than crying, maybe don't force it out… it's terrifying!

Akeno, on the other hand, watched with great interest, a dangerous glint in her eyes.

Seeing Rias's face twitch, Ren found it funny.

Was Raynare unconsciously developing some odd personality traits?

Glancing at Akeno, Ren couldn't help but think—

These two might actually get along disturbingly well…

Clearing his throat, Ren redirected Raynare's attention.

"Raynare, that's enough… just sit quietly."

"Yes, my hateful master!"

Looks like that nickname was here to stay. Ren didn't mind.

Even if some might find the term "hateful" annoying, all bark and no bite meant it didn't matter.

Still, looking at Raynare, Ren seriously suspected the Heart of a Fallen Angel had given her some weird side effects.

He didn't feel anything himself. Maybe the system filtered out any mental alterations and only kept the power during the feedback process.

Raynare glanced at Mittelt and Kalawarna and said flatly,

"Sit."

"Yes yes yes!!!"

The two quickly rushed to sit on either side of her.

Still a bit shaken, Rias turned her gaze to Ren.

"Thanks again for Fou's help earlier. If it wasn't for her, Asia might've gotten hurt."

"Asia already thanked me, so no need to say more. Besides, I know Koneko well. No need for formalities."

As he spoke, Ren gave Koneko a doting look, making her lower her head in embarrassment.

Just as if something had occurred to her, Koneko suddenly looked up and glanced at Ren.

"So, Manager Kurosawa, you knew I was a devil?"

"I've known from the very beginning... and yet you still handed me a 'nice guy' card all innocently!"

"Ugh... so back then, you heard everything?"

Koneko suddenly felt a bit embarrassed at the thought of her conversation with Akeno the other day.

Was it because Akeno-senpai had casually mentioned that she liked Manager Kurosawa? She wasn't sure.

"Eavesdropping is cheating!"

"I wasn't eavesdropping. You two weren't whispering or anything. I just listened fair and square."

Ren's matter-of-fact tone left Koneko wide-eyed. Was that really a valid excuse?

Kuroka licked her lips and gave Ren a disdainful look. Her master was always shameless like this.

"Koneko, why do you seem so unsurprised about Manager Ren?"

Akeno glanced curiously at the little cat. She'd been watching closely ever since Fou unleashed her power.

The little cat's expression hadn't really changed—even when Ren appeared.

It wasn't just Akeno. Even Rias and the others had noticed.

"The pet food Manager Kurosawa gave me to feed Kuro... my familiar accidentally ate it, and its strength suddenly increased. So I figured the shopkeeper wasn't normal..."

"Nyaa???"

Kuro was stunned!

What did she just hear? The food her master gave to Shirone... was stolen?!

Hearing that, Kuro felt as if lightning had struck her square in the forehead.

The sky was falling! That was the only way to describe it.

Seeing the aggrieved look in Kuro's eyes, Koneko was filled with guilt.

"Sorry, Kuro. I didn't secure the food properly, so it got eaten by accident..."

"Meow..."

Since her sister admitted fault, what could she even say?

Besides, it was the master's own fault for not warning Shirone ahead of time. That food was unusually tempting for pets.

Even Fou and she had been drawn in by it before.

Fou and she had built up some resistance from eating it multiple times, but it was Shirone's familiar's first time—of course they couldn't resist.

Come to think of it, Shirone didn't react much... was it out of politeness?

Maybe... her little sister was just that kind of person.

"Eh! So the pet food sold here can boost the pet's strength?"

Rias's eyes lit up instantly and she turned to stare at Ren.

If it could boost a familiar's strength... could it work for them too?

She knew Ren wouldn't just hand something like that out, but if she could trade for it, she'd absolutely give it a shot.

"It can... Both Fou and Kuro have eaten it... and the stuff I gave to Koneko is similar."

Ren didn't hide anything. Koneko had been staying with him for a while now, and since she was a Nekomata devil, it was only a matter of time before she found out. Besides, most of what Ren gave her were blue-tier items that didn't offer much growth to Fou or Kuroka.

Plus, Ren had already set his eyes on forming a contract with Koneko, so she would've found out eventually.

Koneko instinctively glanced down at Kuro in her arms, who was looking up at her with those adorable eyes.

Rias's eyes sparkled again, and she quickly asked.

"If Raynare can grow stronger from it, that means we can eat it too, right?"

Her idea was to offer something in exchange—she didn't mind paying a price.

But upon hearing this, Ren raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but ask.

"So Rias, are you saying you want to eat dog food or cat food? I have plenty. Want some?"

Rias: "..."

How was she supposed to respond to that?

Raynare: "..."

So what I was eating before... was dog or cat food?