It didn't take long for Lavinia to start snoring softly against Rhode's shoulder. Even the black cat she was holding, Kuroka, had fallen asleep.
Unbelievable. Lavinia was one thing, but Rhode couldn't help but look at Kuroka. Are you really just going to act like a cat? Eat and sleep, sleep and eat? Seeing how comfortably Kuroka was sleeping, Rhode suddenly reached out and gave her a rough rua—a vigorous petting session. He ruffled her fur until it was a tangled mess.
"Meow?"
Kuroka snapped her eyes open, ready to see which blind human dared to mess with her. But when she saw it was Rhode, her irritation vanished instantly. She tilted her head and let out a soft, "Huh?"
"Nothing. Go back to sleep. I just felt like touching you," Rhode said with a deadpan expression.
Is there something wrong with you?! Kuroka was speechless. But seeing that Rhode really didn't want anything, she settled back onto Lavinia and went back to sleep.
As Rhode watched her, a rather wicked thought suddenly popped into his mind: When Kuroka is in her cat form, is she technically 'wearing clothes' or is she... stark naked?
He felt a sudden urge to test the theory himself, but decided that might be a bit too much of a blow to his remaining integrity. He'd just ask her once she woke up.
The sounds of cooking drifted from the kitchen. Kalawarner poked her head out, saw the pair sleeping on the sofa, and quietly closed the kitchen door to muffle the noise of their work.
Rhode fell into deep thought. Lavinia's words had opened up a new line of thinking: the form of a Balance Breaker isn't set in stone before it's successfully achieved. Since it's a merged part of the body, it must be governed by the wielder's will. Whether subjective or subconscious, those thoughts would influence the final form.
Rhode recalled that in the original story, certain Balance Breaker abilities could indeed be altered based on the host's intent.
As for the Balance Breaker he wanted most... To be honest, he wasn't sure.
Lavinia's type of Balance Breaker had incredible range and destructive power. On the other hand, transformation-type Balance Breakers like those of the Red Dragon Emperor or the White Dragon Emperor were both cool and powerful. If this were a game, Rhode would definitely lean toward the second type. After all, what man doesn't want to be able to transform?
He remembered an old internet poll: Option A: Infinite money. Option B: Ability to transform into Ultraman for ten minutes. The results were an absolute landslide victory for Option B.
"Whatever. Why stress over it? Just turn into whatever you want to turn into."
Rhode didn't let himself get bogged down in mental fatigue. Since the Longinus could be influenced by his subconscious, there was no need to worry.
About forty minutes later, the kitchen door opened. The Fallen Angel trio and Asia brought out the prepared dishes. Rhode glanced at the spread; it was a complete mix of Chinese, Japanese, and Italian cuisines.
Lavinia, who had been dead to the world, snapped her eyes open the moment the aroma hit her nose. Kuroka let out a "meow," hopped onto a chair, and transformed back into her human form.
Rhode thought of a saying that fit her perfectly: Useless at everything else, but number one at eating.
Lavinia's expression didn't change, but her eyes were locked onto the food like a predator.
"Let's eat," Rhode said.
The moment he gave the word, Lavinia dove in with her knife and fork. The food was so delicious she even started blurting out Italian. Kuroka said nothing at all, focusing entirely on devouring her meal.
Twenty minutes later, they were all full. Kuroka patted her rounded belly, let out a satisfied "meow," and turned back into a cat to curl up on the sofa again.
Just then, the doorbell rang. Asia went to answer it and found a familiar face.
"Oh, Asia. Is Mr. Rhode home?"
"Yes, he is." Asia nodded and looked back toward the living room. "Please, come in."
Knowing this was the cousin of Rhode's "friend," Asia led Akeno Himejima inside.
Rhode looked over. Unlike her previous aggressive visit, Akeno was currently smiling like a blooming flower. She wasn't wearing her Kuoh Academy uniform either, but rather a light, casual outfit. She wore a pale green dress that reached her knees, revealing her fair, slender calves. Despite the loose fit of the dress, it couldn't hide her magnificent curves. It was clear the girl's "assets" were incredibly substantial.
"Mr. Rhode, a small token of my gratitude. Please accept it."
Though she was young, Akeno was well-versed in social graces. She had brought a gift: a box of tea. She didn't know much about tea herself, but she knew enough to pick the most expensive one.
Rhode wasn't particularly interested in gifts. To him, the "best gift" would be her putting herself in a gift box and leaving it in his room one night.
"Do you need something?"
"Not necessarily. I mainly came to pay a visit and apologize for my rudeness yesterday," Akeno said with a smile. "Additionally, our familiar discovered traces of a battle on the outskirts of town today."
Beyond the apology, she was clearly carrying an investigative mission from Rias.Around noon today, while Rias Gremory's familiars were patrolling the outskirts of Kuoh Town, they discovered traces of what looked like a massive battle.
After receiving the report, Rias had grown instantly tense. However, after listening to Akeno Himejima's analysis, she began to suspect it might have been Rhode's doing. Rias originally intended to call him and ask, but Akeno took the initiative and decided to pay a visit in person.
"Yes, Lavinia and I found a vacant spot this morning to get some training in. We set up a barrier beforehand, so it shouldn't have affected any civilians," Rhode admitted with a nod. Then, with a playful glint in his eye, he asked, "I didn't expect Rias to have the habit of letting her familiars patrol the borders?"
In the original story, Kuoh Town was a revolving door. Everyone from high-tier gods and Maou-class figures down to stray devils and rogue exorcists could just waltz in and meddle. Rias usually only showed up with her team after something had already happened.
Calling it her "territory" was a bit generous; it was more like a sieve.
Hearing this, Akeno gave a wry smile. She caught the sarcasm in Rhode's tone and sighed. "Perhaps because so much has happened recently, Rias has been a bit lax in her patrols. Usually, she places quite a bit of importance on Kuoh Town."
Rhode kept his opinions to himself on that one.
"Lately, because of family matters, Rias hasn't been in the best of moods." Akeno's face clouded with worry.
Rhode's ears perked up. Is this the rhythm of a new quest appearing?
He thought it over. At this stage, the only thing that could be giving Rias such a headache—other than family-mandated marriage—was practically non-existent.
Wait!
Rhode suddenly realized that in this timeline, the Red Dragon Emperor wasn't here. Since Issei hadn't joined Rias's peerage, her chances of defeating Riser Phenex were infinitesimally small.
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High School DxD : Reincarnated into the Multiverse, but it's High School DxD (144 Chapters – Ongoing)
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