Yasaka's Invitation

However, because of all the things Ren did, whether intentionally or unintentionally, even if Suzaku Himejima was aloof, she couldn't show such a demeanor in front of him.

Moreover, the reason why Suzaku Himejima has this kind of personality is mostly due to internal pressure from her family.

Because Ren was an outsider, she could show her truest self without any reservations.

Looking at the girl beside him, who had slumped into a heap of mud, Ren leaned lazily against the headboard.

He's worked so hard for so long; he deserves what he has!

If only I had another cigarette...

Oh right, he doesn't smoke, so that's fine.

Moreover, looking at the fair, jade-like skin before him, Ren felt a surge of attraction.

That's just how men his age are.

Although Suzaku Himejima was fast asleep, since there were no other outsiders around, Ren decided to get moving again.

The girl, who was resting face down, was startled awake by the strange noise. When she came to her senses, her face turned bright red, but unable to struggle, she could only hug the pillow beneath her tightly, her fair fingers turning red and white from the excessive force.

Until an unknown amount of time had passed.

Suzaku Himejima became like a fish on a chopping board, completely at the mercy of others, as if all her strength had been drained away.

The girl realized that someone had carefully tucked her into bed. Ren seemed to say something, but she couldn't hear a word he said.

The morning sunlight was dazzling, like a golden paintbrush painting the world into a colorful canvas.

Ren washed up in the hot spring.

Before leaving, he went to check on the bedroom one last time and saw that the young head of the Himejima Family was still fast asleep, so he did not deliberately wake him.

However, upon arriving at the courtyard filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, I encountered several acquaintances.

Jeanne, Minagawa Natsume, Nanataki Shiguko happened to be walking towards them from a distance.

Upon seeing Ren, Jeanne strode past the other two and asked, "Where did you go last night? I couldn't find you anywhere."

"Sleeping in the back, what's wrong?"

Ren stretched his body, and his otherworldly aura captivated the other two girls who were just ordinary high school girls a few months ago.

"Hey! You still have the nerve to sleep? We looked for you for ages last night, and you were just having fun here all by yourself! It's really impolite to keep a girl waiting!"

Minagawa Natsume stood with her hands on her hips, her expression sunny, and said...

"Hmm? You want me to flick you again?"

Ren glanced at her.

"Well..."

Upon seeing Ren make the finger-snap gesture, Minagawa Natsume immediately covered her forehead with both hands in a panic.

Although the swelling has subsided in the past two days, some lingering pain remains. I don't know how Ren flicked it, because the red mark hasn't completely disappeared yet.

If it happens again, will she ever be able to face anyone again?!

"So, you came here specifically to see me?"

Ren asked with a light laugh.

"It's about half and half. We also want to talk to Vermilion Bird. We heard from the other members of the Himejima Family that Vermilion Bird has been quite tired these past few days. As her friends, we naturally wanted to see if there was anything we could do to help her."

"Minagawa Natsume said softly."

"These successive events that have happened to the Himejima Family must be putting a lot of pressure on Vermilion Bird. We don't know what to do about the Himejima Family, but we also want to make her a little happier."

"Then... how can we make Vermilion Bird happy?"

Nanataki Shiguko, holding a masked creature resembling a small dog, said, "I'm asking for a Taotie."

"Um, I'm not too sure either, but for girls, being able to go shopping and chat with friends should be a happy thing, right? So I was wondering if Vermilion Bird could go shopping and chat with me sometime in the future."

"Is that so?"

Nanataki Shiguko.

"That's right. Personal emotions are just as important as family matters."

Minagawa Natsume nodded seriously.

It would be best to seize the opportunity to go out and eliminate all of Vermilion Bird's inner troubles in one go.

"By the way, do you know where Miss Vermilion Bird Ren?"

Jeanne asked.

They also couldn't find any trace of Vermilion Bird, so they asked Ren for help.

"Oh, she's resting in the bedroom inside."

Ren pointed with his finger.

Is it inside?

Minagawa Natsume muttered to herself, but quickly realized what was happening.

"Huh? Did you come out from that direction too? Did you come looking for her?"

"To be precise, she came to see me."

Ren shrugged, not saying much.

Minagawa Natsume gave a strange look, but seeing that Ren remained unmoved, she muttered something under her breath and then led Nanataki Shiguko deeper into the area.

"Goodbye."

The girl holding the Taotie bowed to Ren, then quickly followed Minagawa Natsume.

After the two women left...

Jeanne cautiously approached Ren and whispered, "I've already guessed it. The mysterious person who attacked the Himejima Family that day must have been you, right?"

How did you guess?

I asked Ren asked.

"It was just a gut feeling, and besides, didn't you specifically tell me when you left?"

"Although that bespectacled figure is completely different from you, I have a similar feeling. The Hero Faction doesn't have the resources to retaliate for the time being, and other forces in Kyoto don't have your strength. Most importantly, the dead are only the former sect leader and a few elders."

