Seeing Koneko standing so close to Rian, Kuroka's expression shifted. For a split second, her eyes shimmered with a faint hint of jealousy.
Before saying anything, Kuroka cast a brief glance at Vali.
"Hey, Leader… so this is the human who easily defeated a high-class Fallen Angel?" she asked, her tone relaxed yet laced with curiosity.
Then she muttered under her breath, almost as if speaking to herself.
"His aura… it really is so similar to 'her'… heh, how strange, nyaa~"
Kuroka's gaze returned to Koneko, her smile turning sweet—yet underneath it, a subtle provocation lingered.
"Shirone, you're awfully close to him, aren't you? Nyaa~" Her playful tone sharpened. "Even if he's strong… in the end, he's still just a human. Nyaa~"
Kuroka smiled thinly, a smile with danger coiled beneath it. "You know what that means, right? His lifespan won't be long… only around fifty years at most. Nyaa~"
Before Koneko could open her mouth, Vali raised a hand and tapped Kuroka's shoulder—a simple gesture, yet clearly a signal that her words were starting to cross the line.
Kuroka glanced at Vali, then clicked her tongue softly. "What? I'm only stating the truth, nyaa~"
On the other side, Rian remained silent, not uttering a single word.
From behind his interface glasses, Six Eyes swept over Kuroka from head to toe.
Not to analyze her strength or magical level, but for something far more shallow—yet important to him: Rian was evaluating Kuroka's appearance and overall demeanor.
From the beginning, Rian had already sensed the presence of both her and Vali in Kuoh Town.
He simply let them observe from afar, until they finally teleported right in front of him and Koneko. Even then, Rian's priority hadn't changed: enjoying his evening with Koneko.
Now, his gaze seemed slightly vacant, lost in his own thoughts.
'Hmm… seeing her up close, Kuroka really is the ideal kind of cat I'd want to adopt. Her black color is perfect—elegant and captivating.'
Rian's instincts as a handsome, charismatic man were screaming inside his head. To him, Koneko and Kuroka were the two finest "cats" he had ever encountered.
Those black cat ears… ah, he felt an almost irresistible urge to gently bite them. Her long, silky hair felt like an open invitation to be brushed and played with.
And finally, the pair of black tails behind her—sometimes swaying lightly through the air as if dancing—were just as tempting as her ears and hair.
'How should I persuade her…?' Rian wondered while keeping his expression perfectly neutral. 'I want her right now. Would offering churros be enough?'
Eventually, Kuroka furrowed her brows, a mix of irritation and curiosity forming on her face as she sensed how intense Rian's gaze had been.
A teasing smile curled on her lips as she looked directly at him. "Why do I feel like you're very interested in me, nyaa~?"
Vali, who had already felt ignored by Rian since the very beginning, simply closed his eyes for a moment—choosing not to react at all.
Meanwhile, Koneko stared at Rian, one eye twitching, her expression hard to read.
"Rian-senpai… it feels like you've been infected by Issei's virus," she said sharply.
Rian chuckled at Koneko's trademark deadpan remark, making Kuroka blink in surprise while Vali finally opened his eyes, watching the two of them with newfound curiosity.
"Sorry," Rian said casually—as if he were commenting on the weather—"I was just thinking… you're the ideal cat type. Makes me want to adopt you as soon as possible."
"N-Nyaa!?" Kuroka froze on the spot, her ears twitching in shock.
Before anyone could respond, Rian continued in a serious tone, "So… may I know what conditions or requests you have for letting me adopt you? Just say it. Anything."
Behind him, Koneko's face darkened. She lifted her hand, ready to pinch Rian's waist.
But Rian reacted instantly—his left hand caught her wrist, while his right hand gently cupped her cheek.
"Relax, Shironeko," Rian said with a warm smile, gentle like the morning sun. "You're still my favorite cat."
Koneko's face instantly flushed red, her cheeks puffing out in quiet embarrassment.
"…Annoying," she muttered.
Seeing that only made Kuroka more irritated. Her eyes narrowed sharply as she pointed her finger at Rian.
"You're far too arrogant for a human, Nyaa~! Stay away from my little sister!"
At those words, Rian immediately pulled Koneko closer, wrapping her in a firm hug.
Koneko blushed even harder, a mix of comfort and embarrassment flooding her senses—her tail twitching ever so slightly.
Rian looked at Kuroka with a smug smile.
"No," he said confidently. "If you want to be close to Shironeko… then you'll have to become my cat too."
