"Do… do you mean that you want to invite us to join your Peerage?"
Irina raised an eyebrow in clear disbelief, as if she still wasn't sure whether she had heard Ren correctly.
Ren smiled lightly, leaning back in his seat as he lifted his milkshake cup and took a quiet sip before answering.
"That's right. As you both know… I'm now the official heir of the Beal Clan, and it's only natural that I start building my own Peerage."
He set the cup back onto the table gently, then looked at them with calm eyes—eyes that carried a hint of seriousness.
"You two have great potential… more than you give yourselves credit for. And that's why I want to recruit you into my team."
Irina and Xenovia exchanged a quick glance—a mix of confusion, surprise, and even anticipation—before their eyes returned to him.
Ren continued in a reassuring tone, with a faint smile that softened the seriousness surrounding the conversation:
"And of course… I'm not the type to force anyone into something like this. The choice is entirely yours, and I won't be upset if you refuse. But also… there's no need to worry about your factions."
He tilted his head slightly, as if reminding them of something obvious.
"They still owe me. A lot. No one would dare object if you agreed."
A brief silence fell over the table—short, yet heavy enough that the sound of the spoon touching the glass cup became unusually clear.
Irina bit her lower lip lightly, while Xenovia stared at Ren with newfound intensity, as if trying to read beyond his words.
"And this applies to both of you as well."
Ren said this as he calmly shifted his gaze toward Yuuma and Mahiru sitting beside him, as if his offer wasn't meant for just one pair, but for all of them without exception.
Yuuma's eyes widened for a moment, while Mahiru looked at him with slight confusion, not used to being included in something this significant. And yet… there was no hesitation in Ren's tone, nor any empty courtesy. His offer was genuine, straightforward, and entirely intentional.
Ren wasn't bothered in the slightest by the fact that Mahiru was just a human. Quite the opposite—even the idea itself didn't seem to matter to him at all.
To him… loyalty had always been more precious than power.
And power?
He viewed it as nothing more than a resource—something that could be given, shared, or transferred easily if he wished.
Something as simple as sharing even a tiny fraction of his power was enough to transform anyone into one of the strongest beings in their world—if not the strongest. It wasn't a kind of power that could be measured with eyes or numbers… but a power tied to Ren's very nature.
A power that could sever concepts and manipulate them.
A power not physical, nor magical, nor demonic… but something beyond all of that.
A power capable of altering the meaning of things, their essence, their existence… and even erasing that existence entirely if necessary.
And for that exact reason… he didn't worry for a moment about Mahiru's human fragility.
Because in Ren's eyes, weakness was merely a temporary state. But loyalty? That was what remained—and what deserved to be built upon.
"I'll join Ren-kun's Peerage."
Mahiru said this with a steady voice, without a hint of hesitation, as if the decision had been waiting for years to be spoken at last.
Then she added with a faint smile tinged with bitterness:
"To be honest… I still regret not choosing to become a Shinigami when you saved me back then."
A short silence settled around the table before Mahiru continued, her voice low but her words sharp with emotion she was trying to suppress:
At that time… she had been afraid.
Afraid of death, afraid of the darkness swallowing her, afraid of the end that felt so unbearably close. And when Ren reached out and saved her from the jaws of death, she felt an overwhelming happiness—happiness at surviving… happiness at living.
But later, when her emotions calmed, she began to think.
And wonder.
Death… wasn't nearly as terrifying as returning to her harsh reality.
A forsaken child… with no place to belong… no family waiting… and no clear future.
Becoming a Shinigami?
That would have meant a new identity.
A different life.
Power… and a purpose to exist.
And more than anything—it would have meant no longer being just "a girl everyone left behind."
So she had carried that regret in silence all this time.
A regret that weighed on her chest every time she remembered the choice she hadn't had the courage to make.
And now…
The same opportunity had returned, but in a better, clearer, purer form than before.
And so… there was no way she would repeat the same mistake.
Mahiru raised her head confidently, her shining eyes telling Ren everything without the need for any longer explanation:
"This time… I won't hesitate."
"Good."
Ren nodded with a faint smile. The happiness was visible on his face, despite his calm voice, as he felt that Mahiru's decision reflected trust and belief in what he offered.
A brief silence passed, and then Yuuma spoke in a low, unexpected voice:
"I… I agree too."
A trembling pink blush spread across her cheeks, and she looked at Ren with a reddened face, as if simply saying the words had been a small battle she had to win over herself.
Ren smiled again—this time warmer. He hadn't expected Yuuma to accept in this way, but she did, and it brought a strange feeling of warmth and comfort to his heart.
Then, almost at the same moment, Xenovia added in her confident—but still spirited—voice:
"I'm in as well."
Her voice brought weight and calmness to the moment, as if they were all now united in one decision, each placing their trust and belief in Ren in their own way—but with equal strength.
Ren smiled again, more at ease this time, feeling that his Peerage was no longer just an idea, but a living reality, pulsing with loyalty and trust from each of the people beside him.
"Irina…?" Xenovia said with complete seriousness, as if she were stating something completely normal. "Joining Ren and bearing his child… would produce offspring superior even to Hyoudou Issei's."
Irina froze, then shock and intense embarrassment exploded across her face. "W-what are you saying?!" she cried out loudly, her face turning red all the way down her neck, as if Xenovia's words had set her on fire from the inside.
It wasn't just shocking because of the bluntness—it was the fact that Xenovia didn't seem to realize how scandalous her words were. Irina, with her good sense, felt that this was more than a simple awkward moment—it was practically a public scandal in the middle of a café!
And she wasn't alone—Yuuma and Mahiru also couldn't suppress their blushes. Their faces turned completely red, and their tense, strained smiles exposed just how severely embarrassed they were.
Thankfully, Ren had placed a sound barrier around the table; otherwise, everyone in the café would be staring at them in disbelief at Xenovia's outrageous and indecent proclamation.
Ren sighed slowly, muttering to himself in regret, as if a sudden weight had crashed onto his heart:
"I wonder… is it too late to withdraw this offer?"
He hadn't expected Xenovia to show up at his home more interested in his body and genetics than in him personally, as if he had stepped into a trap he never prepared for.
The atmosphere around the table became a mix of embarrassment, shock, and confusion, each person caught in their own whirlwind of chaotic thoughts.
Irina was breathing in short, shaky breaths, trying to regain her composure as her face burned red.
Yuuma and Mahiru sat silently, their faces burning with embarrassment, each one desperately trying to hold back either a laugh or tears of shame.
Meanwhile, Ren felt an unusual kind of shock. All his life, he had been the one teasing others with shameless comments or gestures, and he always thought he knew how to handle awkward situations.
But this time… he was the one being flirted with so bluntly, with zero filter.
Ren sighed slowly, his eyes drifting over everyone at the table as he reconsidered his future choices—and how life sometimes delivered situations he never expected.
It was a new moment, a new sensation—as if he had suddenly discovered that embarrassment wasn't something reserved only for others.
...
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