Jeanne was no mere pretty face; although she hadn't received much formal education, she possessed basic logical thinking skills.

"Suzaku Himejima has always wanted to reform the family, which is why she chose to act on the night of the Hero Faction's attack. As for why you confronted everyone in the Himejima Family so openly that day, it was because you wanted to take the blame for killing your own clansmen for Suzaku Himejima. That way, even if others suspect Suzaku Himejima of being the culprit, there would be no evidence to prove it."

What happened next is well-known.

Suzaku Himejima successfully became the sect leader, and blamed the deaths of Himejima Suou and several elders on the mysterious bespectacled man who appeared that night.

After finishing speaking in one breath, Ren showed a surprised expression.

"I never expected you to be so smart!"

Chapter 237 Yasaka's Invitation

Chapter 237

Jeanne rolled her eyes.

What makes her so smart?

Knowing so much inside information, if she still hadn't guessed it, her brain might as well be rebuilt.

Just as Jeanne was about to say something, she suddenly heard a scream from afar.

Jeanne's expression changed immediately, and she rushed towards the depths of the inner courtyard.

Before they even got close, they saw that Minagawa Natsume was pale and her fingers were trembling. Nanataki Shiguko was in no better shape, standing there motionless, as if she had been scared half to death.

But it wasn't until he rushed into Suzaku Himejima's bedroom that he understood why the two of them were in such a state.

Deep within the valley, in a secluded cave, thick stalactites gush forth, seemingly endless, flowing gently.

The sunlight filtering through the gaps in the curtains reflected off the light, making it particularly eye-catching.

Thud--!

Jeanne swallowed hard, her cheeks flushing rapidly, but she quickly recovered, pushing the half-closed door shut and rushing forward to cover the girl with the blanket.

She glanced at the two girls, who seemed either frightened or shocked, and recalled the smile Ren had given her when he pointed the way.

That guy really has a twisted sense of humor!

Ren didn't care what they thought; his mind was elsewhere.

[Quest "The Changes in the Himejima Family" Completed]

[Reward: Dungeon System Activated]

[Dungeon System: Dungeons will open periodically; completing the tasks will reward you with rich rewards]

Ren' eyes lit up when he saw the mission reward.

After all, anyone who has ever traveled through time knows that completing quests in dungeons is an essential part of the experience.

Basically, many of the novels Ren has read have similar settings; the protagonists are either running dungeons or on their way to running dungeons.

[Note: The instance is randomly selected by the system and then the host travels through it, allowing the host to adventure and challenge in a brand new instance.]

[You can return after completing the dungeon quest, or you can choose to abandon the challenge and return immediately.]

"This is great, it's not a forced dungeon."

Seeing this, Ren couldn't help but praise his system.

Other protagonist systems prevent you from leaving once you complete a mission, and some extreme ones even eliminate you at the drop of a hat. This system feels just like his personality: a mission is issued, and you can do it if you want. There's no penalty for not doing it; you just won't get the reward.

"Tsk tsk, if only you were a little more mature in the future. You could just complete the tasks yourself and I could just sit back and collect the rewards."

Ren began to dream.

"By the way, if I travel through time, how would the flow of time between the two worlds be calculated?"

[Rest assured, after entering the new instance, the flow of time in this world will proceed at an extremely slow pace. There will be no situation where a year passes in this world for a day when the host is away.]

"That's good."

Ren nodded.

If one day a new instance opens, and he transmigrates into it without asking any questions, spends a few days there to complete the missions, and then comes back to find that several years have passed in the High School DxD world, that would be a bit much.

However, the dungeon quests are not yet available, so he doesn't need to worry about it too much.

After closing the system menu, Ren began to wander around the Himejima Family.

At the same time, he took out his phone and dialed Lavinia's number.

During his stay in Kyoto, he frequently kept in touch with Lavinia and the others in private.

Now that he finally had some free time, he prepared to inform the people of Kuoh Town about the Himejima Family's situation.

"Anyway, that's how it is. Let's tell Akeno and the others the good news after school."

There's still a revenge quest triggered by Akeno Himejima in the system taskbar that hasn't been completed yet. It seems that it won't be resolved until the girl finds out about it.

"Good."

Lavinia's words were concise and to the point.

"How are Vermilion Bird and Xia Mei now?"

After finishing their business, the two started chatting about everyday things, with Lavinia especially mentioning the names of several girls.

After all, she received a lot of care from them when she was in Kyoto; otherwise, it would have been difficult for her, as a witch, to live peacefully in Kyoto, which was protected by the Five Great Houses, for such a long time.

"They're all great. I'll give you their contact information later to give you more details."

"Okay, you've had a tough time these past few days too~~~"

Lavinia's gentle voice came through.