The Nekomata's Instincts / You Can't Blame Rhodes for This

Before that, Ren's other hand had already involuntarily reached towards the oasis in the desert where springs were beginning to gush forth.

He could clearly feel that the springs gushing from the oasis had become more abundant.

Although Ren wasn't entirely clear about the Koneko's current situation, he did investigate briefly and found no signs of mind control.

Although he vaguely guessed the reason for the Koneko's current situation, he didn't bluntly refuse.

Or rather, perhaps only a saint could remain steadfast under such circumstances.

Ren, who is driven by both physical desire and emotional attachment, never refuses a request from a beautiful girl.

Moreover, acting against a woman's will is illegal.

So in this situation, of course he has to satisfy her!

To repair the oasis's flooding problem, Ren transforms into a diligent repairman, throwing himself wholeheartedly into the work.

The only employer present was also quite satisfied with Ren's hard work.

The oasis overrun wasn't a big problem; Ren fixed it in one go.

However, the employer apparently had other problems as well, and requested that Ren continue to fix those other issues.

Then.

The Koneko grasped the future.

"..."

Lavinia did not come back that night.

Or perhaps they came, but didn't go inside.

The next morning.

As the first rays of sunlight pierced through the gap in the curtains, Ren noticed a slight movement in his arms.

The Koneko, which had woken up sometime earlier, was lying on him, staring intently at him with its big, round eyes.

When their eyes met, the girl's gaze immediately became shy and timid, like a real cat hiding her head in her hands.

After a long while, the muffled voice of a young girl finally came from under the covers.

"Good morning, Mr. Ren."

The girl, who had regained consciousness, was now extremely ashamed.

Although she was in a hazy state of consciousness last night, her memories this morning are still very clear.

The memories flashed before her eyes, and at that moment, she felt nothing but shame.

"Good morning."

A faint smile appeared on Ren' face.

At this point, it's natural to avoid making jokes or teasing.

If it were Rias or Akeno Himejima, it would be a different story, but Koneko is easily embarrassed, and even just hearing Ren's response made her face turn completely red.

Chapter 383 The Cat's Instinct

This time, Ren didn't continue fixing the sewers as he usually did; instead, he inquired about the cause of last night's events.

"I... I don't know either. After training yesterday, I was planning to go to sleep, but I suddenly felt really hot, and I happened to catch your scent. Then, somehow I found myself here, and then..."

It would be somewhat forced for the Koneko to say the rest of the things on its own.

The Koneko was usually a quiet and aloof person, but before being abandoned by Kuroka, she was actually quite willing to communicate with people. However, after being abandoned by her own sister, being condemned by everyone in the Underworld, and even almost being hanged, she became completely silent.

However, her pretty face, devoid of any facial expressions, actually makes her seem adorable.

"Sorry."

The Koneko lowered its eyes, as if ashamed of showing such a wretched side, and its tone revealed a barely perceptible loneliness.

Upon hearing this, Ren gently stroked her hair. "Hmm, I accept your apology. Have more next time."

"?"

The Koneko thought it had misheard.

However, thinking about Ren's usual lifestyle, he instantly felt relieved.

Her act of proactively offering herself up was exactly what he wanted.

Logically speaking, he should be the one apologizing.

As expected of Ren!

However, isn't this also the thought that the Koneko itself is hiding in its heart?

When they first met, she was equally indifferent to Ren. However, with Ren' personal help in reuniting her with Sister Kuroka and clearing up their misunderstandings, her heart, which she had originally intended to keep closed off for life, quietly opened up.

Despite the fact that catgirls in many works are portrayed as seductive and slutty, in reality, at least in the world of High School DxD, almost all beings with catgirl blood will remain loyal to only one person for their entire lives.

Furthermore, female cats are known to only be attracted to males of other races, so Ren is the only one who can become Koneko target.

"It's still early, shall we review last night's lessons again?"

Ren stroked her hair as he spoke.

"..."

The Koneko didn't reply to these words, but simply curled up into a ball, yet this gesture didn't indicate any rejection.

If their fate is unknown, then they are dead; if you don't refuse, then you accept. Ren always held this view.

At this moment, Kuroka, who had been eavesdropping outside the door, finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Stop, stop, stop! How can you still deceive an innocent girl like this at a time like this?!"

"Huh, sis, older sister?!"

The Koneko's voice immediately became panicked after seeing the figure leaping in.

Ren could clearly feel her delicate body tremble slightly.

How did you get here?

"If I hadn't come out soon, Shirone, you would have been eaten alive by that awful big bad guy, meow?!"

Although it's quite possible that he actually took advantage of her, as a mature cat demon, Kuroka could sense that her sister Shirone's internal energy was very stable at this moment.

