Not long after leaning against Rod, Lavinia began to let out faint, soft snores.
Even Kuroka, nestled in her arms, soon fell asleep as well.
Seriously…
Lavinia was one thing, but Kuroka, had she really decided to live like a cat now, eating and sleeping all day?
Seeing how comfortably Kuroka slept, Rod suddenly reached out and gave her a quick rub, ruffling her fur into a messy state.
"Meow?"
Kuroka opened her eyes, intending to see which foolish human dared to mess with her fur. But when she realized it was Rod, the irritation in her heart vanished instantly. Tilting her head, she gave a small, puzzled "Huh?"
"It's nothing. Go back to sleep, I just wanted to pet you," Rod said calmly.
Are you crazy? Kuroka thought speechlessly. Still, seeing that Rod had no further intentions, she simply continued sleeping against Lavinia.
At that moment, however, Rod suddenly had a rather wicked thought.
When Kuroka transformed into a cat, was she technically wearing clothes, or not?
He was slightly tempted to test it himself, but that would be somewhat damaging to his dignity. In the end, he decided he would just ask her directly once she woke up.
…
Sounds of cooking drifted from the kitchen. Kalawarna peeked out, and seeing that the two on the sofa were asleep, quietly closed the door to muffle the noise.
Rod fell into thought.
Lavinia's earlier words had sparked a new line of thinking.
The form a Longinus would take after achieving Balance Breaker was not necessarily fixed before awakening. Since it had already fused with the user's body, the holder's will, whether conscious or subconscious, would inevitably influence the final form.
Thinking this through, Rod also remembered that in the original storyline, Balance Breaker abilities could indeed change based on the host's intentions.
As for the form he personally hoped for…
Truthfully, even Rod himself wasn't sure yet.
Balance Breakers like Lavinia's possessed impressive destructive power and range, but transformation-type Balance Breakers such as those of the Red Dragon Emperor or White Dragon Emperor were both powerful and undeniably cool.
If this were a game, Rod would definitely lean toward the second type, after all, what man wouldn't want to transform?
There had once been an online poll asking people to choose between two options: unlimited money forever, or the ability to transform into Ultraman for ten minutes.
The second option had won by an overwhelming margin.
"Forget it. Why overthink it? Whatever form it takes is fine."
Rod decided not to get stuck in mental overanalysis. If the Longinus could be influenced by the subconscious, then there was no need to worry too much.
About forty minutes later, the kitchen door opened. The three Fallen Angels and Asia brought the finished dishes to the table.
Rod glanced over them, different cuisine with different flavor profile were all represented.
Lavinia, who had still been asleep, instantly opened her eyes the moment she smelled the food. Kuroka let out a meow, jumped onto a chair, and transformed back into her human form.
Rod felt there was a saying that fit her perfectly:
Useless at everything else, number one when it comes to eating.
Lavinia's expression remained calm, but her eyes were fixed firmly on the dishes.
"Go ahead and eat," Rod said.
The moment he spoke, Lavinia eagerly picked up her utensils, the delicious taste even prompting a few exclamations in her native language.
Kuroka said nothing, focusing entirely on eating.
Twenty minutes later, everyone was full and satisfied.
Kuroka patted her round stomach with a small meow, then transformed back into a cat and curled up on the sofa once more.
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
Asia walked over to open the door and found a familiar visitor who had come once before.
"Oh, Asia. Is Mr. Rod at home?"
"Yes, he is."
Asia nodded, then looked toward the living room. "Please come in."
Knowing that the visitor was the cousin of Rod's friend, Asia welcomed Akeno Himejima inside.
Rod glanced over.
Unlike her previous imposing visit, Akeno was all smiles this time. She wasn't wearing the Kuoh Academy school uniform but instead a light, casual home outfit. The light green dress reached her knees, revealing slender, fair calves, and though the clothing was quite loose, it still highlighted her impressive curves.
"Mr. Rod, a small token of thanks, nothing too special," Akeno said. Though young, she clearly understood social etiquette and had brought a gift: a box of tea. She didn't know much about tea, but she knew enough to choose an expensive one.
Rod himself wasn't particularly interested in gifts. The best present, in his opinion, would be if she someday packaged herself into a gift box and delivered it to his room.
"Did you come to see me about something?" he asked.
"Not exactly. I mainly came today to pay you a visit and apologize for yesterday's rudeness. Also, our familiar discovered signs of a recent battle in the outskirts," Akeno said with a gentle smile.
Aside from the apology, she had also come carrying a request from Rias, to confirm the situation.
Earlier that afternoon, while patrolling the border of Kuoh Town, Rias's familiar had discovered traces that looked like the aftermath of a major battle. After hearing Akeno's analysis, Rias suspected Rod might have been involved. She had originally planned to call him, but Akeno volunteered to come in person instead.
"Yes, this morning Lavinia and I found an open area and did some training. We set up a barrier beforehand, so it shouldn't have affected any ordinary people," Rod admitted with a nod.
Then he asked with a teasing smile, "I didn't realize Rias had the habit of having familiars patrol the borders?"
In the original story, Kuoh Town had always been a place where all kinds of beings, from gods and devil kings down to stray devils and rogue exorcists, could wander in freely. Most of the time, Rias only showed up after something had already happened. Calling it a territory almost felt generous, it was practically a sieve.
Hearing the subtle sarcasm, Akeno gave a faint, wry smile. "Perhaps because so many things have happened recently, Rias has neglected routine patrols a little. Normally, she does take Kuoh Town quite seriously."
Rod withheld his opinion.
"Lately, because of matters at home, Rias hasn't been in a very good mood," Akeno added, a hint of concern on her face.
Rod immediately sensed where this was heading.
After thinking it over, he realized that at this stage, the only thing troubling Rias was likely the pressure from her family regarding marriage. Without the Red Dragon Emperor on her side, her chances of defeating Riser would be extremely slim.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Read 40 Advanced Chapters
p(a)treon.com/Shalltearr
Drop some POWERSTONES to push the story forward!