"Nyaa~! You're seriously getting on my nerves!" Kuroka shouted, grabbing her own head in frustration. "Shirone! Listen to me, he's a dangerous man!"
But Koneko didn't react at all. Instead, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to remain in Rian's embrace.
Seeing that, Kuroka's face grew even hotter—somewhere between jealousy and anger—so much that she nearly gave in to the urge to claw Rian's smug face right there.
Rian released Koneko from his embrace, then slowly stepped toward Kuroka.
Koneko watched his back with curious eyes, while Kuroka stared at him with a mix of irritation and intrigue.
Vali, standing not far away, observed the scene as well—just as baffled as the two nekomata sisters.
Once the distance between them vanished, Rian lifted his hand and let his fingers brush through a few strands of Kuroka's black hair.
"This hair… it's really silky," Rian said casually. "Makes me impatient to brush it."
A faint blush spread across Kuroka's cheeks, her body instinctively wanting to retreat. But before she could move, Rian's hands had already reached her black ears, cupping them without the slightest hesitation.
"Nyaa!?"
Kuroka jolted, her whole body trembling like a koto string struck without warning, while a deep blush spread across her cheeks, growing darker with every passing second.
Rian didn't stop there. His fingers moved slowly, stroking the outer and inner edges of her ears, playing with them as if weaving a melody across living silk.
Kuroka's face reddened even more.
Her body trembled harder—anger, frustration, embarrassment, and weakness all mixing into a single overwhelming sensation.
"Nyaa~ s-stop… I-it's improper… Nyaa~ let me go~" her voice rose, flustered and whimpering, sounding just like a cat forced to play against her will.
Her knees weakened, her body growing limp until she finally collapsed onto the pavement.
Yet Rian showed no intention of stopping.
He instead leaned down slightly, adjusting his position, a crooked smile on his lips, his eyes studying her as though she were a rare piece of art.
"The texture is soft… but different from Shironeko's," he said casually. "Kuroka's feels wilder," he added, "but it still fits nicely in my hands."
Vali, watching the scene unfold, could only cover his face with one hand.
On the other side, Koneko froze; her cheeks flushed just as red as Kuroka's, as if she were feeling everything her sister was going through.
A sense of déjà vu flickered in her mind—Rian had done something similar to her before, and now Kuroka had become the next victim.
Meanwhile, Rian was still calmly playing with Kuroka's ears, his fingers moving lightly, like a mischievous breeze teasing the leaves.
"Hmm… I wonder how it feels?" Rian said in a teasing tone.
Without giving her any time to respond, Rian leaned in and gave a small bite to the tip of Kuroka's left ear, like a mischievous cat testing its limits.
"Nyaa!?" Kuroka jolted, her body tensing up at the sudden sensation.
Koneko, unable to endure it any longer, moved instantly.
With a swift leap, she kicked Rian hard enough to make him release Kuroka, sending him flying several meters away.
Vali finally let out a very long sigh.
"I came here to meet you, not to witness this," Vali muttered in resignation—feeling truly tired for the first time, even before the fight began.
***
Some time had passed since the ridiculous incident where Rian casually played with Kuroka's nekomata ears.
He had even given them a small bite, right before being rewarded with a solid kick from Koneko.
Now, the atmosphere was completely different. They were far outside Kuoh Town, in a quiet hilly forest, far removed from any settlement.
Stone pillars rose from the ground—formed through magic—and surrounding them was Rian's Curtain, sealing the entire area tightly from the outside world.
Rian stood facing Vali, who had already activated Divine Dividing, his Sacred Gear manifesting as white wings with translucent blue feathers.
Both stood atop their respective pillars, roughly ten meters apart, staring at each other like two knights ready to test their limits.
As a result, the air between them felt heavy, as if the battlefield itself was holding its breath, waiting for the first impact.
Koneko and Kuroka remained outside the clash zone, observing with different attitudes—Koneko stern and focused, while Kuroka wore a faint smile, her eyes occasionally flicking toward Rian.
They kept a five-meter distance from the center of the area, where Ophis stood calmly, like the eye of a storm.
__
Additional note:
Ehehehe. It's time to add a new cat to the house. I can think of so many wild ideas. I'd love to write them down, but… not right now. Ehehe~ maybe later, after a while.
But yeah… whatever it is, if you're patient. By the way, there's going to be a Rian vs Vali battle.
Give me your best reviews and commentary! And of course, don't forget your power stones.