It's likely that Ren was well aware of the sisters' physical condition, so even though he had relations with Shirone, he didn't make the Koneko capable of having offspring.

"Elder sister..."

Upon hearing this, the Koneko knew that Kuroka already knew what had happened last night.

Being caught in the act by her only relative made her feel utterly ashamed.

Seeing this, Kuroka was initially somewhat angry, could only calm down.

She said helplessly, "This is actually also related to my sister's lack of attention, meow. If I had noticed something was wrong with you earlier, this probably wouldn't have happened."

Thinking about this, Kuroka could only lament that games are harmful.

If she hadn't made a promise with Ophis yesterday to go home and run dungeons together to farm gear, she wouldn't have missed the Koneko's condition.

"Actually, it's okay... I don't mind."

The Koneko's voice was barely audible, like a mosquito's buzz.

Not only Akeno Himejima, but Rias also has feelings for Ren, so it was only a matter of time before this happened.

Actually, the Koneko was prepared to dedicate herself, but she just hadn't found the right opportunity. But unexpectedly, things turned out this way after Ren came back.

"Sigh, my Shirone, the reason I left you alone back then was to protect you. The reason I was willing to go with Ren was because of your information, meow. I originally thought I could protect you for the rest of my life, but I was still careless, meow!"

Kuroka was filled with remorse.

If she wants to repay the favor, she can do it herself.

She could do it anytime Ren wanted, since she was already in heat.

Games are truly harmful!

Starting today, I'm giving up dried fish!

"So, sister, what exactly happened to me yesterday?"

The Koneko poked its head out and asked.

"During our mating season, although we are cat demons who have already taken human form, we are still essentially cats, retaining most of our feline habits. When we reach a certain age, our bodies will develop the instinct to reproduce. I can use my immortal energy to suppress this instinct, but Shirone, you haven't learned that level yet, so you can't suppress it."

"I can't help it, "Kuroka said helplessly.

"Fortunately, he knew about your situation and didn't actually get you pregnant. Otherwise, both mother and child would be in danger during childbirth, since your body isn't fully developed yet, Shirone."

Seeing her sister's serious expression, the Koneko realized just how dangerous her situation had been yesterday.

But Ren attacked her despite knowing this.

It seems... it doesn't really matter.

Pfft!

At that moment, Ren heard Kuroka's serious voice and immediately burst into laughter.

"Why are you laughing?"

"I just suddenly thought of something happy."

Ren suppressed a laugh.

But the curve of his lips still proved that he was in a very good mood.

Or perhaps, people were amused by Kuroka's theory.

"You said that the Koneko's current condition would put her and the kitten's lives in danger if she got pregnant. Who told you that?"

"Oh? It's Calico Granny."

Kuroka said matter-of-factly.

Ren didn't know any Calico Granny, but since it was a cat network, the other party should also be a cat.

Calico cat.

It has to be said that among cats, calico is already considered one of the most beautiful.

In contrast, the Scottish Fold cats that humans adore are seen by cats as nothing more than goblin kappa.

"That's pure nonsense. Putting aside the fact that there are records of humans getting married as young as 13 in ancient times, why would you conclude that Koneko would have a difficult birth, given the cat demon's constitution? At the very least, let alone the Underworld, even human hospitals have very sophisticated medical systems. Besides, how could a cat demon die so easily?"

Anyone who has read the original Ren will find it difficult to accept this statement.

The mystical forces are already so powerful, and the demonic arts and immortal techniques they practice are equally exquisite. How could a mere difficult birth really stump these bigwigs of the mystical side?

If that's true, then he really won't be able to hold back anymore.

Chapter 384 It's not Ren' fault.

If an extraordinary world can't even handle a difficult birth, then everyone might as well go back to their hometowns and raise pigs.

"Meow meow meow?"

Originally, Kuroka was still angry about her sister's situation, but after hearing what Ren said, it seemed to make sense.

Even for ordinary people, the chances of a difficult childbirth are very small, and with current medical technology, 99% of cases can be saved.

Moreover, the Koneko is both a demon and a cat spirit, and it has also cultivated immortal arts. Apart from some pain when giving birth to Koneko, how could it possibly be in any danger to its life?

If all else fails, there's always Asia, the holder of "The Twilight Healing".

To put it more bluntly, even if she were dead, Valerie could bring her back to life with the Holy Grail.

Kuroka quickly fell silent after Ren's two sentences.

However, she quickly put her hands on her hips, her almond-shaped eyes wide open, looking as if she wanted to devour Ren.

"But this won't work either!"

"I was here first, so I should be the one to give birth. How can Shirone have to be born before me?!"

"Elder sister..."

The Koneko was initially touched by Kuroka's concern, but seeing her complete change in attitude, she immediately swallowed back her gratitude.